Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
Purushottam Lal Kaushik (87), the former Minister for Information and Broadcasting, has passed away in Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh on October 5, 2017. He was elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 1977 and 1989. The departed leader was the Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in the Morarji Desai Ministry and later, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the Charan Singh government.

Notes:
Ukhnaa Khurelsukh has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Mongolia on October 4, 2017. The Prime Minister of Mongolia is the head of government, and heads the Mongolian cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Mongolia, and can be removed by the State Great Hural with a vote of no confidence.

Notes:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed the Finance Contract with India to € 300 million for Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6. The objective of the project is to bring in a quantum improvement in the transportation sector in the city in tandem with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and other modes of urban transport. This project will be jointly financed by the European Investment Bank (€500 million) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (€300 million). The agreement signed recently was for first tranche of €300 million. The project implementation period is five years from date of commencement of the work.

Notes:
The first ever ASEAN-India Music Festival has started at Purana Quila in New Delhi on October 6, 2017. The 3-day festival is organised by External Affairs Ministry in collaboration with Culture Ministry to celebrate the 25th year anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. The festival aims to boost cultural influences among the peoples of the ASEAN member states and India. It will witness eclectic performances by musicians from ASEAN countries’ bands such as The Ugly Band, Cherpen, Tim De Cotta, Red Bamboo among others. Famous Indian bands like the Raghu Dixit Project, Avial, Papon LIVE, Bipul Chettri and the Travelling Band, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will also participate in the festival. There will be no entry fee for the mega music event.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a mass marriage scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’. In it, the state government will spend Rs 35,000 on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items, and the social welfare department will conduct the mass marriages. The marriage programs regarding the scheme will be organized by urban local bodies like Nagar panchayat, Nagar Palika and Nagar Nigam, kshetra panchayats, Zila panchayats, overnment/semi-government organizations and NGOs, which will be authorized by district magistrates of respective districts. As per the scheme, the parents of the brides must be the residents of Uttar Pradesh and must belong to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in order to avail the benefits of the scheme. There must be minimum 10 couples in the mass marriage ceremony.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the 5th edition of India Water Week (IWW) on October 10 with theme “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth” in New Delhi. About 1500 delegates from India and 13 other countries will attend the five day international event. The event will be celebrated with a multi-disciplinary conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies and solutions available for the areas under deliberation of the meet. The event will have the many major components like water, food and energy security – essential requirement for sustainable development, water for inclusive growth, sustainable energy development – Key for all round economic growth and water and society.

Notes:
Under ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bhara’programme, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cultural ties. Under this, the states will connect with each other to know more about the culture, heritage and traditions of each other. The purpose of the programme is to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different states and union territories, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding among them.

Notes:
Rajasthan has become the India’s first state to incorporate skill development programme in higher education. In collaboration with IGNOU, the College Education department has prepared 16 courses for entrepreneurship and skill development for colleges in the state. Under the project, 12 certificates and 4 diploma courses will be run and each college will have to choose five courses.

Notes:
Film actor Anupam Kher has been appointed as the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He succeeded Gajendra Chauhan. Kher has worked in more than 500 films and over 100 plays in last three decades. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 by the Indian government. Some of his prominent films include Saaransh, Daddy, Lamhe, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara. He has also been a part of international projects such as Bend It Like Beckham, Lust, Caution, and David O Russell’s 2013 Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook.

Notes:
Indian boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu has been honoured with the 2017 National Awards for senior citizens by President Ramnath Kovind. Sandhu was India’s longest-serving men’s national coach, occupying the position for two decades before he was handed charge of the women campers earlier in 2017. He was the chief coach when India won its maiden Olympic medal in boxing through Vijender Singh in 2008.