Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
The Odisha government has decided to partner with Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) for targeted intervention in a set of social sectors including poorest of the poor through policy formulation and evaluations based on experimental research. The co-founders of J-PAL are Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. The Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT)-based J-PAL is known for its experimental research studies or randomized controlled trials. It has worked extensively in Africa as well India and its evaluations have helped improve outcomes of social sector initiatives.  

Notes:
The World Cities Day (WCD) is observed every year on 31 October to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. The 2019 theme “Changing the world: innovations and a better life for future generations” discusses how urbanization can be used to achieve sustainable development.

Notes:
In an effort to raise awareness about the perils of using plastic, the Kotpad Notified Area Council (NAC) in Koraput district of Odisha is providing free meals to the poor in exchange for a kilogram of plastic waste. The new initiative is being carried out under the State government’s ‘Aahar’ scheme. The programme entails a meal for anyone who brings a kilogram of used polythene bags, plastic bottles and cups. Under the Aahar scheme, poor people in urban areas of the state are provided a meal comprising rice and ‘dalma’ (lentils with vegetable) at a cost of Rs 5.

Notes:
The World Thrift Day (WTD) is celebrated every year on 31st October worldwide to promote savings and financial security of individual and nation as a whole. In India, due to death of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the same day in 1984 this day is being celebrated on 30th October. The day was established to inform people all around the world about the idea of saving their money in a bank rather than keeping it under their mattress or at home.  

Notes:
IIT Delhi has decided to set up a space technology cell in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The cell would work for carrying out focused research projects in the space technology domain with specific deliverables. It is also proposed that IIT Delhi as an institute becomes academic partner of ISRO in research areas such as or example AI Artificial Intelligence, Nano-technology, functional textiles and smart manufacturing or any area of joint interest.

Notes:
Russia will be the partner country at the Golden Jubilee of International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2019) in Goa. It will be held from November 20 to 28 with close to 250 films from various countries being screened. The fest will honour superstar Rajinikanth with a special ‘Icon of Golden Jubilee’ award presented in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. The Life Time Achievement (LTA) award for a Foreign Artiste will be conferred on French Actress Isabelle Hupert. During the 50th IFFI, 50 films of women directors will be showcased.

Notes:
Dr K.P. Nandakumar, the noted Homoeopathic doctor and philanthropist, has won the 2019 Sasthaaram Award for his contributions to the art and socio-cultural realms. The award was instituted by the Thamarakkulam Sri Sabarimala Ayyappa Swami temple of Vadakkanthra in 2015 with the intention of honouring those who contributed to the art and socio-cultural fields in Palakkad. It consists of Rs 25,000, a citation and a plaque, and would be presented at a function to be held on December 22.

Notes:
US based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay has won the JCB Prize for Literature 2019 for her debut novel ‘The Far Field’ at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. It is the most expensive Indian award for writing. She also received a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, along with a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra entitled ‘Mirror Melting’.

Notes:
Aditya Mishra, a 1989 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been  appointed as the chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) for a period of 5 years. The LPAI is a statutory body  that works under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing border infrastructure in India.  It manages several Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) all across Borders of India.

Notes:
In an effort to productively use India’s wastelands, the Union Ministry of Rural development has released with the 5th edition of Wasteland Atlas -2019 that provides State and district wise distribution of different categories of wastelands area in the country and will be helpful in addressing land degradation. This is significant as it also takes into account 12.08 MHa of unmapped area of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the first time. The changes in wastelands between 2008-09 and 2015-16 have been presented in the Atlas. The new wastelands mapping exercise was carried out by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)  using the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data. It is helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development programmes and schemes. The last edition was published in 2011.