Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2017

Notes:
The Karnataka government has launched the Bengaluru city logo on December 24, 2017 for branding the city as a tourism destination. With this, Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to get its own logo. The logo was designed by Nammur, a design start-up, which won a contest and received a prize money of Rs 5 lakh from the government. The logo of the city, which is derived out of its own name, highlights the letters b, e, and u of Bengaluru in red and the other letters in white. The logo ‘Be U’ highlights the cosmopolitan culture of the city and is expected to build the city’s image on the global stage.

Notes:
Saba Karim, the former wicketkeeper of India, has been appointed as the new General Manager (GM) of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will be responsible for implementing operational plans, budgeting, monitoring the match playing conditions and administration of Domestic program. Karim will take on the role from January 1, 2018 and will report directly to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. The General Manager’s post has been lying vacant since the resignation of MV Sridhar in September 2017 over the issue of conflict of interest. Sridhar passed away on October 30.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently launched a free household power connection scheme ‘Prakash hai to vikas hai’ for the poor in the state to mark former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday. Initially, the two village Lohban and Gausana of Mathura district have been covered for 100% electrification. Under this scheme, the state government has a target of covering 16 million by the end of 2018. Apart from this, the UP government has also introduced Kisan Uday Yojana, scheme for farmers in which existing 5 HP/7.5 HP submersible and coupling sets of farmers will be replaced free of cost. The scheme, which would cover 10 lakh farmers by 2022, would lead to 35% saving on power consumption.

Notes:
The book “The Way I See It: A Gauri Lankesh Reader” has been edited by writer and sociologist Chandan Gowda. The book containing selected writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai Press Club on 22nd December 2017, three months after she was gunned down outside her home in Bengaluru by unidentified men. The six sections of the book comprise Lankesh’s early reportage in various publications and selected articles she wrote for the Kannada language “Gauri Lankesh Patrike”.

Notes:
The National Sugar Institute (NSI) is located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and is involved in research, training and advisory services to the sugar and allied industry, and functions under the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The institute provides technical education and training in research in all branches of sugar chemistry, sugar technology, sugar engineering and allied fields. It also provides assistance to central and state governments in matters relating to sugar and allied industries.

Notes:
Abhay, the senior IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). On December 27, 2017, the appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post till 18th of November 2019. Mr.Abhay is at present working in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The post was lying vacant after R R Bhatnagar took over as DG of CRPF in April 2017.

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The Singhbhum Elephant Reserve (SER) is located in East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan Districts of Jharkhand and covers an area of 13,440 square kilometres.

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Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App) in New Delhi. It is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru. This app will be beneficial for the consumers and stakeholders engaged in disease control programmes. Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic so that immediate action in case of the epidemic. This app works on all kind of Android smartphones and takes up 2.5 MB space.

Notes:
Ex-football superstar George Weah has been elected as the new president of Liberia after beating Vice President Joseph Boakai in a runoff with 61.5% of the vote. Now, he will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president. George Weah is the only African footballer to have won both FIFA World Player of the Year and the prestigious Ballon D’Or for Europe’s best player. He entered politics after his retirement from the game in 2002 and is currently a senator in Liberia’s parliament.

Notes:
Israel has has officially confirmed withdrawal from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over an anti-Israel bias. Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO chief, stated that she had been officially notified that Israel would leave on December 31, 2018. Earlier in October 2017, the US formally notified the UNESCO that it would withdraw from the organization on December 31, 2018. The 195-member body is best known for producing a list of World Heritage sites that have become tourist favourites. UNESCO also runs science, educational and cultural programmes, including programmes to educate people about the Holocaust and promote intercultural dialogue.