Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
Founded by two former scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Space tech start-up Skyroot Aerospace is the first Indian private company to build a homegrown rocket engine.
The company has recently test-fired an upper stage rocket engine successfully. It has also planned to launch the first satellite into the lower earth orbit by the end of 2021. The company had also manufactured India’s first 3D printed Cryogenic rocket engine.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Tourism organised a themed webinar titled “Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs & Memories”, as a part of the “Dekho Apna Desh” webinar series. The webinar has been organised ahead of the 74th Independence Day celebrations.
The Cellular Jail is in Andaman and Nicobar Islands where Indian Nationalist who were part of freedom struggle were exiled and imprisoned. The Webinar showcased the journey of India’s independence struggle through the galleries and cells of the Cellular jail.

Notes:
The “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation”, constituted by the Home Ministry, for the year 2020 has been awarded to 121 Police personnel.
This medal was constituted in the year 2018 by the Union Government with the aim to promote professional standards of investigation of crime. It also stands as a Reward of Excellence in Investigation by investigating officers.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs has released the ‘Report of the Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR)’.
The report has proposed a new Reporting Framework for companies to reporting of Non-Financial Parameters. The framework is called ‘Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR)’. The BRSR is to be integrated with the MCA 21 portal. Also, the information captured through the framework would be used to develop “Business Responsibility-Sustainability Index”.

Notes:
The construction work of the Katra (Jammu and Kashmir) – Delhi Express Road Corridor is proposed to be completed in 3 years and will be operational by 2023. The express corridor would bring down the travel time from Katra to Delhi to around six and half hours.
One key feature of this road is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, and other major religious shrines between the two destinations.

Notes:
China has initiated a new campaign to reduce food waste, called the “Clean Plate Campaign 2.0”.
The campaign has been implemented after the Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted that Covid-19 had created an alarming situation on food waste. The first version of Clean Plate Campaign was launched in 2013 which aimed at restricting excessive official feasts and receptions.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties. With this, the UAE has become the first Gulf Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
UAE also became the third Arab country to enter into diplomatic ties with Israel. This agreement is a part of the deal to stop the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. US President Donald Trump announced about the strategic ties.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved an annual dividend pay-out of more than Rs 57,000 crore to the Indian Government.
In this year’s budget, the Government had estimated a dividend of Rs 60,000 crore from the central bank and other government owned financial institutions. The Government’s fiscal deficit stood at a record high Rs 6.62 lakh crore in the April-June period.

Notes:
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently delivered his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2020.
In the speech, he mentioned about the launch of two new projects: Project Lion and Project Dolphin. The Project Lion aims to conserve Asiatic Lions and its landscape in a holistic manner. It will also help to tackle the Human-wildlife conflict and provide livelihood opportunities. Project Dolphin aims to conserve and protect Dolphins in the rivers and in oceans.

Notes:
The Government of Jharkhand has unveiled a new logo for the state. It was unveiled at Ranchi by the Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
It is a circular logo with the National Emblem of India placed at its center, between concentric circles. These concentric circles depict the state’s abundant natural resources and its rich culture. The logo contains “Palash flower” which is the state’s flower and “Elephant” which is the state animal.