Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2018

Notes:
The World Wetlands Day (WWD) is observed every year on February 2 to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971. The 2018 theme is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future”. It highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism and water provision. The day is observed to promote, create awareness and ensure positive and affirmative action for conservation of wetlands.

Notes:
The Kandeleru Dam is an irrigation project built on the Kandaleru River in Rapur Mandal, Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. The project is part of the Telugu Ganga project which supplies drinking water to Chennai city from the Srisailam reservoir on Krishna River.

Notes:
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Defence Minister, has constituted a 13-member advisory committee to monitor and expedite capital acquisition projects for the modernization of the armed forces. The committee will undertake an independent review and check the status of ongoing critical projects worth more than Rs 500 crore. It will also suggest measures to improve the capital acquisition process. The committee, headed by Vinay Sheel Oberoi, will have to present an initial status report on identified projects to the Defence Minister by March 31.

Notes:
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is organizing a three-day National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 in New Delhi from February 8, 2018. The event has be inaugurated by Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad at India Habitat Centre. The theme for VIVID 2018 is – Cyber Security and Innovation. The aim of the meet is to showcase the various initiatives of NIC in creating and enhancing the security of Digital Infrastructure in the country. VIVID would be an extensive platform for knowledge sharing which would empower 240 NIC district officials from across the country to interact and leverage on each other’s experience and best practices.

Notes:
Justice Antony Dominic has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Kerala on February 9, 2018. Kerala Governor P. Sadasivam administered the Oath of Office in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvanthapuram. Chief Secretary Paul Antony read out the Presidential order appointing Justice Dominic as the Chief Justice of the state. Senior High Court judges, judicial officers, cabinet ministers, political leaders and other officials filled the audience.

Notes:
Writer T.D. Ramakrishnan has been chosen for the 2nd edition of Akbar Kakkattil Award 2018 for his novel “Sugandhi Enna Andaldevanayaki”. According to a press release by the secretary of the Akbar Kakkattil Trust, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will present the award comprising a purse of Rs 50,000, a citation and a memento to Mr. Ramakrishnan at a function to be held in Kozhikode on February 17, 2018.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ by President Mahmoud Abbas for his key contribution to promote relations between India and Palestine. President Abbas conferred the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine on Modi after the conclusion of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders. Mr. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine. The Grand Collar is highest order given to foreign dignitaries – Kings, Heads of State/Government and persons of similar rank. It has in the past been awarded to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Hamad of Bahrain, President Xi Jinping of China, amongst others.

Notes:
Swayam Prakash Pani (41), a 2000-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, has taken charge as the new Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Range on February 12, 2018. With this, he became the youngest officer to hold the post. Pani has served in key positions, including deputy IG, south Kashmir range, senior superintendent of police, Kulgam and Kathua. He has also held position in the served in the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency (NIA). He replaced Munir Ahmad Khan, who has been given the charge of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) security and home guards.

Notes:
Asma Jilani Jahangir (66), Pakistan’s renowned human rights lawyer, social activist and an outspoken critic of the country’s powerful military establishment, has passed away in Lahore on February 11, 2018. She was known for her outspoken nature and unrelenting pursuit for human rights. Asma was the first woman to serve as the President of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. She became a champion democracy activist and was subsequently imprisoned in 1983 for participating in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy against the military rule of Pakistan’s longest-serving President Ziaul Haq. In 1986, she moved to Geneva and became the vice-chair of the Defence for Children International. She remained there until 1988 before moving back to Pakistan. In 1987, she co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its Secretary General until 1993 when she was elevated as commission’s chairperson. Asma also played an active role in the famous Lawyers’ Movement to restore Iftikhar Chaudhry as the chief justice of Pakistan.

Notes:
Johann Johannsson (48), the acclaimed Icelandic musician, has passed away in Berlin, Germany on February 8, 2018. He was known for giving background scores to films such as “Arrival”, “Sicario” and “The Theory of Everything”. He won a Golden Globe in 2015 for his score to the Stephen Hawking biopic. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchestration with contemporary electronic elements