Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:
Some 28% of the 1,38,374 species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for its survival watch list are now at high risk of vanishing forever. The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 is being held in Marseille, France from September 3 to 11, 2021. Habitat loss, over-exploitation and illegal trade have hammered global wildlife populations for decades, and climate change is now kicking in as a direct threat as well as reported by the IUCN. The event was originally scheduled in June, 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes:
The Punjab government and the American Chamber of Commerce in India (Amcham India) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote investment in the state as well as further increase the ease of doing business for US member companies. The first-of-its-kind MoU that Amcham India signed with any state will also see the formation of a joint working group which will include members from Invest Punjab and the American trade body.

Notes:
Amazon India has announced the launch of Kisan Store – an online platform that will enable farmers across India to get access to more than 8,000 agriculture inputs such as seeds, farm tools and accessories, plant protection, nutrition, and more. These products, which are listed by small and medium businesses (SMBs), will be available at competitive prices on Amazon India, with the added convenience of delivery at the doorstep of the farmers. The store was launched by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Notes:
Arun Kumar Singh appointed new Chairman and MD of BPCL Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company has announced the appointment of Arun Kumar Singh as the Chairman and Managing Director of the company and consequently he has taken charge on September 7, 2021.

Notes:
Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R. K. Singh met Minister for Climate, Energy & Utilities of Denmark, Dan Jorgensen in New Delhi. It was highlighted that energy transition towards green is an important part of India’s policy. India has set a target of 450 Giga Watt of Renewable Energy capacity by 2030. Currently, India’s whole renewable energy portfolio is at 146 GWIndia is also looking towards making Ladakh, Andaman Nicobar Island and Lakshadweep Island green in energy and transport. Both the ministers jointly launched ‘Centre of Excellence on Offshore Wind’ under the Green Strategic Partnership.

Notes:
SBM Bank India has partnered with Lendingkart, a fintech start-up in the working capital space, and launched a customised overdraft facility for over 1 lakh customers of the fintech. With this collaboration, the Indian MSMEs being catered by Lendingkart, can avail the unique overdraft facility powered by SBM Bank India on Lendingkart platform.

Notes:
Daniil Medvedev of Russia lifted his first Grand Slam trophy after beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open men’s singles final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Djokovic missed two historic milestones, the calendar-year Grand Slam and a record 21st major title of his career.

Notes:
Infosys Ltd and Microsoft have entered into a multi-year strategic engagement with Ausgrid, the largest distributor of electricity on Australia’s east coast, to accelerate its cloud transformation journey and establish Ausgrid as a leading digital utility. Adoption of cloud is a key enabler for Ausgrid to increase the agility, security, and resilience of business operations. As part of this strategic engagement, Infosys and Microsoft are helping Ausgrid address these challenges by modernizing its application landscape and optimizing IT infrastructure.

Notes:
Eminent writer of Jammu and Kashmir, Aziz Hajini has recently passed away. He was a Kashmiri writer, poet, critic, and organizer. He had served as the first secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Arts, Culture, and Languages. He was also awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 2013 for his book Tej Pazar and in the year 2016 for Kitab Aan Khane.

Notes:
Haryana has been adjudged first in the country in installation of off-grid solar pumps under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahaabhiyaan (PMKUSUM) with installation of 14,418 pumps against 15,000 sanctioned pumps for the year 2020-21.