Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
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.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
The 79th anniversary of Quit India movement was observed on August 8, 2021. On this day in 1942, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of Do or Die to all Indians to drive away Britishers from the country. The movement had begun from Gowalia Tank in Mumbai. The day is observed as August Kranti Day every year.

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:
The Finance Ministry has released its fifth monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs 9,871 crore to the states on August 9. With the release of this installment, a total amount of Rs 49,355 crore has been released to eligible states as PDRD in the current financial year. The Commission has recommended PDRD grants to 17 States during 2021-22.

Notes:
Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched ‘Equitech’ – a fintech accelerator programme aimed at the start-up ecosystem. The programme, designed to scale-up, will help fintechs to curate their products and define a go-to-market strategy. The primary aim of Equitas is to provide start-ups legal and regulatory support through the venture capitalists and the experts of the bank. To enrol in Equitech the fintech start-ups should have at least 2 full time members along with team members and it must present an innovative idea. Also, this start-up should be incorporated at least 6 years before the date of applying.

Notes:
The Indian compound girls’ and mixed teams broke under-18 world records during their ranking round of the World Archery Youth Championships which is being held in Wroclaw, Poland. The girls’ team of Priya Gurjar, Parneet Kaur and Ridhu Senthilkumar combined for a total of 2067 to better the previous record by 22 points. Priya also combined with Kushal Dalal for a mixed pair tally of 1401 to break the previous mark of 1387.

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:
Automation Anywhere Inc. announced the IMEA edition of Imagine Digital – the region’s largest Cloud Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence event, has begun on 11th August, 2021. The event features ground-breaking discussions around AI-powered, cloud-native automation fuelling digital transformation innovations. Automation Anywhere is a global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA).