GK & Current Affairs Quiz: September 16, 2017

Notes:
India’s first lithium-ion battery facility will be set up by Japanese automobile giant Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) at Hansalpur in Gujarat. The new plant will make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid car models to be sold in domestic and international markets. The facility will be set up jointly by Suzuki, Toshiba Corporation and Denso with a proposed investment of $180 million. Suzuki made this announcement during the 12th India-Japan Annual Summit at Mahatma Mandir in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Notes:
India’s first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad. Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, has inaugurated the centre on September 15. 2017. The Humane Society International (HSI) India will work with NALSAR to steer and coordinate the activities of the centre. The centre will create curriculum on animal welfare laws, including developing topics for research. It will also conduct workshops on animal laws and animal welfare issues with judicial magistrates, animal welfare advocates, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in the government.

Notes:
The National Engineers Day (NED) is celebrated every year on September 15 in India as a remarkable tribute to the greatest Indian Engineer Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who was born on this day in 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He was not only known for his contributions in the field of engineering but was also called the “precursor of economic planning in India”, according to the Institution of Engineers India (IEI). It stated that he is best known for his discourse “Planned Economy for India and Reconstructing India” which is the first of its kind to describe the country’s planning efforts. The 2017 theme is “Role of Engineers in a developing India”.

Notes:
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been honoured with Global Diversity Award at Britain’s House of Commons on September 15 for his outstanding contribution to Global Diversity. The Global Diversity Award is given to people of immense stature in terms of diversity in the world.

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India has signed a loan deal of $76 million with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a project to upgrade the environment management plan at Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yards. The total cost of the project will be $111 million, out of which $76 million will be provided as soft loan from JICA. Out of the remaining amount, $25 million as taxes and fees will be borne by Government of Gujarat and the balance $10 million will be shared by Ministry of Shipping and Government of Gujarat. The project will be executed by Gujarat Maritime Board and is likely to be completed by 2022. The project will help the Alang-Sosia ship-recycling yards to comply with international safety and environmental regulations. It will attract more business at the recycling facilities at Alang, thereby further consolidating India’s share in the global ship-recycling industry. The project will also help in safeguarding the marine and coastal environment.

Notes:
Harry Dean Stanton (91), the veteran American actor, musician, and singer, has passed away in Los Angeles, United States on September 15, 2017. He was known for his roles in films like The Godfather II, Alien and Cool Hand Luke. The Kentucky-born star had a career which spanned more than six decades, appearing in dozens of films, including 1984’s Paris, Texas. More recently, he appeared in the hit HBO show Big Love, and this year’s revival of the cult classic Twin Peaks: The Return, a continuation of David Lynch’s 1990–92 television series.

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The Hyderabad team have won the 2017 Kalpathi AGS – Buchi Babu All-India Invitation cricket tournament. In the final at Chennai on September 15, they defeated TNCA President’s XI by 8 wickets.

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The book ‘Unstoppable: My Life So Far’ has been authored by tennis star Maria Sharapova. The book talks about Sharapova’s rise from nowhere to tennis stardom and the unending fight to stay on top. The book tells how a seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova became an overnight sensation by defeating the two-time defending champion Serena Williams to win the prestigious Wimbledon.

Notes:
The International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed every year on September 16 to mark the commemoration of the date of signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 on substances that deplete the Ozone layer. It is mainly intended to spread awareness of the depletion of the Ozone Layer and search for solutions to preserve it. The 2017 theme ‘Caring for all life under the sun’. The Ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas which protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun and thus helping preserve life on the planet. Substances like Chlorofluorocarbons, halons, Carbontetrachloride are responsible for ozone layer depletion.

Notes:
The Indravati National Park (INP) is located in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and covers an area of 1,258.37 square kilometers. The park has one of the last populations of the endangered wild Asian buffalo. It is also home to a variety of other ungulate species such as Indian bison, nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dholes, etc.