Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
A Team of scientists from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati have used tea and banana waste to generate non-toxic activated carbon. This substance is said to be used in industrial pollution control, water purification, food and beverage processing etc.
Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

Notes:
As per the government’s new rules, the gestational limit for termination of a pregnancy in India has been increased to 24 weeks. Earlier the limit was 20 weeks.
Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Rules, 2021, the women including survivors of sexual assault, rape or incest, minors, those whose marital status changes during pregnancy (widowhood and divorce) and those with physical disabilities are included for the new limit.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has launched the PM Gati Shakti, a ‘national masterplan’ for multi-modal connectivity on 13th October 2021.
The master plan aims to use geo-mapping and real-time data on a single portal, to make sure that there is transparency and visibility over the project planning and implementation. Presently 16 government departments are part of the master plan.

Notes:
The President of India Ram Nath Kovind has awarded President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) and Tatrakshak Medal (TM) to Indian Coast Guard personnel.
The awards are being given to the personnel of Indian Coast Guard on Republic Day and Independence Day every year, since 26 Jan 1990. The awards are given for their act of exemplary gallantry and meritorious service on the occasion of the Republic Day 2021.

Notes:
World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF jointly released the 2021 State of The World’s Hand Hygiene report.
As per the report, all households in the world’s 46 least developed countries could have handwashing facilities by 2030 if the world invested less than $1 per person per year, in hand hygiene. An annual cost to governments on promoting handwashing with soap at home comes to 2.5% of the average government health expenditure in these countries.

Notes:
The Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana is a technical skill development programme organized and conducted by the Indian Railways, to unemployed youths of age 18-35 years. The scheme aims to enhance their employability and entrepreneurship
Recently, the Indian Railways’ Banaras Locomotive Works had successfully conducted the training for its first batch of trainees, and distributed self-employment toolkits cum certificated to the trainees.

Notes:
The Government of Delhi has launched an App named “MyParkings”, which permits people to book parking slots online in areas under the jurisdiction of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The app has been designed to provide information about the present number of parked vehicles, total free parking spaces available etc. The app has been built by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited.

Notes:
Actor William Shatner flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket-ship on a suborbital trip and landed in the Texas desert to become at age 90 the oldest person ever in space.
Blue Origin, U.S. billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos’s company carried out its second tourist flight. Shatner was one of four passengers aboard the fully autonomous New Shepard spacecraft. The four astronauts travelled above the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Karman Line, about 100 km above Earth.

Notes:
World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October. This year, the Day is observed on October 14.
It is a global event which aims to create awareness on blindness and vision impairment. It was originally initiated by the Sight First Campaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. The theme for World Sight Day 2021 is ‘Love Your Eyes’.

Notes:
Mr MS Sahoo was the very first chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), who has demitted his office recently. He has been in office since 2016.
The Government of India has assigned Navrang Saini, who is the whole time member of the board, the additional charge of Chairman of IBBI.