Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
Coal India Ltd (CIL) has formally engaged Accenture as consultant, for digitalization of mine process in seven select opencast mines of the company.
The seven identified mines are Kusmunda, Gevra, Dipka of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) and Nigahi, Jayant, Dudhichua, Khadia of Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL). SECL and NCL are subsidiaries of Coal India. This tie-up aims to use data analytic techniques to raise mine productivity and efficiency.

Notes:
Union Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, filling the vacancy created by Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is now the Governor of Karnataka.
Piyush Goyal, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, is in charge of several Ministries including Commerce and industry, Consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and Textiles. The Leader will play a key role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the House and better coordination with all parties.

Notes:
The “Monk Fruit”, which is originally grown in China, is known for its property of “non-caloric natural sweetener.
The CSIR has commenced its field trials of growing the Monk Fruit in Himachal Pradesh at the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Kullu. The trials commenced three years after the seeds were imported from China.

Notes:
The Centre has taken complete control of the district mineral foundation (DMF) funds. It has rejected the states’ right to sanction or approve any expenditure out of the funds accrued from mandatory contribution from mining lease holders.
Under Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana, The DMFs are required to use these funds for the welfare of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations. The tribal population are the main targeted beneficiaries.

Notes:
The Union Government has directed all the states and UTs to immediately withdraw the cases registered under the repealed Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
This order from the central government has come days after the Supreme Court of India expressed its displeasure over continued prosecution under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, which was earlier struck down by the apex court.

Notes:
The Labour Ministers of five BRICS nations -Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa took part in the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Declaration.
India’s Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav chaired the 7th BRICS meeting. The five countries resolved to recover with stronger national economies, inclusive labour markets and social protection systems. Russia organized the 6th meeting of Labour and Employment Ministers in Moscow on October 9, 2020.

Notes:
The U.S. government has recently unveiled an online hub for the victims of ransomware attacks, www.StopRansomware.gov.
This will help the companies and municipalities to find resources and get assistance if they are targeted by cyber hackers. The government also announced it will pay a reward up to $10 million to the person who can provide useful tips to track down cyber criminals who are backed or directed by foreign governments.

Notes:
Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal Affairs, virtually launched the nationwide campaign “COVID Teeka Sang Surakshit Van, Dhan aur Uddyam”. It aims to fast-track the pace of COVID vaccination among tribals, in India.
The campaign will focus on the 45,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) of the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED). It will be implemented with the help of traditional village headsmen, SHGs and ground level workers in villages.

Notes:
British formula one champion Lewis Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix racing for the 8th time and has set a record in this regard. He is presently racing for Mercedes. This victory is 99th in the list of wins registered by Hamilton. His team mate Valtteri Bottas finished third in the event.
During the event, Lewis Hamilton collided with Max Verstappen in the first lap and received a 10 second penalty.

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.