Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
Paytm Money, a leading Indian e-commerce payment system and financial technology company has launched Stock Trading services on its platform.
It has launched the service in its beta version of Paytm Money App initially. The cash delivery trades are free on the application with minimal charge for intraday charges. It also permits a fully digital KYC and paperless accounting process.

Notes:
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a new platform ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’.
The platform aims to ease the compliance and fast- track the refunds so that all honest taxpayers are benefitted. Three main features of the platform include faceless assessment, faceless appeal and tax payers’ charter.

Notes:
As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Odisha continued to be the top performer in implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Scheme (AMRUT).
Odisha has secured first position by scoring 85.67 per cent and provided piped water supply to households of nine cities of the state. Out of the 191 projects started under the AMRUT scheme, the state has completed 148 of them. Odisha is followed by Chandigarh and Telangana. Tamil Nadu has completed the highest number of works.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has partnered with leading online learning platform Coursera, to offer two new certificate programs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) and in Data science. It is proposed to launch these programmes in 2021.
The certificate program in AI& ML would comprise of lectures, on hand learning, team projects and workshops. The certificate program in data science will impart skills in data management, data collection and critical thinking.

Notes:
Israel has successfully conducted the test of its advanced missile defence system called ARROW 2. It is designed to defend the country from ballistic attacks. The test was conducted jointly with US Missile Defence Agency.
Arrow 2 is a part of multi-layered defence system that Israel has developed to defend short and mid-range rockets as well as long range missiles.

Notes:
The Anti Drone System, developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has been deployed at Delhi in the Independence Day celebrations.
The system can capture drone movements and jam them up to a distance of 3 km. The system can also bring down a target up to 2.5 km using laser. It is seen as an efficient mechanism to counter drone based anti-national activities.

Notes:
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has built an infrastructure at Rihand project in Uttar Pradesh.
The project has been designed to transport fly ash in bulk at affordable rates to cement plants. NTPC has committed to utilise the fly ash completely from power plants. The power plants will upgrade their infrastructure for utilising the fly ash using the loading facilities of the Indian Railways.

Notes:
Legendary Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj has recently passed away in the United States, at the age of 90.
During his musical career spanning over 80 years, he has won several prestigious awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Fellowship, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. He was also honoured with the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan in the year 2000.

Notes:
The title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is awarded to Dream11, an Indian fantasy sports platform. The sponsorship rights have been awarded for Rs.222 crore.
Byju’s came second in the bid at Rs 201 crore and Unacademy stood third in the bid at Rs 171 crore. The 2020 IPL is the 13th edition of the cricket event and is scheduled to be held at the United Arab Emirates.

Notes:
Chandrayaan-2 is India’s first mission to make a soft-landing of a rover on the South pole of the moon.
It is also India’s second lunar mission, which has recently completed one full year around the moon. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that all of its instruments are performing well and there is adequate fuel to keep it functional for about seven more years.