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:
On the occasion of 2019 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has banned production, distribution, advertisement and sale of Electronic-cigarette in the state. The decision will be an important step to curb addiction among youths. According to the health department officials, both online or offline sale, storage, production, distribution and advertisement of e-cigarettes in the state has been banned.

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:
Ajit Doval, a 1968-batch IPS officer & a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief, has been reappointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA) for a five-year tenure. He has also been given a cabinet rank in recognition of his contribution in the national security domain. This is for the first time that an NSA has been given a cabinet rank. Doval is among the best operational brains within intelligence circles. He had played a key role during the Balakot air strike after the Pulwama terror attack and the cross-border surgical strike. He also drew praise for his role during the 73-day stand-off between India and China at Doklam — situated at a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. He was also India’s main negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 taken to Kandahar in 1999. Doval worked as an intelligence officer for over 33 years during which he served in the North East, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

Notes:
The Rajasthan government has recently increased the financial assistance given to school girls under the ‘Aapki Beti’ scheme and ex-gratia payment to the families of polling personnel who die during election duty. Under the Aapki Beti scheme, girls living under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and whose mother or father or both have died get annual financial assistance in the state. The amount has been increased to 2,100 from Rs 1,100 for the girls studying in class 1 to 8 and for the girls in class 9 to 12, the financial aid has been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500. Similarly, the government has also increased ex-gratia payment to the next of kin of an official killed on election duty to Rs 20 lakh from Rs 15 lakh.

Notes:
Rajiv Mehrishi, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Indiam has been elected as external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for four years from 2020 to 2023. He was elected at the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2019. This is the second major international audit assignment for the CAG this year following his selection for the post of External Auditor of Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome earlier this year in March 2019. Currently, Mehrishi is also on the Board of Auditors of the United Nations and Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of External Auditors.

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:
In United States, Google’s India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and Nasdaq President Adena Friedman have been chosen for the prestigious Global Leadership Awards 2019 by business advocacy group USIBC in recognition of the two companies’ contribution as the leading technology-driven platforms. The award by Washington-based US-India Business Council (USIBC) would be conferred upon them during the 2019 India Ideas Summit. Given annually since 2007, the USIBC Global Leadership Awards recognise top corporate executives from the United States and India whose companies play a major role in catalysing growth in the US-India commercial corridor.

Notes:
Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, the renowned scientist and cyclone warning specialist, has been appointed as the chief of India Meteorological Department (IMD). Popularly known as the ‘Cyclone man of India’, he will take charge of his new assignment on August 1 for a period of five years. Mohapatra and his team at the Cyclone Warning Division (CWD) of the IMD have earned praise for their accurate forecasts on cyclones, its wind-speed and likely impact on life and property including during the recent cyclone ‘Fani’, when their timely warnings enabled the authorities to ensure early evacuation of millions of people. Over the last six years, the CWD has given accurate forecasts on cyclones including when Phailin (2013), Hudhud (2014) and Titli (2018) hit the eastern coast. The IMD is responsible for weather and climate-related forecasts in the country. It is also mandated to issue warning to people about severe weather phenomenon like cyclones, dust storms, heavy rain and snow, cold and heatwaves, among others.

Notes:
Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal has become the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives. She is a Democrat from Washington DC. The 116th Congress broke records with women and lawmakers crossing racial and religious barriers, including an all time high for Asian American lawmakers. A record number of 17 Asian Americans serve in Congress, with 14 in the House and three in the Senate.