Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, has launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme through the net-metering system at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar in a bid to enable public participation to harness renewable energy. The State government will provide 30% subsidy to the consumers belonging to residential and institutional segments as well as to registered societies and trusts. At present, current investment for installation of a rooftop project is around Rs 70,000 per KW. The web portal “www.rtsodisha.gov.in” was also launched that will provide an opportunity to the stakeholders to interact with customers for timely delivery of services online. Under the programme, consumers can instal solar plants on their rooftops and consume the generated solar power during day time. Excess power can be sold to the grid at 220 v/440 v levels through service cables. The program is being implemented by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).

Notes:
The Karnataka Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with software giant Microsoft India to develop a unique “farm price forecasting model” using latest IT tools in a bid to help farmers, administrators and other stakeholders to understand the market behaviour in advance. The proposed initiative is said to be the first-of-its-kind in the country as it is a multi-variate one that takes into consideration various factors beyond the conventional supply-demand equation while forecasting the prices for crops. It will examine a slew of related factors including weather, rainfall and external factors that impact market behaviour. The model is expected to be in place for major crops by next kharif crops.

Notes:
The Murlen National Park (MNP) is located in the Champhai district of Mizoram and covers an area of 200 square kilometres. The tropical, semi-evergreen and sub montane Forests of Murlen are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. It is home to the tiger, leopard, sambar, barking deer, Malayan giant squirrel, Hume’s pheasant, etc. About 15 species of mammals, 150 species of birds, 35 species of Medicinal plants, 2 species of bamboos, and 4 species of orchids so far have been recorded in this Park.

Notes:
Jay Thomas (69), the well-known comic and character actor, has passed away in California, United States. In addition to playing Eddie LeBec in “Cheers”, Jay played obnoxious TV talk show host Jerry Gold on “Murphy Brown” from 1989 until 1998, and also had his own sit-com, “Love and War”, from 1992 until 1995. He was also a regular guest on David Letterman’s talk show during the festive season.

Notes:
Japanese shuttler Nozomi Okuhara has won the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC) by defeating P V Sindhu in the final by 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. With this, Sindhu had to settle for silver in the championship. Earlier, Saina Nehwal ended her campaign with a bronze. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced cash award of Rs 10 lakh for Sindhu and Rs five lakh for Saina following their medal winning performances at the world Championships. Sindhu, who had won bronze twice in the 2013 and 2014 editions, became only the second Indian to win a silver medal after Saina Nehwal had achieved the feat in the last edition at Jakarta in 2015.

Notes:
The Spice Digital Limited (SDL) has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to process bill payments as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) in the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). The BBPS is a RBI conceptualised system driven by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It is a one-stop payment platform for all bills providing an interoperable and accessible “Anytime Anywhere” bill payment service to all customers across India with certainty, reliability and safety of transactions. The headquarters of the Spice Digital is located at Noida in National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCR). The company provides Telco Solutions, Value Added Services (MVAS), Enterprise Solutions, Financial technology, GSP and Digital transformation products and services. It is a subsidiary of listed entity S Mobility, which has diversified interests in telecom space.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China’s Fujian province to attend the 9th BRICS summit, which will be held from September 3-5, 2017. Subsequently, the Prime Minister will pay a State visit to Myanmar from September 5th to 7th. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s first bilateral State visit to Myanmar. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold discussions with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on matters of mutual interest and also call on President U Htin Kyaw. Apart from his engagements in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, Mr Modi will visit Yangon and Bagan.

Notes:
The Government Nepal has launched the world’s first climate-smart snow-leopard management plan to safeguard this endangered species of snow leopard and its habitat. The Nepal’s conservation plan addressed key current and emerging threats to snow leopards including climate change and will be used as a model for other range countries to adopt. It was discussed in the 2017 International Snow Leopard Summit and Ecosystem Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where world leaders hold critical talks to strengthen previous commitments to safeguard the future of the snow leopard and its habitat.

Notes:
Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief Minister, has launched the Startup Yatra programme in Lucknow on August 30, 2017. Beside this, the government has also launch a mobile application and a call centre for startups. As per programme, the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 15 thousand per month and maximum Rs 10 lakh rupees in a year to those who will begin startups. For this, the state government will soon sign MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Under this policy, the government will appoint one person in each district of the state who with the use of technology will develop a brand product and connect it with the concerned district.

Notes:
Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development programme and an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on August 29, 2017. The initiative will engage street children and youth, providing them with opportunities to hone their skills and utilise it professionally through skill development training. For YUVA initiative, Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing mass job linked skill training for the selected youth. The NSDC will provide skill training to the youth under PMKVY and CII will provide job linked training through its Sector Skill Councils who are connected to industry and thereby provide job guarantee.