Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

Notes:
The Rs 325 crore Motihari- Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline project has been successfully completed & will start commercial operation by August 2019. The 69-Km long petroleum pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amelkhgunj in Nepal has been constructed by India. It will ensure smooth, cost effective and environment friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal. The pipeline will help in tackling the oil storage problem in Nepal and doing away with transportation of petroleum products through tankers. Hence, Nepal will officially start fuel trade with India via the pipeline after its virtual launch by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline project was first proposed in 1996. However, the project finally edged closer to reality during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kathmandu in 2014.

Notes:
The innovative pilot project – Medicine from the Sky – will be launched by the Telangana government and the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network. The aim of the pilot project is to deliver emergency medical supplies such as blood, vaccines, medical samples and organs via drones. The project will run in partnership with the state government and HealthNet Global Limited. It will help facilitate decision-making in healthcare supply chains, focus on last-mile deliveries and address issues that affect the medical distribution system.

Notes:
The Andhra Bank has partnered with Floatbot to offer an Artificial Intelligence-powered virtual assistant for online banking users. The AI chatbot named “ABHi” – made by Floatbot – is integrated with Core Banking Servers (CBS) of Andhra Bank and will automate customer support for 5 crore Andhra Bank account holders. This AI chatbot solution can resolve customer queries and provide banking services in English, Hindi and Hinglish. With ABHi, customers will be able to get the information instantaneously 24×7, anytime they want. Customers can connect and know details from ABHi through website www.andhrabank.in over Mobile/Desktop browser, Facebook Messenger and over voice using Google Assistant. Customer can ask details on digital banking, loans, banking services, govt. schemes, insurance, senior citizen, RuPay Offers, Aadhaar services, payment mode, deposit/EMI Calculator, lodge a customer complaint, know nearest Branch / ATM on Google map, recharge prepaid mobile etc., on chat anytime and on move.

Notes:
The 2019 Durand Cup will be the 129th edition of the Durand Cup, which will be held at Kolkata in West Bengal from August 2 to 23. This will be for the first time that the tournament will be played outside New Delhi, its traditional venue. The matches will be played across three locations in West Bengal – Kolkata, Siliguri and Kalyani in 5 different stadiums namely East Bengal Ground, Mohun Bagan Ground, Kalyani Stadium, Siliguri Stadium and Salt Lake Stadium from 2nd August 2019. Army Green is the defending champion, who won its first title beating NEROCA FC on penalties in the last edition in 2016. The Durand Cup is the Asia’s oldest football tournament and third oldest football tournament in the world.

Notes:
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has recently launched the All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s Golden Baby Leagues handbook 2019-20 on the sidelines of the Intercontinental Cup in Ahemadabad. The launch marked the renaming of the ‘AIFF Baby Leagues’ to ‘AIFF Golden Baby Leagues’, with emphasis being laid for ages under 6 to under 12 both for girls and boys. The handbook is a guide to help the stakeholder to organise the Golden Baby League. The Leagues aim to provide access to football in localities irrespective of gender, religion, economic background, or ethnic origin. The league can be organised by anyone, as long as the Handbook guidelines are met.

Notes:
The Union Government has proposed light urban rail transit system – ‘Metrolite’ – in small cities and towns having lower projection of ridership, with each train having three coaches and a restricted speed of 25 kmph. The ‘Metrolite’ can be developed at a lower cost in comparison with existing metro system & will also act as feeder system to high capacity Metro. The three-coach train will have capacity of carrying 300 passengers. Sources said the government would provide financial assistance to states to implement the light urban rail transit system. It will have a dedicated path separating the road traffic with it. For segregation with road traffic, fencing can be provided on either side of network. The ‘Metrolite’ system will have shelter platforms. Metrolite platforms will not have AFC gates, platform screen doors, X-ray and baggage scanner. The ‘Metrolite’ train will comprise three non-separable coaches with low floor height of about 300-350 mm. Unit length should be of minimum 33 m. The car structure material will be stainless steel or aluminium.

Notes:
The Kerala Government has decided to set up a state-of-the-art Space Systems Park at Knowledge City Thiruvananthapuram to attract global start-ups working in space sector and also develop it as a major manufacturing hub for space-related technology, research and development. The state government has claimed that it will be the India’s first space park. The state government has issued orders to make Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre and Space Museum part of the space park and to allot the land required for the facility. This will be an added attraction to the park and the entire investment will be made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The government will transfer 20.01 acres as lease to the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd (KSITIL) to develop the space park at Knowledge City within Technocity as an international space technology ecosystem. Of this, 16.07 acres, now having SEZ status, will be denotified by KSITIL. The land belongs to Technopark. The project will be implemented by the Electronics and IT Department, government of Kerala.

Notes:
The Eleventh biennial edition of DefExpo India – 2020 is scheduled to be held for the first time in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow from 5th February 2020. The 4-day event will offer an excellent opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. The main theme of the DefExpo India- 2020 will be — India – the Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub and the focus will be on Digital Transformation of Defence. The exhibition will also highlight the emergence of Uttar Pradesh as an attractive destination for investment in the defence sector and act as a platform for alliances and joint ventures in the defence industry. The DefExpo will provide an opportunity to the major foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers to collaborate with the Indian defence industry and help promote Make in India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notes:
The 17th edition of the Homeless World Cup football tournament will take place in Cardiff in Wales from July 27 to August 3, 2019. The tournament is organised by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, which uses football as a vehicle to help homeless people learn to trust, share, and build relationships and discipline. As per the Homeless World Cup Foundation, players must be at least 16 years old and should not have taken part in a previous edition of the World Cup. Indian men’s and women’s football squads, led by Amrit Pal Singh and Sujata Rai, would take part in the 2019 football tournament. Singh hails from Bhathinda in Punjab while Sujata Rai is from West Bengal. Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain.

Notes:
India has successfully launched its 2nd lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 onboard its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from Sriharikota to explore the uncharted south pole of the Moon by landing a rover. The Rs 978 crore mission will mark a giant leap in India’s space research and make it only the 4th country to have landed a rover on Moon. For the first time in India’s space history, an interplanetary expedition is being led by two women – Muthaya Vanitha (the project director) & Ritu Karidhal (the mission director). According to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is an interesting surface area which remains in shadow than North pole. There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lander ‘Vikram’, named after father of Indian space research programme Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, carrying the rover ‘Pragyan’, will be landed in a high plain between two craters at a latitude of about 70 degrees South of the moon. Then the 27-kg ‘Pragyan’ meaning ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit and a six-wheeled robotic vehicle, will set out on its job of collecting information on lunar surface. A safe site free of hazards for landing would be decided based on pictures sent back by the camera onboard the lander and after touchdown the rover will carry out experiments for 14 Earth days, equals one Lunar Day.