Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 5th August 2020

Kiren Rijiju is the current Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, who is in the capacity of Minister of State (Independent Charge). The ministry also gives the annual National Sports awards in various categories, including the Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards.

The book “The Swachh Bharat Kranti” was officially launched by Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development Smt. Smriti Irani in New Delhi on 4 August. The book was edited by Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has been translated into Hindi and published as the Swachh Bharat Kranti.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju chaired the first General Council meeting of the Khelo India Scheme on 4th July. The annual competitions like the Khelo India Youth Games and University Games, are being organized at the national level under the Khelo India Scheme. This has helped to identify sporting talent from all states.

HDFC Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It as established in August 1994. It is the largest bank in India by market capitalization as of March 2020.

Drug major Lupin announced the launch of its Favipiravir drug under the brand name ‘Covihalt.’ The drug will be used to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at Rs.49. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Favipiravir for emergency use.

Sashidhar Jagdishan is to be the next Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HDFC Bank. He will replace Aditya Puri as the head of the private sector lender. The RBI on August 4 approved the appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as MD & CEO of HDFC Bank for three years.

Drug major Lupin announced the launch of its Favipiravir drug under the brand name ‘Covihalt.’ The drug will be used to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at Rs.49. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Favipiravir for emergency use.

The National Cooperative Development Corporation is a statutory Corporation set up under an Act of Indian Parliament on 13 March 1963.

The Swachh Bharat Kranti expresses the journey of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) through 35 essays by a diverse range of stakeholders and contributors to the SBM.

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel. It is a new initiative by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

Ministry of Defence (MoD) publicized a draft ‘Defence Production & Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020 for public feedback by August 17, 2020, after which the policy would be promulgated by the MoD. The policy aims to achieve a manufacturing turnover of $25 bn or Rs 1,75,000 crore, including exports of $5 bn or Rs 35,000 Crore in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025. The Department of Defence Production (DDP) will be the nodal department for coordination on various components of the DPEPP 2020 and to achieve the objectives set in this Policy.

In order to provide more time to the listed entities to meet criteria of minimum public shareholding (MPS) of 25%, the Centre Government has made changes in the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957 in sub-rule (1), where the words “two years” substituted by words “three years”. Therefore, listed entities get one more year to comply with the rules of MPS, benefitting more than three dozen PSUs (public sector undertakings) who have been unable to meet this requirement amid COVID-19.

With effect from August 1, 2020, 3 states of Manipur, Nagaland and Uttarakhand, and one Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has joined the One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) platform, increasing the total number of states/UTs under this scheme to 24. This information has been provided by Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan while reviewing the progress of the ONORC plan. The addition of above 4 states/UTs has ensured food security to 65 Crore (80%) of total National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 population for receiving food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in 24 States/UT, under the scheme. When all the states are integrated under the ONORC scheme, 81 crore NFSA beneficiaries can avail benefit. The scheme will be operational all over India by 31st March 2021.

In a boost to the railways’ efforts to use technology to ease infrastructure work, for the first time in India, Railway is using New Track Construction (NTC) machine for the entire track laying of the Dedicated Freight Corridors. The projects will be implemented by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL). Currently, there are seven NTC machines that have been deployed along the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) alignment. Four NTC machines are deployed in the Eastern DFC viz. Allahabad – New Bhaupur, Allahabad – Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction, Bhaupur – Bhadan, Khurja Dadri sections, and in Western DFC, three NTC machines are deployed at Palanpur-Makarpura, Gothangam-Baroda and Anchali-Sachin sections respectively. Notably, The Khurja-Dadri section is the connecting link between the Eastern and Western DFCs on which freight trains run at a speed of 100 kmph ensuring fast logistics movement. The project is expected to be completed by 2022.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated a two-day international webinar on the theme of ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’ in New Delhi, which was organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations(ICCR) on the 100th death anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (August 1, 2020).

As part of a social commitment to compensate the unprecedented expenses of ordinary people, Canara bank has partnered with 3 insurers namely, New India Assurance Company Ltd, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd and HDFC ERGO Health Insurance to offer individual short-term Corona Kavach policy to cover their COVID-19 related health expenses

National Bank of Bahrain(NBB) and Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys, announced that the bank has decided to adopt the Finacle Cash Management Suite to digitally transform its transaction banking business. This partnership is a part of NBB’s digital transformation, with the upgrades provided by the suite to equip the bank with a modern system that will provide simple and seamless service to the clients.

Axis Bank has partnered Bengaluru startup Vernacular.ai, an AI-based SaaS voice automation platform, to deploy multi-lingual BOT AXAA on its phone banking Interactive voice response (IVR) which helps to increase automation in customer service.

A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IIT Kanpur, Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Department of Administrative Reforms & Public grievances (DAR & PG) to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Techniques to conduct exploratory and predictive analysis of Public Grievances received on the web-based Centralized Public Grievances Redress & Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) pertaining to the MoD. The MoU was signed in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh, and IIT Kanpur Deputy Director S Ganesh.

The state government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) signs a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three International FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) companies- Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), ITC ltd., and Procter and Gamble (P&G) to provide marketing and technological support for the economic empowerment of the women and to make them self-reliant. The MoU was signed in the presence of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at his camp office in Tadepalli.

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has approved Sashidhar Jagdishan as the next Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of HDFC Bank for a period of 3 years, effective from the date of taking charge i.e., October 27, 2020, under Section 35B of the Banking Regulation Act 1949. He will succeed Aditya Puri, the bank’s longest-serving CEO (26 years- since September 1994). Aditya Puri will retire on October 26, 2020, on attaining the age of 70.

The Karmaveer Chakra Award instituted by the United Nations(UN) and International Confederation of NGO (iCONGO) was awarded to 23 years old Sunil Ydv SS, the founder and CEO of SS motivation channel on Telegram for his contribution to the society through “SS Motivation”, a Telegram Channel at the ReX ConcLIVE hosted at Indian Institute of Technology- Delhi(IIT-D).

Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre(HTIC) of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) in partnership with Helyxon Healthcare Solutions Private Limited, a healthcare startup in IIT Madras jointly developed a first of its kind remote patient monitoring device for COVID-19. The device was engineered based on the clinical input to provide a low cost, simple, and easy to use device to monitor the patients from anywhere at the hospital or home.

Mumbai Division of Central Railway (CR), designed a health assistant robot “Rakshak” that communicates between doctor and patient remotely. The Robot was developed in-house at EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) car shed by Sunil Bairwa, Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer, and his team in Kurla, Mumbai section of the Central Railway. The main objective of building the robot is to avoid spreading of the COVID-19 virus among people.

A unique kiosk named “UV Baggage Bath” was inaugurated at the Bangalore railway station, South Western Railway, by the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Bengaluru Division, AN Krishna Reddy and Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Admin), Bengaluru Division, Kalyani Sethuraman. Objective of the kiosk: – To disinfect the baggage to stop the indirect mode of COVID – 19 transmissions from the outer surfaces of travel bags to the human beings. The proposal was implemented at KSR (Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna) Bengaluru and Yesvantpur Railway stations by M/s Optimurz Bio and IT Solutions.

Railways have installed three automatic lighting systems at Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, and Bhopal railways stations of Madhya Pradesh, which fall under the West Central Railway zone.

Olympian wrestler Babita Phogat and kabaddi player Kumari Kavita Devi appointed as deputy directors (sports) in Haryana. Babita was earlier appointed as a Haryana Police inspector under the sports quota. Despite her many achievements, Kavita Devi has never had a government job until now.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner (1998) and prominent Northern Ireland politician John Hume passed away at 83 in a Londonderry nursing home due to a long period of illness. He was born on January 8, 1937 in Derry(Londonderry), Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom- UK).

Former Arunachal Pradesh Governor and Veteran Bureaucrat Ramachandra Dattatraya Pradhan (R.D.Pradhan) passed away at the age of 92 in Mumbai. He was born on 27th June, 1928. He joined as IAS officer in the erstwhile Bombay State in 1952. He has served positions in Gujarat, Maharashtra also. He has held the position of Home Secretary & Chief Secretary of Maharashtra.

The Education department of Daman Administration launched the E-Gyan Mitra mobile application developed by the administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNHDD) to support students of the Union Territory of DNH and DD through online education.

The Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) attached to the Pramadom grama panchayat has formally announced the ecologically sensitive Thudiyurulippara hill in the panchayat as a biodiversity heritage site on the recommendations of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). Panchayat president Robin Peter says the local body’s announcement comes on the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day on July 28.

The United Arab Emirates has launched operations at the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant (Barakah nuclear power plant), on the Gulf coast just east of Qatar. Nuclear fission has begun in one of four reactors at the Barakah plant, which uses South Korean technology.

Locals in Handwara town, Jammu & Kashmir celebrated the first year of abrogation of Article 370 by organizing a two-day festival ‘Bangas Awaam Mela’.

Central Water Commission (CWC) on August 4, 2020 issued inflow forecast for Idukki Dam of 500 cumec, during the period of August 4 and 5 this year. “Idukki Dam on River Periyar (Idukki District) is likely to get an average inflow of 500 cumec (17657 cusec) during the period 11 am on August 4, 2020, to 8 am on August 5, 2020, and is likely to be steady,” CWC said in a statement.

Lingam Venkata Prabhakar is the present Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Canara Bank.

The headquarters of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) bank is located at Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praful Patel is the current administrator of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

A massive explosion rocked Beirut (capital of Lebanon) on August 4, 2020. The Lebanese Pound is the official currency of Lebanon, signified by £ or L£. The Pound is also known as the Lira in Arabic or the Livre in French, and all notes and coins are written and referred to in both languages.