Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
NABARD, State Bank of India (SBI) and Jammu & Kashmir Gramin Bank (JKGB) has signed a MoU for Joint Liability Groups financing. Main objective of the signing of MoU is to enhance the flow of credit to tenant farmers/oral lessees/sharecroppers, SF/MF etc, who at times may not have proper title to their land holding. The JLG formation will meet the credit requirements of people suffering reverse migration in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The issue of formation of JLGs is also being discussed in every meeting of UTLBC. The formation and credit linkage of 1000 JLGs will benefit almost 5000 households in J&K.

Notes:
NITI Aayog today released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles (EV). The objective is to enhance charging infrastructure and facilitate a rapid transition to electric mobility in the country. The Handbook for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Implementation has been jointly developed by NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power (MoP), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and World Resources Institute (WRI) India.

Notes:
Pakistan has test-fired a surface-to-surface ballistic missile named ‘Ghaznavi’ on August 12, 2021. This is a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Ghaznavi’ which can strike targets up to 290 kilometres. The Ghaznavi missile has been tested in both day and night modes.

Notes:
SAP India and Microsoft has announced the launch of a joint skilling programme ‘TechSaksham’ for empowering young women students from underserved communities to build careers in technology. Through the joint initiative, SAP India and Microsoft aims to skill 62,000 women students in areas like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, web design and digital marketing. The programme will work in collaboration with the AICTE Training and Learning Academy-ATAL and state collegiate education departments to support the professional development of faculty at participating institutes.

Notes:

• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced four new districts and 18 new tehsils in the state.
• The four new districts are Mohla-Manpur, Sakti, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh and Manendragarh.
• ‘Mukhyamantri Affordable Medicine Scheme’ has been renamed as ‘Shri Dhanwantri Yojana’.
• Currently, there are 28 districts in the state of Chhattisgarh and after the announcement of four new districts the number will increase to 32.

Notes:

• Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently announced that World’s first bio-bank in Ayurveda is going to be set up in the All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi.
• AIIA is a public Ayurveda medicine and research institute in New Delhi that was founded in 2015.
• It is an autonomous institute under the AYUSH Ministry. The institute offers postgraduate and doctoral studies in a variety of Ayurvedic disciplines.

Notes:

• Malaysian Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, resigned on August 16, 2021 following the months of political turmoil in the country.
• He and his cabinet resigned after losing his majority. His resignation is going to open another chapter of instability as there is absence of any obvious successor currently.
• He resigned after the tenure of 17 months in office. Thus, it is the shortest stint of Malaysian leader.
• His resignation also impacts the efforts towards rebooting economy and controlling resurgence of Covid infections.
• Ringgit, the currency of Malaysia has fallen down to one-year low and its stock market also slipped.
• Political turmoil in Malaysia was triggered by a power grab within the then-ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. It led to the resignation of former PM Mahathir Mohamad.

Notes:

• Samsung has introduced a skilling programme that aims to train 50,000 youth and make them job-ready for the electronics retail sector in the next few years.
• The South Korea-based firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), to execute the programme through its nationwide skills training centres.
• The ‘Samsung DOST’ (Digital & Offline Skills Training) programme plans to provide 200 hours of blended classroom and online training, followed by five months of on-the-job training.
• The participants’ training will be as per the National Skill Qualification Framework and will include skill sets such as customer engagement, managing sales counter, handling customer queries, product demonstration and selling skills, and several other soft skills.
• They will be made familiar with the functioning of electronics retail stores through live demonstrations, role-play techniques and hands-on training during the on-the-job training.
• The company said the programme participants will be youth who have completed school education and will be mobilised through NSDC’s approved training partners at 120 centres across India.

Notes:

• In Manipur, Patriots’ Day in memory of those heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Anglo-Manipur War, 1891 is observed annually on 13th August.
• On the occasion, Governor Shri Ganga Prasad Chaurasia inaugurated the Memorial Complex dedicated to the exiled martyrs of the Anglo-Manipur War 1891 at Bir Tikendrajit Park, Imphal.
• The names of those unsung heroes who fought valiantly against the mighty British forces and later exiled to Andaman and Nicobar Islands are engraved on the Memorial Stone.
• Later, the artistes of Roop Raag performed the first rendition of the State Song of Manipur “Sana Leibak Manipur” the State Cabinet has decided to adopt this song as the State song of Manipur recently.

Notes:

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and MBDA of UK have signed up to establish a facility for the Final Assembly, Integration and Test (FAIT) of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) missiles in India.
• Under the agreement, MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to BDL for establishing the facility.
• Establishing this capability is due to start immediately and is expected to commence operations by 2022-23.
• ASRAAM is one of the within visual range missiles available and BDL will be manufacturing these at its Bhanur Unit, Telangana for the domestic and export market in future through MBDA.