Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
The biggest festival of Nepal  – Bada Dashain – has begun at famous Hanumandhoka Dashain Ghar in Kathamndu with Vedic rituals. The 15-day festival starts on first day of Navaratri with Ghatsthapana (traditional urn). Devotees performed Ghatsthapana and sowed maize and barley seeds for germination of the auspicious Jamara (barley shoots) in various parts of the country today.  During Dashain, people worship goddess Durga for nine days. On tenth day of festival, elders give golden barley shoots and put Tika on the forehead of younger members of the family and bless them for peace, progress and prosperity in the life. 

Notes:
Viju Khote (77), the veteran Hindi and Marathi film-theatre actor, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He had acted in more than 300 Hindi and Marathi films. He gained fame for his character Kaliya in the blockbuster film Sholay. Khote was popular for his comedy roles in many films including ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ and ’Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. His role in TV serial ‘Jaban Sambhal Ke’ also gained popularity.

Notes:
KS Dhatwalia, the senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer,  has been appointed as the Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB).  Mr. Dhatwalia  will continue to hold the additional charge of Director General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). 

Notes:
Kerala has topped the NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘The Success of Our Schools-School Education Quality Index’ (SEQI) in list of 20 states, followed by Rajasthan and Karnataka. While the most-populous state Uttar Pradesh was ranked at the bottom position during 2016-17. The report is based on indexing of states and Union Territories (UTs) on the learning outcomes for school-going children. Of the 7 UTs, Chandigarh came at the top position, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Puducherry, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. This school education report has considered 2015-2016 as the base year and 2016-2017 as the reference year.

Notes:
The Coimbatore-headquartered company “Elgi Equipments” has bagged the coveted 2019 Deming Prize for Total Quality Management (TQM). ELGi is the first globally established Industrial air compressor manufacturer, outside of Japan, to win the prestigious award in over 60 years and will formally receive the prize on the 6th of November 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State-owned construction firm National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to provide project management consultancy for development of National Sports University at Imphal, Manipur. The approximate cost of project would be Rs 400 crore. The headquarters of NBCC (India) is located in New Delhi.

Notes:
Annu Rani has become the first Indian to qualify for Women’s Javelin Throw final at World Athletics Championships (WAC) in Doha. She smashed her own national record during the qualification round of the Championships with best attempt of 62.43 metres.

Notes:
In a first of its kind offer from any national carrier, IRCTC will compensate passengers of India’s first corporate train – New Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express – in case of delay in the train schedule. An amount of Rs 100 will be paid in case the delay is for over an hour and Rs 250 for delay of over two hours. The latest offer is in addition to the Rs 25-lakh free insurance that will be given to passengers of the train. This travel insurance also includes coverage of Rs 1 lakh against household theft and robbery during travel period of the passengers, which is again a first for those travelling on board trains. The train will be flagged off on October 4.

Notes:
On the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, India’s largest ‘charkha’ (the 1,650-kg spinning wheel) made of used plastic waste was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani in Noida. The ‘charkha’ symbolizes Gandhi’s dream of Swadeshi (self sufficing and self reliance). It measures 14 ft × 20 ft × 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic. The charkha has been recognized as the largest made of used plastic waste in the country by India Book of Records.

Notes:
The Union Water Ministry has  excavated an old, dried-up river in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) that linked the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The aim is to develop a newly discovered river as a potential groundwater recharge source. This “ancient buried river” is around 4 km wide, 45 km long and consisted of a 15-metre-thick layer buried under soil. The discovery was made by a team of scientists  from the CSIR-NGRI (National Geophysical Research Institute) & the Central Groundwater Board (CGB) during a helicopter-borne geophysical survey covering the Prayagraj and Kaushambi region in Uttar Pradesh.