Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
India and Maldives have recently signed an agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in the capital of Maldives, Male.
India is set to grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars to Maldives for this project. India has been assisting the country in several small and medium projects. This medical service facility will ensure quality emergency care during critical times.

Notes:
Kala Narayanasamy, a 59-year-old Indian-origin nurse in Singapore has been conferred with the President’s Award for Nurses.
She has been awarded for serving on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for using infection control practices learnt during SARS outbreak in 2003. The 10,000 SGD -award is given to 5 nurses for their services.

Notes:
The Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Arun Kumar, has been nominated to be the Vice-Chairman of the Security Platform of International Union of Railways (UIC).
The Paris-based union also called as Union Internationale Des Chemins, is a global platform for railway systems for improving inter-operability and developing common standards. India has been working closely with the UIC in several initiatives. After the two-year tenure of vice-chairmanship, the DG will hold the chairmanship for the next two years.

Notes:
National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on July 23 every year. On the same day in the year 1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the country was carried out from the Bombay Station.
The first broadcast was done by a private organisation called the Indian Broadcasting Company. At present, Prasar Bharati is the National public service broadcasting agency. It comprises of Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio.

Notes:
The Siachen Glacier, which is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas is the world’s largest non-polar glacier.
The glacier is currently a part of the union territory of Ladakh. Recently, the Indian Army announced that it will issue permits for civilian trips to its Siachen Base Camp and Kumar post in Ladakh. It is also claimed to be the highest battlefield.

Notes:
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is to set up its own Cotton warehouse in Vietnam, to boost Exports.
A government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding is also being prepared to export 1.5-2 million bales of cotton to Bangladesh. CCI holds surplus stocks of cotton before the next harvest season and this plan has been made.

Notes:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently launched a dedicated job portal, to revive economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The portal (jobs.delhi.gov.in) named Rozgar Bazar will connect the recruiters with the job aspirants. The Chief Minister asked the traders, businessmen, industrialists and people to work together in reviving the UT’s economy.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently launched an innovation contest named Dare to Dream 2.0.
It was announced by the Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh, on the fifth death anniversary of the former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The contest encourages individuals and start-ups to use advanced technologies for innovation in Aerospace and Defence sectors in the country.

Notes:
At the 2016 high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly, India pledged to fast track efforts towards ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat in the next five years, and to end the epidemic by 2030.
Recently, a study published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stated that India may miss the national target to end AIDS by 2030. The decline in annual new HIV infections is only 27% from 2020 to 2017 against the national target of 75% by 2020.

Notes:
Pune based Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) has developed a Medical Bed Isolation System named Aashray, to fight COVID-19.
The system has individual envelopes made up of specialized material that stops the virus spread from patient to others. It consists of negative pressure suction near exhale and tools to filter and disinfect aerosol. The portable and reusable system can be used in quarantine facilities.