Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Ace British racing driver and six-time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton has clinched his first victory of the season at Austria’s Styrian Grand Prix.
The 37-year old, who races for Mercedes, raised a clenched fist on the podium in support of anti-racism campaigners. He has also launched a commission to insist diversity in motorsport. The driver is only six wins short from surpassing Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91.

Notes:
The CEO of Google Sundar Pichai has recently announced the launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’.
This was announced at the ‘Google for India’ virtual live-stream event, which focused on accelerating India’s digital economy. Through this initiative, Google will invest about Rs 75000 Crores in India over the next 5 to 7 years. The fund will focus on enabling affordable access and information to every Indian.

Notes:
The state of Tamil Nadu is set to launch a trial to study the efficacy of the BCG vaccine in reducing mortality due to COVID-19 in the elder people.
The trial, which has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), would be taken up by the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai. The BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) is being administered to new-born for 50 years as a vaccine against tuberculosis.

Notes:
Neela Satyanarayan, the first woman Chief Election Commissioner of Maharashtra has recently passed away, at the age of 72.
She was a 1972 batch IAS officer and a celebrated author, poet and music composer. She was the additional Chief Secretary of Revenue Department and was made the state Chief Election commissioner after retirement.

Notes:
India and Bhutan have recently opened a new trade route between Jaigaon in West Bengal and Pasakha in Bhutan.
Vehicles carrying goods and commodities plied through the alternate trade route between Jaigaon and Ahlay in Pasakha. As per the Indian Embassy in Thimpu, an additional Land Customs station has been opened at Ahllay, Pasakha by the Government of India.

Notes:
Union Shipping Minister has recently flagged off first trial container ship from Kolkata Port to Agartala through the Chattogram port of Bangladesh.
This trial run has been done under the Agreement on using Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of India’s transit cargo through Bangladesh. It will provide a shorter route to connect the North East Region of India through Bangladesh.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced has released guidelines for ‘Fair Practices Code’ for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs).
The guidelines are released by the RBI, under the powers conferred by the SARFAESI Act, 2002. As per the recent guidelines ARCs have to follow transparent and non-discriminatory practices in acquisition of assets.

Notes:
As per the data recently released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), India has recorded the largest reduction in the number of people living in multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16.
About 273 million Indians moved out of multi-dimensional poverty in the said decade. As per the report, 65 out of 75 countries reduced their multi-dimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019.

Notes:
India’s third largest services company, HCL Technologies announced that its Co-founder Shiv Nadar had stepped down as Chairman of the board of directors.
His daughter Roshni Nadar Malhotra has been named as the next Chairperson of the company. Shiv Nadar will continue in the post of Chief strategy officer. Roshni Nadar became the vice-chairman of the board in 2018. HCL was founded in the year 1976 by Shiv Nadar as one of the 5 founders.

Notes:
Union Shipping Ministry has named the retired IAS officer Malini Shankar, as the Vice-Chancellor of Indian Maritime University.
Malini Shankar is also the Chairperson of the National Shipping Board (NSB), the ace advisory agency to the Central government on shipping-related matters. Before being appointed as the VC in the Chennai-based University, she was the Director General of Shipping.