Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Cochin Shipyard Limited has signed a contract for construction and supply of two autonomous electric ferries for ASKO Maritime AS, Norway.
This firm is a subsidiary of NorgesGruppen ASA, one of the major players in the Norwegian retail market. The project is partially funded by the Norwegian government and aimed at emission-free transport of goods. The 67-metre-long vessels will be delivered as a full-electric transport ferry, initially. The Ship yard is also building 23 hybrid electric boats for the Kochi Water Metro.

Notes:
As per the recent study released in the online edition of the Lancet, India’s population is likely to peak by 2047 at about 1.61 billion.
The study also estimated that the population of India would then decline to 1.03 billion by the year 2100. But, if the country’s targets of United Nations Sustainable Goal Development (SDG) were achieved, India’s population would decline to 929 million.

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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix held at Budapest, Hungary.
British Driver Lewis Hamilton has clinched his 86th Grand Prix tournament. He is just five victories behind the legendary driver Michael Schumacher, who had won 91 races. Lewis Hamilton won this tournament for the eighth time and equalled Michael Schumacher’s single-venue record.

Notes:
US-India Business Council is set to play host to the ‘India Ideas Summit’ 2020 on July 22. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver the keynote addresses.
Discussions on the future of the U.S.-India Partnership, trade and investment, and the future of work in the COVID-era etc are to be undertaken in the summit. Various business and government leaders are to address the summit, including the External Affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

Notes:
The present Non-Executive Chairman of Bajaj Finance Ltd, Rahul Bajaj has decided to step down from his post, with effect from July 31.
As per the Company, Rahul Bajaj will continue to serve as a Non-Executive Non-Independent Director. The Board of Directors has approved the appointment of present Vice Chairman Sanjiv Bajaj as the next Chairman, as a part of succession planning.