Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2021

Notes:
An MoU was signed by the Oil and Gas PSUs and Shri Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust, to redevelop Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand as a ‘Spiritual Smart Hill Town’.
The Oil and Gas PSUs include Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and GAIL.

Notes:
A technical group on social stock exchanges (SSEs) was constituted by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), under the chairmanship of Harsh Bhanwala, former chairman of NABARD in the month of September.
Recently, the group has recommended that political and religious organisations, professional/trade organisations and infrastructure and housing companies (except affordable housing) should not be allowed to raise funds through SSEs.

Notes:
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, with 220 miles long. It has been the historical breeding grounds of the fish species – Twaite shad.
Being a member of the herring family, it is one of the UK’s rarest fish. Earlier, thousands of the fish migrated towards the river. After the decline in the count, a conservation project is trying to create new routes in the river, around several weirs. This migration would help other species in the ecosystem.

Notes:
The Dahla Dam also called as Arghandab Dam, is located in the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan. It was built by the United States nearly 70 years ago to provide water for irrigation.
Recently, the Taliban have captured the Dahla Dam, Afghanistan’s second-biggest dam, which provides water for irrigation and drinking for the provincial capital. Taliban has captured the dam after several months of fierce fighting.

Notes:
India’s only aircraft carrier is INS Vikramaditya, a modified Kiev-class 44,500-tonne aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Indian Navy.
The aircraft recently reported a minor fire at its home port, Karwar in Karnataka. India bought the aircraft carrier from Russia and it joined the naval fleet seven years ago. The Indian Navy operates MiG-29K maritime fighters from the deck of this aircraft carrier.

Notes:
The International Nurses Day is observed on May 12 every year. On the same day in 1820, the famous social reformer and nurse Florence Nightingale was born.
She was an English statistician and a social reformer who founded the key pillars of modern nursing. The ICN (International Council of Nurses) observes the International Nurses Day. ICN is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations.

Notes:
In 2004, the UN General Assembly declared 8–9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War.
UNGA conducts solemn meeting with its member countries, to pay tribute to all victims of the war. US describes the war as “one of the most epic struggles for freedom and liberation in history,” with 40 million civilians and 20 million soldiers dead.

Notes:
The Central government has relaxed income tax norms for the Covid hospitals, nursing home and Covid care centres for receiving cash of ₹2 lakh or above from the patients.
The Ministry of Finance issued notification announcing relaxation in Section 269ST of the Income Tax Act. The exemption for cash payment receipt is for the period of 1st April 2021 to 31st May 2021.

Notes:
The Government of the United Kingdom, has proposed to introduce a new law this year, which mandates voters to prove their identities at the time of casting their votes.
Presently, voters need to only give their name and address to be able to vote. The UK Government has proposed the new law to curb voter frauds. But, this move is also seen as a threat to the country’s democracy.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed an eco-friendly cremation cart, fitted with stainless steel insulation trays. It also ensures less wood consumption.
The technology behind the system is based on the wick stove, in which wick after lighting is converted into smokeless blue flame after installing the combustion air system. The cart has combustion air for primary and secondary hot air system.