July 3rd Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test

 As per the latest issue of a research newsletter on life forms ‘Bionotes’, a Himalayan butterfly named ‘Golden Birdwing’ is declared the largest butterfly of India. Until now, another butterfly named the Southern Birdwing holds the record of the country’s largest butterfly for 88 years, after a British military officer and butterfly researcher recorded it in 1932. The female Golden Birdwing has a wingspan of 194 mm, larger than that of the Southern Birdwing.

 Veteran bureaucrat Injeti Srinivas has been appointed as the first chairman of the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA). The IFSCA was recently established by the Finance ministry to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in the country. It is headquartered at Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City, Ahmedabad. The former Corporate affairs Secretary will head the IFSCA for three years.

 4. Which Indian state has launched its own document The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has adopted a new institutional and a commercial logo, to celebrate its 100 years of participation of Indian athletes at the Summer Olympics.  The previous institutional logo was adopted during the period of British rule in India and has been used till present. The new branding and visual identity have be

 The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has launched the state’s own document scanning application named ‘Self Scan’. The application has been developed by the state’s information technology department. This has been launched amidst the ban imposed by the Centre over 59 Chinese mobile apps. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the state’s first Plasma Bank for treatment of COVID–19 positive patients.

 As per the recent research report of National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Rajasthan has the highest count of inbred tigers in the country. Inbreeding refers to the process of producing offspring from breeding of individuals or genetically related organisms. Tigers have dispersed from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve to Sarika Tiger Reserve in Alwar and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota, and NCBS explained that these tigers are related.

 As per the latest World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the highest seizure of opium in 2018 was reported from Iran. About 644 tonnes of opium was seized in Iran, followed by 27 tonnes in Afghanistan and 19 tonnes in Pakistan. India is placed in the fourth place, with 4 tonnes. Moreover, in the list of heroin seizure India was at the 12th position in the world with 1.3 tonnes, which was also topped by Iran.

 World Zoonoses Day is celebrated on July 6 every year, to commemorate the work of the famous French biologist Louis Pasteur. On the same day in 1885, he successfully administered the first vaccine against the zoonotic disease rabies. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) jointly launched a report on the day titled ‘Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission’

 As per the recently published study by the scientists from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Lithium (Li) is produced in the Universe, by Sun like stars in their later life. IIA, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, has published the study in Nature Astronomy. Low mass stars like Sun produce Lithium during their Helium core burning phase, as per the scientists. This is the first time that a clear observational evidence has been provided.

 The state of Andhra Pradesh celebrates Farmer’s Day on the birth anniversary of its former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced that every year July 8 will be observed as ‘YSR Rythu Dinotsavam’ or Farmers Day. The former Andhra Pradesh CM and the father of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was known for his farmer–friendly schemes.

 A MoU has recently been signed between the Indian Coast Guard and Indonesia Coast Guard, to boost maritime relations. This agreement will enhance the partnership between the two countries in the fields of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue and pollution response. The Coast guards of the two countries would be engaged in exchange of information for reducing maritime crimes.

 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved to establish an Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore.  Under the scheme, loans amounting to Rs 1 lakh crore will be provided to Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Group (SHG), agriculture entrepreneurs, start–ups among others, to improve their infrastructure and logistics facilities. This fund is a part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced by Union Government

 The Union Cabinet has granted its approval for developing Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (AHRCs) for urban migrants and poor as a sub–scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY–U). Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has initiated an Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) sub scheme in May 2020. Nearly three lakh beneficiaries will be covered initially under the ARHC scheme.

 The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) was established by the Union Government in the year 2000. It works under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy (AYUSH).  Recently, NMPB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, NBPGR, to conserve Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources. The resources would be conserved in the National Gene bank and or at Regional Stations.

 A three–day virtual conference named ‘India Global Week 2020’ is being organised in the United Kingdom. The theme of the conference is “Be the Revival: India and a Better New World”. The inaugural address of the first day of the conference was delivered by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The conference is addressed by about 250 international speakers and will have 5000 participants.

 The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), for mutual data exchange. Both the organisations will share the required information available in their respective databases on an automatic and regular basis. Moreover, a Data Exchange Steering Group has been constituted for the initiative, that will review of data exchange status.

 The Chief Minister of Odisha has recently launched a monitoring system named ‘BLUIS’, and it has become the first state to use Space Technology & Artificial Intelligence to safeguard Government Lands. BLUIS stands for Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System, which would monitor changes in government lands in Bhubaneswar by deploying high resolution satellite imagery. BLUIS is a geo–tagged repository, which works both in web and mobile.

 As per the World Health Organisation’s new release, the Maldives and Sri Lanka have become the first two countries in the South East Asian Region, to eliminate both measles and rubella. The countries have completely eliminated the diseases ahead of the deadline of 2023. World Health Organisation declares a country to have eliminated measles and rubella, when there is no evidence of transmission of the disease for over three years.

 The IIT Alumni Council is setting up the world’s largest molecular diagnostic lab in Mumbai, Maharashtra named ‘MegaLab Mumbai’. Recently, the council has partnered with a CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR–IGIB), to conduct research on spread of COVID–19 and patient data analysis. The IIT Alumni Council is the largest association of alumni, students and teachers from all the 23 IITs and partnering technical institutes.

 The Indian Space Research and Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch Brazil’s Amazonia –1 satellite onboard PSLV. This satellite has been designed, assembled and tested in Brazil and it will be the first Earth Observation satellite. The launch of the PSLV is scheduled to be held next month while the date is to be released by ISRO soon.

 The Union Ministry of Culture has launched a project of reprinting 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM). The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in 2003 by the Union Government, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.  Recently, the first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur was presented to the President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima. Mongolian Kanjur is the most important religious text in Mongolia.

 As per the recent release from the United Nations’ weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the average global temperatures would rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius, in the coming 5 years. This rise is above the pre industrial average of the global temperature. As per the research of various scientists, due to manmade greenhouse emissions, the average temperatures around the world is already above 1 degree Celsius than that during 1850–1900.

 A commercial communication satellite named ‘APStar–6D’ has been recently launched by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). It is developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and was launched using the variant of the country’s Long March rocket. This new satellite can provide a communication capacity of at least 50Gbps, as per sources.

 As per the latest announcement from the World Bank Group and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), a research team of Cambodia has won the 2020 ‘Development Marketplace: Innovations to Address Gender–Based Violence’ award. The award provides fund to the research team to implement a WhatsApp chatline that offers 24×7 support against gender–violence for female entertainment workers in Cambodia.

 Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is a Central Public Sector Undertaking functioning under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently launched Asia’s largest solar plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa through video–conferencing. It has been developed by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), a joint venture company of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN) and SECI.

 National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated in India on July 10, every year, to commemorate the two scientists: Dr K H Alikunhi and Dr. H.L. Chaudhury, who had invented ‘Induced breeding technology’ on this day in 1957. A webinar was conducted by the Department of Fisheries in association with National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB). The Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries attended the webinar. The Government has launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for fish farmers.

 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently revamped its advisory committee on mutual funds. As per the recent release of SEBI, the 20–member advisory committee is headed by the former deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Usha Thorat.  The panel which was originally created in 2013 had 15 members, headed by Janki Ballabh. The committee advises SEBI on regulation and development of mutual fund industry.

 The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) has recently partnered with the multinational technology company NVIDIA, to establish India’s first ‘NVIDIA AI Technology Centre’. The centre aims to accelerate research on Artificial Intelligence and its commercial adoption. In this technology centre, more than 200 faculty will carry out research in this field. NVIDIA is a partner to the government of Telangana, in its project to establish Hyderabad among the top 25 global AI innovation hubs.

 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has recently launched a report on “Cancer preparedness in Asia–Pacific: Progress towards universal cancer control”. As per the report, India has been ranked eighth for cancer preparedness among 10 Asia–Pacific countries including Australia, China, Japan among others. Australia tops the Asia–Pacific region, followed by South Korea and Malaysia.

 As per the recent data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Tamil Nadu has topped market borrowings among states in the country during 2020–21. Tamil Nadu has raised Rs 30500 crores so far, which is approximately 17% of the borrowings made through issuing bonds. Maharashtra has raised Rs 25000 crores, which is 14% of the borrowings. The state of Tamil Nadu is expected to sustain a revenue shortfall of Rs 12,000– Rs 13,000 crore in a month, due to the effect of lock–down.

 Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched ‘Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) based portal will provide a digital platform to the employers to evaluate the availability of skilled workforce, in their hiring process. The portal also helps the workforce to attain industry–relevant skills and search for job opportunities.

 The United Arab Emirates has recently announced its plans to send its first Mars mission and it has become the first Arab country to do so. Until now, only the United States, India, USSR and the European Space Agency have successfully sent their Mars orbiter missions. China is in the process of launching its first Mars rover. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is heading the Mars project of the UAE.

 The Union Shipping Ministry has issued a draft ‘Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020’ and sought suggestions from stakeholders and general public. This draft bill seeks to replace the colonial Lighthouse Act, 1927, which is over nine decades old. The bill seeks to empower the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) with additional power. It also proposes to include global best practices.

 The ‘World Population Day’ is observed across the world, on July 11 every year. The day was first celebrated in the year 1990. Inspired by the awareness created by ‘Five Billion Day’ on the same day in 1987 when the world’s population reached 5 billion, UNDP recommended the observance of Population Day on July 11. “Putting the brakes on COVID–19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now” is the theme of the campaign for 2020.

 A place called Swabhiman Anchal located in Malkangiri district of Odisha was seen in news recently, as the first bus service was inaugurated there, after independence. The place also known as the cut–off area, was originally covered by water from three sides. The Gurupriya Bridge connects this remote region with the rest of the State. Until this passenger bus service, motor launches and boats were the only modes of communication.

 The head of Reliance Industries Ltd, Mukesh Ambani has moved up to become the fifth richest man in the world, as per the Hurun Research. Last month, the billionaire was at eighth position in the list. Now, he surpassed Warren Buffet and shares 5th rank with Tesla founder Elon Musk and Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. His net–worth rose to USD 78 billion. Earlier, Jio platforms had raised Rs 117,588 crore from global investors.

 ‘India Cycles4Change Challenge’ is a new initiative of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under its Smart Cities Mission. The Ministry has recently opened the registration for the Challenge, which was originally launched on June 25, 2020. All cities under the Smart Cities Mission, capital cities of States/UTs and all cities with above 5 lakh population can apply through the newly launched portal and provide quick solutions for promoting cycling.

 The Indian Railways has recently transported Andhra Pradesh dry chillies in special Parcel train to Bangladesh. The special train has been operated beyond the country borders, for the first time to Benapole town in Bangladesh. Earlier, farmers and merchants in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh were transporting dry chillies by road to Bangladesh, which was an expensive process.

 The officials at Wimbledon club has announced that will pay out USD 12.5 million in prize money to over 600 players despite the tournament’s cancellation. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, London–based prestigious Wimbledon championship was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. After consultations with their insurance provider, all the 256 players who would have competed in the main event will be paid equally.

 Central Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Power NTPC Ltd has won the prestigious CII–ITC Sustainability Award 2019, under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category. The enterprise also received Commendation for Significant Achievement in category of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  The company runs a CSR program called GEM (Girl Empowerment Mission), which is a residential program for school going girls, who are residing near the company’s power stations.

 The United Nations declared July 12 as ‘Malala Day’ every year, to honour the 16 year old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who was advocating the promotion of education of girls. On the same day in 2013, she delivered an inspiring speech at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on the need for gender equality in education. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has recently completed her degree at the Oxford University.

 The state of Andhra Pradesh has rolled out an initiative of online registration of crops named e–Crop. The state’s Revenue and Agriculture Department officials will jointly register crops online. At village level, village revenue officers and the village agriculture assistants will register the names of the farmers, details of their land, bank account and about his crops cultivated.

 Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently announced that Kunal Bahl has assumed charge as the Chairman of its e–commerce committee for the year 2020–21. Kunal Bahl is the co–founder & CEO of popular e–Commerce firm Snapdeal. The agenda of the committee is the upcoming e–commerce policy, consumer protection rules and promotion of exports through e–commerce.

 The state government of Madhya Pradesh is set to launch a ‘Roko –Toko’ campaign for urging people to wear masks. Roko–Toko in Hindi means stop and campaign and it seeks to nudge people who do not wear masks in public places to practise mask–wearing. The state also runs a scheme called ‘Jeevan Shakti Yojana’, under which selected organisations will provide masks to people at a price of Rs 20 per piece.

 The Indian Railways has set the target to achieve net zero carbon emission by the year 2030. In order to achieve the target of becoming a Green Railways, it has accelerated the efforts. Some of its initiatives include Electrification of lines, improving energy efficiency of trains, green certification for stations, fitting bio toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy. Recently, a 1.7 mega watt plant at Bina in Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with BHEL has been installed.

 The comet C/2020 F3 comet also called as NEOWISE was discovered on March 27, this year. It was seen in news recently, as the comet would be visible in the sky. In India, the NEOWISE comet will be visible in the northwest sky which is 20 degrees from the horizon. It is expected to be visible after sunset for around 20 minutes for 20 days from July 14, 2020 and it will fade away in the month of August.

 The Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan has been named as the recipient of the 2020 Von Karman Award. The award was constituted by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and will be conferred in March 2021 in Paris. It is named after the aerospace engineer and aerodynamics expert Theodore von Karman. K Sivan is only the third Indian to receive this award after Kasturirangan and U.R. Rao.

 India and Iran partnered to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, four years ago. Recently, Iran decided to proceed without India’s assistance and its Transport Minister has inaugurated the track–laying process for the Chabahar–Zahedan line. Recently, China finalised a 25 year–USD 400 billion strategic deal with Iran.

 The CEO of Google Sundar Pichai has recently announced the launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’. This was announced at the ‘Google for India’ virtual live–stream event, which focused on accelerating India’s digital economy. Through this initiative, Google will invest about Rs 75000 Crores in India over the next 5 to 7 years. The fund will focus on enabling affordable access and information to every Indian.

 The Union Government has appointed Vikram Doraiswami as the new high commissioner to Bangladesh. Prior to this appointment, he was the Additional Secretary in charge of International Organisations and Summits at the Foreign Ministry. Another Foreign Service Officer Rudrendra Tandon was named as the new envoy to Afghanistan. He is currently the Indian envoy to ASEAN at Jakarta.

 Andhra Pradesh state government officials along with Non–Governmental Organizations (NGOs) launched ‘Operation Muskaan’ in the state. This week–long drive aims to trace the missing children, prevent child labour and bonded labour, and rescue children engaged in domestic works. Hundreds of children are being rescued in the drive and are united with parents or provided with shelters.