Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
Guruji Ravinder Sharma, the renowned sculpture and mentor of artists, has passed away at Kala Ashram in Adilabad, Telangana on April 30, 2018. He was the founder of Adilabad’s Kala Ashram and is credited to playing a vital role in protecting ancient rural and tribal art forms and knowledge system of the country for nearly four decades. He was honoured with Kala Ratna award by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2014 for rendering matchless services to the field. After bifurcation of the State, the Telangana government awarded him the Ugadi Puraskaram in 2015. Guruji was also conferred the D. Litt (Honoris Causa) by the SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana the same year

Notes:
The 12th edition of the bilateral border trade between India and China from Nathu La border in Sikkim has resumed for the scheduled period from May 1 to November 30. The trading days are from Monday to Thursday and the trade will continue till November 30. The announcement in this regard was made by the General Secretary of the Indo-China Border Traders’ Welfare Association, Tenzing Tsepel. In 2017, the trade was disrupted following the Doklam standoff. It must be noted that the Nathu La pass was sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War and was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements.

Notes:
The 2-day national workshop on Data Requirements for Disaster Risk Reduction Database successfully concluded in New Delhi on May 3, 2018. It has set the stage for the creation of a national-level disaster database. Developing the integrated database with locally obtained and validated data is crucial for tracking the risks and progress towards resilience without which India will not be able to meet its developmental goals. It will also play a vital role in implementing the Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda to address disaster risks. The workshop was organised by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with UNICEF, UNDP and UNISDR. The discussions held at the workshop will lead to the formation of a Steering Group to oversee the setting up of the database, and guiding trainings and capacity building for operating, maintaining, updating and using the database. The group will also identify pilot States and draw a roadmap for implementation of the project.

Notes:
B. N. Vijay Kumar (60), the sitting BJP MLA from Jayanagar in Karnataka, has passed away in Bengaluru due to cardiac arrest while campaigning in his constituency on May 3, 2018. He was contesting the Assembly election for the third time. A two-time MLA from Jayanagar, Vijay Kumar was a bachelor and a civil engineering graduate. He was known for his simplicity and mild manners.

Notes:
Radhakrishnan Nair, the former IRDAI member, has been appointed to ICICI Bank’s board as an Additional (Independent) Director. His appointment will be for a period of five years and is subject to shareholders’ approval. Nair has around 40 years of experience in the banking industry and in the field of securities and insurance regulation. He is already an independent director of three subsidiaries of ICICI Bank — ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd; ICICI Prudential Trust Ltd and ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Ltd. Meanwhile, the Board of Directors of ICICI Bank Limited (IBN) has appointed Dr. Tushaar Shah as a non-executive Director effective May 3, 2010

Notes:
Keyur Bhushan (90), the well-known Gandhian, freedom fighter and writer, has passed away in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on May 3, 2018. Bhushan, born at Janta in Bemetara district, took part in the 1942 Quit India movement as a student in Raipur, and was incarcerated. During the 1980s, when terrorism was raging in Punjab, he had undertaken a foot-march to promote peace. He penned novels, collections of short stories and poems. He also edited `Sapthahik Chhattisgarh’ and `Antyoday’. Bhushan represented Raipur constituency in the Lok Sabha in the 1990s.

Notes:
On May 4, the sports initiative ‘Star Khel Mahakumbh’ was launched by BJP MP Anurag Thakur and cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in the presence of 1,500 athletes. The athletes will compete in volleyball, basketball, cricket, football, kabaddi and athletics. The initiative has been designed in a manner as to attract participation of at least one lakh youth from across 5000 villages and 800 panchayats. The registration will be done on grounds across panchayats from May 4-20.

Notes:
The 19th edition of TOONZ Animation Masters Summit 2018 was held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on May 4-5, 2018. It was inaugurated by Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman of FICCI for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics Forum, and was organized by the Technopark-based Toonz Media Group. The purpose of the summit is to present new trends which can give a fresh vigour to the industry segment with the help of modern technology and taking advantage of fresh opportunities. At least 400 members of the animation and media industry drawn from within India and overseas attended the summit. In the summit, V G Samant, a venerated pioneer of Indian animation and creator of ‘Hanuman’, was honoured with the ‘Legend of Animation’ award for his contributions to the animation industry. Legendary masters including Kiran Antony- Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, Resul Pookutty- Oscar winning sound engineer and Paul Robinson- International Media Executive, also took part in the event.

Notes:
Ramit Tandon from India has won the Abu Dhabi Open squash title on May 6, 2018. In an exciting one-hour final in Abu Dhabi, Ramit toppled number one seed Omar Abdel Meguid of Egypt with scores of 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2. It was their first meeting on Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour. This is Ramit’s third title on PSA tour. In world rankings, the Indian holds the 65th position, while the Egyptian is placed higher at the 41st spot.

Notes:
The bi-annual Naval Commander’s Conference will be held in New Delhi from May 8, 2018. During the 4-day conference, the Navy will review its new mission-based deployment philosophy aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. The philosophy of the conference will be at sustained, peaceful and responsive presence of Indian Naval ships in critical areas and choke points. During the conference, measures to ensure safety, continued training and checks and balances on crew proficiency on-board its frontline warships will be reviewed.