Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2018

Notes:
The Western Naval Command has carried out three-week long tri-Services maritime exercise termed ‘Paschim Leher (XPL – 2018)’ in the Arabian Sea from February 12 with an aim of building inter- operability. In addition, units from Eastern Naval Command, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard also participated in the exercise. The exercise involves 40 warships and submarines, helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft and UAVs. The exercise includes a number of weapon firings, including missile, gun and torpedo firings during the initial phase. The second phase is structured to validate and refine the operational plans of the Western Naval Command. The XPL 2018 enabled testing and revalidation of operational plans and manoeuvres in a hostile maritime scenario on India’s Western Seaboard. The maritime exercise, which came after the Eastern Naval Command Operational Readiness Exercise (ENCORE), is ostensibly being conducted to show China India’s military prowess.

Notes:
India has successfully test-fired Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) Nag in desert conditions against two tank targets at different ranges and timings on Feb 28, 2018. With this, the developmental trials of the missile have been completed and it is now ready for induction. The third-generation ‘fire-and-forget’ anti-tank missile ‘Nag’ has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It has a operational range of 500m to 4km (Land version) & 7-10km (Air-launched).

Notes:
The 42nd Civil Accounts Day (CAD-2018) was celebrated by Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) on March 1 in New Delhi to mark the 42nd anniversary of the beginning of the ICAS on this day in 1976. The ICAA is one of the Civil Services of India (“Group A”), which functions under the Department of Expenditure in the Union Ministry of Finance. It performs a key role in delivery of financial management services for the Government of India. The organisation provides payment services, supports the tax collection system, performs government wide accounting, financial reporting functions, preparation of budget estimates and carries out Internal Audit in civil ministries of the Union Government.

Notes:
The Andaman Nicobar naval command is organizing multinational mega event “Milan 2018” with theme ‘Friendship Across the Seas’ at Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar islands from March 6 to March 13, 2018. The purpose of Milan 2018 is to enhance regional cooperation for combating Unlawful Activities at sea will be organised. The highlights of Milan 2018 are an international maritime seminar cultural and social exchanges, band concert, ship visit, sports and city parade. For the first time, Oman is also participating in this biennial exercise. This prestigious international event will also see participation of 38 delegates from the 16 participating countries, making it the largest gathering since its inception in 1995.

Notes:
The 9th edition of the Women’s Film Festival (WFF-2018) will be organized by the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) from 9 to 11 March at NFAI Pune. The theme of the fest is ‘Travelling Women’. It will open with Sidney Pollack’s Out Of Africa, featuring Meryl Streep. The festival will feature other acclaimed films including Away We Go, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Wild. The closing film is Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts. On March 8, NFAI will also host a special event “Parikathe til Rajkumari”, and screen audiovisual clips paying tribute to women in Indian cinema, from the birth of Indian cinema till the 1960s. The festival to mark the 2018 International Women’s Day will screen Balu Mahendra’s Tamil film Moondram Pirai, in remembrance of actress Sridevi.

Notes:
Neiphiu Rio, the senior leader of President of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) & currently a Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagaland Lok Sabha constituency, will be sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland on March 8, 2018. He has to prove his majority on the floor of the House “on or before March 16”, according to a media release issued by the office of Governor P B Acharya. Rio belongs to the Angami Naga tribe in the state.

Notes:
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) on the occasion of 2018 International Women’s Day (IWD). The platform aspires to substantially increase the number of women entrepreneurs who will create and empower a dynamic New India. WEP will provide opportunities to women to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses. It aims to promote women entrepreneurship and provide industry linkages and partner support to women entrepreneurs.

Notes:
Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain’s Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to nurture manufacturing skills. Gupta was appointed to the flagship programme to give children and young people the direct structured experience of the industry at school or college level.

Notes:
Pyare Lal Wadali (75), the famous Sufi singer, has passed away in Amritsar, Punjab on March 9, 2018. He was the younger of the singers of legendary Sufi set Wadali Brothers. The Wadali Brothers – comprising Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali – had carved a distinct mark for themselves in the genre of Sufi music. Born into the fifth generation of musicians, Pyarelal and Puran Chand Wadali became popular with their Sufi music and were spotted after performing at the Harballabh temple in Jalandhar in 1975. The duo had taken the country by storm some years ago, by their hit album featuring Sufi songs such as ‘Tu mane ya na mane dildara’, ‘aasan te tenu rab manya’ and Tanu Weds Manu’s ‘Rangrez mere’.

Notes:
On 12th March 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its association with Paytm as the Official Umpire Partner of the VIVO Indian Premier League for the next five years. Paytm is also the Title Sponsor of India Cricket.