Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh has sanctioned 58,476 loans to street vendors under Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atma-Nirbhar Scheme (PM SVA Nidhi). This makes Madhya Pradesh the top performing state under the scheme.
More than 47% of the total sanctions in the country is made by Madhya Pradesh. Under the scheme, working capital loan of Rs.10000/- for a term of one year is given to street vendors, to resume their livelihoods.

Notes:
Joe Biden has accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party for Presidential Candidature. Joe Biden is the former Vice President of USA and is 77 years old.
Joe Biden served as the 47th Vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and as the United States Senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009. The Presidential elections in the USA are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2020.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh is set to be the first state in the country to recruit candidates to government jobs on the basis of National Recruitment Agency (NRA) test.
This decision has been informed by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, a day after the Union cabinet approved setting up of NRA to conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET), for conducting examinations which are presently conducted by IBPS, RRB, SSC among others

Notes:
Former Indian footballer turned coach Bhaskar Maity passed away at a Navi Mumbai. He was 67 years old.
He was celebrated as one of the most reliable goalkeepers of India in the 1970s and ’80s. Bhaskar Maity made his debut for India at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, against Iraq. He has also represented Maharashtra State in the Santosh Trophy from 1975 to 1979. Maity served as the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF) coach.

Notes:
Karnataka has announced that it would be the first state to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka participated in the ‘Highlights of the National Education policy and its implementation’ workshop. He announced that the state has started to launch administrative reforms and amendments to implement the policy.

Notes:
The Union External Affairs Ministry has recently organised the first India-Uzbekistan National Coordination Committee.
The virtual meeting was held to monitor the implementation of mutually agreed projects between India and Uzbekistan. They also reviewed implementation of identified projects under India’s LoC, cooperation between the Gujarat state and Andijan region among others.

Notes:
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is to finance the USD 500 million Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III.
The Government of India, state Government of Maharashtra and Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation signed a loan agreement with AIIB for this project. It will improve the network capacity and safety of the suburban railway system in Mumbai.

Notes:
The administration of New Delhi has launched a new campaign named ‘Nirmaan Mazdoor Registration campaign’ from August 24 to September 11.
Through the campaign, the Government fast-tracks the process of analysing the applications received under the initiative for online registration of construction workers. Delhi has received over 70,000 applications for the registration.

Notes:
Rare fish called Mahseer, whose scientific name is Tor, has been spotted in the upper part of river Sileru in Andhra Pradesh.
It has been spotted by a team of researchers of the Department of Zoology, Andhra University. This fish is listed under the endangered category by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). It is usually found in the Himalayan region in the rivers running through Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal and Bhutan.

Notes:
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched a new insurance product for pet animals, called ‘Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog Insurance Policy’.
This is said to be the first and only retail comprehensive pet insurance cover for pet dogs. It will provide a complete coverage to all breeds of pet animals over their life time from 3 months to 10 years. It also covers the treatment costs of specified diseases or deaths due to illness.