10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #4 September 5, 2019

Explanation: The ‘Samudrayaan’ project undertaken by the NIOT, Chennai, is in line with the ISRO’s ambitious ‘Gaganyaan’ mission of sending an astronaut to space by 2022. The ‘Samudrayaan’ is a part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ pilot project for deep ocean mining for rare minerals. The indigenously developed vehicle is capable of crawling on the sea bed at a depth of six kilometre for 72 hours. The success of the ‘Samudrayaan’ will help India to join the league of developed nations in exploration of minerals from oceans.

Explanation: Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), his deputy Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim who planned and executed the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts are the first four persons designated as “terrorists” under the anti-terror law passed by Parliament on August 2. The recently-amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act allows government to designate individuals as terrorists.

Explanation: The Austrian capital has been ranked the world’s most livable city for the second year running, topping the table with almost perfect scores. It was followed by Melbourne which Vienna toppled from pole position last year after seven years at the top. Sydney, Osaka and Calgary make up the top five on the annual Global Liveability Index of 140 cities around the world, researched by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
The index considers more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors spanning five broad categories, weighted as follows: stability (25%), healthcare (20%), culture and environment (25%), education (10%), and infrastructure (20%). The world’s most livable cities 2019:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Sydney, Australia
4. Osaka, Japan
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. Toronto, Canada
7. Tokyo, Japan
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Adelaide, Australia

Explanation: The Eastern Economic Forum 2019 will take place on 4–6 September in Vladivostok on the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) campus. The Eastern Economic Forum was established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in 2015 to support the economic development of Russia’s Far East and to expand international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Plenary Session at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum, said India will give a line of credit worth USD 1 billion for the development of the Far East.
“The relation of India and the Far East is not new but ages old. India is the first country which opened its consulate in Vladivostok. Even during Soviet Russia when there were restrictions on other foreigners, Vladivostok was open for Indians,” PM Modi said. “For the development of Far East, India will give a line of credit worth USD 1 Billion. My government has actively engaged in East Asia as part of its ‘Act East’ policy. This will also give a new dimension to our economic diplomacy,” he added.

Explanation:
Gurudwara in Kartarpur:
•The gurdwara in Kartarpur is located on the bank of river Ravi in Pakistan.
•It is about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine, and about 120 km northeast of Lahore.
•It was here that Guru Nanak assembled a Sikh community and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.
•The shrine is visible from the Indian side, as Pakistani authorities generally trim the elephant grass that would otherwise obstruct the view.
•Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers for darshan from the Indian side, and binoculars are installed at Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak.
•The gurdwara was opened to pilgrims after repairs and restoration in 1999, and Sikh jathas have been visiting the shrine regularly ever since.
•Sikh jathas from India travel to Pakistan on four occasions every year- for Baishakhi, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev.

Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
•There had been demands from the Shiromanni Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and political leaders to build a corridor that would allow the pilgrims to cross over into Pakistan from the Indian side to visit the Kartarpur Sahib shrine and return the same day
•The corridor, once built, will give Indian pilgrims an easy access to the shrine in Kartarpur
•A bridge will need to be constructed over the Ravi and there shall be no need for passports or visas
•India will build the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the International Border, as informed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh
•Singh also informed that a high-level committee chaired by him will regularly review, monitor and oversee the implementation of activities to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak
India had first proposed the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in 1999 when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore.