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Exams - Current Affairs 2019-2020

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New book authored by Dr. S Jaishankar Vembanad backwaters, has won the prestigious
Gustave Trouve Award for Excellence in Electric
 Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar is
Boats and Boating.
releasing his new book "The India Way: Strategies
 The ferry was adjudged the world’s best electric
for an Uncertain World".
boat in the category of ferries designed for paid
 The book was published under the HarperCollins
passenger service.
India publications.
 Every day it makes 22 trips with 75 people on
 Jaishankar writes in the book that India has had to
board.
struggle mightily to gain influence in a domain
that could have come more easily earlier as its Achyuta Rao passes away due to COVID
foreign policy carries “three major burdens” from
 Founder and President of Balala Hakula Sangham,
its past.
P Achyuta Rao, succumbed to COVID in Jul 2020.
Viral Acharya's new book  He had tested positive for novel coronavirus and
was admitted to Yashoda Hospital along with his
 Former deputy governor of RBI Viral V Acharya
brother.
has come up with his new book “Quest for
 He was a well-known child rights activist and had
Restoring Financial Stability in India”.
founded Balala Hakula Sangham in 1984.
 It is published by SAGE Publications.
 He is known to have helped prevent child
 In his book, Acharya argues that several policies
marriages, incidents of child sexual abuse, and
“regressed” the economic environment while he
child labour.
was deputy governor between early January 2017
and mid-July 2019. Jamie Vardy wins Golden Boot award
IMF grants $4.3 billion to South Africa  Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy bagged the
Premier Leagues Golden Boot award after netting
 The International Monetary Fund has approved
23 goals across the 2019/20 season.
$4.3 billion in emergency funding for South Africa.
 Vardy beat Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick
 This is the largest emergency disbursement for
Aubameyang, Southampton's Danny Ings and
any country yet to assist with fighting the
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling to
coronavirus pandemic.
scoop the prestigious individual award.
 The funds “support the authorities’ efforts in
 He is the first Leicester City player to claim the
addressing the challenging health situation and
award.
severe economic impact of the COVID-19 shock.
5th Annual Meeting of AIIB
India’s solar-powered ferry won an honour
 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended
 Aditya, India’s first solar-powered ferry that
the 5th Annual Meeting of the Board of
commenced operations in 2017 in Kerala’s
Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment
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 Bank (AIIB) through video conference in New
Delhi on 29 July 2020.
 The discussions at the meeting broadly covered
official business and a roundtable discussion on
the theme ‘AIIB 2030-Supporting Asia’s
Development over the Next Decade’.
Veteran actor Kumkum passes away
 Veteran actor Kumkum, who featured in over 100
Hindi films and popular songs such as ‘Kabhi Aar,
Kabhi Paar’ and ‘Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi',
passed away in July 2020.
 Her most memorable film appearances include
"Mr. X in Bombay", "Mother India", "Kohinoor",
"Ujala", and "Naya Daur".
 She also starred in the first Bhojpuri film "Ganga
Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo" in 1963.
Annual 5-day Haj pilgrimage commences
 The annual five-day Haj pilgrimage commenced
from 29 July 2020 in Saudi Arabia on a drastically
reduced scale due to coronavirus pandemic
globally.
 Only about 1,000 Muslims began their journey
from the holy city of Mecca to assemble in Mina.
 30% of them will be Saudi citizens while the
remaining seventy per cent will be foreign
nationals who live in Saudi Arabia.
PM Modi to inaugurate SC Building of Mauritius
 PM Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart
will jointly inaugurate the new Supreme Court
Building of Mauritius on 30 July 2020.
 The building has been constructed with Indian
grant assistance and will be the first India assisted
infrastructure project within the capital city of
Port Louis.
 The new project is one of the 5 projects being
implemented under the ‘Special Economic
Package’.
India Report on Digital Education, 2020
 HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on 28
July 2020 launched India Report on Digital
Education, 2020.
 The report elaborates on the innovative methods
adopted by Ministry of HRD, Education
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Departments of States and UTs for ensuring
accessible and inclusive education to children at
home and reducing learning gaps.
Hyderabad Police launches a Service
 The Hyderabad Police has launched the Free Last
Ride Services to transport the bodies of the
COVID-19 patients from hospitals to the
crematories.
 The city police in collaboration with an NGO 'Feed
the Needy, have started this Service to transport
the bodies.
 Any citizen can reach on 7995404040 to avail the
services.
 The service will be available from 8 AM till 6 PM.
ITC acquires Sunrise Foods
 ITC Ltd has announced the acquisition of spices
manufacturer Sunrise Foods Private Ltd (SFPL) in
an all-cash deal valued at Rs 2,150 crore.
 According to the company, it has acquired shares
of SFPL at an “upfront consideration of Rs 2,150
crores on a cash-free, debt-free basis”.
 In addition, the sellers are entitled to contingent
consideration of an amount not exceeding Rs 150
crore.
SBI providing $16 million liquidity support
 State Bank of India (SBI) in order to assist the
Maldives, is providing liquidity support of USD
16.20 million for local businesses and deferred
loan repayment for over 200 retail accounts.
 The assistance of USD 400 million through an
extended currency swap arrangement has been
made available already to tide over liquidity
shortage.
UK, India set to Collaborate
 The United Kingdom has collaborated with India.
 It will strengthen its existing joint scientific
research efforts with five new projects worth 8
mn pounds to tackle anti-microbial resistance
(AMR).
 The UK contributed four million pounds from its
UK Research and Innovation Fund for
International Collaboration, to which India
matched its own resources.
TN CM lays foundation stone for 8 companies  A climate activist from India has been named by
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to his
 Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami on 27
new advisory group.
July 2020 laid the foundation stone for 8
 The group comprises young leaders who will
companies with an investment of Rs 2,367 crores.
provide perspectives and solutions to tackle the
 These eight companies will have employment of
worsening climate crisis.
24,870 people.
 Archana Soreng joins six other young climate
 Palaniswami also inaugurated 12 companies with
leaders from around the world who have been
investments of Rs 3,185 crores.
named by Guterres to his new Youth Advisory
 These 12 companies will have employment of
Group on Climate Change.
6955 people.
Russia successfully tested Zircon missile
New Ambassador the Republic of Mauritania
 The Russian Defense Ministry has successfully
 Anjani Kumar has been concurrently accredited as
completed tests of the Zircon hypersonic missile.
the next Ambassador of India to the Islamic
 The test launches of the new missile were
Republic of Mauritania, with residence in Bamako.
conducted from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov.
 He is presently Ambassador of India to the
 The tests confirmed the unique tactical and
Republic of Mali.
technical characteristics of this missile in terms of
 Anjani Kumar, a 2003 batch Indian Foreign Service
range and accuracy, as well as the hypersonic
officer, was appointed as the envoy to Mali in
speed of its flight.
November 2019.
Centre to convert ravines of Chambal region
IRCTC, SBI Card launch contactless credit card
 The Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank,
 IRCTC and SBI Card together launched their new
has decided to convert large area of ravines in
co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay
Gwalior-Chambal belt of MP into arable land.
Platform.
 A preliminary report for the same will be
 The new RuPay credit card is equipped with Near
prepared in a month.
Field Communication (NFC) technology.
 More than 3 lakh hectares of rugged land is not
 The Cardholders will receive up to 10% value back
cultivable and if this area is improved, then this
on 1st AC, 2nd AC, 3rd AC, Executive Chair Car &
will help in the integrated development of the
AC Chair Car bookings made at IRCTC website.
Bihad area in Gwalior–Chambal region.
 The card also offers online transaction fee waiver.
International Tiger Day: 29 July
Tiger Census report released
 World Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every
 Union Environment Minister Prakash
year.
Javadekar on 28 July 2020 released Tiger Census
 The day aims at raising awareness about a gradual
report ahead of International Tiger Day.
decline in tiger population leaving them on the
 He also dedicated the Guinness world record to brink of extinction, and to encourage tiger
the people on the same day. conservation.
 The record recognises India's efforts in monitoring
 International Tiger Day was established in 2010 at
its tiger population as the world’s largest camera-
Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia.
trap survey of wildlife.
 Around 3,900 tigers remain in the wild across the
 The country now has nearly 70% of the global globe, according to World Wildlife Fund.
tiger population.
Russia suspends deliveries of missiles
Archana Soreng named to new advisory group

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 Russia has announced suspension of S-400
surface-to-air missile systems to China and said
the resumption of further deliveries is yet to be
ascertained.
 In 2018, China received the first batch of S-400
missile.
 The S-400 air defence missile system is considered
the most advanced of its kind in Russia, capable of
destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 km
and a height of up to 30 km.

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