Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

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:
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:
JSW Steel Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal has been elected as the Chairman of the World Steel Association (WSA) for the 2021-22 period.
Jindal also becomes the first representative from India to serve as Chairman of the WSA. He precedes Yu Yong as the Chairman of WSA, whose members represent approximately 85 per cent of the world’s steel production. Established in 1967, it is headquartered in Brussels.

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:
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:
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:
The Department of Biotechnology has recently launched ‘One Health’ consortium, to monitor important bacterial, viral and parasitic infections of zoonotic and pathogens in the country.
The project aims to study the use of existing diagnostic tests and the development of additional procedures for monitoring and understanding the spread of emerging diseases. One Health Consortium consists of 27 organisations led by DBT-National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad.

 

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:
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:
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.