Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:
Kasai River is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was seen in the news because the Kasai River had turned red recently.

The bodies of hippos and dead fish were seen floating in the river. The pollution was first detected in a tributary of the Kasai River, named the Tshikapa. The Kasai is a tributary of the Congo River. The pollution originates from a major spill at three mining facilities around in Angola. Researchers also fear the potential for lasting contamination of groundwater.

Notes:
The National Resistance Front (NRF) has been demonstrating stiff resistance against the Taliban forces at Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. The NRF have called for a ceasefire and have proposed that Taliban stop its military operations in Panjshir.

Although the major parts of Afghanistan including the capital city have been taken in Taliban’s control, the Panjshir Valley is yet to be taken control by Talibans.

Notes:
The Government of Karnataka has proposed and planned to reintroduce ‘Industrial Adalats’ (Industrial courts) from September 2021. This is aimed to resolve industry related problems on the spot and serve as a platform to get long pending pleas.

The state earlier had such a system of Industrial courts between the years 2008 and 2013.

Notes:
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India GC Murmu has been elected as the Chairman of the Assembly of Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) from 2024-2027 with India set to host the 16th Assembly of ASOSAI in 2024.

Notes:
SBM Bank has partnered with fintech player OneCard to launch a mobile-based credit card named ‘mobile-first.’ OneCard will leverage Visa’s technology and global acceptance in this co-branded credit card offering through an app. State Bank of Mauritus (SBM) was the first foreign bank to receive a banking license from the Reserve Bank of India.

Notes:
State of Tamil Nadu and Denmark have planned to create an energy island in Gulf of Mannar that lies between the west coast of Sri Lanka and south-eastern tip of India. This plan was made as Tamil Nadu is looking to expand its footprint in the green energy sector. To achieve this target, Denmark is likely to invest $5-10 billion in the renewable energy sector in the state. It also includes investment for an energy island in the Gulf of Mannar. With this investment, island would be able to produce 4-10 GW of energy.

 

Notes:
Karnataka government has roped in Jana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB) to build digital payment infrastructure to support its Namma Shaale Nanna Koduge (Our school, my contribution) initiative. The Namma Shaale Nanna Koduge software was launched on September 5 to provide accessibility to donors who wish to donate money to government schools in Karnataka.

Notes:
Bank of Baroda has launched its digital banking platform ‘bob World’, aimed at providing all banking services under one roof. bob World’ will offer a wide gamut of banking products and services, to be rolled out in phases, under four key pillars — Save, Invest, Borrow and Shop.

Notes:
Co-WIN has developed a new Application programming interface called ‘Know Your Customer’s or Client’s Vaccination Status (KYC-VS). This will enable entities to check an individual’s status of vaccination through CoWIN. To use this API, an individual needs to enter his/her mobile number and name. Thereafter, they will get an OTP which they have to enter. In return, Co-WIN will send a response to the verifying entity on the individual’s status of vaccination. CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work) is an Indian government web portal for COVID-19 vaccination registration, owned and operated by India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Notes:
India and Japan held their sixth Maritime Affairs Dialogue in a virtual format on September 9, 2021. The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the maritime security environment, regional cooperation activities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region.