Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
An Indian Army officer, Major Suman Gawani, has been selected for the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019). This is the first time in history, that an Indian is awarded the mentioned award, that was created in 2016.
The officer has served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). She has been selected for her outstanding contribution towards peacekeeping efforts in the UNMISS. Indian major will receive the award during an online ceremony, along with Brazilian Naval Officer Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo.

Notes:
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari recently inaugurated the Chamba Tunnel in Uttarakhand through video conference. The tunnel will be operationalised this October.
The tunnel has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under Chardham Pariyojana scheme of Uttarakhand. It is a 12,000-crore project, to facilitate connectivity to Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Badrinath. The 440-metre long tunnel has been created under Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road.

Notes:
Narmada Basin Projects Company Ltd. (NBPCL) is a wholly-owned company of Madhya Pradesh government. Central PSU under Ministry of Power, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has recently partnered with NBPCL to fund projects worth ₹22,000 crore in Madhya Pradesh.
Hydroelectric projects and power components of 12 major multipurpose projects are to be set up by deploying the funds. Major multipurpose projects, which are to be financed include Basaniya Multipurpose Project, Chinki Boras Multipurpose Project Dudhi Project, among others.

Notes:
Former Deputy Economy Minister of Brazil, Marcos Prado Troyjo has been selected as the new President of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank’s (NDB).
He is to replace the veteran Indian banker KV Kamath as the President of the multilateral financial institution set up by the BRICS countries. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the special board of Governors of NDB meeting through video-conference. Another Indian Anil Kishora was selected as the Vice President of NDB during the conference.

Notes:
According to the government-backed news agency of Russia, the country has started developing its first stealth bomber named ‘PAK DA’.
It is estimated the aircraft would be completed next year and it would be able to carry an array of advanced missiles and bombs, including hypersonic weapons. This will compete with the B-2 strategic stealth bomber of the United States. China is also in the process of developing its own stealth bomber, Xian H-20.

Notes:
National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), that operates retail payments and settlement systems in India has recently launched an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot named ‘PAi’.
The virtual assistant has been launched with an aim to create awareness about its flagship products like FASTag, RuPay, UPI, AePS on a real time basis. Users can send queries about the products and they get verified automated responses. Global RuPay Cardholders can access the chatbot.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently signed a USD 177 million loan agreement with the Government of India to upgrade 450 kilometers (km) of state highways and major district roads in the state of Maharashtra.
The project is expected to improve road connectivity between rural areas and urban centres in the state and enable rural communities to access markets and employment opportunities. The project will also develop a road safety audit framework and strengthen road safety measures.

Notes:
Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) has been renamed as Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET).
CIPET is a premier national institution under the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. It is located at SIDCO Industrial Estate, Chennai. With expanded coverage, CIPET will undertake efforts to promote the entire petrochemical sector with a focus on Academics, Skill improvement and Research.

Notes:
European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union has recently proposed a 750 billion-euro (USD 826 billion) COVID-19 recovery plan.
The European Commission is expected to borrow the funds from the market and then disburse two-thirds in grants and the remaining fund in loans. This plan will mostly cover to revamp the worst affected European Union nations including Italy and Spain.

Notes:
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 22nd Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) and reviewed the current global and domestic macro-economic situation and financial stability in the nation.
Union Finance Minister is the chairperson of FSDC, an autonomous regulatory body set up in the year 2010. Besides the ten members which includes the RBI Governor, Finance Secretary, Chief Economic Adviser, Chairpersons of SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, IBBI among others, the Finance Minister may invite any other required person.