Current Affairs Quiz- September, 2019

Notes:
In football, India won the 2019 SAFF under-15 title by defeating Nepal by 7-0 in the final at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal. This victory meant that India are now the most successful team in the tournament’s history — winning the title for a record 3rd time after previous wins in 2013 and 2017.

Notes:
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched the first-ever ‘Terracotta Grinder’ at Sewapuri in Varanasi. This machine can be used to grind wasted and broken pottery items for re-use in pottery-making. The Terracotta grinder was designed by the KVIC Chairman and fabricated by a Rajkot-based engineering unit. It will make grinding of wasted pottery items faster than the traditional mortar and pestle. It will lessen the cost of production and will also help in solving the problem of shortage of clays. The machine will also be a boon for potters as Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari has proposed to introduce Kulhads and other terracotta products at 400 prominent railway stations. The proposal is under active consideration of the Railways.

Notes:
The 4th South-Asian Speaker’s Summit was recently held in Male, Maldives. The summit was meant to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) but Pakistan tried to raise the issue of abrogation of Article 370 provisions on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) despite not being part of the agenda. The Indian delegation in the summit was represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh. Though, India maintained that J&K is an internal matter. The summit adopted the Male Declaration & ignored Pakistan’s concern on Kashmir.

Notes:
India has recently announced a contribution of $22 million to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and malaria (GFTAM) for the 6th replenishment cycle (2020-22). This is an increase of 10% over the amount contributed by the country in the 5th cycle. India was the first implementing country to host a replenishment milestone of the Global Fund and now has become the first among G20, BRICS and implementer countries to announce the pledge for the 6th Replenishment. India has had a sustained partnership with the Global Fund since 2002 both as a recipient and as a donor. The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The GFTAM is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Notes:
The Gujarat Government has recently signed the Sister State MoU with elaware State of America in Gandhinagar.  This is the first sister state MoU signed by Gujarat with any state of America. According to official sources, cooperation in the field of services and investment opportunities in GIFT IFSC have also been discussed during the meeting. The sectors like Biotechnology University, bio sciences, financial services, animal husbandry and dairy, port services have been short listed for future cooperation.

Notes:
The 4th edition of  Indian Ocean Conference (ICO-2019) was held in Male from September 3-4.  It was organized by India Foundation, in association with the Government of Maldives and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore). The theme of the IOC 2019 is ‘Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges’.

Notes:
In New Delhi, the national conference on ‘India-Africa Partnership in a Changing Global Order–Priorities, Prospects and Challenges’ was organized by Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The ICWA is devoted exclusively for the study of international relations and foreign affairs.  It is also a member of the United Nations Academic Impact, The Vice President of India is the ex-officio President of ICWA, while the Minister of External Affairs is its Vice-President. It headquarters is located in National capital.

Notes:
Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has kick-started POSHAN Maah (nutrition month) 2019 with a year-long social and mass media campaign on the Eat Right India movement. This movement is aligned with the government’s flagship public health programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission. Dr. Vardhan also launched the new Eat Right India logo that represents a healthy plate, an online eat right quiz and online course for frontline health.

Notes:
On 9th September 2019, a 3-day long International conference ANGAN for Energy Efficiency in Building Sector is being organized by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)  in New Delhi. Indo-German Technical Co-operation is also partnering in the event. Experts and policy makers from 16 countries are participating in this event to discuss various alternative options and technologies in the field of design and construction of energy efficient commercial as well as residential buildings. The event will provide a platform to deliberate on interdependence between organizations, systems sustainability and feedback loops for better resource efficiency.

Notes:
Spain’s Rafael Nadal has won the 2019 edition of men’s singles US Open Tennis title by defeating Daniil Medvedev in a five-set epic with a thrilling 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. This is his 4th US Open title and 19th Grand Slam trophy. He moved one shy of Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record 20 Grand Slam triumphs and became the 2nd-oldest New York champion in the Open era after Ken Rosewall in 1970 at age 35.