Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan launched the second phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for the underprivileged Thalassemic patients.
This scheme is a part of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) program which is funded by Coal India’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It was launched in the year 2017 that aims to provide a one-time cure opportunity for Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Disease.

Notes:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expires in February, to be extended.
However, the USA has rejected the Russian President’s proposal of extending the accord for at least a year without imposing any conditions. The New START treaty, that was signed in 2010, limits the numbers of strategic nuclear equipment that the two countries can deploy.

Notes:
As per the Global Hunger Index 2020 report released recently, India ranks 94 among 107 countries in the world.
India registered a score of 27.2, which means a level of hunger that is “serious”. Last year, India ranked at 102nd position out of 117 countries. The report also revealed that 14 per cent of India’s population is undernourished.

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 Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Nigeria on cooperation in the exploration and using outer space for peaceful purposes.
The MoU has been signed between Indian Space Research Organisation and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) of Nigeria. The countries will set up a joint working group to implement the process.

Notes:
Every year, Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st of October. This day is observed in memory to the 10 policemen who were killed by Chinese troops in a surprise attack near Ladakh on October 21, 1959.
As per Police sources, as many as 264 police personnel lost their lives this year while in duty and are remembered during this occasion.

Notes:
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur has developed a low-cost Covid-19 test unit named ‘COVIRAP’.
It is a portable unit for rapid diagnostics of coronavirus and produces results in less than an hour. It involves accurate molecular diagnostic procedure and costs only around Rs 500 per test. The team also developed a mobile application for finding the results.

Notes:
The Election Commission of India has recently set up a committee under its Director General Umesh Sinha and ex Indian Revenue Service officer Harish Kumar.
The panel has been set up to examine the existing expenditure limits for election candidates amidst the increase in number of electors and rise in Cost Inflation Index. Earlier, a 10% increase in the expenditure limit of election candidates.

Notes:
Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has recently launched the “Life in Miniature” project, which is a collaboration between the National Museum, Delhi, and Google Arts & Culture.
The miniature paintings from the National Museum’s collections can be seen through the Google Arts & Culture application. The project uses technologies such as machine learning, augmented reality and digitisation with high-definition robotic cameras.

Notes:
The Navy has operationally deployed its first batch of women pilots on the Dornier maritime recce aircraft.
The aircraft is operating from the Southern Naval Command headquartered in Kochi. The three pilots namely Divya Sharma, Shubhangi Swaroop and Shivangi recently graduated as ‘Fully operational Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) Pilots.