Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
Sitanshu Kar, a 1983-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, has become the principal director general of the Press Information Bureau (PIB). He succeeded Frank Noronha, who had held the post since 2014. Prior to this post, Kar was serving as the AIR’s News Services Division (NSD) director general. In a career spanning nearly 35 years, Kar has worked in key positions in various media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Apart from this, he has the distinction of being the longest serving spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence. He served there for over a decade at a stretch.

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:
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:
The Mettur Dam is one of the largest dams in India and the largest in Tamil Nadu located across the river Cauvery where it enters the plains. The total length of the dam is 1,700 metres and has the capacity of 93.4 billion cubic feet. The dam creates Stanley Reservoir.

Notes:
Indian-American Deepa Ambekar has been appointed as the interim judge to a US civil court of New York City. She has become the 2nd Indian-American woman judge in the city after Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari. In 2015, Rajeswari was sworn in as a criminal court judge and became the first India-born woman to be appointed a judge in the city. Judge Ambekar served with the New York City Council for 3 years as Senior Legislative Attorney and Counsel to the Committee on Public Safety. Prior to that, she was a Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division, and a litigation associate at a private firm.

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:
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which plays a pivotal role in infrastructure development in border areas, has celebrated its 58th Raising Day on May 7, 2018. Since its inception in 1960, the BRO has grown from 02 to 19 projects. The works executed have ensured the territorial integrity and the socio-economic upliftment of the most inaccessible regions of the country as well as India’s neighbourhood. Currently, the organisation maintains operations in 21 states, one UT (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), and neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The BRO operates and maintains over 32,885 km of roads and about 12,200m of permanent bridges in the country. Presently, BRO is also involved in the construction of a tunnel at the Rohtang pass which is estimated to be ready by 2019. It is currently headed by Lt General SK Shrivastava who is the 25th Director General Border Roads (DGBR).

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.

Notes:
The first organised census of Indus Dolphins will be carried out by the Punjab government along with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) -India for the conservation of Indus dolphins, which are one of the world’s rarest mammals. This is India’s first organized Dolphin Census, which will be completed within a span of five years. The main purpose of this census is to find out the exact population of this species of dolphins. After this, their protection program will be run. The Indus dolphins are found only in India and Pakistan and are confined to only a 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in India’s Beas river in Punjab.

Notes:
The Tiroda Thermal Power Station is a coal-based thermal power plant located at Tirora in Gondia district, Maharashtra. The power plant is operated by the Adani Power. It has a planned capacity of 3300 MW.