Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

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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.

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Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre at Konakkarai in Tamil Nadu has become operational again. It was opened in the year 2018 but it remained idle for several months. Tiruchi Corporation has been made operational now and will engage a private veterinarian for the sterilisation drive.

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Maldives style water villas will soon be set up in Lakshadweep in a bid to attract tourists. Praful Khoda Patel, administrator of Lakshadweep, said that the water villas will be set up at a cost of ₹800 crore. These projects are being backed by Niti Aayog and Union home ministry to develop these remote islands. Under this project, world-class facility would be set up in Suheli, Minicoy and Kadmat islands in Lakshadweep. In all, 370 rooms will be offered across the three islands and these villas would be constructed under public-private partnership model.

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The government of India has decided to set up the Indian Institute of Heritage at Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar. This will impact higher education and research in the fields related to rich Indian heritage and its conservation. Indian Institute of Heritage would offer Masters and Ph.D courses in History of Arts, Conservation, Museology, Archival Studies, Archaeology, Preventives Conservation, Epigraphy and Numismatics, Manuscriptology etc. as well as conservation training facilities to in-service employees and the students of the Indian Institute of Heritage.

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On 9th August National Traders Day is observed in India on the foundation day of Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, addressed the traders on the occasion of this day. He said that the traders should undertake customer awareness campaign to make them buy goods which are made in India. The traders also contribute towards the government’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign.

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World Lion Day is celebrated on August 10 every year in a bid to raise awareness on lions. The day also seeks to mobilise support for protection and conservation of Lion. As per World Wide Fund for animals (WWF), it only lives in grasslands and plains. India is home to majestic Asiatic Lion, who inhabit protected territory of Sasan-Gir National Park. According to WWF, lions were once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe. But over the years, their numbers have reduced across these continents. Initiative to protect lion started in 2013 so the first World Lion Day was observed in 2013 itself. Since then, the day has become a symbol of fight towards protection of lion. Last remaining population of the Asiatic Lions are found in Gir National Park of Gujarat.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana – PMUY) by handing over LPG connections, at Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh on 10th August, 2021, via video conferencing. During the event, the Prime Minister interacted with beneficiaries of the Ujjwala. Addressing the event, the Prime Minister said the number of people, especially women whose lives have been illuminated by the Ujjwala Yojana is unprecedented. This scheme was launched in 2016 from Ballia in UP.

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India is ranked 122nd on a new Global Youth Development Index measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries, released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on 10th August, 2021. Singapore ranked topmost while Niger came last. The index ranks countries between 0.00 (lowest) and 1.00 (highest) according to the developments in youth education, employment, health, equality and inclusion, peace and security, and political and civic participation. It looks at 27 indicators including literacy and voting to showcase the state of the world’s 1.8 billion people between the age of 15 and 29.

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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched a loan interest subvention scheme in association with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) to provide financial assistance for innovative waste to energy biomethanation projects. The industrial organic waste-to-energy bio-methanation projects are generally capital intensive and financially sensitive to both operating costs, including waste availability, and revenue, particularly biogas yield and its utilisation scenario. A GIS-based inventory tool of organic waste streams was also unveiled.

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International Youth Day is marked on August 12. The day as the name suggests, is celebrated for giving voice to the initiatives and actions taken by the young people across the globe. The theme of the day this year has been decided as “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. The reason behind choosing this theme is to highlight the impact of the effort that has been put in by young people in transformation of the food systems. The theme also aims at making people aware of the need for inclusivity of old and young individuals in putting in efforts and ideas for collectively saving the planet. The first International Youth Day was celebrated in 1999.