Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
The Haryana government has recently constituted a 5-member to resolve the problems of those agitating for reservation and other issues in the state. The committee will be headed by Chief Secretary D S Dhesi. As stated by the government, any organization, section of the society or an individual could submit their viewpoint and suggestions to the committee in writing or orally. The committee will try its best to resolve their issues under the ambit of the Constitution and different decisions and directions given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard.

Notes:
Achamkulangare Gopinathan, a top Indian diplomat, has been re-appointed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) for a 5-year term beginning from January 1, 2018. Beside him, Sukai Prom-Jackson of Gambia, Jean Wesley Cazeau of Haiti and Nikolay Lozinskiy of Russia are also appointed members of the JIU. The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) is the only independent external oversight body of the United Nations (UN) system mandated to conduct evaluations, inspections and investigations system-wide. Gopinathan’s re-appointment follows his nomination by India and endorsement as the sole candidate of the Asia-Pacific Group.

Notes:
Sodium-ion batteries offer higher energy density, lower risk of thermal runaway compared to lithium-ion batteries, and sodium is abundant in nature. The Earth’s crust contains 2.9% sodium versus 0.01% lithium. Cost of sodium extraction is lower, and sodium is found in seawater and soda ash. They are non-flammable and suitable for diverse applications.

Notes:
The 3-day International Coin Fair has started at Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from February 13, 2017 and is hosted by District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). More than 2,500 coins from around 500 regions, including those from the times of empires and princely states will be displayed in this fair. The coins on display will include those from the time of Alexander the Great, to various Mughal, Chera, Chola emperors and Kanishka, besides Persian, Roman and Islamic coins. Additionaly, the coin released by Subhash Chandra Bose during British rule and Somalian guitar-shaped coins, Princess Diana tribute coins, flower-inscribed coins, among other rare pieces, will be the major attractions.

Notes:
David Robert Jones (69), an English singer, songwriter and actor, has recently passed away in New York City, United States. He was posthumously honoured with five Grammy Awards in various categories viz. Best Alternative Rock Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), and Best Recording Package for Blackstar, and Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for the album’s title track at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards-2017.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched a record 104 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh through PSLV C-37 launch vehicle. The PSLV-C37 first launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation and then inject 103 co-passenger satellites, together weighing about 664 kg at lift-off into polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 520 km from Earth. With the successful launch, India scripted history by becoming the first country in the world to launch 104 satellites in a single rocket.

Notes:
Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan will host the Hindi version of popular international show “TED Talks”, which is the super-inspiring and super-influential talk series. Star India will air the Indian version “TED Talks India: Nayi Soch” in summer 2017 but a definite telecast date is yet to be announced. This is the first time TED is collaborating with a network and mega-star to produce a TV series featuring original TED Talks in a language other than English.

Notes:
The Ahmedabad-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has won the prestigious International Mercury Awards for the year 2016-17 for the best overall presentation of its 2015-2016 annual report. The EDII is an autonomous and not-for-profit national resource institute for entrepreneurship education, research, training and institution-building. The Mercury Awards, founded in 1987, promote excellence, quality and performance in the various fields of public relations. The award entertains participation from agencies, associations, corporations, government agencies, nonprofit groups, and organizations from around 80 countries worldwide every year.

Notes:
The 13th edition of National Agriculture Science Congress (NASC)-2017 has started at the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru (UAS-B) in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 22, 2017. The 4-day congress is jointly organised by the UAS-B, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The theme of the Congress is ‘Climate-smart Agriculture’. The Congress will provide an intellectually stimulating platform for discussing key issues related to ‘Climate-smart Agriculture’ in all its facets, including socio-economic empowerment of marginal farmers through technology development and policy initiatives for sustainable farming, forestry and natural resource management in tune with global climate change.

Notes:
V. K. Srinivasan (76), the noted bureaucrat, columnist and director of the Institute of Economic Studies (IES), has recently passed away in Hyderabad. He was known for his candid views and uprightness in the Services, Srinivasan ruffled many feathers in the corridors of power during his career. It resulted in several transfers as well. He served as Collector in Karimnagar and Anantapur districts, and was known for his simple habits.