Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The 27th Technological Conference of Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA) on Shaping the Future of Jute was held in Kolkata, West Bengal. The function was focused on the promotion of geotextiles in the northeast region. Geotextiles are absorbent fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect or drain.

Notes:
India will provide $5 million dollar assistance to Jordan in the form of vaccines and medicines in 2018. Apart from this, India and Jordan have inked 12 agreements in areas including Defence, Health and Cultural Exchange Programme. The other MoUs include cooperation between Prasar Bharati and Jordan TV Cooperation and Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Jordan Media Institute (JMI). The MoU between Prasar Bharti and Jordan TV provides for cooperation in the fields of exchange and co-production of programs, training of personnel and further coordination. The pacts were inked after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King of Jordan Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein in New Delhi. The King Abdullah II arrived in New Delhi on February 27 on a three-day visit to India.

Notes:
Arabinda Muduli (56), the noted Odia Bhajan singer, musician and lyricist, has passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on March 1, 2018. Having rendered over 3,000 songs, Muduli would be remembered for his hit bhajans like Kala Saante Acha Kemante and Jaga Pain Niti Mali Phula. He was a devotee of lord Jagannath and sang only Bhajans. He was a disciple of legendary bhajan singer Bhikari Bal. A musician, singer and lyricist, Muduli enthralled the audience with devotional songs and had won the hearts of millions of people in Odisha and elsewhere.

Notes:
Navjot Kaur has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Gold medal at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships. She clinched the coveted yellow metal in the 65 kg freestyle category at the tournament held at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on March 2, 2018. Navjot defeated Japan’s Miya Imai, 9-1 in a one-sided final bout yesterday to give India’s its first Gold of the ongoing Championships. Rio Olympics Bronze medallist Sakshi Malik won a bronze in the 62 kg division after getting the better of Kazakhstan’s Ayaulym Kassymova, 10-7.The two medals took India’s medals tally to six – 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 4 Bronze.

Notes:
Viswanathan Anand, the five-time world champion, has won the 11thTal Memorial Chess tournament (rapid section) 2018 with a score of 6.0/9 in Moscow on March 4. The win came after an easy final round draw against Boris Gelfand of Israel. . The trophy adds to Anand’s world rapid title won in Riyadh over two months ago. The Tal Memorial Rapid is a 10-player single round-robin taking place in the Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow. The ten top players were competing for a $130,000 prize fund, with $25,000 for 1st place.

Notes:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the noted an Indian cricketer, has become a brand ambassador of gaming platform Dream11 on March 5, 2018. Dhoni, who had led the country to a famous triumph in the inaugural World T20 Championship in 2007, would be the new face of the gaming platform’s multi-channel marketing campaigns and brand engagement activities. Dhoni captained the Indian team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2016 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. Currently the gaming platform has a user base of 2 crore sports fans playing “fantasy cricket, football, kabaddi and NBA.

Notes:
The World Wildlife Day (WWD) is observed every year on March 3 to raise awareness about our planet’s flora and fauna. On this day, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was finalised & and the day has been celebrated as World Wildlife Day since 2014. CITES is an international agreement between the governments of 183 countries to protect wild plants and animals and ensure their survival. The 2018 theme is ‘Big Cats: Predators under Threat’. The day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the pan-India expansion of flagship programme–Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP)–from JhunJhun district of Rajasthan on March 8 to mark the International Women’s Day (IWD-2018). The BBBP is an initiative to save and educate the girl child. The programme will be expanded from the present 161 districts to 640 all over the country. In another landmark initiative, the Prime Minister will also launch the National Nutrition Mission (NNM). He will also launch NNM- ICDS Common Application Software.

Notes:
Gita Mittal, the Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice, has become the first woman from the field of law and justice to be conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’, India’s highest civilian honour for women. Justice Mittal, who took over as Acting Chief Justice after the retirement of Justice G Rohini in April 2017, has introduced many welcome changes in the functioning of the Delhi High Court. She has been closely monitoring the dispensation of justice in Delhi and has also initiated a clean-up drive of the lower judiciary. The award has been presented to Justice Mittal in a private ceremony by the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 2018 International Women’s Day (IWD). The Nari Shakti award is presented for exemplary service to the cause of upliftment of women.

Notes:
Diu has become the India’s first Union Territory (UT) to run 100% on solar power energy. Diu has a total area of 42 square kilometers and the installation of the solar power plants here has been done in over 50 acres. On a daily basis, the Union Territory generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar power plants out of this 3 MW is contributed by rooftop solar plants and 10 MW by others. With this, Diu has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents, reducing their electricity costs, in a span of just three years.