Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
Google India has recently announced the launch of its nationwide campaign named ‘Make Small Strong’.
It aims to help support small businesses and enhance demand through customer support. It encourages people to buy locally and promote their favourite retailers by posting reviews. This new programme is based on feedback from Small and Medium Businesses.

Notes:
The CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant has stated that the organization is fine tuning parameters and indicators used in ranking the 112 Aspirational Districts of India.
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by the national think tank NITI Aayog in January 2018. It aims to transform 112 most backward districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020-2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing”. International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 every year.
United Nations designated this day to focus on the well-being and special needs of the elderly people. The UN theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 is “Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”.

Notes:
The Island nation of Sri Lanka has recently announced to ban slaughtering of cows across the country.
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced that a legislature to implement the decision would be moved soon. The Cabinet has decided to import beef and provide it at a lower price to people who consume it.

Notes:
The Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) has been launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Venture Capital Fund for SCs.
The mission has been launched with an aim to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste students studying in higher educational institutions.

Notes:
A Fast Patrol Vessel named “ICGS Kanaklata Barua” has been commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard.
The ship is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and is the fifth and last in a series of FPVs built by the company. The ship has been named after a teen age freedom fighter of Assam who was shot dead during the Quit India Movement.

Notes:
The Films Division has organized ‘Gandhi Filmotsav’, as a part of the final event of two years celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary.
The week-long online film festival was streamed on its Website and YouTube Channel. The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated on October 2 across the world. The birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is also celebrated on the same day.

Notes:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed highly purified ‘Antisera’ for prevention and treatment of Covid-19.
ICMR along with Hyderabad-based Biological E. Limited have developed highly purified antisera, which was raised in animals, for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19. This was previously used in medical science to treat many viral and bacterial infections.

Notes:
The National Statistical Office (NSO) conducted the first of its kind “Time Use Survey in India” during the period from January to December 2019. The result of the survey has been released recently in the form of a report.
The survey measures the time spent on paid activities, care activities, unpaid activities, etc. NSO conducted the survey covering 1,38,799 households in both urban and rural areas.

Notes:
Digital payments firm Paytm has recently launched a mini-app store, with an aim to support Indian developers.
This initiative is seen as a direct challenge to Google in the App store system. The payment app was earlier temporarily removed from Google’s Play Store for violating developer guidelines. Paytm provides listing and distribution of these mini-apps within its application.