Daily Current Affairs Quiz: September 14,2021

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

• The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of the finest last stands in the military history of the world.
• Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. The two forts in the rugged North West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan, were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British.
  • Saragarhi helped to link up the two important forts which housed a large number of British troops in the rugged terrain of NWFP.
• Twenty-one soldiers were pitted against over 8,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals but they managed to hold the fort for seven hours on September 12^th, 1897.
  • Though Saragarhi was usually manned by a platoon of 40 soldiers, on that fateful day, it was being held by only 21 soldiers from 36^thSikh Regiment (now 4^th Sikh in Indian Army) and a non-combatant called Daad, a Pashtun who did odd jobs for the troops.
• Though heavily outnumbered, the soldiers of 36^thSikhs, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, fought till their last breath, killing 200 tribals and injuring 600.
• In 2017, the Punjab government decided to observe Saragarhi Day on 12^thSeptember as a holiday.
• Even today the Khyber Scouts regiment of the Pakistani army mounts a guard and salutes the Saragarhi memorial close to Fort Lockhart.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

British government has announced to introduce legislation in 2021, under which all the newly built homes and offices will require to feature electric vehicle chargers in England.

About:

• Under the legislation, all new homes and offices will be required to feature smart charging devices which can automatically charge vehicles during off-peak periods.
• According to it, new office blocks will require to install a charging point for every five parking spaces.
• This law will make England the first country in the world, that require all new homes to have EV chargers.
• The legislation is part of the movement that seeks to rapidly boost the number of chargers in England ahead of UK’s 2030 ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles.
• Home and office EV charger proposal is expected to start in 2022.

Significance of the legislation

This legislation will help in boosting confidence and help those who transition from gas cars in overcoming the range anxiety because many homes in England do not have off-street parking or garages.

Background

The government originally announced to mandate that all new homes have a charge point with the parking space in 2019.

UK’s 2030 ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles

United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had recently announced to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles from 2030, nothing the future of personal mobility on electric vehicles. The ban on gasoline vehicles had initially been proposed for 2040. But it has been brought forward by ten years under the ten-point plan of UK of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Hybrid vehicles would be phased out by 2035.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

The Swarnim Vijay Varsh Mashaal or victory flame arrived at Dahung in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• Victory flame was moved throughout the country to the 50 years of victory over Pakistan during 1971 Indo-Pak War.
• It was received at Sessa, Arunachal Pradesh with full military honours.
• During escort of the victory flame to Dahung, cavalcade was ushered by locals with enthusiasm and deep sense of gratitude towards the gallant soldiers who fought and lost their lives during the 1971 War.
• In the coming days, it will tour Rupa, Bomdi La and Tawang and will remain with the Ball of Fire Division till September 23, 2021 to participate in several events that has been planned to commemorate the 50 years of war with Pakistan as well as liberation of Bangladesh.

About Swarnim Vijay Mashaal

The ‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’ or the ‘victory flame’ symbolises India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 Swarnim Vijay Varsh. This flame was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16, 2020 from the National War Memorial in New Delhi. At the National War Memorial, four victory flames were lit from the eternal flame and are being carried throughout the cities and villages in India. It also moved through the villages of Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardees of 1971 war.

1971 India-Pakistani War

It was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan. The war was fought from December 3, 1971 till December 16, 1971, resulting into the fall of Dacca (Dhaka). It lasted for just 13 days and is the shortest wars in history.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

Colexion, largest licenced NFT (non-fungible tokens) platform, announced the formal public launch.

About:
Colexion is a NFT platform for Sports, Entertainment & Art.

• NFTs are the next billion-dollar evolution that clearly states that digital ecosystem of sport, entertainment & art is perhaps the biggest thing to happen in upcoming years.
• Collectors and investors worldwide own collections of varied set of memorabilia which have been appreciated much over decades.
• This platform will soon enable the users to buy, sell and trade NFTs of their favourite superstars. It has also started a user pre-registration program.

What is Colexion?

Colexion is an NFT trading and community platform. It provides users with trade, purchase, and interactive activities. It will feature NFT collections of global stars. Through this platform, users would be able to buy different tiers of blind boxes and own celebrity’s limited NFT collections. Each NFT collectible comprise of a unique record on the blockchain. Users will obtain ownership of this unique NFT collectible by purchasing it on the platform or trading on the Colexion marketplace. Colexion will accept general payment methods like credit cards in order to make it easy for mainstream consumers to participate.

Feature on Colexion

Colexion will feature stars from field like sports, arts, entertainment, and other industries celebrities. Global sports stars will be the main partners in initial phase of the launch.

Aim of the Colexion

Colexion has been launched with the aim of creating a significant entrance to virtual reality by means of NFT collections, trading, and community platforms. It will bring the Novel technology world through NFT.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

Bhupendra Patel sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

About:

• He was sworn in by Governor Acharya Devvrat at the Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar.
• He took oath a day after he was elected as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader.
• Cabinet members will be sworn in later after party will decide the names.
• In the Cabinet, it is likely that larger representation will be given to the legislators from Saurashtra and north Gujarat where BJP expects to improve its prospects in the Assembly election of the state.

Who is Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel?

He is an Indian politician, chief minister of Gujarat and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is also a member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly and represents Ghatlodia constituency. He was born in July 1962 to a Gujarati Kadava Patidar family of Ahmedabad. He completed his Diploma in Civil Engineering from Government Polytechnic, Ahmedabad. He has also been associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He is a builder by profession and a trustee of Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra. He is also the chairman of the standing committee of Vishwa Umiya Foundation. He follows Akram Vignan Movement, which was founded by Dada Bhagwan.

Chief Minister of Gujarat

Bhupendra Patel became chief minister of Gujarat on September 13 after Vijay Rupani resigned from the post on September 11, 2021. He was elected as the BJP legislative party leader as well as Chief Minister elect of Gujarat.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

The International Day for South-South Cooperation is observed on September 12, every year by the United Nations.

About:

• The day highlights the efforts made by United Nations for cooperation among the developing countries.
• It is an initiative for the economic, social and political developments of the countries located in Southern region.

What is South-South Cooperation?

• Basically, the South-South cooperation refers to “technical cooperation” between developing countries in the Global South.
• Technical cooperation among countries of Global South started as a pioneering effort to strengthen diplomatic and international negotiating power among the nations, with the help of political dialogue.
• South-South collaboration helps the developing nations to share knowledge, expertise, skills, and resources in order to meet their development goals by concerted efforts.

Significance of the day

According to United Nations, for South-South Cooperation, this initiative clearly shows the solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes for well-being the wellbeing of the nation. It also shows the national & collective self-reliance of the people and attainment of internationally agreed development goals as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Buenos Aire Plan of Action (BAPA)

The day also commemorates the adoption of “Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA). BAPA was adopted in 1978 to promote and implement technical cooperation among developing countries by 138 member states.

Objectives of South-South Cooperation

South-South Cooperation was started with the objective of:

1. Enhancing self-reliance among developing countries and finding out creative solutions for their development problems.
2. Promoting self-reliance by exchanging experiences.
3. Recognising and responding to the problems and requirements of the least developed countries in order to enable them to achieve a greater degree of participation in international economic activities.

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

The preliminary design for the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA)-Mk2 and the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) has been completed.

About LCA-Mk2

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk2 is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft designed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Payload Capacity: It is a 1,350 mm longer aircraft. It can carry a payload of 6,500 kg compared to the 3,500 kg the LCA can carry.

Features: The aircraft features enhanced range and endurance, including an onboard oxygen generation system, which is being integrated for the first time.

About Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft(AMCA)

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft(AMCA) is a fifth-generation indigenous fighter aircraft designed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

Payload Capacity: It will be a 25-tonne aircraft with a payload capacity of 1,500 kg internally and a 5,500-kg external payload.

Features:

 The aircraft will have stealth and non-stealth configurations. It will be developed in two phases, AMCA Mk1 with an existing GE414 engine and an AMCA Mk2 with an advanced more powerful engine to be developed later along with a foreign partner.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

Prime Minister has paid homage to Mahakavi Subramania Bharati on his 100th Death Anniversary.

About Subramania Bharati

Subramania Bharati was a poet, freedom fighter and social reformer from Tamil Nadu. He was known as Mahakavi Bharathiyar which means a great poet.

His songs on nationalism and freedom of India helped to rally the masses to support the Indian Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu.

Examples: “Kannan Pattu” “Nilavum Vanminum Katrum” “Panchali Sabatham” “Kuyil Pattu” are examples of Bharathi’s great poetic output. He also published the sensational “Sudesa Geethangal” in 1908.

Bharati as a Journalist

He began his career as a journalist and as a sub-editor in “Swadesamitran” in 1904.

He edited and published the weekly journal “India”, which was the first paper in Tamil Nadu to publish political cartoons. He also published and edited a few other journals like “Vijaya”.

Bharthi as a social reformer

Bharati was against the caste system. He declared that there were only two castes-men and women and nothing more than that.

He condemned certain Shastras that denigrate women. Furthermore, he believed in the equality of humankind and criticised many preachers for mixing their personal prejudices while teaching the Gita and the Vedas.

He also opposed child marriage, dowry and supported widow remarriage.