Current Affairs 19 July 2020

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Current Affairs 19 July 2020

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1. Uttarakhand Govt. To Launch The ‘Waste To Energy’ Project 
  • The Uttarakhand government has decided to convert waste generated in the state to electricity under an initiative titled ‘Waste to Energy’. This waste can generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity and curb pollution. 
  • The scheme also aims to solve the problem of unavailability of landfills to dispose of the solid waste across the hill state which has 10 out of 13 districts as hill areas. At present 900 tonnes of waste is generated in the hill state every day, according to state government data. 
  • Out of the total waste generated, half is organic in nature while 17 per cent falls in a recyclable category followed by 21 per cent biomedical waste and 11 per cent of inert nature which is building material waste.
Foot Notes:
About Uttarakhand:
Capitals: Gairsain(summer), Dehradun(winter)
Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
 
2. India ranks 3rd in global manufacturing locations among 48 countries
  • India ranks third in the list of most-suitable locations for global manufacturing among 48 countries in terms of cost competitiveness and operating conditions, according to property consultant Cushman & Wakefield.
  • China and the US retain the top two positions, while India has moved one place higher to rank third, in Global Manufacturing Risk Index (MRI) report.
  • In its annual ranking of the most suitable locations for global manufacturing among 48 countries in Europe, Americas, and the Asia-Pacific, India is in top-3 countries this year and an upcoming manufacturing hub globally from an operating conditions and cost-competitiveness perspective.
Foot Notes:
About China: 
President: Xi Jinping 
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
 
About US:
Capital: Washington, D.C.
President: Donald Trump
Currency: US Dollar
 
3. Amit Shah and Prakash Javadekar paid tribute to  freedom fighter Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar remembered freedom fighter Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary.
  • Mangal Pandey was the forerunner of the 1857 revolution and his patriotism and sacrifice inspired millions of countrymen to participate in the freedom struggle.
  • 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey attempted to incite his fellow sepoys to rise up against their British officers, attacked two of those officers. He was soon tried and sentenced to death.
  • His execution was set for April 18, but British authorities, fearing the outbreak of a large-scale revolt if they waited until then, moved the date up to April 8.
4. P. Praveen Siddharth appointed as new Private Secretary to President of India
  • Senior IRS officer P Praveen Siddharth has been appointed as Private Secretary to the President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Siddharth is serving as OSD in President Secretariat. His tenure will be co-terminus with the term of the President of India.
  • Further, Vikram Singh who currently serving as the secretary of President has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping.
Foot Notes:
President: Ram Nath Kovind
Vice president: M. Venkaiah Naidu
The president of India is the ceremonial head of state of India and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces.
 
5. UK’s Naval Ship to be stationed in the Pacific
  • The UK military is to station HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier in the Pacific as a part of International Alliance to counter China. The vessel is to sail her maiden deployment in 2021 that includes region of South China Sea.
  • The Hong Kong Security law introduced by China has earned worldwide criticisms. Under the law, China now has control over defence and external affairs of Hong Kong. The leading trade partners of Hong Kong are complaining about the changes introduced by the law. This increased tensions between US and China. It is on the insistence of the United States, UK is sending HMS Queen Elizabeth to the South China Sea.
  • The Alliance was launched in June, 2020 by 8 democracies. They are United States, UK, Japan, Germany, Canada, Australia, Norway and Sweden. The alliance was formed to counter China’s growing global ambitions.
Foot Notes:
About UK:
Capital: London
Prime Minister: Boris Johnson
Currency: Pound sterling
 
6. Chennai becomes first Indian city to test five lakh residents for COVID-19
  • The Greater Chennai Corporation has conducted 5 lakh RT-PCR tests for COVID-19, making the city the first in the country to achieve the feat.
  • Launching a motorcycle rally to create awareness of the disease from Ripon Buildings on Saturday, Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash said the State government had spent 200 crore on testing residents in the city’s 15 zones. A total of 400 crore had so far been spent on containment measures. “Our aim is to reduce the positivity rate to 5% this month.
Foot Notes:
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Capital: Chennai
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

7. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attends 3rd meeting of G20 Finance Ministers
  • Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Saudi Arabian Presidency through video conferencing to discuss the global economic outlook amid evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis along with other G20 Finance Track priorities for the year 2020.
  • This G20 Action Plan lays out a list of collective commitments under the pillars of Health Response, Economic Response, Strong and Sustainable Recovery and International Financial Coordination, aimed at co-ordinating G20 efforts to fight the pandemic. 
Foot Notes:
About G20:
The G20 is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union.
Chairman: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 
Founder: G7 
Founded: 26 September 1999
 
8. Ved Parkash Dudeja, vice chairman of RLDA awarded with  ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’
  • Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards (RIMBDA) has awarded Ved Parkash Dudeja with the coveted ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’ award for 2020.
  • He is the vice-chairman of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA).
  • He has been awarded for his contribution towards the infrastructure development.
  • Under his leadership, RLDA has launched various commercial projects, multifunctional complex, colony redevelopment and station redevelopment projects.
Foot Notes:
About RIMBDA(Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards): These awards are given to the leaders for their extraordinary contribution towards infrastructure development in the world through their innovative ideas, products, and services.

9. CBSE collaborates with IBM to integrate AI in High School Curriculum of 2020-2021
  • The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), announced integration of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in the high school (11th & 12th grade) curriculum for the 2020-2021 academic year. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with IBM (International Business Machines Corporation). 
  • The IBM AI curriculum is a part of CBSE’s Social Empowerment through Work Education and Action (SEWA) program. This will be launched in around 200 schools across Delhi-NCR, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab (13 states of India).
Foot Notes:
About CBSE:
Chairman: Manoj Ahuja
Head Office: Delhi

About IBM:
Executive Chairman: Virginia M. Rometty
Chief Executive Officer: Arvind Krishna
Headquarters: New York, United States of America
 
10. CM Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed Community Transmission of COVID-19 in Kerala
  • The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan has confirmed community transmission in Kerala. 
  • According to the State Government of Kerala, community transmission has occurred in two coastal hamlets near capital Thiruvananthapuram.
  • According to the Indian Medical Association, the number of COVID-19 cases in India are increasing by more than 30,000. This is an exponential growth. The IMA has also said that vaccination is the only solution to the current situation.
  • The Community Transmission means that the disease is in its third stage. The four stages of COVID-19 transmission are
  • Stage I: First Appearance of the disease to people with travel history
  • Stage II: Local transmission. At this stage, every person who come in contact with people who were infected become possible victims.
  • Stage III: Community Transmission. At this stage infection happen in public and the source of the virus cannot be traced.
  • Stage IV: the disease becomes epidemic in the country
Foot Notes:
About Kerala:
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
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