Current Affairs 02nd July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World UFO Day

• The World UFO Day is celebrated by some on June 24 and by others on July 2.
• The World UFO Day is celebrated to create awareness about Unidentified Flying Objects and alien life forms.
• In 2001, an organisation World UFO Day Organisation (WUFODO) decided to celebrate this day as all the UFO enthusiasts gather to show evidence they collected to support the theory of the existence of extraterrestrial beings.

National Anisette Day

• National Anisette Day is observed on 2nd July every year and is popular in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France.
• Aniseed from the anis herb gives anisette its licorice or fennel flavor. While usually a dry dry liqueur, distillers sometimes add a sugar syrup for a sweeter result.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

MoRTH prepares blueprint for scheme of cashless treatment of motor accident victims 

• The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has prepared a blueprint for implementing the scheme of cashless treatment of motor accident victims. The scheme also includes creation of a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.
• The Ministry has asked the States and Union Territories to share their views by the 10th of this month. The National Health Authority with over 21 thousand hospitals on board has been entrusted to implement the scheme.
• It has been envisaged in the scheme to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in the country. The fund would be utilized for treatment of road accident victims and for payment of compensation to the injured or to the family of person losing life in hit and run cases.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE

“Dream Kerala project” announced for rehabilitation of Keralites returning from abroad

• Kerala has announced “Dream Kerala project” for rehabilitation of the Keralites returning from abroad and for the overall development of the State.
• The project aims, not only, the rehabilitation of returnees but also, using their skill and knowledge for reviving the State.
• The various departments under the State Govt will be coordinating the project. Through the Dream Kerala project , ideas and suggestions from public will be invited.
• Steering committee headed by Chief Minister is entrusted with the task of making the final decision on ideas selected.
• Stipulated time frame has been fixed for early implementation of projects.

About Kerala:

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan

Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrated in Maharashtra

• Ashadhi Ekadashi, one of the most significant festivals in Maharashtra which also marks the culmination of the pilgrimage undertaken by the Warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal) from different parts of the state on their feet to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach temple town Pandharpur in Solapur district.
• As per the tradition, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray performed the Mahapooja of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini at the temple town of Pandharpur in the wee hours.
• The CM prayed to make Maharashtra and the country free of Corona virus and to grant peace and prosperity to farmers in the state.

About Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Andhra Pradesh CM inaugurates cancer care centre at GGH in Guntur

• Andhra Pradesh Chief MinisterS. Jagan Mohan Reddy remotely inaugurated a comprehensive cancer care centre jointly set up by the State government and the NATCO Trust at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur, from his camp office.
• On the occasion, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy complimented NATCO Trust chairman Nannapaneni Venkaiah Chowdary for collaborating with the government in providing free cancer treatment to the poor.
• The cancer centre, which has the approval of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), would render medical, surgical and radiological services. Another such centre was being established in Kurnool, and it was targeted to be completed in a year.

About Andhra Pradesh:

• Capital: Amaravati, Hyderabad
• Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

World Bank approves $750 mn emergency response fund for India’s MSME sector

• The World Bank approved a $750 million loan to support increased flow of finance into the hands of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
• The World Bank’s MSME Emergency Response program will aim to address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of some 1.5 million viable MSMEs to help them withstand the impact of the current shock and protect millions of jobs.
• This takes the World Bank’s total commitment to $2.75 billion to support India’s emergency Covid-19 response.
• The first $1 billion emergency support was announced in April this year for immediate support to India’s health sector. Another $1 billion project was approved in May to increase cash transfers and food benefits to the poor and vulnerable, including a more consolidated delivery platform – accessible to both rural and urban populations across state boundaries.

About World Bank

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• President: David R. Malpass

RBI announces special liquidity scheme for NBFCs and HFCs through SPV

• The government of India has approved a scheme to improve the liquidity position of NBFCs/HFCs through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to avoid any potential systemic risks to the financial sector. To be eligible under the scheme, RBI laid out the conditions:
• The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs), including Microfinance Institutions that are registered with the RBI, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies.
• Housing Finance Companies that are registered under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987
• CRAR/CAR of NBFCs/HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum, i.e., 15% and 12% respectively as on March 31, 2019.
• The net non-performing assets should not be more than 6% as on March 31, 2019.
• They should have made net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years (i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19)
• They should not have been reported under SMA-1 or SMA-2 category by any bank for their borrowings during last one year prior to August 01, 2018
• They should be rated investment grade by a SEBI registered rating agency
• They should comply with the requirement of the SPV for an appropriate level of collateral from the entity, which, however, would be optional and to be decided by the SPV.
• SBICAP which is a subsidiary of the State Bank of India has set up a SPV (SLS Trust) to manage this operation. The SPV will purchase the short-term papers from eligible NBFCs/HFCs, who shall utilise the proceeds under this scheme solely for the purpose of extinguishing existing liabilities. The instruments will be CPs and NCDs with a residual maturity of not more than three months and rated as investment grade.
• The facility will not be available for any paper issued after September 30, 2020 and the SPV would cease to make fresh purchases after September 30, 2020 and would recover all dues by December 31, 2020.

About RBI:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors: B.P. Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain and M. D. Patra

HDFC Bank launches instant auto loan product

• HDFC Bank announced its plans to offer instant auto loans called ZipDrive to its customers in 1,000 cities.
• The offering is now being extended to Tier 2 and 3 cities, such as Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, Thalassery in Kerala, and Balasore in Odisha among other places, across India.
• The move comes amidst demand for entry-level cars as people try to avoid public transport.
• Under the scheme, HDFC Bank customers are given pre-approved loan offers using the bank’s proprietary algorithm and analytics.

About HDFC Bank:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• MD and CEO: Aditya Puri
• Tagline: We Understand Your World

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Shri Ravinder Bhakar assumes charge as CEO, CBFC

• Shri Ravinder Bhakar, has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC).
• Prior to his appointment as CEO, CBFC, Mr. Bhakar was posted as the Secretary & Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railways.
• He replaces Anurag Srivastava.

About CBFC

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Prasoon Joshi

Chola MS General Insurance appoints V Suryanarayanan as new MD

• Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company announced the appointment of V Suryanarayanan as its new Managing Director.
• Suryanarayanan succeeds S S Gopalarathnam, who retires after serving the company for over 41 years.
• Cholamandalam MS General Insurance is a Joint Venture between diversified conglomerate Murugappa Group and Japan- based Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Ltd.
• Suryanarayanan currently serves the company as its President and Chief Operating Officer.

About Chola MS General Insurance:

• Headquarters: Chennai
• MD: V Suryanarayanan

Nigar Johar Becomes Pakistan Army’s First Female Lieutenant General

• Pakistan Army has appointed a Nigar Johar as lieutenant general for the first time.
• Major General Nigar Johar, who got the coveted post of a three-star general, has also been appointed as the first female surgeon general of the Pakistan Army.
• In 2017, she became the third woman officer in the Pakistan Army to attain the rank of major general. The other two women major generals were Shahida Badsha and Shahida Malik.

About Pakistan:

• Capital: Islamabad
• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• Prime Minister: Imran Khan

Indra Mani Pandey appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to UN

• Senior diplomat Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as the next Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva.
• Mr Pandey, a 1990 batch IFS officer is presently additional secretary in the External Affairs ministry. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly

About United Nations:

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Secretary general: António Guterres

Sanjay Kapoor takes over as President of Hyderabad Management Association

• Sanjay Kapoor takes over as President of the Hyderabad Management Association (HMA) for 2020-21 along with other office-bearers.
• Since its inception in 1964, the Hyderabad Management Association has continuously evolved to represent the interests of management professionals in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• HMA is affiliated to the All India Management Association New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Kritika Pandey Wins 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for India

• Kritika Pandey’s short story, The Great Indian Tee and Snakes has won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Earlier in June, the story had been adjudged the regional winner from Asia.
• The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded to unpublished short fiction in English, or stories that have been translated from Bengali, Chinese, French, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil and Turkish. Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000.
• It is given by the Commonwealth Writers organisation, set up under the Commonwealth Foundation.
• This year, regional finalists other than Pandey were Nigerian Innocent Chizaram Ilo (Africa), UK’s Reyah Martin (Canada and Europe), Jamaican Brian S. Heap (Caribbean), and Australian Andrea E. Macleod (Pacific).

Mint bags best ‘Newspaper Front Page Design’ award at WAN-IFRA’s 19th Asian Media Awards

• Mint has bagged the best ‘Newspaper Front Page Design’ award at WAN-IFRA’s 19th Asian Media Awards.
• Mint won the prize for the front page of the special edition dated 24 May 2019 following the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.
• Hundreds of newspapers and magazines from the Asia Pacific, South Asia and West Asia took part in the competition, which aims to promote the highest standards of publishing in the fields of newspaper and magazine design, infographics, editorial content, marketing, community service and photojournalism.

Two renowned Indian-Americans honoured by prestigious American foundation

• In the United States, two renowned Indian-Americans who have contributed towards the efforts in mitigating the COVID-19 health crisis are among the 38 immigrants honoured by a prestigious American foundation ahead of US Independence Day commemoration this year.
• Pulitzer Prize-winning author and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee and Professor of Economics at Harvard University Raj Chetty have been named by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as ‘2020 Great Immigrants’ honorees.
• Mukherjee is a noted biologist, oncologist and the author of several acclaimed books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer’. Since 2009, he has served on the faculty of Columbia University, where he is Associate Professor of Medicine and a Physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. In 2014, Dr. Mukherjee was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours.
• Professor Raj Chetty, who was born in New Delhi, has been one of the youngest professors to be granted tenure in Harvard’s history. In addition to his position as the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Chetty directs Opportunity Insights, a research lab that aims to identify barriers to economic and social mobility and develop scalable policy solutions to overcome them. He helped launch a resource to monitor the real-time economic impact of COVID-19 on people, businesses and communities across the United States.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

AIIMS partners IIT-Delhi to launch app for patients needing plasma therapy

• AIIMS with the help of IIT-Delhi students have developed a mobile application to track real-time COVID-19 patients in the hospital, who can become potential plasma donors 28 days after recovery along with those who have been discharged.
• The app named COPAL-19 has details of patients who have already been discharged from AIIMS, those currently undergoing treatment and their blood groups so that patients who require plasma therapy can get it in time without any hassle.
• The app was launched at the premier hospital on the occasion of Doctors’ Day.
• The app will be available on open platforms. It will be an open source code app which people from other institutions can copy and use in their hospitals.
• The app will also automatically track donors who will be eligible to donate plasma after a cycle of every 14 days.
• Patients also can register themselves and get details of plasma donors matching their blood group.

IIT Gandhinagar develops AI based tool to detect Covid-19 from chest X-ray

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based deep learning tool for detection of Covid-19 from Chest X-ray images.
• This online tool indicates the probability if a person is infected with Covid-19, which can be used for quick preliminary diagnosis before the medical test.
• The tool is developed by Kushpal Singh Yadav (PI), an M.Tech student of Computer Science & Engineering at IITGN, under the guidance of Prof Krishna Prasad Miyapuram, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science at IITGN.
• The format of any test image of a new person will be automatically transformed and diagnosed using the AI tool. It will also validate the input images before giving a result. The result is available within a few seconds.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Fever Network launches ‘Happiness Partner’ initiative to help SMEs amid pandemic

• Fever Network, house to the country’s most popular radio stations, Fever FM, Radio Nasha and Radio One has recently gone live with its latest campaign – ‘Your Happiness Partner’.
• The initiative aims to support the pandemic-affected small and medium enterprises and help them bounce back faster with the right promotion plan, targeting the right audience.
• With the ‘Happiness Partner’ initiative, Fever Network hopes to fast-track their road to recovery using the brand’s expertise of reaching out to the relevant set of listeners with a targeted marketing plan.
• The campaign is live on Fever FM, Radio Nasha and Radio One channels. The on-air listeners simply have to give a missed call on 01141193322 to partner with the network. Fever team will call back and help in planning and executing an end to end marketing plan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

India Tennis Star Sumit Nagal Wins PSD Bank Nord Open in Germany

• India tennis star Sumit Nagal defeated German Daniel Masur in straight sets to win the PSD Bank Nord Open in Berlin (Germany).
• Nagal is the current top-ranked Indian in men’s singles at

African Cup of Nations postponed from January next year to 2022

• The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided next January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon has been postponed by one year and will now take place in
• The Africa Nations Championship, which is the tournament for quasi-national teams made up of locally-based players only, will now be played in January during the period initially planned for the Cup of Nations having been postponed from April this year.
• CAF has decided to scrap this year’s African Women’s Championship. No new host has been found since Congo withdrew last year.

About CAF

• Headquarters: Egypt
• President: Ahmad Ahmad

Ravindra Jadeja named India’s ‘most valuable player’ of 21st Century

• India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named as the country’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) of the 21st century by
• Jadeja’s contribution to his team has been noteworthy with the ball, bat, and while fielding. Wisden used CricViz, a detailed analysis tool in cricket to analyse his performance.
• Jadeja’s MVP rating was an astounding 97.3, second only to Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and thus making him the second most valuable Test player of the 21st century.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Rudolfo Anaya, ‘godfather’ of Chicano literature passes away

• Rudolfo Anaya, a writer,has passed away at 82.
• He has helped launch the 1970s Chicano Literature Movement with his novel Bless Me, Ultima.

Delhi Police inspector and gallantry award winner Sanjeev Kumar Yadav passes away

• A Delhi Police inspector, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav posted with its anti-terrorist squad (ATS) (Special Cell), passed away of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
• Sanjeev Kumar Yadav was conferred upon a gallantry award in January.

Former speaker of Mizoram legislative assembly Upa Rokamlova passes away

• In Mizoram, former speaker of the state legislative assembly Upa Rokamlova passed away. He was 79.
• A veteran Congress leader Rokamlova joined politics in early 1980s and he had played a key role in signing of the historic Mizo Peace Accord in 1986.
• He won the state assembly elections three times between 1984 and 1993. Rokamlova became the speaker of the Mizoram Assembly in 1990.
• He also served as rural development Minister of the Lal Thanhawla government. He left politics in 1994.

Former West Indies cricketer Everton Weekes passes away

• Everton Weekes, who formed one of the famous three “Ws” of West Indian cricket as part of a formidable batting lineup for more than a decade, has died. He was 95.
• He played alongside Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, with all three players making their Test debuts in 1948.
• He was also a highly respected coach, analyst, team manager, match referee for the International Cricket Council, and a member of the ICC Hall of Fame.
• Weekes made his Test debut at the age of 22 against England at Kensington Oval. His final match was against Pakistan in Trinidad a decade later.

DAILY CA 1st  JUL

• International Day of Parliamentarism- 30th june
• National Doctors’ Day- 1st july
• National Postal Worker Day– 1st july
• Chartered Accountants Day- 1st july
• PM Modi extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till November
• Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launches Nasha Mukt Bharat
• HRD Minister launches World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming & Data Science
• Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility in Punjab
• 46 million girls went missing in India, says UNFPA report
• Union Minister, Shri Giriraj Singh launches the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada”
• India-Bangladesh form 50:50 Joint Venture Company for LPG business in Bangladesh
• HDFC Bank launches ”e-Kisaan Dhan” app for farmers
• RBI launches inflation expectations survey; to gather responses over telephone amid pandemic
• Char Dham Yatra 2020 begins in Uttarakhand
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches piped water project ”Har Ghar Jal” for Bundelkhand region
• Capgemini partners with Maharashtra govt, BMC to support their fight against Covid-19
• Goa govt allots land to 49 MSME units to set up India’s first maritime cluster
• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launches PM SVANidhi Portal
• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches NADA app to help athletes stay updated on banned substances
• Ezetap launches app to help government bodies collect spot fines
• MoU signed between Indianoil, NTPC Ltd, and SDMC for Waste to Energy plant in Delhi
• Gudni Johannesson Re-elected as President of Iceland
• Lakshmi Vilas Bank appoints CFO Hariharan K
• Shrikant Madhav Vaidya takes over as Indian Oil Chairman
• Government extends Union Bank of India CEO Rajkiran Rai’s term by another two years
• Mon District Administration conferred SKOCH Awards in Nagaland
• India’s AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk wins two global awards
• NBRI Lucknow sets up ‘Advanced Virology Lab’ for testing COVID-19
• Col. Bharat Pannu creates history by securing a podium place at the first edition of Virtual Race Across America
• Carl Reiner, longtime comedy legend passes away

DAILY CA 2nd JUL

• World UFO Day is celebrated on July 2
• National Anisette Day is observed on 2nd July every year
• MoRTH prepares blueprint for scheme of cashless treatment of motor accident victims
• “Dream Kerala project” announced for rehabilitation of Keralites returning from abroad
• Ashadhi Ekadashi festival celebrated in Maharashtra
• Andhra Pradesh CM inaugurates cancer care centre at GGH in Guntur
• World Bank approves $750 mn emergency response fund for India’s MSME sector
• RBI announces special liquidity scheme for NBFCs and HFCs through SPV
• HDFC Bank launches instant auto loan product
• Ravinder Bhakar, has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC)
• Chola MS General Insurance appoints V Suryanarayanan as new MD
• Nigar Johar Becomes Pakistan Army’s First Female Lieutenant General
• Indra Mani Pandey appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to UN
• Sanjay Kapoor takes over as President of Hyderabad Management Association
• Kritika Pandey Wins 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for India
• Mint bags best ‘Newspaper Front Page Design’ award at WAN-IFRA’s 19th Asian Media Awards
• Two renowned Indian-Americans honoured by prestigious American foundation
• AIIMS partners IIT-Delhi to launch app for patients needing plasma therapy
• IIT Gandhinagar develops AI based tool to detect Covid-19 from chest X-ray
• Fever Network launches ‘Happiness Partner’ initiative to help SMEs amid pandemic
• India Tennis Star Sumit Nagal Wins PSD Bank Nord Open in Germany
• African Cup of Nations postponed from January next year to 2022
• Ravindra Jadeja named India’s ‘most valuable player’ of 21st Century
• Rudolfo Anaya, ‘godfather’ of Chicano literature passes away
• Delhi Police inspector and gallantry award winner Sanjeev Kumar Yadav passes away
• Former speaker of Mizoram legislative assembly Upa Rokamlova passes away
• Former West Indies cricketer Everton Weekes passes away