Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
‘International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict’ is observed every year on November 6.
The UN General Assembly declared the observance of this day, in the year 2001. As per the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts are linked to the exploitation of natural resources.

Notes:
The apex court of India, the Supreme Court has asked the Government of India to issue directions within a month regarding or regulating the use of disinfection on humans, in disinfection tunnels.
The Supreme Court stated that though the Centre had issued advisory that spraying of disinfectant on human body is not recommended, no steps were not taken in this regard to prevent or regulate it.

Notes:
As per the recent statement from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to issue forecast for malaria outbreaks from next monsoon.
India has also planned to increase the high-performance computing (HPC) facility from the current capacity of 10 petaflops to 40 petaflops. India is at fourth place after the US, the UK and Japan in HPC, at present.

Notes:
The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC) led by the Chairman N K Singh has recently submitted its Report to President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
Last year, the Commission submitted its report with recommendations for the year 2020-21 and it was accepted and tabled in the Parliament. Now, the Commission has submitted recommendations for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Notes:
Joe Biden of the Democratic Party has been elected as the 46th President of United States of America and Kamala Harris has been elected as the Vice President of the country.
She is a member of the Democratic Party and is set to assume the office of the Vice President on January 20, 2021.

Notes:
The IIT Alumni Council has launched MegaScope, which includes data analysis, testing and genomics to diagnose infections accurately. It would also be used to prescribe personalised medicine.
The MegaScope aims to improve accuracy of testing and predict the disease severity thereby enhancing treatment effectiveness.

Notes:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is set to unveil a life size statue of Swami Vivekananda. The statue is being unveiled at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus at New Delhi on November 12th.
The statue would be unveiled by the Prime Minister in a virtual mode. The statue has been installed in JNU campus with the support of the JNU alumni.

Notes:
The word “Lockdown” has been selected as the Collins Dictionary word of the year 2020. The word has been chosen for a sudden increase in usage of the word during the spread of Covid-19.
Lexicographers have stated that they have picked the word since it had become synonymous with the experience of populations across the world as governments look to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Notes:
The Ministry of Power has issued notification to cover all the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) under the preview of the Energy Conservation (EC) Act 2001.
The DISCOMs will be governed under the various provisions of EC Act, like Appointment of Energy Manager, Energy Accounting & Auditing, identification of Energy Losses etc.

Notes:
Fintech major Paytm has recently launched ‘Pay-out Links’, to enable the businesspersons instantly process pay-outs to customers, employees and vendors.
Using this platform, the businesses can send incentives and refunds to customers using just a link. It also eliminates the need to collect and store thousands of bank details.