10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #76 January 31, 2020

Explanation: The Ulysses spacecraft was designed as a five-year mission to study the never-before-examined north and south poles of the Sun. Far outliving its planned mission lifetime by 13 years and collecting treasure troves of data on solar wind, interstellar dust and the three-dimensional character of solar radiation, Ulysses became one of the most prolific contributors to knowledge of the solar activity cycle. It was launched in 1990 by NASA and ESA.

Explanation: The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) is the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It has in its journey of eighteen years (2001- 2019) become a focal point for global leaders and practitioners to congregate on a single platform to discuss and deliberate over climatic issues of universal importance. The Summit series has emerged as the premier international event on sustainability which focuses on the global future, but with an eye on the actions in the developing world which could bend our common future. The WSDS has continued the legacy of the erstwhile Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) which was initiated in 2001 with the aim of making ‘sustainable development’ a globally shared goal. The Summit series has over the years brought together 47 heads of state and government, 13 Nobel laureates, ministers from 64 countries, 1700 business leaders, 1900+ speakers and over 13,000 delegates from across the world. Theme for 2020 summit- Towards 2030: Making the Decade Count.

Explanation: India has topped the TomTom Traffic Index 2019 with 4 of its cities amongst the 10 most congested cities globally. Bengaluru (71%), Mumbai (65%), Pune (59%) and New Delhi (56%) ranks 1st, 4th, 5th and 8th respectively. The other global cities featured amongst the top 10 include Manila from the Philippines, Bogota from Colombia, Moscow from Russia; Lima from Peru, Istanbul from Turkey, and Jakarta from Indonesia. Location technology specialist TomTom has released the results of the TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries.

Explanation: Agriculture departments in northern Indian states have been put on high alert following the appearance of yellow rust disease in wheat crops in parts of Ropar district in Punjab and Una district in Himachal Pradesh. Yellow rust is a fungal disease which manifests as powdery yellow stripes on leaves. These stripes hinder photosynthesis, make the grains shrivel and stunt growth of the plant. It is a serious disease, which has been threatening wheat cultivation in the country the past few years. All the wheat growing states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the tarai region of Uttarkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the low lying areas of Jammu and Kashmir are susceptible to the disease.

Explanation: Assam has emerged as the top state in terms of best practices followed in budget formulation, followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, says a survey by Transparency International. The survey was based on four parameters — public disclosure, budgetary process, post budget fiscal management and efforts to make budget more transparent and citizen friendly.