Current Affairs 31 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 31 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 20 Current Affairs of 31 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Cabinet approved National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 ; HRD ministry renamed as Ministry of Education

i.On July 29, 2020, Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the first education policy of the 21st century i.e. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which has replaced 34 years old NPE, 1986. This was announced by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Keshav Javadekar.
ii.With this, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) will officially be renamed the Ministry of Education (MoE).
iii.The policy proposes to increase investment in education to reach 6% of total Gross Domestic Product(GDP). The current public (Government – Centre and States) expenditure on education in India has been around 4.43% of GDP as per the Analysis of Budgeted Expenditure 2017-18 and only around 10% of the total Government spending towards education as per the Economic Survey 2017-18.
iv.This new policy, which aligned to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-4 of 2030 Agenda is aimed at Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.
v.GER in higher education is to be raised to 50 % by 2035 from 26.8% in 2018 with the addition of 3.5 crore seats.
vi.Curriculum and pedagogy to be transformed by 2022 to promote skill based learning.Revision of NCF(National Curriculum Framework) for school education and NCF for teacher education 2009 by 2021
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister–  Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ (Constituency: Hardwar, Uttarakhand)
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Dhotre

<< Read Full News >>

CSIR, UBA-IIT Delhi and VIBHA Signs a Tripartite MoU to Adopt CSIR Technologies for Rural Development

On 29th July 2020, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan-Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (UBA-IITD) and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), New Delhi signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide access to rural technologies of CSIR for UBA and for the cooperation and actions in the area of UBA towards rural development of India.
About CSIR:
President- Narendra Modi
Vice President- Harsh Vardhan
Director General– Shekhar C. Mande
Headquarters- New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

1st five of 36 French Rafale fighter jets landed at Haryana’s Ambala Airbase 

i.On July 29, 2020, Forty-six months after the €7.87 bn (Rs 59,000 crore) Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA), that was signed between India and France in September 2016, the first five of 36 Rafale fighter jets, from France were landed in Ambala in Haryana after covering a distance of nearly 8500 km to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). 
ii.The five aircraft include two twin seater trainer aircraft and three single seat fighter aircraft. 
iii.These fighter jets are manufactured with 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE), by Dassault Aviation, a french company.
About Indian Air Force (IAF):
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)– Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria
Headquarter– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

Dr. Harsh Vardhan released ebook titled “Standard Treatment Guidelines for the Management of Substance Use Disorders and Behavioural Addictions”

On July 29, 2020 The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare (MoH& FW), Dr. Harsh Vardhan, released an ebook, titled ‘Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) for the Management of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Behavioural Addictions’ virtually. 
The book was released in the presence of State Minister of (MoH & FW), Ashwini Kumar Choubey. 
Aim: The book centers the tackling of substance abuses and behavioural addiction of the country.
Key Info:
i.The guidelines in the book were developed by a group that works under the Tobacco control and Drug Dependence and Treatment program.
ii.The group consists of psychiatrists from substance use prevention and treatment area chosen from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a premier medical institution (NIMHANS), Bengaluru; All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. 
Significance of the book:
i.According to the World Drug Report, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the usage of synthetic substance, drugs in high numbers. The increase in smoking habit and alcohol addiction risks the COVID-19 infection.
ii.A standard of treatments against gambling, shopping, cyber-relational and cyber-sexual addictions has also been included in the treatment guidelines.
iii.The threat of SUD with non-communicable disorders like cardiovascular, cancer, road traffic injury, mental health has been included in the guidelines.
iv.The STG developed by the Drug De Addiction Program (DDAP) gives healthy recommendations against the SUD.
About Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare:
Union Minister – Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Minister of State – Shri Ashwini Kumar

Defence Ministry of India and Indonesia agree to expand the military ties during Defence Minister Dialogue in New Delhi

On July, 27, 2020 the Defence Minister of India, Shri Rajnath Singh and the Defence Minister General of Indonesia Mr. Prabowo Subianto agree to expand the military ties during the Defence Minister’s dialogue held at New Delhi. 
Objective: To expand the defence industries and military ties between two countries and to expand the technology sharing.
Key Info:
i.The ministries agreed to further enhance the bilateral defence cooperation between the countries.
ii.A defence cooperation agreement was signed by the two countries in the year 2018.
iii.The agreement aims to raise the relationship between two countries and to increase the comprehensive strategic partnership.
iv.There was a possible issue of the BrahMos cruise missile to Indonesia by India to enhance the maritime security.
Key Person of the Indian Delegation:
Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff, General M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air, Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar are the key pioneers who attended the meeting. 
About Ministry of Defence, India:
Union Minister – Mr. Rajnath Singh (Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State – Shripad Yesso Naik
About Indonesia
Capital – Jakarta
Currency – Indonesian Rupiah
President – Joko Widodo

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Zimbabwe on Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy

i.The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Zimbabwe on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy., which was signed on November 3rd, 2018.
ii.The objective of the MoU is to promote traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy between two nations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. 
About Zimbabwe:
Capital– Harare
Currencies– United States (US) Dollar, RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) dollar
President– Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
<< Read Full News >>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UNICEF Publishes First of its kind report on Health crisis states 1 in 3 children poisoned by lead

On 30th July 2020, United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) and Pure Earth, international non-profit organization authored and published the first of kind report on the health crisis titled “The Toxic Truth: Children’s Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential” states that around lead poisoning affects large number of children all across the globe.
About UNICEF:
Executive Director– Henrietta Holsman Fore
Headquarter– New York, United States of America
About Pure Earth:
President– Richard Fuller
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
<< Read Full News >>

Narendra Modi & Pravind Jugnauth virtually inaugurated Supreme Court building in Port Louis, Mauritius

i.On July 30, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the new Supreme Court building of Mauritius in Port Louis through video conference. 
ii.The Supreme Court building has been constructed with Indian grant assistance of US$ 30 million and is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis
iii.The newly inaugurated building is one of the five projects being implemented under the ‘Special Economic Package’ of $353 million extended by India to Mauritius in 2016.
About Mauritius:
Currency– Mauritian rupee
High Commissioner of India to Mauritius– Tanmaya Lal
<< Read Full News >>

SABIC in Spain to Become World’s First Large Scale Chemical Production Plant to Completely Run on Renewable Energy

The Polycarbonate facility of SABIC in Spain, is set to become the World’s first large scale industry to completely run on renewable power on signing a major agreement with Iberdrola, an electricity utility company to secure power from solar power projects.

• The Facility is expected to become fully operational by 2024 and support SABIC to achieve its clean energy target by 2025.
• This new plant will contribute 80,000 tonne annual reduction in the indirect emission of carbon dioxide supporting the climate change initiatives like EU 2030.

About SABIC:
CEO– Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan
Headquarters– Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BANKING & FINANCE

BOB Financial Solutions Limited ropes Fiserv, Inc for Digital Transformation

BOB Financial Solutions Limited(BFSL) has chosen Fiserv, Inc. to enable the digitization of their end-to-end card issuance and processing cycle and support the launch of several new and high-tech products including contactless credit cards, virtual credit cards among others.

• For this purpose, BFSL will utilize Fiserv’s FirstVisionTM, an end-to-end managed services solution. 

About FirstVisionTM
i.It is an end-to-end managed services solution that enables card issuance and processing with global economies of scale and integrated capabilities that span the card lifecycle.
ii.The platform will help BFSL to advance its digital transformation through a fully integrated suite of card management tools (including digital card and membership management, advanced fraud modules, risk management, and analysis solutions).
iii.The FirstVision’s service-oriented architecture and open API facilitates rapid application development, allowing new features to be brought to market faster at a lower cost.
iv.The software as a service (SaaS) solution is hosted locally in India and it can handle card processing for major card issuers across the country, ensuring compliance with local payment and customer data regulations.
About BFSL
It is a Non Banking Financial Company that is wholly owned by Bank of Baroda.
Managing Director(MD) and Chief executive Officer(CEO)–  Manish Banerjea
About Fiserv, Inc.
Headquarters– Brookfield, United States
Executive Chairman– Jeffery W. Yabuki 

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Praj Signed MoU with ARAI to Jointly Develop Advanced Biofuels Application technology

i.Praj Industries (Praj) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which they will jointly develop advanced biofuels application technology for the usage in industry and transportation
ii.This technology will help reduce the health risks posed by air pollution in the transportation sector.
iii.This collaboration will enable them to jointly address technologies to expand the use of biofuels in a variety of applications, including the use of internal combustion engines (ICEs) in the transportation sector.
<< Read Full News >>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS   

‘Aditya’, India’s First Solar Powered Ferry Bags the 1st ‘Gussies’ electric boat awards – Gustave Trouvé Award

i.On 26th July 2020, The Plugboats.com announced the winners of the 1st ‘Gussies’ electric boat awards officially known as ‘Gustave Trouvé Award for Excellence in Boats and Boating’. 
ii.“Aditya”, India’s first & largest Solar Powered ferry, won the Gustave Trouvé Award under the Excellence in Electric Boats Designed for Paying Passengers category.
iii.Aditya built & designed by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats for Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD).
About Navalt Solar and Electric Boats Pvt Ltd.:
CEO– Sandith Thandasherry
Head Office– Kochi, Kerala
<< Read Full News >>

     SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DIAT Developed ‘Aashray’, the Medical Bed Isolation System to Combat COVID-19

The Defence Institute of Advanced Technology(DIAT) has developed ‘Aashray’, the Medical Bed Isolation System to fight against COVID-19 pandemic by controlling the spread of infection released by the patient. It is a low cost, reusable solution.

• The model of Aashray was manufactured by M/s Cleancore Solutions Pvt Ltd. Bhosari, Pune.

About Aashray
i.It will maintain proper isolation by creating suction(negative pressure) near exhale of COVID-19 patients and further filtering and disinfecting the aerosol.
ii.Bed Isolation System envelopes are made up of specialized material and manufacturing process with transparent and translucent (7.5(l) ×7(w) ×6.5(h) ft3) size supported on medical grade materials structures.
iii.Each envelope is capable of accommodating one set of bed, table and chair along with some walking space.
iv.As per the availability of space the width of the envelope can be adjusted. The envelope is opaque(non-transparent)up to 3 feet from the bottom to maintain patient privacy.
Recent Related News:
i.IIT Alumni Council Launches India’s 1st COVID-19 test bus in Mumbai.
ii.Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (MVRDL) namely “Mobile BSL-3 VRDL Lab”, India’s first COVID-19 sample collection mobile lab. The lab was developed by DRDO in association with ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad and Private industry.
About DIAT:
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra
Vice Chancellor(chairperson)-  C.P. Ramanarayanan

Iran Launched the Underground Ballistic Missiles During ‘Great Prophet 14’ Military Exercise

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary force, launched the underground ballistic missiles from the depths of the Earth in a completely camouflaged way during the last day of ‘Great Prophet 14’(code name- “Payambar e Azam 14”) military exercise near Gulf waters.  
Key Info
i.It also released bombs from Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jets to target predetermined positions on Bani Farur Island in Iran’s territorial waters. 
ii.These launches were carried out without the platform and usual equipment.
iii.The Footage of the missile launch was released in Iran state television broadcast.
Great Prophet 14
It is the largest of its kind in the region. It was started off in the general area of ​​Hormozgan province, west of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to the depths of the country.
Recent Related News:
i.The Indian Air Force(IAF) operationalised its 2nd squadron No. 18 ‘Flying Bullets’ with the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk-1 Final Operational Clearance.
ii.Indian Coast Guard conducts 9th edition of rescue exercise ‘SAREX-2020’ in Goa.
About Iran:
Capital– Tehran
Currency–  Iranian Rial

SPORTS

Indian GM P. Harikrishna Finishes Second in Grandmaster Triathlon Tournament at Biel Chess Festival 2020

Indian Grandmaster P. Harikrishna finished overall second spot in the Grandmaster Triathlon Tournament at 53rd Biel International Chess Festival which took place in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Poland’s Radoslaw Watjaszek finished first in the Biel Chess Festival. 
Key Points:
i.Biel International Chess Festival 2020 is the first major event to be played over board, adhering to all the health protocols laid down due to COVID-19.  
The Grandmaster Triathlon Tournament consists of three rounds of chess competition – Classical, Rapid & Blitz and it is part of Biel Chess Festival.

• Harikrishna won the classical chess round by finishing with 20.5 points on top, in the rapid round he finished second with 10 points and came fourth in blitz round with 6 points.
• He became second in the overall championship of Grandmaster Triathlon Tournament losing the top spot to Poland’s Radoslaw Wotjaszek(37 points) by half-a-point.

ii.He grabbed the top spot in Accentus Chess960, another separate tournament which was held in the Biel International Chess Festival 2020. 
About GM HariKrishna:
i.The 34-year old Grand Master Pentala Harikrishna was born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. 
ii.Harikrishna became India’s youngest grandmaster in 2001, when he was 15 years old overtaking Vishwanathan Anand who became GM at 18.  This record is now held by Gukesh. D. 
iii.Harikrishna’s International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking is 26. 

England Won the Final Wisden Trophy against West Indies by 2-1

On 28th July 2020, England won the third and final Wisden Trophy test match against the West Indies by 269 runs and won the series by 2-1. After this final series, The Wisden trophy will be retired and displayed at the Museum at Lord’s. It will be replaced by the Richards-Botham Trophy.The series started on 8th July 2020.
About International Cricket Council(ICC):
Chairman– Imran Khawaja (Interim)
Chief Executive– Manu Sawhney
Headquarters– Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE)
<< Read Full News >>

Indian Domestic Player Rajat Bhatia Announces Retirement from All Forms of Cricket

Delhi All-rounder Rajat Bhatia has called it quits to his two-decade long career. He announced his retirement on July 29, 2020.  
Highlights:-
i.Rajat Bhatia has played 112 first-class games scoring 6482 runs (average 49.10) and scalping 137 wickets.He started his first class career playing for Tamil Nadu in 1999-2000 season and later went on to play for Delhi, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.
ii.The Right-hand middle order batsman has 17 centuries & one five-wicket haul to his name. His best bowling figures 5/29 came in the 2007-08 Ranji season. 
iii.His career-defining performance came during the 2007 Ranji season, where he helped Delhi to win Ranji Trophy with a gutsy knock of 139 runs in the final against Uttar Pradesh, also scoring 512 runs in 7 matches. It was the last time Delhi’s won the Ranji Tournament.
iv.He was part of title-winning Kolkata Knight Riders team in 2012 and has played for Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants.
v.Even though he has played more than 100 first-class matches, he could never be a part of the Indian cricket team. 

OBITUARY

President of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee & Lok Sabha MP, Somendra Nath Mitra passed away at 78

On July 30, 2020 President of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee & Lok Sabha MP, Somendra Nath Mitra died at the age of 78 in Bellevue Hospital, Kolkata due to Kidney and heart ailments. He was born on 31st December 1941, Katorah, Jessore, Bangladesh. 
About Somendranath Mitra
i.Served as the President of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee between 1992 – 1998 & between the year 2018 – 2020.
ii.He became the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the year 1972 from Sealdah Assembly seat at the age of 26.
iii.In July 2008, he left the Indian National Congress and formed a new party, named Pragatisheel Indira Congress. 
iv.In October 2009, the political party founded by him was officially merged with the All India Trinamool Congress. and joined the Trinamool Congress in 2009 formed by Mamta Baneerji.
v.He served as the member of the 15th Lok Sabha, elected from the Diamond Harbour constituency in West Bengal state in 2009 as a Trinamool Congress candidate. Later rejoined the congress party in 2014.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World day against trafficking in persons – July 30

i.The United Nations (UN) observed the “World day against trafficking in Person” annually on July 30. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the conditions of the victims of trafficking and to protect their rights.  Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex.
ii.Theme for 2020World day against trafficking in Person as per United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is “Committed to the Cause: Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking”
iii.The day was announced as World day against trafficking in persons in the year 18 December 2013 by the UN General Assembly.
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 
President – Tijjani Muhammad- Bande
Headquarters – New York, United States
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Director General Executive Director– Ghada Fathi Waly
Headquarters – Vienna, Austria
<< Read Full News >>

International Day of Friendship: July 30

i.The United Nations(UN) International Day of Friendship is observed annually on July 30 to cherish the bond of friendship which will ultimately help to develop love and peace among human beings. The day is also called Friendship Day. 
ii.Idea behind the day– Friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
Friendship Day in India
Many countries including India, celebrate the 1st Sunday of August as the day, this year(2020) it falls on August 2.
<< Read Full News >>

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