Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
Akshay Kumar has bagged the best actor award at the 2018 Dadasaheb Phalke awards for his role in ‘Padman (Jury)’ and for ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’. The awards were given by Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation in Mumbai on April 29. Bhumi Pednekar won the best actress trophy for her work in Toilet Ek Prem Katha. Manisha Koirala won the ‘Most Versatile Actress’ award. Whereas,veteran actor-director Rakesh Roshan was given the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the industry as an actor, producer and a director. Meanwhile, veteran actor Farida Jalal was awarded the Saraswatibai Dadasaheb Phalke Best actress (Lifetime) award for her contribution to the film industry.

Notes:
P P Lakshmanan (83), the former President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and ex-member of the Appeals committee of FIFA, has passed away at Kannur in Kerala on April 30. He was the first Indian to be chosen as the member of FIFA’s appeal committee. He was an eminent member of FIFA World Cup Appeal Committee for two consecutive editions, Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010. He had also served as Kerala Football Association president.

Notes:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has organised Kisan Kalyan Karyashala at the block level across the country on May 2, 2018 in which farmers from that block will participate. The workshops are part of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, a rural-centric campaign that started on the 14th of last month, the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. It will end on May 7. During workshops, farmers from each block will be interacting with agriculture officers and scientists to discuss ways to increase their income through adoption of new technology. Awareness campaigns and training programmes will disseminate information about steps for doubling the farmers’ income by 2022 and other measures taken by the NDA government for their welfare.

Notes:
Kottayam Pushpanath (80), the renowned Malayalam detective novelist, has passed away in Kottayam, Kerala on May 2, 2018. He expanded the world of horror fiction in Malayalam literature and wrote over 100 detective and horror novels in Malayalam. His original name was Pushpanathan Pillai. It was Kottayam Pushpanath who translated Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ into Malayalam. Among his novels, ‘Brahmarakshas’ and ‘Chuvanna Anki’ were later adapted into movies. Many of his works were translated into various languages including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

Notes:
Ashok Mitra (90), the noted scholar and the first Finance Minister in the Left Front government in West Bengal, has passed away in Kolkata on May 1, 2018. Besides serving the State Government, he also worked with the Central Government as the Chief Economic Adviser from 1970-72, when Indira Gandhi was prime minister, and was a member of Rajya Sabha. A teacher of Economics, who taught in UN Economic Commission, Mitra was also associated with World Bank for many years. He was one of Bengal’s most prolific columnists and was known for his deep and critical analysis of society and its politics.

Notes:
India has been ranked joint-sixth in the list of doping violations with 69 cases, same as that of Russia, according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report for samples collected in 2016. India improved its position to sixth after being joint-third for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015. Though, the number of dope violations for India has reduced but the trend of sports which are mostly under the scanner remain same. Italy topped the rankings of drug cases in 2016, followed by France (86), United States (76), Australia (75), Belgium (73).

Notes:
Subhash Chandra Khuntia, a 1981-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, has been appointed as Chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Khuntia’s appointment for a period of 3 years. The post was vacant for more than two months after TS Vijayan’s tenure came to an end on February 21.

Notes:
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton has won the 2018 Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix tournament at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on April 29, 2018. In it, both Red Bulls sensationally collided with each other. Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari finished second and Sergio Perez of Force India ended third in the Race.

Notes:
Air Chief Marshal Idris Hassan Latif (94), the former Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), has passed away 2018 in Hyderabad on May 1, 2018. He was the IAF chief from September 1978 to August 1981. After his retirement in 1981, Latif held the posts of Maharashtra Governor and Indian Ambassador to France. He had joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1941 at the age of 18 and was commissioned the next year. On completion of his training at Ambala, he was posted in Karachi, where he flew vintage biplanes like the Wapiti, Audaxes and Harts, on Anti-Submarine flights over the Arabian Sea. During 1943-44, he was one of the few Indian pilots to be seconded to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom, where he underwent training on more contemporary aircraft like the Hurricane and Spitfire. He returned to India in 1944 and took part in the Burma campaign. At the time of partition, he chose IAF though he was reportedly urged by some to join the Pakistan Air Force.

Notes:
The 4th edition of ‘Vibrant North East 2018’ has started in Guwahati, Assam on 3rd May 2018 in which people would be made aware of central government’s schemes and programmes. It is organised by Delhi-based NGO, Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) and is supported by the North Eastern Council, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and All India Farmers Alliance. The main purpose of the event is to disseminate information about the schemes, grants and projects of the Central government to ensure that they are implemented as envisaged officially.