Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
India is set to host its largest naval exercise, Ex Milan, early next year. India has also invited 46 countries to take part.
The exercise will see the participation of all Quad countries while the U.S. being invited for the first time. Milan, which began in 1995, is a bi-annual exercise and brings together Navies of all the countries in the region. It was so far held at Port Blair but is now being shifted to Visakhapatnam.

Notes:
A floral festival celebrated mainly in Telangana and some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days.
To mark the beginning of the nine-day festival, women carry thalis containing flowers and incense sticks. The goddess is created each year, and immersed in local water bodies, on the 10th day of the festival.

Notes:
Every year, October 10th is observed as the World Mental Health Day by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This day is celebrated to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilise support in this regard.
This year’s October 10 is observed under the tagline “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”.

Notes:
As per the Finance Ministry’s Monthly Economic Review, India is well-placed on the path to swift recovery with growth impulses visibly transmitted to all sectors of the economy. The FInance Minister also said that economic activity is gaining further momentum in September.
India’s merchandise exports crossed the $30-billion mark for the sixth consecutive month in fiscal year 2021-22. The rate of growth of bank credit stood at 6.7 per cent year-on-year in the fortnight ending September 10, 2021, compared to 5.3 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year, it added.

Notes:
New Delhi has launched a patrolling operation named ‘Operation Satark’, to combat and prevent crime and make public places safer.
The South-West district Police has launched this patrolling operation, where senior officials including women officers will be patrolling on foot. This is aimed to enable a thorough check on nuisance creators and provide confidence among the public.

Notes:
Subject Expert Committee on Covid-19 granted emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children in the 2-18 years age group.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech had completed Phase-2 and Phase-3 trials of Covaxin on children below 18 years of age and submitted the trial data to the Drugs and Comptroller General of India (DCGI). The first group examined was between 12 -18 years, the second group was between 6- 12 years and the third age group was between 2-6 years.

Notes:
The USA celebrates ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ as a holiday that celebrates and honours Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.
It started in 1977 as a day of respect at a discrimination conference. It has now become a national holiday honored by President Joe Biden. This day falls on the same day Columbus Day, first recognized as a national holiday in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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 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.