Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2017

Notes:
The book “Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The Marriage that Shook India” has been authored by well-known journalist Sheela Redddy. The author sketches an illuminating portrait of Ruttie Petit, whose marriage to Mohammad Ali Jinnah shocked Bombay society of that time. The book provides a comprehensive history of the Jinnahs, as well as the era of their marriage, its lengthy descriptive passages are spliced with amusing excerpts from Ruttie’s letters.

Notes:
The book “When Crime Pays – Money and Muscle in Indian Politics” has been authored by Milan Vaishnav. It is the most systematic analysis of corruption and criminalization in Indian politics. The author shows that it is growing because of societal, political, and economic factors. This remarkable book will change readers’ view of democracy in India.

Notes:
The 2nd edition of joint military exercise “Al Nagah-II” has started between India and Oman in the Dhauladhar Ranges at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh from March 6, 2017. The purpose of the 14-day exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army-to-Army relations and enhance inter-operability while exchanging skills and experiences between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman. The exercise would be mainly focused on counter terrorism and forest warfare and approx 60 troops from both countries will participate in the exercise.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been ranked at 8th among top 10 in Times Higher Education 2017 list of world’s best small universities. The list is topped by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (United States), followed by Ecole Normale Superrieure (France), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (South Korea) and Ecole Polytechnique (France). According to Times Higher Education (THE), to be eligible for the Best Small Universities rankings, the institutions must appear in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2016-17, teach at least four subjects, and have fewer than 5,000 students. The Best Small Universities in the World for 2017 highlights that small universities provide high student satisfaction and good working relationships between students and their professors.

Notes:
The International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed every year on March 8 to commemorate the struggle for women’s rights and to highlight the achievements of women while calling for greater equality. The 2017 theme of IWD is “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030” and its’ campaign theme is “#BeBoldForChange”.

Notes:
The 11th edition of North-East Business Summit (NEBS) has started in New Delhi on March 9, 2017. The two-day summit is an initiative to facilitate investment, highlight strengths of the North-East Region (NER) and business opportunities which North-East has to offer. The summit will also showcase the untapped business potential of North-East to investors worldwide.

Notes:
The mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ has started at the foot of the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt from March 8 and will continue till March 14, 2017. The event is a special moment as this year India celebrates 70 years of independence and also 70 years of its diplomatic relations with Egypt. The Handicraft Exhibition which runs from March 8-14, is an initiative to promote Indian and Egyptian handicrafts. It is organised by the Embassy of India in partnership with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India; Export Promotion Council For Handicrafts (India), the Ministry of Social Solidarity (Egypt) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI). The festival is a celebration of Indian music, dance, theatre, visual arts, food and wellbeing.

Notes:
The book “The Travelling Belly: Eating Through India’s By-Lanes” has been authored by food blogger Kalyan Karmakar. The author highlights the typical snacks of different regions, often gives an insight into the preferred taste palette of the locals and the popular cuisines in the particular area.

Notes:
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia has won the men’s singles at the 2017 All England Open badminton championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom by defeating Shi Yuqi of China in the final by 21-12, 21-10. It is his 5th singles title. Apart from this, the Chinese pair of Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong won the Mixed Doubles title by defeating the Malaysian duo of Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goah in the final by 18-21, 21-19, 21-16.

Notes:
The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme “Adarsh Gram Yojana” for rural poor. The purpose of the scheme is to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better. Under the scheme, 123 villages (comprising one village per circle) will be developed as ‘Model Villages’ during the fiscal year 2017-18. The state government has allocated an amount of Rs.93 crore in the Budget 2017-18 for infrastructure development and for creating employment opportunities and community assets for the people of those villages.