November 29, 2017 - Current Affairs Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Panjim, Goa from 20th – 28thNovember, 2017. This event was jointly conducted by the Union Ministry of Information and broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.Theme of 48th IFFI was “Celebrating the Future of Cinema”.

Mumbai is to host the 15th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for Documentary, Short and Animation films from 28th January – 3rd February 2018. The Mumbai International Film Festival will be inaugurated on 28th January 2018, at the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai. It is organized by theFilms Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B). The Organizing Committee of MIFF is headed by the Secretary, I&B and consists of eminent film personalities, documentary makers and film critics.

Central Government has sanctioned Rs 275 crore for establishing a Global Centre for Security and Counter-Terrorism in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Announcement in this regard was made by Rajasthan Home Minister, Gulab Chand Kataria on November 28, 2017. Central Government will allocate Rs. 165 crore and Rajasthan State Government will bear Rs 110 crore for setting-up this centre. It is to be noted that Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan will complete four years in office on December 13, 2017.

Smt Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), launched India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI). IHMI has been launched with an objective to reduce morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) by controlling high blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for CVDs among adults in India. It is to be noted that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in India.

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh and N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) in Manipur. 1.62 lakh rural households and 13 thousand urban households (total 1.75 lakh households) in Manipur will be included under this scheme. Mr. Singh also announced that Government of India would provide necessary financial assistance for strengthening the infrastructure in the power sector in Manipur. SAUBHAGYA scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2017. Objective of this scheme is to achieve universal household electrification in all parts India.

India and United Kingdom (UK) will soon sign an memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the urban transport sector for cooperation in policy planning, technology transfer and institutional organisation. On November 27, 2017, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari and Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport in the Government of UK discussed a draft MoU in this regard in London. The draft MoU includes the scope of cooperation between India and UK in the transport sector and enable the sharing of expertise and latest technology to promote efficient mobility solutions.

Victoria became the first Australian state to legalise assisted dying, or euthanasia, as lawmakers voted to allow terminally ill patients the right to request a lethal drug to end their lives from June 2019. The legislation was passed in Victoria after 100 hours of debate, making it the only place in Australia where the practice will be legal. The scheme will be accessible only to terminally ill patients over 18 living in Victoria with less than six months to live. Those applying must be determined by multiple doctors to be suffering intolerable pain and be of sound mind.

U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) Explanation U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) announced a collaborative initiative titled “Women for Women Innovators, Social Leaders & Entrepreneurs (WISE)”. This announcement was made during USIBC’s road to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) event, “Creating the Foundations of Innovation” in Hyderabad. Objective of ‘WISE’ initiative is to offer leadership, mentoring, and development opportunities for women entrepreneurs and innovators.

UN Environment has stated that developing countries will receive $540 million to continue their work in phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals. Developing countries will receive funds for this purpose from developed countries for three years starting from 2018. Funds will be provided through the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, which has disbursed over $3.7 billion to developing countries since 1991 for phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals

Paytm Payments Bank Explanation Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley formally launched ‘Paytm Payments Bank’ in New Delhi. Paytm Payments Bank is being termed as India’s only mobile first bank providing zero balance accounts. It also provides free personalised RuPay digital debit cards. In Paytm Payments Bank, every online transaction (such as IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, UPI) will be free of charge.

Air India commissioned its first ATR simulator ‘ATR 72-600 full-flight simulator (FFS)’ at its Central Training Establishment (CTE) in Hyderabad. The ATR 72-600 full-flight simulator (FFS) has been set up at an investment of Rs 63 crore, including the acquisition cost. This will meet the training requirements of the ATR pilots of Alliance Air, Air India’s regional arm. This new generation simulator is the first of its kind in India. Pilots will begin simulated training at the centre from 29th November 2017. Till now these pilots were going to Singapore, Bangkok or France for training on regional jets, which was costly.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been formally stripped of the Freedom of the City of Oxford award over her response to the repression of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims. Oxford city council voted unanimously to permanently remove the honour given to Aung San Suu Kyi in 1997. It said it did not want to celebrate those who turn a blind eye to violence. Oxford councillors had previously voted to support a cross-party motion to remove the award, and made the decision official in a vote on 27th November 2017.

Egyptian journalist Khaled el-Balshy has won the Individual Activist award of the Nelson Mandela – Graca Machel Innovation Awards. Khaled el-Balshy, a former board member of Egypt’s Journalists’ Union made several attempts to publicly reveal violations by the Egyptian government. In March 2017, he was handed a oneyear, suspended sentence over charges of “harboring fugitives”. Khaled el-Balshy will receive the award on December 7, 2017 in Fiji’s capital Suva.

The government appointed IAS officer Badri Narain Sharma as the Chairman of the newly constituted National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) under the GST regime. Badri Narain Sharma is an IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre of the 1985 batch. He will have the rank and pay of a Secretary in the government. The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) under the GST regime has been constituted to ensure that the benefit of lower indirect tax rates are passed on to consumers.

Karen Pierce, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) political director of UK, has been appointed UK ambassador to the United Nations, becoming the first female UK ambassador to the UN. Karen Pierce has previously represented the UK in a wide variety of capacities, attending functions hosted by organisations such as the UN and the World Trade Organisation. She joined the FCO in 1981. She has had a varied career in Washington, the Balkans, and Afghanistan and briefly as head of news in the FCO under the foreign secretaryship of Robin Cook between 1999 and 2001.

Upendra Prasad Singh has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Upendra Prasad Singh, IAS Officer (OR:85) presently holding the charge of Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Snehlata Shrivastava, a 1982-batch retired IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the first woman Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. Snehlata Shrivastava’s appointment to this post was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. She will replace Anoop Mishra, who is retiring on November 30, 2017. Snehlata Shrivastava has held several senior positions in the Madhya Pradesh State Government, including Principal Secretary in the ministries of Culture and Parliamentary Affairs.

UK’s Southall Football Club will jointly set up an international level football academy with Cordia Institutes at its campus at Sanghol in Punjab. Cordia Institutes Chairman Diljit Rana said that the objective was to build a world class academy with facilities comparable to the very best in the world.The academy is proposed to be set up at Sanghol in Fatehgarh Sahib district. The club will be spread over 10 acres, and will offer sports facilities of high standards.

About Senior U23 World Championships:
♦ Dates – November 21 – 26, 2017
♦ Location – Poland

About Indian Olympic Association (IOA):
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ President – Narayana Ramachandran
♦ Secretary General – Rajeev Mehta

On 29th November 2017, Veteran Communist Party of India leader and former Minister E. Chandrasekharan Nair died following a chest congestion inThiruvananthapuram, Kerala. E Chandrasekharan Nair was admitted to Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences following a chest congestion. He was 89 years old. He died on 29th November 2017. He is survived by wife Manorama Nair, daughter Gita and son Jayachandran.

In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The date of 29 November was chosen because on that day in 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 181 (II), which came to be known as the Partition Resolution. This day provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved.