Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2019 was conferred to the British broadcaster David Attenborough. The price was conferred to him in a virtual event by former Indian PM Manmohan Singh.
The “Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development” was instituted in 1986 and is awarded to individuals / institutions who work to achieve international peace. It consists of a monetary award of Rs.25 lakh along with a citation.

Notes:
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is representing India at the Foreign ministers Meet of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) to be held at Moscow.
The meeting is hosted by Russian Foreign Minister. The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) would hold a luncheon meeting on the side-lines of the SCO. India has been the fulltime member of SCO since 2017.

Notes:
The Country’s second and South India’s first Kisan Rail service has been recently flagged off.
This would connect Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to Adarsh Nagar Railway Station in Delhi. The train was flagged off by the Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar. The Kisan Rail scheme was announced in Budget 2020-21 for transport of agricultural products.

Notes:
The National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) works under the aegis of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology.
DST has recently launched a report on the journey of the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) in catalysing innovation, entrepreneurship, and incubation.

Notes:
The Department of Post has launched a new scheme called Five Star Villages, to expand Universal coverage of Postal schemes in rural areas of the country.
The scheme aims to create public awareness on Postal Products and services across all interior villages. The products covered include Sukanya Samridhi Accounts, PPF Accounts, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana Account, PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account and other SB and RD accounts being offered.

Notes:
The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) under EASE Banking Reforms Index 2.0. EASE stands for “Enhanced Access and Service Excellence”.
Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were the top three in the list of “Top Performers”. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India and erstwhile Corporation Bank were the leading banks in ‘Top Improvers’ category.

Notes:
The Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology (IPFT) has successfully developed a “Disinfectant spray for surface application”.
The alcohol based “Disinfectant Spray” for the surface applications contains botanical anti-microbials which would prevent various diseases caused by bacteria and virus. IPFT is an autonomous Institution under the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.

Notes:
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha laid the e-foundation stone of Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex, Hiranagar in Kathua district in Jammu & Kashmir.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of Youth and Sports, Kiren Rijiju jointly laid the e-foundation stone. The Rs 58.23 crore mega-sports complex is being undertaken under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP).

Notes:
According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia’s economy will contract for the first time since the early 1960s.
The bank had earlier projected that the GDP would grow by 0.1 per cent. Now, it is estimated that Asia’s GDP would decline by 0.7 per cent in 2020 and would increase to 7.7 per cent in 2021. It also highlighted that the GD in India would contract by 9% this year.

Notes:
National Engineers Day is celebrated on September 15 across the country, to mark the birth anniversary of eminent engineer M Visvesvaraya.
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in Karnataka. He served as the Chief engineer in Mysore and had contributed to several technical projects in Hyderabad, Mysore, Maharashtra and Odisha, including the block system of irrigation in the Deccan canals.