Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2017

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 host nation India bagged 7 medals including two gold to sit atop the medal tally on the day one of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on July 6, 2017. Long distance runner Govindan Laxman has won gold in men’s 5000m race, while Manpreet Kaur won gold medal with a career second best throw of 18.28m in the women’s shotput event. V Neena and Nayan James bagged a silver and bronze in women’s long jump while Vikas Gowda, Sanjivini Yadav, Annu Rani added a bronze each in the men’s discus throw, women’s 5000m race and javelin throw respectively. The Asian Championships winner gets automatic berth for the World Championships to be held in London in August 2017.

Notes:
The Union Government has officially launched a student- scientist connect programme “Jigyasa” in New Delhi to develop interest among students to pursue science. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this programme. The programme is expected to connect 1151 Kendriya Vidyalayas with 38 National Laboratories of CSIR targeting 100,000 students and nearly 1000 teachers annually. It will also enable the students and teachers to practically live the theoretical concepts taught in science by visiting CSIR laboratories and by participating in mini-science projects. The model of engagement includes student residential programmes, scientists as teachers and teachers as scientists, popular lecture series/demonstration programme at Schools and student apprenticeship programmes among others.

Notes:
Harinder Pal Sandhu from India has won the South Australian Open squash title by defeating Rhys Dowling in the final by 11-8, 12-10, 11-4 at Adelaide, Australia. It is Sandhu’s eighth career title at the PSA level.

Notes:
Sandeep Chakravorty, the 1976-batch IFS officer, has been appointed as the head of the Indian consulate in New York. He will succeed Riva Ganguly Das as Consul General in one of the busiest Indian diplomatic missions overseas. Currently, he is Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia.

Notes:
Tata Steel Ltd. (TISCO) has won the Prime Minister’s trophy for ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ in India during 2014-2015 and 2015- 16. This makes it the third consecutive-year for the firm to be honoured with this coveted award. Tata Steel has been recognised as the best integrated steel plant for 12 times and has won the PM’s Trophy 10 times. The Tata Steel Group is among the top 10 global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2017. It is the world’s second-most geographically diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries.

Notes:
Debi Prasad Dash, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (customs) officer, has taken over as director-general of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the premier agency that tackles smuggling and black money. Dash was the acting DRI chief for the past 5-months. Earlier, he has worked in the UN Security Council, Commonwealth Secretariat and the CBI. The DRI is the major intelligence agency that works to secure India’s national and economic security by preventing the outright smuggling of contraband such as firearms, gold, narcotics, Fake Indian Currency notes, antiques, wildlife and environmental products. Furthermore, it also works to prevent the proliferation of black money, commercial frauds and trade based money laundering. The headquarters of DRI is located in New Delhi.

Notes:
The Karnataka government will organize the 2017 International conference “Reclaiming Social Justice, Revisiting Ambedkar” from July 21 at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bengaluru to mark the 126th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar. The 3-day event will see delegates deliberate on universal principles of democracy and importance of social justice in the current global environment. The conference will come out with a ‘Bengaluru declaration outlining a new deal for India – who are & who we can be’. This conference is an invitation to substantially re-think current social, political and economic paradigms motivated by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s imaginative and creative work. Approx, 2000 delegates from across the globe are expected to participate.

Notes:
Axis Bank has tied up with Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) to facilitate trade with Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the first Indian bank to participate in the Trade Finance Facilitation Programme as a confirming bank. IIC, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to supporting the private sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Notes:
Dr Mukul Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, has recently launched a flagship programme ‘Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship’ (LIFE) at Songsak in East Garo Hills for the state on July 11, 2017. LIFE is a programme of the State Rural Livelihood Society, an agency of the Community and Rural Development Department, which is implementing the Centre’s flagship programme – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). NRLM promotes livelihood through women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their Federations. The programme offers thrust on improving the livelihood of rural poor in a sustainable manner through the process of SHGs, Village organisation and Producers Groups.