Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
The Union Government has constituted a group of eminent persons to study the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Policy of India. The group will be headed by Industrialist Baba Kalyani. The group will evaluate the SEZ policy, suggest measures to cater to the needs of exporters in the present economic scenario and make the SEZ policy WTO compatible. The Group has to submit its recommendation in 3 months. The SEZ Policy was implemented from 1st April, 2000. Subsequently, the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 was passed by Parliament in May, 2005 which received Presidential assent on the 23rd June, 2005 and the Special Economic Zone Act was enacted. The SEZ Act, 2005, supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect on 10th February, 2006.

Notes:
Mithali Raj has become the first Indian cricketer to score 2,000 runs in T20 International Cricket. She achieved the landmark during India’s 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup T20 at Kaula Lumpur on June 7, 2018. Mithali now has 2,015 runs from 75 matches. She is the seventh woman to reach 2,000 runs in T20 format. The list is headed by England cricketer Charlotte Edwards with 2,605, followed by Stafanie Taylor (2,582) and Suzie Bates (2,515). Interestingly, India men’s team captain Virat Kohli with 1,983 runs is the next on the list, followed by Rohit Sharma (1,852) and Suresh Raina (1,499).

Notes:
S Ramesh has been appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs (CBIC). He will succeed Vanaja N. Sarna on July 1. The CBIC is the apex body for administering the levy and collection of indirect taxes of the Union of India viz. Central Excise duty, Customs duty and Service Tax, and for facilitating cross border movement of goods & services. It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance. It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs & Central Excise duties and Service Tax, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics to the extent under CBEC’s purview.

Notes:
The World Day against Child Labour is observed every year on June 12 to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.. The 2018 theme ‘Generation Safe & Healthy’ points a finger at the hazardous and exploitative working conditions in which millions of children are working tooth, nail and bone for a living. The day shines a spotlight on the global need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour.

Notes:
The Dassam Falls is a waterfall located near Taimara village in Bundu police station of Ranchi district of Jharkhand. It is a natural cascade across the Kanchi River, a tributary of the Subarnarekha River. The water falls from a height of 44 metres. The sound of water echoes all around the place. The Dassam Falls is an example of a nick point caused by rejuvenation. Knick point, also called a nick point or simply nick, represents breaks in slopes in the longitudinal profile of a river caused by rejuvenation. The break in channel gradient allows water to fall vertically giving rise to a waterfall.

Notes:
The Union government has added 10 new Iconic sites in 3rd phase of its flagship project of Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) under Swachh Bharat Mission. The 3rd phase of SIP was launched at Mana village which is situated close to the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand. The sites are Raghavendra Swamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh); Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal); Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); Vidur Kuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh); Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh); and Kanvashram (Uttarakhand). Besides Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K), ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur) and Sabarimala Temple (Kerala). The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and local administration.

Notes:
The Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority has initiated a ‘water literacy’ campaign with the involvement of 70,000 students aiming to create awareness about the importance of water conservation in the State. As per the campaign, every student will take classes about water conservation for 15 families in their locality. Approx 10 lakh people will be benefited from the campaign, which is scheduled to be held from June 20 to September 20. The purpose of the campaign is to improvising the knowledge of students as well as people regarding importance of water, prevention of water pollution, water conservation and laws related to water management.

Notes:
The Maharashtra government has signed pact with Quebec province of Canada to increase economic cooperation and welfare of the tribal community. The key areas of focus are information technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and welfare of the tribal community. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is on a week-long tour to the US and Canada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on June 13, 2018.

Notes:
Omar al-Razzaz, the former World Bank Economist, has been sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Jordan after King Abdullah issued a decree approving the new government. He succeeded Hani al-Mulki, who resigned following mass protests over price hikes and other government economic policies. Omar, who studied at Harvard University, was tasked with reviewing the country’s disputed tax system.

Notes:
Adiraju Venkateswara Rao (80), the veteran journalist and author, has passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana on June 15, 2018. Popularly known as Adiraju, Venkateswara Rao was born in 1938 at Panditapuram village in Khammam district. In a career spanning over five-and-a-half decades, he worked for several Telugu and English dailies and news agencies including Andhra Jyothi, Udayam, Deccan Chronicle, Indian Express, Himachal Times and Hindustan Samachar at Hyderabad and Delhi.