Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2018

Notes:
The Maharashtra Government has recently approved Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state. The decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The sanctuary, in the North East of Tadoba, will include 159 sq km of Brahmapuri forest. This will not only save the forest but will also improve tourism in nearly 40 villages in the area.

Notes:
Shabnam Asthana, an Indian public relations expert, speaker, and entrepreneur, has been honoured with the ‘Times Power Women of the Year 2017’- Pune for Global PR. The Times Group recently celebrated the invaluable contribution of women by introducing The Times Power Woman 2017 (Pune) awards. These awards were initiated to celebrate the victories of women who have been a great source of inspiration. These awards focused on the women of Pune and the prestigious list included 34 select women with power, supremacy, command and control. These awardees have been instrumental in working towards the improvement of the socio-economic, art, health, education, and fashion, scientific and intellectual potential of the society.

Notes:
The Gandhi Sagar Dam is built on Chambal river and is located in the Mandsaur & Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh. It is a masonry gravity dam, standing 62.17 metres (204.0 ft) high, with a gross storage capacity of 7.322 billion cubic metres from a catchment area of 22,584 km2. The dam sports a 115-MW hydroelectric power station at its toe, with five 23-MW generating units each providing a total energy generation of about 564 GWh. The dam’s reservoir area is the second-largest in India (after the Hirakud Reservoir), and attracts a large number of migratory and non-migratory birds throughout the year.

Notes:
In the 6th Bi-monthly Monetary policy statement for 2017-18, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the key interest rate “repo rate” unchanged at 6% and reverse repo at 5.75%. Also, the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate kept at 6.25%. The decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is consistent with the neutral stance of monetary policy in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4% within a band of +/- 2%, while supporting growth.

Notes:
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Defence Minister, has constituted a 13-member advisory committee to monitor and expedite capital acquisition projects for the modernization of the armed forces. The committee will undertake an independent review and check the status of ongoing critical projects worth more than Rs 500 crore. It will also suggest measures to improve the capital acquisition process. The committee, headed by Vinay Sheel Oberoi, will have to present an initial status report on identified projects to the Defence Minister by March 31.

Notes:
Bermuda has become the world’s first country to legalise and then repeal same-sex marriage. The governor of the British island territory John Rankin approved a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite 2017 Supreme Court ruling that authorized same-sex marriage. It is a step towards seeking to balance opposition to same-sex marriage on the socially conservative island while complying with European court rulings that make sure same-sex couples are recognized and protected in the territory.

Notes:
Madavoor Vasudevan Nair (89), the Kathakali maestro, has passed away while performing at Agasthyacodu Mahadeva Temple in Anchal, Kerala on February 6, 2018. A recipient of several awards, including Padma Bhushan, he was the follower of the Kaplingattu School, the particular style of south Kerala. Madvoor had also worked as a faculty in the Thekkan Kalari (Southern school of Kathakali) of Kerala Kalamandalam and was the principal of Kalabharathi performing art institute.

Notes:
Writer T.D. Ramakrishnan has been chosen for the 2nd edition of Akbar Kakkattil Award 2018 for his novel “Sugandhi Enna Andaldevanayaki”. According to a press release by the secretary of the Akbar Kakkattil Trust, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will present the award comprising a purse of Rs 50,000, a citation and a memento to Mr. Ramakrishnan at a function to be held in Kozhikode on February 17, 2018.

Notes:
The Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) is an Indian institute of national importance, headquartered at the CSIR Campus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The institute is established for the purpose of granting doctoral and post-doctoral degrees. It is a meta-university with study centres in 37 laboratories and 6 units of CSIR, spread across 23 cities of India.

Notes:
Justice Abhilasha Kumari has been sworn-in as new Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur on February 9, 2018. Governor Dr. Najma Heptulla administered her the oath of office at Raj Bhavan in Imphal. Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, Ministers, MLAs and Judges attended the swearing-in ceremony. Earlier, Justice Abhilasha was a judge of the Gujarat High Court.