October Current Affairs 2020 Weekly Test -4

Answer – 5) All the 1), 2) and 3
Explanation:
On the lines of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, the first ever virtual “CII Agro & Food Tech: India -International Food & Agri Week” was organized from October 16-22, 2020 which was virtually inaugurated by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) during the 14th edition of the Agro and Food Tech. It was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the MoAFW, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (FAHD) and Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). MoFPI also started an awareness campaign named “Anna Devo Bhava” to mark this occasion.

Answer –2) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Explanation:
A report “Human Mobility, Shared Opportunities: A Review of the 2009 Human Development Report and the Way Ahead” was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stating how governments can shape migration to benefit development and boost recovery. The report accessed how future policy responses could facilitate safe, orderly, and regular migration. This report marked 30 years of its annual Human Development Reports. The forced migration has doubled over the last 10 years to around 79 million people therefore to fight with its cause is essential for development.

Answer – 3) 25 crore
Explanation:
RBI issued the revised regulatory framework for housing finance companies (HFCs) under which the minimum net owned funds (NOF) size for HFCs is fixed at Rs 25 crore. RBI finalized guidelines to set up Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Payment System Operators (PSOs) under Companies Act, 2013 as a not for profit body and non-governmental organisation will serve as a watchdog to guard against unprofessional practices within an industry or profession. RBI decided the two interoperable QR codes in existence – Unified Payments Interface (UPI) QR and Bharat QR will continue as at present. The “Report of the committee for Analysis of QR (Quick Response) Code” under the chairmanship of Prof Deepak B. Phatak was publicized by RBI on July 22, 2020 for suggestions.

Answer – 2) Rajiv Kumar
Explanation:
The NITI Aayog constituted a 14-member advisory committee headed by Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman (VC) of NITI Aayog to evaluate the reforms in the urban planning education system. The committee will review the current system in terms of multidisciplinary, curriculum and other related issues at the level of graduates and post graduates against the challenges of rapid urbanization.

Answer – 5) Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
Explanation:
The Union Ministry of Rural Development declared the list of top performing 30 districts in the country for implementing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) programme. In this list, Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh won top position among 30 districts of India. Himachal Pradesh secured 2nd position at the national level for construction of roads under PMGSY.

Answer – 1) Asan Conservation Reserve
Explanation:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced that Ramsar Convention has declared The Asan Conservation Reserve (ACR) in Dehradun as a site of international importance. ACR has been included in the ‘List of Wetlands of International Importance’ established by Article 2.1 of the convention This is the first wetland from Uttarakhand, to be recognised by Ramsar.

Answer – 4) Jammu and Kashmir
Explanation:
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) became the first Union Territory in the country to operationalise Public Financial Management System (PFMS) at the district level with the e-inauguration of eight district offices by Additional Controller General of Accounts Subodh Kumar Mathur. The offices will result in improved programme administration and management. It will help in direct payment to beneficiaries and greater transparency and accountability in use of public funds.

Answer – 3) Goa
Explanation:
World Bank sanctions Rs 3 crore (approximately) for Goa to develop India’s first sand dune parks as the World Bank (WB) has approved a proposal drafted by the Goa state biodiversity board for the same. The idea of parks to preserve sand dunes was first mooted by former National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) scientist and ex-member of the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) Antonio Mascaren who has been now appointed as the principal investigator for the project, with Dr. Pradip Sarmokadam acting as the co-investigator. As of now Mandrem, Miramar, Agonda Morjim and Galibaga are identified for sand dune parks. More beaches can be added in the list in future. Morjim and Galibaga beaches are known for their turtle-nesting site.

Answer –3) SBI Card
Explanation:
SBI Card and Payment Services ltd. (SBI Cards) in association with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched ‘Delhi Metro- SBI Card’, a Multipurpose Credit Card for Delhi Metro Commuters. The card functions as a credit card and also as a metro smart card. Mangu Singh, Managing Director (MD) of DMRC and Ashwini Kumar Tewari, MD & CEO (Chief Executive Officer) jointly launched the card in the presence of other senior officials from DMRC and SBI Card.

Answer – 1) Tamil Nadu
Explanation:
As per, Ministry of Tourism annual publication titled ‘India Tourism Statistics(ITS) at a Glance – 2020’, Uttar Pradesh(UP), tops the Domestic Tourist Visits list 2019, with ~53.6 crore tourists ( i.e., 23.1% of the total domestic tourists travelers visited in 2019). UP was followed by Tamil Nadu (~49.4 crore tourists) & Andhra Pradesh (~23.7 crore tourists).
Similarly, in terms of Foreign Tourist Visits list 2019, Tamil Nadu tops the list, with ~ 68 lakh foreign tourists, i.e, 21.9 % of the total travelers visited in 2019. Tamil Nadu was followed by Maharashtra (~55 lakh tourists) and UP (~ 47 lakh tourists).

List of top 3 states/UTs (Union Territories) of the domestic & foreign tourist visit:

Answer –5) IIT Kharagpur
Explanation:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) developed a novel Industry 4.0 Technology for remotely controlled factory operations and real time quality correction during industrial production. This will set a new trend in the advanced manufacturing sector of India. The project was funded by the Department of Heavy Industry, Government of India and TCS. The technology was developed by Prof. Surjya K Pal, professor in-charge at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. This technology has been reported in the CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology.

Answer – 1) Suman Dubey
Explanation:
Suman Dubey has authored his debut novel, titled “The Fixer: Winning Has a Price. How Much Will You Pay?”. The book is set to be released on October 26, 2020. The book portrays the thrilling tale of Neil Upadhyay, an ex-cricketer-turned-fixer. The book is published by Rupa Publications India. A movie-style trailer was released in presence of Film director Sujoy Ghosh and former cricketer Aakash Chopra.

Answer – 3) A win against polio is a win for global health
Explanation:
World Polio Day is annually observed across the globe on 24th October to create awareness about the polio infection and the vaccines that prevent the polio infection and highlight the global efforts to eradicate polio. The day also honors the contribution of the frontline fighters who are working towards creating a polio free world. The theme of 2020 World Polio Day is “A win against polio is a win for global health”. The Rotary International established the World Polio day on 24th October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jonas Salk, the American virologist and medical researcher who led the first team to develop the vaccine against the poliomyelitis (commonly known as polio).

Answer – 4) SVC Co-operative Bank
Explanation:
SVC Co-operative Bank (Formerly known as The Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank Ltd.) entered into partnership with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch a rewards programme. The loyalty management program is designed to make the banking experience more rewarding for the customers of the bank.

Answer – 3) Alpha Condé 
Explanation:
Alpha Condé (82 years old), the incumbent president of Guinea and leader of  Rally of the Guinean People (Rassemblement du Peuple Guinéen – RPG)  party won the 3rd term as the President of Guinea by winning the 2020 presidential elections held on 18th October. He won the election against Cellou Dalein Diallo with 59.49 % votes. Diallo got 33.5% votes in the election. Winning the 2020 elections, Alpha Condé is set to govern the country for the next 6 years.

Answer – 2) 92^nd
Explanation:
British Driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prémio de Portugal 2020) held at Algarve International circuit, Portugal. With this win, Lewis Hamilton became the most successful driver of Formula One with 92 wins. Finland driver Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) finished second, while Netherland’s Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) finished third in the race. Hamilton has moved one ahead of Schumacher’s all time record of 91 wins. The Championships are organized by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Answer – 2) November 13
Explanation:
The Ayurveda Day is observed every year from 2016, on the day of Dhanwantri Jayanti. This year is the 5th Ayurveda Day, which falls on November 13, 2020. A webinar will be organized on the theme of ‘Ayurveda for Covid-19 Pandemic’ on the day. The Ministry of Ayush will organize various activities to mark the Day, with a special focus on concerns related to the present pandemic and how Ayurveda can help in immunity building in this context.

Answer – 3) NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog
Explanation:
Ramanan Ramanathan, Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Additional Secretary NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog launched ‘India–Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)’ which will be organized by NITI Aayog’s AIM on December 7-8, 2020 in association with Australia’s national science agency, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). It has been launched on the lines of the virtual summit between the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi and Australian PM Scott John Morrison held on June 4th, 2020. The focus of I-ACE is on the identification and development of innovative technology solutions by bright-minded students, startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of both nations to address the circular economy challenge.

Answer – 3) CSB Bank
Explanation:
CSB Bank Ltd (formerly Catholic Syrian Bank Ltd) entered into partnership with IIFL finance Ltd, a NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company) to source and manages retail gold loan assets. Under the partnership, IIFL will act as a Business Correspondent (BC) of the Bank. IIFL with its vast branch network will source new business from markets where CSB Bank does not have an adequate branch network.

Answer – 1) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation:
Uttar Pradesh has secured First Rank in Disbursing Loans under PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme by approving the highest number of loans under the scheme in the country. On 27th October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed Loans to around 3 Lakh beneficiaries. Madhya Pradesh came second in the list with over 1.25 Lakh Beneficiaries, followed by Telangana (53, 777) in Loan Disbursement Scheme. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh ranked first in all categories viz Applications of Loan, Sanction of Loan and Disbursements of loans under the scheme.
Top 3 States in Loan Disbursement Category:

Answer – 5) Australia
Explanation:
The naval exercise Malabar is held annually between the troika of India, United States (US), and Japan But this year i.e. the 24^th edition of exercise will also see a participation of Australia making it first “quadrilateral” naval exercise. This Quad grouping exercise will take place in India Ocean Region (IOR) viz. Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in a non-contact format amid COVID-19. It should be noted that Australia along with Singapore participated in this exercise in 2007 but was dropped in subsequent editions after serious objections were raised by Beijing, China.

Answer – 4) SOFIA
Explanation:
For the first time, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon’s southern hemisphere. The results are published in the latest issue of Nature Astronomy. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places. SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747SP jetliner used its 106-inch Faint Object infraRed Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) to pick up the specific wavelength unique to water molecules, at 6.1 microns, and discovered a surprising concentration of 100 to 412 parts per million – roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water – trapped in a cubic meter of soil spread across the lunar surface.

Answer – 5) Kerala
Explanation:
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. 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.

Answer – 4) Tamil Nadu
Explanation:
In order to ensure a better teaching environment, the Tamil Nadu government is implementing the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools. The Smart Class Room scheme of the Central Education Ministry is being implemented in 7500 schools of the state.

Answer – 2) ACKO General Insurance
Explanation:
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.

Answer – 4) Rohit Sharma
Explanation:
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.

Answer – 3) 3^rd
Explanation:
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. The agenda for this covered all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. India, U.S sign five agreements including ‘Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement’.

Answer – 5) IndusInd bank
Explanation:
IndusInd Bank announced that it has gone live as a Financial Information Provider (FIP) under the new Account Aggregator (AA) Framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). IndusInd Bank becomes the 1st bank in India to do so. The bank went live as FIP with DigiSahamati Foundation, a self-organised Collective of the Account Aggregator ecosystem.

Answer – 2) ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company
Explanation:
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd. in partnership with FreePaycard Retail Pvt.Ltd, an online pre-paid card trading platform launched Group Safeguard Insurance for the members of FreePaycard. The customized hospitalization product comes in 3 variants namely, Hospital Daily Cash Benefit, Death Benefit, and Special Vector-borne Disease-related Hospitalization Benefit.

Answer – 4) Punjab National Bank
Explanation:
Punjab National Bank (PNB), India’s 2nd largest public sector bank launched the PNB Tracking & Monitoring Staff Accountability Cases (TMSAC) portal and PNB’s 2020 Vigilance Manual, as a part of the Vigilance Awareness Week(VAW) – 27th October 2020 to 2nd November 2020. The TMSAC portal tracks and monitors the complaints/Non-Performing Asset (NPA)reference at various stages on a real-time basis. PNB’s 2020 Vigilance Manual will provide a better understanding of vigilance functions and guidelines.

Answer – 1) JPY 50 billion
Explanation:
NTPC (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) Limited signed foreign currency loan agreement with Japanese Government’s financial institution, Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) for JPY (Japanese Yen) 50 billion (approx. USD 482 million or Rs. 3,582 crore) under its Global Action for Reconciling Economic growth and Environment preservation (GREEN) initiative. This is the first funding for NTPC Ltd under JBIC’s GREEN initiative. The loan agreement was signed by Anil Kumar Gautam, Director (Finance), NTPC and Masayuki Tanimoto, Managing Executive Officer, Global Head of Infrastructure & Environment Finance Group, JBIC through video conferencing.
Apart from NTPC, State Bank of India (SBI) also signed a loan agreement of $1 billion with JBIC.

Answer – 2) Om Puri
Explanation:
At the 3rd India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB) 2020 based in Boston, United States of America(USA) held as a virtual event from 16th to 18th October 2020, the Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 was accorded to Late Actor Om Puri which was received by his wife Nadita Puri. Chef Vikas Khanna was honoured with “Pride of India” a special award at the 3rd IIFFB 2020.

Answer – 2) Telangana
Explanation:
Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao launched ‘Dharani’ Portal for Land & Property Registrations at Mudu Chintalapalli village of Medchal-Malkajgiri district, Telangana. The portal is a one-of-its-kind integrated Land Record Management System.
The Portal has been developed by Telangana State Technology Services (TSTS).

Answer –5) 10,211 Cr
Explanation: – 
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Rs 10,211 crore Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase II & Phase III with the external financial assistance Rs 7,000 crore from the World Bank (WB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It will be implemented over a period of 10 years duration in two Phases i.e. from April, 2021 to March, 2031. Apart of external funding of Rs 7,000 crore, the balance of Rs 3,211 crore will be borne by the concerned Implementing Agencies (IAs).

Answer – 4) Tripura
Explanation:
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways announced that the 1.8 kilometer Feni Bridge, the Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) Bridge over the river Feni which connects Sabrum in Tripura, India and Ramgarh in Chittagong, Bangladesh will be completed by December 2020. The announcement was made over a virtual event organised for laying foundation stone on 9 national highway projects in Tripura.

Answer – 1) $ 76 Billion
Explanation:
On October 29, 2020 As per the latest estimates published in the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief 33, remittance to India will fall by 9% to USD 76 billion due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and global economic recession. The top 5 countries in 2020 to receive foreign remittances are expected to be India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt, unchanged from 2019. There will be a 14% decline in the amount of money migrant workers send home by 2021, compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019. It is to be noted that in 2020 for the 1st time in recent history, the stock of international migrants is likely to decline as new migration has slowed and return migration has increased.

Answer – 3) Pradeep Kumar Srivastava
Explanation:
Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh (UP) released the world’s first scientoon book titled “Bye Bye Corona” at an event organised at Raj Bhawan, Lucknow. The book was authored by Dr. Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, Scientoonist and former Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR-CDRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Drug Research Institute) and published by Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Answer – 5) Turkey
Explanation:
Former Turkish Prime Minister (PM) Mesut Yilmaz, a veteran Politician who served as the PM for three terms passed away at the age of 72 in a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. He was born on 6th November 1947 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Answer – 4) One
Explanation:
International Coordinating Council (ICC) of UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme included three new Biosphere Reservers ,they are Panna Biosphere Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) in India, Fuvahmulah Biosphere Reserve (Maldives) and Addu Atoll Biosphere Reserve (Maldives) to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
The MAB-ICC which met online from 27-28th October, 2020 approved these additions.

Answer – 2) INS Kora
Explanation:
Indian Navy’s Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora (Indian Naval Ship) tested fired Anti-Ship Missile (AShM) in Bay of Bengal.
The missile successfully hit the target at maximum range with precise accuracy.
INS Kora is a Kora-class guided missile corvette of Indian Navy. It was commissioned into service in 1998.
It was designed by the Navy under Project 25A, and is equipped with Kh-35 Anti-Ship Missile.

Answer – 1) Karnataka
Explanation:
Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is the first dry land wildlife sanctuary in South India. The 134.88 sq km area of Chincholi forest in Karnataka was declared wildlife forest.

Answer – 3) Chhattisgarh
Explanation:
An elephant calf was killed in a tiger attack in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh recently.

Answer – 4) Iran
Explanation:
The Shipping Ministry has issued a notification extending the current concessional rate of 40% discount on the cargo movement between India and the Chabahar port of Iran.

Answer – 3) Gujarat
Explanation:
Rani ki Vav or Ranki vav is a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat state of India. It is located on the banks of Saraswati River. t was added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014.

Answer – 2) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation:
Okhla Bird Sanctuary officially known as Shaheed Chander Shekhar Azad Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary at the Okhla barrage over Yamuna River. It is situated in Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar district, on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border and known as a haven for over 300 bird species, especially waterbirds.

Answer – 2) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation:
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium or BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, commonly known as Ekana Cricket Stadium is an international standard cricket stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It is a stadium under public-private partnership. Capacity is 50,000.

Answer- 3) Victoria
Explanation:
The capital and currency of ‘Seychelles’ is ‘Victoria’ & ‘Seychellois Rupee’ respectively.

Answer – 5) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation:
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India’s largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located at Pipri in Sonbhadra District in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Answer – 5) Kerala
Explanation:
Onam is an annual holiday and festival celebrated in southern Indian state of Kerala. It is a harvest festival celebrated by Malayalis whose date is based on the Hindu Panchangam.

Answer – 1) Bihar
Explanation:
Ramsar Convention declared Kabartal Wetland also known as Kanwar Jheel in Begusarai, Bihar as a site of international importance. Kabartal Wetland has been included in the ‘List of Wetlands of International Importance’ established by Article 2.1 of the convention. After designating Asan Conservation Reserve (ACR), Dehradun, Uttarakhand and Kabartal Wetland, Begusarai, Bihar, as Ramsar sites, the total number of Ramsar Sites in India is 39, the highest in South Asia.