Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2017

Notes:
India’s tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower has installed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi. The new 101.9m ATC tower has built at a cost of Rs 350 and is likely to start operations by December 2017. Once ready, it will be the 7th tallest ATC tower in the world. The new ATC tower will have 21 controller positions with a 360 degree view at the visual control room and 12 ground controllers at the operational level. Also, this is for the first time in the country that Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) technology will be used to increase the comfort of occupants and reduce building sway.

Notes:
The World Sports Journalists Day (WSJD) is observed every year on July 2 to mark the services of sports journalists for the promotion of sports. The purpose of the day is to encouraged sports journalists to strive for excellence in their work and to set an example to the world – not only to the world of sport, but to the world at large.

Notes:
The National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) to create India’s third largest commodities exchange. The merger, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed by December 2017. ICEX’s shareholders will hold a 62.8% stake in the merged entity while the balance will be held by shareholders of NMCE. The proposed merger will offer a range of contracts including bullion, oil, rubber and other agri-commodities. The exchange will also offer the world’s first diamond futures contract, which has already received “in-principle” approval from the regulator. The NMCE is the India’s first demutualised online national multi-commodities exchange.

Notes:
Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), a Pune-based NGO, has won the 2017 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Equator Prize for its women led climate resilient agro-ecological farming model and innovative solutions in climate resilient farming in the Marathwada region of India. The SSP is one of the 15 winners of Equator Prize 2017 by UNDP. The SSP has empowered 72,000 women in the drought-prone state of Maharashtra to act as agricultural decision-makers, improving their health, food security, and economic well-being.

Notes:
The first-ever Save Public Sector Banks Day (SPSBD) will be celebrated by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on July 19, 2017, the 48th anniversary of nationalization of major banks in India. All members will wear a commemorative badge on the day, display posters in front of all branches, distribute leaflets and hold rallies/demonstrations at all centers across the country. The Government of India (GoI) issued an ordinance and nationalized the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969.

Notes:
Sanjay Kumar, the 1985-batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He will succeed R K Pachnanda, who was has taken charge as DG the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Prior to this appointment, he was director general of police (DGP) in Himachal Pradesh. The NDRF has 12 battalions with a strength of over 13,000 personnel. It is mandated to undertake special disaster response and combat roles independently and also assist local authorities in launching a quick rescue and response operation to save life and property.

Notes:
Pradeep Kumar Rawat, the IFS officer of 1990 batch, has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to Indonesia. Presently, he is the joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He will succeed Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya.

Notes:
The 5th edition of BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting-2017 was held on July 5, 2017 at Beijing, China. The Indian delegation was led by Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD). Minister Javadekar specifically spoke about the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), SWAYAM platform which has already hosted over 480 courses online, research initiative IMPRINT and Smart India Hackathon. The delegation of all the five BRICS countries participated in the two-day deliberations.

Notes:
The Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City (WHC) at the 41st session of UNESCO’s world heritage committee at Krakow in Poland. With this, the 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad, which was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah, has become India’s first World Heritage City. The city was also the center for India’s non-violent freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. The walled city has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of ‘pols’ that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930. The Ahmedabad city has also stood for unity with its elegant carvings in its Hindu and Jain temples as well as standing as one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture and Hindu Muslim art. Now, Ahmedabad will join the world heritage cities like Paris, Cairo and Edinburgh. Out of total 287 world heritage cities across the globe, there were only two cities in the Indian subcontinent- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. The UNESCO tag will add immense value to Ahmedabad city which will also boost tourism.

Notes:
The global food fair “World Food India 2017” will be organised by the Union Food Processing ministry in New Delhi on November 3-5, 2017 to boost food sector. For the global food fair, the Union ministry of Food Processing has organised a roadshow in Chandigarh to provide a platform to Indian farmers and manufacturers to showcase their products and explore partnerships with foreign companies. More than 10 states and all leading giants from India and abroad in food processing, food technology, technology and equipment players, cold chains, food retailers will be present at World Food India.