Today Current Affairs - 14th July 2020 Current Affairs
We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 14 July 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
NATGRID signed MOU with NCRB to access database that links around 14,000 police stations
i.In March 2020, The National
Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the
centralised online Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems
(CCTNS) database for getting details of First Information Reports (FIRs)
and stolen vehicles. The project aims to go live by December 31, 2020.
ii.With access to CCTNS database, NATGRID will act as a link between intelligence and investigation agencies to access a database related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details of a suspect on a secured platform.
iii.Notably, the State police will not be part of NATGRID.
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
Director– Ram Phal Pawar
Headquarters– New Delhi
ii.With access to CCTNS database, NATGRID will act as a link between intelligence and investigation agencies to access a database related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details of a suspect on a secured platform.
iii.Notably, the State police will not be part of NATGRID.
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
Director– Ram Phal Pawar
Headquarters– New Delhi
Smart City Mission opens the registration for India Cycles4Change Challenge
On 10th July 2020, The Smart City
Mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs opened the
registration for India Cycles4Change Challenge launched by Hardeep Singh
Puri, Minister of State Housing and Urban Affairs on 25th June 2020.
During the event a brief description of the challenge was given and the
online portal for application submission of the participating cities was
launched.
India Cycles4Change Challenge:
Aim: To connect the cities with citizens and experts to develop a vision to promote cycling.
The eligible cities can register through the portal from 10th July 2020 to 21st July 2020.
India Cycles4Change Challenge:
Aim: To connect the cities with citizens and experts to develop a vision to promote cycling.
The eligible cities can register through the portal from 10th July 2020 to 21st July 2020.
NITI Aayog presented India’s 2nd Voluntary National Review at UN’s High-Level Political Forum; held virtually
i.NITI (National Institution for
Transforming India) Aayog presented India’s second Voluntary National
Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on
Sustainable Development, 2020, which is being held virtually from July
7, 2020 to July 16, 2020, under the aegis of the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC), amid COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.The theme of HLPF is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
iii.The India VNR 2020 presented by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog represented NITI Aayog’s efforts towards the whole-of-society approach and its commitment towards localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
iv.The India VNR 2020 report titled Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local was also unveiled during this event.
About Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
President– Mona Juul
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)
ii.The theme of HLPF is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
iii.The India VNR 2020 presented by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog represented NITI Aayog’s efforts towards the whole-of-society approach and its commitment towards localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
iv.The India VNR 2020 report titled Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local was also unveiled during this event.
About Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
President– Mona Juul
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)
BANKING & FINANCE
Visa Partners with Federal Bank to Deploy Visa Secure to the Bank’s Cardholders
i.Visa, enters into partnership with Federal Bank to deploy Visa Secure to the bank’s cardholders.
ii.Visa Secure will provide additional authentication layers for issuers and merchants to combat online frauds.
iii.In addition to this, the upgraded technology provides a quick and smooth checkout experience to consumers.
iv.This partnership will also enhance the focus of the bank on customer-centric digital solutions that make online shopping experiences seamless.
About Visa:
Headquarters– Foster City, California
Chairman and CEO– Alfred F. Kelly, Jr.
About Federal Bank:
Headquarters– Aluva, Kerala
MD & CEO– Shyam Srinivasan
ii.Visa Secure will provide additional authentication layers for issuers and merchants to combat online frauds.
iii.In addition to this, the upgraded technology provides a quick and smooth checkout experience to consumers.
iv.This partnership will also enhance the focus of the bank on customer-centric digital solutions that make online shopping experiences seamless.
About Visa:
Headquarters– Foster City, California
Chairman and CEO– Alfred F. Kelly, Jr.
About Federal Bank:
Headquarters– Aluva, Kerala
MD & CEO– Shyam Srinivasan
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
India’s annual median GDP growth in FY21 to contract 4.5%; Possibility of V shaped recovery: FICCI survey
i.In accordance with the latest
round of Economic Outlook Survey of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry), India’s annual median
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY2020-21 has been
declined to (-) 4.5% with a minimum and maximum growth estimate of (-)
6.4% and 1.5% respectively, as compared to January 2020 estimate of 5.5%.
ii.As per the survey, there is a possibility of V-shaped recovery with government expenditure as in the current situation; it is the only helping hand for the financial position of the economy.
iii.Economic activity-wise annual forecast indicated a median growth of 2.7% for agriculture and allied activities for 2020-21.
About FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry):
Secretary General– Dilip Chenoy
President– Sangita Reddy
Headquarter– New Delhi
ii.As per the survey, there is a possibility of V-shaped recovery with government expenditure as in the current situation; it is the only helping hand for the financial position of the economy.
iii.Economic activity-wise annual forecast indicated a median growth of 2.7% for agriculture and allied activities for 2020-21.
About FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry):
Secretary General– Dilip Chenoy
President– Sangita Reddy
Headquarter– New Delhi
US remain India’s top trading partner in 2019-20 with Rs 8,875 cr bilateral trade
i.In accordance with the data of
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the United States (US) remained
India’s top trading partner for the second consecutive fiscal in 2019-20
as bilateral trade between the US and India stood at USD 88.75 billion
(Rs 8,875 crore) as against USD 87.96 billion (Rs 8,796 crore) in
2018-19.
ii.The trade gap between the countries has also increased to USD 17.42 billion (Rs 1,742 crore) in 2019-20 from USD 16.86 billion (Rs 1,686 crore) in 2018-19.
iii.On the other hand, the bilateral trade between India and China has dropped to USD 81.87 billion (Rs 8,187 crore) in 2019-20 from USD 87.08 billion (8,708 crore) in 2018-19.
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal (Constituency- Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Hardeep Singh Puri, Som Parkash
ii.The trade gap between the countries has also increased to USD 17.42 billion (Rs 1,742 crore) in 2019-20 from USD 16.86 billion (Rs 1,686 crore) in 2018-19.
iii.On the other hand, the bilateral trade between India and China has dropped to USD 81.87 billion (Rs 8,187 crore) in 2019-20 from USD 87.08 billion (8,708 crore) in 2018-19.
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal (Constituency- Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Hardeep Singh Puri, Som Parkash
BSE signs MoU with IIT Alumni Council to Encourage Startups Listing and Develop a ‘High Investor Depth’ Platform
i.BSE(formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) informed that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with IIT Alumni Council to encourage the listing of startups and develop a ‘High Investor Depth’ platform for those startups.
ii.The partnership will ensure transparency of the entity, improvement in governance, market discovery of share price, provide liquidity for private equity investors and enable retail participation.
iii.IIT Alumni Council proposes to use Artificial Intelligence(AI)and other automation tools to reduce time, cost and efforts involved in the listing process.
About IIT Alumni Council:
The IIT Alumni Council is the largest global body of alumni, students and faculty across all the 23 Indian Institute of Technology(IITs) with over 100 city chapters globally. It is a virtual, borderless, volunteer-led, flat organization.
President and Chief Volunteer- Ravi Sharma
ii.The partnership will ensure transparency of the entity, improvement in governance, market discovery of share price, provide liquidity for private equity investors and enable retail participation.
iii.IIT Alumni Council proposes to use Artificial Intelligence(AI)and other automation tools to reduce time, cost and efforts involved in the listing process.
About IIT Alumni Council:
The IIT Alumni Council is the largest global body of alumni, students and faculty across all the 23 Indian Institute of Technology(IITs) with over 100 city chapters globally. It is a virtual, borderless, volunteer-led, flat organization.
President and Chief Volunteer- Ravi Sharma
Google Launches $10 Billion Digitization Fund in India
On 13 July, after a virtual meeting
with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive
Officer Sundar Pichai announced an investment of $10 billion (Rs 75,000
crore) in India which will be utilised in another five to seven years to
digitize the Indian Economy.
Key Points:
- The fund will be used to accelerate Google’s effort through a mix of Investments, partnerships, operations, infrastructure, and ecosystem investments.
- Google will partner with CBSE and provide new initiatives to digitize classrooms.
- It partners with Prasar Bharti, a public broadcasting agency for edutainment series for small and medium-sized business in the country.
Headquarters- California, United States
CEO- Sundar Pichai
About CBSE:
Headquarters- New Delhi
Chairperson- Manoj Ahuja, I.A.S
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
IAA named ISRO Chief K Sivan As the Recipient of 2020 Von Karman Award
i.The International Academy of Astronautics(IAA) has announced Dr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Chief of Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) as the recipient of the 2020 Von Karman Award, the highest distinction of the IAA.
ii.The award will be presented to Dr.K.Sivan in March 2021 at Paris.
About International Academy of Astronautics (IAA):
Founder– Dr Theodore Von Karman
Headquarters– Paris, France
ii.The award will be presented to Dr.K.Sivan in March 2021 at Paris.
About International Academy of Astronautics (IAA):
Founder– Dr Theodore Von Karman
Headquarters– Paris, France
NTPC Wins CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2019
i.NTPC Limited(formerly- National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) wins CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019 under the category Corporate Excellence for Outstanding Accomplishment.
ii.In addition to this it also has received a Commendation for Significant Achievement in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR).
NTPC’s Initiatives
GEM(Girl Empowerment Mission), a 4 weeks residential program is its flagship CSR program. It is institutionalized near its power stations to help school girls from underprivileged backgrounds to support their overall development.
About NTPC:
Registered Office– New Delhi, India
Chairman and Managing Director– Gurdeep Singh
ii.In addition to this it also has received a Commendation for Significant Achievement in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR).
NTPC’s Initiatives
GEM(Girl Empowerment Mission), a 4 weeks residential program is its flagship CSR program. It is institutionalized near its power stations to help school girls from underprivileged backgrounds to support their overall development.
About NTPC:
Registered Office– New Delhi, India
Chairman and Managing Director– Gurdeep Singh
Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Darpan Portal and Mobile App Receives Elites Excellence Awards 2020 by IT Institutions
i.The Chief Minister Darpan
Portal and Mobile app, which contains the details of the schemes of the
Government of Chhattisgarh received the Elites Excellence Awards 2020 by
the IT institution Elites Technomedia under the Digital India
Initiative.
ii.The award was given for the Government category under the innovation for monitoring important schemes of the government.
iii.The e-certificate was presented during the three-day virtual conference from 10th July to 12th July organised to encourage innovation in the IT Sector of the Government.
About Chhattisgarh:
Chief Minister– Bhupesh Baghel
Governor– Anusuiya Uikey
Capital– Raipur
ii.The award was given for the Government category under the innovation for monitoring important schemes of the government.
iii.The e-certificate was presented during the three-day virtual conference from 10th July to 12th July organised to encourage innovation in the IT Sector of the Government.
About Chhattisgarh:
Chief Minister– Bhupesh Baghel
Governor– Anusuiya Uikey
Capital– Raipur
Sachin Awasthi is honoured as the Top Publicist in Global Humanitarian Award 2020 – London
i.On 28th June 2020, Sachin
Awasthi, the president of National Media Club and Founder of Shri Ram
Seva Mission was honoured with the “Top Publicist” award in the Global
Humanitarian Awards 2020 held as a webinar over a virtual platform in
London.
ii.The Global Humanitarian Award 2020 is instituted as a part of the “Honoring the Honorable” initiative of the World Humanitarian Drive(WHD).
iii.He inaugurated the Swachh Bharat – Sundar Bharat Mission in 2014 and released a first toll free number for cleanliness in India.
About World Humanitarian Drive (WHD):
Founder & Chairman– Abdul Basit Syed
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
ii.The Global Humanitarian Award 2020 is instituted as a part of the “Honoring the Honorable” initiative of the World Humanitarian Drive(WHD).
iii.He inaugurated the Swachh Bharat – Sundar Bharat Mission in 2014 and released a first toll free number for cleanliness in India.
About World Humanitarian Drive (WHD):
Founder & Chairman– Abdul Basit Syed
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NITI Aayog’s AIM launched ATL App Development Module for school students & teachers nationwide; #TinkerfromHome
On July 11, 2020, as a part of Atal
Tinkering Lab (ATL) initiative of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI
(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has launched pan
India “ATL App Development Module”,
a free online course for school students and teachers on the lines of
the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
Developed by NITI Aayog’s AIM and Indian startup, Plezmo, this course will comprise six project-based learning modules and online mentoring sessions.
i.This would be one of the largest App learning and development initiatives at a school level in any country.
ii.The hashtag or campaign for this state of the art platform is “#TinkerfromHome”, which enables learning of the latest technologies from the comfort and safety of their homes amid COVID-19.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman– Narendra Modi
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Amitabh Kant
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Plezmo:
It is a trademark of Gunakar Private Limited.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Amol Palshikar
Headquarter– Pune, Maharashtra
i.This would be one of the largest App learning and development initiatives at a school level in any country.
ii.The hashtag or campaign for this state of the art platform is “#TinkerfromHome”, which enables learning of the latest technologies from the comfort and safety of their homes amid COVID-19.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman– Narendra Modi
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Amitabh Kant
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Plezmo:
It is a trademark of Gunakar Private Limited.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Amol Palshikar
Headquarter– Pune, Maharashtra
SPORTS
Lewis Hamilton Won the Styrian Grand Prix in Spielberg
On 12th July 2020, Lewis Hamilton,
Mercedes Driver won the Styrian Grand Prix(GP) in Spielberg, Austria
with this win Hamilton has won at least one race of his 14-year career
on the circuit.
Key Points:
i.This is the 85th career win of Hamilton and he moves within six of Formula one (F1) record of Michael Schumacher.
ii.He finished the race 13.7
seconds and 3.7 seconds ahead of Valtteri Vottas of Mercedes and Max
Verstappen of Red Bull respectively.
iii.His record-extending 89th career pole on a rain-drenched track was one of his best in extreme conditions.
iv.The trophies of the winners
were delivered through a remote controlled device to maintain social
distancing amid COVID-19 pandemic.
v.Bottas leads in points 43-37 challenging Hamilton for the F1 title.
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