Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
Ukhnaa Khurelsukh has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Mongolia on October 4, 2017. The Prime Minister of Mongolia is the head of government, and heads the Mongolian cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Mongolia, and can be removed by the State Great Hural with a vote of no confidence.

Notes:
Banwarilal Purohit, a veteran political leader from Vidarbha district of Maharashtra, has been sworn-in as the new Governor of Tamil Nadu in a function held at Raj Bhavan in Chennai on October 6, 2017. Mr Purohit was sworn in as the State’s 20th Governor. The Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee administered the oath of office and secrecy to him.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a mass marriage scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’. In it, the state government will spend Rs 35,000 on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items, and the social welfare department will conduct the mass marriages. The marriage programs regarding the scheme will be organized by urban local bodies like Nagar panchayat, Nagar Palika and Nagar Nigam, kshetra panchayats, Zila panchayats, overnment/semi-government organizations and NGOs, which will be authorized by district magistrates of respective districts. As per the scheme, the parents of the brides must be the residents of Uttar Pradesh and must belong to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in order to avail the benefits of the scheme. There must be minimum 10 couples in the mass marriage ceremony.

Notes:
The Union Government has set up a study group to examine the problems being faced by the people living near the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) due to ever-present threat of cross-border firing from Pakistan. The group will meet people living in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, security forces deployed there, district administration officials and local public representatives and submit its report within two months. Special secretary in the home ministry Rina Mitra will head the team. The study group will look into broadly three issues – demand for land for relocation in case of shelling, construction of more bunkers and compensation issues related to shelling. The panel will prepare a detailed report on the issues being faced by the people living near the IB and the LoC and submit recommendations. India shares a 3,323-km long border with Pakistan of which 221 km IB and 740 km LoC fall in J&K.

Notes:
Anupama Ramachandran from India has clinched the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia on October 8, 2017. In the girls category, second seed Anupama knocked out her compatriot and top seed Keerthana Pandian in the final by 3-1 to become World Open Under-16 champion. Federation of Billiards Sports of Russia hosted this first ever World Open championships for Under-16 boys and girls. Dylan Emery of Wales has claimed the title in the boys category. Total 73 cueists from across the world have participated in this championship.

Notes:
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Richard H. Thaler for his contributions to behavioural economics. Thaler is an US economist and the Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The Nobel Prize for Economics, worth 9 million kronor, will be presented in Oslo on December 10, 2017.

Notes:
The International conference on “Dialogue of Civilizations – IV” has started from October 8 –15, 2017 at Delhi, Gandhinagar and Dholavira. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Union Ministry of Culture are hosting the conference in collaboration with National Geographic Society (NGS). The purpose of the conference is to encourage scholarly and public discourse about the five ancient, literate civilizations of the world, i.e. Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, China and Mesoamerica and how the study of the past can share our present and future towards the right direction. The present conference is the fourth in this series, with the final dialogue planned in Egypt.

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 Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) is the northernmost wildlife sanctuary of Kerala and is spread over 55 square kilometres. It is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna endemic to the Western Ghats. Elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, Nilgiri langur, Hanuman langur, Malabar giant squirrel, etc can be seen here. This is one of the main production centres of hybrid coconut seeds in the country.

Notes:
Rajasthan has become the India’s first state to incorporate skill development programme in higher education. In collaboration with IGNOU, the College Education department has prepared 16 courses for entrepreneurship and skill development for colleges in the state. Under the project, 12 certificates and 4 diploma courses will be run and each college will have to choose five courses.