Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
Gira Sarabhai, veteran Architect and Designer, passed away recently at the age of 97, due to age-related illness.
The architect played a pivotal role in founding the National Institute of Design (NID), by bringing in top most people of the world as faculty. She also established Calico Museum of Textiles, which houses some of the rare specimens of textile from different parts of the country and the world.

Notes:
The Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) notified the jurisdiction of Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards (KRMB and GRMB).
The operation of all projects, including generation of hydel power, in the two river basins in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were transferred to the boards. 35 projects in the Krishna basin and 71 in the Godavari basin are brought under the purview of the board.

Notes:
Pakistan and Russia have signed an agreement for construction of a 1,100-km gas pipeline from Port Qasim in Karachi to Lahore. This project is commonly named as North-South Gas project and is also called the Pakstream Gas Pipeline Project.
A special purpose vehicle has been formed between Pakistan and Russia, with a shareholding of 74:26 per cent.

Notes:
As per a new genetic research, the Cannabis is said to have originated in the present northwest China, where local strains are most like the original strain of cannabis cultivated more than 12,000 years ago.
The study shows that cannabis was possibly first domesticated in early Neolithic times in the region of China near its borders with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The study also added 82 genomes to the 28 that were already sequenced.

Notes:
Julia Ducournau’s Titane has been adjudged as the best movie and has been awarded the Palme d’or award, at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. She becomes the first female director in 28 years, whose movie has made it to the prestigious award.
Prior to this, it was Jane Campion who was the female director, whose movie ‘The Piano’ made it to the top list in 1993.

Notes:
The Government has launched the National Logistics Excellence Awards. The awards are in two categories, the first group includes logistics infrastructure/service providers and second one is for various user industries.
Organisations will be invited to submit entries through the Ministry of commerce and industry website. Shortlisted entrants will present their case to a National Jury panel, and the winners will be announced on 31 October 2021

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:
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.

Notes:
Russia has delivered the commercial offer for delivery of 21 MiG-29 fighters to India, which would be commissioned to the Indian Air Force.
The decision to procure 21 MiG-29 fighters from Russia was made by India’s council for defense purchases in the year 2020. Presently, Indian Airforce has three squadrons of the MiG-29s, which are operational.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a high-strength beta titanium alloy. This has been developed indigenously for manufacture of intricate aerospace components like slat/flap tracks, landing gear.
Key features of the alloy are good forgeability and high strength-to-weight ratio, which would provide excellent weight reduction.