Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:

• ‘International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances’ is marked every year on August 30, across the world.
• The day is observed to honour and pay tribute to people who have faced enforced disappearances.
• On December 21, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed August 30 as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
• The Assembly also welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Notes:

• The Reserve Bank releases a quarterly house price index (HPI) based on transaction-level data received from housing registration authorities in ten major cities.
• The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
• According to RBI data, the growth in all-India House Price Index (HPI) slowed to 2 per cent in the first quarter this fiscal against 2.8 per cent in the last year.
• The HPI growth ranged from an expansion of 8.8 per cent (Ahmedabad) to a contraction of (-) 5.1 per cent (Chennai).

Notes:

• Himachal Pradesh has become the first State in the country where everyone above 18 years has been administered with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
• As of August 31, India has also crossed the mark of 50 crore first doses and 15 crore second doses, with total vaccinations crossing 65 crore.
• Eight States and UTs in India have given more than 75% dose to the eligible population.
• India also set a record by providing more than 1 Crore vaccinations on a single day, for two das in the month of August.

Notes:

• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) clocked more than 3 billion transactions for the second consecutive month in a row in August.
• In August, UPI logged 3.55 billion transactions worth Rs 6.39 trillion. This is an all-time high in terms of the volume and value.
• On a month-on-basis, UPI’s volume of transactions was up 9.5 per cent in August, and the value of transactions was up 5.4 per cent.
• The rapid increase in transactions indicate an increased adoption of digital payments by consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Notes:

• Slovenia currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Slovenian President Borut Pahor and discussed the challenges facing India and the European Union.
• The Minister is set to visit Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark to boost bilateral ties and strengthen India’s cooperation with the EU.
• Slovenia has invited Jaishankar to attend the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU states.
• Jaishankar will also attend the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) being held in Slovenia.

Notes:
India and United Kingdom have announced a $1.2 billion package, which aims to improve finance to green growth of Asian countries.

This package includes an $1 billion would be an investment from CDC, the UK’s development finance institution to support businesses working on green technology. The Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership has also been launched to raise private capital for green projects in India.

Notes:
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has been constituted under the leadership of Jayant Sinha. This committee would visit the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and discuss on the separation of the debt management function from the RBI.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan and former Governor of RBI Manmohan Singh is also a member of the committee.

Notes:
The state government of Arunachal Pradesh has launched 2 schemes named Atma Nirbhar Krishi Yojna and Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojna. AtmaNirbhar Krishi Yojna is an agri sector scheme while Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojna is a horticulture scheme.

The government has allocated a total sum of Rs. 120 crores for these two schemes, Rs.60 crores for each of the schemes.

Notes:
At the 11th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), the Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak met virtually.

They signed a USD 1.2-billion package of public and private investment in green projects and renewable energy. A new Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership has been agreed to mobilise private capital into sustainable infrastructure in India.

Notes:
India’s first satellite and ballistic missile tracking ship named ‘Dhruv’ is set to be commissioned from Visakhapatnam. The ship is built by Hindustan Shipyard in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

INS Dhruv can also map ocean beds for research and detection of enemy submarines. This nuclear missile tracking ship will be operated by the Indian Navy with the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).