Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, an acclaimed South African Indian-origin AIDS researcher, has been appointed as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV. Professor Abdool Karim is one of the world’s leading AIDS researchers and has made pioneering contributions to understanding the HIV epidemic among young people, especially among young women. She is a strong advocate for the rights of people living with and affected by HIV. In her new role as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador, Abdool Karim will focus on adolescents and HIV, while also championing the involvement of young women in science.

Notes:
The Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is located in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan and covers an area of 578 km2. It is home to Indian wolf, Indian leopard, sloth bear, striped hyena, Golden jackal, jungle cat, sambhar, nilgai, chausingha, etc.

Notes:
J P Nadda, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, has inaugurated the 1st World Conference on Access to Medical Products and International Laws for Trade and Health in New Delhi. The Conference is organized by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with the support of WHO Country Office for India and in partnership with Indian Society of International Law. The purpose of the conference is to exchange knowledge and expand understanding on contemporary issues in international trade laws and research and innovation for access to medical products to achieve SDG 2030 agenda.

Notes:
The Union Government has recently constituted a task force to review the Income Tax Act 1961 and draft a new direct tax law in consonance with current economic needs. CBDT member Arbind Modi will be the convener of task force while Chief Economic Adviser Dr. Arvind Subramanian will be a permanent Special Invitee. The task force will draft an appropriate direct tax legislation keeping in view the direct tax system in various countries, international best practices and economic needs of the country. It will submit its report within six months.

Notes:
The Rajasthan government has launched an educational mobile app “Dishari” that will provide free study materials for youths preparing for competitive examinations. The app was developed by Imran Khan, a Sanskrit teacher and web developer from Alwar. The app has over 9,400 questions on topics ranging from current affairs and general knowledge to mathematics and reasoning. It will also send updates to students regarding exam forms, exams and job opportunities. The app will also provide the current Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) statuses of the colleges.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Umang mobile application, an integrated platform for government to citizen services, on November 23, 2017. The acronym of Umang stands for ” Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance”, which has been developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). Currently, the app will host around 162 services from 33 government departments of central and state governments. The app provides all pan India e-Gov services ranging from central to local government bodies and other citizen-centric services like Aadhaar and Digilocker on one single platform. Citizen can download UMANG by giving missed call on 9718397183 and also access it on ‘www.umang.gov.in’.

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David Cassidy (67), the teen and pre-teen idol who starred in the 1970s sitcom ‘The Partridge Family’, and sold millions of records as the musical group’s lead singer, has passed away in Florida, United States on November 21, 2017.

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The 2017 International Gita Mahotsav will be inaugurated by President of India Ram Nath Kovind in Kurukshetra, Haryana on November 25, 2017. The President will also participate in Gita Yajna and Gita Poojan ceremonies at Brahma Sarovar. He will also lay the foundation stone of the Gita Research Centre at Gita Gyan Sansthanam. The mahotsav, which will conclude on December 3, will have Mauritius as partner country and Uttar Pradesh as partner state. Approx 25-30 lakh people are likely to participate in this Mahotsav.

Notes:
Ritu Phogat has clinched the silver medal in Under-23 Senior World Wrestling Championship at Poland. She lost against Turkish Wrestler Demirhan in the gold medal bout of women’s 48 kilogram category. In Semifinal, Ritu defeated Chinese Wrestler Jiang Zhu 4-3 points to reach the finals. Ritu had won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 2016.

Notes:
The 2017 Constitution Day (or Samvidhan Divas) is celebrated every year in India on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of Constitution of India. On this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, and it came into effect on 26 January 1950. From 2015, the Government of India (GoI) is observing 26th November as Constitution Day. On the occasion of Constitution Day, in 2017, the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) has launched a Digital Signature campaign to generate awareness on fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution. People can join the campaign by filling a form online.