Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
The Union government has launched a Prakash portal – ‘Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony’ – for better coordination among the Ministries of Power, Coal and Indian Railways for coal supply to power plants. The portal, which is developed by NTPC, is designed to help in mapping and monitoring entire coal supply chain for power plants, viz – – coal stock at supply end (mines), coal quantities/ rakes planned, coal quantity in transit and coal availability at power generating station

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:
Surender Singh of India created three world records at the ongoing 2019 World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany. Surender bagged gold in 110 kg category, Classic Raw and the Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw and Single Ply. While, 3-time World Champion Mukesh Singh went on to add another feather to his cap by winning yet another gold only to be known as 4-time World Champion.

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 Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India have jointly launched Youth Co:Lab that aims to accelerate youth-led social entrepreneurship, innovation in India. Through Youth Co:Lab, young entrepreneurs and innovators will get a chance to connect with governments, mentors, incubators and investors, who will help equip them with entrepreneurial skills. It will invite young people in the age group of 18-29 years and start-ups to showcase their proposed ideas and solutions to tackle some of the region’s biggest social challenges.

Notes:
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry has recently launched the first-ever website and mobile application “e-Dantseva” on oral health awareness. The digital platform will provide oral health information gathered from authentic scientific resources and connect the people to timely advise for managing any dental emergency or oral health problem. It contains information about the National Oral Health Programme (NOHP), a detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material and a unique feature called the ‘Symptom Checker’. The website also provides GPRS route and satellite images of the facility for easier access to the people.

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:
Polish author Olga Tokarczuk has won the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life. Her first novel, “The Journey of the People of the Book,” was released in 1993. She has also won the Booker International Prize for her 2007 novel “Flights”. She became the 15th woman to have won the prestigious distinction, out of 116 literature laureates honoured since 1901. It must be noted that the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced along with the 2018 Prize as the latter was delayed by a year following a scandal that included allegations of sexual misconduct.

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’.