Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2019

Notes:
Dr. Chandrima Shaha is set to be the first woman president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). She is currently Professor of Eminence at the National Institute of Immunology (NII) of Delhi. As a biologist, Ms. Shaha has focussed on apoptosis (or programmed cell death). Her laboratory uses the uni-cellular leishmania parasite as a model to understand the conditions under which cells respond to their environment and kill themselves, if need be.

Notes:
Virasat-e-Khalsa, the pioneer museum depicting 550 years’ history and culture of Punjab and Sikhism, has scripted new chapter in its rising glory by becoming the most visited museum in the Asian sub-continent on a single day. The museum had witnessed a record footfall of 20,569 visitors on a single day on March 20. Hence, the “Asia Book of Records” had confirmed the record of “maximum footfall in a museum in a day” in the name of Virasat-e-Khalsa, which would feature in the next edition of the Asia Book of Records. Earlier, the museum was listed in the “Limca Book of Records-February 2019 Edition” and “India Book of Records-2020 Edition”. The museum was built by Punjab Government and was inaugurated in November 2011. The iconic museum stands out in terms of popularity, visitor footfall, architecture, grandeur and aesthetics; as also in its use of technology, infrastructure and world class standards of maintenance and upkeep.

Notes:
The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year on 12th of August to raise awareness of challenges and problems facing the world’s youth. The day reiterate our pledge to make education inclusive, equitable & relevant to the changing dynamics of 21st century to prepare our youths to be future ready. The 2019 theme “Transforming education” highlights efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves.

Notes:
To mark the occasion of 73rd Independence Day 2019, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar launched a patriotic song ‘Watan’ in New Delhi. The special song, which has been produced by Doordarshan, pays a tribute to New India. The video of the song highlights several path-breaking initiatives of the government viz. National War Memorial, Statue of Unity and Chandrayaan 2. The song also pays tribute to the bravery and valour of the armed forces and the martyrs of the country. The song has been sung by famous Bollywood singer Javed Ali. It has been penned by lyricist Alok Shrivastav and music composed by Dushyant.

Notes:
Alejandro Giammattei has become the newly elected President of Guatemala, after winning the second round of the 2019 presidential election.He tried 3 times previously to become president before succeeding on his 4th attempt. He campaigned on a promise to fight crime and build a permanent political force with a deep love for God, family and Guatemala with his Vamos political party. He cites Mahatma Gandhi as his most admired world figure.

Notes:
V.B. Chandrasekhar (57), the former India and Tamil Nadu cricketer, has passed away in Chennai on 15th August 2019. Fondly referred to as VB, he represented India in 7 ODIs, with an innings of 53 being his highest score. In 81 First Class matches, Chandrasekhar notched up 4999 runs at 43.09 with 10 centuries. After his eventful cricketing career, where he was a part of the last Tamil Nadu team to triumph in the Ranji Trophy in 1988. Later, he led the state side and then briefly played for Goa — VB focussed on coaching and commentary. Notably, he was the cricket manager of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the franchise’s first 3 years and was instrumental in getting the iconic M.S. Dhoni to CSK.

Notes:
On the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day 2019, ISRO Chairman Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan has been honoured with the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam award by the Tamil Nadu government. However, Dr. Sivan could not receive the award at the Independence Day celebrations at Fort St. George but he is expected to collect the award from the Chief Minister at a later date. He won the award in recognition of his stellar work in promotion of science and technology. The Kalam award is to honour those who work for promoting scientific growth, humanities and students’ welfare and the awardees should hail from Tamil Nadu. The award carries 8 gm gold medal, Rs. 5 lakh in cash and a citation.

Notes:
Indian cricket team has won the T20 Physical Disability World Cricket Series in England. In the final, India defeated England by 36 runs at the Blackfinch New Road ground in Worcester. The Indian team called itself Wadekar Warriors, in memory of former India captain Ajit Wadekar, who played an active role in All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC). The AICAPC organised the selection and preparation for the event. The 6-nation tournament was organised by England and Wales Cricket Board.

Notes:
The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. The 2019 WHD campaign – #WomenHumanitarians –honour the work of women in crises throughout the world. This year’s focus salutes the efforts of women humanitarian workers across the world who rally to people in need and are often the first to respond and the last to leave.

Notes:
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in collaboration with IIT Kanpur has developed a kit to spread sexual-abuse awareness among children by using interactive means to teach them about personal safety. The kit is a set of cards, posters, short animation clips and games. It can be used by teachers or NGOs to conduct an interactive workshop for children about sexual-abuse awareness. The kit also features game cards as an intervention to assess the learning acquired by children. It can be used in classrooms for kids aged between 8-12 and in a group of 30-35 students in one session. It has manuals, reading and video material for the teacher or workshop facilitator to read and understand how to conduct the workshop. The workshop kit has been vetted by the psychologists at Central Institute of Psychiatry of Ranchi, and a revised version will be developed based on their feedback.