Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has been honoured with the 2017 Pramod Mahajan Smriti Award in Pune, Maharashtra on October 29, 2017. Kher is awarded along with Saira Banu, who is UN ambassador for HeforShe. The award was instituted by Pune-based organization ‘Muktachhand’ in memory of Late former Union Minister Pramod Mahajan.

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K Satchidanandan, noted Malayalam Poet and literary critic, has been selected for the prestigious 2017 Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary award of the Government of Kerala, him for his contributions to Malayalam literature and poetry. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation. Satchidanandan is the former Editor of Indian Literature journal and the former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He is also a public intellectual of repute upholding secular anti-caste views, supporting causes like environment, human rights and free software and a well known speaker on issues concerning contemporary Indian literature. Moreover, he is the festival director of Kerala Literature Festival.

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Recently, the Department of Biotechnology has signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nobel Media AB and the Goa government to host the Nobel Prize Series – India during February 1-2, 2018 in Goa. It will address the core issues of knowledge, education, science, infrastructure and jobs. With interactions scheduled between school students and Nobel laureates, it will drive a passion for science. The Nobel Prize Series aims to stimulate creative thinking by bringing together Nobel laureates, other experts and learners. It would involve exhibitions, conferences, lectures, roundtables, etc. and inspire engagement in science, literature and peace. The first edition of Nobel Prize Series-India was held in Gujarat in January 2017.

Notes:
India slipped 21 places on the 2017 World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap index to rank 108th among 144 countries, primarily due to less participation of women in the economy and low wages. According to the WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2017, India has closed 67% of its gender gap, less than many of its international peers, and some of its neighbours like Bangladesh ranked 47th while China was placed at 100th.The index is topped by the Iceland, followed by Norway, Finland, Rwanda and Sweden. As per the report, the global average annual earnings for a female stood at 12,000, while for a male it was as high as 21,000.

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PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 3-day long World Food India (WFI) 2017 fair at the India Gate Lawns in New Delhi on November 3, 2017, which aimed to attract $10 billion investment in food processing sector and to generate 1 million jobs in the next 3 years in India. The purpose of the WFI 2017 is to transform food economy and realize the vision of doubling of farmers’ income by establishing India as a preferred investment destination and sourcing hub for the global food processing industry. Approx 200 companies from 30 countries, 18 ministerial and business delegations, etc are participating in the food fair.

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The National Cycling Championship has started from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on November 5, 2017 to promote fuel conservation. The event is organised by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in four categories – Elite Cycling (50km/30km), Amateur Ride (30 km), Open Ride (10 km) and Green Ride (5 km). Approx 5,000 participants are taking part in the event, which are enrol for various categories via online registration. The championship is hosted by Saksham Pedal Delhi and supported by the Cycling Federation of India (CFI). Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar is the brand ambassador of the of Saksham Pedal Delhi. The event has prize money of Rs 8 lakh.

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The 2017 World Youth Forum has started at Sharam El Shiekh in Egypt on November 4, 2017. The 5-day forum has inaugurated by the President of Egypt Mr Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. From India, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore is participating in the forum. The Forum aims to provide a platform to the youth from all over the globe to engage with the key global policy makers. It will also cover role of youth in business and innovation, challenges and making of future leaders, gender equity and women empowerment among other things. The Summit segment is expected to be attended by the Heads of State/Government, Ministers of youth from 14 countries and representatives of UN, Arab League and the African Union.

Notes:
Shiv Kapur from India has won the 2017 Panasonic Open (India) Golf tournament at the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi on November 5, 2017. It is second Asian Tour title of the season for Kapur, who fired five birdies against one bogey to stay three strokes clear off a pack of fellow Indians, including Ajeetesh Sandhu (65), Sudhir Sharma (69) and Chirag Kumar (64).

Notes:
The Punjab government will soon start a campaign to organise village level sports tournaments across the state in order to wipe out the menace of drugs. These tournaments will promote sportsmanship amongst the youth besides channelizing their unbounded energy in a positive direction. In these games, the dope test will be made mandatory in order to ensure free and fair competition in these tournaments.

Notes:
The India women’s national field hockey team has won the 2017 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup Tournament by defeating China in the final by 5-4 via a shootout at Kakamigahara in Japan on November 5, 2017. Savita was adjudged Goalkeeper-of-the-Tournament while Monica won the Woman-of-the-Match award. With this win, Indian team has qualified for the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup i.e. scheduled to be held in England. South Korea secured third place with a 1-0 win over Japan. India had to wait long for their second Women’s Asia Cup title with the last one coming way back in 2004, when they had beaten Japan in New Delhi for the trophy. The triumph of the Indian women’s team follows the Asia Cup victory of the men’s side in October 2107.