Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints ‘Print Biennale India 2018′ has started at the Rabindra Bhavan Galleries of the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi on March 25, 2018. The event, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, is aimed at discovering new artistic trends in printmaking nationally and internationally. Artists from across the world have sent their works and are showcasing their artwork in this international exhibition.The event comprising a total of 200 original prints are created by Indian and international artists of impeccable competence and is a window view into the giant strides in printmaking that is taking place in India and the world. The exhibition will continue till 22nd of next month.

Notes:
Professor J S Rajput, the former Director of NCERT, has been nominated as the India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO. Professor Rajput is an eminent educationist with rich experience in various fields including UNESCO. He has recently completed the project aimed at achieving religious amity through education and his edited book “Education of Muslims in India” was released by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on June 15, 2015.The EXB has a 4-year term of office and 58 seats. It is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference. The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO.

Notes:
The South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF), a London-based organisation, has received the Frederick Pincott Award for 2017 from the Indian High Commissioner, Y K Sinha for promoting Hindi cinema in Britain for the last 18 years. The institution has been active in boosting original research and books on Indian films, also inviting and honouring filmmakers from India, along with documentary film making and producing classic silent films with live music at the British Film Institute (BFI). The SACF has been doing commendable work for nearly two decades to promote Hindi and regional Indian cinema in the UK and as a result has served the cause of dissemination of the Hindi language. SACF Director Lalit Mohan Joshi stated that the institution will continue exploring Hindi cinema as it would launch a new six-week course at the BFI that will look into the history of Indian cinema through literature. The SACF was set up in London in January 2000 by Joshi, along with film archivist P K Nair, film critic Derek Malcolm and social historian-researcher Kusum Pant Joshi.

Notes:
The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on March 25 to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. The 2018 theme is “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”, which celebrates the gains of people of African descent from slavery to present. It also acknowledges the challenges that have been overcome in the movement towards freedom and equality in all professions.

Notes:
As per the data released by Union ministry of Social Justice, a total number of 4,13,670 beggars are residing in India, including 2,21,673 males and 1,91,997 females beggars in the country. The data, based on 2011 census, revealed that West Bengal has topped the chart with 81,224 beggars, followed by Uttar Pradesh (65,835), Andhra Pradesh (30,218), Bihar (29,723), Madhya Pradesh ( 28,695) and Rajasthan (25,853). The figures were given by Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The government data show that Lakshadweep, a union territory, has only two people begging for their livelihood. Among the northeastern states, Assam topped the chart with 22,116 beggars, while Mizoram ranked low with 53 beggars.

Notes:
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has recently signed a MoU with Assam government under its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) initiative for sustainable development of human settlements at villages in Kamrup district. The AAI would provide financial assistance under its CSR initiative of Rs 4.58 crore for the Kamrup district as per the estimates prepared by the UNDP to improve the resilience of communities around Guwahati Airport. The AAI through its CSR policy supports such initiatives for promoting infrastructure for convenience of the population with a view to improve the resilience of communities.

Notes:
Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver currently driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, has won the 2018 Formula One Australian Grand Prix tournament on March 25, 2018 in Melbourne, Victoria. He is a four-time Formula One World Champion, having won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing. He is regarded by fellow and former drivers as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport.

Notes:
The first-ever National conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection and Mental Illnesses was held at J L N Auditorium in AIIMS, New Delhi on March 27-28, 2018. The purpose of the conclave was to provide a comprehensive synthesis of research, service provision, and clinical practice in addressing psychological trauma and subsequent mental illnesses in Indian children and adolescents. The National conclave was organised by the Ministry of Women & Child Development (WCD) in collaboration with the Dept. of Psychiatry of AIIMS. The conclave provided a common platform for all stakeholders (Academicians, Clinicians, Government and NGOs) working in this area in the direction of robust evidence based research, better service provision, and capacity building of professionals.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Power has partnered with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train the manpower in six states – Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh – for speedy implementation of its household electrification scheme ‘SAUBHAGYA’ on March 27, 2018. The scheme is undertaken as a special project under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Around 47,000 Distribution Lineman-Multi Skills and 8,500 Technical Helpers will be trained to meet the requirement of power sector. The purpose of the SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) scheme is to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country in a time bound manner. Around 4 crore households are expected to get electricity connections under the scheme.

Notes:
The Rangit Dam is a run-of-the-river power project on the Ranjit River, a major tributary of the Tista River, in the South Sikkim district of Sikkim. The dam is 45 metres high concrete gravity structure of 100 metres length. The reservoir created behind the dam has a storage capacity of 1,175,000 cubic metres. The average annual power generation from the 60 MW (3×20 MW) project is 340 GWh with firm power of 39 MW.