Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2019

Notes:
Maate Mahadevi (74), Head of Basava Dharma Peetha at Kudalasangama and a prominent Lingayat leader, has passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka on March 21, 2019. Installed as ‘Jagadguru’ in the 1970s, Maate Mahadevi launched several educational and religious institutions and published several books. She holds the 12th century woman poet Akka Mahadevi, who also wrote vachanas, as her role model. Beside this, she was at the forefront of the movement demanding separate religion status for the Lingayat community that erupted in the state in 2017-18 and had angered Veerashaiva seers and leaders.

Notes:
Darryl D’Monte (74), the senior journalist and environmental activist, has passed away in Mumbai on March 16, 2019. During his long career, D’Monte worked as the resident editor with leading media organisations such as ‘The Times of India’ and ‘Indian Express’ in Mumbai. He also wrote for websites and penned the book ‘Ripping the Fabric’ on the decline of cotton mills in Mumbai and the resulting challenges. He had also served as the chairperson of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI) and was the founder-president of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) in Dresden, Germany, in 1993.

Notes:
Former Supreme Court judge and current member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Pinaki Chandra Ghose has been named as the India’s first Lokpal (anti-corruption ombudsman). The Lokpal Act, which was passed in 2013 after a nationwide anti-corruption movement, provides for setting up of Lokpal at the centre and Lokayuktas in the States to probe corruption complaints against top functionaries and public servants, including the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers. Mr. Ghose was appointed as judge of the Calcutta High Court in 1997 and went on to become Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2013.

Notes:
For the first time, Uttar Pradesh has undertaken census of otters in its protected areas. The exercise that began in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) will be completed by the end of March 2019. Otters are an important part of the forest ecosystem. A thriving population of otters means a healthy river ecosystem. These mammals, listed in schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, are rarely seen due to their extremely shy nature. They feed on fish, bird eggs and small creatures like frogs. The den of an otter is known as holt and it is close to water bodies. The PTR is in the foothills of the Himalayas, south of Nepal. Covering an area of approximately 800 square kilometres, the reserve sprawls across parts of Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich districts. With the Sharda and Ghaghara rivers encircling a considerable part of the reserve, it is rich in water bodies. The forests of PTR are to home to tigers, leopards, elephants, different species of deer and monkeys and reptiles like snakes, mugger crocodiles and gharials.

Notes:
IIT Roorkee has signed a pact with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up an ISRO-IITR Space Technology Cell (STC). The ISRO – IITR Cell shall pursue advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian Space Programme and shall devote its resources including human resources to this effect. The activities of STC shall be directed to maximise the use of the research potential, infrastructure, expertise and experience that already exist in ISRO and IIT Roorkee. Its research facility will consist of faculty members, visiting scientists and experts, research personnel, technical, administrative and support staff. IIT Roorkee will be responsible for overall management of STC by providing required infrastructure, administrative and other support.

Notes:
The 3rd edition of Namaste Thailand Festival (NTF-2019) was held at Select Citywalk in New Delhi on March 15, 2019. The 3-day fest was organised by the Royal Thai Embassy with an aim to strengthen bilateral ties and increase cultural exchange between India and Thailand. The festival featured stage performances by Thai artistes including the much popular Thai folk-jazz band Asia-7. Along with the traditional Thai cuisines, the Namaste Thailand festival will feature a series of Thai craft activities including mulberry paper mini umbrella making, fan painting, body paint, and button badge making.

Notes:
Exercise MITRA SHAKTI is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between armies of India & Sri Lanka. The joint exercise for the year 2018-19 will be conducted from 26 March to 08 April 2019 in Sri Lanka. Troops from 1st Battalion the BIHAR Regiment of the Indian Army and Gemunu Watch Battalion of Sri Lankan Army would be jointly undertaking the exercise. The aim of the exercise is to build and promote close relations between armies of both the countries and to enhance ability of joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command. The exercise will involve tactical level operations in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist environment under United Nations mandate.

Notes:
Researchers at Purdue University in the US, including one of Indian origin, have developed a new process to remove nearly all traces of oil in produced water — a byproduct from the oil refinery and extraction process. The process uses activated charcoal foam and subjects it to solar light to produce heat and purify the water. The foam absorbs the oil contaminants from the water. Ashreet Mishra, a graduate research assistant at the Purdue University, said that this is a simple, clean and inexpensive treatment process. The process meets all environmental standards for clean water from industrial sources and had a total organic carbon of 7.5 milligrams per litre. Another advantage is that the oil absorbed by the foam can be recovered efficiently. The researchers were able to recover up to 95% of the oil that was absorbed. The process could be integrated with existing disposal systems to purify a large amount of water and reduce the current stress on water grids.

Notes:
The book titled “Every Vote Counts-The Story of India’s Elections” has been authored by former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla. It was launched by former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari in New Delhi. This book is about how the electoral machinery works in India. It explains about India is on the cusp of change, and with its parliamentary elections coming up.

Notes:
The United States has recently clinched a strategic port deal with Oman that allow American ships and warplanes to take advantage of two Arabian Sea ports of Duqm and Salalah located near strategic Strait of Hormuz. The framework agreement is aimed at bolstering Omani-American military relations. With this pact, the US military will have better access to Gulf region and will reduce the need to send ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime choke point off Iran. The agreement will allow the US forces to take advantage from the facilities offered at some of the Sultanate’s ports and airports during visits of the US military vessels and aircraft. These two Omani ports – Duqm and Salalah are located just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow outlet through which about a 5th of the world’s oil trade exits the Persian Gulf. The Port of Duqm is located on the south-eastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The narrow waterway is also an international transit route where American forces routinely pass and which has seen tense encounters between them and Iranian forces in the past.