Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
The 14th edition of Indo – Mongolian joint militarytraining – Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2019 –  from 05 to 18 Oct at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. It is aimed at training troops incounter insurgency & counter terrorism operations under United Nationsmandate. It is an ideal platform forthe armies of both the nations to share their experiences & best practicesand gain mutually during the joint training.

Notes:
The first Government-sponsored and operated day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated by Supreme Court judge – Justice S. Abdul Nazeer – in Leh. The centre will be one stop-shop for entertainment, medical services and legal aid for the aged people of the Ladakh region. It will also provide a raft of medical facilities including geriatric care, health consultations and check-ups, physiotherapy as well legal service the senior citizens would require on various legal issues. The premise will also be equipped with computer learning and a library and the aged citizens can entertain themselves with indoor games and recreational activities.

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:
On 11th October 2019, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan  has  launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN)  initiative in New Delhi during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare.  The aim of the initiative is to assure dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting the public health facility in order to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. It also provides a positive birth experience to both mother and infant.  

Notes:
The Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has recently launched a unique initiative called ‘Ganga Amantran’ to connect with the stakeholders of the river. It is one-month-long pioneering exploratory open- water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river. The expedition has started at Devaprayag and will culminate at Ganga Sagar covering the entire stratch of over 25,000 kilometres of the River. This is the first ever effort by National Mission for Clean Ganga to raft across the entire stretch of the river and also the longest ever social campaign undertaken through an adventure sporting activityy to spread the message of River Rejuvenation and Water Conservation on a massive scale.  

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:
India and Japan will hold the 2nd edition of joint military exercise ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN-2019’ in Mizoram from 19th of October to 2nd of November 2019. The focus of the 2-week-long exercise will be to increase the interoperability between the two forces and enhance coordination in dealing with various security challenges including counter-terrorism. The scope of this exercise covers platoon-level joint training on counter-terrorism operations in jungle and urban scenario.

Notes:
The West Bengal government has decided to set up a Kanyashree University at Krishnagar in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state. The university would be only for women. Earlier, in 2013, CM Mamatat Banerjee started the Kanyashree scheme to improve the life and the status of the girls by helping economically backward families with cash so that families do not arrange the marriage of their girl child before eighteen years because of economic problem. The scheme has been given international recognition by the United Kingdoms Department of International Development and the UNICEF.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, the 10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of Culture from 14th to 21st of October under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign in Jabalpur, Sagar and Rewa. The fest  will display diverse forms of folk, art and culture of 22 states. It will showcase the cultural heritage of India through performances of art, folk music, dance, handicrafts and cuisines of Leh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and West Bengal.

Notes:
Air India has become the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A-320 aircraft with passengers on board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice-versa. Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani flagged off flight AI665 and it was carried to runway using Taxibot at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport – to Mumbai. It is a pilot controlled semi-robotic towbar-less aircraft tractor used as alternate taxiing equipment.