Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
A team of engineers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) had developed an intensive care unit (ICU) grade ventilator under the name of ‘Project Praana’.
Recently, the team has successfully completed the prototyping of the ventilator, which is now in the process of being commercialised. The affordable ventilator uses only components made in India or components which are easily available in the domestic markets. The team developed the ventilator in a record 35 days.

Notes:
The Union Government has announced the launch of Taxable Floating Rate Savings Bonds, 2020, that will be available for subscription for retail investors from July 1, 2020.
The bonds are issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the Government, replacing the recently withdrawn 7.75% bonds. The interest rate on these bonds will be reset every six months while the initial rate of interest is fixed at 7.15 per cent. The bonds shall be repayable on the expiration of seven years from the date of issue.

Notes:
According to a study published in the US science journal PNAS, researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic.
The G4 flu is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. As per the China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, G4 was observed to be highly infectious, replicating in human cells and causing more serious symptoms. More researches are being carried out on ferrets.

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:
The World Bank has recently announced that it has enhanced its support for India’s flagship program to rejuvenate Ganga river.
World Bank would provide a USD 400 million assistance to the program, which will help reduce pollution and strengthen river basin management. The Second National Ganga River Basin Project (SNGRBP) will support the government’s Namami Gange program. The loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.

Notes:
Everton Weekes, who was considered as one of the finest cricketers of the West Indies, has recently passed away at the age of 95.
During his eminent cricket career, he scored an average of 58.61 per innings, which included a world-record of five consecutive centuries in 1948. Weekes also jointly holds the record as the fastest to reach 1000 Test runs. He was also a member of the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame.

Notes:
‘Dharma Chakra Parvattana’ is a famous celebration of Buddhism, which commemorates Gautam Buddha’s first discourse to his first five disciples at Sarnath.
The International Buddhist Confederation, under the Ministry of Culture, celebrates Ashadha Poornima as Dharma Chakra Day. The Prime Minister has recently conveyed his greetings on Ashadha Poornima, also known as Guru Purnima.

Notes:
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech for development of potential COVID-19 vaccine called Covaxin.
The Drugs Controller General of India has granted permission to conduct phase-1 and 2 human clinical trials. Recently, ICMR has announced that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted standards to develop the vaccine.

Notes:
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has partnered with Technology major Facebook, to launch curriculum on digital safety.
The curriculum also includes practices of online well-being of students and Augmented Reality for students and teachers. This was announced by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The curriculum has been prepared comprehensively to equip the children face the future of work.

Notes:
The state government of Assam has decided to upgrade the Dehing Patkai wildlife sanctuary into a national park.
Earlier, the National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) under the Environment Ministry had recommended coal mining to be allowed within a portion of Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. After the upgradation of tis sanctuary, Assam will have 6 national parks. Dehing Patkai comprises of a variety of unique flora and fauna.