Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

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 Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced during the meeting with the 15th Finance Commission, that the Government is to gradually increase the public health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the country’s GDP by 2025.
This is the government’s target of the National Health Policy 2017. He also confirmed that the primary health expenditure will be made about two-third of the total public health expenditure in the country.

Notes:
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report titled the ‘World Wildlife Crime Report 2020’.
As per the report, Pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal and the number of times the mammal’s scales were seized increased nearly ten times between 2014 and 2018. The report also highlighted that zoonotic diseases account for 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases.

Notes:
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the virtual Digital Indo- Italian Business Mission on Food Processing’.
The two-day event comprises of digital conferences, trade fair and B2B (Business to Business) meetings, which are being attended by 23 Italian companies. This Digital Sectorial business Mission is expected to promote the bilateral trade between India and Italy.

Notes:
India has signed a new agreement with Israel to collaborate in the field of cyber security and to tackle the challenges in the field amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The MoU has been signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD). Under the MoU, technological assistance and mutual services in cyber security will be exchanged.

Notes:
As per the data recently released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), India has recorded the largest reduction in the number of people living in multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16.
About 273 million Indians moved out of multi-dimensional poverty in the said decade. As per the report, 65 out of 75 countries reduced their multi-dimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019.

Notes:
Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda has been appointed as the first woman Prime Minister of the Central African country, Gabon.
The President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba has appointed the 56-year-old, who replaces Julien Nkoghe Bekale, who was appointed the Prime Minister in 2019. Prior to this appointment, she had served as the Budget Minister in 2012 and then in Defence Ministry.

Notes:
The 88-year-old veteran Indian Mathematician C.S. Seshadri has recently passed away. He was considered as a leader of Mathematics especially in the field of algebraic geometry.
He started the School of Mathematics as part of the SPIC Science Foundation in 1989, which then transformed into the Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI). He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan award in 2009.

Notes:
Form 26AS is an annual statement, that contains information on various taxes deducted on the tax-filer’s income by deductors.
Recently, the Income Tax Department of CBDT has introduced a new ‘Form 26AS’ with an aim to assist Tax payers in filing Income Tax Return quicker. The new form will calculate the correct tax liability and is expected to bring in transparency in tax administration.

Notes:
The Regulatory body of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed telecom companies to stop free internet services to its subscribers for accessing social media.
This decision has been made as this facility is being used by some people for indulging in criminal activities on the social media. This ban is also expected to curb unhealthy competition between the companies.