Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
A new scheme named ‘AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR’ has been launched by the Agriculture Ministry, to assist cooperatives in creation of healthcare infrastructure in the country.
It is formulated by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). Under the scheme, NCDC would extend term loans to prospective cooperatives totalling Rs.10,000 Crore in the coming years, for creating health facilities.

Notes:
The first of its kind SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Startup Forum would be launched on 27th October 2020. This is scheduled just ahead of the SCO trade ministers meeting to be held on 28th October.
The forum would create a platform for multilateral cooperation among the SCO Member States to develop their startup ecosystems. Presently there are 8 member countries in SCO. India is a full time member of SCO since 2017.

Notes:
The Punjab Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed four Bills to amend and negate the Centre’s three farm laws.
The legislations were also backed by the Opposition parties. The bill seeks to provide for imprisonment of not less than three years and fine for sale/purchase of wheat or paddy under a farming agreement below the minimum support price (MSP).

Notes:
As per a recent study published in the ‘Quaternary Science Reviews’ journal, evidence of a lost river has been found, which might have been a life-line to human populations.
The river which through the central Thar Desert, near Bikaner, before 172 thousand years ago. The study was conducted by Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, Anna University in Tamil Nadu, and IISER Kolkata.

Notes:
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has recently inaugurated the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar.
IIT Ropar has featured in the 351-400 rank in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020. The institute also received a grant of Rs 110 crore to set up the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) in the fields of agriculture and water.

Notes:
The US Food and Drug Administration has recently granted full approval to the antiviral drug Remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalized with Covid-19.
The organisation had given conditional authorization in May. USFDA also announced that the drug, sold under the brand name Veklury, was the only specific treatment for Covid-19 approved so far.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has fixed the minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) size for housing finance companies at Rs 25 crore.
As per the RBI notification, the housing finance companies (HFCs) that hold a Certificate of Registration (CoR) and having an NOF of less than Rs 25 crore will be required to achieve NOF of Rs 15 crore by March 31, 2022 and Rs 25 crore by March 31, 2023.

Notes:
The Pune based Serum Institute of India has partnered with Merck KGaA and IAVI for development SARS-CoV-2 neutralising monoclonal antibodies. The Merck Group is a German multinational science and technology company.
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global not-for-profit, public-private partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.

Notes:
Israel and Sudan have recently taken steps to normalize their bilateral relations. The deal was mediated by the President of United States of America Donald Trump.
USA has removed Sudan from the list of “official sponsors of terrorism”. USA has also restored economic aid and investment in Sudan. Recently, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have signed peace agreements with Israel.

Notes:
During the third edition of the 2+2 talks held between India and the United States, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement or BECA was signed.
The agreement gives India access to classified geo-spatial data as well as critical information having significant military applications from the United States. This is a long-negotiated defence pact.