Current Affairs : June 29-30, 2011

New IMF Chief: Christine Lagarde

• Ms Christine Lagarde (French Finance Minister) to head the IMF (International Monetary Fund)
  
• The First woman to head IMF since the institution's inception in 1944
  
• The IMF executive board chose her over Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens
  
• Ms Lagarde succeeds Dominique Strauss-Kahn
  
• Ms Lagarde takes over at a turbulent time when budding nations want a greater voice in the IMF and the organization's status has been held back by a scandal involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn
  
• Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned in May to guard himself against charges of abuse against a hotel maid in New York
  
• Ms Lagarde will have to right away centre herself and deal with an IMF-European attempt to keep debt-stricken Greece adrift
  

Puducherry Assembly elects its new Speaker- V. Sabapathy

• Puducherry Assembly elects Mr V. Sabapathy of the NR Congress ally as its unopposed Speaker of the Assembly
  
• The Pro-term Speaker of the Assembly Mr Tygarajan announced his election
  

  (Concept: The Proterm Speaker announces the Election of the New Speaker of the Assembly)
  

• Lt Governor of Puducherry: Mr Iqbal Singh
  

The Gas Cracker Project of Assam to be completed by July, 2013 in all probability

• Gas Cracker Project put to force by the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymers Limited, at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district, Assam
  
• The Project probably to be finished by the month of July, 2013
  

   

• Opportunities:-
  
• Once finished the Project to create employment direct and in-direct in Engineering, Construction and Service Sectors to a minimum of 1 lakh people
  
• The Project to also provide a chance for the growth of down -stream plastic industries in the state
  
  
• Steps being taken by the State Govt:-
  
• Previously the Assam Government had already started an aspirational Plastic Park Project near the Gas Cracker Project at Tinsukia district in an area of 500 acres to aid the development of plastic industries
  
• Steps being taken to generate consciousness amongst the youth about the opportunities present in the plastic industry
  
• Particular Technical courses introduced in Colleges, Universities and other Institutions in order to generate expert manpower
  

  << For more on Gas Cracker Project,Assam please visit:

  Last Space Shuttle Launch of USA by NASA
  

  • NASA declared the last launch of a US space shuttle to take place on Friday July 8, 2011
    
  • The Atlantis ship gets the honour of concluding the 30 year Orbiter Programme
    
  • The Atlantis Ship to lift off at 11:26 am Florida Time
    
  • In order to witness a piece of History around 7.5 Lakh people expected to line the roads and beaches around the Kennedy Space Center
    
  • Launch date fixed by US space agency managers
    

     

  • 4 astronauts to ride Atlantis to orbit–
    
  • Commander Chris Ferguson
    
  • Pilot Doug Hurley
    
  • Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus
    
  • Mission Specialist Rex Walheim
    

     

  • A 12-day trip to the International Space Station, where they will transport around 3.5 tonnes of supplies which includes a year's worth of food
    
  • It gives the US space agency some room to play with as it looks to introduce a commercial cargo re-supply service over the next 12 months
    
  • A shuttle normally has 6 or 7 crew members onboard, but here the number of Astronauts has been reduced for this final flight as there is no orbiter left on reserve to go and liberate them should they to get into problem
    
  • In the occurrence of a serious damage to Atlantis on lift-off, alike to the ill-fated Columbia ship in 2003, the astronauts would take refuge on the ISS awaiting return to Earth in Russian Soyuz capsules over a 10-month period
    

  Hunt for 16 Asian Countries to secure a birth in 2014 FIFA World Cup (Brazil) begins
  

  16 Asian countries begin their hunt for a berth in the 2014 FIFA World Cup (Brazil)
  

  The first leg of the first round ties of the Asian Zone qualifying matches for the lowest ranked countries to be played on Wednesday June 29, 2011
  
  Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 launched by Govt. at the Shankhola village in West Tripura
  

  • Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 formally launched in village Shankhola in West Tripura
    
  • The Government of India has decided to conduct a Socio-Economic and Caste Census
    
  • To be carried out by respective State/UT Governments with the Financial and Technical support of the GOI
    
  • Starting from Tripura, enumerators will reach every household of the country
    
  • This paves the way to mark the BPL (Below Poverty Line) households in both rural and urban areas of the country
    
  • Entire process to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year
    
  • The Results concerning to the identification of poor household will be utilized in the 12^th five year plan
    
  • The Census being conducted with the cooperation of various State Governments
    
  • Entire practice to assist developing targets to be covered under a range of flagship programmes viz. MG NAREGA, Indira Awas Yojna etc.
    
  • The Census to cost around Rs 3,800 Crore
    
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Office of the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner-India and Ministry of Home Affairs are associated with this work
    

  Australian, Michael Jack Nobbs appointed as the new coach of Indian Men's hockey team
  

  • Australian Michael Jack Nobbs appointed the new coach of the Indian men's Hockey
    
  • Appointed for an exceptional 5-year period
    
  • The 4^th Foreign coach to take up the responsibility of revitalizing Indian hockey
    
  • 57-year-old Nobbs, succeeds Spaniard Jose Brasa, takes over charge immediately
    
  • Nobbs' contract till the Olympics-2016 at Rio de Janeiro
    

  Maharashtra's State bird
  

  • Yellow-footed green pigeon to stay as the State bird of Maharashtra
    
  • State Wildlife Board turned down BNHS-The Bombay Natural History Society's (an NGO) suggestion to give the forest owlet the desirable status
    
  • Since the forest owlet is very rarely found, the State Wildlife Board decided that it cannot be declared the State bird
    
  • The scientists held that 19 States have State birds that are rare, unique and a threatened species, like-
    
  • White-winged wood duck in Assam
    
  • Blood pheasant in Sikkim
    
  • Black-necked crane in Jammu and Kashmir
    

  e-challan system for traffic violations launched in Chennai
  

  • Chief Minister Jayalalithaa inaugurated the electronic challan system for booking on the spot traffic violation cases and solar-powered portable traffic signal system in the Chennai