GK & Current Affairs Quiz: July 5, 2017

Notes:
Dr Harsh Vardhan, the union minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has launched a month-long plantation drive to mark Van Mahotsav on July 5, 2017. Van Mahotsav is an annual tree-planting movement in India, which began in 1950. It is usually observed in the first week of July every year and is celebrated on different days in different parts of India. The purpose of the festival is to raise the awareness of trees among people and to highlight the need for planting and tending of trees as one of the best ways to prevent global warming and reduce pollution.

Notes:
Sanjay Gupta, the CEO of Jagran Prakashan Ltd, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the society and Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Amritsar for a period of five years w.e.f. June 23, 2017. He is the Editor in Chief of Dainik Jagran since 2014 and has been associated with the Jagran Group for more than two decades. Earlier, he also served as a member on the board of governors of IIM Lucknow and of Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology, Allahabad. He is also a member of the Shri Piran Chand Gupta Samarak Trust which runs several colleges and schools across the country.

Notes:
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has recently approved $329 million loan to build access roads to 4,000 villages in all 33 districts of Gujarat. This project will construct and upgrade district and farm-to-market roads for the villagers and provide approaches to educational institutions, schools and hospitals. The upgraded road access is expected to have a positive impact on women and girls by improving school attendance rates as the latter drop out due to lack of access to all weather roads. The project will also better integrate rural population, tribal villages, business and industries with the national and state economy through better transport connectivity. This is a standalone project by AIIB and part of phase one of the multi-phase Gujarat’s ‘Chief Minister’s Rural Roads Programme’ that complements the Centre’s ‘Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Programme’. To monitor the project’s progress, the AIIB will pilot a software tool specifically developed for this. The AIIB is a multilateral development bank, headquartered in Beijing, which commenced its operation in January 2016 and has now grown to 80 approved members from around the world.

Notes:
The first-ever Save Public Sector Banks Day (SPSBD) will be celebrated by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on July 19, 2017, the 48th anniversary of nationalization of major banks in India. All members will wear a commemorative badge on the day, display posters in front of all branches, distribute leaflets and hold rallies/demonstrations at all centers across the country. The Government of India (GoI) issued an ordinance and nationalized the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969.

Notes:
The Karnataka Government has recently launched the ‘Elevate 100’ scheme to identify and nurture innovative start-ups. The purpose of the scheme is to identify 100 most innovative start-ups in the state to elevate them to the next level of success. The Elevate scheme is the brainchild of the start-up cell, Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS), to help start-ups across the state succeed by providing them with access to mentors, networking opportunities, and in-depth sessions for start-ups on accounting, and emerging technologies.

Notes:
Sanjay Kumar, the 1985-batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He will succeed R K Pachnanda, who was has taken charge as DG the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Prior to this appointment, he was director general of police (DGP) in Himachal Pradesh. The NDRF has 12 battalions with a strength of over 13,000 personnel. It is mandated to undertake special disaster response and combat roles independently and also assist local authorities in launching a quick rescue and response operation to save life and property.

Notes:
The 15-day long annual joint military training exercise “Ex-Maitree-2017” between the Indian and Thai army has started from July 3, 2017 at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. The aim of the joint military exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army-to-Army relations and enhance inter-operability between the two armies. Exercise Maitree 2017 is a continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Thailand Army. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016.

Notes:
Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, has launched the Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency (MERIT) app and e-bidding portal for providing e-Bidding solution to States to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for procurement of power by transferring their domestic coal under the scheme of flexibility in utilization of domestic coal. This system will bring transparency in states’ power distribution and sales and save Rs 20 thousand crore in next 5 to 7 years.

Notes:
In Arunachal Pradesh, the most popular Dree festival of Apatani community has celebrated across the State with traditional pomp and gaiety on July 5, 2017. Through this festival, the Apatanis pray their traditional Gods to bring in a bountiful harvest season along with defeat of destructive forces in the society. The festival is marked by grand ritual and community feasts. Traditional songs and dances are part of main attraction of the Dree.

Notes:
The Wilpattu National Park (WNP) is the largest and one of the oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” (Natural lakes) – Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. The park is 1,317 square kilometers (131, 693 hectares) and ranges from 0 to 152 meters above sea level. It is home to elephant, sloth bear, leopard, water buffalo, etc. The most common reptiles found in the park are the monitor lizard, mugger crocodile, common cobra, rat snake, Indian python, pond turtle, etc. The best time to visit Wilpattu is during the months of February and October.