Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2017

Notes:
The South Asia satellite “GSAT-09” will be launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on May 5, 2017 to boost the development and economy of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations in the region. It will be launched into the orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota using a Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-II launch vehicle. The 2,230 kg satellite has 12 Ku-band transponders. It is cuboid in shape and built around a central cylinder has a mission life of over 12 years. The satellite will enable full range of applications and services in the areas of telecommunication and broadcasting applications viz. Television, Direct-to-Home (DTH), Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), Tele-education, Telemedicine and Disaster Management Support. The beneficiaries of GSAT-09 are as follows: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldivies.

Notes:
Karnataka is the India’s most corrupt state on the basis of people’s experience in paying bribes for public services, as per latest survey conducted by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) on corruption perception. Andhra Pradesh has acquired second position, followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. The annual corruption survey “CMS India Corruption Study 2017”, which covered 20 states, found Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh to be the least corrupt. The report stated that around one-third of the households experienced corruption in public services at least once during the last one year in comparison to about 53% of households that admitted to paying bribes during a similar study in 2005. The study further found that the total bribe paid by households across 20 states and 10 public services was Rs 6,350 crore in 2016 as against Rs 20,500 crore in 2005.

Notes:
India will give Rs 35 crore to children of freedom fighters in Bangladesh during the next five years under the new ‘Muktijodha scholarship’ scheme. As per the scheme, all freedom fighters are eligible for five years multiple entry Indian visa and 100 of them will be provided free medical treatment in Indian hospitals every year. Apart from this, the students at higher secondary level will get a onetime grant of Taka 20,000 (Rs 15, 3700) and those at under graduate level will get Taka 50,000 (Rs 38,430). Students are selected on the basis of merit from every district for the scheme. India initiated the Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme in 2006 for descendants of the 1971 Freedom Fighters. Up to now, more than 10,000 scholarships worth Tk150 million have been disbursed.

Notes:
Dr. Sanjay Pratihar, a scientist at Tezpur University, has been chosen for the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal for the Young Scientist Award for the year 2017 for his excellent contribution to multi-metal complexes, theoretical understanding, selective sensing of Hq2+ions and important applications in agriculture. The award, which consists of a bronze medal, a certificate and cash award of Rs. 25,000, will be given to him during INSA’s anniversary meeting scheduled in December 2017. The award of an Academy medal to a Young Scientist shall be made in recognition of notable contributions to any branch of science or technology, recognised by the Academy, on the basis of work carried out in India.

Notes:
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has recently attended the 8th Convocation of the Lovely Professional University (LPU) at Phagwara, Punjab on May 2, 2017. The LPU is a semi-residential university college in North India created under the Punjab State Private University Act 2005 and recognized by UGC under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956. LPU offers around 200 programmes and courses at diploma, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. The university has more than 30,000 students graduating every year.

Notes:
Soumyajit Ghosh, an Indian table tennis player from West Bengal, has won the 2017 ITTF Challenge Seamaster Chile Open men’s singles event by defeating compatriot Anthony Amalraj in the final at Santiago. This was his first ITTF Pro title and he became the third Indian to win an ITTF event. Apart from this, the Indian duo of Ghosh and Amalraj has also won the Men’s doubles title by defeating Philipp Floritz and Hunor Szocs 4-0 in the final.

Notes:
The Government of Indonesia is hosting the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD)’s main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia from May 1-4, 2017. Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned Eritrean-Swedish journalist, has been bestowed with the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on May 3, 2017. The $25,000 Prize award was given to Dawit Isaak’s daughter “Bethelem Isaak”. He was arrested in a crackdown on the media in September 2001 by the Eritrean government and till date his present location is unknown. The 2017 theme of WPFD is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”. The day is observed every year on May 3 to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Notes:
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi will defend India’s record on rights abuses, minority and religious rights at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on May 4, 2017. He will also defend India’s case against allegations of violations in Jammu and Kashmir, torture, minority rights and recent strictures against NGOs. The UPR is a mechanism within the UNHRC where all UN Member States have to undergo a periodic review of their human rights record once every four years. It is a state-driven process, which gives an opportunity to each state to declare what action they have taken to improve the human rights situation in their countries and fulfill their human rights obligations.

Notes:
The United Nations has marked the first World Tuna Day (WTD) on May 2, 2017 to conserve one of the globe’s most popular fish to be caught and eaten and to highlight the vital socio-economic importance of tuna to people around the world. Tuna plays a critical role in sustainable development, food security, economic opportunity, and livelihoods of people around the world. At present more than 80 States have tuna fisheries, thousands of tuna fishing vessels operate in all the oceans and tuna fishery capacity is still growing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Day was designated in December 2016 resolution of the UN General Assembly.

Notes:
The China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $160 million loan for Andhra Pradesh – 24×7 Power for All project with an objective to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in the state. It is the first credit from the AIIB for an Indian project. The power project is co-financed by the World Bank (WB). The project is part of the Government of India’s Power for All Program that was launched in 2014 to provide an efficient, reliable and affordable electricity supply to all consumers across selected states within five years from the start of implementation of the program in each state.