GK & Current Affairs Quiz: January 13-14, 2018

Notes:
Former world silver medallist Sarjubala Devi representing Manipur claimed the gold in 48kg category in the 2018 National Women’s Boxing Championships in Rohtak on January 13. She was also given the best boxer trophy. Former world and Asian champion L Sarita Devi representing the All India Police, AIP picked up a gold medal in the 60 kg category. The other gold winners were Sonia Lather representing Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) in 57 kg category, Meena Kumari of AIP in 54 kg category and Rajesh Narwal from RSPB in 48 kg category. RSPB emerged as the overall champions.

Notes:
Actor Sudhir Dalvi has been honoured with the Janakavi P Sawlaram award at a function in Mumbai on January 13, 2018. The award is jointly given by the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Janakavi P Savlaram Kala Samiti. Well-known dancer Jaishree T was bestowed with the Ganga Jamuna award, which is instituted in memory of a popular song written by Sawlaram. Dalvi first came to prominence for portraying Guru Vashishta in Ramanand Sagar’s TV series “Ramayan”. He also featured in the famous TV show “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” and other Hindi serials.

Notes:
V J Mathew has been appointed as the new Chairman of Kerala Maritime Board (KMB). The decision in this regard was taken by the Kerala cabinet. Mathew is the legal adviser to Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited and co-president of the Indian Maritime Association (IMA).

Notes:
The Bhopal railway station has become the India’s first railway station to have a sanitary napkin vending machine named as ‘Happy Nari’. The machine dispenses two sanitary napkins at the cost of Rs 5 only and accepts Rs 5 coins. The sanitary pads vending machine has been installed at platform No.1 by the Railway Women Welfare Association of Bhopal. The machine has the capacity of holding 75 sanitary pads. A specially trained female staff will refill the machine.

Notes:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a Global Manufacturing Index (GMI). In its first “Readiness for the future of production” report, Japan has been found to have the best structure of production and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland. Among BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South Africa at 45th place. The report has placed India in the Legacy group along with Hungary, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Turkey, among others. China figures among ‘leading countries while Brazil and South Africa are in nascent ones. The report which was published ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland said the 25 leading countries are in the best position to gain as production systems stand on the brink of exponential change. In the India context the report said, the country’s manufacturing sector has grown by over 7% per year on average in the past three decades and accounts for 16-20% of India’s GDP.

Notes:
Anil Khanna, the Senior sports administrator, has been appointed the Chairman of newly formed Finance Commission by Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The IOA also formed a Medical Commission and Games Technical Conduct Committee and nominated office bearers of IOA and National Sports Federations (NSFs) to the Committees. The advisory committee comprises Tarlochan Singh, GS Mander, S Regunathan and BS Landge. The Khanna-led Finance Commission has Sahdev Yadav, Secretary General, Indian Weightlifting Federation and DK Singh, Secretary, Uttarakhand Olympic Association, as members.

Notes:
The 4th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) was held in New Delhi on January 12, 2018. The topic of discussion was based on food and agricultural future developments. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh and Thai Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Grisada Boonrach. It was attended by delegates from 10 ASEAN countries. In it, it was announced that the 5th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry to be held in Brunei Darussalam in 2019.

Notes:
The 13th edition of joint military drill exercise “Iron Fist 2018” has started between American and Japanese forces at Camp Pendleton in California on January 12 and will continue till February 12.. More than 500 U.S. Marines and sailors are partnering with about 350 members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force to train in fire support operations and amphibious assaults. Iron Fist is an annual, bilateral training exercise where U.S. and Japanese service members train together and share techniques, tactics and procedures to improve their combined operational capabilities.

Notes:
The 7th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM), under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat matrix, has started in Karnataka on January 14, 2018. The event, organised by the Ministry of Culture, will continue till the 20th of this month. The state paired with Karnataka is Uttarakhand. An official release said the event will cover a profusion of art forms from classical and folk, music and dance, theatre to literature and visual arts. The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was launched in 2017 to promote engagement among the people of different states to enhance mutual understanding and bonding. It also took note of the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to make the country a global manufacturing hub and of a significant push to improve key enablers and move towards a more connected economy with announcement of a 59 billion dollars investment in infrastructure in 2017.

Notes:
The 44 MW Chutak Hydroelectric Plant is located in Kargil District of Jammu & Kashmir. The barrage site is located about 14 km upstream of Kargil near village Sarzhe. The project is a run-off-river scheme on the river Suru, to generate 216 MU in a 90% dependable year having installed capacity of 44 MW (4 x 11 MW) utlising a rated head of 52m developed by construction of a 15.0 m high barrage and through 4780 m long 5.9M dia horse shoe shaped Head race tunnel.