Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
The Punjab government has decided to make it mandatory for all online aggregators to ensure that food supplied by them have hygiene rating as per the guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The online order and delivery mechanism of food supply has created a physical disconnect between the consumer and the food maker. Hence, the onus of ensuring the quality of food and the hygienic condition under which food is prepared, has shifted to the intermediate food delivery mechanism. Thus, keeping this in mind, the state government has decided that all the online food order-delivery companies shall ensure that FBO’s registered or affiliated with them have their hygiene rating done from the FSSAI empanelled companies.

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:
Puerto Williams is the main settlement, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. Recently, Puerto Williams has become the world’s southernmost city after the Chilean authorities upgraded its status from hamlet to city. It took over the title from Ushuaia, the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. Puerto Williams is the port of entry and major hub for scientific activity linked to Antarctica and the islands south of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Notes:
In Football, Liverpool FC won the Champions League for the sixth time at Madrid on June 1, 2019. In the final, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-nil after game defining moments at the start and end of the game . Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in front after just two minutes when he converted a penalty following a handball by Moussa Sissoko. Spurs created some chances but were denied by Liverpool keeper Alisson who saved well from Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Christian Eriksen. Then, with three minutes left, substitute Divock Origi drove low and powerfully past Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris to ensure that Jurgen Klopp won his first trophy as Liverpool manager.

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:
On 1st June 2019, Ex-President Pratibha Patil has been conferred the “Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca” (Order of the Aztec Eagle) in the MCCIA Bhavan, Pune. It is the highest civilian award of Mexico given to foreigners in recognition of their outstanding services to strengthening the bilateral ties between Mexico and other countries and outstanding services to the Mexican nation or humanity. Patil, India’s first woman President (2007-2012), became only the 2nd Indian head of state to get the award. Earlier, the late President S Radhakrishna had been conferred this honour.

Notes:
Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele has been sworn-in as the new President of El Salvador. His presidency breaks three decades of bipartisanship between the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and the outgoing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). Hence, Bukele is the first candidate to win the presidency since the end of the Salvadoran Civil War who did not represent either of the major two parties.

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:
On June 6, the 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.75% from 6.0% with immediate effect in its 2nd bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2019-20. Repo rate is the interest rate at which the central bank provides liquidity to banks to overcome short-term liquidity mismatches. A repo rate cut allows banks to reduce interest rates for consumers on loans, and lowers equal monthly installments on home loans, car loans and personal loans. Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 5.50%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.0%. Beside this, RBI has also unanimously decided to change the stance of monetary policy from neutral to accommodative. The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled during August 5 to 7.

Notes:
In Russia, the first tourist train service traveling through Russia’s Arctic region and on to Norway set off from St. Petersburg station with 91 passengers aboard for the inaugural trial journey on June 5. The tourists came from 7 countries including the US, Germany, Norway and Russia. The train, named Zarengold (“The Tsar’s gold” in German), complete with two restaurant cars will travel from Saint Petersburg through Petrozavodsk, the historic town of Kem and Murmansk. At Murmansk, by far the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, the tourists will get off the train and continue by bus to Kirkenes in Norway before ending their journey with a boat trip to Oslo or by air to the island of Spitsbergen. According to the organisers, the whole trip will take 11 days and allow passengers to discover areas difficult to access by other means.