Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

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:
The National Conference on ‘Moving Mental Health Beyond Institutions’ was inaugurated recently in New Delhi.
The main purpose of the conference is to address the difficulties faced during the execution of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and to engage in thoughtful discussions about the future steps to resolve mental health concerns.

Notes:
Union government said that India had seen no deaths due to manual scavenging in the last five years, as per the data submitted by the Social Justice Ministry.
It also added that 330 people had died while being engaged in cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Social Justice Ministry says manual scavenging no longer practised in India; Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Bihar among States with all districts reporting free status.

Notes:
Recently, Moderna and its collaborator Merck announced the commencement of patient enrolment for an advanced-stage clinical trial.
This trial aims to test their customized mRNA-based vaccine for skin cancer, in combination with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer.

Notes:
The Italian parliament has given its approval to a contentious bill that makes it a criminal offense for citizens to travel abroad to pursue surrogacy arrangements.
This law, which has faced significant opposition, is specifically aimed at discouraging Italians from participating in surrogacy arrangements, and it carries the possibility of substantial fines exceeding USD 1 million and potential prison sentences of up to two years for those found guilty.

Notes:
India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018, according to an estimate released recently.
This is an upward revision from April this year, when a minimum of 3,167 animals were estimated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

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:
The DGCA fined IndiGo Rs 30 lakhs and issued a show cause notice due to deficiencies in their documentation and procedures related to frequent tail strike incidents on their A321 aircraft.
Tail strikes occur when the tail of an aircraft hits the ground or any stationary object, with a majority happening during landings.

Notes:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a book titled ‘Memories Never Die,’ tribute to former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
The Minister  unveiled the book during his two-day visit to the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The book was co-authored by Dr. APJM Nasima Maraikayar and scientist Dr. Y. S. Rajan.