Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
Racharla Samrajyam (98), the veteran freedom fighter, has recently passed away at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Samrajyam was inspired by the Quit India Movement, when she was undergoing Hindi Pracharak training at Anantapur in 1942. She quit the training programme and joined the Quit India Movement.She was arrested at Bezawada (Vijayawada) and was sent to the Raya Vellore Jail for 6 months in 1944. She received the ‘Tarmra Patra’ from the Government of India (GoI) in 1972.

Notes:
India has been ranked 43rd out of 45 global economies in the 5th edition of Intellectual Property Index (IPI)-2017, as per the latest report titled “The Roots of Innovation” by the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC)’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC). This is the 5th year in a row that India has been ranked at the bottom of the pack in the index. The list is topped by United States, followed by United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Sweden respectively. The GIPC highlighted the need for the government to build upon the positive rhetoric of its IPR policy with the substantial legislative reforms that innovators need.

Notes:
India has recently signed MoU with United Kingdom to ease restrictions on number of scheduled flights. The limits on flights from key Indian cities including Chennai and Kolkata have been scrapped and the MoU will allow for a greater range of flights for passengers while providing a boost to trade and tourism for the UK and India. The agreement has also opened all destinations in the UK for Indian carriers for code share flights and reciprocally the UK carriers can also operate code share flights to any International Airport in India, through domestic code share arrangements.

Notes:
Sandeep Jajodia, the CMD of Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd., has been appointed the new President of industry chamber Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM). He succeeded Sunil Kanoria. The ASSOCHAM is one of the apex trade associations of India. The organisation represents the interests of trade and commerce in India, and acts as an interface between industry, government and other relevant stakeholders on policy issues and initiatives.

Notes:
Veteran journalist T V Parasuram (93), a former correspondent of the Press Trust of India (PTI), has recently passed away in United States. He began his stint in the US as the PTI correspondent at United Nations in the 50s. The veteran journalist, who won a Harvard Niemen Fellowship in journalism, served as the correspondent for The Indian Express for two decades till his retirement at age 58. Parasuram then became the PTI’s Washington correspondent till he quit journalism at age 82. He was a regular at the press conferences of US presidents during his over five-decade stay in America. He authored two books, ‘A Medal for Kashmir – a first hand account of the Indian Army’s operations in 1947-48 in Jammu and Kashmir – and ‘India’s Jewish Heritage’.

Notes:
John-John Dohmen of Belgium has won the 2016 FIH Male Player of the Year award by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) at the gala FIH Hockey Stars Awards Ceremony in Chandigarh, India on February 23, 2017. Beside this, Naomi van As of Netherland has been named as 2016 FIH Female Player of the Year award.

Notes:
The International Shivaratri festival has started in Mandi village, Himachal Pradesh from February 24, 2017. It is held as per Hindu calendar every year on the Krishna paksha 13th day/13th night (breaking fast/’vrata’ on 14th after sunrise) of the waning moon in the month of Phalguna that corresponds to February/March as per Gregorian calendar. The festival’s popularity is widespread and hence is known as an international festival. In view of the large number of gods and goddesses that are invited to the festival from its 81 temples, Mandi town has the title of ‘Varanasi of the Hills’. The celebration includes maintaining a “jaagaran”, an all-night vigil and prayers, because Shaiva Hindus mark this night as “overcoming darkness and ignorance” in one’s life and the world through Shiva.

Notes:
Ankur Mittal has won silver in men’s double trap at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. Beside this, in the mixed team 10m air pistol event, the Indian pair of Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai won the ‘gold badge’. The ISSF is expected to scrap men’s 50m free pistol, 50m rifle prone and double trap events from the Olympic Games and will announce so shortly.

Notes:
The National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year in India on February 28 to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on February 28, 1928. For his discovery, C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. The 2017 theme is “Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons”.

Notes:
The ‘Destination North East-2017’ festival has started in Chandigarh from March 6, 2017 to showcase North East as a potential destination for investment. The main theme of this festival is to highlight the use of appropriate technologies in all sectors of development for North East Region (NER). It will see round table discussions and exhibition stalls showcasing various features of the NER in order to attract investments in tourism, food processing, handlooms and handicrafts, horticulture and floriculture, medicinal & aromatic plants, organic farming and bamboo development. The festival has organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India (GoI) and an industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.