Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
India’s longest expressway from Agra to Lucknow will soon provide free Wi-Fi services on the entire 302-kilometre stretch. As per officials, the UP government has offered to provide space to lay an optical fiber cable (OFC) along the expressway. The plan is to earn revenue to maintain the expressway and gain from the agreement with the private firm by leasing rights to lay the OFCs to offer free WiFi along the entire stretch. this will also help the state to have a world-class advanced traffic management system (ATMS) for convenience and safety. Safety will be assured by the usage of traffic monitoring and event detection along with speed enforcement through a network of CCTV cameras and phone helplines at every two kilometers.

Notes:
Kunwar Narayan (90), the renowned poet in Indian literature, has passed away in New Delhi on November 15, 2017. He was honoured with many awards such as Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi (1995), Jnanpith Award (2005) and Padma Bhushan (2009).

Notes:
Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with personality of the year award at the 2017 International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The award will be given during IFFI which will be held from November 20-November 28. Mr. Bachchan has starred in over 190 Indian films in a career spanning almost five decades. He has won four national awards for best actor and 15 Filmfare Awards. IFFI founded in 1952, is considered to be one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia.

Notes:
Superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have been chosen by the Andhra Pradesh government for the prestigious NTR National Film Award for the years 2014 and 2016 respectively. Ace director K. Raghavendra Rao will receive the same award for 2015. The award was instituted in the memory of Telugu film legend and former Chief Minister Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. The award comprises a cash component of Rs 5 lakh and a memento. Beside this, “Baahubali” director S.S. Rajamouli has been chosen for the B.N. Reddy National Film Award for the year 2014 while prominent Telugu film directors, Trivikram Srinivas and Boyapati Srinivas will get the award for 2015 and 2016. Megastar and Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi and former Union Minister U. Krishnam Raju will be bestowed with the Raghupati Venkaiah Award. The ceremony is expected to take place in January 2018 in Vijayawada, along with the Nandi Awards for best Telugu films.

Notes:
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) has concluded on November 17, 2017 after two weeks of talks in Boon, Germany. Envoys from nearly 200 countries, including delegates from Washington, negotiated on implementing the Paris climate change agreement including a rulebook to be adopted next year and for enacting the global deal reached to cheers and champagne in 2015. The Paris pact commits countries to limiting average global warming to under two degrees Celsius over Industrial Revolution levels, and 1.5 Celcius if possible, to avert worst-case-scenario climate change. The November 6-17 conference is the first of the UN’s climate body since US President Donald Trump announced in June that the US will withdraw from the agreement. Meanwhile, United States again expressed its desire to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Notes:
International rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has recently upgraded the Government of India (GoI)’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from its lowest investment grade (Baa3) and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive. Moody’s has also upgraded India’s local currency senior unsecured rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and its short-term local currency rating to P-2 from P-3. The decision to upgrade the ratings is underpinned by Moody’s expectation that continued progress on economic and institutional reforms will enhance India’s high growth potential. Though, the global ratings agency cautioned that high debt burden remains a constraint on the country’s credit profile. Moody’s has revised the sovereign rating of India a notch above investment grade after a long gap of 14 years. Interestingly, the last time the global rating has revised the rating was when the BJP government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power.

Notes:
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will set up Next Gen-Bioscope Village at Panaji in Goa on 21st November 2017, as part of the IFFI Next Gen side bar program aimed at involving greater participation from the local Goan audience. It will be inaugurated by actress Shraddha Kapoor. The Bioscope Village is open to all with a entry fee of Rs. 50 from 21st to 27th of November. The Village is a concept based on the theme New Age Cinema for allowing non-delegates to watch films at the IFFI. The Bioscope Village will screen new and classic films including Children movies. In addition, ‘Katta’ talk session will also be held with some noted celebrities like Nana Patekar, Sachin Khedekar, Sonali Kulkarni, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Sushant Singh Rajput. The village will also host a skill studio aimed at honing cinematic skills through special sessions on a diverse range of topics. It will also host a short film competition for all delegates who are participating in the Festival. The theme for the short film festival is ‘IFFI as never seen before’. The winners will be announced on 27th of November.

Notes:
The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ – a fortnight long Tribal Festival with the theme of ‘A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Cuisine and Commerce’ on 16 Nov 2017 at Dilli Haat in New Delhi. Over 750 tribal artisans from over 25 States are participating in the festival. The 15-day festival will feature exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more through about 200 stalls. A special feature of the festival is Tribal India cuisine, recreated and presented in delectable forms to suit urban tastes by special tribal chefs.

Notes:
R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ Web Portal on November 17, 2017. The web portal is a platform for monitoring household electrification progress, which would disseminate information on Household Electrification Status (State, District, village-wise), Household Progress on live basis, State-wise Target vs Achievement, Monthly Electrification Progress, etc.The portal can be accessed at http://saubhagya.gov.in.

Notes:
As per Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat scheme, the Madhya Pradesh Government has partnered with Nagaland and Manipur to strengthen cultural relations between them. For this, the MP Govt has made its Higher Education Department as a nodal department to execute the scheme. The team of MP will participate in Sangai Mahotsav which is being organized in Manipur. Similarly, teams of Manipur and Nagaland will take part in Lok Rang and Bal Rang programmes to present their cultural programmes and to apprise people with their culture. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2015 with the prime objective to celebrate the unity in diversity culture of the country and to embolden the sentimental bonds between the people of different states.