GK & Current Affairs Quiz: April 15, 2017

Notes:
Abdulqadir Rashik, an Indian software engineer, has recently won first prize in Unite Ideas #UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge for his ‘Global Policy’, an open-source tool that enables users to search and interactively view General Assembly resolutions to gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns and decisions made by United Nations Member States. Rashik’s prototype will be made public and shared with United Nations bodies and member states. He will also receive recognition from the Department of State and the Office of Information and Communications Technology. Previously, he won the top prize in the United Nations #LinksSDGs challenge in March 2017 for his ‘Links to Sustainable Cities’, an interactive visualisation that identifies and maps the links between various Sustainable Development Goals. Rashik is an entrepreneur and founder of India-based Miavy Systems.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union government for the ‘Power for All’ scheme in the state. The aim of this scheme is to ensure 24-hour quality power supply in the state by October 2018 and electric connection to every house and agriculture field by 2019. The purpose of the MoU is to ensure that consumers get quality electricity at an affordable price. The project will cost above Rs. 40 thousand crore out of which 20 thousand crore will be spent till 2018.

Notes:
Trupti Jain, an Indian environmental engineer, has won prestigious 2017 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods. She is among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and was selected by an independent international jury. Each recipient receives a $ 100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring. Jain is the founder of the Gujarat-based Naireeta Services company and providing handmade water management solutions that enable small farmers to filter and store rainwater underground to protect them against droughts and flash floods.

Notes:
Girish Chandra Saxena (90), the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has recently passed away in New Delhi. Saxena was the 1950-batch IPS officer, who served in Uttar Pradesh as Chief of Police in various districts including Rampur, Aligarh, Bareilly and Allahabad. Later, he was deputated to the Government of India (GoI) in April 1969, served in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for 16 years and headed it from 1983 to 1986. After his retirement from the RAW in 1986, Saxena served as an advisor to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi till January 1988. His main areas of specialization were international affairs, national security and intelligence matters.

Notes:
Pankaj Advani, 16-time world champion, has won his 7th Asian title by defeating his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the 2017 Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh.

Notes:
The Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has stated that the Habibganj station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has been handed over to a private firm to be operated by it. With this, Habibganj station has become the India’s first privately-run railway station. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. Though, the trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.

Notes:
The Pana Sankranti, also known as Maha bisuba Sankranti, is the traditional New Year day festival of Buddhists and Hindus in Odisha. This year, it is celebrated on April 14, 2017.This day is named after the main chilled sweet mango-milk-yoghurt-coconut drink “Pana”, which shared as a tradition on this occasion. The festival is celebrated with visits to Shiva, Shakti, or Hanuman temples, as the day is considered to be the birthday of Hanuman.People takes baths in rivers or major pilgrimage centers. Communities participate in mela (fairs), watch street dance or acrobatic performances. A notable climax of the social celebrations is fire-walk, where volunteers sprint over a bed of burning coal while being cheered with music and songs. Pana Sankranti is similar to new year festivals observed by Hindus elsewhere such as Vaisakhi (north and central India), Bihu (Assam), Pohela Boishakh (Bengal), Vishu (Kerala) and Puthandu (Tamil Nadu).

Notes:
The Koradi Thermal Power Station (KTPS) is located at Koradi near Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is in news because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently dedicated the 3,300 MW KTPS to the nation. The power plant will help boost the state’s power utilisation and help farmers draw power at flexible hours as per their requirements.

Notes:
The first-ever joint military exercise ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ will be held between Nepal and China from April 17, 2017 with a special focus on combating terror and disaster management. The 10-day-long military drill is being organised by the two countries as part of their preparedness against terrorism that has posed as a serious security threat globally. It is to be known that Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mt Everest that is bordering between Nepal and China.

Notes:
The Jharkhand Police has recently launched ‘Tare Zameen Par programme’ to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand. The purpose of the programme is to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives. As a part of the programme, the state police appealed the locals to donate bags, shoes, books and clothes to improve the basic amenities of the children in the Naxal-affected areas.