August 3rd Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test English

The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel has announced the launch of a new scheme called ‘Indira Van Mitan Yojana’. The scheme was announced on the occasion of World Tribal Day. It aims to make the forest dwellers in the state self–reliant. Under this scheme, groups of youth will be formed in 10,000 villages of the state and all forest–based economic activities will be conducted via these groups.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Academy in New Delhi. This has been inaugurated as part of the ongoing week–long behaviour change campaign Gandagi Mukt Bharat. This is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based free mobile online learning course on ODF Plus. The ODF Plus is an extension of the ODF programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission.

The Supreme Court of India ruled that the daughters cannot be deprived of their right of equality and they will have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005. The daughters will have the right to inherit their ancestral property with retrospective effect with similar rights and liabilities as sons hold. Coparcener refers to a person who assumes a legal right in parental property by birth.

Leading e–commerce platform Amazon India has recently launched its new seller driven campaign ‘Itna Aasan Hai’. The campaign seeks to communicate to sellers who are not on the platform about the simple procedure to enrolling in Amazon digital platform as a seller. It aims to reach millions of MSME about joining the digital commerce ecosystem.

Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries has gone 10 places ahead in the Fortune Global 500 list and entered into the world’s top 100 companies. As per the recent 2020 ranking released by Fortune, Reliance has been ranked at 96th place globally. This is the highest rank ever of any Indian company on the Fortune Global 500 list. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) slipped to 151st rank, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is ranked 190th while State Bank of India (SBI) is at 221st rank.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has virtually launched the Minimum Standards of Architectural Education Regulations, 2020. These regulations have been prepared by the experts of the Council of Architecture (CoA). It aims to address the major challenges lying in the field of human habitat in the country. The Minister asked the Council to use innovation in the field of Architecture.

The Union Ministry of Tourism organised a themed webinar titled “Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs & Memories”, as a part of the “Dekho Apna Desh” webinar series. The webinar has been organised ahead of the 74th Independence Day celebrations. The Cellular Jail is in Andaman and Nicobar Islands where Indian Nationalist who were part of freedom struggle were exiled and imprisoned. The Webinar showcased the journey of India’s independence struggle through the galleries and cells of the Cellular jail.

International Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th August. The theme of this year’s International Youth Day is, “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. In 1998, a resolution to observe August 12 every year as International Youth Day was passed in the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, which was hosted by the Government of Portugal in cooperation with the United Nations.

The “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation”, constituted by the Home Ministry, for the year 2020 has been awarded to 121 Police personnel.
This medal was constituted in the year 2018 by the Union Government with the aim to promote professional standards of investigation of crime. It also stands as a Reward of Excellence in Investigation by investigating officers.

The procurement of 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Indian Air Force has been approved by the Ministry of Defence. The procurement of 106 HTT–40 aircraft from HAL was approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the highest decision–making authority of the Defence Ministry. A total of Defence Acquisition proposals worth over Rs.8500 crore was cleared by the DAC.

• Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation and a private engineering firm Afcons jointly completed India’s deepest underground ventilation shaft. The ventilation shaft is 43.5m deep and is part of the East West Metro Line of Kolkata. These special purpose shafts are used for ventilation of the tunnels and for evacuation during critical times or emergencies.

• According to a recent data from the NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft, the dwarf planet Ceres, which lies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is not a barren space rock. It was earlier believed that the dwarf planet is barren but the data collected reveal that it is a water–rich place and there could be a large and deep reservoir of salt water. In the year 2015, the Dawn spacecraft arrived at Ceres, which us far smaller than the Earth’s moon.

• World Animal Protection, an international animal welfare organisation has released a new report titled “Elephants. Not commodities”. The third edition of the report reveals that India has the second–highest number of elephants used in tourism in Asia. It also reveals that as many as 225 of the elephants, which is more than 45%, were kept in severely inadequate conditions.

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) undertook a survey titled “Youth and COVID–19: impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well–being”. As per the survey, almost half of the world’s youth population is undergoing anxiety or depression–causing situations. More than a third are not sure of their future career prospects due to the COVID–19 pandemic. The survey was conducted to study the effect of pandemic on the lives of youths aged 18 to 29 years.

• The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has permitted registration of Electric Vehicles without pre–fitted batteries. The ministry has stated that Electric Vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered only with the type approval certificate issued by the Test Agency. Also, the Ministry has clarified that there is no need to mention any other details of the Battery for the purpose of Registration.

• A webinar titled “Weaves of Maharashtra and Textiles of Odisha” was organized by Press Information Bureau (PIB) – Mumbai and India Tourism – Mumbai. The key focus of the webinar was on the handlooms & fabrics of Maharashtra and Odisha.
• August 7 is celebrated as National Handloom Day in India, to honour the handloom weavers of the nation. August 7 was chosen to mark the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 to protest against partition of Bengal by the British Government.

• The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID–19 chaired by Dr V K Paul, Member NITI Aayog, met for the first time on 12th August. The meeting was co–chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The expert group has been constituted under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It discussed on the parameters required in selecting the COVID–19 vaccine candidates for India and procurement mechanisms for COVID–19 vaccine.

• The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs has released the “Report of the Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR)”. The report has proposed a new Reporting Framework for companies to reporting of Non–Financial Parameters. The framework is called “Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR)”. The BRSR is to be integrated with the MCA 21 portal. Also, the information captured through the framework would be used to develop “Business Responsibility–Sustainability Index”.

• With an aim to improve the efficiency and transparency in asset classification process, the Reserve Bank of India issued a direction to implement “system–based asset classification” in Urban Co–operative Banks (UCBs). Those UCBs having total assets of Rs.2000 crore or above as on 31st March 2020, should implement system–based asset classification from 30th June 2021. Those UCBs having total assets equal to or more than Rs.1000 crore but less than Rs.2000 crore shall implement it from 30th September 2021.

• The construction work of the Katra (Jammu & Kashmir) – Delhi Express Road Corridor is proposed to be completed in 3 years and will be operational by 2023. The express corridor would bring down the travel time from Katra to Delhi to around six and half hours. One key feature of this road is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, and other major religious shrines between the two destinations.

• China has initiated a new campaign to reduce food waste, called the “Clean Plate Campaign 2.0”. The campaign has been implemented after the Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted that Covid–19 had created an alarming situation on food waste. The first version of Clean Plate Campaign was launched in 2013 which aimed at restricting excessive official feasts and receptions.

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first–ever Gulf country and the third in the Arab world to establish diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a deal to halt the controversial annexation of parts of the West Bank that Palestinians see as part of their future state. US President has hailed this move. This move opens the ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies. Under the deal, UAE and Israel will also expand cooperation on the treatment of and the development of a vaccine for the Coronavirus.

• Among all the Indian Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi has the longest tenure as head of elected government. Including his term of more than 12 years as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, his total term as the head stands over 18 years and 300 days.

• HDFC Bank has recently announced the launch of “Shaurya KGC Card” for the armed forces. This card has been designed based on the Kisan Credit Card guidelines by the Government. More than 45 lakh Indian armed force personnel would get a life cover ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. It also requires simple documentation suited to the job nature of the armed force personnel.

• As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Odisha continued to be the top performer in implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Scheme (AMRUT). Odisha has secured first position by scoring 85.67 percent and provided piped water supply to households of nine cities of the state. Out of the 191 projects started under the AMRUT scheme, the state has completed 148 of them. Odisha is followed by Chandigarh and Telangana. Tamil Nadu has completed the highest number of works.

• Russia and Brazil have decided to cooperate in the production and marketing of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered coronavirus vaccine.

• An application called the ‘Interactive Neural Machine Translation (INMT) tool’, has been developed by the Microsoft Research Lab. Microsoft Lab has collaborated with CGNet Swara, an Indian voice–based online portal and IIIT Naya Raipur for developing this tool. It translates sentences from Hindi to South–Central Dravidian language Gondi and vice–versa. The application aims to motivate youth from the Gond tribal community to learn the language.

• As per the findings published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, a new low–cost nasal swab test named ‘N1–STOP–LAMP’ has been developed. As per the researchers, the test can accurately diagnose the presence of SARS–CoV–2 virus that causes Covid–19, in just 20 minutes. It is also 100 per cent accurate in diagnosing the samples at high loads. It uses a single tube and involves only one step and so it is very efficient and affordable.

• “Atulya” – a new device that can disinfect any premise in 30 seconds was unveiled by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari. The design of the device is certified by DRDO and is developed completely in India. It is portable and weighs about 3 kilograms. It can be used to disinfect any premise up to an area of 5 meters at a time. It can also be used to disinfect surfaces of home, office, boxes, furniture etc.

• The cabinet of Odisha has approved the tender amounting Rs.1138 crore for implementation of its ambitious irrigation project named “Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System”. The irrigation project would irrigate 25,600 hectares of agricultural land in drought hit regions of Barghar and Sonepur districts of Odisha. The project was first announced in the year 2017. The implementing agency will be announced soon.

• At the 74^th Independence Day celebration on 15^th August 2020, the Films Division would screen two documentary films – ‘India wins Freedom’ and ‘India Independent’. Apart from the above 2 films, 14 selected films on Independence movement were showcased in the “Online Patriotic Film Festival” being organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from 7^th Aug 2020 to 21^st Aug 2020 in http://www.cinemasofindia.com.

• The Center for Biopharma Analysis (CBA), which is set up at Pune has been virtually inaugurated by the Secretary of Department of Bio Technology. It is an initiative of the Venture Centre, which is a Technology Business Incubator hosted by CSIR– National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.
• The CBA is supported and funded by National Bio Pharma Mission implemented by the Department of Bio Technology. The CBA is a facility with high end instrumentation which complies with globally accepted standards of Bio pharmaceutical analysis.

• India has recently announced a financial assistance of USD 500 million assistance for its largest civilian infrastructure project.
• Out of the fund, USD 400 million line of credit and USD 100 million grant will be provided for the project that aims to connect the capital city Male with three neighbouring islands Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi. The 6.7 km Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will also improve economic activity and employment opportunities.

• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is an annual film festival held in Goa, every year in the month of November. The Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has confirmed that the Film Festival will be held as per schedule in Goa between November 20 and 28, this year. This festival is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals in association with the state government–owned Entertainment Society of Goa.

• Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi announced that its arm MI India will distribute over 2,500 smartphones worth Rs 2 crore to Indian children, to support online education. MI India will partner with Indian non–profit organisation ‘Teach for India’, to carry out the distribution process. The hand sets would be used in shifts to utilise the service effectively, to enable children access quality education.

• The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a new platform “Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest”. The platform aims to ease the compliance and fast–track the refunds so that all honest taxpayers are benefitted. Three main features of the platform include faceless assessment, faceless appeal and tax payers’ charter.

• The United States’ NASA launched Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has completed its primary mission. During its 2–year long primary mission, the survey satellite has found 66 new exoplanets outside our solar system. TESS also found over 2000 objects which would be confirmed by astronomers soon. The extended mission of TESS is to be completed in 2022.

• As per the recent announcement of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the INOX Group will be the official sponsor of the Indian team for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. Due to the prevalent COVID–19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics was rescheduled to next year, from July 23 to August 8 in 2021. The Group will also support the team’s promotions through its entertainment company – INOX Leisure Limited that owns a multiplex chain across the country.

• According to a new report by Purely Diamonds, Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city of Vietnam is the cheapest city to rent in the world. The report also revealed that New York is the most expensive city to rent, in the world. The Indian Capital, Delhi is the second cheapest city in the world. Delhi is followed by the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. New York is followed by Los Angeles as the second most expensive city.

• An Ayurveda Based Biodegradable Face Mask named “Pavitrapati” has been developed by Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, (DIAT) Pune. In this regard, an agreement was signed between DIAT Pune and a private company for mass development of the product. The company has now offered the face mask for sale. Similarly, the technology of developing anti–microbial body suit named “Aushada tara” is also transferred to the company.

• The Union Steel Ministry, in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has proposed to organise a webinar titled ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat: Fostering Steel Usage in Housing & Building Construction and Aviation Sectors’. The webinar would be conducted with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Ministry of Civil Aviation. It would focus on promoting designs and construction in Building, Housing, and Airport Projects.

• A new PMRU (Price Monitoring and Resource Unit) has been set up in the state of Karnataka under NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority), Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The main function of the PMRU is to assist NPPA to monitor the price of drugs in the market and also to ensure their availability. NPPA has established PMRUs in 12 States/ UTs under its Central Sector Scheme called Consumer Awareness, Publicity and Price Monitoring (CAPPM).

• The Online Performance dashboard of Ministry of Tribal Affairs called the “Empowering Tribals, Transforming India” has been launched. The dashboard was launched by Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog and Ramesh Chand, Member of NITI Aayog.

• Dwayne Johnson, also known as the Rock, has topped the Forbes List of Top 10 highly paid male actors of the world. The recently released annual list stated that the actor was paid an estimate of USD 87.5 million in the year 2020. Indian Actor Akshay Kumar was positioned 6th in the list with earnings of USD 48.5 million.

• Maldives is the first neighbouring country with which India is operating transport services under the air bubble agreement. Recently, the Director–General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced that Indians holding any kind of valid visa can travel through air to US, UK, Canada under air bubble agreement.

• President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has approved 84 awards and decorations to the Armed Forces personnel and members of the Paramilitary Forces.

• The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently delivered his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2020. In the speech, he mentioned about the launch of two new projects: Project Lion and Project Dolphin. The Project Lion aims to conserve Asiatic Lions and its landscape in a holistic manner. It will also help to tackle the Human–wildlife conflict and provide livelihood opportunities. Project Dolphin aims to conserve and protect Dolphins in the rivers and in oceans.

• Soumya Swaminathan, the Chief Scientist of World Health Organisation, was conferred with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s special award, for her advisory role in fighting the COVID–19 in the state. The Chief Minister’s Best Practices award was given to the Department of treasuries. Greater Chennai Corporation and Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation were also awarded for their significant roles in the fight against the pandemic.

• Indian cricket icon and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced retirement from international cricket. The 39–year–old star is the only captain in the world who led his team to win all three ICC trophies so far. Under his captaincy, India won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, Asia Cups in 2010 and 2016, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Another Cricketer Suresh Raina also announced his retirement.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to expand to cover border and coastal districts. The proposal regarding the scheme was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address. As many as one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts will be inducted to the NCC with one–third Cadets being girls. Over 80 NCC units will also be upgraded as a part of this expansion.