Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Recently, INDIAai and Meta India entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create a structure for collaboration and mutual cooperation in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.
The objective of this partnership is to make Meta’s open-source AI models accessible and usable through joint efforts.

Notes:
China successfully launched its first communications satellite, Lingxi-03, featuring an ultra-thin flexible solar wing to test technologies for a massive 13,000-satellite broadband mega constellation in low-Earth orbit.
It aims to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellite was launched atop a Long March 2D rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in central China.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) is implementing the Naan Mudhalvan programme.
Under the scheme, around 12,582 faculties from government engineering colleges and 7,835 faculties from arts and science colleges from across the state have been trained in the last one year, to enhance skilling of students.

Notes:
Digital payments across the country registered a growth of 13.24 per cent in a year through March 2023, as per RBI’s index that measures the adoption of online transactions.
RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) stood at 395.57 at end-March 2023 compared to 377.46 in September 2022 and 349.30 in March 2022. The index is a base to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.

Notes:
The Western Tragopan (Tragopan-melanocephalus) is the Himachal Pradesh’s state bird. It has been reported that the species is experiencing habitat loss in certain regions of the country.
However, due to the dedicated efforts of the state authorities, there has been a steady rise in the population of this endangered species at the State’s Sarahan pheasantry, the conservation breeding center, providing hope for its survival and future expansion.

Notes:
The Indian women’s hockey team defeated the hosts Spain 3-0 and win the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation – International Tournament.
Vandana Katariya (22nd minute), Monika (48th) and Udita (58th) were the goal scorers as India remained unbeaten in the tournament.

Notes:
India’s gross revenues from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hit a three-month high to cross ₹1.65 lakh crore in July 2023. July’s collections were 2.2% higher than the previous month’s GST collection.
However, at 10.8%, it was the slowest uptick in collections since July 2021 compared to revenues from the same month last year.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Department of Forest and Environment’s Amrit Brikshya Andolan web portal/mobile application and the Wood-based Industry (WBI) registration web portal, along with the theme song for the Amrit Brikshya Andolan.
It is an initiative aimed at planting a total of 1 crore commercially-viable saplings across the State by individuals from various walks of life.

Notes:
The Lunar Codex program, led by Samuel Peralta, a physicist and art enthusiast from Canada, aims to immortalize a diverse array of human-made artworks.
It aims to send a collection of digitized art to the moon. Lunar Codex is stored on memory cards or laser etched on NanoFiche, a 21st-century update on film-based microfiche. These will ensure that the art forms reach the lunar surface safely.

Notes:
The G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting concluded recently in Chennai.
The event concluded without reaching consensus on significant climate-related matters. Crucial topics like transitioning away from fossil fuels remained unresolved during the meeting.