CWC, Central Water Commission, B R Ambedkar - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

1)   Who is the architect of the world's longest constitution?

a. BR Rao
b. BR Ambedkar
c. C Rajagoplachari
d. Jawaharlal Nehru
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: BR Ambedkar

Explanation:
Wednesday marks the 61st anniversary of the death of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar who, after Mahatma Gandhi, is India's most revered leader.

He was the architect of what is probably the world's longest constitution, a legal scholar and a spiritual leader.

Most importantly, he was the undisputed leader of the Dalits (formerly untouchables), who suffered from their lowly position in a harsh caste hierarchy.

About BR Ambedkar

  • He was born on 14 April 1891, part of a family that belonged to the Hindu Mahar community, one of the untouchable castes in India at the time.
  • Image caption Dr Ambedkar, left, at the Fourth Conference of the World Fellowships of Buddhists, held in 1956 in Nepal
    Referred to as the "darling of the dispossessed" by Indian historian Ramachandra Guha, Dr Ambedkar's influence during the colonial era began in the 1920s, when he joined politics.
  • He was also known for his rejection of Hinduism as a religion that isolated the lower caste. In 1956, he started the Dalit Buddhist movement. This was a radical reinterpretation of traditional Buddhism, which he found to be flawed.
  • Instead, he coined the term Navayana Buddhism, which was adopted by nearly half a million Dalits at the time.
  • He was reportedly the first Dalit to gain entry into Elphinstone College, which was affiliated to the University of Bombay.
  • After completing his undergraduate degree, he moved to New York on a scholarship that afforded him the chance to pursue a graduate degree at Columbia University, where he also completed a PhD in economics.
  • He collected another doctorate from the London School of Economics a year later - a formidable feat, considering the socio-political barriers he had to contend with.
  • Soon after India gained independence in 1947, Dr Ambedkar became the country's first law minister, and was appointed to write the nation's new constitution.
  • In government, he argued for broader economic and social rights for women, the case for abolishing untouchability and for the reservation of jobs in civil services and schools for members of the lower castes.
  • In 1946, Dr Ambedkar founded a political party to campaign for the rights of the Dalit community.
  • Historians have said that his legacy as a socio-political reformer has had a profound effect on modern India.


2)   The place Mhow, where Dr. Ambedkar was born is in

a. Maharashtra
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Hyderabad
d. Uttar Pradesh
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Madhya Pradesh

Explanation:

  • Mhow, officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar, is a cantonment in the Indore District in Madhya Pradesh state of India.
  • The town was renamed as Dr Ambedkar Nagar in 2003, by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
  • It will be one of the Panchteerth that will be developed in memory of Dr. Ambedkar. The Panchteerth are 5 places that are associated with the lives of Dr. Ambedkar.


3)   125th birth anniversary of ___________ was celebrated at UN HQ on 14th April with the release of _________ programme alongside?

a. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swachch Bharat Abhiyan
b. BR Ambedkar, Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan
c. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Garibi Hatao Sangram
d. Bipin Chandra Pal, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: BR Ambedkar, Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan

Explanation:
Diplomats, senior officials from the United Nations, government officials from India and students gathered at a special event to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar at the UN headquarters in New York on April 14, 2016.

  • This is the first such commemoration at UN HQ
  • Panellists included Stan Kachnowsky from Colombia University, Anupama Rao, an associate professor at Colombia University, and Christopher Queen, a lecturer Harvard University.
  • The Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday programme is being launched as a tribute to Ambedkar and will include public welfare schemes for the upliftment of common man and poor people.
  • This Abhiyan is being observed all over the country with national launching by PM Modi from Mhow in MP.