Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2018

Notes:
On July 11, the Andhra Pradesh government launched the much-awaited ‘Anna Canteens’ in various parts of the state that will offer subsidised food for the poor. About 100 canteens were opened in 35 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the first phase. They would serve breakfast, lunch and dinner for just Rs 5 a plate on week days. The canteens across the State offer a uniform menu that includes idli on all days or puri, upma and pongal on select days for breakfast and rice with a curry, pickle, dal or sambar and curd for lunch and dinner. In it, anyone can make a donation in the name of their near and dear ones on special occasions and the names of the persons would be displayed at the respective canteen. Each canteen is expected to serve at least 350 plates of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The capacity could be extended up to 500 plates when needed. The project is taken up by the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which provides the meals, in collaboration with the Municipal Administration and Civil Supplies Departments.

Notes:
The play script “Hello Farmaish”, which is being shortlisted for The Hindu Playwright Award 2018, is written by Sneh Sapru. The play script is a satire that describes as a drama with bold streaks of magic realism. The winner of The Hindu Playwright Award will be announced on August 9, 2018 on the eve of the opening of the 14th edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest in Chennai on August 10. The award, instituted in 2008, carries a prize of Rs 2 lakh for the best original, unpublished and unperformed play script in English.

Notes:
India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This move will enable Indian companies to undertake joint investments in regions in which the EBRD operates. Here, India takes a shareholding in the EBRD but it will not be a recipient of EBRD financing. London-headquartered EBRD is a multilateral development bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It aims to promote private and entrepreneurial initiative in emerging Europe and invests in 38 emerging economies. The EBRD is also working closely with leading Indian organisations, such as FICCI, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Notes:
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has constituted a 10 Member Committee, headed by the Injeti Srinivas (Secretary of Ministry of Corporate Affairs), for review of the penal provisions in the Companies Act, 2013. The basic aim of the committee is to examine de-criminalisation of certain offences and to suggest ways to replace it with in-house mechanism, where a penalty could be levied in instances of default. The committee will examine the existing compoundable offences in the Companies Act – 2013 viz. offences punishable with fine only or punishable with fine or imprisonment or both. It is also required to be seen as to whether any non-compoundable offences punishable with imprisonment only, or punishable with imprisonment and also with fine under the Companies Act, 2013 may be made compoundable. The Committee shall submit its report within 30 days to the Central Government for consideration of its recommendations.

Notes:
World Youth Skills Day is celebrated on 15th July every year. This day is celebrated to expand awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development. The United Nations General Assembly decided in resolution A/RES/69/145 to depute 15 July as World Youth Skills Day.

Notes:
On July 16, 2018 IIT-Madras unveils “world’s first” remotely operable LEAP (Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) microscope.

Notes:
Ayushman Mitra Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) will be a medical professional assisting patients seeking treatment. Their main work will be to assist patients coming to the hospital, and coordinate between patients and hospitals. The AB-NHPS aims at providing a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and benefiting more than 10 crore poor families.

Notes:
India’s first greenfield skill training centre will come up at Baranga near Bhubaneswar in Odisha. For this, the Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan laid the foundation stone of NSTI Bhubaneswar on July 16. The aim of the state-of-the-art institute will be to impart training to the trainers & create a skill-based ecosystem to meet expectations of the industry. The National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) would provide a variety of hybrid skill training programmes, both long and short term, along with advanced diploma programme. The institute would impart training in Systems Applications Products (SAP), Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare and agriculture, mobile repairing, solar technician and technician mechatronics, advanced Diploma in IT Networking and Cloud Computing, Training of Trainers (ToT) in Pedagogy for Sector Skill Councils, ToT for conventional courses including fitter, electrician, plumbing and welding. The Institute will be set up at a cost of Rs. 160 crore, on a 5 Acre land.

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has launched an online portal and mobile app ‘Aabhaar-Aapki seva ka (Gratitude-For Your Service)’ to provide transparency in the pension facility. Through this app and the website, 80,000 pensioners of the state will now get all the information related to pension and payment online. The pensioners will get the benefit of senior pension with the State government’s 7th pay scale before January 1, 2016. This pension system was launched by the Online Pension Management System (OPMS) for the pensioners of the state.

Notes:
Viresh Kundu has won bronze in the 97kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships in New Delhi on July 18, 2018. Viresh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and trains in Zirakpur, defeated South Korea’s Jeongyul Kwon by 14-5 in the 97 kg Bronze medal play-off to win his first international medal.