Test: October 2020 Weekly Current Affair - 4 - UPSC MCQ

The Centre set up a high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Merchant payment platform BharatPe said it has introduced digital gold product on its platform for merchants in association with Safegold.
Safegold is a digital platform that allows customers to buy, sell and take delivery of 24k physical gold, at low ticket sizes, around the clock.

The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage takes place every 27 October.This commemorative day was chosen by UNESCO in 2005 to raise awareness of the significance and preservation risks of recorded sound and audiovisual documents.This year the theme of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is “Your Window to the World”.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat has inaugurated Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme (Ekikrit Adarsh Krishi Gram Yojana) in the state in partnership with NABARD.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has launched the ‘micro ATM’ service in rural areas of the state.

The Central Government has further extended the term of Justice (retd) Bansi Lal Bhat as the officiating Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

The global average of mobile download speed, according to Ookla Speedtest Global Index for September 2020, is 32.26 Mbps, while that of India is 12.07 Mbps. India is placed at 131, out of a total of 138 countries.
South Korea has the best mobile internet speed of 121 Mbps, while China is at the second spot on the index, with an average mobile download speed of 113.35 Mbps.

Former diplomat and Central Information Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha is tipped to be appointed as the country’s next Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), two months after the position at the top transparency watchdog fell vacant.

India-assisted Mangdechhu hydroelectric project in Bhutan has been awarded the prestigious Brunel Medal for excellence in civil engineering by the UK-based Institute of Civil Engineers.

SBI Card launched a contactless multi-purpose card in partnership with Delhi Metro that can function as a credit card as well as a metro smart card.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed loan agreements totaling about Rs 11,000 crore with the State Bank of India (SBI) and NTPC in support of India’s manufacturing and renewable energy sectors.
The JBIC agreed to provide $1 billion (approx Rs 7,400 crore) to SBI for funding the manufacturing and sales business of suppliers and dealers of Japanese automobile manufacturers as well as for the provision of auto loans for the purchase of Japanese automobiles in India.
The Japanese lender also signed an agreement for financing worth JPY 50 billion (approx Rs 3,500 crore) to state-owned power generation company, NTPC for solar power generation projects and installation of environmental equipment in India.

The Department of Posts released a commemorative postage stamp in the presence of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has become the first UT in the country to operationalize Public Financial Management System (PFMS) at the district level with e-inauguration of eight district offices by Additional Controller General of Accounts, Subodh Kumar Mathur.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shared final guidelines for housing finance companies (HFC) highlighting that these NBFCs should have at least 60% of their net assets deployed in the business of providing finance for housing by March 31, 2024.
Minimum percentage of total assets towards housing finance for individuals during this period should be raised to 40%, 45% and 50%, respectively.

World Development Information Day is celebrated annually on October 24th.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao launched ‘Dharani’ Portal for land and property registrations at Mudu Chinatalapalli.
One can register their property, succession and also the partition of agriculture lands and once the registration is done, the owner will be provided with e-pattadar passbook.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fixed the minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) size for housing finance companies at Rs 25 crore.

Honda Moto3 rider Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing NSF250RW) claimed victory in the Moto3 class in round 12 of the 2020 FIM World Championship Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragon in Spain.

Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will get a vulture conser

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three key projects in Gujarat through video conferencing.

The book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories from 1984” authored by Sarbpreet Singh was released. The book is published by Penguin.

On a 2 day day visit to Gujarat, PM Modi:
Modi first inaugurated Arogya Van (health forest”), spread over 17 acres with a wide range of medicinal plants.He also inaugurated a Children Nutrition Park, dubbed as the world”s first such technology-driven theme park developed over 35,000 square meters. Its primary objective is to make children understand the importance of nutritious food.
Modi then inaugurated Jungle Safari, a state-of-the- art Zoological Park spread across 375 acres and seven levels.
The PM then inaugurated Ekta Cruise”, a ferry boat service which would cover the distance of 6 km from Shrestha Bharat Bhavan to the Statue of Unity within 40 minutes.
Other projects inaugurated by the PM included a navigation channel in Narmada river to facilitate boating, Garudeshwar weir downstream on the river, a new bridge across the river near Gora village, a bus bay terminus, home-stay facility for tourists and eco-tourism project near Khalwani village.
Late in the evening, the PM inaugurated the Unity Glow Garden, the first of its kind in India, developed in 3.61 acres with a glimmering array of illuminated installations.
Lastly, Modi inaugurated the Cactus Garden spread in 25 acres on the opposite bank of the river. It is home to more than 450 species with a total of 6 lakh plants.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat has inaugurated Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme (Ekikrit Adarsh Krishi Gram Yojana) in the state in partnership with NABARD.

The Central Vigilance Commission observes the Vigilance Awareness Week from 27th October to 2nd November, 2020.

Kerala was adjudged the best governed state in the country while Uttar Pradesh ended at the bottom in the large states category, according to the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre.
Four southern states, Kerala (1.388 PAI Index point), Tamil Nadu (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531) and Karnataka (0.468) stood in the first four ranks in the large state category in terms of governance.
Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar were at the bottom of the ranking, scoring negative points in the category.