Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
The Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has launched Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 in New Delhi to prescribe the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed across India. The updated version of ECBC provides current as well as futuristic advancements in building technology to further reduce building energy consumption and promote low-carbon growth. The purpose of the code is to optimize energy savings with the comfort level for occupants, and prefers life-cycle cost effectiveness to achieve energy neutrality in commercial building. The ECBC 2017 was developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with technical support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the U.S.-India bilateral Partnership to Advance Clean Energy – Deployment Technical Assistance (PACE-D TA) Program.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched a mobile app “Celebrating Yoga” in New Delhi to connect people through Yoga for scientific healthy living. The mobile app has been developed by Department of Science & Technology on the occasion of International Yoga Day (IYD) 2017. The aim of the app is to popularize Yoga and encourage people to practice yoga for a scientifically healthy living.

Notes:
India has re-nominated Justice Dalveer Bhandari as its candidate for another term as judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). His current term runs through February 2018. The ICJ elections will be held in November and if elected, he will serve a term of 9 years. During his term at the ICJ, Justice Bhandari has been engaged actively in the work of the Court. He has delivered individual opinions in eleven cases covering a broad spectrum of subjects such as maritime disputes, whaling in Antarctica, crime of genocide, nuclear disarmament, financing of terrorism and violation of sovereign rights. ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Notes:
Prof Predhiman Krishan Kaw (69), an internationally recognised plasma physicist and pioneer of thermo-nuclear fusion in India, has passed away in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on June 18, 2017. He was the founder director of the Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and served as the Professor of Department of Science and Technology (DST) at the institute till he breathed his last. The veteran scientist was honoured with Padma Shri in 1985 for his contribution in the field of producing energy through thermonuclear fusion. He was internationally known for his outstanding contribution to the physics of non-linear collective phenomena in plasmas with special emphasis on applications to thermonuclear fusion.

Notes:
The International Yoga Day (IYD) is celebrated every year on June 21 to highlight the fact that yoga can contribute in a holistic way to achieving an equilibrium between mind and body. The 3rd edition of IYD 2017 has celebrated world-wide from New Delhi to New York and Paris to Panama. About 5,000 events are taking place across 180 countries to mark the Yoga day. The United Nations (UN) theme of this year is “Yoga for Health”. Yoga is an ancient Indian practice which is very useful for curing many diseases and health disorders.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a loan agreement of $275 million with Government of India (GOI) for improving urban services in 64 small towns in Madhya Pradesh. As part of the agreement, the project will develop sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient water supply in 64 small and medium-sized towns, and integrated storm water and sewerage infrastructure in two heritage towns of Khajuraho and Rajnagar. Along with ADB’s loan, the Government of Madhya Pradesh will provide counterpart support of $124 million. The project will run for almost 5 years with an expected completion date of June 2022.

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India has recently signed a historical agreement with Portugal to promote cooperation in the field of archives in Lisbon, Portugal. As a part of the cooperation, the Torre do Tombo (National Archives of Portugal) has handed over digital copies of 62 volumes of the collection known as ‘Moncoes do Reino’ (Monsoon correspondence) to the National Archives of India (NAI). These volumes serve as the most important primary source for the study of the Portuguese expansion in Asia and their trade rivalries with the Arabs and European powers as well as their relations with neighboring Kings in South Asia and East Asia.

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Russian diplomat Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov has been appointed as the head of the newly created United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (UNCTO) and will hold the title of Under-Secretary-General. The Under-Secretary-General will provide strategic leadership to United Nations counter-terrorism efforts, participate in the decision-making process of the United Nations and ensure that the cross-cutting origins and impact of terrorism are reflected in the work of the United Nations. The purpose of the UNCTO is to strengthen counterterrorism efforts of 36 UN-funded programs under the ambit of a variety of UN agencies, 12 inter-agency working groups, Interpol and the World Customs Organisation (WCO). Currently, Voronkov is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna.

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The Bhawal National Park is located at Gazipur in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.The core area of the park covers 940 hectares but extends to 5,022 ha of surrounding forest. Its purpose is to protect important habitats as well as to provide opportunities for recreation. The park has 345 plant species, including 152 different tree species, 53 shrubs, 106 herbs and 34 climber species.

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The Maharashtra government will launch a mobile app ‘My Plant’ on July 1, 2017, which would help in recording data about tree plantations in the state. Using this app, people and organizations can feed the data about the saplings they have planted with the Forest Department, which would help it in creating a database of trees. The Forest Department has set a target of planting 4 crore saplings through public participation between July 1 and 7. After downloading this mobile app, people and organizations can record the data about tree plantation with the Forest Department and information on this app will be automatically recorded on the department’s website.