Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

Notes:
Star Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana and ace tennis player Rohan Bopanna have been conferred with the 2018 Arjuna Awards by Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijeju at a ceremony held in New Delhi. She is currently ranked no. 1 in the ICC ODI Batting rankings. Playing for India, Mandhana has already registered 1951 runs in the format at a splendid average of 42.41. On the other hand, Bopanna won the gold medal in tennis men’s double category in Asian Games 2018. The total amount awarded is Rs. 350,000,000.

Notes:
On 18th July 2019, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the 10th Jagran Film festival (JFF) at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi. The JFF is an initiative by the Jagran Prakashan Group (JPG) towards creating a culture of cinema appreciation and an honest and sincere attempt create a platform that connects great content with audiences across the country. Last year, with over 18 towns, 400 screenings, 18 cinema appreciation workshops, the festival directly touched over an audience of over 55 thousand people and the media coverage of Jagran puts the reach of JFF well beyond 50 million people across India.

Notes:
Arun Kumar Roy (90), the veteran Left leader and chief patron of CITU Jharkhand state committee, has passed away in Dhanbad, Jharkhand on 21st July 2019. He was the former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC). Roy won the Dhanbad Lok Sabha seat in 1977, 1980 and 1989. He also represented Sindri in the Bihar Assembly in 1967, 1969 and 1972. Along with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu Soren and former MP, the late Binod Bihari Mahto, Roy began the Jharkhand movement that demanded a separate State from Bihar in 1971. Jharkhand became a separate State on November 15, 2000. Roy was called a ‘political saint’ by his associates and followers, as his bank account always showed a ‘zero’ balance.

Notes:
The Eleventh biennial edition of DefExpo India – 2020 is scheduled to be held for the first time in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow from 5th February 2020. The 4-day event will offer an excellent opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. The main theme of the DefExpo India- 2020 will be — India – the Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub and the focus will be on Digital Transformation of Defence. The exhibition will also highlight the emergence of Uttar Pradesh as an attractive destination for investment in the defence sector and act as a platform for alliances and joint ventures in the defence industry. The DefExpo will provide an opportunity to the major foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers to collaborate with the Indian defence industry and help promote Make in India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notes:
India has successfully launched its 2nd lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 onboard its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from Sriharikota to explore the uncharted south pole of the Moon by landing a rover. The Rs 978 crore mission will mark a giant leap in India’s space research and make it only the 4th country to have landed a rover on Moon. For the first time in India’s space history, an interplanetary expedition is being led by two women – Muthaya Vanitha (the project director) & Ritu Karidhal (the mission director). According to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is an interesting surface area which remains in shadow than North pole. There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lander ‘Vikram’, named after father of Indian space research programme Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, carrying the rover ‘Pragyan’, will be landed in a high plain between two craters at a latitude of about 70 degrees South of the moon. Then the 27-kg ‘Pragyan’ meaning ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit and a six-wheeled robotic vehicle, will set out on its job of collecting information on lunar surface. A safe site free of hazards for landing would be decided based on pictures sent back by the camera onboard the lander and after touchdown the rover will carry out experiments for 14 Earth days, equals one Lunar Day.

Notes:
Kishen Narsi from India has been appointed as the Chairman of Asian Boxing Confederation’s (ASBC) competitions commission. Narsi is a former All-India University champion boxer. He was an international referee and vice-chairman of the executive committee of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). He has officiated in three Olympics. He was also the founding interim president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

Notes:
In Table Tennis, hosts India completed a clean sweep & claimed all the 7 gold medals at the 21st Commonwealth Championships, which concluded recently in Cuttack. Harmeet Desai and Ayhika Mukherjee won the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively. Harmeet defeated favourite G. Sathiyan 4-3 in a hard-fought final to claim the men’s singles title. In women singles, Ayhika won her first gold in the championships after defeating former national champion Madurika Patkar 4-0. Anthony Amalraj and Manav Thakkar claimed the men’s doubles gold by stunning top seeds Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal 3-1.While Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Krittwika Sinha Roy defeated compatriots Sreeja Akula and Mousumi Paul 3-1 to claim the women’s doubles crown. Indian paddlers topped the medals tally with 7 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze. England won two silver and three bronze medals. Singapore got 6 bronze medals while Malaysia and Nigeria got 1 bronze each.

Notes:
India was represented by Indian envoy to United Nations Syed Akbaruddin at the 2019 Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting in Caracas, Venezuela. Here, India has strongly rejected Pakistan’s references to Kashmir & said that the global forum can never be a platform for a self-serving narrative that aims to undermine the territorial integrity of one nation by another state. The NAM needs to be in the vanguard of those addressing the primary issues of our times that cry for global cooperation, rather than become a platform for venting bilateral grievances between members. Akbaruddin did not name Pakistan but his comments were aimed at Islamabad raising the issue of Kashmir at the multi-lateral forum. NAM was established in Belgrade in 1961 and was a joint initiative of former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito.

Notes:
Two-time Olympic gold medal winning Hockey Player Keshav Dutt and former India Football Captain Prasun Banerjee has been chosen for 2019 Mohun Bagan Ratna. This is the first time that the club is conferring the award on a sportsperson from a discipline other than football. Dutt (93) was part of the team that won gold in the 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki) Olympics. Prasun was a prominent midfielder of his times. He played in three Asian Games in 1974, 1978 and 1982 and was part of an Asian All Star XI team. The Best Footballer for the 2018-19 will be given to Arijit Bagui. Mohun Bagan will also felicitate pacer Mohammed Shami, India’s hat-trick hero of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, while footballer Ashok Chatterjee will be given the Lifetime Achievement award. The Mariners will also give Life Memberships to Sourav Ganguly, ChuniGoswami, Dr Vece Paes, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Deb Shankar Halder. The awards will be given away on Mohun Bagan Day on July 29. July 29 is celebrated as the ‘Mohun Bagan Day’ because on this day in 1911, the Mariners became the first club to defeat a British club, East Yorkshire Regiment, and lift the IFA Shield.

Notes:
The book titled ‘Fire and Fury Corps — Saga of Valour, Fortitude and Sacrifice’ has been authored by Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh. The book is showcasing the history and achievements of the Fire and Fury Corps which guards the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). It documents the courage and bravery of the Fire and Fury Warriors and portrays the rich heritage and ethos of the Indian Army. The book also covers the serenity and mysticism of Ladakh and its people, as a tribute to the symbiotic relationship shared by the Indian Army and the people of Ladakh region.