Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is observed every year on March 15 to promote basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected. It also gives people a chance to protest against the market abuses and social injustices. On this day in 1962, President John F Kennedy formally addressed the issue of consumer rights in US Congress. He was the first world leader to do so, and the consumer movement now marks that date every year as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights. The first World Consumer Rights Day was observed in 1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. The 2018 theme is ‘Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer’. In India, besides the World Consumer Rights Day, we observe the National Consumer Day on 24th of December every year.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) has bagged the award for best implementation of E-office on March 14, 2018. E-Office is one of the Mission-mode Projects under the Digital India programme. The e-Office solution enables core operations of the Government at all levels to be performed in a ‘paper-less’ environment, including the E-leave,E-tour,Knowledge Management, Notice Board, Download Forms, Inventory Control etc. In the MDWS, the entire e-office suite was implemented in December 2014 and since then it is being used by all stake holders in the Ministry. All the files in the Ministry are e-files and these have been successfully handled though this system for over 3 years now, when the transition to electronic mode first took place.

Notes:
The Malampuzha Dam is the largest reservoir in Kerala, located near Palakkad in south India with the scenic hills of the Western Ghats in the background. It is a combination of a masonry dam with a length of 1,849 m and an earthen dam with a length of 220 m. The dam is 355 feet high and crosses the Malampuzha River, a tributary of Bharathappuzha, Kerala’s second longest river. The total catchments area is 145 square kilometres, while the reservoir has a capacity of 8000 square meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farm land while the reservoir provides drinking water to Palakkad and surrounding villages.

Notes:
The 5th edition of Nadi Mahotsava has started at Bandrabhan of Hoshangabad District of Madhya Pradesh on March 16, 2018. It was inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari, who is Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. The 2-day mahotsava with various sessions of discussion is taking place for the conservation of Narmada River.

Notes:
The 105th session of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Manipur Central University in Imphal on March 16, 2018. The focal theme of the 5-day ISC is “Reaching the Unreached Through Science & Technology”. Approx 5,000 delegates from all over the country and 2,000 scientists along with four Nobel Laureates will grace the event. The Indian Science Congress is an annual event, usually held in the first week of January. The 104th ISC was held at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

Notes:
India will host the 17th Annual Conference of International Competition Network 2018 (ICN2018) for the first time from 21st to 23rd March 2018 in New Delhi. The ICN advocates adoption of superior standards and procedures in competition enforcement around the world, formulates proposals for procedural and substantive convergence, and facilitates effective international cooperation to the benefit of member agencies, consumers and economies worldwide.

Notes:
National Award-winning Odia filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda’s upcoming movie “Halkaa” has bagged the Grand Prix de Montreal award at the 21st Festival International du Film Pour Enfants de Montréal Film (FIFEM). “Halkaa” was selected among 7 international children’s films from different countries in the official competition of the festival. The film is a take on a slum child’s heroism, aspirations, and dreams. The child protagonist, Pichku (Tathastu) fights to overcome the basic problems that he faces every day like defecating in the open, among others. It is his dream to make a toilet of his own where he can enjoy his privacy and do the deed in peace. The movie features Ranvir Shorey and Paoli Dam in key roles.

Notes:
The two-day Informal World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting has started in New Delhi on March 19, 2018. Representatives from 50 countries are participating in the meet. The informal meeting is expected to provide an opportunity to engage in free and frank discussions leading to political guidance on some of the major issues, both at the negotiating table and also in other areas. In the absence of Ministerial guidance at the 11th Ministerial Conference that took place in December 2017 in Buenos Aires, it is hoped that the meeting in New Delhi will provide an opportunity for ministers to explore in greater detail options on different issues for re-invigorating the WTO.

Notes:
Juan Martin del Potro from Argentina has won the Indian Wells Masters Tennis tournament 2018 by defeating Roger Federer in a thrilling final by 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 in California on March 18, 2018. Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam champion, was vying for a record sixth title in California, but it was Del Potro who clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy. Del Potro also became the first player to beat Federer this year.

Notes:
The first phase of Indo-French joint naval exercise ‘Varuna 2018’ has kickstarted at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Vasco, Goa on March 19, 2018. The exercise is being held in the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast. French submarine and frigate Jean de Vienne and Indian destroyer INS Mumbai and frigate Trikand with their integral helicopters, Indian submarine Kalvari, P8-1 and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a Mig 29K fighter aircraft are participating in the exercise which will conclude on March 24, 2018. The next two phases would be held off the Chennai coast next month and in La Reunion Island in May 2018. Indian and French navies have been conducting bilateral maritime exercises since May 1993.