Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Central Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Power NTPC Ltd has won the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019, under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category.
The enterprise also received Commendation for Significant Achievement in category of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The company runs a CSR program called GEM (Girl Empowerment Mission), which is a residential program for school going girls, who are residing near the company’s power stations.

Notes:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has recently launched the nationwide tree plantation drive of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
Under this nationwide drive, Jawans of Central Armed Police Forces plated saplings in Chhattisgarh. The personnel of CAPF’s child agencies: BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF also planted saplings in their campuses. CAPFs have fixed a target of planting more than 1.35 crore saplings by this month.

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 ‘World Youth Skills Day’ is celebrated across the world on July 15 every year, across the world. The United Nations General Assembly declared the day in the year 2014.
It highlights the importance of training young people with skills for decent employment and entrepreneurship. As per the announcement from the United Nations, several virtual events focussing on the theme of “Skills for a Resilient Youth” will take place, to mark the day. Skill India Mission was launched on the same day, five years ago.

Notes:
Neela Satyanarayan, the first woman Chief Election Commissioner of Maharashtra has recently passed away, at the age of 72.
She was a 1972 batch IAS officer and a celebrated author, poet and music composer. She was the additional Chief Secretary of Revenue Department and was made the state Chief Election commissioner after retirement.

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:
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:
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:
The Chairman of the Railway Board VK Yadav has recently announced that the Government has deferred the timeline for introducing private trains to March 2024.
Earlier, the timeline was fixed at April 2023. It has deferred because the major infrastructure upgradation of the railway network is expected to be completed only in the year 2024. The Board also said that North Eastern state capitals will be connected via rail network by 2023.