Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

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:
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 United States President Donald Trump has signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act into law. He also signed an executive order ending US preferential treatment for Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Autonomy Act was passed unanimously by the Congress. It gives provisions to the country, to hold accountable the individuals involved in suppressing Hong Kong’s freedom. After this act, Hong Kong will be treated the same as mainland China by the US.

Notes:
The state government of Andhra Pradesh has recently constituted a high-level committee constitute new districts with Lok Sabha constituency as base.
As per the decision made during the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, this high-level committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary. The committee will study the feasibility of forming new districts and reducing expenditure.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras-incubated start-up named Modulus Housing has developed a portable hospital unit.
The foldable unit called ‘MediCAB’ can be installed by four people anywhere within two hours. ‘MediCAB’ was launched recently in Wayanad District, Kerala to treat Covid-19 patients. The start-up was founded by two IIT alumni in 2008 and it is in the process of developing micro hospitals.

Notes:
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has recently celebrated its 92nd Foundation Day on July 16.
It was established on the same day in the year 1929 and was formerly known as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research. ICAR also announced the annual awards to various institutions and persons.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has re-appointed Shyam Srinivasan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Bank.
The re-appointment has been made with effect from the date of his term end, September 23, 2020 till September 22, 2021. He had taken charge as the MD and CEO of the private sector bank in the year 2010.

Notes:
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs is implementing the PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) scheme.
PM SVANidhi was launched by the government on June 1, 2020, to provide working capital loan to street vendors. Recently, the Ministry has launched a mobile application of PM SVANidhi scheme, in a virtual event from New Delhi.

Notes:
The Supreme Court of India has extended the tenure of the chairperson and members of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) by three months.
The chairperson of TDSAT is former Supreme Court judge Justice Shiva Kirti Singh. His tenure was to end on July 20 this year and the tenure of other members of the tribunal has already ended. TDSAT has recently set aside TRAI’s order that blocked Vodafone-Idea’s premium tariff plan RedX.

Notes:
The state Government of Odisha is implementing a pension scheme named ‘Madhu Babu Pension Yojana’.
Recently, it was announced that the people of transgender community will also be included in the Pension scheme. Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to the destitute elderly, differently-abled persons and widows. Now, Around 5,000 transgenders will get a monthly pension between Rs 500 and Rs 900 based on their age.