GK & Current Affairs Quiz: May 16, 2018

Notes:
The 4th edition of Global Exhibition on services (GES-2018) has been inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai on May 15. He has also released the logo for Services and launched the portal. 25 Indian states and around 100 countries are expected to participate in Global Exhibition on Services, this year, with 625 exhibitors and 500 overseas delegates. The 4-day event will also feature roundtables and seminars, state investment summits, B2B meetings, exhibition of key services sectors, cultural activities, country and international pavilions, among others. The event is organised by the Department of Commerce, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). President also visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, where he attended an exhibition on Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) technologies and inaugurate DAE facilities in Trombay, Mumbai.

Notes:
Jivya Soma Mashe (84), the noted tribal artist who popularized the Warli paintings world over, has passed away in Ganjad village near Dahanu, about 150 km Northwards of Mumbai on May 15, 2018. He was honored with Padma Shri in 2011 for his contribution to popularization of the Warli tribal art form. Mashe came to limelight in 1975 during special search efforts of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to find out hidden talent amongst the tribles to present the art before the world. Mashe reached Delhi with his paintings, where he was honored with President’s medal in 1976. Thereafter he toured various parts of the world exhibiting his paintings at the art galleries world over. He significantly contributed to the culture and development of the Warlis, a tribe living predominantly in the mountainous and coastal areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat. His paintings brought alive glimpses of the tribal vision of nature and culture in equilibrium, and for highlighting the contemporary relevance of local forms of knowledge.

Notes:
IIM-Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) has launched a Bharat Inclusion Initiative, which aims to invest about $25 million in startups working in the areas of financial inclusion, livelihood, education and health over the next 3 to 4 years. The project has received an initial pledge of $12.5 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Omidyar Network and Tata Trusts. This amount includes a $5 million commitment for providing support to startups through acceleration programmes, research, workshops and partnerships. The remaining amount has been earmarked for the Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund, which will invest in seed and pre-Series A startups.

Notes:
Yamunabai Waikar (103), the acclaimed Lavani singer and Padma Shri recipient, has passed away in Satara district, Maharashtra on May 15, 2018. Born into a poor family, Yamuna Vikram Jawale learned singing and started performing along with her sisters at a young age. Soon offers to act in the `Tamasha’ theatre followed, and she became famous as Yamunabai `Waikar’ across Maharashtra. She also worked to create awareness about water conservation during the 1972 drought in Maharashtra and campaigned against archaic and regressive rituals of her Kolhati community.

Notes:
Mukul Rohatgi, the former Attorney General of India and Senior Counsel, has been appointed as ’eminent jurist’ in the high-profile Lokpal selection committee led by the Prime Minister. The post of eminent jurist was lying vacant since the death of senior advocate PP Rao in September 2017. Besides the Prime Minister, the selection committee is composed of the Chief Justice of India and the Lok Sabha Speaker. It will shortlist candidates for the post of the anti-corruption ombudsman and other posts.

Notes:
India emerged as the 3rd largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US, as per latest report by Mercom Communications. As per the report “India Solar Market Leaderboard 2018”, India set a new record with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016. The robust growth boosted the country’s total solar installed capacity to 19.6 GW as of December 2017.

Notes:
The Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot – IP Nani – at the conference on National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi on May 16, 2018. An anti-piracy video featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was also launched by the Minister at the event. Mascot IP Nani is a tech-savvy grandmother who helps the government and enforcement agencies in combating IP crimes with the help of her grandson “Chhotu” aka Aditya. The IP mascot will spread awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) among people, especially children, in an interesting manner. This character is also in line with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) campaign for the World IP Day which celebrates the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in our world and shaping our common future. It also highlighted that how a strong IP system can support innovative and creative women and indeed everyone in their quest to bring their amazing ideas to the market.

Notes:
The first-ever International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 17th to 19th May 2018 to focus on Rail Coaches and train sets. The expo is being hosted by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, under the Ministry of Railways, in coordination with CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) and RITES Ltd. It will be a unique platform to bring different suppliers under one roof and create synergy for “Make in India”. The expo will be of interest for train enthusiasts, railway suppliers, designers, developers, and general public.

Notes:
Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI President, will serve a second two-year term as the independent chairman of the International Cricket Council after he was elected unopposed by the governing body’s Board. According to the election process, ICC Directors were each allowed to nominate one candidate, who had to be either a present or a past ICC Director. Nominees with the support of two or more Directors would have been eligible to contest an election. However, given that Mr Manohar was the sole nominee for the position, the independent Audit Committee Chairman, Edward Quinlan, who has been overseeing the election process, declared the process complete, and former BCCI President the successful candidate. Mr Manohar became the first independent ICC Chairman in 2016.

Notes:
The Mahi Bajaj Sagar Dam is located across the Mahi River in Banswara district of Rajasthan. The dam was constructed between 1972 and 1983 for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation and water supply. It is the second largest dam in Rajasthan. It is named after Jamnalal Bajaj. The dam has an installed capacity of 140 MW.