Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
The investment arm of NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), NABVENTURES Fund I has made its first investment in rural fintech start-up Jai Kisan.
NABVENTURES was launched in May 2019 with a proposed corpus of over ₹500 crore. The investment was made in the Mumbai-based start-up as part of a ₹30 crore funding round. Jai Kisan plans to invest the capital for hiring personnel and investing in its technology platform.

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:
Pune-based Serum Institute of India is set to provide ten million doses of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, every year to lower-income countries for the next decade.
The institute has entered into a new supply agreement with the UNICEF that helped to decrease the price of pneumonia vaccine for those nations. As of now, Pneumonia is the biggest killer of children, which claims the life of a child every 39 seconds.

Notes:
An annular solar eclipse would occur on 21 June this year. The annular phase is expected to be visible from some places of the country.
It would be seen as partial solar eclipse from the rest part of the country. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth and blocks the light of the sun from reaching the earth. As a result, the shadow of the moon is cast on the earth. Annular eclipse happens when the moon is farthest from the earth and a ring of fire structure is seen.

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:
Sustainable Gastronomy Day is celebrated every year across the world on June 18, by the United Nations and its member countries.
Sustainable Gastronomy means cuisine that considers the place where food is grown, how it is grown and how it gets into markets. UNESCO, FAO and the UN General Assembly work to facilitate the observance of Sustainable Gastronomy Day, in collaboration with Member States and other international bodies.

Notes:
The Government of India has proposed to appoint two transaction advisors for assisting the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) in preparing the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation of India.
In the Union Budget 2020, Finance Minister proposed that the government will sell a part of its holding in LIC through an initial public offering. This IPO is expected to be the largest ever in the country and the advisors are asked to submit their bids till July 13.

Notes:
The United States Senate has named that veteran Indian-American scientist Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan as the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
NSF is a top American body, that promotes fundamental research in non-medical fields of science and engineering. The 58-year old Scientist is the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Arizona State University, at present. He is to replace France Cordova as the 15th Director of the NSF. He is also the second Indian-American ever to be nominated for the position.

Notes:
Union Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh is to attend the Russian Victory Parade on June 24, to be held at Russia’s capital Moscow.
The Victory Parade is organised to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory of Russia in the Second World War. Earlier, it was announced that a Tri-Service 75- Member Indian Military Contingent has reached Moscow to participate in the Victory Parade, along with other invited troops.

Notes:
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has partnered with Coal India Limited (CIL) to boost its Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives.
During a virtual e-summit held between AIM and CLI, a Statement of Intent (SoI) of strategic partnership between them was signed and exchanged. Under the collaboration, several programs will be conducted by them to promote innovation ecosystem through the initiatives of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).