Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The PM on the 75th Independence Day speech had announced for “PM Gati Shakti Master Plan” at a total financial outlay of Rs.100 lakh crore, aiming for holistic infrastructure development.
The scheme is proposed to offer modal connectivity to more than 1000 industrial clusters and would include projects under existing schemes like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, Udaan etc.

Notes:
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an intergovernmental organization, established in the year 1974 and is headquartered at Paris, France. It was established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The IEA has invited India to become its full-time member. If India becomes a full-time member of the forum, then it would be required to maintain a strategic oil reserves of 90 days.

 

Notes:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) releases a new report every three years. Titled ‘Mental Health Atlas’, is a compilation of data provided by countries around the world on mental health policies, financing, human resources, availability and utilization of services and data collection systems. It also has new targets for 2030.
It serves as a guide for countries for the development and planning of mental health services. It includes data on newly-added indicators on service coverage, mental health integration into primary health care, preparedness for the provision of mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies and research on mental health. It also includes

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has kept India’s growth forecast for 2021-22 unchanged at 9.5%, in its latest World Economic Outlook report.It also projected India’s economy to grow 8.5% in FY23.
In July, IMF had slashed India’s growth forecast for FY22 to 9.5% from earlier projection of 12.5%. It has lowered the global growth projection marginally to 5.9% from 6% earlier. Supply disruptions in advanced economies and worsening pandemic impact in developing countries are the reasons.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a small finance bank (SFB) licence to the Centrum Group-BharatPe consortium.
Incorporated as Unity SFB, the lender is set to start operations in some weeks. The consortium will take over the assets and liabilities of the strssed Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank. Bindra-led Centrum Capital and its partner BharatPe, will infuse Rs 1,800 crore into the SFB. BharatPe would also move its loan assets to Unity SFB.

Notes:
The Department of Posts has launched the digital version of the Postal Life Insurance policy bonds, also termed as “ePLI bond”.
The bond has been launched in collaboration with Digilocker. All Postal Life Insurance subscribers would be able to download the digital copy of their policy bond from digilocker. Both the Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policy bonds are available in digital form. It shall be treated at par with the original policy bond issued by the Department of Posts.

Notes:
The Chief of the World Health Organisation honored the late Henrietta Lacks with the Director-General award.
She an American woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge during the 1950s. The cells provided the foundation for vast scientific inventions, including research about the coronavirus. The ‘HeLa’ cell line, derived from the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks, helped in the development of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.

Notes:
Every year, 14th of October is celebrated as the World Standards Day, to commemorate all the experts who have contributed to develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards. This year’s World Standards Day is observed under the tag line “our shared vision for a better world”.

Notes:
Each year, the World Health Organisation releases the Global TB Report. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic.
As per the report, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of global progress in tackling tuberculosis. It also highlighted that for the first time in over a decade, TB deaths have increased.  Approximately, 1.5 million people died from TB in 2020 and the increase in number of TB deaths occurred mainly in the 30 countries with the highest burden of TB.

Notes:
Nebra Sky Disc is said to be the oldest map of stars available on earth and is set to be displayed at the British Museum at London.
It is said that the disc was buried along with two swords, axes, two spiral arm-rings near Nebra in Germany about 3600 years ago. It is thought to be buried as a dedication to God.