Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). The NFRA will act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which was one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act 2013. The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms will be extended to the listed companies and large unlisted public companies. The Cabinet also gave nod to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill – 2018 to deal with those escaping overseas to avoid getting caught. The Bill will help in laying down measures to deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian Courts. According to Union Finance ministry, the economic offences worth Rs 100 crore or more will come under the purview of the Bill.

Notes:
The Karnataka government has launched the world’s largest solar park ‘Shakti Sthalaon’ at Pavagada in Tumakuru district, about 180km from Bengaluru. The solar park has a capacity of 2,000 MW and has set up at an investment of Rs16,500 crore. The first phase of the park will generate 600MW, while the balance 1,400MW is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2018. The park will create employment and act as an incentive for natives and farmers to explore new opportunities of socio-economic growth in the region.

Notes:
Viswanathan Anand, the five-time world champion, has won the 11thTal Memorial Chess tournament (rapid section) 2018 with a score of 6.0/9 in Moscow on March 4. The win came after an easy final round draw against Boris Gelfand of Israel. . The trophy adds to Anand’s world rapid title won in Riyadh over two months ago. The Tal Memorial Rapid is a 10-player single round-robin taking place in the Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow. The ten top players were competing for a 130,000 prize fund, with 25,000 for 1st place.

Notes:
The Shigmotsav is the biggest festival for the Hindus in Goa, which is celebrated in the month of Phalguna (March) from the 9th moon day to full moon day as per the Hindu calendar. The 5th day is called ‘Rang Panchami’. This day of rejoicing is celebrated with the abundant use of ‘Gulal’ or red powder. This year, in 2018, the 2-week long festival has started from March 3. The Shigmotsav or Shigmo is one of the several cultural festivals of the coastal state and is celebrated through colours, costumes, music, dance and parades. The Shigmo parades will give one and all a chance to take a glimpse at the life of a Goan which is depicted in elaborate folk performances by local men and women who dance tirelessly in huge processions along with the parade. Folk dances like Ghode Modni and Fugdi will be performed on the streets in massive troupes along the procession, showcasing the traditions of Goa.

Notes:
The Odisha government has launched the free sanitary napkin scheme ‘Khushi’ for girl students from Class 6 to 12 in all the government and government-aided schools in the state. The scheme will be implemented by the health and family welfare department of the state at a cost of Rs 70 crore per year.

Notes:
The World Wildlife Day (WWD) is observed every year on March 3 to raise awareness about our planet’s flora and fauna. On this day, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was finalised & and the day has been celebrated as World Wildlife Day since 2014. CITES is an international agreement between the governments of 183 countries to protect wild plants and animals and ensure their survival. The 2018 theme is ‘Big Cats: Predators under Threat’. The day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people.

Notes:
The 9th edition of the Women’s Film Festival (WFF-2018) will be organized by the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) from 9 to 11 March at NFAI Pune. The theme of the fest is ‘Travelling Women’. It will open with Sidney Pollack’s Out Of Africa, featuring Meryl Streep. The festival will feature other acclaimed films including Away We Go, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Wild. The closing film is Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts. On March 8, NFAI will also host a special event “Parikathe til Rajkumari”, and screen audiovisual clips paying tribute to women in Indian cinema, from the birth of Indian cinema till the 1960s. The festival to mark the 2018 International Women’s Day will screen Balu Mahendra’s Tamil film Moondram Pirai, in remembrance of actress Sridevi.

Notes:
The International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated every year on March 8 to highlight the achievements of women. It is a global celebration of the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. The 2018 theme is “Time Is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. Women’s Day was first observed on 28th February 1909 in New York. At 1910 International Woman’s Conference, 8th March was suggested to be observed as “International Woman’s Day.” March 8 also became a national holiday in Soviet Russia in 1917 after women gained suffrage there. Later, in 1975, International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations.

Notes:
The first-ever International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan cultural centre in New Delhi on March 11, 2018. The one-day conference will include an Inaugural Session, followed by Plenary and Technical Sessions and will be attended by Heads of State/Heads of Government, dignitaries from the United Nations, Presidents of Multilateral Development Banks and global funds / financial institutions, leaders from energy-related institutions, corporate sector, and civil society. The ISA is conceived as a coalition of solar resource rich countries to address their special energy needs and will provide a platform to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach. The ISA initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President Francois Hollande.

Notes:
The headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad District of Haryana for better coordination between the environment ministry and the AWBI for carrying out the animal welfare activities. It was informed by Mahesh Sharma, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in written reply to Rajya Sabha . According to Rule 3 of the Animal Welfare Board (Administrative) Rules (1962), the headquarter of the AWBI shall be at New Delhi or at such other place as the central government, may, after consultation with the Board direct. The AWBI was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960).