Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2021

Notes:
The CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) has entered into a partnership with Tata group’s health care venture “Tata MD”. This partnership aims to increase the Covid-19 testing capacity across Tier 2 and 3 towns and in rural regions of the country.
Under this partnership, Tata MD CHECK SARS-CoV-2 test kits would be extensively used to perform RT-PCR tests across the CSIR labs in India.

Notes:
Every year, 18th June is observed as the Sustainable Gastronomy Day by the United Nations. This day was first adopted by the UN in the year 2016.
Gastronomy refers to local food and cuisine. The United Nations defines Sustainable Gastronomy as a cuisine that takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates.

Notes:
The Indian Navy, for the first time is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), which is set to take place in the Gulf of Aden, also known as the Gulf of Barbera.
This exercise would involve some of the most advanced air defence, anti-submarine exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, tactical manoeuvres etc.

Notes:
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has released the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction-Special Report on Drought 2021.
As per the assessment, Drought has directly affected 1.5 billion people so far this century, more than any other disaster. This increased number is due to climate change, environmental degradation and demographic shifts.

Notes:
Great Barrier Reef spans for 2,300km off Australia’s north-east coast. It gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 due to its scientific and intrinsic importance.
Recently, UNESCO recently said the Great Barrier Reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” due to the damage it has suffered. Several bleaching events on the reef in the past five years caused significant loss of coral.

Notes:
Israel has successfully tested an airborne high-power laser that can shoot down drones mid-air. The Laser was mounted on a civilian plane and it successfully shot down several drones in a recent test over the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel already has a sophisticated air defense system, which had 90 per cent interception rate against thousands of rockets fired from Gaza during the recent 11-day war.

Notes:
India has launched the world’s first exclusive Green rating system for High Speed Rail. CII-Indian Green Building Council has launched the IGBC Green High-Speed Rail Rating System.
IGBC has collaborated with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL). This rating system will enable new High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations to apply energy efficient concepts during operations.

Notes:
As per Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation report, India’s industrialist and Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata has been declared to be world’s biggest philanthropist of the last century. He has made donations worth $102.4 billion.
Bill and Melinda Gates have been ranked the second. Wipro Founder and Chairman Azim Premji has been ranked at 12th position in the list.

Notes:
The 10th edition of Digital News Report for the year 2021 has been released by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. It details the impact of COVID 19 pandemic on news consumption across the globe.
The report has been compiled based on the data collected from six continents and 46 markets, which includes India, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Colombia, and Peru for the first time. India ranked 31 out of 46 countries on levels of trust in news.

Notes:
The Government of Delhi has announced the implementation of Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana in the UT.
Under the scheme, a financial assistance of Rs.50,000 would be provided as ex-gratia for the families which have lost a member due to COVID 19 disease and an additional Rs.2500 per month if the deceased member was the sole breadwinner of the family.