Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
Subhash C. Garg, a 1983 batch lAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new the economic affairs secretary in the Union Finance Ministry. The post fell vacant after Shaktikanta Das retired on May 31, 2017. Currently, Tapan Ray, the corporate affairs secretary, has the additional charge of the economic affairs department. Prior to this appointment, Garg was Executive Director at World Bank for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka.

Notes:
The book titled ‘Hope in a challenged democracy; An Indian narrative’ has authored by Dr. Ashwini Kumar, the renowned lawyer, author and veteran parliamentarian. The principal themes of the book are firstly on the incestuous relationship between wealth and power’ and its impact on the credibility and moral authority of the government and secondly on an insufferable atmosphere of intolerance. The book was launched by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on April 10, 2017.

Notes:
Imran Khawaja, the Chairman of Associates counties and an administrator from Singapore, has been unanimously elected as the new Deputy Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board. He will deputize in ICC meetings in case the chairman Shashank Manohar is absent. Khawaja is a senior lawyer and serving in the ICC Board for several years. The post of deputy chairman is recently created by the ICC Full Council following the constitutional change on June 22, 2017.

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the world’s smallest and lightest satellite “Kalamsat” built by Indian students into the space from its facility in Wallops Island on June 23, 2017. The satellite is named after the former President APJ Abdul Kalam and was designed and built by Tamil Nadu student Rifath Sharook along with six other teammates. The tiny satellite weighs around 64 grams and its structure is fully 3D-printed with reinforced carbon fiber polymer. It is equipped with a nano Geiger Muller counter which will measure radiation in space. The satellite has been designed in a way which will have a 240-minute mission in space and will operate for 12 minutes in a micro-gravity environment of space. With this launch, Rifath Sharook has become the first Indian student to have his experiment launched by NASA.

Notes:
The 6th edition of International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup was held at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra on June 24 – 25, 2017. Over 150 athletes from across the globe will participate at the World Cup including the top talent from India. The tournament will be hosted by the City Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO). The Italy-based IFSC has 86 member federations across five continents.

Notes:
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on June 26 across the world to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. The day also observes to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. The 2017 theme is “Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe “. This is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities.

Notes:
Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath from Maharashtra has created history by becoming the first Indian to complete the 4,900-km Race Across America (RAAM) in solo 18-59 age category, which is considered to be the toughest cycle race in the world. He completed the race in 11 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes. Not only Gokunath but another Indian from Maharashtra, Dr Amit Samarth of Nagpur, crossed the finish line at Annapolis on American east coast. Gokunath stood seventh and Samarth was a position below him among the total nine cyclists who finished the race. Christoph Strasser was the winner of the race. RAAM is not a stage based cycle race. It is a continuous cycle race that allows less than two hours of rest per day and is supposed to be finished inside 12 days. The cyclists pedal around 400 km per day.

Notes:
The book titled ‘The Emergency – Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour’ has been authored by Surya Prakash, the chairman of Prasar Bharati. The book has recently launched by Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The purpose of the book is to honor all those who fought for the restoration of democracy in the country in the mid-1970s.

Notes:
Ankush Dahiya (60kg) from India has won a gold medal at the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournament by defeating Man Choe Chol of Korea in his category in Mongolia. Beside this, L Devendro Singh (52kg) from India won a silver medal in the boxing tournament in Mongolia.

Notes:
Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Gerry Weber Open tennis tournament by defeating Alexander Zverev in final by 6-1 6-3 at the Gerry Weber Stadion in Halle, Germany. With this win, Federer clinch his 92nd career title.