Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
On 7th August, 2021 Rekha Sharma was reappointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women for another 3-year term w.e.f. 07.08.2021, or till the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

Notes:
Last remaining population of the Asiatic Lions are found in Gir National Park of Gujarat. In 2020, population of Asiatic lions has surged by almost 29% in Gujarat’s Gir forests. The distribution area of lions has also increased by 36%. Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest, national park, and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. This national park was established in 1965.

Notes:
The Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union) catalyzing investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all. Mission Innovation was launched during 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in November 2015. India, During Phase I played crucial role in MI Activities at global level by participating through DBT, DST and CSIR in eight Innovation Challenges and co-leading three challenges (Smart Grids, Off-Grid access to Electricity and Sustainable Bio fuels). The Ministry of Science and Technology, through Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) have played a key role in developing global Science & Technology partnerships in critical areas including energy, water, health and astronomy.

Notes:
On 10 August, 2021, under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Oil and Gas companies celebrated World Biofuel Day with the theme ‘Biofuels for Sustainability and Rural Income”. The special exhibition showcased biofuels and bio-energy related developments and technical achievements made in the field of biofuels in India. The event also witnessed active participation by many technical service providers, post-harvesting equipment manufacturers, Indian Air Force, biodiesel producers, research institutes, farmers, etc. During the occasion, a 9 TPD Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant of Indian Potash Limited (at Rohanakalan, Muzzafarnagar) and three Retail Outlets of Indian Oil at Muzaffarnagar (Chadravati Filling Station, Kissan Filling Station and Agarwal Service Station) were also dedicated to the nation. These Retail Outlets will be marketing CBG produced from this plant.

Notes:
South Africa has become the first country in the world to grant patent for an invention made by Artificial intelligence (AI). The country has granted a patent to a food container system which is based on Fractal Geometry and was invented by an AI system known as DABUS (Device for Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience). Stephen Thaler has created DABUS and it is a type of AI which is referred to as creativity machines as they are capable of complex functions. DABUS’ main function are spoiled food alerts, emergency warning system, etc.

Notes:
Chief Scientist of World Health Organization, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, urged the nations to prioritize reopening of schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Chief scientist highlighted that; Covid-19 has indirectly affected the education greatly by shutting down schools globally. So, she asked to prioritize school opening while maintaining proper health and hygiene. Amid the covid-19 pandemic, 1.5 billion children were suddenly out of school and affected their education. In January 2021, Right to Education Forum published its report highlighting that, ten million girls in India could drop out of secondary school amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes:
The government of Maharashtra has announced about the introduction of Rajiv Gandhi Award for firms that are excelling in the Information Technology (IT) sector in the state. The awards have been named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Rajiv Gandhi Award for excellence in the IT sector will be conferred upon institutions and companies for their outstanding performance in the IT sector on August 20, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late Rajiv Gandhi. It will be conferred by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Maharashtra IT Corporation Limited (MAHA-IT) has been appointed as the nodal agency to propose the award.

Notes:
Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has become the first bank in the country to achieve the milestone of issuing 1 crore FASTags. This is almost 30% of the total FASTags issued by 32 banks in the country. In the last 6 months alone, PPBL has equipped over 40 lakh commercial & private vehicles with FASTags. Besides this, Paytm Payments Bank is also India’s largest acquirer of Toll Plazas for the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program offering an interoperable nationwide toll payment solution. The bank has enabled 280 toll plazas across the National & State highways to collect toll charges digitally. Paytm Payments Bank is also working closely with NHAI for testing and implementing multi-lane free-flow movement using automatic number plate recognition technology. This will further improve the overall customer experience while travelling on the national highways. Paytm FASTag is linked to the Paytm Wallet ensuring users don’t have to opt for multiple recharges.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Facebook and Praekelt.org to provide covid-19 information to the world’s most vulnerable people through Discover and Free Basics in a mobile-friendly format. Though over 85% of the world’s population lives in areas with existing cellular coverage, many people can’t afford to purchase mobile data consistently and others have not yet adopted the internet. During the covid-19 public health crisis, it is important now more than ever to help people stay connected and to increase access to health information and other resources on the internet. This initiative enables underserved communities to access life-saving covid-19 health information through participating operators in more than 55 countries. The WHO covid-19 information has reached more than two million people so far in nine languages, with other languages to follow in the coming weeks and months.

Notes:
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has appointed Noopur Chaturvedi as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NPCI. Bharat BillPay Ltd. (NBBL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NPCI, providing a one-stop solution to billers for low-cost collections. Chaturvedi’s mandate is to scale up the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) so as to make it the most preferred platform for bill payments. Prior to joining NPCI, Chaturvedi was country head at PayU and chief-corporate business alliances at Airtel Payments Bank.