Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
Perumal Murugan, the noted Tamil poet and author, has authored the novel ‘Kazhimugam’, which deals with effect of modern gadgets on life of middle class. He is known for his controversial novel ‘Madhurobhagan (translated as ‘One Part Woman’)’, which narrates the story of a childless couple ‘Ponna and Kali’ and the impact of childlessness on them. The book raises several issues about gender, patriarchy and masculinity – all of which converge in a worldview mandated by narrow social conventions that describe a childless marriage as incomplete. The controversy erupted in 2014 after local caste-based and religious Hindu groups objected to the fictional portrayal of traditions at the Ardhanareeswarar Temple in Tiruchengode. Then, on July 2016, the Madras High Court dismissed the case under citing Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, ruled that there was no binding force or obligation that forced the author to apologize and withdraw the books.

Notes:
Anukreethy Vas from Tamil Nadu has been crowned fbb Colors Femina Miss India World 2018 at a function held in Mumbai on June 19, 2018. Anukreethy, who beat 30 contestants to bag the honour, will now represent India at this year’s Miss World. While Haryana’s Meenakshi Chaudhary was announced the first runner-up, Shreya Rao Kamavarapu of Andhra Pradesh was adjudged the second runner-up in the beauty competition. The ceremony was hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar and Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana. The judges panel included 2017 Miss World Manushi Chhillar, cricketers Irfan Pathan and Lokesh Rahul and actors Malaika Arora, Bobby Deol and Kunal Kapoor.

Notes:
On June 19, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened norms for Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) by making quoting of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) mandatory even for transactions below $25,000. Under the LRS, all resident individuals, including minors, are allowed to freely remit up to 2,50,000 US dollar per financial year for any permissible current or capital account transaction or a combination of both. Earlier, a system for daily reporting of individual transactions under the LRS by banks was been put in place. This system enables the banks to view the remittances already sent by an individual during the financial year, thus improving monitoring and ensuring compliance with the LRS limits.

Notes:
The Central Government has constituted a Chief Ministers Subgroup to coordinate policy approaches for Agriculture and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In it, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is the convener and Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim along with Member, NITI Aayog, Ramesh Chand are the members. The terms of reference of the sub-group include suggesting a wider choice of state specific interventions both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to further improve the thrust on incomes, water conservation and waste to wealth. The move comes in the backdrop of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards doubling farmers’ income by 2022. It comes close on the heels of unanimous decision taken at the 4th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on June 17, 2018. The Sub-Group will submit its report within 3 months from its date of constitution.

Notes:
On June 19, the United States has withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and condemned alleged hypocrisy of its members and bias against Israel. The announcement came after the top UN human rights official criticised Washington for separating migrant children from their parents who are seeking asylum after crossing into the country from Mexico. It must be noted that Washington’s withdrawal is the latest US rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It’s not first time that the US has opted to stay out of the UNHRC. When the Council was established in 2006, the administration of George W. Bush withheld its membership over similar concerns. The U.S. joined the body only in 2009 under President Barack Obama. The UNHRC is composed of 47 members — and this is the first time a sitting member country has voluntarily decided to leave. Though, Libya was suspended in 2011 after a government crackdown on unarmed protesters.

Notes:
Charles Krauthammer (68), the Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist and political commentator, has passed away on June 21, 2018. He received acclaim for his writing on foreign policy, among other matters. He lived his life telling others exactly what he thought. Krauthammer was best known for his nightly appearance as a panelist on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” and as a commentator on various Fox news shows. He came to be known as the dean of conservative commentators.

Notes:
The World Music Day (WMD) is observed on June 21 every year across the world to sheds light on the importance of music. The day is also known as ‘Fete de la Musique’ after a music festival that began in France in 1982. Several singers enthrall listeners by playing their instruments in public or recreational areas. On this day, the citizens of a city or country are allowed and urged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks. Free concerts are also organized, where musicians play for fun and not for payment.

Notes:
The SKOCH Group has conferred the ‘Best performing Social Sector Ministry’ award on the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) for its significant achievements and initiatives from the last 4 years. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi received the award on behalf of the Ministry in an event held in New Delhi on June 22, 2018. The excerpts of the achievements of the Ministry are as follows: 6 months maternity leave, Sexual Harassment at Work Place Act, She-box, One stop centres, Universal Women help line (181) and 33% reservation in police. The Skoch Group is a think tank dealing with socio-economic issues with a focus on inclusive growth since 1997. The Skoch Awards are based on the philosophy of spearheading positive socio-economic changes through recognising persons who have contributed immensely to salutary transformations in society and governance by displaying exemplary leadership abilities.

Notes:
Indian swimmer Sandeep Sejwal clinched the gold medal in men’s 50 meter breaststroke event at the Singapore National Swimming Championships in Singapore on June 23, 2018. Besides, Virdhawal Khade grabbed a creditable silver medal in the 50 meter freestyle event with a timing of 22.68 seconds. Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Arvind Mani also found a spot on the podium, grabbing the bronze in the men’s 50m backstroke event. Sandeep broke the Singapore meet record with a timing of 27:59 seconds to win the gold. He bettered his own time of 27.68 seconds in the semi-final by 0.09 seconds.

Notes:
“Tumhari Sulu”, a movie about a housewife who lands a job as a radio jockey, won the Best Picture Award at the International Indian Film Academy Awards 2018 in Bangkok. Irfan Khan was adjudged the Best Actor for his role of a father trying to get his child admitted in a posh English medium school in Delhi in the film “Hindi Medium”. The Best Director trophy was won by Saket Chowdhary for his film “Hindi Medium”. Sridevi was posthumously awarded the Best Female Actor for “Mom”. Arijit Singh was announced as the Best Playback Singer (Male) for the song “Hawayein” from “Jab Harry Met Sejal”, while Meghna Mishra won the Best Playback Singer (Female) Award for the track “Main Kaun Hoon” from “Secret Superstar”.