Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

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 12th informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers was held in Manila, Philippines on May 4, on the sidelines of the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB). The meeting was attended by the Finance Ministers / Heads of Delegations from the SAARC member states. Finance Minister of Nepal Yuba Raj Khatiwada chaired the meeting. The Finance Ministers/Heads of Delegation briefed the meeting about the current status of economic progress achieved by their countries. They also appreciated ADB for its contribution in the economic growth of SAARC countries. An Indian delegation was headed by Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

Notes:
India has been ranked at 11th position in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index 2018 of global consultancy firm A T Kearney.  It is the first time since 2015 that India has been pushed out of the top 10. Though, India remains among the top investment destinations due to its market size and rapid economic growth. The report said a possible factor for the fall could be the coming elections in India, as investors are likely to be monitoring political risks. The annual survey tracks the impact of political, economic and regulatory changes on the FDI preferences of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) of the country. The index is topped by United States, followed by Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and China.

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.

Notes:
Dr Tahir Hussain, an Indian-American professor of Pharmacology at the University of Houston, has received a grant of 1.6 million dollars from the National Institutes of Health to examine a kidney cell that could prevent damage from inflammation caused by obesity. The targeted cells express a protein called the angiotensin type 2 receptor, which recently has been indicated to have anti-inflammatory and renoprotective actions. If activated, the AT2R will protect against chronic and acute kidney injury. Dr Hussain, an alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University, will study the impact of inflammation in kidneys with active AT2R as well as those with no AT2R. This is the first time the receptor’s role to protect kidney structure and function against injury in obese subjects will be investigated.

Notes:
India has signed a loan agreement of $200-million with the World Bank for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan) to achieve its goal of reducing stunting in children aged 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022. The loan will support the first phase of scaling up of interventions in 315 districts across all states and union territories. A large component of POSHAN Abhiyaan involves gradual scaling-up of the interventions supported by the ongoing World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country over a 3-year period. The project will ensure convergence of all nutrition-related schemes and provide performance-based incentives to states and community nutrition and health workers, facilitating a focus on results. The POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8 in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.

Notes:
The Gokak falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha River, a tributary of the Krishna river, in Belagavi district of Karnataka. The waterfall is horse shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 metres. There is a hanging bridge across the river which stands 14m above the rock bed. The bridge was built during British rule. One of the interesting features of this place is the monuments from the Chalukya era that are found on either bank of the rocky gorge. are the monuments from the Chalukya era that are present on either banks of the rocky gorge. Another attraction of this place is the very old river-front temple dedicated to Lord Mahalingeshwara, built in the Later Chalukya style of architecture. There is also an old electricity generation station and electricity was generated here for the first time in 1887.

Notes:
The Kakolat waterfall is located in the Nawada district of Bihar and is one of the most visited and renowned Bihar getaway, where tourists come from all over the state and adjoining areas to witness the sheer beauty of Mother Nature cascading marvelously. According to legend, during the Treta Yuga epoch a king was cursed by a rishi and had to take the shape of a python and lived in Kakolat. The place was visited by the great Pandavas during their exile and the accursed king got salvation from damnation. The king after getting rid of the curse proclaimed that one who would bath in the waterfall will not take the yoni of snake, and that is why a large number of people from far and near bathe in the falls.

Notes:
In its second-quarter Sovereign Credit Overview for Asia Pacific region, Credit rating agency Fitch has said that India’s economic growth will accelerate to 7.3% in the current financial year FY19 and 7.5% in the next fiscal. The growth rate will accelerate as money supply has recovered to its pre-demonetisation level and disruptions related to the rollout of GST have diminished. The rating agency said India’s ratings balance a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable external balances against a weak fiscal position and difficult business environment. But the country’s business environment is likely to improve gradually with the implementation and continued broadening of the government’s structural-reform agenda.

Notes:
The book ‘Across the Bench – Insight into the Indian Military Judicial System’ has been authored by Lt Gen Gyan Bhushan, former Army Commander and Member ‘A’, Armed Forces Tribunal of Lucknow Bench. The book deals with military judicial system vis-a-vis command and management issues within the military establishments besides the whole gamut of issues relating to veterans, their families and dependents. It was released by Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army the Staff on May 11, 2018.