Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
Radon is the heaviest known noble gas and is radioactive. Astatine, with the atomic number 85, is the rarest naturally occurring element in the Earth's crust. Graphite, a form of carbon, is the only non-metal that conducts electricity due to its delocalised electrons. Thus, all the statements are correct.

Notes:
India will host a conference on counter radicalisation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share experiences and ideas on prevention of radicalization in October 2017. The conference will provide common platform to countries for sharing experiences and ideas on prevention of radicalisation.

Notes:
Jehan Daruvala from India has won the 2017 New Zealand Grand Prix at the Chris Amon Circuit in Manfeild, New Zealand. With this, Daruvala has become the only Indian racer to register a win at a Grand Prix. The New Zealand Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event held in New Zealand. It is one of only two current national Grand Prix events that are not part of the Formula One World Championship, the other being the Macau Grand Prix.

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:
Punjala Shiv Shankar (87), an Indian politician, has recently passed away in Hyderabad. He served as the Minister of External Affairs (MEA), Law and Petroleum. He was a very influential minister in Indira Gandhi’s and Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinets and is one of the most senior politicians in India. He also served as the Governor of Sikkim and Kerala.

Notes:
The book “Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The Marriage that Shook India” has been authored by well-known journalist Sheela Redddy. The author sketches an illuminating portrait of Ruttie Petit, whose marriage to Mohammad Ali Jinnah shocked Bombay society of that time. The book provides a comprehensive history of the Jinnahs, as well as the era of their marriage, its lengthy descriptive passages are spliced with amusing excerpts from Ruttie’s letters.

Notes:
M P Veerendra Kumar, the noted Malayalam author and journalist, has recently bestowed with the 30th edition of Moortidevi award 2016 by Bharatiya Jnanpith organization for his Malayalam travelogue “Hymavathabhoovil”, which dwells upon ancient trails of Indian culture, myth, literature and people strewn in the plains, valleys and mountains of India. The book also highlights environmental concerns over “fragile mountain ecosystem” and calls for action over lack of water resources and waste disposal systems. The award consists of a Saraswati statue, a citation plaque and cash award of Rs four lakh and is given annually for books written in all Indian languages besides English pertaining to Indian philosophy. Kumar is Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi and a Rajya Sabha MP.

Notes:
The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme “Adarsh Gram Yojana” for rural poor. The purpose of the scheme is to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better. Under the scheme, 123 villages (comprising one village per circle) will be developed as ‘Model Villages’ during the fiscal year 2017-18. The state government has allocated an amount of Rs.93 crore in the Budget 2017-18 for infrastructure development and for creating employment opportunities and community assets for the people of those villages.

Notes:
The book “Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent” has been authored by Pranay Lal. This is a book about the Indian subcontinent, its origins and how the land masses around it were formed. It provides clues from author’s passionate and microscopic research over 20 years across the Indian subcontinent.

Notes:
The SRCC Global Millennium Summit 2017 has started in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from March 18 and will continue till March 19. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative, which is organized by the students of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi in association with the students of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kharagpur. The purpose of the summit is to provide the youth across the world with a platform to discuss, act and interact. The summit will bring together students from the world’s leading universities and notable leaders from the fields of governance, business, technology and academia. The theme of the summit is ‘Future of this Millennium’ and it will consist of panel discussions, workshops, competitions and keynote speaker sessions centered on the theme. From India, Vijay Goel (who is the Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports) is the chief guest in the summit.