Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
Veteran diplomat Gaitri I. Kumar has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.
She is a 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is presently serving as the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union. Gaitri I. Kumar is to replace Ruchi Ghanshyam who just retired. In her 3-decade long career, the diplomat has served in many Indian missions including in Paris, Kathmandu, Lisbon and Geneva.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has recently given its approval to re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH.
PCIM&H is to be merged with the two central laboratories: Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL). The two laboratories were established in Ghaziabad in 1975. At present, PCIM&H is an autonomous body under AYUSH ministry.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet recently amended the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in view of helping farmers and transforming the agriculture sector.
With the amendment, commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes will be removed from list of essential commodities, thereby attracting private sector/foreign direct investment into agriculture sector. The cabinet also approved two ordinances to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce and give a level playing field with wholesalers and exporters.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has given its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bhutan on cooperation in the field of Environment.
Under the agreement, the countries will work together in the areas of environment protection including air, waste, chemical management, climate change and management of natural resources by taking into account the applicable legal provisions in each country.

Notes:
The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs have jointly launched a new initiative named SWADES.
SWADES stands for Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support. Since many Indian citizens are returning under Vande Bharat Mission, this scheme aims to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the qualified people. The information will be shared with the companies for suitable job opportunities in the country.

Notes:
As per the recent data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), as many as 750 tigers have died in the country in the last eight years.
Out of the total mortalities, 369 were due to natural causes and 168 were due to poaching. The state of Madhya Pradesh reported the highest casualties at 173, which is followed by Maharashtra. The data also highlighted that 101 tigers were seized by different authorities across the country between 2012 and 2019. In December 2019, there were 2976 tigers in the country.

Notes:
The Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, R K Singh launched the ‘#iCommit’ campaign, on the occasion of World Environment Day.
The initiative aims to bring together all stake holders including Governments, Corporates, several organisations, Think Tanks and Individuals and create a robust and sustainable energy system in the future. The campaign is led by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of Ministry of Power.

Notes:
UN celebrates six separate language days to raise awareness of the history, culture and development of each of its six official languages – English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French.
June 6 is celebrated as the UN Russian Language Day, which is also the birthday of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The poet is considered as the father of modern Russian literature. Some of his popular literary works include novel titled “Eugene Onegin” and his poem titled “The Bronze Horseman”.

Notes:
The Indian Naval Ship Kesari reached Port Victoria in Seychelles to provide COVID-19 related essential medicines, as a part of Mission Sagar.
Under Mission Sagar, the government of India is extending assistance to friendly foreign countries in fighting COVID-19 pandemic. The programme is being implemented in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and other Government agencies. This is in line with the ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ vision proposed by the Government earlier.

Notes:
Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) has bagged one of world’s largest solar contract from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
Under the contract, AGEL is to develop 8 GW of solar projects. It has also committed to establish 2 GW of additional solar cell and module manufacturing capacity at a cost of USD 6 billion (₹45,000 crore). With this contract, AGEL will have 15 GW capacity under operation, construction or under contract.