SIPVS Knowledge is Power
1) The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 18 May 2017 unanimously stayed Pakistan’s execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav until it rules on the merits of the case and delivers its final judgment. What is the name of the ICJ President who made this important ruling? – Ronny Abraham
Explanation: Judge Ronny Abraham gave the ruling that Pakistan cannot execute Indian national Jadhav until it makes a final decision in the proceedings of the case. It added that it indeed has jurisdiction in the case, superceding a 2008 agreement between India and Pakistan.
– The ruling reprimanded the Pakistani government for denying consular access to Jadhav.
– The ICJ granted these measures after a public hearing was conducted on 15 May 2017. A Pakistani military court had sentenced Jadhav to death in April 2017. India approached the ICJ on 8 May 2017 asking for a stay on Jadhav’s death sentence, in addition to granting three other provisional measures it has sought against Pakistan.
– While Indian case was represented by senior lawyer Harish Salve, Pakistan was represented by Khawar Qureshi.
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2) Which station was adjudged the cleanest railway station out of 407 stations in India, as was disclosed on 17 May 2017 in a survey conducted by the Indian Railways? – Beas (Punjab)
Explanation: Beas railway station in Punjab was adjudged the cleanest railway station in India in overall category. It was followed by Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Khammam (Telangana). Among the 75 bigger and busy railway stations, Visakhapatnam is on top, followed by Secunderabad (Telangana) and Jammu (J&K).
– New Delhi station was ranked 39 among the most busy stations while Bangalore City is at 10th position, Hyderabad at 16th, Mumbai Central at 27th and Chennai Central at 49th rank.
– Stations at Jogbani, Madhubani and Sagauli — all in Bihar — are the dirtiest in the overall ranking. Among the most-busy stations, Darbhanga (Bihar) was the dirtiest, followed by Bhopal (MP) and Ambala (Haryana).
– The survey was carried out based on regular periodic third party audit by the Quality Council of India (QCI) and feedback from passengers. Clean toilets at platforms, clean tracks and dustbins at stations were some of the criteria for judging railway stations for cleanliness.
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3) Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave, who passed away on 18 May 2017, was independent charge of which Ministry? – Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Explanation: Anil Madhav Dave was sworn in as a minister with independent charge of environment, forest and climate change last year (2016). He had replaced Prakash Javdekar, who was appointed HRD Minister.
– As environment minister, Dave had fastened approval of India’s first river-linking project Ken-Betwa falling in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
– 60-year old Dave was a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009.
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4) Which global automaker on 18 May 2017 announced that it will not sell its products in India but keep producing products for international market? – General Motors
Explanation: General Motors (GM), which has been in the Indian automobile market through it Chevrolet brand, decided to exit India. The company will not further sell its products in India. This means that no new Chevrolet cars will make their way to India anymore.
– The company sold just 25823 units in the last fiscal and its market share has dropped below 1% in India and this after the company announced in 2015 that it targets to garner 3% of the market share in India by 2020. Spark, Beat, Cruze are some of the prominent products of the company in India.
– However, the company will still be using India as an export hub and we will see cars being made in India and shipped out to Mexico and Central and South American markets.
– GM will be using its Talegaon plant for this purpose and the Halol plant in Gujarat, which ceased operations recently, will be sold to its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC Motor Corp.
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5) Which airline became the first private airline to get a licence to fly under UDAN, the government’s regional connectivity scheme? – Turbo Megha Airways
Explanation: Turbo Megha Airways, the Hyderabad-based airline that flies as TruJet, became the first private airline to get a licence to fly under UDAN, the government scheme for subsidized regional flights. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 17 May 2017 issued the first air operator certificate in the scheduled commuter category to Turbo Megha Airways.
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the first flight under UDAN (Uday Desh Kaa Aaam Naagrik) on the Shimla-Delhi route on 27 April 2017. That flight will be operated by Alliance Air, the regional arm of Air India.
– The five airlines awarded the rights to fly UDAN flights are Air India, SpiceJet, Turbo Megha, Air Odisha and Deccan Air.
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Source :- Nirdeshak.com
