GK & Current Affairs Quiz: April 18, 2017

Notes:
Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy, the noted historian and archaeologist, has bestowed with the prestigious Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial Award 2017 in Udupi, Karnataka for his contribution to Indian Archaeology, Ancient History and Numismatics. The award carries a citation and a purse of Rs. 50,000. Prof. Murthy is the Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Mysuru and former Head, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore. The Udupi-based Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial trust had instituted the award in 2010 for recognising outstanding contributions in the field of history, archaeology, sociology, and other social sciences. The late Paduru Gururaja Bhat (1924-1978) was a teacher, historian and researcher par excellence, especially in Tulu history and culture.

Notes:
The World Heritage Day (WHD) is being observed every year on April 18 to spread awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving various sites around the world that have achieved world heritage status. The 2017 theme is “Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism”. The world heritage sites are officially recognised by the UN and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO. These sites are classified as a natural or man-made structure that has international importances and hold cultural and physical significance. There are total 1,052 heritage sites in all over the World. In India, there are 35 World Heritage Sites including the very famous Taj Mahal in Agra, Nalanda University, Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.

Notes:
The Rajasthan government has recently signed a reworked MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL. The government has made 4800 acre land available at Pachpadra for the project. It is expected that the project will take four years to complete.

Notes:
Dr. Rayappa Ramappa Hanchinal has been bestowed with the 6th edition of prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture. Dr Hanchinal received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties. He is the Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, New Delhi. The award is instituted and given under the aegis of Retired ICAR Employees Association (RICAREA) in association with the Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd (NSL). It carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a medal and citation.

Notes:
India’s oldest and largest Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), IIT Kharagpur will start “Vastu Shastra” classes for architecture students from the next academic session i.e. starting from August 2017. It will be introduced to undergraduate students as part of courses on basic design and history of architecture. At the post-graduate level, concepts of social principles, 9-circuit placements or the nabagraha mandal, sacred altars and design semiotics and semantics will be taught to students. The purpose of this initiative is to explore India’s ancient roots in Vastu Shastra. It is a part of the institute’s Science and Heritage Initiative (SandHI) which will oversee the curriculum design.

Notes:
According to the latest report of World Bank titled “Globalization Backlash”, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.2% for FY 18, from 6.8% in FY 16. The international agency expects the fiscal, inflation and external conditions in India to remain stable and a gradual GDP growth rise to 7.7% in 2019-20. The report focuses on the economic climate in South Asia and, predicts growth in the region.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Manipur , Nongthombam Biren Singh has recently launched two web applications to check corruption and to keep track of government activities. The newly launched web-sites are Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN), which will monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability. The purpose of the website DARPAN is to inform the people of the State about various projects being taken up by the Government of Manipur and current status of the projects and check dissemination of fake or incorrect status report by using GPS location verification.

Notes:
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the 3rd edition of the Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017) on April 17, 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The GES-2017 will highlight India’s potential to boost its services exports across sectors. The 4-day event will be held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida and will focus on 20 services sectors, including information technology, tourism and hospitality, logistics, education and financial services. GES 2017 brings together 550 exhibitors from 70 plus countries. More than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the exhibition. The exhibition will see over 5,000 business meetings and deliberations at more than 30 seminars. The exhibition is being organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry together with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Services Export Promotion Council (EEPC).

Notes:
Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver for Scuderia Ferrari, has won the 2017 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix tournament at Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain.

Notes:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched a nationwide programme for capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats and a training program for trainers of women panchayat leaders on April 17, 2017 at Ranchi, Jharkhand. The training program seeks to empower EWRs of panchayats by enhancing their capacity, capability and skill in governance and administration of villages. The purpose of the training programme is to build the confidence of the women representatives in dealing with the daily functioning of the panchayats and make them aware of the laws and rights of women under Constitution of India.