Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
India has recently signed reached landmark agreements on financial services, infrastructure and sustainable finance.
These were signed at the 10th Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) between the UK and India. It was jointly chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak. This is expected to boost jobs and investments in both countries.

Notes:
The 15th Finance Commission (FFC) has announced that it is set to submit its report to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on 9 November, this year.
The report will have recommendations for next five years beginning the financial year 2021-22. The report may be tabled in the Parliament along with action taken report by the government, during the next budget session.

Notes:
The Indian Navy has successfully test fired its anti-ship missile in the Bay of Bengal from its Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora.
The anti-ship missile was launched by its Missile Corvette INS Prabal, which hit the target with precise accuracy. The missile was launched as part of a mega drill involving several aircraft carriers, attack helicopters and other assets of the Navy.

Notes:
The First Phase of Malabar Naval Training Exercises would be held in the Bay of Bengal, off the Vishakhapatnam coast from 3rd November to 6th November.
Navies of India, USA, Japan and Australia would participate in the maritime exercise. The second phase is expected to be held from 17th to 20th November in Arabian Sea.

Notes:
The Central government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) till November 30.
As per the Finance Ministry, Loans amounting Rs 2.03 lakh crore have been sanctioned under the ECLGS to over 60 lakh borrowers, where the target was fixed at Rs 3 lakh core. Out of the loans, an amount of Rs. 1.48 lakh crore has been disbursed.

Notes:
As per the CEO of NITI Aayog, the number of Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based transactions crossed the 2 billion mark in October 2020.
The UPI transactions grew 80 per cent from 1.14 billion transactions that were recorded in October 2019. This has signified that the digital mode of payments has been widely accepted by the people.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified draft rules for the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. This is expected to enhance the flexibility to employers to retrench workers.
It also mandates that Labour Unions should give a prior notice before a strike. The Government has aimed to implement the labour codes from April 1, 2021.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru has entered into an MoU with R&D Centre of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL).
The partnership aims to develop biomass gasification-based hydrogen generation technology for producing fuel cell-grade hydrogen. The testing and development would take place in IOCL’s R&D Centre in Faridabad.

Notes:
As per the recent report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 30 Indian cities will face increasing water risks in the next few decades.
According to the WWF Water Risk Filter report, 30 Indian cities, including Jaipur, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai among others, will face acute water risks. The report estimates that hundreds of millions of people in cities across the globe could face water risks.

Notes:
A first of its kind in the country, a solar energy-driven miniature train has been inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village in Thiruvananthapuram.
The miniature rail has all the features of a fully-equipped rail system like a tunnel, a station and a ticket office. The train has three compartments that can accommodate around 45 people at a time. This children attraction train was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan.