10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #18 September 21, 2019

Explanation: Union Human Resource Development Minister has launched the Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE Summit 2019). The summit will be the largest gathering of young women students who will promote entrepreneurship in waste management and provide alternatives to single-use plastic carry bags. The summit is jointly organized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste Management (IIWM) at Jaipur. The theme of the summit is: “Make your own bag-empowering women to take up income generation activity and entrepreneurship in waste management, through making a business out of this record-creating concept.”

Explanation: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India. Considering the utility nature of the objects of NPCI, it has been incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company under the provisions of Section 25 of Companies Act 1956 (now Section 8 of Companies Act 2013), with an intention to provide infrastructure to the entire Banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement systems. The Company is focused on bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology for achieving greater efficiency in operations and widening the reach of payment systems. The ten core promoter banks are State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank N. A. and HSBC. In 2016 the shareholding was broad-based to 56 member banks to include more banks representing all sectors.

Explanation: Ministry of Skill Development has signed an agreement with Global IT major IBM for nationwide Train-the-Trainer program in Artificial Intelligence. As part of the program, trainers will be trained on basic Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills towards using the technology in their day-to-day training activities. The program will be executed over a period of one year under which IBM aims at training 10,000 faculty members from ITIs across the country. IBM will provide the necessary training at seven centres including six National Skills Training Institutes (NSTI) and one Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Pune.

Explanation: The draft code has proposed to offer a slew of benefits from provident funds to health cover, accident insurance and education for children of informal and gig workers. The code also says that the state governments may also unveil schemes related to provident fund, employment injury benefits, housing, educational schemes for children, and skill up gradation for workers among others. The code will merge the following 8 existing laws:
•Employees Compensation Act, 1923
•Employees State Insurance Act, 1948
•Employees Provident Funds and miscellaneous act, 1952
•Maternity Benefit Act,1961
•Payment of Gratuity Act,1972
•Cine workers welfare fund act,1981
•Building and Other construction workers Cess Act,1996
•Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008.

Explanation: Karan Vandana, a new hybrid wheat variety which is resistant to yellow rust and white blast and can give significantly higher yield than normal varieties, is likely to be soon launched across the country. It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It is also known as DBW-187.It is resistant to both yellow rust and white blast diseases.