July 2nd Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test

Economist and former Indian Administrative Service officer N K Singh is the Chairperson of the 15th Finance Commission. Recently, the Finance Commission has decided to form a group to develop a mechanism to incentivise states for carrying out the agricultural reforms that were announced as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package. The group consists of Finance Commission member Ramesh Chand, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and Agriculture, Research and Education Secretary T Mahapatra.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders have met during the recent annual summit held via video conference. ASEAN is a regional association with 10 member countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Brunei, Laos). The Chair of ASEAN in 2020 is Vietnam, which hosted the virtual summit due to travel restrictions amid the COVID–19 pandemic.

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal has launched the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) scheme. The scheme has been launched as a part of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”. It is claimed to generate a total investment of Rs 35,000 crore and generate 9 lakh skilled and semi–skilled employment. The scheme would benefit 8 lakh units through access to information, training and better exposure.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, headquartered at Vienna, Austria. According to the latest UNODC World Drug Report, about 26.9 crore people used drugs in 2018, which was 30% more than the 2009 count. The largest share of drug users comprised of adolescents and young adults. Overall opioid users in India is estimated to have increased five times, as compared to those in 2004.

Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has laid the foundation stone for “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. The centre is being constructed with the cost of Rs 92 crore by Union Minority Affairs Ministry under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK). This community centre will be utilized for various socio–economic–cultural activities, skill development training and relief activities.

The state government of Maharashtra has launched the world’s largest convalescent plasma therapy project named PLATINA, for treating COVID–19. This is expected to save at least 500 lives of critically–ill COVID–19 patients in the state. The trial will be carried out in government medical colleges and BMC medical colleges. All critical patients will receive two doses of 200 ml of convalescent plasma under the project, free of cost.

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor C Rangarajan has been conferred with the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to statistics. The award has been given to him on the occasion of Statistics Day, which is celebrated on June 29 every year, to commemorate the birth anniversary of PC Mahalanobis, the ‘father of Indian statistics’. C Rangarajan had served as the Chairman of the National Statistical Commission.

The Government of India has banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, UC Browser among others, by invoking its power under Section 69A of Information Technology (IT) Act. As per the statement from the Information Technology Ministry, the applications are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India and public order. The Government has arranged talks with some firms including TikTok, after the ban was imposed.

National Statistics Day is observed on June 29 every year in India. This year it was celebrated through virtual conference with the theme of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well–being for all at all ages) and SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls). The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation instituted a new award ‘Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis National Award in Official Statistics’, which was conferred upon Former RBI Governor C Rangarajan. ‘Prof. P.V. Sukhatme National Award in Statistics 2020’ was given to Dr Arvind Pandey and Dr. Akhilesh Chandra Kulshreshtha.

Union Defence Ministry (MoD) has launched a new portal to issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) for power projects and Research Survey Exploration Exploitation (RSEE) activities in the Indian Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zone. The newly developed MoD web portal will facilitate the applicants in submitting their proposals online for seeking MoD Security Clearance for undertaking Power Projects/RSEE activities. The Online System will establish an effective, speedy and transparent mechanism to process these proposals. The Ministry has earlier launched a similar portal for grant of NOC for aerial survey

 The World Bank has approved USD 250 million loan for affordable housing projects of Tamil Nadu. The Government of India, state government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank has signed legal agreements regarding the project.  Out of the total loan, $200 million is approved for First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme and $50 million for Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project. It aims to ease regulatory barriers and encourage private sector participation in affordable housing.

 Kholongchhu is the first joint venture hydroelectric project between India and Bhutan. A concession agreement for project was recently signed virtually. This agreement will commence the construction and related works of the project, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025. The 600 MW project is located on the Kholongchhu River in eastern Bhutan. It will be implemented by Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited, a JV company formed between DGPC of Bhutan and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) of India.

 Wisden has named Ravindra Jadeja as ‘India’s Most Valuable Test Player of the 21st Century’. He is also named as the second most Valuable Test player in the world. The list is topped by Sri Lanka’s legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralithatan.  Wisden used CricViz, a detailed analysis tool in cricket to analyse performance of the players and award an ‘MVP rating’ to each player in world cricket. The 31 year old India’s spin–bowling all–rounder has scored an MVP rating of 97.3.

 According to a study published in the US science journal PNAS, researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic. The G4 flu is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. As per the China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, G4 was observed to be highly infectious, replicating in human cells and causing more serious symptoms. More researches are being carried out on ferrets.

 Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has unveiled National Anti–Doping Agency’s first mobile application to provide information about prohibited substances and their use. This application is expected to provide easily accessible information of NADA, so that the athletes and their coaches would remain cautious about the prohibited drugs and medicines. The app also provides means for easy process of conducting a dope test.

 A MoU was recently signed between Indian Oil, NTPC Ltd and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), to develop a demonstration Waste–to–energy Plant at Okhla landfill site in Delhi. The plant is to be developed using Gasification technology and it shall process 17500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from combustible components of Municipal Waste. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh were present during the virtual event.

 International Zinc Association (IZA) has launched Asia’s first–ever Continuous Galvanized Rebar (CGR) manufacturing facility in Punjab. The project would be supported by Hindustan Zinc Limited. It has been launched in collaboration with a private manufacturing company Madhav KRG Group. The new product called Continuously Galvanized Rebars (CGR) are value added rebars for better life and lower maintenance. Rebar is the short form of Reinforced Bar.

 An Artificial Intelligence enabled digital platform of the Indian Government named MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards at the Global Leadership Summit, CogX 2020.  The helpdesk bagged two awards under categories namely “Best Innovation for Covid–19 – Society” and “People’s Choice Covid–19 Overall Winner”. CogX 2020 is a prestigious Global Festival of AI & Emerging Technology held annually in London.

 The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is set to launch a cashless scheme for road accident victims. The Ministry is to establish a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund under its aegis, for implementing the scheme. It will have an insurance coverage cap of Rs 2.5 lakh per case and enables all road accident victims of Indian or foreign nationality, to be eligible.

 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a national level committee for reform in criminal law. The committee is to be headed by Ranbir Singh, who is the Vice Chancellor, National Law University of Delhi. The committee has many veteran legal academicians and it has invited opinions online on the possible reforms in the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act.

 India celebrates National Doctor’s Day on July 1 each year, in honour of the birth and death anniversary of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was a veteran physician of the country and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. Indian Government established the Doctor’s Day in the year of 1991. This year, the theme of the day is “Lessen the mortality of COVID–19”.

 Veteran diplomat Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva. The Indian Foreign Service officer is currently serving as an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is to succeed the current representative hRajiv K Chander in Geneva. I.M Pandey had served in several places including Cairo, Islamabad and Kabul among others.

 The state of Kerala has recently announced a project named “Dream Kerala”, for rehabilitation of its people returning from abroad. The project also aims for enhancing works for the overall development of the State. It aims to deploy the skills and knowledge for reviving the economy of the state. Ideas and suggestions from public will be invited and several departments would be jointly coordinating the project.

 The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a new scheme called ‘Accelerate Vigyan’. It aims to provide a single exclusive platform for research internships and science workshops across the country. It also aims to encourage high–end scientific research and research careers. Several programmes to identify research potential, training programmes are to be carried out across the country.

 The state Government of Madhya Pradesh is set to launch a new scheme called ‘Hamara Ghar–Hamara Vidyalaya’. It means My Home–My school and the scheme aims to teach the school–going children, in a school–like environment. Under the scheme, the children of the state will learn to read and write and perform yoga, as per the State Education Centre.

 The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched the world’s first online Diploma and Bachelor of Science Degree in Data Science and programming. The course has no age limit and students who have passed class 12 can enrol. The course will be conducted online and its exams will be conducted in an offline mode. The course has three levels including the foundation, diploma and degree and it is divided into six semesters.

 The Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution implements the “PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana” scheme. The Minister for Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan has recently released the details of the 2nd Phase of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Under the scheme, 5 kilograms of Wheat or Rice to every family member and 1 kilogram of Chana (Pulse) for each beneficiary family will be provided without price for five more months, till November.

 Pulitzer Prize–winning Indian–American author and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee has been named as the ‘2020 Great Immigrants’ honourees by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Another Indian American Professor of Economics at Harvard University Raj Chetty also jointly received the honour. They have been honoured for their contribution towards the efforts in containing the COVID–19 crisis.

 The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has recently inaugurated an urban forest, in the Union Territory of New Delhi. The urban forest is created with as many as 12,000 seedlings of 59 indigenous species.  It is developed at the Office premises of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is expected to form into a full–fledged forest by 2021 and will improve the Air Quality Index of the UT.

 The Union Territory of Delhi has announced that a plantation drive called ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’ (Plant Saplings, Save Environment). As per the Environment Ministry, Delhi is to launch a 17 day long plantation drive of 31 lakh saplings, to increase the green cover to 350 sq km by 2021. The aim of the drive is to create awareness about increasing green cover to reduce pollution in the UT. The period of the drive will be observed as “Vrikshaaropan Pakhavaada”.

 Lepidopterists, those who specialises in studying moths and butterflies, have recently discovered two new species of butterflies namely Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince in Arunachal Pradesh. The Striped Hairstreak was first recorded in Japan and the Elusive Prince was discovered in Vietnam. As per the Society for Education and Environmental Development (SEED), the discovery of two new species have increased the number of butterfly species of the country to 1327.

 The World Bank has recently announced that it has enhanced its support for India’s flagship program to rejuvenate Ganga River. World Bank would provide a USD 400 million assistance to the program, which will help reduce pollution and strengthen river basin management. The Second National Ganga River Basin Project (SNGRBP) will support the government’s Namami Gange program. The loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.

 The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is set to replace the 25–year–old NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). The renegotiated deal comes into effect from July 1.  USMCA is a trilateral agreement between three countries namely the United States, Mexico and Canada. The deal was originally signed in 2018. It seeks to support the technology sector and include USD 600 million to address environmental problems.

 Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan have jointly launched the online competition to identify drugs against coronavirus. The competition is named “Drug Discovery Hackathon” 2020. Students, researchers and experts from across the country and the world can participate in the event, to submit their discoveries on potential drugs. While HRD Innovation cell and AICTE will identify potential drug, CSIR will conduct synthesis and laboratory testing.

 Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister has launched toolkit for the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2021. MoHUA organises the annual survey for urban India. As part of Swachh Survekshan–2021, the Minister launched a new category of awards titled ‘Prerak Dauur Samman’. The award has a total of five sub–categories which awards top three cities, on the basis of six indicator–wise performance criteria.

 The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has released its report on the Annual Marine Fish Landings in India for 2019. As per the report, the marine fish production of India recorded a marginal rise of 2.1% in 2019, with 3.56 million tonnes in total landings. It also ranked Tamil Nadu in the first position with 7.75 lakh tonnes. It is followed by Gujarat and Kerala.

 Every year, July 2 is celebrated as World Sports Journalists Day or International Sports Journalists Day. The day also recognises the importance of sports journalists around the world. It marks the anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) that was established in 1924 during the Paris Olympics. AIPS is the peak professional body representing the international sports media.

 Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Mars Orbiter Mission has recently captured the image of Phobos. Phobos is the closest and biggest moon of Mars, which has been captured by the Mars Colour Camera (MCC) onboard the MoM spacecraft. The image was taken when the spacecraft was about 7,200 km from Mars and 4,200 km from Phobos.

 The President of France Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the next French Prime Minister. The previous Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had resigned earlier. The President has reshuffled the Government to restart the country’s economy. Jean Castex is a 55 year old public servant, who has also coordinated the re–opening strategy in the country.

 Two Central public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Coal, namely the NLC India Ltd and Coal India have signed an agreement to form a Joint Venture Company, to develop green power. The JV company aims to develop solar and thermal power assets of 5000 MW (5 GW) across the country. In the proposed company, both the enterprises will invest in the ratio of 50:50. The expertise of both PSUs would be used for developing power sector.

 The Vice President of India is set to launch the first social media super–application of the country named ‘Elyments’. More than 1000 IT professionals have created the application. The application, that will be available in more than 8 Indian languages, aims to combine the features of popular social media applications and present it on a single unified app. It also has features such as free audio and video calls and chats.

 Veteran diplomat Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva. The Indian Foreign Service officer is currently serving as an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is to succeed the current representative hRajiv K Chander in Geneva. I.M Pandey had served in several places including Cairo, Islamabad and Kabul among others.

 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has deployed 120 Mobile Medical Vans named ‘Dhanvantri Rath’ across the city. It is a mobile van that provides non–COVID essential healthcare services to every household of the corporation.  Every van has an AYUSH Doctor, a paramedic and nursing staff and a local Medical Officer from the Corporation’s Urban Health Centre. It conducts regular out patient consultations.

 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech for development of potential COVID–19 vaccine called Covaxin. The Drugs Controller General of India has granted permission to conduct phase–1 and 2 human clinical trials. Recently, ICMR has announced that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted standards to develop the vaccine.

 International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. This year, it is observed on July 4, 2020. The theme of the International Day of Cooperatives 2020 is Cooperatives for Climate Action. The objective of the day is to create awareness about cooperatives and highlight the contributions of the cooperative movement to the development of the world.

 Himachal Pradesh has recently become the first state in the country to provide LPG connections to all its households. The state has been implementing ‘Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana’ scheme for implementing this objective. Under the scheme, around 2.76 lakh families in the state have benefitted by receiving LPG connections. The state also implemented Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana to provide free LPG connection to BPL families.

 The state government of Odisha is set to launch a new financial assistance scheme called ‘Balaram Yojana’. It is a sequel to the ‘KALIA’ scheme, which was launched with an aim to provide assistance to small and marginal farmers. Under the new scheme, the state will provide crop loans to 7 lakh landless sharecroppers in the state, through joint liability groups (JLGs) in the next two years.

 The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Asia’s largest solar plant in the state. The 750 MW Rewa Ultra–Mega Solar plant would be inaugurated through video conferencing.

 India and Afghanistan have recently signed five agreements for developing educational infrastructure in Afghanistan. The MoUs, that were signed under the High impact community development projects (HICDP) programme. It is implemented by India to promote bilateral partnership. The educational infrastructure is to be improved in four Afghan provinces of Nooristan, Badakhshan, Farah and Kapisa.

 Indian Railways has set up a solar power plant, for the first time in the world, which directly provides power to the Railway Overhead Line, in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL). Such a solar power plant has been established at Bina Traction Sub Station, Madhya Pradesh. The 1.7 Megawatt solar power plant can produce around 25 lakh units of energy in a year and save about Rs 1.37 crore per year.