Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
A beginner level course on French has been started in Lok Sabha of the Parliament for the officials and staff of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The course has been inaugurated by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. This course is an initiative by Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE). In future, courses in German, Spanish, Russian and other important world languages would also be organized.

Notes:
The Bombay Stock Exchange has signed a MoU with two Maharashtra Based Bullion trade associations namely Akola Sarafa Association and Akola Sarafa Va Suvarnakar Yuva Sangh.
Through this MoU, the BSE aims to create awareness on price risk management for bullion traders, and move them towards organised trading. The MoU is aimed at enhancing the cooperation between Bombay Stock Exchange and physical markets in areas of knowledge sharing, education and training.

Notes:
With an aim to improve the efficiency and transparency in asset classification process, the Reserve Bank of India issued a direction to implement “system-based asset classification” in Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).
Those UCBs having total assets of Rs.2000 crore or above as on 31st March 2020, should implement system-based asset classification from 30th June 2021. Those UCBs having total assets equal to or more than Rs.1000 crore but less than Rs.2000 crore shall implement it from 30th September 2021.

Notes:
The state of Assam has proposed to launch a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme named “Arunodoi”.
This scheme will be launched in lines with the flagship DBT scheme Jan Dhan Yojana. This is claimed as the largest DBT scheme of Assam till date. The scheme also called as Orunodoi, seeks to transfer Rs 830 per month to around 19.7 lakh families. The main beneficiaries of the scheme will be women.

Notes:
A five-month time extension has been given by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) from 25th March 2020 to 24th August 2020 to all the Renewable Energy Projects under implementation.
The implementing agencies have been directed to treat COVID 19 as a “Force Majeure”. This move is followed by the representation from various implementing agencies demanding extension of time due to COVID 19-imposed national lockdown.

Notes:
At the 74th Independence Day celebration on 15th August 2020, the Films Division would screen two documentary films – ‘India wins Freedom’ and ‘India Independent’.
Apart from the above 2 films, 14 selected films on Independence movement were showcased in the “Online Patriotic Film Festival” being organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from 7th Aug 2020 to 21st Aug 2020 in www.cinemasofindia.com.

Notes:
The “Konkurs Missile Test Equipment” and “Konkurs Launcher Test Equipment” indigenously developed by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has been launched by the Defence Minister.
Launched as a part of the “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Week” celebrations, the two equipment have been designed by BDL to check the serviceability of Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles and Konkurs-M missile launchers. These products were earlier imported from Russia.

Notes:
The Platform for Investor Education (PIE) has been launched by the IIM Bangalore and National Stock Exchange (NSE) – Investor Protection Fund Trust.
The platform would help in investor education through simple and easy-to-understand audio-visual format. It will reflect the current developments in financial markets through the research initiative by the faculty of IIM Bangalore.

Notes:
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a new rapid saliva test to detect Covid-19 named ‘Saliva Direct’.
The new inexpensive test uses only saliva samples instead of the nasal and throat swabs to detect the coronavirus samples. As per the administration, the test also has higher sensitivity when compared to the usual methods of testing.

Notes:
Ashok Lavasa has recently steeped down from his Election Commissioner position as he is to join the Asian Development Bank.
ADB has appointed Ashok Lavasa as Vice-President for Private Sector Operations and Public-Private Partnerships. His resignation has been accepted by the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. He was next in the row to become the Chief Election Commissioner.