Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
The Central Government is set to release the second tranche of Rs 6,000 crore to 16 states and 3 union territories.
As per the recent statement from the Finance Ministry, the total amount released to states to meet the compensation shortfall under goods and services tax (GST) under the special window is Rs 12,000 crore.

Notes:
The Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2020.
The summit concluded on 31st October 2020 and saw the participation of 3,200 panelists and about 22,500 academicians and scientists from India and overseas. The month-long conference was held in a virtual manner in the form of webinars.

Notes:
On November 1, several Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka were formed.
The day is recognised as Statehood Day or State Formation Day. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala were formed in 1956. Punjab and Haryana were formed in 1966.

Notes:
BRICS Business Forum, which is an important annual event of the BRICS Business Council was hosted by Russia from October 20 to 28, 2020. President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia is the current Chairman of the BRICS Business Council.
BRICS Business Forum was held in via Video Conferencing under the title “BRICS Business Partnership: Common Vision for Sustainable Inclusive Development”.

Notes:
British Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton has recently won the Formula One Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Tournament.
Mercedes officially clinched the 2020 constructors’ championship. Another Racing Driver Max Verstappen came second while Valtteri Bottas came at the third spot. Hamilton won his third straight race.

Notes:
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad has recently launched an on-site COVID-19 testing laboratory.
As per the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), the air passengers will have an option to get themselves tested on their arrival. GHIAL has collaborated with the ICMR certified agency and Mapmygenome.

Notes:
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently issued notice to seek response from Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and four State Governments regarding the ban on use of fire crackers from November 7 to 30 in the interest of public health and environment.
The NGT has also appointed a senior advocate Raj Panjwani and advocate Shibhani Ghosh to assist the tribunal as amicus curiae in the matter.

Notes:
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra has recently handed over a cheque of NPR 1 billion (around Rs 62 crore) to the Nepal government as reimbursement of Nepal Housing Reconstruction Project.
India has partnered with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to provide funds to its neighbouring country.

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently reported that it has recently observed a mix of X-ray and radio signals that were never observed before in the Milky Way.
It also announced that the first fast radio burst (FRB) was also observed within the galaxy. The detection of the phenomenon called FRB was recently published in the journal ‘Nature’.

Notes:
The 5th Joint Working Group (JWG) on Coal between India and Indonesia was hosted by India, through video conference mode. It was co-chaired by Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal and its counterpart of Indonesia.
During the meeting, India’s Ministry of Coal made presentations on Indian Coal Policy reforms, Coking Coal Exploration and Commercial Mining which was followed by presentations by the Indonesian side