Current Affairs 29 October 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 29 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 15 Current Affairs of 29 October 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Releases Commemorative Postage Stamp on 75th Anniversary of UN

On October 23, 2020 Department of Posts (DoP), Ministry of Communications(MoC), Government of India released a commemorative postage stamp on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations(UN) Organisation. Dr. S Jaishankar, Union external affairs minister was the chief guest of the event.
Note– Dr. S Jaishankar mentioned the release of the commemorative stamp as a ‘befitting tribute’ to the 75 years of the UN.
75th Anniversary of UN
On October 24, 2020 The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued 3 stamp mini-sheets to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations day.
Key Info:
i.UNPA has released stamps on themes that now resonate beyond India and Indians.
ii.These stamps include, the International Day of Non-Violence in 2009, the International Day of Yoga in 2017, Deepawali Stamps in 2018 and Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary Stamp in 2019.
iii.Previously, the Department of Posts has released similar commemorative postage stamps on the UN’s 9th anniversary in 1954, on 40th anniversary in 1985 and on 50th anniversary in 1995.
About Ministry of Communications(MoC):
Union Minister– Ravi Shankar Prasad(Constituency- Patna Sahib, Bihar)
Minister of State(MoS)– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre

India Post, US Postal Service Inked MoU for Electronic Exchange of Customs Data

i.On October 27, 2020, Department of Posts, Government of India (India Post) and United States Postal Service (USPS) have inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Electronic Exchange of Customs data related to postal shipments.The MoU was signed on the lines of Third India- USA 2+2 Ministerial dialogue held in New Delhi.
ii.This MoU enables Exchange of Electronic Advance Data (EAD) i.e. transmitting and receiving of electronic data of international postal items prior to their physical arrival at the destination resulting in customs clearance of postal items in advance.
iii.The agreement was signed by Prannoy Sharma, Deputy Director General (International Relations & Global Business), Department of Posts, and Robert H. Raines Jr., Managing Director, Global Business of USPS.
About United States (US):
Capital– Washington, D.C.
Currency– United States Dollar (USD)
President– Donald John Trump
<<Read Full News>>

5 States to get Conservation Centres to protect vultures:  Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025

i.In accordance to the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025 which was approved on October 5, 2020 by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), the five states viz. Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will get vulture conservation and breeding centre each.
ii.Also, as a part of this plan there will be establishment of four rescue centres, in Pinjore (Haryana), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam) and Hyderabad (Telangana). Currently there is no dedicated rescue centre for treating vultures.
iii.The focus of this plan is to prevent the declining vulture population especially of the three Gyps species (a genus of Old World vultures native to India) viz. Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), and Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus).
iv.It should be noted that the previous action plan was formulated in 2006 for three years.
About National Board for Wildlife (NBWL):
The NBWL is constituted by the Central Government under Section 5 A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA). It serves as an apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.

• It is chaired by India’s Prime Minister.

<<Read Full News>>

Kerala becomes First State in the country to Fix MSP for Vegetables 

Kerala became the First State in the Country to fix Minimum Support Price (MSP)/Base Price for 16 Agricultural items which include Vegetables, Fruits and Tubers to support farmers and boost agricultural sector.
On October 21, 2020, Kerala Cabinet cleared the proposal to introduce base prices.  The scheme will come into effect from November 1, 2020, which is celebrated as Keralapiravi day (Day commemorated to celebrate the Birth of Kerala as a state on November 1, 1956).
At the national level, MSP is declared for 23 agricultural items (inclusive of Sugarcane, the only crop MSP payment was legally implemented,for which Fair and Remunerative price was determined) primarily for grains, pulses, oilseeds, paddy and Copra.
16 Agriculture items:
Tapioca, Banana/Wayanadan Banana, Pineapple, Ash Gourd, cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Snake Gourd, Tomato, Beans Nadan, Lady’s Finger, Cabbage, Carrot, Potato, Beans, Beetroot, and Garlic.
About Kerala:
Festivals – Onam, Vishu, Aranmula Uthrattathi, Thrissur Pooram, Theyyam Festival.
International Airports – Kannur International Airport, Cochin International Airport, Calicut International Airport, Trivandrum International Airport.
<<Read Full News>>

Cochin Shipyard Limited and Italy’s Fincantieri Signs MoU in Shipping Industry

i.On October 27, 2020 Cochin Shipyard Limited and Fincantieri S.P.A. of Italy virtually signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for cooperation in the areas of Design, Ship Building, Ship Repair, Marine Equipment Manufacturing and also for Training & Skill Development.
ii.Bejoy Bhasker, Director (Technical) of Cochin Shipyard Ltd and Achille Fulfaro, Senior Vice President (Sales) of Fincantieri, Naval Vessel Business Unit signed the agreement through a video conference.
About Fincantieri S.P.A.:
Head Office– Trieste, Italy
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Giuseppe Bono
About Cochin Shipyard Limited:
HeadQuarters– Cochin, Kerala
Chairman & Managing Director(MD)– Madhu S Nair
<<Read Full News>>

Mansukh Mandaviya Inaugurates 24X7 Direct Port Entry Facility at VOC Port, Tuticorin 

On October 27, 2020, Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated 24X7 Director Port Entry (DPE) facility for containers at the V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust (Formerly Tuticorin Port Trust), Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu).
The facility will bring efficiency and reduce dwell time, it will also lower tariff cost and improve competitiveness of shippers in International Trade.IT enabled infrastructure at the ports will definitely make our ports, world class ports aligning the ‘Maritime Vision 2030’ of the Ministry of Shipping.
Key Points:
i.The facility has been created in an area of 18, 357 square metres inside the truck parking terminal under ‘Sagarmala’ for issuing customs clearance of export cargo (factory stuffed/e-sealed containers).
ii.It is capable of handling 18, 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per month.
iii.The facility will enable direct movement of containers from factories without any intermediate handling at any Container Freight Stations (CFS).
iv.DPE facility will enable the export clearance of factory stuffed e-sealed containers on a 24X7 basis.
v.Earlier, the CFS operated only during working days from 10 AM to 8 PM, because of which there was a delay in admitting containers.
vi.A loyal team of Central Warehousing Corporation and conventional officials in association with VOC Port will serve Tier-II, Tier-III certified export and import clients.
vii.The customs segment will generate Let Export Order (LEO) under a single roof without any problem.
MoU with Central Warehousing Corporation:
VOC Port Trust has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) to operate the facility for 30 years and Customs Department has approved operating DPE facility in the port.
About Central Warehousing Corporation:
Chairman (Part Time) – D. V. Prasad (IAS)
Headquarters – New Delhi

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Third India- USA 2+2 Dialogue held in New Delhi on Oct 27, 2020;Signed BECA & 4 other MoU’s

i.On October 27, 2020, India hosted the third India-United States (US) 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi where India side was represented by Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the US side was represented by Secretary of State Michael Richard Pompeo also known as Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Thomas Esper.
ii.The agenda for this covered all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
iii.Notably Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on October 26, 2020 for a two-day visit to attend the dialogue and also to hold bilateral talks with their Indian counterparts and to meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• India, U.S sign five agreements including ‘Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement’
• ISRO-NASA satellite NISAR scheduled to be launched by 2022
• India, US vow to deepen cooperation in jointly combating COVID-19
• Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper met PM Narendra Modi in Delhi

About United States (US):
Capital– Washington, D.C.
Currency– United States Dollar (USD)
President– Donald John Trump
<<Read Full News>>

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla virtually Addresses Sixth BRICS Parliamentary Forum

On October 27, 2020, Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla virtually addressed the Sixth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & Republic of South Africa) Parliamentary Forum.
Theme of the meeting – “BRICS partnership in the interest of the global stability, general safety and innovative growth: parliamentary dimension.”
Chairman of the 6th BRICS Forum –  Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Vyachaslav Volodin.
Indian Participation:
Apart from Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers (Lok Sabha), Kanimozhi Karunanidhi participated in the meeting.
About BRICS:
BRICS Chairman (2020) – Russia
President of New Development Bank (BRICS Bank) – Marcos Prado Troyjo (Brazil)
<<Read Full News>>

Pakistan to Remain in FATF’s Grey List till February 2021

On 23rd October 2020, Marcus Pleyer of Germany, President of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Global Terror Financing Watchdog announced that Pakistan will remain on the grey list of FATF till February 2021. The decision was made since Pakistan failed to fulfill 6 out of 27 mandates to check terror funding.
Key Points:
i.FATF urged Pakistan to complete its action plan by February 2021 and to do more check terror funding including the 6 items which are yet to be addressed by Pakistan.
ii.The implementation plan to eliminate money laundering and terror financing was expected to be completed by 2019 which has been extended due to the ongoing global pandemic.
Note:
In June 2020, Pakistan was retained in the grey till October 2020 since it failed to prosecute and penalise terrorist financing.
About Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
President (2020-2022)– Dr. Marcus Pleyer(Germany)
Secretariat– Paris, France
Members– FATF currently has 39 members which includes 2 regional organisations: European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

GHE of India Won the 2020 UN Global Climate Action Awards 

i.On 27th October 2020, Global Himalayan Expedition(GHE) of India, won the 2020 United Nations(UN) Global Climate Action Awards under Financing for Climate Friendly Investment for its efforts to combat climate change amid COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.As Recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Global Himalayan Expedition(GHE) is the world’s first organisation to utilize the force of tourism integrated with technology to enable solar energy to remote communities.
iii.The awards are spearheaded by the Momentum for Change initiative of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and showcases the most practical and replicable examples of climate change solutions across the globe.
About UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):
Executive Secretary– Patricia Espinosa
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Indian Cricketer Rohit Sharma Becomes Brand Ambassador of Dr Trust

On October 28, 2020 Rohit Sharma, Indian Cricketer appointed as the brand ambassador of Dr Trust, healthcare firm. The right handed batsman will feature in a new integrated campaign for Dr Trust.
List of other brands appointed him in 2020:
i.Massimo Batteries in January 2020.
ii.IIFL Finance(1st ever brand ambassador) in April 2020
iii.CricKingdom, a Dubai-based cricket coaching academy in April 2020.
iv.Oakley, Sports eyewear brand in India, in August 2020.
v.Vega, India’s leading beauty accessories brand in October 2020.
About Rohit Sharma:
i.He is the 1st male cricketer for India to play in 100 T20I(Twenty20 International).
ii.He is the only cricketer who made three double centuries in ODI(One Day International)’s.

IMPORTANT DAYS

19th International Animation Day 2020: October 28

i.International Animation Day(IAD) is annually celebrated across the globe on October 28 and this year(2020) marks the 19th anniversary of IAD.
ii.The day is celebrated to recognize, honour and celebrate the artists, the scientists and also the technicians behind animated art including animated movies.
iii.ASIFA(Association Internationale du Film d’Animation or International Animated Film Association), a member of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization)  coordinates and helps promote IAD celebrations globally.
About ASIFA:
Association Internationale du Film d’Animation or International Animated Film Association is the abbreviation of ASIFA. 2020 marks the 60th anniversary of ASIFA.
HeadQuarters– Zagreb, Croatia
Secretary General-  Vesna Dovnikovic
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Launched 2 Web Portals: Integrated Odisha State Scholarship Portal & Sumangal Portal

i.On 28th October 2020, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha launched 2 web portals over a virtual platform. The two portals are, Integrated Odisha State Scholarship Portal which provides scholarship to the eligible students and Sumangal Portal provides incentive to inter-caste marriage couples.
ii.Integrated Odisha State Scholarship Portal will provide 21 scholarships offered by 8 state departments.
iii.The Sumangal Portal was developed by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Department.
About Odisha:
Elephant Reserve– Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, Mahanadi Elephant Reserve, Sambalpur Elephant Reserve
Tiger Reserve– Similipal Tiger Reserve, Satkosia Tiger Reserve
<<Read Full News>>

DTC Signs MoU with NBCC to Build First of Its Kind Multilevel Bus Depots in Delhi

On 27th October 2020, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to establish the first of its kind multilevel bus depots with all modern facilities at Hari Nagar and Vasant Vihar in Delhi.
Objective of the facilities:
These modern facilities will increase the bus parking capacities in the limited available spaces and reduce the parking cost per bus.
Features of MoU:
i.Under this MoU NBCC will take up the redevelopment of depots at Vasant Vihar and Hari Nagar and residential colonies of DTC in Shadipur and Hari Nagar.
ii.To improve the financial health of the corporation and increase parking space, development plans including the commercialisation of depots and terminals are being explored.

Tamil Nadu Govt Implements Smart Black Board Scheme in 80,000 Govt Schools

i.In order to ensure a better teaching environment, the Tamil Nadu government is implementing the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools.
ii.The Smart Class Room scheme of the Central Education Ministry is being  implemented in 7500 schools of the state.
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister– Edappadi K. Palaniswami
UNESCO Heritage Site– Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Great Living Chola Temples(the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram), Mountain Railways of India- Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

ACKO Partners with Finserv MARKETS to Offer Two & Four Wheeler Insurance

ACKO General Insurance, partnered with Finserv MARKETS, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv to offer two and four wheeler insurance policies. Under this partnership, customers can buy the ACKO insurance for the vehicles on the Finserv MARKETS platform and will also offer seamless and affordable insurance products to customers of Finserv markets.

AffairsCloud Special

List of Defence News in 2020 :

(i) List of Missiles Tested
(ii) List of Defence Exercise
(iii) List of Defence Module

Click here to View – List of Defence News in 2020

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Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2020

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