Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
NITI Aayog and the Embassy of the Netherlands, New Delhi recently signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on ‘Decarbonization and Energy Transition Agenda’.
Under this partnership, NITI Aayog and the Dutch Embassy aim to create innovative technological solutions to accommodate cleaner energy. It also aims to lower the net carbon footprint, to promote bio-energy technologies among others.

Notes:
India has successfully test fired a new version of the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos.
The missile with a number of indigenously developed sub-systems including a Booster was flight-tested from the integrated test range at Balasore in Odisha. It has an extended range of about 400 km from the earlier 290 km range.

Notes:
India’s Sehgal Foundation has emerged as a co-runner up of the USA’s “Citizen Diplomacy Award”. The institution has been selected for its human rights and women empowerment work in rural India.
The Department of States – Bureau of Global Public Affairs of USA, launched the Citizen Diplomacy Award in 2017 to recognize significant contributions by citizens and organizations to deepen USA’s foreign policy around the world.

Notes:
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda is to launch India’s largest handicraft and organic products marketplace named ‘Tribes India E-Marketplace’
This marketplace will be launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. This initiative of TRIFED will showcase the produce and handicrafts of tribal enterprises from all parts of the country. The Minister will also launch Pakur Honey, gathered by Santhal Tribals from Pakur, Jharkhand.

Notes:
“Operation My Saheli” has been launched by the South Eastern Railway, to boost the safety of women passengers during their entire train journey. The operation protects women from originating point to destination.
In a pilot mode, the operation has been introduced in 3 trains namely trains Howrah-Yeshvantpur Duronto Special, Howrah- Ahmedabad Special and Howrah-Mumbai special trains.

Notes:
India has committed to build a 100-bedded cancer hospital and a 22,000-seater cricket stadium in Hulhumale, Maldives.
According to the Indian Embassy in Maldives, this facility is provided under the USD 800 million Line of Credit (LoC) extended to the country, by the Export Import Bank of India (EXIM) Bank in March 2019.

Notes:
The Defence ministry has signed a Rs 400 crore-contract with Economic Explosive Limited (EEL), for the supply of ten lakh hand grenades.
Earlier, similar products were either imported or made by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The new grenades called multi-mode hand grenades (MMHG), have been designed by the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of DRDO.

Notes:
The Union Defence Ministry has designated Alpha Design Technologies Limited (ADTL) to upgrade the soviet era Pechora surface to air systems.
As per the Rs.591 crore contract, the firm would be upgrading 16 such systems. Alpha Design Technologies Limited is a Bengaluru based company that is specialized in defence electronics, avionics and space satellite systems.

Notes:
Reliance Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Reliance India Limited has developed a Real Time PCR kit named R-Green Kit. The kit can be used for diagnosis of COVID-19 infection in about 2 hours.
At present, the PCR kits used in India takes about 24 hours to diagnose the infection. The R Green Kit developed by Reliance has been validated by ICMR for its performance.

Notes:
In order to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, “Shramdan” drive was organized by the Department of Justice, Government of India at New Delhi on 2nd October, 2020.
During the event, all the officers and staff members of Department of Justice participated in a cleanliness drive to clean the office premises.