Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg will be honoured with the ‘Hero to Animals Award’ from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for his recent appeal to end animal sacrifice at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam. Zubeen had expressed his anguish over the ritual of animal sacrifice and appealed for putting an end to the practice while performing at a Bihu function near the temple recently. The priests of the Kamakhya Temple had subsequently criticised Zubeen for his statement and demanded an apology from him at the earliest.

Notes:
Amit Khare, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, has taken assumed charge as new Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). He succeeded Narendra Kumar Sinha. Prior to the appointment as Secretary, Khare was Additional Chief Secretary in Jharkhand government. During a career span of more than 33 years, Khare has held various field postings and has worked from grassroots to the higher levels of governance in both State and Central Governments. He has also worked as Member Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).

Notes:
On June 1, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched an online analytical tool to facilitate closer monitoring of the flow and utilization of foreign contributions received by various organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010. The web-based tool enables decision-makers in various Departments of Government to scrutinize source of foreign funds and their actual use in India. It has analytical features to conduct big data mining and data exploration. Its dashboard will be integrated with the bank accounts of the FCRA-registered entities through the Public Financial Management System for updation of transactional data on a real-time basis. There are approximately 25 thousand active organisations registered under the FCRA. Foreign Contributions worth 8,065 crores rupees were received by such organisations from foreign donors for various social, cultural, economic, educational and religious activities during financial year 2016-17.

Notes:
The Odisha government has launched the health insurance scheme “Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana” for working journalists in the state. It will be implemented with effect from June 1, 2018. In the first phase, as many as 3,233 working journalists will get health insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakh a year. Under the scheme, at least five members of the journalists family will be covered. The scribes will get their health insurance card from the District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) in their respective districts.

Notes:
The Union Government has set up an executive committee, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy among the people at the national and international level. The committee comprises, senior cabinet ministers, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, renowned Gandhians, social activists and noted public figures. The panel was formed after the first meeting of the National Committee (NC) under the chairmanship of President Ram Nath Kovind to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. During the meeting, it was decided to form a sub-committee to consider policies and lay down guidelines for the celebrations. The NC has 125 members, of which 116 are from India. Other members are acclaimed foreign members.

Notes:
In Egypt, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn-in for a second four-year term in office as the country faces major economic and security challenges. Sisi won 97% of valid votes in the March presidential election.

Notes:
India is hosting the 3rd Asia Cup International Bridge Championship 2018 in Goa from June 4 and will see participation from countries including Australia, Bangladesh, China, Japan and Korea. The championship will be contested in five categories namely men, women, mixed, super-mixed and senior. Players from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand will be participating in the event. Round robin matches will be played from the June 5-8. Four top teams in each category will progress to the knock-out stage.  Semi-finals will be contested on June 9 and. The finals and play-offs for 3rd place will be played on June 10. The tournament will also have a Match Point pairs contest which is an open event.

Notes:
Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh L Mandaviya launched the ‘Jan Aushadhi Suvidha’- the Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in New Delhi on June 4, 2018. The affordable sanitary napkins will become available at over 3600 Janaushadhi Kendras functional in 33 States/ UTs across India. Jan Aushadhi Suvidha comes with a special additive, which makes it biodegradable when it comes in contact with oxygen after being discarded. The average price of sanitary napkins available in the market today is around Rs 8 per pad, whereas the cost of SUVIDHA napkins is Rs 2.50 per pad.

Notes:
A. Dhiraj Ram Krishna, a young engineer from Coimbatore, has won the ‘National Gopal Ratna’ award from the Central Government on June 2 for cattle rearing and dairying. He received the award from the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh in New Delhi for ‘upkeep of the best dairy animals of indigenous breeds’.

Notes:
Narayan Prasad Singh, the most popular lyricist of Odisha, has passed away in Bhubaneswar on June 6, 2018. He was popularly known as Rasaraj. Born on May 28, 1933 at Koeli village, Singh earned his name in the world of Odia music. He was the lyricist of several popular melodious songs in Odia cinema. He made his debut by writing songs for Akashvani and came to be known as Rasaraj in Odia film industry for penning more than a hundred of songs that touched the heart of both the urban and rural population. Some of his songs are all time hits and his philosophical and contemporary songs had a great impact on youths. Some of his soulful and melodious songs in Odia cinema are ‘Jeevan Jamuna re Juara uthere’, ‘Ratani gaja gamani’, ‘Ae ta kali kaal reeti biparita bhai re’.