GK & Current Affairs Quiz: September 23, 2019

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga have jointly unveiled a golden statue of Lord Buddha at Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar through video-conferencing in New Delhi. The monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. Built in the mid 19th century, Gandan is the only monastery where Buddhist services continued to function even during the Communist period.

Notes:
Kerala will host the India’s first-ever trans art festival titled “Varnapakitt-2019”.  In it, talented transgender members will get a platform to showcase their artistic and creative skills. As part of the art festival, the state government has  also invited applications for cash awards from 10 transgenders who have proved their excellence in various social fields except cinema. The 2-day event is considered to be the first such state-sponsored art festival to be organized exclusively for transgenders in the country. 

Notes:
The book titled “Being Gandhi” has been authored by award-winning author Paro Anand. This new book will mark the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by looking beyond the leader and his politics and into his way of life.  It explores “not Gandhi the man or his life as a leader, but really the Gandhian way that must remain relevant to us”.

Notes:
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)  has decided to launch a new public-private partnership scheme – National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) – using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make learning more personalized and customized as per the learner’s requirements. The scheme is expected to begin operations by early November 2019 & aims to harness technology for better learning outcomes in higher education. The start-ups which join the government platform must offer 25% free coupons for students from disadvantaged communities.

Notes:
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, who played a key role in negotiating the Rafale deal, has been appointed the new Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He will take charge from the incumbent Chief B S Dhanoa on September 30 on his superannuation.