Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Kisan Rath Mobile App, to facilitate timely sale of agricultural products.
The app is designed and technically maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and aims to establish a robust buyer-seller network. The app will be released by the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART).

Notes:
The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs Secretary launched the Application Programming Interface (API) integration between the PM SVANidhi Portal and the State Bank of India’s (SBI) eMudra Portal portal.
This integration would enable seamless flow of data between the two portals in a secure environment, which would lead to faster loan sanctioning and disbursement process.

Notes:
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently launched ‘MSME Prerana’, an online business mentoring programme for MSMEs.
The programme is to implemented by Indian Bank and is aimed at empowering entrepreneurs through skill development and capacity building workshops. The mentoring programmes would be available in all local languages.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched a campaign on Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour.
The campaign has been launched considering the festivals, winter season and the opening up of the economy. The Prime Minister asked the people to wear a mask, wash hands and follow social distancing by maintaining ‘Do Gaz Ki Doori.’

Notes:
India’s first advanced manufacturing hub (AMHUB) is to be established in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Guidance, nodal investment promotion and facilitation agency of the state has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in this regard.
AMHUB is one of the nineteen platforms designed by the WEF. It will help the production ecosystem in Tamil Nadu by identifying and addressing the regional opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Notes:
The New Development Bank, also known as BRICS Bank has approved Infrastructure projects worth 741 million dollars in India.
The Bank approved a loan of USD 500 million for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project and a loan of USD 241 million for Mumbai Metro Rail II (Line 6) Project. The RRTS project will reduce the journey time from Delhi to Meerut to 60 minutes.

Notes:
China has formally joined the WHO-backed global Covid-19 vaccine initiative known as COVAX, after signing the agreement with Gavi, the international Vaccine Alliance.
As the United States and Russia stayed out of the initiative, as of October China is the biggest economy to join the WHO-backed global vaccine alliance. The initiative aims to distribute 2 billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021.

Notes:
World Post Day is celebrated every year on 9 October across the world. It marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the city of Bern, Switzerland.
The World Post Day was declared by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. For the first time, the ceremony is held virtually. The Universal Postal Union released a message on the title ‘More than mail’.

Notes:
Japan’s Maritime Self-defense Force has commenced anti-submarine drills in the South China Sea, as per the recent statement from the Japanese Defence Ministry.
The exercise deployed three vessels including a helicopter aircraft carrier and a submarine. The entire South China Sea is claimed by China, which has established military outposts on artificial islands. The United States has been accusing China of militarising the South China Sea.

Notes:
Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh has recently laid the foundation stone of the Nechiphu Tunnel located in Arunachal Pradesh.
The tunnel is located on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road in West Kameng district of the state. It will be a 450 m-long tunnel with two lanes of 3.5m width each. Another 1.8 km-long tunnel is also being constructed on the BCT road.