Current Affairs Quiz- September, 2019

Notes:
In Delhi, a cultural event ‘Namaste Pacific’ was recently jointly organised by the High Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji to showcase in India the culture of the Pacific countries. Aaradhna, a multi-award-winning R&B and soul artist from New Zealand, performed with her band. Aaradhna is part Indian and part Samoan and has to her credit four individual albums. Traditional masks and artefacts from Papua New Guinea and Pacific Green furniture and other products from Fiji were also displayed. There was also showcase of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Pollinate Energy based in Australia, Nepal and India, and solar lanterns from Barefoot College in Rajasthan.

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:
In football, India won the 2019 SAFF under-15 title by defeating Nepal by 7-0 in the final at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal. This victory meant that India are now the most successful team in the tournament’s history — winning the title for a record 3rd time after previous wins in 2013 and 2017.

Notes:
In a unique initiative, the Ambikapur municipal corporation of Chhattisgarh will soon open India’s first ‘Garbage Cafe’ in the city of Ambikapur. This initiative is a step towards making the city plastic-free. In this unique Cafe’ poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for 1Kg of plastic, while breakfast will be provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe. The collected garbage will be sold at Solid Liquid Resources Management Centre (SLRMC). The collected plastic waste would further be turned into granules and will then be used in the construction of roads in the city. Ambikapur is Chhattisgarh’s first dustbin-free city. The city has an efficient solid waste management system. The Self Help Groups (SHGs)of women are involved in door to door collection of waste. The city has been hailed as the 2nd cleanest city in the country in Swachhata rankings. The opening of this garbage cafe is another step towards the city’s aim to become free from plastic waste.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated the Garvi Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi. The new building is situated near the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road in the national capital & has been built at a cost of around Rs 131 crore by the Gujarat Government. It has 19 suite rooms, 59 regular rooms, a restaurant, a public dining hall, a business centre, a souvenir shop, a multi-purpose hall, conference hall, four lounges, a gymnasium, a yoga centre, a terrace garden and a library built on an area of 20,325 square meters. The Bhavan is equipped with traditional and modern artefacts and technologies and will serve as a home for Gujaratis in the national capital. It will represent the culture, craft and cuisine of Gujarat. This building is in addition to the old Gujarat Bhavan at Chanakyapuri, which will continue to function.

Notes:
The famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been adjudged as the India’s ‘Best Swachh Iconic Place’ on the basis of the overall improvement in sanitation. The ranking of Swachh Iconic Places was recently released by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of drinking water and sanitation. The initiatives of water kiosks, reverse vending machines, equip dung management centre, installation of kill waste machine, collection, transportation, and disposal of waste along with regular mopping up of waste though a workforce of 1300 sanitation workers (Shrine cadre and outsourced) have enabled the shrine to achieve the top rank. The President will confer the prestigious award to the Shrine during the Swachh Mahotsav to be organized by the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation on the 6th September 2019.

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:
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:
After IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur has been selected for the “Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institute (SATHI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the Union government. The SATHI Centre will run 24×7 round the year. At least 70% of instrument time will be reserved for external users from other academic institutes, national laboratories, start-ups, entrepreneurs and the industry.  The institute will treat the SATHI Centre as its Social Scientific Responsibility (SSR) programme to promote the culture of science-based entrepreneurship and start-ups in the country.

Notes:
India has been declared free from Avian Influenza (H5N1) by the OIE-World Organisation for Animal Health. The status will last only till another outbreak is reported. H5N1 is a highly contagious viral disease that particularly affects domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys and ducks. The virus can also infect humans causing death in some cases.