Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2017

Notes:
The Bihar government has launched “Safe City Surveillance” scheme for checking crime against women at public places across the state. Patna will be the first district to be covered under this scheme, and an amount of Rs 110.68 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose. The scheme will bring all major public places under the watch of close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and improve the overall crime control in the state. It is especially being launched for checking crime against women, such as eve-teasing and molestation, harassment, snatching incidents and roadside scuffles etc. It will also help in keeping a track of miscreants.

Notes:
OBOPAY, the global mobile payment solutions company, has recently secured a license for Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate a semi-closed loop wallet in India. Using the PPI license, OBOPAY will solve various payment related problems for their partner clients – bringing efficiency and transparency to the payments process, improving reporting, and reducing turnaround times for funds transfers. The PPI license can be implemented in a variety of industry segments. The license will enable the customers to do everything a prepaid payment instrument does: P2P, cash-in, bill payments, mobile recharge, and shopping. The headquarters of OBOPAY is located at California, United States.

Notes:
Neeraj Vora (54), the Bollywood actor, writer and director, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on December 14, 2017. He was known for films such as “Satya”, “Phir Hera Pheri” and “Daud”. As a writer, Vora began working in late 80’s on TV shows, including superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Circus”, while his first professional acting assignment was filmmaker Ketan Mehta’s “Holi”, which also starred Aamir Khan and was shot as a part of a student project. His last film as an actor was Anil Kapoor-starrer “Welcome Back” in 2015.

Notes:
The Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) is one of the tiger reserves of India and the largest national park of Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of 940 square kilometres. It is home to over 1000 species of flowering plants. The KTR has species of tigers, leopards, wild dogs, wild cats, foxes and jackals. Other commonly seen animals in the park include the spotted deer, sambar, barking deer and the four-horned antelope. It has around 300 species of birds and the most commonly seen birds are the black ibis, bee-eaters, cattle egret, blossom-headed parakeets, pond heron, drongos, common teal, crested serpent eagle, grey hornbill, Indian roller, etc.

Notes:
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the World conference on Vedas ” Vishwa Ved Sammelan” at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi on December 15, 2017. The 3-day conference will have in-depth discussions on the universal message of the ancient scriptures to bring world peace, ensure human rights and work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also have in-depth discussions on de-mystifying various myths and fallacies surrounding the Vedas and Manu Smriti. The valedictory function of the conference on the 17th December will be attended by former president Pranab Mukherjee.

Notes:
Norway has become the first country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its Frequency Modulation (FM) network by completing its transition to digital radio. The transition, which began on January 2017, allows for better sound quality and more channels and functions at an eighth of the cost of FM radio. The digital switchover means that only the country’s local radio stations continue to use FM frequencies. Other countries, including Switzerland, Britain and Denmark, are due to follow suit in the coming years.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World Bank for Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Project on December 13, 2017. The purpose of the project is to enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development and increase access to quality and market-relevant training for the workforce. The Key result areas for the project include Institutional Strengthening at the National and State Levels for Planning, Delivering, and Monitoring High-Quality Market-Relevant Training; Improved Quality and Market Relevance of Skills Development Programs; Improved access to and completion of skills training for female trainees and other disadvantaged groups; and Expanding skills training through private-public partnerships (PPPs). The closing date for the project is 31st March, 2023.

Notes:
The Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary (LBS) is a bird sanctuary spread over two jheels near the villages of Lakh and Bahosi in Kannauj district, Uttar Pradesh and is spread over 3 square kilometres. The sanctuary is home to various migratory birds from November to March. Jackal, blue bull, mongoose, fishing cat and monkeys may also be spotted here. The best time to visit is December to February.

Notes:
R Hemalatha has been appointed as the new Director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad. She has served as secretary of the Nutrition Society of India, is a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and a fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. The NIN is an Indian Public health, Biotechnology and Translational research, which houses the best testing facilities for food and toxicology and has international collaborations.

Notes:
The Vijay Diwas is commemorated every year on December 16 to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, which had led to the creation of Bangladesh. On 16 December 1971, nearly 93,000 Pakistani Forces under the command of Lieutenant General AAK Niazi raised white flags and surrendered to the Indian Army at Dhaka, in the presence of the tri-service Commanders of Indian Armed Forces. It was on this day in 1971, that a declaration of cease-fire was brought into force, ending the Indo-Pak War and resulting in the birth of the sovereign country of Bangladesh.