Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

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NITI Aayog and Gujarat University has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to Promote Cooperation in Agriculture. The SoI focuses on technical collaboration between the two institutions with the aim to strengthen knowledge-sharing and policy development in India. The SoI is expected to give a thrust to India’s efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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The Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a pact for providing reliable and sustainable power supply to security forces operating in remote, Naxal-affected and high-altitude areas. The MoU between the Navratna PSU BEL and the SFC Energy-AG, Germany, and FC TecNrgy Pvt Ltd (FCTec), signed recently, will ensure cooperation in addressing the emerging requirement of sustainable energy to the security forces through supply of hydrogen and fuel cells.

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The International Day of clean Air For Blue Skies was celebrated on September 7, 2021. The theme is “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet” which emphasizes the health aspects of air pollution, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The day serves as a rallying call to action to align our efforts and claim our right to clean air. #HealthyAirHealthyPlanet. The day is facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, who retired as the Deputy Chief of Army, was appointed the Governor of Uttarakhand, a post which fell vacant after Baby Rani Maurya resigned from the post.

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South Indian Bank (SIB), in association with fintech company OneCard, launched its credit card SIB – OneCard. The internationally valid credit card on the Visa Signature platform can be fully controlled through the powerful OneCard app. The card comes with many exciting features like lifetime validity with zero joining and annual fees, 100% digital customer on-boarding process, instant virtual card issuance, instant issuance of reward points and easy redemption within the app, etc.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state of the art Sardardham Bhavan at Ahmedabad through video conferencing. He also laid the foundation stone of Sardardham Phase-II Kanya Chhatralay on the occasion. Sardardham Bhavan has been constructed at the cost of 200 crore rupees. It comprises of modern facilities such as library, hostel, career guidance & training centre for boys as well as girls coming from rural areas and a multipurpose auditorium. Kanya Chhatralaya will house 2000 girls, irrespective of their economic criteria. Both the establishments are dedicated to the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

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Veteran India sports administrator Randhir Singh has been appointed as acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) after incumbent Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah had to step aside after being found guilty of forgery by a Geneva Court. He had served as Secretary General of the OCA for 24 years from 1991 to 2015. The 72-year-old Mr. Singh, a five-time Olympian shooter, is currently an Honorary Life Vice-President of the OCA. He also served as the Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1987 to 2012 and was a full member of the International Olympic Committee from 2001 to 2014 before becoming its honorary member.

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Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry have launched Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue under India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership. This partnership will provide both countries an opportunity to renew collaborations on climate change while addressing the financing aspects.

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DBS Bank has launched real-time online tracking for cross-border collections for businesses in India in partnership with SWIFT Global Payments Innovation (GPI). DBS is the first bank in India and Asia-Pacific to offer this service to clients, which is expected to benefit close to 4,000 corporate and small business clients in India.

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The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) of India, Noida won the prestigious UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize 2021. This organization is run by the education ministry and has bagged global recognition from UNESCO for its innovative approach towards education. The recognition is for educating differently-abled people through technology-enabled inclusive learning material with a specific focus on Indian Sign language-based. The UNESCO International Literacy Prizes focus on a specific theme. This year, the focus was on inclusive distance and digital literacy learning. Along with NIOS, this year’s UNESCO International Literacy Prizes was awarded to other five outstanding literacy programs from Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, and South Africa.