Current Affairs Quiz- September, 2019

Notes:
IIT Kharagpur has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a National Artificial Intelligence Resource Portal (NAIRP) to promote learning and development in the artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of the portal is to make the search for AI learning resources simpler and more accessible to learners, practitioners and researchers in India. The initiative has got funding from the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MoHRD), as part of the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) project which is being spearheaded by the premier institute. NAIRP will index a wide variety of AI-specific learning materials and allow interested candidates access to different resources for converting concepts into working modules.

Notes:
In football, India won the 2019 SAFF under-15 title by defeating Nepal by 7-0 in the final at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal. This victory meant that India are now the most successful team in the tournament’s history — winning the title for a record 3rd time after previous wins in 2013 and 2017.

Notes:
Asian Games gold medallist shotputter Tejinderpal Singh Toor clinched a silver with a best throw of 20.09m in his last attempt during an athletic meet at Decin, Czech Republic. Tajinder was awarded with the 2019 Arjuna Award. Though, he couldn’t meet the World Championship standard but his efforts were good enough to earn him a silver at the event.

Notes:
Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahalad Singh Patel has inaugurated the first-ever architectural LED illumination at the historic Qutb Minar in New Delhi. With the illumination, the architectural beauty of the 12th century monument will display its historic magesty after sunset. The new illumination comprises lighting that accentuates the silhouette of the monument with the interplay of light and shade. The duration of illumination will be from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM daily with a monthly cost of Rs16,615/- which comes out merely to Rs 1,99,388/- for a year. The aim to illuminate the historic monuments is to showcase monuments during late evenings & to enhance the visitor experience. The Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site & is one of most visited historical site in the national capital.

Notes:
The World Resources Institute (WRI) has recently released a report titled “Reducing Food Loss and Waste” with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. The report has quantified global food wastage — nearly one-third of the food i.e. produced each year goes uneaten, costing the global economy over $940 billion. The uneaten food is responsible for emitting about 8% of planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Some of these actions include developing national strategies for food loss and waste reduction, creating national public-private partnerships, launch supply chain initiatives, reducing small-holder losses and shifting consumer social norms. The WRI is a global research non-profit organization that was established in 1982 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation under the leadership of James Gustave Speth. Its headquarters is located at Washington, United States.

Notes:
Ashok Leyland has become the first Indian Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to meet the Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms across its full range of heavy-duty trucks with gross vehicle weight of 16.2 tonnes and above. The company has recently received certificates from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) confirming compliance with BS-VI emission standard. ARAI is an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, which offers comprehensive certification and homologation services for all kinds of vehicles. As per Supreme Court ruling, no BS-IV vehicle will be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. Instead, the BS-VI emission norm will come into force across the country. Ashok Leyland is a flagship company of the Hinduja Group and is the India’s 2nd largest commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Notes:
The 19-year-old Canadian teen Bianca Andreescu has become the first teen to reach US Open semi-finals in a decade since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. To spot in the final, she defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens  by 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Andreescu could become the first teen to win a Grand Slam title since Maria Sharapova captured the 2006 US Open and she would be the youngest US Open champion since Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2004.

Notes:
The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has partnered with State Bank of India (SBI) for direct transfer of benefits electronically into bank accounts of all stakeholders. As per pact, SBI will provide e-payment services directly to bank accounts of all ESIC beneficiaries and payees without any manual intervention as an integrated and automated process. The bank would provide e-payment integration with the enterprise resource planning processes of ESIC through its cash management product e-payment technology platform. The e-payment integration would effect statutory benefit payments to ESIC beneficiaries as well as other payees on real time basis, reducing time lags and delays and at the same time, help eliminate mistakes and errors caused by repetitive and manual data entries. 

Notes:
Kiran Nagarkar (77), the acclaimed English-Marathi novelist and playwright, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 5th September 2019. He was known for his works  such as ”Saat Sakkam Trechalis” (Seven Sixes Are Forty Three) (1974), ”Ravan and Eddie” (1994) and the epic English novel ”Cuckold” (1997). He  released his latest novel ”Jasoda” in November 2017.

Notes:
In New Delhi, the national conference on ‘India-Africa Partnership in a Changing Global Order–Priorities, Prospects and Challenges’ was organized by Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The ICWA is devoted exclusively for the study of international relations and foreign affairs.  It is also a member of the United Nations Academic Impact, The Vice President of India is the ex-officio President of ICWA, while the Minister of External Affairs is its Vice-President. It headquarters is located in National capital.