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:
The Western Naval Command has carried out three-week long tri-Services maritime exercise termed ‘Paschim Leher (XPL – 2018)’ in the Arabian Sea from February 12 with an aim of building inter- operability. In addition, units from Eastern Naval Command, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard also participated in the exercise. The exercise involves 40 warships and submarines, helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft and UAVs. The exercise includes a number of weapon firings, including missile, gun and torpedo firings during the initial phase. The second phase is structured to validate and refine the operational plans of the Western Naval Command. The XPL 2018 enabled testing and revalidation of operational plans and manoeuvres in a hostile maritime scenario on India’s Western Seaboard. The maritime exercise, which came after the Eastern Naval Command Operational Readiness Exercise (ENCORE), is ostensibly being conducted to show China India’s military prowess.

Notes:
Khagendra Jamataia (64), the Tripura Fisheries and Cooperation minister, has passed away in New Delhi on March 2, 2018. Jamataia was a CPI (M) candidate from the Krishnapur constituency in the February 18 assembly election. Jamatia had joined CPI (M) in 1983 and had been winning from Krishnapur constituency since 1988. This is the second setback for CPI (M) after the death of Ramendra Narayan Debbarma who was contesting from Charilam (ST) constituency.

Notes:
Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian (89), the former Supreme Court judge, has passed away at Chennai, Tamil Nadu on February 28, 2018. He was a multi-faceted personality who tried his hands in politics before entering the legal profession. In the apex court, he was part of a Bench that decided the famous Indra Sawhney case, in which the constitutionality of reservations to Backward Classes was upheld in 1992. After his retirement in 1994, Justice Pandian headed the 5th Central Pay Commission and submitted its final report in April 1997. He took over as chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes on August 14, 2006 and was given the status of Union Cabinet Minister for the duration of the term of his office, which lasted till 2009.

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:
Frances McDormand has won the best actress award at the 90th Academy Awards 2018 for her performance as a grieving mother in movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, at the award ceremony held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 5. It is the second time McDormand has picked up the best actress statuette, following a 1996 win for her performance in Fargo. Beside her, Gary Oldman won the Oscar for the Best actor for portraying the role of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the period drama in movie ‘Darkest Hour’. Allison Janney took home the coveted Best Supporting Actress award for ‘I, Tonya’, while Sam Rockwell won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Notes:
Conrad Sangma, the President of National People’s Party (NPP) & currently a Member of Parliament (MP) from Tura Lok Sabha constituency, has been sworn-in as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya. He is the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker late PA Sangma. NPP won 19 seats in the recently held Assembly polls and cobbled up a coalition government in the state with the support of other regional parties, the BJP and an Independent MLA. P A Sangma was a former Union minister and Lok Sabha speaker. He was also the Meghalaya chief minister from 1988 to 1990.

Notes:
The 9th edition of the Women’s Film Festival (WFF-2018) will be organized by the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) from 9 to 11 March at NFAI Pune. The theme of the fest is ‘Travelling Women’. It will open with Sidney Pollack’s Out Of Africa, featuring Meryl Streep. The festival will feature other acclaimed films including Away We Go, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Wild. The closing film is Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts. On March 8, NFAI will also host a special event “Parikathe til Rajkumari”, and screen audiovisual clips paying tribute to women in Indian cinema, from the birth of Indian cinema till the 1960s. The festival to mark the 2018 International Women’s Day will screen Balu Mahendra’s Tamil film Moondram Pirai, in remembrance of actress Sridevi.

Notes:
India’s first helicopter-taxi service has been successfully launched in Bengaluru, Karnataka which drastically reduces travel time for commuters. At present, the Heli taxi service is operating between Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and Electronic City. The service is expected to reduce the time taken to cover the distance from 2 hours to 15 minutes. The helicopter will seat up to six people apart from the pilot and the service will cost Rs 3,500 plus GST.

Notes:
The week-long 29th edition of the world-famous International Yoga Festival (IYF-2018) was held at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand from March 1-7, 2018. The IYF offers daily classes from 4 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. with more than 80 revered saints, yogacharyas, presenters and experts from nearly 20 countries around the world. There are also classes in meditation, mudras, Sanskrit chanting, reiki, Indian philosophy and spiritual discourses to be held by revered spiritual leaders from India and abroad. The festival was officially inaugurated by Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu. Approx 1500 participants from 92 nations participated in the fest.