10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #7 September 9, 2019

Explanation: The Tamil Nadu government has banned sex reassignment surgeries for intersex infants and children in a move which is being seen as progressive. The development comes after the Madras High Court’s direction to the Department of Health and Family Welfare in April to issue an order “enshrining the mandate of the Supreme Court”.
The order, however, mentioned that the reassignment surgeries will be allowed in cases of life-threatening situations, which will be decided after the recommendations of a committee comprising a pediatric surgeon or a urologist, an endocrinologist, a social worker, and a government representative not below the rank of an under-secretary. The committee will be constituted by the Director of Medical Education.

Explanation: India runs the world’s largest food security programme, distributing more than 600 lakh tonnes of subsidised food grain to more than 81 crore beneficiaries every year. This is done through a vast network of more than five lakh ration or fair price shops. Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), each beneficiary is eligible for five kg of subsidised grains per month at the rate of ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat and ₹1/kg of coarse cereals. However, until recently, this has been a location-linked benefit, leaving crores of migrant workers and families out of the food safety net. Each household’s ration card is linked to a specific fair price shop and can only be used to buy rations in that particular shop. Over the last few years, 10 States (partially in one) have implemented the Integrated Management of Public Distribution System, which allows beneficiaries to buy rations from any fair price shop within that State. The Centre is now in the process of expanding these efforts into a nationwide portability network which is called the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme. It is scheduled to come into full effect by June 2020, after which a ration card holder can buy subsidised grain at any fair price shop in the country. The main beneficiaries of the scheme are the country’s migrant workers. According to data from the Census 2011, there are more than 45 crore internal migrants in India, of whom more than half have not completed primary education, while 80% have not completed secondary education. Lower levels of education are linked to lower income, which would make a large percentage of these migrants eligible for NFSA benefits.

Explanation: Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016: These rules shall apply to every waste generator, local body, Gram Panchayat, manufacturer, Importers and producer. Importers are brought under the purview since importing is also a route of brining plastic carry bags/ multilayered packaging to the country. The jurisdiction has been extended to rural area also since plastic has reached to our rural areas also. Producer, Brand Owner need to work out modalities for waste collection system for collecting back the plastic waste within a period of six months in consultation with local authority / State Urban Development Department and implement with two years thereafter.

Explanation: A powerful typhoon with potentially record winds and rain battered the Tokyo region early Monday, sparking evacuation warnings to tens of thousands, widespread blackouts and transport disruption. Typhoon Faxai, packing winds of up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, made landfall in Chiba just east of the capital before dawn, after barrelling through Tokyo Bay. Authorities issued non-compulsory evacuation warnings to more than 390,000 people, as forecasters cautioned the rain and wind could reach “record” proportions. Nearly 290,000 households lost power in the region, while at least 10 houses were damaged in Shizuoka with windows shattered and cars flipped onto their sides, according to local media.

Explanation: World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) Report. The index is published biennially by World Economic Forum (WEF).The Index ranks 140 economies. The countries are ranked in four sub-indexes namely (a) enabling environment (b) travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions, (c) infrastructure and (d) natural and cultural resources. The index has ranked India at 34th place. Earlier India was ranked 40th in 2018. Spain was ranked first followed by France, Germany and Japan with the United States replacing the UK in the top five. The index has said that China is the largest travel and tourism economy in the Asia-Pacific and 13th most competitive globally.