Current Affairs Today 30th July 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 30th July 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. United Nations observes 30 July every year as World Day against Trafficking in Persons. In 2013, the General Assembly designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.
  2. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 3 million (about Rs 22 crore) grant to India from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to further support the government’s emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. In a bid to secure its Internet banking channels as also mobile, card, call centres and ATMs, among others, against cyber fraud, the state-owned Bank of Maharashtra has joined hands with Uniken, a pioneer in the field of digital security in India.
  4. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the National Education Policy 2020.
  5. Ministry of Human Resource Development has been renamed as Ministry of Education. The Union Cabinet has approved the change in the name of the ministry.
  6. Union Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh yesterday dedicated Sembcorp’s state of the art SECI 1, 2 and 3 wind projects to the nation.
  7. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has received a purchase order from Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) to supply 1 lakh 80 thousand face masks.
  8. In order to mark 72nd Van-Mahotsa in Jammu and Kashmir, the Wildlife Protection Wing of Forest Department yesterday kick-started Green J&K Drive-2020 at Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
  9. In Uttarakhand, the first government-run inter-state chopper service that connects Dehradun to Garhwal hills was flagged off yesterday.
  10. In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government has decided to conduct a Sero Surveillance study in three major cities i.e. Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain to control the rising cases of Corona infection and to understand the infection rate.
  11. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for tunnelling work for phase 2 of the metro rail work between Cantonment and Shivajinagar in Bengaluru today.
  12. The State Bank of India (SBI) is providing liquidity support of USD 16.20 million for local businesses and deferred loan repayment for over 200 retail accounts, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives.
  13. Croatia’s parliament has approved a new government led by a conservative party that won a parliamentary election earlier this month.
  14. A tripartite MoU signed between CSIR, UBA-IIT Delhi & Vijnana Bharati to offer access to CSIR rural technologies for UBA.
  15. Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur for Training, Research, and Entrepreneurship Development in Smart Grid Technology.
  16. The Union Cabinet today gave ex-post facto approval to Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Zimbabwe on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
  17. Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) National Awards for excellence in Earth System Science have been announced. This year the Life Time Excellence Award is being awarded to Professor Ashok Sahni for his significant contribution in the field of Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology and Biostratigraphy.
  18. This year, the Namami Gange project has been included in the prestigious ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’.
  19. Indian climate activist, Archana Soreng along with six other young climate leaders has been named by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to his new advisory group comprising young leaders.
  20. The government has appointed former chairman of Coal India, Anil Kumar Jha, as the chairman of a key panel that deals with violation of environment rules.
  21. All five Rafale combat aircraft landed at the Ambala air base in India at around 3 pm on July 29, 2020.
  22. Bollywood action director, Parvez Khan passed away.
  23. The Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank, has decided to convert large area of ravines in Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into arable land, and a preliminary report for the same will be prepared in a month.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons observed on 30th July

  • United Nations observes 30 July every year as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
  • In 2013, the General Assembly designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.
  • The 2020 theme for the World Day against Trafficking: “Committed to the Cause – Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking”.
  • The theme will focus on the first responders to human trafficking.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

ADB approves USD 3 million grant to India to combat COVID-19

  • Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 3 million (about Rs 22 crore) grant to India from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to further support the government’s emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The grant will be used to procure thermal scanners and essential commodities to strengthen India’s COVID-19 response.

Extra Shots:

ADB:

  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
  • President: Masatsugu Asakawa
  • Founded: 19 December 1966
  • Membership: 68 countries
  • Purpose: Economic development

Bank of Maharashtra joins hands with Uniken for Omni-channel security

  • In a bid to secure its Internet banking channels as also mobile, card, call centres and ATMs, among others, against cyber fraud, the state-owned Bank of Maharashtra has joined hands with Uniken, a pioneer in the field of digital security in India.
  • The bank will use Uniken’s REL-ID technology for Omni-channel security.
  • The REL-ID technology by Uniken has been modelled for defence-in-depth functions that will help secure the bank’s mobile apps by protecting them against phishing, pharming and malware attacks.

Extra Shots:

Bank of Maharashtra

  • Headquarters: Pune
  • CEO: A. S. Rajeev
  • Owner: Government of India
  • Founders: D. K. Sathe, V. G. Kale

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

National Education Policy 2020

  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the National Education Policy 2020.
  • The recently approved National Education Policy 2020 will replace the thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.
  • National Education Policy 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century and aims to bring transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors.
  • National Education Policy 2020 is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is based on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability.

HRD Ministry becomes Ministry of Education now

  • Ministry of Human Resource Development has been renamed as Ministry of Education.
  • The Union Cabinet has approved the change in the name of the ministry.
  • The HRD Ministry is currently headed by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
  • The name change was a key recommendation of the draft New Education Policy.
  • The HRD ministry name was adopted in 1985.
  • The new National Education Policy (NEP) will replace the existing National Policy on Education which was first formulated in 1986 and last modified in 1992.

Power Minister dedicates SECI 1, 2 and 3 wind projects to nation

  • Union Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh yesterday dedicated Sembcorp’s state of the art SECI 1, 2 and 3 wind projects to the nation.
  • With the full commissioning of its 300MW SECI 3 wind project, Sembcorp becomes the first independent power producer to fully commission its projects awarded in the first three wind auctions held by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

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Ministry of Power

  • Departments: Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
  • Officeholder: R. K. Singh (MOS independent charge)
  • Founded: 2 July 1992
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

Indian Red Cross Society to buy 1.80 lakh face masks from KVIC

  • Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has received a purchase order from Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) to supply 1 lakh 80 thousand face masks.
  • The masks for Red Cross will be made of 100 per cent double-twisted handcrafted cotton fabric in brown colour with red piping.
  • KVIC has specially designed these double-layered cotton masks for the Indian Red Cross Society as per the designs provided by them.
  • The supply of masks will begin by next month.

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Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

  • Founded: 1956
  • Purpose: To plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Chairperson: Vinai Kumar Saxena
  • Parent agency: Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Green J&K Drive-2020 begins in Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary of Jammu

  • In order to mark 72nd Van-Mahotsa in Jammu and Kashmir, the Wildlife Protection Wing of Forest Department yesterday kick-started Green J&K Drive-2020 at Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • The department has set the target of planting about five lakh plants in various Wildlife Areas of Jammu region during the monsoon season.
  • The plants being planted are fruit, fodder and shelter trees, shrubs, herbs/grasses, soil binders etc.
  • The focus of the plantation activity is towards habitat improvement for wild animals.

Extra Shots:

Jammu & Kashmir:

  • Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
  • Lt Governor- Girish Chandra Murmu
  • National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc

Uttarakhand: First govt-run inter-state chopper service flagged off

  • In Uttarakhand, the first government-run inter-state chopper service that connects Dehradun to Garhwal hills was flagged off yesterday.
  • It will boost tourism in the hills.
  • The flight on the Dehradun-New Tehri-Srinagar-Garhwal Gauchar route is operated by the state-run Pawan Hans Limited under the Central Government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme of ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ was flagged off virtually by the Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
  • The route provides much-needed air connectivity to people of the hill state and is affordable, the airfare between Dehradun and New Tehri has been fixed at 2,903 rupees and the distance will be covered in 25 minutes.
  • One has to spend a similar amount to travel on Tehri-Srinagar and Srinagar-Gauchar route.

Extra Shots:

Uttarakhand:

  • Statehood Day: 9th November 2000
  • Capital: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
  • Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
  • Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
  • National Park: Jim Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP

MP govt to conduct Sero Surveillance study in three major cities

  • In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government has decided to conduct a Sero Surveillance study in three major cities i.e. Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain to control the rising cases of Corona infection and to understand the infection rate.
  • This survey will be conducted under the supervision of All India Institute of Medical Sciences-AIIMS, Bhopal.

Extra Shots:

Madhya Pradesh:

  • Statehood Day: November 1, 1956
  • Capital: Bhopal
  • Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
  • Governor: Anandiben Patel
  • National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa lays foundation stone of tunnelling work for phase 2 metro rail

  • Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for tunnelling work for phase 2 of the metro rail work between Cantonment and Shivajinagar in Bengaluru today.
  • Phase II includes a total length of 72 kms with 61 stations.
  • The 72kms long phase two metro line project consists of 13.9 kms of underground corridor with 12 underground stations and 10.37 kms of twin tunnels.
  • The phase II will be built in four packages at a cost of 30,695 crore rupees.
  • The line will greatly reduce travel time and ease traffic congestion on Bengaluru roads.  Phase two will be ready by 2024.
  • The project cost for this line connecting the international airport is 9934.58 crore rupees.

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Karnataka:

  • Statehood Day: 1st November 1956
  • Capital: Bengaluru
  • Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
  • Governor: Vajubhai Vala
  • National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

SBI providing USD 16 million liquidity support for local businesses in Maldives

  • The State Bank of India (SBI) is providing liquidity support of USD 16.20 million for local businesses and deferred loan repayment for over 200 retail accounts, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives.
  • Assistance of USD 400 million through an extended currency swap arrangement has been made available already to tide over liquidity shortage.

Andrej Plenković re-elected as Prime Minister of Croatia

  • Croatia’s parliament has approved a new government led by a conservative party that won a parliamentary election earlier this month.
  • Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s government won support in the 151-member assembly in a 76-59 vote.
  • Plenković was the prime minister of the previous government which was also led by his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

Extra Shots:

Croatia (Capital/Currency): Zagreb/ Croatian kuna

  • President: Zoran Milanović

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

A tripartite MoU signed between CSIR, UBA-IIT Delhi & Vijnana Bharati

  • A tripartite MoU signed between CSIR, UBA-IIT Delhi & Vijnana Bharati to offer access to CSIR rural technologies for UBA.
  • It will also lay the foundation for cooperation as well as joint action in the area of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) for rural development of India.
  • Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)’s flagship national program which aims to bring the transformational change in rural development processes by enabling knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an inclusive India.

PFC signs agreement with IIT-Kanpur in smart grid technology

  • Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur for Training, Research, and Entrepreneurship Development in Smart Grid Technology.
  • The agreement was on a virtual platform.
  • The objective of the pact is to provide support to IIT-Kanpur in developing infrastructure for research and development on smart grid technology.
  • Under the agreement, PFC will provide financial assistance of worth Rs 2, 38,97000 to IIT-Kanpur.
  • As part of the project, IIT-K will also provide training on smart grid technology to 90 participants and provide fellowship to 9 selected candidates.

Extra Shots:

Power Finance Corporation (PFC)

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Founded: July 1986
  • CMD: Ravinder Singh Dhillon

Cabinet approves MoU signed between India & Zimbabwe on Traditional Systems of Medicine

  • The Union Cabinet today gave ex-post facto approval to Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Zimbabwe on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
  • The MoU was signed on 3rd November, 2018.
  • It will provide a frame work for the cooperation between the two countries for the promotion of traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy.
  • The main objective of the MoU is to strengthen, promote and develop co-operation in the field of traditional systems of medicine between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Extra Shots:

Zimbabwe (Capital/Currency): Harare/ United States Dollar, RTGS dollar

  • President: Emmerson Mnangagwa

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

Professor Ashok Sahni awarded with Life Time Excellence Award

  • Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) National Awards for excellence in Earth System Science have been announced.
  • This year the Life Time Excellence Award is being awarded to Professor Ashok Sahni for his significant contribution in the field of Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology and Biostratigraphy.
  • The National Award for Ocean Science and technology is being awarded to Dr. V. V. S. S. Sarma, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Vishakapatnam and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Director, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa.
  • The National Award for Atmospheric Science and technology will be presented to Dr. S. Suresh Babu.

Extra Shots:

Ministry of Earth Sciences

  • Departments: India Meteorological Department
  • Founded: 2006
  • Headquarters: Prithvi Bhavan, Lodi Road New Delhi
  • Minister responsible: Dr. Harsh Vardhan
  • Officeholders: Y. S. Chowdary (Minister of State), Harsh Vardhan (Minister)

Now ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’ include Namami Gange project too

  • This year, the Namami Gange project has been included in the prestigious ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’.
  • The District Ganga Committes to submit their nominations for this year’s prestigious award.
  • Objective of National Mission for Clean Ganga is not limited only to the nirmalta and aviralta of the Ganga, but to develop a sustainable socioeconomic zone around the holy river and its tributaries, which will give a boost to the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign.

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Archana Soreng added by UN to its new advisory group

  • Indian climate activist, Archana Soreng along with six other young climate leaders has been named by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to his new advisory group comprising young leaders.
  • This group will provide perspectives and solutions to tackle the worsening climate crisis, as the global body mobilizes action as part of the COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Extra Shots:

United Nations:

  • Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
  • Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States
  • Official languages: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish;
  • Secretary general: António Guterres

Former Coal India chief Anil Kumar Jha appointed member of key green panel

  • The government has appointed former chairman of Coal India, Anil Kumar Jha, as the chairman of a key panel that deals with violation of environment rules.
  • Jha will head an Expert Appraisal Committee formed by the environment ministry. The panel appraises projects that are commissioned without obtaining prior environmental clearance and have been termed as cases of violation.
  • The panel was earlier constituted in June 2017 for three years.
  • Its tenure has now been extended till June 2021.

Extra Shots:

Coal India

  • CMD: Pramod Agrawal
  • Headquarters: Kolkata
  • Owner: Government of India

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

All Five Rafale Fighter Jets landed at Ambala air base

  • All five Rafale combat aircraft landed at the Ambala air base in India at around 3 pm on July 29, 2020.
  • They were flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to France from an airbase in Merignac in France.
  • The Indian Ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf met and interacted with the crew piloting the fighter jets. The aircraft were refuelled once midair by a French Air Force tanker aircraft while they are on their way to an airbase in the UAE before leaving for India.
  • The five Rafale aircraft include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater jets. The aircraft were flown to India in two stages.
  • The Indian government had signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France in September 2016 to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for €7.8 billion.
  • The deal is termed as the biggest-ever in monetary terms in India.

OBITUARY

Bollywood action director Parvez Khan passes away

  • Bollywood action director, Parvez Khan passed away.
  • He had been working in the film industry since 1986.
  • Some of his well-known films include Andhadhun, Badlapur, Bullett Raja, Fukrey, Ra-One, Johnny Gaddaar etc.

MISCELLANEOUS

Centre to convert ravines of Chambal region into arable land with World Bank support

  • The Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank, has decided to convert large area of ravines in Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into arable land, and a preliminary report for the same will be prepared in a month.
  • More than 3 lakh hectares of rugged land is not cultivable and if this area is improved, then this will help in the integrated development of the Bihad area in Gwalior-Chambal region.
  • The project will not only help in improving agricultural development and environment but will also create employment opportunities and lead to substantive development of the region.

Extra Shots:

World Bank: