Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) pavilion received ‘Exhibitor of the Year Award’ at 106th Indian Science Congress (ISC-2019) held at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Phagwara, Punjab. The pavilion narrated the saga of self-reliance & national pride with the ‘Make in India’ spirit, which gained a lot of attention from visitors who also got an opportunity to interact with DRDO’s scientists. The DRDO also showcased various Life Sciences Products like Portable Chemical Agent Detector, Full body protector for women, underwater breathing apparatus for T-90 tank crew and Ready-to-Eat Packaged Foods. Further, the DRDO pavilion also provided information on the pan India online competition, ‘Kalam’s Vision; Dare to Dream’.

Notes:
Pranav R Mehta has become the first Indian to head the Global Solar Council (GSC) on 01 January 2019. He is a visionary in the field of Solar Energy and the chairman of National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI). The GSC, founded in 2015, is an international non-profit association of the national, regional and international associations in solar energy and the world‘s leading corporations. It is headquartered at Washington D.C., USA. The NSEFI is an umbrella organization of all solar energy stakeholders of India. This apex solar organization works in the area of policy advocacy and is a national platform for addressing all issues connected with solar energy growth in India.

Notes:
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted by Egypt between 15th June and 13th July, after original host nation Cameroon was stripped of due to delays in preparations and concerns over security. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Ahmad Ahmad has recently made the announcement in Senegalese capital Dakar. With this, the North African nation will host the competition for the fifth time and it will be the first time 24 teams will take part. It will use 8 stadiums during the tournament, hosting in five different cities: Alexandria, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and the capital Cairo.

Notes:
On January 11, an agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed in New Delhi among 6 States – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Under the agreement, three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries – Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These include Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand, Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Renukaji on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh. These three projects were identified as National Projects in 2008 under which 90% funding of the cost of irrigation & drinking water component will be provided by the Govt. of India (GoI) as central assistance and the rest 10% cost of the irrigation and drinking water component will be borne by the beneficiary states. In addition to this, a concession agreement was also signed for Namami Gange projects for the city of Prayagraj under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One City One Operator Concept.

Notes:
Ace Indian pugilist Mary Kom from Manipur has been ranked No.1 in the Light Fly (45-48kg) category by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), after scoring 1700 points. Earlier, Kom won the historic sixth gold medal at the 2018 Women’s World Boxing Championship by defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine in the 48kg category in New Delhi. She also won gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Silesian Open Boxing Tournament in Poland.

Notes:
Narasimhan Ram, chairman of THG Publishing Private Limited, has been appointed president of the Alliance for Media Freedom (AFMF), a cross-media advocacy and action group of media organisations, promoters and journalists. The Alliance is dedicated to work for the cause of media freedom, media independence and the safety of the last journalist. It has adopted a charter that underlines the importance of creating enabling conditions to safeguard free speech guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

Notes:
The 2019 National Youth Day (NYD) has recently celebrated in India on January 12 to mark the 156th birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. Born in Kolkata on 12th January 1863 as Narendra Nath Datta, he was one of India’s most revered spiritual leaders. He was considered a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and bringing it to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He became popular in the western world after his famous speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna and founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1984, the Government of India (GoI) declared the day as the National Youth Day (NYD) and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.

Notes:
The 29th biennial Indian Paint Conference has started in Agra, Uttar Pradesh from 11th January 2019. It is organized by the Indian Paint Association (IPA), the apex body of the country’s paint industry. This would be the largest trade show of the estimated Rs. 500 billion (50,000 Crore) Indian Paints & Coatings industry. The 3-day Conference will witness knowledge sharing sessions from leading paint industry stalwarts and subject matter experts from India and abroad.

Notes:
On the occasion of National Youth Day (NYD- 2019), Union minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019. It is organised on the theme of “Be The Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”. Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in elections. The fest will be conducted at three levels: District, State and National. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister. The festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate manner. Relevant and effective voices on Vision of New India in 2022 would be captured and documented to make these available to policy makers and implementers to take it forward.

Notes:
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award in New Delhi for his outstanding leadership for the nation. According to the award citation , under his leadership, India is now identified as the centre for innovation and value added manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as information technology, accounting and finance. The Award focuses on the triple bottom-line of People, Profit and Planet. It will be offered annually to the leader of a Nation. Prof. Philip Kotler is a world renowned Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.