Current Affairs Quiz- September, 2019

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has rolled – out programme ‘Build for Digital India’ along with Google for engineering students. The programme will offer a platform to engineering students to develop market-ready, technology-based solutions that address key social problems. As part of the program, engineering students across the country will be invited to present their ideas and solutions in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure, women safety, smart mobility and transportation, environment, accessibility and disability and digital literacy. Applicants will take part in online and offline learning opportunities on key technologies such as Machine Learning (ML), Cloud and Android that will be offered through Google’s Developer Student Club network and other Google Developer networks. Google will also offer mentorship sessions in product design, strategy and technology to the most promising products and prototypes. This initiative will not only motivate the college students across India to innovate but will also produce some good technology solutions for some major social challenges of India.

Notes:
Asian Games gold medallist shotputter Tejinderpal Singh Toor clinched a silver with a best throw of 20.09m in his last attempt during an athletic meet at Decin, Czech Republic. Tajinder was awarded with the 2019 Arjuna Award. Though, he couldn’t meet the World Championship standard but his efforts were good enough to earn him a silver at the event.

Notes:
The Punjab Employment Generation Department (PEGD) has decided to play the role of a recruitment agency for the youth wanting to go abroad for studies and work. It will also set up a special cell to send the youth for studies abroad. The move came after regular complaints of fraud by travel agents. The special cell will have a tie-up with foreign public universities which offer education at reasonable rates. This will not only save students from frauds but also help them financially as the commission which foreign institutes pay to the agents would be returned to them. This facility is already available in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana.

Notes:
The 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is at Greater Noida on 2nd September 2019. The core agenda of the 12-day Conference is to reverse land degradation and its outcomes while accelerating positive achievements for people and for ecosystems. The main objective of the convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought or desertification. The delegates from 196 countries are participating in COP14. The Parties to the Convention will agree on the actions they will take over the next 2 years and beyond to get the world on a sustainable development path.

Notes:
India has recently announced a contribution of $22 million to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and malaria (GFTAM) for the 6th replenishment cycle (2020-22). This is an increase of 10% over the amount contributed by the country in the 5th cycle. India was the first implementing country to host a replenishment milestone of the Global Fund and now has become the first among G20, BRICS and implementer countries to announce the pledge for the 6th Replenishment. India has had a sustained partnership with the Global Fund since 2002 both as a recipient and as a donor. The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The GFTAM is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Notes:
The World Coconut Day (WCD) is observed every year on 2nd of September to increase coconut farming with focus on productivity and product diversification. The day is also celebrated to commemorate the formation day of Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC). In India, the day is celebrated every year under the aegis of Coconut Development Board (CDB) in various coconut growing states across the country. The 2019 theme is ‘Coconut for Family Wellness’. The APCC is an inter-governmental organisation of 18- member countries mandated to promote, coordinate, and harmonise coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region.

Notes:
In Thailand, the first US-Asean Maritime Exercise (AUMX) officially started at the Royal Thai Fleet headquarters at Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. The aim of the 5-day AUMX is to train the regional navies in delivering humanitarian assistance and mitigating disasters. The exercise provides a new multilateral venue to work together on shared maritime security priorities in the region. The joint exercise will involve 1,250 military personnel. The AUMX is co-led by the US and the Royal Thai Navy and will be preceded with pre-sail activities in Thailand, Singapore and Brunei, followed by sea drills in international waters in the Gulf of Thailand as well as the South China Sea. The exercise will conclude in Singapore.

Notes:
The Indian Army team has successfully summited Mount Leo Pargyil (6773m) on 20thAug 2019 after an extremely challenging climb in harsh weather. They hoisted the National Flag atop Mt Leo Pargyil. The expedition was flagged in by Lieutenant General PM Bali on 31 Aug 2019 at Jhakri near Rampur Bushar. Mt Leo Pargyil is the 3rd highest peak of Himachal Pradesh and is considered to be among the most challenging and technically difficult peak to scale. It lies in the Zanskar range.

Notes:
The World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) 2019 has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). In it, India has moved up six places to rank 34th because of its rich natural and cultural resources and strong price competitiveness.  Spain topped the index, followed by France, Germany, Japan and the United States. The index covered 140 economies & measures the set of factors and policies that enable sustainable development of travel and tourism sector which contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country. 

Notes:
The 4th edition of  Indian Ocean Conference (ICO-2019) was held in Male from September 3-4.  It was organized by India Foundation, in association with the Government of Maldives and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore). The theme of the IOC 2019 is ‘Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges’.