Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2023

Notes:
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, has announced that it has established 6467 Standard Clubs in schools and colleges across the country.
As per BIS the standard clubs are being established with an objective to sensitize young members of society about the importance of standards in improving quality of life.

Notes:
Indian government introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty- eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, which proposes to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s parliament) and state Legislative Assemblies.
This reservation will apply to seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as well. These amendments were a result of recommendations made by the Balwantrai Mehta Committee in 1957 and the Asoka Mehta Committee in 1977, aiming to strengthen local self-governance and empower local bodies across rural and urban India.

Notes:
The Indian Navy is set to host the 2nd Edition of the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, ‘Swavlamban 2023’.
This seminar follows the inaugural edition held in July 2022, where the Prime Minister launched the ‘SPRINT Challenges,’ consisting of 75 challenges for startups and MSMEs as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ initiative. The ‘SPRINT Challenges’ aim to promote the use of indigenous technology within the Indian Navy. ‘SPRINT’ stands for Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence.

Notes:
Amazon has developed a new version of its cashier-less shopping technology for clothing retailers to expand the system beyond convenience and grocery stores.
The retail and cloud-computing giant said the latest iteration of its Just Walk Out technology uses radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags to keep track of apparel.

Notes:
A report by the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) has raised concerns over violations and mismanagement affecting wildlife and forests in Gujarat.
The report highlights poor spending of funds allocated to the state’s forest department, leading to issues like encroachment, mining, and deforestation in six sanctuaries. Less than 1% of the allotted funds were spent by the department in 2016-17, and overall, only a fraction of the allocated budget was utilized from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.

Notes:
The Nagorno-Karabakh territory lies in the mountainous South Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over this region in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it has been the trigger for further violence. In 2020, thousands of people were reported killed. Recently Azerbaijan launched a military operation against the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Notes:
France and Germany, the two largest economies in the European Union, pushed new proposals for the enlargement of the 27-member association.
The policy paper was put together by a group of 12 experts commissioned by the Europe ministers of France and Germany but not representing the countries’ official views. Along with the group’s enlargement, the paper looks at strengthening the rule of law and increasing the EU’s capacity to act.

Notes:
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) consulted stakeholders on ‘National Broadcasting Policy’.
As per TRAI, the Policy may provide a common approach for licenses, oversight, and compliances. The government is seeking to bring further parity in how digital and legacy mediums like television and OTT streaming are regulated.

Notes:
Mohammed Siraj regained his No. 1 ODI bowler in the world tag following his splendid show in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.
Siraj has climbed eight positions to the top of the rankings following his Asia Cup haul of ten wickets at an average of 12.20. The highlight of that performance was the spell of 6 for 21 that dismantled Sri Lanka for 50 all out in the final.

Notes:
Men’s Hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and ace boxer Lovlina Borgohain led the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony at the Asian Games 2023 in China’s Hangzhou.
A total of 655 Indian athletes are participating in the Asian Games this year, which is the largest contingent ever.