Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has launched a mobile based application named ‘Ghar Ghar Nigrani’.
The app aims to undertake house to house surveillance in the state till eliminating the pandemic. This new initiative is to be implemented by the Health Department of the state with the help of ASHA workers/Community Volunteers. It will ensure early detection and testing of the people for Covid-19, thereby preventing community spread.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has launched ‘e-Office’ application in over 500 GST and customs offices.
The application has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). This will enable the automation of internal processes of handling files that have been handled manually and help improve e-governance. Over 50000 officers and staff will use this application.

Notes:
Lieutenant General R M Vohra, a war hero of the 1971 war, recently passed away at the age of 88, after being contracted by COVID-19.
He was a Lieutenant Colonel in command of 4th Horse, the most feared tank regiments of Indian Army. He destroyed 27 enemy tanks which stopped his tanks from crossing the Basantar river. The Lt General was later awarded a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) and his regiment was awarded the Basantar battle honour.

Notes:
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has recently approved an additional $750 million loan to strengthen India’s fight against Covid-19.
This loan would be co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The funds will be utilised for boosting the businesses in informal sector, providing social security for the deserving and strengthening the health care systems of India.

Notes:
In a violent conflict that took place in the Galwan Valley located in the Union Territory of Ladakh, as many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
As per the statement of the Indian Army, the two sides disengaged from the area where the fight happened. The US media reported that its intelligent officials quoted about 35 Chinese troops have been killed. The infrastructure projects that India has undertaken recently, a strategic road through the Galwan Valley, connecting the region to an airstrip, has escalated the conflict.

Notes:
Indian software major, Infosys signed on to ‘The Climate Pledge’, an initiative by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Global Optimism founder and former United Nations climate chief Christian Figueres.
The initiative seeks to fast-track the transition to a low carbon economy. Infosys also announced that it will make its business net zero carbon by 2040, ten years ahead of the deadline set out by the Paris Agreement. US-based Verizon and British firm Reckitt Benckiser also signed on the climate pledge.

Notes:
In the month of February, the Cabinet approved to build the Vadhavan port at Palgarh district in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs. 65544 crores.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has said that ports as an industry are allowed in the ecologically sensitive Dahanu taluka area, which includes the Vadhavan in Palgarh district. The port will be developed on landlord model by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to be formed with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as the lead partner.

Notes:
According to the data from the US Treasury Department, India has become the 12th largest holder of US government securities at the end of April.
Japan stood at the first position by holding securities worth 157.4 billion dollars. It is followed by China at 1.1 trillion dollars and the UK at 368.5 billion dollars. At the end of April, India had an exposure of 157.4 billion dollars.

Notes:
Under the recently signed agreement, France committed to provide 200 million euros to India, to support the country’s response to tackle COVID-19.
The programme design has been developed by the World Bank in collaboration with the Indian authorities. It seeks to fast track the existing social protection measures of the Indian Government including the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. The programme will provide assistance to low-income families and protect essential frontline workers.

Notes:
China has successfully launched the last satellite of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), onboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket.
This BDS system is claimed to be a competitor to the popular Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States. The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China. It is the 55th in the family of BeiDou, which means “Big Dipper” in Chinese language.