Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
Indian badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa emotionally retired from the Olympic stage after her early exit at the Paris 2024 Games. Partnering with Tanisha Crasto, they lost their final match to Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu, ending their campaign with three consecutive losses. Ashwini, a three-time Olympian, is celebrated for her achievements with Jwala Gutta, including gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the World Championships in 2011.

Notes:
India resumed importing Tur dal from Mozambique’s Nacala Port after a disruption. Mozambique is a Southeast African country with a long Indian Ocean coastline, separated from Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel. It borders Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Eswatini. Major rivers include the Zambezi and Limpopo, and its highest peak is Mount Binga. Mozambique is rich in resources like gold, emeralds, copper, iron ore, and bauxite.

Notes:
The 4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan took place in Bhopal on July 30-31, 2024. The conference aimed to promote science and technology research in Hindi and popularize these fields through the Hindi medium. It featured six sessions covering various topics, including Science, Technology, Ayurveda, Engineering, and Science Communication. Organized by CSIR-AMPRI Bhopal in collaboration with several institutions, including CSIR-NIScPR and local universities, the event provided a platform for researchers to present their work in Hindi.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million loan to improve solid waste management and sanitation in 100 Indian cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0. This funding will be used for building waste processing facilities and community sanitation projects. The agreement, signed by Juhi Mukherjee and Mio Oka, aims to strengthen urban waste management systems and advance India’s environmental and public health goals.

Notes:
Australia’s Victoria has 71 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease, with one woman dying. This severe form of pneumonia is caused by Legionella bacteria, found in natural bodies of water and water systems like tanks. It spreads through inhaling contaminated water aerosols, not person-to-person. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, malaise, and muscle pain. While treatments are available, there is no vaccine for the disease.

Notes:
The Central government’s Rs 72,000 crore Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project plans to build an airport, an international container terminal, and a township. However, it faces legal challenges from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Calcutta High Court due to inadequate impact assessments on Shompen and Nicobarese tribes and improper permissions. The Shompens are hunter-gatherers, and the project could affect the Nicobarese people’s ancestral lands.

Notes:
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) launched the Women Entrepreneurship Programme to empower 25 lakh women in India. The program, in two phases, offers free online entrepreneurship courses through Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), supported by NIESBUD. In the second phase, NSDC will provide incubation support to 10,000 selected contestants across 100 business models.

Notes:
Lyme disease, affecting about 476,000 people annually in the US, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and spread through bites from infected black-legged ticks. It cannot be transmitted between humans or through other insects. Symptoms appear 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, including fever, headache, fatigue, and a “bull’s-eye” rash. If untreated, it can lead to serious complications, but early-stage cases are effectively treated with antibiotics like doxycycline or amoxicillin.

Notes:
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) secured a Rs 10,000 crore contract from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for Koderma Thermal Power Station Phase-II in Jharkhand. The project includes supplying and installing boilers, turbines, generators, and systems. BHEL will also handle civil works and commissioning, emphasizing its crucial role in improving India’s thermal power infrastructure and solidifying its status in the energy sector.

Notes:
The Department of Posts released commemorative stamps for the Paris Olympics. These limited-edition stamps celebrate significant events, personalities, and issues. They are available at Philatelic Bureaux and through the Philatelic Deposit Account Scheme. Stamps can honor institutions on major anniversaries, personalities of national/international importance posthumously, and heritage sites. Proposals for stamps can be submitted by any Indian citizen, following specific guidelines by the Ministry of Communications.