Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2018

Notes:
K P Ramanunni from Kerala has been conferred with the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Malayalam literature for his novel “Daivathinte Pusthakam”, which deals with India’s communal situation, at a function in New Delhi on February 12, 2018. He received a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh. However, the highlight of the event was that Ramanunni donated his prize money of Rs 1 lakh to the mother of Junaid Khan, the teen stabbed to death on a Mathura-bound train from New Delhi in June 2017. Junaid Khan from Haryana was lynched to death while he was returning home after Eid shopping.

Notes:
Dr Bolla Bulli Ramaiah (92), the former Union minister and veteran TDP leader, has passed at Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh on February 14, 2018. He began his career in 1953 as an employee in the Andhra Sugars and rose through the ranks to become its chairman and managing director. Ramaiah, who was known as a genial person, joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) during its inception and became an MP in 1984. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Eluru constituency in 1991, 1996 and 1999 and served as the Union minister of state for commerce during 1996-98 in the United Front government.

Notes:
Noted Kannada critic T P Ashoka has bagged the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Kannada language for his literary criticism work “Kathana Bharathi”. The annual Sahitya Akademi awards for 2017 were presented at a function in New Delhi on February 12, 2018. The awards were given in 24 languages. Excerpts are as follows: In Santhali, Bhujanga Tudu got the award for his poetry ‘Tahena Tangi Re’ and Jagdish Lachhani was awarded for his Sindhi essays ‘Aachhende Laja Maraan’. In Telugu, Devipriya was awarded for her poetry ‘Gaali Rangu’ and in Urdu, Baig Ehsas was honoured for her short stories ‘Dakhma’. The awardee received a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.

Notes:
India has signed the second loan agreement of $100 million with New Development Bank (NDB) for Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for Desert Areas on 13th February 2018 at New Delhi. This is the first tranche loan approved by the NDB under the Multi Tranche Financing Facility of $345 Million for this project. The project implementation period is six years. Rajasthan government will implement the project primarily through its Water Resources Department. The purpose of this project is to rehabilitate the 678 kilometre long Indira Gandhi Canal system built during 1958 to 1963 to prevent seepage, conserve water, and enhance water use efficiency as mandated by both national and state level policies on water use.

Notes:
West Bengal has become the first Indian state to opt out of the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) “Modicare”, which was unveiled in the Union Budget 2018. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Banerjee has stated that West Bengal already has made hospitalization and medical treatment free of cost for its citizens, so it doesn’t see the point of spending on a separate programme that will do the same. Under the provisions of the Modicare, the Centre will contribute Rs 2,000 crore to the scheme, out of a total cost of Rs 5,500 crore to Rs 6,000 crore. State governments are expected to pay the remainder.

Notes:
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai has launched the test of the world’s first autonomous pods at the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 11, 2018. The autonomous pods are designed and engineered in cooperation with the US-based Next Future Transportation. These are designed to travel short and medium distances in dedicated lanes. They can be coupled together in as little 15 seconds or detached – depending on the riders’ destination – in five seconds. Each pod is fitted with cameras and electromechanical technologies to carry out the coupling and detaching, which can be activated while the pod is in motion.

Notes:
The India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi on February 13. The two countries discussed trade relations in the agricultural sector. The summit was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Additionally, the Russian and Indian delegations visited the Central State Farm (CSF) to commemorate the 70 years of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture in Suratgarh, Rajasthan on February 14, 2018. The CSF was set up in Suratgarh in 1956 with the assistance from erstwhile USSR. Russian scientists helped in laying the foundation of agriculture in the deserts of Thar, which brought about a change in the agriculture farming in nearby areas including fringe area of Punjab.

Notes:
Vinod Kumar Jain, the former Professor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the Tezpur University. He will serve as the vice-chancellor for a period of five years from the date he takes charge until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. Prof Jain was conferred D Phil from the Sussex University, Brighton UK in 1982. He served as a scientist, class I (1983-1985) in the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi before joining JNU’s School of Environmental Sciences as an associate professor in 1985. Prof Jain has been actively involved in research activities for the past 36 years.

Notes:
The third-edition of international conference and exhibition on pharmaceuticals industry and medical devices- India Pharma 2018 and India Medical Device 2018 – has started in Bengaluru, Karnataka on February 15, 2018. It was inaugurated by Ananth Kumar, Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, with the theme – ‘Affordable & Quality Healthcare’. The key highlight of the conference is a workshop by World Health Organization (WHO) on “Regulatory System Strengthening and Prequalification updated by WHO”. The 3-day event is being organized by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). More than 20 international drug and device regulators will participate in a meet with Indian regulators.

Notes:
The Bheemgarh dam is built across the Wainganga river in Chhapara tehsil of Seoni district of Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The dam is also known as Sanjay Sarovar Bandh and Upper Wainganga dam. It is known as the biggest Mud / Earthen dam of Asia. It is bounded by mountains from all sides