Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2018

Notes:
Switzerland has won the 30th edition of the Hopman Cup tournament 2018 at the Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. It is their 3rd third Hopman Cup title as Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber 4-3 (3), 4-2 in the deciding mixed doubles, to secure a 2-1 victory in Perth. It was Federer’s second Hopman Cup triumph after victory in 2001 alongside Martina Hingis.

Notes:
Haryana has become the first Indian state to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) portal which helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level and ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists. The High Risk Pregnancy Policy has been implemented across the State since November 2017, for identifying 100% name-based high-risk pregnancy cases, and ensuring their delivery by specialists at civil hospitals. This initiative will definitely increase the pace of decline in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Still Birth Incidence as morbidity and mortality is quite high in high risk pregnant cases, if not managed timely.

Notes:
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has become the official brand ambassador of Sikkim. The declaration was made by Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling who felicitated the legendary music composer during an inauguration of the 2018 Sikkim Red Panda Winter Carnival at Palzor Stadium in Gangtok on January 8. The winter carnival is aimed at boosting tourism in the state and has music, dance, adventure sports and exhibition of organic food products of the state events lined up for the 11 days of the festival.

Notes:
The 2018 National Youth Day (NYD) has been celebrated in India on January 12 to mark the 155th birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. He was considered a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and bringing it to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He became popular in the western world after his famous speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna and founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1984, the Government of India (GoI) declared the day as the National Youth Day (NYD) and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.

Notes:
The Election Commission (EC) has constituted a 14-member committee to suggest changes to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act in view of social media expansion. The Act prohibits poll campaign in the last 48 hours of voting. The Committee chaired by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha will study the impact of social media during the silence period and suggest modifications to the election law and model code of conduct.

Notes:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a Global Manufacturing Index (GMI). In its first “Readiness for the future of production” report, Japan has been found to have the best structure of production and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland. Among BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South Africa at 45th place. The report has placed India in the Legacy group along with Hungary, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Turkey, among others. China figures among ‘leading countries while Brazil and South Africa are in nascent ones. The report which was published ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland said the 25 leading countries are in the best position to gain as production systems stand on the brink of exponential change. In the India context the report said, the country’s manufacturing sector has grown by over 7% per year on average in the past three decades and accounts for 16-20% of India’s GDP.

Notes:
The 44 MW Chutak Hydroelectric Plant is located in Kargil District of Jammu & Kashmir. The barrage site is located about 14 km upstream of Kargil near village Sarzhe. The project is a run-off-river scheme on the river Suru, to generate 216 MU in a 90% dependable year having installed capacity of 44 MW (4 x 11 MW) utlising a rated head of 52m developed by construction of a 15.0 m high barrage and through 4780 m long 5.9M dia horse shoe shaped Head race tunnel.

Notes:
The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) is an Indian research and teaching institute located in Mysuru, Karnataka. It is part of the Language Bureau of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The aim of the institute is to protect and document minor, minority and tribal languages. It promotes Linguistic harmony by teaching 15 Indian languages to non-native learners. It was founded on 17 July 1969.

Notes:
Shripad Naik, the Union minister of state for Ayush (independent charge), has inaugurated a Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) wellness centre in Bambolim, Goa on January 16, 2018. State health minister Vishwajit Rane was also present at the occasion. It will be attached to Goa Medical College and the state government would provide all assistance to facilitate CGHS operations for beneficiaries in the state. The facility would provide Allelopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddhi and Homeopathy services. Over 3,000 serving central government employees and around 1,500 pensioners would be benefitted.

Notes:
Actress Kajol has become an advocacy ambassador for Hindustan Unilever’s Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat ‘haath muh bum’ initiative. She is an active supporter of eradicating preventable deaths from hygiene-related issues.