Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
The inaugural ceremony of the first Permanent Aadhaar Enrolment Centre (PAEC) for the Army took place at 1 Central Base Post Office (CBPO) in New Delhi.
The PAEC is set up to provide convenient Aadhaar services, including enrolment and updates, for both Defence and civilian personnel of the tri-services, as well as their dependents. These services will be accessible through their Field Post Offices (FPO) at 48 designated locations across the country. The establishment of PAEC services is planned at all Command HQs, Corps HQs, and selected FPOs.

Notes:
Union Home Minister is set to inaugurate a distinctive program called ‘Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar’ as a significant component of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
This initiative falls under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and is spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture.  The main objective of the project is to culturally map India’s 6.5 lakh villages, spanning 29 states and 7 union territories, on a comprehensive virtual platform.

Notes:
The Lok Sabha has recently passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023. It aims to expand the scope of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The Bill acknowledges India’s international commitments and the national target set by the country for achieving Net Zero Emission by 2070.

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:
Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) approved the Guidelines for Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
These guidelines are intended to assist HEIs in attaining academic and research excellence while enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. Additionally, the IDP will offer direction to HEIs in exercising academic, administrative, financial, and business autonomy, while maintaining accountability.

Notes:
Delisting means removing the securities of a listed company from a stock exchange. Once delisted, the securities of that company can no longer be traded on the stock exchange.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is currently reassessing the delisting regulations applied to listed companies, aiming to curb share manipulation in companies that choose to delist from the stock exchanges.

Notes:
As many as 120 people died in Kerala due to heatwave till June-end, the highest in the country, said a Health Ministry statement in the Lok Sabha.
Gujarat saw 35 deaths due to heatwaves. It is followed by Telangana with 20.

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:
Singapore has hanged a 45-year-old woman who was caught with 31 grams of heroin. This is the first time the city-state has executed a woman in nearly 20 years.
Saridewi Binte Djamani was hanged after being convicted of trafficking “not less than 30.72 grams” of the drug in 2018.

Notes:
Researchers from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology have conducted a recent study, indicating the potential formation of three glacial lakes near Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh due to rapid ice melting.
The increasing glacial melt is concerning as it raises the risk of glacial lake outbursts and may also cause water scarcity, given that glaciers serve as the main water source for the region.