Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
As per a recent statement by the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry, over 44 lakh tonnes food grains were lifted by States and Union Territories till date.
The food grains were taken under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana-2. Under the scheme, around 201 lakh tonnes food grains will be distributed among 81 crore beneficiaries. The scheme has been implemented from July 1 will be implemented till November 2020.

Notes:
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed former Union minister Manoj Sinha as the next Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
He will replace the previous LG Girish Chandra Murmu who has resigned and his resignation has been accepted by the President. Manoj Sinha has served as Junior Railways Minister. He represented Ghazipur constituency in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha.

Notes:
The Union Education Ministry formerly the HRD Ministry organised ‘Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy’ along with the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the Conclave through video conferencing. He also highlighted various aspects of the National Education Policy. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal also participated in the event.

Notes:
The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) releases the Business Confidence Index (BCI) and Business Expectation Survey (BES).
As per the recent survey conducted by NCAER, the Business Confidence Index fell to 62% from the last year’s level. The index recorded in the first quarter of this fiscal is the lowest index since 1991. During the period, the BCI for North India increased by 25.1% and decreased by 89.3% and 68.1% for East and West India.

Notes:
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has extended a USD 250-million worth Line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique to improve power supply quality in the country.
With the signing of this LoC Agreement, India has so far extended 14 LoCs to Mozambique worth USD 772.44 million. A total of 264 LoCs have been extended to as many as 62 countries across the world around USD 25.98 billion.

Notes:
Mauritius has recently declared an ‘Environmental emergency’ after the Japanese-owned ship MV Wakashio was found spilling tons of fuel.
Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth announced the decision as the areas that were declared as ‘very sensitive’ were found as a dark layer in satellite images. The ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel and it had suffered cracks.

Notes:
Mumbai has become the first Indian city to display women symbols on traffic signals. The project is headed by the Ministry of Tourism of the state.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed traffic signals that display female icons with triangular frock. This is considered as a change from the default representation of male symbols that ensures gender equality.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a phased restraint on the import of as many as 101 products of Defence equipment.
This decision has been announced on the lines of the Prime Minister’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative. As the Armed Forces will procure those items from Indian Defence Manufacturers, it will provide more opportunities and increased jobs.

Notes:
Walmart-owned Flipkart has announced the launch of a Start-up promotion programme named ‘Flipkart Leap’.
Flipkart’s first start-up accelerator program includes a 16-week virtual program to train the B2C and B2B start-ups across the country. The technical experts in Flipkart in the fields of Business, Operations and Technology, along with industry experts will mentor the start-ups.

Notes:
The Mount Sinabung volcano located in Indonesia recently exerted 5,000 metres high into the sky, as per the media report.
Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center has confirmed that no casualties had happened due to the eruption. The local people have been advised to stay 5 kilometers away from the volcano.