Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

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:
The Dada Dhuniwale Thermal Power Plant is a planned coal based thermal power project located at village Goradia in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. The power plant is one of the coal based power plants of Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited. Its planned capacity is 1600 MW. The project is yet to start due to non availability of coal linkage.

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:
Susheela Jayapal, who is the sister of Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, has become the first South Asian to be elected as a member of the Board of Commissioners of Multnomah County in Oregon in the western US State on May 16, 2018. She won the District 2 seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners with 57% of the vote. She will represent North and Northeast Portland commissioner’s seat. Susheela, a former corporate lawyer and longtime community volunteer, defeated construction contractor Sharon Maxwell and two others.

Notes:
Yudhvir Singh Malik, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, has been given additional charge of the post of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chairman on May 17, 2018. Malik currently is the Secretary of Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. He succeeded Deepak Kumar, who was sent back to his cadre state Bihar before completion of his tenure. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the premature repatriation of Kumar to his parent cadre with immediate effect without citing any reason. Kumar, a 1984 IAS officer of Bihar cadre, had taken over as the NHAI chief on June 2017.

Notes:
The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed every year on May 17 to raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The day marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention (ITC) and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The 2018 theme “Enabling the positive use of Artificial Intelligence for All” will focus on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accelerate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Notes:
The Bishop Falls is a three-tiered waterfall with a height of 135m and is located in Shillong, Meghalaya. The Bishop’ Falls is often referred to as the twin brother of the Beadon Falls since both tumble down the same escarpment into a yawning gorge. It is the 22nd highest waterfalls in India.

Notes:
The Haryana Government will launch the ‘Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana’ to ensure safety of girl students. For facilitating women, the state government has opened women police stations in districts. Besides, women help desks have also been set up. Earlier, women constituted 6% of the police force which has now been increased to 9% by the present government. Now, it has been decided to further increase this percentage to 11.

Notes:
The 2018 BRICS Ministerial on Environment at Durban, South Africa has agreed to include Indian societal movement “Green Good Deeds” in its official agenda in the next Ministerial in Brazil and another meeting in Russia. With this, the ‘Green Good Deeds’ movement has now got global recognition. Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, had formally launched the nation-wide campaign “Green Good Deeds” in January 2018 to sensitize the people and students, in particular, about climate change and global warming. The aim of the campaign is to protect environment and promote good living in the country.

Notes:
Uttam Pacharne, the noted artist and sculptor, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi by the President of India. He will hold office for a term of three years from the date on which he assumes the charge of his office. Pacharne is a widely respected person in the field of art and has held various important positions. Currently, he is Member of Advisory Committee of Kala Academy (Goa) and Member of Advisory Committee of P.L. Deshpande State Lalit Kala Academy and Director of Janseva Sahakari Bank (Borivali). Previously in March 2018, M.L. Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Akademies) of Ministry of Culture, was appointed Protem Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.