Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
The World Space Week (WSW) is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition, which is held every year from October 4-10. The 2017 theme “Exploring New Worlds In Space” is an outward facing theme that serves to inspire the world.

Notes:
Filmmaker Kundan Shah (69), the director of the romantic drama ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’, has passed away in Mumbai on October 7. He is most known for his comedy classic ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ and his 1985–1986, TV series Nukkad with Saeed Akhtar Mirza. He will be remembered for his wonderful usage of humour and satire to showcase the life & struggles of common citizens.

Notes:
The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons. The ICAN is a coalition of non-governmental organisations from over 100 countries around the globe. The headquarters of ICAN is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The purpose of the ICAN is to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 9 million Swedish crowns ($1.10 million), will be presented in Oslo on December 10, 2017.

Notes:
The Bori Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located in in Hoshangabad District of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 518 square kilometers. It is an important transition zone between the forests of western and eastern India. The sanctuary is mostly covered in mixed deciduous and bamboo forests, part of the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests eco-region. It is home to tiger, leopard, wild boar, muntjac deer, gaur, chital deer, etc.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the 5th edition of India Water Week (IWW) on October 10 with theme “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth” in New Delhi. About 1500 delegates from India and 13 other countries will attend the five day international event. The event will be celebrated with a multi-disciplinary conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies and solutions available for the areas under deliberation of the meet. The event will have the many major components like water, food and energy security – essential requirement for sustainable development, water for inclusive growth, sustainable energy development – Key for all round economic growth and water and society.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind has launched Rs 100 crore Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project “Jeevamritham” in Kollam district of Kerala to provide the filtration system for cleaning drinking water to 5000 villages across India, in Kollam district in Kerala. The President also distributed the certificates to three village out of 12 villages in the States of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chatisgarh, Uttarakand, Maharashtra and Kerala, which were adopted by the Math, verified as Open Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat Abhiyan.

Notes:
Under ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bhara’programme, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cultural ties. Under this, the states will connect with each other to know more about the culture, heritage and traditions of each other. The purpose of the programme is to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different states and union territories, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding among them.

Notes:
IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances. The academy was a part of Samsung’s corporate social initiative that aims at bridging the digital divide in the country by imparting skills to students on cutting-edge technology, Through this partnership with IIT-KGP, the academy planned to train over 100 students in the next three years. The course would be taught over 14 weeks through classroom lectures, assignments, lab room sessions, self-study and mini projects.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently released its October 2017 World Economic Outlook. In it, IMF slashed India’s growth forecast by 0.5% points to 6.7% in FY 18 due to the lingering effects of disruption caused by demonetisation and transition costs of GST. Earlier, in April, the IMF had pegged India’s GDP growth at 7.2% for FY18. It has also lowered the growth projection for FY 19 ( 2018-19) to 7.4% from its earlier estimate in April and June of 7.7%. Though, the IMF was more optimistic about medium-term growth prospects for India through gains from the new indirect tax levy. Apart from IMF, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also lowered its growth projection to 6.7% for the current financial year from its earlier estimate of 7.3% due to adverse impact on economic growth by the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Notes:
The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Japan on establishing a Liquid, Flexible and Global LNG Market. The MoC will provides a framework to cooperate in facilitating flexibility in LNG contracts, abolition of Destination Restriction Clause (DRC) and also explore possibilities of cooperation in establishing reliable LNG spot price indices, reflecting true LNG demand and supply. This MoC is expected to be signed during the forthcoming visit of Hon’ble Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship during October 16-18, 2017 at Tokyo. Apart from this, India and Japan will also sign MoC for a Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). The TITP is an ambitious program to send Indian technical interns to Japan for on the job training for a period of three to five years.