Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
In an effort to raise awareness about the perils of using plastic, the Kotpad Notified Area Council (NAC) in Koraput district of Odisha is providing free meals to the poor in exchange for a kilogram of plastic waste. The new initiative is being carried out under the State government’s ‘Aahar’ scheme. The programme entails a meal for anyone who brings a kilogram of used polythene bags, plastic bottles and cups. Under the Aahar scheme, poor people in urban areas of the state are provided a meal comprising rice and ‘dalma’ (lentils with vegetable) at a cost of Rs 5.

Notes:
The 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit 2019 has started in Bangkok, Thailand on 1st of November with theme ‘Advancing Partnership for sustainability’. During 5-days summit East Asia summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Summit (RCEP) will be also held. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this summit on 3rd and 4th November. The ASEAN is a group of 10 member countries that encourages political,economic and social co-operation in the region. The summit would  discuss comprehensive and sustainable ASEAN economic development and s on negotiations related to the RCEP including market opening. The RCEP is a proposed Free Trade Agreement ( FTA) between the 10 members state of ASEAN and its partner countries.

Notes:
India’s first-ever Arts Exposition for Artists blessed with Down Syndrome, Autism, Mental Retardation, Seizure Disorder and Dyslexia has started in New Delhi on 3rd November 2019. The “eCAPA 2019 – Art from the Heart” is a unique nationwide platform-cum social venture for such artists to showcase their visual and performing arts.  The aim of this exposition is to create an exclusive platform to showcase the visual and performing art talents of young adults with intellectual challenges. It will also provide Divyang artists with opportunities to find mentors in the visiting artists and eminent masters of different crafts. This exposition will continue till 14th November at STIR Gallery, Chattarpur Farms. 

Notes:
The 14-day long joint Indo-French exercise ‘Shakti-2019’ has started at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Bikaner, Rajasthan. The aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability between the two armies and further strengthening the military relations between them. The exercise will facilitate both the armies to know each other better, share their operational experience and enhance awareness through information exchange.

Notes:
In Sri Lanka, the biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference has recently begun in Colombo under the theme Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law. In the 4-day conference participated by Law Ministers and Attorney Generals from Commonwealth countries seeks to address challenges faced by millions of people seeking to resolve legal problems or disputes. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad isrepresenting India at the conference.

Notes:
US based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay has won the JCB Prize for Literature 2019 for her debut novel ‘The Far Field’ at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. It is the most expensive Indian award for writing. She also received a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, along with a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra entitled ‘Mirror Melting’.

Notes:
Indian-origin researcher, Dr Neeraj Sharma has won the Australian government’s  ‘Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences)’ for developing next-generation battery systems such as sodium-ion battery that will leave minimal environmental impact. The awarded research explores inherently safe solid-state batteries, energy-dense lithium-sulfur batteries, dual function solar batteries and methods for recycling. DR. Sharma is researcher at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) of Sydney.

Notes:
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently launched two new IT Initiatives – ICEDASH and ATITHI – for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving international passengers. ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business (EODB) monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs that allows public see and compare import clearance times at all ports and airports across India.  The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and faster clearance by Indian Customs at the airports and increase the experience of international tourists and other visitors at the airports. 

Notes:
In an effort to productively use India’s wastelands, the Union Ministry of Rural development has released with the 5th edition of Wasteland Atlas -2019 that provides State and district wise distribution of different categories of wastelands area in the country and will be helpful in addressing land degradation. This is significant as it also takes into account 12.08 MHa of unmapped area of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the first time. The changes in wastelands between 2008-09 and 2015-16 have been presented in the Atlas. The new wastelands mapping exercise was carried out by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)  using the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data. It is helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development programmes and schemes. The last edition was published in 2011.

Notes:
The World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) is observed every year on 5th of November to spread awareness about precautionary measures against tsunami and share innovative approaches to risk reduction. In 2019, the day promotes Target (d) of the “Sendai Seven Campaign,” which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.