Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu has recently released the annual year book ‘India-2017’ and ‘Bharat-2017’ at a function in Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi on February 6, 2017. The book published by the Publications Division gives comprehensive information about the country and various States and Union Territories including functioning of the government and the economy. The book also gives a glimpse of flagship programmes of the government, important events of the year and the story of Indian States and Union Territories with their vital statistics. Beside this, the electronic version of the Year Book has also launched that provides latest technical features and has a variety of reader-friendly features like searchable content, referencing and is priced at 25% less than the print books.

Notes:
India will host the first-ever meeting of BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs (NSAs) to discuss action against the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation. This was decided at the 17th BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) which recently concluded at Kathmandu, Nepal. This marked an important step forward to realize the action oriented agenda for BIMSTEC agreed by the leaders at their Retreat hosted by Prime Minister Modi in Goa in October 2016.

Notes:
The book “Band, Bajaa, Boys!” has been authored by Rachna Singh, an HR and marketing consultant. This book explores the many hilarious shades of small town life, with an underlying theme of rejection.

Notes:
Hitting a magnet with a hammer can destroy its magnetic properties and is not recommended. Proper storage is essential to maintain the magnet's effectiveness and magnetism. Hence, only the second statement is correct while the first is incorrect.

Notes:
The 7th edition of Indian Seed Congress (ISC) has been organized by the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) in Kolkata, West Bengal on February 12-14, 2017. The theme of Seed Congress is “Seed of Joy” which is very much in line with vision of this government to bring happiness and prosperity in the lives of farmers by doubling their farm income by 2022. The ISC is an annual forum that provides a platform for the Seed Industry to interact closely with technology developers, sector development officials and policy makers. It also provides a chance to showcase new product ranges and services and network for better business development.

Notes:
The Kerala government has recently launched the public health program “Aardram” to restructure and revamp the public health system so that government hospitals become more patient-friendly and efficient and deliver optimum level of care. The purpose of the health program is to reduce the high out-of-pocket expenditure on health in the State by upgrading the facilities and infrastructure in public health facilities and thus reduce the dependence on private health facilities.

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:
The Haryana government has made it mandatory for all private schools to install solar systems in order to make them self-sufficient in managing their energy needs. A special grant at the rate of Rs 20,000 per kilowatt will be given to the schools for installing solar power plants. The electricity generated from the solar power plants at schools during the summer vacations in June and July would be added to the grid, the record of which would be maintained through net metering. The schools would be required to pay only for the electricity consumed in excess of that generated by the solar power plants.

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:
The International Rare Disease Day (IRDD) is held every year on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families. The 2017 IRDD is held on February 28 with theme “Research” and slogan ‘With research, possibilities are limitless’ to recognize the crucial role that patients play in research.