Current Affairs Quiz: 3 September to 9 September 2018

1. The Supreme Court on September 6, 2018 decriminalised Section 377 to the extent it criminalses sexual acts between consenting adults, whether homosexual or hetrosexual. The ruling was made on the basis of which Article(s) of the Indian Constitution?
a) Article 14
b) Article 15
c) Article 21
d) All of the above

2. Which defence agreement was signed by India and the United States recently?
a) COMCASA
b) CISMOA
c) GSOMIA
d) BECA

3. Who was appointed as the DGP of Jammu & Kashmir?
a) Shesh Paul Vaid
b) Dilbagh Singh
c) Abdul Gani
d) Arun Chaudhury

4. Who won the Pakistan Presidential Election 2018?
a) Arif Alvi
b) Aitzaz Ahsan
c) Fazal-ur-Rehman
d) Mamnoon Hussain

5. Who was recommended for the post of the Chief Justice of India by incumbent CJI Dipak Misra?
a) Justice J Chelameswar
b) Justice Madan B Lokur
c) Justice Ranjan Gogoi
d) Justice Kurian Joseph

6. The tsunami mock drill exercise ‘IOWave18’ began in which region?
a) Bay of Bengal
b) Indian Ocean
c) Pacific Ocean
d) Andaman Islands

7. India had its first-ever 2+2 dialogue with which nation on September 6?
a) UK
b) US
c) China
d) Pakistan

8. The High Court of which state declared fatwas as unconstitutional?
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Punjab
c) Uttarakhand
d) Haryana

9. Which country was the top source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India in 2017-18?
a) China
b) Singapore
c) Russia
d) Mauritius

10. The OBC population data will be introduced from which Census year in India?
a) 2021
b) 2025
c) 2031
d) 2035

ANSWERS

1. (d) All of the above
A Five Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on September 6, 2018 pronounced its historic judgement, decriminalising Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The judgement is based on the interpretation of Article 14 (Right to Equality); Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth); Article 19 (Freedom of Speech and Expression); and Article 21 (Right to Life and Right to Privacy) of the Indian Constitution.

2. (a) COMCASA
COMCASA is an India-specific version of the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) is one of the four foundational agreements that a country needs to sign to become a major defence partner of the United States. The agreement comes into effect immediately and has a lifespan of 10 years.

3. (b) Dilbagh Singh
Jammu and Kashmir Government on September 6, 2018 appointed Dilbagh Singh as the Director General of Police (DGP) of the state. Singh replaces Shesh Paul Vaid, who was removed from the post and was appointed as the Transport Commissioner in the State’s General Administrative Department (GAD).

4. (a) Arif Alvi
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate, Arif Alvi on September 4, 2018 won the Pakistan Presidential Election 2018, defeating his two rival candidates Fazal-ur-Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan. Alvi will replace incumbent President Mamnoon Hussain as the 13th President of Pakistan with a term of five years. Hussain’s five-year term will end on September 8, 2018.

5. (c) Justice Ranjan Gogoi
Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra on September 4, 2018 recommended the name of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India. This recommendation will now be processed and forwarded to the President who will issue the warrant of appointment. CJI Misra retires on October 2, 2018.

6. (b) Indian Ocean
The tsunami mock drill exercise ‘IOWave18’ began from September 4, 2018 in Indian Ocean. The exercise is being organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The purpose of the 2-day exercise is to increase tsunami preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each state and improve coordination throughout the region.

7. (b) US
India is scheduled to have its first-ever 2+2 dialogue with the United States of America on September 6, 2018. Ahead of the talks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that while India buying a missile defence system from Russia and oil from Iran would be a part of the talks, they mustn’t be mistaken for the primary focus.

8. (c) Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand High Court on August 30, 2018 declared fatwas as unconstitutional and illegal. The high court banned all the religious bodies and statutory panchayats in the state from issuing fatwas. The ruling came, as the court declared illegal a fatwa banishing the family of a rape victim from their village.

9. (d) Mauritius
Mauritius was the top source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore. The FDI from Mauritius totalled USD 13.41 billion and inflows from Singapore rose to USD 9.27 billion. The total FDI in the financial year stood at USD 37.36 billion.

10. (a) 2021
The Union Home Ministry announced that the Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backwards Castes (OBC). The exercise will involve 25 lakh trained enumerators. The 2011 Census collected information in 29 categories that included a separate column for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes.