Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
Manila-based Asian Development Bank recently announced that the economy of India would contract by 4% in the financial year 2020-21.
In its earlier outlook released in the month of April, it had estimated that India would grow at 4%. But it has been reduced to -4%. It also projected that the GDP of India would grow at 5.0% in the following year, as compared to 6.2% projected in April. A growth of 0.1% is expected for the whole Developing economies of Asian region.

Notes:
The State Department of Archaeology Team of the Kodumanal excavation has identified 250 cairn-circles at the village in Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
The team has recently found around 10 pots and bowls, instead of the usual 3-4 pots, placed outside three-chambered burial cists. It is expected to be of the head of the community. Pots filled with grains were placed outside the chambers as it was believed that the deceased will get a new life after death. This has revealed about the burial rituals and the belief of afterlife in megalithic culture.

Notes:
The US Chamber of Commerce has recently announced that ‘India Ideas Summit 2020’ is scheduled to be held virtually on July 21-22.
The summit is organised by US India Business Council (USIBC). This year is the 45th annual meeting and will focus on geopolitics in the post-COVID world, technology trends and the future of healthcare, among others. Last year, the Summit was organised in Washington. It brings together scholars, diplomats and think tanks for high-level dialogue on key issues related to India.

Notes:
The Finance ministry has recently proposed restrictions on pension fund investments from any of India’s bordering countries, including China.
Foreign Direct investment (FDI) in pension funds, that are regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is fixed at 49 per cent under the automatic route. Till now, government permission is mandatory only for investments coming from Bangladesh and Pakistan. The draft guidelines make government permission mandatory for all bordering countries.

Notes:
Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani launched a special campaign titled ‘Empowering the Greater 50%’.
This campaign is an initiative of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and its division FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO). It seeks to create an ecosystem to support women entrepreneurship and empower as many as 1 lakh women in India over the next three years.

Notes:
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has partnered with Coal India Limited (CIL) to boost its Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives.
During a virtual e-summit held between AIM and CLI, a Statement of Intent (SoI) of strategic partnership between them was signed and exchanged. Under the collaboration, several programs will be conducted by them to promote innovation ecosystem through the initiatives of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

Notes:
World Music Day is celebrated on June 21, to promote peace and spread positivity through music. The event is also popularly called as ‘Fete de la Musique’.
This special day was a music festival, which began in France in 1982. French Minister of Culture Jack Lang proposed the idea of the celebration of Music Day in the year 1981. Every year, on this day, amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to showcase their work.

Notes:
Rajinder Goel, who was considered as one of the finest left-arm spinners of the country, passed away recently, at the age of 77
Rajinder Goel took part in about 157 first-class matches, most of them for Haryana. He also holds the record for clinching maximum wickets in Ranji trophy with 637 wickets. The legendary spinner made his debut in the year 1957 and played domestic cricket until the age of 44. He was awarded the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by BCCI.

Notes:
A Japanese broadcaster had reported that the Ishigaki City assembly in Okinawa, in Japan, had passed a bill to change the name of the administrative area covering the islands to Tonoshiro Senkaku from Tonoshiro.
China has recently said that it reserved the right to respond to the city’s decision to rename the area that includes remote islands claimed by both China and Japan. The disputed islands are known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. It also warned that Japan should not interfere in Beijing’s internal affairs.

Notes:
According to the new study published in the Astronomical Journal, the researchers have detected the exoplanet HIP 67522 b.
The exoplanet appears to be the youngest hot Jupiter ever found. It also orbits around a well-studied star that is about 17 million years old. This means that the hot Jupiter is only a few million years younger probably. As most known hot Jupiters are more than a billion years old, this is likely the youngest hot Jupiter.