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:
E-Commerce Giant Flipkart has announced that it will acquire parent Walmart’s wholesale business, ‘Best Price’.
The loss-ridden cash-and-carry business of Walmart in India is the last part of Walmart to be acquired by Flipkart marking a complete consolidation. This acquisition is expected to help Flipkart to expand its business-to-business vertical.

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:
Reserve Bank of India releases a bi annual report called the financial stability report (FSR). The latest edition was released recently.
RBI has estimated that the gross non performing asset (GNPA) ratio of all banks may increase from 8.5% in March 2020 to 12.5% by March 2021. GNPA ratio of public sector banks will increase to 15.2% in March 2021. The main reason for this dip is the slowdown in the economy due to the Covid-19 induced lock-down.

Notes:
Australia has recently filed a formal declaration statement to the United Nations to reject the claims of China in the South China Sea.
Australia has claimed that there were no legal issues to the disputed claims of China in the sea, including those related to construction of artificial islands on shoals and reefs. Earlier, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared China’s claims of territory and resources in the South China Sea as illegal.

Notes:
India Meteorological Department, Union Ministry of Earth Sciences launched a weather forecast application for general public.
Named as Mausam, the application offers information on five details including current temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction for 200 cities. The information is updated eight times a day. While this app is meant for everyone, IMD already has another app meant only for farmers and agriculturists called Meghdoot.

Notes:
The government has released guidelines for four schemes to boost domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and medical devices.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda launched and issued guidelines for the schemes, which aim to reduce imports in pharmaceutical raw materials like drug intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and medical devices.

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:
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:
The Union Cabinet has recently approved the National Education Policy 2020. It has introduced several major reforms in higher education.
As per the policy, a target of 50 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2035 has been fixed. It also provides academic, administrative and financial autonomy for institutions and proposes a single regulator for all higher education.