October 2nd Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test English

 NITI Aayog and the Embassy of the Netherlands, New Delhi recently signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on ‘Decarbonization and Energy Transition Agenda’. Under this partnership, NITI Aayog and the Dutch Embassy aim to create innovative technological solutions to accommodate cleaner energy. It also aims to lower the net carbon footprint, to promote bio–energy technologies among others.

 India has successfully test fired a new version of the surface–to–surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. The missile with a number of indigenously developed sub–systems including a booster was flight–tested from the integrated test range at Balasore in Odisha. It has an extended range of about 400 km from the earlier 290 km range.

 Sheikh Nawaf al–Ahmad al–Sabah, also known as Sheikh Nawaf has been sworn in as the Emir (Head) of Kuwait. The previous ruler Sheikh Sabah al–Ahmad al–Jaber al–Sabah has recently died in the United States at the age of 91. Sheikh Sabah ruled the country for more than 14 years and the new Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf is 83 years old.

 India’s Sehgal Foundation has emerged as a co–runner up of the USA’s “Citizen Diplomacy Award”. The institution has been selected for its human rights and women empowerment work in rural India. The Department of States – Bureau of Global Public Affairs of USA, launched the Citizen Diplomacy Award in 2017 to recognize significant contributions by citizens and organizations to deepen USA’s foreign policy around the world.

 Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) has commenced the exploration of the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in Karnataka. MECL is a Mini Ratna PSU under the Ministry of Mines. This mining activity is expected to help resolve Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) issue over exploration of the gold field, which is pending for past 16 years.

 The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revised the ideal weight for adult Indian men from 60 kg to 65 kg. Similarly, the NIN has revised the ideal weight for adult Indian women from 50 kg to 55 kg. The definition of Indian adult also stands revised from 20–39 years to 19–39 years.

 iDEX4Fauji is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Defence to identify innovations created by Indian Armed Forces personnel. The initiative has been launched to reward innovations identified by members of the Armed Forces and will boost innovative ideas from soldiers/ field formations. The Minister also launched Defence India Startup Challenge–4.

 A ‘High Level Monitoring Committee’ is proposed to be set up by India and Bangladesh to review projects implemented with Line of Credit (LoC) provided by India. The decision was made at the 6th Joint Consultative Commission meeting between the two countries held in a virtual mode. The High–Level Monitoring Committee would be headed by Secretary, Economic Relations Division of Bangladesh and High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh.

 The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is celebrating the sixth anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM–U). To commemorate the event, the Ministry is organising a webinar titled ‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal’. The Ministry said that 4,327 urban local bodies have been declared open defecation–free (ODF) so far.________________________________________

 The World Health Organization has designated 2020–2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing”. International Day of Older Persons is observed on Oct.1 every year. United Nations designated this day to focus on the well–being and special needs of the elderly people. The UN theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 is “Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”.

 The United States has committed $1.9 million to support vulnerable people in India including those involved in informal sector workers. This financial assistance from US Agency for International Development (USAID) is provided by the American people to partners in India. This will support the Revive alliance, to address challenges caused by unemployment & income gaps faced by workers.

 Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda is to launch India’s largest handicraft and organic products marketplace named “Tribes India e–Marketplace”. This marketplace will be launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. This initiative of TRIFED will showcase the produce and handicrafts of tribal enterprises from all parts of the country. The Minister will also launch Pakur Honey, gathered by Santhal Tribals from Pakur, Jharkhand.

 Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda is to launch India’s largest handicraft and organic products marketplace named “Tribes India e–Marketplace”. This marketplace will be launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. This initiative of TRIFED will showcase the produce and handicrafts of tribal enterprises from all parts of the country. The Minister will also launch Pakur Honey, gathered by Santhal Tribals from Pakur, Jharkhand.

 Google has planned to pay publishers globally for their news over the next three years. The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai said the new product called Google News Showcase will be launched first in Germany. It will be unveiled in Belgium, India, the Netherlands and other countries. Google will pay publishers to create high–quality content for the news feature.

 China is expected to send the world’s first mining robot into space by November 2020 through a private Beijing company, Origin Space. The mining robot named as an ‘Asteroid mining robot’ will be a part of the preliminary assessment to identify and extract valuable resources. The spacecraft NEO–1 will be launched onboard a Chinese Long March rocket.

 The Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) has been launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Venture Capital Fund for SCs. The mission has been launched with an aim to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste students studying in higher educational institutions.

 The Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has unveiled a new logo of Sports Authority of India (SAI). The new logo signifies SAI’s journey of transformation from identifying grassroot level talent to creating sporting excellence in India. SAI was established in 1982 and has been an epicentre for sports in India.________________________________________

 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed to launch its Venus mission by the year 2025. French space agency CNES would also participate in the mission. Presently, the two nations are working closely on ISRO’s human space mission Gaganyaan that aims to send 3 Indians to space by 2022.

 A Fast Patrol Vessel named “ICGS Kanaklata Barua” has been commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard. The ship is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and is the fifth and last in a series of FPVs built by the company. The ship has been named after a teen age freedom fighter of Assam who was shot dead during the Quit India Movement. Related Questions

 “Operation My Saheli” has been launched by the South Eastern Railway, to boost the safety of women passengers during their entire train journey.
 The operation protects women from originating point to destination. In a pilot mode, the operation has been introduced in three trains namely trains Howrah–Yeshvantpur Duronto Special, Howrah– Ahmedabad Special and Howrah–Mumbai special trains.

 Nigeria is celebrating its 60th Independence Day on Oct 1, 2020. Nigeria gained independence from the imperial Britain on October 1, 1960 and a representative of Queen Elizabeth II handed over Nigeria’s constitution to the country’s new Prime Minister – Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The African country became a republic three years later.

 The Defence ministry has signed a Rs 400 crore–contract with Economic Explosive Limited (EEL), for the supply of ten lakh hand grenades. Earlier, similar products were either imported or made by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The new grenades called multi–mode hand grenades (MMHG), have been designed by the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of DRDO.

 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired an indigenously developed laser–guided anti–tank guided missile (ATGM). The missile was test fired from the third–generation main battle tank, Arjun from a range at Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The ATGM has been developed with a capability to launch from multiple platforms.

 The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit on October 2. The summit is a global virtual summit of overseas and resident Indian Researchers and Academicians. It is to be organised from October 2 to October 31. The summit creates a single platform for Science and Technology (S&T) related discussions.

 Indian Foreign Service officer Devyani Uttam Khobragade has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Cambodia. This has been announced by the Ministry of External Affairs. Ms Khobragade is a 1999–batch Indian Foreign Service officer, currently serving as a joint secretary in the External Affairs Ministry. She has served in Indian missions in Berlin, Islamabad, Rome and New York.

 The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed highly purified ‘Antisera’ for prevention and treatment of COVID–19. ICMR along with Hyderabad–based Biological E. Limited have developed highly purified antisera, which was raised in animals, for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID–19. This was previously used in medical science to treat many viral and bacterial infections.

 On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Swachh Bharat Diwas 2020 was celebrated which included the distribution of Swachh Bharat Puraskar. In the Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shauchalaya (SSSS) campaign organized from 1st Nov 2019 to 30th April 2020, Gujarat state has been conferred with the first prize. Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) won the best district award.

 The National Statistical Office (NSO) conducted the first of its kind “Time Use Survey in India” during the period from January to December 2019. The result of the survey has been released recently in the form of a report. The survey measures the time spent on paid activities, care activities, unpaid activities, etc. NSO conducted the survey covering 1,38,799 households in both urban and rural areas.________________________________________

 The E Way bill system is being implemented by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). It is an Electronic Way bill for movement of goods to be generated on the eWay Bill Portal. A GST registered person cannot transport goods more than Rs.50,000 without an e way bill. Finance Secretary Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey has recently stated that more than 5.74 crore e–way bills have been generated in the month of September 2020 which is seen as a sign of revival of business activities in the country.

 The Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) survey is conducted by the nation’s think tank NITI Aayog, by its Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office. The survey aims to evaluate the performance of different Ministries / Departments in implementing Central Sector Schemes (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS). Department of Fertilizers has been ranked 2nd among 65 departments under the Data Governance Quality Index survey.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of Committee of Directors to run Dhanlaxmi Bank. RBI is said to have approved a three–member interim committee of directors, headed by G Subramonia Iyer, to run the bank. Earlier, the shareholders voted out the bank’s MD and CEO Sunil Gurbaxani.

 October 2 is observed as the International Day of Non–Violence every year by the United Nations, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The UN General Assembly in a resolution on 15 June 2007 declared this day. The objective of this day is to spread the message of non–violence through education and public awareness. Gandhi is known across the world for his non–violence movement ‘Satyagraha’.

 Madhabi Puri Buch is the first woman Whole–time member (WTM) of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). She is also the first from the private sector to be appointed a SEBI Board member. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has recently approved the extension of her appointment as WTM for one year beginning October 4, 2020.

 India has successfully test fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’. The surface–to–surface tactical missile, with a strike range of around 1,000 km, has been test fired from a test range in Odisha. ‘Shaurya’ is the land variant of India’s K–15 missile and is capable of carrying payloads of 200 kg to 1000 kg.

 The ‘World Day for Farmed Animals’ is celebrated on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Day is being observed since 1983 by various international organisations including ‘World Animal Protection and Asia for Animals coalition’. In this year, a campaign of ‘Pledge to #FastAgainstSlaughter’ was held.

 The Indian Navy along with Greater Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation had undertaken Aerial Seeding in Vishakhapatnam. This initiative is aimed to increase green cover in and around Vishakhapatnam. Over 6.25 tonnes of seed balls were air dropped in five locations from the Naval helicopters.

 The fourth World Conference on Women was convened by the United Nations during in September 1995 in Beijing, China. The 25th anniversary of the fourth World Conference on Women was recently organised. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani participated in the conference. She highlighted about the initiatives undertaken in India including the National Nutrition Mission.

 A United States Navy P–8A long range Maritime Patrol Aircra landed at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This is seen as a significant incident as this is the first time a U.S. P–8 aircraft landed at Port Blair for refuelling under the bilateral logistics support agreement. The agreement is called the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).________________________________________

 As per the recent press release issued by the Ministry of Defence, two exercises namely Bongosagar and Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) will be held between India and Bangladesh in October first week. Under the India Bangladesh Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) exercise, both navies will undertake joint patrolling along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The exercises are held as part of Prime Minister’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative.

 The Indian Institute of Public Administration is a Research and training organization under the Union Ministry of Personnel. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is the ex–officio President of IIPA. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs & Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) has recently organized a two–day ‘National Tribal Research Conclave’ through virtual platform chaired by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda.

 A painting of V.S. Gaitonde has become the most expensive work of art by an Indian artist, as it has fetched Rs 32 Crore at an auction held at Mumbai auction house Pundole. The untitled oil–on–canvas painting was created in the year 1974 and was bought by an unnamed international buyer. This sale breaks the record held by another art work of V.S. Gaitonde that fetched Rs 29.3 crore in the year 2015.

 The Naval Investiture Ceremony of this year has been conducted at Visakhapatnam. During the ceremony, the Gallantry and non–Gallantry Awards announced on the Republic Day this year were conferred. The Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain also presented Unit citations to distinguished Naval units which have performed well during the past year.

 The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C–DAC) is set to commission India’s largest HPC–AI supercomputer, ‘PARAM Siddhi – AI’. The initiative has been led by Scientist and Program Director at CDAC Abhishek Das. The same has been approved by the Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad. The supercomputer will have 210 AI Petaflops and will be based on NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD reference architecture.

 In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, the resilience of tropical rainforests under two additional extreme scenarios is explored. As per the study, rainfall in the Amazon is very low that up to 40% of the forest is at a risk of changing into a savanna–like environment, with fewer trees and biodiversity. The study also simulated the effect of emissions from burning fossil fuels between now and the end of the century.

 Technology Major Google has recently announced Google Workspace as the new name for its package of business tools. The package including email and document editing was earlier known by the G Suite brand, which was introduced in 2016. Google has also launched some new features including integration of video chat with co–workers among others.

 India and Israel have agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus with special focus on technological cooperation. During the telephonic conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the leaders agreed to hold a digital conference on innovation in the field of solar energy.

 The National Mission for Clean Ganga along with Wildlife Institute of India and the Forest Department launched the ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’ campaign. This has been launched on the occasion of Ganga River Dolphin Day observed on October 5, 2020. A Dolphin–based ecotourism programme was also launched at various sites along the Ganga River. Under the campaign, Dolphin Census will be conducted and awareness campaigns would be held.

 Wildlife Week is celebrated every year in India between October 1 and 8, to promote and preserve the wild lives. Wildlife Week was conceptualized in the year 1952 to create awareness and safe guard the lives of wildlife through critical action. This year, the Wildlife Institute of India is organising a series of webinar in this regard.

 The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Kisan Rath Mobile App, to facilitate timely sale of agricultural products. The app is designed and technically maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and aims to establish a robust buyer–seller network. The app will be released by the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART).

 Indian Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has extended its contract with Ericsson for deployment of 5G–ready radio and transport solutions. The Made–in–India 5G–ready Ericsson Radio System products are expected to enhance the network capacity and customer experience. India has the highest usage of smartphone per month.________________________________________