Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2019

Notes:
Star India grappler Vinesh Phogat has bagged gold in women’s 53kg category of the Poland Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw on 4th August 2019. She prevailed 3-2 over local wrestler Roksana in the final of the competition. This was her third consecutive gold in the 53 kg category after winning Gold at Grand Prix of Spain and at the Yasar Dogu International at Istanbul, Turkey last month.

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The researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed a low-cost portable device to detect bacteria without cell culture or microbiological assays. The hand-held device with bio-compatible sensor can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis. The bacterial infection is a common cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. Despite the development of a range of antibiotics, the challenge continues to lie in diagnosing bacterial infection early on. The present techniques are extremely time – consuming. Presently, cells derived from a patient are cultured or grown in laboratories to detect and micro-analyse bacteria. However, the new portable device can instantly detect the charges on the cell walls of bacteria. The rapid detection kits are like those used for blood sugar monitoring. The research has enabled rapid detection of bacteria, which is not just important in healthcare but also in anti- bioterrorism measures and environmental monitoring. The team work has been recently patented & published in the July 2019 issue of ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry of the Royal Society of Chemistry’.

Notes:
Nobel Prize-winning US author Toni Morrison (88) has passed away in New York, United States on 5th August 2019. She is the first African-American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature for her novels depicting the struggles of black Americans living in a white society ridden with racial discrimination. She won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for “Beloved” that told the story of a runaway female slave and was made into a film starring Oprah Winfrey in 1998. In 2012, President Barack Obama presented her with the highest civilian honor – Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Notes:
In India, the 5th edition of National Handloom Day (NHD) has celebrated on 7th August 2019 to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight India’s handloom industry. The day seeks to focus on the contribution of handloom to the socio economic development of India and also to increase the income of weavers. This year, Bhubaneswar has been chosen as the venue for the main event due to its rich tradition of Handlooms. The prime objective of holding the NHD in Bhubaneswar is to empower women and girls. The day was chosen as the National Handloom Day (NHD to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on 7th August 1905 in Calcutta Town Hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government. The movement had aimed at reviving domestic products and production processes.

Notes:
The Rajasthan government has launched a new higher education model titled “Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence (RACE)” for distribution of faculties and movable assets among the government colleges at the district level to rationalize the availability of resources. The new model will create a pool for sharing of facilities which will benefit the colleges lacking infrastructure. The colleges in need will have to submit their requirement to the nodal college in the district that will send the teachers on deputation (if needed) and provide the facilities such as projectors, digital libraries, equipment and technicians.

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The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently announcement its 3rd bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for FY 20 (2019-20). In it, RBI reduced the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 35 basis points (bps) from 5.75% to 5.40% with immediate effect. Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands revised to 5.15%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 5.65%. This is the 4th straight time that the RBI has cut interest rates. The move is said to give a fillip to the economy. The MPC, headed by Shaktikanta Das, also cut GDP growth target to 6.9% from 7% for the ongoing financial year.

Notes:
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (or World Tribal Day) is observed on August 9 to front-up and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. The 2019 theme is ‘Indigenous Languages’. It was reported in the year 2016 that about 2680 indigenous languages were in danger and on the verge of getting extinct. To safeguard the loss of these indigenous languages, the United Nations (UN) has designated 2019 to be the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This will help in persuading, convincing and creating awareness to people about the Indigenous Languages.

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The Indian Army has launched “Mission Reach Out” in Jammu to ensure availability of basic necessities & essential services in the region post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Regarding to this issue, a high level “Mission Reach Out” conference was held in the Nagrota Military Station to review the prevalent situation in the region. It was chaired by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh. The numerous initiatives undertaken by the Army under ‘Mission Reach Out’ are as follows: mobile medical care units with essential medicines and lady medical officers (wherever necessary), providing water in locations where the supply was disrupted, provision of essentials (including rations), assistance in transportation of patients to hospitals, facilitating people to speak to their near and dear ones through Army exchange and creating a safe environment for ATMs, banks and hospitals to function.

Notes:
Veteran journalist and consulting editor at India Today TV, Rajdeep Sardesai has been conferred with the prestigious 2019 Prem Bhatia Award for Outstanding Political Reporting on 11th August at the India International Centre in New Delhi. He won the award for his commentary on 2019 General Elections. The award is given in memory of veteran journalist Prem Bhatia who died in 1995. It carries a prize of Rs 2 lakh.

Notes:
Reliance Jio has partnered with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation in India. Under the deal, Microsoft will bring in the Azure Cloud on Jio Network targetting the enterprise and business users seeking a technological shift. Jio is the subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). The aim of both the companies is to enhance the adoption of leading technologies like data analytics, AI, cognitive services, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to make them ready to compete and grow.