Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2018

Notes:
The NITI Aayog has signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with Lupin Foundation to collaborate in Aspirational Districts Programme. The purpose of the programme is to improve indicators in education, health and nutrition, financial inclusion and skill development, agriculture and water resources, and basic infrastructure in Aspirational Districts of India. As per the terms of the SoI, Lupin Foundation, with the NITI Aayog, will work in 3 states – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan – to facilitate the creation of an ideal template to develop economic strength, technological viability and moral leadership across three districts in these states as part of Phase I of the cooperation. The phase I of this cooperation with NITI Aayog will focus on the districts of Dholpur in Rajasthan, Nandurbar in Maharashtra and Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, and help develop a comprehensive district-level action plan with integrates various initiatives and interventions.

Notes:
The Langshiang Falls is a major waterfall in the Kynshi River near the village of Sangriang, in West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The total height of the falls is generally quoted at around 337m.

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The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has organized 2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan on 24th July 2018 in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. In it, it was declared that Month of September to be celebrated as National Nutrition Month (NNM) every year. During the meeting, the National Council approved to include 32 new districts in the current year 2018-19 under POSHAN Abhiyaan by which it will saturate all the districts of the UTs which are left to be included under Phase-I and Phase-II. The POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) was launched nationwide from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan on 8th March 2018. It aims to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.

Notes:
The Haryana government has recently constituted an inter-district council, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, to identify the developmental priorities of the State. The inter-district council will prepare district specific action plans, assessment of development needs, and delegate powers to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies. Further the body will regularly review the progress of various flagship programmes of the Centre and the state governments. The finance minister, development and panchayat minister, urban local bodies minister, presidents of zilla parishads, mayors of municipal corporations and presidents of municipal councils or committees at district headquarters would be permanent members of the council.

Notes:
On July 26, Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore has been conferred D Litt (Honoris Causa) by West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi at a special convocation of Kazi Nazrul University (KNU) held at the Raj Bhawan. Tripathi, who is also the university Chancellor, also conferred D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) on renowned scientist at the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, S M Yusuf at the same occasion. Beside this, Kazi Nazrul University had conferred honorary D Litt on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during its third convocation at its Asansol campus on May 26.

Notes:
The museum for all former Prime Ministers of India will be constructed in the Teen Murti Bhavan complex that houses the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in New Delhi. The decision was taken at the 43rd annual general meeting of the NMML chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on July 26, 2018. The Teen Murti Bhavan complex is spread over 25 acres and the present museum for Jawaharlal Nehru occupied half an acre. The new museum would be constructed at a cost of Rs 270 crore and will be separate from the existing structure of the Nehru Memorial. The NMML, as per the Memorandum of Association, is mandated with five tasks and maintenance of a museum of Nehru “personalia, memorabilia’’, and other objects pertaining to his life and the freedom movement is just one of them. The other tasks include acquiring, maintaining and preserving papers of nationalist leaders of modern India and other eminent Indians; establishing and maintaining a library on the history of modern India; and facilitating research in modern Indian history.

Notes:
The Global Disability Summit 2018 was held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England on 24th July 2018. It was co-hosted by the UK government with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Government of Kenya to galvanize global efforts to address disability inclusion around the world. The motto of the Conference was to firm up the commitments of the country leaders towards the cause of persons with disabilities. From India, Thaawarchand Gehlot, the Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, attended the summit. Besides India, global leaders from more than 40 countries attended the summit and have committed themselves to work in the direction of economic empowerment of persons with disabilities. The purpose of the summit was to raise global attention and focus on a neglected area.

Notes:
The citizen centric online portal “Innovate India Platform” has been jointly launched by NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and MyGov on July 26, 2018. The portal will serve as the common point for all the innovation happening across the nation. Through the portal, users can view, comment, share, and rate the innovations crowdsourced on the #InnovateIndia platform. They can view the leaderboard which is calculated based on the votes on each innovation. Citizens can also share their or other organisations’ innovation on the platform by logging into the MyGov website. These innovations can also be shared on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter.

Notes:
Cherkallam Abdullah (76), the senior Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and former Kerala Minister, has passed away on July 27, 2018. He was a prominent leader of the Opposition Congress-led UDF in north Kerala. A 4-time MLA from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district since 1987, Abdullah was the local self development minister in the A K Antony cabinet from 2001-2004.

Notes:
Kane Tanaka (115), a Japanese super centenarian, has become the world’s oldest verified living person following the death of Chiyo Miyako on July 22, 2018. Born on 2nd January 1903, Tanaka is in good health, occasionally playing board games and taking short walks in the facility’s hallways. She credits family, sleep and hope as her secrets for longevity.