Current Affairs Quiz- September, 2019

Notes:
In Bengaluru, the National Centre for Clean Coal Research and Development (NCCCR&D) has been launched at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) by the Department of Science & Technology (DST). The NCCCR&D is a national consortium that will address opportunities and challenges in the development of clean coal technologies. The target beneficiaries of NCCCR&D include organisations such as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL), Bharat Heavy Electronics Ltd. (BHEL), Tata Power, and Triveni Turbines Ltd.

Notes:
Renowned Indian photographer Raghu Rai has been chosen as the first recipient of the first edition of the prestigious French Award of the Acadmie des beaux-arts Photography Award – William Klein . The prize of 1,20,000 euros will be presented to Rai in the Palais de l’Institut de France on 30th October 2019. As a consecration award, this prize is intended to reward a photographer for his/her entire career and commitment to photography. The award is in honour of the celebrated American-born French photographer and filmmaker William Klein, who was best known for his unusual photography techniques. Raghu is the photojournalist who captured with his lens the stark after-effects of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984) and brought to viewers the hard-hitting visuals during the Bangladesh War (1971).

Notes:
Karan Vandana (DBW 187) is a new hybrid wheat variety which is resistant to yellow rust and white blast and can give significantly higher yield than normal varieties. It is likely to be soon launched across the country. It is rich in protein & iron, and has high heat tolerance across the country. It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga have jointly unveiled a golden statue of Lord Buddha at Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar through video-conferencing in New Delhi. The monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. Built in the mid 19th century, Gandan is the only monastery where Buddhist services continued to function even during the Communist period.

Notes:
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)  has decided to launch a new public-private partnership scheme – National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) – using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make learning more personalized and customized as per the learner’s requirements. The scheme is expected to begin operations by early November 2019 & aims to harness technology for better learning outcomes in higher education. The start-ups which join the government platform must offer 25% free coupons for students from disadvantaged communities.

Notes:
The Union Government has entered into an allotment agreement with West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) for Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block. It is the world’s second largest block. The project is slated to generate both direct and indirect employment in West Bengal considerably and also contribute to the socio-economic development of the region.

Notes:
Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has recently collaborated with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’. The campaign will educate end-users on the benefits of making digital payments and urge them to adopt security and safety best practices. The pan-India campaign has crafted in seven languages — Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi — and will engage with users and make them aware of the dos and don’ts for different payment channels including UPI, wallets, cards as well as net-banking and mobile banking,

Notes:
Madhukar Kamath, chairman emeritus of advertising firm DDB Mudra Group, has been unanimously elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for 2019-20. Beside this, he is the president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and also the  chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

Notes:
In Chandigarh, Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah launched three citizen centric services – Emergency Response Support System (ERSS – Dial 112), ‘E-Beat Book’ System and the ‘E-Saathi App’ – of the Chandigarh Police.  ERSS has been designed to play a pivotal role in mitigation or preventing escalation of crime, especially against women and children. Citizens can send their emergency information through call, sms, email and through the 112 India mobile app. The ‘E-Beat Book’ is a web and mobile based application which will ease the collection, updation and analysis of the information related to crime and criminals in a real time. The ‘E-Saathi’ App would help the general public to remain in touch with the police and also give suggestions to facilitate participative community policing (‘Your Police at Your Doorstep’ initiative). 

Notes:
The Kerala High Court has recently ruled that the right to have access to the Internet is part of the fundamental Right to Education (RTE) & also the Right to Privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. The verdict came on a petition filed by a Kozhikode college student challenging her expulsion for not adhering to restrictions on the use of mobile phone.