Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2017

Notes:
The Sri Venkateshwara National Park (SVNP) is a national park and biosphere reserve located in Andhra Pradesh, India and covers an area of 353 km2. The park is known for its many waterfalls including the Talakona, Gundalakona and Gunjana. It is home to hyena, golden jackal, Indian fox, small Indian civet, jungle cat, etc. The key threats that national park is facing are construction and quarrying.

Notes:
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has signed MoU with Govt. of Uttarakhand for development for aviation sector in the state. The scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in Uttarakhand, assessing commercial potential of various airports of the state, identifying technical considerations for airport operations in the state, evaluating site related technical and engineering parameters for development of projects, making estimate of the capital outlay for the future projects and development of master plan for existing and future civil aviation infrastructure in the state. AAI will also assist UCADA in obtaining necessary clearances for airport operations starting with the upgraded airport at Pithoragarh and later at Chiniyalisaur.

Notes:
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Islands Development Agency (IDA) on July 24, 2017. After detailed consultations, ten islands namely Smith, Ross, Aves, Long and Little Andaman in Andaman & Nicobar and Minicoy, Bangaram, Suheli, Cherium and Tinnakara in Lakshadweep have been identified for holistic development in the first phase. The IDA was set up on June 1, 2017 following the Prime Minister’s review meeting for the development of islands.

Notes:
The Punjab government has launched its flagship health scheme “Care Companion Programme (CCP)” to educate family members of patient about taking better care of patients. The CCP scheme is targeted to improve patients outcome by implementing better family engagement. For this, the state department of health and family welfare has signed a MOU with Noora Health India Trust for implementation of the CCP. The purpose of the programme is to reduce the number of baby deaths after discharge from hospitals due to infections or any other reason. The innovative programme includes teaching the family of patient’s high-impact medical skills to take care of the patients in the hospital and at home.

Notes:
Ravi Mittal, additional secretary in the Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as the part-time member of the board of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA). He succeeded N S Rao at IRDAI, who is a joint secretary level officer. Former finance secretary Sushma Nath is another part-time member on the IRDAI board. Besides, Maruthi Prasad Tangirala, a 1990-batch IP&TA&FS officer, has been appointed as Executive Director (ED) at IRDAI and his position will be equivalent to a joint secretary.  Tangirala has replaced Sriram Taranikanti, who is a 1992 -batch IAS officer.

Notes:
Aditya Patil and Suhaani Lohia have clinched bronze medals at the 13th edition of Asian Schools Chess Championship (ASCC) 2017 in Panjin, China. Aditya won bronze in the Under-7 rapid championship, while Suhaani Lohia won the bronze in the Under-9 girls blitz championships. Both these prodigious talents are products of the South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA).

Notes:
K. E. Mammen (96), the noted Gandhian and freedom fighter, has recently passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and is often referred to as the Kerala Gandhi. He became active in the freedom movement as a college student. He was first jailed for taking an open stand against C.P Ramaswamy Iyer, the then Dewan of the erstwhile Travancore state. After being denied an opportunity at continued studies here, he shifted to Madras Christian College in 1940. He was ousted from there too, following his participation in the Quit India Movement. He was also actively involved in anti-liquour campaigns across the state of Kerala till his death.

Notes:
Recently, Indian boxers has won five gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the 48th Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem in the Czech Republic, clinching five gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the event in the Czech Republic. Shiva Thapa (60 kg), Manoj Kumar (69 kg), Amit Phangal (52 kg), Gaurav Bidhuri (56 kg) and Satish Kumar (+91 kg) category has recently claimed gold medals after winning their respective summit clashes on July 30, 2017. Kavinder Bisht in 52 kg and Manish Panwar in 81 kg settled for silver medals. Earlier, Sumit Sangwan had claimed a bronze in 91 kg category after going down in the semifinals.

Notes:
The United Nations (UN) World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims, and promote and protect their rights. The 2017 theme “Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons” highlights the large mixed migration movements of refugees and migrants. The theme puts the spotlight on the significant impact of conflict and natural disasters, as well as the resultant, multiple risks of human trafficking that many people face. It addresses the key issue concerning trafficking responses: that most people are never identified as trafficking victims and therefore cannot access most of the assistance or protection provided.

Notes:
The Indravati National Park (INP) is located in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and covers an area of approximately 2799.08 km2. It is home to one of the last populations of rare wild buffalo. The flora in the Indravati National Park is mainly comprises tropical moist and dry deciduous type with predominance of the sal, teak and bamboo trees. It is also home to tigers, leopards, Indian bison, nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha , sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, etc.