Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
The Gujarat government will launch free treatment scheme for the road accident victims on May 18. Under this scheme, the state government will bear medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 for each victim of road accident in the state for the first 48 hours. Free treatment includes dressing of wounds, X-ray, blood transfusion, treatment in ICU and MRI, and all other treatment available in a hospital. As per scheme, even people hailing from other states or citizens of other countries will get free treatment regardless of their income if they meet with a road accident and admitted to a government or a private hospital in Gujarat.

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The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed every year on May 17 to raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The day marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention (ITC) and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The 2018 theme “Enabling the positive use of Artificial Intelligence for All” will focus on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accelerate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Himanta Biswa Sarma, the President of Badminton Association of India (BAI), has been elected as the Vice-President of Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the continental body in Bangkok, Thailand.

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On May 18, the Venture Capital Symposium 2018 is organized by NITI Aayog in association with Vision India Foundation in New Delhi to deepen the economic relationships between France and India. The purpose of the event is to support the Start-up India programme. The event facilitates interactions between French investors, Indian investors, Indian start-ups and critical government functionaries. The French investors will explore the investment landscape as well as the socio-cultural richness of India. In the 3-day event, French investors will gain insights into India’s business ecosystems, interact with business pioneers, government officials and think-tank members and most importantly assess potential start-ups to invest in.

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The International Museum Day (IMD) is observed every year on May 18 to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. The 2018 theme is “Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics”.

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Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani (78), the veteran Telugu writer & novelist, has passed away at California, United States on May 21, 2018. She hailed from Kaza village of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. She was considered among the top fiction writers of her time. An author of over 40 novels, her works mainly centered on human relationships. Some of her famous novels include Murali Krishna, Radha Krishna, Aagamana, Aathmeeyulu, Abhijata, Secretary, Jeevana Tarangalu and Kalala Kougili. Many of her literary works have been adapted to film and TV screenplays. Her last notable contribution for films has been Trivikram Srinivas’s A..Aa, inspired by her novel ‘Meena’.

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The 5th edition of Kalinga literary festival 2018 is scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha that will explore concepts of equality, equity and humanity in literature. The 3-day festival will witness innovative sessions on radio, poetry recitation, short story, lyrics and cinema by speakers like writer Amish Tripathi, politician-author Pavan Verma, Urdu poet and lyricist Rahat Indori, writer Mridula Garg, entrepreneur-author Ravi Singh, and commentator and journalist Vinod Dua among others. Discussions on issues ranging from youth to inclusion, transgender to equality, women to equity, and governance to justice will be held at the festival. Over 250 speakers, poets, musicians, artists and performers will participate in the fest.

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The 3-day Smart Cities India 2018 Expo has started in New Delhi on May 23, 2018. The mega event, consisting five expos is being held with a vision to help develop attractive and safe cities that evoke pride, passion and a sense of belonging among citizens. The five expos are as follows: Building India Expo, Solar India Expo, Transport India Expo, Smart Cities India Expo and Water India Expo. Over 300 exhibitors from different countries are participating in the 4th edition of this event. The event is co-organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the NASSCOM Center of Excellence – IoT and Exhibitions India Group.

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The Rajasthan government has launched ‘Nidaan’ software for presumptive diagnosis and monitoring of seasonal and non-communicable diseases as well as the trends of ailments found in specific areas. It is expected to help in formulation of specific action plans for control of diseases. “Nidaan” will facilitate online entries of as many as 46 diseases and healthcare services available for their treatment in different institutions.

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India has been ranked 145th among 195 countries with score of 41.2 in terms of Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) index of 2016, as per Lancet’s latest study “Global Burden Of Disease”. According to the study, India performed poorly in tackling cases of tuberculosis, rheumatic heart diseases, Ischaemic heart diseases, stroke, testicular cancer, colon cancer and chronic kidney disease among others. However, the report mentioned that India has seen improvements in healthcare access and quality since 1990. The five countries with the highest levels of healthcare access and quality in 2016 were Iceland (97.1 points), Norway (96.6), the Netherlands (96.1), Luxembourg (96.0), and Finland and Australia (each with 95.9). The study used an index to measure the quality and accessibility of healthcare, based on 32 causes of death which should be preventable with effective medical care. Each of the 195 countries and territories assessed were given a score between 0-100.