Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2017

Notes:
Prakash Javadekar, the Union Human Resource Development Minister, has launched Students for soldiers- a nationwide “Vidya – Veerta Abhiyan” on May 2, 2017 to encourage Universities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra (PVC)-decorated soldiers. The aim of this Abhiyan is to instill a sense of patriotism and nationalism among students. The initiative has been launched in the wake of demand by the ex-servicemen that portraits of martyrs and tanks used in wars should be put on display in the campus to instill sense of nationalism and patriotism among the students. The Param Veer Chakra (PVC) is the India’s highest military decoration awarded to officers or enlisted personnel from all branches of the Indian military for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime.

Notes:
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi will defend India’s record on rights abuses, minority and religious rights at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on May 4, 2017. He will also defend India’s case against allegations of violations in Jammu and Kashmir, torture, minority rights and recent strictures against NGOs. The UPR is a mechanism within the UNHRC where all UN Member States have to undergo a periodic review of their human rights record once every four years. It is a state-driven process, which gives an opportunity to each state to declare what action they have taken to improve the human rights situation in their countries and fulfill their human rights obligations.

Notes:
The United Nations has marked the first World Tuna Day (WTD) on May 2, 2017 to conserve one of the globe’s most popular fish to be caught and eaten and to highlight the vital socio-economic importance of tuna to people around the world. Tuna plays a critical role in sustainable development, food security, economic opportunity, and livelihoods of people around the world. At present more than 80 States have tuna fisheries, thousands of tuna fishing vessels operate in all the oceans and tuna fishery capacity is still growing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Day was designated in December 2016 resolution of the UN General Assembly.

Notes:
The China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $160 million loan for Andhra Pradesh – 24×7 Power for All project with an objective to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in the state. It is the first credit from the AIIB for an Indian project. The power project is co-financed by the World Bank (WB). The project is part of the Government of India’s Power for All Program that was launched in 2014 to provide an efficient, reliable and affordable electricity supply to all consumers across selected states within five years from the start of implementation of the program in each state.

Notes:
The World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to increase the awareness among public worldwide about the precautions and prevention of the asthma. It is celebrated on annual basis at first Tuesday of May month. It is thought that as many as 300 million people suffer from some form of asthma in the world – and there are 250,000 deaths each year linked to the disease. The 2017 theme is “Better air better breathing”.

Notes:
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader, has been appointed as the new chairman of the 21-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. He succeeded KV Thomas, whose term ended on April 30, 2017. The Committee on Public Accounts is the oldest Parliamentary committee that examines the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for expenditure of Government of India and such other accounts of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies. The committee also examines the Reports of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on various subjects like Civil, Defence, Posts, Railways and Taxation. Besides, the Committee examines the CAG reports on performance appraisals of various centrally sponsored schemes.

Notes:
Prabhat Kamal Bezboruah, a leading tea association industrialist, has been appointed the new chairman of the Tea Board of India. He will be in office till November 1, 2018. At present, Bezboruah is the chairman of the Tea Research Association and owner of Bokahola Tea Company Private Limited, which manages around 12 gardens in Assam with an annual production of about 55 lakh kg. Beside this, M.S. Boje Gowda has been appointed the new chairman of the Coffee Board of India. Gowda is a renowned coffee grower and will be in the post till December 14, 2018.

Notes:
The 4th edition of National Standards Conclave (NSC) was held in New Delhi on May 1-2, 2017 to bring awareness and prepare Industries, Central Government Ministries, State Governments, regulatory/standards setting and conformity assessment bodies on the growing importance of “Standards” in the changing scenario of global trade. The Department of Commerce, Government of India in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) and other knowledge partners has organized the Conclave.

Notes:
The 2017 India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit (IITLS) was organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi from May 3. The purpose of the 3-day summit was to facilitate constructive dialogue between various stakeholders for the development of multimodal infrastructure in the country. In it, 34 investment MoUs amounting to about Rs 2 lakh crores were signed. These MoUs were in the areas of port connectivity, Integrated Check Posts (ICP), multi modal logistics parks, etc. The summit was attended by 3000 delegates from India and abroad, which included central and state government organizations, international organizations like World Bank, ADB delegates, global transport and supply chain experts and representatives of private companies.

Notes:
The 33rd edition of joint military exercise “Balikatan ( or Shoulder-to- Shoulder)” has started between Philippines and the United States on May 8, 2017 at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, Philippines . The focus of the 10-day exercise is on disaster response and counter terrorism while excluding territorial defense operations. Approx 5,400 personnel will be involved in the drills exercise.