Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
Nirmala Sitharaman, the former minister of state for the commerce and industry ministry, has become the new Defence Minister of India on September 3, 2017 after latest Union cabinet reshuffle. She succeeded Arun Jaitley. With this, she has become the India’s first woman Defence Minister after Indira Gandhi. Currently, she is Member of Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha representing the state of Karnataka. Now, Suresh Prabhu has become the new Union Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Notes:
Shirish Pai (88), the renowned Marathi poet and activist, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on September 2, 2017. She was credited with introducing ‘Haiku’ to the Marathi speaking world. Pai was the daughter of noted writer-journalist ‘Acharya’ Pralhad Keshav Atre. She started writing ‘Haiku’ in 1975. She studied Japanese ‘Haiku’, its origin and nature and published five Marathi ‘Haiku’ books. Ms. Pai also translated some Japanese ‘Haiku’ from English to Marathi. She also worked as a journalist in the Maratha newspaper and participated in the ‘Samyukta Maharashtra’ (United Maharashtra) movement.

Notes:
Satish Kumar, the decorated West Bengal wrestler, has been awarded Rs 25 lakh as compensation by the Delhi court for being wrongly restrained from taking part in the 14th Asian Games-2002 at Busan in South Korea under the mistaken impression that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs. The court also directed the government to ensure that such incidents are never repeated and no other sportsperson goes through the humiliation which Satish Kumar has undergone. Kumar was selected by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the 14th Asian Games, but was wrongly stopped from boarding the flight with other athletes as he was confused with another wrestler of same name who hailed from West Bengal. He was then banned for two years after testing positive in the dope test.

Notes:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former India captain, has become the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals (ODI). He surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had 99 stumpings in 404 matches. Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in Colombo on September 3, 2017 when he whipped off the bails to remove Sri Lankan batsman Akila Dananjaya off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling. Till date, Dhoni has also taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. He played 90 Tests and 77 T20 Internationals as well. In 90 Tests, Dhoni has taken 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings. In T20 Internationals, Dhoni has taken 43 catches and affected 23 stumpings. Recently, Dhoni has become the 6th Indian player to play 300 matches in the 50-over format. With this, he joined the elite club comprising of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.

Notes:
Lt. Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Olympic silver medallist and a former professional shooter, has been appointed as a Cabinet minister with independent charge for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on September 3, 2017 in the latest cabinet reshuffle of the Narendra Modi government. He replaced Vijay Goel. Rathore is also holding the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). He is Member of Parliament (MP) from Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha constituency.

Notes:
Kenneth I. Juster, the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been nominated as the next U.S ambassador to India. The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him. The post is vacant since January 20, 2017. Juster has been a strong supporter of India-U.S ties and played a key role in the civil nuclear deal and in the advancement of defence ties between the two countries when he was under secretary of Commerce under former president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the co-chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group set up during the George W. Bush presidency, and was instrumental in the formation of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership, a diplomatic initiative between the United States and India on cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear, space and military, in 2004.

Notes:
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The conference was focused on recognising companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives by adopting best practices and technological advancement in their daily operations in turn displaying commitment towards energy conservation. The airport is operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd GHIAL, a public–private venture.

Notes:
Gauri Lankesh, the noted journalist and activists, was shot dead at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar’s residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka on September 5, 2017. She was the editor of popular Kannada tabloid Lankesh Patrike founded by her father and well-known writer P Lankesh. Lankesh was also part of a panel formed by State government to help surrender Naxals to reform. She was known to be a notable social and political commentator and acclaimed for her lifelong support for free speech and strong journalistic ethics, her works were popular in all quarters, her critics alike. The state government has formed a three team comprising of senior police officer to investigate the crime. AIR correspondent reports that killing of senior journalist known for her out spoken views, is being compared with the murder of rationalist, liberal thinkers, M M Kulburgi, Pansare and Dabholkar in recent years. Several associations of writers and journalists are holding protest in the state demanding immediate arrest of the perpetrators of crime.

Notes:
Amritpal Singh, the captain of the Indian basketball team, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian-born player to be picked up by an Australian National Basketball League (NBL) team. He will be a part of the Kings side as they begin their pre-season tour where they will also take on popular NBA side Utah Jazz, which will be an incredible achievement for Indian basketball. With this, Amritpal has become the first Indian player to play for an Aussie team in the NBL.

Notes:
Dr Inder Jit Singh, the 1985 batch IAS officer, has been given additional charge of the post of Chairperson of National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) with immediate effect. He is an Additional Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat. According to a release issued by Ministry of Personnel stated that the Mr Singh will hold this additional charge until further orders. The NACWC has been established under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000 for implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Its’ headquarters is located at Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi.