Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

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 Nagaland, the scenic Dzukou Valley has been officially declared Plastic Free Zone on the occasion of 2019 World Environment Day (WED). The declaration was made officially by Advisor of Youth Resources and Sports, Zale Neikha. The much-appreciated initiative on declaring this scenic valley as a ‘plastic-free zone’ was taken by Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) in accordance with its pledge to conserve and protect the environment. The Dzukou valley is situated at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level. It is famous for its wide range of flower in every season. The rare Dzükou Lily is found only in this valley.

Notes:
India has been ranked 95th out of a total 129 countries in the first-ever SDG Gender Index, which measures strides made in achieving gender commitments against internationally set targets. The index has been developed by Equal Measures 2030, which is a partnership among global and regional organisations from the civil society and the development and private sectors. It includes The African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Women’s Health Coalition and Plan International. The overall index scores are based on a scale of 0–100. A score of 100 indicates the achievement of gender equality in relation to the underlying indicators. A score of 50 would indicate that a country is about halfway to meeting its goal. India’s score of 56.2 means that it is among 43 countries that fall in the ‘very poor’ category. Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Canada, Ireland, and Australia rank as the top 10 countries in the index.

Notes:
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and be part of the all-important panel on political affairs headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh was also made a member of two new committees set up by the Modi government — the Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth and the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development, to propel growth and investment. Both the committees will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.

Notes:
The TomTom Traffic Index 2018, carried out by location technology specialist TomTom, covered 403 cities in 56 countries and defined congestion as the extra time added to road travel when traffic doesn’t flow freely. Mumbai topped the list of cities with drivers expecting to spend an average of 65% extra travel time stuck in traffic. New Delhi ranked 4th with a congestion rank of 58%. Bogota (63%) in Colombia and Lima in Peru (58%) were ranked second and third on the list respectively, while the Russian capital Moscow (56%) ranked fifth. The study found that in 2018, the best time to drive in Mumbai was between 2 am and 5 am, when traffic flowed freely.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has recently signed a deal worth around Rs 300 crore for buying more than 100 SPICE bombs from Israel. The IAF fighter jets used these bombs to target Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in Pakistan’s Balakot on 26th February 2019 after the ghastly Pulwama terror attack in which over 44 CRPF jawans lost their lives after a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden SUV into the convoy which was passing from the area. As per the contract, the advanced SPICE bombs would be delivered to the Air Force in the next 3 months as the deal is under emergency powers. SPICE bomb has a standoff range of 60 km and approaches the target as its unique scene-matching algorithm compares the electro-optical image received in real-time via the weapon seeker with mission reference data stored in the weapon computer memory and adjusts the flight path accordingly. Israeli defence firm Rafael Advanced Defence Systems manufactures the weapon.

Notes:
The women members of Telangana-based Deccan Development Society (DDS) sanghams (groups) have bagged the prestigious United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Equator Prize for 2019. They have been selected for standing as ‘an outstanding example of a local, nature-based solution to climate change and sustainable development. The women farmers have been building their own seed banks and growing millets in the predominantly rain-fed villages of Sangareddy district. The women farmers of DDS are the first group in the Telugu states to have been selected for the prestigious award which will be presented at a ceremony in New York in September 2019. The US$10,000-prize is given annually for nature-based solutions to climate change as well as sustainable development. The award recognizes local and indigenous community initiatives.

Notes:
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has instituted the first Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) for 2019 to mark the contribution of media in spreading the message of Yoga. The AYDMS will be conferred to print and electronic media houses. The contribution of the media in popularizing Yoga would be assessed by six juries. A total of 33 awards, under three categories, will be conferred. The award will comprise a special medal, plaque and trophy and a citation. The duration of the coverage for AYDMS would be from June 10 to June 25. Yoga has been universally acknowledged by the United Nations (UN) and is now practiced globally around 200 countries on June 21 every year.

Notes:
The ruling National People’s Party (NPP), which is in an alliance with the BJP in Meghalaya, has been granted recognition as a national party by the Election Commission of India (ECI). As per the party’s request, the symbol ‘book’ has been allotted to it. With this, the NPP has become the first party from the North East (NE) to get the national party status. It is a recognized party in four states of the region viz. Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. According to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order of 1968, a political party can be recognised as a national party if its candidates secure at least 6% of votes polled in four or more states in Lok Sabha or assembly elections. In addition, it has at least 4 members in the Lok Sabha. It also has to have at least 2% of the total Lok Sabha seats and its candidates come from not less than 3 states. Third, it is recognised as a state party in at least four states.

Notes:
Dr. Romila Thapar, the well-known historian and writer, has been elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in United States (US). Dr. Thapar, a Professor Emerita of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, was among 1,013 members elected to the society at its Annual Spring Meeting.