• In historic moments for the Indian Air Force, the first batch of five Rafale combat jets on Wednesday entered the Indian air space on its way to Ambala airbase from France. The aircraft were welcomed in India with a water cannon salute. The pilots of the much-awaited first batch of Rafale aircraft from France will be received by Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. 
• The Union Defence Minister confirmed the same through a series of tweets, the first of which read that the birds have landed safely at Ambala.
• The five Rafale combat jets had entered the Indian air space, escorted by 02 SU30 MKIs. This was confirmed by both the Indian Air Force and the Defence Minister. The Indian Air Force had tweeted saying, "Welcome home 'Golden Arrows'. Blue skies always." The IAF tweet further read that the arrow formation of Rafales was given a ceremonial welcome by SU-30s.

• The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 28 took part in the 5th Annual Board of Governors Meeting of AIIB- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank through a video conference.
• During the meet, the discussions were focused on official business, including a roundtable discussion on the theme ‘AIIB 2030- Supporting Asia’s Development over the Next Decade’ and election of AIIB President.

• The Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) has been renamed as Ministry of Education. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The Union Cabinet has also approved a new education policy, which will also be announced later.

• Prime Minister will address Grand Finale of the world’s largest ever online hackathon- Smart India Hackathon 2020- on August 1, 2020. The Human Resource Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made the announcement on July 28, 2020. The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is being organised by the Ministry of Human Resources Development and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• The Human Resource Minister had chaired a high-level meeting on Smart India Hackathon (SIH) and discussed achievements of the already conducted hackathons.  The grand finale of the Smart-India Hackathon 2020 will be held till August 3, 2020
• The hackathon will see participation from over 10,0000 students this year. The students will be competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 Central Government departments, 17 State Governments and 20 industries during the online Grand Finale.

• Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched its crop insurance campaign,’Bohot Zaroori Hai’ for farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka to encourage them about their yield protection and financial security. It aims to create awareness to farming communities about the relevance and significance of crop insurance, which can alleviate rural distress caused by crop failure or damage due to unseasonal rains, monsoon failure among others.
• The awareness drive describes that buying crop insurance as a very important aspect of farming and also signifies that the protection of crops will eventually secure the aspirations of farmers.

• The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres named Indian climate activist Archana Soreng among 7 members to his new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. The members will advise him regularly on accelerating global action and also provide solutions to tackle the worsening climate crisis. This is to mobilize climate action as part of the COVID-19 recovery efforts.
• The members are between the ages of 18 and 28 years old. The members of the Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change represent the diverse voices of young people from all regions as well as small island states. They will offer perspectives and solutions on climate change, from science to community mobilization, from entrepreneurship to politics, and from industry to conservation.

• Every year July 29 is celebrated as Global Tiger Day. The decision to celebrate the day was taken at the Saint Petersburg Declaration on Tiger conservation that was signed in 2010.
• India has 70% of total tiger population in the world. To commemorate Global Tiger Day, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar released the All India Tiger Estimation-2018 report. Also, the Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan is to release a report on Tiger Census to commemorate Global Tiger Day. The day is also called International Tiger Day.
• The day is celebrated to create awareness for tiger conservation. It promotes a system to protect natural habitats of tigers and raise public awareness. This year, the Global Tiger Day is celebrated with the slogan, “Their Survival is in our hands”.

• The UN policy brief stated that Levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by more than 70% during the lockdown in New Delhi. The environmental gains could be temporary if the cities re-open without policies to prevent air pollution and promote de-carbonization. 
• It also stated that nitrogen dioxide fell 40% in urban areas in China, 20% in Belgium and Germany, and 19-40% in different areas of the US.
• The UN's Policy on 'Covid-19 in an Urban World' stated that with an estimated 90% of all reported Covid-19 cases, urban areas have become the epicentre of the pandemic. It also pointed out that several new scientific studies suggest that poor air quality is correlated with higher Covid-19 mortality rates.

• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited(IRCTC) and SBI Card launched a co-branded contactless credit card, IRCTC -SBI Platinum Card on RuPay Platform to reward the frequent railway(train) travellers. The card is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology by which users can facilitate their transactions at the point of sale(POS) machines by Tap and Pay option. This enables consumers to transact safely and securely online.
• The card offers exclusive benefits for rail passengers on retail, dining, entertainment besides transaction fee waivers. It also offers maximum savings proposition on their travel.Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited(IRCTC) and SBI Card launched a co-branded contactless credit card, IRCTC -SBI Platinum Card on RuPay Platform to reward the frequent railway(train) travellers. The card is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology by which users can facilitate their transactions at the point of sale(POS) machines by Tap and Pay Option. This enables consumers to transact safely and securely online.
• The card offers exclusive benefits for rail passengers on retail, dining, entertainment besides transaction fee waivers. It also offers maximum savings proposition on their travel

• The book titled “Quest for Restoring Financial Stability in India” authored by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor Viral V.Acharya.
• The book is published by SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd. The book portrays his quest to restore financial stability in India and offers a concrete plan for sustained improvement.

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Current Affairs of 28 July 2020

Current Affairs of 27 July 2020

Current Affairs of 26 July 2020

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