Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Quick Gyan (QG) Section of D2G. QG is just a glimpse of what happened today all over the world.

Only For Serious Candidates : We strongly recommend you to read the Current Affairs in detail. For your convenience, we have provided quick links under the updates. Make use of it.

Always Keep Yourself Updated!!!

AWARDS AND HONORS

Sreejish and Deepika win Hockey Player of the year

Late Captain Shankar Laxman won the coveted Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Deepika won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for Men and Women respectively at the Hockey India (HI) Annual Awards.

• The best hockey players in India and former greats of the game came together for the awards, whose total prize money was in excess of Rs.2 crore.
• The first set of awards marking important milestones in the careers of players began the proceedings.
• The Milestone Awards were presented to Dharamvir Singh, Kothajit Singh, Birendra Lakra and Sushila Chanu for making 100 appearances for India and were presented with a cheque of Rs.50,000.
• Gurbaj Singh and V.R. Raghunath were awarded for turning out in India colours 200 times and were presented with a cheque of Rs.1 lakh each.

Quick Link – Hockey Player of the year

APPOINTMENTS

Surya Deva appointed as UN Human Rights Commissioner

Indian-origin law professor Surya Deva has been appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council as an adviser on human rights and multinationals and businesses. The Council approved his appointment to the position formally known as “Special Procedure Mandate Holder“. He will be a member of the four-member Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

• Deva is an associate professor at the City University of Hong Kong’s School of Law. He specialises in human rights and businesses, as well as Indian and Chinese constitutional law, corporate social responsibility and development.
• According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the advisers report annually to the Council and in most cases to the UN General Assembly.
• They take up individual cases and broader concerns in their fields with government, convene consultations with experts and “contribute to the development of international human rights standards”.

Quick Link – Surya Deva as UN Human Rights Commissioner

INDIAN AFFAIRS

President rule imposed in Uttarakhand

President’s Rule has been imposed in Uttarakhand a day before the crucial trust vote in the state assembly for the Harish Rawat government. The Cabinet had recommended the imposition of Central rule in the state last night following an hour-long emergency meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It received the formal nod from President Pranab Mukherjee. 

• The Government justified the imposition of President’s Rule saying the Harish Rawat government was “unconstitutional” and “immoral” since March 18, when the “failed” Appropriation Bill was shown as passed.
• The crisis in Uttarakhand had started earlier this month, after nine lawmakers of the ruling Congress, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, had rebelled against the Harish Rawat government.
• With the move coming weeks after President’s Rule was imposed in Arunachal Pradesh, the furious Congress alleged that the BJP was stooping to new lows.

Quick Link – President’s Rule

Gujarat to set up nation’s first Organic Farming University

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said that the state will set up country’s first university exclusively focussing on organic farming. The main objective is to help farmers in switching to unconventional methods of farming.

• State agriculture minister Babubhai Bokhiria said state government is committed to promote organic farming and in order to achieve it, a fund of Rs 10 crore has been earmarked towards the university in the annual 2016-17 budget, presented recently.
• The place may be chosen near to agriculture Kamdhenu University in Gandhinagar district.
• He apprised that for promoting organic farming, state government has taken steps like setting up of a cell to implement its new organic farming policy.

Quick Link – First Organic Farming University

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Pakistan and Iran aim to boost trade to $5 billion

Pakistan and Iran aim to increase annual trade volumes between the two countries to $5 billion by 2021. Trade between Pakistan and Iran fell to $432 million in 2010-11 from $1.32 billion in 2008-09, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, after western powers imposed sanctions on Tehran aimed at halting a nuclear program they suspected was aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.

• Sharif spoke at a business conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who arrived in Islamabad for two-day talks focused on increasing Pakistan’s electricity imports from Iran, boosting trade relations and reviving plans for a gas pipeline between the two countries.
• Most of the sanctions were lifted in January in return for Iran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.
• Iran currently exports around 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the areas of Pakistan that border Iran. Pakistan is in the final stages of negotiating a deal that will increase that to 1,000 MW, the ministry of water and power has said previously.

Quick Link – Pak and Iran to boost trade

UNSC extends mandate of UN Assistance Mission in Somalia

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 24 March 2016 extended the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) till 31 March 2017. A resolution in this regard was unanimously approved by all the 15 members of the Council in order to support an inclusive, free, fair and transparent electoral process in 2016 and universal elections by 2020.

• Somalia is a semiarid land in the Horn of Africa.
• The Somalis are one of the most homogeneous peoples in Africa, but unity is thwarted by clan-based rivalries.
• The independence of Somaliland, while widely acknowledged, is not officially recognized by the international community—as efforts continue to reunify Somalia.
• It was established in May 2013 by the UNSC to create and galvanize the political and strategic environment of Somalia in which stabilisation and peace-building can proceed.

Quick Link – UNSC on UNSOM

Syrian Govt forces retake all of Palmyra from ISIS

Syrian government forces have recaptured Palmyra, inflicting a significant defeat on the Islamic State group which seized the city last year and dynamited its ancient temples. The army and its militia allies took complete control of the city and were clearing mines and bombs laid by the militants.

• The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there was still gunfire in the eastern part of the city on Sunday morning but the bulk of the IS force had pulled out and retreated east, leaving Palmyra under President Bashar al-Assad’s control.
• For government forces, the recapture of Palmyra opens up much of Syria’s eastern desert stretching to the Iraqi border to the south and IS heartland of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa to the east.
• It follows a three-week campaign by the army and its allies on the ground, backed by intensive Russian air strikes, aimed at driving IS back.
• Russia’s intervention in September turned the tide of Syria’s five-year-old conflict in Assad’s favour.

Quick Link – Palmyra from ISIS

SPORTS

India to host 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for holding of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under-17 World Cup to be held in India in 2017. It is likely to be held in the month of September -October 2017.

• The venues of the game will be, 1-JLN Stadium, New Delhi; 2-D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai; 3-JLN Stadium, Kochi; 4-Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata; 5 JLN Stadium, Fatorda Goa and I.G. Stadium Guwahati
• Expenditure towards overlays and equipment including display boards, etc. may be incurred. The total cost, however, will be within Rs.95 crore as approved earlier.
• In the eventuality of any additional requirement of funds, Department of Sports will take up the matter with the Department of Expenditure.

Quick Link – FIFA Under-17 World Cup

Thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂