Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
E-commerce major Amazon India announced the launch of Amazon Future Engineer in India. It is the company’s global computer science education programme.
According to the company, the programme will enable access to quality computer science education and career opportunities for students from underserved communities. In the first year, Amazon aims to deliver learning opportunities to more than 1 lakh students from 900 government and aided schools across seven states in the country.

Notes:
The Cabinet approved the continuation of the National Export Insurance Account (NEIA) scheme. The Government has announced an infusion of Rs 1,650 crore grant-in-aid over five years from FY 2021-2022 to FY 2025-2026.
The Cabinet also approved the listing of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation Ltd. (ECCG), an unlisted CPSE, on the stock exchange. Rs 4,400 crore will be invested in ECGC Ltd in five years, starting from the financial year 2021-22.

Notes:
Najla Bouden Romdhane has been named Tunisia’s first female prime minister. Before two months President Kais Saied assumed executive authority, sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament.
The President had said that during the emergency period, the government would be responsible to the president. Hence, the new Prime Minister would have less direct power than previous Prime Ministers.

Notes:
‘International Day of Older Persons’ is celebrated every year on October 1. The aim of the day is to spread awareness about the need for health facilities and social care for elderly.
On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons. The theme for 2021 is “Digital Equity for All Ages” which highlights the need for access and participation in the digital world by older persons.

Notes:
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (SSB prize) for the year 2021 have been announced recently. Every year, the award is presented to scientists who have shown outstanding capability and contributed in the field of Science and Technology.
The award is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) India – late Dr Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. The prizes are awarded to scientists below 45 years of age for their research in one of seven disciplines including Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering Sciences among others.

Notes:
The expert group on minimum wages and national-floor wages has been reconstituted under economist and statistician SP Mukherjee.
He replaces the previous head Ajit Mishra. The group has been constituted for a term of three years. The Labour Code on Wages 2019, gives legislative protection of minimum wages to all workers.  The Satpathy-led panel had suggested a national minimum wage at Rs 375 per day or Rs 9,750 per month irrespective of sectors, skills, occupations and rural-urban locations.

Notes:
Senior IOFS officer ER Sheikh has assumed charge as the first director general of the Ordnance Directorate. The Ordnance Directorate is a newly created entity to replace the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
ER Sheikh is a 1984 batch Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) officer who has served in various capacities in various ordnance factories. He is very much known for setting up a modern production line at Varangaon for manufacture of small arms and ammunition.

Notes:
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system operated by the NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), which permits multiple bank accounts to be operated in a single application. It was launched by NPCI in the year 2016.
UPI is in the news recently, as it has registered 3.65 billion transactions worth Rs 6.5 trillion in the month of September 2021 alone, which is an all-time high since inception, both in terms of volume and value.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Shri. Bhupender Yadav has launched tiger rallies in 51 reserves in the country, under the theme “India for Tigers – A Rally on Wheels”. This is a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations in India.
This rally comprises of a journey across 51 tiger reserves where field directors, and officials from the from respective tiger reserves travel in assigned routes and unite at the designated focal point.

Notes:
Venezuela is set to launch a new currency that will feature six fewer zeros. The country is facing world’s worst inflation and economic crisis for some years.
The highest denomination of the Venezuelan bolivar had previously been a one-million bolivar note. That will now become a one bolivar note. Hereafter, the highest denomination for the new currency will be 100 bolivar, worth a little less than $25.