Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2018

Notes:
The Integrated Defence Staff of the Defence Ministry and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up satellite-enabled telemedicine nodes to improve emergency medical support to Indian soldiers posted in high-altitude areas, especially Siachen. ISRO will establish 53 more nodes in the first phase over and above the existing 20, in various establishments of the Army, Navy and Air Force across the country. These nodes will enable medical consultation between soldiers deployed at the Siachen glacier and medical echelons in the rear. This joint initiative by ISRO and the Armed Forces Medical Services will transform the reach of telemedicine to soldiers, airmen and sailors in remote and isolated posts. One can say that the communication through these nodes will be a paradigm shift in the delivery of lifesaving health care in adverse terrain and extreme weather conditions till the weather clears up and movement is possible.

Notes:
Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet has successfully conducted India’s first-ever test flight powered by biojet fuel between Dehradun and Delhi on August 27, 2018. The 43 minute flight was operated by the airline’s Bombardier Q-400 aircraft with total 25 on onboard, including crew. The flight was powered with a blend of 75% Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) and 25% biojet fuel. The biojet fuel, which is made from Jatropha crop, has been developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) based in Dehradun along with Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP). The advantage of using biojet fuel as compared to ATF is that it reduces carbon emissions and enhances fuel efficiency. The biojet fuel has been recognised by American Standard Testing Method (ASTM) and meets the specification standards of Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier for commercial application in aircraft. Globally, bio-fuel powered flights are operated in Canada.

Notes:
Gopal Bose (71), the former Bengal cricket captain, has passed away in Birmingham, England on August 26, 2018. He was the first cricketer from Bengal to play an ODI against England in 1974, which was incidentally only the 2nd ODI that India played. He had scored 3,757 runs in 78 first-class games with 8 hundreds and 17 fifties. He also took 72 wickets, including one five-for, with his handy off-breaks. Bose was the head coach of Kolkata’s Cricket Club of Dhakuria(CCD). Interestingly, Bose was the manager of the Virat Kohli-led India U-19 team that won the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2008.

Notes:
The 3rd edition of Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) 2018 has started in Hanoi, Vietnam on August 27 with theme ‘Building Regional Architectures’. The 2-day conference was inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with her Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Binh Minh. Ms Swaraj also unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the Chancery building at the Embassy of India in Hanoi. The purpose of the conference is to serve a platform to the countries to come closer and exchange better views on the economic and strategic importance of the region and neighbourhood. The conference will see 43 countries as participants while 28 ministers and officials are set to address the event. The conference will emphasise on better cooperation, strategic collaboration and governance architectures.

Notes:
The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 eliminates leprosy as a ground for dissolution of marriage or divorce. It is an attempt to end the discrimination against leprosy persons in various central laws: The Divorce Act, 1869; the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939; the Special Marriage Act, 1954; the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act of 1956. The Bill is meant to provide for the integration of leprosy patients into the mainstream. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It usually affects the skin and peripheral nerves, but has a wide range of clinical manifestations. According to WHO, leprosy affected 2,12,000 people globally in 2015. India alone reported 1,27,326 new cases, accounting for 60% of new cases globally.

Notes:
Neeraj Chopra has created history by becoming the first-ever Indian javelin-thrower to win an Asian Games gold medal. He shattered his own national record by clearing a distance of 88.06m at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games on August 27. He also became the 2nd Indian after Milkha Singh to win a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold in the event in the same year. Beside this, Neeraj became the 3rd Indian javelin-thrower to win a medal at the Asian Games after Gurtej Singh (who won a bronze in the 1982 edition in New Delhi) and Parsa Singh (who became the first Indian to won a silver at the 1951 New Delhi Asian Games).

Notes:
On August 28, the Government of India (GoI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chief Ministers of 6 Upper Yamuna basin states for the construction of Lakhwar multi-purpose project in Uttarakhand. The states are Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The Lakhwar project envisages construction of a 204m high concrete dam across river Yamuna near Lohari village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand with a live storage capacity of 330.66 Million Cubic Metre (MCM). This storage will provide 78.83 MCM water for domestic, drinking and industrial use in the six basin states. It will also irrigate 33,780 hectares of land and generate 300MW of power. Out of the total project cost of Rs 3966.51 crore, the power component of Rs. 1388.28 crore will be borne totally by the Uttarakhand government. Uttarakhand will also get the benefit of total power generation once the project is complete. The project is to be executed by M/s Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL).

Notes:
The Government of India has signed a $375 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Madhya Pradesh Irrigation Efficiency Improvement Project (MPIEIP). The aim of the pact is to double farming incomes in Madhya Pradesh by expanding irrigation networks and system efficiency. The project will focus on two large irrigation systems: Kundalia irrigation project & Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project. It will develop 125,000 hectares of new, highly efficient and climate resilient irrigation networks, and improve water use efficiency in more than 400 villages, which will benefit over 800,000 people across the state. The project will also help farmers to adopt micro-irrigated agriculture including high-value crops.

Notes:
The 6th edition of RCEP Trade Ministers’ Meeting 2018 has started in Singapore on August 30, which consists of 10 ASEAN countries and six ASEAN FTA partners namely, India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. In it, the Indian delegation is led by Suresh Prabhu, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation. The aim of 2-day meeting is to work towards a high quality, balanced and inclusive outcomes that take into consideration sensitivities and interests of member countries. The Ministers will deliberate on the current global economic situation and exchange views on promotion of rule-based multilateral trading system and its importance to the stability and effective functioning of the global economic order. This will be followed by the 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) which will take stock of the current level of trade and economic engagement between India and ASEAN.

Notes:
NITI Aayog will organise MOVE: India’s First Global Mobility Summit 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 7. The aim of the summit is to showcase innovation and build a platform to shape the future of mobility, The summit will constitute three designated components – the Conclave, Digital Exhibition, and Featured Events. The six themes of the 2-day summit are asset utilisation and service, comprehensive electrification, alternative energy, reinventing public transit, logistics and goods transport and data analytics and mobility. The summit, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will help drive the government’s goals for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration and job growth and also speed up India’s transition to a clean energy economy.