Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

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 Tamil Nadu Forest Department is to develop a standard operating procedure for the capture and release of wild elephants based on science and best practices.
As per the state officials, the process of kraaling and training an adult into captivity could be generally tortuous and scientifically not well-established. Kraaling involves capture of the animals by closing them in a stockade (kraal). The Asian elephant species in Tamil Nadu is declining to an alarming level, and so they propose the wild elephants should be sent back to the breeding population.

Notes:
Ariel Henry was recently appointed as the new Prime Minister of Haiti, amid political turmoil caused by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon and former cabinet minister was chosen as Prime Minister by the President, days before he was assassinated at his home. Ariel Henry will lead the nation until a new President is chosen in an election scheduled in September.

Notes:
The Government of India has sought an approval from the Parliament of India, for additional spending of Rs.23,675 crore for the financial year 2021-22. Of this, Rs.17,000 crore would be for additional expenditure to be made by the Union Health Ministry.
The bill for approval of additional expenditure was tabled in the Parliament by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Notes:
Gwalior and Orchha cities from Madhya Pradesh have been selected by UNESCO under ‘Historic Urban Landscape Project’.
The project was started in the year 2011, for the inclusive and well-planned development of fast-growing historical cities. Six cities of South Asia, including Ajmer and Varanasi in India are already involved in this project. Orchha and Gwalior have been included as the seventh and eighth cities.

Notes:
Bhilar, a village in Maharashtra’s Satara district, was declared a ‘village of books’ by the State government in 2017.
India’s second village of books, has been set up in the small Kerala village, Perumkulam, five kilometres from the Kottarakkara town in Kollam district. A library has been started in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, to promote readers from the village to read more books.

Notes:
Meghalaya Cabinet approved the Meghalaya Youth Policy 2021. Drafted by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Government of Meghalaya, the final policy is to be notified soon.
The Meghalaya state Government has fixed a target of transforming the state to be amongst the top 10 states in 10 years in GSDP per capita and SDG ranking. 45 programmes would be implemented and would be measured by 54 performance monitoring indicators. These indicators have been mapped to 10 departments and is planned to measured quarterly, bi-annually and annually.

Notes:
Jezero is a crater on Mars in the Syrtis Major quadrangle, with a diameter of about 49 km. NASA is making final preparations for its Perseverance Mars rover to collect its first-ever sample of Martian rock.
It also has future planned missions to transport the sample to the Earth. The six-wheeled rover is searching for a target in a part of Jezero Crater called the “Cratered Floor Fractured Rough.” This mission is expected to begin within the next two weeks. Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater on February 18, this year.

Notes:
Young Indian wrestler Tannu clinched the 43kg title without conceding a single point, in the 2021 Cadet World Championships, held at Hungary, Budapest.
Other two Indians Aman Gulia (48kg) and Sagar Jaglan (80kg) took titles in men’s freestyle competition. Wrestler Priya won the 73kg title with a 5-0 win. India finished on top with 147 points, ahead of USA (143) and Russia (140).

Notes:
The Government of India has proposed to establish 42 virology research and diagnostic laboratories across the country, at a total cost of Rs324 crore. These would be established during the 15th Finance Commission period of 2021-22 to 2025-26.
These would be established through a scheme under the Department of Health Research (DHR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).