GK & Current Affairs Quiz: March 12, 2018

Notes:
On 12th March 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its association with Paytm as the Official Umpire Partner of the VIVO Indian Premier League for the next five years. Paytm is also the Title Sponsor of India Cricket.

Notes:
Amol Palekar, the well known actor and director, has been honoured with the ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award at an event in Nasik on March 10, 2018. He is known for his performance in films like “Gol Maal” , “Choti Si Baat”, “Chitchor” among others. The award, which carries a prize of Rs 21,000 and a memento, has been instituted by city-based ‘Kusumagraj Prathishthan’. The award was given by noted Marathi writer Madhu Mangesh Karnik, who is the chairperson the Prathishthan. Classical singer Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande also received the ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award.

Notes:
Ranjan Roy (57), the chief of the Times News Network (TNN) and a member of The Times of India’s national editorial board, has passed away in New Delhi on March 10, 2018. He was known for his professional acumen and personal charm. An alumnus of Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College and Princeton University, US, Roy started his journalistic career in the Press Trust of India (PTI) in New Delhi as a trainee in 1982.

Notes:
India has won the 2018 Best Exhibitor Award (BEA) at ITB – Berlin on March 10, 2018. ITB-Berlin World Tourist Meet was convened at German capital Berlin from March 7 to 10, 2018. India was represented by Tourism Minister K. J. Alphons along with Ministry officials. More than 100 countries participated in the ITB- Berlin meet with their respective Tourism Ministers. India’s Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) presented a short film named “Yogi of the Racetrack ” in the meet. The said short film has got 3.2 million hits in 60 hours.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced one of the world’s largest investment plans in solar energy at the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA-2018) on March 11. In it, India will provide $1.4 billion line of credit to support 27 solar power projects in 15 countries. Beside this, France will provide €700 million in loans and support by 2022 to emerging economies for solar energy projects. The 2018 ISA conference co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Center in New Delhi .The purpose of the summit is to focus on various aspects of promoting solar energy in 121 countries that are part of the International Solar Alliance. The ISA is a treaty based inter-governmental alliance of 121 countries lying between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Notes:
Suresh Prabhu, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industries, has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation on March 10, after the resignation of Ashok Gajapathi Raju of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind. Mr. Raju and another TDP MP Y.S. Chowdary resigned from the Council of Ministers after party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu decided to pull out his Ministers from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Mr. Naidu took the decision after facing relentless attacks from the Opposition for failing to secure special category status for Andhra Pradesh. However, TDP continues to be a part of the NDA.

Notes:
For the first time, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have declared an 8.3 km stretch along the Indo-Bangladesh border a ‘crime free zone’ on March 10, 2018 to curb criminal activities including smuggling. It is the first-ever crime-free zone declared by both the countries. The stretch falls between the border outpost of Gunarmath and Kalyani of the BSF and Putkhali and Daulatpur of the BGB. This stretch is one of the most vulnerable with cattle smuggling and other criminal activities prevalent. With the help of civil administrations of the two countries, NGOs and the local populace, both border-guarding forces will help ensure no crime takes place along the stretch. This is a pilot project that will be reviewed after 5-6 months.

Notes:
The first Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Samvedna’ of the Indian Air Force in association with South Asian Region nations has started off the coast of Kerala from March 12, 2018. The 6-day multilateral exercise would involve representatives from air forces of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the UAE. The purpose of the exercise is to galvanise all stakeholders in synergising a unified HADR efforts. The entire settings of the exercise is based on a scenario of a tsunami in the western coast of India originating from an earthquake in Makran subduction zone and resulting in post-tsunami disaster management along the western coast and western islands of India. The exercise, hosted by the Southern Air Command, will provide a clear understanding of the scope, role and task, including challenges in air operations and ensure better understanding, and sharing of response procedures among the nations.

Notes:
Ch Kamalamma (90), the Telangana armed struggle fighter and veteran Communist leader, has passed away in Hyderabad on March 11, 2018. She was native of Warangal district of Telangana. She joined the post Independence armed struggle to fight the rule of erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad and their army of Razakars as part of Telangana Liberation Struggle by Communist Party of India (CPI) at the age of 15. Later Kamalamma served as secretary of the CPI Mahila Samakhya for a long period.

Notes:
The Barh Super Thermal Power Station (BSTPS) is located in Barh, Bihar and is owned by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The 1,320MW (2×660 MW) Barh Stage-2 built by BHEL is operational while 1,980MW (3×660 MW) Barh Stage-1 is being built by Russian firm Technopromexport (TPE). The main power plant and the township is spread over an area of 1,186 acres.The legal possession of 1,186 acres of land has been acquired for setting up the main power plant and its township which includes 12 villages.