Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
Former ISRO chief Dr. K Kasturirangan led Committee has recently submitted the draft National Educational Policy (NEP) to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in New Delhi. The policy draft recommends incorporation of Indian knowledge systems in the curriculum, constituting a National Education Commission and curbing arbitrary fees hikes by private schools. The expert panel also proposed massive transformation in Teacher Education by moving all teacher preparation and education programmes into large multidisciplinary universities or colleges. It added that the topics will include Indian contribution to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, psychology, yoga, architecture, medicine, as well as governance, polity, society, and conservation course on Indian knowledge systems. The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992.

Notes:
The Medical & Health Department of Rajasthan government has won the prestigious 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) award in recognition of its achievements in the field of tobacco control. The department’s Additional Chief Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, received the award at a function to mark 2019 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in New Delhi. The Health Department of the State is the only government body in India which is awarded for its Tobacco-Free Initiatives (TFIs). Beside this, WHO has selected five organisations from the South-East Asian region for the prestigious award. Three other organizations in the South-East Asian region have been selected from Thailand and Indonesia, while the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (of New Delhi) is also among the recipients of the award. Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award and WNTD Awards.

Notes:
Indian-origin Anita Bhatia has been the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships. The key appointment comes less than a week after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar as his new Force Commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan.

Notes:
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently ruled that all animals are legal persons entitled to legal rights like human beings in Haryana. The verdict comes nearly a year after Uttarakhand High Court passed a similar order to protect and promote greater welfare of animals. Both the orders were written by Justice Rajiv Sharma, who was transferred from Uttarakhand to the Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh in 2018. The order was passed in a case where the Punjab and Haryana High Court was informed that 29 cows were packed in a cruel manner while being transported from Uttar Pradesh to Haryana. In response, Justice Sharma’s order emphasizes that animals cannot be reduced to mere property. This includes a ban in using animals to pull vehicles in extreme weather, limits on loads and the number of people that animals are made to carry, limits on the distances that an animal is made to walk at a stretch, instructions on how to tether an animal to the vehicle it is made to pull and a ban on the use of spike sticks, harness and other sharp instruments to avoid injuring the animal. The Court has also directed that animal-driven carts are given the ‘Right of Way’.

Notes:
The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed every year on June 4 to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN’s commitment to protect the rights of children.

Notes:
In Bangkok , the 2019 edition of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) was attended by senior officials of India, US, Japan and Australia to hold consultations on their collective efforts for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and to reaffirm their shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rules-based order in the region. The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations on Indo-Pacific engagement and initiatives together and with other interested countries and institutions. The consultations were part of the Quad an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan. China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific which is a biogeographic region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea whereas Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also counter claims over it.

Notes:
The 2nd edition of Global Disability Summit (GDS) will be held at Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6-8 June 2019. The Indian delegation will be headed by Thaawarchand Gehlot, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). The objective of the summit is to deliberate on issues across the world concerning empowerment and inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and to work out a mechanism for enabling them to live an independent and dignified life. The Indian delegation will also participate in the bilateral discussions with Government of Argentina for developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries on 9-10 June 2019.

Notes:
Sunil Chhetri has become the India’s highest capped footballer by surpassing Bhaichung Bhutia’s 107 international matches. In his milestone match of the King’s Cup football tournament in Buriram, Thailand, he scored the lone goal for his side in the 31st minute from a spot kick for his 69th goal. However, his effort did not make any difference as India ranked 101, lost 1-3 to higher ranked Curacao. The 82nd ranked Caribbean island nation has two players associated with English Premier League and some others in European leagues. They scored three goals in the space of 18 minutes through Roly Bonevacia, Elson Hooi and Leandro Bacuna.

Notes:
Facebook has launched its first interactive game show titled “Confetti” in India, which will start from June 12 on its dedicated video platform – Facebook Watch. The interactive show will air from Wednesday to Sunday and will challenge participants to answer pop culture trivia questions for a chance to win Rs 3 lakh as cash prize every day. In 2018, the social networking giant globally rolled out Facebook Watch as its video-on-demand service in an attempt to take on its rival YouTube. The video service allows users to enjoy videos from different genres, including entertainment, sports and news in their personalised “Watch Feed” that carries a collection of recent videos from the pages they follow.

Notes:
The US aircraft maker Boeing co and national airports body Airports Authority of India (AAI) have signed a technical assistance agreement for developing a comprehensive roadmap for modernisation of air traffic services in the country. The air traffic services comprise Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM). The 10-year modernisation roadmap will be undertaken with a grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA ). The agreement is aimed at developing a roadmap for AAI to use as guidance in the modernisation of the Indian National Airspace System (NAS) based on global and local best practices to optimally utilize airspace capacity, enhance CNS/ATM. Under the agreement, Boeing will analyse current technologies and processes to identify efficiency improvements that can be implemented while maintaining a practical and safe airspace system.