Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
The first-ever India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was held at St. Petersburg in Russia on November 25,2018. The Indian side is being led by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, with the Russian delegation headed by Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin. The two-day forum is also expected to bring together key business figures from both countries. The participants will discuss the development of bilateral ties in trade, investment, technology and industry. Some of the key areas of focus are as follows: transport, agriculture and agro-processing, Small and Medium Enterprises, digital transformation and frontier technologies and industrial cooperation.

Notes:
Russia’s state space corporation ‘Roscosmos’ has decided to venture into the Internet of things (IoT) with the launch of a new satellite system named ‘Marathon’. As per reports, the new satellite system will be a part of Russia’s Sphere satellite constellation, alongside GLONASS navigation system, an Earth remote sensing system, a satellite communication system, and a data relay satellite system. The Sphere is expected to be fully established by 2026.

Notes:
On 26th November, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a centralized electronic platform ‘PaiSA’ for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). The web platform named “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, has been designed and developed by Allahabad Bank which is the Nodal bank. All 35 states / UTs & all Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), RRBs and Cooperative Banks are expected to be on board the PAiSA portal the year end.

Notes:
The National Law Day (NLD) is celebrated in India on 26th of November every year to commemorate the adoption of Constitution of India. The day is also known as Samvidhan Divas or Constitution Day. On this day in 1949, the constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India which came into force on 26th January 1950, marking the beginning of a new era in the history of India. On 19th November 2015, the Government of India (GoI) in a gazette notification declared November 26th as the Constitution Day. The year of 2015 was the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who had chaired the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly and played a pivotal role in the drafting of the constitution. The day was chosen to spread the importance of the constitution and to spread thoughts and ideas of Dr. Ambedkar.

Notes:
The Croatia Davis Cup team has won the 107th edition of the Davis Cup tennis tournament 2018. In the final at Lille’s Stade Pierre Mauroy, Marin Cilic clinched the title by defeating France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3 to give his side a decisive 3-1 lead. This is Croatia’s second title. Their maiden victory happened in 2005 when they overcame Slovakia.

Notes:
The United Nations has officially selected Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative. The twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district have been selected in the “University City” category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru as the only invitee from India. Overall 25 cities across the world have been selected in five categories by the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) cities initiative. The SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Notes:
The National Milk Day (NMD) is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, the father of India’s White Revolution. Dr Kurien was the architect of Operation Flood, the programme which led India from being 50th in the world in terms of milk production to become the largest producer in just a couple of decades.

Notes:
The Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched a unique initiative called Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to all 22 Indian languages of Schedule VIII of the Constitution. The initiative, under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, was launched on 22nd of November and will continue till the 21st of December. The aim of the programme is to enhance linguistic tolerance and respect, and promote national integration. During the Bhasha Sangam programme, the school authorities have to introduce students to five sentences of the language fixed for that particular day/date by reading out the sentences in the morning assembly and asking the students to repeat them. Hnce, Bhasha Sangam is a programme for schools and educational institutions to provide multilingual exposure to students in Indian languages.

Notes:
As per Article 316 of the Constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Arvind Saxena as new Chairman of Union Public Service Commission, UPSC. The term of his appointment will be till 7th of August, 2020 when he attains 65 years. In 2015, he joined UPSC as a member. Prior to joining UPSC as Member, Saxena was working as Director of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC). He was also awarded meritorious services (2005) and distinguished services (2012), conferred by the Prime Minister of India.

Notes:
Lijo Jose Pellissery has been conferred the Best Director Award for his 2018 film ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’. The film is a stunning satire on death and how it affects human lives. The Best Director gets the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakhs). Beside this, the Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Chemban Vinod for his portrayal in Ee.Ma.Yau of ‘Eeshi’, a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father but is met with unpredictable obstacles and reactions from different quarters. Similarly, the Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Anastasiia Pustovit for her portrayal of a ‘Larysa’, a teenage girl in the Ukrainian film ‘When the Trees Fall’. Both Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) are honoured with the Silver Peacock Trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakhs) each.