Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

Notes:
Arvind Kumar, a 1984 batch IPS officer from Assam- Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as the new chief of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Kumar is considered an expert on Kashmir, with specialisation in counter-terrorism and is said to have been closely involved in tackling Left-wing extremism at the IB. He also holds charge as the special director of Kashmir in the intelligence agency. Kumar succeeded Rajiv Jain as IB chief, who completed his tenure of two and half years. IB is India’s internal intelligence agency and is headquartered at New Delhi.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched massive door to door campaign “DASTAK” against Acute Encephellitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephallitis (JE) disease. The campaign, which was launched in association with UNICEF, will run from 1st to 31st July. Under this state-wide campaign teams will go door to door in every village of the 75 districts of the state to create awareness about the communicable diseases as well as JE and AES. In this massive campaign, many departments of the state especially health, rural development, primary education will work together to spread awareness about the diseases through mass media communication and will ensure availability of clean drinking water, initiate sanitation drive, ensure vaccination and early treatment so that disease should be nipped in the bud.

Notes:
In Jammu and Kashmir, the district administration of Rajouri has been launched a campaign called “Operation Khumaar” to make 312 panchayats tobacco-free. The programme is run by the district administration to make panchayats free from tobacco and tobacco-based products. Under this programme, even the headmaster of the schools have been authorised to impose a fine on the sale of tobacco within 100 yards of school limits. Block Medical Officers (BMO) have been directed to set up counselling centres at all Community Health Centres (CHCs) to help tobacco consumers to quit this habit. The district officers have been urged upon to work in a mission mode so as to make the society free from the injurious tobacco and tobacco-based products.

Notes:
Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has recently launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan – a campaign for water conservation and water security, with an emphasis on 1592 stressed blocks in 256 districts. The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019. The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks. The ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ will focus on five aspects — water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water and recharging of structures, watershed development, and intensive afforestation. The conservation efforts will be supplemented by initiatives like developing block and district water conservation plans and ‘krishi vigyan kendra melas’ to promote efficient water use for irrigation and better crop choices. In urban areas, plans with time-bound targets will be developed for waste water reuse for industrial and agricultural purposes.

Notes:
Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) has been officially declared as state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. These butterflies are also known as Tamil Maravan (which means warrior) and are endemic to Western Ghats. The tawny-coloured creature with a dark brown outer ring is among the 32 butterfly species found in Western Ghats. Hence, Tamil Nadu has become the 5th state in the country to announce its state butterfly. Maharashtra was the first to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly, followed by Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern Bird Wing) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock). While the butterfly becomes the pride of the state after such a declaration, the decision also helps conserve its ecosystem and paves the way for eco-tourism. People also recognize the importance of butterflies which subsequently helps in its conservation. There are a total of 32 butterfly hotspots in Tamil Nadu. The state had declared its various other icons earlier, like state animal (Nilgiri Tahr), state bird (Emerald Dove), state tree (palm tree), state flower (Gloriosa) and state fruit (jack fruit).

Notes:
The CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has signed Mou with Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) to provide DNA-based diagnostic service to the public at lower cost and to develop newer diagnostic methods has been signed here. The objectives of the MoU include provision of quality DNA-based diagnostic services to the public at lower costs, to develop newer diagnostic methods and to engage in scientific research to improve understanding of human genetic disorders. Both the institutes have also mutually agreed to undertake training and educational activities in genetic diagnostics. The CDFD is a Biotechnology research centre i.e. operated by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology . It is located at Hyderabad, Telangana.

Notes:
The autobiography titled “Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly” has been authored by Bollywood actor Anupam Kher i.e. set to hit stands on 5 August. It is a story of a small town boy who dared to dream. It is a story about hope, disappointments, success, failures and eternal optimism. The book will be an extraordinary, riveting and no-holds-barred saga in which Kher will make some behind-the-scenes revelations, and share anecdotes and rare nuggets from his life and the lessons it taught him. He has over 530 films in several languages, both in India and the West, 100 plays and numerous TV shows to his credit. He is a winner of two National awards, 8 Filmfare awards and a BAFTA nomination. He is also a recipient of the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan awards.

Notes:
The Indian passport has been ranked at the 86th position with a mobility score of 58 in the latest Henley Passport Index 2019. The score points out that Indian passport holder can access 58 countries around the world without a prior visa. The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations — including micro-states and territories. India shares the 86th position with Mauritiana and Sao Tome and Principe. The list is topped by Japan & Singapore with a mobility score of 189. South Korea, Finland and Germany have acquired 2nd position, while Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg are on the third rank. France has dropped to the fourth spot, now sharing the position with Spain and Sweden. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.

Notes:
The United Nations’s Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME) Day is observed every year on 27 June to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development. These types of enterprises are responsible for significant employment and income generation opportunities across the world and have been identified as a major driver of poverty alleviation and development. MSMEs tend to employ a larger share of the vulnerable sectors of the workforce, such as women, youth, and people from poorer households. MSMEs can even sometimes be the only source of employment in rural areas. The 2019 theme is ‘Big Money For Small Business: Financing the SDGs’.

Notes:
The South Central Railway (SCR) has recently commissioned the longest electrified tunnel of 6.6 km built at a total cost of Rs 460 crore between Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations. The tunnel is part of the 113-km new railway line completed recently between Obulavaripalli– Venkatachalam – Krishnapatnam Port. The electrified tunnel is constructed in the shape of ‘Horse Shoe’ on New Australian Tunnelling Method. The height of the tunnel (rail level to roof) is 6.5 metres and the minimum height of the contact wire is maintained at 5.2 metres. The new line would facilitate direct and viable connectivity between South Coast and West Coast Railway and improve freight revenue of the zone.