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Assam Current Affairs – August 15-21, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – August 15-21, 2020

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 15-21, 2020)

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 15, 2020

Arunachal Pradesh CM launches “Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost economy
  • Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost entrepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.
  • State government’s scheme “Chief Minister Comprehensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infrastructure in the state.
Itanagar selected for implementation of Central Govt’s Urban Forest scheme
  • Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar has been selected for implementation of the ‘Nagar Van’ or Urban Forest scheme by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (EFCC).
  • The ‘Nagar Van’ is a scheme being launched by the Union EFCC Ministry that envisages creating forests in 200 urban cities across the country on public-private-partnership basis. The Ministry would offer an initial grant of Rs 2 crore for fencing, maintenance and administrative costs of the earmarked land to be developed.
  • There are only two urban cities in the state – Itanagar and Pasighat – the state capital has been selected for implementation of the scheme this year.
Meghalaya CM launches ‘Restart Meghalaya Mission’ to revive State’s economy
  • A ‘Restart Meghalaya Mission’ was launched by chief minister Conrad K Sangma on the Independence Day, to revive the State economy, which has been hit hard due to COVID-19 pandemic.
  • This mission comprises a series of programs to support our farmers, and entrepreneurs and to build growth promoting basic infrastructure and services.
  • The Mission was based on the recommendations of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on the Economy on short, medium and long term measures for reviving the State economy, which has been hit hard due to the pandemic.
  • An amount of Rs 14,515 crore to be spent over the next three years for the Mission was also announced, out of which, Rs 7,839 crore has been earmarked for this year 2020-21.
  • Six programmes under Restart Meghalaya Mission’ include agriculture and its allied sectors, promotion of well-being and livelihoods in rural area, providing a one-time grant support of upto Rs. 10,000 for any new small business loans of upto Rs. 50,000 for small businesses and entrepreneurs under Chief Minister’s Support programme. Close to 50,000 people are dependent on tourism for sustenance and livelihood in Meghalaya.
PM Narendra Modi becomes longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister
  • PM Narendra Modi on August 13, 2020 became the longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister of India surpassing Atal Bihari Vajpayee and also became the fourth-longest serving Prime Minister of the country. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh are the three longest-serving Prime Ministers in that order.
  • The BJP in 2014 became the first party to win a majority in over three decades.
Jharkhand Govt unveils new emblem
  • Jharkhand Governor Draupdi Murmu unveiled the new emblem of the state in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The new emblem reflects vision, renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
  • The new emblem has the Ashoka emblem enclosed within concentric circles, state tribal dance celebration motifs, the Palash flower also known as the flame of the forest and elephants.
  • The verdant green colour in the emblem symbolises the greenery of the state blessed with natural beauty and resources.
  • Elephants symbolise the state’s grand past, strength, and collective wisdom and resolve to move forward while the Palash flower also reflects the state’s natural beauty.
  • The blooming of the flower also indicates arrival of the spring season a harbinger of prosperity.
Centre to receive Rs 57,128 crore from RBI as Financial Year 2020 surplus
  • The Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the transfer of Rs 57,128 crore as surplus to the Central government for the accounting year 2019-20, while deciding to maintain the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.5 per cent.
  • The Board reviewed the current economic situation, continued global and domestic challenges and the monetary, regulatory and other measures taken by the RBI to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
  • In the last fiscal, the RBI approved a Rs 1,76,000 crore dividend payment to the government.
  • The Reserve Bank decides on the amount of surplus or dividend transfer to the government based on its income during the period July 1 to June 30.
  • RBI earns via interest income on account of open market operations (OMOs), foreign exchange (FX) gains, and writing back of excess risk provisions. While its liabilities include issuance of notes and deposits held.

August 16, 2020 

  Hyderabad FC signs Assam’s Halicharan Narzary for Indian Super League
  • Start Footbal from Assam, Halicharan Narzary has been signed by Hyderabad FC for Indian Super League’s new season. The player has joined Hyderabad FC from Kerala Blasters.
  • The midfielder has penned a two-year deal with the Hyderabad FC till the end of the 2021-22 season. Narzary has played at the top level for seven teams in the last decade, with four of them in the Indian Super League (ISL).

BIOGRAPHY – Halicharan Narzary

  • Halicharan Narzary is from Kokrajhar in Assam.
  • So far he has made a total of 59 appearances in the competition.
  • Born in 1994, Narzary began his career in 2010 with AIFF’s developmental side Indian Arrows which plied trade in the I-League.
  • He joined NorthEast for ISL’s third season in 2016 before turning out for I-League side Shivajians FC a year later.
Manipur to set up 1st Medicinal and Aromatic Plant hub
  • First Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAP) Hub will be set up at Sunushiphai area in Manipur’s Bishnupur District.
  • State Health & Family Welfare Minister L Jayantakumar Singh led officials team have visited the proposed site of the MAP hub at Langjingmanbi Forest Reserve of Sunushiphai in Bishnupur district recently.
  • Manipur State Medicinal Plant Board, MSMPB, will ink an Memorandum of Understanding with the LYS Agency Private Ltd. Kwakeithel, Imphal West District, to start the project.
  • The project will consist of a Distillation Unit, Processing unit and a catchment area of 5 acres of land to grow different varieties of aromatic and medicinal plants of high value.
PM Modi’s 10 major announcements on India’s Independence Day
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 10 major announcements on the occasion of Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Delhi.
  • PM announced the launch of the National Digital Health Mission scheme to revolutionise India’s health sector.
  • This scheme will give health cards to every Indian, with immediate effect. Every Indian will be provided a health card. All test, disease, medicines that were prescribed including information of doctor, date of medication, medical reports will be contained in this one health card.
  • Prime Minister Modi also informed of new National Cyber Security strategy has been prepared in the country, to counter the security threats and in cyber world.
  • PM also said that three vaccines for the coronavirus are currently in the testing phase. After approval from the scientists, the stage is set for mass production of these vaccines in the country.
  • National Cadet Corps (NCC) will be expanded, to be ensured across 173 border and coastal districts of the country. Nearly 1 lakh new NCC cadets will be given special training under this campaign.
  • Selected Island, including Lakshadweep will also be connected by submarine optical fibre cable. Work is underway to introduce new development schemes in selected islands.
  • Every village will be connected with optical fibres to provide Internet facility. All villages in India will be connected in the coming 1,000 days.
  • PM Modi announced Project Lion for conservation of Asiatic Lions and Project Dolphin for the conservation of dolphins.
  • To revolutionise the infrastructure in India, a plan has been prepared to connect whole India with Multi-model Connectivity Infrastructure. Investment of more than Rs 100 lakh crore is required for this purpose. Nearly 7,000 projects in different sectors have been identified.
  • PM stressed on strengthening and expanding relations with the neighbouring countries. India’s neighbouring countries are to be linked with the partnership of security, development and trust.
  • PM Modi announced a plan to eradicate pollution from the cities. A special campaign with a holistic approach is also being undertaken to reduce pollution in 100 selected cities.
Himachal CM bestows civil services award to Rural Devt Director Lalit Jain
  • Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur awarded the prestigious civil services award to Lalit Jain, Director, Rural Development and Panchayats, for his work for the self-help groups.
  • Lalit Jain is a 2011 batch IAS officer who started his stint in Himachal Pradesh as Block Development Officer in Paragpur. He started a number of self-help groups to make pickles.
  • As Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur, he got a chance to work and improve the lives of the rural womenfolk. He started the pattal project for livelihood promotion among the women that became a huge success as pattals made by the women were used in the Janmanch programme.
  • As the Director of Rural Development, Jain also continued with his focus on rural women through the state rural liveihood mission, the impact of which could be seen during the lockdown when women started making masks, PPE kits and sanitisers in various parts of the state.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 17, 2020

Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain awarded Arjuna Award
  • Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with four others – para-athlete Mariappan Thangavelu, table tennis champion Manika Batra, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and hockey player Rani Rampal have been selected for India’s highest sporting award – The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
  • Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain awarded Arjuna Award along with 26 other sportspersons. Lovlina is the first woman from Assam to qualify for the Olympics.
  • She is thesecond boxer from the state to represent the country at the Olympics, only after Shiva Thapa.
  • Lovlina won a gold medal at the 1st India Open International Boxing Tournament held in New Delhi and a silver medal at the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament held in Guwahati. She has won a bronze medal at the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
  • Before Rohit, only three more Indian cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have received India’s highest sporting honour.

The selected sportspersons will receive the awards on August 29, the National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.

Arunachal Pradesh CM launches Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme to boost economy
  • On the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost entrepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.
  • CM Khandu said the state government’s scheme “Chief Minister Comprehensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infrastructure in the state.
IISc scientists ‘make’ space bricks for lunar habitation
  • Research teams from the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a process to make bricks on the moon for habitation.
  • The process involves extracting lunar soil and using bacteria and guar beans to harden it (soil) into brick-like structures for habitation on the moon.
  • The making of space bricks brings biology and mechanical engineering together and using them to assemble structure for habitation on the moon’s surface.
  • As guar gum is used instead of cement for structures, space bricks will also lower carbon footprint in the lunar atmosphere.
  • Since micro-organisms produce minerals through metabolism, one bacterium called ‘sporosarcina pasteurii’ can be used to form calcium carbonate crystals through a metabolic pathway called the ureolytic cycle.
  • The Indian space agency launched two unmanned missions to the moon in 2008 and 2019 as part of its inter-planetary exploration to study the earth’s natural satellite.
Port land may be used for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ projects
  • The government proposes to use vast stretches of land with Indian ports to set up manufacturing facilities under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission.
  • Major ports of India have over 1 lakh hectares of land, vast stretches of which can be used for development of industrial clusters.
  • Ministry of Shipping is evaluating surplus land with about a dozen major ports in India to evaluate whether it can be used for developing industrial clusters in these areas.
  • Across the world, land near ports is used for building industrial infrastructure that meet both domestic needs and export requirements. Port-led development model should not only help India build capacities for self reliance but also service a vast export market.

August 18, 2020

Author Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva wins Gujarat Sahitya Academy award
  • Delhi-based Assam author Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva was among the 350 writers from 80 countries was awarded the Gujarat Sahitya Academy Award on the occasion of 74th Independence Day.
  • The award was given by Gujarat Sahitya Academy in collaboration with the global Literature Forum Motivational Strips.
Nagaland launches “YellowChain” centralized e-commerce platform
  • Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio launched the Yellow Chain, a single window e-commerce platform developed to promote local business and entrepreneurship in the State.
  • Yellowchain is a single window e-commerce platform developed by Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) to promote local business and entrepreneurship by creating opportunity and environment for small time retailers and aspiring entrepreneurs to expand their scope of business opportunities.
  • Yellowchain is a dynamic, user friendly, easy to use interface designed to create a link between Entrepreneurs, retailers and Service Providers with the Citizens by providing integrated services on a wide range of economic activities.
Tripura’s COVID19 death rate is highest in Northeast
  • Tripura’s COVID19 death rate is 0.83% which is the highest among the Northeast states. Till now, Tripura has registered a total of 7,409 COVID19 positive cases and the number of deaths due to COVID19 infections in Tripura was 62.
  • In Assam, the COVID19 death rate is 0.24% despite registering the highest number of positive cases in Northeast. Mizoram has zero death till now.
  • Arunachal Pradesh’s death rate is 0.18% where 5 persons have died out of total 2,741 positive patients. The death rate in Manipur is 0.36% where 17 patients have died out of a total of 4,687 positive cases.
  • In Meghalaya, death rate is 0.42% where 6 positive patients have died out of a total of 1,418 cases. Nagaland’s death rate is 0.23% where 8 patients have died out of a total of 3,455 cases.
  • In Sikkim, death rate is 0.084% where only one person has died out of 1,187 positive patients.
WWF (India) hosts Dragonfly Festival 2020 to underline need for conservation
  • The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF India), in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), launched Dragonfly Festival, 2020. The festival dedicated to dragonflies aims to create awareness for the conservation of these insects.
  • The Festival, started in 2018, the festival focuses on creating a connection between the common man and the insects.
  • In 2018, a dragonfly count was conducted by WWF India and BNHS and a total of 27 species were recorded in Delhi, five of which were rare sightings.
  • The year-long festival will include a number of fun wildlife activities involving sessions with dragonfly experts, interactive webinars, prize winning competitions on photography, art, storytelling, quizzes, and other activities like citizen science projects on backyard counts, exploring the dragonflies across India and documenting their unique behaviour.
Central Govt extends Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme for NBFCs with more flexibility
  • The Central government has extended the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme 2.0 (PCGS) for non-banking financial companies (NBFC) by three months and has allowed more flexibility to build up the portfolio.
  • Central govt has decided that the ‘AA’ and ‘AA-‘ investment sub-portfolio under the scheme should not exceed 50 per cent, instead of the 25 per cent stipulated earlier, of the total portfolio of bonds or commercial papers purchased by public sector banks under the scheme.
  • The PCGS 2.0, launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic package aimed to provide portfolio guarantee for purchase of bonds or commercial papers (CPs) with a rating of AA and below issued by NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs by public sector banks.
  • PSBs have approved purchase of securities rated ‘AA/AA-‘ issued by 28 entities and securities rated below ‘AA-‘ issued by 62 entities, amounting to Rs 21,262 crore overall.
China grants 1st patent to indigenously developed Covid vaccine
  • China has granted the first invention patent to a Covid-19 vaccine co-developed by biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics Inc in the country.
  • The vaccine is a recombinant adenovirus vaccine named Ad5-nCoV co-developed by CanSino with a team led by Chinese military infectious disease expert Chen Wei.
  • Cansino applied for a patent with the National Intellectual Property Administration on March 18, 2020, three days after they launched phase one clinical trials on the candidate and received approval on August 11, 2020.
  • CanSino has signed deals with Mexico to conduct late-stage clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines CanSino has also reportedly been in talks with Russia, Brazil and Chile to launch a Phase III trial on Ad5-nCOV.
UK launches Rs 29 crore fund to support scientists in India
  • The UK government launched a 3 million pounds innovation challenge fund to support scientists in academia and industry to tackle Covid-19 and the threat to our environment.
  • The initiative builds on the Indian and British Prime Ministers’ commitment to bring together the best minds from both countries under the UK-India Tech Partnership, to deliver high-skilled jobs and economic growth as well as to collaborate on some of the world’s biggest challenges.
  • The 3-million pounds fund invites tech innovators with connections to the Artificial Intelligence-Data cluster in Karnataka and the Future Mobility cluster in Maharashtra to submit research and development proposals for tackling Covid-19 or which promote a greener planet. These grants are part of a wider initiative under the Tech Partnership known as “Tech Clusters”.
  • The Indian and British Prime Ministers announced the formal creation of the UK-India Tech Partnership in April 2018.
Ministry Of AYUSH launches awareness campaign to boost immunity
  • The Ministry of AYUSH launched a three-month campaign called “Ayush for Immunity”, aimed at increasing awareness about affordable and easy practices that can be adopted for enhancing immunity and preventing any disease.
  • Ministry of AYUSH Secretary Rajesh Kotecha elaborated on the theme of the event, which is accessible and affordable health for all, through Ayush solutions.
  • There is a need for a behavioural change in people towards immunity enhancing steps, and highlighted the evidences which have established the positive role of traditional medicines and practices in enhancing immunity.
  • A key objective of the event was to acquaint the people with valuable information about strengths of various Ayush-based solutions for enhancing immunity and preventing diseases.
Youth and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches nation-wide initiative of Fit India Youth Clubs
  • Union Minister of Youth and Sports Kiren Rijiju launched a nation-wide initiative of Fit India Youth Clubs to promote fitness among every citizen on the occasion of Independence Day.
  • The Fit India Youth Club which is a part of the Fit India Movement, endeavours to harness the power of youth to create mass awareness about the importance of fitness.
  • Under this initiative, 75 lakh volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme, along with Scouts and Guides, National Cadet Corps and other youth organizations will come together to register as Fit India Youth Clubs in every block in the country, under the aegis of a district unit.
  • The clubs will organize and encourage schools and local bodies to organize one community fitness programme every quarter.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 19, 2020 

E-lab at Assam Agricultural University in collaboration with European Commission agency
  • Assam Agricultural UniversityVice Chancellor Ashok Kumar Bhattacharyya inaugurated e-lab, an e-learning facility at the university in Jorhat.
  • The e-learning facility under AdaptNET programme was opened at the DBT- North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology (DBT-NECAB).

The DBT-North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology (DBT-NECAB)

  • DBT-NECAB operates through AAU, established the e-learning laboratory as part of the AdaptNET-ERASMUS+ project, funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission.

AdaptNET

  • AdaptNET has a partnership between four higher educational institutions in India and four institutes in Europe.
  • It is a mission of “Strengthening education, research and innovation for climate smart crops in India”.
  • 29 scientists from India were sent on a training to three European and one Indian institute to strengthen their competencies in climate smart agriculture and serve as ‘master trainers’ in the e-labs.
Satya Pal Malik appointed as Governor of Meghalaya
  • President of India Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Meghalaya.
  • Before that Malik was the Governor of Goa from November 2020 and Governor of Jammu & Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019.
Mysuru zoo received 3 cheetahs from South Africa
  • Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden in Mysuru, Karnataka, got three cheetahs from South Africa’s Ann Van Dyke Cheetah centre under an animal exchange programme.
  • The three cheetahs, including one male and two female African hunting cats and aged 14-16 months arrived after they were flown to Bengaluru from Johannesburg in an air freight carrier under the international animal exchange programme.
  • The three cheetahs are kept in an enclosure under quarantine till they get acclimatized and adopt themselves to the Indian weather conditions.

FACTFILE – Mysore Zoo (Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens

  • It is one of the oldest and most popular zoos in India, and is home to a whopping 1,450 species, including 168 from 25 countries the world over.
  • The 128-year-old zoo, set up by then Mysore Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar in 1892, is spread over 175 acres on the Musuru city’s outskirts.
  • The zoo has recently exchanged animals with its counterparts in Czech Republic, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
IISc Prof Biman Bagchi bags Joel Henry Hildebrand Award award
  • Indian Institute Science (IISc) Bangalore Professor Biman Bagchi has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in theoretical and experimental chemistry of liquids, sponsored by ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.
  • The American Chemic Society (ACS) national awards programme is designed to encourage the advancement of chemistry in all its branches and to support research in chemical science and industry.

BIOGRAPHY – Prof Biman Bagchi

  • Prof Biman Bagchi is biophysical chemist, theoretical chemist and an Amrut Mody Professor at the solid state and structural chemistry lab in IISc.
  • A chemistry graduate from Kolkata’s Presidency College in 1974, Bagchi obtained master’s degree in chemistry from Calcutta University in 1976 and went to the US where he did PhD from Brown University, Rhode Island in 1980.

FACTFILE – Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids

  • Research and Engineering Purpose: To recognize distinguished contributions to the understanding of the chemistry and physics of liquids
  • The award consists of $5,000 and a certificate. Up to $1,000 in travel expenses to the meeting at which the award will be presented will be reimbursed.
  • The award will be granted regardless of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, presence of disabilities, and educational background.
  • The award was established in 1980 in recognition of the scientific contributions of ACS Past President Joel H. Hildebrand. The ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. has sponsored the award since 1992.
ADB approved a $1 billion funding for Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project 
  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $1.049 billion funding for the 82 km long Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project being implemented by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
  • The approval of approximately Rs 7,500 crore funding package by the ADB for the high-speed, high-capacity Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS reflects upon the funding agency’s trust in the project that promises to transform regional mobility besides giving push to polycentric economic development across the region.
  • The loan will be used for financing civil works, tracks, station buildings, multi-modal hubs, maintenance depots, traction and power supply of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.

FACTFILE – Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System

  • Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System is an 82 km long, under-construction, semi-high speed rail corridor connecting Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut. It is one of the three rapid-rail corridors planned under Phase-I of Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
  • With maximum speed of 160 km/h, the distance between Delhi and Meerut will be covered in around 62 min.
  • The project will cost ₹30,274 crore and is expected to start operations by 2025.
  • RRTS is a first of its kind project in India and it will use many state-of-the-art technologies for the first time, including ETCS Level-2 signalling systems and ballastless tracks suitable for 180 kmph speed.
IIT Patna, Flipkart partner for joint research in AI and ML
  • Ecommerce major Flipkart has inked an agreement with IIT-Patna to help create industry-focused applied research in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML).
  • IIT-Patna will undertake a number of programmes such as joint research activities, writing research papers, organising seminars and internship/mentorship opportunities.
  • The academic collaboration is expected to bring real-world industry exposure to students and scholars of IIT-Patna, and to provide an opportunity to the faculty members to work closely with Flipkart on research projects.
  • The aim behind this collaboration is to create industry-focused applied research that could help reach e-commerce more consumers and sellers.

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August 20, 2020

Union Govt approves to lease out Guwahati Airport to Adani Enterprises
  • The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for leasing out Guwahati Airport, Jaipur Airport and Thiruvananthapuram Airport of Airports Authority of India (AAI) to the Adani Group.
  • The Union Cabinet accorded its approval for leasing of the three airports for Operation, Management and Development to M/s Adani Enterprises Ltd.
  • The Adani group was declared as the successful bidder in a global competitive bidding conducted by the Airports Authority of India for a period of 50 years.
  • Airport Authority of India (AAI) will get an upfront amount of Rs 1,070 crore from handing over the airports to the private developer. The amount will be used for developing airports in smaller airports.
  • The airports will be re-developed in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Travellers will get better facilities and will also improve efficiency of airports.
  • About a decade ago, Airports Authority of India’s airports in Delhi and Mumbai were leased on PPP mode for Operation, Management and Development about.
Tripura celebrated the 112th birth anniversary of last king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya
  • Tripura celebrated the 112th birth anniversary of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya on august 12, 2020.
  • Maharaja Bir Bikram was the last king of Tripura. After his death at the age of 39, Tripura merged with Indian Territory in October, 1949.
  • State Govt had declared state holiday on the birthday of late Maharaja from last year.
  • King Bikram (1908-47), who had ruled the state from 1923 to May 17, 1947, had decided to merge the then princely state of Tripura with the Indian Union by issuing a royal edict on April 28, 1947, appointing Barrister Girija Shankar Guha as his domain’s representative in the Constituent Assembly.
Andhra Pradesh ties up with corporate majors to empower women
  • The Andhra Pradesh government is entering into stage 2 partnership, as part of the YSR Cheyutha scheme, with major corporate players such as Reliance Retail, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Allana group in its efforts to empower women in the state.
  • The partnership aims to establish a productive business environment with end-to-end solutions comprising capital support, market linkages, skill enhancement, and technical support, thereby empowering women and ensuring sustainable income.
  • Reliance Retail will support this initiative by assisting women beneficiaries in setting up Jio Mart Kirana stores that are digitally equipped and function as online stores.
  • Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited will support the YSR Cheyutha initiative through an innovative connecting platform that will establish a direct linkage between the government and beneficiaries, enabling seamless implementation and monitoring.
  • Allana group will support the Cheyutha beneficiaries in rearing buffalo, sheep, and goats and providing technical support on livestock rearing practices.
  • YSR Cheyutha is a scheme that is specifically targeted towards the welfare of the women in the state. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 18,750 will be given per beneficiary for the next four years to around 25 lakh women between the age group of 45-60 years, belonging to backward communities.
Cabinet approves National Recruitment Agency, single entrance exam for government jobs
  • The Union Cabinet approved setting up of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to carry out a national entrance exam for non-gazetted vacancies in both central government departments, and public sector banks. It will conduct a single entrance exam for tens of thousands of positions that the government advertises every year.
  • The current recruitment model comprises several exams by different recruitment agencies. However, UPSC will continue to deal with top administrative exams, including the coveted the civil services exams.
  • NRA will be a multi-agency body to encompass the first level test currently conducted by agencies like Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Service Personnel (IBPS).
  • Other recruitment agencies in the central government would adopt the central eligibility test (CET). CET will work as a screening test, and based on the CET score level, final selection for recruitment shall be made through separate specialised tier one and tier two exams, which shall be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies.
Union Cabinet approves hike in fair price of sugarcane
  • The Union Cabinet approved a hike in the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane by Rs 10 to Rs 285 per quintal, for upcoming crushing season 2020-21 (October-September).
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its assent to the proposal in this regard by the Department of Food under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
  • The price has been fixed on the basis of a recovery rate of 10 per cent, while the farmers will get additional money at the rate of Rs 28.50 per quintal, if the recovery rate is one per cent higher, at 11 per cent.
Centre rolls out Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs
  • The Union Ministry for MSMEs has launched the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt for MSMEs, thereby operationalising the Rs 20,000 crore distressed assets fund.
  • The Ministry has issued guidelines for the scheme which was announced under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic package.
  • The scheme is applicable for those MSMEs whose accounts have been standard as of March 31, 2018 and have been in regular operations, either as standard accounts, or as NPA accounts during financial year 2018-19 and financial year 2019-20.
  • Promoter(s) of the MSME unit will be given credit equal to 15 per cent of his/her stake (equity plus debt) or Rs 75 lakh whichever is lower.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 21, 2020 

Lakhimpur bags title of Fastest Mover City in Northeast
  • Assam’s Lakhimpurhas won the Fastest Mover City Award under population up to 25,000 in the Northeast zone category in Swachh Survekshan survey 2020 conducted by Union Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry.
  • As per the survey, 4,324 urban local bodies (ULBs) have been declared ODF so far. A total of 1,319 cities have been certified ODF+ and 489 cities have been certified ODF++.
Tezpur University generates electricity from solar power
  • Tezpur University is prioritizing the use of renewable energy for generating electricity for its buildings and classrooms as a part of its sustainable campus initiatives.
  • The University considers five thematic areas i.e. energy, water, waste, natural ecosystems and sustainable building for its mission towards sustainable campus.
  • In order to develop Sustainable buildings (also known as green buildings), the University has installed 1000 kWp rooftop grid connected solar power plant under Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) scheme for government buildings under RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) mode and has effectively replaced 24% of the monthly electricity consumption of the University during October 2018-July 2020 period.
  • The University also reduces 1614 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission due to solar power generation during this period.
  • Tezpur University is the first Academic Institution to initiate the installation of MW Scale Rooftop Grid connected Solar PV power plant in the North Eastern Region of the country.
Indore remains India’s Cleanest city for the fourth time in Swachh Survekshan 2020
  • The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced the Swachh Survekshan awards, Indore city in Madhya Pradesh emerged as the cleanest city for the fourth time in a row in the category of more than one lakh population. Indore is followed by Surat city in Gujarat and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra.
  • The Swachh Survekshan monitors the performance of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched in 2014. The survey was conducted in 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 Ganga towns.
  • In the category of less than one lakh population, Karad, Saswad and Lonavala cities in Maharashtra emerged victorious.
  • Ahmedabad in Gujarat ranked first in the cleanest mega city category, while Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur secured the cleanest smallest city tag. Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh won the award in the small city category.
  • Chhattisgarh ranked first in the category of best performing states with more than a hundred urban local bodies, while Jharkhand emerged first in the less than one hundred category.
OP Jindal Global University awarded coveted Jean Monnet Chair
  • The European Union has awarded the OP Jindal Global University (JGU) with the Jean Monnet Chair. JGU thus became India’s only private university to be awarded the chair in 2020.
  • The Jean Monnet Modules, Chairs and Centres of Excellence are awarded annually. These Chairs foster teaching and research excellence among university professors in areas connected to the European Union Studies.
  • The JGU has received the coveted Jean Monnet Chair on ‘Multi-dimensional Approaches to the Understanding of the EU Data Protection Framework’.
21 Crore Man-Days Employment Provided Under Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan
  • Around 21 crore man-days employment has been provided under the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) to the returnees of six states.
  • GKRA is taking action on mission mode to provide employment to migrant workers who have returned to their native villages of six states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Under the Abhiyaan, a large number of structures have been created including 77,974 water conservation structures, 2.33 lakh rural houses, 17,933 cattle sheds, 11,372 farm ponds, and 3,552 community sanitary complexes.
  • The Abhiyaan was launched to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant workers returning to villages and similarly affected citizens in the rural areas, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – August 08-14, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – August 08-14, 2020

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 08-14, 2020)

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August 08, 2020

IIT Guwahati, Imperial College London develop nano-particle to boost LED performance

  • Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) and Imperial College London in the UK, have developed a tailored ‘meta-grid’ of nanoparticles that could make light-emitting diodes (LEDs) brighter, energy-efficient and durable.
  • Meta-grid or metamaterial grid is a specifically patterned array of nanoparticles acting as metamaterials, capable of exhibiting extraordinary optical properties.
  • The research team has developed a nanoparticle ‘meta-grid’, which needs to be placed at an appropriate location within the epoxy casing of the LEDs, for improving light output from LEDs.
  • A meta-grid is a specially-designed, optimised, a two-dimensional array of specific nanoparticles, of size much smaller than the wavelength of light.
  • With the continuous advancement in nanofabrication technology, it is now possible to fabricate metallic nanoparticles that have a very narrow spread.
  • The research team has developed this novel scheme of boosting the transmission of light generated inside an LED chip across the LED-chip/encapsulant interface.
  • The technique has revealed optimal design parameters for such meta-grids to produce greater light output over any narrow/broadband emission spectrum, besides boosting LEDs’ lifetime by eliminating heating of the chip from unwanted reflections within the chip.

BEL setup Solar-Powered Classrooms in 122 Karnataka Schools

  • Govt of India enterprise Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has set up solar-powered smart classrooms in 122 government schools across the backward Yadgir district in Karnataka state.
  • About 13,000 children studying in 122 government schools of Yadgir district will benefit from smart classrooms, powered by solar power and equipped with hi-tech facilities.
  • With a total cost of Rs 3.8 crore, the smart classrooms offer visually attractive content to help students assimilate the information effectively. It also enables teachers to explain difficult concepts, thereby improve teaching and enhancing academic performance.
  • The smart-class facilities include a 50-inch LED television, CPU with accessories, green board and LED lights charged with solar batteries
  • The company is also installing hand-wash facilities costing Rs 1.02 crore in 100 state-run primary schools across the district to protect children and staff from coronavirus and maintain hygiene.

Manoj Sinha takes oath as new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

  • Former Union minister Manoj Sinha was administered the oath of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal in Raj Bhavan.
  • Manoj Sinha  succeeds Girish Chandra Murmu who has now been appointed as the new Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG).
  • Sinha was former Minister of State for Railways and later and later held an independent charge of Ministry of Communication. He has been a member of the BJP national council from 1989 to 1996. He was elected to the Lok Sabha a third term in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Banaras Hindu University -NHAI tie-up to improve road quality

  • A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Indian Institute of Technology in Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for improving the quality of roads in India.
  • This research work will be carried out under Nikhil Saboo, Assistant Professor /Civil Engineering department, as the principle investigator.
  • This project is aimed at construction of durable and long-lasting roads in India. It will also help in reducing the lifecycle cost by delaying the need for frequent maintenance.
  • The outcome of this project will be implemented through construction of test sections in collaboration with NHAI. This will also help to gain more confidence in adopting the developed technology for construction of durable roads in the country.

Delhi CM launches Electric Vehicle Policy

  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a Electric Vehicle Policy, in a bid to reduce air pollution and boost the economy along with creating new jobs in the national capital.
  • Under the Electric Vehicle Policy, Delhi Government will provide financial assistance to those buying electric vehicles. An assistance of Rs 30,000 will be given on the purchase of 2-wheelers, Rs 1.5 lakh on cars and Rs 30,000 on auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws.
  • A dedicated ‘EV Cell’ will be set up to implement the policy and additionally the government will soon form the ‘State Electric Vehicle Board’ in this regard.
  • 200 charging stations will be set up in one year for the ease of e-vehicle users. There will be no registration fee, road tax under electric vehicle policy as well as low-interest loans for electric commercial vehicles.

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August 09, 2020

Tripura’s 29% school students have no access to phone, cable TV for online classes

  • Around Twenty nine per cent of school students in Tripura don’t have access to any sort of smart phone, cable TV network or such connectivity to attend online classes.
  • The state government started experimental schooling like online classes, recorded videos etc streamed via local cable television channels, social media under ‘Ektu Khelo Ektu Padho’ project but the students of interior places of the state faced problems due to non-availability of internet devices and cable TVs.
  • State Govt organised the survey, conducted among 3,22,297 students from all eight districts of Tripura during Ektu Khelo Ektu Padho classes, revealed 94,013 students didn’t have access to any sort of phone.
  • Out of 3.2 lakh students, 1, 42,238 didn’t have access to any kind of television, rendering them unable to take the televised recorded lectures or live classes conducted by the state education department.

Girish Chandra Murmu Murmu appointed as CAG of India

  • Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor and retired IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu was sworn in as the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. He will have a tenure up to November 20, 2024.
  • He is the 14th CAG of India and had server as the first Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir.

FACTFILE – Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)

  • The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is constitutional position established by Article 148 of the Constitution of India, which audits all receipts and expenditure of the Govt of India and the state govts, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government.
  • Various provisions of the CAG are mentioned in the Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
  • CAG is also the external auditor of Government-owned corporations and conducts supplementary audit of non-banking company in which Union Government has at least 51 per cent of equity share.
  • The reports of the CAG are laid in Parliament/ State Legislatures and taken into consideration by the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs) in the Parliament and the state legislatures.
  • CAG is also the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and Indian Audit and Accounts Service.
  • The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in Indian order of precedence.

PM Modi inaugurates Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra in Delhi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Rashtriya Swacchata Kendra in New Delhi.
  • RashtriyaSwachhata Kendra, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission was first announced by the Prime Minister on 10th April 2017, on the occasion of the Centenary Celebrations of Gandhiji’sChamparan Satyagraha.
  • In the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra, visitors will experience a unique 360 degree audio visual immersive show, which will narrate India’s Swachhata Story – a journey into the largest behaviour change campaign in the history of the world.
  • It contains a series of interactive LED panels, hologram boxes, interactive games and much more, to tell the story of the work done to achieve Gandhiji’s vision of a Swachh Bharat.
  • It will showcase three exhibits which are anecdotes from the journey of India from Satyagraha to Swachhagraha. The wall murals around the Kendra also chronicle the core elements of the Mission’s success.

Proposals of stressed Financial Companies worth Rs 6,400 crore sanctioned under special liquidity scheme

  • Union Finance Ministry informed that 15 proposals worth Rs 6,399 crore of stressed NBFCs and HFCs have been sanctioned under the special liquidity scheme announced as part of approximately Rs 21 lakh crore ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ package. Additionally 37 more applications seeking financing of up to Rs 11,037 crore are under process.
  • The scheme permits both primary and secondary market purchases of debt and seeks to address the short term liquidity issues of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs).
  • Any NBFC including microfinance institutions registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the RBI Act, 1934 (excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies) and any HFC registered with the National Housing Bank under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 are eligible to raise funding from this facility.

Boat ambulance service to be launched in Maharashtra

  • The Maharashtra government has approved for launching a “boat ambulance-cum-mobile medical unit” service between Mumbai and Raigad, on an experimental basis.
  • The boat ambulance will be a speedboat which can accommodate an ambulance to shift patients from Raigad or Ratnagiri requiring urgent medicare at hospitals in Mumbai.
  • This will help slash the crucial two-three hours or the ‘golden hours’ which the patients from these areas spend travelling by road to Mumbai.
  • Procurement of the requisite vessel, equipment, medical supplies, staff, etc and the operational expenses for the project are to done under the supervision of the National Health Mission.

Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new PM

  • Leader of Sri Lanka PodujanaPeramuna party Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister. Rajapaksa was sworn in as the prime minister of the country for the fourth time.

BIOGRAPHY – Mahendra Rajapaksa

  • Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician serving as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and Minister of Finance since 2019.
  • He previously served as President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019.

FACTFILE – Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea.
  • Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and centre of commerce.
  • It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.

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August 10, 2020

Eminent Vaishnavite scholar and xatradhikar Narayan Chandra Goswami passes away

  • Eminent Vaishnavite scholar and the xatradhikar of Majuli’s Natun Kamalabari Xatra, Narayan Chandra Goswami passed away at the age of 80, due to liver cirrhosis disease.
  • Goswami was known for his work on the Brajawali language and neo-Vaishnavite traditions and Sattriya culture.
  • He translated Ramayana from Sanskrit into Assamese.
  • Goswami also edited the Kirtan Ghosa and Naam Ghosa written by Sanakarvdeva and Madhabdeva respectively.
  • He was conferred with the honorary Doctor of Literature (D Lit) degree by Dibrugarh University in 2010. He has been appointed visiting professor of Dibrugarh University by the University authority.
  • Narayan Chandra Goswami has been adorned the ‘Srimanta Sankardev Award’ by the Government of Assam in 2004.
  • ‘Sattra Ratna’ title was awarded to the Sattradhikar by the Assam Sattra Mohasobha in 2005.
  • He recieved the Sahitya Academy Award in 2012.

PM Modi launches Agriculture Infrastructure Fund  of Rs 1 lakh crore

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a financing facility of Rs 1 lakh crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for agri-entrepreneurs, startups, agri-tech players and farmer groups for post-harvest management and nurturing farm assets.
  • The beneficiaries of the scheme will include farmers, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, FPOs, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups, Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, agri-entrepreneurs, startups, and central/state agency or local body sponsored public-private Partnership Projects.
  • PM Modi also released the sixth installment of Rs 17,100 crore to more than 8.55 crore farmer beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) scheme.
  • The fund would bring about the creation of post-harvest management infrastructures and community farming assets such as cold storage, collection centres and processing units.

India bans import of 101 defence items for self-reliance

  • The government of India will suspend the import of 101 defence items to boost indigenous production. The “embargoed items” include high technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, and transport aircraft.
  • The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. Between April 2015 and August 2020, India’s defence services had contracted around Rs 3.5 trillion worth of items that are now on the hold list. Around Rs 4 trillion worth of orders will now be placed with the domestic industry over the next five to seven years.

Separate emission norms for agri, construction machinery proposed

  • The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to separate the emission norms for agricultural machinery, including tractors, power tillers and combined harvesters along with those for construction equipment vehicles.
  • It has also proposed to change the nomenclature of emission norms from Bharat Stage (CEV/TREM)-IV and Bharat Stage (CEV/TREM)-V to TREM Stage-IV and TREM Stage-V for agricultural tractors and other equipments and CEV Stage-IV and CEV Stage-V for construction equipment vehicles, to avoid any confusion, between the emission norms of other motor vehicles which have BS as the norm.
  • Suggestions and comments from public and all the stakeholders are invited on the draft notification within 30 days.

August 11, 2020

Assam Cabinet nod for Private Educational Institutions

  • Assam state cabinet also approved the Assam Non-Government Education Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Rules, 2020 that seeks to regulate the fee structure in private institutions. The Rules envisages formation of two committees – one fee regulatory committee and an appellate authority.
  • The cabinet also decided to upgrade the Bajali subdivision to a full-fledged district with creation of 10 officer posts and 85 other posts.
  • The Assam Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2020, which seeks to regularise the street vendors and organise them, was also approved.
  • The State Cattle and Buffalo Breeding Policy, 2020 was also approved by the cabinet and a decision was also taken for implementation of ‘Uberization’ scheme of the ASTC.

Gujarat CM announces ‘Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana’ to compensate farmers for crop damage

  • Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani announced ‘Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana’ scheme under which more than 56 lakh farmers in the state facing crop damage due to natural calamities will get compensation without paying any premium.
  • The state government has decided to implement a scheme where the entire state is covered and none of the farmers are devoid of its benefits like crop loss aid in situations of calamities during kharif season.
  • The scheme covers drought and excess or unseasonal rain. In cases of drought, those tehsils having rainfall less than 10 inches or where there is a gap of more than four weeks between two rainy days, will be considered as calamity affected.
  • The irregularity of rains is the biggest factor in economic loss to the farmers. The benefits of this scheme will be available only to those farmers who have carried out sowing in their fields.
  • For those farmers with 33 per cent to 60 per cent crop damage, financial help of Rs 20,000 per hectare will be given for a maximum of 4 hectares while those farmers who have incurred more than 60 per cent crop loss will get compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare up to a maximum of four hectares.

Finance Minister launches online dashboard for National Infrastructure Pipeline

  • Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the National Infrastructure Pipeline’s online dashboard through video conferencing. The dashboard is envisaged as a one-stop solution for all the stakeholders looking for information on infrastructure projects.
  • The dashboard is being hosted on the India Investment Grid (IIG) site indiainvestmentgrid.gov.in. IIG is an interactive and dynamic online platform that showcases updated and real-time investment opportunities in the country.
  • The NIP will improve project preparation, attract investments, both domestic and foreign, into infrastructure.
  • Out of the total expected capital expenditure of Rs 111 lakh crore, projects worth Rs 44 lakh crore are under implementation, while projects worth Rs 33 lakh crore are at a conceptual stage. Projects worth Rs 22 lakh crore are under development project identified and DPR prepared, but yet to draw-down funds and the balance projects worth Rs 11 lakh crore are unclassified.

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August 12, 2020

Central Govt releases Rs 6000 crore to assist 14 states including Northeast

  • The Central Govt has released the 5th instalment of states share of revenue deficit grant amounting to over Rs 6,000 crore in an attempt to assist states effectively address the situation arising out of Covid-19.
  • The grant had been released for 14 states – Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and all northeastern states excluding Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The government released Rs 6,195.08 crore to 14 states as the 5th equated monthly instalment of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant as per the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission (FC).
  • The money has been released ahead of schedule and as a special dispensation to meet immediate funding needs of the state governments looking to restore economic activity and minimise losses to its citizens due to disruptions caused by lockdowns.

IIT Kharagpur develops novel vegetable oil to keep heart healthy

  • Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur have developed a vegetable oil powder to keep the heart healthy.
  • The innovation involved tailoring vegetable oils through preparation of oil blends inherently endowed with natural antioxidants as well as well-balanced fatty acids.
  • The team was led by Professor Hari Niwas Mishra from the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering. The novelty is in its formulation of a nutritionally balanced polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) enriched with antioxidants and producing a synergistic vegetable oil blend.
  • The PUFA-rich oil powder will find extensive use in replacing dairy fat in bakeries and confectionaries, believe researchers Monalisha Pattnaik and Dr. Mousumi Ghosh from the Food Chemistry and Technology Laboratory.
  • The research team has already received several awards for this product including the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award, 2020. This work has been recognized for the Young Student Invention and best thesis work at IIT-Kharagpur.

Defence procurement proposals of Rs 8,722.38 crore approved

  • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement proposals totalling Rs 8,722.38 crore, including for 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft worth over Rs 7,600 crore.
  • The DAC approved the procurement of 106 such aircraft from HAL to address the basic training requirements of the Indian Air Force. Post-certification, 70 aircraft will be initially procured from HAL and another 36 after operationalisation of the HTT-40 fleet in the IAF.
  • To improve the fire power of the Indian Navy, the DAC approved the procurement of an upgraded version of the Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM), which is fitted as the main gun onboard Navy and Indian Coast Guard ships, from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.
  • The upgraded version of the SRGM has the enhanced capability to perform against fast manoeuvring targets like missiles and Fast Attack Craft and increased maximum engagement range.
  • The DAC approved procurement of 125 mm APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) ammunition for the Army as a ‘Design and Development Case’.

Himachal Pradesh to compensate flower growers

  • The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet decided to compensate flower growers for losses incurred during the lockdown. The government has also decided to recruit 2,322 people in the Irrigation and Public Health department.
  • The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown thereafter have resulted in cumulative losses of Rs 15.77 crore to the floriculturists from March to May 2020 due to non-transportation of flowers.
  • The state cabinet approved the guidelines for providing financial assistance or relief amounting to Rs 4 crore.
  • In order to ensure smooth operationalization of National Ambulance Services 108, it has decided to make payments over and above the provisions of concession agreements as a special interim measure and stopgap arrangement to employees of GVK-EMRI by enhancing the take home salary of its employees.
  • The Cabinet approved the amendment of the Himachal Pradesh War Awards Act, 1972 for enhancing the grant of War Jagirs from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 annually for all those eligible.

Russia announces world’s first Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a coronavirus vaccine, touted as the world’s first such vaccine. The registration of the vaccine lays ground for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.
  • Russia dubbed its newly launched vaccine against coronavirus “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite.
  • The vaccine underwent the necessary tests. However, the vaccine’s registration is conditional and trials will continue while production gets underway.
  • WHO and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO pre-qualification for its newly approved COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The coronavirus vaccine is developed jointly by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry.

FACTFILE – Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

  • The Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology is a Russian medical research institute which is headquartered in Moscow and is currently under the purview of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
  • The institute was founded in 1891 by Felix Blyumental and was named after the prominent Russian scientist Nikolay Gamaleya, a pioneer in microbiology and vaccine research in Russia.
  • The institute is developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 in collaboration with the 48th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense and the Vector Institute of the Rospotrebnadzor.

Israel shares AI based medical equipment, technology with AIIMS to tackle COVID19

  • The embassy of Israel and private Israeli companies gave medical equipments and Artificial Intelligence based technologies to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to fight COVID-19.
  • The technologies include contactless monitoring applications, advanced medical management systems, and AI-based solutions such as AI assistant robots that can help medical teams perform various tasks remotely.
  • Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated a mission, and located the most advanced medical equipment that has been developed in Israel using cutting edge technologies to fight Covid-19. The most useful products were collected, some equipment was contributed, and some purchased with special funds allocated by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi.

Google develops Android phone-based earthquake detection tool

  • Google announced an Android-based earthquake detection feature that will alert smartphone users when the earth is about to shake.
  • The Android phone will become a mini seismometer, joining millions of other Android phones out there to form the world’s largest earthquake detection network.
  • All smartphones come with tiny accelerometers that can sense signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening.
  • If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to their earthquake detection server, along with location of where the shaking occurred. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening.
  • The company has collaborated with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to send earthquake alerts, powered by ‘ShakeAlert’, directly to Android devices in California.
  • The ‘ShakeAlert’ system uses signals from more than 700 seismometers installed across the state by USGS, Cal OES, University of California Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology.

Govt launched National Portal “SURAKHSYA” on Human Elephant conflict

  • India is committed to the cause of saving Elephants and other animals and is working towards robust, practical and cost effective solutions to end the Human Animal Conflict.
  • To manage conflicts and avoid loss of valuable lives of both the humans & elephants, it is important to strengthen the human-elephant coexistence, the Enviornment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar released a booklet on “Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India” on eve of World Elephant Day.
  • The booklet is a pictorial guide of a variety of management inventions successfully adopted by the elephant range states and serves as a reference manual for adoption of the best possible site specific mitigation measures that can be adopted to reduce human – elephant conflict.
  • The National Portal on human elephant conflict called “Surakhsya” for collection of real time information & also for managing the conflicts on a real time basis will help to set the data collection protocols, data transmission pipelines and data visualization tools to enable policy-makers to leverage HEC data for policy formulation and for preparation of Action Plans for mitigation of conflicts. 

FACTFILE – World Elephant Day

  • World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 is an international annual event, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants. 
  • The goal of World Elephant Day is to create awareness on elephant conservation, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better protection and management of wild and captive elephants.

Walter Martos sworn in as new Prime Minister of Peru

  • Walter Roger Martos Ruiz was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Peru to replace Pedro Cateriano.
  • The new President of the Council of Ministers had served as Defense Ministerand is a retired Army General.
  • Martos has a Master’s degree in Management and Development with special mention in Business Management and Administration and a PhD in Management and Development from the Army’s Scientific and Technological Institute.
  • He also served as the Army Chief of Staff and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

FACTFILE – Peru

  • Peru (Republic of Peru) is a country in western South America.
  • It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean.
  • Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America.
  • Lima is the capital and largest city

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August 13, 2020

Assam Govt to launch “Orunodoi” scheme for women’s financial empowerment

  • The Assam government would provide Rs 830 per month each to 17 lakh poor families under the ambitious “Orunodoi” scheme.
  • Under the new scheme, district-wise selection of beneficiaries would begin from August 17, 2020 and the beneficiaries would start receiving the amount in the bank account of a female family member on the first day of every month, starting from October 2020.
  • The scheme mains to empower women while contributing to economic development. While selecting the beneficiaries, there would be economic criteria and those who have certain movable and immovable assets including land, big houses, vehicles, electronic gadgets, and most government and semi-government employees, would be excluded.
  • A sum of Rs 280 crore has been earmarked for the new scheme which would mean an additional annual income of Rs 10,000 to the poor households to meet their various needs.
  • The beneficiary should be a permanent resident of Assam and their composite household income should be less than Rs two lakh per annum.
  • Priority would be given to households with widows, divorced, unmarried or separated women, and disabled persons.

Ganga Prasad Prasin appointed as vice chancellor of Tripura University

  • Ganga Prasad Prasin is the new vice chancellor of the Tripura University. He is currently working as the Dean in the Department of School of Social Sciences at Manipur Central University. Before that he was a professor of Benares Hindu University.
  • Previous VC, Professor Dharurkar, who joined in the University in 2018, has resigned from his post as corruption charges were raised against him.

FACTFILE – Tripura University

  • Higher education in Tripura has its beginning with Maharaja Bir Bikram College (MBB), the first degree college in the state, established in 1947, and affiliate to Calcutta University (CU).
  • This was followed by Ramkrishna Mahabhidyalay in 1950, Belonia College in 1964 and Ramthakur College in 1967.
  • A post-graduate wing of CU, named Calcutta University Post graduate Centre (CUPGC), established in 1985. And in the same place, Tripura University was established through the Tripura University Act, in 1987.

Ordnance Factory makes bullet-resistant jackets for TN Police

  • The first batch of bullet-resistant jackets made by the Ordnance Clothing Factory, Avadi, was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Police. The bullet-resistant jackets were completely designed and fabricated by Ordnance Clothing Factory Avadi.
  • The unit has the capacity to design and produce different variants of bullet resistant jackets. The jackets supplied to Tamil Nadu Police has special features like high density water repellence, flame retardance and provide protection from bullets fired from hand guns, pistols, AK-47 rifles and others.

Punjab CM launches ‘Smart Connect Scheme’, gives smartphones to students

  • The Punjab government launch Rs 92 crore ‘Punjab Smart Connect Scheme’ accross the state. Simultaneous distribution of phones was done at 26 places by various Ministers, legislators and others.
  • The scheme, for which Rs 100 crore was allocated in the state budget for 2017-18, will benefit 174,015 Class XII students of government schools in the first phase, to be completed by November.
  • This initiative will bridge a major divide that was obstructing these students from affordable access to digital education.

Andhra Pradesh launches Rs 17,000 crore ‘YSR Cheyuta’ scheme to promote women entrepreneurs

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy rolled out Rs 17,000 crore scheme ‘YSR Cheyuta’ for promoting entrepreneurship among women in the state.
  • The scheme aims to give freedom to eligible women to use the amount deposited in their unencumbered accounts for any purpose of their choice.
  • The govt would provide marketing and technical assistance to women and the banks would provide loans.
  • About 23 lakh women in the age group between 45-60 years, from the SC/ST, backward classes and minority communities would get an incentive of Rs 18,750 per annum aggregating to Rs 75,000 in four years.
  • Andhra government had recently signed MoUs with industries like Proctor and Gamble, Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL), Hindustan Unilevel Limited (HUL) and India Tobacco Limited (ITC) to strengthen the rural economy where the scheme beneficiaries could be stakeholders.

NITI Aayog, Dell Technologies launch 2nd student entrepreneurship programme

  • Dell Technologies in association with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) announced the second Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP 2.0) that would mentor eight teams to foray into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • The virtual SEP 2.0 will help students receive support and guidance to manufacture fully-functional, market-ready products along with patenting their ideas/processes.
  • The first edition of the Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP 1.0) helped top 6 innovations of the Atal Tinkering Marathon transform their innovative prototypes into functioning, scaled go-to-market products across six crucial themes having broader social impact.
  • The SEP 2.0 will allow student innovators to work closely with Dell volunteers and avail mentorship to create a test bed for their innovation and collect customer feedback.

FACTFILE – Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs)

  • AIM is establishing ATLs in schools across India with a vision to cultivate one million children in India as neoteric innovators.
  • It is aimed at disrupting the Indian education system, creating a paradigm shift where children as young as 12 years of age are being introduced to the world of technology innovation.
  • It’s objectives are to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.
  • AIM provides grant-in-aid of Rs. 20 Lakh to each school that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
  • ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills.

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August 14, 2020 

Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal ranked India’s 2nd best central university

  • Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), the only central university of Arunachal Pradesh, has secured the second spot among all other central universities in India, according to the rankings released by the Union Ministry of Education.
  • RGU secured the second position with 83% in the grading of performance of central universities by the Ministry of Education while Jamia Millia Islamia topped the rankings with a score of 90 percent.
  • RGU is closely followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University with 82 and 78 percent respectively.
  • The scoring/grading was based on an evaluation of 17 key parameters fixed under a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding which the RGU, like other central universities had signed in 2019-20 with the Ministry of Education.
  • The objective of the MoU was to access and facilitate the performance of the Central University on selected key parameters against the targets so as to incrementally improve the performance of the University.

FACTFILE – Rajiv Gandhi University

  • Rajiv Gandhi University, formerly known as Arunachal University, is the oldest university in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The foundation stone for the university was laid in 1984 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The university was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi University in 2005.
  • In May 2020, this year after the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports selected it to establish a centre of sports science education and research under MYAS scheme of National Centre of Sports Sciences and Research (NCSSR). The sports science education and research center, once established would be the first of its kind in the northeast and 6th in the entire country.

Indian Navy sets up New Innovation and Indigenisation Unit

  • Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO). This organisation will put in place dedicated structures for the end-users to interact with the academia and the industry to foster innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence, in keeping with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
  • The NIIO is a three-tiered organisation. The Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and provide apex level directives.
  • A working group under the N-TAC will implement the projects. A Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has also been created for the induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.
  • The Indian Navy already has a functional Directorate of Indigenisation and the new structures will build upon the ongoing indigenisation initiatives, as well as focus on innovation.

PM unveils ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’ faceless income tax scrutiny, taxpayer charter

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a faceless tax scrutiny programme to honour honest income tax payers in the country.
  • Launching the platform ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’, PM Modi said the department will start faceless appeals from September 25, 2020.

NITI Aayog selects Oracle Cloud to transform Aspirational Districts

  • Niti Aayog has selected Oracle to help it modernise vital IT infrastructure in 112 most backward districts as part of its Aspirational Districts Programme.
  • These 112 districts constitute 28 per cent of population and the new cloud solution aims to aid district magistrates to improve overall performance and transform the quality of life of citizens.
  • Oracle Autonomous Database, the world’s first and only true autonomous database, is at the heart of data management in this programme. Being self-driving, self-securing and self-repairing it requires a minimal IT team and resources to support it.
  • The Oracle Cloud solution incorporates
    • Oracle Content Experience to ensure data and reports are easily accessible.
    • Detailed reporting for the District Magistrates to track their district’s progress real-time, via insights generated with Oracle Analytics Cloud service.
    • Key Performance Indicator tracking by citizens to check how their districts are faring, made available by the use of Oracle Application Express (APEX), a low-code development platform that’s at the heart of this reporting process.
    • Oracle Cloud is also able to integrate and track projects undertaken by District Magistrates to improve their rating.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launches Swachh Bharat Mission Academy

  • Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission Academy’, an IVR-based training course with modules on Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus programme.
  • The ODF Plus is an extension of the ODF programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission. Its objective is to sustain the ODF programme and to take up Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).
  • The SBM Academy was launched as part of the ongoing week-long behaviour change campaign ‘Gandagi Mukt Bharat’. The SBM Academy course has four chapters, each with four audio lessons and a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the chapter.

Reliance Foundation launches W-GDP Women Connect Challenge

  • Reliance Foundation has forged a new partnership with US Agency for International Development and Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) to bridge the gender digital divide in India.
  • The partnership was announced at a W-GDP event hosted by Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Stephen Biegun and with special guest, Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States, and Deputy USAID Administrator Bonnie Glick.
  • The W-GDP Fund was created to source and scale the most innovative programmes to advance women’s economic empowerment. The W-GDP Women’s Connect Challenge supports private sector-led approaches that close the gender digital divide, expands business opportunities, and empowers women.
  • W-GDP will partner with the Reliance Foundation to create an India-specific expression of the WCC and incorporate the lessons of previous W-GDP WCC Rounds.
  • W-GDP seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 by focusing on three pillars women prospering in the workforce, women succeeding as entrepreneurs, and women enabled in the economy.

 

Test Series for Junior Admin Asst (Assam Secretariat) 2020

 

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Assam Current Affairs – August 01-07, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – August 01-07, 2020

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 01-07, 2020)

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August 01, 2020

Natasurya Phani Sarma Award to Aishwarya Kakati and Bhabesh Baruah
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal presented Natasurya Phani Sarma Award for the year 2020 to renowned theatre artistes Aishwarya Kakati and Bhabesh Baruah. The award comprises a sarai, commendation, man bastra and a cheque of Rs 2 lakh each.
  • A financial outlay of Rs 1.5 crore has been earmarked for the preservation of the samadhikshetra of Natasurya Phani Sarma.
  • The State government would set up a museum in memory of the cultural doyens like Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Natasurya Phani Sarma and Dr Bhupen Hazarika.

BIOGRAPHY – Phani Sarma (1910–1970)

  • Phani Sarma was an Indian theatre actor, playwright, film actor and director.
  • In 1933 Phani Sarma starred in the first Assamese film, Joymati, directed by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala.
  • He acted in Agarwalla’s second picture Indramalati. And acted and directed Siraj in 1948 and Pioli Phukan in 1955.
Rajesh Bhushan appointed as Union Health Secretary
  • IAS officer Rajesh Bhushan took charge as the Union health secretary. He will succeed Preeti Sudan.
  • A 1987 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, he was appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Health in April 2020.

FACTFILE – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India and for all government programs relating to family planning in India.
  • The Minister of Health and Family Welfare holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers.
  • The Ministry publishes the Indian Pharmacopoeia through the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous body for setting standards for drugs, pharmaceuticals and healthcare devices and technologies in India
Andhra Pradesh approves bills for trifurcation of state capital
  • Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan gave his assent to the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Bill, 2020, passed by the State Legislature.
  • One bill is for abolition of Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) that was created during the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime for building the capital in Amaravati, the other is aimed at decentralizing the administration by creating three state capitals.
  • The government plans to shift the executive capital to Visakhapatnam, judicial capital to Kurnool and retain Amaravati as the legislative capital.
  • The Governor had reportedly sought legal opinion on the procedure involved in the passage of the bills Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 and the Bill to repeal AP Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) signs agreement with KVIC for supplies
  • The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) an agreement with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), becoming the first among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to get supplies from the Commission.
  • A total of 1,200 quintal of mustard oil is being procured from the KVIC by the ITBP with a total financial implication of Rs 1.73 crore.
  • It was decided during a meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Directors General of the CAPFs in October last year that the use of terry Khadi uniform and other items of swadeshi origin should be made available to the CAPFs.
  • The ITBP had suggested that dhurries, blankets, towels, mustard oil, yoga kit, hospital bed sheets, pickels can be purchased for the forces through KVIC.
DIAT develops ‘Aashray’ medical bed isolation to combat COVID-19
  • Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, (DIAT) has developed ‘Aashray’, a medical bed isolation system to combat COVID-19 by preventing or minimising the spread of the virus.
  • This medical bed isolation is a low cost, reusable solution to maintain proper isolation of COVID-19 patients by creating a suction or negative pressure near exhale.
  • The product is modular and portable in design and can be suitable for different requirements such as institutional, hospitals and home/individual quarantine.

GK Quiz for Aug 1-3, 2020 – see video

August 02, 2020

Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya second best in NITI Aayog’s Aspirational districts ranking
  • Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya has ranked second best in the list of aspirational districts ranked by NITI Aayog for the period of 2020 February-June. 
  • While Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh has topped the list of aspirational districts, Bahraich of Uttar Pradesh have been placed at the second and third positions respectively. And Nawada district in Bihar has been ranked fourth and Moga district in Punjab is at the fifth place.
  • Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure were the development areas that were taken into consideration for the ranking.
  • The aspirational districts programme, launched in January 2018, aims to transform districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas and have emerged as pockets of under-development.
Gujarat to set up Gujarat Skills Development Corporation (GSDC)
  • With the help of the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), the Gujarat government will be setting up the Gujarat Skills Development Corporation (GSDC), with seed fund of Rs 100 crore.
  • the state government will have 25 per cent share in the corporation, while 24 per cent stakeholding will be that of NSDC. The remaining 51 per cent of the share will be held by 10 private companies in equal proportion.
  • Gujarat government has already provisioned Rs 30 crore in the budget 2020-21 for the purpose.
  • The GSDC will be supporting and creating high quality skills training institutes in the state and will carry out activities such as skills financing, CSR lead skilling, capacity building, industry connect, market analytics, international collaboration knowledge and advisory services and NSQF courses, which are presently undertaken by the NSDC.
Hamed Bakayoko is the new Prime Minister of Ivory Coast
  • Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara chose Hamed Bakayoko to be the Prime Minster of the country.

 FACTFILE – Ivory Coast

  • Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d’Ivoire, is a country located on the south coast of West Africa.
  • Ivory Coast’s capital is Yamoussoukro in the centre of the country, while its largest city is the port city of Abidjan.
Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs receives SKOCH Gold Award
  • Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has received SKOCH Gold Award for its Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship Schemes project of Scholarship Divison of the Ministry.
  • The 66thSKOCH 2020 Competition was entitled “INDIA RESPONDS TO COVID THROUGH DIGITAL GOVERNANCE”.
  • To assimilate with the larger vision of ‘Digital India’ and to realize the cherished goal of e-governance, MoTA has integrated all 5 Scholarship Schemes with DBT Portal under the guidance of DBT Mission. The portal provides facility to States for data sharing through Web services and States can up-load proposal, UCs and SOE online.
6th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in Russia
  • Environment Ministers of the five BRICS countries i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa participated in the 6th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting which was conducted virtually.
  • Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar represented India and he expressed that the aspirations of the grouping are similar and best practices among the BRICS nations towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goals should be shared.
  • India will assume the BRICS Presidency in 2021.

 FACTFILE – BRICS

  • BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
  • Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits.
  • The Five BRICS countries represented over 3.1 billion people and four of five members are in the top 10 of the world by population.
  • These five nations had a combined GDP of US$18.6 trillion which is about 23.2% of the gross world product.

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August 03, 2020

UNICEF to engage more NCC volunteers in Northeast
  • The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Assam unit and the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Directorate for the Northeastern Region, signed an agreement to engage more NCC volunteers to deal with children’s’ issues in the North East.
  • These two organizations will involve young people in planning, designing initiatives and communications on critical children issues, and provide them with opportunities to share their stories.
  • The goal is to reach out to 1 million young people in the North East as change-makers and create spaces for developing their leadership.
Serum Institute gets DCGI nod for clinical trials of Oxford vaccine
  • The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to Pune’s Serum Institute of India to conduct clinical trials of Oxford University-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine in India.
  • The Serum Institute of India(SII) received approval after a thorough evaluation based on the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee on COVID-19.
  • The Oxford University-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine candidate is in the midst of Phase II and III clinical trials in the UK, Phase III trials in Brazil, and Phase I and II clinical trials in South Africa.
MSME Minister approves Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission
  • Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari has approved a scheme to raise production of ‘agarbatti’ to make India self-reliant on this product.
  • The Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission, proposed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), eyes employment generation as well as making India self-reliant in agarbatti production. It will aid the private incense sticks makers scale up production without any capital investment by them.
  • The KVIC will provide automatic incense sticks production and powder mixing machines to artisans by the private agarbatti manufacturers who will sign the agreement as business partners.
  • The KVIC will provide a 25 per cent subsidy and recover in easy instalments the rest cost of machine from artisans every month.
  • The business partner will provide raw material to artisans and will pay them wages on work basis. The cost of training of artisans will be shared by the KVIC and the private business partner on 75:25 per cent basis.
Hyderabad airport gets UNICEF-funded Mass Fever Screening System
  • Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has received a UNICEF-funded a mass fever screening system to further enhance the efficacy of screening of passengers in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in coordination with the Asian Development Bank, has provided state-of-the-art thermal scanner funded by the UNICEF.
  • The system automatically adjusts and adapts to the surrounding ambient temperature without any human intervention. Thus provides easy identification of passengers with elevated temperature, while simplifying operations and minimizing handling.
  • The Hyderabad Airport continues to handle the international relief flights under the government of India’s largest offshore evacuation programme of Vande Bharat Mission (VBM).

GK Quiz for Aug 1-3, 2020 – see video

August 04, 2020

Northern Railway runs first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train to Tripura’s Jirania
  • The Indian Railways ran a special type of cargo service for transportation of cargo through the first “Vyapar Mala Express”. Traders book part of the goods carrying rake as per their requirement or supply order.
  • The first “Vyapar Mala Express” which started from Delhi’s Kishanganj station to reach Tripura’s Jirania station.
India’s first snow leopard conservation centre to be set up in Uttarakhand
  • Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that India’s first conservation centre for snow leopards is to be set up in the forests of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
  • The centre to be developed by the Uttarakhand forest department along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will work for conservation, restoration of Himalayan ecosystems, and creating livelihoods for local people.
  • The project also aims at the conservation of other endangered species along with the snow leopards.
  • Snow leopards are one of the most enigmatic wild cat species due to their reclusive nature. There are around 86 snow leopards in Uttarakhand right now.
  • In 2017, the central government had launched the six-year ‘SECURE Himalaya’ project, to support the conservation of the significant biodiversity of the mountain regions, including conservation projects of animals and forest resources spread over Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
Andhra Pradesh ties up with India’s FMCG majors to empower women
  • Andhra Pradesh government signed a pact with three FMCG major – Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), ITC and Procter and Gamble (P&G), for marketing and technology support for economic empowerment of women under two new schemes of the state.
  • An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the virtual presence of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta, ITC Executive Director Sanjiv Puri and P&G India CEO Madhusudan Gopalan.
  • The FMCG companies will give handholding to women under the YSR Cheyutha scheme, to be launched shortly, that aims to provide annual financial assistance of Rs 18,750 for next four years to women of 45-60 years age group belonging to SC/ST and backward class and minorities communities.
  • They will also help in providing marketing opportunities and technology support to women under this proposed scheme.
  • The AP government also plans to launch YSR Asara Scheme in September 2020 under which Rs 6,700 crore will be spent annually on 90 lakh women and 9 lakh self-help groups in the state.
Andhra launches virtual campaign ‘E-RakshaBandhan’ on cybercrimes against women
  • Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched ‘E-RakshaBandhan’ campaign aimed at creating public awareness on cybercrimes against women and children.
  • The virtual cybercrime awareness programme jointly developed by Andhra Pradesh Police and Crime Investigation Department (CID), will focus on ensuring the safety of women and children in cyber space.
  • The campaign aims at creating awareness among the public on the sharp rise in cybercrimes, would be conducted through online sessions in the form of webinars, workshops, competition, covering different topics related to cybercrimes.
IIT Madras and Helyxon deploy remote monitoring device for Covid-19 patients
  • IITMadras’ Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) and Helyxon, a healthcare startup, have developed an AI-backed remote patient monitoring system ‘OXY2 ‘ for Covid-19 to keep tabs on critical parameters like temperature, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and heart rate.
  • Equipped with geo-fencing tracking alerts, the OXY2 can keep a tab on the patient’s vital parameters and inform the medical staff about any aberration.
  • The device is completely self-contained, portable, wireless and can be clipped on to patient’s finger and data is streamed to a central monitoring system or any smart phone.
UAE becomes 1st Arab Nation to open a Nuclear Power Plant
  • The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun start-up operations in the initial unit of its first nuclear power plant at the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi. 
  • The $22.4 billion Barakah nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast west of Abu Dhabi is being developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).
  • When fully operational, the four reactors will generate 5,600 megawatts (MW).
  • To diversify its energy economy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and project its image as a regional leader in science and technology, the UAE has started this project.

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August 05, 2020

Prakash Javadekar launches 24×7 Doordarshan Assam channel
  • A 24-hour channel Doordarshan Assam dedicated was launched by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
  • The Doordarshan channel in Assam is part of a new-found focus on northeast region.
  • Doordarshan Assam would also be contributing in a major way to the educational development of the state like other regional channels and it will be another milestone in the government’s effort to provide online education in regional languages across states.
  • Doordarshan Assam which will include serials, music programmes, travelogues, reality shows, feature films etc and will have ethnic touch highlighting cuisine, folk culture and tribal life of the state and region.
Nokia Centre of Excellence to set up robotics lab at IISc Bengaluru
  • Finnish firm Nokia announced collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru to establish a network robotics laboratory for research on socially relevant use cases based on 5G and emerging technologies.
  • The Nokia Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Networked Robotics will promote interdisciplinary research involving robotics, advanced communication technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop use cases across areas like emergency management, agriculture and industrial automation, engagement and cooperation between academia, start-ups and industry ecosystem partners in research.
  • The tie-up would to help IISc in capacity building and human resources development in cutting-edge technology of robotics, 5G and autonomous systems.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu launches E-GyanMitra mobile app for online education
  • Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu has launched E-GyanMitra mobile app for online education.
  • Through this app, the students from primary till the higher secondary can take online classes and give there tests/exams.
  • The teachers will post the lectures and quiz for the students and the student can access those lectures, the teacher can monitor the progress of the students learning.

FACTFILE – Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

  • Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is a union territory in western India.
  • It was created through the merger of the former union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on 26 January 2020.
  • The UT is made up of four separate geographical entities Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and the island of Diu, which were part of Portuguese India.
Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan 2020-21
  • Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21, a national programme for popularizing science among school students.
  • This is a platform to indentify the talented minds with a scientific aptitude in the field of science and to promote the scientific acumen among the students.

GK Quiz for Aug 4-6, 2020 – see video

August 06, 2020

Manoj Sinha appointed as new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
  • Former Union Minister Manoj Sinha has been appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, after the resignation of Girish Chandra Murmu who is appointed as the new CAG of India.
  • Manoj Sinha was born on July 1, 1959 in Mohanpura of Ghazipur district of eastern UP.
  • He has served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways in the Government of India.

FACTFILE – Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

  • The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is the head of state of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The office of lieutenant governor was established after an Act was passed in August 2019 in the Parliament of India, reorganising the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 31 October 2019.
  • Provisions contained within the act created the positions of Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
India contributes over USD 15 million to India-UN Development Partnership Fund
  • India has contributed around USD 15.5 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, as per its commitment to supporting developing nations in their developmental priorities across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti handed over a cheque of USD 15.46 million to the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Director Jorge Chediek.
  • The tranche of USD 15.46 million includes USD 6 million to the overall fund, in which all the developing countries are eligible for partnership, and USD 9.46 million dedicated to the Commonwealth countries.

FACTFILE – India-UN Development Partnership Fund

  • The India-UN Development Partnership Fund was started in 2017
  • It is managed by the UNOSSC and implemented under the leadership of partner developing countries leveraging the strengths of United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes.
  • Till now as many as 55 projects and proposals have been approved to date with a total contribution of USD 41.8 million towards a USD 150 million multi-year pledge.
Union Agriculture Minister launches Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel
  • Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the SahakarCooptube NCDC Channel, a new initiative by National Cooperative Development Corporation.
  • The Minister also launched guidance videos produced by NCDC on ‘Formation and Registration of a Cooperative’ for eighteen different states in Hindi and regional languages.
  • Union Government under AtmaNirbhar Bharat has recently announced a series of transformative measures and sector specific financial packages to help agriculture.
  • The initiatives are steps taken with the objective for India to become food factory of the world.
Punjab to distributing smartphones to HS students
  • The Punjab Cabinet approved for distribution of 1,73,823 smartphones to students of government schools, who are preparing to take their Class XII board exams with the help of online education amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • The phones will be equipped with various smart features such as touch screen, camera and pre-loaded government applications like the ‘e-Sewa App’ with e-content related to Class XI and Class XII, as approved by the Department of School Education.
  • The Cabinet noted that four months of the academic year 2020-21 had already elapsed without regular on campus classes, and while private schools are conducting online classes, the students of government schools are facing a competitive disadvantage, especially those studying in Class XII.

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August 07, 2020

Union Cabinet approved National Education Policy 2020
  • The Union Cabinet approved the National Education Policy 2020, with proposal for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors.
  • This education policy replaces the thirty-four year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.
  • Based on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making education more flexible, multidisciplinary and pragmatic.

Some of the important proposals under the new policy are

  • New Policy aims for Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030, by bringing 2 crore children, who are out of school children, back into the main stream.
  • Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035. For this purpose an additional 3.5 crore seats to be added in higher education
  • New 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Anganwadi/ Pre-schooling
  • Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools. Vocational Education to start  from Class 6 with Internships
  • Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Outcomes.
  • Higher Education curriculum to have Flexibility of Subjects and Multiple Entry / Exit to be allowed with appropriate certification.
  • Teaching upto at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language. Promotes Multilingualism in both schools and Higher Education.
  • Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits
  • National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture.
  • National Educational Technology Forum to be created to facilitate and promote use of technology with equity.
  • To set up a Gender Inclusion Fund,Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
  • National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit , Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up.
Odisha becomes first state to get ‘Tsunami Ready’ tag
  • Odisha has become the first state to get two coastal villages ‘tsunami ready’, this also makes the India to become the first in the Indian Ocean region to achieve the honour.
  • Venkatraipur village of Ganjam district and Noliasahi village of Jagatsinghpur district have been acknowledged by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO for greater preparedness to face the tsunami disaster.
  • In a virtual event to be organised by Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) Secretariat in Perth, Australia and the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) in Jakarta, Indonesia, ‘Certificate of Recognition’ will be handed over to the communities of Venkatraipur and Noliasahi as Tsunami Ready villages.
  • The Indian Ocean Tsunami Ready Programme of IOC-UNESCO is a community performance-based programme that facilitates tsunami preparedness as an active collaboration of the community, community leaders, and national and local emergency management agencies. It aims to improve coastal community preparedness for tsunami emergencies, to minimise the loss of life and property and to ensure structural and systematic approach in building community preparedness.
  • Regular tsunami mock drills are being conducted in the tsunami-prone villages as a part of International Tsunami Drills and National Tsunami drills. The Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) for last-mile connectivity has been set up in the tsunami-prone villages.
Pradeep Kumar Joshi appointed as new Chairman of UPSC
  • Professor Pradeep Kumar Joshi is appointed as the new chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that conducts the civil services and other class job selection examinations.
  • Joshi, currently a member in the Commission, will succeed Arvind Saxena who completes his term as UPSC chairman.
  • Earlier he was the chairman of both Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commissions. He joined the UPSC as member in May 2015.
  • Other members of UPSC are Bhim Sain Bassi, Air Marshal A S Bhonsle (retired), Sujata Mehta, Manoj Soni, Smita Nagaraj, M Sathiyavathy Bharat Bhushan Vyas, T C A Anant and Rajiv Nayan Choubey.

FACTFILE – Union Public Service Commission

  • The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is India’s premier central recruiting agency, responsible for appointments to and examinations for All India services and group A & group B of Central services.
  • The agency’s charter is granted by Part XIV of the Constitution of India, titled as Services Under the Union and the States.
  • It is also required to be consulted by the Government in matters relating to the appointment, transfer, promotion and disciplinary matters. The commission reports directly to the President and can advise the Government through him.
  • It was originally established on 1 October 1926 as Public Service Commission, it was later reconstituted as Federal Public Service Commission by the Government of India Act 1935.
  • UPSC is one of the few institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom.
India’s first Kisan Special Parcel Train flagged off from Devlali Railway Station
  • Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar flagged off the India’s first Kisan Special Parcel Train ‘ Kisan Rail’ which will transport material between Maharashtra’s Devlali and Bihar’s Danapur Railway station.
  • The Kisan Rail will carry fruits and vegetables and will make stoppages at several stations and pick-up and deliver them. It will halt at Nasik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, ltarsi, Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Manikpur, PrayagrajChheoki, PanditDeendayalUpadhyay Nagar and Buxar.
  • This initiative will help in bringing perishable agricultural products like vegetables, fruits to the market in a short period of time. The Kisan Rail train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive of fish, meat and milk.
Maharashtra & Google tie-up to deploy learning tools for schools
  • The Maharashtra govt announced a partnership with Google that will enable 2.3 crore students and teachers to access the technology giant’s blended learning programmes that combine classroom approach with online learning.
  • Google will deploy free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom and Google Meet to facilitate remote learning.
  • The School Education Department will provide individual educators and students with their own G Suite ID to ensure every student – irrespective of their location – experiences continuity in learning.
Andrzej Duda sworn in President of Poland for 2nd term
  • Andrzej Duda was sworn in as the President of Poland for his second five-year term in office after he was re-elected.
  • He is the second president in post-communist Poland to win a second five-year term, after Aleksander Kwasniewski from 1995 to 2005.
  • Duda won the run-off elections with with 51.03 per cent of the votes, while his rival, Warsaw Mayor RafalTrzaskowski received 48.97 per cent.

 FACTFILE – Poland

  • Poland is a country located in Central Europe.
  • It has an area of 312,696 square kilometres and has a largely temperate seasonal climate.
  • With a population of nearly 38.5 million people, Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union.
  • Poland’s capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – July 29 – 31, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – July 29 - 31, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of July 29 – 31, 2020 )

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July 29, 2020

HRD Minister launches ‘India Report on Digital Education 2020’
  • Union Minister for HRD Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually launched India Report on Digital Education, 2020, which elaborates on the innovative methods adopted by Ministry of HRD, Education Departments of States and Union Territories for ensuring accessible and inclusive education to children at home and reducing learning gaps.
  • Ministry of Human Resource Development has initiated many projects like DIKSHA platform, Swayam Prabha TV Channel, Online MOOC courses, On Air – Shiksha Vani,   DAISY by NIOS for differently-abled, e-PathShala, National Repository of Open Educational Resources to develop e-content and energized books, telecast through TV channels, E-learning portals , webinars and other digital initiatives along with State/ UT Governments.
  • The report has been prepared by Digital Education Division of MHRD in consultation with Education Departments of States and UTs.
  • School Education is envisaged as a comprehensive and convergent programme committed to universalize digital education across the wide spectrum of schools from pre-nursery to higher secondary classes.
  • Various State and Union Territories Governments have also managed the critical task of providing digital education at the doorstep of the students, social media tools like WhatsApp Group, Online classes through YouTube channel and Google meet.
  • States and UTs have also distributed textbooks at children’s doorsteps.
India can be major agro products exporter with effective policy
  • A study conducted by MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai shows that India can emerge as top five exporters of agro commodities in the world, if governments take effective measures to handhold farmers.
  • Through focused intervention in capacity building, India can enhance its agro export to surpass Thailand and Indonesia and become the fifth largest exporter in the world.
  • The government should re-orient the role of its extension centres, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), to handhold farmers in growing those varieties of crops that are demanded in the global market.
  • KVKs should guide farmers on prudential use of pesticides and other agro chemicals so that they conform to the global quality standards, so that India’s export consignments are rejected because of presence of higher level of pesticides.
  • India has made remarkable progress in export of niche products such as capsicum chilly, castor oil, tobacco extracts; and also made considerable progress in export of basmati rice, meat and marine products.
  • As per latest WTO data, India ranks eighth with annual agro exports of $39 billion, after EU, USA, Brazil, China, Canada, Indonesia and Thailand.
  • As per FAO data, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world but its share in world exports is 1.7-1.8 per cent.
IRCTC, SBI Card launch new Co-branded contactless Credit Card
  • IRCTC and SBI Card together launched their new Co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay Platform.
  • The new RuPay credit card is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC), with which, users can expedite their transactions at the POS machines by just tapping the card on the machines.
Hetero launches generic Covid-19 drug Favivir
  • Drug firm Hetero has launched genericoral antiviral drug Favipiravir used for treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19, in India under the brand name ‘Favivir’ at Rs 59 per tablet.
  • The company has been granted the manufacturing and marketing approval for Favipiravir from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
  • Favivir is the second drug developed by Hetero after Covifor (Remdesivir) used in the treatment of Covid-19.
  • This medication has demonstrated positive clinical outcomes, it improves treatment accessibility to a significant amount of Covid-19 patient population, which have mild to moderate symptoms.

July 30, 2020

Union Cabinet approves National Education Policy 2020
  • The Union Cabinet approved the National Education Policy 2020, with large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors in the country.
  • This education policy will replace the thirty-four year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.
  • Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to present needs.
  • New Education Policy aims for Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) in school education by 2030, by bringing 2 crore out of school children back into the main stream.
  • It proposes new 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Anganwadi/ Pre-schooling. It also emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools. And teaching upto at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language.
  • GER in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035 ;  and additional 3.5 crore seats to be added in higher education. Higher Education curriculum is also to have more flexibility of Subjects, with multiple entry / exit to be allowed with appropriate certification.
  • Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits.
  • National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture
  • Light but Tight Regulation of Higher Education, single regulator with four separate verticals for different functions
  • Affiliation System to be phased out with graded autonomy to colleges.
  • The new policy also advocates increased use of technology with equity; and for these purpose a National Educational Technology Forum to be created.
  • NEP 2020 promotes Multilingualism in both schools and HEs; National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit , Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up.
Earth Sciences Ministry announces National Awards for excellence in Earth System Science
  • Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) announced National Awards for excellence in Earth System Science. The Life Time Excellence Award is being awarded to Professor Ashok Sahni for his significant contribution in the field of Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology and Biostratigraphy.
  • The National Award for Ocean Science and technology is being awarded to Dr. V. V. S. S. Sarma, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Vishakapatnam and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Director, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa. Dr. S. Suresh Babu will be awarded the National Award for Atmospheric Science and Technology.
  • The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) provides the nation with the best possible services for weather, climate, ocean, coastal and natural hazards, for the Public Safety and socio-economic benefits. It also deals with exploration and sustainable harnessing of ocean resources – living and non-living.
MoES-Knowledge Resource Centre Network launched
  • Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched the “MoES-Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)” under the Digital India initiative of Government of India.
  • The Ministry aims to develop a World-Class Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet). The traditional libraries of the MoES system will be upgraded into a top-notch Knowledge Resource Centres (KRC).
  • KRCs will be interconnected and integrated into the KRCNet portal. It will be a single point entry to the intellectual assets of the ministry.

 Salient objectives of the MoES-Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)

  • Establish a Total Quality Management (TQM) system by securing ISO certification for documenting MoESknowledge resources, its maintenance, easy retrieval and dissemination.
  • Collect, collate, analyze, index, store and disseminate the intellectual resources, products and project outputs available in MoES headquarter and its institutes.
  • Develop and maintain an up-to-date meta-data of the print & digital resources available in MoES headquarter and MoES institutes, including MoES services.
  • Provide 24X7 access to the subscribed knowledge contents through the KRCNet portal.
  • Application of information analytical tools & techniques like bibliometrics, scientometrics, big-data analytics, social media analytics etc., for policy formulation, report preparation and information dissemination.
  • Periodically organize training workshops to popularize usage of electronic journals, databases, digital products, data analytics etc.
Haryana engages Garuda Aerospace for drone-based anti-locust spraying
  • Drone-as-a-Service (DAAS) provider Garuda Aerospace has bagged a contract from the Haryana government for spraying anti-locust pesticide in the state.
  • Haryana is the third state after Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to have contracted Garuda Aerospace for drone-based anti-locust operations.
  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation gave conditional exemption to the Haryana government for use of remotely piloted systems for anti-locust operations.
  • Garuda Aerospace has been carrying out drone-based anti-coronavirus sanitation orders from several municipal corporations and smart cities like Varanasi, Rourkela, Raipur, Chennai and Hyderabad.

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July 31, 2020

‘BANDICOOT’ robot to clean manholes in Guwahati
  • Guwahati Development Department (GDD) Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya inaugurated the first-ever manhole cleaning robot to end manual scavenging.
  • The robot named ‘BANDICOOT’ has been procured by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) along with six Skid Steer Loaders from JCB and six Backhoe Loaders from CASE and BOBCAT companies each.
  • The BANDICOOT robot is also the first of its kind in the world that was developed by a Start-up India company called Genrobotics under the Make in India initiative, funded by CSR of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
  • Guwahati is the third city in the entire country to procure this innovative technology to clean manholes after Gurugram and Coimbatore.
Hardik Satishchandra Shah appointed Private Secretary to PM Modi
  • IAS officer Hardik Satishchandra Shah has been appointed the Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah is a 2010-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, is currently serving as a Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

FACTFILE – Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)

  • The Prime Minister’s Office consists of the immediate staff of the Prime Minister of India, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the Prime Minister.
  • The PMO is headed by the Principal Secretary, currently PK Misra.
  • It was originally called the Prime Minister’s Secretariat until 1977, when it was renamed during the Prime Ministership of Morarji Desai ministry.
PM Modi inaugurated the Supreme Court building of Mauritius
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Supreme Court building of Mauritius with his counterpart Pravind K. Jugnauth via video conference, in presence of senior members of judiciary from Mauritius and other dignitaries from both the countries.
  • Prime Minister Modi said India and Mauritius jointly celebrated yet another landmark as a symbol of special friendship between the two countries.
  • The Supreme Court building of Mauritius has been constructed with Indian grant assistance and will be the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis after Covid-19.
  • This project is one of the five projects being implemented under the ‘Special Economic Package’ of $353 million extended by the Government of India to Mauritius in 2016.
Union cabinet approval for remaining HRD Ministry as Ministry of Education
  • The Union Cabinet has approved the change of name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development as Ministry of Education.
  • The name change was done as per the recommendation of the draft New Education Policy 2020. The HRD ministry name was adopted in 1985, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, before that it was the Ministry of Education.

FACTFILE – Ministry of Education (MoE)

  • The Ministry of Education (MoE) is responsible for the implementation and formulation of the National Policy on Education approved by Union cabinet of India and to ensure that it is implemented in letter and spirit.
  • Planned development, including expanding access and improving quality of the educational institutions throughout the country, including in the regions where people do not have easy access to education.
  • The Ministry is divided into two departments – (1) Department of School Education and Literacy, which deals with primary, secondary and higher secondary education, adult education and literacy, and (2) Department of Higher Education, which deals with a university education, technical education, scholarship, etc.
Power Finance Corporation signs agreement with IIT- Kanpur
  • Power Finance Corporation (PFC), a PSU under Ministry of Power and country’s leading NBFC, signed a MoA with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) for Training, Research, and Entrepreneurship Development in Smart Grid Technology.
  • As per the MoA, PFC will provide financial assistance of Rs. 2.38 Crore to IIT-K under its CSR initiative.
  • PFD will provide support to IIT-K in developing infrastructure for research and development on smart grid technology. And IIT-K will provide training on smart grid technology to 90 participants and provide fellowship to 9 selected candidates for development of ideas on Smart Grid Technology. The fellows will be assisted by Start-up Innovation and Incubation Centre (SIIC) of IIT-K and encouraged to take up entrepreneurial activities.
Punjab launches immunity boosting milk ‘Verka haldi’
  • Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched a nutritional drink ‘Verka haldi’ or turmeric milk, produced by Milkfed to boost people’s immunity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with the hope that this milk would soon emerge as a popular drink among consumers, to stay healthy and boost their immunity in the fight against coronavirus.
  • The Verka milk had been prepared by using a unique ‘haldi’ formulation, that had been developed and patented by Department of Biotechnology of Punjabi University in Patiala.
  • Verka Haldi Dudh has been launched, as part of Mission Fateh, at a price of Rs 25 for 200 ml which is within the reach of all sections of society and will be beneficial for health of young and old alike.

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Assam Current Affairs – July 22 – 28, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – July 22 - 28, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of July 22 – 28, 2020 )

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July 22, 2020

Centre to Provide Rs 346 crore to Assam to tackle flood fury
  • Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat has announced to provide the first instalment of Rs 346 crore under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) in Assam.
  • The massive devastation caused by over a month long flood along with erosion in the state. The monsoon flood in Assam has killed at least 89 people, while around 26.32 lakh people in 26 of the 33 districts were affected.
  • The flood also badly damaged 115,515 hectares of crop area and infrastructures across the state.
  • The central minister requested the Chief Minister to send proposals for sanctioning money under Disaster Risk Management Fund which would facilitate the state government to get more funds from the Central Government for flood management, relief, erosion and other mitigation.
  • The Chief Minister also urged for funds to strengthen 5,000 km of embankments built since 1951 in the state, which also turned into road cum embankments.
Junior Administrative Assistant (Assam Secretariat) Test Series 2020 – Mock & Sectional Tests

 

Andhra Pradesh inks MoU with AMUL for dairy development
  • Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with cooperative giant Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL).
  • The MoU is expected to give a boost to the empowerment of women self-help groups by encouraging the milk cooperatives in the government sector.
  • Joining hands with AMUL will help the women groups and dairy farming in the cooperative sector with an opportunity and exposure to world class infrastructure, technology and marketing opportunities which would improve their standard of living and self reliance of women.
  • Though the Andhra Pradesh stands fourth in milk production, only 24 per cent was going to the organised sector. The partnership with AMUL will help farmers to get good price and women groups.
Punjab signs pacts with IIT Ropar for skill development
  • Punjab state government has signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the IIT Ropar to boost skill development.
  • The MoUs provide for IIT’s Technical Education Department to become academic mentor for engineering colleges in Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Skill Institute at Shri Chamkaur Sahib, five government polytechnics and 10 government ITIs.
  • IIT Ropar would help the state in developing one model ITI and one model polytechnic.

FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

  • Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar) is an engineering, science and technology higher education institute located in Rupnagar, Punjab.
  • It is one of the eight newer Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India under The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 2011.
India’s first public Electric Vehicle charging plaza inaugurated at New Delhi
  • Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, inaugurated India’s first public Electric Vehicle (EV) charging plaza at Chelmsford Club in New Delhi.
  • The charging plaza has been set up with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency and promoting e-mobility. This plaza will host 5 EV chargers of different specifications.
  • The minister also launched retrofit of air-conditioning to improve indoor air quality for safety and efficiency (RAISE) – a joint initiative of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
  • This is a part of the initiative to “Retrofit of Air-conditioning to improve Indoor air quality for Safety and Efficiency” developed for healthy and energy-efficient buildings, in partnership with USAID’s MAITREE programme.
Ministry of Youth Affairs partners with UNICEF to promote volunteerism among youth
  • Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has partnered with UNICEF to strengthen the resolve to mobilise 1 crore youth volunteers to achieve goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat
  • MYAS signed a memorandum of intent was signed with YuWaah (a multi-stakeholder platform formed by the UNICEF) to work in partnership to promote volunteerism among India’s youth.
  • The partnership will leverage both Indian ministry and UN efforts to work with young people to co-create and implement solutions at scale tackling education, skilling and unemployment challenges for the youth in India.

July 23, 2020

NITI Aayog recommends mandatory use of 25% recycled material in infra projects
  • Niti Aayog will recommend to the government to mandate the use of recycled materials up to 25 per cent in large infrastructure projects, in line with the global move to promote the use of secondary products.
  • Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer of Niti Aayog, said that Govt should make 25 per cent use of recycled products (metals, plastics and paper) in large infrastructure projects to promote secondary products across India
  • Using recycled products by up to 25 per cent may reduce the raw material cost of the project by at least 10-15 per cent.
PM Modi at India Ideas Summit
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at the India Ideas Summit, the Summit is being hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC). The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Building a Better Future’.
  • PM Modi said India has what is needed to power the global economic recovery and there has never been a better time to invest in the country. 
  • India’s rise means a rise in global integration with increasing openness, a rise in competitiveness with access to a market which offers scale, and a rise in returns on investment with the availability of skilled human resources. 
  • USA and India partnership can play an important role in helping the world bounce back faster after the pandemic.
NSDC and Airtel Payments Bank joins hands to skill rural youth
  • Airtel Payments Bank and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) announced a partnership to skill the youth in rural India and enable them to find employment opportunities in the financial services sector.
  • The partnership will leverage NSDC’s experience, training infrastructure and wide network with Airtel Payment Bank’s industry insights, to design and conduct targeted skill development programmes for rural youth.
  • The skill development programme will be tailored for imparting knowledge and skills for entry-level jobs, such as business correspondent and field sales executive, in the financial services sector.
  • The programme will focus on the adoption of digital tools to drive online banking and digital financial services, given the growing penetration of affordable smartphones and 4G networks in the country.
  • This collaboration will also extend to e-Skill India, NSDC’s digital skilling initiative.

FACTFILE – Airtel Payments Bank

  • Airtel Payments Bank is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel.
  • It is the first company in India to receive a payments bank license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and it became the first live payments bank in the country.
  • It is a joint venture between Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (holds 19.9% stake).
China launches first Mars mission Tianwen 1
  • China successfully launched its first Mars probe aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in a single mission.
  • A Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest and most powerful launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of about five tonnes, soared into the sky from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province.
  • The Chinese Mars probe named Tianwen 1 or Quest for Heavenly Truth 1, will fulfil three scientific objectives (i) orbiting the red planet for comprehensive observation, (ii) landing on Martian soil and (iii) sending a rover to roam the landing site.
  • It will conduct scientific investigations into the planet’s soil, geological structure, environment, atmosphere and water.
  • The probe consists of three parts — the orbiter, the lander and the rover — and they will separate in Mars orbit. The orbiter will remain in the orbit for scientific operations and relay signals while the lander-rover combination makes an autonomous descent and landing.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 comes into force from 20 July
  • The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes in to force from 20 July, with its salient features including the establishment of central authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
  • This new Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified rules and provisions like Consumer Protection Councils, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products containing adulterant / spurious goods.
  • Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be empowered to conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute complaints/prosecution, order recalls of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.
  • The rules for the prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platforms will also be covered under this Act. Every e-commerce entity is required to provide information relating to return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of payment, grievance redressal mechanism, payment methods, security of payment methods, charge-back options, etc. including country of origin.
  • E-Commerce platforms have to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint within forty-eight hours and redress the complaint within one month.
India, Maldives sign agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in Malé
  • India and Maldives have signed an agreement for the establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in capital Male.
  • It is one of the several small and medium projects that are being financed by India under a grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars for the neighbouring country.
  • Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shaheed thanked the Indian government and said that the emergency medical service unit will enhance timely access to quality emergency care and will increase collaboration between healthcare facilities and disaster response agencies.

 FACTIFLE – The Maldives

  • The Republic of Maldives is a small island nation in South Asia, situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean.
  • It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland.
  • The Maldives is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 515,696 inhabitants.
  • It is the world’s lowest-lying country, with an average ground-level elevation of 1.5 metres above sea level.
  • Malé is the capital and the most populated city
  • The Maldives archipelago is located on the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge; this also forms a terrestrial ecoregion, together with the Chagos Archipelago and Lakshadweep.
  • The Maldives is a founding member of SAARC and also a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.

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July 24, 2020

Tripura NGO’s scheme for well-off to help underprivileged people
  • An NGO from Tripura, Purvaudaya launched “Heart of Humanity”, a project to assist the poor and the needy people by connecting the well-off section of society with underprivileged people.
  • Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, along with other ministers inaugurated three outlets of Purvaudaya in Agartala and outskirts areas in which clothes and food would be distributed to the poor free of cost.
  • At these outlets, the well-off citizens will donate unused and discarded items like clothes, mattresses, quilts, blankets, shoes, toys, books, artefacts, bags, etc which are still in good condition so that the needy people can take them for their use.
Funding of over Rs 8,700 crore approved for 81 stressed housing projects under SWAMIH scheme
  • Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said under the Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH initiative Rs 8,767 crore has been approved for 81 projects, enabling the completion of almost 60,000 homes across India.
  • While reviewing the performance of the Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH), Finance Minister underlined the need for speedy efforts to complete construction of projects for which last-mile funding has been sanctioned.
  • She also suggested that both private and public sector banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) should see the special window as a stakeholder and increase support for early completion of stressed projects.
  • Sitharaman asked the Department of Economic Affairs to closely monitor the performance of SWAMIH to ensure that the capital raised is used for resolving stressed projects on urgent basis.
Greta Thunberg awarded €1-million Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity
  • Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was awarded the 2020 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, worth €1-million (or $1.15 million) in prize money
  • Established in 2020, the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity aims to recognize individuals, groups or organizations whose contributions toward mitigating climate change stand out for “novelty, innovation and impact.”

FACTFILE – Gulbenkian Prize

  • Gulbenkian Prize is a series of prizes awarded annually by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
  • The main Gulbenkian Prize was established in 1976 as the Gulbenkian Science Prize awarded to Portuguese individuals and organizations.
  • The Gulbenkian Science Prize has now been restructured and is known as Gulbenkian Prizes on Cohesion, Knowledge and Sustainability and three prizes are awarded in each of the fields.
India successfully test-fires Dhruvastra
  • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducts flight trials of the anti-tank guided Nag Missile (HELINA), which has been named now as Dhruvastra.
  • The trials were carried out in direct and top attack mode, at Interim Test Range, Balasore, Odisha.
  • This is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile. It will support both the airborne forces of the Indian Army as well as the Mechanised Infantry.
  • The land version of this missile is already available for integration the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA). The missile in the helicopter-launched configuration has been designated as Helicopter-launched NAG (HELINA).
  • After the completion of a successful trial, this can be fired from the indigenous `Dhruv’ Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), as well as Rudra (ALH WSI) attack helicopter.

July 25, 2020 

Assam CM launches Drone for surveillance of forests
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled a surveillance quadcopter (drone) and an anti-depredation quick response vehicle, which will help intensify vigil and curb man-animal conflict.
  • An intensified 24X7 surveillance would become possible over the forest cover and check incidents of man-animal conflict.
  • The drone will narrow-cast any purported movement of poachers in the national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and other reserve forests.
Odisha approves investment proposals worth Rs. 2,172.92 crore
  • The Odisha government has approved four investment proposals worth Rs 2,172.92 crore. The State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) approved the projects in metal and metal downstream sector, which will likely generate employment for 1,122 people.
  • Rungta Mines Limited proposed to set up 34 MTPA beneficiation plant in two phases with an investment of Rs 975 crore.
  • It also proposed to set up 20 MTPA underground slurry pipeline with an investment of Rs 951 crore.
  • Shyam Metalics and Energy Limited would expand its Pellet Plant from 0.3 MTPA to 1.2 MTPA capacity with a total investment of Rs 76.92 crore.
Rajesh Bhushan appointed as Health Secretary and Ajay Tirkey as Secretary of Department of Land Resources
  • Rajesh Bhushan, IAS officer of 1987 Batch, Bihar Cadre has been appointed as the new Health Secretary in the Union Health Ministry. He will succeed Preeti Sudan upon completion of her tenure.
  • Ajay Tirkey has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Land Resources in the Ministry of Rural Development.
  • Ram Mohan Mishra is appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
  • Anil Kumar Jain has been given additional charge as Secretary, Mines along with his post of Secretary in the Coal Ministry.
IIT Kharagpur’s portable device to test Covid-19
  • Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have developed a portable diagnostic device that can detect Covid-19 infection in 60 minutes at an estimated cost of Rs 400.
  • This entire non-invasive saliva-based test can be conducted in a very low-cost portable enclosure. The technology essentially uses a disposable simple paper-strip for chemical analysis and visualisation of results.
  • The device has been designed to be usable at locations with extremely poor resources. It can be operated by minimally trained personnel, precluding the needs for skilled technicians.
  • It is ready for commercialisation of the product and any corporate or start-up can approach the institute for technology licensing and commercial scale of production.
Turkmenistan granted observer status in the World Trade Organization (WTO)
  • Turkmenistan has been granted Observer status by the World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council. Turkmenistan has become the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with the trade body.
  • Neighbouring Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan — have acceded to the WTO, while Uzbekistan has been in on-and-off negotiations on WTO accession since 1994.

 FACTFILE –World Trade Organization (WTO)

  • The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations and is the largest international economic organization.
  • Commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.
  • The WTO has 164 members and 25 observer governments
Nicaragua to join International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement
  • Nicaragua has become the 87th country to join the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement, an initiative led by India to promote sustainable energy.
  • Nicaragua’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jaime Hermida Castillo signed the agreement at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

FACTFILE – International Solar Alliance

  • The International Solar Alliance is an alliance of 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
  • It was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.
  • It is a major global initiative for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, envisioning rapid deployment of solar energy units. Last year the ISA amended its Framework Agreement to enable membership for all member countries of the United Nations.
  • Inclusion of UN member countries to the alliance will put solar energy in global agenda and the expanding membership will lead to the initiative benefitting the world at large.
  • The ISA Framework Agreement was opened for signature during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Morocco in November 2016 and the ISA became a treaty-based intergovernmental body in December 2017.
  • The ISA’s first assembly was held in New Delhi in October 2018.

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July 26, 2020 

Assam-origin scientist Dr Hifzur R Siddique makes major discovery in liver cancer
  • Dr Hifzur R Siddique, Assam-origin scientist now working as an assistant professor with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has made a path-breaking discovery in determining a major cause of liver cancer.
  • The discovery has the potential to serve as a therapeutic target for drug design by providing direction to the management strategy for this terminal disease.
  • Together with Prof Keigo Machida of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and other collaborators, Dr Hifzur R Siddique has discovered that the central regulatory pathway of liver cancer is caused by alcohol and hepatitis infection.
  • The team found that the cancer cells and cancer stem cells accumulate TBC1D15, which promotes cancer in two ways– initially by interfering with the normal asymmetric cell division and then enhancing the cancer-causing NOTCH protein.
TRIFED signs MoU with IIT Delhi for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
  • The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), a flagship national programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. 
  • A tripartite MOU was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi, on behalf of the UBA, as the National Coordinating Institute, and Vijnana Bharati, a Swadeshi Science Movement at IIT Delhi .
  • Tribal entrepreneurs under TRIFED’s Van Dhan programme will now be able to get access to the expertise of the entire network of 2600 + academic and research institutions under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA).
  • Together with IIT Delhi, the “National Coordinating Institute (NCI)” for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)” ,TRIFED envisages promoting Tribal Livelihoods and Income generating programmes through synergistic collaboration among the concerned Ministries, District Administration, local Panchayat Raj Institutes (PRIs), Voluntary Organisations, other stakeholders, as well as the other participating institutions.
  • TRIFED is implementing the Van Dhan Yojana a programme for value addition, branding and marketing of MFPs by establishing Van Dhan Kendras of around 300 tribal members each across the country to facilitate the creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribal gatherers.
  • The partnership will benefit the tribal people and many more upcoming initiatives in the pipeline and will accelerate the transformation of tribal lives and livelihoods by reinvigorating their flagging economic condition.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches state-of-the-art honey testing lab at Anand
  • Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated a ‘World Class State-of-the-Art Honey Testing Laboratory’ established by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand (Gujarat) with support of National Bee Board (NBB).
  • Based on the parameters notified by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI), NDDB has set-up this lab with all the facilities and developed the test methods and protocols, accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
  • The ministry has taken up several activities to promote beekeeping under Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). The National Mission for Beekeeping being implemented through the National Bee Board and the states.
  • The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare has approved the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission(NBHM) for a period of two years.
India ranked 3rd in gaining forest area in the world
  • As per the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), India has ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas in the last decade. India makes up for two per cent of total global forest area.
  • FAO brings this comprehensive assessment every five years since 1990. This report assesses the state of forests, their conditions and management for all member countries.
  • The top 10 countries that have recorded the maximum average annual net gains in forest area during 2010-2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania.
  • The Asian continent reported the highest net gain in forest area in 2010-2020, it recorded 1.17 million hectares (ha) per year net increase in forests in the last decade.
  • India has been taking up massive afforestation and plantation schemes. During 2010-20, the rate of increase in naturally regenerating forest was just 0.38 per cent according to the FRA 2020.
  • India reported maximum employment in the forestry sector in the world. India accounted for 6.23 million, or nearly 50 per cent of 12.5 million people who are employed in the forestry sector globally.

July 27, 2020                    

PM Modi praises skilled artisans of Assam, Tripura and Manipur for value addition to bamboo products
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised skilled artisans of Assam, Tripura and Manipur for value addition to bamboo products including water bottles, tiffin boxes etc with the aim of making the country ‘Atmanirbhar’.
  • During his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’, PM said these indigenous products boost the income of the people and the business during the festivities and various other occasions.
  • The government has set up a new National Bamboo Mission (NBM) to focus on the development of the bamboo sector in the country. Now the North Eastern Council Cane & Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) act as a coordinating and facilitating agency for the North-Eastern region.
  • The North-Eastern region has now slowly become bamboo industry hubs as more youths and entrepreneurs are engaging in this craft with the support from the government. Various value-added bamboo products including bamboo tiffin boxes manufactured at a small town- Churachandpur of Manipur State have become popular.
  • Zogam Bamboo Works of Churachandpur now could provide jobs to a number of young craftsmen of the district and its products have international buyers from Singapore, Dubai, Oklahoma etc. 
Delhi govt launches ‘Rozgar Bazar’ web portal to generate more jobs
  • The Delhi government launched a web portal to make job opportunities available to those who lost employment due to the COVID-induced lockdown, a move aimed at reviving the capital’s economy.
  • The web portal http://jobs.delhi.gov.in can be used by those looking for jobs and also for employers looking to recruit people.
  • Recruiters can go to the website and update their requirement. Job seekers can also go there and update their qualification, experience and requirement.
Kannan C S Warrier receives 2019 National Award of Excellence for Outstanding Research in Forestry
  • Coimbatore-based scientist, Kannan CS Warrier, has received the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education’s National Award of Excellence for exceptional research in forestry, including conservation of endangered sacred groves in the Alappuzha district of Kerala.
  • Sacred groves, also called kavu in Malayalam, are remains of natural forests, which are seen on the premises of Hindu ancestral homes (tharavaad). The breakdown of the joint family system spelt doom for Kerala’s sacred groves.
India builds World’s first-ever electrified Rail Tunnel for running Double Stack Container Trains
  • Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) has completed caving work for the one-kilometre long tunnel of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) through Aravalli mountain range in Haryana.
  • The tunnel connects Mewat and Gurugram district of Haryana and negotiates a steep gradient on the uphill and downhill slope of the Aravalli range.
  • The D-shaped tunnel with a cross-sectional area of 150 square metres, can accommodate double line with higher OHE (Over Head Equipment) to enable double-stack container movement on WDFC, making it world’s first electrified rail tunnel fit to run double-stack containers.

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July 28, 2020

Assam CM Sonowal launches 2nd phase of PMAY(U) in State
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal centrally laid the foundation stone of the second phase of the flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) at a residence of Nagaon Choukitoop.
  • During the inaugural ceremony, CM distributed cheques of the first instalment of Rs 80,000 among three beneficiaries and also distributed cheques of last instalment among three beneficiaries of the town.
  • He also transferred the first and last instalments of Rs 80,000 and 30,000 respectively among 4000 and 2000 beneficiaries of the State through an electronic device.
India sends 10 diesel locomotives to Bangladesh Railways
  • India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives to Bangladesh Railways under its “neighbourhood first” policy.
  • The 10 diesel locomotives were handed over from the Gede station of Sealdah Division of Indian Railways to Darshana station of Bangladesh Railways.
  • The handing over of these locomotives, under grant assistance from the Indian government, fulfils an important commitment made during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in October, 2019.
  • Both the countries have stepped up their rail cooperation in mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as trade via land border faced disruptions. There was the highest ever exchange of freight trains in the month of June 2020.
RBI to extend $400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka
  • The Reserve Bank of India has signed necessary documents for extending a USD 400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka to boost the island nation’s draining foreign exchange reserves due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Haryana to host the Khelo India Youth Games in 2021
  • Haryana will host the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in 2021.
  • Star Sports will be the Official Broadcast Partner of the Khelo India Youth Games.
  • KIYG is a part of the revamped national programme for development of sports ‘Khelo India’ which was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017.
  • The 2020 edition of KIYG was held in Guwahati.
  • The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports all over the country.
Junior Administrative Assistant (Assam Secretariat) Test Series 2020 – Mock & Sectional Tests

 

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Assam Current Affairs – July 15 – 21, 2020

Posted on by admin 
Assam Current Affairs & GK – July 15 - 21, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of July 15 – 21, 2020 )

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July 15, 2020

Assam’s  Poba Reserve Forest to be upgraded to wildlife sanctuary
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the Poba Reserve Forest in Dhemaji district would be upgraded to a Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Poba Reserve Forest, declared in 1924 with an area of 10,522 hectares, is home to large number of flora and fauna.

FACTFILE – Poba Reserved Forest

  • Poba Reserved Forest is situated in Jonai Subdivision of Dhemaji District of Assam.
  • Poba is one of the richest rain forests of North-East India in terms of the flora and fauna found in it.
  • Poba Reserved Forest is an important elephant corridor linking the foot hills of Arunachal Pradesh and Dibru Saikhowa National Park via the proposed Kobu Chapori Reserve Forest.

Wildlife Sanctuary

  • A natural area which is reserve by a governmental or private agency for the protection of particular species.
  • It came under the category called “Protected Areas”. The Protected Areas are declared under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has defined its Category IV type of protected areas

Reserved Forests

  • Land rights to forests declared to be Reserved forests or Protected forests are typically acquired and owned by the Government of India.
  • Unlike national parks of India or wildlife sanctuaries of India, reserved forests and protected forests are declared by the respective state governments.
  • Rights to all activities like hunting, grazing, etc. in reserved forests are banned unless specific orders are issued otherwise.
FIFA releases World Cup 2022 match schedule
  • The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) released the match schedule for the 2022 World Cup which will be hosted by Qatar.
  • The tournament will begin November 21 at Al Bayt Stadium in the northern city of Al Khor with the hosts Qatar in action while the final will be played on December 18 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
  • The group stage will be spread over the course of 12 days and will feature four matches a day to give all teams “optimal rest” between their matches and promise fans a full and exciting schedule.

FACTFILE – The International Federation of Association Football (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), FIFA

  • FIFA was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
  • It has headquartered in Zürich
  • It has total membership of 211 national associations. These national associations must each also be members of one of the six regional confederations viz. Africa, Asia, Europe, North & Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania, and South America.

FACTFILE – 2022 FIFA World Cup

  • The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022.
  • This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world and the first in a Muslim-majority country.
  • This will be the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Union Govt asked states to expedite work in Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
  • Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar has urged the states to expedite the work under the Central government’s “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” with a competitive approach.
  • He reviewed the progress of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan through video-conference with the Rural Development Ministers and senior officials of six states and found it satisfactory.
  • The drive of employment for migrant labourers at their native places launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, is being undertaken in 116 districts in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
  • The ‘Abhiyaan’ will continue for 125 days, and 25 projects coming under 11 different ministries have been identified for completion.
  • The Abhiyaan was found to be progressing well under various parameters which are being regularly monitored.
  • Union Minister Tomar emphasised on developing a competitive approach among the states to achieve maximum results along with minimising the hurdles being faced by various ministries in the implementation process so that the set targets are completed within the determined time period.
Gujarat to develop water aerodromes
  • Gujarat state government has decided to set up water aerodromes at four places in the state. For this project, a tripartite MoU is to be signed between the state government, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
  • Under Indian government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme, RCS UDAN-3 and 4, the Gujarat government has decided to set up 4 water aerodromes at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Kevadia in Narmada, Shatrunjay Dam in Palitana near Bhavnagar and Dharoi dam in Mehsana.
  • The AAI will act as the implementing agency in the project and will develop the project at four places.
  • Water aerodromes are spaces in water bodies, where amphibious aircraft can take off and land.

July 16, 2020

First container ship from Kolkata to Agartala through Chattogram Port inaugurated
  • The first-ever container cargo from Kolkata via Bangladesh’s Chattogram port has reached Agartala, achieving a “historic milestone” in the Indo-Bangladesh connectivity and economic partnership.
  • An agreement was reached to use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of India’s transit cargo through Bangladesh.
  • Via this route, the distance and time taken in transportation of goods for India particularly the northeastern States will get reduced significantly.
  • It will enhance business services and revenue generation for Bangladesh while the logistical sector will also get a big boost in Northeast part of India.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurates Covid Plasma Bank
  • Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a Covid Plasma Bank at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack through video conferencing to start the convalescent plasma therapy treatment of acute COVID-19 patients in the state. He also appealed to people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma for treatment of other critical patients in the state.
  • The therapy will be introduced in three dedicated COVID Hospitals, viz. SUM Hospital and KIIMS Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack.
  • He also expressed gratitude towards the Drug Controller General of India for allowing the state to use of convalescent plasma for treatment of acute COVID-19 patients.
PM Modi addresses a digital conclave on World Youth Skills Day on 15 July
  • Addressing a digital conclave on World Youth Skills Day, on July 15, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the “culture” along with the “nature of the job”.
  • He said the mantra to remain relevant is – skill, re-skill and up-skill. Skill – Learn a new skill and value add to things. Re-skill – Add to your skill every day by learning something new. Up-skill – Widening your skillset is upskilling yourself.

FACTFILE – World Youth Skills Day

  • World Youth Skills Day is celebrated each year on July 15.
  • Its aim is to recognise the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, and to highlight the crucial role of skilled youth in addressing current and future global challenges.
Scientists discover key element of strong antibody response to COVID-19
  • A team of scientists at the Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
  • The team reviewed data on nearly 300 anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and noted that a subset of these antibodies is particularly powerful at neutralizing the virus and these potent antibodies are all encoded by the same antibody gene, IGHV3-53.
  • The research was a collaboration chiefly involving the Wilson and Burton labs, and the Scripps Research-based Neutralizing Antibody Center of IAVI, a prominent non-profit vaccine research organization.
  • Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins made in immune cells called B-cells. Each B-cell makes a specific antibody type, which is encoded by a unique combination of antibody genes in the cell.
  • The scientists found that an antibody gene called IGHV3-53 was the most common of the genes for the 294 antibodies.
Tamil Nadu allows the use of BCG vaccine for 60-95 aged Covid patients
  • Tamil Nadu government has allowed a pilot project to study if the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is actually used for the treatment of Tuberculosis, will help reduce the mortality rate among elderly Covid-19 patients.
  • The National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis will start the pilot programme and BCG vaccine will be administered on a trial basis to people in the 60-95 age group.
  • The BCG vaccine was found to boost innate immunity, which could lower morbidity and mortality rates. The vaccine could reduce the severity of Covid-19, avoid hospitalisation and mortality rate.
Odisha partners with online learning platform ‘Coursera’ to upskill 50,000 Youths
  • The Odisha Skills Development Authority (OSDA) has partnered with leading online learning platform ‘Coursera’ to train 50,000 unemployed youths during the COVID-19 crisis.
  • The partnership is part of Coursera’s global roll-out of the ‘Workforce Recovery Initiative’ where any state and country can provide unemployed workers with free access to online learning.
  • The programme aims to build in-demand skills like data science, cloud computing and Internet of Things while also offering professional certificates like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate.
  • The ‘Workforce Recovery Initiative’ initiative is part of the Coursera- for-the-government offering launched in 2017 to equip government employees and citizens with in-demand skills.

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July 17, 2020

India ranks 3rd in Global Manufacturing locations suitability
  • As per property consultant Cushman & Wakefield, India ranks third in the list of most-suitable locations for global manufacturing among 48 countries in terms of cost competitiveness and operating conditions.
  • China and the US retain the top two positions, while India has moved one place higher to rank third.
  • In cost scenario also India is at 3rd position after China and Vietnam. But India ranks 30th in risk scenario, due political and economic risks.
IIT Madras-incubated start-up develops ‘MediCAB’ portable hospital for Covid cases
  • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras-incubated start-up, Modulus Housing, has developed a portable hospital unit Called ‘MediCAB’ that can be installed by four people anywhere within two hours.
  • ‘MediCAB’ it is a decentralised approach to detecting, screening, identifying, isolating and treat Covid-19 patients in their local communities at these portable microstructures.
  • Recently it was launched recently in Kerala’s Wayanad District, where the units are being deployed to treat Covid-19 patients.
  • The start-up firm Modulus Housing is developing micro hospitals that can be deployed rapidly across the nation.
  • The Medicab unit is composed of four zones – a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.
Ved Parkash Dudeja, RLDA Vice-Chairman is awarded ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’
  • The Vice-Chairman, Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) Ved Parkash Dudeja, was recently awarded the coveted ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’ award for 2020 by the Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards (RIMBDA).
  • RLDA is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways, responsible for the development of vacant railway land for commercial use for the purpose of generating revenue by non-tariff measures and creating assets for Indian Railways.
  • Dudeja has initiated several commercial projects, multifunctional complex, colony redevelopment and station redevelopment projects and shattered all previous records of earnings as well as those of awarding of lease contracts in 2019-20.
Union Govt launches IIT Delhi’s COVID-19 test kit ‘Corosure’ for commercial use
  • Indian Government announced the commercial launch of a COVID-19 test kit which was developed by the IIT Delhi at a base price of ₹399, the cheapest in the market.
  • Approved by the Indian Medical Council of India with the highest score and Drug Control General of India with very high sensitivity and specificity, the commercial product named ‘Corosure’ was commercially developed by a company named NewTech Medical Devises after obtaining license from the IIT Delhi.
  • HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, who e-launched the affordable RT-PCR based covid-19 diagnostic kit, said “the country requires affordable and reliable testing for the country which can help to control the pandemic. The Corosure has been developed indigenously and is much cheaper than other kits.
Hyderabad Airport gets India’s 1st contactless car parking
  • GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) that operates the Hyderabad International Airport is offering fully contact-less airport car parking service.
  • Apart from offering an end-to-end contact-less boarding experience for safe travel, GHIAL has also scaled up its NETC (National Electronic Toll Collection) FASTag Car Parking in collaboration with NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India).
  • With this, the Hyderabad international airport now offers the country’s first and only fully contact-less airport car parking experience for passengers and visitors.

July 18, 2020

 6 Agricultural scientists from Northeast get ICAR awards
  • Six agricultural scientists of three northeastern states Tripura, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh were awarded ICAR’s National Award for their outstanding innovation in farming and boosting agricultural economy in the region.
  • Additionally, two Krishi Vigyan Kendras in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and three farmers of Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya also received the ICAR awards for their exceptional feats in agricultural and farming sectors of the region.
  • Lopamudra Sahoo, Gulab Singh Yadav, Chandan Debnath and Basant Kumar Kandpal of ICAR research complex in Tripura received the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Award and Swami Sahajan and Saraswati Award.
  • Scientist Amit Kumar, associated with the ICAR research complex in Meghalaya and Nangsol Dolma Bhutia, Assistant Professor of Central Agricultural University at Pasighat have received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for P.G. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences.

FACTFILE – The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

  • The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India
  • It is the largest network of agricultural research and education institutes in the world.
 Clinical trials for Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine begins
  • India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin got a nod from the AIIMS Ethics Committee to start human trials. AIIMS Delhi is among the 12 sites selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting phase I and II human trials of Covaxin.
  • In phase I, the Covaxin vaccine would be tested on 375 volunteers and a maximum of 100 of them would be from AIIMS.
  • Moreover, human dosing of the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) also started with the vaccine being given to participants at AIIMS, Patna and PGIMS Rohtak.
  • Drug firm Zydus Cadila also started human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D. The company will be enrolling over 1,000 subjects across multiple clinical study sites in India.
  • Earlier, DCGI has permitted two vaccines – Covaxin developed by the Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the ICMR and ZyCoV-D by Zydas Cadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for phase I and II human clinical trials.
Rose Raponda becomes Gabon’s first woman Prime Minister
  • The President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, appointed the country’s first woman prime minister, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda.
  • After serving as budget minister eight years ago, she became the first woman to be elected mayor of the capital Libreville in 2014. Raponda had served as defence minister since February 2019.

FACTFILE – Gabon

  • Gabon is a country on the west coast of Central Africa, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west.
  • Its capital and largest city is Libreville and the official language is French.
  • Abundant petroleum and foreign private investment have helped make it one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the 7th highest HDI and the fourth-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the region.
Uttarakhand govt to start ‘Waste to Energy’ initiative
  • Uttarakhand government has decided to convert waste generated in the state to electricity under an initiative ‘Waste to Energy’. The electricity will be generated from the waste coming out in the municipal corporation and municipality area.
  • The initiative was taken into consideration keeping in view the present issues faced by most municipalities and corporations of land scarcity in depositing solid waste at one place.
  • According to the assessment by Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB), the waste can generate up to 5 MegaWatt of electricity and curb the pollution.
  • Govt aims to make use of the 24 MW of biomass power generation capacity available in the state.

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July 19, 2020

India ranks 34th in the Global Skills Index 2020 Report
  • India has surged ahead of China in business and technology skills due to its growing younger population, reported by the world’s largest online learning platform Coursera.
  • In its latest Global Skills Index 2020, India is placed at 34th position within the business domain as compared to China’s rank of 45.
  • Within the technology domain, India ranks 40th while China ranks 50th
  • Within the data science domain, India ranks 51th and within the data management competency, India ranks 58th.
Govt nod for contributions by individuals, institutions to NDRF
  • Central government has laid out the modalities for contributions and grants from any person or institution to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
  • Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the contributions to the NDRF have been allowed through any of the modes like physical instruments, RTGS/NEFT/UPI and https://bharatkosh.gov.in
  • The NDRF, constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements the State Disaster Response Fund of the states in case of natural calamities like cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloud burst and pest attack considered to be of severe nature by the government.

FACTFILE – National Disaster Response Fund

  • The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act) defines “disaster” to mean ‘a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.’
  • The financial assistance from SDRF/NDRF is for providing immediate relief and is not compensation for loss/damage to properties /crops.
  • The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Disaster Management Authority takes decisions on the expenses from National Disaster Response Fund
Ashok Lavasa appointed Vice-President of Asian Development Bank
  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed election commissioner Ashok Lavasa as its Vice-President on the recommendation of the Indian government.
  • Ashok Lavasa will succeed current vice president at ADB Diwakar Gupta and will look after private sector operations and public private partnerships.

FACTFILE – Asian Development Bank (ADB)

  • The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines.
  • The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.
  • The ADB was modelled closely on the World Bank and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
  • ADB is an official United Nations Observer.
  • Shareholding pattern – Japan holds the largest proportion of shares at 15.677%, the United States with 15.567%, China holds 6.473%, India holds 6.359%, and Australia holds 5.812%.

BIOGRAPHY – Ashok Lavasa

  • A 1980 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, Ashok Lavasa took over as Election Commissioner on 23 January 2018.
  • He held a range of senior posts in the government, including finance secretary, environment secretary, civil aviation secretary among others.
UNICEF ties up with SAP India to provide career counselling to young people
  • UNICEF India partnered with a software major SAP India to provide career counselling to young people in order to improve their employability skills in the present and post-COVID-19 era.
  • UNICEF will also collaborate with ”YuWaah” – (Generation Unlimited), an initiative supported by the UN body, to provide digital education and occupational skill-set to the under-served young people of the country.
  • Generation Unlimited brings young people together with the private sector, governments, international and local organisations to tackle the challenge of investing in their learning and training.
Australia’s Monash University develops new blood test to trace coronavirus in 20 minutes
  • Researchers at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new blood test that detects positive coronavirus cases in just about 20 minutes, a finding that could assist the world to mitigate the coronavirus spread through robust contact-tracing.
  • Researchers at the university developed the simple agglutination assay, an analysis to determine the presence and amount of a substance in blood to detect the presence of antibodies raised in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • The team of researchers were able to identify recent COVID-19 cases using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples.
  • Positive COVID-19 cases caused an agglutination or a clustering of red blood cells, which was easily identifiable to the naked eye.
  • The findings could help high-risk countries with population screening, case identification, contact-tracing, confirming vaccine efficacy during clinical trials and vaccine distribution.
Delhi Police launches plasma donation campaign
  • On the initiative of Delhi Police, a ‘Plasma Donation Campaign’ has been launched at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
  • The objective of the campaign is to encourage people to come forward to donate plasma to be used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

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July 20, 2020

Covid-19 related death rates of NE states among the country’s lowest
  • Central Govt informed that India has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. Four northeastern states viz. Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim have zero case fatality rate (CFR) till now.
  • As per the Health Ministry data, the northeastern states have less than one per cent CFR.
  • Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura have a CFR of 0.23 per cent, 0.46 per cent, 0.48 per cent and 0.19 per cent respectively.
Himachal Pradesh promotes fruit cultivation through ADB funding
  • To make Himachal Pradesh a horticulture hub, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)funded HP Shiva Pilot Project is undergoing with an outlay of Rs 100 crore in four districts of the state.
  • The project would be implemented in Bilaspur, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur districts. Fruit-bearing sapling would be planted on 170 hectares. And a target of planting 2.50 lakh fruit-bearing saplings of orange, litchi, pomegranate, guava, etc., has been identified under the project in July and August.
  • The state has initiated several steps like 12.50 lakh hectare meter anti-hail net is made available for protecting the crops from natural calamities.
  • About 225 metric tonnes insecticide has been made available at subsidized rates. Special training is being given for packaging of apple, cherry and stone fruits. About 3.5 crore boxes were made available for packaging of fruits.
United Arab Emirates launches its first mission to Mars
  • The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities.
  • The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center for a seven-month journey to the red planet, where it will orbit and send back data.
  • The Emirates Mars Mission with a cost of $200 million, it aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.
  • To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Dubai, worked with U.S. universities.
HRD Ministry announced guidelines on digital education
  • Union Human Resource and Development Ministry has announced guidelines for online classes operationalised by schools amid the COVID pandemic.
  • Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually released the PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education, which has many recommendations including restriction on the screen time for students.
  • Online classes for pre-primary students should not be for more than 30 minutes a day. For Classes 1st to 8th, it has suggested that not more than two online sessions of up to 45 minutes each should be conducted in a day.
  • For the senior students, from class 9th to 12th, the suggested limit of the online classes is to a maximum of four sessions of up to 45 minutes each.
  • These guidelines on Digital Education provide a roadmap for carrying forward online education to enhance the quality of education. It also stresses upon the use of an alternative academic calendar of NCERT.
  • The Guidelines also emphasize the need to unify all efforts related to digital, online education, benefitting school-going children across the country.
Indian Railways’ first cable-stayed rail bridge in Jammu
  • The Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed Indian Railways bridge will soon connect Katra and Reasi in of Jammu–Baramulla rail line.
  • The ambitious project of Indian Railways has a single pylon, standing at a height of 331 metres above the river bed, is being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.
  • The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
  • The total length of the bridge is 473.25 metres. The length of the viaduct is 120 metres and the central embankment has a length of 94.25 metres.
Indian-origin Chan Santokhi elected as the President of Suriname
  • Suriname, a small country in South America elected Indian-origin Chan Santokhi as the new President.
  • 61-year-old Chan Santokhi, former police chief, won a landslide victory in the general elections.
  • Suriname is a former Dutch colony but the country’s relations with the Netherlands, which was once its primary trade partner, deteriorated under the previous regime.

FACTFILE – Suriname

  • Suriname is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America.
  • At just under 165,000 square kilometres, it is the smallest country in South America.
  • It’s capital and largest city is Paramaribo.
  • It is the first country to reach carbon neutrality.
  • Suriname is the only sovereign nation outside Europe where Dutch is spoken by a majority of the population.

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July 21, 2020

Zoram Mega food park launched in Mizoram
  • Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the Zoram Mega Food Park Ltd at Kolasib in Mizoram through virtual conference.
  • The Zoram Food Park built at a cost of Rs 75 crore will directly benefit over 25,000 farmers and will create employment for over 5,000 local people.
  • It is the first mega food park operationalized in Mizoram. It will benefit about 25,000 farmers in the core processing centre and primary processing Centre catchment areas.
  • The 55-acre Zoram food park, promoted by Zoram Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd, is located at Khamrang village in Kolasib District, Mizoram.
  • A total of 88 ministry-supported food processing projects have been sanctioned in the entire North Eastern Region.
Oxford Covid-19 vaccine produces positive immune response
  • The human trial of COVID-19 vaccinecandidate developed by the University of Oxford and backed by AstraZeneca Plc has shown a positive result. The vaccine has generated a protective immune response in the vaccinated sample population.
  • This Covid-19 vaccine is a chimpanzee adenovirus viral vector (ChAdOx1) vaccine that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It uses a common cold virus i.e. adenovirus, that infects chimpanzees, which has been weakened so that it can’t cause any disease in humans, and is genetically modified to code for the spike protein of the human SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • When the adenovirus enters vaccinated people’s cells it also delivers the spike protein genetic code. This causes these people’s cells to produce the spike protein, and helps teach the immune system to recognise the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
CBDT, MSME Ministry sign pact for sharing tax related data
  • The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises signed a MoU for facilitating seamless sharing of Income Tax Return (ITR) related information concerning SMEs.
  • This data will enable the ministry to check and classify enterprises in Micro, Small and Medium categories as per the new criteria notified by the government.

 

MSME Criteria

Composite Criteria: Investment in Plant & Machinery/equipment and Annual Turnover

Classification

Micro

Small

Medium

Manufacturing Enterprises and Enterprises rendering Services

Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment:
Not more than Rs.1 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 5 crore

Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment:
Not more than Rs.10 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 50 crore

Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment:
Not more than Rs.50 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 250 crore

 

TN signs eight investment MoUs for Rs 10,339 crore
  • Tamil Nadu government signed eight Memorandums of Understanding involving an industrial investment of about Rs 10,339 crore with an employment potential for 13,507 persons.
  • The proposed projects include production of solar cells and modules, air compressors, ductile iron foundry, industrial parks, cashew nut processing, data centre and a foundry expansion project.
  • Some of the important projects are
    • Vikram Solar to invest Rs 5,423 crore in a facility to produce solar cells and modules in Orgadam in Kancheepuram district.
    • Hiranandani group’s Yotta to set up a data centre in Chengalpattu district at an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.
    • Elgi Equipments will invest Rs 250 crore in setting up an air compressor unit.
    • Aquasub to invest Rs 200 crore to set up a ductile iron foundry in Coimbatore.
    • GI Agro Tech to set up a cashew nut processing unit at Villupuram investing Rs 36 crore.
    • JS Auto Cast to expand its foundry facility at Erode district at an outlay of Rs 40 crore.
    • CGD Satharai Pvt Ltd to set up an Industrial park projects with outlay Rs 250 crore at Kancheepuram district and NDR Infrastructure to set up another industrial park with an outlay of Rs 200 crore at Ranipet.
UP launches ‘Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana’ for SCs
  • Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ”Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana” for an all-round development of the Scheduled Castes communities.
  • Economic equality becomes the basis of social equality. The society with one of its sections becoming strong while another remaining weak will not be able to become self-reliant. It is necessary that there is a balance in the society and this balance should also be at the economic level.
Marianna Vardinoyannis & Morissana Kouyate win UN 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize
  • Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Morissana Kouyate of Guinea are selected for this year’s United Nations 2020 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 
  • Marianna Vardinoyannis is a Greek philanthropist known for fighting childhood cancer and for a world without borders in health for about 30 years. He is also the world advocate for human rights and the protection of children’s health and welfare.
  • Morissana Kouyate is also a Human rights activist known for her contribution towards curbing violence against women and girls in Africa. She is a leading advocate in the fight against harmful traditional practices against women, particularly female genital mutilation.
  • The prize was established in 2014 by the General Assembly to recognise the achievements of those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity by promoting the purposes and principles of the United Nations while honouring and paying homage to Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation, political transition, and social transformation.

FACTFILE – The United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize

  • The United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize aims to recognize the achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity as guided by the purposes and principles of the UN while honouring and paying homage to Mandela’s extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation, political transition and social transformation.
  • The prize is awarded every five years. It was first awarded in 2015.
PM SVANidhi mobile app for street vendors launched
  • A mobile application of PM Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi, PM SVANidhi was launched in New Delhi to bring micro-credit facility for street vendors at their doorsteps.
  • PM SVANidhi Mobile App aims to provide a user-friendly digital interface for lending institutions and their field functionaries for sourcing and processing loan applications of street vendors under the scheme.
  • The app is a step towards boosting the use of digital technology and will enable field functionaries to ensure maximum coverage of the scheme.
  • The Mobile App will give impetus to the implementation strategy of the scheme besides promoting paper-less digital accessing of micro-credit facilities by the street vendors.
  • More than one lakh 54 thousand street vendors have applied for working capital loan across States and Union Territories. Out of which, loan to over 48 thousand street vendors have already been sanctioned. 
  • PM SVANidhi scheme was launched for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to COVID-19 crisis.
  • Under the scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to ten thousand rupees, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. There will be no penalty on early repayment of the loan.

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Assam Current Affairs – July 08 – 14, 2020

Posted on by admin 
Assam Current Affairs & GK – July 8 - 14, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of July 8 – 14, 2020 )

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July 08, 2020

Karnataka launches 6 locally developed products to fight Covid-19
  • Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan launched six Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved products made by startups to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The six products are Shieldex 24, Florescence probes and PCR mix, Daksh, VTM, Cov-Astra and Anti-microbial face wash.
  • Developed by Ravi Kumar at Biofi, Shieldex 24 is a UV-ROS box for Covid sterilisation. It can help eliminate viruses located on objects and is useful in the transportation industry.
  • Govindarajan and Meher Prakash from VNIR have developed the Florescence probes and PCR mix for RTPCR detection. These probes are part of Covid testing kits which are currently being imported.
  • Arun Agrawal from Janitri has developed Daksh, a remote foetal monitoring device which is used in treating Covid positive pregnant women.
  • Manjunath and Dinesh from Deno Bio labs at IBAB have developed the VTM which helps in safely transporting live virus samples from a sample collection centre to a testing lab.
  • Cov-Astra is an Artificial Intelligence based device which can detect Covid virus through x-ray, relegating the conventional throat swab for testing people for the virus.
  • Developed by Adarsh Nararajan from Aindra A, Cov-Astra can help detect the virus at a significantly lower price of Rs 150 to Rs 250 per person.
  • Latha Damle and team from Atrimed have developed an anti-microbial face wash containing herbal anti-microbials, which can kill viruses on the face in a fraction of seconds.
India, Sweden agree to cooperate in fight against Covid-19
  • Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and his Swedish counterpart Lena Hallengren discussed via video link the status and plans to handle coronavirus and decided to co-operate in the field of health and medicine.
  • The two countries and agreed to hold the Joint Working Group”s (JWG) next meeting by autumn and stay in touch digitally till the end of crisis.
  • Vardhan spoke about the decade of vibrant Indo-Swedish partnership that oversaw 10 JWG level bilateral meetings and mentioned recent achievements of India, like the Ayushman Bharat Yojana that covered 550 million people.
World Bank provides $400 million to enhance support for Namami Gange
  • Indian government and the World Bank(WB) signed a loan agreement of $400 million, to enhance support for the Namami Gange programme that seeks to rejuvenate the Ganga.
  • The Second National Ganga River Basin Project will help stem pollution in the iconic river and strengthen the management of the river basin which is home to more than 500 million people.
  • The agreement comprises a loan of $381 million and a proposed guarantee of up to $19 million. The $381 million variable spread loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.
  • The World Bank has been supporting the government’s efforts since 2011 through the ongoing National Ganga River Basin Project, which helped set up the National Mission for Clean Ganga as the nodal agency to manage the river, and financed sewage treatment infrastructure in several riverside towns and cities.
  • To ensure that these infrastructure assets function effectively and are well maintained, the project will build on the innovative Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) of public private partnership introduced under the ongoing NGRBP, and which has become the solution of choice for sewage treatment investments in the Ganga Basin.
  • Government pays a private operator 40 per cent of the capital cost to build a sewage treatment plant during the construction period; the remaining 60 per cent is paid as performance-linked payments over 15 years to ensure that the operator runs and maintains the plant efficiently.
India’s First NPNT Compliant Drone Flight Successfully Completed
  • Quidich Innovation Labs announced the successful completion of India’s First No-Permission No-Takeoff (NPNT) compliant drone flight on the A200 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
  • The flight was carried out in a green zone identified by the DGCA in Karnataka and marks a critical breakthrough in online testing and permission systems. This will go a long way in opening up the skies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
  • MoCA& DGCA released a comprehensive policy on use of UAVs, which came into effect in 2018. Under the new policy, only UAVs which complied to stringent manufacturing standards laid down by the government could be used. 
  • The UAV also had to be compliant with the newly formulated NPNT architecture. A Unique Identification Number (UIN) and an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP), along with Online permission artifacts (OPA) for every flight, are mandatory.
Himachal Pradesh becomes the first state where everyone possesses LPG connection
  • Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country in which every household has an LPG gas connection.
  • HP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that as many as 2,76,243 families were provided free gas connections under the Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana.
  • This scheme was launched for those households which were left out of the Central Govt’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana under which connections were provided free to poor women of rural areas.
CBDT, SEBI sign MoU for exchange of data
  • The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for data exchange between the two organisations.
  • The MoU will facilitate the regular sharing of data and information between the SEBI and the CBDT on an automatic and regular basis.
  • SEBI and the CBDT will also exchange with each other, on request and suo moto basis, any information available in their respective databases, for the purpose of carrying out their functions under various laws.

July 09, 2020

UP govt approves new start-up policy 2020
  • UP state government has approved the UP-Start-up Policy 2020 to promote fledgling units in various areas including agriculture, health, power, education, tourism and transport.
  • Objective of the policy is to ensure that UP is ranked within the first three states in the Centre’s start-up rankings, create 100 incubators with, at least, one in each district, create an ecosystem to promote at least 10,000 start-ups, set up state of the art excellence centres and create India’s largest incubator in Lucknow.
  • The policy will be valid for five years and will provide direct employment to 50,000 people and indirect employment to 1 lakh.
  • There are more than 1,800 start-up units registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Centre and since there is no holistic policy for start-ups, it was decided to create an ecosystem for promotion of start-ups which would require a new policy.
  • The state government is already providing start-ups with a subsidy and has started a Rs 1,000 crore fund to promote new entrants in the field.
Punjab okays Rs 3,200 crore for Industrial park and manufacturing cluster
  • Punjab govt approved development of a modern Industrial Park and Integrated Manufacturing Cluster near Ludhiana and Rajpura, respectively, at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore each.
  • The two projects, be set up in 1,000 acres each, the projects will help prospective entrepreneurs and industrialists set up ventures, will help accelerate industrialisation and create jobs.
  • The And Integrated Manufacturing Cluster near Rajpura in the Patiala district will be developed with the help of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corp.
  • To mobilise additional revenue, the cabinet gave the go-ahead to raise the mutation fee from Rs 300 to Rs 600. Accordingly the State Govt asked the Revenue Department to launch a campaign for clearing all pending mutations in the interest of landowners.
Union Cabinet approves Rs 12,450 crore recapitalisation of 3 Govt general insurance companies
  • The Union Cabinet approved capital infusion of Rs 12,450 crore for three state run insurance companies, viz. Oriental Insurance Company, National Insurance Company and the United India Insurance Company.
  • The approved amount also includes Rs 2,500 crore infused in FY 2019-20.
  • In the Union Financial Budget 2020-21, central government had set aside Rs 6,950 crore for recapitalisation of the three public sector general insurance companies.
  • The government aims to improve the solvency ratio of these companies before merging theses three state-run general insurance entities to create a general insurance giant.
NSDC, Microsoft partnership to impart digital skills to Indian youths
  • The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Software major Microsoft announced a partnership aimed at providing digital skills to over 1 lakh youth in the country over the next 12 months.
  • Microsoft will collaborate with NSDC’s eSkill India portal to provide free access to learning resources and conduct digital skilling awareness drives, equipping the next generation of learners with the skills they need to find employment opportunities in the digital economy.
  • Microsoft’s this partnership is an extension of it’s global skilling initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills needed for the future economy.
  • Microsoft’s learning resource centre, Microsoft Learn will be integrated with the eSkill India digital platform to provide access to personalised learning paths and resources that are recently in demand and expected to continue to grow in the time to come.
  • Learnings will cover a broad range of skills, from entry-level digital literacy to advanced product-based skilling in critical technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud computing, providing numerous opportunities for people to reskill and upskill.

FACTFILE – National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

  • NSDC is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated on July 31, 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. It was set up by Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
  • Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.
  • NSDC aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and for-profit vocational institutions. It also provides funding to build scalable and profitable vocational training initiatives. Its mandate is also to enable support system which focuses on quality assurance, information systems and train the trainer academies either directly or through partnerships.
  • NSDC acts as a catalyst in skill development by providing funding to enterprises, companies and organizations that provide skill training. It also develops appropriate models to enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives.
  • NSDC’s eSkill India portal catalogues more than 490 e-learning courses in multiple Indian languages through leading knowledge providers.
Chhattisgarh becomes India’s first state to start e-Lok Adalats
  • The Chhattisgarh High Court and the Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority organized the India’s first ever E-Lok Adalat amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
  • About 195 benches were constituted at different places of the state, including remote areas like Sarguja, Kanker, Bastar, Surajpur etc., via video conferencing and 3,135 cases were identified for compromise.
  • 2,270 cases were settled in a single day via e-Lok Adalat.

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July 10, 2020

Himalayan Butterfly ’Golden Birdwing’ is India’s largest butterfly
  • A Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing is India’s largest, a record an unknown specimen had held for 88 years.
  • With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist, had recorded in 1932.
  • The hitherto largest Indian butterfly that Brigadier Evans recorded in 1932 was an individual of the Southern Birdwing (Troidesminos), which was then treated as a subspecies of the Common Birdwing.
  • While the female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the largest male was from the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Meghalaya capital Shillong.
India good example in solar auctions amidst pandemic, say UN Secretary General
  • UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that as the world designs and implements Covid-19 recovery plans, it should invest in a better, more sustainable future.
  • Citing the case of India, he said at the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Clean Energy Transition Summit that solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the pandemic.
  • A growing number of coalitions of investors and real economy stakeholders are advocating for a recovery aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Bailout support to sectors such as industry, aviation and shipping should be conditioned on alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
  • Praising India, Antonio Guterres said that Solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the pandemic. India serves as a good example.
IIT Hyderabad and Nvidia team up for AI research centre
  • Nvidia unveiled ‘The Nvidia AI Technology Centre ‘, a technology centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad that will accelerate research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its commercial adoption.
  • The collaboration between IIT Hyderabad and Nvidia will focus on advancing AI research in the areas of agriculture and smart cities, besides language understanding.
  • The projects in the area of increasing crop yield using AI algorithms, applying AI-based solutions to support safer transportation systems and better ways of managing traffic, will be taken up.

FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

  • The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is a public technical and research university located in Sangareddy district of Telangana, India.
  • It is known for its academic strength, research, publications and proximity to IT and industrial hubs.
  • IITH was founded in 2008, among the eight young Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
  • It was ranked 201st in Asia by the QS World University Rankings in 2020 and 94 among BRICS nations in 2019. Ranks in the range of 601-650 in the World.
  • In India, IIT Hyderabad was ranked 8 among engineering institutes by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2020 and 17 overall.
AIIB released $50 million loan to L&T Infra Finance for Renewable Energy
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has released $50 million in the first tranche of assistance to L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd for funding Renewable Energy projects in India.
  • AIIB invests in sustainable infrastructure, has sanctioned total $100 million loan to unit of L&T Finance Holdings. This is it’s first loan to an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC).
  • AIIB provide loans for operational infrastructure projects of which majority are backed by tripartite agreements, government guarantee and support from government.

FACTFILE – Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

  • The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that aims to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • It has 82 members as well as 20 prospective members from around the world.
  • AIIB started operation after the agreement entered into force on 25 December 2015, with initial capital base of $100 billion, which is ​2⁄3 of the capital of the Asian Development Bank and about half that of the World Bank.
  • The bank received the highest credit ratings from the three biggest rating agencies in the world, and is perceived as a potential rival to the World Bank, ADB and IMF.

July 11, 2020

Central Govt to set up Bamboo Industrial Park in Dima Hasao
  • The Central government has decided to set up the first Bamboo Industrial Park in the Northeast in Dima Hasao district of Assam for tapping the immense potential of bamboo sector of the locality.
  • The park on completion will cover an area of 75 hectares, would contribute to the overall economic development of the State apart from developing the bamboo-based industries.
  • The Bamboo Industrial Park would immensely benefit the bamboo growers of the State which has come close on the heels of Assam Govt’s Bamboo and Cane Policy.
  • DoNER ministry has taken at the initiative for setting up this Bamboo Industrial Park.
T-Hub partners MeitY to mentor hardware startups in India
  • Hyderabad-based global start-up catalyst T-Hub announced a partnership with the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to lead Digital India’s Scale Up programme for hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) startups.
  • As many as 15 startups with leading-edge solutions in mobility, energy, agriculture, aerospace, manufacturing, consumer, healthtech, medtech, smart cities and logistics and supply chain sectors will be shortlisted for the programme.
  • The startups will go through regular interventions through bootcamps and dedicated mentoring organised by T-Hub. The startups will get exposure to design/enhance their hardware.
  • They will receive mentorship in areas such as pricing, go-to-market strategies, fund raising, and will also receive equity-free grants.
BDL signs contract for licence & Technology Transfer of Akash Missile with DRDO
  • Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a licence agreement and transfer of technology of Akash Missile Weapon System with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).  

FACTFILE – Akash Missile Weapon System (AKASH)

  • Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems, Bharat Electronics (BEL), Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and L&T for other radars, control centers, launcher systems in India.
  • It can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m and has the capability to neutralize aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles.

FACTFILE – Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

  • Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was founded in 1970 to be a manufacturing base for guided weapon systems.
  • It is one of India’s manufacturers of ammunitions and missile systems. It in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
  • BDL began by producing a first generation anti-tank guided missile – the French SS11B1. This product was a culmination of a licence agreement the Government of India entered into with Aerospatiale.
Injeti Srinivas appointed as Chairman of International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA)
  • IAS officer Injeti Srinivas has been appointed as the first chairman of the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) for the Gandhinagar-based Financial Special Economic Zone, popularly known as Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City.
  • Injeti Srinivas is a 1983 batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre and served at the corporate affairs ministry for nearly three years. He has also served as secretary, department of sports, and as Director General of SAI.
  • The main function of the IFSCA is to regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions that have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator in an IFSC.

FACTFILE – International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA)

  • Indian government has established International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) with headquarters in Gandhinagar.
  • IFSCA will regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions which have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator such as RBI, the SEBI etc., in an IFSC.
  • It will also regulate any other financial products/services/institutions in an IFSC.
  • It will consist of nine members, appointed by the central government, including the Chairperson of IFSCA, a member each from the RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA; and two members from the Ministry of Finance and two other members will be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
  • Unification of regulatory activities under one authority will be of immense benefit and would accelerate the development of India’s first IFSC at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.
Odisha Govt launches Bhubaneshwar Land Use Intelligence System
  • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched BLUIS (Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System), the flagship development of General Administration and Public Grievances Departments.
  • Under the initiative, a web and mobile-based solution has been developed to monitor changes in all government lands in Bhubaneswar by leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery.
  • BLUIS is a geo-tagged repository of all the government lands in Bhubaneswar, created through high-resolution satellite imagery to detect all changes taking place on government lands.
  • Odisha became the first state in the country to tap space technology and artificial intelligence for safeguarding government lands.
  • The mobile app also enables crowdsourcing cases of unauthorised land use and can also be used by citizens to report any unauthorised development taking place over geo-tagged government lands. This will check the menace of encroachments of public lands.

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July 12, 2020

Central grant of Rs 631 crore released to Assam
  • The Centre has released the fourth tranche of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant equated monthly instalment amounting Rs 6,195 crore Assam and other 13 states.
  • The Centre released advance payments of over Rs 631 crore to Assam.
  • Other states which received the grant were Kerala (Rs 1,276 crore), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 952 crore), Punjab (Rs 638 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 491 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 423 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 417 crore).
  • As per the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission, equal instalments of the grant have been issued by the Centre to the states since April 2020.
  • The grant will assist the states to take preventive and mitigation measures for containment of the COVID-19 and these funds can be used to cover the cost of consumables, and purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities, besides purchase of medical equipments.
Biosafety level two lab unveiled in Chikkaballapura, Karnataka
  • Karnataka Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar inaugurated a biosafety level two dedicated Covid and Virology lab in Chikkaballapura, Karnataka. The state-of-the-art lab is temperature controlled and complete clean air lab with fully automated machine for autolysis with RNA extraction.
  • It has contamination free passage for samples through ultra violet pass boxes without the need for human movement.
  • Bio-medical waste disposal from the lab is also carried through contamination free ISO – 8 classification process.
Flipkart signs MoU with Karnataka to promote local art and craft
  • Flipkart has signed an MoU with Karnataka Govt’s MSME and Mines Department to promote the states arts, crafts and handloom sectors by bringing them on to e-commerce and providing market access, under it’s Samarth programme.
  • The partnership will enable Karnataka’s local artisans, weavers and craftsmen to showcase their hallmark products to a pan-India customer base.
  • Both the parties will focus on creating avenues to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for these underserved segments of the society.
Manipur’s  Gyanendro Ningombam elected as new President of Hockey India
  • Gyanendra Ningombam has been elected unanimously as Hony President of Hockey India. Gyanendra is a resident of Imphal East district, the septuagenarian Hockey lover has long been associated with Hockey promotion in Manipur for the last four decades.
  • He is instrumental in producing eminent international class hockey players from the state. He also served as General secretary of the earstwhile Manipur Hockey Association, and presently Senior Vice president of Manipur Hockey and also of Hockey India.
Indian battalion wins UNIFIL environment award
  • An Indian battalion stationed with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has won an environment award for a project that aims to decrease waste generation, reuse plastic and build green houses.
  • UNIFIL’s Indian Battalion was adjudged first for a project that seeks to increase awareness and decrease waste generation by planting seedlings in their positions and areas of responsibility and reducing wastage.
  • Other UNIFIL units that received awards and recognitions included French-led Force Commander’s Reserve, Indonesian Battalion, Republic of Korea Battalion and Italian Battalion.
  • The awards commend individuals, UN positions, contingents, sections and units that have demonstrated leadership, innovation or exceptional activities in protecting the environment.

July 13, 2020

‘Ypthimawatsoni’ butterfly discovered in Tripura
  • A team of wildlife researchers has rediscovered ‘Ypthimawatsoni’ butterfly commonly known as ‘Looped three-ring’ after 61 years near a village in Jampui Hills under the North Tripura district of Tripura.
  • Researchers constantly survey the butterflies in North-East India to document current populations, distributions, and status of butterflies for the past five years.
  • Looped Three-ring Ypthimawatsoni, 1893 belonging to subfamily Styrene and family Nymphalidae of insect order Lepidoptera has not been recorded for approximately 61 years since it was last seen in the year 1958 in Manipur. 
  • This rediscovery is also important in the context of updating the status and distribution of the butterfly fauna for Tripura.
United States remains India’s top trading partner in 2019-20
  • The US remained India’s top trading partner for the second consecutive fiscal in 2019-20, which shows increasing economic ties between the two countries.
  • In 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $88.75 billion as against $87.96 billion in 2018-19.
  • The trade gap between the countries has increased to $17.42 billion in 2019-20 from $16.86 billion in 2018-19.
  • China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 to 2017-18. But in 2018-19, the US first surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner.
  • The bilateral trade between India and China has dipped to $81.87 billion in 2019-20 from $87.08 billion in 2018-19 and the trade deficit between the two has declined to $48.66 billion in 2019-20 from $53.57 billion in the 2018-19.
IIIT Delhi develops AI model to repurpose existing drugs to treat Covid cases
  • The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi) has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model for drug repositioning in the treatment of Covid-19.
  • Instead of manually going through available drug and checking its effectiveness against Covid-19 one, using AI to speed things up and find the drugs which have the highest probability of success against the disease.
  • The AI model computes the similarity between the chemical structures of the drugs and the similarity between the genomic structures of existing viruses and the novel Coronavirus.
  • The model analyse the historical information about the efficacy of the drugs on different viruses; it selects chemical structurally similar drugs that have been successful in treating viruses that have a genomic structure close to that of the novel Coronavirus.
Russia 1st nation to finish human trials for Covid-19 vaccine
  • Russia became the first nation to complete clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine on humans, and the results have proven the medication’s effectiveness.
  • Russia had allowed clinical trials of two forms of a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.
  • The first vaccine, in the form of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at the Burdenko Military Hospital and other vaccine, in the form of a powder for the preparation of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
Microsoft joins Google to create new generation of web apps
  • Microsoft’s PWABuilder and Google’sBubblewrap have joined hands to help web developers get their Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) into the Play Store.
  • Progressive web apps use emerging web browser APIs and features, along with traditional progressive enhancement strategy, to bring a native app-like user experience to cross-platform web applications.
  • com is Microsoft’s open source developer tool that helps build high-quality PWAs and publish them in app stores.
  • Google’s Bubblewrap is command line utility and library to generate and sign Google Play Store packages from Progressive Web Apps.

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July 14, 2020

Arunachal Pradesh filmmaker Kezang D Thongdok bagged the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2020
  • Kezang D Thongdok, an independent filmmaker, documented the process of honey hunting has bagged the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2020.
  • Thongdok’s short documentary ‘Chi Lupo’ artfully sketches the custom of honey hunting practised in the Shertukpen community wherein ‘Chi’ means honey and ‘Lupo’ means hunters
  • Thongdok’s attempt to depict and preserve the age-old tradition of honey hunting amongst the Shertukpens bagged him the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award this year.
Govt to curb import dependence of APIs/medical devices
  • As part of efforts to make India self-sufficient in manufacturing bulk drugs or APIs, the Govt of India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals is finalising guidelines for selecting locations of three bulk drug parks and four medical devices parks.
  • Currently, India imports more than 70 per cent of its API or bulk drug needs, largely from countries such as China.
  • The guideline will become the basis for selection of developers for this prestigious project which is part of government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.
  • The guidelines which will form basis for objectively selecting locations of upcoming three bulk drugs parks and four medical devices parks in the country.
  • In order to encourage domestic production of critical APIs and medical devices, the Union Cabinet had recenlty approved a scheme for development of three bulk drugs and four medical devices parks in which the Centre will extend Grants-in-Aid to states with a maximum limit of Rs 1,000 crore per bulk drug park and Rs 100 crore per medical device parks.
  • Govt has also announced a production linked incentive scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of key critical starting materials/drug intermediates & APIs and medical devices.
Google’s Rs 75,000 crore boost for digitisation in India
  • Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, announced a Google for India digitisation fund through which, the company will invest Rs 75,000 crore or approximately $10 billion over the next five to seven years to help India go digital.
  • The investment will focus on four areas important to India’s digitisation:
    • By enabling affordable access to information to every Indian in their own language.
    • By building new products and services that are deeply relevant to India’s specific needs.
    • By empowering businesses to continue or embark on digital transformation.
    • By leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence for social good in areas like health, agriculture and education.
India becomes second-largest foreign investor in the UK
  • India invested in 120 projects and created more than 5000 new jobs in the UK to become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after the US in 2019.
  • The US remains the number one source of FDI for the UK, delivering 462 projects, followed by India, Germany, France and China and Hong Kong.
  • The Department for International Trade inward investment statistics for 2019-2020 found India moving up from its previous third-largest spot, representing an overall 4 per cent FDI increase for the UK on 2018-2019 with 1,852 new inward investment projects in the 2019/2020 financial year.
DRDO develops software tool for tracking Covid patients in quarantine
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a software tool for enforcement of quarantine, which will be implemented in partnership with the Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA), an industry body of software professionals.
  • Both the organisations signed an agreement to implement the automated management of the software. The pilot for the implementation is likely to begin soon.
  • The DRDO has devised Smart Automated Management of Patients and Risks for Covid-19 (SAMPARC), an intelligent software for enforcement of quarantine or isolation.
  • The software tool will be a handy tool for law enforcement and health officials, as it would enable intelligent automated tracking of those in quarantine or isolation.
  • It will also generate alerts if there are violations or wilful suppression of movement details. This is expected to reduce the tracking workload of law enforcement or health officials.
  • The online pact was signed by Dr Rituraj Kumar, Scientist G, Centre for AI & Robotics (CAIR) of the DRDO and Sundeep Kumar Makthala, Global President, TITA.
  • The SAMPARC solution can be deployed as a national service by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), or can be distributed as a state-wise or region-wise service.
  • Relying on the information provided by the police and health officials, it allows geofencing, face recognition, display of data on map.
  • The rollout of the solution involves no cost to the patient and local authority needs to position only a suitable computer and the software is based on a combination of open-source software.
  • Details of the patient including name, cell phone number, IMEI of the phone, coordinates of the quarantine location, duration of quarantine, email id and optionally photographs of the patient for AI-based face detection.
  • The app has to be installed on the patient”s smartphone which would automatically send a protected message to the Covid server every 10 minutes. The app would run as a background service that would automatically restart even if the phone reboots.
  • Based on the requirements of the authorities, the patient will be able to send selfies taken through the SAMPARC app to the server for automated AI based face recognition.
Lee Hsien Loong won fourth term as Prime Minister of Singapore
  • Lee Hsien Loong has become the Prime Minister of Singapore after the People’s Action Party won the recently held General Elections. With this, Lee Hsien Loong has won a fourth term as the PM of Singapore.
  • The People’s Action Party (PAP) have won 83 seats out of the total 93 seats contested in the Election by securing 61.24 per cent of the total valid votes.

BIOGRAPHY – Lee Hsien Loong

  • Lee Hsien Loong is a Singaporean politician who has served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore since August 2004. Lee is the eldest son of the 1st Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
  • He led the People’s Action Party to victory in the 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2020 general elections.
  • Lee graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University and later earned a Master of Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
NTPC Limited wins CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019
  • National Thermal Power Corporation has won the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019, under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category. It has also received Commendation for Significant Achievement in the category of CSR.
  • NTPCs flagship CSR program Girl Empowerment Mission, a four weeks residential program has been institutionalized in the vicinity of its power stations for the benefit of school going girls to support in their overall development.
India’s 2018 Tiger census sets new Guinness World Record
  • The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey. 
  • The country now has an estimated 2967 tigers as per the latest census, which makes India home to nearly 75 percent of the global tiger population and has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, well ahead of the target year of 2022.
  • The fourth iteration of the survey – conducted in 2018-19 – was the most comprehensive to date, in terms of both resource and data amassed. Camera traps were placed in 26,838 locations across 141 different sites and surveyed an effective area of 1 lakh 21 thousand 337 square kilometres.
Atal Innovation Mission launches app development module for school students
  • NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission has launched the ATL App Development Module for school children across the country.
  • Through six project-based learning modules and online mentoring sessions, young innovators can learn to build mobile apps in various Indian languages.
  • To build capacities and acumen for app development within school teachers, periodic Teacher Training sessions will be conducted on the AIM App Development course.
  • NITI Aayog is now bringing the skills of app development to the young tinkerers of Atal Tinkering Labs across the country so that they can integrate their Tinkering Lab innovations with mobile apps enhancing the usability and reach of their innovations.

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Assam Current Affairs – July 01-07, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – July 1 - 7, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of July 1 – 7, 2020 )

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July 01, 2020

Assam government prohibits use of spiked bits on horses
  • The Assam government has banned the use of spiked bits or yokes with spikes on horses, by enforcing a prohibition under the cruelty provisions to the Drought and Pack Animals Rules, 1965.
  • This order was issued recently by Assam’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Secretary Devajyoti Hazarika following a complaint by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA-India).
  • PETA India had launched a nationwide campaign in 2019 based on the outcome of a multi-state survey of government efforts to impose a ban on using spiked bits on horses.
  • Other states like Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh have already issued orders enforcing these prohibitions.
India ranked 117th in SDG Index 2020
  • India is ranked at 117th position with a score of 92and is also facing major challenges in 10 of the 17 SDGs including zero hunger, good health, gender inequality among others.
  • The index has been topped by Sweden with score of 84.72, Denmark scored 84.56, Finland scored 83.77.
  • The 2020 report has reviewed the performance of 193 UN Member States out of which 166 were ranked under SDG index 2020.
  • The report identifies five key measures that global cooperation should include:
    1. Disseminate best practices rapidly;
    2. strengthen financing mechanisms for developing countries;
    3. Address hunger hotspots;
    4. Ensure social protection;
    5. Promote new drugs and vaccines.
  • Since its launch in 2016, the report provides the most up-to-date data to track and review the performance of all 193 UN member states on the 17 SDGs.
HDFC Bank launches ”e-KisaanDhan” app for farmers
  • HDFC Bank launched ”e-KisaanDhan” mobile app for farmers across India to access various agricultural and banking services.
  • The Mobile App, which serves as a repository of knowledge and information for any individual engaged in farming, helps meet needs of the rural ecosystem.
  • This will also provide value-added services, like mandi prices, latest farming news, weather forecast, information on seed varieties, SMS advisory, e-pashuhaat, multiple banking services, like procuring loans, opening bank accounts, insurance facilities, online calculation of KCC loan eligibility.
  • This app is a part of the bank’s ”HarGaonHamara” initiative to reach out to customers in the rural and under-served areas.
World Bank offers $750 million loan for India’s MSMEs
  • The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a $750 million MSME Emergency Response program to support increased flow of finance into the hands of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
  • The MSME Emergency Response program will address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of 15 lakh MSMEs to help them withstand the impact of the current shock and protect jobs.
  • The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan of $750 million has a maturity of 19 years including a 5-year grace period.
  • This program will support the government’s efforts to channel liquidity to the MSME sector by de-risking lending from banks and NBFCs to MSMEs through a range of instruments, including credit guarantees.
  • The World Bank has so far committed $2.75 billion to support India’s emergency COVID-19 response.
Uniform stamp duty on securities market instruments from July 1
  • The amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, to bring about uniformity of the stamp duty on securities across states will come into effect from July 1, 2020.
  • Central Govt has created the legal and institutional mechanism to enable states to collect stamp duty on securities market instruments at one place by one agency, through the stock exchange or clearing corporation authorised by it or by the depository on one instrument.
  • The amendment will improve the ease of doing business and bring in uniformity of the stamp duty on securities across states, which can help building a pan-India securities market.
  • Stock exchanges will now collect stamp duty for trading in securities at a unified rate from July 1 and deposit the proceeds with the Centre, which will then divide it among states where the trade took place.
  • At present, market participants collect stamp duty at rates fixed by the state where the trade takes place. This created a complex system with multiple tax rates and differing regulations in different states, posing a challenge to settle deals.
  • Under the new provisions, stock exchanges/clearing agencies would collect duty on securities transactions and deposit it with the centre, for off market transactions platform, the depositories would collect stamp duties.
  • This centralised collection mechanism is expected to ensure minimise cost of collection and enhance revenue productivity. It will help develop equity markets and equity culture across the length and breadth of the country, ushering in balanced regional development.
Microsoft collaborate with Accenture to nurture B2B startups in India
  • Microsoft announced to collaborate with global professional services company Accenture to host the third edition of the Accenture Ventures Challenge for B2B startups in India.
  • It will recognise startups in India in four categories: supply chain resilience, channel shift to digital commerce, systems resilience and responsible technology.
  • Microsoft, in February 2020, launched the “100X100X100” programme to bring 100 companies to commit $100,000 each for enterprise-ready solutions from 100 business-to-business (B2B) startups in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) space in India over the course of 18 months.
  • Accenture Ventures Challenge identifies the best B2B tech startups to develop solutions for real-world challenges faced by businesses. Its’ 2020 edition will identify 12 innovative startups that are helping to address the business and human impact of COVID-19.
  • The winner in each category will be given an opportunity to join the Accenture Ventures Open Innovation partner programme and co-create solutions for Accenture clients around the world.

July 02, 2020

 Assam Govt decided to upgrade Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary into National Park
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the state government has decided to upgrade the DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna, into a national park.

FACTFILE – Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts of Assam and covers an area of 111.19 km2 rainforest.
  • It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.
  • The Dehing Patkai forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India.
  • The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and a part of Dehing Patkai Rainforest, due to their importance for elephant habitat, were declared as Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
Railways to invite private players for passenger train operations
  • Indian Railway has invited request for qualifications for private participation for passenger train operations on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains.
  • Railway ministry plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains. The project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore.
  • The private investment for running passenger trains over Indian Railways network
  • began last year with the introduction of Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
  • The objective of this initiative is to introduce modern technology rolling stock with reduced maintenance, reduced transit time, boost job creation, provide enhanced safety, provide world class travel experience to passengers.
  • The 109 (origin-destination) pairs of trains have been formed into 12 clusters across the Indian Railway network. The private entity shall be responsible for financing, procuring, operation and maintenance of the trains. Trains shall be designed for a maximum speed of 160 kmph and should reduce journey time.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur develops new micro porous film
  • Researcher Dr Tushar Deshpande of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, has developed an elastomeric film that has multiple uses. The film can be used as a bandage to prevent a wound from getting infected. It will also speed up healing by aiding tissue building around the wound, by allows air to pass but no virus.
  • Deshpande said the film can also separate petrol from water. The film doesn’t absorb any liquid and has been made with polydis methyl siloxin, ethyl acetated and water and its thickness is 150 microns.”
  • It could also be used in making personal protection equipment (PPE) kits to prevent coronavirus infection. The film will also be effective in making tissues of other organs, including heart, liver and brain.
Delhi CM Kejriwal announces India’s first Coronavirus plasma bank in Delhi
  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the first plasma bank in the country for the novel coronavirus patients in the city and urged the Covid survivors to come forward and donate plasma to save lives. He also launched the helpline number to register names for plasma donation.
  • The patients who were treated from Covid-19 and have completed 14 days after their treatment are eligible for donating plasma. They must be between 18 and 60 age groups, must have weight more than 50 kg.
AAI inks MoA with Cachar District for financial assistance to Cacahr Cancer Hospital
  • The Cachar District Adminstration and authorities of Airports Authority of India (AAI) Silchar airport signed an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for providing financial assistance for procurement of ambulance for Cachar Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Silchar amounting to Rs 13 Lakh.
  • The MoA was signed by Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Silchar Airport Director PK Gorai.
  • As a part of the CSR initiative, the Airport Authority of India will support the project by providing financial assistance for procurement of sophisticated ambulance for the cancer hospital.
World Bank approves $500 million project STARS to better education quality in 6 Indian states
  • The World Bank board of executives has approved a new project worth $500 million to improve learning outcome and governance of government schools in six Indian states.
  • The project STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program) will be implemented through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in partnership with Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
  • STARS will help improve learning assessment systems, strengthen classroom instruction, and remediation, facilitate school-to-work transition, and strengthen governance and decentralized management.
  • The STARS program builds on the long partnership between India and the World Bank, since 1994, for strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing ‘Education for All’.
  • The program will support individualized, needs-based training for teachers that will give them an opportunity to have a say in shaping training programs and making them relevant to their teaching needs.
India, World Bank sign loan agreements for housing sector in Tamil Nadu
  • The Govt of India, state Govt of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank signed legal agreements to help low-income groups in the state of Tamil Nadu get access to affordable housing.
  • The loan agreements were signed for two projects:
  • The $200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme supports the government’s ongoing efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing by gradually shifting the role of the state from being the main provider to an enabler.
  • It aim to unlock regulatory barriers and incentivise private sector participation in affordable housing for low-income families.
  • $50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project is also approved to support innovations in housing finance and strengthen housing sector institutions in the state. It will finance the newly created Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund (TNSF) – an innovation in housing finance in India.
  • These loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) have a maturity of 20 years including a grace period of 5 years.
Former RBI Governor C. Rangarajan gets Mahalanobis award
  • Former Reserve Bank of India Governor C. Rangarajan has been conferred the P.C. Mahalanobis Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to official statistics, on the occasion of Statistics Day on June 29.
  • Rangarajan had also held the posts of Chairman, Financial Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Chairman, Madras Faculty of Economics.

BIOGRAPHY – Chakravarthi Rangarajan

  • Chakravarthi Rangarajan is an Indian economist and 19th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • He is the former Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, he resigned the day the UPA lost power. He is also the Chairman of the Madras School of Economics; former President of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
  • He served as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
  • He was also the chairman of the Twelfth Finance Commission.
  • In 2002, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.
Madhya Pradesh launches ‘Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya’ campaign
  • To maintain the academic regularity of students during the Corona crisis, the State Education Center has prepared a ‘HamaraGhar-HamaraVidyalaya’ means My Home-My school scheme, in which children will be taught at home in a school-like environment.
  • Under the scheme, the school bells are going to be heard within the student’s house and the teachers will begin the class of the students after the bell. It provides a school-like environment for the children taught at their home through online classes.

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July 03, 2020

Two new species of butterfly ‘Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince’ discoved in Arunachal Pradesh
  • Lepidopterists have discovered two new species of butterfly, namely the Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince, in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh
  • The Striped Hairstreak, was first recorded by Japanese entomologists in Hainan province of China. And the Elusive Prince, has a Vietnamese connection and was thought to be the more familiar Black Prince found in the Eastern Himalayas.
  • The findings from Arunachal Pradesh indicate the rich biodiversity of the State. India now has 1,327 species, up from 1,318 in 2015
  • The Striped Hairstreak (Yamamotozephyruskwangtugenesis) was located in Vijaynagar bordering Myanmar while the Elusive Prince was found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.
Delhi launches remote teaching-learning activities and LEAD portal
  • Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia announced the commencement of remote teaching-learning activities for students of city government schools.
  • The Directorate of Education has devised an alternate teaching-learning plan to reduce the academic loss of students in classes KG to XII of all government and aided schools in Delhi.
  • A plan of action in this regard has been worked out for the students through a combination of strategies using digital devices and support of the parents and the school managements.
  • Apart from these regular teaching-learning activities, additional optional online teaching-learning activities will be added from time to time to enhance the learning activities of the students.
  • Delhi Deputy Chief also launched a comprehensive e-learning portal called LEAD (Learning through E-Resources Made Accessible for Delhi)— which has more than 10,000 instructional materials and course content for school students.
  • Through LEAD, students will have access to textbooks, study material and course content as per the syllabus of the CBSE, NCERT and the Delhi government’s curriculum.
Global e-waste increased by 21% in five years, says UN
  • As per the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020, a record 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in just five years.
  • The prediction of global e-waste (defined as any discarded products with a battery or plug) will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost a doubling of e-waste in just 16 years.
  • e-waste became world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fuelled mainly by higher consumption rates of electric and electronic equipment, short life cycles, and few options for repair.
  • Region wise: Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019, some 24.9 million metric tonnes, followed by the Americas (13.1 million metric tonnes) and Europe (12 million metric tonnes), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 million metric tonnes and 0.7 million metric tonnes respectively.
  • Only 17.4 per cent of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled.
  • E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives and substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and/or coordination system.

FACTFILE – The Global E-waste Monitor 2020

  • The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), formed by UN University, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme.
Railways runs longest train ”SheshNaag” of 2.8-km length
  • The Indian Railways broke its own record of the longest train ever to run on Indian Railways, by operating ”SheshNaag”, a 2.8-km-long freight train. The South East Central Railway in Nagpur division attached long haul freight train consisting of four BOXN that is 251 wagons hauled by four electric locomotives.
  • The train had three rakes of 58 wagons and one rake of 59 wagons.
  • The whole train got the power of the four railway locomotives as a result. With this formation, Indian Railways will be able to save time required for the movement of freight trains in the Indian Railways network.
Bharti Airtel’s Ajai Puri appointed new Chairman of COAI
  • The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) announced the appointment of Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel as its Chairman for the year 2020-21.
  • Pramod Kumar Mittal, President, Reliance JioInfocomm, will be the Vice Chairman of the Association.
  • Ajai Puri has been with Bharti Airtel since 2004, and has held several senior leadership positions including Director for Market Operations and Director and CEO, DTH.
Indra Mani Pandey appointed India’s Permanent Representative to UN
  • Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.
  • Indra Mani Pandey, a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
  • Before, Pandey served in Indian missions in Damascus, Cairo, Islamabad, Kabul, Muscat and Geneva.
  • He also served as joint secretary in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs division of the MEA.
Giriraj Singh launches the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada”
  • Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh launched the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA”. It would be published on a quarterly basis.
  • Published by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India and the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
  • The Newsletter is an outcome of the endeavours of the Department of Fisheries to reach out to the stakeholders especially fishers and fish farmers through various means of communication, and to inform and educate them about the latest developments in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Fitch slashes India’s growth projection from 9.5% to 8% for FY22
  • Fitch Ratings cut India’s growth forecast for 2021-22 fiscal to 8 per cent from 9.5 per cent projected last month. Though it retained projection of Indian economy contracting by 5 per cent in the current fiscal.
  • Indian economic growth stood at an estimated 4.2 per cent in 2019-20. Earlier, Fitch projected Indian economy to grow 5.5 per cent in 2022-23.
  • S&P has forecast a 5 per cent contraction in the current fiscal year and the growth to recover to 8.5 per cent next fiscal.
  • Moody’s predicts India’s real GDP to contract by 4 per cent in fiscal 2020 due to the shock from the coronavirus pandemic and related lockdown measures, followed by 8.7 per cent growth in fiscal 2021.

July 04, 2020

 Andhra Pradesh govt Launches Corporation for Outsourced Services
  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) to recruit employees for various government departments in the state.
  • The establishment of a separate department is expected to eliminate contractors and middlemen who used to control outsourcing for government services.
  • The move is part of the reforms undertaken by the state government to usher transparency in governance.
  • APCOS will handle processes such as recruitment and salaries, including the ESI and PF benefits. It will hand over 50,449 appointment letters to the employees working in various departments across Andhra Pradesh.
ICMR to launch 1st indigenous Covid vaccine by August 15
  • The Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR) plans to launch indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 by August 15 after the completion of the clinical trials. It has selected 13 institutions across the country for clinical trials and asked them to initiate subject enrollment by July 7.
  • ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava informed the selected institutions that it has partnered with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine).
  • The vaccine is being derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.
  • Institutions involved in vaccine trials include Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and AIIMS Patna.
RBI announces special liquidity scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the government of India has approved a scheme to improve the liquidity position of NBFCs/HFCs through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to avoid any potential systemic risks to the financial sector.
  • To be eligible under the scheme, RBI laid out the conditions:
    • The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs), including Microfinance Institutions that are registered with the RBI, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies.
    • Housing Finance Companies that are registered under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
    • CRAR/CAR of NBFCs/HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum, i.e., 15% and 12% respectively as on March 31, 2019.
    • The net non-performing assets should not be more than 6% as on March 31, 2019.
    • They should have made net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years (i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19)
    • They should not have been reported under SMA-1 or SMA-2 category by any bank for their borrowings during last one year prior to August 01, 2018.
    • They should be rated investment grade by a SEBI registered rating agency.
    • They should comply with the requirement of the SPV for an appropriate level of collateral from the entity, which, however, would be optional and to be decided by the SPV.
  • SBICAP has set up a SPV (SLS Trust) to manage this operation.
India-Bangladesh form 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) for LPG business in Bangladesh
  • India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for the formation of a 50:50 Joint Venture Company for LPG business in Bangladesh.
  • The agreement was signed between the IOC Middle East FZE, Dubai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and RR Holdings Ltd., Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, the holding company of Beximco LPG of Bangladesh.
  • The Joint Venture will help reduce the cost of imprt of LPG and make it more affordable for the consumers in Bangladesh. The LPG market in Bangladesh is fast expanding and the new project will draw upon the strengths of the Indian oil and Beximco in their respective areas.
  • The company plans to diversify into LPG export to the north eastern states of India from Bangladesh which will mutually benefit both the countries.
  • The new Joint venture company set up takes further the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy of the government of India. The energy cooperation between India and Bangladesh has made significant achievement in the recent years.
IIT Kanpur develops classroom-to-home teaching setup ‘Mobile Masterjee’
  • IIT Kanpur has developed a classroom-to-home teaching setup, named ‘Mobile Masterjee’, that can record the lectures by the teachers while using their available smart phones.
  • The product is lightweight and has adjustments to fit sheets and book on it for delivering instructions to the kids. The “Mobile Masterjee” can hold, position, and focus the whole recording setup, while making the online class a comfortable home environment. 

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July 05, 2020 

PM launched the Digital India Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge to identify the best Indian apps, already being used by citizens and have the potential to scale up and become world class.
  • The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology along with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have come up with this challenge, which will run in two tracks promotion of existing apps and development of new apps.
  • For the promotion of existing apps and platforms across the categories of e-learning, work-from-home, gaming, business, entertainment, office utilities and social networking, the government will provide mentoring, hand-holding and support.
India ranks 34th in Global Realty Transparency Index
  • India’s Global Real Estate Transparency Index ranking has improved by one rank to 34 on the back of regulatory reforms, better market data and green initiatives, according to property consultant JLL.
  • India was ranked 35th in the index during 2018 bi-annual survey, while the country was at 36th position in 2016 and 39th in 2014.
  • The United Kingdom ranks first in the list of 99 countries, followed by the United States, Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Germany.
  • Top 10 countries are categorised as highly transparent, while those in the 11th position to 33rd are termed as transparent.
  • The INDIA rank of 34 is with higher levels of transparency observed due to regulatory reforms, enhanced market data and sustainability initiatives.
  • This improvement is led by structural reforms such as the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act 2016 (RERA), GST, Benami Transaction Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2016, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and digitisation of land records have brought about greater transparency in what was an erstwhile largely unregulated sector a few years back.
Care Ratings forecasts Indian Economy to contract by 6.4%
  • Care Ratings revised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current financial year to – 6.4 per cent as economic activity continues to be under restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
  • Forecast for GDP growth is now -6.4 per cent for FY21 with GVA degrowth estimated to be around -6.1 per cen.
  • The sharper fall in real GDP also means that the nominal GDP for the year will also decline assuming inflation of 5 per cent which in turn will affect the projected fiscal deficit number of the central government which will be in the region of 8 per cent for FY21.

July 05, 2020 

Government of India declares Nagaland as “Disturbed Area” for six more months
  • Union Govt declared the entire Nagaland as “disturbed area” for a further period of six months till December-end.
  • The Home Ministry notified that the area comprising the whole Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary. Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No.28 of 1958) the central government hereby declares that whole of the said State to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from 30th June, 2020 for the purpose of that Act.
  • Nagaland has been under the coverage of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for almost six decades.
IIT Madras launches world’s first online BSc degree in Programming and Data Science
  • The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the “world’s first” online BSc degree course in Programming and Data Science. The course will be open to anyone who has passed class 12 with English and Maths at class 10 level, and enrolled in any on-campus undergraduate course.
  • Even the current batch of students who are completing their class 12 are eligible to apply. Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme.
  • The course will be offered in three different stages – Foundational Programme, Diploma Programme and Degree Programme. At each stage, students will have the freedom to exit from the programme and receive a certificate, diploma or a degree, respectively.
PM Modi dedicates Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power project to nation
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power project, to the nation via video conference.
  • Prime Minister said the Rewa project will make the entire region a major hub for pure and clean energy in this decade. Madhya Pradesh would be the main centre of solar energy in India, as such major projects are in progress in Neemuch, Shajapur, Chattarpur and Omkareshwar.
  • Solar energy as one which is ”Sure, Pure & Secure”. Sure because of the continuous supply of energy from the Sun, pure as it is environment friendly and secure because it is a secure source for our energy needs.

FACTFILE – Rewa Ultra Mega Solar

  • Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is the first solar project in India to break the grid parity barrier. It is an operational ground mounted, grid-connected photovoltaic solar park spread over an area of 6.4 km2 in the Gurh tehsil of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The project was commissioned with 750 MW capacity in December 2019.
  • This Solar plant is India’s first solar project to get funding from Clean Technology Fund (CTF), which is available at a rate of 0.25% for a 40-year period, and from the World Bank.

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July 07, 2020 

India Ranked 31st in INFORM Risk Index 2020 for Humanitarian crises & Disasters
  • India has been ranked at 31st position with an inform risk of 5.4, means risk of humanitarian crises and disasters. 
  • This report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) on behalf of all INFORM Partners. It is the first global, objective and transparent tool for understanding the risk of regions based upon crises and disasters.
  • The report considers the following while framing the index
    • Natural Factors: Tsunami, Earthquake, Drought, Flood, Epidemic and Tropical Cyclones;
    • Human Factors: Human Conflicts and conflict risks;
    • Socio-Economic factors: Inequality, vulnerable people, deprivation and aid dependency;
    • Institutional: DRR, Governance; Infrastructure: Communication, Physical infrastructure, Access to health system.
  • North Korea ranks among the most dangerous places to live as its people are exposed to high risks of natural disaster, poverty and social injustice. 
Black Panther spotted in Karnataka’s Nagarhole Tiger Reserve
  • A forest range officer (FRO) in Karnataka’s Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (NTR) spotted a black panther. About half a dozen black panthers in Karnataka forests and one in Nagarhole.
  • NTR stretches between Kodagu and Mysuru districts and was a protected reserve from the time of the Wodeyar dynasty, rulers of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysuru.

FACTFILE – Nagarhole National Park

  • Nagarhole, which served as an exclusive hunting reserve of the Wodeyars, was made a wildlife sanctuary in 1955, covering an area of 284 square km – later stretched up to 643 square km.
  • Nagarhole National Park is a national park located in Kodagu district and Mysore district in Karnataka, India. It is one of India’s premier Tiger Reserves along with the adjoining Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • This park was declared the thirty seventh Project Tiger, Tiger reserves of India in 1999. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
  • The park has a healthy predator-prey ratio, with many tigers, Gaur, elephants, Indian leopards, and deer.
Venkaiah Naidu launches social media app ‘Elyments’
  • Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s first indigenously developed social networking super app ‘Elyments’.
  • The Vice President urged every Indian to adopt the AtmaNirbhar Bharat campaign to transform “Local” India into a “Glocal” India.
  • The AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was aimed at giving a new boost and a quantum jump to the economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human resource, and creating robust supply chains.
  • It was a launchpad for fostering entrepreneurship, nurturing innovation, and creation of an ecosystem for rural-urban symbiotic development.
  • Elyments is one of the first home-grown social media apps to emerge in the Indian market, developed by over 1,000 IT specialists, who are volunteers with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s The Art of Living organization.
  • The makers of Elyments have designed the app keeping in mind the user’s privacy as one of the primary keys of concern. It has an end-to-end encryption feature to ensure user’s private conversations are not seen by any third party.
Odisha Launches ‘Balaram’ Yojana 
  • Odisha government launched, ‘Balaram Yojana’ to provide crop loans to landless farmers. Under the new scheme the landless cultivators will get loans through joint liability groups (JLGs).
  • Under the scheme, the government has set a target to provide farm loans to 7 lakh landless farmers in next two years, with a kitty of Rs 1,040 crore.
  • IMAGE and Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) will coordinate the implementation of the yojana at the State and the district levels, respectively.
  • 7,000 branches of several banks and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies will coordinate the implementation in rural and small towns.
CBSE tie-up with Facebook to introduce curriculum on digital safety
  • Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has partnered with Facebook to launch a curriculum to teach digital safety & online well-being and augmented reality (AR) to students and teachers.
  • The digital safety and online well-being curriculum will be rolled out in phases. In the first phase, from July to October, it will be implemented across national education boards such as CBSE. In the second phase, it will be made available to state education boards.
  • The curriculum will cover online safety, privacy, and mental health, and will use Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits.
  • The AR course will teach the fundamentals of AR and train students and teachers how to use Facebook’s Spark AR Studio platform to create augmented reality experiences.

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Assam Current Affairs – June 29 – 30, 2020

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 Assam Current Affairs & GK – June 29 – 30, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of June 29 – 30, 2020 )

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  June 29, 2020

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Forms Committee to investigate Assam Gas Leak
  • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered for a high-level committee to look into the recent blowout at an Oil India Ltd (OIL) well in Baghjan, Assam.
  • NGT also asked the public sector company to deposit Rs 25 crore for damages caused.
  • The committee will have the mandate to examine the cause and damage from the blowout that occurred on May 27, 2020. The oil-and-gas well, owned by OIL, at Upper Assam’s Baghjan village subsequently caught fire on June 9, after leaking for about a fortnight.
  • An eight-member committee headed by Justice BP Katakey, a former Gauhati High Court judge, was formed to probe the incident. The committee headed by Justice Katakey will submit its report within 30 days after looking into 13 points listed by the NGT order.
  1. Cause of gas and oil leak
  2. Extent of loss and damage caused to human life, wildlife and environment
  3. Damage and health hazards to the public
  4. Possible contamination caused to water, air and soil around the oil well
  5. Extent of contamination of the Dibru river due to the oil spill
  6. Air quality monitoring, along with collecting soil and groundwater samples of the area and testing water from the Dibru
  7. Impact on the eco-sensitive Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung wetland zone
  8. Impact on agriculture, fishery and domestic animals in the area
  9. Any mitigation measures put in place by OIL to offset incidents such as this one
  10. Individuals responsible for the fire incidents and the cause of failure to prevent the incident
  11. Assessment of compensation for victims and cost of restitution of damage caused to property and environment
  12. Preventive and remedial measures
  13. Any other incidental or allied issues
UP Governor Anandiben Patel given additional charge of MP
  • President Ram Nath Kovind has given Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel additional charge of Madhya Pradesh, in view of MP Governor Lalji Tandon’s poor health condition.
  • Patel has been given the additional duty of Madhya Pradesh, keeping in mind the current medical condition of Tandon.
PGIMER to conduct clinical trial for rapid antigen detection
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated a programme of clinical trials for rapid antigen detection for COVID-19 patients.
  • The procedure will not only help keep a track on the increasing number of COVID-19 patients but also enable easy access to detect the affected COVID-19 patients on a larger scale within a short span of time.
  • The ICMR has identified seven tertiary-care hospitals across the country to initiate trials and the PGIMER has been selected as one of the sites to be part of this programme for critically-ill COVID-19 patients.
Centre allocate 231 crore to Arunachal Pradesh to implement Jal Jeevan Mission
  • Under Jal Jeevan Mission the state will get Rs 231 crore under the 15th Finance Commission Grants to PRIs during 2020-21; 50 per cent of this amount has to be mandatorily to be spent on water and sanitation.
  • Arunachal Pradesh Government is also asked to expedite implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, a flagship programme that aims to improve the lives of rural people by providing safe drinking water to every rural household through household tap connections by 2024.
  • Under Jal Jeevan Mission, water quality testing laboratories at district and state levels are given priority. Community is being involved for surveillance of water quality.
  • Arunachal Pradesh plans to provide cent per cent tap connections to all the households of the state by March, 2023 and accordingly the Centre has allocated an amount of Rs 255 crore for the state under the mission in 2020-21.
  • The state would be given additional funds in form of performance grants based on the achievement in terms of tangible outputs – the household tap connections and commensurate financial progress.
  • Of the 2.18 lakh total rural households in Arunachal Pradesh, 37,000 households have been already provided with tap connections.

 June 30, 2020

Kharchi Puja begins in Tripura
  • The week-long tradition Kharchi festival began at Khayerpur in West Tripura district amid COVID-19 pandemic. Kharchi Puja is one of the most important festivals of Tripura during which 14 deities are worshipped.
  • The formal inauguration programme was cancelled due to the pandemic. Raj Chantai opened the Chaturdash Devata temple after a ceremonial procession and offered prayers marking the beginning of the puja.
  • Additional security forces have been deployed in and around the temple to strictly enforce the COVID-19 guidelines like social distancing and wearing of masks.
Tushar Mehta and K.K. Venugopal reappointed as Solicitor General and Attorney General for India, respectively
  • The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of senior advocate Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General for a period of three years.
  • Senior advocate K.K. Venugopal has also been reappointed to the post of Attorney General for India for a period of one year.
  • The Centre has re-appointed Vikramjit Banerjee, Aman Lekhi, Madhavi Divan, K.M. Nataraj and Sanjay Jain as Additional Solicitors Generals for the Supreme Court for three years.
India bans 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns
  • Indian government banned nearly 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi’s Mi Community over national security concerns. In this regard, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a list of 59 Chinese apps that are now banned in the country.
  • These measures have been undertaken since there is credible information that these apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.
  • The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.
  • The recommendations of the intelligence agencies have backing of the National Security Council Secretariat which determined that certain China-linked applications could be detrimental to the country’s security.
World’s largest Plasma Therapy trial centre launched in Maharashtra
  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated ”Project PLATINA” – India’s first and the world’s largest Plasma Therapy Trial Centre in Nagpur.
  • This centre will help formulate definite treatment guidelines for the entire country in managing critical Covid-19 patients.
  • State sanctioned Rs 16.65 crore for Project Platina and clinical trials from the CM’s Relief Fund, and the project has been completed in barely three weeks.
  • With this project, the government hopes to save around 500 seriously ill Covid-19 patients in the state free of cost, amidst recent apprehensions of prohibitively high costs for this form of treatment expressed in some circles.
  • Each critical patient would receive 2 doses of 200 ml of convalescent plasma from recovered patients which contains antibodies against coronavirus that will fight the infection and help the serious patients recover.
  • Four other facilities were inaugurated Plasma Donation, Plasma Bank, Plasma Trial and Emergency Authorisation centres.
Karnataka unveils ‘Skill Connect’ portal for jobs in Karnataka 
  • Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has unveiled ‘Skill Connect’ portal, which is a meeting point for job seekers and job givers in the state.
  • The portal offers a choice of industries for job seekers to choose and apply, such as automotive, banking and finance, hospitality, IT-enables services (ITeS), manufacturing, banking and others.
  • Upon registering on the website and uploading the skills and educational qualifications, an employer looking for such a prospective candidate will match up to directly contact without the role of an intermediary.
India, Bhutan sign pact on Kholongchhu hydel project
  • A concession agreement for the 600-MW Kholongchhu hydroelectric project between the Royal Government of Bhutan and Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited was signed in Thimphu in the virtual presence of India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Bhutan Foreign Minister Lyonpo (Dr) Tandi Dorji.
  • The 600-MW run-of-the-river project is located on the lower course of the Kholongchhu river in Trashiyangtse district in eastern Bhutan.
  • The project envisages an underground powerhouse of four 150-MW turbines with water impounded by a concrete gravity dam of 95 metres height. It will be implemented by Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited, a joint venture company formed between Druk Green Power Corporation of Bhutan and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited of India.
  • this agreement will lead to commencement of construction and other works of this first joint venture hydroelectric project between India and Bhutan. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
SAP India unveils “Global Bharat” initiative to make MSMEs globally competitive
  • SAP launched a new programme called “Global Bharat”, in association with Nasscom Foundation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Pratham InfoTech Foundation, to enable Indian Micro, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) become globally competitive by equipping them with digital technologies. The programme was launched
  • The initiative is aimed at driving greater efficiencies of MSMEs by adopting three initiatives gaining access to global marketplace, digitally skilling workforce and digitally transforming businesses.
  • Global Bharat, is an endeavour to enable MSMEs to augment business operations and re-access critical processes that overcome inefficiencies and make them globally competitive.
  • MSMEs will have open access to SAP Ariba Discovery where any buyer can post sourcing needs and any of the four million suppliers on Ariba Network can respond with their ability to deliver the goods and services required with no fees through December 31, 2020.
  • Business owners will have access to SAP India’s Code Unnati, a coveted “Golden Peacock Award” winning digital skilling initiative.
  • MSMEs will be provided accessibility to 240 courses, with more getting added in a few months, on digital financial, soft skills, productivity technologies that will digitally skill the workforce and adapt to the new working environments.
Bharat Biotech Covid vaccine Covaxin gets permission for human clinical trials
  • Bharat Biotech has successfully developed Covaxin, India’s first vaccine candidate for Covid-19, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), which will begin its human trials next month.
  • The Drug Controller General of India – Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare granted permission to initiate Phase I and II human clinical trials after the company submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response.
  • The indigenous, inactivated vaccine was developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) High Containment facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs launches Tribes India products on Gem
  • Ministry of Tribal affairs has initiated several immediate initiatives to re-energise the lagging economic activity for sustaining the livelihood development of tribals.
  • The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs inaugurated the TRIBES India store on Government eMarketplace which can help in facilitating purchases by Government and then the revamped website (https://trifed.tribal.gov.in/), which has all relevant details about the schemes and initiatives underway to the benefit of tribal communities.
  • The Tribes India e-Marketplace, coming on the heels of the Retail Inventory Management System which has automated the sourcing and sale of stocks, is an ambitious initiative to on-board almost 5 lakh Tribal Artisans on the e- market platform to provide them access to national and international markets.
  • TRIFED’s VanDhan Integrated Information Network facilitates the pooling of all information pertaining to forest dwellers engaged in Minimum Support Price Operations and its VanDhan Yojana linking them up to Village haats and Warehouses.
Indian Navy inducts indigenously developed Torpedo Decoy System Maareech
  • Anti-Submarine Warfare capability of the Indian Navy received a major boost with the induction of Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech capable of being fired from all frontline warships.
  • Design and Development of this anti-torpedo decoy system has been undertaken indigenously by DRDO labs-(NSTL and NPOL). 
  • The Bharat Electronics Limited would undertake the production of this decoy system.

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Assam Current Affairs – June 22 – 28, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – June 22 – 28, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of June 22 – 28, 2020 )

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June 22, 2020

DoNER sanctioned Rs 190 crore to boost NE healthcare facilities

  • Union DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh said Rs 190 crore has been sanctioned for augmentation of healthcare facilities in the eight Northeastern states, especially for the management of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
  • In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of DoNER has decided to sanction Rs 190 crore for augmentation of healthcare facilities in the eight Northeastern states for developing infrastructure for management of infectious diseases.
  • Through a scientifically designed mechanism, each 14 ‘aspirational districts’ of the Northeast was to focus on improving these key indicators and raise its rating viz-a-viz the best performing district of the state and the country in the given indicators.
  • The Ministry of DoNER has given the Northeastern states the option to send proposals for health-related projects to be funded from Rs 500 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NEISDS).
  • Proposals have been received from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland, while the proposal from Tripura was awaited.
  • The DoNER Minister complemented Assam’s ‘aspirational districts’ Goalpara and Dhubri for having achieved Ayushman Bharat coverage of nearly 100 per cent and 85 per cent respectively. Goalpara has within six months raised its rating from the 68th position to 16 in the all-India list of 150 ‘aspirational districts’.
Glenmark launches new coronavirus medicine ‘Favipiravir’
  • After recieving the manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu, for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
  • Price at ₹103 per tablet, the prescription-based drug will be available as a 200 mg tablet at an MRP of ₹3,500 for a strip of 34 tablets.
  • Glenmark is producing the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) for the drug at its Ankleshwar plant, while the formulation is being manufactured at its Baddi plant.
  • Favipiravir can be used for coronavirus patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
  • It offers rapid reduction in viral load within four days and provides faster symptomatic and radiological improvement.
  • Favipiravir is backed by strong clinical evidence, showing encouraging results in patients with mild to moderate Covid-19. As it has shown clinical improvement of up to 88 per cent in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases.
  • Glenmark was the first company in India to receive the drug regulator (DCGI)’s approval to conduct phase-3 clinical trial of Favipiravir antiviral tablets for Covid-19 patients.

Point2Remember

  • Favipiravir is a generic version of Avigan of Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, Japan, a subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation.

FACTFILE – Glenmark Pharmaceuticals

  • Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Mumbai, India that was founded in 1977 by Gracias Saldanha as a generic drug and active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer.
  • The company went public in India in 1999, and used some of the proceeds to build its first research facility.
  • By 2011 Glenmark had worldwide sales of $778 million and the growth was driven by Glenmark’s entry into the US and European generics markets.
  • The company took down the path of seeking innovation and focused on new drugs and biosimilars in the fields of cancer, dermatology and respiratory diseases, which it sought to monetize by partnering with major pharmaceutical companies.
  • For the financial year 2016–2017 its sales were around 81 billion INR, making it the fourth-biggest Indian pharmaceutical company.

 June 23, 2020

Tea exports declined by 5.6 per cent in fiscal year 2019-20
  • Tea exports have declined marginally in the last fiscal to 240 million kg from 254.50 million kg from the previous fiscal year of 2018-19. This dip is mainly due to economic slowdown across the globe.
  • Exports to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, the biggest importer of India tea, dropped to 59.40m kg in the last fiscal from 60.72 million kg in 2018-19.
  • Iran is the second largest importer of Indian Tea, which imported 46.47 million kg in 2019-20, up from 41.02 million kg in the 2018-19. Simimlary China also imported 12.71 million kg in the last fiscal year as compared to 10.58 million kg in the previous year.
  • Exports to Pakistan,saw a significant drop, from 14.6 million kg in 2018-19 to 3.3 mkg the previous fiscal.
  • The US, the UK and the UAE are the other three destinations where the exports had touched double digits in 2019-20.
  • The production of tea in March 2020, witnessed a steep fall to 43.45 million kg from 74.59 million kg in the corresponding period of 2018-19, mainly due to Covid crisis.

India retains position as third-largest economy on PPP

  • India has retained and consolidated its position as the third-largest economy after China and the US in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) for 2017, as per the World Bank data.
  • PPP of the rupee per dollar at the gross domestic product (GDP) level rose to 20.65 in 2017 from 15.55 in 2011, while the exchange rate of a dollar to a rupee rose to 65.12 from 46.67 during the period.
  • Price Level Index (PLI), the ratio of a PPP to its corresponding market exchange rate, which is used to compare the price levels of economies, improved to 47.55 in 2017 from 42.99 in 2011.
  • In 2017, India retained and consolidated its global position, as the third-largest economy, accounted for 6.7 per cent (USD 8,051 billion out of world total of USD 119,547 billion) of global GDP in terms of PPPs as against China (16.4 per cent) and the US (16.3 per cent), respectively.
  • India is also third-largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in global actual individual consumption and global gross capital formation, as per a release from National Statistical Office (NSO).
  • The World Bank has released new PPPs for the reference year 2017, under the International Comparison Program (ICP) that adjust for differences in the cost of living across economies of the world.
  • As per the release, in 2017, India retained its regional position, as the second-largest economy, accounted for 20.83 per cent of the regional gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of PPPs where China was at 50.76 per cent (first) and Indonesia at 7.49 per cent (third).

FACTFILE – List of countries by GDP (PPP)

  • GDP comparisons using PPP are more useful than those using nominal GDP when assessing a nation’s domestic market because PPP takes into account the relative cost of goods, services and inflation rates of the respective country, rather than using one standard market exchange rates for all countries.

List by the IMF (2020)

Rank

Country

GDP
(millions of US $)

1

 China

27,804,953

2

 United States

20,289,987

3

 India

11,321,280

4

 Japan

5,451,452

5

 Russia

4,176,350

6

 Germany

4,160,925

7

 Indonesia

3,778,134

8

 Brazil

3,316,920

9

 United Kingdom

2,975,557

10

 France

2,860,018

 

 Punjab cabinet approves fast-track clearance of MSMEs

  • To ease the regulatory burden on micro, small and medium enterprises and fast-tracking setting up of MSMEs, the Punjab cabinet approved the Punjab Right to Business Rules, 2020.
  • The new rules have been drafted under provisions of the Punjab Right to Business Act.
  • Sanctions and approvals pertaining to building plan, completion certificate, trade licence registration, land-use change, factory building plan, as well as registration of shops or establishments, will be granted by the district-level nodal agency, headed by the Deputy Commissioner.
  • For setting up of units in the approved industrial parks, the certificate of in-principle approval would be issued within three working days after the submission of declaration of intent.

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June 24, 2020

Deccan Development Society received the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award

  • Hyderabad-based Deccan Development Society has received the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award, one of probably the most coveted environmental awards on this planet for the year 2020.
  • This is in recognition of the individuals who dedicate their actions and organisations for their deep commitment to preserving our planet, in each of the Foundation’s three priority areas: limiting the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, managing water resources and fighting against desertification.
  • The award of 40,000 Euros has been given to the society in recognition of the work of DDS women to rehabilitate degraded lands and promote biodiversity.
  • The Prince Monaco Award is available in a sequence of particular awards for DDS introduced by varied teams within the final 12 months, on prime of which was the UNDP’s prestigious Equator Award adopted by Shinning World Protection Award for “its noble, gracious and loving efforts to improve our world”.

10 MPs to be conferred with Sansad Ratna award

  • Eight sitting Lok Sabha members and two Rajya Sabha members will be presented the Sansad Ratna Awards 2020 under various categories, based on their performance during the first year of the 17th Lok Sabha.
  • The departmentally related Standing Committee on Agriculture headed by BJP MP P.C. Gaddigoudar has been chosen for the Sansad Ratna Awards 2020 for their performance in the 17th Lok Sabha.
  • NCP MP Supriya Sule gets the Sansad Ratna Award 2020 for her overall performance in initiating debates, the number of questions asked and the Private Members Bills in the first year of the 17th Lok Sabha.
  • BJP MP Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Heena Gavit and NCP MP Amol Ramsing Kolhe will be receiving the Sansad Ratna Award 2020 for Questions, Women and First-time MPs categories respectively.
  • Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey), Ajay Misra and TDP  MP Ram Mohan Naidu have been nominated for the ”Jury Committee Special Award” for their overall qualitative performance and individual efforts.
  • The awardees were selected by a three member Jury Committee of Arjun Ram Meghwal, N. K. Premachandran and Shrirang Appa Barne.

PM CARES allocates funds for 50000 ‘Made in India’ ventilators

  • The PM CARES Fund Trust has allocated Rs 2,000 crore for the supply of 50,000 ”Made in India” ventilators to the government run COVID-19 hospitals in all states and Union Territories (UTs).
  • Of the total ventilators, 30,000 are being manufactured by the Bharat Electronics Limited. The remaining 20,000 ventilators are being manufactured by the AgVa Healthcare (10,000), AMTZ Basic (5,650), AMTZ High End (4,000) and Allied Medical (350).
  • So far 2,923 ventilators have been manufactured, out of which 1,340 have already been delivered to the states and UTs. The prominent recipients include Maharashtra (275), Delhi (275), Gujarat (175), Bihar (100), Karnataka (90), Rajasthan (75). By the end of June 2020, additional 14,000 ventilators will be delivered to all states and UTs.

Amazon launches $2 billion fund to invest in climate change mitigation

  • Amazon has announced a $2 billion venture capital fund to invest in companies whose products and services will facilitate the transition to a zero carbon economy.
  • The announcement is part of the Climate Pledge – a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement ten years early and be net zero carbon by 2040 which was co-founded by Amazon and non-profit Global Optimism last year.
  • Companies like Verizon, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), and Infosys recently joined the pledge.
  • The Climate Pledge Fund will look to invest in the visionary entrepreneurs and innovators who are building products and services to help companies reduce their carbon impact and operate more sustainably.
  • Each prospective investment will be judged on its potential to accelerate the path to zero carbon and help protect the planet for future generations.

ICMR allows rapid antigen test for Covid-19 detection

  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommended newer additional strategies for Covid-19 testing, allowing the use of an antigen test to fast-track testing and tracing of positive cases and ease burden on the current RT-PCR test.
  • It has recommended to use Standard Q Covid-19 Ag detection test as a point of care diagnostic assay for testing in the containment zones as well as hospitals in combination with the gold standard RT-PCR test.

FACTFILE – Rapid Antigen Detection Test For Covid-19

  • It is a test on swabbed nasal samples that detects antigens that are found on or within the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • It is a point-of-care test, performed outside the conventional laboratory setting, and is used to quickly obtain a diagnostic result.
  • ICMR has allowed the use of antigen detection kits developed by the South Korean company S D Biosensor. The kit, commercially called Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection kit, comes with a with an inbuilt Covid antigen test device, viral extraction tube with viral lysis buffer and sterile swab for sample collection.

ISRO gets Indian patent for liquid cooling and heating garment

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got an Indian patent for its liquid cooling and heating garment (LCHG) that is suitable for space applications. The patent is valid for 20 years from the date of application.
  • While ISRO is the patentee, the four inventors are Srirangam Siripothu, Reshmi Balachandran, Saraswathi Kesava Pillai Manu, and Gurumurthy Chandrasekaran.
  • The garment made of biocompatible fabrics and parts to provide comfortable body temperature and removal of sweat. These garments find use in manned space flights and also for earth-bound operations such as firefighting.

 June 25, 2020

Highlights of India TB report 2020

  • Union Ministerof Health Harsh Vardhan released the ”India TB report 2020” and assured that the country can win the fight against TB even before 2025. The Annual TB Report is prepared and published by the Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI.
  • In 2017, the Central Government had developed the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for eradication of Tuberculosis with a goal of ending it by 2025.
  • Some states/UTs have made a commitment to eradicate it even before 2025. Himachal Pradesh aims to get rid of it by 2021 and Sikkim and Lakshadweep by 2022.
  • Over 24.04 lakh patients were notified in 2019, an increase of 14 per cent over the previous year.
  • The report highlights that out of the 10 lakh missing cases across the country, 7.81 lakh cases were found and up to 2.9 lakh are missing or failed to be picked up.
  • Gujarat was accorded the best performing state for its work on eradication of TB, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Provision of HIV testing for all notified TB patients increased from 67% in 2018 to 81% in 2019.
  • 12% improvement in the treatment success rate of notified patients. For 2019, it is 81% compared to 69% in 2018.

FACTFILE – National Tuberculosis Elimination Program

  • Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government.
  • The goal of the program is to achieve a TB-free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to tuberculosis.

Andhra Pradesh partners with ISB for post-Covid economic revival

  • The Andhra Pradesh government has partnered with the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad as a nodal agency to revive economic growth in the state post Covid-19 and to formulate a roadmap for sustainable development.
  • Minister for Industries, Information Technology and Skills, M. Goutham Reddy interacted with key professors to discuss strategies to revive economic growth in the state and come up with a long term roadmap for sustainable development in the state through data-driven policy making.
  • Various key areas of engagement were identified to be taken up as project mode including Andhra Pradesh Pulse, an advanced data analytics application using near real-time digital data on citizen interactions with government schemes and systems.
  • It will also try to use the skills of returning migrants workers who can be deployed productively in local jobs requiring similar or adjacent skills, which will also contribute to local economic recovery. 
  • ISB would contribute towards building a system to record the skill sets of returning migrants in order to assess the gap between skills and available jobs in post-pandemic times.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs. 15000 crore.
  • Government has been implementing several schemes for incentivizing the investment made by dairy cooperative sector for development of dairy infrastructure.
  • Government realizes that even MSMEs and Private companies also need to be promoted and incentivized for their involvement in processing and value addition infrastructure.
  • Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) would facilitate much needed incentivisation of investments in establishment of such infrastructure for dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure and establishment of animal feed plant in the private sector.
  • The eligible beneficiaries would be Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), MSMEs, Private Companies and individual entrepreneur with minimum 10% margin money contribution by them. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by banking sector.
  • Government of India would also set up Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs. 750 crore to be managed by NABARD. Credit guarantee would be provided to those sanctioned projects which are covered under MSME defined ceilings.

Cabinet approval for additional investment of Rs.900 in oil & gas project in Myanmar

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved additional investment of about Rs.909 crore  by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) towards further development of blocks A-1 and A-3 Blocksof Shwe oil & gas project in Myanmar.
  • ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) has been associated with exploration and development of Shwe project in Myanmar since 2002, as part of consortium of companies from South Korea, India and Myanmar.
  • OVL has invested US$ 722 million till 31st March 2019 in this project. The first gas from the Shwe Project was received in July 2013 and plateau production was reached in December 2014. The participation of PSUs in oil & gas exploration and development projects in neighbouring countries is aligned with India’s Act East Policy, and also part of India’s efforts to develop Energy Bridges with its immediate neighbors.

 FACTFILE – ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL)

  • ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) is the international arm of ONGC.
  • The primary business of ONGC Videsh is to prospect for oil and gas acreages outside India, including exploration, development and production of oil and gas.
  • Presently, it has 38 projects in 17 countries.

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June 26, 2020

Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU), World’s first Yoga University outside India was launched at US

  • World’s first yoga university outside of India has been launched in Los Angeles, offering programmes that combine scientific principles and modern research approaches to the ancient Indian practice of yoga.
  • The Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU) was jointly launched by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on External Affairs P P Chaudhary during a virtual event held at the Consulate General of India in New York. 
  • Eminent Indian yoga guru Dr. H R Nagendra, Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) is the first Chairman of the Vivekananda Yoga University. 
  • Founded on the principles of Swami Vivekananda’s preion for universal welfare, VaYU will offer online graduate programmes based on scientific principles and modern research approaches to yoga.

IBM announces free digital learning platform ‘SkillsBuild Reignite’ for jobseekers in India

  • IBM announced a free digital learning platform ‘SkillsBuild Reignite’ as part of its SkillsBuild initiative to help jobseekers and provide new resources to business owners in India.
  • The platform will give access to free online coursework and mentoring support, designed to help people reinvent their careers and businesses.
  • IBM launched SkillsBuild in collaboration with the Directorate General of Training under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), which has already benefited 14,135 learners who have completed 40,000 courses and 77,000 hours of e-learning.
  • The SkillsBuild Reignite will include more coursework and personalised coaching for entrepreneurs seeking advice to help establish or restart their small businesses. The courses include financial management, business strategy, digital strategy etc.

Australia and New Zealand to host the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup

  • Australia and New Zealand were handed the right to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup football tournament by a comfortable margin after a vote by the FIFA Council.
  • They beat a rival bid from Colombia to host the tournament which is being expanded to 32 teams.
  • The report highlighted the infrastructure and organisational advantages of the Australia/New Zealand bid which FIFA believed would make for a commercially successful tournament.

June 27, 2020

MF projects India’s economy to contract by 4.5% in FY21

  • International Monetary Fund said the India’s economy is projected to contract by 4.5 per cent this fiscal, on the back of a longer lockdown and a slower recovery than anticipated.
  • India’s economy will contract in FY21 from an expansion of 4.2 per cent in FY20. And for fiscal 2021-22, IMF projected a growth of 6 per cent for the country.
  • India has unveiled a liquidity support programme worth 4.5 per cent of GDP through loans and guarantees for businesses and farmers and equity injections into financial institutions and the electricity sector.
  • IMF also projected a -4.9 per cent contraction in global growth during 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a more negative impact on activity in the first half of 2020 than anticipated, and the recovery is projected to be more gradual than previously forecast.

President clears ordinance to bring cooperative banks under RBI

  • The Centre has brought urban and multi-state cooperative banks under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with President Ram Nath Kovind promulgating the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.
  • The government had issued ordinance to operationalise new provisions of the Act quickly in the interest of millions of depositors who use the cooperative channel to undertake banking transactions.
  • The Ordinance aims to protect the interests of depositors and strengthen cooperative banks by improving governance and oversight by extending powers already available with RBI in respect of other banks to Co-operative Banks as well for sound banking regulation, and by ensuring professionalism and enabling their access to capital.
  • The amendments does not affect existing powers of the State Registrars of Co-operative Societies under state co-operative laws. It will not be applicable on Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) or co-operative societies whose principal business is long-term finance for agricultural development, and which do not use the word “bank” or “banker” or “banking” and do not act as drawees of cheques.

36th ASEAN summit starts via video conference

  • The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened its 36th summit with the theme “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”, chaired by Vietnam via video conference, which focused onthe COVID-19 epidemic response, post-pandemic recovery and further cooperation with partners.
  • On the opening ceremony of the summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he expected the summit to be an opportunity to once again affirm the strong solidarity, political will, and determination of ASEAN member countries to overcome difficulties.
  • The ASEAN needs to continue to effectively control the COVID-19 epidemic and overcome the consequences of the epidemic while recovering and keeping on economic development.
  • The summit will discuss the regional comprehensive post-pandemic recovery plans, implement initiatives including establishing the ASEAN COVID-19 response fund, setting up a reserve for medical supplies to meet urgent needs during epidemics, building the ASEAN standard procedures of epidemic response in case of health emergency.

FACTFILE – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

  • The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia, to promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among members and other countries in Asia.
  • A major partner of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, ASEAN maintains a global network of alliances and dialogue partners and is considered by many as a global powerhouse, the central union for cooperation in Asia-Pacific, and a prominent and influential organization.
  • Established in 1967, the ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Bengaluru International Airport becomes India’s first airport to install AWMS technology on runway

  • The Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which operated the Kempegowda International Airport, has installed an indigenously-developed Aviation Weather Monitoring System (AWMS) at its new runway.
  • BIAL has become the first airport in the country to install indigenous AWMS technology developed by Bengaluru-based CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) at both ends of the new runway.
  • The airport has also installed four Drishti transmissometers, which is also developed by NAL, in association with the India Metrological Department (IMD) to measure the Runway Visibility Range (RVR).
  • The Drishti transmissometer is acclaimed for precise reporting, helping pilots with an accurate runway visual range. It is suitable for all categories of airports such as CAT I, CAT II, CAT III A & B and measures RVR down to 25 meters.
  • With AWMS and RVR integrated, the data is displayed on one single display screen. With the web-enabled feature, the data can be accessed, and maintenance carried out from any location. 

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JUNE 28, 2020

Amartya Sen wins 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

  • Nobel prize-winning economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has won the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for the year2020.
  • The 86-year-old Harvard professor and Nobel laureate was granted the peace prize for his decades-long work addressing global social injustice.

FACTFILE – Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

  • The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade comes with a cash prize of €25,000 euros.
  • The prize has been awarded annually since 1950.
  • Its aim is to honor individuals “who have made an outstanding contribution to the realization of the idea of peace, primarily through their activities in the fields of literature, science and art.”

Union Govt approves the Action Plan of Rajasthan for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission

  • Rajasthan presented the Annual Action Plan on Jal Jeevan Mission. Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has earlier written to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan expressing his concerns over the slow progress of Jal Jeevan Mission in the State.
  • Central Govt has approved fund of ₹2,522.03 Crore for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan in 2020-21, which is a considerable increase from ₹ 1,051 Crore in 2019-20.
  • Out of 1.1 Crore rural households in the Rajasthan, 12.36 Lakh households have already been provided with tap connections (FHTCs).
  • In 2019-20, only 1.02 Lakh tap connections were provided. In 2020-21, the State is planning to enable 20.69 Lakh households with tap water connections.
  • The state plans to provide potable water to 57.77 Lakh population of the State residing in 5,864 villages affected by Fluoride, salinity, Nitrate and Iron.

Shantanu Moitra becomes WWF India’s Harmony and Hope ambassador

  • Famous music composer Shantanu Moitra was announced as the WWF India”s Ambassador for Harmony and Hope for Human-Wildlife Co-existence.
  • Through Moitra’s association with the cause, WWF India will highlight the stories of local communities who reside in forest fringe areas across the country and are stewards of conservation.
  • Shantanu, through his association, will tell stories of positive stories of co-existence between people and wildlife in the country.

Virgin Galactic inks pact with NASA for private passenger trips to ISS

  • Virgin Galactic announced the signing of an agreement with NASA to encourage commercial participation in orbital human spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS).
  • Virgin Galactic said that these trips may not be limited to people for space tourism purposes only.
  • Under this Space Act Agreement agreement, Virgin Galactic will develop a new private orbital astronaut readiness programme. This programme will include identifying candidates interested in purchasing private astronaut missions to the ISS, the procurement of transportation to the ISS, on-orbit resources, and ground resources.
  • NASA is seeing greater demand for use of the ISS for scientific and technological research and development, commercial activity, and international collaboration.
  • NASA will leverage Virgin Galactic’s commercial expertise and industry knowledge.
  • Virgin Galactic will also contribute end-to-end programme management and integrated astronaut training packages for private passengers, tailored to meet the needs for a commercial orbital space flight experience.
  • The space tourism company has already developed a customised Future Astronaut Readiness programme for its customers flying out of Spaceport America in New Mexico.

June 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | June 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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