Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
The IBSA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Pretoria, South Africa on June 4, 2018. The External Affairs Minister of the Republic of India, Sushma Swaraj chaired the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) ministerial meet and hold talks on how to deepen coordination among the three countries on major global issues. On this occasion, Ministers adopted and jointly released the IBSA Declaration on South-South Cooperation, to contribute to greater understanding of development cooperation as a common endeavor of the Global South. The Ministers also considered proposed IBSA events planned for 2018-19 to mark the fifteenth-anniversary of IBSA. The Ministers agreed to host these events in all three countries as well as on the margins of multilateral events.

Notes:
On June 6, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana has received the approval of Technical Advisory Committee of the Union government in a meeting held in the Central Water Commission (CWC) in Delhi. The Kaleshwaram project, which is the biggest lift irrigation project in the country, has provision for the storage of about 148 tmc ft with plans of utilising 180 tmc ft by lifting at least 2 tmc ft water every day for 90 flood days. The project is designed to irrigate 7,38,851 hectares (over 18.47 lakh acres) uplands in the erstwhile districts of Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy. The expected cost of project is Rs 80,000 crore. One of the unique features of the project is the longest tunnel in Asia of 81 kms between Yellampally and Mallannasagar dams. To lift the water the project will utilise 139MW pump, the highest capacity pump to be deployed in any project in the country. The Kaleswaram project across the Godavari river is often described as a boon to the state.

Notes:
Sudheesh Guruvayoor, an Indian farmer from Kerala, has set a Guinness World Record by distributing the largest number of curry tree saplings in Sharjah on 5th June 2018. He distributed 4,914 saplings of the organic curry tree and broke the record set by the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara in Dubai who had distributed 2,083 saplings of three varieties of trees to students of Delhi Private School in March 2018. The saplings from his own farm in Sharjah were distributed to the students of two campuses of the Sharjah Indian High School. He achieved the new feat as part of the World Environment Day (WED-2018) celebrations in the country. With five Limca Book of Records and other awards in his kitty, Guruvayoor stated that he had been growing curry tree saplings at his farm for almost three months for this dream project. Curry leaves are used for the aroma and flavour in the cuisine of various states in India, especially in the south.

Notes:
The Mandela-Gandhi Youth Conference was held at Pietermaritzburg in South Africa on June 8, 2018. The conference was part of a 3-day commemoration of the historic incident 125 years ago when on June 7, 1893, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a young lawyer then, was thrown off a train compartment reserved for whites only. Delegates from a dozen countries in the Conference called for a return to Gandhian values to address global challenges threatening humanity. Diaspora youth from India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia Egypt, Malawi, Seychelles and Mozambique joined more than 120 South African youngsters to debate and share views on whether the Gandhian philosophy of Satyagraha, Ahimsa and Sarvodaya was relevant today and whether it could be used to find solutions for the problems around the world. A resolution also passed unanimously at the conference which said the youth of this world, citizens of diverse nationalities, ideologies, backgrounds, colour, creed, race and sex, embrace the ideals of the Mahatma and Madiba as apostles of peace and truth.

Notes:
India has been ranked 136th among 163 countries in Global Peace Index 2018 due to a reduction in the level of violent crime driven by increased law enforcement. The Index is prepared by Sydney-based international think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The report provides a comprehensive analysis on the state of world peace. It covers 99.7% of the world’s population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators grouped into three key domains — ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarization. The index is topped by Iceland, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark. As per the report that ranks 163 independent states and territories, Syria is the least peaceful country followed by Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia.

Notes:
Simona Halep from Romania won her first Grand Slam at the 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. She defeated Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a gruelling French Open final on June 9, 2018 to won the title.

Notes:
S Ramesh has been appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs (CBIC). He will succeed Vanaja N. Sarna on July 1. The CBIC is the apex body for administering the levy and collection of indirect taxes of the Union of India viz. Central Excise duty, Customs duty and Service Tax, and for facilitating cross border movement of goods & services. It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance. It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs & Central Excise duties and Service Tax, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics to the extent under CBEC’s purview.

Notes:
India’s football national team has lifted the 2018 Intercontinental Cup football title. In the summit clash in Mumbai, they defeated Kenya by 2-0 on June 10, 2018. Both the goals were netted by skipper Sunil Chhetri. He gave India the lead in the 8th minute before scoring the second goal in the 29th minute. Sunil Chhetri has become the joint second highest international goal scorer among active players along with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi with his 64th strike for the country against Kenya.

Notes:
Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Railways & Coal, has launched two new mobile apps – ‘Rail Madad’ and ‘Menu on Rails’ – to ease the travelling experience of the commuters. The Rail Madad app is aimed at expediting & streamlining passenger grievance redressal while the ‘Menu on Rails’ app will allow passengers to check the list of meals and beverages served on all type of trains and their prices. The Rail MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel) app allows passengers to lodge complaints through mobile app/web platform and enables them to check real-time feedback on the status of redressal of their complaints. The app for the first time completely digitized the Complaint management system. It integrates RPGRAMS (Railway Passenger Grievance Redressal and Management System) developed by Northern Railway (Delhi Division). Rail MADAD also displays various helpline numbers (e.g., Security, Child helpline etc) and provides direct calling facility for immediate assistance in one easy step

Notes:
The 2nd edition of India-US colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy was inaugurated at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Dona Paula, Goa on June 11, 2018. The 3-day colloquium is being organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, CSIR-NIO and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This multi-disciplinary event will bring together 200 delegates from India and the US to address emerging ocean and earth science issues. It will help both countries to improve ocean and atmosphere observations that contribute to economic well-being of both nations through better weather, climate, and ocean prediction, as well as fisheries management.