Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
According to a new report released by climate tech startup Blue Sky Analytics, India is at the top in emissions related to crop burning.
India was responsible for 13% of total global emissions for the 2015-2020 period. India also contributed to 12.2 % to cropland fire emissions in 2020. Blue Sky Analytics, an Indian climate tech startup founded by an IIT alumnus, is also a part of global coalition “Climate TRACE”.

Notes:
Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso announced a 60-day nationwide state of emergency in response to a wave of violent crime.
The President announced that Police and the armed forces were being mobilised. As per official figures, the number of murders in the first eight months of this year are twice those in the same period last year. Some weeks ago, a prison fight in the port city of Guayaquil made 119 inmates dead.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has recently ordered to dissolve Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC).
The Cabinet secretariat had recommended to integrate, and undertake structural reforms in various bodies under Railways Ministry. It also suggested merger of various institutions of the railways. The report on ‘Rationalisation of Government Bodies under the Ministry of Railways’ was prepared by Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Advisor.

 

Notes:
Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is one of the largest in the world. It is located in the island of Kyushu, and its peak is located 1,592 meters above sea level.
Japan’s Mount Aso volcano recently erupted, spewing a huge column of hot gas and ash over 3,500 metres into the sky. Japan’s meteorological agency raised alert level for the volcano to level 3 on a scale of 5, and asked people not to approach the mountain.

Notes:
China played host to the Second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference in 2021. The conference concluded with the Beijing Statement, which called for “adopting integrated, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral approaches, supported by greater international cooperation”.
China’s President Xi Jinping committed to establish a Global Innovation and Knowledge Center for Sustainable Transport as a contribution to global transport development.

Notes:
A micro-snail species named Georissa mawsmaiensis has been discovered in Mawsmai, a limestone cave in Meghalaya.
Before 170 years, Georissa saritta, a member of the same genus, was collected and described from the Musmai valley near Cherrapunjee. The researchers involved in the discovery are from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru.

Notes:
As per the Union Budget 2021-22, the total public health sector allocation stood at 1.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The FICCI and KPMG in India released a report titled ‘COVID-19 Induced Healthcare Transformation in India’. As per the report, India needs to raise public health spending to 2.5 – 3.5 per cent of GDP to support healthcare transformation. The report also suggests to set up a district level Health System Index.

Notes:
Scientists have named a newly identified gecko species, the Jackie’s day gecko (Cnemaspis jackieii), after Jackie Chan.
This lizard is one of 12 new gecko species found in India and all 12 species are endemic to the Western Ghats. Due to its agile nature, similar to the ace martial artist Chan, it has been named so. It is one of 12 new gecko species found in India that the researchers describe in Zoological Research.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the ambitious Rs. 100 lakh crore PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. The plan was launched by the Prime Minister on October 13, which aims to create multi modal connectivity in India and bring infrastructure under one common platform.
The master plan envisages to create a centralised portal comprising of all infra-activities in India involving 16 central ministries and departments to achieve coordinated planning and project execution.

Notes:
Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying announced that the first calf of Banni buffalo breed was born using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
A Banni buffalo belonging to a dairy farmer in Gir Somnath gave birth to the IVF male calf. The process was carried out to enhance the number of genetically superior buffaloes to increase milk production. Banni breed of buffaloes, found primarily in Gujarat’s Kutch region, are known for its resilience and higher milk producing capacity in an arid environment