1) The Union Govt. on 13 June 2015 launched an Indian insurance pool to the tune of Rs. 1,500 crore which is mandatory under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND). This insurance pool was launched to address the concerns of the clauses in the CLND Act, which give the operator the Right to Recourse and allow it to sue the suppliers in case of any accident. Which insurance entity is the fund operator of this pool? – General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re)
Explanation: General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is the fund operator of this Rs. 1,500 crore Indian insurance pool and it includes 11 other non-life insurers as associates of the pool. Apart from GIC Re, New India, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance from the public sector, the private ones are ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Tata AIG General, Reliance General Insurance, Chola MS General Insurance, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, SBI General and Universal Sompo General. This pool will be the 27th such market pool globally. It is expected to address third-party liability insurance to begin with and later expand into property and other hot zone (inside reactor areas) risk. This will cover both operators and suppliers. At present, only cold zones (outside reactor areas) are covered. The idea of forming a pool was mooted in early 2013 and got stuck due to differences among stakeholders on certain clauses. In 2010, Parliament passed the CLND Act, which creates a liability cap for nuclear plant operators for economic damage in the event of an accident.
2) What is the name of the Joint-Military Exercise that started between the armies of India and UK at Salisbury Plains Training Area, UK on 13 June 2015? – “Ajeya Warrior 2015”
Explanation: “Ajeya Warrior” is the name given to the biannual military exercise between Indian and the United Kingdom. The aim of the Exercise is to build and promote positive military relations between Indian and UK Army and to enhance their ability to undertake joint tactical level operations in Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism Environment under United Nations Charter. A battalion of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army is taking part in the exercise. The exercise is being held at Westdown Camp, Salisbury Plains Training Area (UK) and will conclude on 28 June 2015.
3) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 14 June 2015 came into controversy over the grant of travel documents to former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi by the UK government. When was this travel grant was provided? – August 2014
Explanation: Lalit Modi is facing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into allegations of financial irregularities in the IPL. He has been in the UK since 2010 when the IPL was caught in a huge storm over an alleged betting scandal. Lalit Modi’s passport was revoked in March that year. Last year, Lalit Modi was given a visa in August 2014 after Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz recommended his name. According to the British media, Vaz cited the name of Sushma Swaraj to put pressure on the UK’s top immigration official to grant British travel papers to Modi. The grant of visa is being discussed before a parliamentary panel in the UK. Opposition parties, including Congress demanded resignation of Swaraj over this issue.
4) Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Kaul, who passed away on 13 June 2015, was a former Governor of which state? – Himachal Pradesh
Explanation: 100 year old Sheila Kaul was a sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru and oldest surviving former parliamentarian at present. She was married to renowned botanist Kailash Nath Kaul. Sheila Kaul was Corporator of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation during 1959-65, and a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council during 1968-71. She was elected as Member of Parliament five times – in 1971, 1980 and 1984 from Lucknow, and in 1989 and 1991 from Rae Bareli. Urban Development Minister in the Narasimha Rao Cabinet, Sheila Kaul was accused of making out-of-turn allotment of government accommodations in return for monetary gain between 1992 and 1995. She was Governor of Himachal Pradesh between 1995-96.
5) Which bird was nominated as United Kingdom’s first-ever national bird in a poll conducted in the country that concluded during June 2015? – Robin
Explanation: The red-breasted “Robin” bird topped a poll of more than 200,000 people to choose the UK’s first national bird, winning a landslide victory. The bird received 34% of votes, followed by the barn owl, which received 12% and the blackbird, 11%. More than 224,000 people voted online, at ballot boxes in schools and by post in the poll, which began in March 2015. The poll was launched by noted ornithologist David Lindo. Lindo began the project last year when he realised Britain did not have a national bird, unlike countries such as India (Peacock), US (Bald Eagle) and Australia (Emu). The red-breasted “Robin” has long been a part of Britain’s cultural history, most notably with its image adorning Christmas decorations every year.
6) Which Indian mining conglomerate on 13 June 2015 announced buying the stake of minority shareholders in Cairn India, the country’s top private oil producer? – Vedanta Ltd
Explanation: Vedanta Ltd. is India’s largest private sector miner while Cairn India is country’s top private oil producer. Under the deal Cairn India will get one share in Vedanta Ltd for every held. This will result in merger of Cairn India in Vedanta, a move that is expected to streamline debt-burdened parent Vedanta Resources Plc’s operating structure.
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