Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
Jeanne Moreau (89), the legendary French film actress, has passed away at Paris in France on July 31, 2017. She was best known for her role in Francois Truffaut’s New Wave classic “Jules et Jim”.

Notes:
The Gangotri National Park (GNP) is located in the upper catchment of Bhagirathi river in the Uttarkashi District of Uttrakhand and covers an area of about 2,390 square km. The park is home to the snow leopard, ibex, tahr, himalayan barbet, serow, pheasants, partridges, doves, pigeons, etc. It provides majestic beauty of coniferous forests and grandeur of glacial world combined with lush green meadows.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently constituted a committee of experts under the chairmanship of a former Judge of Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna to study and identify key data protection issues and recommend methods for addressing them. The purpose to form the committee is to recognize the importance of data protection and keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected. The committee will also suggest a draft Data Protection Bill. 

Notes:
Dr. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava (89), the veteran molecular biologist and a vehement critic of genetically modified crops, has passed away in Hyderabad on August 1, 2017. He headed the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, India when the government first set it up. He was a well-known critic of Indian governmental policies and has attained the post of Vice-Chairman in the National Knowledge Commission

Notes:
In Tamil Nadu, the Aadi Perukku festival is celebrated with traditional gaiety to pay tribute to water’s life-sustaining properties. The festival, also known as ‘Aadi 18’, is celebrated on the 18th of Aadi month in Tamil calendar year to express gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery river. The 18th day of Aadi is usually August 2, is observed as ‘Aadi pirappu’, a day of offerings and prayers to these rivers. The day is an occasion for rejoicing particularly for those living on the banks of the all the main rivers, its branches and tributaries.

Notes:
The Indian Army has developed a mobile application ‘Humraaz’ through which serving soldiers can track details like postings and promotions. Through the ‘Humraaz’ app, soldiers can also view their monthly salary slips and the Form 16 and also download them. For security reasons, the installation of the application has been linked to verification of Aadhaar details. The Aadhaar details will be verified with the Army database over National Information Centre (NIC) cloud and he will get a one-time-password on his registered mobile number. Thus, to enable usage of this mobile application, the latest mobile number of individuals should be linked to his Aadhaar number. The mobile app has been developed in-house by the Army and will be launched in the second week of August for prompt communication of information to junior commissioner officers and other personnels.

Notes:
The Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located in Somwarpet taluk of the Kodagu district in Karnataka and spread across an area of 102 kms. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife such as Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Grey Headed Bulbul, blue winged parakeet, small sunbird, white-bellied blue flycatcher, etc. One can spot varieties of animal species that includes Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Giant Flying Squirrel, Otter Species, Indian Wild Dog, Travancore Flying, Brown Palm Civet, Wild Pig, Indian Giant Squirrel, etc. It is a must-visit sanctuary to hear the heartwarming sounds of the birds.

Notes:
Robert Hard (91), who portrayed the role of Minister of Magic ‘Cornelius Fudge’ in four of the ‘Harry Potter’ films, has passed away in London, England on August 3, 2017. He was also known for his many portrayals of Winston Churchill and as the irascible vet Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. His voice performance as Robin Hood in Tale Spinners For Children, an LP from the 1960s, is considered one of the best Robin Hood renditions.

Notes:
The Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located along the Western Ghats in Mukundapuram taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala. The sanctuary is an important bird area with 192 recorded avian species such as grey-headed bulbul, Indian rufous babbler, white-bellied blue-flycatcher, Ceylon frogmouth, Indian edible-nest swiftlet, Malabar trogon and Loten’s sunbird. The sanctuary also offers trekking paths for the adventure traveller.

Notes:
Sajan from India has bagged a bronze medal in Greco-Roman 74kg class category after defeating Ali Osman Erbay of Turkey by 6-1 at the Junior World Wrestling Championships in Tampere, Finland on August 6, 2017. He is the lone Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to bag a medal at this championship.