Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
The book titled ‘India and the Netherlands – Past, Present and Future’ has been penned by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony. The book highlights the significant place India occupied in the Dutch worldview and the relationship between the two nations secured by strong economic ties and vibrant exchanges in culture, sports, and yoga.

Notes:
Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi (87) was the renowned nephrologist, immunologist and stem cell researcher. He passed away in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 2nd October 2019. He was an expert in handling kidney transplant surgeries & was awarded Padma Shri in 2015 for his contribution to society as a nephrologist.

Notes:
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has recently launched a new governance initiative ‘Mo Sarkar’ on the occasion of 150th Gandhi Jayanti. The objective of the ‘Mo Sarkar’ is to provide service with dignity to people who are coming to government offices for different purposes. The phone numbers of people who are coming to government offices will be collected randomly with the purpose to improve the governance system by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism of government officers. The employees will be ranked as good or bad on the basis of the feedback and those with good rank will get out-of-turn promotion and action will be taken against employees with bad rank.

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:
India’s first e-waste clinic is being set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. For this noble cause, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have signed pact that would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units. Initially, it will be 3-month pilot project and being successful, it would be replicated elsewhere in the country. The clinic will be formed in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016. 

Notes:
The World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is observed every year on 10th of October by World Federation for Mental Health to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. The 2019 theme is “Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention”.

Notes:
In Uttar Pradesh, the first -ever National Hindi Science writers conference has started on 11th of October in Lucknow with an aim to release science writing from the clutches of English and to promote use of Hindi and other Vernacular languages. More than one thousand science writers from across the country are participating in this conference which is aimed to bring all Hindi and vernacular language science writers at one platform and to promote Hindi in the field of science writing.

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:
A research team led by Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) has discovered a unique species of miniature well-dwelling subterranean fish ‘Pangio bhujia’ from Kozhikode. It  is the first species of eel-loach in the world that has been discovered to be living in subterranean environments. Eel-loaches are generally found in fast-flowing streams in the south and the south-east Asia. The Pangio bhujia is approximately 3 centimetres long & pinkish-red in colour, and resides in the purest waters of deep subterranean aquifers. 

Notes:
Noted environmentalist and social activist, Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the Indira Gandhi award for national integration for the years 2017 and 2018 in recognition for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country. This award is consists of a citation and Rs 10 lakh in cash to be given to the awardee by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Bhatt hails from Uttarakhand and was a pioneer of the Chipko movement.