Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
India will host the Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) in New Delhi from February 8 2017. The meeting will highlight India’s commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It also highlights the continued priority of India to nuclear security, strengthening the institutional frameworks, capacity building and enhancing international cooperation. It is a part of country’s overall engagement with the international community on nuclear security issues. In the 3-day event, approx 150 delegates from various partner countries and international organisations will participate. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will inaugurate the meet, which is organised by Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Atomic Energy.

Notes:
The Haryana government has recently constituted a 5-member to resolve the problems of those agitating for reservation and other issues in the state. The committee will be headed by Chief Secretary D S Dhesi. As stated by the government, any organization, section of the society or an individual could submit their viewpoint and suggestions to the committee in writing or orally. The committee will try its best to resolve their issues under the ambit of the Constitution and different decisions and directions given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard.

Notes:
Sir Peter Mansfield (83), MRI pioneer and Nobel laureate, has recently passed away in London, England. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2003, along with late US chemist Paul Lauterbur, for discovering Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MIR), a technique used by medical specialists to generate images of the human body’s anatomy. MRI uses magnetic fields, radio waves and field gradients to detect damage such as cancer, in various parts of the body.

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The National Productivity Week (NPW) is observed every year from February 12-18 by the National Productivity Council (NPC) to stimulate and promote productivity and quality consciousness across all sectors in India. The 2017 theme is “From Waste to Profits-through Reduce, Recycle and Reuse”. The National Productivity Council (NPC) is an autonomous body under Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry and was established on 12th February 1958.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched a record 104 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh through PSLV C-37 launch vehicle. The PSLV-C37 first launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation and then inject 103 co-passenger satellites, together weighing about 664 kg at lift-off into polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 520 km from Earth. With the successful launch, India scripted history by becoming the first country in the world to launch 104 satellites in a single rocket.

Notes:
Veteran journalist T V Parasuram (93), a former correspondent of the Press Trust of India (PTI), has recently passed away in United States. He began his stint in the US as the PTI correspondent at United Nations in the 50s. The veteran journalist, who won a Harvard Niemen Fellowship in journalism, served as the correspondent for The Indian Express for two decades till his retirement at age 58. Parasuram then became the PTI’s Washington correspondent till he quit journalism at age 82. He was a regular at the press conferences of US presidents during his over five-decade stay in America. He authored two books, ‘A Medal for Kashmir – a first hand account of the Indian Army’s operations in 1947-48 in Jammu and Kashmir – and ‘India’s Jewish Heritage’.

Notes:
Kush Bhagat, a second grade student from Hill Spring International School, has been awarded the title of Candidate Master (CM) by World Chess Federation body. The title comes after a range of admirable performances by him, over the span of last 6 months, beginning with his conquest of U-7 Maharashtra State Championship 2016 title to becoming the World Schools Under 7 Blitz champion in Sochi (Russia) and finally his performance, with three gold medals at the first-ever Western Youth Chess Championship 2016 at UAE.

Notes:
The India Vetiver Network (INVN) has been launched at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The INVN is a not-for-profit scientific network to promote vetiver in India. Vetiver (Indian grass with fragrant root ) has worldwide application to tackle many environmental issues like soil erosion, mitigation of soil and water pollution. The mission of INVN is environmental protection using vetiver.

Notes:
The Canara Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to operationalise the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). HEFA has been formed as a special purpose vehicle. It would leverage the equity to raise up to Rs. 20,000 crore for funding projects for infrastructure and development of world class Labs in IITs/IIMs/NITs and such other institutions. HEFA would also mobilise CSR funds from PSUs/corporates, which would in turn be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on a grant basis. The purpose of the HEFA is to create high quality infrastructure/capital assets in premier educational institutions. All the centrally funded higher educational institutions would be eligible for joining as members of HEFA.

Notes:
The Kerala Government will soon launched a six-day anti-corruption induction training mandatory for the government service officials in the state. The induction training programme is claimed to be the first of its kind in India. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is the nodal agency for the implementation of the ambitious initiative to cover new recruits and select existing employees.The purpose of the training is to create a mindset against corruption and make the employees prepare to fight against the menace.