Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
Essential Defence Services Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha recently. The Bill empowers the government to declare services mentioned in it as essential defence services.
The Essential Defence Services Bill is aimed at preventing the staff of the government-owned ordnance factories from going on a strike. Around 70,000 people are working at 41 ordnance factories located around the country.

Notes:
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), to provide launch services for Europa Clipper Mission. It is the Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
The mission will launch in October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Notes:
Renowned Marathi poet Satish Kalsekar recently passed away in Maharashtra at the age of 78.
Satish Kalsekar was awarded with Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 2014 for his collection of essays ‘Vachanaryachi Rojanishee’. He had written several popular collections of poems. He worked in several forms of literature and contributed in the various fields including poetry, translation, prose writing and editing.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation launched a customised space-themed merchandise programme. Recently eight companies have registered for partnership with ISRO, to undertake this programme.
Interested persons will be able to purchase authorised products related to ISROs missions and work, such as scale models, T-shirts, space-themed educational games, science toys, among others. This brand promotion exercise will create awareness and interest among students, children and public, in space science and technology.

Notes:
The first ever World Drowning Prevention Day (WDPD) is observed 25 July 2021, co-ordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the resolution on global drowning prevention on 28 April 2021. An estimated 236,000 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years.

Notes:
Union Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal recently inaugurated the exhibition “Azad Ki Shaurya Gatha” based on the life of the martyr ‘Chandrasekhar Azad’.
The exhibition was inaugurated at Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi. This is a part of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, to celebrate 75 years of our country’s freedom. A series of programs are being organised by Ministry of Culture for celebrating “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”.

Notes:
John Abraham, a veterinary-doctor-turned-inventor, has received the patents for inventing biodiesel from slaughtered chicken waste.
The biodiesel offers mileage of over 38 km per litre at around 40 per cent of the current price of diesel. It is also expected to lower the air pollution by half. The Indian Patent Office granted the patent for inventing ‘biodiesel produced from rendered chicken oil’.

Notes:
The UN General Assembly approved its first-ever resolution on vision. The “Vision for Everyone” resolution was sponsored by Bangladesh, Antigua, and Ireland, and co-sponsored by over 100 countries.
UNGA called on its 193 member nations to ensure access to eye care for everyone in their countries to help at least 1.1 billion people with vision impairment who currently lack eye services, by 2030. According to the resolution, at least 2 billion people are living with vision impairment or blindness.

Notes:
Indian Naval Ship Tabar arrived at St Petersburg to participate in the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
INS Tabar is a Talwar-class stealth frigate and is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command. During the stay at St Petersburg, the crew of Tabar will participate in various bilateral interactions with the Russian Navy.

Notes:
Spain’s iconic , landscape of arts and sciences- Paseo del Prado (Madrid) and Buen Retiro Park have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The addition of the sites was in recognition of Paseo, a wide tree-lined area, which home to prominent buildings such as the Prad o Museum and the adjoining Buen Retiro park, a 125-hectare green space.