Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
The Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Prakash Javdekar has recently inaugurated Asia’s longest high-speed test track at Pithampur of Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
Called as NATRAX (National Automotive Test Tracks), it is 11.3 km in length and will be put to use for testing by automotive companies and component testing companies.

Notes:
The Department of Space, Government of India has recently come out with the draft space transportation policy, under which it has encouraged private participation in space technology.
The policy also lays special emphasis on Research and Development in green fuel, robotic space exploration and reusable rockets.

Notes:
India and Pakistan on July 1, 2021 exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody. This is in keeping with the provisions of the 2008 Agreement under which such lists are exchanged every year on 1^st January and 1^st July.

Notes:
Israel-based Polaris Solutions in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense recently unveiled “The Kit 300”. It consists of a sheet made from thermal visual concealment material that makes soldiers nearly undetectable.

Notes:
Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Survey Ship INS Sarvekshak successfully completed survey action around the site of ill-fated MV X-Press Pearl on July 2 and handed over the survey data to the Sri Lankan authorities. The X-Press Pearl reported an onboard acid leak and caught fire just as it was due to enter the Colombo harbour on May 20. The fire was put out only after 13 days.

Notes:
Virachey National Park is one of the two Cambodian ASEAN Heritage Parks located at the northeastern part of the country and spanning across more than 3,000 square kilometres. It overlaps Ratanakiri and Stung Treng Provinces. The national park, under the jurisdiction of the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, consists of semi-evergreen lowlands, montane forests, upland savannah, and several patches of mixed deciduous forests.

Illegal logging is a major concern in this national forest since the 2000s, leading to a vast expanse of forest being degraded at an exponential scale. However, this situation has improved over the recent years. The rare sighting of giant muntjac in the recent months is the outcome of this progress.

Notes:
Nagaland is known as the Falcon Capital of the World. It became India’s 16th state on Dec. 1, 1963. The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party’s Neiphiu Rio is its current chief minister. Recently, declaring the state as a “disturbed area”, the Centre extended the operation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state for six more months, till December 31.

Notes:
Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli is the National Control Laboratory for testing of Immunobiologicals (vaccines and antisera) meant for human use.
Recently, the Union Government has set up two laboratories including one at Autonomous Research Institutes National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, and another at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) Hyderabad as Central Drug Laboratory (CDL).

Notes:
Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix 2021. Max Verstappen is a Belgian-Dutch racing driver currently competing in Formula One, under the Dutch flag, with Red Bull Racing.
The race was the ninth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was the runner-up. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton were on the 3rd and 4th positions respectively.

Notes:
Bengaluru is the highest ranked Indian city in Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021, released by StartupBlink. It is on the 10th position worldwide and on 1st position in India. India was placed at 20th place.
New Delhi and Mumbai were at 14th and 16th position (worldwide). 43 Indian cities got placed in the list of 100 countries. The top five countries are USA, UK, Israel, Canada and Germany. The top five cities in the Index are San Francisco, New York, Beijing, Los Angeles and London.