Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
A MoU was signed between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and leading oil & gas marketing companies and technology providers to set up Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants across India.
The CBG plants are to be set up under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative. The Union Government has set a target to set up 5000 CBG plants by 2023-24 with production target of 15 MMT.

Notes:
Bhutan’s Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, popularly known as “Ashi Sangay” has been awarded the United Nations Population Award 2020.
She is also the first to win the award from Bhutan. The Queen Mother has been awarded under the individual category, for enabling an environment in the country, to discuss sexual reproductive health. She also founded a volunteer organisation called ‘Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women’ (RENEW).

Notes:
Union Food Processing Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has recently inaugurated a mega food park (MFP) at Phagwara of Kapurthala district in the state of Punjab.
The Mega Food park has been built at a cost of Rs 107.83 crores and spread over 55 acres of land. It is expected to benefit over 25000 farmers and create employment opportunities for more than 5000 people. 37 MFPs have been sanctioned in our country as on date, and 20 of them are functioning.

Notes:
RE-INVEST (Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo) is organised by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), to promote investment in renewable energy.
The 3rd edition of the Meet is scheduled to be held from November 26 to 28, 2020 with the theme of ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the virtual meeting. The first two editions were held in 2015 and 2018.

Notes:
NITI Aayog has formed a high-level panel to explore the technological and commercial viability of the Virgin Hyperloop technology in India.
NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat has been named as the Chairman of the panel and Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha as its convener. The panel also includes Railway Board Chairman & CEO VK Yadav, DRDO Head, Director of IIT- Delhi among others.

Notes:
New Zealand’s Greg Barclay has been elected as the new independent Ahairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
He is also the second independent chairman of the international body, after Shashank Manohar of India. Greg Barclay served as the Director of New Zealand Cricket Team since 2012. He had also been the Director of 2015 Men’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved the 594-km Ganga Expressway project worth Rs 36,402 crore.
The project will have Expressway running along the river Ganga from Haridwar to Allahabad. The state Cabinet also approved a district-wise alignment of the Expressway. The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority will implement the project.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently chaired the PRAGATI meeting. This marked the thirty-third interaction through the multi-modal platform.
The PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) involving Central and State governments. Prime Minister along with the Secretaries of the Union and State review various projects and schemes. Grievances registered in various sectors are also taken up.

Notes:
As per the recent study conducted by the Central Pollution control board and IIT- Delhi, Indo-Gangetic plains continue to be the most polluted region in the country, in terms of PM 2.5 levels.
The study also revealed that the rate of increase in pollution levels southern and eastern India is greater than the Indo-Gangetic plains, between 2000 and 2019. It also found that air pollution in rural areas of the country increased similar to that of urban areas.

Notes:
The Government of France has decided to re-introduce tax on big Digital firms like Facebook, Amazon, Google etc.
In the early 2020, France suspended the tax on such big digital firms in exchange for a promise by USA to reduce taxation on French products. Since the US administration pulled out of the negotiation, France has decided to reintroduce levy of tax on digital firms.