Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
Chile has been named the best country to visit in 2018 by Lonely Planet in its ‘Best in Travel 2018’ list and is followed by South Korea, Portugal, Djibouti and New Zealand. Apart from this, Belfast and the Causeway coast of Northern Ireland has been named by Lonely Planet as the best region to visit in 2018, while Seville of Spain has been named as best city to visit in 2018.

Notes:
Dr Digamber Singh, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has passed away in Jaipur, Rajasthan on October 27, 2017. He served as cabinet minister in Government of Rajasthan led by Vasundhara Raje. He represented Deeg-Kumher constituency of Bharatpur district in the assembly. He is currently President of “Bees Sutri Karyakram” and has a status of Cabinet Minister.

Notes:
Punathil Kunjabdulla (77), the renowned writer and Malayalam novelist, has passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala. His works includes more than 45 books, including 7 novels, 15 short story collections, memoirs, an autobiography and travelogues. His masterpiece ‘Smarakashilakal’ published in 1977, is one of the most significant novels of all time in Malayalam. It won the both the Kerala and Central Sahitya Akademi Awards.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been honoured with the prestigious Golden Peacock Award under the category – Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation for excelling in public services at the 17th London Global Convention by the Institute of Directors for Leadership in Transferring Governance in England. In 1991, the Institute of Directors established the Golden Peacock Awards for the recognition of “corporate excellence”.

Notes:
The 36th edition of National Games of India will be held in Goa from November 4 to 17, 2018. The Games were originally scheduled to be held in November 2016 but the Goa administration requested a postponement at the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)’s annual general meeting based on extraneous factors, mainly the State elections. The delays to the 34th and 35th editions of the Games, which were hosted by Jharkhand and Kerala respectively, affected Goa’s plan to hold the mega-event.

Notes:
India and the United States have agreed to implement Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC) programme to strengthen maritime security. The decision in this regard was taken by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US Counterpart Jim Mattis during their meeting in Philippines on October 25, 2017 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus.

Notes:
The Anamalai Tiger Reserve, which is earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP), is located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu. It is home to golden jackal, leopard cat, jungle cat, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, wild boar, common langur, bonnet macaque, Asian palm civet, etc. It is also home to 15 of 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats. Over 250 species of birds have been identified in the park such as cormorants, ducks, teal, darter, partridge, quail, etc.

Notes:
Patna Pirates (PTP) has won the 5th edition of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) by defeating Gujarat Fortunegiants in the final by 55-38 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is their third consecutive Pro Kabaddi title. The PTP team is led by Pardeep Narwal and coached by Ram Mehar Singh. The league is organised by Mashal Sports and Star India.

Notes:
Vikram Singh, the 1997 batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), has been appointed Private Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind for a period of two years. Apart from him, IAS officer P C Meena was appointed Private Secretary to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary.

Notes:
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM has taken charge as the new Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) at a formal ceremony held in New Delhi on October 30, 2017. He succeeded Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, who has taken charge as the new Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command (ENC) on 31 Oct 17. Kumar is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The VCNS is second in command of the Indian Navy. The office is held by a Three Star Officer in the rank of Vice Admiral. He is responsible for operation of naval related tasks.