Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report titled ‘Tobacco: Poisoning Our Planet’ to coincide with World No Tobacco Day.
It found that the tobacco industry is responsible for the annual loss of eight million human lives, 600 million trees, 200,000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water, and releases about 84 million tonnes of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. The report called for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the ‘Scholarship for PMCARES Children’ under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, as a central sector scheme.
Under the Scheme, Scholarship of Rs 20,000/- per child per annum will be provided, including monthly allowance of  ₹1,000 and annual academic allowance of Rs. 8,000 to cover the entire school fees, cost of the books and uniform, shoes and other educational equipment.

Notes:
The second-year anniversary of ‘National AI Portal’ (INDIAai) is celebrated on May 30, 2022. The portal is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM. INDIAai released a book on the basics of AI titled ‘AI for Everyone’.
The portal focuses on promoting a unified AI ecosystem in the country and use AI for economic growth. The portal has a repository of over 1000 articles on AI and several news stories, reports, case studies and videos. It has the databases featuring details of government initiatives and start-ups related to AI.

Notes:
Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched a pan India drive “Operation Mahila Suraksha” was launched from May 3 to May 31, 2022.
During this drive, RPF has arrested more than 7,000 persons who were travelling in the coaches reserved for women without being authorised. RPF also rescued 150 women from becoming victims of human trafficking. Another pan India initiative “Meri Saheli” is also operational to provide safety and security to lady passengers.

Notes:
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the National Education Ministers’ Conference in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar with a focus on implementation of the new National Educational Policy 2020.
He announced that the Education Ministry is in the process of establishing ‘PM Shri schools’ as the laboratory of NEP 2020. The schools will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future.

Notes:
India’s first liquid-mirror telescope, the International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) has been set up on the campus of the Devasthal Observatory of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital, Uttarakhand.
The telescope will observe asteroids, supernovae, space debris and all other celestial objects from an altitude of 2,450 metres in the Himalayas. It is the first liquid-telescope globally to be designed exclusively for astronomical purposes.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a special series of coins that are also visually impaired friendly, while addressing the ‘Iconic Week Celebrations’ of the Ministry of Finance.
The coins of Re 1, Rs 2, 5, 10 and 20 denominations will have the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) design. These are not commemorative coins and will be part of circulation across the country.

Notes:
NATO launched the two-week United States-led naval exercise on the Baltic Sea with more than 7,000 sailors, airmen and marines from 16 nations.
Finland and Sweden, who have applied to join the military alliance, also participated in the event. The annual BALTOPS naval exercise was initiated in the year 1972.

Notes:
Sony has announced that it formed a new company to build and supply devices that allow small satellites in orbit to communicate with one another via laser beams.
The devices will work between satellites in space and satellites communicating with ground stations. There are around 12,000 satellites in orbit, a number that is projected to increase rapidly in the coming years

Notes:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been signed on as brand ambassador and a minority shareholder of Garuda Aerospace.
It is a Chennai-based aviation and aerospace component manufacturing firm that deals with designing and building of unmanned aerial vehicles. The company is known for developing low-cost drone solutions.