Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
In its latest report “Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook”, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reaffirmed that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2018, with a growth rate of 7.4% that rises to 7.8% in 2019 with medium-term prospects remaining positive. As per report, India was recovering from the effects of demonetisation and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and the recovery is expected to be underpinned by a rebound from transitory shocks as well as robust private consumption. The report said, Medium-term consumer price index inflation is forecast to remain within but closer to the upper bound of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s inflation-targeting band of 4% with a plus or minus 2% change. It said, the consumer price increase in 2017 was 3.6% and projected it to be 5% in 2018 and 2019. Overall, the report stated that Asia continues to be both the fastest-growing region in the world and the main engine of the world’s economy.

Notes:
On May 11, the first-ever joint conference of Indian Customs and Department of India Posts at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi to deliberate on streamlining of imports and exports by post. Commissioners of Customs from all the States having Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) were present along with their counterpart Post Master Generals. Imports and exports by post are the 6th highest cited citizen grievances under under Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMs). Customs and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) have worked together since a year to liberalise, reform and align laws relating to imports by India Post.

Notes:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will set up a skill development centre at ‘Bharosa,’ an integrated support centre for distressed women and children in Hyderabad, Telangana. The purpose of the centre is to empower vulnerable and marginalized women by imparting skills training. ‘Bharosa,’ is a state-of-the-art centre set up by the Hyderabad City Police to support women and children who are victims of violence. ‘Bharosa’ provides under one roof, 24X7 services related to police, medical, legal, prosecution, psycho-therapeutic counselling and relief and rehabilitation services in completely private counselling rooms to maintain confidentiality and privacy. The centre is equipped with well-trained staff and modern gadgets, including facilities like video conferencing, so that the victims need not go to the court.

Notes:
Nandram Das Bairagi (87), the noted Hindi film lyricist, poet and politician, has passed away in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh on May 13, 2018. The multi-faceted personality, who was also MP minister in the Congress government earlier, was born in Manasa on February 10,1931. He was popularly known as Balkavi Bairagi as he wrote some classic poems in his childhood. He wrote lyrics for more than two dozen Hindi films and some like “Tu Chanda Main Chandni” from the film “Reshma aur Shera” are considered classics. He wrote several Hindi poems, among which, “Jhar gaye paat, bisar gayi tehni” is considered a gem by many Hindi poets. Bairagi was a Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP.

Notes:
Sir William Mark Tully, the veteran British journalist and former BBC India correspondent, has been chosen for 2018 RedInk award for lifetime achievement in journalism. Tully worked with the BBC for 30 years before resigning in July 1994. He held the position of Chief of Bureau, BBC, Delhi, for 20 years. The lifetime achievement award to Tully is the recognition of his long and outstanding contribution to Indian journalism. Meanwhile, Faye D’Souze, the executive editor of Mirror Now channel, has been selected as the winner of the RedInk award for ‘journalist of the year’. Apart from these two awards, the Redink awards for excellence in journalism are given in 13 competitive categories to 32 journalists after a process of selection by a jury appointed for each category. The RedInk awards for excellence in journalism are instituted by the Mumbai Press Club. The awards will be presented to the winners at a ceremony here on May 18 in Mumbai.

Notes:
Indian Shooter Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal while compatriot P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Competitions of Hannover, Germany. Heena was in a rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France’s Mathilde Lamolle on 239.8 points. She won the tie to win the gold ahead of Mathilde. Shri Nivetha finished on 219.2. The finish marks a strong build-up to next week’s ISSF World Cup in Munich.

Notes:
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, has been honoured with the 2018 Nikkei Asia Prize in Japan for his contribution to Asia’s development. Pathak is among the three who have been conferred with the award. Others are Ma Jun (China) & Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem (Vietnam). Nikkei Inc., one of the largest media corporations in Japan, has been presenting the awards since 1996 to honour people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: Economic and Business Innovation, Science, Technology and Environment and Culture and Community. The prizes will be awarded on June 13 in Tokyo in Japan. Dr Pathak founded the Sulabh International in 1970. It is an NGO that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation among other social services. The foundation has built Sulabh flush composting toilets throughout India, contributing to better sanitation, safety for rural women and freedom from the manual labour of removing human waste.

Notes:
Yamunabai Waikar (103), the acclaimed Lavani singer and Padma Shri recipient, has passed away in Satara district, Maharashtra on May 15, 2018. Born into a poor family, Yamuna Vikram Jawale learned singing and started performing along with her sisters at a young age. Soon offers to act in the `Tamasha’ theatre followed, and she became famous as Yamunabai `Waikar’ across Maharashtra. She also worked to create awareness about water conservation during the 1972 drought in Maharashtra and campaigned against archaic and regressive rituals of her Kolhati community.

Notes:
India emerged as the 3rd largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US, as per latest report by Mercom Communications. As per the report “India Solar Market Leaderboard 2018”, India set a new record with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016. The robust growth boosted the country’s total solar installed capacity to 19.6 GW as of December 2017.

Notes:
US-based Kathak dancer Anindita Anaam has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Shri Jayadev Rastriya Yuva Pratibha Puraskar 2018’ for outstanding contribution to the field of art. The award was presented to the Kathak exponent during the ‘Jayadev International Dance Festival’.The 4-day festival that began on May 13 has been organised under the aegis of Odisha’s culture department and National Culture Mission.