Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched the YSR Vahana Mitra welfare scheme under which the owner-driver of an auto-rickshaw (or taxicab) gets Rs 10,000 grant per annum. The amount is meant to meet maintenance expenses, and for obtaining insurance and fitness certificates among other documents.

Notes:
Indian Army has started its  first-of -its kind biggest ever mountain combat exercise titled ‘Him Vijay’ in Arunachal Pradesh. It is the first-ever such drill that the military is holding in the northeastern state i.e., 100 km away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  The exercise is to test mobility, communication and coordination of such huge body of fast-moving troops in difficult terrain. The exercise is to be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be held between 7th to 10th October 2019  and the other phase will be from 20th- 24th October 2019.

Notes:
The Union Health Ministry has recently released data on  the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), which is the tertiary care arm of Ayushman Bharat. According to report, Tamil Nadu (with 40,056 cases) tops the state where the most cancer patients availed treatment under PMJAY, followed by Kerala (22,000), Madhya Pradesh (19,455), Chhattisgarh (15,997) and Gujarat (14,380). The report revealed that there are 11.57 lakh new cancer patients and 7.84 lakh cancer deaths every year in India. At any given point of time, there are 22.5 lakh Indians living with cancer. 

Notes:
The Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics has jointly been awarded to three scientists – James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz – groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of the universe and the Earth’s place in the cosmos. One half of the award was given to James Peebles for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for the discovery of an exo-planet orbiting a solar-type star. They will share a 9-million kronor cash award, a gold medal and a diploma. The laureates will receive them at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. 

Notes:
In Maharashtra, the 63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din has celebrated at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur on 9th October 2019. The Buddhist followers from the different parts of the country and abroad reached at the venue to pay homage to the Architect of Indian Constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.  It is a day to celebrate the Buddhist conversion of Dr. Ambedkar.

Notes:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019 was awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza “for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability”. The discoveries made by these scientists have fundamental importance for physiology and have paved the way for promising new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and many other diseases.

Notes:
Austrian author Peter Handke has been honoured  with the 2019 Nobel Prize in literature for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience. His notable works include “Short Letter, Long Farewell” and “A Sorrow Beyond Dreams”. He will receive 9 million Swedish kronor (£740,000), as well as a medal and a diploma.

Notes:
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) has launched a new satellite-based GEMINI system that will alert deep-sea fishermen of upcoming disasters. The acronym ‘GEMINI’ stands for “GAGAN Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information”& is works on GAGAN (GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) satellite system of ISRO & AAI. Through GEMINI, all key alerts and messages would be sent through GAGAN and the designated device would receive and transfer it to a mobile phone through Bluetooth communication. The related mobile application would then decode and display the information to the user. It can be decoded into 9 languages. The technology for the device has been transferred to a Bengaluru-based company ‘Acord’. 

Notes:
On 12th October 2019, the SARAS Aajeevika Mela has been organised by the Ministry of Rural Development at India Gate Lawns in New Delhi and will carry on till October 23. It was formally inaugurated by Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. The aim of this SARAS Mela to bring the rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed with support of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), under one platform to show-case their skills, sell their products and help them build linkages with bulk buyers. 

Notes:
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has been   conferred the highest Civilian Honour of East African island nation Comoros — The Order of the Green Crescent – at its capital Moroni. The honour was conferred by the President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani. India and Comoros signed 6 agreements on defence, health and culture. Both the countries also decided to exempt each other from Visa for diplomatic and official passport holders for short visits. India has also extended over 60 million dollar line of credit  to Comoros in the field of energy and maritime defence cooperation.