Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
“World Day against Trafficking 2021” was observed on July 30 by the ‘United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’. The theme of 2021 was “Victims’ voices lead the way”. This theme was set to raise awareness about the importance of interacting with the survivors of human trafficking. Their surviving stories will help in taking effective measures to prevent trafficking, identifying and rescuing victims and helping them in rehabilitation.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is an international organisation or agency that was founded in 1997. It is headquartered in Vienna (Austria). Its parent organisation is United Nations Secretariat.

Notes:
A 13-day mega military exercise between Indian and Russian army is scheduled to be organised from August 1 at Volgograd city located in Russia. The name of the Joint military exercise between Indian and Russian army is INDRA. The scheduled exercise is the 12th edition of INDRA and it is named “INDRA-21”.
Accroding to the Indian army, 250 personnel from each side will participate in this 12th edition of the joint military exercise. The military exercise will help in strengthening the bilateral security cooperation and will serve to reinforce the longstanding bond of friendship between India and Russia. It will also conduct counter-terror operations as mandated under the UN’s framework of joint forces against international terror groups.

Notes:
P V Sindu is the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. She won her first Olympic medal, which was a silver medal, at Rio Olympics 2016. She won a bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics 2021 after defeating He Bing Jiao of China.
PV Sindhu belongs to Hyderabad, Telangana. Her Personal coach is Park Tae Sang and the national coach of Badminton is Pullela Gopichand.  She got Padma Bhushan Award in 2020. She has been also awarded with Pamda Shri (2015), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2016 and Arjuna Award in 2013.

Notes:
India started its two-year tenure as non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2021. India is holding the presidency of UNSC for August and Narendra Modi has become the first Prime Minister to chair an open debate at UNSC. India has been a member of UNSC in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85 and 1991-92 earlier.
UNSC was created after World War II when league of Nations failed to maintain world peace. The first session of UNSC was held on January 17, 1946. It is among six principal organs of United Nations and is tasked with ensuring international peace and security.

Notes:
The first orchid conservation centre of North India has been inaugurated in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The main purpose of the conservation centre is to conserve orchid species and create ventures for tourism and livelihood for local people.
Orchid is a flowering plant and its scientific name is Orchidaceae.
All orchid species are protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES was enforced on 1 July, 1975.
Ivonne Higuero is the current Secretary-General of CITES. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Notes:
DefExpo-2022 is scheduled to be held from 11-13 March, 2022 in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). Ministry of Defence organises Military exhibitions in form of the defence expo and the aero India every two years. DefExpo is basically the land and naval systems show of the Defence Ministry. The last edition of the DefExpo was held in Lucknow. Before 2014, It was used to be organised only in New Delhi.
Rajnath Singh is the Defence Minister of India.

Notes:
Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system. The United States of America has approved the sale of one Harpoon Joint Common Test Set (JCTS) along with the related equipment to India for an estimated cost of USD 82 million. This will help in improving India’s capability to meet current and future threats.
The principal contractor of the deal will be Boeing Company which is headquartered in Chicago, USA. The present CEO & President of Boeing Company is David L. Calhoun.

Notes:
India and the European Union (EU) have agreed to resume the negotiations for an ambitious, balanced, mutually beneficial and comprehensive trade agreement. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations are to be held considering the interest of both India and EU.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet on 4th August, 2021 approved the continuation of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for school education for another five years. Provision of training of master trainers for Anganwadi workers, incinerator and sanitary pad vending machines in all girls’ hostels, addition of new subjects instead of stream in existing senior secondary schools, holistic progress card for each learner, and upgrade of all Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas up to class 12 are among the initiatives in the revised scheme. Samagra Shiksha Scheme covers the school education from preschool to Class 12.

Notes:
As part of one year celebration of transformative reforms under the government’s National Education Policy, 2020, the Government of India is organising a series of theme-based webinars on different aspects of National Education Policy, 2020. Indian Knowledge System, Language, Arts & Culture being one of the innovative thrust areas of NEP, Indian Knowledge System at AICTE under Ministry of Education organised a National Webinar on Transforming Education in the Light of Indian Knowledge System, Language, Arts & Culture. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Employment Shri, was the Chief Guest on the occasion.