WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

India designated Vice-Chair of GLP Working Group of OECD  has been designated as the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Working Group for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  OECD has acknowledged the contribution of Indian GLP program and designated Dr. Ekta Kapoor (Scientist E, NGCMA, DST) as the Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP for 2021 and 2022.  GLP: It is a quality system, evolved by OECD for safe data generation on various chemicals that can be relied upon by authorities. Cabinet approved Rs 5718 crore World Bank supported STARS project  Union Cabinet has approved World Bank supported STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States) project  STARS Project will support states in developing, implementing and evaluating interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes.  The total outlay of the project is Rs 5,718 crore  It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Dept of School Education and Literacy covering Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, MP, Kerala and Odisha. India’s first Oscar winner Costume designer BhanuAthaiya passed away  India's first Oscar winner Costume designer BhanuAthaiya (91 years) passed away in Mumbai  She won Oscar for her work in epic film Richard Attenborough's Gandhi in 1983 jointly with John Mollo  She began her career as a costume designer in movie 'C.I.D.'.  She is known for Bollywood's looks, including Vyjayantihmala in Aamrapaali, WaheedaRehman in Guide and ZeenatAman in Satyam ShivamSundaram.  She also won 2 national awards for Lekin (1990) and Lagaan (2001). Asia's longest ZojiLa Tunnel in Ladakh works initiated  Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has initiated Asia's longest ZojiLa Tunnel works virtually by igniting ceremonial blasts  Project initiated with twin blasts at East portals of Meenamarg and Baltal  Zojila tunnel is situated at a height of 3000 mtrs in Peerpanjal mountain range and is a historic necessity to provide an all-weather road connectivity between Ladakh and world  It will have bi-directional 2 lane with speed of 80 kilo meters. Union Minister launched KAPILA Kalam program  Union Education Minister 'Nishank' has launched 'KAPILA' Kalam Program for IP Literacy and Awareness Education campaign to bring awareness towards patenting of inventions  Under this, students pursuing education in higher educational institutions will get information about correct system of application process  Institution Innovation Council (IIC 2.0) Report was also presented  October 15th-23rd will be celebrated as 'Intellectual Property Literacy Week'. DG of Shipping authorized as National Authority for Recycling of Ships  Central govt has notified to authorize Director-General of Shipping as the National Authority for Recycling of Ships under the section 3 of Recycling of Ships Act, 2019  After, DG Shipping will be the apex authority for the ship recycling industry of India and will will administer, supervise and monitor all activities relating to ship recycling.  National Authority of Ship Recycling head office will be set up in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Leather Sector Skill Council launched SCALE India Android App  Leather Sector Skill Council under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees (SCALE) India android app  The platform is a one-stop place to caters to need of all the stakeholders like trainee, employer, employee, etc for skilling and employment ecosystem  Services can be made accessible through web and android application Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 1

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

 It will also provide a marketplace for human capital. India and Kazakhstan held webinar for defence cooperation  India and Kazakhstan hold a webinar for defence cooperation under the aegis of Dept of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through FICCI.  Webinar’s Theme was ‘Make in India For The World, India–Kazakhstan Defence Cooperation: Webinar and Expo’.  It is the part of the series of webinars that are being organized with friendly foreign countries to boost defence exports and achieve defence export target of $5 billion  More than 350 participants attended the webinar. Lewis Hamilton won Portuguese Grand Prix 2020  Mercedes Racer Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) has won 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix held at Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal  This was the 12th round of 2020 F1 World Championship.  It is the 8th victory of 2020 F1 season for Lewis Hamilton and 92nd victory in his racing career.  With this, he has surpassed Michael Schumacher (Germany) record of 91 victories in F1 championship.  Mercedes's ValtteriBottas bagged 2nd spot followed by Max Verstappen. Veteran Gujarati Singer Mahesh Kanodia passed away in Gandhinagar  Veteran Gujarati film musician, singer and former MP Mahesh Kanodia (83 years) passed away due to prolonged illness at his residence in Gandhinagar  He was a member of 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th Lok Sabha from Patan constituency of North Gujarat.  He was known for singing in 32 different voices including female voices along with working for Gujarat cinema  He was awarded for Best Music for Gujarati films Jigarane Ami, Tanariri, Jog Sanjog and LajuLakhan. Sudan became 3rd Arab Nation to normalise relations with Israel  Sudan became 3rd Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel, days after the US removed it from its State Sponsor of Terrorism list  Sudan was in the terrorism list for over 27 years.  The new agreement between Sudan and Israel will establish economic and trade links, with an initial focus on agriculture  United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first Arab nations to establish formal ties with Israel  Sudan’s Capital: Khartoum China may not recognise British-issued Hong Kong passports  China will not consider recognizing Hong Kong British national overseas (BNO) passports as valid travel documents, after British govt's announces new visa rules for British National Overseas citizens in Hong kong.  Britain wa about to start BNO visa applications for residents in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from January 31, 2021.  As per new visa rule, BNO Visa holders will have the right to work and study in UK 5 years and can apply for citizenship. IIT Kharagpur with TCS develops novel Industry 4.0 technology  IIT Kharagpur and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has jointly developed novel Industry 4.0 technology for remotely controlled factory operations and real-time quality correction during industrial production  This will provide setting a new trend in India’s advanced manufacturing sector  This technology development was headed by Prof. Surjya K Pal  This will provide standardized quality goals throughout production process and reduce rejection by lowering production cost.

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India’s first Sand Dune Park to be developed in Goa  India’s first sand dune parks and interpretation centre is set to be established in Goa by Goa biodiversity board with financial assistance from World Bank.  World Bank has sanctioned Rs.3 crore for its implementation  Sand Dune park project will have interpretation centres to educate locals and tourists about the importance of sand dune ecosystem  It will also have bridges to reduce trampling on sand dune vegetation and nurseries for replantation on beach stretches. ESI Scheme extended to Arunachal Pradesh for the first time  Central Govt. has extended Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Scheme for the first time to Arunachal Pradesh with effect from 1st November 2020.  All factories located in Papum Pare district, employing 10 or more persons will be eligible for coverage under ESI Act 1948, along with other benefits  ESI Corporation: It is a Social Security organization providing various benefits during employment.  ESI Scheme is implemented in all States and UTs, except Lakshdweep. Uttarakhand CM launched Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme  Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has inaugurated Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme (EkikritAdarshKrishi Gram Yojana) to strengthen the economy of farmers by doubling their income.  It has been launched in partnership with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).  State govt has also enhanced the limit for interest free loan to farmers from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh  NABARD will help in mechanized scientific farming boosting productivity. Indian Bank partnered IIT-Madras to set up startups incubation cell  Indian Bank has partnered with IIT-Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) to launch ‘IND Spring Board’ initiative for funding start-ups.  Under this, IITMIC will refer start-ups with proven technology and established cash flows to the Indian bank.  It would also extend advisory to Indian bank on the business model.  Bank will extend loans of up to Rs 50 crore to these selected start-ups for their working capital requirements.  Indian Bank Headquarters: Chennai. NITI Aayog set up panel for urban planning education reforms  NITI Aayog has constituted 14-member advisory committee for introducing reforms in the urban planning education system under the chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar (Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog)  The panel will review the current urban planning education system in India in terms of multi- disciplinarity, curriculum and related issues at graduate and post graduate levels.  It will also examine the availability, demand and supply of qualified urban planners in the country. Bank of Baroda tied-up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor for auto finance  Bank of Baroda (BoB) has tied-up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) to provide finance options for the automaker's customers and dealers.  This partnership will make BoB one of the preferred financiers for the entire range of vehicles sold by TKM  This will facilitates customers to avail customised solutions such as high on-road funding of 90%, long repayment period of 84 months, no prepayment or foreclosure charges.  BoB MD and CEO: Sanjiv Chadha. United Nations Day being observed on 24 October  The United Nations Day (UN) is being observed globally on 24th October to make people aware of the aims and achievements of the United Nations Organization.

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 The UN was founded in 1945 to support collective action to realize peace, development and human rights for all.  In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly had declared 24th October as the United Nations Day by adopting Resolution 2782.  Secretary-general: AntónioGuterres  Headquarters: New York, USA CBSE introduced facial recognition systems for accessing digital document  Using the state of the art Facial Recognition System, CBSE will enable students, to download their digital academic documents of class X and XII.  This computer application matches a human face from a digital image already stored in the database.  In a similar way, a live image of the student will be matched with the photograph on the CBSE admit card already stored in the repository, and once successful, the certificate will be emailed to the student. India's foreign exchange reserved touch 555.12 billion dollars  India's foreign exchange reserves have surged by 3.615 billion dollars to touch a fresh lifetime high of 555.12 billion dollars in the week ended 16th October.  Foreign currency assets increased by 3.539 billion dollars to 512.322 billion dollars.  Gold reserves went up by 86 million dollars in the reporting week to reach 36.685 billion dollars.  The country’s special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund remained unchanged at 1.480 billion dollars. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin got nod for phase 3 clinical trials  India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate, COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has received the nod for Phase-3 clinical trials in the country.  The Subject Expert Committee (under DCGI) has given approval for the last phase of clinical trials with certain conditions.  The potential vaccine candidate will be tested on over 28 thousand people (across 10 states and 19 sites) aged 18 years and above. UP cops to converse in regional dialects also on 112 helpline number  In Uttar Pradesh, police personnel will also converse in regional dialects on 112 police Help Line to the convenience of the rural population of the state.  As part of this scheme, it has been decided to include Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli and other local dialects in the system.  The communication officers serving at the emergency services have been specially trained for this purpose and they can speak in many dialects including Pahari and Bhojpuri. Saad al-Hariri renamed Lebanon Prime Minister  Lebanon's President Michel Aoun designated Sunni Muslim politician Saad al-Hariri (50-years) as prime minister.  Hariri won the backing of a majority of parliamentarians in consultations with Aoun.  Sunni leader Hariri's last coalition government was toppled almost exactly a year ago as protests gripped the country.  Hariri was backed by his own Future lawmakers, the Shi'ite Amal party, Druze politician WalidJumblatt's party and other small blocks. Culture Ministry virtually launched ‘Life in Miniature’ project  Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has virtually launched ‘Life in Miniature’ project in collaboration with National Museum, New Delhi and Google Arts & Culture.

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 The project will facilitate users to see famous miniature collections like Ramayana, Royal Saga, Pahari style paintings of National Museum in never before seen ways with extraordinary detail in just a few clicks using technology  It runs around 5 universal themes: nature, love, celebration, faith and power. Andhra Pradesh CM launched ‘YSR BIMA’ for BPL families  Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched ‘YSR Bima’ to provide financial assistance to 1.41 crore Below Poverty Line (BPL) families  It is an insurance cover that will be provided in case of death, and disability due to accident of their families members.  Eligibility: All families with white ration cards  Village/ward volunteers will visit the families and enrol the names of the primary householders for this  The scheme is fully funded by Andhra Pardesh govt. AYUSH Ministry inaugurated RRDR at AIIA, New Delhi  Ministry of AYUSH inaugurated Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) at All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi.  This RRDR is the second in the series of repositories proposed by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH and will be dedicated to the Trans-Ganga Plain Region.  AIM: To document the diversity in the genetics and chemistry of medicinal plants  RRDR for Trans-Ganga Plain Region covers Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab. Tamil Nadu Govt launched Smart Black Board Scheme in Govt schools  Tamil Nadu Govt has launched Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools of the state to ensure better teaching environment.  The scheme will facilitate usage of audio-visual teaching material that can be fed into the computer screens in classes using widely available pen drives.  The scheme is launched in line of Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.  State has also implemented Centre’s Smart Classroom scheme.  Tamil Nadu's CM: Edappadi K Palaniswami Haryana Government launched a Water Testing Lab On Wheels  Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar launched aRs 99-lakh state-of the art-Mobile- Water Testing Laboratory Van to determine the quality of potable water.  This initiative has been launched under the Jal Jeevan Mission for providing tap water connection to every rural household.  The objective of this mobile lab initiative is to provide easy access for water testing in remote locations of the state and also help identify the water-quality problems on the spot.  The Water Quality in Haryana is mainly affected by constituents like total dissolved solids (TDS), Fluoride, nitrate, iron and alkalinity.  The Mobile Water Testing Laboratory Van is fully equipped with multi-parameter system, capable of measuring different water quality parameters like pH, alkalinity, TDS, hardness, residual chlorine, zinc, nitrite, Fluoride, turbidity and micro-biological test of water samples. It is also GPS enabled for location tracking, and will help in quickly identifying the water quality problem on the spot at site.  Under the Jal Jeevan Mission of the Ministry of Jal Shakti aims to provide tap water connection to every rural home by 2024. PM Modi released autobiography of former Union Minister BalasahebVikhePatil  Prime Minister released the autobiography of former Union Minister DrBalasahebVikhePatil through video conferencing.  The autobiography of Dr. Patil has been titled ‘DehVechwaKarani,’ means ‘dedicating one’s life for a noble cause.’

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 He also renamed the Pravara Rural Education Society as ‘LokneteDrBalasahebVikhePatilPravara Rural Education Society’.  Pravara Rural Education Society was established in 1964 at Loni in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra with the aim to provide a world-class education to the rural masses and empower the girl child. Finance Minister announced measures to boost consumer & capital demand by Rs 73000 cr by 31 March 2021  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 43rd GST Council meeting through video conferencing in New Delhi.  Sitharaman announced several measures to boost capital expenditure and stimulate consumer demand in the economy, which are are estimated to cost Rs 73,000 crore by 31 March 2021.  The major highlights of the announcements made during the meeting are listed below:  Rs 12,000 crore interest-free 50-year loan to states for spending only on capital projects in a bid to boost economy.  Out of this, Rs 1,600 crore will be for north-eastern states and Rs 900 crore will be for Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Rs 7,500 crore for the remaining states. Rs 2,000 crore will be given to states that fulfill pre-stated reforms.  Additional capital expenditure of Rs 25,000 crore. This will be provided over and above the existing Rs 4.13 lakh crore allotted in the annual budget.  The additional money will be for spending on roads, defence infrastructure, water supply and urban development, defence infrastructure and domestically produced capital equipment.  LTC Cash Voucher Scheme and Special Festival Advance Scheme to primarily benefit central government employees. The schemes will generate additional consumer demand of Rs. 36,000 crore by March 31, 2021. This would include Rs 28,000 crore through LTC voucher scheme and Rs 8,000 crore through festival advance scheme.  Leave Travel Concession (LTC) Cash Voucher Schemes  Central government employees get leave travel concession in a block of four years, but due to the covid-19 pandemic, employees will not be able to avail the LTC in the 2018-21 year block.  So the government will pay the entitled fare as cash vouchers, which employees could use to make purchases of their choice. This should be spent by March 31, 2021.  An employee opting for this scheme will have to buy goods and services worth three times the fare and one time leave encashment, and only on goods attracting GST of 12% or more and only digital payments will be allowed.  Special Festival Advance Scheme  The festival advance and other similar advances were abolished under the 7th Pay Commission. But the government has proposed to restore the festival advances to Government employees for festivals upto 1st January 2021.  Under this, all Central Government employees will get an interest-free advance of Rs 10,000, in the form of a prepaid RuPay Card. This needs to be spent by March 31, 2021.  The amount should be paid back in 10 instalments. Centre to borrow Rs 1.1 Lakh Crore to meet shortfall of GST Compensation  The central government has announced that it will borrow Rs. 1.1 lakh crore under the special GST window to meet the revenue shortfall on account of implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation  Under the Special Window, the estimated shortfall of Rs. 1.1 lakh cr (assuming all States join) will be borrowed by Government in appropriate tranches.  The borrowed amount will be passed on to the States as a back-to-back loan and it will be in lieu of GST Compensation Cess releases.

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World’s biggest Zinc Smelter facility to be set up in Dosawada of Tapi district in Gujarat  The state Government of Gujarat has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), a subsidiary of Vedanta Group, to set up a Zinc Smelter plant at Doswada in Tapi district.  The HZL will invest Rs 10,000 crore for this project, which will be the world’s largest zinc smelting facility.  It will have a generation capacity of 300 kilo-tonnes per annum (ktpa).  The first phase of the project is expected to be commissioned within 36 months from the date of signing of MoU.  The plant will accelerate the economic and industrial development of the state and satisfy the domestic as well as global needs through exports. Uttar Pradesh emerged as top destination in 2019 for attracting domestic tourists  Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top destination for attracting the highest number of domestic tourists visiting the state in 2019 as per the Indian Tourism Statistics (ITS), 2020, released by the Ministry of Tourism.  About 53.6 crore domestic tourists visited Uttar Pradesh in 2019, which is 23.1% of the total travellers.  Tamil Nadu (21.3%) came second followed by Andhra Pradesh (10.2%).  Tamil Top destination for attracting foreign travellers  However, in terms of Foreign tourists, Tamil Nadu has topped the list with nearly 68 lakh foreigners visiting the state in 2019.  Maharashtra (over 55 lakh) is at second position in this list while Uttar Pradesh (over 47 lakh) has secured the third position in attracting foreign tourists visiting in 2019.  Goa came last on this list with over 9 lakh foreign tourist visits in 2019. ‘Mo Bidyut’ portal & app launched by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik  The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched an electricity consumer service portal and its mobile app named ‘Mo Bidyut’to provide efficient, time-bound and transparent online electricity connection service to the people of the State.  The electricity services in the state will now come under Mo Sarkar.  Some key features of Mo Bidyut includes:  People will not need to run to various offices for new connections, bill payment or grievance redressal.  The initiative will benefit more than 89 lakh electricity consumers of the State  The portal can be accessed at www.mobidyut.com.  It is a bilingual online integrated platform covering all four power utilities of the State such as TPCODL, NESCO, WESCO and SOUTHCO.  With this portal, consumers will be able to avail services pertaining to new power connection up to 5 KW for domestic, general purpose and specified public purpose like irrigation, pumping and agriculture within 48 hours, energy bill payment and grievance redressal relating to the service. IIT Kharagpur’s ‘COVIRAP’ Technology for COVID-19 Test gets ICMR Certification  The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed ‘COVIRAP,’ the Covid-19 diagnostic test technology, which is fairly easy to conduct and affordable as well and can produce results within one hour.  This COVIRAP technology has been successfully validated for its efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and been granted certification, after rigorous testing with patient samples by an authorized ICMR laboratory.  This test technology is comparable to the celebrated RT-PCR tests, and will just cost the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500

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Culture & Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched Life in Miniature project  The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched ‘Life in Miniature’ project via video conferencing.  The project is a collaboration between the National Museum, New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, and the Google Arts and Culture.  Under the ‘Life in Miniature’ project, various miniature paintings from the National Museum can be viewed online on Google Arts and Culture by people around the world.  It would include miniature art like the Ramayana, Royal Saga, Pahari style paintings in never before seen ways and in extraordinary detail.  The project can be accessed at g.co/LifeInMiniature.  It will make use of technologies like machine learning, augmented reality and digitization with high- definition robotic cameras, to showcase these special works of art in a magical new way. Asan Conservation Reserve got first Ramsar site tag from Uttarakhand  The Asan Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand has become the first Ramsar site in the state, giving it the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’.  The Reserve is located near Dehradun district in Garhwal region of the Himalayan state on the banks of Yamuna river.  Apart from this, Kabartal Wetland from Bihar is the another new site to be recognised by Ramsar.  With this, the total number of Ramsar sites in India has increased to 39, which is the highest in South Asia. Andhra Pradesh CM launched ‘YSR BIMA’ insurance scheme for BPL families  The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ‘YSR Bima’, a scheme to provide financial assistance through insurance cover to beneficiary in case of death or accident of their families members.  All families with white ration cards are eligible for YSR Bima scheme. Village/ward volunteers will visit the families and enrol the names of the primary householders.  The scheme will benefit 1.41 crore BPL families of the state. Tamil Nadu Government Launched Smart Black Board Scheme in 80,000 Govt schools  The state government of Tamil Nadu has launched the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools of the state.  The initiative aims to ensure better teaching environment as well as lead towards Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.  Under this Smart Black Board scheme, audio visual teaching material would be possible, that can even be fed into the computer screens in classes using widely available pen drives. INS Kavaratti, last in series of 4 indigenously-built stealth corvettes, commissioned into Indian Navy  The Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane commissioned the ‘INS Kavaratti’, the last of four indigenously built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes, into the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.  The ship has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.  The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes has been undertaken under ‘Project 28’, also called Kamorta-class corvettes of the Navy.  INS Kavaratti has a state-of-the-art weapons and sensor suite capable of “detecting and prosecuting” submarines and good endurance for long-range deployments. DRDO successfully conducts final trial of Nag anti-tank guided missile in Pokhran range  India successfully carried out the final trial of the third generation, anti-tank guided missile ‘NAG’, from the Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan.  The Nag anti-tank guided missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), to engage highly fortified enemy tanks in day and night conditions.

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 The successful final user trial of the missile makes the Nag anti-tank missile ready for induction in the Indian Army.  Following the final trial, the missile will now enter into the production phase.  It will be manufactured by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), of DRDO. Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh bagged top position for implementation of PMGSY  The Union Ministry of Rural Development has declared the list of top performing 30 districts in the country for implementing the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY).  The Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh has bagged top position in the list for successful implementation of PMGSY programme.  Total 8 district from Himachal Pradesh have figured in the list. The other districts are Chamba, Shimla, Kangra, Una, Sirmour, Hamirpur and Solan.  The Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY), was launched by the Union government to provide all weather road connectivity to unconnected habitations, having population of more than 250 in the state, as part of a poverty reduction strategy. Agriculture Minister ParshottamRupala launched AyushmanSahakar scheme of NCDC to fund co-operative healthcare facilities  The Union Agriculture Minister of State, Sh. ParshottamRupala launched AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme, to involve co-operatives in creating healthcare infrastructure in the country.  The unique scheme has been formulated by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). (The NCDC was set up under the Ministry of Agriculture in 1963, for promotion and development of cooperatives).  The NCDC will extend loans to the tune of Rs.10, 000 crore to prospective cooperatives to set up healthcare facilities.  Additionally, the scheme would provides interest subvention of one percent to women majority cooperatives.  The main motive of AyushmanSahakar is to bring transformation in rural areas, to revolutionize comprehensive health care services, through co-operatives, due to their strong presence in rural areas.  AyushmanSahakar would specifically cover establishment, modernization, expansion, repairs, renovation of hospital and healthcare and education infrastructure. FSSAI to expand its new food safety compliance platform across entire India from November 01  The food regulator FSSAI has announced to extend its Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) across the entire country from November 1, 2020.  Currently the system is operational only in nine States/UTs since June 2020, which are Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Puducherry and Ladakh.  FoSCoS is a cloud-based, upgraded new food safety compliance online platform of FSSAI. It can be accessed at https://foscos.fssai.gov.in.  FoSCoS will provide one point stop for all engagement of a food business operator (FBO) with the department, for any regulatory compliance transaction.  It will replace the existing online FLRS (Food Licensing and Registration System), which is operational in all the states since 2011 for licensing and registration. (URL https://foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in)  FLRS has till date issued about 70 lakh licences/ registrations while over 40 lakh licensees/ registrants are actively transacting on it. IIT Madras incubated startup Stellapps launched ‘mooPay’ for dairy farmers in Rajasthan  Stellapps, the IIT-Madras incubated dairy-tech startup, has launched a first-of-its-kind, fully- automated direct payment platform, ‘mooPay’, for dairy farmers in Rajasthan.

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 mooPay is a payment gateway for dairies and dairy farmers where the dairy officials can transfer milk payments digitally to member farmers from the dairies’ existing bank account to farmers’ savings bank account.  Directly depositing payments in farmers’ bank accounts will help enhance farmer savings and will also build farmer loyalty to the dairy.  This will remove the risks and costs of transferring money in cash to hundreds of thousands of farmers in hundreds of villages.  The Digital technology solutions provider Stellapps is a first of its kind end-to-end dairy technology solutions company of India. It is also one of the technology pioneers of the World Economic Forum (WEF). India successfully test fired BrahMos cruise missile from INS Chennai  India successfully test fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on 18 October 2020, from the Indian Navy’s indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS Chennai.  The missile hit the target in the Arabian Sea successfully with pin-point accuracy after performing high-level and extremely complex manoeuvres.  The highly versatile BrahMos has been jointly designed, developed and produced by India and Russia under the joint venture, BrahMos Aerospace.  The supersonic cruise missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, and land platforms. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stone of India’s first multi-modal logistic park in Assam  The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari virtually laid the foundation stone for the first-ever multi-modal logistic park of India, at Jogighopa, in Bongaigaon district of Assam.  The overall cost of this project is around Rs 693.97 and is being developed under the BharatmalaPariyojana of the Central Government.  The logistic park will provide direct connectivity to air, road, rail and waterways to the people of Assam and other parts of North East.  The fund for the multi-modal logistics park would be spent in three components – road and railway connectivity as well as building and infrastructure work.  It will also give employment to 20 lakh people. UP Governor Anandiben Patel launched women’s safety campaign ‘Safe City Project’ in Lucknow  The Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel inaugurated the ‘Safe City Project’in Lucknow.  Under this 180-day-long campaign, the women police personnel will work towards strengthening security of women in public places and inculcate a feeling of pride and safety among women in the city.  The Governor also flagged off 100 pink scooties and 10 four-wheeler police vehicles. These vehicles have first-aid kit, flashlights and other facilities.  For this programme, the central government has approved a total cost of Rs 194 crore. India successfully test-fired Stand-Off Anti-Tank (SANT) Missile off Odisha coast  India successfully flight tested its indigenously developed Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) missile from Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast. The missile was test fired from a roof-top launcher of the ground-based platform.  SANT is a air-to-surface missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force.  It is an upgraded version of anti-tank missile, Helicopter Launched Nag (HeliNa).  The SANT missile has both lock-on before launch and lock-on after launch capability and can destroy targets 15 km to 20 km away.  This was the 11th missile test fired by India within one and a half month.

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India emerged second largest source of migrants to OECD countries, China tops: OECD International Migration Outlook report  India has acquired the second rank in terms of number of migrants going to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and acquiring the citizenship of those countries.  The data was released by the OECD in its 2020 edition of the annual International Migration Outlook report, which analyses the recent developments in migration movements and policies in its countries.  This is the 44th edition of the annual report.  China retained its top spot with 4.3 lakh migrants, which was 1 percent lower than 2019 report.  From India, 3.3 lakh migrants moved, and this is 10 percent more than last edition.  Romania emerged as the third largest exporter of human capital to these countries.  Paris-based OECD is an association of 37 developed countries which often attract immigrants for work opportunities, education and asylum. 8th India-Sri Lanka Maritime Exercise SLINEX-20 inTrincomalee  The eighth edition of annual Indian Navy (IN) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 is scheduled be held off Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.  The Indian Navy will be represented by the indigenously built ASW corvettes Kamorta and Kiltan.  The Sri Lanka Navy will be represented by SLN Ships Sayura (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and Gajabahu (Training Ship).  The SLINEX-20 will enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.  The exercise is being conducted in a non-contact ‘at-sea-only’ format in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic. India 4th most powerful country influencing Asia-Pacific, the US tops: Asia Power Index  India has been ranked at 4th position, with a score of 39.7 out of 100, in the Asia Power Index 2020, released by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute.  The Asia Power Index 2020 ranks 26 countries and territories to assess the relative power of states in Asia.  The United States has retained its position as the most powerful country influencing the Asia-Pacific with a score of 81.6.  It is followed by China (76.1) and Japan (41) at second and third spot respectively.  The annual Asia Power Index is an analytical tool that ranks countries in terms of what they have, and what they do with what they have (resources and influence) to have dominant power in Asia. Andorra Joined IMF as its 190th Member  Andorra (officially the Principality of Andorra) has joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to become its 190th member.  Andorra is a microstate situated between France and Spain. However, it is the largest microstate in Europe.  IMF’s Membership allows the Andorran government to benefit from IMF policy advice, especially as the country tackles the crisis caused by COVID-19 and can now receive an annual review or “health check” of its economy by the IMF, tap technical assistance, and access IMF lending if needed. India got Chairmanship of ILO Governing body after a gap of 35 years  India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of International Labour Organization (ILO), after a gap of 35 years.  The Labour and Employment Secretary, Apurva Chandra, has been elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Body of the ILO for the period October 2020- June 2021.  Mr Chandra is a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Maharashtra Cadre. He would preside over the upcoming the Governing Body’s meeting, to be held in November 2020. Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 11

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

 The Governing Body is the apex executive body of the ILO which decides policies, programmes, agenda, budget and elects the Director-General. At present ILO (Headquarter- Geneva, Switzerland) has 187 members. It meets three times a year, in March, June and November. Nokia selected by NASA to build first ever cellular network on the Moon  Finland based Telecom Company Nokia has been selected by NASA as its partner to build the first cellular network on the moon.  NASA plans to leverage these innovations for its Artemis program, the US government-funded crewed spaceflight program for landing “the first woman and the next man” on the Moon, specifically at the lunar South Pole region by 2024.  The Nokia Bell Labs’ will undertake this project to build and deploy the first wireless end-to-end broadband/LTE communications system on the lunar surface in late 2022.  Nokia will partner with US-based Intuitive Machines for this mission.  This project of deploying the first LTE/4G communications system in space will help pave the way towards sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta participates in 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO  The 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO was held, via video conference.  India was represented by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.  During the meeting, all the prosecutors agreed to strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating corruption, mutual legal assistance and exchange of regulatory legal acts.  India will host the SCO Prosecutors General Meeting in 2021. SEBI Set Up Advisory Committee under MadhabiPuriBuch to Recommend Policy on Market Data Access  Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC), under its initiative to make shareable data on the Indian securities market, available for researchers, policy makers, general public alike and to enhance the quality of such data.  The standing committee would be headed by MadhabiPuriBuch, the whole time member (WTM) of SEBI.  It would be responsible to:  recommend appropriate policy for access to securities market data,  identify segment wise data perimeters, data needs and gaps,  recommend data privacy and data access regulations applicable to market data.  The chief executives (CEOs) of stock exchanges and depositories, representatives of various stakeholders and senior officials of SEBI would be other members of the MDAC. Indian Bank partnered IIT-Madras to launch ‘IND Spring Board’ for funding startups  State-owned Indian Bank has collaborated with IIT-Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) to launch an initiative called ‘IND Spring Board’, for funding start-ups.  Under the initiative, IITMIC will refer start-ups with proven technology and established cash flows to the Indian bank. It would also extend advisory to the bank on the business model. Indian Bank will extend loans of up to Rs 50 crore to these start-ups. ADB and India inked USD 177 million loan for state road improvements in Maharashtra  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the has signed a loan agreement worth USD 177 million to upgrade 450 km of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra.  The Government of Maharashtra will contribute $78.99 million equivalent toward the $255.99 million total cost of the project.  Under the project, 2 major district roads and 11 state highways, with combined length of 450 km, will be upgraded to 2-lane standard across seven districts of Maharashtra.  The project aims to improve connectivity between rural areas and urban centres in the state to enable rural communities have better access to markets, employment opportunities and services,

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which in turn will expand development and livelihood opportunities outside of the state’s major urban centers to second-tier cities and towns thus reducing income disparities.

WEEKLY OBJECTIVE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ON CURRENT AFFAIRS: FOR WEEK 43/52 – 20 October – 26 October (2020)

1. Who virtually launched ‘Life in Miniature’ project, a collaboration between the National Museum, New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, and Google Arts & Culture? A) Prahlad Singh Patel B) Nitin Gadkari C) Tejaswi Yadav D) Arvind Kejriwal 2. Which state Mandi district has bagged top position among 30 districts of the country in successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)? A) Uttar Pradesh B) Himachal Pradesh C) D) Sikkim 3. Recently,which state Women and Child welfare department has launched a new initiative to fulfill the nutritional requirements of lactating mothers and children in the state? A) Uttar Pradesh B) Madhya Pradesh C) Maharashtra D) Assam 4. Which state Cabinet granted approval to implement the Bhagyalakshmi scheme, which provides financial security to girl child of BPL families? A) Karnataka B) Madhya Pradesh C) Kerala D) TamilNadu 5. The third phase of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) will kickstart in which month? A) January 2021 B) February 2021 C) December 2020 D) November 2020 6. Which state launched YSR Bima Insurance Scheme? A) Kerala B) Andhra Pradesh C) Karnataka D) TamilNadu 7. Which state has inaugurated Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme (Ekikrit Adarsh Krishi Gram Yojana) in the state in partnership with NABARD? A) Uttarakhand B) Assam C) Mizoram D) Bihar 8. Which country has assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of International Labour Organization, ILO after 35 years? A) Russia B) China C) India D) Pakistan 9. Which country has joined the International Monetary Fund(IMF) to become its 190th member? A) Chad B) Cammerron C) Cambodia D) Andorra 10. How much amount was given by USAID to Catalyst Management Service’s COVID Action Collaborative (CAC) and the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence as a part of the US authorities’s help to India’s Covid-19 response? Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 13

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

A) $12 million B) $10 million C) $6 million D) $5 million 11. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fixed the minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) size for housing finance companies at how much amount? A) 25 cr B) 30 cr C) 35 cr D) 50 cr 12. Which company has joined hands with Atlantis to expand digital first program in India? A) Mastercard B) Visa C) Rupay D) Google 13. Recently Saad Hariri was sworn as PM of which country? A) Lebanon B) Chad C) Saudi Arabia D) Thailand 14. Mangdechhu hydroelectric project has been awarded the prestigious Brunel Medal for excellence in civil engineering by the UK-based Institute of Civil Engineers.It is located in which country? A) Bhutan B) Israel C) Nepal D) Myanmar 15. Recently,which Indian Navy missile corvette launched anti missile ? A) Prabal B) Avni C) Raksha D) Vikram 16. In which country,NATO is planning to set up anew space centre? A) Thailand B) Russia C) Germany D) India 17. Ministry of Union Housing and Urban Affairs has recently launched which portal that will integrate legacy drawings such as maps and lease plans in the management information system? A) e Dharti Geo B) e Videsh C) e Bharti Geo D) e India Geo 18. When is International Snow Leopard Day observed? A) October 20 B) October 21 C) October 22 D) October 23 19. Which city became the first city in the country to have longest BRTS corridor in country? A) Surat B) Mumbai

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WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

C) Lucknow D) Kolkata 20. As per recent data,which state became the top tourist destination for Indians? A) Gujarat B) Uttar Pradesh C) Maharashtra D) Karnataka 21. Airports Authority of India (AAI) have planned to develop at least 100 airports, waterdromes and heliports by which year? A) 2025 B) 2030 C) 2024 D) 2022 22. Which Bank partenered with IIT Madras to set up incubation cell for startup’s? A) PNB B) SBI C) Indian Bank D) IDBI Bank 23. Which bank joined hands with Zenpay Solutions and YAP to drive financial inclusion to issue salary cards? A) RBL Bank B) Kotak Mahindra Bank C) ICICI BANK D) HDFC Bank 24. Who will head the panel constituted by IRDAI to examine need for Standard Cyber Insurance Product? A) P Umesh B) SN Jaishankar C) Dinesh Singh D) Urmila Dutt Pandey 25. How much loan was provided by Asian Development Bank for power supply project in rural Maharashtra? A) $346 million B) $500 million C) $255 million D) $368 million 26. As per UNCTAD,by how much percent is global trade likely to fall in 2020.? A) 7-9% B) 6-8% C) 9-11% D) 5 -7% 27. Who was appointed as new CFO of Tata Communication? A) Pratibha S Kumari B) Kabir Ahmed Sakir C) Mukesh Jain D) Animesh Singh Dixit 28. Who has been awarded CEO of the Year and Visionary Leadership Award in the virtual edition of National Awards for Excellence in PSU for Investment in Start-UPS? A) Pravir Krishna B) Simona Rai

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WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

C) Taraknath Banerjee D) Vikas Chaturvedi 29. Who has been named an ‘Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020’ by a non-profit NGO for her “incredible” scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer? A) Neha Porwal B) RK Srinivasan C) Mahesh Jain D) Jajini Varghese 30. Recently which anti submarine was commissioned into Indian Navy in Vishakapatnam? A) Kavaratti B) Agni C) Abhay D) Vidyut 31. Who launched CuRED, a website that gives comprehensive info about the numerous COVID-19 clinical trials that the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) is engaged in partnership with industry, other government departments and ministries? A) Narendra Modi B) Harsh Vardhan C) Nitin Gadkari D) 32. Recently which Institute “COVIRAP” got ICMR certificate? A) IIT Kharagpur B) IIT Bombay C) iit kanpur D) IISC Bengaluru 33. As per State of Global Air 2020 (SOGA 2020) report which was released by US-based Health Effects Institute and Global Burden of Disease (GBD),which country recorded highest air pollution exposure in 2019? A) India B) China C) Pakistan D) Japan 34. Recently Nayini Narasimha a Reddy passed away.She was related to which field? A) Actor B) Politics C) Author D) Social Activist 35. Recently Indian Air Force first women commissioned officer passed away,Name her? A) Saroj Pandey B) Arunima Chaturvedi C) Shivangi Rai D) Vijaylakshmi Ramanan 36. When is Police Commemoration Day observed? A) October 21 B) October 22 C) October 20 D) October 23 37. What is the theme of this year’s International Stuttering Awareness day 2020? A) A world that bounces back B) speak and raise up

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WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 43/52(20-26 OCT 2020)

C) Speak your mind D) Journey of Words-Resilience and Bouncing back 38. When is World Iodine Deficiency Day observed? A) October 20 B) October 23 C) October 22 D) October 21 39. Recently Prime Minister Modi e-dedicated country’s biggest cardiac hospital in which city? A) Ahmedabad B) Pune C) Surat D) Lucknow 40. Who will head the panel formed by NITI Aayog for reforms in urban planning education? A) Amitabh Kant B) Rajiv Kumar C) Rishabh Srinivasan D) MS Singh

ANSWER KEYS

1 A 21 C 2 B 22 C 3 C 23 A 4 A 24 A 5 A 25 A 6 B 26 A 7 A 27 B 8 C 28 A 9 D 29 D 10 D 30 A 11 A 31 B 12 A 32 A 13 A 33 A 14 A 34 A 15 A 35 D 16 C 36 A 17 A 37 D 18 D 38 D 19 A 39 A 20 B 40 B

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