Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

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:
Tata Motors has signed pact with Microsoft India to redefine connected and personalized driving experiences for Indian customers. The purpose of the pact is to provide an enriched mobile experience for its consumers. Tata Motors will leverage Microsoft’s connected vehicle technologies that bring together artificial intelligence (AI), advanced machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities on the global hyper-scale Azure cloud, to traverse the digital and physical worlds and create a highly personalized, smart and safer driving experience across the digital life of a vehicle owner. The first vehicle developed through this partnership will be unveiled at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show on 7th March 2017.

Notes:
The Mangalore-based public sector lender, Corporation Bank has won the ‘National MSME Excellence Award 2017’ at a function in New Delhi for playing constructive role in the MSME sector viz. online loan facility for MSME borrowers, online facility for revival and rehabilitation of MSME, campaign for growth with various concessions and collateral
free loans up to Rs 2 crore under Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS), etc. The award is instituted by the Federation of Industry Trade and Services (FITS), which is a national industry body working in the form of a bridge between the industry and the state and central governments.

Notes:
India’s first dedicated Heliport, built by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL), will be inaugurated by the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju at Rohini area of New Delhi on February 28, 2017. It consists of terminal building having a capacity of 150 passengers, 4-hangers with parking capacity of 16 helicopters and nine parking bays. The helicopter services shall enable citizens to fly in and out of Delhi to nearby areas in choppers. The heliport will also be used for operating services for disaster management, emergency medical services, law and order surveillance as well as a centre for the skill development of pilots and engineers. Rohini heliport will also promote regional air connectivity through helicopters in the northern region.

Notes:
Kenneth J. Arrow (95), the Nobel-winning economist and mathematician, has recently passed away at Palo Alto in California, United States. To date, he is the youngest person ever to have received Nobel Prize for Economics, at the age of 51. His theories on risk, innovation and the basic mathematics of markets have influenced thinking on everything from voting to health insurance to high finance. His most significant works are his contributions to social choice theory, Arrow’s impossibility theorem and general equilibrium analysis. He has also provided foundational work in many other areas of economics, including endogenous growth theory and the economics of information.

Notes:
Iranian Film ‘The Salesman’ has won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Oscar Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The movie, directed by Tehran-based Asghar Farhadi marked Iran’s second Oscar victory, coming five years after Farhadi’s drama “A Separation” won the nation’s first Academy Award. It is drama about honor and revenge in a modern marriage. Apart from this, the award for best documentary feature went to “O.J. Made in America”, which is directed by Ezra Edelman. The Syrian war documentary “The White Helmets” has won the short documentary Academy Award. Indian actor Om Puri, “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Bill Paxton were among late stars, who were remembered and honored at the Oscars.

Notes:
Sumit Mullick, the 1982 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as new Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. He succeeded Swadheen Kshatriya, who was due for retirement on 31st of January, but was given a month’s extension. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as the Chief Protocol Officer in the General Administration department. He had earlier served as the Divisional Commissioner of Amravati and worked as Secretary of School Education. He was also Secretary to the Governor.

Notes:
Haji Abdul Salam (69), the senior Congress leader, has recently passed away in Imphal, Manipur. He was the first Manipuri Muslim to be a member of Rajya Sabha from Manipur. He was representing Manipur State in the upper house of Parliament of India for the second term of 2014-2020.

Notes:
Amjad Hussain B Sial, a senior Pakistani diplomat, has become the new Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He succeeded Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal. Sial has 33 years of experience in Pakistan’s Foreign Service. He has also served at SAARC Secretariat as director in Kathmandu. The Secretary-General tenure is of three years and is the head of the SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. The SAARC Secretariat coordinates and monitors the implementation of activities, hosts meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its member states as well as other regional organizations.

Notes:
The 41st edition of Civil Accounts Day (CAD) is celebrated on March 1, 2017 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi to mark the 41st anniversary of the inception of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) on March 1, 1976. ICAS functions under the Department of Expenditure in the Union Ministry of Finance. The ICAS performs a key role in delivery of financial management services for the Government of India (GoI). The organisation provides payment services, supports the tax collection system, performs government wide accounting, financial reporting functions, preparation of budget estimates and carries out Internal Audit in civil ministries of the Union Government.