Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
The Government of India, the state Government of Meghalaya and the World Bank signed a USD 120 million Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project (MITP).
The project aims to improve about 300 km of strategic road segments and bridges in the state by using climate resilient solutions. It will also make Meghalaya, a major connecting hub for international trade through the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and the Nepal Corridor.

Notes:
India’s first moss garden has been developed at Khurpatal, Nainital district, Uttarakhand. It was inaugurated by renowned water conservation activist Rajendra Singh.
The moss garden was approved under the CAMPA scheme by the Uttarakhand Forest Department, last year. It aims to conserve various species of moss and other bryophytes. Two of the moss species found here- Hyophila involuta (Cement Moss) and Brachythecium Buchanani are in IUCN red list.

Notes:
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched Sahakar Pragya, the 45 new training modules developed by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
The modules will impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the country. The National Cooperative Development Corporation is a statutory Corporation, under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Notes:
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) with the Tamil Nadu government to develop the ecosystem for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
Under the MoU, Sidbi will deploy a project management unit (PMU) in the government of Tamil Nadu. It will undertake the process of designing the training and capacity-building programmes to be taken up by the state government in areas.

Notes:
‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ is observed every year on November 25, led by the United Nations General Assembly.
This year, the theme for the International Day is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”, to focus on bridging the funding gaps to serve the survivors of violence. UN observed that violence against women and girls has increased during the pandemic, terming it ‘Shadow Pandemic’.

Notes:
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has recently released an order stating that all consumers trying to dial a mobile number using landline phones should prefix the mobile number with ‘0’.
This process is expected to be performed from January 15, 2021 from Fixed to Mobile calls only. Due to this activity, over 253.9 crore numbers would be generated, which will free up sufficient numbering resources for future use.

Notes:
Argentina’s Football legend Diego Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the age of 60.
The country is to observe three-day mourning for the legendary footballer, who helped Argentina life the World Cup in 1986. Maradona made his debut in the country’s football team before the age of 16. He has won several awards including FIFA Player of the Century.

Notes:
Faqir Chand Kohli, the founder and the first CEO of Tata Consultancy Services, has recently passed away at the age of 96.
He was also called as the ‘Father of Indian IT Industry’, for his contribution towards the development of IT industry and for pioneering the country’s ‘Technology Revolution’. He received several honours including the Padma Bhushan.

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 India has recently reduced the import tax on crude palm oil from 37.5% to 27.5%. This step has been made by the Government to bring down food inflation.
India is the world’s largest importer of palm oil and it imports nearly 9 million tons of palm oil every year from Indonesia and Malaysia predominantly.