GK & Current Affairs Quiz: September 23-24, 2017

Notes:
Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has launched a nation-wide ‘Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat’ at Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat on September 23, 2017. The new scheme is a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. The purpose of the LPG Panchayat is to spread awareness among the LPG users about how to properly use the clean fuel and its many benefits. Under the scheme, one lakh LPG Panchayats will be activated across the country during the next one and a half years. The idea of this platform is to trigger a discussion through sharing of personal experiences on the benefits of use of clean fuel compared to traditional fuels like cowdung, charcoal or wood. India has over 21 crore LPG connections, with 51% reach in the rural areas and nearly 100% penetration across the urban centres.

Notes:
The 9-day Bathukamma festival is a colourful and vibrant festival of Telangana that has started on September 20, 2017. This fest is celebrated by women with flowers that grow exclusively in each region. This festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity. On this occasion, the Telangana government has began free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line.

Notes:
M C Mary Kom, the five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist, has become the first Indian to be picked as the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes’ Forum scheduled in November 2017. She has been invited to attend the 8th International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Forum in Lausanne from November 11th to 13th. Regarding to this, AIBA has sent an invitation letter to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). However, the event overlaps with the Asian Championship in Vietnam, which is scheduled from November 2 to 12. If Mary Kom is selected for the tournament after trials later this month, her participation at the IOC event would become uncertain.

Notes:
Jagat Prakash Nadda, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, has inaugurated a 5-day multi-media exhibition “Naya Bharat-Hum Karke Rahenge” in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on September 23, 2017. It is the 36th such exhibition organized in the country. The purpose of the exhibition is to aware common people on the different central sponsored schemes through photographs and video clips, so that the people can take benefit from the schemes. The exhibition was organized by Housing and Urban Development Corporation with the help of Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.

Notes:
Jayantilal Barot (75), the senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, has passed away on September 23, 2017. He was ex-chairman of Gujrat Housing Board and former Chairman of Gujarat Backward Classes Development Corporation.

Notes:
The joint military training exercise “Panda-Kangaroo 2017” was held between Chinese and Australian ground forces in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, from September 10 to 20. The exercise is an important platform for enhancing the mutual understanding and trust and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. This is the first joint training held in China by Chinese and Australian armies. The two ground forces have conducted such joint training in 2015 and 2016 in Australia.

Notes:
The Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located in the Kodagu district, Karnataka and is part of the Western Ghats. It covers an area of 181.80 square kilometres. The area has mainly evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, and in the higher altitudes, there are grasslands with shola forest patches. Bamboos are well represented in these forests. It is home to mammals such as lion-tailed macaque, elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, leopard cat, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig and sambar. Also around 300 species of birds have been observed here over the years include emerald dove, black bulbul and Malabar trogon.

Notes:
Abdul Majid (86), the famous actor, Director and writer, has passed away in Guwahati, Assam on September 24, 2017. In 1975, Mr Majid had directed an award winning movie Chameli Memsaab. Over the years, he acted in several movies, tv serials and Theatre. The film fraternity of the state has condoled the demise of the veteran actor.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned $300 million loan facility to continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to bring about more accessible, affordable, and high quality public services. The new loan programme, which will be undertaken over two years, will carry forward reforms such as linking medium term expenditure plans to actual budgets, supported by strengthening internal audit system, and enhancements in the integrated financial management system (IFMS). Other activities under the program include improved tax monitoring and continued support for information technology systems in strengthening tax and land administration.

Notes:
Dabur India has tied up with e-commerce major Amazon for an online ayurveda marketplace which will house all ayurvedic brands and products of the country. The company will also offer consumers an insight into various ayurvedic medicines for treating a variety of ailments. Products of other ayurvedic manufacturing companies like Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali and Himalaya would also feature on the marketplace.