Current Affairs 20 October 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 20 October 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 20 October 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Shri Parshottam Rupala Launched Rs.10,000 cr Ayushman Sahakar for creation of healthcare by cooperatives

i.On the lines of the cooperative hospitals in Kerala, on October 18, 2020, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Parshottam Rupala launched a new scheme of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) namely “Ayushman Sahakar” to involve co-operatives in creating healthcare infrastructure.
ii.As a part of the scheme, a loan worth Rs 10,000 crore will be provided by NCDC to prospective cooperatives to set up healthcare facilities.
iii.Loan Period: It will be for 8 years, including 1-2 years moratorium on repayment of principal, depending on the type of project.
About National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC):
Managing Director– Sundeep Kumar Nayak
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

“Kati Bihu” Festival Celebrated in Assam

On17th October 2020, Kati Bihu is one of the set of three Bihu festivals (agricultural festivals) was celebrated in the state of Assam.The Kati Bihu is also known as Kangali Bihu, the festival of the poor (the word “Kongal” means “poor”) is celebrated in mid-October when the crops are at growing stage and the granaries of the farmers are depleting.
Celebration of Kati Bihu:
i.The Kati Bihu is celebrated with the lamp called ‘Saki’ which is lit on the tips of bamboo poles in the fields which represents a guide to spirits and earthen lamps are lit in the garden, under the tulsi plants and in the granaries.
ii.The farmers chant spells to ward off the negativity and pests in the field and pray for a prosperous harvest.
iii.The locals of Assam celebrate the festival by lighting diya in their fields and homes and perform cultural dance and organise feasts.
Other Bihu Festivals:
i.Bohag or Rongali Bihu is celebrated during the mid-April as the Assamese new year. During the Bohag Bihu the fields are prepared for the paddy cultivation.
ii.Magh or Bhogali Bihu is celebrated during the mid-January as a spring festival to mark a successful harvest and full granaries.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India-Sri Lanka Navies Conducting Maritime Exercise SLINEX-20 off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

i.India’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and vision of ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)’ is boosting interactions with neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka with which Indian Navy (IN) initiated a 8^th Edition of annual Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 from October 19-21 October 2020 off Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.
ii.The Indian side is represented by indigenously built ASW (anti- Submarine Warfare corvettes) Kamorta and Kiltan under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) while Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is represented by SLN Ships Sayura (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and Gajabahu (Training Ship) led by Rear Admiral Bandara Jayathilaka, the Flag Officer Commanding Naval.
iii.In addition, Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Chetak helicopters embarked onboard IN ships, and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft are also participating.
About Sri Lanka:
Capitals– Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency– Sri Lankan rupee
Prime Minister– Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy)– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju Attended Y20 Summit Virtually

i.On October 15-17, 2020, the first-ever virtual  G20 (Group of Twenty) Youth 20 (Y20) Summit was virtually hosted from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia for exchanging ideas and dialogues for the empowerment of youth Post COVID where Indian side was represented by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
ii.The theme of the Summit was “Government – Youth dialogue on post-COVID-19 opportunities”.
iii.The Summit concluded with the drafting of the Y20 Communique under the three overarching priority areas viz. Future Fit; Youth Empowerment; and Global Citizenship. Click Here for Official Comminique
About G-20 or Group of Twenty:
Composition– 19 countries and the European Union (EU) The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
2020 Presidency– Saudi Arabia
2020 theme– Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century For All
Chairman– Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2020)
<<Read Full News>>

Indian Spends 3.5% of Daily Income for a plate of food; Ranked 28^th & South Sudan Tops: UN’s WFP Report

In accordance with the “The Cost of a Plate of Food-2020” released by United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP), on an average Indian spends 3.5% of his/ her daily income for a plate of food as compared to 0.6% by an Individual from New York, United States (US). The report has ranked 36 countries where India stood at 28th position.

• The most expensive plate of food is of South Sudan where people on average would have to spend 186% of their daily salary on basic ingredients.
• The maximum countries named in the list are from sub-Saharan Africa i.e. 17 of the top 20.

Point to be noted:
UN-WFP is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
About United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP):
Executive Director– David Muldrow Beasley
Headquarter– Rome, Italy

Singapore Becomes 1st Country to attach Facial Verification in National Identification Database

Singapore became the World’s First Country to attach Facial verification in the National Identification Database. The function is called “SingPass Face Verification”.
Using “SingPass Face Verification” a number of Government services can be accessed online.
i.It is being rolled out to the city-state’s SingPass digital identity scheme.
ii.The SingPass digital identity scheme provides access to 400 online services which includes tax declarations, and public housing applications.
About Singapore:
Prime Minister – Lee Hsien Loong
Currency – Singapore Dollar (SGD)
“SIMBEX” – Annual India, Singapore Naval Combat Exercise
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE     

Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Launched, ‘Invest 4G’ a  Unit Linked Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan

i.On October 19, 2020 Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) Life Insurance Company Limited  launched, ‘Invest 4G’ a Unit Linked Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan.
ii.It is an individual life insurance savings plan that can be customized according to the individuals’ goals and changing requirements.
About Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance Company Limited:
MD & CEO- Anuj Mathur
Head Office– Gurugram, Haryana
<<Read Full News>>

Fino Payments Bank Set to Add Another 300 Points at BPCL Outlet in Tamil Nadu

On 19th October 2020, Fino Payments Bank announced its plan to add an additional 300 points at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited(BPCL) outlet to its existing 1075 in Tamil Nadu(TN). This is aimed to support the truck drivers to get a fleet card recharged by paying equivalent cash.
The SmartFleet initiative is a first of its kind in India which provides assistance to the transporters to efficiently manage their funds.
About Fino Payment Bank:
MD & CEO– Rishi Gupta
Headquarters– Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
About BPCL:
Chairman & Managing Director– K. Padmakar
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Jacinda Ardern, Wins 2nd Term as the Prime Minister of New Zealand 

Jacinda Ardern leader of the Labour Party won the 2nd term as the Prime Minister of New Zealand with her landslide victory in the 2020 General Elections. The Labour Party won the election with 49% of the votes and its coalition partner the Green Party won 8% i.e., 10 seats.
Results of the Election:
i.The results of the elections predicted the Labour party to win 64 out of the parliamentary seats, which makes it to be the first party to be able to govern alone under the system.
ii.With around 29% of the votes and 35 parliamentary seats the center right National Party became the main opposition.
iii.The Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters of the New Zealand First, the other coalition partner of Labour was voted out in this election.
iv.The ACT Party won 10 seats with 8% of the votes and made it back into the parliament.
Note:
The norm of New Zealand is coalition, where no single party has won the majority of the votes in the past 24 years.
About Jacinda Ardern:
i.Jacinda Ardern became the Prime Minister at the age of 37 in 2017 and became the 3rd female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world.
ii.She became the 2nd world leader to give birth while holding the office, after Benazir Bhutto.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Stellapps Launches ‘mooPay’, a First-of-its-Kind Fully Automated Direct Payment Platform for Dairy Farmers in Rajasthan

i.On October 15, 2020 Stellapps, an IIT(Indian Institute of Technology) Madras incubated dairy-tech startup and World Economic Forum(WEF)’s technology pioneer launched ‘mooPay’ in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.
ii.The first-of-its-kind fully automated direct payment platform is for dairy farmers in Rajasthan.
iii.This platform is one of the Fintech solutions developed by Stellapps for dairy and dairy farmers.
About Stellapps:
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Ranjith Mukundan
HeadQuarters– Bangalore, Karnataka
<<Read Full News>>

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile Successfully Test Fired from INS Chennai

i.On October 18, 2020, the supersonic cruise missile, “BrahMos” was successfully test fired from Indian Navy’s indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS (Indian Naval Ship) Chennai to a target in Arabian Sea. This 290 KM (Kilometer) missile range has a top speed of Mach 2.8 nearly three times the speed of sound.
ii.It should be noted that the BrahMos, a prime strike weapon has been jointly designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.
iii.BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture (JV) between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and NPO Mashinostroyenia-NPOM (formerly Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia).
About Brahmos Aerospace:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD)– Dr Sudhir Mishra
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Chairman – Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

FSSAI’s New Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) to Become Operational Across India from November 2020

i.On 19th October 2020, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) the food regulator announced that the Food Safety Compliance System(FoSCoS) of FSSAI will become operational across India from 1st November 2020.
ii.The FoSCoS will replace the Food Licensing and Registration System(FLRS).
iii.The system was launched in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Gujarat, Goa, Odisha, Manipur, Delhi, Chandigarh and Ladakh on 1st June 2020.
About FSSAI:
CEO– Arun Singhal
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

SPORTS

DANISA Denmark Open 2020 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Tournament – Overview

DANISA Denmark Open 2020 took place from October 13-18, 2020 in Odense, Denmark. Denmark Open is an annual Badminton Tournament held in Denmark, organized by Danmarks Badminton forbund.
i.Badminton World Federation (BWF) categorised it as a BWF World Tour Super 750 event in 2018.
ii.It is the only world tour event in Badminton which took place in 2020.
iii.Chou Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei) defeated India’s Kidambi Srikanth in the Quarterfinals of Denmark Open 2020.
Winners of DANISA Denmark Open 2020 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Tournament

Indian Shooters Elavenil, Shahu Mane Bag Gold, Silver Medals in Sheikh Russel International Air-Rifle Championship 2020

i.On 18th October, 2020, Indian Shooter Elavenil Valarivan won the Gold Medal in the Women’s event, while Shahu Tushar Mane won the Silver Medal in the Men’s event in the Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship 2020 that held virtually.
ii.The championship was organised by Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation (BSSF).
Men’s Event 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Trauma Day 2020: October 17

i.World Trauma Day is observed annually on October 17 to create awareness about the increasing rate of accidents and injuries that cause death and disability globally. The day also highlights the  need to prevent trauma.
ii.The day was first observed in 2011 in New Delhi, with The Trauma Society of South Africa joining the year after.
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

UP Governor Launches “Safe City Project” – Women’s Safety Campaign in Lucknow; UP CM Launches Mission Shakti

On 17th October, 2020 Uttar Pradesh (UP) Governor Anandiben Patel launched “Safe City Project” – a women’s safety campaign in Lucknow, UP. “Safe City Project” is a 180-day-long campaign under which police and other departments will work towards strengthening the security of women in public places.
The campaign will involve the movement of women police personnel to inculcate a feeling of pride and safety for women in Lucknow.
Mission Shakti:
On October 17, 2020, UP Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath launched “Mission Shakti” to ensure safety and dignity of women and girls. The CM has launched it as a tribute to the woman, who died after a rape incident in Balrampur.
About Uttar Pradesh:
Festivals – Kumbh Mela, Taj Mahotsav
Folk Dances – Kathak (one of the six foremost classical dances of India), Ramlila, Braj Raslila, Charkula, and Rasiya.
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

Heeng Cultivation starts in India for the First Time

Heeng (Ferula assa-foetida) commonly known as Asafoetida cultivation has been started in India for the first time. The first plantation of Heeng was done in Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. Heeng is a widely used spice in Indian Cuisine and is usually imported from Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. This move will reduce imports. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) introduced six accession of heeng from Iran through National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR). It is a perennial plant and can be grown in unutilized sloppy land of cold desert regions.

BoB Signed MoU with Mahindra & Mahindra for Tractor Finance Business

Bank of Baroda (BoB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Mahindra and Mahindra(M&M) for tractor finance business. This aims to enhance the agriculture business and support farmers to avail loans to buy tractors. BoB will provide the facility to the customers of M&M through its 5000 rural and semi urban branches. BoB has partnered with Gromax under the Mahindra stable as preferred Brand.

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