Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has developed a new technology to assess the rise of water level in rivers and reservoirs by rain. The technology, called ‘Impact Based Forecasting Approach’, which shows pre-event scenario, can help state governments to minutely monitor the impact of rain and take real-time decisions.

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The 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine 2018 has started in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal on November 21. The theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”. The biennial event mainly focuses on science and research aspects of high altitude medicine. It will also include practical workshops related to trekking, expedition medicine and clinical education. More than 400 participants from 40 countries, including India, China, Japan, USA, England and Italy are attending the congress. The flagship event of the International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM) is being held first time in Nepal and hosted by Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal.

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As per 6th edition of India Skills Report 2019, Andhra Pradesh has topped the list of states with the highest employability followed by Rajasthan and Haryana. The report stated that around 70% of the youth face problem due to lack of professional guidance in finding desirable jobs that worth their skills. The report also highlights the fact that from FMCG to startups, every industry offers paid or unpaid internship programmes to youth. According to the report, a small percentage of students in all states have done at least one internship in the past 12 months. The employability levels of B.Tech/B.E have increased across all the sectors at 63.11% as against last year’s 42.08%. However, the employability levels of MBA and polytechnic stand low between 47.18% and 45.90%. The survey was conducted jointly by Wheebox, PeopleStrong, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and supported and backed by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

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:
Harmanpreet Kaur has been named captain of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 XI, which also featured opener Smriti Mandhana and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav. A selection panel of ICC in Dubai picked up the team on the basis of the players’ performances in the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty-20 tournament , which concluded recently with Australia winning the title.Three players from England, two from Australia and one each from Pakistan, New Zealand and the Windies have also been named in the eleven. The next ICC World T20 tournament will take place in Australia in 2020.

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Delhi-based artist Anupam Roy has won the FICA Emerging Artist Award 2018, which is granted by Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) for his large-scale drawings and paintings speak about systemic violence and injustice. As part of the award, he would receive a 90-day residency in Switzerland in 2019, supported by Pro Helvetia, which would help develop his practice and in forging further artistic collaborations. The FICA award, granted annually in collaboration with Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council, seeks to promote young artists who are studying or practising in India, and demonstrate extraordinary skill and promise in the visual arts. The FICA is a non-profit organization that aims to broaden the audience for contemporary Indian art, enhance opportunities for artists, and establish a continuous dialogue between the arts and the public through education and active participation in public art projects and funding.

Notes:
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) is observed every year on 25th of November to raise public awareness on issues of violence against women and girls, including how men and boys can play a more active role in eliminating this violence. The day also marks the start of the “16 Days of Activism”. The 2018 UN theme for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence under the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign is “Orange the World: #HearMeToo”. The aim of #HearMeToo is to bring to the forefront the voices of women and girls who have survived violence, who are defending women’s rights every day and taking action, many of them very far away from the limelight or media headlines.

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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:
Varsha Varman from Madhya Pradesh has won the women’s trap gold at the 62nd National Shotgun championship 2018 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. She shot 38 in the final to get the better of Junior World Cup finalist Soumya Gupta of Delhi, who ended with 37 hits for the silver medal. Defending champion Shagun Chowdhary of ONGC won bronze with a final round effort of 30. Earlier, Varman won the bronze at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games in the women’s double trap team event, along with Shagun Chowdhary and Shreyasi Singh.

Notes:
The 13th edition of G20 summit 2018 will be held at Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina on November 30 under the theme ‘Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development’. The annual meeting is being attended by leaders of the top 20 economies of the world and will cover the entire gamut of economic issues, including the agricultural sector reform, the challenges climate change poses and health-care issues faced by the world. From India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to highlight problems of oil price volatility which has a direct impact on the Indian economy in the G 20 platform. Digital revolution and skill India are also among the issues to be discussed during the summit.