Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with the top Kyrgyztan leadership to boost bilateral ties, including defence cooperation.
India also agreed to provide a USD 200 million Line of Credit for development projects in the country. Jaishankar is on his four-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Armenia with an aim to further expand bilateral ties with the three Central Asian countries.

 

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:
India’s rank has slipped by six places from last year to 90 on the Henley Passport Index, which lists the world’s most travel-friendly passports.
The index ranks the passports of countries according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa. The rankings are based on the analysis of data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Japan and Singapore hold the first rank on the passport index, while the second position is shared by South Korea and Germany.

Notes:
As per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s consumer price inflation fell sharply to 4.35% in September from 5.3% in August.
This five-month low inflation is due to a favourable comparison with last year and moderating food prices, which offset a rise in the cost of crude oil and fuel. This also marks the third consecutive month within the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) tolerance band of 2%-6%.

Notes:
Ernst & Young (EY) has released the 58th edition of “Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index”. This ranks world’s top 40 nations based on attractiveness of their renewable energy investment.
India has been ranked at 3rd position without a position change compared to last year’s rankings. USA and China have been placed in the top 2 spots.

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:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually conducted the final breakthrough blast of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, recently. The construction of the tunnel is expected to be over by June 2022.
Sela tunnel is expected be the world’s largest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet. The construction is being undertaken by Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The tunnel goes through Sela Pass and will cut down the distance to the China border through Arunachal Pradesh by 10 km.

Notes:
‘International Day for Rural Women 2021’ is celebrated on October 15. The day focuses on gender equality and empowering women in rural areas.
The theme for this year is “Rural women cultivating good food for all”. The United Nations General Assembly had established this day on December 18, 2007. According to a report by the United Nations, 40% of the total agricultural labour force in developing countries includes women.

Notes:
Global Handwashing Day 2021 is observed on October 15, to spread awareness about the importance of hygiene. The theme for 2021 is “Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together.”
The day was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership, an international alliance of institutions that promoted effective handwashing with soap. In 2008, the first World Handwashing Day was celebrated in more than 70 nations and 120 million children.

Notes:
‘International Day for the Eradication of Poverty’ is observed every year on October 17, to raise awareness about people living in poverty.
The UN General assembly declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, on 22 December 1992. This year’s theme is “Building forward together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet.”