Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
Nepali-Hindi film Ralang Road will represent India at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival at Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic, which is scheduled to be held from June 30 to July 8, 2017. It will be after 13 years that an Indian film will compete with other international films at this film festival. Ralang Road tells the stories of four people living in the Himalayan countryside. The film explores cultural immigration and lifestyles in a complex social setup. The film is directed by Karma Takapa and produced by HumanTrail Pictures.

Notes:
Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer has become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee (URC). His term will be for two years and is extendable. Iyer is the only assigned competition manager of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in India. Beside this, Ganeshan has also been recommended as the Technical Commissioner from the Asian Continent to ITTF and his term will be for a period of four years. He is also the chairman of the South Asian Federation technical committee and a member of the Technical Committee of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF).

Notes:
The Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Tripura that covers an area of about 389.54 sq km. It is home to animals like elephants, sambar, buffalo, yapping deer, sarow, wild goa, etc. The sanctuary is one of the prominent sanctuaries that speck the bush clad landscapes of Tripura; this sanctuary is a sign of the common legacy of the state and affirms the various Tripura wild life and it is one of the best places of the animal visitors.

Notes:
India’s first smartcard-based Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) initiative has launched in Mysuru, Karnataka on June 4, 2017. The cost of the project, partly funded by World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility, for the next six years is Rs 20.5 crore, covering the maintenance of the docking stations and bicycles. About 450 bicycles will be available for public use in the city. To rent a bicycle, the citizens of Mysuru or tourists need to register themselves either online or by visiting one of the six registration centres situated close to tourism centres and obtain a smart card after paying Rs. 350, including a refundable deposit of Rs. 250. Though the use of the bicycle is free for the first one hour, the users will have to pay a nominal fee of Rs. 5 for two hours, Rs. 10 for three hours and so on.

Notes:
The World Bank (WB) in its latest report “Global Economic Prospects (GEP)” has projected India’s GDP growth rate at 7.5% in 2018 and 7.7% in 2019. As per the report, the World Bank has also projected a strong 7.2% growth rate for India in FY 2017 against 6.8% growth in 2016, as India is recovering from the temporary adverse effects of demonetisation. However, World Bank has maintained its forecast for global growth in 2017 and 2018 unchanged at 2.7% and 2.9% respectively, as manufacturing and trade are picking up and confidence is improving.

Notes:
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed every year on June 4 to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. It is a time for people all over the world to become aware of the impact of monstrosity of abuse, in all its forms, against children. It is also a time when organisations and individuals learn from or take part in awareness campaigns centred on protecting children’s rights. This day affirms the UN’s commitment to protect the rights of children.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 5th international conference of Spic Macay on June 5, 2017 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi via video conferencing. The 7-day conference coincides with the 40th year of inception of SPIC MACAY. Every year Spic Macay organizes an International Convention to expose the youth from across the world to the rich and multi-hued culture of India. It is the Society for the promotion of Indian classical music and culture amongst youth.

Notes:
India has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide fresh assistance of $318 million credit line to develop the island nation’s railway sector. The agreement was signed in Colombo, Sri Lanka on June 6, 2017. India has already provided four Lines of Credit for the development of railway sector in Sri Lanka through its EXIM bank amounting to approximately $966 million. These credit facilities have been utilized to improve the Southern and Northern railway lines and for the procurement of rolling stocks for the Sri Lanka Railways.

Notes:
The Kerala government has implemented Green Protocol for making weddings more naturally in the state. The purpose of the initiative is to reduce the use of plastic in daily life. With the implementation of the protocol, use of plastic and other non-degradable articles including disposable glasses and plates and thermocol decorations will be discouraged at marriage functions. Inspections will be held at marriage halls, convention centres and hotels and other venues of the wedding ceremony in this regard and action would be taken if the protocol is violated. The state nodal agency for sanitation ‘Suchitwa Mission’ has already launched the initiative in Kannur, Ernakulam, Kollam and Alappuzha on a pilot basis. As per officials, the protocol would be implemented in the rest of the districts soon.

Notes:
The 17th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit has started in Astana, Kazakhstan from June 8, 2017. In this summit, India and Pakistan has become full members of the organization. The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It is mainly aimed at military cooperation between the members and involves intelligence- sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia. Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status.