Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
During the ‘Bol Bom’ yatra usually held in the state of Odisha, the devotees start their barefoot journey to Shiva temple to offer the holy water at Shiva shrines in the month of ‘Shravan’.
Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in Odisha, the state government announced a ban on the religious activities and congregations of ‘Kaudias’ or ‘Bol Bom’ devotees. The Uttarakhand government had earlier cancelled the Kanwar Yatra for the second year in a row.

Notes:
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has set up an expert committee to recommend strategy for the development of Longevity Finance Hub.
As per Global estimates, there are one billion people in the silver generation, (which describes individuals aged 60 years and older) with a combined spending power of USD 15 trillion. The hub aims to tap the potential in the sector. It is co-chaired by Kaku Nakhate, Bank of America, and Gopalan Srinivasan, Ex-CMD, New India Assurance.

Notes:
Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is located in the state of Telangana. The Telangana Forest Department have recently identified 14 tigers in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) during the 2020-2021 annual estimation and monitoring exercise.
During the previous survey conducted in 2019-2020, 12 tigers were identified. Of the 14 tigers, five are male, seven are female and two could not be classified. Also, there might be more big cats in the reserve that are yet to be identified. Spotted deer and wild boar are found most in the reserve.

Notes:
Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company and Snehakunja Trust are the two Indian institution among the 10 awardees of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) Equator Prize 2021.
This is a biennial award to recognize community efforts for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited is a 1,700-member cooperative, run by indigenous people from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Snehakunja Trust has protected wetland and coastal ecosystems in the Western Ghats and the Karnataka coast.

Notes:
Two world former champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played at the finals of Sparkassen Trophy at Dortmund, during which Viswanathan Anand defeated Vladimir Kramnik to win the trophy.
Viswanathan Anand is an India chess champion, who became a grand master as early as 1988. Also, he is one of the few in the world to surpass Elo rating of 2800.

Notes:
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari announced that the Government had signed loan agreement with the World Bank to develop Green National Highway Corridors (GNHCP).
The project includes upgradation of about 781 km length of various National Highways passing through the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Out of total length of 781 km, work on 287.96 km with an outlay of Rs. 1664.44 cr. has been awarded. The project is estimated to be completed by December, 2025.

Notes:
NASA recently announced that its new spacecraft, named NEA Scout (Near-Earth Asteroid Scout) has completed all required tests and has been safely tucked inside the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
NEA Scout is one of several payloads that will ride on Artemis I, which is expected to be launched in November. Artemis I will be an uncrewed test-flight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. Under the Artemis programme, NASA has aimed to land the first woman on the Moon in 2024.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank, headquartered in the Philippines, has released the Asian Development Outlook (ADO).
The report has downgraded India’s economic growth for the financial year 2021-22 to 10 per cent from its earlier projection of 11 per cent. This downgrade is on account of the severe impact of Indian economy due to wave 2 of COVID 19 pandemic. The projection for 2022-23 is upgraded from 7 per cent to 7.5 per cent.

Notes:
Rural teacher-turned-politician Pedro Castillo became the winner of Peru’s presidential election. He is said to be the first peasant to become the President of the country,
He defeated right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori, who was backed by traditional elites, by just 44,000 votes. Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer and its economy is devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the poverty level to almost one-third of the population.

Notes:
Russian aircraft makers unveiled a prototype of the stealth fighter dubbed “Checkmate”, as per the statement from Rostec, the state-owned military giant which is responsible for exporting Russian technology.
The sneak peek of the new fifth-generation lightweight single-engine fighter jet, was unveiled to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. With a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers and seven tons of combat load, this unique fighter prototype has not been developed before in Russia.