Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
India’s drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr V G Somani has recently approved ‘Itolizumab’ injection for treating coronavirus patients.
As per the Union Health Ministry, the drug used to treat psoriasis, will be used for emergency use on Covid-19 patients with medium to severe acute respiratory conditions. The drug has been manufactured by the biopharmaceutical company Biocon, led by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Notes:
‘India Cycles4Change Challenge’ is a new initiative of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under its Smart Cities Mission.
The Ministry has recently opened the registration for the Challenge, which was originally launched on June 25, 2020. All cities under the Smart Cities Mission, capital cities of States/UTs and all cities with above 5 lakh population can apply through the newly launched portal and provide quick solutions for promoting cycling.

Notes:
International environmental conservation group, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have warned about the change in the law of Myanmar, which has allowed commercial farming of endangered species.
The wildlife conservation groups have cautioned that the change may boost the demand for rare animals in the world and may create a parallel trade market. In June, Myanmar passed a law, which allowed private zoos to breed 90 wildlife species including endangered ones.

Notes:
TDS is deductible at the rate of 2 % if cash withdrawal of above 1 crore made by a person who is an income-tax payee. While, TDS is deductible at the rate 2 % if cash withdrawal exceeds 20 lakh rupees and at the rate of 5 % if it exceeds one crore rupees, if made by a non-income-tax filer.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched a new tool, through which Banks and Post offices can determine the TDS rates on cash withdrawals, by entering their PAN number.

Notes:
The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, has successfully established stable cultures of coronavirus from patient samples.
The Seventeen in-vitro cultures have been established using Vero cells, from samples of different locations and different virus loads. The cultured SARS-Cov-2 can be used in developing antibodies or antidotes, testing of antibodies and identifying therapeutic agents.

Notes:
India and Iran partnered to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, four years ago.
Recently, Iran decided to proceed without India’s assistance and its Transport Minister has inaugurated the track-laying process for the Chabahar-Zahedan line. Recently, China finalised a 25 year-USD 400 billion strategic deal with Iran.

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:
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 11 highway projects in Haryana worth over 20,000 crore rupees.
These projects are part of the new Economic corridors in the state, which includes the Ambala Kotputli corridor among others. The projects will provide better connectivity to neighbouring states such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Notes:
The United Nations has recently released a report titled ‘the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’, prepared jointly by FAO, UNICEF, IFAD and WFP.
As per the report, the number of undernourished people in India has fell down from 249.4 million in 2004-06 to 189.2 million in 2017-19. There was a rise in obesity level in India, as per the report. India and China are the only Asian countries that reported a reduction in number of undernourished people.

Notes:
The flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission, (AIM) has launched a programme named ‘Demo-Days’.
The programme aims to identify start-ups with potential Covid-19 innovations and help them develop their ideas into workable solutions which will be deployed across the country. This was launched in partnership with other state-owned bodies including BIRAC, DBT, DST, Start-up India etc.