Current Affairs 29 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 29 July 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 20 Current Affairs of 29 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

GoI funded 10 Broad Gauge Locomotives handed over to Bangladesh by Indian Railways in a virtual ceremony

i.On July 27, 2020, Indian Railways handed over the specifically modified 10 railway broad gauge locomotives to Bangladesh, which will help in handling the increasing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh. 
ii.All locomotives can attain speed of up to 120 km per hour and have residual life of 28 years or more.
iii.The locomotives were flagged off virtually to Bangladesh by External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Railway Minister PiyushVedprakash Goyal. From Bangladesh, the online ceremony was attended by Minister of Railway Md Nurul Islam Sujan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abul Kalam Abdul Momen.
About Bangladesh:
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Bangladeshi taka
President– Mohammad Abdul Hamid
<< Read Full News >>

PM Modi Launched High Throughput COVID-19 Testing Facilities at Kolkata, Mumbai & Noida

On 27th July 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched three high throughput COVID-19 testing facilities at Kolkata, Mumbai and Noida to increase the test capacity by 10000 tests per day in each city.
About ICMR:
Director-General– Prof. Balram Bhargava.
Headquarters– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

Govt released guidelines for 4 schemes to boost domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs & medical devices Parks

i.On July 27, 2020, In order to boost domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and medical devices parks in India, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda launched guidelines for four schemes of Department of Pharmaceuticals (under ministry of chemical & fertilizers), two each for Bulk Drugs and Medical Devices parks, on the lines of making India Atma Nirbhar (self-reliant) in pharma sector.

• Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks: Rs. 3,000 cr outlay to create 3 drug parks
• Scheme Promotion of Medical Devices Parks: Rs 400 cr outlay for 4 Medical Device Parks
• Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Promoting Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices: Outlay Rs. 3,420 cr
• PLI scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of KSMs, DIs, & APIs in India: Outlay Rs 6,490 cr

ii.Participants at launch event: Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya , Minister of State-MoS (Independent Charge) for Shipping and MoS for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Niti Ayog, Dr P D Waghela, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.
<< Read Full News >>

Central Govt. with World Bank decides to convert ravines of Chambal region into arable land 

i.On 26th July 2020, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced that the Central Government in collaboration with the World Bank has decided to convert the area of ravines in the region of Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into cultivable land.
ii.The decision was made through a virtual meeting with Adarsh Kumar, representative of the World Bank.
About World Bank:
President– David Robert Malpass
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States
Motto– Working for a World Free of Poverty
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare:
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar
<< Read Full News >>

India’s GDP boosts to 2.5% by AI : Report by ICRIER, Google & NASSCOM

According to The report titled, ’Implications of AI on the Indian Economy’ by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) along with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Google stated that: 
A unit increase(measured as the ratio of AI to total sales) in Artificial Intelligence(AI) intensity can result in a 2.5% increase in India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in the immediate term.
About Nasscom:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
President– Debjani Gosh.
About ICRIER
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairperson, Board of Governors – Isher Judge Ahluwalia
Director and Chief Executive– Rajat Kathuria
<< Read Full News >>

India to set up Solar Power Plant in Sri Lanka

Under the aegis of International Solar Alliance(ISA) NTPC Ltd, Largest power generation utility of India plans to establish solar power plants in Sri Lanka as a part of the strategy to exhibit the presence of India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) amid China’s attempt to attract nations into the “Belt and Road” initiative.
About International Solar Alliance(ISA):
Director General– Upendra Tripathy
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
About NTPC Ltd:
Chairman & Managing Director– Gurdeep Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

GAIL and CCSL signs MoU to partner in Compressed BioGas projects in India

On 23rd July 2020, GAIL(India) limited and Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (CCSL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the project development opportunities in the Compressed Biogas(CBG) value chain in India.
Santanu Roy, Executive Director (Business Development) of GAIL and Aniruddha Sharma, CEO of CCSL signed the MoU 
Objective of the MoU:
The MoU between the two organisations aims to build a closer strategic partnership by jointly working on the CBG projects in India.
Features of MoU:
i.CCSL will build 4 CBG plants with their funding, technology and expertise based on 10 year CBG off-take agreements with GAIL or its associated companies, as the off-taker in line with the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative of Indian Government.
ii.Upon the completion of the initial plants the partnership will be advanced with the intention of developing 100 CBG plants in India.
iii.The partnership promotes the technological advancements in the production of CBG from organic waste.
Benefits:
i.The CBG projects will support India’s future energy access, efficiency, sustainability and security.
ii.The cleaner green fuel transition will help in reducing the crude imports of the country.
About GAIL (India) Ltd:
Chairman & Managing Director– Manoj Jain
Head Office– New Delhi
About Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (CCSL):
CEO– Aniruddha Sharma
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom

Home Minister Amit Shah Distributed 100 Electric Potters Wheels to Artisans of Gujarat under KVIC’s ‘Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana’

On 24th July 2020, Under the ‘Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana’ of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Union Home Minister Amit Shah distributed 100 electric potters wheels to 100 trained artisans of Gujarat in a programme at the Gandhinagar constituency through video conferencing from New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The electric potters wheels were distributed to empower and support the marginalised potters community and to boost the atma nirbhar initiative of India.
ii.By incorporating technology to increase and improve the productivity this scheme will support to strengthen the potters community and this will also support to revive the traditional art of pottery.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC):
The KVIC have trained around 100 potters from around 14 villages and distributed around 100 electric potters wheels and 10 blunger machines.
The average income of the potters under the scheme has increased to Rs. 12,000 per month from Rs.3000 per month.
About Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA):
Union Minister– Amit Shah
Ministers of State– Gangapuram Kishan Reddy & Nityanand Rai
Recent Related News:
i.The Integrated Risk Insurance Brokers Limited(IRIBL), announced ‘Mee Annapurna’ for farmers’ welfare across Maharashtra.
ii.Tripura govt launches Mukhyamantri Matru Pushti Uphaar Scheme to Provide Nutrition Kits to Pregnant and Lactating Women.

BANKING & FINANCE

IRCTC and SBI Card launched a Co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay Platform 

i.Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited(IRCTC) and SBI Card launched a co-branded contactless credit card, IRCTC -SBI Platinum Card on RuPay Platform to reward the frequent railway(train) travellers. 
ii.The card is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology by which users can facilitate their transactions at the point of sale(POS) machines by Tap and Pay Option. This enables consumers to transact safely and securely online.
About IRCTC:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman & Managing Director– Mahendra Pratap Mall
About SBI Card:
Headquarters– Gurgaon, Haryana.
Managing Director(MD) and Chief executive Officer(CEO)–  Hardayal Prasad(will retire on July 31, 2020) Ashwini Kumar Tewari to take charge from August 1, 2020.
<< Read Full News >>

Bharti AXA General Insurance Launched Crop Insurance Campaign, ‘Bohot Zaroori Hai’ for Farmers

i.Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched its crop insurance campaign,’Bohot Zaroori Hai’ for farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka to encourage them about their yield protection and financial security.
ii.It aims to create awareness to farming communities about the relevance and significance of crop insurance, which can alleviate rural distress caused by crop failure or damage.
iii.Bharti AXA General Insurance had received Rs 800 crore worth crop insurance mandate from the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka to insure their farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
About Bharti AXA General Insurance
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director– Sanjeev Srinivasan
<< Read Full News >>

SBI provided USD 16.20 million liquidity support for local businesses in Maldives as COVID-relief

i.On the occasion of Independence Day of the Maldives on July 26, 2020, the largest Indian public sector bank, State Bank of India (SBI) provided liquidity support of USD 16.20 million as a COVID-relief for the Government of Maldives to overcome liquidity shortage. 
ii.The fund will support economic relief measures by utilizing it for local businesses and defers loan repayment for over 200 retail accounts.
iii.The growing relationship between both nations is premised upon the ‘India First’ policy of Maldives and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy of India.
About Maldives:
Capital– Male
Currency– Maldivian rufiyaa
President– Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
About SBI:
Formed– July 1955 as SBI
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– Rajnish Kumar
Digital banking platform– Yono
Tagline– The Banker to Every Indian
<< Read Full News >>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

IOC and France’s Total S.A. formed 50:50 JV to make superior quality bitumen

Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) has formed an equal(50:50) Joint Venture(JV) with France’s Total S.A. to manufacture and market high-quality innovative bitumen derivatives and superior quality products like polymer-modified bitumen, crumb rubber modified bitumen among others for the growing road-building industry in India.
Key Info

• The JV will commence by taking over an existing plant of Total at Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
•  After which it will invest Rs 226 crore to set up 6 new plants at locations in northern, eastern and southern India with cost-effective logistics solutions

About the new JV
i.The JV will combine the R&D and marketing strengths of both IOC and Total S.A.
ii.It will cater to B2B customers involved in road infrastructure development and explore possibilities to other South Asian markets.
Note– The 2 companies have already established a LPG and fuel additives business relationship in India.
About Total S.A.
Headquarters– Paris, France
Chairman & Chief Executing Officer (CEO)– Patrick Pouyanné
About IOC:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Shrikant Madhav Vaidya

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS         

Former CIL Chief Anil Kumar Jha Appointed as Member of Expert Appraisal Committee for Supervising Environment Rules Violation

i.On July 28, 2020, the government has appointed former chairman of Coal India Ltd. (CIL), Anil Kumar Jha, as a member of Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) that deals with violation of environment rules.
ii.The EAC formed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) appraises projects that are commissioned without obtaining prior environmental clearance and have been termed as cases of violation. The panel was earlier constituted in June 2017 for three years. Its tenure has now been extended till June 2021.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister– Prakash Javadekar 
Minister of State– Babul Supriyo
<< Read Full News >>

Indian climate activist Archana Soreng becomes a member of António Guterres’s new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

i.The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres named Archana Soreng among 7 members to his new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
ii.They will advise him regularly on accelerating global action and also provide solutions to tackle the worsening climate crisis. 
iii.This is to mobilize climate action as part of the COVID-19 recovery efforts.
iv.The members are between the ages of 18 and 28 years old
About UN:
Headquarters– New York, United States
<< Read Full News >> 

Tata AIA Life Insurance Appointed Naveen Tahilyani as its new MD & CEO

On July 23, 2020, Mr. Naveen Tahilyani was appointed as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive officer (CEO) of the Tata American International Assurance (AIA). His appointment was under regulatory approval from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). 
Tahilyani succeeds Rishi Srivastava who has been moved to the Group Agency Distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong, as CEO. 
About Naveen Tahilyani 
i.He was the Senior Partner and Director of McKinsey & Company from July 1977 to November 2014. 
ii.Later he joined as the CEO, Managing Director of Tata AIA, Hong Kong from January 2015 to July 2018. 
iii.He was the group CEO, Group Partnership District Distribution at AIA Hong Kong till the 2019. 
iv.He worked as the group head in-charge of transformation at Axis-Bank. 
About Tata AIA Life Insurance:
It is the joint venture of Tata Sons Private Ltd. and AIA Group Ltd. (AIA). 
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

Alok Misra Appointed as CEO and Director of MFIN

On 22nd July 2020, Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for the microfinance industry announced that Dr. Alok Misra will take over the present CEO, Harsh Shrivastava on 1st August 2020 as the New Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Director. 
Alok Misra is currently serving as the Professor and Chairperson of public policy and governance at Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon.
About Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN):
CEO– Harsh Shrivastava (Alok Misra will take over on 1st August 2020)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Ram Vilas Paswan launched ‘BIS-Care’ App to Check the Authenticity of ISI and Hallmark Quality Certified Products

i.Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan launched the Bureau of Indian Standard’s Mobile App, ‘BIS-Care’, by which consumers can check the authenticity of the ISI and hallmarked products and also lodge complaints using this app.
ii.In addition to this, he also launched 3 portals of e-BIS: standardisation, conformity assessment and training Portals on www.manakonline.in for consumers.
About BIS
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Director General– Pramod Kumar Tiwari 
<< Read Full News >>

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hepatitis Day 2020 – July 28

i.World Health Organisations(WHOs) World Hepatitis Day is annually observed on 28th July to encourage the national and international efforts towards hepatitis and to educate the individuals and general public about the need for global response outlined by WHOs Global hepatitis report 2017.
ii.The first World Hepatitis Day was observed on 28th July 2011.
iii.The theme of 2020 World Hepatitis Day is “Hepatitis-free future” focusing on prevention of Hepatitis B among mothers and newborns.
About WHO:
Director General– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
<< Read Full News >>

World Nature Conservation Day 2020 – July 28

July 28th of every year is celebrated as the World Nature Conservation Day. This day is celebrated all over the world to create awareness about the conservation of natural resources and on environmental issues.
Aim: To focus our efforts on preserving our natural environment and keeping our home, Earth, healthy.
Restoration Initiative in India 
The Government of India has taken 5 initiative measures to restore the natural resources. 
i.Nagar Van Udyan 
ii.Swachh Bharat Abhiyam
iii.Project Tiger
iv.Mangroves for the future (MFF)
v.National Wetland Conservation Programme
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climatic Change
Headquarters – New Delhi, India
Cabinet Minister – Prakash Javadekar (Constituency – Maharashtra) 
Some Acts passed to preserve the biodiversity
i.Indian Forest Act (1927)
ii.Wildlife Protection Act (1972)
iii.Environment Protection Act (1986)
iv.Forest Conservation Act (1980)
<< Read Full News >>

International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystems 2020  – July 26

The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystems is celebrated worldwide on July 26th of every year. The day was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in the year 2015.
This day is also known as ‘World Mangrove day’
Aim: To raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems as “a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem” and to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
Headquarter– Paris, France
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Members– 195 Members and 8 Associate Members
About International Union for conservation of Nature
The International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN) was Formerly called as International Union for the Protection of Nature
President – Xinsheng  Zhang
Headquarters- Gland, Switzerland 
<< Read Full News >>

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