Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
As per a recent study conducted by a group of scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, the Indus Suture Zone (ISZ) in the Ladakh region, has been found to be tectonically active.
The zone, where the Indian and Asian Plates are joined, has been till date considered as a locked zone. WIHG is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology. The study has been published recently in the journal ‘Technophysics’.

Notes:
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed a technology to produce anti-ageing compounds.
It is a low-cost membrane technology to produce psychoactive drugs and anti-ageing compounds from wide range of agricultural resources like citrus fruits and peels. The water extracts of the plants, fruits or leaves at optimum operating conditions are used in the process.

Notes:
Indian Army observes Infantry Day every year on October 27, to mark the landing of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir.
Top Indian Army officials including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane gathered at the National War Memorial on the occasion of Infantry Day.

Notes:
The nation’s central Bank, the Reserve Bank of India has asked all lenders (including non-banking financial institutions) to implement the waiver of “interest on interest”.
This would be applicable to loans of up to Rs.2 crore for the 6-month moratorium period beginning March 2020. Home Loan, Education Loans, Vehicle Loan, MSME loans, Consumer durable loans and credit card dues would be covered under this scheme.

Notes:
The Third India USA “two plus two” Ministerial Dialogue is held at the national capital New Delhi.
India is being represented by the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. The USA delegation is led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper.

Notes:
A team of researchers from India and Canada have discovered that Dairy production existed in Indus Valley civilization in 2500 BCE. This is the earliest known evidence of dairy production.
The results were based on chemical analysis of residue of pottery found at the archaeological site of Kotada Bhadli, a rural area in Gujarat, which showed presence of Dairy lipids.

Notes:
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) constituent labs- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad carried out a study regarding Indian genomes.
As per the study published in the scientific journal, Nucleic Acid Research, 32.23% of the global variants were unique and found only in the samples sequenced from India.

Notes:
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is expected to be launched by 2022, as per the joint statement issued after the 2+2 strategic dialogue.
After the dialogue, India and the US have decided to share Space Situational Awareness Information. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will collaborate in launching the satellite.

Notes:
The Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal chaired 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting of Foreign Trade & Economic Ministers.
The SCO is head quartered at Shangai, China. SCO comprises eight member states, namely China, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has launched an initiative named “Meri Saheli” which will focus on security of women. Its main objectives are to provide safety and security to lady passengers travelling by trains.
Under this initiative, a team of lady officer and staff will visit all of the passenger coaches including ladies’ coaches to identify women passengers. The details of the journey will be noted down by the team, especially if a lady is travelling alone.