Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 28, 2023

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

• The Chinese navy has said that it is using the world’s most powerful coil gun.

ABOUT COIL GUN

• It is a type of electromagnetically powered weapon capable of launching projectiles with very high speed and accuracy.
• These are also known as magnetic accelerators or Gauss guns.
• Working-
  • Coil guns feature a series of coils arranged along the barrel of the gun, each one constituting a stage.
  • Each coil is energised one after another to create a magnetic field that can levitate and propel a projectile forward.
  • The projectile typically stays suspended in the centre of the coil during launch.
• Repeated firings do not cause wear on components.
• Advantages – higher launch speeds, lower launch costs, and shorter preparation time, compared to traditional artillery.
• Applications in areas such as weapon systems, near-earth satellites and high-speed missile launches.

ANSWER: D

• Ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) recently announced the India Smart Cities Award Contest (ISAC) under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), that felicitated 66 winners in various categories.
• The ISAC 2022 award had a two-stage submission process consisting of ‘Qualifying Stage’, which involved overall assessment of the city’s performance, and the ‘Proposal Stage’ which required the smart cities to submit their nominations for six award categories.
• A total of 845 nominations were received for ISAC 2022 from 80 qualifying smart cities.
• Winners included-
  • Indore won the national smart city award,
  • Madhya Pradesh received the state award and Chandigarh received the UT award.
  • Coimbatore – built environment,
  • Ahmedabad for the culture and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) category,
  • Jabalpur for economy,
  • Chandigarh for governance and mobility,
  • Indore for sanitation, water and urban environment,
  • Vadodara for social aspects,
  • Hubbali Dharwad for the innovative idea category and
  • Surat for Covid innovation category.

ANSWER: A

• The Ministry of Defence signed a groundbreaking contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), a state-owned company based in Visakhapatnam, for the acquisition of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS).
• The overall cost of this venture is estimated to be approximately ₹19,000 crore.
• These vessels, weighing an impressive 44,000 tonnes each, are equipped to provide essential resources such as fuel, water, ammunition, and supplies to naval fleets on extended missions.
• The Fleet Support Ships (FSS) will serve a crucial role in maritime operations by facilitating the replenishment of ships at sea.
• They can be deployed for evacuation of people and Human Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)

ANSWER: A

• The Prime minister of India was recently conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by Greek President Katerina N. Sakellaropoulou in Athens.
• The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour is conferred by the president of Greece to prime ministers and eminent personalities who by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.
• The Order of Honour was established in 1975.
• This is the second-highest civilian honour in Greece.
• The head of goddess Athena is depicted on the front side of the Star with the inscription “ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS SHOULD BE HONOURED”.

ANSWER: D

• Gujarat State Board for Wildlife (GSBWL) recently deferred a decision on a proposal of the Gujarat State Minerals Development Corporation (GSDMA) seeking more land for “removing manganese dump” from the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Spread over 38 square kilometres, the Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected dry, deciduous forest.
• Flora– Teak, mahua and bamboo
• Faunal species- wild boars, nilgais (blue bull), jackals, hyenas, barking deer, sloth bears, and chausinghas (four-horned antelope) and leopards.
• It was established in 1989, but the status of a wildlife sanctuary was given only in May 1990.

ANSWER: C

• Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon (retd) has been appointed as the chairperson of the Board of Governors (BoG) of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, for a period of three years commencing August 25.
• Lt Gen Dhillon commanded the 15 Corps during the period when the Balakote air strikes took place in February 2019 and at the time of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in August 2019.

ANSWER: A

• The age-old vernacular architecture of the hills — created out of local materials with simple, sustainable building techniques — has endured against the incessant rainfall the state has faced this season.
• Vernacular architecture is “spontaneous, uncultivated, anonymous, indigenous and popular”.
• It is a built environment that is based on local needs; defined by the availability of materials indigenous to the particular region; and it reflects local traditions and cultural practices.

ABOUT KATH-KUNI TECHNIQUE

• For bigger buildings like palaces or temple complexes, an ingenious structural system called kath-kuni — that had an alternate layering of wood and stone — was employed.
• This indigenous style of construction evolved in the western Himalayas.
• In the kath-kuni style, a mesh of interlocking horizontal deodar sleepers is created into which dressed or raw stones are packed without any mortar.
• Examples–
  • The iconic ancient structures like the Bhimakali temple complex in Sarahan are prime examples of the kath-kuni technique.
  • It was constructed by the rulers of the Bushahr dynasty.
  • Around 800 years old, the temple is dedicated to the great female power, Bhimakali, and has survived numerous earthquakes owing to its structural resilience.
  • Also, Raja Sidh Singh got the Naggar Castle built near Kullu about five centuries ago in the same kath-kuni technique. It withstood the massive earthquake in 1905. The resilience lies in the flexibility of dry masonry and alternate layers of wood beams without any cementing material.