Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
Food Corporation of India and other Government agencies are set to procure 742 Lakh Metric tonnes of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season.
This is seen as a record high paddy procurement. The paddy procurement made by the Government last year was 627 Lakh Metric Tonnes. The number of purchase-centres this year have been increased from 30,791 to 39,122.

Notes:
The Panna Biosphere Reserve that is located in Madhya Pradesh, has been included in the UNESCO’s “World Network of Biosphere Reserves”. Additionally, Fuvahmulah and Addu Atoll of Maldives have also been included in the list.
Panna is a critical tiger habitat in India and it was accorded Biosphere Reserve status by Government of India in 2011.

Notes:
A Super Typhoon name Goni, has hit the Philippines recently. This is considered to be the most powerful storms in the last four years and has resulted in huge catastrophic damage to the coastal Philippines.
Philippines has been badly affected by two typhoons in October, by the COVID Pandemic and its resultant unemployment.

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:
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.

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 Chief of Indian Army, General MM Naravane has been conferred with the Honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army, by the President Bidya Devi Bhandari during a special ceremony.
General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army chief to be honoured with the title in 1950. Last year, Nepali Army chief General Purna Chandra Thapa was also made the honorary General of the Indian Army.

Notes:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has conducted a Virtual Bilateral Summit with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte, recently.
The two leaders comprehensively reviewed the bilateral relationship and exchanged views on major regional and global issues of mutual concern. Several Government and Private Sector agreements are said to have concluded on the occasion.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh has launched an awareness campaign regarding the burning of Crop remains in many parts of the state.
The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the farmers of the state not to burn remains of their crops (known as Parali) but to make compost with it. Several volunteers are also involved in creating awareness about pollution.

Notes:
Technology Major Facebook has recently announced that it has launched an offline to online small and medium businesses (SMB) guide.
The company has also launched other new resources to help small and medium businesses. The guide will be publicly available for free while the platform is to be made accessible to 9 million small businesses across the country, which needed it the most.