Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:
The Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) releases the World Giving Index (WGI). As per the 2021 edition, India is now in the top 20 most generous countries in the world, at 14th rank.
This year’s survey highlights the impact of lockdowns on charitable giving. The COVID-19 pandemic has toppled the charity trends across the world as several western countries did not fare well in the Index due to COVID lockdowns. The USA, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the Netherlands fell down from the highest rankings.

Notes:
“Bijoya Sanskritik Mahotsav” is a cultural event organised at Kolkata, by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. This event would showcase the cultural ties between India and Bangladesh and is a part of commemoration of Bangladesh liberation.
16th December 2021 marks the 50th year of Bangladesh liberation and India’s victory over Pakistan in the Indo-Pak war of 1971.

Notes:
Parshuram kund is a Hindu pilgrimage site, which is situated at Mishmi plateau in Arunachal Pradesh.
This place is seen in the news recently since the Union Tourism Minister – Shri. G Kishan Reddy has laid a foundation stone for development of this site, under the central Government’s PRASHAD scheme. The project is to be implemented at a cost of Rs 37.88 crores.

Notes:
India’s Comptroller and Auditor General G C Murmu selected as the external auditor of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IAEA is a prestigious international institution that promotes peaceful use of nuclear energy. As per the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), his candidature received majority support of the IAEA general conference and his tenure will be for six years, from 2022 to 2027.

Notes:
Military troops from China and Pakistan launched a joint anti-terror exercise as part of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
The opening ceremony of the Joint Anti-Terrorist Exercise (JATE)-2021 was held at Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The exercise aims to enhance interoperability among Law Enforcement Agencies of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries for combating international terrorism. Headquartered in Tashkent, RATS is a permanent organ of the SCO.

Notes:
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has set up Odisha’s first ever Tussar silk yarn production centre at Choudwar in Cuttack district.
Tussar silk is one of the finest varieties of silk, known for its coarseness and porous weave. Silk comprises nearly 75% of the total khadi fabric production in Odisha. Set up at a cost of ₹75 lakh, the silk yarn production centre is capable of producing 200 kg of silk yarn worth ₹94 lakh annually.

Notes:
The Chennai Central Railway Station of Indian Railways, also known as the Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, has become a fully solar powered station. The station meets all its energy requirements by way of solar panels installed on the rooftop.
The station has an installed capacity of 1.5 MW solar power and has become an energy neutral railway station.

Notes:
Mary and Albert Lasker founded the Lasker Awards in 1945 to honour the scientists whose biological and clinical discoveries have helped to improve human health
This year, two scientists- Katalin Karikó and Dr. Drew Weissman who developed key technology used in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been awarded the $250,000 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. The messenger RNA (mRNA) forms the basis of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has established a ‘Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Quantum Technologies’ to conduct research activities in the field.
The centre will focus on the areas, such as quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and metrology, and quantum materials and devices. The research activities related to a quantum processor and cryogenic controller among others will also be undertaken.

Notes:
The Government of Delhi has recently launched a mobile application named “Dekho Meri Dilli”. This has been designed and built by the Tourism Department of the Delhi Government.
The app is designed to act as a one-stop centre for all tourism related information in Delhi. It would also be a marker place for tickets to all major tourist destinations in Delhi.