Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2017

Notes:
India is the world’s largest producer of milk, contributing about 19% of the world’s total milk production with over 150 million tonnes of milk production every year. India, whose milk output surpasses that of all the European Union countries combined, is followed by the US, China, Pakistan and Brazil.

Notes:
Raymond Chikapa Enock Phiri (70), the legendary South African jazz musician, has passed away in Nelspruit, South Africa on July 12, 2017. Internationally, Phiri was known primarily for his contributions to Paul Simon’s Graceland album and ensuing tours.

Notes:
The National Gandhi Museum (NGM) is located in New Delhi i.e. showcasing the life and principles of Mahatma Gandhi. The museum first opened in Mumbai, shortly after Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. The museum relocated several times before moving to Rajghat, New Delhi in 1961, next to the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. The museum is in news because Dr. Y P Anand, the former Director of National Gandhi Museum (NGM), has authored the book ‘Historical Background to the Imposition of Salt Tax under the British Rule in India (1757-1947) and Mahatma Gandhi s Salt Satyagraha (1930-31) against the British Rule Background’. The book is recently launched by the Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism, at Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi on July 13, 2017. This book is extremely important for India, especially in the present times, wherein there is a need for humanity in the world.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has recently launched a virtual server “RailCloud” with an inbuilt security system to optimise server usage and faster connectivity. The technology is developed by rail PSU RailTel at an estimated cost of approx Rs 53 crore. The RailCloud technology enables maximising the usage of available server and storage resulting in accommodation of bigger data and more applications within same server space. It will cover all management related to various services like human resources, health and hospital, signal assets, freight and logistics and energy among others. Beside this, the first IT application on RailCloud “Nivaran-Grievance Portal” was also launched. Nivaran is a platform for resolution of service-related grievances of serving and former railway employees.

Notes:
Liu Xiaobo (61), the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy campaigner, has died of multiple organ failure while under guard at a hospital in Shenyang, China on July 13, 2017. Liu had been serving an 11-year jail sentence for demanding an end to one-party rule and for introduction of multi-party democracy. He was the most prominent human rights and democracy advocate of China. Now, Xiaobo became the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since Carl von Ossietzky, the German pacifist and foe of Nazism who won the prize in 1935 and died under guard in 1938 after years of maltreatment.

Notes:
The fourth edition of Everest International Model United Nations (EIMUN) Regional Conference was held in Kathmandu, Nepal from July 10-14, 2017. The event is organised by the US Embassy in partnership with the Youth Thinker’s Society (YTS). Youths from 12 South and Central Asian countries including India participated in 5-day conference. The basic aim of the EIMUN was to provide a platform to young minds to channelize energy and resources for a more prosperous and peaceful world. The conference simulate four UN committees-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN), United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Notes:
The Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located in the East Sikkim district of the state of Sikkim. The total notified area of the park is around 124 square kilometres while inside the wildlife sanctuary there are a few hamlets: Aritar, Lingtam, Phadamchen, Zuluk, Gnathang valley and Kupup. This wildlife sanctuary is linked to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park of West Bengal. It is home many birds such as kalij pheasant, Oriental honey buzzard, blood pheasant, white-crested laughingthrush, striated laughingthrush, etc. It is also home for some rarities like the speckled wood pigeon and bay woodpecker.

Notes:
The Nelson Mandela International Day (NMID) is observed every year on July 18 to mark birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, the former South African President & Nobel Peace Prize winner, for his tireless struggle against apartheid. The day is an opportunity to reflect on the life and work of a legend who embodied the highest values of the United Nations. Mandela was South Africa’s first black president, who spent 27 years in three different prisons and was an anti-Apartheid icon who led a memorable life. His negotiations in the early 1990s with South African President F.W. de Klerk led to the end of the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation. For their efforts, both of them jointly received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993.

Notes:
Internationally-acclaimed senior kathak dancer Dr. Pandit Nandakishore Kapote has recently conferred with a fellowship by the Department of Culture, Government of India (GoI). Kapote is the only male senior kathak dancer in the country to receive the honour. Through this fellowship, Kapote will carry out a detailed study on ‘Hand Gestures and Kathak Dance in Abhinaydarpan’. Earlier, Kapote was awarded with scholarships by the central government, cultural department of Maharashtra, Dr Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Award, Balgandharva Award by PMC, Nehru Award, among others.

Notes:
According to the supplement of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Outlook 2017, India is expected to achieve the projected growth rate of 7.4% in 2017 and 7.6% in 2018 on strong consumption demand. According to the report, South Asia will be the fastest growing of all sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific, with growth on track to meet original projections of 7% in 2017 and 7.2% in 2018. In the supplement, ADB has upgraded its growth outlook in the Asian region to 5.9% in 2017 from 5.7% and to 5.8% for 2018 from 5.7%.