Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
The book “Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand” has been authored by K. Vijay Kumar, the Senior Security Adviser in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The book is a source of valuable inspiration offering insight into the tactics that went into the wiping out of the dreaded forest brigand on whom a prize money of Rs. 5 crores had been declared more than a decade back.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has recently appointed three part-time non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a 4-year term. These are – Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Dr. Ashok Gulati and Manish Sabharwal. This central Board of directors is responsible for governing the affairs of RBI. The board is appointed by the Union Government. There are five official directors — Governor and not more than four deputy governors. Besides, the government nominates 16 non-official directors on the board. Ten are nominated from different fields, two are government officials and one director each from the four local boards.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has opened South Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in New Delhi for economic capacity building in South Asia. The center is a collaborative venture between the IMF, the member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and development partners. It was officially inaugurated by Shaktikanta Das, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs, on February 13, 2017. The SARTTAC is IMF’s first fully-integrated capacity development center, which has strategic goal to help its member countries strengthen their institutional and human capacity to design and implement macroeconomic and financial policies that promote growth and reduce poverty.

Notes:
Ajay Tyagi, a 1984 batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has become the 9th Chairman of markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of 3-years on March 1, 2017. He succeeded U K Sinha. Prior to this appointment, he has handled capital markets division in the Finance Ministry. Tyagi also has diverse experience at the Centre. He was Joint Secretary in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before joining Finance Ministry in November 2014 as Additional Secretary. He has also worked in ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Steel and Rural Development. The chairman of SEBI receives a consolidated pay package of Rs 4.5 lakh per month.

Notes:
The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 7 with the theme of “Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean”. The summit will discuss ways to strengthen maritime cooperation and fight against violent extremism. Leaders and representatives of the 21 member states and seven dialogue partners of IORA are expected to attend the summit. From India, Vice President Hamid Ansari will attend the IORA Summit. The IORA Summit is expected to provide momentum to the strengthening of cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.

Notes:
The 2017 International Yoga Fest has started at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi from March 8, as a Curtain Raiser for International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2017. The 3-day event is organised by Ministry of AYUSH, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) in association with Indian Yoga Association (IYA) and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). It is inaugurated by the M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development and Housing. The main purpose of the Fest is to sensitize the masses regarding celebration of International Day of Yoga (IDY) held every year. More than 3,500 participants including eminent yoga gurus, yoga masters, scholars, policy makers and representatives from 15 to 18 countries will participate in the mega event. It will comprise parallel yoga workshop, lectures, Satsang, cultural programmes and yoga demos.

Notes:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has recently launched a new “Work from Home” facility to enable its employees to work while at home using mobile devices to address any urgent requirement they may have, that prevents their travelling to work. SBI will use mobile computing technologies and shall have continuous control over all the enabled devices centrally to manage and secure the data and applications on the mobile devices.

Notes:
Narendra Kumar, an officer of Central Water Engineering Service (1979 batch), has recently taken charge as Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC). The CWC is an apex organization in India in the field of Water Resources that came into existence in 1945. The CWC is charged with the general responsibility of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation with the State Governments concerned, schemes for the control, conservation and utilization of water resources in the respective state for the purpose of flood management, irrigation, drinking water supply and water power generation.

Notes:
Chinu Modi (78), the noted Gujarati poet and ghazal writer, has recently passed away in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He has made a great contribution to Gujarati literature with his poetry, plays, novels and stories. Approx 50 books of poetry, drama, novel, stories, critics, biography, collection, songs and translation has been written by him. He worked as script writer in Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) during 1975- 1977. His body will be donated to the medical college as per his last wish.

Notes:
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on March 25 to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice. The 2017 theme “Remember Slavery: Recognising the Legacy and Contributions of People of African Descent” draw attention to the consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, especially the ways in which the enslaved Africans and their descendants influenced and continue to shape societies across the world, including in the areas of technology and culture.