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Top 20 Current Affairs of 17 July 2020
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
NITI Aayog & USAID Co-chaired Sustainable Growth Pillar Meeting; India Energy Modeling Forum Launched
i.On July 2, 2020, a joint working group meeting of the Sustainable Growth (SG) Pillar was co-chaired by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).The meeting on SG Pillar will boost the India–US Strategic Energy Partnership.
ii.During the meet, an India Energy Modeling Forum (IEMF) was launched which will provide a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues, and facilitate exchange of ideas.
iii.Notably, in the initial stage, NITI Aayog will coordinate the activities of the forum and finalize its governing structure.
About United States Agency for International Development (USAID):
Headquarter– Washington, D.C., United States (US)
Acting Administrator– John Barsa
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman– Narendra Modi
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Amitabh Kant
Headquarter– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>
Defence Minister of State Shri Shripad Naik inaugurated 5th edition of conference on Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Technologies
On 15th July, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State(MoS) for Defence inaugurated the 5th edition of conference on Aerospace and Defence (A&D) Manufacturing Technologies in New Delhi. The conference was jointly organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamil Nadu Technology Development and Promotion Centre (TNTDPC) and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
Theme of 5th edition: Empowering India with ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Mission’.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister – Rajnath Singh
Minister of State – Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
<< Read Full News >>
Defence Ministry Entrust Power to Armed Force to Make Emergency Purchase Worth Rs.300 crores
On 15th July 2020, The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence has granted special financial power to the armed forces to make emergency purchases of armed weapons worth upto Rs.300 crores to meet the emerging operational requirement.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister– Rajnath Singh
Minister of State– Shripad Yesso Naik
<< Read Full News >>
15th India-EU (Virtual) Summit held virtually; co-chaired by Narendra Modi, Charles Michel & Ursula von der Leyen
i.On 15th July 2020, the 15th summit between India and the European Union (EU) was held virtually where India was represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the EU was represented by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
ii.During the meet India and the European Union were stated as “natural partners” and encouraged cultural exchanges and educational cooperation between India and the EU.
- India, EU adopted declaration on Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy
- India-EU endorsed Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025
- High-level dialogue set up Piyush Goyal and Phil Hogan to address trade issues
- COVID-19: India, EU to enhance cooperation on health security, pandemic crisis response
Static Points:
-India to have G20 (Group of 20) Presidency in 2022 and its membership in the UN Security Council in 2021-2022.
-The fifth International Conference on Chemical Management to be held in Bonn, Germany in 2021.
-The 27 nation EU is India’s largest trading partner for goods with trade exceeding 100 billion dollars, while India is the E.U.’s ninth biggest trading partner.
<< Read Full News >>
Mansukh Mandaviya reviews deployment activities of India’s 1st trans-shipment hub – Vallarpadam Terminal of Cochin Port, Kerala
On 15th July 2020, Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya, Minister of State (I/C) for the Ministry of Shipping reviewed the development activities of the Vallarpadam Terminal (Kochi International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT))of Cochin Port which is proposed to develop as India’s first and Asia’s leading trans-shipment port to ensure that Indian cargoes are trans-shipped through Indian Port.
Key points:
i.Mansukh Mandaviya directed the officials to outline a strategy to solve the challenges in achieving the vision of Trans-Shipment hub of India.
ii.Resolving the issues faced in the development of the Trans-shipment terminal is considered as one of the top priority of the Ministry.
Vallarpadam Terminal:
i.Vallarpadam Terminal is located in the Indian Coastline which satisfies the criterias required for the development of trans-shipment hub.
Criteria:
- Proximity to international sea routes and hinterland markets.
- Infrastructure to manage large ships and capacity to scale up as per requirement.
- Located at an average nautical distance from all Indian feeder ports.
- Connectivity to various weekly feeder ports on the West & East coast of India (From Mundra to Kolkata).
Note:
The first phase of the Rs.6250 crore ICTT in the Special Economic Zone(SEZ) at Vallarpadam, Kerala was commissioned by former Prime minister Manmohan Singh in February 2011.
About Ministry of Shipping:
Minister of State(MoS) (I/C)– Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya
Atal Innovation Mission Teams with Ministries to Support Startups with COVID-19 Solutions 
i.On 14th July 2020, Atal Innovation Mission(AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog teamed with other Ministries and its partners, to organize the series of Virtual COVID-19 Demo Days to find the potential startups with innovative COVID-19 solutions and provide support to develop and scale up the solutions.
ii.The initiative was launched under the directions of Dr Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and Dr Vinod Paul, Member Health of NITI Aayog.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman– Narendra Modi (Prime Minister)
CEO– Amitabh Kant
Headquarters– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>
Govt to Increase Public Health Expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025
In a meeting with the 15th Finance Commission the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan highlighted that the government aims to gradually increase the public health expenditure to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) by 2025.
Statements made by Harsh Vardhan
i.The National Health Policy 2017 anticipates to raise public health spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025.
ii.The Minister asserted that the outlay for primary health expenditure will also be made nearly two third of the total public health expenditure in the country.
iii.The policy recommends that the state govt must spend nearly 8% of their total budget on the health sector by 2020.
To establish 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022
i.The government under the Aayushman Bharat programme proposes to establish 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022. Of this about 19,000 have been already established.
ii.These centres will enhance healthcare facilities in the rural and Urban areas.
4% Health and Education Cess
Government has announced 4% health and education cess on personal income tax and corporation tax. Earlier it was 3%.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India & Bhutan Opens New Trade Route to Improve Trade and Connectivity
On 15th July 2020, India and Bhutan opened a new trade route between Jaigaon in West Bengal and Ahlay, Pasakha in Bhutan to establish easy connectivity and to increase trade between India and Bhutan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Bhutan:
Prime Minister– Lotay Tshering
Capital– Thimphu
Currency– Bhutanese Ngultrum
<< Read Full News >>
UNICEF India Partners with SAP India to Provide Career Counselling to Young People
i.On 15th July 2020, World Youth skills Day, The United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) India announced its partnership with SAP India, to provide career counseling to young people.
ii.UNICEF India collaborates with YuWaah – UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited initiative to provide digital education and skills required for employment.
About UNICEF India:
UNICEF Representative in India– Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque
About SAP SE:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Christian Klein
Headquarters– Walldorf, Germany
SAP India’s President & Managing Director(MD)– Deb Deep Sengupta(Kulmeet Bawa will succeed Deb Deep Sengupta on July 20, 2020)
<< Read Full News >>
BANKING & FINANCE
NABARD Launched Development Projects worth Rs 44 lakhs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
i.National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD) launched development projects of Rs 44 lakhs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to strengthen the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative through rural entrepreneurship.
ii.The development projects include formation and development of Self-Help Groups(SHGs).
iii.The development project will help in skill development of SHGs members to promote rural entrepreneurship at the micro level.
About NABARD:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– G R Chintala
About Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Capital– Port Blair
Lieutenant Governor– Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi
<< Read Full News >>
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Committee to Protect Journalists Announced 2020 International Press Freedom Awards
i.The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) has announced that 4 Journalists, Shahidul Alam from Bangladesh, Mohammad Mosaed from Iran, Dapo Olorunyomi from Nigeria and Svetlana Prokopyeva from Russia will be honoured with the 2020 International Press Freedom Awards for their courageous act.
ii.In addition to them lawyer Amal Clooney will be honoured with the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award 2020.
iii.The award will be conferred to them on November 19, 2020, at CPJ’s annual benefit gala which will be virtually held.
About CPJ:
Headquarters– New York, US
Executive Director– Joel Simon
<< Read Full News >>
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh Resigns 
On July 15, 2020 Tunisian Prime Minister(PM) Elyes Fakhfakh resigned, who was appointed in January, 2020. He presented his resignation letter to President Kais Saied. He also served as a Minister of Tourism and as the Minister of Finance. He is a member of Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties(referred to as Ettakatol).
Reason for resignation– The Ennahda party and other blocs have withdrawn the confidence from the government. It is to be noted that there was an alleged conflict of interest scandal over him.
Interest Scandal:
i.He failed to hand over control of shares he owns in private companies that have won public contracts.
ii.As per the documents tabled by an independent legislator, he owns shares in companies that won deals worth USD 15 million (44 million dinars) from the government.
Note– He is still under investigation over the scandal
About Tunisia:
Capital– Tunis
Currency– Tunisian Dinar(TND)
South American country Suriname elects Indian-origin ‘Chan’ Santokhi as President
Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi (61), an Indian-origin former police chief has been elected as the president of Suriname, a country in South America. Santokhi leads the Progressive Reform Party of the country. Santokhi will be sworn in as the President from 16, July 2020.Santokhi Succeeds Desi Bouterse.
Ronnie Brunswijk will serve as the vice-president.
- Santokhi won Desi Bouterse, former military strongman of National Party of Suriname (NPS) in the general elections held in May.
About Chan Santokhi:
- He was born in Suriname, a former dutch colony, and studies in Police academy, Netherlands.
- He was a police inspector in Suriname from 1991 and was named chief of Police.
- He served as the Minister of Justice from 2005 to 2010.
- In the 2010 elections he lost to Bouterse.
About Suriname:
Suriname is a former Dutch colony consisting of the largest ethnic group of Indian descent people about 27.4% of the total population of 587,000.
Capital: Paramaribo
Currency: Surinamese Dollar
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
CCI Approved Acquisition of upto 58.92% Stake in HealthCare Global Enterprises Limited by Aceso
The Competition Commission of India(CCI) approved acquisition of upto 58.92% stake by Aceso Company Pte. Ltd.(Aceso) in HealthCare Global Enterprises Limited(HCG), under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
Proposed Combination
As per the Proposed combination, the acquisition will happen by in the following way:
- Aceso will subscribe the equity shares and warrants (representing the right to subscribe to the equity shares) of HCG.
- An offer will be made to the public shareholders as per the regulations of The Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI).
About Aceso
It is a forming part of the CVC Network. The CVC Network consists of (i) CVC Capital Partners SICAV-FIS S.A. (including its subsidiaries) and (ii) CVC Capital Partners Advisory Group Holding Foundation (including its subsidiaries), which are privately owned entities whose activities include providing investment advice to and / or managing investments on behalf of certain investment funds and platforms.
About HCG
Headquarters– Bangalore, Karnataka
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer– BS Ajai Kumar
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DRDO developed fully indigenous P7 Heavy Drop System for IL 76 aircraft
i.As a part of Make in India programme, DRDO has developed P7 Heavy Drop System (HDS) which is capable of para dropping military stores ((vehicle/ ammunition/ equipment) up to 7-ton weight class from IL 76 aircraft [Ilyushin Il-76 or Gajraj (elephant king)].
ii.The design of this fully indigenous system has been developed by Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), a pioneer Research & Development (R&D) lab of DRDO based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
iii.It’s platform system was manufactured by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) while parachutes manufactured by Ordnance Factory.
About DRDO:
Headquarter– New Delhi
Chairman– Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
<< Read Full News >>
Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ E-Launched “Corosure” – World’s Most Affordable COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit Developed by IIT Delhi
i.On 15th July 2020, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) E-launched the world’s most affordable Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) based COVID-19 diagnostic kit, “Corosure Kit”. It is developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi(IIT-D) approved by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
ii.The kit was approved by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
iii.This is the first probe-free COVID-19 diagnostic kit approved by ICMR.
About Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi(IIT-D):
Director– Prof V. Ramgopal Rao
About Ministry of Human Resource Development(MoHRD):
Union Minister– Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State– Sanjay Dhotre
<< Read Full News >>
DCGI Approves India’s 1st Fully Indigenously Developed Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine
i.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) informed that, the Drug Controller General of India(DCGI) has given approval to India’s first fully indigenously developed vaccine against pneumonia, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine.
ii.The vaccine has been developed by M/s. Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd, Pune.
iii.DCGI has also granted permission to manufacture the vaccine domestically.
About MoHFW:
Union Minister– Harsh Vardhan
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey
Static:
DCGI– V. G. Somani
<< Read Full News >>
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to construct world’s 1st fully automatic electric ferries for Norway’s ASKO Maritime
i.India’s largest commercial shipbuilder Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has signed a contract to build the world’s first fully automatic electric vessel for ASKO Maritime, Norway. In this regard, CSL will construct and supply two autonomous electric ferries to ASKO Maritime, with an option to build two more identical vessels.
ii.The value of two ships is Rs 125 crore, the cost does not include the value for two optional ships. The project, partially funded by the Norwegian Government, aimed at emission-free transport of goods across the Oslofjord, inlet in Norway.
iii.The vessels are designed by Naval Dynamics Norway, using Kongsberg Maritime systems, with detailed engineering to be carried out by CSL. They will be built under DNV GL Classification.
About Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)– Madhu S Nair
Headquarter– Cochin, Kerala
About Norway:
Capital– Oslo
Currency– Norwegian krone (NOK)
Prime Minister– Erna Solberg
<< Read Full News >>
STATE NEWS
117th birth Anniversary of Former CM of Tamil Nadu K Kamaraj, observed as Educational Development Day – July 15
On 15th July 2020, the 117th birth anniversary of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu “King Maker” K.Kamaraj was observed as TamilNadu’s Educational Development Day to remember his contribution to enhance the school education facilities of Tamil Nadu.
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister– Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Governor– Banwarilal Purohit
Capital– Chennai
<< Read Full News >>
Telangana Police launch ‘CybHER’, Virtual Awareness Campaign to Tackle Cyber Crime against Women & Children
On July 15, 2020 Women Safety Wing (WSW), Telangana Police along with Telangana Director General of Police(DGP) Mahender Reddy, IPS launched ‘CybHER’, a month-long virtual awareness campaign to make cyberspace safe for women and children. The campaign is organised by WSW in collaboration with Legal Aid Centre, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.
Note– Cyber Expert Rakshit Tandon, will lead the campaign.
Purpose of this campaign
i.To tackle cyberattacks in the midst of social isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic by offering proactive measures to stay safe in the digital world.
ii.To create an interactive and informative platform for a healthy discussion on cyber safety.
About CybHER
i.The campaign covers a wide range of themes related to cyber safety.
ii.It will be held on multiple online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTub and other mediums.
Other People in the launch event
DIG (Women Safety Wing) B. Sumathi; Additional Director-General of Police Swati Lakra;badminton star PV Sindhu; Tollywood actor Nani, among others participated in the online launch of the campaign.
About Telangana:
Capital– Hyderabad
Chief minister– K. Chandrashekar Rao
Governor– Tamilisai Soundararajan
AC GAZE
Cartoonist Avad Bin Hassan Jami passes away
Renowned cartoonist Avad Bin Hassan Jami, popularly known as “Jami” passed away at the age of 77 years in Jamnagar, Gujarat. For more than two decades, his cartoons were published in leading Gujarati daily newspapers and news magazines.
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Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)
| S.no | Current Affairs 17 July 2020 |
|---|---|
| 1 | NITI Aayog & USAID Co-chaired Sustainable Growth Pillar Meeting; India Energy Modeling Forum Launched |
| 2 | Defence Minister of State Shri Shripad Naik inaugurated 5th edition of conference on Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Technologies |
| 3 | Defence Ministry Entrust Power to Armed Force to Make Emergency Purchase Worth Rs.300 crores |
| 4 | 15th India-EU (Virtual) Summit held virtually; co-chaired by Narendra Modi, Charles Michel & Ursula von der Leyen |
| 5 | Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya reviews deployment activities of Vallarpadam Terminal, Cochin Port |
| 6 | Atal Innovation Mission Teams with Ministries to Support Startups with COVID-19 Solutions |
| 7 | Govt to Increase Public Health Expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025 |
| 8 | India & Bhutan Opens New Trade Route to Improve Trade and Connectivity |
| 9 | UNICEF India Partners with SAP India to Provide Career Counselling to Young People |
| 10 | NABARD Launched Development Projects worth Rs 44 lakhs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| 11 | The Committee to Protect Journalists Announced 2020 International Press Freedom Awardees |
| 12 | Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh Resigns |
| 13 | South American country Suriname elects Indian-origin ‘Chan’ Santokhi as President |
| 14 | CCI Approved Acquisition of upto 58.92% Stake in HealthCare Global Enterprises Limited by Aceso |
| 15 | DRDO developed fully indigenous P7 Heavy Drop System for IL 76 aircraft |
| 16 | Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ E-Launched “Corosure” – World Most Affordable COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit Developed by IIT Delhi |
| 17 | DCGI Approves India’s 1st Fully Indigenously Developed Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine |
| 18 | Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to construct world’s 1st fully automatic electric ferries for Norway’s ASKO Maritime |
| 19 | 117th birth Anniversary of Former CM of Tamil Nadu K Kamaraj, observed as Educational Development Day – July 15 |
| 20 | Telangana Police launch ‘CybHER’, Virtual Awareness Campaign to Tackle Cyber Crime against Women & Children |
| 21 | Cartoonist Avad Bin Hassan Jami passes away |
