Current Affairs Quiz 18th June 2024 Quiz

Exp. VP Dhankhar inaugurated Prerna Sthal to honor Indian icons

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the Prerna Sthal

It is a dedicated area in the Parliament complex for statues of freedom fighters and other icons of the country.

The main objective of the construction of Prerna Sthal is that these statues within the Parliament complex should be installed at one place.

That is why it was decided to create a designated spot to ensure that the visitors could come and pay their respects to these great leaders.

Exp. Punjab Police launched ‘Mission Nishchay’

Punjab Police in association with the Border Security Force (BSF) and Village Defence Committees (VDCs) have launched a ‘Mission Nishchay’ in Fazilka district.

It is a one-week drive against drugs in Fazilka district.

They will reach out to residents of as many as 42 villages along the India-Pakistan border to gather actionable intelligence about the demand and supply of drugs.

The idea is to instil a sense of community participation among inhabitants of border villages as we make efforts to curb the menace of drugs. We will focus on youth and women to gather actionable intelligence about the demand and supply of drugs,” Fazilka Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Pragya Jain said.

About Punjab

• Capital – Chandigarh
• Chief Minister – Bhagwant Mann
• Governor – Banwarilal Purohit

Exp. NCRB launches ‘NCRB Sankalan Of Criminal Laws’ App

NCRB has launched a Mobile App “NCRB Sankalan of Criminal Laws” to serve as a comprehensive guide providing complete information about the new criminal laws at one place.

The New criminal laws will come into force from the 1st July.

This App is a compilation of new criminal laws namely Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. It provides an Index linking all Chapters and Sections of the new laws.

It also has a corresponding chart for section-wise comparison between old and new laws with a search and linking facility for quick information retrieval.

This App is useful for the General Public, Court Officers, Advocates, Law Students as well as for Police Officers in enhancing their knowledge about the New Criminal Laws.

About National Crime Records Bureau

• Founded- 11 March 1986
• Headquarters- New Delhi
• Jurisdiction- Government of India
• Motto- Empowering Indian Police with Information Technology

Exp. Mumbai is India’s most costly city for expats; Mercer report

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country and home to the Hindi film industry, still remains the most expensive city in the country for expatriates, according to a survey conducted by HR consultancy Mercer.

Mumbai is notably expensive in terms of personal care, energy and utilities, transportation, and housing rentals, as per Mercer’s 2024 Cost of Living survey.

Globally, Hong Kong retained its position as the most expensive city.

In the list, Mumbai has jumped 11 places to rank 136, while Delhi has risen by four spots to 164. Conversely, Chennai has dropped five places to 189, Bengaluru has decreased by six spots to 195, and Hyderabad remains unchanged at 202.

Meanwhile, Pune saw a jump of eight spots to 205, and Kolkata has moved up four spots to 207.

In Asia, Mumbai stands as the 21st most expensive city with Delhi in the 30th position among surveyed locations.

On the global stage, the top five cities in terms of cost of living have seen no changes in rankings. Hong Kong maintains the top spot, followed by Singapore, Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, New York City, London, Nassau, and Los Angeles.

Exp. Environment Performance Index 2024: India at 176th spot topped by Estonia

India placed 176th among 180 countries in the 2024 Environment Performance Index, with high emissions, poor air quality, and low biodiversity-habitat scores being key issues.

India’s reliance on coal significantly impacts its rankings, contributing to poor air quality and high projected emissions.

In air quality, India ranks 177th, above Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal only, and in projected emissions by 2025, it ranks 172nd.

The Index is released by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia Center for International Earth Science Information Network.

The 2024 EPI has 58 indicators, including biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste management, emission growth rates, projected emissions, etc., under the three main heads of ecosystem vitality, environmental health and climate change.

Among these three heads, India does not rank among the bottom ten countries only in climate change.

Estonia was at the top of the score because it had made the most progress in protecting the environment, especially by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions

India’s Ranka in Different Indicators in the EPI 2024

• Biodiversity and Habitat – 178/180
• Air Quality – 177/180
• Forests – 15/180
• Climate Change Mitigation – 133/180
• Heavy Metals – 147/180

Exp. Indian Bank organizes MSME credit camp

Indian Bank has organized a credit camp for the MSME sector in Chennai.

The event was chaired by MD & CEO of the Bank SL Jain. During the camp, 440+ sanction tickets amounting to over Rs 500.00 crore (Approx.) were distributed to MSME customers.

The event featured presentations on the bank’s MSME and FOREX schemes and was attended by senior bank executives.

About Indian Bank

• Founded – 1907
• Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• MD & CEO – Shanti Lal Jain
• Tagline – Your Own Bank

Exp. GWEC India appoints Suzlon Group’s Girish Tanti as new chairman

Suzlon Vice Chairman Girish Tanti has been elected as the Chair of Global Wind Energy Council India (GWEC India).

The position plays a key role in driving GWEC India’s work with national and State Governments that assist efforts for building the right momentum and establishing policy frameworks to ensure the country delivers on its wind energy and supply chain potential, both onshore and offshore.

As the world’s fourth biggest wind market, with 46 GW of onshore wind and one of the world’s most prominent wind energy manufacturing hubs, Tanti’s leadership at GWEC and GWEC India shall help further catalyse momentum.

Recent Appointment 

• President of the Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons – Dr Kapil Dua
• Principal Secretary to PM – Dr PK Mishra (reappointment)
• National Security Advisor – Ajit Doval (reappointment)
• Advisors to the Prime Minister – Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor (reappointment)
• MD and CEO of SBICAP Ventures Limited – Prem Prabhakar
• DG of FICCI – Jyoti Vij

Exp. Assam CM inaugurates Janata Bhawan Solar Project

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has inaugurated the Janata Bhawan Solar Project in Guwahati.

This project features a 2.5-MW power generation capacity with a grid-connected rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV system.

The system is expected to yield an average of 3 lakh units of electricity monthly.

The project required an investment of 12.56 crore rupees. The investment is projected to be recovered within 4 years.

About Assam

• Formation – 26 January 1950
• Capital – Dispur
• Chief Minister –Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria
• State Fruit – Kaji Nemu
• Rajya Sabha Seat – 7
• Lok Sabha Seat – 14

Exp. Alia Bhatt launched children’s book

Actor Alia Bhatt debuted as a children’s book author with “The Adventures of Ed-a-Mamma: Ed Finds A Home.”

The book is inspired by her kidswear brand Ed-a-Mamma, featuring illustrations by Tanvi Bhat.

Alia shared the book release on Instagram, highlighting her new role beyond acting, linked to her personal life as a mother.

Recent Book

• India’s Trade Policy; The 1990’s and beyond – Arvind Panagariya
• An Anchored Vision – Karumuttu T Kanan
• India and The Indian Ocean World Trade and Politics – Ashin Das Gupta
• A Fly on the RBI Wall – Alpana Killawala
• The Scam That Shook a Nation: The Nagarwala Scandal – Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai

Exp. Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia crowned Australian Open badminton champion

Malaysian Lee Zii Jia outlasted Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the men’s singles final to be crowned Australian Open badminton champion.

While Aya Ohori of Japan clinched the women’s title.

It was Lee’s 6th career win on the BWF World Tour and came on the back of victory at the Thailand Open.

It was only Ohori’s 2nd title on tour, having won her first at the Thailand Masters this year.

Exp. Gretchen Walsh breaks world record in 100m butterfly

Gretchen Walsh Sets World Record in 100m Butterfly at 2024 US Olympic Swimming Trials.

Walsh clocked 55.18 seconds in the 100-meter women’s butterfly.

Walsh’s time beat out Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström, who recorded the previous fastest time of 55.48 seconds at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, by more than half of a second.

Exp. David Wiese announced retirement from international retirement

Namibia’s star all-rounder David Wiese has confirmed his international cricket retirement after their loss to England.

Wiese, who started his international career with South Africa, would switch allegiances and start being a part of the Namibian side from 2021.

He would go on to become a legend for Namibia with his performances in T20 World Cups.

Wiese played 34 T20I matches for Namibia, where he scored more than 500 runs and picked up 35 wickets.

Recently Retired Players

• Kedar Jadhav (India) – International cricket
• Dinesh Kartik (India) – All forms of cricket
• Bernadine Bezuidenhout (South Africa and New Zealand) – International Cricket
• James Anderson (England) – International Cricket
• Saurav Ghosal (India) – Professional Squash
• Collins Obuya (Kenya) – International cricket

Exp. 17 June – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on 17 June.

Objective – To create awareness about the diminishing land cover on earth and urge people to come together to address the pressing issue

Theme 2024 – United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future

During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, desertification, loss of biodiversity and climate change were recognised as the greatest challenges to sustainable development.

In 1994, The UN General Assembly established the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – the legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and sustainable land management.

In 2007, the UN General Assembly declared the decade of 2010 to 2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the fight against Desertification.

Exp. 18 June – Sustainable Gastronomy Day

World Sustainable Gastronomy Day is celebrated on June 18 across the world to draw the attention towards the importance of gastronomy, which is sometimes called the art of food.

Gastronomy can also refer to a style of cooking from a particular region. Often it refers to local food and cuisine.

Sustainability is the idea that something is done in a way that is not wasteful of our natural resources and can be continued into the future without being detrimental to our environment or health.

In 2016, the UN General Assembly designated June 18 as Sustainable Gastronomy Day to acknowledge gastronomy as a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world. The first Sustainable Gastronomy Day was officially observed on June 18, 2017.

Exp. Former Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare passes away

Former Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare passed away at the age of 95.

Bhandare was a senior Congress leader from Maharashtra and a former Rajya Sabha member for three terms.

He also practised as a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and served as Governor of Odisha from August 2007 to March 2013.