Current Affairs 7 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 7 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 7 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Indian Railways Sets up Solar Plant in Bina, MP & Becomes the 1^st Organization in the World to Directly Supply Power to Railway Overhead Line

For the 1^st time in the world, Indian Railways will directly supply power to Overhead Traction System of train.To achieve this feat, Indian Railways has recently set up 1.7 MWp (mega watt power) at Bina (Madhya Pradesh) which shall be connected directly to Overhead Traction System.
i.Indian Railways has partnered with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme for the first of its kind project in the world.
ii.Target – Indian Railways will transform itself as ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Mass Transportation Network by 2030.
About Ministry of Railways:
Union Minister: Shri Piyush Goyal
Minister of State: Shri Suresh Angadi Channabasappa
About BHEL:
Chairman & MD: Nalin Shinghal
Headquarters: New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

CBSE Partners With Facebook For Curriculum on Digital Safety, Augmented Reality

On 05 July, The Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ made an announcement on the partnership of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook to launch a curriculum on Digital Safety and Online well-being and Augmented Reality (AR) for students and educators.
Objective:- To ensure online well-being of students and prepare them for the future of work.
Portal: http://cbseacademic.nic.in/fb/FacebookForEducation.html
Key Points:
i. As more young users get online, It is important to educate students on their choices online which helps in skill development.
ii. At least 10000 students will be covered in the training imparted by Centre for Social Research (CSR).
iii. The Registration starts from 6th July 2020 and ends on 20th July 2020.
About CBSE:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman: Manoj Ahuja I.A.S
About Facebook:
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United States
CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
<< Read Full News >>

DRDO to establish a research cell at IIT-H to meet the future defence technological requirements 

i.Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) will establish a research cell at Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad(IIT-H), ‘DRDO – IIT-H Research Cell’ to meet the future defence technological requirements of the country. 
ii.The research cell is established as an extension of the DRDO Research and Innovation Centre (RIC), Chennai.
iii.An MoU was signed during a virtual event organized at the DRDO DG-Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS) Office in Hyderabad on July 3 to establish the research cell.
About DRDO:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– G. Satheesh Reddy
About IIT-H:
Director– B.S.Murty
<< Read Full News >>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Ranked 117th in SDG Index 2020, Sweden Tops: Sustainable Development Report 2020

i.In accordance with the “Sustainable Development Report 2020- The Sustainable Development Goals and Covid-19”, comprising of SDG index 2020, there will be severe negative impacts on most of the United Nations (UN)-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to COVID-19 pandemic. India, which has ranked at 117th position with a score of 61.92 is also facing major challenges in 10 of the 17 SDGs including zero hunger, good health, gender inequality among others. 
ii.The index has been topped by Sweden with a score of 84.72.
iii.The 2020 report has reviewed the performance of 193 UN Member States out of which 166 were ranked under SDG index 2020.
<< Read Full News >>

India-Afghanistan inked 5 MoUs for development of educational infrastructure in Afghanistan

i.In order to strengthen the bilateral development partnership, the Government of India has inked 5 Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Afghanistan under the former’s high impact community development projects (HICDP) programme. 
ii.The objective behind these MoUs is the development of educational infrastructure in four Afghan provinces namely Nooristan, Farah, Badakhshan and Kapisa.
iii.The projects to be taken up under the five MoUs include the construction of classrooms, a higher education building and a road within the campus of Albironi University.
About Afghanistan:
Currency– Afghan afghani
President– Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai
<< Read Full News >>

India Ranked 31st in INFORM Risk Index 2020 for Humanitarian crises & Disasters; Somalia Tops

i.In accordance with the “INFORM Report 2020:Shared evidence for managing crises and disasters” released by research centre INFORM, operating under European Commission (EU), India has ranked at 31st  place with an inform risk of 5.4, means risk of humanitarian crises and disasters .
ii.The report ranked the countries based on “INFORM Risk Index” which has been topped by Somalia with an inform risk of 8.9. The report has analyzed 191 countries.
iii.Notably, this report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) on behalf of all INFORM Partners.
About United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA):
Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC)– Mark Lowcock
Headquarter– New York, United States (US) & Geneva, Switzerland
<< Read Full News >>

BANKING & FINANCE

SBM Bank India Partnered with Mastercard to facilitate Real-time domestic & cross-border payments & remittances through ‘Mastercard Send’

SBM Bank India has partnered with Mastercard to enable its customers to make  real-time domestic & cross-border payments(Business to Consumer- B2C) and remittances quickly and efficiently through ‘Mastercard Send’. This partnership allows the bank’s customer base to offer quick, convenient and secure payments experiences.
Significance of MasterCard Send– Mastercard Send is a secured and innovative solution. It has played a key role in diversifying MasterCard payment flows and the payment experience for customers.
Key info about SBM Bank India
i.It is the first bank to receive a banking license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and to establish a universal banking business in India through the Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) mode. It is promoted by Government of Mauritius.
ii.It has been leading the collaboration narrative to access the best in class solutions with its switching partner, YAP as banking evolves to become more personal and platform-agnostic.
Headquarters– Mumbai , Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Sidharth Rath
About Mastercard:
Headquarters– New York, United States
CEO – Ajay Banga ( Michael Miebach will take over as CEO on January 2021)

YES Bank Launches a Digital Solution, ‘Loan in Seconds’ for Instant Disbursement of Retail Loans

On July 6, 2020 YES Bank launched a digital solution, ‘Loan in Seconds’ for instant disbursement of retail loans. It is available for the bank’s pre-approved liability account holders. The algorithm evaluates the loan application in real-time and eliminates the need for documentation.
Key Info
i.The solution aims to provide customers, hassle-free loans  to help them meet their immediate financial needs.
ii.All the eligible customers under the solution  will receive communication from the bank with the link to apply for the loan.
iii.Those customers have to verify and accept the final offer.
About YES Bank:
Headquarters–  Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD and CEO- Prashant Kumar
Tagline– Experience our Expertise

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS 

NHRC Constitutes 11-Member Committee Headed by K S Reddy to Assess Covid-19 Impact on Human Rights

On July 06, 2020, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has set up an 11-member expert committee headed by Dr K S Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India to study impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) on human rights of individuals, particularly marginalised and vulnerable sections of the society, together with migrant labourers & will also study the future response of the government.
About National Human Rights Commission (NHRC):
Headquarters– New Delhi
Chairman– Justice H. L. Dattu
<< Read Full News >>

        ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS 

Payments Platform Paytm to Acquire Raheja QBE General Insurance For $76 million

On July 06, 2020, Indian e-commerce payment system Paytm & QorQl Pvt. Ltd, a Healthcare startup company with majority shareholding of Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, is set to acquire Mumbai-based private sector general insurer Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Limited in a deal worth around $76 million (or Rs 570 crore).
About Paytm:
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh
President– Amit Nayyar
About Raheja QBE General Insurance:
Location– Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO– Pankaj Arora
<< Read Full News >>

       SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Venkaiah Naidu Launched ‘Elyments’, India’s First Social Media Super App developed by Sumeru Software Solutions

Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s first social media super application ‘Elyments’ virtually on 5th July 2020. The app was developed by Sumeru Software Solutions & provides free audio/video calls, and private/ group chats through vibrant feed.
Key Points:

• Around 1,000 IT professionals worked to create a homegrown application, which is a massive boost to ‘Make in India’ initiative.
• The app is available in eight Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and English.
• The date of the users will be stored in India and will not be shared without permission of user.

About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY):
Union Minister: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister of State: Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
<< Read Full News >>

Israel Successfully Launches New Spy Satellite ‘Ofek 16’ into Space Using Shavit Rocket

On July 7, 2020, The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), have successfully launched a new spy satellite “Ofek 16” into orbit by using a locally-developed Shavit rocket from a launchpad at Palmachim airbase in central Israel at 4:00 AM.

• Following the launch, ‘OFEK 16’ started sending data and orbiting around the Earth. 

About Israel:
Capital– Jerusalem
Currency– Israeli Shekel
President– Reuven Rivlin
Prime Minister- Benjamin Netanyahu
<< Read Full News >>

India’s First NPNT Compliant Drone Flight Successfully Completed by Quidich & Asteria Aerospace

i.India’s First No-Permission No-Takeoff (NPNT) compliant drone flight on the A200 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) has been completed successfully by Quidich Innovation Labs and Asteria Aerospace in the green zone identified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), near Tumkur in Karnataka.
ii.This NPNT drone flight is under the MoCA & DGCA comprehensive policy on use of UAVs, which came into effect on 1st Dec 2018. 
About Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA):
Minister of State (MoS)– Hardeep Singh Puri (Constituency- Uttar Pradesh)
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):
Director General– Arun KUmar
Headquarter– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

IIT Roorkee Develops “Unisaviour” – Disinfection Box to Sterilise Personal Belongings

On 2nd July 2020, The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee(IIT-R) announced that the IIT-R researchers team led by Prof. Soumitra Satapathi, Laboratory of Integrated Nanophotonics and Biomaterials, have developed the disinfection box – “Unisaviour” box, which can be used to sterilise various personal belongings to minimise the COVID-19 transmission.
About IIT-R:
Director– Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi
Location– Roorkee, Uttarakhand
<< Read Full News >>

SPORTS

Chess Player,G.Akash from Chennai,TN Becomes India’s 66th Grandmaster

The 23 year-old G. Akash from Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) become the country’s 66th Grandmaster with rating of 2495. The title was confirmed at the recent meeting of International Chess Federation (FIDE) Council
i.He has won the national title in 2012.
ii.He is coached by K. Visweswaran, a former National Champion.
About FIDE:
Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
President: Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich 
<< Read Full News >>

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel Authored a Book Titled ‘Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver’

i.Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel has authored a book titled ‘Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver’, which focuses on the issue of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) that has affected  Indian banking in recent years and also its causes. 
ii.The book will be published by HarperCollins India and will be released by the end of July.
iii.The book highlights Urjit Patel’s efforts as the RBI governor in dealing with it, where he has explained the problem and how it exploded and also about how he would have resolved the issue if he had not been prevented.
About Kenya:
Capital– Nairobi
Currency– Kenyan shilling
President– Uhuru Kenyatta
<< Read Full News >>

“Getting Competitive: A Practitioner’s Guide for India” authored  by R C Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki on Industrialising India

RC Bhargava, the Chairman of Maruti Suzuki authored the book “Getting Competitive: A Practitioner’s Guide for India” from his experience of around 60 years as a policymaker and a leading industrialist. The book published by HarperCollins India, provides practical suggestions to make India a competitive industrialised country.
About the book:
i.The book speaks about the necessities of building trust with the political system, governments, judiciary and industrial leaders.
ii.The author suggests that the policies related to the socialistic industry should be replaced with the policies that promote competitive manufacturing and the westernmanagement culture should be replaced by the Eastern culture to build trust with the citizens and partnered industrialists and the government.
iii.More attention towards building a strong supply chain and attracting global component manufacturers are important to become a competitive manufacturing nation.
iv.The book focuses on bringing out the national acceptance that manufacturing competitiveness as the first priority.
About RC Bhargava:
i.He was the joint secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Government of India from 1974 to 77 and served as the joint secretary, Cabinet Secretariat from 1977 to 1978.
ii.He was the Chairman & Managing Director, Maruti Udyog Limited from 1990 to 1992.
iii.He became the Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) in 2007.
iv.He also served as a Director in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Maruti Udyog Limited.
About HarperCollins India:
CEO– Ananth Padmanabhan
CFO & COO– Amit Abrol
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Zoonoses Day 2020: July 6

i.World Zoonoses Day is observed annually on July 6 to raise awareness of the risk of zoonotic diseases among people. 
ii.The day commemorates French Biologist, Louis Pasteur who administered the first successful vaccine against the Rabies virus in July 6, 1885.
iii.The day emphasizes about Zoonotic disease and problems caused by them. It urges  people to take the right action. The day aims to show how this disease can be prevented after taking precautionary measures.
About Louis Pasteur:
He is recognized for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. He introduced the 1st vaccine for anthrax.
<< Read Full News >>

3rd Anniversary of GST day 2020: July 1

Goods and Service Tax(GST) day is observed annually on July 1. This year marks the 3rd anniversary of the launch of the day and was marked by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs(CBIC) and all its field offices across India. Most of the interactions with stakeholders to mark this day were made in virtual mode due to COVID-19.
Key info
i.The day was 1st celebrated on July 1, 2018 to commemorate the first year of the unprecedented reform of Indian taxation(GST)
ii.GST plays a vital role to break the barriers to  build an Atma Nirbhar Bharat and to take forward the motto of One Nation One Tax One Market.
Gist about GST
i.GST came into effect on 1st July 2017, through GST Act passed in parliament on 29th March 2017.
ii.GST has replaced various indirect taxes in India like,  excise duty, Value-Added Tax (VAT) and  services tax among others.
About CBIC:
It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– M Ajit Kumar

STATE NEWS

Ladakh LG RK Mathur E-Launches Mission Organic Development Initiative & Greenhouse Project  

On 4th July 2020, Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh launched Mission Organic Development Initiative(M.O.D.I) and Greenhouse Project, to lead the Union Territory on a sustainable path, over a virtual platform from Raj Niwas, Ladakh.
About DIHAR:
Director– Om Prakash Chaurasia
Location– Leh, Ladakh
<< Read Full News >>

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