Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:

• ‘International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances’ is marked every year on August 30, across the world.
• The day is observed to honour and pay tribute to people who have faced enforced disappearances.
• On December 21, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed August 30 as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
• The Assembly also welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Notes:

• Navies of India and Germany carried out a joint exercise, in Gulf of Aden near Yemen.
• The exercise included helicopter landings and search and seizure operations.
• The Indian Navy’s frigate ‘INS Trikand’ exercised with German frigate ‘Bayern’ in the Gulf of Aden.
• INS Trikand is currently deployed in the Gulf of Aden region for anti-piracy patrol.

Notes:

• India’s market capitalisation to GDP ratio has touched a 13-year high of 122%.
• This means, the listed companies in India are worth 122 per cent of India’s latest annualised gross domestic product (GDP).
• This is the highest since December 2008, when it reached an all-time high of around 150 per cent.
• India’s current m-cap to GDP ratio is nearly 55 per cent higher than the 15-year median ratio of 79 per cent.

Notes:

• The world’s highest motorable way which connects Leh to the Pangong Lake has been inaugurated recently.
• The road has been built by the Indian Army, and it passes through the Kela Pass at 18,600 feet above Mean Sea Level.
• This road is expected to reduce the travel from Leh to the Pangong Lake by 41 km.
• Till now, the road through the Khardungla Pass was the world’s highest motorable road at a height of 18,380 feet.

Notes:

• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) clocked more than 3 billion transactions for the second consecutive month in a row in August.
• In August, UPI logged 3.55 billion transactions worth Rs 6.39 trillion. This is an all-time high in terms of the volume and value.
• On a month-on-basis, UPI’s volume of transactions was up 9.5 per cent in August, and the value of transactions was up 5.4 per cent.
• The rapid increase in transactions indicate an increased adoption of digital payments by consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Notes:

• The C.1.2 variant of the Coronavirus disease was first reported from South Africa.
• The variant has now spread to at least six countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• As per the Indian Government, India has no cases of the new C.1.2 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) variant detected so far.
• The public health body of the United Nations (UN) announced that it was monitoring the new C.1.2 virus strain.

Notes:

• China has developed a prototype miniature helicopter for surveillance work on future Mars missions, according to its space science agency.
• A few months ago, China achieved the historic landing of a robotic rover on the red planet.
• The prototype is similar in appearance to the robotic helicopter Ingenuity, developed by NASA for its Perseverance mission.
• As per the space agency, the helicopter could be a tool for China’s follow-up exploration on Mars.

Notes:

• ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is awarded by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), to Railway Stations.
• FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency concludes the certification, with ratings from 1 to 5. The 5-star rating indicates excellent efforts by stations to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
• Chandigarh Railway Station was awarded a 5- star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.
• The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement of FSSAI.

Notes:

• Indian shooter Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals.
• She won the 50m Rifle 3 Position SH1 bronze to add to the Gold she had won earlier in the Games.
• The 19-year-old Lekhara had become the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold after she topped the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event.
• Joginder Singh Sodhi was the only Indian to win multiple medals in the same edition of the Games when he got one silver and two bronze medals in the 1984 Paralympics.

Notes:
Philanippon 2021 is the World Stamp Exhibition, held recently in Tokyo, Japan. This event is held every 10 years in Japan since 1971, to mark the founding of Postal service in Japan.
This year marked the 150th year anniversary of Japan’s postal service. The event showcased the vibrant history and culture created by Japan’s postal as well the future potential of the industry including delivery by robots and drones.