GK & Current Affairs Quiz: June 23-24, 2018

Notes:
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:
Gautam Kanjilal (68), who was one of the pioneers in rock climbing in India and veteran mountaineer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on June 22, 2018. An engineer by profession and a member of city-based mountaineering club Himalayan Association, Kanjilal began his outward bound activities way back in 1970 when he attended a rock climbing course at Susunia Hills. Subsequently he underwent training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling and took part in the expedition to hitherto unclimbed Sudarshan in 1978. He also acted as an instructor and course commandant in various rock climbing and adventure courses till a few years back. A keen rock climber, Kanjilal explored quite a few rock routes in the hills of Bankura and Purulia districts and one of them is named after him ( Kanjimal ) which he pioneered along with three other rock climbers during late 1970s.

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.

Notes:
Kim Jong-pil (92), the founder of South Korea’s spy agency, has passed away in Seoul, South Korea on June 23, 2018. The spy agency is widely-known as the “perennial No. 2 man” in modern Korean politics. He also served as prime minister twice from 1971–1975 and from 1998–2000. A retired lieutenant colonel, Kim was a key member of a 1961 coup that put army, Maj. Gen. Park Chung-hee in power until his 1979 assassination. After Park seized power, Kim created and headed the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, a predecessor of the current National Intelligence Service.

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:
The 22nd edition of Sindhu Darshan Festival (SDF) has started on the bank of Indus River in Leh district of Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on June 24, 2018. The 3-day annual fest is organised by Sindhu Darshan Yatra Samiti and Ladakh Phandey Tsogspa (Leh). It will be inaugurated by RSS General Secretary Bhaiya Ji Joshi. The programme is focused at national integration, communal harmony and national pride. It will be marked by holy dip in the Indus River, hosting of national flag and cultural programme of different areas of the country. The festival was started by the former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani in 1997. The fest is a celebration of River Sindhu, also known as the Indus. The main reason behind the celebration of the festival is to endorse the Indus River as an icon of the communal harmony and unity of India.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has been conferred with the ‘Chief Minister of the Year’ award for her remarkable work in e-governance. The award was given at the 52nd Skoch Summit 2018 held in New Delhi.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
B Sujatha Devi (72), the well-known poetess, environmental activist and travel writer, has passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on June 23, 2018. Sujatha Devi had served as English professor in various government colleges in the state, including the Maharaja’s college in Kochi. She had won the Kerala Sahithya Academy award for the best travelogue for her work ‘Kaadinte Thaalam Thedi’. She wrote poems under the pseudonym Devi. Her poems have been collected under the title ‘Mrnmayi’. Daughter of freedom fighter Bodheswaran and Prof. Karthyayini Amma, she had played a leading role in the anti-Silent Valley Project struggle in the late 1970s and was active subsequently too in several environmental battles in the State and elsewhere.