Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 20th & 21st June 2021

Correct Answer: B. Larsen & Toubro Infotech

Explanation: Larsen & Toubro Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company. LTI received this prestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit.The award represents a key milestone for the strategic partnership between LTI and Snowflake and will strengthen collaboration between the companies to empower enterprises with innovative solutions and services.

Correct Answer – A. 19 June

Explanation: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) celebrates National Reading Day annually on 19 June. The Day is celebrated to honour the father of the ‘Library Movement in Kerala’, the late P.N. Panicker, whose death anniversary falls on June 19. In 2021, 26th National Reading Day is being celebrated. The week following June 19 will be observed as Reading Week and the entire month till July 18 will be observed as Reading Month. The first Reading Day celebration was held in 1996. On June 19, 2017, Prime Minister launched the 22nd National Reading Month Celebrations and called for unity to spread the message of ‘Read and Grow’ among all the citizens of the country by 2022.

Correct Answer – A. Kenneth Kaunda

Explanation: Zambian politician Kenneth Kaunda, who served as the first President of Zambia, has passed away. Mr Kaunda served as the first President of independent Zambia for 27 years from 1964 to 1991. Zambia gained independence from Britain in October 1964.

Important Points:

Zambia Capital: Lusaka; Currency: Zambian kwacha.

Correct Answer – B. Familial Forestry

Explanation: The 2021 Land for Life Award has been won by Familial Forestry of Rajasthan, a unique concept that relates a tree with a family, making it a green “family member.” The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) organises the Land for Life Award every two years to recognize excellence and innovation in efforts towards land in balance.The theme for the 2021 Award is “Healthy Land, Healthy Lives”. The Land for Life Award was launched at the UNCCD COP (Conference of Parties) 10 in 2011. and is considered as the world’s highest reward regarding land conservation and restoration.

About the Familial Forestry:

Familial Forestry is an environment conservation concept by climate-activist Shyam Sunder Jyani, an Associate Professor for Sociology in Rajasthan, who has been campaigning for Familial Forestry for over 15 years.Familial Forestry means transferring the care of the tree and environment in the family so that a tree becomes a part of the family’s consciousness. More than a million families from more than 15,000 villages of desert-prone northwest Rajasthan in over 2.5 million saplings have been planted in the past 15 years, with the active participation of students and desert dwellers.”

Correct Answer – D. Gojri language

Explanation: Renowned Jammu-based Islamic scholar Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, who first translated Quran into Gojri language, has passed away in a Jammu. The scholar had also authored several booklets including ‘Siraj-um-Muneera’, ‘Ahkam-e-Mayyat’ and ‘Namaz Kae Masayil Quran-o-Hadees Ki Roshni Mei’.

About the Gojri language:

Gurjari – also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri – is a variety of Indo-Aryan spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi and other parts of India.

Correct Answer – B. Dushanbe

Explanation: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet in the third week of June 2021 in Dushanbe.Pakistani NSA Moeed Yusuf will also participate.Tajikistan is the chair of the grouping.The SCO has 8 member states — Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Correct Answer – D. ​Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

Explanation: Gujarat cadre IAS officer and secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra passed away in June 2021.Mohapatra had played a key role in several projects including the Sabarmati Riverfront and had introduced “model roads” in Ahmedabad.Prior to taking over as DPIIT secretary, Mohapatra served as chairman of Airports Authority of India.

Correct Answer – D. The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis

Explanation: Jnanpith awardee, author Amitav Ghosh’s new book ‘The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis’ is all set to release in October 2021.The upcoming book is said to be a panoramic history of the influence of colonialism on the world today, told through the story of the nutmeg.Some of Ghosh’s other notable works include the Ibis Trilogy and ‘The Great Derangement’ among others.

Correct Answer – B. 2001

Explanation:  A United Nations designated day, World Refugee Day is observed on 20 June every year.It is observed to respect and honour the courage and resilience of refugees across the world.The day was held for the first time on June 20, 2001.It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the “1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.”

Correct Answer – B. ‘Yoga for well-being’

Explanation: The International Yoga Day has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015.The theme for International Yoga Day 2021 is ‘Yoga for well-being.’India, along with United Nations and WHO, is launching an app called M-Yoga aiming to provide easy access to Yogic practice.Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that helps in maintaining physical and mental well-being, and over the years.

Correct Answer – B. Sumita Mitra

Explanation:  Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been honoured with the European Inventor Award 2021 in the ‘Non-European Patent Office countries’ category.She successfully integrated nanotechnology into dental materials to produce stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings.The award, one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the European Patent Office (EPO) to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond.

Correct Answer – C. PayPoint India

Explanation: PayPoint India, a technology-enabled distribution network of financial services, signed ‘lead generation agreements’ with 12 financial institutions viz, Punjab National Bank, ICICI Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) such as Bajaj Housing, Piramal Housing, and Hero Fincorp, among others.The aim of the deal is to assist with loans to the underserved using technology, and to generate leads for housing, personal and business loans through the partnership with banks and NBFCs.Under the agreement, PayPoint India will help the financial institutions to get access to the remote locations where they are unable to reach on their own, and provide capital.As per RBI data, under the loan category of Rs 1-10 lakh, businesses have borrowed only around Rs 94,000 crore (low when compared with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India), hence PayPoint India intends to address the gap.

Correct Answer – D. Ashok Pangariya

Explanation: “Monk in a Merc”, the memoir of famous Indian Neurologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Ashok Pangariya is set to release on 28th June 2021.The book gets released after the demise of Dr. Ashok Pangariya who passed away in June 2021.The book talks of his life and experience in achieving eternal happiness and mental peace while pursuing all of life’s luxuries and professional success.Ashok Pangariya was a Neurologist and previously served as the vice chancellor of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences.He is the younger brother of Arvind Panagariya, the 1st Vice Chairman of NITI Ayog.

Correct Answer – C. Portugal

Explanation: Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (72) aka Antonio Guterres, was re-elected as the Secretary General of United Nations (UN) for a 2nd 5-year term from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026.His appointment was made by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the recommendation of the 15-nation UN Security Council (UNSC) and announced by the President of the 75th session of the UNGA, Volkan Bozkir.It should be noted that as per UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the UNGA on the recommendation of the UNSC.He is an ex-Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, he has been serving as the Secretary General since 2017.He is the 9th person to assume the position of UN Secretary General.

Correct Answer – E. IndusEasy Credit

Explanation: IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘IndusEasy Credit’, a comprehensive digital lending platform that enables customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes. With this, both existing, as well as non-IndusInd Bank customer, can instantly avail of personal loans or credit cards on a single platform in a completely paperless and digital manner. A first of its kind proposition, ‘IndusEasyCredit’ offers a fully digital end to end process that leverages the power of India’s public digital infrastructure – ‘Indiastack’ to offer personal loans and credit cards in a paperless, presence less and cashless manner.

Important Points:

• IndusInd Bank CEO: Sumant Kathpalia;
• IndusInd Bank Headquarters: Pune;
• IndusInd Bank Founder: S. P. Hinduja;
• IndusInd Bank Founded: April 1994, Mumbai.

Correct Answer – C. Healthy Land, Healthy Lives

Explanation: The 2021 Land for Life Award has been won by Familial Forestry of Rajasthan, a unique concept that relates a tree with a family, making it a green “family member.” The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) organises the Land for Life Award every two years to recognize excellence and innovation in efforts towards land in balance.The theme for the 2021 Award is “Healthy Land, Healthy Lives”. The Land for Life Award was launched at the UNCCD COP (Conference of Parties) 10 in 2011. and is considered as the world’s highest reward regarding land conservation and restoration.

About the Familial Forestry:

Familial Forestry is an environment conservation concept by climate-activist Shyam Sunder Jyani, an Associate Professor for Sociology in Rajasthan, who has been campaigning for Familial Forestry for over 15 years.Familial Forestry means transferring the care of the tree and environment in the family so that a tree becomes a part of the family’s consciousness. More than a million families from more than 15,000 villages of desert-prone northwest Rajasthan in over 2.5 million saplings have been planted in the past 15 years, with the active participation of students and desert dwellers.”

Correct Answer – A. Sprinter

Explanation: Legendary Indian sprinter, Milkha Singh has passed away due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19), at the age of 91. A former army man, Milkha Singh won several laurels for the country in track and field events across the globe. Singh won four gold medals for India in the Asian Games, winning the 200 metre and 400-metre races in the 1958 Tokyo Asiad. He followed it up with gold medals in the 400 metre and 4×400 metre relay races in the 1962 Jakarta Asiad. He was unlucky to have missed out on an Olympic medal as he finished a close fourth in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Correct Answer – C. 19th June

Explanation: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed globally on 19th June every year. The day aims to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

Worldwide Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict: History

On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/69/293) announced 19 June of consistently the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The date was picked to recognize the selection on 19 June 2008 of Security Council goals 1820 (2008), during which the Council censured sexual savagery as a strategy of war and a hindrance to peacebuilding. 2021 marks the seventh year of celebration of the day.

Correct Answer – C. Tahira Kashyap Khurana

Explanation: Filmmaker-writer Tahira Kashyap Khurrana announced her upcoming book about motherhood, titled The 7 Sins of Being A Mother.This is her fifth book and the second she wrote amid the pandemic.Last year, the filmmaker had released 12 Commandments of Being A Woman, which she finished writing during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.The writer has also penned books like Cracking The Code: My Journey in Bollywood and Souled Out.