GK & Current Affairs Quiz: August 30, 2017

Notes:
Kolkata-based Nitasha Biswas has been crowned India’s first-ever Miss TransQueen 2017 in Gurugram, Haryana. Currently, Biswas is pursuing Masters in Business Management in Kolkata, West Bengal. Loiloi Haorongbam from Manipur became the first runner-up, while Ragasiya from Tamil Nadu was the second runner-up. Now, Biswas will represent India at the Miss International TransQueen in Thailand, one of the most prestigious international pageants for the transgender community, in March 2018. And, Loiloi will compete at Miss Transsexual Australia. The event was judged by a panel of eight comprising social activists, actors, beauty experts and media professionals.

Notes:
The International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT) is observed every year on August 29 to raise public awareness about the effects of global nuclear weapon tests or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world. The purpose of the day is to end nuclear testing and to promote peace and security.

Notes:
After Kalpana Chawla, Jasleen Kaur Josan has become the 2nd Indian Women and first Sikh women to be selected by NASA for the Mars Expedition happening in 2030. The Orion Mission will be the first man mission to Mars, which is on track to take place in 2030. The candidates were selected from around the world. The 2020 MARS Mission is a one-way mission where the group inhabiting Mars will not return back to planet Earth. However, Jasleen is part of the two-way mission which is set to happen in 2030.

Notes:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched the world’s first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility will help ensure a steady supply of low enriched uranium for countries’ nuclear power programmes. The bank is owned and managed by IAEA. It is the first of its kind LEU bank not to be under control of any individual country. The IAEA LEU Bank will be a physical reserve of up to 90 metric tons of low enriched uranium suitable to make fuel for a typical light water reactor, the most widely used type of nuclear power reactor worldwide. The LEU Bank will serve as a last-resort mechanism to provide confidence to countries that they will be able to obtain LEU for the manufacture of fuel for nuclear power plants in the event of an unforeseen, non-commercial disruption to their supplies. The LEU can be used to make enough nuclear fuel to power a large city for three years.

Notes:
The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) is the technology transfer and commercialization arm of the Union Ministry of Science & Technology. Its primary objective is to help develop and promote technologies developed at various national R&D institutions. Recently, it is in news because the organization has won the 2017 ASSOCHAM Services Excellence Award and its CMD Dr. H Purushotham won an international recognition. The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) Sweden honored Dr. Purushotham with the IAAM Medal 2017 for his outstanding R&D contributions in the Advanced Materials Science & Technology during its award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently informed that India and Canada have mutually agreed to jointly issue a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps on the theme Diwali. The joint stamps will be released on September 21, 2017, as per MoU signed between the postal departments of the two countries. In this joint issue, the theme “Diwali” has been selected as it is a cultural theme for both the countries and also considering the large presence of Indian Diaspora in Canada.

Notes:
Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief Minister, has launched the Startup Yatra programme in Lucknow on August 30, 2017. Beside this, the government has also launch a mobile application and a call centre for startups. As per programme, the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 15 thousand per month and maximum Rs 10 lakh rupees in a year to those who will begin startups. For this, the state government will soon sign MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Under this policy, the government will appoint one person in each district of the state who with the use of technology will develop a brand product and connect it with the concerned district.

Notes:
Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development programme and an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on August 29, 2017. The initiative will engage street children and youth, providing them with opportunities to hone their skills and utilise it professionally through skill development training. For YUVA initiative, Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing mass job linked skill training for the selected youth. The NSDC will provide skill training to the youth under PMKVY and CII will provide job linked training through its Sector Skill Councils who are connected to industry and thereby provide job guarantee.

Notes:
Gobindobhog rice from Burdwan district of West Bengal has recently got the Geographical Indication (GI) status. As a result of getting the GI tag, rice from other regions or rice of other varieties cannot be branded as ‘Gobindobhog’. Hence, the marketability of the rice would be strengthened, for the local, national and international markets. The region of Burdwan (now divided into the districts of east and west Burdwan) is known as the rice bowl of Bengal. This variety of rice is primarily cultivated in east Burdwan district – in the southern basin of the Damodar river in the Raina 1, Raina 2 and Khandaghosh blocks. The south Damodar belt has been the traditional area of Gobindobhog rice cultivation. The rice has several advantages. It is cultivated late and therefore not much affected by rains. It is less prone to pests as well. The productivity per area is high and farmers get better prices for Gobindobhog rice.

Notes:
Sumiteru Taniguchi (88), the prominent nuclear disarmament campaigner and peace activist, has passed away in Nagasaki, Japan on August 30. He was the survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki and a prominent activist for a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, and chairman of the Nagasaki Council of the A-Bomb Sufferers. He was 16 when the atomic attack happened, and was about 1.8 kilometers away from ground zero when the bomb hit. He suffered severe burns on his back. He appealed for the support of survivors and elimination of nuclear weapons throughout his life. Ten years after the bombing, Taniguchi formed a group with other survivors who experienced the ordeal.