Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
According to the guidelines issued by the insurance regulator, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has directed the general and health insurance companies to offer one short-term Covid-19 policy.
Named as the “Corona Kavach Policy”, the standard health policy would have a tenure period of 3.5 months to 6.5 months, and 9.5 months. As per the guidelines, the mode of payment would be a single premium. Another policy called Corona Rakshak, a standard benefit policy is also to be launched.

Notes:
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders have met during the recent annual summit held via video conference.
ASEAN is a regional association with 10 member countries including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Brunei, Laos. The Chair of ASEAN in 2020 is Vietnam, which hosted the virtual summit, due to travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Notes:
Veteran Opposition leader of Ireland Micheál Martin has been named as the next Prime Minister of the country, by the Parliament.
The 59-year-old leader took charge as the Prime Minister, to head the first coalition uniting the two prime parties. Micheál Martin had earlier held several important ministries including health, trade, foreign affairs and education.

Notes:
Amazon has recently acquired the Self-driving Car start-up firm Zoox, in a deal estimated to be worth over USD 1 billion.
Zoox is an American company, which employs more than 1000 persons and was also developing an electric self-driving vehicle. As per sources, this is Amazon’s biggest investment so far in self-driving car technology. This is also one of its biggest purchases ever. The technology is expected to be deployed in automated delivery projects of Amazon.

Notes:
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal has launched the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) scheme.
The scheme has been launched as a part of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”. It is claimed to generate a total investment of Rs 35,000 crore and generate 9 lakh skilled and semi-skilled employment. The scheme would benefit 8 lakh units through access to information, training and better exposure.

Notes:
Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has laid the foundation stone for “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
The centre is being constructed with the cost of Rs 92 crore by Union Minority Affairs Ministry under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK). This community centre will be utilized for various socio-economic-cultural activities, skill development training and relief activities.

Notes:
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor C Rangarajan has been conferred with the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to statistics.
The award has been given to him on the occasion of Statistics Day, which is celebrated on June 29 every year, to commemorate the birth anniversary of PC Mahalanobis, the ‘father of Indian statistics’. C Rangarajan had served as the Chairman of the National Statistical Commission.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force has successfully designed and developed an Airborne Locust Control System on Mi-17 helicopters to tackle the locusts attack.
The machine developed by the Indian Air Force can help in spraying pesticides over 750 hectares of affected land in a single mission. Union Agriculture Minister has also ordered for five aerial spray machines from United Kingdom, to deploy in IAF helicopters for locust control.

Notes:
Young Indian author Kritika Pandey has won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, for her short story ‘The Great Indian Tee and Snakes’.
The 29-year-old writer is currently studying at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was also declared as one of five Regional Winners for the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her literary work.

Notes:
The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has recently inaugurated an urban forest, in the Union Territory of New Delhi.
The urban forest is created with as many as 12,000 seedlings of 59 indigenous species. It is developed at the Office premises of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is expected to form into a full-fledged forest by 2021 and will improve the Air Quality Index of the UT.