Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
In March 2020, the Union Government has announced ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
Under the scheme, additional 5 kg rice/wheat per person per month, are being provided to beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act, 2013, free of cost from April to June. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved to further extend the scheme till November 2020.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Odisha has recently launched a monitoring system named ‘BLUIS’, and it has become the first state to use Space Technology & Artificial Intelligence to safeguard Government Lands.
BLUIS stands for Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System, which would monitor changes in government lands in Bhubaneswar by deploying high resolution satellite imagery. BLUIS is a geo-tagged repository, which works both in web and mobile.

Notes:
National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated in India on July 10, every year, to commemorate the two scientists: Dr K H Alikunhi and Dr. H.L. Chaudhury, who had invented ‘Induced breeding technology’ on this day in 1957.
A webinar was conducted by the Department of Fisheries in association with National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB). The Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries attended the webinar. The Government has launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for fish farmers.

Notes:
Major e-commerce marketplace Flipkart has recently signed an MoU with Karnataka MSME and Mines department to promote the states arts, crafts and handloom sectors, under the Flipkart Samarth programme
Under the partnership, local artisans and craftsmen of Karnataka are given a digital platform to exhibit their products in the e-commerce platform. They are given a broad market base by this partnership.

Notes:
The Asia Cup is a popular cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). It was established in 1983 and includes men’s One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament.
Recently, the Asian Cricket Council announced that the tournament that was scheduled to be held in September this year in Sri Lanka, has been postponed till June 2021.

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:
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has constituted a working group to study feasibility of forming a ‘pandemic risk pool’.
A pool is proposed to be formed, which addresses the risks that are arising out of the pandemic. The existing insurance laws do not cover business interruption losses and this pool is aimed to address this issue. The panel is expected to submit its report in eight weeks.

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:
Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog presented India’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2020.
The HLPF is the international platform for review of progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It meets annually in July under the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The India VNR 2020 report was titled “Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local”.

Notes:
The Union Government has appointed Vikram Doraiswami as the new high commissioner to Bangladesh. Prior to this appointment, he was the Additional Secretary in charge of International Organisations and Summits at the Foreign Ministry.
Another Foreign Service Officer Rudrendra Tandon was named as the new envoy to Afghanistan. He is currently the Indian envoy to ASEAN at Jakarta.