Current Affairs 25 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 25 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 25 Current Affairs of 25 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Prakash Javadekar virtually launched piloting of National Transit Pass System (NTPS); undertaken in MP & Telangana

i.On July 23, 2020, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Keshav Javadekar virtually launched the piloting of the National Transit Pass System (NTPS) from Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi, as another step towards Digital India Movement. 
ii.The pilot project will be functional in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Telangana, and by this Diwali it will be operational in pan India.
iii.NTPS will replace manual paper-based transit system by online transit system enabling ease of movement of timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC):
Prakash Keshav Javadekar Constituency– Maharashtra
Minister of State (MoS)– Babul Supriyo
<< Read Full News >>

Union Home Minister Launches Tree Plantation Campaign-2020 “Vriksharopan Abhiyan” of the Coal Ministry

On 23 July, The Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched ‘Vriksharopan Abhiyan’ the tree plantation campaign of the Coal Ministry in the presence of Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs.

• The campaign was conducted virtually at more than 130 locations in around 38 districts of 10 coal/lignite bearing States.
• 6 lakh seedlings have been planted across 600 acres.
• Amit Shah led foundation stones for six eco parks and tourism sites during the ‘Tree Plantation Campaign’ through video-conferencing. 

<< Read Full News >>

The Navy’s largest Solar plant was inaugurated at the INA, Ezhimala

On July 22, 2020, the Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawal, Flag Officer Commanding-in-chief, Southern Naval Command (SNC), virtually employed the 3 MegaWatt (MW) largest Solar Power Plant at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala. 
The project is a part of the Indian Government’s initiative of National Solar Mission, to achieve 100 GigaWatt (GW) of solar Power by 2022. 
-2 MegaWatt Solar Power Plant Inaugurated at Naval Station Karanja, Uran
Indian Navy Vice Admiral, Flag Officer Commanding – in – Chief of Western Naval Command, Ajith Kumar virtually inaugurated the first 2 MegaWatt Solar Capacity Solar Power Plant. 
The Power Plant was set up at the Western Naval Station, Karanja in Maharashtra’s Uran. 
Indian Naval Academy
Motto – Shaping Future Naval Leadership
Commandant – Vice Admiral Mr. Dinesh K Tripathi, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Nau Sena Medal (NM) 
Deputy Commandant – Rear Admiral Mr. Tarun Saobiy, Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM)
Location – Ezhimala, Kannur, Kerala, India 
About KELTRON
Type – A State owned electronic enterprise. 
Headquarters – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Chairman (current) – Shri N. Narayanamoorthy (1st March 2019) 
<< Read Full News >>

India’s maternal mortality ratio declined to 113 in 2016-18: Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS)

i.In accordance with the “Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18”, released by the Office of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016 andd almost 100 deaths lesser than in the period of 2007-2009.
ii.States have been categorized into three groups namely, Empowered Action Group (EAG) States, Southern States and Other States during the survey.
iii.The southern States registered a lower MMR — Andhra Pradesh (65), Telangana (63), Karnataka (92), Kerala (43) and Tamil Nadu (60) as compared to states of Assam & EAG. 
iv.In the category of other status Punjab has a maximum MMR of 129.
About Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (ORGI):
The Office of the Registrar General, India works under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Registrar General & Census Commissioner– Dr. Vivek Joshi
<< Read Full News >>

Rs 8767 crore Approved for 81 projects under Special Window for Affordable and Mid Income Housing Investment Fund I

i.Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman informed that so far Rs 8767 crore has been approved for 81 projects under Special Window for Affordable and Mid Income Housing (SWAMIH) Investment Fund I. 
ii.The approved projects will enable the completion of almost 60,000 homes across India.
iii.The announcement was made when the performance of SWAMIH was reviewed with Secretaries of Ministries of Finance and senior management team of the State Bank of India, SBI Capital Markets Limited and SBICAPS Ventures Limited (SVL).
<< Read Full News >>

APSEZ Becomes the 1st Indian Port and 7th Port Globally to Sign Up for the Science-Based Targets initiative

i.Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) becomes the 1st Indian port and 7th Port globally to sign up for the Science-Based Targets initiative(SBTi). 
ii.By signing the commitment letter to SBTi, APSEZ is committed to set science-based emissions reduction targets(across their entire value chain) that keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
iii.APSEZ has also signed a commitment as a supporter to the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).
About APSEZ:
Head Office– Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Chief Executive Officer and Whole Time Director of APSEZ– Karan Adani
About TCFD:
Chairman– Michael R. Bloomberg
<< Read Full News >>

SPRING Project-India & EU Partnered to Purify Sewage Water in Ganga & Godavari Rivers

i.The IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to develop a biotechnology based water treatment system for the purification of sewage water flowing into the rivers Ganga and Godavari through the SPRING Project. 
ii.The project is funded by the Indian Ministry of science & technology, Department of biotechnology with the European Union.
iii.The objective is to develop a low cost advanced bio-oxidation system for polluted water. 
About IIT (BHU)
Director – Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain
Location – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
<< Read Full News >>

HRD Ministry Conducts First Ever Ind-SAT Test 2020 Under its Study in India Programme

The Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD) conducted the first ever Indian Scholastic Assessment (Ind-SAT) Test 2020 under study in India Programme on July 22, 2020. The exam was conducted in the proctored Internet mode by the National Testing Agency.

• Ind-SAT exam is for admissions and granting scholarships in selective Indian universities for foreign students 
• Nearly five thousand candidates from Nepal, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sri-Lanka, Kenya, Zambia, Indonesia and Mauritius appeared for the exam
• The students will be shortlisted according to their marks scored for allocation of scholarships for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses under Study in India Programme.

‘Study in India’ programme: The Primary objective is to target foreign students by branding India as an attractive education destination. 
About Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD):
Union Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State: Sanjay Dhotre

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

‘COVID-19 Law Lab’ Initiative launched to provide legal information worldwide

i.The World Health Organization (WHO) along with other key bodies had launched COVID-19 Law Lab(www.COVIDLawLab.org). 
ii.It is a database of laws that countries had implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
iii.The lab is a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. 
About WHO:
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Director-General– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
<< Read Full News >>

BANKING & FINANCE

ADB and GCF join hands towards ‘green recovery’ on the impacts of COVID-19 disease

On July 22, 2020, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) agreed to partner toward the “Green Recovery”
This is to help hands for the people who are facing the harsh economic impact due to COVID-19 pandemic. 
They agreed to strengthen collaboration on non-sovereign operations while ensuring GCF’s processes are as flexible as possible to foster at-scale financing.
About ADB
Headquarters– Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. Philippines 
Membership – 68 countries
President – Masatsugu Asakawa
About GCF
Headquarters – Songdo International Business District, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea
Executive Director – Mr. Yannick Glemarec
<< Read Full News >>

World’s largest 1st Global Fintech Fest held virtually; UPI AutoPay, RuPay commercial card & OCEN protocol launched

i.The 1st edition of two days long (July 22-23, 2020) world’s largest Global Fintech Fest (GFF) was held virtually, which was organized by Payments Council of India (PCI) and Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) at National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the theme “Fintech : With and Beyond COVID”. The aim of the fest was to bring together the global FinTech and Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.
ii.In order to ease online recurring payments in India, NPCI introduced a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) AutoPay.
iii.NPCI also launched RuPay commercial card named SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card in partnership with State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) India, EnKash, YAP (API- Application Programing Interface provider) and RuPay for young entrepreneurs and small business owners.
iv.The founding architect of Aadhaar and co-founder and non-executive chairman of Infosys Ltd, Nandan Nilekani launched a new credit protocol infrastructure called the ‘Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN) protocol, which has been developed by Indian Software Product Industry RoundTable (iSpirit),
About Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI):
President– Dr. Subho Ray
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)–  Dilip Asbe
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<< Read Full News >>

RBI Releases Report of Committee For Analysis of QR Code headed by Prof. Deepak B Phatak

i.On July 22, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) publicized the “Report of the Committee for Analysis of QR (Quick Response) Code” under the chairmanship of Prof. Deepak B. Phatak on its website for  comments / suggestions of various industry players.
ii.The committee has recommended phasing out of proprietary, closed loop QR codes as it requires customers to manage separate apps. Instead RBI must encourage the use of interoperable QR codes such as the Bharat QR and UPI QR to enable faster on-boarding of all types of merchants for digital payments.
iii.Government / RBI should allow a controlled interchange instead of zero Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on QR code / UPI / RuPay Debit card transactions, 
iv.Tax incentives should be provided to merchants who accept payments through electronic mode.
v.For consumers also, the government should provide incentive schemes to ensure popularity of QR code transactions.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be appointed).
<< Read Full News >>

Amazon Pay partnered with Acko General Insurance Ltd to offer auto insurance in India

i.Amazon Pay, the payments arm of Amazon India has partnered with Acko General Insurance Ltd to offer auto insurance for two and four-wheelers in India, a 100% paperless insurance plan. 
ii.Customers can avail this auto insurance from Amazon Pay page, Amazon app or mobile website and can get a quote for their car or bike’s insurance by providing basic details.
iii.The customers can get claims with one-hour pick-up, three-day assured claim servicing, and one-year repair warranty in select cities. It can be bought within 2 minutes.
About Amazon:
Headquarters– Washington, United States
Founder & CEO– Jeff Bezos
About Acko General Insurance Ltd
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO– Varun Dua
<< Read Full News >>

ICICI Lombard in partnership with PhonePe launched Hospital Daily cash benefit 

i.ICICI Lombard in partnership with PhonePe has launched Hospital Daily cash benefit under its Group Safeguard Insurance policy, a sachet-based group insurance product.
ii.It is a customized hospitalisation policy that allows PhonePe users to get an assured amount if they are hospitalised due to injury or illnesses(including COVID-19).
iii.The hospital bills are not required for the claim, a discharge certificate will be sufficient in most cases for the claim processing. 
About PhonePe:
HeadQuarter– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Sameer Nigam
About ICICI Lombard:
HeadQuarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing director(MD) & CEO– Bhargav Dasgupta
<< Read Full News >>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Mr. Partha Pratim Sengupta appointed as MD and CEO of IOB

i.On July 24, 2020 Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has appointed Mr. Partha Pratim Sengupta as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and his tenure ends by December 31, 2022 or until further orders. 
ii.Mr. Partha Pratim Sengupta succeeds Shri. Karnam Sekar who was retired on June 30, 2020. 
Facts about Mr. Partha Pratim Sengupta: 
i.Sengupta was the deputy managing director of State Bank of India (SBI)
ii.Prior to Deputy MD of SBI, he was the chief General manager at the country’s largest lender’s Kolkata circle. 
iii.He has more than three decades of experience in the Banking sector, in various domains. 
Recent Related news:
Reserve Bank approves Lakshmi Vilas Bank’s MD and CEO, Subramanian Sundar extension
On June 1, 2020, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the extension of tenure for Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB)
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Subramanian Sundar by 6 months from May 31, 2020 to November 30, 2020.
About IOB
Founded – 10 February 1937
Founder – Mr. M.Ct.M Chidambaram Chettyar 
Headquaders – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chairman -Mr. T. C. A Ranganathan (Non-Exe Chairman) 

Mr. Sahil Seth appointed as honorary advisor for BRICS CCI

The Deputy Commissioner of Mumbai Customs and a 2011 batch Indian Revenue Service Officer, Mr. Sahil Seth, has been appointed as an honorary advisor for the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) for the period 2020 to 2030.
The Role is a non-financial, voluntary basis, zero – remuneration appointment.  
About BRICS CCI
Parent Organization of BRICS nation
Type: non-profit, non-governmental organization 
Chairman – Mr. Vishwas Tripathi
Vice Chairman – Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh
Theme for 2020 – “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.
<< Read Full News >>

  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Nitin Jairam Gadkari Launches Mentoring Platform ‘RestartIndia’ to Support MSME Sector 

On 23dr July 2020, Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise(MoMSME), launched www.restartindia.com, a mentoring platform.It was initiated jointly by Muthoot Fincorp and INKtalks to support the MSME sector to restart the business across the nation.
The RestartIndia platform provides global management information and expertise to the common people and connects them to the experts and professionals from various fields, that are in line with the self-dependent India (Atmanirbhar Bharat) project.
About Muthoot Fincorp Ltd:
Managing Director– Thomas John Muthoot
Head Office– Trivandrum, Kerala
About Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise(MoMSME)
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari (constituency – Nagpur,Maharashtra)
<< Read Full News >>

Space startup DRT developed India’s first in-orbit space debris monitoring and tracking system 

i.A Space start up namely Digantara Research and Technology (DRT) which has developed India’s first in-orbit space debris monitoring and tracking system that works on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology has been selected by SID (Society for Innovation and Development) incubation program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. 
ii.In this regard, the startup has received a grant of Rs 25 lakhs which will be used to develop space debris monitoring systems and the company’s expansion.
About Digantara Research and Technology (DRT):
It is founded by Anirudh Sharma and Rahul Rawat.
Headquarter– Kotdwara, Uttarakhand 
<< Read Full News >>

SPORTS

Sri Lankan Cricketer Sripali Weerakkody retires from International Cricket

A 34 years old Female fast bowler Sripali Weerakkody who represent for Sri Lanka in International Crickets has announced her retirement from all forms of Cricket.She played 89 ODIs and 58 T20Is.She totally picked 89 wickets in her career.

she became the first woman cricketer from Sri Lanka to qualify as a fitness trainer from the Australian Institute of Fitness.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A book titled “The Endgame” authored by Hussain Zaidi

S Hussain Zaidi,a well known crime writer has recently written a novel named “The Endgame”.It was published by the HarperCollins India.The book speaks about the politics, betrayal, and unimaginable terror.

“Black Friday”, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”, “Dongri to Dubai” and “Byculla to Bangkok” are other notable books written by him. He was the associate producer of “Terror in Mumbai”,a famous HBO documentary based on 26/11 terror attacks.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Pi approximation day 2020: July 22

Pi approximation day is observed annually on July 22. It is dedicated to the mathematical constant pi (π).  The day is also called Casual Pi Day. Pi denotes the relationship between a circle’s circumference and its diameter and is denoted by the fraction 22/7 which calculates approximately to 3.14.
Why is this date and month celebrated?
In the fraction 22/7, the numerator 22 symbolizes the date and denominator 7 indicates the month(July).
Related Days
Pi day – Also known as International Day of Mathematics is observed on March 14 every year. The date has been selected because the first three digits of the date(March 14 (3/14 or 3-14)) and also correspond to the first three digits of Pi – 3.14. 
Two Pi Day– It is also known as Tau Day for the mathematical constant tau (τ), is observed on June 28.
Key Facts about Pi

• Pi was presented by William Jones in 1706.
• The use of the symbol of Pi was popularized by Leonhard Euler, who adopted it in 1737. 
• Georges Buffon, an 18th-century French mathematician, invented a way to calculate π based on probability. 

STATE NEWS

Punjab Cabinet Approved a USD 285.71 million project for canal-based water supply  

i.The Punjab Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh approved a USD 285.71 million(over Rs 2,130 crore) project for canal-based water supply for Amritsar and Ludhiana cities through video conferencing. 
ii.The funding of these projects will be offered by the World Bank(70%) and Punjab gov(30%). 
iii.In addition to this, the cabinet also approved an amendment to the Land Pooling Policy.
About Punjab:
Capital– Chandigarh
Governor– Vijayender Pal(V.P.) Singh Badnore
<< Read Full News >>

AC GAZE

Pravasi Rojgar app to help migrants find job opportunities: Sonu Sood

Actor Sonu Sood has launched an app “ Pravasi Rojgar” to offer support to workers in finding right job opportunities in various sectors across the country.This  initiative will be supported by community outreach in the villages to find the right employment opportunities for migrant workers in different parts of the country.

Veteran Odia Actor Bijay Mohanty passes away at 70

Veteran Odia Actor Bijay Mohanty has passed away at the age of 70 years in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, who earned National Film Award in his debut film, Chilika Tire and famous for his negative roles in films including Samay Bada Balaban, Naga Phasa, Danda Balunga and Chaka Bhaunri.

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