Current Affairs 19 & 20 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 19 & 20 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 15 Current Affairs of 19 & 20 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Indian Navy Conducts Naval Exercises in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

On 17th July 2020, Indian Navy conducted major Naval exercises in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands led by Sanjay Vatsayan, Chief Rear Admiral of Eastern naval fleet as a display of strategic intents against China amid the current military conflicts in the Northeastern borders in Ladakh.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)–  Admiral Karambir Singh
About Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
Lieutenant Governor– Devendra Kumar Joshi
Capital– Port Blair
<< Read Full News >>

Capitals of NE states to be connected through rail network by 2023

On July 17, 2020, during a virtual interaction with the media, Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav has announced the connectivity of all capitals of North-Eastern (NE) states through rail network by 2023. Railways is already implementing a project in this regard. 

• The capitals of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh are already connected. The work to connect capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya is in progress.
• In Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the capital connectivity work is in progress. Manipur will be connected in March 2022, Mizoram in March 2023, Nagaland in March 2023, Meghalaya in March 2022 and Sikkim in December 2022.

Apart from above, attempts to connect every part of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to the railway are also underway, and the 111 km Katra-Banihal rail link project is likely to be completed by December 2022.
About Railway Board:
Headquarter– New Delhi
Parent organization– Ministry of Railways

India Established Individual Bilateral ‘Air Bubbles’ with France, Germany and US

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed that India has established individual bilateral ‘air bubbles’ with France and the United States(US). In addition to this, a similar arrangement with Germany has been established and Lufthansa will be operating the flights. This agreement allows countries’ airlines to operate international flights. 

• India is planning to establish such agreements with the UK, under which 2 flights a day will be operated between Delhi and London. The similar arrangements with the United Arab Emirates(UAE) till 26th July, 2020.

• Air India will operate flights to France, Germany and the US under bilateral air bubbles.

United States– American carrier United Airlines to operate 18 flights between India and US between 17th to 31st July. 
France– Air France will operate 28 flights from 18th July to 1st of August between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Paris. 
Note– It is to be noted that all these arrangements are an interim one. 
What is air bubble?
It is a bilateral arrangement with a set of regulations and restrictions that allow carriers of both countries to operate international flights.
Vande Bharat Mission
i.It is India’s biggest evacuation plan initiated by the central government to bring back its citizens stranded in foreign countries since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
ii.The 4th phase of the mission is going on.Till 15th, July 2020 over 6 lakh 87 thousand passengers have been brought under the mission.
About Air India:
Headquarters- New Delhi, India
Chairman and Managing Director– Rajiv Bansal

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

PM Modi delivers keynote address virtually at High-Level Segment of UN’s ECOSOC held at in New York, US

i.On July 17, 2020, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address virtually at 2020’s High-Level Segment (HLS) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) session held at the United Nations in New York, United States (US). The theme of this 2020 ECOSOC HLS was “Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary”.
ii.This was the first address by PM to the UN membership since India elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the term 2021-22.
iii.The first president of ECOSOC, i.e. in 1946, was an Indian named Ramaswami Mudaliar.
About United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
President– Mona Juul
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)
<< Read Full News >>

Dharmendra Pradhan & Dan Brouillette co-chaired  2nd Meeting of India-US Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) virtually

i.On July 17 2020, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Steel Dharmendra Pradhan and United States (US) Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette co-chaired the 2nd  ministerial meeting of the U.S.-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) virtually to review progress, highlight major accomplishments, and prioritize new areas for cooperation.
ii.Several MoU signed at US-India SEP ministerial meeting including the following:

• India-US signed MoU to begin cooperation on strategic petroleum reserve; India to create its first overseas oil stockpile in US
• MoU on India’s first-ever Solar Decathlon
• MOU between EESL, NTPC, and USAID for retrofit of buildings to improve indoor air quality, safety, and efficiency
• USAID partnered with POSOCO to develop NOAR
• Launch of public-private Hydrogen Task Force
• MoU signed under US-India Gas Task Force (GTF)

About US-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP):
Established in April 2018 at the direction of President Donald John Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SEP organizes inter-agency engagement on both sides across four primary pillars of cooperation viz. Power and Energy Efficiency; Oil and Gas; Renewable Energy; and Sustainable Growth. 

• The SEP also supports US govt efforts under the AsiaEDGE initiative, which establishes India as a strong energy partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

Static Points:
India’s Ambassador to the US– Taranjit Singh Sandhu
US Capital– Washington, D.C.
US Currency– US Dollar
<< Read Full News >>

UN’s Global Multidimensional Poverty Index: India Record Largest Reduction in Number of People Living in Poverty

i.On 16th July 2020, The United Nations’ “the Multidimensional Poverty Index(MPI) 2020: Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs” states that India records the largest reduction in the number of People living in poverty as around 273 million people moved out of the multidimensional poverty over 10 years.
ii.The report released by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) focuses on how multidimensional poverty has declined.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
<< Read Full News >>

India Remains as Lower-Middle-Income Economy: World Bank Country Classifications by Income Level 2020-2021

i.According to the New World Bank country classifications by income level 2020-2021, India remains in the classification, Lower-Middle-Income Economy. In total 218 countries have been included in this classification.
ii.The World Bank classifies countries into four income groups namely: low income , lower-middle income, upper-middle income, and high-income economies.
iii.The classifications are updated each year on July 1 and are based on Gross National Income(GNI) per capita in current USD(using the Atlas method exchange rates) of the previous year.
About World Bank
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States
President– David R. Malpass
<< Read Full News >>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Centre’s fiscal deficit to increase to 7.6% & India’s GDP to contract by 5.3% in FY21: India Ratings and Research’s Report

i.As per the research report of India Ratings and Research(Ind-Ra), Centre’s fiscal deficit is estimated to increase to 7.6% in FY21, which is twice the budget estimate as the  country spends more to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, facing a shortfall in revenues. 
ii.The report projects India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to contract by 5.3% in FY21.
iii.The aggregate of the central and state fiscal deficit in FY21 is 12.1%, with the states contributing 4.5%.
About Ind-Ra:
Ind-Ra is a 100% owned subsidiary of the Fitch Group.
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director & CEO– Rohit karan Sawhney
<< Read Full News >>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS   

UN announced the Laureates of 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize: Marianna Vardinoyannis & Morissana Kouyaté

i.On 17th July 2020, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, The President of United Nations General Assembly announced that Marianna Vardinoyannis, of Greece, and Doctor Morissana Kouyaté, of Guinea will receive the 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize. They will be recognised in the virtual ceremony on 20th July 2020.
ii.The award will be presented to them in an in-person award ceremony at a later date at the United Nations(UN) headquarters, New York, United States of America.
About UNGA:
President– Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
President Elect– Volkan Bozkir
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
<< Read Full News >>

South Central Railway’s Ongole Sub-Division Office Won Water Heroes Award for April 2020 from Jal Shakti Ministry

The Ongole Sub-Divisional Office of Vijayawada Division, Andhra Pradesh, South Central Railway has won the Water Heroes Award for the month of April, 2020 from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. The division is led by Pratham Agarwal, Assistant Divisional Engineer.
Water Heroes Award
Objective– To promote the value of water and to support country-wide efforts on water conservation and sustainable development of water resources.
Contest
i.The contest was organized by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation; Ministry of Jal Shakti from 1st September, 2019 to 30th June 2020. 
ii.The participants had sent their entries of success stories in the field of water conservation, water resource development and management.
iii.The Contest is for a duration of 10 months. Each month, a maximum of 10 entries shall be selected for the cash prize.
Cash Prize– The selected entries will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 each. 
About Ministry of Jal Shakti
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Minister of State– Rattan Lal Kataria
Recent Related news
i.Ministry of Jal Shakti sanctions Rs. 445 crores for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh during 2020-21
ii.Cauvery Water Management Authority brought under the Jal Shakti Ministry: Central government.

Narendra Singh Tomar declared the 2019 ICAR Awards in 92nd ICAR Foundation Day

i.On 16th July 2020, Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare inaugurated the Virtual celebration of the 92nd Foundation day of Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) and declared the 2019 ICAR Awards from Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.
ii.The National Academy of Agriculture Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, received 4 awards in different categories.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare:
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar
Ministers of State– Parshottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary
About Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR):
Director General- Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra
Headquarters– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PM SVANidhi app launched to provide micro-credit facility for street vendors at their door steps

i.On July 17, 2020, a mobile Application of Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was virtually launched by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) from New Delhi, in order to bring paper-less Microcredit facility for street vendors at their door steps and also to give impetus to the implementation strategy of the Scheme.
ii.The aim of the app is to ease the sourcing and processing of loan applications of street vendors under the Scheme by providing user friendly digital interface for Lending Institutions (LIs) and their field functionaries like Banking Correspondents (BCs) and Agents of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)/ Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs).
About PM SVANidhi:
MoHUA has launched PM SVANidhi (PM स्वनिधि ) – PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbharNidhi on June 01, 2020 for providing affordable Working Capital loan to 50 lakh street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. As a part of the scheme, the street vendors, who had their businesses operational on or before 24 March, 2020 can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000 which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. The loaning will commence from July 2020.
<< Read Full News >>

ICAT launched automotive technology e-portal ASPIRE

i.The International Centre of Automotive Technology(ICAT) has launched an automotive technology e-portal, Automotive Solutions Portal for Industry, Research and Education(ASPIRE). 
ii.The key objective of this portal is to enhance the technological capability of Indian automotive sector through exchange of knowledge & expertise.
iii.It was launched to facilitate the initiative of the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Govt. of India to promote Research and Development(R&D) and product development in India for various sectors.
About ICAT
Headquarters– Manesar, Haryana
Director– Dinesh Tyagi
<< Read Full News >>

SPORTS

Former Chelsea Forward and World Cup Winner Andre Schurrle Retires at 29

Andre Schurrle (29), Former Chelsea attacker and Borussia Dortmund forward and 2014 FIFA World cup winner(Germany), announces his retirement on July 17, 2020.He is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward.He represented the German national team from 2010 to 2017.
About Andre Schurrle:

• He played for Chelsea from 2013-15.
• He has won a Premier league winner medal in 2015.
• He has made 33 appearances in two seasons.
• The World Cup winner won 57 caps for his country, scoring 22 times and feature for Chelsea and Wolfsburg prior to joining the Bundesliga club in 2016.

About Chelsea Football Club:
Chairman- Bruce Buck
Chief Executive- Guy Laurence

FIFA World Cup 2022: to be held in Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium 

On July 15, 2020 the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) informed that the 2022 World cup tournament is to be held in Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium (or) Al Khor Stadium. Men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup. Host country will be Qatar.Tournament likely to be held between November 21- December 18, 2022 & the final match will be held at Lusail Stadium.
Few Facts about Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
i.The first men’s FIFA World Cup to be staged in the Middle East, is also the first edition to be held in the November-December window.
ii.The World Cup is being hosted by an Asian nation for the second time. The first one was hosted by Japan and South Korea hosted together in 2002.
iii.The world cup involves 32 teams usually which are set to be increased to 48 teams in the year 2026 tournament.
Recent Related news
FIFA President Gianni Infantino congratulated the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) last 9th July 2020 on the 104th anniversary of its foundation.
About FIFA:
President: Gianni Infantino
Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
Membership: 211 national associations.
About Al Bayt Stadium:
Capacity: 60,000
Location: Al Khor, Qatar.

OBITUARY

Civil Rights Veteran Rev. C.T. Vivian Dead at 95

The Rev. Cordy Tindell Vivian (95), a civil rights veteran died out of natural causes at his residence in Atlanta, United States on July 17, 2020. He has served as head of the organisation co-founded by the civil rights icon.  
About Cordy Tindell Vivian:

• Cordy Tindell Vivian was born on 28 July 1924 in Howard County, U.S state of Maryland.
• His first victory was in 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• He was an American minister and an author.

Posts Held

• He has worked for Martin Luther King Junior and has served as head of the organisation co-founded by the civil rights icon.
• He has also led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC).
• He was the national director of affiliates under SCLC.
• He became the interim president of SCLC in 2012.

Honors

• Vivian was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2013.
• “Challenge and Change: The Story of Civil Rights Activist C.T. Vivian” by Lydia Walker is a biography of C.T. Vivian.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Nelson Mandela International Day 2020 – July 18

i.The United Nations’(UN) Nelson Mandela International Day is annually celebrated on July 18th, the birth anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, to recognise his contribution in creating a democratic South Africa.
ii.The theme of Nelson Mandela International Day is “Take action, inspire change”
iii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/64/13 on 10th November 2009, declaring July 18th as Nelson Mandela International Day
About Republic of South Africa:
President– Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa
Capital–  Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (Judicial), Cape town (legislative)
Currency– South African rand
<< Read Full News >>

STATE NEWS

Government of Andhra Pradesh Announces Renewable Energy Export Policy 2020

i.On 17th July 2020, The State Government of Andhra Pradesh(AP) announced the Andhra Pradesh Renewable Energy Export Policy 2020, which permits the sale of power to the other states of India.The policy will be in force for the five years.
ii.The policy aims to utilize the unused potential and to attract private investments to boost the economy and to generate additional revenue to the government.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Chief Minister– Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy
Governor– Biswa Bhusan Harichandan 
Capital– Amaravati
<< Read Full News >>

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