Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2018

Notes:
The group of computer scientists and a team of students from the IIT- Madras have developed the first of a family of six industry-standard microprocessors under Project Shakti. The initial batch of 300 chips, named ‘RISECREEK’, has been fabricated for free at the Intel facility in Oregon (US), which was used to run the Linux operating system. The design of microprocessors is open source. They optimize power use and compete with international units such as the Cortex A5 from Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). The entire team was lead by Dr. Neel Gala, who is an alumnus of IIT-Madras. The team had used a BlueSpec System Verilog language, which helped them capture the processor functionality. At a frequency of 350 MHz, RISECREEK can meet the demands of defence and strategic equipment such as NAVIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite) and Internet of Things (IoT) electronics.

Notes:
M Bhakthavatsala (84), the well-known Kannada film producer, distributor and exhibitor, has passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka on August 6, 2018. He was an officer in Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) and later turned to films through distribution and managing theatres. He was known for producing critically acclaimed movies like ‘Sandhyaraga’ and ‘Kanneshwara Rama’. Bhakthavatsala served as president of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce for 7 years and was the only Kannadiga to chair the Indian Film Chamber of Commerce. He had diverse interests such as literature, mountaineering, etc.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, the elephants at the Kanha National Park (KNP) are on a week-long picnic. This picnic, which is arranged every year, includes massaging for the elephants and a delicious menu. The purpose of a picnic is to provide family time to Jumbo. The Kanha National Park management has been organizing such picnic for the service of more than a dozen elephants for the past 7-8 years. Picnic includes bathing of elephants, massaging as well as special health tests and treatments. Elephants are given their favourite food like mango, sugarcane, pineapple, banana, coconut and Jaggery. During this period, all the elephants of National Park are residing in one place as a bigger family. Picnic is also helpful in increasing the population of elephants.

Notes:
The Mizoram government will start the repatriation process of Bru (Reang) tribals from Tripura to Mizoram from August 14 to September 10. The Brus are in Tripura since late 1997 in the wake of a communal tension triggered by the murder of a forest guard inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve on October 21, 1997 by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants. Regarding to this issue, the Centre, state governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), the apex body of the Bru community in the relief camps, have on July 3 signed an agreement in New Delhi for repatriation of all the Bru refugees from Tripura before September 30. According to the agreement, Rs 4 lakh would be deposited in the account of the head of each repatriated Bru family, which would mature after three years, and a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh as housing assistance. Each repatriated Bru family would also be given Rs 5,000 through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) every month and free ration for two years. Altogether 32,876 Brus belonging to 5,407 families are lodged in six relief camps in North Tripura district..

Notes:
The 11th edition of the India Art Fair 2019 will be held from January 31 to February 3 in New Delhi. It is best known for its strong representation of leading Indian galleries alongside selected exhibitors from across the world. The art fair will attracts visitors with an interest in the art world, such as curators, artists, collectors, journalists, gallerists and critics and art lovers.The director of the 4-day annual art fair will be Jagdip Jagpal.

Notes:
Italian motorcycle-maker Benelli has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government to set up a manufacturing facility at Medichal, Pochampally, Hyderabad. Under the agreement with Adishwar Auto Ride India (AARI), a subsidiary of Mahavir Group, the assembly plant on 3 acres in Kompally is expected to become operational by October 2018. It will have a capacity to assemble 10,000 bikes and begin with around 100 employees. The partnership entitles AARI to assemble, manufacture bikes and import exclusive range of Benelli bikes from Italy and South East Asia regions. Established in 1911, Benelli is one of the oldest Italian motorcycle-manufacturer and has a presence in over 60 countries such as America, Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific regions.

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Justice Gita Mittal has been sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. She was administered the oath of office by Governor N.N. Vohra. She is the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court.

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In Hyderabad, India’s first genetic bank for wildlife conservation has been inaugurated by Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) in CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) to protect India’s biodiversity and environment. It is dubbed as National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank (NWGRB), which can store 17,000 vials worth of samples. Currently genetic material, including DNA, cells and tissues besides semen and eggs of 23 wildlife species are stored. This facility would also facilitate exchange of genetic material between Indian zoos for maintaining genetic diversity and conservation management made accessible to scientists and wildlife managers for implementing conservation programmes. The Genetic Resource Bank (GRB) is the systematic collection and preservation of tissues, sperm, eggs and embryos, genetic material (DNA/RNA).

Notes:
The World Elephant Day (WED) is observed every year on August 12 to bring the world together to help protect & honour these gentle giants and to spread awareness about the critical threats they are facing. The day is also observed to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants and to share knowledge & positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants. It’s also India’s National Heritage Animal. On the occasion of 2018 WED, the festival Gaj Mahotsav has started in Delhi to showcase 101 elephant installations, photographs by artists and performances by Delhi-based rock bank Euphoria. The event is organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Notes:
The Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 was held in Birgunj, Nepal on August 12 to strengthen Indo-Nepal ties. On this occasion, the renowned writers from both the countries were also felicitated. Approx 250 participants from India and Nepal attended the two day festival. The event was organized by Nepal India Co-operation Forum.