Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
Chakravarthi AVPS, Hyderabad-based packaging professional, has been appointed as Ambassador of World Packaging Organisation (WPO) at the 99th board meeting of WPO in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The recognition is bestowed on him for his contribution to the Indian and global packaging industry for over 30 years. With this, he has become the first Asian to be appointed as ambassador of WPO. Chakravarthi is the CEO and managing director of Hyderabad-based Ecobliss India. He has the distinction of working for several companies, including Ballarpur Industries, Akerlund & Rausing, Huhtamaki, Pragati among others.

Notes:
The first-ever Namami Barak festival has started at Police Parade ground in Silchar, Assam on November 18, 2017. The 3-day river festival is an attempt to pay tribute to the River Barak and to showcase of Barak’s potential & possibilities to emerge as a hub of trade and commerce. The cultural heritage of the valley together with its cuisine, fauna and flora, socio-economic and civic splendor will be showcased before the global audience during the festival. The event is being organised at 3 locations in Barak Valley also known as Southern Assam. Silchar will be the main event area while other two locations are Hailakandi and Karimganj district.

Notes:
The Nameri National Park (NNP) is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam and covers an area of 200 km2. This forest has over 600 species. Some notable species are Gmelina arborea, Michelia champaca, Amari and Bonjolokia. The park is an ideal habitat for a host of other animals including the tiger, leopard, sambar, dhole (the Asiatic wild dog), pygmy hog and Indian wild bison. It is home for orchids like Dendrobium, Cymbidiumand Cypripedioideae.

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Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi (72), the veteran Congress leader, has passed away in New Delhi on November 20, 2017. He was on life support system after he suffered a massive stroke which left him paralysed in 2008. He represented the Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency) of West Bengal and was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. Mr Dasmunsi served as Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs. He was elected to Lok Sabha five times.

Notes:
Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India, will be honoured with the 2017 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for his leadership of the country between 2004 and 2014 and for enhancing India’s stature globally. According to a statement from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, Dr Singh was unanimously chosen for the award by an international jury chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee. The Trust stated that Dr Singh is only the third Indian prime minister to complete two full terms as the PM between 2004 and 2014. The award, named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was announced on the eve of Gandhi’s birth anniversary on November 19, 2017.

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The World Fisheries day (WFD) is celebrated every year on November 21 throughout the world by the fisherfolk communities holding rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs and exhibition to highlight the importance of maintaining the world’s fisheries. The day helps in highlighting the critical importance to human lives, of water and the lives it sustains, both in and out of water. A recent United Nations study reported that more than two-thirds of the world’s fisheries have been overfished or are fully harvested and more than one third are in a state of decline because of factors such as the loss of essential fish habitats, pollution, and global warming.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Manipur Sangai Festival at Palace Compound in Imphal on November 21, 2017. The festival will reflect the State’s proud cultural heritage and the love for art which is inherent amongst various tribes inhabiting the State of Manipur. It will showcases the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts & fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines & music, eco & adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land. It is named after the State animal ‘Sangai’ the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur. The galaxy of foreign dignitaries including ambassadors of South-East Asian countries and some western countries will also attend the inaugural function of the 10-day state festival. A two-day North-East Development Summit will also be opened by the President today as a part of the festival at City Convention Centre in the capital Imphal. As many as 175 delegates including official representatives of foreign countries and multi-national corporate firms are also attending the Summit.

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The 5th edition of Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) has inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 23, 2017. The theme of the conference is “Cyber for All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development”. The main objective of the conference is to have mutual understanding of latest practices in cyberspace, more coordination and security measures. For the first time, the event is being organized in India. The representatives from 124 countries and 33 Ministerial delegates from 31 countries including Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremasinghe will attend the conference. nternational leaders, policymakers, industry experts, think tanks and cyber experts will deliberate on issues and challenges for optimally using cyber space. The conference will promote the importance of inclusiveness and human rights in global cyber policy.

Notes:
The first- ever North East Development Summit (NEDS) 2017 was inaugurated by President of India Ram Nath Kovind in Imphal, Manipur, which was held on November 21-22, 2017. The NEDS 2017 was jointly organized by Manipur State Government in collaboration with Union Commerce Ministry and India Foundation. The main purpose of this summit was to showcase the economic potential and to attract investments in food processing, bamboo industry, real estate and other businesses within the state. During the course of this Summit, approx 20 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed between various Departments of Manipur State Government and National and International Companies/Investors. Approx 175 delegates including various foreign delegates attended the event.

Notes:
The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. Its headquarters are located in London, England.