Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2017

Notes:
Jatilshwar Mukhopadhyay (82), the acclaimed Bengali singer has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on December 21, 2017. Mukohpadhyay, who had learnt music under the guidance of doyens of Bengali light classical music Chinmoy Lahiri and Sudhin Dasgupta, carved his own individual style, which enriched Bengali music in the 70s-80s. Among his popular numbers were E kon sakal, Tomar Sange Dekha Na Hole, Aamar Swapan Kinte Paare and Bondhuya Amar Chokhe Jal Enechhe. The state government had conferred him with the Sangeet Samman award in 2012.

Notes:
The Good Governance Day (GGD) is celebrated every year in India on December 25 to mark the birthday anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The day was established in 2014 to honor Mr Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the people of accountability in government. On December 23, 2014, Mr Vajpayee, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) were announced as recipients of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

Notes:
The Union Environment Ministry has launched a pilot project ‘Blue Flag’ for beach clean-up and development. The purpose of the project is to enhance standards of cleanliness, upkeep and basic amenities at beaches. Under the pilot programme, each of the coast of the state/UT was requested to identify/nominate a beach, which is to be funded through the ongoing Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP). Till date, all the coastal States have nominated the pilot beaches in their receptive territories including Goa. Formal nominations are, however, awaited from the coastal UTs viz., Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar”. This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha on December 22, 2017. The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, Marina or sustainable boating tourism operator, meets its stringent standards.

Notes:
Smartphone manufacturer Samsung has recently launched its ‘Bill Payments’ on its flagship payments service “Samsung Pay” in partnership with Axis Bank. The new feature launched by the company will enable users to pay their utility bills seamlessly via Samsung Pay’s secure and convenient platform. With the introduction of ‘Bill Payments’, consumers will be able to pay their utility bills seamlessly via Samsung Pay. It will offer users a secure, hassle free, and instant payment option on-the-go. Consumers can view due amount, details of previous bills and location-based suggested billers while paying bills through Samsung Pay. One can also set ‘reminders’ for bill payments.

Notes:
Ramendra Kumar, the renowned Indian author, an inspirational speaker and storyteller, has been felicitated by the Writers and Publishers of Sri Lanka in Colombo for his contribution to children’s literature. His stories feature in Sri Lankan text books. Kumar is an award-winning writer with 32 books to his credit. His writings have been translated into 14 Indian and 13 foreign languages and have found a place in school text books and anthology also in India and abroad. His book “Dilemma and other stories” , translated into Sinhala, was also released at the felicitation ceremony. This is his fourth book in Sinhala. Since 2011, Ramendra’s stories have been included in school text books brought out by the Sri Lanka government every year. The books are distributed to over 10,000 schools across the country.

Notes:
The Simbalbara National Park (SNP) is located in the Paonta Valley of Sirmour District, Himachal Pradesh, along its border with Haryana and covers an area of about 27.88 square kilometres. The vegetation consists of dense Salforests with grassy glades. Goral, Sambhar and Chittal are the common animals found here. October and November are the best times to visit the park.

Notes:
The 25th edition of National Children Science Congress (NCSC-2017) has inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad on December 27. The theme of the five-day Congress is ‘Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development’ with the special focus on persons with disabilities. 50 children and teachers from Asian nations will participate in the event this year. Apart from science exhibition, the event will witness various activities such as hands-on demonstrations, presentations by child scientists, poster session and cultural programmes. The NCSC is an ideal and innovative programme for children to inspire, empower and expand their minds to world. It is a flagship programme of department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology.

Notes:
The Union Environment Ministry has launched a regional project on ‘Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management’ under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) on December 28, 2017. The project was approved at the meeting of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC) under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, C.K Mishra. The first phase of the project has been approved at a cost of approximately Rs. 100 Crore for the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The project not only aims to mitigate climate change impacts and enhance adaptive capacity, but will also counter the adverse environmental impacts that arise from burning.

Notes:
Indian chess ace Viswanathan Anand has won the 2017 World Rapid Chess Championship by beating Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 28, 2017. The Indian master remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and also beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the 9th round to settle some old debts – avenging 2013’s World Championship loss to be precise. The 48-year-old Anand has thus claimed his first rapid world title since 2003.

Notes:
The 74th anniversary of First Flag Hoisting Day has celebrated in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on December 30, 2017. Lieutenant Governor Admiral DK Joshi hoisted the National Flag at the main function held at the Gymkhana Ground in Port Blair. On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor felicitated veteran Islanders who were members of Indian National Army and Indian Independence League. CK Bose, grandson of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and Indresh Kumar, advisor to Forum for Awareness for National Security (FANS) and family members of veteran freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and others were present. A large number of FANS members attended the function. It was on this day, in 1943; Netaji Subash Chandra Bose had hoisted the National Tri-colour for the first time with the help of Japanese forces at the Gymkhana Ground in Port Blair and declared A & N Islands free from British Rule, four years before India’s Independence.