Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Malini Parthasarathy has been named the new Chairperson of The Hindu Group of Publications. She is to replace the current head, N Ram.
The former editor of the Hindu from 2013 to 2016 was also the Co-Chairperson of The Hindu Group of Publications. She also founded a think tank named ‘The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy’.

Notes:
One of the country’s digital payment applications, Fampay has recently launched the country’s first numberless card, targeted at teenagers.
Using these numberless debit cards, minors can make online and offline payments without opening a bank account. The card has no numbers on it and all the details are saved on the FamPay application.

Notes:
P. Praveen Siddharth, a 2001 batch Indian Revenue Service- Income Tax (IRS-IT) officer, P. Praveen Siddharth, has been appointed Private Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.
He has replaced Vikram Singh, who has recently been appointed as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping. The new Private Secretary is serving as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the President’s Secretariat.

Notes:
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is located in the state of Assam. Assam is witnessing heavy floods, which has affected around 40 lakh people.
The Tiger reserve, which is also a UNESO World Heritage site, remains submerged in water, due to the heavy floods. As many as 86 animals have died, including rhinoceros, deer and wild boar. This year’s flood is said to be the sixth worst flood since 1988.

Notes:
The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to 113, in 2016-18. The ratio was 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016.
The Office of Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS) has recently released a special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18. The target of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce the global MMR to less than 70 per 1 lakh live births.

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:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has recently crossed six crore followers on micro-blogging platform Twitter.
The Prime Minister joined Twitter in the year 2009 and his handle is following 2,354 accounts. The Twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has 3.7 crore followers. US President Donald Trump has over 8.3 crore followers on Twitter.

Notes:
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to land on the surface of the Moon.
To commemorate the historic achievement, it is celebrated as the Space Exploration Day, which is also called as the Moon Day. US President John F. Kennedy had set a goal of ‘landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade.’ After Armstrong’s feat, the US launched six Apollo missions to the moon from 1969 and 1972.

Notes:
Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal has recently inaugurated the Zoram Mega Food Park at Kolasib in Mizoram.
The Food Park that is built over 55 acres of land has entailed a cost of Rs 75 crore. It is expected to directly benefit over 25,000 farmers and provide ample employment opportunities. 37 Mega Food Parks have been approved in the last six years and 18 of them have started functioning.

Notes:
Indian Navy has commenced Passage Exercise (PASSEX) along with the United States Navy near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean.
The training exercise involved a total of eight Indian and US warships, including the flagship USS Nimitz, USS Princeton, USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson. India was represented by INS Rana, INS Sahyadri, INS Shivalik and INS Kamorta.