Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
Padmaja Chunduru has been appointed managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of National Securities Depositories (NSDL).
She has earlier served as the MD & CEO of Indian Bank between September 2018 and August 2021. Her appointment has been approved by the shareholders of NSDL. She is succeeding GV Nageswara Rao, who was the previous MD & CEO of NSDL.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-Hyderabad) researchers have recently developed an alternative to corneal transplantation.
The research team have developed a hydrogel from discarded corneas from human and bovine sources using a novel method. The team discovered that this tissue-specific hydrogel can prevent cells from scar tissue formation. The team also demonstrated that this hydrogel can be applied after injury which helps to regenerate the cornea without scarring.

Notes:
Canada observed its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. It is an annual commemoration honouring the children who died while attending residential schools.
It united the survivors, families and communities still affected by the legacy of the residential school system. In 2017, a private member’s bill was introduced to make National Day for Truth and Reconciliation an official holiday. Recently, hundreds of potential burial sites and unmarked graves were discovered near former residential schools.

Notes:
‘International Day of Older Persons’ is celebrated every year on October 1. The aim of the day is to spread awareness about the need for health facilities and social care for elderly.
On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons. The theme for 2021 is “Digital Equity for All Ages” which highlights the need for access and participation in the digital world by older persons.

Notes:
Manipur organises the UNESCO-recognised Festival of Dance and Music ‘Nata Sankirtana’. This year, the 3-Day Festival was inaugurated recently from the capital Imphal.
Artistes from different organizations of Nata Sankirtana and many eminent personalities attended the occasion. Nata Sankirtan was introduced during the reign of Bhagyachandra and recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2013 for its uniqueness.

Notes:
The Yidan Prize is an education award that recognizes individuals, or teams, who have contributed significantly to education research and development.
The Yidan Prize Foundation have awarded India-based Dr Rukmini Banerji and US-based Professor Eric Hanushek the prestigious Yidan Prize 2021. Nine laureates have been awarded the Yidan Prize since its inception in 2016. Dr Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer of the Pratham Education Foundation, is awarded for her work in improving learning outcomes.

Notes:
Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav announced a collaboration with Microsoft India to launch DigiSaksham programme.
Through DigiSaksham, 10 million active registered job seekers will be able to access the training including computing and computer science training on the National Career Service Portal. The programme is aimed to impact 3,00,000 job seekers in the first year by training them in subjects like programming languages, data analytics, software development etc.

Notes:
Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0. The schemes would be implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, like their previous versions.
SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities ‘Garbage Free’ and ensure grey and black water management in all cities. The outlay of SBM-U 2.0 is around ₹1.41 lakh crore. AMRUT 2.0 aims to provide 100% coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies and 100% coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities.

Notes:
NITI Aayog recently released a performance assessment report of district hospitals in India, titled Best Practices in the Performance of District Hospitals.
The report is made with collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO India. The assessment framework covers 10 Key Performance Indicators and a total of 707 district hospitals across all States and UTs participated in the assessment. The Health Management Information System (HMIS) data for the year 2017–18 was used as baseline. 75 district hospitals across 24 States and UTs emerged as top performers.

Notes:
Indian shooter Manu Bhaker is an ace Indian shooter. She is in news recently since she has made a  top podium finish in the ISSF Junior World Championship held at Lime, Peru. She won Gold in individual pistol event as well as in a mixed team pistol with Sarabjot Singh.
Her contribution helped India to rise to the top of the medal tally at the championship.