Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2018

Notes:
Om Prakash Rawat, the senior-most Election Commissioner, has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He will succeed A.K. Joti on January 23, 2018 and will have tenure of almost a year till his retirement in December 2018. Mr Rawat will oversee elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland scheduled next month. Crucial States like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will also go to the polls under his watch. Election Commissioners have a fixed term of six years but have to step down if they reach 65 years of age before their term expires.

Notes:
Mauritius was the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India in FY17, according to recent census by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It has 21.8% share at market value. As per RBI’s data on Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies 2016-17, United States has acquired 2nd position followed by UK, Singapore and Japan. Beside this, Singapore (19.7% was the major FDI destination, followed by the Netherlands, Mauritius, and the USA. According to the data, manufacturing sector accounted for nearly half of the total FDI at market prices. Information and communication services, and financial and insurance activities were the other major sectors that attracted FDI.

Notes:
‘Hindi Medium’, directed by Saket Chaudhary, has bagged honours in the categories of Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) for Irrfan Khan’s impeccable performance at the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018. Vidya Balan won her career’s 6th Filmfare award for her passionate portrayal of a middle-aged homemaker who turns into a radio jockey in ‘Tumhari Sulu’ as she claimed the Black Lady for the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female). Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari has won the Best Director award for ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’. The ceremony was held on 20 January 2018 and hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently released its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) update in Davos, Switzerland on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. In it, India’s GDP growth forecast has projected to 7.4% in 2018 and 7.8% in 2019. According to WEO update, China is expected to grow at 6.6% and 6.4% for year 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Notes:
The International Conference on dam safety has started in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on January 23, 2018. The two-day conference will be jointly inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The conference will see the participation of 550 delegates from over 20 countries. The dam safety conferences are organized as an annual event under the Dam Safety Rehabilitation and Improvement Project being run by the Water Resources Ministry. During the conference, dam safety guidelines and manuals developed under DRIP will also be released for implementation. Besides, a software programme – Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring Application – will also be launched during the event. DHARMA is a web tool to digitize all dam related data effectively. It will help document authentic asset and health information pertaining to the large dams in the country, enabling appropriate actions to ensure need based rehabilitation.

Notes:
S Somanath, an Indian aerospace engineer and rocket technologist, has taken charge as the new Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). He succeeded K Sivan, who has become the ISRO Chairman recently. Prior to this post, he was director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala in Thiruvananthapuram, the lead centre responsible for liquid engines and stages for all launch vehicles and satellite programs of ISRO. Somanath is known for his contributions to launch vehicle design, particularly in the areas of launch vehicle systems engineering, structural design, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics.

Notes:
As part of the 2018 Republic Day celebrations, cultural extravaganza Bharat Parv will organize by the Union Ministry of Tourism at the Red Fort in Delhi from January 26 to 31, 2018. The prime objective of the 3-day event is to generate a patriotic mood, promote the rich cultural diversity of the country and to ensure wider participation of the general public. The event includes display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands, a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Craft Mela, Cultural Performances from different regions of the country and Photo Exhibition by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP). The Cultural Performances include choreographed Folk and Tribal Dances and Music arranged through the North Zonal Cultural Centre as well as performances by cultural troupes from the different States and Union Territories. Bharat Parv will be open for public from 12 Noon to 10 PM. The event is open for public and entry is free. However, identity proof is to be carried for entry to the event.

Notes:
The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a sister-state agreement with the Canton of Zurich in a bid to strengthen the friendly ties and promote mutual understanding. The Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed by Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Zurich Councillor and Head of the Department for Economic Affairs Carmen Walker Späh in the presence of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. The purpose of LOI is to achieve mutual prosperity and development. The agreement will strengthen economic and scientific relations between the two governments in the areas such as information and communication technology, environmental technology, life sciences and urban and regional Development.

Notes:
The Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) is the nodal agency for catering to the needs of the brackish water aquaculture research in India. The institute is headquartered at Chennai, Tamil Nadu and works under the Ministry of Agriculture. It is one of the research institutes under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) New Delhi.

Notes:
India has been ranked 177th out of 180 countries in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The report was released on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The Index stated that deaths attributed to ultra-fine PM2.5 pollutants have risen over the past decade and are estimated at 1,640,113 annually in India. Switzerland has topped the index, followed by France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden in the EPI, which found that air quality is the leading environmental threat to public health. The 10th EPI report ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across 10 categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality.