Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2021

Notes:
The Union Cabinet of the Government of India has approved and ratified a MoU between India and Maldives on cooperation in sustainable urban development.
The MoU would strengthen the bilateral ties and generate employment in urban planning, waste management, housing, green mobility, efficient power systems etc. The MoU was signed in the month of Feb 2021, and would be in force for an infinite time period. The Cabinet also approved an MoU with Japan in the same field.

Notes:
India has launched the Mission Innovation Clean-Tech Exchange at the Net Zero Summit hosted by Chile.
It is a global initiative, that will create a network of incubators across member countries to fast-track clean energy innovation. Mission Innovation 2.0 is the second phase of the global Mission Innovation initiative, launched during the Paris Agreement at the 2015 UN climate conference.

Notes:
Leadership Group for Industry Transition, LeadIT, is an Indian-Swedish climate change initiative. It will help the countries to take the lead in heavy industry transition as well as meet Paris Agreement goals and create new sustainable jobs,
Recently, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended India and Sweden for their climate change initiative. He announced this during the Clean Energy Ministerial hosted by Chile.

Notes:
Kerala retained the top spot in the Niti Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index released in the year 2021. India’s overall score across SDGs improved by six points, from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2021
The annual index evaluates the progress of states and UTs on social, economic and environmental criteria. Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu grabbed the second and third spots respectively while Bihar is placed at the last place in the index.

Notes:
Cyrtodactylus bengkhuaiai, one of four new species of bent-toed geckos recently discovered, has been named in honour of a Mizo Chief Bengkhuaia, who fought the British forces 150 years ago.
Two geckos each were found in Mizoram and Meghalaya by two groups of scientists in October-November 2020. This gecko is a species of pest-controlling lizard new to science.

Notes:
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities including cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.
According to the recent index, food prices in May were 4.8% higher than April. This is registered as the biggest monthly rise since October 2010. The prices was also 39.7% higher than this time last year, May 2020.

Notes:
The state of Mizoram has been severely affected by African Swine Fever (ASF), which has claimed more than 4,700 pigs in over two months, since the first case was reported.
As of now, the state government has declared 99 villages and localities as “infected areas”, of which 56 are located in Aizawl District, which is the state capital.

Notes:
The State Horticulture Ministry of Himachal Pradesh announced that the Government will test the use of indigenously developed ‘Anti-hail guns, to help horticulturists facing crop damage due to hailstorms.
An anti-hail gun is a machine which generates shock waves to disrupt the growth of hailstones in clouds. The gun is fired by feeding explosive mixture of acetylene gas and air into its lower chamber, which releases a shock wave.

Notes:
The State Government of Goa has released a short film on Chhatrapati Shivaji, titled “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shivrajyabhishek Divas”, on the occasion of the king’s coronation day.
This film has been released in Konkani and Hindi versions. It covers the history of Goa and the role of Shivaji in Goa’s fight against the Portuguese. It is set to restore the forts, temples built by the king.

Notes:
The State of India’s Environment Report 2021 is an annual publication of the Down To Earth magazine.
As per the report, India has been ranked at 117th position in implementing and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030. Last year India was ranked at 115 and now it has slipped by 2 positions due to major challenges faced in ending hunger, gender equality etc.