Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
India and Switzerland have signed two pacts for technical cooperation in the field of Railways after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in New Delhi. The aim of pacts is to cooperate in the areas of traction rolling stock, EMU and Train sets, traction propulsion equipments, freight and passenger cars, etc. To boost bilateral ties, Swiss president, Doris Leuthard is on a 3-day visit to India. The visit is significant as Switzerland is the chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) where India has been seeking membership. The main theme of the presidential visit is the Treaty of Friendship signed between Switzerland and India in 1948, in which the two countries gave assurances of “perpetual peace” and “unalterable friendship”.

Notes:
The Indian pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg bagged the mixed doubles title at the Hellas Open International badminton series after registering a straight-game victory in Livadia on September 3, 2017. The top-seeded Indian combination of Garg and Kapoor defeated compatriots Karishma Wadkar and Utkarsh Arora by 21-19 21-19 in the final.

Notes:
Lt. Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Olympic silver medallist and a former professional shooter, has been appointed as a Cabinet minister with independent charge for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on September 3, 2017 in the latest cabinet reshuffle of the Narendra Modi government. He replaced Vijay Goel. Rathore is also holding the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). He is Member of Parliament (MP) from Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha constituency.

Notes:
The biennial Joint Indo-Lanka Maritime Fleet Exercise – SLINEX 2017 is scheduled to be conducted from September 7-to-14. The focus of SLINEX 2017 will be on fleet work, seamanship, communication, replenishment at sea as well as helicopter operations. Approx, a complement of 368 Sri Lanka Navy personnel comprising 43 naval officers and 60 mid-shipmen are taking part in the exercise. Sri Lanka Navy’s offshore patrol vessels, SLNS Sayura and Sagara will arrive at Port of Visakhapatnam soon to participate in the joint maritime naval exercise with the Indian Navy. The joint naval operations enable both Navies to rehearse and improve own capabilities and enhance operational effectiveness required to maintain maritime security in the region.

Notes:
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The conference was focused on recognising companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives by adopting best practices and technological advancement in their daily operations in turn displaying commitment towards energy conservation. The airport is operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd GHIAL, a public–private venture.

Notes:
The Shirui National Park (SNP) is located in the state of Manipur. It has dense tropical forests all over and temperate forest in the hilltops. The park is famous for shirui lily (Lilium maclineae) that grows naturally. The main peak of Shirui abounds with flowers during the monsoon and it is a veritable paradise. It is home to tragopan, the tiger, leopard, etc.

Notes:
NITI Aayog has recently launched the National Nutrition Strategy in New Delhi with an aimed at Kuposhan Mukt Bharat. It was launched by Leader of the Green Revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar on September 5, 2017. The Nutrition Strategy intends to bring nutrition to the centre-stage of the National Development Agenda. It lays the roadmap for targeted action to address India’s nutritional needs. The Nutrition Strategy framework envisages a Kuposhan Mukt Bharat – linked to Swachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat. It enables states to make strategic choices, through decentralized planning and local innovation, with accountability for nutrition outcomes.

Notes:
The 2-day event ‘North East Calling’ will be organized by the Union government under its Destination North East series at India Gate lawns in New Delhi on September 9, 2017. The purpose of the event is to promote the art, culture, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and the entry for the general public is free. The event will include music festival for bands of North-East, Cultural night for dances of North-East and Handloom Demo Show presenting the clothes of North-East.

Notes:
The researchers at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Chemical Laboratory in Pune have developed an artificial leaf that absorbs sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from water, an advance that may provide clean energy for powering eco-friendly cars in the future. The device consists of semiconductors stacked in a manner to simulate the natural leaf system. When visible light strikes the semiconductors, electrons move in one direction, producing electric current. The current almost instantaneously splits water into hydrogen – which researchers believe is one of the cleanest forms of fuel as its main byproduct is water.

Notes:
NITI Aayog has constituted an Expert Task Force to provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing India’s exports. It will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar. The panel will give recommendations on sector-specific policy interventions in key employment sectors and measures to enhance trade in services with high employment potential. It will also propose a comprehensive plan of action to generate employment and alleviate under-employment in both goods and services sectors and low wages by boosting India’s exports in key labour-intensive industries. Members of the Task force include CEO, NITI Aayog, Secretaries of Departments of Commerce, Industrial Policy and Promotion, Economic Affairs and Textiles. Leading economists and industry experts are also members of the Task Force, which will submit its report by November 2017.