Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The tropical Storm Fay has created heavy rains and floods and has made landfall in New Jersey, before it weakened and moved over the region.
As per the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm was moving north at 27 kph and producing top sustained winds of 64 kph. The storm created landfall along the coast of New Jersey. Several beaches in the place were closed and flash flooding is also expected.

Notes:
The state government of Madhya Pradesh is set to launch a ‘Roko -Toko’ campaign for urging people to wear masks.
Roko-Toko in Hindi means stop and campaign and it seeks to nudge people who do not wear masks in public places to practise mask-wearing. The state also runs a scheme called ‘Jeevan Shakti Yojana’, under which selected organisations will provide masks to people at a price of Rs 20 per piece.

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 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson announced that the country is set to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from the country’s 5G network.
This news has been announced amidst the rising tensions between the United States and China. The UK’s move is aligned towards supporting the US, in limiting the expansion of global telecom leader Huawei’s expansion in the west. The process will be completed by 2027.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh state government officials along with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) launched ‘Operation Muskaan’ in the state.
This week-long drive aims to trace the missing children, prevent child labour and bonded labour, and rescue children engaged in domestic works. Hundreds of children are being rescued in the drive and are united with parents or provided with shelters.

Notes:
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has announced Rs 5,000 crore worth grant-based scheme for computerisation of about 35,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) by FY23.
The scheme, apart from providing assistance to state governments for the process also ensures integration of the PACS with the Core Banking System (CBS) of District Central Co-operative Banks.

Notes:
The state of Tamil Nadu is set to launch a trial to study the efficacy of the BCG vaccine in reducing mortality due to COVID-19 in the elder people.
The trial, which has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), would be taken up by the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai. The BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) is being administered to new-born for 50 years as a vaccine against tuberculosis.

Notes:
Union Shipping Ministry has named the retired IAS officer Malini Shankar, as the Vice-Chancellor of Indian Maritime University.
Malini Shankar is also the Chairperson of the National Shipping Board (NSB), the ace advisory agency to the Central government on shipping-related matters. Before being appointed as the VC in the Chennai-based University, she was the Director General of Shipping.

Notes:
Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually launched the first online National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme for key resources persons of Andhra Pradesh.
After the scheme was launched in 2019, 33 states and UTs launched the programme in collaboration under Samagra Shiksha. The NCERT provides NISHTHA training programme at the state level.

Notes:
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has informed that the Zonal Master Plan of Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone has been approved by the government.
The Minister announced this during the review meeting of the Chaardhaam Road Project. This approval will fast-track the execution of the project of the Uttarakhand state and will help to conserve ecology in the state.