Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

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 10th edition of National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) is scheduled to be held in Agartala, Tripura on January and February 2020. The aim of the fest is to raise awareness about science and environment through films. This the second time the show will be held in a North Eastern city. The film festival is being held with the objective of highlighting science, technology, innovation, energy, environment, agriculture and traditional knowledge in a simple way that would bring science closer to common people through simple ways of explanation. The film festival would include films produced by UNICEF, UNESCO and filmmakers from different countries. It will also include entries from Tripura and other states.

Notes:
Ruma Guha Thakurta (84), the veteran Bengali actress & singer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was best known for her roles in Satyajit Ray-directed films such as Ganashatru (1989) and Abhijan (1962). She started her career as a dancer before moving to the then Bombay where she married singer Kishore Kumar in the early 1950s but they got divorced in 1958. Their son Amit Kumar is a singer and composer for Bollywood movies. She later married writer-director Arup Guha Thakurta and had two children – singers Sromona and Ayan. Ruma’s major film roles include “Palatak”, “Antony Firingee”, “80 Te Asio Na”, “Balika Badhu”, “Dadar Kirti”, “Bhalobasa Bhalobasa” and “Wheelchair”. “Jwar Bhata” will be remembered for being the debut of both Ruma and acting legend Dilip Kumar. Her other Hindi films were “Mashaal”, “Afsar”, “Raag Rang” and “Paar”. Ruma founded the Calcutta Youth Choir, a song and dance troupe, in 1958, which is known for its performance of folk and mass songs.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has formed a new ‘Jal Shakti’ Ministry by merging the ministries of Water Resources and Drinking Water and Sanitation with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at its helm. The ambit of the Ministry will encompass issues ranging from international and inter-states water disputes, the Namami Gange project, the flagship initiative to clean the Ganges, its tributaries and sub-tributaries and provide clean drinking water. Rattan Lal Kataria will be the Minister of State in the newly formed ministry. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shekhawat defeated Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, from Jodhpur by a margin of 2.74 lakh votes.

Notes:
In a strong reaction, the Government of India (GoI) has recently rejected the reference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in its final communique at the 14th Islamic summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on May 31, 2019. The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that the OIC has no locus standi in matters relating to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. It is reiterated that OIC should refrain from making such unwarranted references. Earlier, at the 2019 Mecca Summit, the OIC reiterated its support for the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and also appointed a special envoy for the state. The OIC is an international organization consisting of 57 member states & 53 of them Muslim-majority nations. It is not for the first time that OIC has made references on J&K, and India has slammed the 57-strong grouping of Muslim countries each time. Pakistan has been behind such anti-India references in the OIC communiqués / resolutions.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, the state Cabinet has passed a resolution to increase reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from existing 14% to 27%. The matter will now be taken up in the monsoon session of the state Assembly. The move will lead to reservation in the state breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50% cap to reach 63%. If implemented, Madhya Pradesh will become the only state in the country to have a 27% quota for OBCs. Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government passed an Ordinance on March 9 to implement the quota. However, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had stayed the Ordinance on March 19. Now the resolution will be taken in the monsoon session of the state assembly.

Notes:
Jaspal Inder Singh Kalra (71), the celebrated chef and culinary revivalist , has passed away on June 4 in New Delhi. He earned epithets like ‘Czar of Indian Cuisine’ and ‘Taste Maker to the Nation’, and was popularly known as Jiggs Kalra. Kalra was the first Asian to be inducted in the International Food and Beverage Gourmet Hall of Fame. Born on May 21, 1948, Kalra was a pioneering food columnist, author and food consultant. In a career spanning close to five decades, he was instrumental in introducing Indian cuisine to the international audience as well as setting standards of the same. He is also credited with establishing some of the most critically acclaimed and best performing restaurants in the country. He represented India at various international food festivals and summits, apart from having served the likes of British royals Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, apart from former US President Bill Clinton. He was behind the launch of restaurants like Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Made in Punjab, Farzi Café and Pa Pa Ya.

Notes:
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador to UN, has been elected as President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In accordance with the rules, the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly should be elected from among the African States. Muhammad-Bande was elected by acclamation and he will succeed Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa in September 2019. He assumes charge as the world body gets ready to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation next year.

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:
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.