Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2017

Notes:
The 4th edition of India-CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) Business Conclave was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman, which was organised by the Department of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The purpose of the conference was to identify specific project opportunities and seeks business partnerships in the region. The conclave focused on sectors such as Pharma, Healthcare, manufacturing, Agri Business, Food processing, Gems and Jewellery, Textiles, Leather, Renewable Energy and education.

Notes:
Internationally acclaimed author Neil Gaiman has been appointed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador to raise awareness about the plight of forcibly displaced people and to generate much needed funds. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.

Notes:
Amjad Hussain B Sial, a senior Pakistani diplomat, has become the new Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He succeeded Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal. Sial has 33 years of experience in Pakistan’s Foreign Service. He has also served at SAARC Secretariat as director in Kathmandu. The Secretary-General tenure is of three years and is the head of the SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. The SAARC Secretariat coordinates and monitors the implementation of activities, hosts meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its member states as well as other regional organizations.

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Robyn Rihanna Fenty, a Barbadian singer and songwriter, has been conferred with the 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award in recognition for her work to improve cancer treatment in her home country of Barbados and for setting up a college scholarship to bring Caribbean students to study in the United States. The annual award by the prestigious university is given to an individual whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of lives and have inspired people to greater heights.

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The Odisha government has recently signed MoU with Invest India to support startups in the state The MoU will also facilitate networking between Odisha start-ups and global start-up ecosystem. Invest India will also extend knowledge support for development in MSME sector with focus on food processing, agro-processing and spices. Apart from this, the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has officially launched the Start-up Odisha Helpline “18003457100” to offer hands-on assistance to youths aspiring to be entrepreneurs. The purpose of the helpline is to provide a platform to youths, incubators and other stakeholders in the start-up eco-system to get easy redressal of their queries related to policy, fund raising, company incorporation and idea validation.

Notes:
Raymond Kopa (85), the French football legend, has recently passed away in Paris, France. He was one of the best attacking midfielders of all time. Kopa is best remembered for a series of superb performances for France that helped his country to third place in the World Cup finals of 1958. But he was also a key member of the great Real Madrid side that won the European Cup three years running in 1957, 1958 and 1959.

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The book “When Crime Pays – Money and Muscle in Indian Politics” has been authored by Milan Vaishnav. It is the most systematic analysis of corruption and criminalization in Indian politics. The author shows that it is growing because of societal, political, and economic factors. This remarkable book will change readers’ view of democracy in India.

Notes:
The annual tribal festival ‘Bhagoria’ will be held in Jhabua and four other districts of Madhya Pradesh from March 13, 2017. The week-long festival is organised at different Bhagoria haats (local markets) in Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Khargone and Barwani districts in western Madhya Pradesh. The haat festival is organized in the form of a ‘swayamvar’ or a marriage market where young girls and boys are allowed to choose their partners. Bhagoria Haat Festival has an agricultural significance attached to it, that is, it coincides with the end of harvesting. So some people also celebrate it to mark the completion of harvesting. Foreign tourists also converge in large numbers at these haats to catch a glimpse of the traditional festival.

Notes:
The book “Lincoln in the Bardo” has been authored by George Saunders, the Folio prize-winning author. The novel is a tale of death and beyond that captures the grief of Abraham Lincoln over the death of his 11-year-old son Willie while the Civil War raged on in the United States of America (USA). The book draws a parallel line between the lives of Willie’s ghost and a similar uncertain state of Lincoln, after the boy’s death. In simple words, the novel is a confrontation with the mysterious beyond the inevitable death, a question that has haunted humankind, and the way death can bring even the head of a nation to his knees.

Notes:
Thiruvananthapuram has topped the list of Indian cities in the urban governance ranking of the 4th edition of Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS)-2016. The survey conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, which evaluated 21 cities across 18 states. Pune stood at 2nd position followed by Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The ASICS highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and quality of life. Janaagraha recommends changes in planning laws to address the issues challenging the efficient planning of the cities.