GK & Current Affairs Quiz: August 23, 2017

Notes:
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has launched the Mentor India Campaign in New Delhi on August 23, 2017. The campaign is a strategic nation building initiative to engage leaders who can nurture and guide students at more than 900 Atal Tinkering Labs. The labs are dedicated workspaces where students from Class 6th to 12th learn innovation skills and develop ideas that will go on to transform India. The Atal Tinkering Labs have been established across the country as a part of the Atal Innovation Mission. The aim of campaign is to maximize the impact of the labs.

Notes:
Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, has chaired the 17th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi on August 22, 2017. The Council discussed the issues and challenges facing the Indian economy and stressed the need to keep constant vigil to manage any external and internal vulnerability. The Council noted that India has macro-economic stability today on the back of improvements in its macro-economic fundamentals, structural reforms with the launch of the GST and long-term positive consequences of demonetization. The FSDC also took note of the developments and progress made in setting up of Computer Emergency Response Team in the Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) and Financial Data Management Centre. The meeting was attended by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, SEBI Chairman Ajay Tyagi, IRDAI Chairman TS Vijayan, PFRDA Chairman Hemant Contractor, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, and other government officials.

Notes:
Ashwani Lohani, an officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), has been appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board after AK Mital tendered his resignation following recent train accidents. Presently, Lohani is serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India. Earlier, he served as the Divisional Regional Manager of Delhi and was also ITDC chairman as well as the director of the Rail Museum in the capital.

Notes:
Rishang Keishing (96), the former Manipur Chief Minister and a member of the first Lok Sabha, has passed away in Imphal, Manipur on August 23, 2017. The veteran Congress leader and a Naga served as the chief minister of Manipur from 1980 to 1988 and from 1994 to 1997. The Manipur government has declared that all government offices and educational institutions will be closed on August 24 as mark of respect to Keishing.

Notes:
The 58th edition of Subroto Cup International Football Tournament has started in New Delhi. A total of 99 teams from India and abroad are participating across three categories in this edition of famous inter-school football tournament. Teams from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Afghanistan and Singapore are participating in this edition. The one month long football carnival will be played in three categories Sub-Junior boys (Under-14), Junior Girls (Under-17), Junior Boys (Under-17). This season seems to be more promising with a special emphasis on ”BETI-BACHAO, BETI-PADHAO, BETI-KHILAO”. Some of the key highlights of this edition will be special awards in different categories, an increase in cash awards, and special initiatives like Delhi Darshan for participants.

Notes:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in New Delhi to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation. The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations in telecom and broadcasting regulation. The agreement will facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas.

Notes:
Brian Aldiss (92), one of the most prolific and influential science fiction writers of the 20th century, has passed away in Oxford, England. Aldiss served in India and Burma with the British Army during World War II and later became a bookseller, publishing his first stories in a trade magazine. He was the author of science fiction classics including Non-Stop, Hothouse and Greybeard and Helliconia trilogy. His numerous short stories include Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, formed the basis for Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film “AI”, while his Horatio Stubbs saga was based on his time during the war in Burma and the far east.

Notes:
The National Sports Museum will be established in New Delhi that will showcase India’s achievements in sports and also focus on the traditional sports within the country. The purpose of the Museum is to popularise the sports as a way of life within the country. The union Sports Ministry has stated that the proposed Museum would go beyond the classical approach of a collection of memorabilia to become an interactive venue of interest for all age groups. In addition, it will display achievements of the Indian greats in sports and also act as an educational hub and offer opportunity for the young to delve into some sporting activity. The Museum will have audio-visual display of rules and legacy events pertaining to various sports as part of education for the budding sportspersons and a well-equipped library of sports and physical fitness.

Notes:
Recently, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhhas chaired the 42nd annual general body meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) on August 22, 2017. The meeting approved the annual report and audited accounts of the NMML society for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. During the meeting various issues including up gradation and renovation of museum, digitization of documents, acquisition of books in regional languages and setting up of a museum for former Prime Ministers, were discussed. The NMML is a museum and library in New Delhi that aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement.

Notes:
The Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park (KBRNP) is located in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, Telangana and covers an area of 390-acre. The park is also known as Chiran Fort Palace. The park has over 600 species of plant life, 140 species of birds and 30 different varieties of butterflies and reptiles. It is home to pangolin, small Indian civet, peacock, jungle cat, porcupines, etc.