Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The All India Radio (AIR) and National Book Trust (NBT) has recently signed a MoU to preserve and promote cultural heritage and folk songs sung on various occasion across the country. Several traditional and folk songs have been recorded under the Akashvani Lok Sampada Sanrakhshan Mahapariyojana. The MoU was inked in presence of Director General of AIR, F. Shehreyar and NBT Chairman, Baldeo Bhai Sharma in New Delhi. Through NBT, All India Radio will provide information to people about the rich heritage of folk songs preserved by it. The NBT will publish the Sanskar and folk songs. The NBT is an Indian publishing house functions under aegis of Ministry of Human Resource The headquarters of NBT is located in Vasant Kunj, Delhi.

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:
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:
Sarat Mohanty (88), the Veteran Odia film actor, has passed away in Balasore, Odisha on March 3, 2018. The comedian, a native of Khirkona, had acted in a number of Odia films. He acted in the film Laxmi released in 1962. Other hit films in which he acted are: Amadabata,, Kaa, Stree, Puja Phula, Bhulihuena, Malhajanha, Sakal Tirtha to Charane and from many others. Mohanty had also acted in many TV serials in Odisha.

Notes:
Indian shooter Shahzar Rizvi has clinched gold with a world record score of 242.3 in 10m air pistol men’s final in the 2018 ISSF World Cup at Guadalajara in Mexico on March 3. Striking a score of 242.3, Meerut-based Shahzar made sure that he gave India a taste of gold and kept his cool to achieve his target. While in the same event, Jitu Rai grabbed bronze medal. Meanwhile, Mehuli clinched bronze in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle final with a score of 228.4. A total of 404 athletes from 50 National Olympic Committees are participating in the in the 12-day competition, which will have 15 medal events including three mixed team events. India has fielded a 33-member squad.

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:
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) will become the first sovereign nation to issue a cryptocurrency that will be legal tender. The new currency is called “Sovereign” with the symbol “SOV”. The SOV will be distributed to the public via an Initial Currency Offering (ICO). It will circulate as legal tender in the country, alongside its current local currency, the U.S. dollar. The RMI has partnered with Israeli fintech startup Neema to issue 24 million units of the Sovereign (SOV) digital currency. It will cap the number to prevent inflation. The move follows Venezuela’s launch of the Petro cryptocurrency in February 2018. Unlike the Petro, the SOV will be recognized in law as legal tender, holding equal status as the US dollar, which is the Pacific island nation’s current currency. The Marshall Islands is a Pacific island republic nestled between Hawaii and Australia.

Notes:
Minerva Punjab FC has won the I-League tournament (2017-18) after defeating Churchill Brothers in the final by 1-0 at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon, Haryana on March 8, 2018. Thus, Minerva has clinched their first I-League title.

Notes:
The 2018 National Legislators Conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Central Hall of Parliament House, New Delhi on March 10, 2018. The purpose of the Conference is to provide a platform to Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and Members of Legislative Councils across the country to share their experiences. The theme of the conference is — “We For Development”. About 170 public representatives are expected to participate in the Conference. The Conference will offer a special opportunity to the delegates whose constituencies have greater possibilities and aspirations of development. Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and Members of State Legislatures will attend the function.

Notes:
The first-ever International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan cultural centre in New Delhi on March 11, 2018. The one-day conference will include an Inaugural Session, followed by Plenary and Technical Sessions and will be attended by Heads of State/Heads of Government, dignitaries from the United Nations, Presidents of Multilateral Development Banks and global funds / financial institutions, leaders from energy-related institutions, corporate sector, and civil society. The ISA is conceived as a coalition of solar resource rich countries to address their special energy needs and will provide a platform to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach. The ISA initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President Francois Hollande.