Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2018

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved the constitution of a High Level Steering Committee for periodically reviewing and refining the National Indicator Framework (NIF) for monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with associated targets. The committee will be chaired by Chief Statistician of India and Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The data source Ministries / Departments will be responsible for providing regular information to MoSPI on these indicators at required intervals and disaggregation for national and sub-national reporting of SDGs. Advanced IT tools will be used for close and effective monitoring.

Notes:
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the International Arya Mahasammelan – 2018 in New Delhi on October 25. The Arya Mahasammelan is touted as being a platform for the Arya Samaj to project its views on major caste-related issues and problems concerning backward sections of society. The convention also aims to spread a message of human welfare originating from the Vedas, promote universal brotherhood and ensure safeguarding of social morals.

Notes:
In Cricket, Indian captain Virat Kohli has recently become the fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) after scoring a second consecutive century against West Indies in Vizag on October 24. He broke the record of compatriot and batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who had reached the milestone in 259 innings. Kohli, who took only 205 innings to achieve the record, has become the fifth Indian to reach the 10,000 mark in ODIs. Apart from Kohli, Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni have scored over 10,000 runs in ODIs. It must be noted that Kohli’s last 1,000 runs came from just 11 innings, which is also a world record. His strike rate at 92.5 is the highest among batsmen with 10,000 runs in one-day format.

Notes:
Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, who has designed the Statue of Unity in Narmada district in Gujarat, will be conferred with the prestigious 2016 Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony. Beside Sutar, the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014 and 2015 is being conferred on the doyen of Manipuri dance Sh. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh and Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh), respectively. The award recognizes Rajkumar’s contribution in keeping the tradition of Manipuri dance alive and vibrant, promoting harmony through dance and also pays tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Chhayanaut, established in 1961, was part of the movement for an independent Bangladesh and provided a platform for cultural expression and assertion of Bengali identity. The award was instituted by the Government of India (GoI) during the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in 2011. It carries an award prize of Rs 1 crore, a citation in a scroll and a plaque.

Notes:
The World Polio Day (WPD) is observed every year on 24 October by the World Health Organization (WHO) to create awareness about the hazards of the crippling disease. The day also observed to commemorate the birth of American medical researcher and virologist Jonas Salk, who successful discovered and developed the first polio vaccine (or poliomyelitis) that came into use in 1955. The oral polio vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin and came into commercial use in 1961. The 2018 theme is ‘End Polio Now’. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. Polio can be prevented through immunization. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Notes:
Asma Jahangir, Pakistan’s human rights activist and lawyer, has been posthumously awarded the 2018 UN Human Rights Prize along with three other winners. The other winners of the prize are Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania, Brazil’s first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapichana and Ireland’s human rights organisation Front Line Defenders. The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given for outstanding achievement in human rights. The award ceremony will take place on December 10 on World Human Rights Day (WGRD) in New York. Before Jahangir three Pakistani women, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1978), Benazir Bhutto (2008) and Malala Yousufzai (2013 have been accorded the honour.

Notes:
Madan Lal Khurana (83), the former Delhi Chief Minister, has passed awayin New Delhi on October 27, 2018. He was a member of Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In addition to holding posts including national vice-president and Delhi president within the BJP, Mr. Khurana also served as Governor of Rajasthan in 2004. He was the Union Minister of Parliamentary affairs and Tourism in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Notes:
India’s Sourav Kothari defeated Peter Gilchrist of Singapore 1134-944 to clinch the 2018 World Billiards Championship title at Leeds in UK. The former national and Asian Billiards champion Kothari was pipped at the post for the coveted World Billiards crown on two occasions in the last two years, including a loss to Gilchrist in the 2016 final in Bengaluru.

Notes:
Professor Qazi Abdussattar (85), a noted Urdu writer and former head of Aligarh Muslim University(AMU)’s Urdu department, has recently passed away in New Delhi on October 29, 2018. Born in Machretta village of Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district in 1933, Abdussattar joined the AMU as a researcher in 1954. He started his career as a short story writer. His most famous short story “Peetal Ka Ghanta” drew acclaim in the Urdu literary world. His early writings focussed on the decline of zamidaari culture in Avadh region. Later, he made a mark as a writer of historical novels. His most famous works include “Darashiko”, “Khalidbinwalid” and “Ghalib” which are considered as masterpieces in this genre.Winner of several national and international awards, Abdussattar was awarded Padma Shri in 1974. He was also the first recipient of Ghalib Academy Award in 1978.

Notes:
The 2nd International Day of Diplomats was recently celebrated in Brasilia on 24th October 2018 to highlight the contributions of diplomats as everyday peacemakers. Diplomats from over a dozen countries including Austria, India, Brazil, Egypt, Netherlands and Zimbabwe came together to mark the day dedicated to all diplomats, no matter where do they come from or which country they represent. The celebration of International Day of Diplomats was started in Brasilia in 2017 by Indian-poet diplomat Abhay K on October 24. The day, which also coincides with the United Nations Day, is observed to recognise the hard work and sacrifices of diplomats and their families.