Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
India and Switzerland have signed two pacts for technical cooperation in the field of Railways after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in New Delhi. The aim of pacts is to cooperate in the areas of traction rolling stock, EMU and Train sets, traction propulsion equipments, freight and passenger cars, etc. To boost bilateral ties, Swiss president, Doris Leuthard is on a 3-day visit to India. The visit is significant as Switzerland is the chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) where India has been seeking membership. The main theme of the presidential visit is the Treaty of Friendship signed between Switzerland and India in 1948, in which the two countries gave assurances of “perpetual peace” and “unalterable friendship”.

Notes:
Noted economist Rajiv Kumar has taken over charge as the new vice-chairman of government think tank Niti Aayog. He replaced Indian-American economist Arvind Panagariya who left the think tank to return to academia. Kumar was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in economics from Oxford and a PhD from Lucknow University. He also served as Secretary General of industry association, FICCI. He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) between 2006 and 2008. He also served as the Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and held senior positions in the Asian Development Bank, the Indian Ministry of Industries, and the Ministry of Finance.

Notes:
The Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located at Ponda taluka in northeastern Goa and covers an area of 8 km2. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren. It is home to sambar deer, Indian bison, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian peafowl and many species of snakes. Bondla zoo is known for its successful breeding of gaur. The zoo provides an excellent environment to breed and do research on animals.

Notes:
The world’s highest sandcastle 54.72 feet (16.68 metres) tall has recently built in the German city of Duisburg. It was constructed in over 3 weeks and is supposed to stand until at least September 24, 2017. The representative of Guinness World Records (GWR) has certified the record. It takes the title from a 14.84-meter (48.69-foot) sandcastle built early this year in India. The new sandcastle is decorated with sand models of tourist attractions such as Athens’ Acropolis, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Notes:
Nepal has recently signed a $635 million United Nations (UN) assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out the country’s development strategy for the next five years. The package involving 26 individual UN agencies, spans interventions aimed at assisting in four broad areas: inclusive economic growth, social development, resilience, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and governance, rule of law and human rights. The National Planning Commission, apex advisory body of the Government of Nepal, and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Nepal signed the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The UNDAF will lay out the development strategy for the UN Country Team for the next five years.

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:
Sultan Ahmed (64), the Trinamool Congress MP and former Union Central Minister passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on September 4, 2017. He was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Uluberia (Lok Sabha constituency) on a Trinamool Congress ticket in 2014. Previously, he was a two-time MLA from Entally. Ahmad also served as a Minister of State for Tourism in Manmohan Singh government.

Notes:
Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Jomde Kena (52) has passed away in Guwahati, Assam on September 4, 2017. Since 2014, Kena, who represented Likabali seat from Lower Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2004. He was re-elected to the House from the same constituency in 2009 and 2014.

Notes:
Konsam Ormila Devi from India bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category at the Commonwealth Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championships at Gold Coast, Australia on September 4, 2017. Ormila lifted 57kg in snatch and 76kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 133kg, to finish on the top of the podium. With this effort, Ormila has registered her best lift so far.

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.