Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
On 9th August National Traders Day is observed in India on the foundation day of Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, addressed the traders on the occasion of this day. He said that the traders should undertake customer awareness campaign to make them buy goods which are made in India. The traders also contribute towards the government’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign.

Notes:
PM Narendra Modi has chaired UNSC High-Level Open Debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security” Stressing on enhancing maritime security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th August, 2021 called for peaceful settlement of disputes as per international law and for jointly combating maritime threats posed by non-state actors as he chaired a high-level UN Security Council open debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation” via video conferencing. PM Narendra Modi is the first Indian PM to chair UNSC meet.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 8, 2021 announced a National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils, including palm oil, as he stressed on reducing the dependence on imports. He said over Rs 11,000 crore will be invested in the edible oil ecosystem. India is dependent on imports of edible oil to meet the domestic demand. Of the total imports, palm oil constitutes about 55%.

Notes:
Grameen Foundation India (GFI) launched the Tech4Inclusion challenge for augmented reality-based solutions to advance financial literacy and inclusion. Grameen Foundation India is a social impact organization, working on financial inclusion, agriculture-based livelihoods, and health initiatives with the mission to enable the poor, especially women to overcome poverty and hunger. The challenge invites technology startups working on cutting edge augmented reality/virtual reality technologies and encourages them to come up with innovative solutions to address the challenges in advancing digital and financial inclusion of low-income people, particularly women.

Notes:
The government of Maharashtra has announced about the introduction of Rajiv Gandhi Award for firms that are excelling in the Information Technology (IT) sector in the state. The awards have been named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Rajiv Gandhi Award for excellence in the IT sector will be conferred upon institutions and companies for their outstanding performance in the IT sector on August 20, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late Rajiv Gandhi. It will be conferred by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Maharashtra IT Corporation Limited (MAHA-IT) has been appointed as the nodal agency to propose the award.

Notes:
Kaziranga National Park has become the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones. Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua handed over 10 satellite phones to the forest personnel of the Kaziranga National Park. The satellite phones will be used in pockets of the park’s six ranges with no wireless or poor mobile connectivity. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority had procured the 10 satellite phones for Kaziranga at an estimated cost of Rs 16 lakh. The park authorities will bear the monthly expenses for the service provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

Notes:
SAP India and Microsoft has announced the launch of a joint skilling programme ‘TechSaksham’ for empowering young women students from underserved communities to build careers in technology. Through the joint initiative, SAP India and Microsoft aims to skill 62,000 women students in areas like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, web design and digital marketing. The programme will work in collaboration with the AICTE Training and Learning Academy-ATAL and state collegiate education departments to support the professional development of faculty at participating institutes.

Notes:
The International Left-Handers’ Day 2021 is celebrated every year on August 13. It is a way to acknowledge those who, unlike the majority of the population, are born left-handed. A considerable part of the population, almost 10-12% of the global population, consists of left-handers. There are people who are afraid of the left-side or left-handed people. This condition can take the form of a phobia and is known as Sinistrophobia.