Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
The Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (NSBS) is located to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village in Gujarat. it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat and one of the largest in India. It harbors over 250 species of wetland birds such as rosy pelicans, flamingoes, white storks, brahminy ducks and herons.

Notes:
India’s first micro forest will be built in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Approximately, 19 acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings will be converted into micro forest in order to create an oxy-zone. The micro forest will provide fresh air to Raipur which is the 7th most polluted city in the world. It will reportedly be open to the public in the next 8 months.

Notes:
The Gujarat government has recently issued a tender for power developers to receive cheap coal marked for the state in return for selling coal-based power at less than Rs 2.82 a unit. Through the auction, Gujarat will transfer the coal allocated to power generating stations owned by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation (GSECL) to more fuel-efficient private power plants. With this, Gujarat will become the India’s first state to implement coal utilisation between power units. The move is in line with the initiatives of the central government to ensure fuel availability to stressed power plants. The aim is to reduce the cost of fuel for financially ailing distribution companies and ensure effective distribution of domestic coal.

Notes:
M Venkaiah Naidu, the former Union Minister, has been sworn-in as 13th Vice President of India on August 11, 2017. He has been administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a special function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He was born on 1st July 1949 at Chavatapalem, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Before being elected to the second highest constitutional post of the country, Mr Naidu has held several positions and carried his successful political career during his three decade long public life. He has served as national president of BJP from 2002 to 2004. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development. In present Narendra Modi led government, Naidu served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting.

Notes:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) , the capital and commodity market regulator, has recently allowed Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) to launch India’s first gold options contract soon. It will allow investors and hedgers to minimise their price risk at a fraction of cost compared to currently available futures trading. The headquarters of MCX is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Notes:
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) is located in Virudhunagar and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu and covers an area 485.2 sq Kms. Over 240+ species of birds are seen in this sanctuary including 14 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats, such as the critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture. In addition to grizzled giant squirrels, the sanctuary is home to numerous animals such as barking deer, bonnet macaque, common langur, elephants, flying squirrels, gaur, Indian giant squirrel, leopard, lion-tailed macaques, mouse deer, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri Tahrs. There are over 220 species of butterflies including many rare and endemic species. Some of the rare butterflies spotted here include Eversheds ace , Silver royal , Orange awlet , Hampsons hedge blue , etc.

Notes:
The Government of India will soon launch a new sub-scheme named “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)” as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). Initially, AGEY will be implemented in 250 Blocks in the country on pilot basis with each Block provided upto 6 vehicles to operate the transport services. The Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM will operate road transport service in backward areas. This will help to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote villages with key services and amenities (such as access to markets, education and health) for the overall economic development of backward rural areas. This will also provide an additional avenue of livelihood for SHGs.

Notes:
India’s first-ever railways disaster management centre is expected to come up near Bengaluru, Karnataka by 2018 and will be used to replicate train accidents to improve rescue operation efforts. It will also have a virtual reality centre for analyzing railway accidents. The focus is on imparting state-of-the-art training on rescue, medical relief and rolling stock restoration techniques in a classroom and also using various simulated teaching aids. Though, it is the practical reproduction of accidents on site and the ensuing rescue operations that are being touted as the big ticket venture.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently approved the proposal of Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) for the strategic disinvestment. The approval will help in speedy completion of strategic disinvestment transactions. The department will set up an alternative mechanism comprising of the Finance Minister, Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Administrative Department, to decide on the matters relating to terms and conditions of the sale from the stage of inviting of Express of Interests till inviting of financial bid. It will also empower the Core Group of Secretaries to take policy decisions with regard to procedural issues and to consider deviations as necessary from time to time for effective implementation of decisions of CCEA.

Notes:
Preethi Srinivasan, the former State under-19 cricket captain, has bestowed with the 2017 Kalpana Chawla Award for courage and daring enterprise from Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami during the 71st Independence Day celebrations at Fort St. George in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Beside her, the Government of Tamil Nadu has also awarded S.P. Thyagarajan with the APJ Abdul Kalam award for discovering a patented drug to treat hepatitis B.