Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
A powerful Typhoon named “Maysak” (Cambodian word) hit North Korea and has brought heavy rain and floods in the region.
Maysak is the second typhoon in a week to hit the Korean peninsula. Another powerful Typhoon named Bavi made a land fall in the country in the last week of August 2020. The typhoon also hit the regions in South Korea.

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 Kaziranga National Park in Assam, which is home to the Asiatic one-horned rhinos, is to be expanded by 3,053 hectares.
The Government of Assam has issued a notification approving 7th, 8th and 9th addition to the National Park. These additional areas include encroachment-evicted areas at riverine islands that were vulnerable to encroachment.

Notes:
The third annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum is to be held in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam on October 28 and 29, 2020.
The United States Government will sponsor the forum, in collaboration with the Government of Vietnam, the US-ASEAN Business Council and others trade associations. The main focus will be on Infrastructure, Digital economy, Market connectivity, health and economic recovery.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India has recently signed a USD 500 million loan, to build the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.
This is the first tranche of a total USD 1 billion facility extended to construct the modern, high-speed 82-kilometer RRTS corridor in India’s national capital region (NCR). A total of three priority rail corridors planned under the NCR Regional Plan 2021, to connect Delhi to other cities.

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.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recently dedicated 56 Compressed natural gas (CNG) stations spread across 13 states, to the nation.
He also said that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is working to launch the 11th City gas distribution (CGD) authorisation round. The regulator board gives licenses for Retail CNG to automobiles and Piped cooking gas to household kitchens.

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 Ministry of Labour and Employment has released guidelines to states and Union Territories pertaining to welfare of migrant workers returning to destination States on account of COVID 19.
The States and UTs have been advised by the Ministry to conduct free corona virus (COVID-19) tests for migrant labourers. Also, the ministry has directed to maintain a database of all workers moving out of their States.

Notes:
The Naval Force of Iran has started a three-day exercise in the Sea of Oman named ‘Zolfaghar-99’, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The Navy is expected to test-fire surface-to-surface and shore-to-sea cruise missiles and rocket-launching systems fitted on warships, submarines, aircraft and drones. The exercise also aims to devise defensive strategies to safeguard the country’s territorial regions.