Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra from his official residence in state capital Lucknow. The drive will be focusing on cleanliness along the banks of Ganga river and maintain hygiene. The yatra will be organized by the Uttar Pradesh Home Guards and will help in spreading awareness in about 25 districts situated on the banks of river Ganga in the state. It will urge people to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the Ganga river. The drive will be covering a total area of around 1,025 kms and will conclude on September 6, 2017.

Notes:
Indian Shooter Maheshwari Chauhan has won a bronze at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship to earn India’s first women’s skeet individual medal in Astana, Kazakhstanon on August 11, 2017. Before that, Maheshwari also led India to the team silver alongside compatriots Rashmmi Rathore and Saniya Sheikh in the tournament. Besides Maheshwari , Indian shooter Ankur Mittal clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men’s double trap in the championship. And, Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad won a bronze in men’s trap event as well as also won bronze in mixed team trap event with partner Shreyasi Singh in the championship. Now, India’s tally stands at two gold, silver and three bronze medals.

Notes:
The Canara Bank has recently launched two digital products: ‘Bharat QR’, a platform for payment settlement at merchant locations, and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is an integrated bill payment system for Net banking customers. The first service is a mobile application, which enables a merchant to accept payments as settlement for sale of goods or services. The second product (BBPS), an initiative of the RBI offers bill payment services to the bank’s net banking customers with network of agents.

Notes:
Yisrael Kristal (113), the world’s oldest man who lived through both World Wars, has passed away in Haifa, Israel on August 11, 2017. He was officially recognised as the world’s oldest man by the Guinness Book of Records in March 2016. Kristal, a Polish-Israeli supercentenarian, became the world’s oldest recognized Holocaust survivor in 2014 and the world’s oldest man in 2016.

Notes:
The Orang National Park (ONP) is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam and covers an area of 78.81 square kilometers. The park has a rich flora and fauna, including great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, pigmy hog, elephants, wild buffalo and tigers. It is the only stronghold of rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.

Notes:
The Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU), which is India’s first-ever aviation university, will soon be inaugurated at Fursatganj in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. The central university is planned as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation with an aim to facilitate and promote aviation studies, teaching, training and research. Air Vice Marshal (retired) Nalin Tandon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor. 

Notes:
Shashi Shekhar Vempati, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, has been given the additional charge of CEO in Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). Vempati succeeded Gurdeep Singh Sappal, who has been serving as the CEO and editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV since 2011. The RSTV is owned and operated by Rajya Sabha and the Vice-President is its chairman. It covers the proceedings of the upper house of the Parliament. Prasar Bharati runs Doordarshan television and All India Radio (AIR).

Notes:
The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year on August 19 to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. The 2017 WHD campaign “#NotATarget” follows the UN Secretary-General’s report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which was launched recently. Through a global online campaign, United Nations (UN) in partnership with Facebook Live will raise voices to advocate for the most vulnerable people in war zones, and demand that world leaders do everything in their power to protect civilians in conflict.

Notes:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently appointed career diplomat Nikolay Kudashev as Russia’s new ambassador to India. The appointment of Kudashev comes nearly seven months after the death of Russia’s previous ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin. Kudashev, a specialist in South East Asia, is currently the Deputy Director General Secretariat of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia.

Notes:
The 8th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress & Expo-2017 has started in New Delhi from August 21, 2017. The theme of the 3-day annual conference is “Renewable Energy: What Works”, which focuses on new Green Technologies to ensure clean, reliable and affordable Renewable Energy supplies. It provides an opportunity and open forum to exchange information, share experiences and best practices by bringing together experts, investors and other multi stake holders of i.e. Public and Private Sector, Advisory Groups, Governments, NGOs, Non-Profit organizations Environmentalists and Academia.