Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
“Wilmington” in the US state of North Carolina has been declared as the World War 2 Heritage City. It is first of such cities to be announced.
This announcement was made by the US President Donald Trump during a ceremony held to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2. During the WW2, North Carolina Shipbuilding Company situated in Wilmington built 243 ships in 5 years as a part of the USA’s emergency ship building programme.

Notes:
Researchers at CSIR’s Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) have developed solar based spray systems to tackle water crisis in agriculture.
Two variants of the equipment have been developed – one for “marginal famers” and other for “small farmers”. These sprayers are equipped with two separate tanks, flow control and pressure regulator to handle different water requirements of the crops.

Notes:
The President of India Ram Nath Kovind has conferred the National Award to teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
As many as 47 educators across the country were conferred with the prestigious award for their selfless contribution for promoting education. Around 40 percent of the winners were women and this is the first time the event is held virtually.

Notes:
The Railway Ministry has proposed to amend Sec 144 of Railways Act 1989. As per the present provision in the act, begging in Railway property is an offence and makes it liable for imprisonment or a fine of Rs.2000/-.
The section is proposed to be changed by stating that begging will not be allowed in properties of Railways including Trains and Railway premises.

Notes:
Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a theragnostic (diagnostic therapy) drug candidate for lung cancer.
JNCASR is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Lung cancer is one of the most common cause of cancer related death and is tough to detect at early stages thereby making it difficult to treat.

Notes:
Around two crore people in Delhi are to collaborate to participate in the ’10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute’ Anti-Dengue campaign.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the 10-week campaign that aims to create awareness on vector-borne diseases. It urges the people to inspect their houses for any signs of stagnant clean water and to drain it. Last year, Delhi launched a similar campaign.

Notes:
A loan agreement for $82 million has been signed between the Government of India, the Government of Himachal Pradesh and the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).
The loan would be used for implementation of Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project. The world bank loan is given for a term of 15 years including a grace period of 5 years.

Notes:
The Indian Civil & Administrative Services (Central) Association has been renamed as “IAS Association” recently.
The new name was unanimously cleared in the body’s Annual General Meeting there by dropping the reference to the ‘colonial-era’ ICS. Also, a new moto “Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam” meaning “Perfection in action is Yogah” has been chosen during the meeting.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa has recently launched an Integrated Air ambulance service.
Being the first air ambulance from South India, it has German Isolation Pod to transport critical COVID-19 patients. It is developed by ICATT in coordination with an aviation technology firm. The service is expected to serve medical emergencies in spite of heavy road traffic.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the PM by, has approved monetization of assets of Power Grid.
Power Grid is a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Power. The monetization is being done for the first time through Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model. The proceeds of asset monetization would be used to fund new and on-going projects of the PSU.