GK & Current Affairs Quiz: May 14, 2019

Notes:
India’s Dairy major Amul will be the principal sponsor of the Afghanistan cricket team for the 2019 ICC World Cup, which will be hosted by England and Wales. The logo of brand AMUL, which boasts of an annual sales turnover of Rs 45,000 crores ($6.5 billion), will appear on the Afghanistan team playing jerseys as well as on the training kits throughout the World Cup from May 30 to July 14, 2019. This is the third time that Amul is sponsoring a cricket team in the World Cup. Earlier, the company had associated with New Zealand and Holland teams. Though Afghanistan participated in the 2015 World Cup as an associate nation, this will be the first time it will feature in a tournament as a full-member.

Notes:
After United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland has officially become the 2nd country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency. It happened after the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) report on Climate Action was accepted by the government and opposition parties without a vote. An amendment to a parliamentary report declaring a climate emergency and calling on parliament to examine how the Irish government can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss was accepted. Britain’s parliament became the first in the world to declare a climate emergency, passing the largely symbolic motion on May 1. The step followed 11 days of street protests in London by the Extinction Rebellion environmental campaign group.

Notes:
The National Technology Day (NTD) is held every year on May 11 to celebrate India’s achievements in science and technology and to mark the historic feat of test-firing its very first nuclear-capable missile back in 1998 at Pokhran. The day also highlights the importance of science in daily life and encourages youngsters to embrace it as a career option. On this day in 1998, India successfully tested Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. The tests were conducted under the leadership of Former President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who was then DRDO Chief, and Dr R Chidambaran, then Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). A team of more than 100 scientists, technicians and soldiers were involved in the successfully conducted tests.

Notes:
Y C Deveshwar (72), the noted industry leader and ITC Chairman, has passed away in Gurugram on May 11, 2019. He was India’s longest serving CEO and had received the India’s third-highest civilian award ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2011. Deveshwar took over as chairman of ITC group in 1996 when the company was going through its worst crisis. Under his leadership, ITC battled resistance from its largest shareholder BAT and it made a successful diversification in the FMCG category. He transformed the cigarette major into a diversified player with interests in FMCG, hospitality, IT and other sectors. In 2017, Deveshwar stepped down as chief executive of ITC Ltd, India’s largest cigarette maker . After that, he moved to the role of non executive chairman. He was also a director on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). ITC Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Notes:
The Indian Army has decided to commemorate 2019 as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’ and plans to reach out to the next of kin of battle casualties, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers to inform them of entitled financial benefits, welfare schemes and help resolve pension related problems. The issue gains importance in light of most next of kin of deceased soldiers being unaware of the financial benefits that are entitled to them. Incorrect and incomplete documentation is a common problem for most of the next of kin, which aggravates their plight. Indian Army plans to overcome these challenges through its formations and regimental centres. It will also seek the involvement of the defence ministry, Nepal Embassy (due to several soldiers being recruited from Nepal), Sainik Boards, banks and welfare agencies such as the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). The Directorate of Indian Army Veterans will be the nodal agency. Earlier, the Indian Army marked 2018 as the ‘Year of Disabled in the Line of Duty’.