Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
India and Myanmar will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Myanmar on September 6-7, 2017. Began is a renowned tourist attraction of Myanmar and India’s role in rebuilding damaged pagodas at Began will be an opportunity to showcase India’s expertise in the restoration and conservation of monuments not only to the people of Myanmar but also tourists from other countries. This pact will further strengthen India’s enduring ties with Myanmar, in culture and religion.

Notes:
J Y Pillay, an Indian-origin veteran civil servant, has been appointed as the acting president of Singapore. He succeeded Tony Tan Keng Yam, who completed a six-year term. He will act as the president until after polling day on Septemeber 23 – or after nomination day on September 13, if a candidate is elected unopposed. According to the report, this is the first time the office has fallen vacant since the elected presidency was introduced in 1991.

Notes:
Shirish Pai (88), the renowned Marathi poet and activist, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on September 2, 2017. She was credited with introducing ‘Haiku’ to the Marathi speaking world. Pai was the daughter of noted writer-journalist ‘Acharya’ Pralhad Keshav Atre. She started writing ‘Haiku’ in 1975. She studied Japanese ‘Haiku’, its origin and nature and published five Marathi ‘Haiku’ books. Ms. Pai also translated some Japanese ‘Haiku’ from English to Marathi. She also worked as a journalist in the Maratha newspaper and participated in the ‘Samyukta Maharashtra’ (United Maharashtra) movement.

Notes:
The Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located at Kohima District of Nagaland and covers an area of 923 hectares.The sanctuary is a natural habitat for Blyth’s Tragopan (or Grey-bellied Tragopan).

Notes:
Kenneth I. Juster, the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been nominated as the next U.S ambassador to India. The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him. The post is vacant since January 20, 2017. Juster has been a strong supporter of India-U.S ties and played a key role in the civil nuclear deal and in the advancement of defence ties between the two countries when he was under secretary of Commerce under former president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the co-chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group set up during the George W. Bush presidency, and was instrumental in the formation of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership, a diplomatic initiative between the United States and India on cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear, space and military, in 2004.

Notes:
Star India acquired digital as well as media rights for Indian Premier League for a term of five years 2018-2023 with a whooping bid of Rs. 16,347.50 crore on September 4, 2017. The staggering deal has turned out to be a financial windfall for the BCCI despite the administrative crisis it is facing at the moment. The testimony to IPL’s growth as the premier sporting property of the country is reflected by the fact that the previous 10-year bid for TV rights only was bought by Sony at Rs. 8200 crore in 2008. Now, the BCCI stands to earn nearly double that amount in half the duration of five years, with earnings of Rs 3270 crore from IPL media rights per year. The BCCI will now earn Rs 55 crore approximately from an IPL match compared to Rs 43 crore, ironically, for each international match that India play. The media rights include broadcast (TV) and digital (mobile and internet) for various segments namely India, Middle East, Africa, Europe and America.

Notes:
The Union Environment Ministry has launched an environment awareness initiative on September 5 on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. Under the initiative, an online environmental quiz competition named “Prakriti Khoj” will be conducted at the national level. The objective of the quiz is to generate interest among school children about the science related to environment. This will help in sensitizing the children on the issues related to environment and development. The initiative is to motivate children towards environment conservation-oriented lifestyles. It will also trigger their sensitivity towards nature appreciation and conservation, leading to positive environmental actions at different levels.

Notes:
Raj Kumar Singh has recently take charge as new Union Minister of State (IC) in Ministries of Power & New & Renewable Energy after latest reshuffle in the Union Cabinet on September 3, 2017. He succeeded Piyush Goyal, who is now Cabinet Minister for Railways. Singh is the Member of Parliament (MP) from Arrah Lok Sabha constituency. Singh is also the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Notes:
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and K Sanjita Chanu has recently qualified for 2018 Commonwealth Games after winning a gold each in their respective weight categories (48kg & 53kg) at the Commonwealth Senior (men & women) weightlifting championships at Gold Coast in Australia. Mirabai lifted 85kg in snatch and 104kg in clean & jerk for an overall total of 189kg to finish on top of the podium in women’s 48kg weight division. She broke Commonwealth record in snatch event with a lift of 85kg, bettering her own record by one kilogram. Meanwhile, Sanjita also bagged the yellow metal in women’s 53kg with a total effort of 195kg and qualified for the Commonwealth Games which would be held at the same venue next year.

Notes:
The 2-day event ‘North East Calling’ will be organized by the Union government under its Destination North East series at India Gate lawns in New Delhi on September 9, 2017. The purpose of the event is to promote the art, culture, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and the entry for the general public is free. The event will include music festival for bands of North-East, Cultural night for dances of North-East and Handloom Demo Show presenting the clothes of North-East.