GK & Current Affairs June 2016

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed here between the Rural Development Ministry and ISRO, Department of Space for geo-tagging the assets created under MGNREGA in each gram panchayat. 
•    The move comes after the Prime Minister during a review meeting recently had underlined for online recording and monitoring of assets to check leakages and for effective mapping of terrain for future developmental works. 
•    Around 30 lakh assets are created annually across the country under the rural job scheme and the Ministry has decided that through convergence with other schemes, the geo-tagging of such assets will be done on a mission mode. 
•    Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Rural Development, Shri J.S.Mathur said that through Bhuvan Mobile Platform, completed asset will be Geo-tagged along with photograph by Gram Rozgar Sahayak or Junior engineer. 
•    Application of technology for rural development will go a great way in planning and execution of projects in a transparent manner. 
•    Space technology is increasingly being used up to the grassroots level for not only visualisation of the assets but also for terrain mapping to undertake other developmental works like watershed and drought-proofing measures.

Chile on 26 June 2016 won the Copa America football tournament. In the final clash played at MetLife Stadium, Chile defeated Argentina 4-2 through penalties shootout.
•    This was second America title for Chile, it won the first title in 2015 after defeating Argentina 4-1 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 scoreless draw at the end of regulation.
•    With this, Chile also became the first team to win the Copa America in back to back years since Argentina in 1946 and 1947.
•    Being deadlocked 0-0 after 90 minutes and another half an hour extra time in the match, the two teams were supposed to opt for penalty shootout.
•    Besides the Copa trophy, there were other awards to recognise both individuals and teams, and the winners in different categories are
•    Golden Ball: Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
•    Golden Boot: Eduardo Vargas (Chile)
•    Golden Glove award: Claudio Bravo (Chile)
•    Fair Play Award: Argentina
•    Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo (Chile)
•    Defenders: Mauricio Isla (Chile), Nicolas Otamendi (Argentina), Gary Medel (Chile), Jean Beausejour (Chile)
•    Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Arturo Vidal (Chile), Charles Aranguiz (Chile)
•    Forwards: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Eduardo Vargas (Chile), Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
•    Copa America, formerly known as the South American Football Championship is an international men's football tournament contested between national teams from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. It is the oldest international continental football competition.
•    The competition determines the continental champion of South America. Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also participated.

Sujoy Bose was on 27 June 2016 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

•    His appointment was made by the Union Government following his selection by the Selection Committee constituted under Department Of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.

•    Bose has extensive international experience in the infrastructure sector, including experience in raising funds from international investors. 
•    At present, Bose works as the Director and Global Co-Head of infrastructure and natural resources at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank group.
•    He has been associated with the IFC for last 24 years.
•    He holds an MBA from Rice University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from St Xavier's College, Kolkata, India.
•    NIIF is a quasi sovereign wealth fund announced in 2015 budget with a corpus of around 40000 crore rupees.
•    NIIF was incorporated as a company under the Companies Act, 2013, duly authorized to act as investment manager.
•    It was constituted with an aim to finance the requirements of India’s infrastructure sector, mainly through foreign investment.
•    The government has already signed pacts with investors from Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Russia for the NIIF.

India on 27 June 2016 became the 35th full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). This entry would be mutually beneficial to enhance global non-proliferation norms.

•    The instrument of accession to MTCR for India was signed in New Delhi by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. The entry also marks India's first entry into any multilateral export control regime.
•    The MTCR Point of Contact in Paris conveyed the decision regarding India's accession to the regime through the French Embassy in New Delhi as well as the Embassies of The Netherlands and Luxembourg.
•    India's entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives.
•    It entered this multilateral export control regime with the support of all thirty-four MTCR Partners. In 2015, India’s membership to the group was blocked by Italy.
•    MTCR membership will now enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia.
•    Set up in 1987 by G-7 countries, the aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogram payload for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.

Lalchand Rajput, former Indian opening batsman, has been roped in by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to replace Inzamam-ul-Haq as the head coach of the national set-up on Saturday (June 25). Inzamam stepped down from the post in April this year. 
•    After retiring from the game, Rajput served as the Joint Honorary Secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association. 
•    He had a successful stint as the coach of the Under-19 Indian cricket team. Rajput also was the manager of the Indian set-up when they won the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007. 
•    Recently, he applied for the post of India coach, but lost out to Anil Kumble.
•    According to reports, Mohammad Yousuf, former Pakistan middle-order batsman, Herschelle Gibbs, former South African opener and Corey Collymore, former West Indies pacer, were the other applicants. Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif was also in the reckoning for the post, but lost out to Rajput in the final round.
•    Rajput is slated to join the side for their upcoming tours of Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands in July and August.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed on 26 June 2016. The day was observed with theme Listen First.
•    2016 theme Listen First is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities.
•    On this day, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also released the World Drug Report 2016.
•    On 7 December 1987, United Nations general Assembly (UNGA) via resolution 42/112 decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. It was decided to observe the day as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.
•    This resolution recommended further action with regard to the report and conclusions of the 1987 International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
•    Earlier in April 2016, the United Nations held a Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs. This session marked an important milestone in achieving the goals set in the policy document of 2009 "Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.
•    The plan defined action to be taken by Member States as well as goals to be achieved by 2019.
•    Measures to address demand and supply reduction and to improve access to controlled medicines while preventing diversion.
•    It also cover the areas of human rights, youth, children, women and communities; emerging challenges, including new psychoactive substances; strengthening international cooperation; and alternative development.
•    The text puts new emphasis on proportionate national sentencing policies and practices for drug-related offences, and features a strong focus on prevention and treatment.
•    On this day, the Punjab Frontier of Border Security Force organised a Cycle Rally comprising 65 BSF personnel led by Deputy Inspector General (Operations) BSF Punjab Frontier Mohan Lal from its Jalandhar Headquarters.
•    This Cycle Rally was aimed at spreading the message of utmost dedication to national Security, awareness against drugs and to spread the message of physical fitness amongst the citizens and particularly amongst the youth.

Nepal on 24 June 2016 banned its citizens from working in strife-torn Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. The decision was made at a cabinet meet after 13 Nepali security guards were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul.
Nepali nationals killed in Afghanistan were employed as security guards in the Canadian embassy in Kabul. They were killed when militants exploded a bomb in a minibus on 20 June 2016.
•    It decided to suspend issuing labour permits to Nepalese nationals in four conflict-hit countries, namely Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya.
•    It also decided to hold diplomatic talks with the Afghanistan government in order to guarantee the security and safety of the Nepalese in Afghanistan and also to provide necessary support for those willing to return home.
•    It will provide 10 lakh Nepalese Rupee as compensation to families of the victims.
•    It has also made arrangements for the treatment of those injured in the attack by Taliban.
•    It also decided to ask the Canadian government to provide compensation to the families of the dead.
•    As per reports, the killed Nepali security guards were not directly employed by the embassy but were hired by a British agency. In total, 147 Nepalis were working as security guards in the Canadian embassy in Kabul.
•    Nepal government also evacuated 24 other Nepalese nationals who were working as security guard in the Canadian Embassy in Kabul following the terror attack.

IIT-Kanpur professor Sanjay Mittal in third week of June 2016 bagged the prestigious G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2015.
Mittal was instrumental in establishing the High Performance Computing (HPC) facility at IIT Kanpur and heads the National Wind Tunnel Facility.
•    Sanjay Mittal is a Professor of computational fluid dynamics in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Kanpur.
•    He completed his BTech from IIT Kanpur in 1988.
•    Thereafter, he got enrolled at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities for MS programme.
•    He received his PhD and worked as a Research Associate under Professor Tayfun E. Tezduyar.
•    Then, he worked at Army High Performance Computing Center for 2 years.
•    He returned to India and joined IIT Kanpur in 1994 as an Assistant Professor.
•    He is also a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology.
•    His most significant contribution has been in the area of Bluff Body Flows (flows past blunt bodies associated with large unsteady separation and leading to large fluid forces).
•    G D Birla Award for Scientific Research was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
•    It was instituted in honour of the Indian philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla.
•    The award is given to an outstanding scientific research, mostly during the past 5 years, undertaken by an Indian scientist, who is below the age of 50, living and working in India.
•    The award is given every year and is available for all branches of science including medical science, basic and applied.
•    G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2014 was given to Sanjeev Galande.

Anju Bobby George and Pullela Gopichand were named as the members of Khelo India on 26 June 2016. Khelo India is a national programme launched by the Union Government for the development of sports in the country.
•    George, India's lone athletics World Championship medal winner and Gopichand, the chief national badminton coach are the two sportsperson who were included in the seven-member committee of Khelo India.
•    The committee will be headed by Sports Secretary Rajiv Yadav.
•    Born 16 November 1973, Gopichand is a former Indian badminton player.
•    In 2001, he became the second Indian to win the all-England badminton champion. The first one was Prakash Padukone.
•    He has been the coach of the Indian national badminton team since 2006.
•    He runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy.
•    Awards felicitated on him include
•    He received the Arjuna Award in 1999
•    He received the Dronacharya Award in 2009
•    In 2014, he was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award
•    Born on 19 April 1977, George is an Indian athlete.
•    On 22 June 2016, George resigned as the president of the Kerala Sports Council along with 13 other members. 
•    She won the Gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005.
•    In 2005 World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo, she was upgraded to gold status from silver following the disqualification of Tatyana Kotova of Russia by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
•    She was awarded Arjuna Award in 2002.
•    She won the bronze medal clearing 6.49 m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester.
•    She also won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Busan. In 2001, she also won gold for triple jump and long jump in the Ludhiana National games.
•    In 1999 she set the national record for triple jump in the Bangalore Federation Cup and Silver medal at the South Asian Federation Games in Nepal.

Nokia on 24 June 2016 announced the appointment of Sanjay Malik as the head of Indian market. The appointment of Malik will be effective from 1 August 2016.
•    Malik will lead customer operations, drive the business growth strategy and superior customer engagement services for the India market. He will be based in Gurgaon.
•    Malik will take over from Sandeep Girotra, who has been heading Indian market since 2011.
•    At present, Malik serves as the Head of Network Implementation (NI) at Nokia Global Services.
•    He is credited with efficiently driving growth and delivering strong performance both in terms of revenue and operational efficiency.
•    He had joined Nokia in 2000.
•    Previously, he was heading Bharti GCBT, where he led the transformation of the business.
•    Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications and information technology company.
•    It was founded in 1865.
•    It is headquartered in Espoo, Uusimaa.
•    It is a public limited-liability company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.
•    According to the Fortune Global 500, it is the world's 274th-largest company measured by 2013 revenues.
•    The company entered into a pact with Microsoft in 2011 to exclusively use its Windows Phone platform on future smartphones.
•    Its mobile phone business was bought by Microsoft in an overall deal totaling 7.17 billion US dollars.