Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
A R Rahman, the renowned music composer, has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of the Sikkim government. He will promote and project the state’s achievements nationally and globally. Sikkim, with its natural and pristine beauty, has over the last two decades emerged as a world famous eco-tourism destination, besides attaining a distinct identity as the first fully organic farming state of the country. Earlier, in 2018, the state government made Rahman its Brand Ambassador of tourism and business.

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The Haryana Government has launched 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme to give star rankings to its panchayats on the basis of 7 social parameters. The panchayats will be judged on sex ratio, education, hygiene, environment preservation, governance and social participation. Under the scheme, approx 1,120 villages of Haryana has achieved star ranking since its launch in January 2018. The Ambala district topped the star ranking with 407 stars followed by Gurugram with 199 stars and Karnal with 75 stars. The selected villages will be honoured at an award ceremony to be held in Panchkula, Gurugram and Rohtak in July 2018. The villages would be rewarded Rs one lakh for achieving each parameter. The villages having equal or more girl population will be given Rs 50,000 as bonus with their reward money. Similarly, the villages which adopt Swachhta Mission will be given additional Rs 50,000 as reward.

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The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar launched the new digital initiative of HRD Ministry ‘National Digital Library of India (NDLI)’on the occasion of National Reading Day (NRD) in New Delhi on June 19, 2018. It is a project of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) under the aegis of National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). The purpose of NDL is to make digital educational resources available to all citizens of the country to empower, inspire and encourage learning. The NDLI, which is developed by IIT Kharagpur, is the single window platform that collects and collates metadata from premier learning institutions in India and abroad, as well as other relevant sources. It is a digital repository containing textbooks, articles, videos, audio books, lectures, simulations, fiction and all other kinds of learning media.

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Under ‘India Smart Cities Award’ 2018, Surat Smart City has been selected for ‘City Award’ for showing great momentum in implementation of projects especially in the categories of urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development. Beside this, Bhopal and Ahmedabad were selected in the ‘Innovative Idea’ category for their transformative approach towards sustainable integrated development. While 9 smart cities, including NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council), bagged ‘Project’ awards for innovative and successful projects in 7 categories. Under ‘Social Aspects’ category, NDMC and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) bagged the award for implementation of ‘Smart Classrooms’ project, while Visakhapatnam was selected for its smart campus project and Pune for ‘lighthouse project’ under which underprivileged youths of the city get a chance to explore possibilities for enhancing their skills and pursuing a meaningful career.

Notes:
The Punjab Government has launched a smartphone application ‘i-Hariyali’, which aims to inspire people to plant more saplings to save the environment from pollution. It will ensure clean, green, healthy and robust Punjab with the active participation of people. The app would enable the users to order free plant saplings. The users can book a sapling of their choice, a maximum of 25 per person, from a nearby government nursery. Once the booking is done, the contact number of the concerned employee of the nursery or the forest guard will be displayed on the mobile phone of the person. The ‘i-Hariyali’ app, under ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’ can be downloaded from the app store for free.

Notes:
India will host the 3rd annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Mumbai on June 25-26, 2018. It will be jointly hosted by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and AIIB. The theme for 2018 meeting is “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration” that will see leaders from varied organizations and levels of government to share ideas and experiences for creating a sustainable future through sound infrastructure investment. The meeting will witness the presence of top policy makers, Ministers from AIIB members, participants from partner institutions, the private sector and civil society organizations.

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Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in the US have developed the world’s smallest computer “Michigan Micro Mote”. It measures just 0.3 mm and could help find new ways to monitor and treat cancer. In addition to the RAM and photovoltaics, the new micro computing device has processors and wireless transmitters and receivers. Since they are too small to have conventional radio antennae, they receive and transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power and programming, and it receives the data. Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the computer can report temperatures in minuscule regions – such as a cluster of cells – with an error of about 0.1 degrees Celsius. The system is very flexible and could be re-imagined for a variety of purposes. The device can help in oncology research. The study was presented at the 2018 Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits on June 21.

Notes:
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched the Rs 870-crore pilot project of Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) where farmers can generate electricity using solar energy and sell the surplus to the electric grid. The SKY Yojana is for farmers who are existing consumers of power companies. As per the new scheme, a farmer signing up for it will have to spend only 5 % amount of the total expenditure for installing the solar project (including solar panels and inverters). The central and state governments will bear 60% of share of total cost of the project and 35% share will be repaid by farmers in 7 years period. In it, farmer can also earn by selling the generated power. Farmers under SKY feeder will get 12 hours power in daylight without low voltage problem. The SKY Yojana is expected to cover, through solar power generation, 12,400 farmers in 33 districts through 137 feeders.

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The International Widows’ Day (IWD) is observed every year on June 23 to give special recognition to the situation of widows of all ages and across regions and cultures. The day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows – too long invisible, uncounted and ignored. Empowering widows through access to adequate healthcare, education, decent work, full participation in decision-making and public life, and lives free of violence and abuse, would give them a chance to build a secure life after bereavement. Importantly, creating opportunities for widows can also help to protect their children and avoid the cycle of inter-generational poverty and deprivation.

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On June 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mohanpura Irrigation Project in Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh. The Rs 3,866-crore project includes a dam and a canal system. This project will facilitate irrigation of agricultural land in Rajgarh district. It will also provide drinking water to villages in the area. It will benefit 727 villages in the state and would irrigate 1.25 lakh hectares of land.