Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Chief Economic Advisor is the head of the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
Shri. KV Subramanian who was the Chief Economic Advisor of India since December 2018 has stepped down from the post and has returned to academia. He has been instrumental in roll out of Economic Surveys for FY19, FY20 and FY21

Notes:
A set of 136 countries including India have set a minimum global tax of 15% for big companies. This sets a floor tax rate for these countries to attract investment and prevents countries from levying tax at a lower rate to multinational companies.
By many countries including the USA, this move is seen as a level playing field and this rate is lower than the corporate tax rate of 23.5% in many countries.

Notes:
Union Environment Minister released important publications of the Central Zoo Authority, at the National conference for Zoo directors and veterinarians organized by Central Zoo Authority and hosted by Sardar Patel Zoological Park, Gujarat.
First is the Vision Plan (2021-2031) for Indian zoos to upgrade them to global standards and strengthening of Central Zoo Authority. It focusses on animal care, research, and visitor experiences. Second is the WASH Manual for Zoos- for creating and maintaining WASH facilities within the premises for staff and visitors. He also gave away ‘Prani Mitra’ Awards, set up by CZA.

Notes:
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial group Siemens unveiled the world’s first automated, driverless train in the city of Hamburg.
The project is part of a 60 million euro ($70 million) modernisation of Hamburg’s rapid urban rail system. As per the operator, this project can bring up to 30 percent more passengers, can improve punctuality and save more than 30 percent energy.

Notes:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently launched the ‘Desh ke Mentor’ programme to provide career guidance to the students of class 9 to 12.
The Delhi government school students will be mentored by subject experts for providing various career options. Every mentor will adopt up to 10 students to provide career counselling. Actor Sonu Sood has been named by the Delhi government as the brand ambassador of the initiative.

 

Notes:
Rajnish Kumar, former chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), has joined the board of Fintech firm BharatPe as its Chairman.
Rajnish Kumar earlier retired from the country’s largest lender SBI after four decades of service, in October 2020. He was previously appointed as a non-executive director for the Asia Unit of HSBC.

 

Notes:
Indian American Satya Nadella, the Microsoft CEO, is among the corporate leaders to receive this year’s prestigious C K Prahlad award for Global Business Sustainability Leadership.
Created in 2010, the prestigious award recognises exceptional private-sector action that promotes sustainability, innovation and long-term business success. Four of Microsoft’s top leaders including Nadella received the honour for their collaborative leadership.  Microsoft aims to transform into a carbon negative company by 2030 and to remove all its historical emissions by 2050.

Notes:
Jaishankar arrived in Armenia on the last leg of his three-nation tour to Central Asia. This is also the first-ever visit by an External Affairs Minister to Armenia.
He proposed that the strategic Chabahar Port in Iran be included in the North-South Transport Corridor, to enhance the connectivity. The Minister’s tour is aimed at further expanding bilateral ties and discussing regional issues including the developments in Afghanistan.

Notes:
BrokerChoose, a broker discovery and comparison platform has released its annual proliferation index. As per the index, India has the highest number of individuals owning cryptocurrency with 10.07 crore users.
The second position is occupied by USA with 2.74 crore crypto and Russia is placed at the third position.

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’.