Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Under ‘Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana’, underprivileged women between 23 and 60 years were eligible for ₹1,000 every month.
However, after distributing two instalments the government decided that those completing 21 years from January this year would also be included. They should be married and fulfil the other existing eligibility criteria.

Notes:
The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in the Lok Sabha, to amend IIM Act of 2017.
The amendment declares the 20 IIMs across the country as ‘institutions of national importance’.
The bill introduced in Lok Sabha by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, proposes to appoint the President of India as the ‘Visitor’ to all the IIMs.

Notes:
The Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) released BARI Chinabadam-12 (ICGV 07219), an improved groundnut variety in Bangladesh.
The variety is available for cultivation for the upcoming season post rains. It has resistance to foliar fungal diseases and matures four days earlier than its counterpart.

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:
Pension regulator PFRDA has barred Annuity Service Providers (ASPs) from deploying any agency of intermediaries for sourcing annuities business from NPS subscribers upon their retirement or exit from the NPS.
Annuities under National Pension System (NPS) can be issued by ASPs only under direct channels, as per the official sources.

Notes:
To improve the collection of sowing data, the government has initiated a pilot project called Digital Crop Survey (DCS) in 12 states starting from the Kharif season of 2023.
The DCS reference application uses technologies like GIS and GPS, and aims to ensure accurate crop area estimation and support farmers with solutions. It has been created as a publicly available open-source and interoperable tool, adhering to open standards.

Notes:
After a fatal military drill accident resulting in four deaths, Australia has decided to suspend the operation of its Taipan helicopter fleet.
During the Talisman Sabre exercise, in which 30,000 military personnel from countries like Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany were involved, the helicopter was taking part.

Notes:
The International Space Station has entered its final phase of operation, with international agreements running until 2028-2030.
With a view to replace orbital complex as part of a public-private partnership, NASA has launched various programs. Voyager Space and Airbus announced the creation of a joint venture to build and operate the Starlab station. The joint venture will have a European JV entity to serve the European Space Agency and the space agencies of its member states.

Notes:
China’s internet regulator recently released the draft of the “Guidelines for the Construction of Minor Mode of the Mobile Internet”.
It proposes regulations to restrict children’s smartphone usage to a maximum of two hours per day and mandated all tech companies to implement a “minor mode” with limitations.

Notes:
Parliament has passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023. The Rajya Sabha cleared it by voting 131 MPs in favour of the bill, while 102 MPs against bill.
It empowers the Central Government to make rules in connection with the affairs of the Government of Delhi. It also has a provision of the constitution of the National Capital Civil Service Authority, consisting of Delhi Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary of Delhi, and the Principal Home Secretary of Delhi.