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CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY – 9043 211 311/411

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – JUNE 2018

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY Vellore & Tiruvannamalai

ENGLISH MEDIUM

www.chennaiiasacademy.com

chennaiiasacademy

Contact : 9043 211 311 / 411

http://www.chennaiiasacademy.com/


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Current Affairs for TNPSC Examinations

June 2018

S.No CONTENT PAGE NO 1. TAMILNADE 03 – 4

2. NATIONAL 5 – 34

3. INTERNATIONAL 34 – 44

5. AWARDS 44 – 45

6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 45 – 49

7. BOOKS AND AUTHORS 49– 50

8. SPORTS 51– 56

9. IMPORTANT DAYS 56 –59

10. PRACTICE QUESTIONS 59 –65


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TAMIL NADU

Which renowned personality has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of the

Sikkim government?

A. R. Rahman, the renowned music composer,

has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador

of the Sikkim government. He will promote

and project the state‘s achievements nationally

and globally. Sikkim, with its natural and

pristine beauty, has over the last two decades

emerged as a world famous eco-tourism

destination, besides attaining a distinct identity

as the first organic farming state of the country.

Earlier, in 2018, the state government made

Rahman its Brand Ambassador of tourism and

business.

To detect cervical cancer, a new technique “Liquid Based Cytology (LBC)” has

launched in which state?

For screening cervical cancer, a new Liquid

Based Cytology (LBC) technique — direct to

Slide — has launched in Tamil Nadu.The

LBC technique would help in detecting

cervical cancer during the pre-cancerous

stages. In LBC, a soft brush is used to touch

the cervix and take cells from the neck of the

uterus.This is transferred into a bottle

containing a preservative and sent for

laboratory analysis.

The cell contents are processed on a slide. In

the

conventional method, the total number of cells

collected may not get transferred onto the

slide, while in LBC, whatever sample is taken

gets transferred onto the slide.

Cauvery Water Management Authority. Central Government has constituted Cauvery

Water Management Authority (CWMA) to

address the dispute in sharing Cauvery water

between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and

Puducherry.

The authority which comprises of chairman

and eight members.

The Chairman should be either senior and

eminent engineer with experience of water

resource mangament or IAS officer with

experience in water resource management.

The Authority will work and share the 404.25

tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and

284.75 tmc ft to Karnataka , 30 tmc ft

to Kerala and 7 tmc ft to Puduchery ordered

by Supreme court.

Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU).

Tamil Nadu fisheries University has been

renamed as Tamil Nadu Dr.J. Jayalalithaa

fisheries University (TNJFU).

It was set up in 2012 and located in

Nagapattinam.

Fossil museum in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Archaeological department is

setting up Fossil Museum in Ariyalur district

which will be ready by July End.

Officials said that the fossil Museum will

features various fossils, rocks and minerals

from the Pre-Cambrian period, the Palaeozoic

period, the Jurassic period and the Cretaceous

period.

Plastic Free Tamil Nadu from 2019 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K

Palaniswami has announced that Tamil Nadu

will ban usage of Plastic from January 2019.

Three institute gets Green award Tamil Nadu Government has given Green

Award 2017 to The National Institute of

Technology (NIT), Trichy, Vellore Institute of

Technology and Gandhigram Rural University

for efforts taken to conserve energy and

protect the Green Cover.


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Green Award was given by Tamil Nadu

Pollution Control Board to recognise the effort

to conserve and protect the natural resources

and sustainable development.

Tuna fishing harbour Tamil Nadu State Government has announced

to set up World Class Tuna Fishing Harbour

in Tiruvottiyur , Tiruvalluvar District.

Polymer industries park Tamil Nadu Government to set up Polymer

Industries park in Tiruvallur which will

produce harm free plastics to environment.

TN‟s first Antyodaya train Union Minister Rajen Gohain flagged of

Tamil Nadu‘s first Antyodaya train between

Tambaram and Tirunelveli for unreserved

passengers.

Antyodaya Express are designed completely

for unreserved Passengers.

India‟s first Lithium Ion Battery Project. An Agreement for transfer of technology for

India‘s First Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery

project has been signed between Council of

Scientific & Industrial Research‘s (CSIR)

Central Electro Chemical Research Institute

(CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu and RAASI

Solar Power Pvt Ltd..

A group headed by Dr Gopu Kumar has

developed indigenous technology of Lithium-

ion Cells.

This indigenous technology will help India, not

to depend Lithium ion batteries from Japan,

China, and South Korea.

Currently India is one of the largest importers

of lithium ion batteries which cost around $150

Million.

Chitrangudi , Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary. The Union Ministry of Environment has

proposed to declare Chitrangudi Bird

Sanctuary and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary as

eco-sensitive Zones.

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary is located

in RAmanathapuram District and Karaivetti

Bird Sanctuary located in Ariyalur District of

Tamil Nadu.

The aim of declaring Eco-Sensitive Zone is to

conserve the Wildlife habits.

TN bill to remove Bamboo from list of tree. Tamil Nadu State Government has introduced

the bill to remove Bamboo from list of tree in

Tamil Nadu Forest Act 1882.

As per the bill it will exempts bamboo grown

in non-forest areas from the definition of a tree,

therefore provides requirement of felling and

transit permit.

Bamboo taxonomically grass, but legally

defined as Tree in Indian forest Act 1927,

because of this Farmers could not cultivate

Bamboo in Non-forest Areas.

The bill will encourage the farmers to cultivate

Bamboo in Non forest areas and which

enhance their income.

Tamil Nadu Ranks 13th in Urban Street Vendors Programme.

Latest Systematic Progressive Analytical Real

Time Ranking (SPARK) ranks Tamil Nadu in

13th

position in support for Urban Street

Vendors programmed implemented

under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National

Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).

Madhya Pradesh tops the rank followed by

Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh in 2nd

and

3rd

postion.

AIIMS in Madurai All India Institute of Medical Science

(AIIMS) to come up in Thoppur, Madurai

District Tamil Nadu.

Statue of Cariappa Statue of first Army Field Marshal Late K.M

Cariappa was unveiled in Officer Training

academy Chennai.


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NATIONAL

What is the theme of the 2018 World Milk

Day (WMD) in India?

The World Milk Day (WMD) is observed

every year by the Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) on June 1 to recognize

the importance of milk as a global food. The

day is intended to provide an opportunity to

bring attention to activities that are connected

with the dairy sector.

Interestingly, this is an event which does not

follow a specific theme worldwide. Instead,

different countries, governments and non-

governmental organizations get to pick a

theme of their own. The WMD 2018 theme in

India is ―Drink Move Be Strong‖. Milk is

enriched with nutrients like calcium, protein,

vitamin B2, potassium, iodine, etc.

Which social networking giant has partnered with National Commission for

Women (NCW) to offer digital literacy

programme for women?

Social networking giant Facebook has

partnered with National Commission for

Women (NCW) to launch a digital literacy

programme in

collaboration with the Cyber Peace Foundation

(CPF). As part of the digital literacy

programme pilot, awareness training will be

conducted for 60,000.

women in universities across major cities in

Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Manipur, Sikkim,

Meghalaya, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu over

a one-year period. These interactive sessions

will provide training on safe and responsible

use of the internet, social media and email and

will enable trainees to differentiate between

credible and questionable information. The

training will be conducted in local languages.

The first biannual Indian Air Force Commanders‟ Conference 2018 was held in

which city?

The first biannual Indian Air Force

Commanders‘ Conference was inaugurated by

Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Air

Headquarters in New Delhi on May 31, 2018.

The two day conference will discuss

operational, maintenance and administrative

takeaways identified during the military

exercise ‗Gagan Shakti-2018′ and the way

ahead.

The aim of the Gagan Shakti-2018, which was

conducted in April 2018, was real time

coordination, deployment and employment of

air power in a short and intense battle scenario.

Pandurang Phundkar, who passed away recently, was associated with which political

party?

Pandurang Phundkar (67), the Maharashtra

Agriculture Minister and senior BJP leader,

has passed away in Mumbai on May 31, 2018.

He was a member of 9th Lok Sabha, 10th Lok

Sabha and 11th Lok Sabha from Akola (Lok

Sabha constituency) from Maharashtra.

Which union ministry has launched an online Analytical tool to monitor foreign

contributions by various organizations

under FCRA?

On June 1, the Union Home Minister Rajnath

Singh has launched an online analytical tool

to facilitate closer monitoring of the flow and

utilization of foreign contributions received by


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various organisations registered under the

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010.

The web-based tool enables decision-makers in

various Departments of Government to

scrutinize source of foreign funds and their

actual use in India. It has analytical features to

conduct big data mining and data exploration.

Its dashboard will be integrated with the bank

accounts of the FCRA-registered entities

through the Public Financial Management

System for updation of transactional data on a

real-time basis. There are approximately 25

thousand active organisations registered under

the FCRA. Foreign Contributions worth 8,065

crores rupees were received by such

organisations from foreign donors for various

social, cultural, economic, educational and

religious activities during financial year 2016-

17.

The Somasila Dam is located in which state? The Somasila Dam is built across the Penna

River near Somasila in Nellore district of

Andhra Pradesh. Live storage capacity of the

dam is 1.994 km3.

India has recently signed Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in nursing

with which country?

India has recently signed Mutual Recognition

Agreement (MRA) in nursing with Singapore

which would allow nurses trained in seven

nursing institutions across India to gain

employment in the South-East Asian country.

MRAs pave the way for recognition of the

professional bodies of one country by the other.

Regulatory bodies of various professional

services like engineering, nursing, accountancy

and architecture are encouraged to enter into

these pacts. These pacts are part of free trade

agreements (FTAs) that India has signed with

several regions, including Singapore, Japan,

South Korea and ASEAN. India and Singapore

entered into FTA in August 2005.

Which state government has launched the scheme “Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya

Bima Yojana” for journalists?

The Odisha government has launched the

health insurance scheme for working

journalists in the state. It will be implemented

with effect from June 1, 2018. In the first

phase, as many as 3,233 working journalists

will get health insurance coverage up to Rs. 2

lakh a year.

Under the scheme, at least five members of

the journalist‘s family will be covered. The

scribes will get their health insurance card from

the District Information and Public Relations

Officer (DIPRO) in their respective districts.

Which automobile company has signed a MoU with Maharashtra government to

promote e-Mobility in the State?

Tata Motors Ltd has signed a Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) with the State

Government of Maharashtra for deployment of

1000 Electric Vehicles (EV) across its range of

passenger and commercial vehicles in the

State. The company also partnered Tata group

company, Tata Power Ltd to set up of EV

Charging Stations in the State.

Under whose chairmanship executive committee has been constituted by the Union

Government to spread Mahatma Gandhi‟s

legacy among people?

The Union Government has set up an

executive committee, under the chairmanship

of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread

Mahatma Gandhi‘s legacy among the people at

the national and international level.


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The committee comprises, senior cabinet

ministers, the leader of opposition in the Rajya

Sabha, renowned Gandhians, social activists

and noted public figures. The panel was

formed after the first meeting of the National

Committee (NC) under the chairmanship of

President Ram Nath Kovind to commemorate

the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma

Gandhi.

During the meeting, it was decided to form

a sub-committee to consider policies and lay

down guidelines for the celebrations. The NC

has 125 members, of which 116 are from India.

Other members are acclaimed foreign

members.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched a new EPS to predict

severity and intensity of weather. What does

“EPS” stands for?

The India Meteorological Department

(IMD) has launched a new Ensemble

Prediction Systems (EPS) to provide

probabilistic weather forecasts up to the next

10 days. According to IMD, these new systems

shall improve upon deterministic forecasts that

are prone to high margins of error.

These systems also use a higher resolution

12 km grid scale, instead of the 23 km

resolution that has been in use till now. The

new model has been developed jointly by

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and

National Centre for Medium-Range Weather

Forecasting. With this new model, India joins

the US with a model that predicts with a 12 km

resolution. Only the ‗European Center for

Medium Range Weather Forecast‘ has a better

9-kilometer resolution. Better forecasts lead to

better management agriculture and water

resources. It also helps promote tourism, solar

and wind energy.

Which of the agendas will be discussed in the 49th Conference of Governors and

Lieutenant Governors?

The 49th Conference of Governors and

Lieutenant Governors has started at Rashtrapati

Bhavan in New Delhi on June 4, 2018. The 2-

day conference was commenced with the

inaugural address by the President Ram Nath

Kovind.

The important agendas listed for conference

are such as Clean India mission, internal

security, higher education and skill

development. The conference will discuss

important thematic issues in various sessions.

Governors will also discuss ideas on how to

commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of

Mahatma Gandhi.

As per which section of the Income Tax Act, the Charitable Religious Institutions shall be

eligible for grant under the scheme „Seva

Bhoj Yojna‟?

On June 1, the Union Ministry of Culture

has launched a new scheme called ‗Seva Bhoj

Yojna‘ with a total outlay of Rs. 325 Crores for

Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20.

The scheme seeks to reimburse the Central

Government share of CGST and IGST so as to

lessen the financial burden of such Charitable

Religious Institutions who provide food free of

cost without any discrimination to

Public/Devotees.

The Charitable Religious Institutions such

as Temples etc. which have been in existence

for at least 5 years before applying for financial

assistance/grant and who serve free food to at

least 5000 people in a month and such

institutions covered under Section 10 (23BBA)

of the Income Tax Act or Institutions registered


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as Society under Societies Registration Act (

XXI of 1860) or as a Public Trust under any

law for the time being in force of statuary

religious bodies constituted under any Act or

institutions registered under Section 12AA of

Income Tax Act shall be eligible for grant

under the scheme.

What is the India‟s rank in the Save the Children‟s “End of Childhood Index 2018”?

India has been ranked 113th among 175

Countries in the ―End of Childhood

Index2018‖, issued by global child rights group

―Save the Children‖. The Index which is part

of the report titled ―The Many Faces of

Exclusion‖ indicated that the child marriages in

India have come down to 15.2% from 21.1% in

2017. The Index ranked countries with regards

to where childhood is threatened as a result of

poor health, malnutrition, exclusion from

education, child labor, child marriage, early

pregnancy and extreme violence. Singapore

and Slovenia are placed at the top sharing the

first place in the index and Niger figures at the

end of the list at 175.

Indian Navy has recently rescued 38 stranded Indians from cyclone hit Socotra

Island. The Island is located in which

country?

On June 3, the Indian Navy evacuated 38

stranded Indians from Socotra Island in

Yemen where they were stranded for nearly

10 days after a severe Cyclonic storm Mekunu

hit the area. The Navy evacuated the Indians

as part of operation code name ‗NISTAR‘,

carried out off the coast of Socotra and

embarked them at Indian Naval ship INS

Sunayna to bring them back to India. The

evacuated Indians were immediately provided

with medical care, food, water and telephone

Facilities to call and reassure their families at

home. The Island of Socotra is considered the

jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea and is

recognized as a world natural heritage site by

UNESCO in 2008.

Which country is hosting the 3rd Asia Cup International Bridge Championship 2018?

India is hosting the 3rd Asia Cup International

Bridge Championship 2018 in Goa from June

4 and will see participation from countries

including Australia, Bangladesh, China, Japan

and Korea

The championship will be contested in five

categories namely men, women, mixed, super-

mixed and senior. Players from Australia,

Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Chinese

Taipei, Indonesia, Japan,Korea, Pakistan,

Singapore and Thailand will be participating in

the event.

Round robin matches will be played from the

June 5-8. Four top teams in each category will

progress to the knock-out stage. Semi-finals

will be contested on June 9 and. The finals and

play-offs for 3rd place will be played on June

10. The tournament will also have a Match

Point pair‘s contest which is an open event.

Which union ministry has launched „Krishi Kalyan Abhiyaan‟ to help farmers in raising

their income?

The Ministry of Agriculture and farmers

welfare in line with the Prime Minister

Narendra Modi‘s vision of doubling farmers‘

income by 2022 has launched the Krishi kalyan

Abhiyaan from 1st June to 31st July, 2018.

The purpose of the scheme is to aid, assist and

advice farmers on how to improve their

farming techniques and raise their incomes.

The Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan will be undertaken

in 25 Villages with more than 1000 population


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each in Aspirational Districts identified in

consultation with Ministry of Rural

Development as per directions of NITI Ayog.

In districts where number of villages (with

more than 1000 population) is less than 25, all

villages will be covered. Farm science centres

called Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will

coordinate and implement the programme.

Under which campaign the „Jan Aushadhi Suvidha‟- the Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary

Napkin has been launched by the Union

Government?

Minister of State for Chemicals and

Fertilizers, Mansukh L Mandaviya launched

the ‗Jan Aushadhi Suvidha‘- the Oxo-

biodegradable Sanitary Napkin under the

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi

Pariyojana (PMBJP) in New Delhi on June 4,

2018.

The affordable sanitary napkins will become

available at over 3600 Janaushadhi Kendras

functional in 33 States/ UTs across India. Jan

Aushadhi Suvidha comes with a special

additive, which makes it biodegradable when it

comes in contact with oxygen after being

discarded.

The average price of sanitary napkins

available in the market today is around Rs 8

per pad, whereas the cost of SUVIDHA

napkins is Rs 2.50 per pad.

Which country is the global host nation for the 43rd edition of World Environment Day

(WED -2018) event?

India is the global host nation for the 43rd

edition of World Environment Day (WED -

2018) event, which has started on June 5, 2018.

Environment Ministers, representatives from

United Nations and members from various

industry bodies will be among the various

dignitaries who will attend the event.

The day is a platform for encouraging

awareness and propagating the need for

protecting the environment. The 2018 theme is

―Beat Plastic Pollution‖.

Under which theme, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the 2018 Financial

Literacy Week?

On June 4, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

has launched Financial Literacy Week (FLW-

2018) across the country with Customer

Protection as its main theme. The event will

focus on creating awareness among customers

of banks about financial products and services,

good financial practices and going digital.

It will give out four consumer protection

messages including ‗know your liability‘ for

unauthorised electronic banking transaction

and good practices for a safe digital banking

experience. Among various messages,

customers will be told through banners and

posters that in case of unauthorised digital

transaction if bank is informed within 3 days,

the liability of the account holder is zero.

Resolution of complaint is to be done by the

bank concerned within period not exceeding 90

days from the date of receipt of the complaint.

Leela Menon, who passed away recently, was associated with which field?

Leela Menon (86), the senior journalist and

chief editor of Malayalam daily Janmabhumi,

haspassed away in Kochi, Kerala on June 3,

2018. Menon, who began her journalistic

career with 3 The Indian Express in New Delhi

in 1978. Ms. Menon penned an autobiography

titled ‗Nilaykatha Symphony‘.


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NTPC Ltd has adopted the iconic Charminar in Hyderabad under the Swachh Iconic

Places Projects of India. This historical

monument was built by whom?

NTPC Ltd has adopted the iconic Charminar

in Hyderabad under the Swachh Iconic Places

Projects of India. This is part of a special drive

under the Centre‘s Swachh Bharat Mission.

NTPC Ltd and the Greater Hyderabad

Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have signed

an MoU for implementation of development

and beautification works under the Charminar

Pedestrianization Project in Hyderabad. The

works includes providing battery-operated

vehicles for visitors, bollards to prevent traffic

Swachh Auto Tippers (SAT) for carting

garbage, mechanical sweeping vehicles and

litter picking machines, decorative and halogen

lighting of four arches, construction of public

utilities, toilets and drinking water.

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, who was the

fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of

Golkonda, founded the city of Hyderabad and

built Charminar in 1591.

Which Indian beach has become the Asia‟s first beach to get the Blue Flag certification?

The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast

of Odisha has become the Asia‘s first beach to

get the Blue Flag certification — the tag given

to environment-friendly and clean beaches,

equipped with amenities of international

standards for tourists. The beach awarded the

honour on World Environment Day (WED) on

June 5, 2018. Apart from this, 12 more Indian

beaches are being developed by the Society for

Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an

Environment Ministry‘s body working for the

management of coastal areas, in accordance

with the Blue Flag certification standards.

Among them are the Chiwla and Bhogave

beaches in Maharashtra and one beach each

from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu,

Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar

Islands.

The Blue Flag beach standards were

established by Copenhagen-based Foundation

for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985. In

order to get the Blue Flag tag, a beach has to be

plastic-free and be equipped with a waste

management system.

Who has won the „National Gopal Ratna‟ award from the Central Government for

cattle rearing and dairying?

Dhiraj Ram Krishna, a young engineer from

Coimbatore, has won the ‗National Gopal

Ratna‘ award from the Central Government on

June 2 for cattle rearing and dairying. He

received the award from the Union Minister of

Agriculture and Farmers‘ Welfare Radha

Mohan Singh in New Delhi for ‗upkeep of the

best dairy animals of indigenous breeds‘.

The World Bank has approved how much amount for Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) of

Government of India (GoI)? The World Bank

has approved Rs.6000 crore for Atal Bhujal

Yojana (ABHY), a Central Sector Scheme of

the Ministry of Water Resources, River

Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. The

scheme is to be implemented over a period of

five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with

World Bank assistance. The ABHY has been

formulated by the Ministry to address the

criticality of ground water resources in a major

part of the country. The scheme proposal has

already been recommended by the Expenditure

Finance Committee and the Ministry will be

seeking Cabinet approval for the project

shortly. The purpose of the scheme is to

improve ground water management in priority


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areas in the country through community

participation. The priority areas identified

under the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana,

Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The Supreme Court has recently allowed the Union government to implement the

reservation in promotion policy for SC/ST

employees. As per which article of the

Constitution, reservation in promotions are

mandated?

As per Article 16 (4A) On June 5, the

Supreme Court has allowed the Union

government to implement the reservation in

promotion policy for SC/ST employees in

accordance with the law but did not stay a

Delhi High Court judgment that had quashed

an August 1997 office memorandum issued by

the Centre providing for reservation in

promotions for Dalit and tribal employees. The

vacation bench comprising Justices Adarsh

Kumar Goel and Ashok Bhushan allowed such

reservation but added without elaboration that

it should be ―in accordance with law‖.

On which committee‟s recommendations, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will set up

Public Credit Registry (PCR) to check loan

defaults?

In a bid to check loan defaults, the Reserve

Bank of India (RBI) has considered the

recommendations of YM Deosthalee-headed

High Level Task Force and will set up a Public

Credit Registry (PCR) in a modular and phased

manner. The PCR is an information repository

that collates all loan information of individuals

and corporate borrowers. A credit repository

will help banks distinguish between a bad and a

good borrower and accordingly offer attractive

interest rates to good borrowers and higher

interest rates to bad borrowers. PCR will serve

as a registry of all credit contracts in India.

What is the current repo rate in the second bi-monthly monetary policy review of RBI

for FY19?

On June 6, the 6-member Monetary Policy

Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of

India (RBI) hiked the key policy repo rate by

25 basis points to 6.25% in its second bi-

monthly monetary policy review of FY19.

Concurrently, the reverse repo rate adjusted to

6.0%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF)

rate and the Bank Rate to 6.50%. This is the

first time since January 2014 that RBI has

announced a rate hike. Since then, RBI has

either reduced the rate or maintained status

quo. Repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to

banks generally against government securities

while the reverse repo is the rate at which RBI

borrows money from the banks.

In its monetary policy statement, RBI revised

CPI inflation projections for the first half (H1)

of FY19 to 4.8-4.9%, and 4.7% in the second

half (H2). RBI retained its Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) growth projection for the

financial year at 7.4%.

Which city hosted the National Consultation on Accelerating Implementation of Tobacco

Control Measures for achievement of Goals

under National Health Policy 2017?

The National Consultation on Accelerating

Implementation of Tobacco Control Measures

for achievement of Goals under National

Health Policy (2017) has inaugurated by

Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar

Choubey in New Delhi on June 6, 2018.


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The Union government has recently given final clearance to Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation

Project (KLIP). The project will built across

which river?

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 utilizing 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 utilize 139MW pump, the

highest capacity pump to be deployed in any

project in the country.

Narayan Prasad Singh, who passed away recently, was the renowned lyricist of which

state?

Narayan Prasad Singh, the most popular lyricist

of Odisha, has passed away in Bhubaneswar on

June 6, 2018. He was popularly known as

Rasaraj.

Which country hosted the 11th edition of Geo Intelligence Asia 2018?

India hosted the 11th edition of Geo-Intelligence

Asia 2018 at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi

on 04-05 June 2018. It was organized by

Geospatial Media and Communication with

Directorate General of Information System as

Knowledge Partners and Military Survey as

Co-organizers. The theme of Seminar was

‗Geospatial: A Force Multiplier for Defense

and Industrial Security‘. The aim of the event

is to provide a platform to showcase the

innovative applications of the Geospatial

technologies. The seminar brought together

the military, security officials including BSF

and Police Forces, Government and industry

together to examine the latest technology

solutions and on the critical role of geospatial

technology in military and security

applications.

The Mitti Dam is located in which state? The Mitti Dam is a concrete and earthen dam built

on the Mitti River in Abdasa Taluka of Kutch

District, Gujarat. The Mitti River is an

intermittent stream and provides a catchment

area of 468.78 sq. kms for the reservoir. The

dam is 4405 m long and has 17.40 million

cubic meters (MCM) of gross storage.

Which state will become the first Indian state to use auto-disable syringes for all

clinical purposes to prevent infection?

Andhra Pradesh will become the first Indian

state to use auto-disable syringes for all clinical

purposes to prevent infection. The move will

be enforced from the World Hepatitis Day

(WHD2018) when the state government will

declare itself as ―Safety Injection Use State‖.

The initiative will ensure one injection will be

given from one syringe by mandating universal

usage of auto-disable syringes in all

clinical/therapeutic cases as part of infection

prevention. The move would strengthen the

healthcare system by lowering the burden of

infections and breaking the cycle of cross

infection.


13

Which variety of pineapple has been declared as the state fruit of Tripura?

President Ram Nath Kovind has recently

declared the ‗Queen‘ variety of pineapple as

the state fruit of Tripura. The famous ‗Queen‘

variety is spiny, golden yellow in color and

emits pleasant aroma and flavor at the ripen

stage. The fruits are harvested when eyes turns

yellow during mid-May to mid-July when the

fruit is available. The average weight of fruit

varies from 600 Grams to 800 Grams. It got the

Geographical Indication (GI) in 2015 and is the

best quality of pineapple in the world. Tripura

is one ofthe largest pineapple growing states in

the country and there are more than 100

commercial scale pineapple plantations in the

state. Earlier, President Kovind dedicated a

73.71km stretch of National Highway 8 from

Mata Tripurasundari temple in Udaipur of

Gomati district to Sabroom in South Tripura.

Sudheesh Guruvayoor has set a Guinness World Record by distributing the largest

number of curry tree saplings in Sharjah.

He is native of which Indian state?

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.

Dr. Sapan Kumar Murmu, the renowned doctor of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of

Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR)

has passed away. The VIMSAR is located in

which state?

Dr. Sapan Kumar Murmu (58), the renowned

doctor and Superintendent of VIMSAR, has

passed away on June 8, 2018. He was also Head

of the Department of Pediatrics at VIMSAR.

The VIMSAR is a premier government-run

medical college and hospital of Odisha. It was

established in 1959 in Burla, a small town on

the banks of the Mahanadi River in the

Sambalpur district of Western Odisha. It is one

of the oldest institutes in Odisha for imparting

highly specialized medical education at both the

undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Which state government has launched a “Business First Portal”?

The Punjab government has launched a

―Business First Portal‖ to give a big push

towards the ease of doing business in the state.

It was unveiled by Industry Minister Sunder

Sham Arora in Jalandhar on June 7, 2018. The

online portal will facilitate the industrialists for

Regulatory Clearances and Fiscal Approvals,

real-time tracking of applications at common

platform.

What is India‟s rank in the Global Peace Index 2018?


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.


14

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.

Which committee has been constituted to examine setting up of ARC for faster

resolution of stressed assets of Public Sector

Banks (PSBs)?

The Union finance ministry has set up a

committee to examine the possibility of setting

up an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC)

or an Asset Management Company (AMC) to

fast track resolution of stressed assets.Punjab

National Bank‘s non-executive chairman Sunil

Mehta will head the panel. The Committe will

consider whether such an arrangement will be

good for the

banking system. If it is considered advisable,

the Committee will also consider the modalities

by which such an ARC / AMC should be set

up. It will submit its report in two weeks.

Kandaala Subrahmanya Tilak, the noted freedom fighter has passed away. He was

elected to the 1st Lok Sabha from which

constituency in 1952?

Kandaala Subrahmanya Tilak (98), the noted

freedom fighter and member of the first Lok

Sabha,has passed away in Visakhapatnam,

Andhra Pradesh on June 8, 2018. Tilak, who

took part in India‘s freedom struggle including

the Salt Satyagraha, was elected to the first Lok

Sabha in 1952 from Vizianagaram constituency

from Socialist Party of India.

Laliteshwar Prasad Shahi, who passed away recently, was associated with which political

party of India?

Laliteshwar Prasad Shahi (98), the senior

Congress leader and former Union minister,

has passed away in New Delhi on June 9, 2018.

Appu Karki, the popular Kumauni folk singer has passed away. He was native

ofwhich state?

Pappu Karki, the popular Kumauni folk singer,

has passed away in car accident near

Haidakhan

in Nainital district on June 9, 2018. Karki was

famous for singing Kumauni folk.

Shantaram Laxman Naik, who passed away recently, was the former Congress chief of

which state?

Shantaram Laxman Naik (72), the veteran Goa

Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP,

has passed away in Margao, Goa on June 9,

2018. Naik was elected to the Lok Sabha from

the South Goa constituency in the 1984 general

election. He was instrumental in the passage of

the Goa Statehood Bill that consequently

granted statehood to Goa on May 30, 1987. He

represented Goa in the Rajya Sabha for two

consecutive terms — 2005-2011 and 2011-

2017. However, in July 2017, he lost the

election to the Upper House of Parliament to

BJP candidate Vinay Tendulkar. In March

2018, Naik resigned as president of the Goa

Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) to pave

the way for the younger generation to take the

reins of the party.

As per which inter-connectivity project, the Government of India (GoI) has launched

5,000 Wi-Fi Choupals in villages?

The Government of India (GoI) has launched

5,000 Wi-Fi Choupals in villages and delivery

of rail tickets through Common Service

Centres (CSCs). It was inaugurated by


15

Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar

Prasad in New Delhi on June 11, 2018. The

move is aimed at transforming rural Internet

connectivity through BharatNet.

The WiFi Choupals will enable people in rural

areas with an effective Internet access for their

various digital processes. The BharatNet is the

Central Government‘s

rural broadband connectivity project to connect

2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) by Optical

Fibre Cable (OFC).

Which country to host the first military exercise of the BIMSTEC group focusing

on counter-terrorism?

India will host the first military exercise of the

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for

MultiSectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation) group focusing on counter-

terrorism in Pune on. As part of this, a

conclave of the Army chiefs of all 7 member-

states is being planned. The purpose of the

exercise is to promote strategic alignment

among the memberstates and to share best

practices in the area of counter-terrorism.

BIMSTEC was set up in 1997 and includes

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan Myanmar, Nepal,

Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Which state is hosting the 2nd India-US colloquium on Earth Observations and

Sciences for Society and Economy?

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.

Which technical committee has been constituted by the Union government to look

into jobs data calculation?

On June 11, the Union government has

constituted a technical committee under the

chairmanship of former chief statistician TCA

Anant to bring in more transparency in jobs

data calculation and presentation.

Which state government will launch awareness programme “Sanskar” against

superstition?

The Assam government will soon launch an

awareness programme — ‗Sanskar‘– in all

development blocks and panchayats. The move

is taken in the wake of incidents triggered by

superstition and ignorance including the

lynching of two young artistes in Karbi

Anglong district of the state. The Assam

Science Technology and Environment Council

(ASTEC) would be the nodal agency and the

programme would involve all deputy

commissioners, superintendents of police and

all government departments concerned in a

district. Local bodies, womens‘ organisations,

voluntary organizations, media persons,

leading citizens, academicians, MPs and MLAs

from ruling and opposition parties would be

stakeholders of the programme. Social activist

Birubala Rabha will also be involved in the

programme.


16

The Central Government has launched which Yoga Day Contest to generate

awareness regarding benefits of Yoga at

workplace for women?

The Ministry of Women and Child

Development (WCD) has launched

‗#YogaFor9to5‘, a contest focused on

generating awareness regarding benefits of

Yoga at Workplace for Women. The contest

invites self-demonstration Videos & Pictures of

Yoga Asanas being practiced during office

hours. For this contest, the Ministry proposes

to invite entries on easy Yoga Asanas which

can calm Women during her work hours. The

deadline for the contest is June 21, 2018.

Interested participants can submit their

applications in the form of a self-demonstration

video or multiple pictures and mail it to

[email protected]

International Yoga Day (IYD) is celebrated

globally in order to generate awareness about

the benefits and life changing effects that Yoga

has in our day to day lives. The Contest aims

to imbibe Yoga in our daily lives especially

during work. The participants would be judged

on the basis of creativity, originality,

composition, technical excellence, simplicity,

artistic merit and visual impact.

What is the theme of the 2018 World Day against Child Labour?

The World Day against Child Labour is

observed every year on June 12 to highlight the

plight of child labourers and what can be done

to help them. The 2018 theme ‗Generation Safe

& Healthy‘ points a finger at the hazardous and

exploitative working conditions in which

millions of children are working tooth, nail

and bone for

a living. The day shines a spotlight on the

global need to improve the safety and health of

young workers and end child labour.

The Dassam Falls is located across which tributary of the Subarnarekha River in

Jharkhand?

The Dassam Falls is a waterfall located near

Taimara village in Bundu police station of

Ranchi district of Jharkhand. It is a natural

cascade across the Kanchi River, a tributary of

the Subarnarekha River. The water falls from a

height of 44 metres.

India hosted the 10th meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis

(GAELF-2018). The Lymphatic Filariasis

(LF) is spread by which mosquito?

India hosted the 10th meeting of Global

Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis

(GAELF) in New Delhi with theme

‗Celebrating Progress towards Elimination:

Voices from the Field on Overcoming

Programme Challenges‘ on June 13, 2018. On

this occasion, the Union Health Minister J P

Nadda released the Accelerated Plan for

Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (APELF)

2018 for India. GAELF is an alliance of

partners from 72 LF endemic national country

programmes that assists WHO‘s Global

Programme to Eliminate LF. LF disease is

caused mainly by Wuchereria Bancrofti and

spread by Culex mosquito. This mosquito

grows in dirty accumulated water. The disease

affects the poorest population in society,

particularly those living in areas with poor

water, sanitation and hygiene.


17

Ramachandra Bainda, who passed away recently, was the former BJP MP from

which Lok Sabha constituency of Haryana?

Ramachandra Bainda (72), the former BJP MP

from Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency, has

passed away in New Delhi on June 12, 2018.

The Ethipothala Falls is located in which state?

It is located on the Chandravanka River, a

tributary of River Krishna, in Guntur District of

Andhra Pradesh. There is a crocodile breeding

center in the pond formed by the water fall and

is managed by the Forest Department of

Andhra Pradesh where one can see the

crocodiles from close distance.There are two

temples at the foot of the waterfall, dedicated

to Ranganadha Swami and Dattatreya Swami.

Adjacent to the waterfall, there is a group of

caves which are believed to extend till

Srisailam.

The Union Cabinet has recently approved the final extension of tenure of the

Commission constituted to examine the issue

of Sub-categorization within OBCs in the

Central List. The Commission is headed by

whom?

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime

Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved

the final extension of tenure of the Commission

constituted to examine the issue of

Subcategorization within Other Backward

Classes (OBCs) in the Central List. Earlier, it

was mandated to present the report to the

President upto 20th June 2018. Now, it is

extended till 31st July, 2018. As per Article 340

of the Constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind

appointed a Commission on 2nd October 2017.

Justice (Retd.) G. Rohini is the head of the

commission. The commission will work out the

mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters in a

scientific approach for sub-categorisation within

such OBCs. It will also take up the exercise of

identifying the respective castes or communities

or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central List of

Other Backward Classes and classifying them

into their respective sub-categories.

The Union Cabinet has approved the nomination of which Union ministry as the

ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern

Council (NEC)?

Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister

Narendra Modi has approved the nomination of

the Union Home Minister as the ex-officio

chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

The NEC is a statutory body with Governors

and Chief Ministers of all the eight North

Eastern States as its Member.

The Cabinet also approved that Minister of

State (Independent Charge), Ministry of

DoNER would serve as Vice Chairman of the

Council. As per new arrangement, NEC will

provide a forum for discussing inter-state

matters more comprehensively and also

consider common approaches to be taken in

future. NEC can now also perform the tasks

undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to

discuss such inter-State issues as drug

trafficking, smuggling of arms and

ammunition, boundary disputes etc. This re-

positioning of NEC will help it to become a

more effective body for the North Eastern

Region.

Who has assumed charge as new Secretary in Ministry of Coal?

Dr Inder Jit Singh, a 1985 batch IAS officer

of Kerala Cadre, has been appointed the coal

secretary in New Delhi. He succeeded Susheel

Kumar. Prior to his appointment as Coal


18

Secretary, he, was posted as Secretary

(Coordination) in Cabinet Secretariat. Dr

Singh is a Ph.D in Economics from Punjab

University.

Which state government has initiated a „water literacy‟ campaign to create

awareness about the importance of water

conservation in the State?

The Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority

has initiated a ‗water literacy‘ campaign with

the involvement of 70,000 students aiming to

create awareness about the importance of

water conservation in the State. As per the

campaign, every student will take classes

about water conservation for 15 families in

their locality. Approx 10 lakh people will be

benefited from the campaign, which is

scheduled to be held from June 20 to

September 20. The purpose of the campaign is

to improvising the knowledge of students as

well as people regarding importance of water,

prevention of water pollution, water

conservation and laws related to water

management.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has inked an agreement with which statebased

Smart Village Movement (SVM) for its

smart village initiative? The Arunachal

Pradesh government has inked an agreement

with Andhra Pradesh-based Smart Village

Movement (SVM) to facilitate technology

innovations, research and development in

selected villages of the north-eastern state. The

man behind the Smart Village Movement,

Solomon Darwin, will be the adviser to the

project‘s core team. The SVM‘s open

innovation approach will integrate technology

and indigenous rural practices to generate

sustainable

revenue for constituents, and hence it will

increase overall standard of living and quality

of life.

What is the India‟s rank in the Global Environment Performance Index 2018, as

per latest released State of India‟s

Environment (SoE) 2018 in Figures by

Down To Earth magazine?


nations at the 2018 Global Environment

Performance Index (EPI) rankings. As per State

of India‘s Environment (SoE) 2018 in Figures,

India scored 5.75 out of 100 in air quality. The

SoE in Figures is an annual compendium of

environmental statistics put together by Down

To Earth magazine, which Centre for Science

and Environment (CSE) helps publish. The SoE

in Figures 2018 covers diverse subjects ranging

from air pollution to environmental crimes &

sanitation to energy security.

The 2018 EPI provides a quantitative basis for

comparing, analyzing, and understanding

environmental performance for 180 countries.

Low scores on the EPI are indicative of the need

for national sustainability efforts on a number of

fronts, especially cleaning up air quality,

protecting biodiversity, and reducing GHG

emissions. The top five countries in terms of

green rankings are Switzerland, France,

Denmark, Malta and Sweden.

Which city to host the 106th Indian Science Congress (ISC-2019)?

The 106th Indian Science Congress (ISC-

2019) will be held at Lovely Professional

University

(LPU) in Jalandhar, Punjab from 3rd to 7th

January 2019. The theme of the 5-day science

congress is ‗Future India: Science &

Technology‘. Approx. 15,000 delegates,


19

including 300 top scientists and Nobel Laureates

from across world are expected to attend the

congress. The science congress will have 18

plenary sessions, including those of medical,

chemical,environmental and other science

domains.There will also be four parallel mega

events, including the children‘s science

conference;women‘s science conference;

science communicators‘ meet; and, science

exhibition. The exhibition will see participation

from the national and international science

companies, especially from the US, Australia,

Germany and Switzerland.

Which country to host the 23rd European Union Film Festival (EUFF-2018)?

India will host the 23rd European Union Film

Festival (EUFF-2018) at the Siri Fort

Auditorium in New Delhi from 18 – 24 June.

The festival will improve cultural ties between

India and European countries. Approx. 24 latest

European movies from 23 European countries

will be screened. The festival is organized by

Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) under

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,

partnering with the delegation of the European

Union and embassies of EU Member States.

Which state government has signed pact with Quebec province of Canada foreconomic

cooperation & welfare of tribal communities?

The Maharashtra government has signed pact

with Quebec province of Canada to increase

economic cooperation and welfare of the tribal

community. The key areas of focus are

information technology, biotechnology,

artificial intelligence and welfare of the tribal

community.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,

who is on a week-long tour to the US and

Canada, signed Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) to this effect with Quebec Premier

Philippe Couillard onJune 13, 2018.

Shujaat Bukhari, the veteran journalist has passed away. He was editor of Srinagar-

based which newspaper? Shujaat Bukhari (50),

the veteran journalist and editor of Srinagar

based Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot dead

by unidentified gunmen outside his office in the

Press Enclave areaof Srinagar in Jammu &

Kashmir (J&K) on June 14, 2018.

What is the India‟s growth forecast for FY19, as per latest Fitch Ratings report “Global

Economic Outlook”?

As per latest report ―Global Economic

Outlook‖, Fitch Ratings has raised India‘s

growth forecast for 2018-19 to 7.4% from 7.3%,

but cited higher financing costs and rising oil

prices as risks to growth. It also said that the

rupee has been among the worst performers vis-

a-vis Asian currencies this year. For FY20, it

estimated the country to grow at 7.5%.

However, higher financing costs (stemming

from monetary tightening and higher market

premiums) and rising oil prices should limit the

upside to growth.

The conference on implementation of National Pension System (NPS) by the

Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs) was held

in which city?

The conference on implementation of National

Pension System (NPS) by the Central

Autonomous Bodies (CABs) was held in New

Delhi. It was organized by Pension Fund

Regulatory and Development Authority

(PFRDA).The prime objective of the conference

was to provide a forum to all the CABs, where

the progress in the implementation of NPS with

respect to compliance of timelines in various


20

NPS related activities could be brought to the

fore and a way forward could be provided.

Adiraju Venkateswara Rao, who passed away recently, was associated with which

field?

Adiraju Venkateswara Rao (80), the veteran

journalist and author, has passed away in

Hyderabad, Telangana on June 15, 2018. He

worked for several Telugu and English dailies

and news agencies including Andhra Jyothi,

Udayam, Deccan Chronicle, Indian Express,

Himachal Times and Hindustan Samachar at

Hyderabad and Delhi.

The Jawai dam is situated in which district of Rajasthan?

The Jawai dam is built across the Jawai River, a

tributary of Luni River, and is situated near

Sumerpur town in Pali District of Rajasthan.

The dam was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of

Jodhpur. This is the biggest dam in the western

Rajasthan.

The dam has capacity of 7887.5 million cubic

feet and covers an area of 102,315 acres of

cultivable command area. Its height is about

61.25 feet. Seidam and Kalibor dam are the

feeder dams of the Jawai dam.

The 2018 Goa Revolution Day (GRD) has celebrated on which date?

The Goa Revolution Day (GRD) has celebrated

on 18th June 2018 to pay tributes to the martyrs

of the state‘s liberation struggle. On this day in

1946, freedom fighter Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia

gave a clarion call to the people of the state to

unite and fight against the Portuguese colonial

regime. The revolutionary call provided a spark

to Goa‘s freedom struggle and the state was

finally liberated on 19th December 1961. Goa

was ruled by the Portuguese for 451 years,

before the State was liberated by the Indian

armed forces in 1961.

Which city is hosting the COMCASA meeting?

To negotiate the text of Communications

Compatibility and Security Agreement

(COMCASA),the meeting between the team

of specialists from United States and with

their counterparts on the Indian side has

started in Delhi from June 18-20, 2018. The

meeting is a part of preparations for the 2+2

dialogue between the foreign and defense

ministers of India and the US in Washington

in July 2018.

So far, India has signed only one of the

foundational agreements, called the Logistics

Exchange Memorandum of Agreement

(LEMOA). The Basic Exchange and

Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial

Cooperation (BECA) and COMCASA are the

two remaining pacts that were not signed due

to severe criticism from within the

government. The COMCASA is a

―foundational‖ military communications

agreement. It essentially provides a legal

framework for the transfer of communication

security equipment from the US to India that

would facilitate interoperability between

Indian and US forces — and potentially with

other militaries that use US-origin systems for

secure data links.

The Hasdeo Thermal Power Station (HTPS) is located in which state?

The 840MW Hasdeo Thermal Power Station

(HTPS) is a coal-fired power station at Korba

in Chhattisgarh.The power station is owned

and operated by Chhattisgarh State Power

Generation Company,a publicly owned

generation utility formed in 2009 following the


21

restructuring of the Chhattisgarh State

Electricity Board.

The 23rd European Union Film Festival (EUFF-2018) has started in which city? Col

Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Union Minister of

Information and Broadcasting (I&B),has

inaugurated the European Union Film Festival

(EUFF) at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on

June 18, 2018. The purpose of the festival is to

improve cultural ties between India and

European countries. As per official release, 24

latest European movies from 23 European

countries will be screened during the festival.

The film festival will traverse through eleven

cities in the country including, New

Delhi,Chennai, Port Blair, Pune,

Puducherry,Kolkata,Jaipur,Visakhapatnam,Thri

ssur, Hyderabad and Goa till 31st of August.The

festival is being organized by Directorate of

Film Festivals under Ministry of I&B,

partnering with the delegation of the European

Union and embassies of EU Member States.

IRDAI has constituted which committee to review regulations governing the Insurance

Marketing Firms (IMF)?

The Insurance Regulatory and Development

Authority (IRDAI) has set up a 10-member

committee to review norms related to Insurance

Marketing Firms (IMF) with an aim to increase

insurance penetration in the country.The

committee, headed by Suresh Mathur (ED-IMF,

IRDAI), has been asked to revisit the

IRDAI(Registration of Insurance Marketing

Firms)Regulations, 2015.The new distribution

channel of IMF was introduced in 2015 by

IRDAI,

with the objective of increasing insurance

penetration through an area-wise registration

approach. Among other things, the panel has

also been asked to provide recommendations

for issuing guidelines on the areas on which

the regulations are silent. The committee will

submit its recommendations by end-July.

Which Indian Armed Force is observing the year 2018 as „Year of Disabled Soldiers in

Line of Duty‟?

To honor soldiers who have been disabled in

line of duty, the Indian Army is observing the

year 2018 as the ―Year of Disabled Soldiers in

Line of Duty‖. The primary focus is towards

alleviating the sufferings of these soldiers, who

have done their duty with utmost dedication to

the Nation and have been disabled for the life.

The endeavor this year is to provide a one-time

financial assistance to disabled soldiers who

have been boarded out from service on medical

grounds and are rendered non-employable due

to their medical or physical conditions. Indian

Army plans to create awareness on

organizational support available to soldiers and

their dependents with respect to medical,

rehabilitation, various beneficiary schemes of

Central and State Governments, vocational

opportunities and assistance for their

placement.

The Union Water Resources Ministry has teamed up with which technology giant for

flood forecasting?

With the monsoon under way, the Union Water

Resources Ministry has teamed up with Google

to generate flood warnings.If there are signs of

an imminent flood, a Google Maps user will be

able to see what regions are likely to see water

logging first and if their neighborhood is under

threat. As per agreement, the CWC and


22

Google will share technical expertise in the

fields of artificial intelligence, machine

learning, geospatial mapping and analysis of

hydrological observation data to collaborate on

(1) improving flood prediction systems, which

will help provide locationtargeted,actionable

flood warnings, (2) high priority research

project utilizing Google Earth Engine to help

visualize and improve flood management and

(3) a cultural project to build online exhibitions

on the Rivers of India.

Which state police have launched a mobile-based messenger application “Cop Connect”

to provide real time information to police

officers across the State?

The Telangana police have launched a mobile-

based messenger application ―COP

CONNECT‘ to provide real time information

to over 60,000 police officers across the State.

The app will also support the police department

in improving quality of service delivered to

public. The app has been developed based on

police‘s internal communication strategy,

which will enable the entire workforce to pro-

actively engage and pass real time information

in seconds.Unlike WhatsApp groups which are

restricted to only 256 participants, in Cop

Connect, one can add any number of groups in

a single group.

Apart from the text, the internal messaging

app will enable to share images, audio, video

files and documents. One can also share their

current location in the app. It also has an

iMeeting option, which will help in creating

and scheduling department meeting and setting

reminders. The app can be used both offline

and online and one can transfer unlimited data.

The National Yoga Olympiad has organized by NCERT in New Delhi. Who is the current

director of the organization?

On June 18, the 2018 National Yoga Olympiad

has organized by National Council of

Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

at in CIET in New Delhi to create awareness

about a scientific and holistic way of living.

Approx. 500 students from 26 States and 4

RIEs are participating in the 3-day Olympiad

The purpose of the Olympiad is to create

positive attitude among all human beings and

promote peaceful living in the society.

It was inaugurated by Mr. Eric Falt, Director

and UNESCO Representative of the New Delhi

Cluster Office for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan,

Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The NCERT is an autonomous organization of

the Government of India that was established

on 1st September 1961 as a literary, scientific

and charitable Society under the Societies‘

Registration Act (Act XXI of 1860). Dr.

Hrushikesh Senapaty is director of the NCERT

since September 2015.

The world‟s first International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics has launched in

which country?

The world‘s first International Centre for

Humanitarian Forensics was launched at

Gandhinagar in Gujarat on June 20, 2018. It is

a joint venture of the Regional delegation of

the International Committee of the Red Cross

in India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives and

also Gujarat Forensic Science University.

This is a center of excellence which will use

forensics for humanitarian services. The launch

of the Centre was followed by an International

Symposium on Humanitarian Forensics. Over

the next two days, international experts will

participate in the symposium and discuss issues


23

in the area of humanitarian forensics. Speakers

from India, Ireland, Germany and Sri Lanka

will speak at the symposium.

The RBI has tightened norms for LRS by making quoting of Permanent Account

Number (PAN) mandatory even for

transactions below $25,000. What does

„LRS‟ stands for?

On June 19, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

has tightened norms for Liberalised

Remittance Scheme (LRS) by making quoting

of the Permanent Account Number (PAN)

mandatory even for transactions below

$25,000. Under the LRS, all resident

individuals, including minors, are allowed to

freely remit up to 2,50,000 US dollar per

financial year for any permissible current or

capital account transaction or a combination

of both. Earlier, a system for daily reporting of

individual transactions under the LRS by

banks was been put in place. This system

enables the banks to view the remittances

already sent by an individual during the

financial year, thus improving monitoring and

ensuring compliance with the LRS limits.

The conference “National Consultation on Making Agriculture Sustainable and

Profitable‟ will be held in which city?

The conference ―National Consultation on

Making Agriculture Sustainable and

Profitable‘ will be inaugurated by Vice

President Venkaiah Naidu in Pune,

Maharashtra on June 21, 2018.The 2-day

conference is being organised by the Indian

Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in

the context of the ongoing debate and efforts

at various levels to double farmers‘ incomes

by 2022. Naidu, as Vice-President is chairman

of the IIPA institute.

Agriculture experts and agri-economists at the

conference will deliberate upon creating an

enabling policy framework,agricultural trade

policy, transfer of technology from labs to land

and agricultural credit and insurance.The

conference on farm sector issues is the second

in the Swarajya to Surajya‘ series of national

consultations initiated by the IIPA on the

behest of vice president.Maharashtra Chief

Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister

for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh,

agriculture scientist M.SSwaminathan,

economist Ashok Gulati, farm scientists,

representatives of farmers unions, CII, FICCI

and other stakeholders will also attend the

event.

Nerella Venu Madhav, who passed away recently, was the world-renowned

personality in which field? Nerella Venu

Madhav (85), the world-renowned Mimicry

artist, has passed away in Hanmakonda in

Telangana on June 19, 2018. He is often

regarded as father of Indian Mimicry.

He was conferred Kala Prapurna title by the

Andhra University in 1978 and was awarded

Padma Sri by the Central Government in 2001.

He was instrumental in introduction of a course

in mimicry in several institutions including the

Telugu University.

The Central Government has constituted a Chief Ministers Subgroup to coordinate

policy approaches for Agriculture and

MGNREGS. Which state Chief Minister will

be convener of the subgroup?

The Central Government has constituted a

Chief Ministers Subgroup to coordinate policy

approaches for Agriculture and the Mahatma

Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).In it, Chief


24

Minister of Madhya Pradesh is the convener

and Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,

Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and

Sikkim along with Member, NITI Aayog,

Ramesh Chand are the members.The terms of

reference of the sub-group include suggesting

a wider choice of state specific interventions

both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to

further improve the thrust on incomes,water

conservation and waste to wealth. The move

comes in the backdrop of the vision of Prime

Minister Narendra Modi towards doubling

farmers‘ income by 2022. It comes close on

the heels of unanimous decision taken at the

4th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI

Aayog on June 17, 2018.The Sub-Group will

submit its report within 3 months from its date

of constitution.

Which state government has launched 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme to

rank panchayats on the basis of social

parameters?

The Haryana Government has launched 7-Star

Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme to give star

rankings to its panchayats on the basis of 7

social parameters. The panchayats will be

judged on sex ratio, education, hygiene,

environment preservation, governance and

social participation. Under the scheme, approx

1,120 villages of Haryana has achieved star

ranking since its launch in January 2018.

The Ambala district topped the star ranking

with 407 stars followed by Gurugram with 199

stars and Karnal with 75 stars. The selected

villages will be honoured at an award

ceremony to be held in Panchkula, Gurugram

and Rohtak in July 2018. The villages would

be rewarded Rs one lakh for achieving each

parameter.

The villages having equal or more girl

population

will be given Rs 50,000 as bonus with their

reward money. Similarly, the villages which

adopt Swachhta Mission will be given

additional Rs 50,000 as reward.

Which city has set a Guinness World Record (GWR) for largest number of people

performing yoga at one place at the same

time on 2018 International Yoga Day?

In the 4th edition of International Yoga Day

(IYD-2018), the Guinness World Record

(GWR) for largest number of people

performing yoga at one place at the same time

has been set up in Kota, Rajasthan. At the

State level yoga function in Kota, around one

lakh 60 thousand people performed yoga at

one place at a same time on 21st June.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Yoga

Guru Baba RamDev led the people at RAC

Ground, where 30 lakh square feet area was

prepared for performing yoga. The

representatives of Guinness World Record

(GWR) handed over the certificate of world

record to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and

Swami RamDev. In 2017, 55 thousand people

of Mysore had set a world record performing

yoga at one place at the same time.

Which state capital has been selected as 100th Smart City under the Smart Cities

Mission?

Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, has

been selected as 100th Smart City of India by

the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

after evaluating the proposal the proposal

submitted by it. With the selection of Shillong,

the total proposed investment in the finally

selected 100 cities under the Smart Cities

Mission would be Rs.2, 05,018 crores.Till

now, 99 smart cities have been selected in four


25

rounds of competition and with this

announcement; selection of 100 cities has

been completed under the Smart Cities

Mission. Previously, 20 cities were selected in

January 2016,13 cities in May 2016, 27 cities

in September 2016, 30 cities in June 2017 and

nine cities in January this year. The Smart

Cities Mission was launched on June 25, 2015

with the objective of strengthening urban

infrastructure through application of smart

solutions and give a decent quality of life to

citizens.

The Yoga Institute in Mumbai has been selected as recipient of the 2018 Prime

Minister‟s award for outstanding

contribution for promotion and

development of yoga. The institute was

established in which year?

Vishwas Mandalik (from Nasik) and The

Yoga Institute (in Mumbai) have been

selected as recipients of the Prime Minister‘s

award for

outstanding contribution for promotion and

development of yoga for the year 2018.The

selection was done from among 186

nominations received under different

categories. The winners would be felicitated

with a trophy, certificate and a cash award of

Rs. 25 lakh each.The Yoga Institute,

established in 1918 by Shri Yogendraji,

completed its 100 years serving the society.

Which state government has launched a smartphone application „i-Hariyali‟ to

increase green cover across the state?

The Punjab Government has launched a

smartphone application ‗i-Hariyali‘, which

aims to inspire people to plant more saplings

to save the environment from pollution. It will

ensure clean, green, healthy and robust Punjab

with the active participation of people. The

app would enable the users to order free plant

saplings. The users can book a sapling of their

choice, a maximum of 25 per person, from a

nearby government nursery. Once the booking

is done, the contact number of the concerned

employee of the nursery or the forest guard

will be displayed on the mobile phone of the

person. The ‗iHariyali‘ app, under ‗Mission

Tandarust Punjab‘ can be downloaded from

the app store for free.

Which city hosted the 7th edition of India Minerals and Metals forum 2018?

The 7th edition of India Minerals and Metals

forum was inaugurated in New Delhi on June

21, 2018. The forum seeks to come up with

solutions to leverage in the sector with the

changing global scenario.

The deliberations took cognizance on the need

to consolidate small players for strengthening

of overall health of the industry. The

government officials emphasized on utilizing

low grade minerals to reduce burden on high

end minerals. It was expressed that India has

been conservative in exploration of deep seated

minerals due to environmental concerns but it

needs quick progress and there is a lot of scope

for private sector for carrying out such

researches.

Which state police is hosting the 19th All India Conference of Directors of Finger

Prints Bureau 2018?

The 19th all India Conference of Directors of

Finger Prints Bureau 2018 has been

inaugurated by Hansraj Gangaram Ahir , the

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, in

Hyderabad on June 21. It was hosted by

Telangana Police.


26

The purpose of 2-day conference is to discuss

and deliberate the challenging issues faced by

fingerprint fraternity.It is a forum to evolve

better solutions for the problems faced by FP

experts in the course of their duty.

During the conference, participants will

deliberate on latest Automatic Fingerprint

Identification Systems (AFIS), usage

experience of AFIS in Maharashtra and

Telangana, integration of Finger Prints with

CCTNS/ICJS.The National Crime

Records Bureau (NCRB),in cooperation with

CMC Ltd., Secunderabad, developed the first

indigenous AFIS called FACTS. Now this

technology has improved a lot and within

seconds it is possible to match the finger

prints of more than a million

individuals.Incidentally, the world‘s first

finger print bureau was established in 1897 at

Calcutta during British period.

Gautam Kanjilal, who passed away recently, was pioneer in which field?

Gautam Kanjilal (68), who was one of the

pioneers in rock climbing in India and veteran

mountaineer, has passed away in Kolkata,

West Bengal on June 22, 2018.

Which state government has launched Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) for

farmers?

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has

launched the Rs. 870-crore pilot project of

Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) where

farmers can generate electricity using solar

energy and sell the surplus to the electric grid.

The SKY Yojana is for farmers who are

existing consumers of power companies. As

per the new

scheme, a farmer signing up for it will have to

spend only 5 % amount of the total

expenditure for installing the solar project

(including solar panels and inverters).

The central and state governments will bear

60% of share of total cost of the project and

35% share will be repaid by farmers in 7 years

period. In it, farmer can also earn by selling

the generated power.Farmers under SKY

feeder will get 12 hours power in daylight

without low voltage problem. The SKY

Yojana is expected to cover, through solar

power generation, 12,400 farmers in 33

districts through 137 feeders.

The 22nd edition of Sindhu Darshan Festival (SDF) has started in which district of

Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)?

The 22nd edition of Sindhu Darshan Festival

(SDF) has started on the bank of Indus River

in Leh

district of Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir

(J&K) on June 24, 2018.The 3-day annual fest

is organized by Sindhu Darshan Yatra Samiti

and Ladakh Phandey Tsogspa (Leh).It will be

inaugurated by RSS General Secretary Bhaiya

Ji Joshi.

The Central Government has launched the Mohanpura Irrigation Project in which

district of Madhya Pradesh?

On June 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

launched the Mohanpura Irrigation Project in

Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh.

The Rs 3,866-crore project includes a dam and

a canal system. This project will facilitate

irrigation of agricultural land in Rajgarh

district.It will also provide drinking water to

villages in the area. It will benefit 727 villages

in the state and would irrigate 1.25 lakh

hectares of land.


27

Sujatha Devi, the well-known poetess and environmental activist passed away. She is

native of which state?

B Sujatha Devi (72), the well-known poetess,

environmental activist and travel writer, has

passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

on June 23, 2018. Suj

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