Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2018

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given in principle nod to aid Rs 1,700 crore to Uttarakhand for infrastructure development and creation of sewerage treatment facilities in urban areas. With the sanctioned amount, the transport system will be upgraded and 24 hours water supply will be ensured to the citizens. This was conveyed to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat by the country director of ADB’s India Regiment Mission Kenichi Yokoyama at a meeting in Dehradun on April 23, 2018. Plans for beautification of 1000 km state highway and Tehri lake were also proposed.

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Diu Smart City has become the first city in India that runs on 100% renewable energy during daytime setting a new benchmark for other cities to become clean and green. Diu had been importing 73% of its power from Gujarat until last year. It has now adopted a two-pronged approach whereby a 9 MW solar park spread over 50 hectares rocky barren land has been developed besides installing solar panels on the roof tops on 79 government buildings thereby generating 1.3 MW annually. To further enhance its solar capacity, Diu also offers its residents a subsidy of Rs 10, 000-50,000 for installing 1-5 -KW rooftop solar panels. The city is saving about 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year and due to low-cost solar energy, power tariffs have been cut in residential category by 10% last year and 15% this year.

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The Ministry of Finance has signed a loan agreement for IBRD credit of $125 million (equivalent) with the World Bank for the ‘Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project in New Delhi on April 24, 2018. The purpose of the project are to nurture indigenous innovation, foster local product development and accelerate the commercialisation process by bridging critical skill and infrastructure gaps to promote affordable and innovative healthcare products generation for inclusive development and increasing competitiveness in India. The closing date ofproject is June 30, 2023. 

Notes:
The National Kharif Conference 2018 was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on April 25, 2018. Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, has said that the schemes such as National Food Security Mission, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm, Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Livestock Mission, Blue Revolution etc. are being run to ensure better productivity. Similarly, to reduce the cost of farming, Soil Health Card, use of neem-coated urea and more crop per drop etc are being implemented successfully. Or a profitable income source, e-NAM, cold storage, storage facility at concessional rate of interest, post-harvest credit facility, increase in base MSP etc are being emphasized. Apart from this, Agriculture officers and scientists discussed ways to increase income through new technology in the ongoing Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan where every block will organize Kisan Kalyan Karyashala on May 2, 2018.

Notes:
The Jalaput Dam is a hydroelectric dam built on the Machkund River, a tributary of the Godavari River, and stands as a boundary between the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The dam is situated near Ondra Gadda in the district of Visakhapatnam and is placed along the Mudugal hills. It has a steep fall along it known as the Duduma Falls. It impounds 34.273 Tmcft of water for the needs of down stream 120 MW Machkund Hydro-Electric Scheme (MHES), which is in operation since 1955.

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Vistara, the joint venture carrier between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has become the 3rd Indian carrier to be a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global body of 280 airlines. Air India and Jet Airways are the two other airlines in India that are IATA members. The IATA membership will enable Vistara to collaborate with other international member airlines for codeshare and interline agreements, and provide a seamless travel experience through an extended global network to travellers to and from India. IATA represents airlines from over 120 countries. It advocates for the interests of airlines across the globe, establishes standards to simplify process and increase passenger convenience, and helps airlines to operate safely, efficiently and economically. Currently, Vistara operates over 730 flights a week to 22 destinations with a fleet of 20 Airbus A320 aircraft.

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The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been awarded the 2018 National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018 in the category ‘Top R&D Institution/Organisation for Patents and Commercialisation’. The award was handed over by Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu to mark the 2018 World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD). The CSIR has been ranked 9th amongst 1,207 government institutions, with an overall global ranking of 75 covering 5,250 institutions. The CSIR was established in 1942. It runs 38 laboratories and 39 field stations throughout the nation, with a collective staff of over 12,000 scientists and scientific and technical personnel. Although, it is mainly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, it operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860. 

Notes:
The 2nd edition of Shirui Lily Festival 2018 has recently concluded at Ukhrul district in Manipur on April 28, 2018. The festival is sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Government of Manipur to spread awareness about conservation of the endangered Shirui Lily and promote the district of Ukhrul as a tourist destination in Manipur. The festival is also being supported by NEC and aims to promote afforestation and sustainable tourism efforts in the state.

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The Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in New Delhi on April 24, 2018 to build the capacity of the Asia-Pacific Region to monitor and report on land degradation. The workshop was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and UNCCD Secretariat. The 4-day workshop trained the participants in the use of an innovative land degradation monitoring tool by Conservation International, for the reporting process of UNCCD. The participants included delegates from about 40 Asia Pacific countries, as well as representatives from 12 Indian states affected by land degradation, scientists and researchers from scientific institutions of national importance and line-Ministries. The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. The convention promotes good land stewardship.

Notes:
Prajnesh Gunneswaran from Chennai has clinched his first ever singles tennis title on the ATP Challenger circuit on April 29, 2018. In the final of the Kunming Open at Anning, China, he defeated Egypt’s Mohammed Safwat in three sets 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. He pocketed $21,600 and earned 125 points, which will push him inside top-200. The new ranking chart will be issued on April 30. India will now have three players inside top-200 as Prajnesh is expected to be around 175. Yuki Bhambri leads the chart for the country at number 83 and is followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan at the 115 position. It may be recalled that Prajnesh had won the decisive fifth rubber of the recent Asia/Oceania Group I second round Davis Cup Tie against China at Tianjin.