Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
A space technology start-up named Digiantra Research and Technology (DRT) developed India’s first in-orbit space debris monitoring and tracking system.
The company has also been selected for the ‘Society for Innovation and Development’ incubation program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. The country’s first air and space surveillance company has received a grant of Rs 25 lakhs for developing space debris monitoring systems.

Notes:
Human Resources and Development Ministry of India conducted the first ever Indian Scholastic Assessment (Ind-SAT) Test 2020 under its Study in India programme.
Based on the scores obtained in the Ind-SAT, foreign students for studying in select universities in India will be granted admissions and scholarships for under graduate as well as post graduate programmes. Over 5000 students attended the first exam conducted by the National Testing Agency.

Notes:
Union Shipping Ministry has announced that it has waived off waterway usage charges for a period of three years.
This decision has been taken to promote inland waterways as a cheaper mode of transport. Water usage charge was previously applicable on use of all national waterways by vessels. This waiver is estimated to increase the inland waterway traffic movement to 110 million metric tonne (MMT) in 2022-23.

Notes:
Following a leak at a Lavera petrochemical refinery in southern France, an orange-brown chemical sheet spread over 15 acres in the Mediterranean Sea.
This area includes the nationally recognized marine life area. The plant is said to have spilled 200 gallons or more of iron chloride into the sea. The chemical could harm eyes and mucous membranes and could even cause death.

Notes:
The Union Human Resources and Development Ministry has set up a committee under the Chairperson of University Grants Commission (UGC) D P Singh.
The committee will give suggestions on retaining Indian students in the country’s institutions. The Minister also said that the seat capacity in all premier institutions would be increased by 50% by 2024. Under this plan, the number of institutions under the Institutes of Eminence (IoE) programme will also go up to 50.

Notes:
The Sree Sree JoyKali Matar temple, one of the oldest temples in Bangladesh, has been reconstructed with the Indian assistance of Taka 97 lakh.
The High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das has inaugurated the reconstructed temple at Natore. The MoU for the process was signed in the year 2016. The Indian assistance was given under its High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP). Several other community projects are also being carried out under this fund.

Notes:
During the Saint Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation that was signed by Tiger range countries in 2010, it was decided to celebrate 29th July as Global Tiger Day across the world.
The countries had pledged to double the tiger population by the year 2022. Global Tiger Day aims to create awareness on tiger conservation. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has released the All India Tiger Estimation Report-2018 and said that India has nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population.

Notes:
Olivia de Havillan, who was considered the last surviving actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood, has passed away at the age of 104.
She became popular in the movie “Gone with the Wind” in 1939. During her long acting career, she had won several prestigious awards including two Oscar awards in 1946 and 1949. She featured in as many as 49 movies from 1935 to 2009.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar released an updated report on India’s Tiger Survey from 2018.
As per the updated report, India’s tiger population stood at 2967, the same number given by the Government last year. India has 70% of the world’s total tiger population. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

Notes:
Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship recently announced that out of the over 2,00,000 people who became Australian citizens in 2019-2020, around 38,000 were Indians.
They are the largest international community to be granted the Australian citizenship. This figure is also 60 per cent increase from the previous year. India is followed by the people of the UK, China and Pakistan.