Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
Manisha Kulshreshtha, the noted writer from Rajasthan, has been conferred the 28th Bihari Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash’. The award is presented by the KK Birla Foundation and is for writers of Rajasthani origin. It is given annually to an outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years. The award is named after famous Hindi poet Bihari. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.

Notes:
The Living Root Bridges (LRB) (or jing kieng jri) are the aerial bridges built by weaving and manipulating the roots of the Indian rubber tree. They have been serving as connectors for generations in Meghalaya. These bridges spans between 15 and 250 feet and are built over centuries. Primarily, the bridges are a means to cross streams and rivers & have also become world-famous tourist attractions. Now, new research investigates these structures and proposes to integrate them in modern architecture around the world, and potentially help make cities more environment-friendly. 

Notes:
The book “RN Kao: Gentle Spymaster” has been authored by  security expert Nitin A Gokhale. It is on the life and times of legendary spymaster Rameshwar Nath Kao, founding father of India’s external intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). Kao’s legendary exploits include conducting ‘Kashmir Princess’ probe in the mid-1950s, his contributions in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and role in ensuring Sikkim’s merger with India.

Notes:
In Telangana, the Indian Railway Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM) has been set up  in Hyderabad to impart professional training in management of railway finances. The institution marks an important addition to the list of premier professional institutions in the country in the field of financial management. The IRIFM institution is based on a 14-acre campus at Moula-Ali, Secunderabad.

Notes:
The Union government has recommended a biodiversity study of the proposed 3,097 MW Etalin Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh by a credible international institute since the current environmental impact assessment was found to be completely inadequate.  The project is estimated to cost Rs 25,296.95 crore & is proposed to be completed in 7 years. But, the project would entail felling 2,80,677 trees and threatens the existence of 6 globally-endangered mammal species. The area also has 680 species of birds, which is about 56% of the total avian species found in India. The Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also advised caution in pursuing the project since it falls under the richest bio-geographical province of the Himalayan zone and would be located at the junction of the Palaearctic, Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan bio-geographic regions.

Notes:
Lieutenant Governor of Puducheri and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi has inaugurated the 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) at police headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The UP Police in association with the home ministry and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has organised the 2-day event. During the event, there were discussions in 6 thematic sessions which includes some very contemporary issues like Reforms in Policing, Role of social media in countering radicalization and terrorism and Inculcating right kind of attitudes in police officers.

Notes:
The NDTV has won the 2019 IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2019 for its  coverage of the  conspiracy to scuttle probe into the heinous Kathua rape and murder case probe and a strong expose of the political hypocrisy across the political spectrum. The story was anchored by senior journalist Nidhi Razdan. The Indian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI) is an active forum of Editors, Publishers and Senior Executives of newspapers, magazines and news agencies, all of whom are members of the International Press Institute.

Notes:
Indian archer Deepika Kumari won gold in the women’s individual recurve event of the 21st Asian Championships in Bangkok. In the one-sided final, she defeated her compatriot Ankita Bhakat by 6-0. Earlier, the duo had secured an individual Olympic quota for the country by storming into the semifinals of the event.

Notes:
As part of its ‘Swachha Odisha Sustha Odisha’ campaign, the Odisha Government has decided to replicate Tamil Nadu model of Micro Composting Centre (MCC) for proper segregation and management of wet waste. The Solid waste management is a cause of concern for urban local bodies (ULBs) due to a rapid urbanisation.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has signed a pact to organize “National Organic Festival of Women Entrepreneurs”.  The event will be planned and organized through NIFTEM (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management), which is an academic institution under the administrative control of MoFPI. The purpose of the festival is to encourage Indian women entrepreneurs and farmers to connect with buyers and empower them through financial inclusion. The fest will also  promote organic food produce in India.