Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The Union Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh has inaugurated six major bridges in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, through video conferencing.
The bridges are located near the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. These strategically important bridges were completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in a record time.

Notes:
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched ‘Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI)- based portal will provide a digital platform to the employers to evaluate the availability of skilled workforce, in their hiring process. The portal also helps the workforce to attain industry-relevant skills and search for job opportunities.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently set up an independent panel to review its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The panel is headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This action has been taken after the United States has been criticising the organisation over its handling of the crisis.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates has recently announced its plans to send its first Mars mission and it has become the first Arab country to do so.
Until now, only the United States, India, USSR and the European Space Agency have successfully sent their Mars orbiter missions. China is in the process of launching its first Mars rover. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is heading the Mars project of the UAE.

Notes:
Russia has become the first nation to complete clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine on humans, in a major step towards the vaccine.
Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University has successfully completed the clinical trails of the vaccine, produced by the Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia. As per the WHO, there are as many as 21 vaccines under key trials across the world.

Notes:
The historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple located at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, has been in dispute over its management. It is considered as one of the richest temples in the country.
The Supreme Court of India has recently upholded the rights of Travancore royal family in the administration of the temple. This dispute has been pending in the Supreme Court for the past nine years after charges of financial irregularities. The Travancore Royal house had ruled southern Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
The CEO of Google Sundar Pichai has recently announced the launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’.
This was announced at the ‘Google for India’ virtual live-stream event, which focused on accelerating India’s digital economy. Through this initiative, Google will invest about Rs 75000 Crores in India over the next 5 to 7 years. The fund will focus on enabling affordable access and information to every Indian.

Notes:
Union Minister of State for Shipping Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has recently approved Rs. 107 Crore for improving fire-fighting facilities at Haldia Dock Complex, Kolkata Port.
The existing fire fighting facility does not support handling of petroleum products as per the guidelines of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. This augmentation is a step towards compliance of global standards for fire safety and secure handling of petroleum products.

Notes:
According to the statement released by the Ministry of Defence, special financial power has been delegated for capital acquisition cases up to Rs 300 crore, to the three armed services.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh has granted this power amid the growing border tensions between India and China, to fast-track urgent capital acquisition of arms and ammunition.

Notes:
The Chairman of the Railway Board VK Yadav has recently announced that the Government has deferred the timeline for introducing private trains to March 2024.
Earlier, the timeline was fixed at April 2023. It has deferred because the major infrastructure upgradation of the railway network is expected to be completed only in the year 2024. The Board also said that North Eastern state capitals will be connected via rail network by 2023.