GK & Current Affairs Quiz: February 17-18, 2018

Notes:
Vikas Sathaye, a Pune-born person has been honoured with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award at the Oscars Scientific and Technical Awards 2018 at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California. Sathaye and his team received the award for his contribution towards conceptualisation, designing, engineering, and the implementation of the ‘Shotover K1 Camera System’ during his stint at Shotover Camera Systems in Queenstown, New Zealand. The Scientific and Engineering Award is given for scientific achievements that produce a definite influence on the advancement of the motion picture industry.

Notes:
The 6th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of India Region was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in Patna, Bihar on February 16, 2018. The 2-day conference discussed subjects of ‘Parliament’s role in the development agenda’ and ‘Legislature and Judiciary’. Over 100 delegates from India and abroad, including Australia, Britain and Uganda, are participating in the conference. Speakers of State Assemblies, Chairpersons of Legislative Councils and delegates from across the country also took part. The theme of the conference is ‘Role of Parliament and Parliamentarians in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’. In the conference, Parliamentarians discuss a number of topics including Parliament’s role in the development agenda and the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary.

Notes:
The 54th Munich Security Conference (MSC-2018) was held in Munich, Germany from February 16-18 to discuss pressing security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and the Syrian civil war. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono attended the meet. The issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program was high on the agenda. The MSC is an annual conference on international security policy that has taken place since 1963.

Notes:
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the 8th edition of the Theatre Olympics at Lal Quila in New Delhi on April 17. The event has been organised by National School of Drama under the aegis of Ministry of Culture. The theme of the festival is – “Flag of Friendship”. The 51-day long nationwide theatre extravaganza will feature Indian and international theatre groups, eminent theatre personalities along with their performances. 30 countries are participating from across the globe. It will include 60 ‘living legends’ series conversing with theatre enthusiasts and 50 ‘master classes’ on various art forms. The 51-day long nationwide theatre extravaganza will be held in various cities. The event will continue till 8th of April. There will be exhibitions, seminars, symposia, interactive discussions and workshops with well-known authors, actors, designers and directors.

Notes:
The Maharashtra government will launch cheap sanitary pad scheme “Asmita Yojana” on the International Women’s Day for rural women. Under the scheme, girls in Zilla Parishad schools will get a sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can avail it at a subsidised rate of Rs 24 and Rs 29. The scheme, catering to girl students and women in rural areas, will be formally launched on March 8, 2018.

Notes:
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will soon launch Asia’s first large scale CO2-injected project in its Gandhar oil field in Gujarat to recover an extra 20 million barrels of crude oil under the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) programme which is being undertaken to improve India’s energy security. The EOR programme is set to play a crucial role within the country for recovering up to 20% of residual oil from such ageing fields.

Notes:
Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has been conferred with the 5th edition of Yash Chopra Memorial Award 2018 on February 16 in Mumbai for her outstanding contribution to the Hindi film industry. The award has been instituted by MP T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of Chopra, who died in 2012, in association with Anu Ranjan and Shashi Ranjan. The award also carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The previous recipients of the award were Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Shah Rukh Khan.

Notes:
India and Iran has recently signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income in New Delhi. The Agreement will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Iran & vice versa, and will prevent double taxation. The Agreement will provide for exchange of information between the two Contracting Parties as per latest International Standards. It will improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. The Agreement also meets treaty related minimum standards under G-20 OECD Base Erosion & Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project, in which India participated on an equal footing.

Notes:
The National Banana Festival (NBF-2018) has started at Kalliyoor, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from February 17 to 21. The festival is organised by Centre for Innovation in Science and Social action (CISSA) in partnership with Kalliyoor Grama Panchayat and a host of National and State organisations. The two-day event is aimed at helping farmers from across the country get exposure to new technologies and new species in banana cultivation. The Banana Festival exhibition will showcase everything about banana. This will provide first-hand information to the farmers and general public about its multifaceted uses.

Notes:
The Ranganadi Dam is a concrete-gravity diversion dam on the Ranganadi River in Arunachal Pradesh which serves a run-of-the-river scheme. The dam is intended for hydroelectric purposes and is part of Stage I of the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project and supports the 405-megawatt Dikrong Power House.