Current Affairs - October 24, 2020 Current Affairs

Indian diplomat Dr Neena Malhotra, 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, appointed as next Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino. She will have a residence in Rome. Presently, she is serving as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Italy.

Ace Indian cricketer and Captain of Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma has been signed up by India's leading beauty accessories brand, Vega, for its men's personal grooming electronics range under the 'Vega Men' brand. Rohit Sharma will feature as the brand ambassador for 'Vega Men' range in the upcoming digital campaign.

Playback singer, music director and actor K J Mohammed Babu, popularly known as 'Zero' Babu passed away. He was a recipient of the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award. He has sung in nearly 90 films and various plays. His first movie was the 1964 film 'Kudumbini'.

The International Monetary Fund slashed this year's economic forecast for Asia, reflecting a sharper-than-expected contraction in countries like India, a sign the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the region. While the IMF upgraded next year's growth forecast, it warned the recovery will be sluggish and patchy with countries dependent on tourism seen taking a particularly hard hit.

Sushil Kumar Singhal, a 2000-batch IFS officer, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Solomon Islands. He is presently serving as the High Commissioner of India to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

The state government of Tamil Nadu has launched the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools of the state. The initiative aims to ensure a better teaching environment as well as lead towards Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to develop at least 100 airports, waterdromes and heliports by 2024 under the regional air connectivity scheme, said an official release.

Quoting the latest report on the National Deworming Day (NDD), the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday informed that 14 states have reported a reduction in the parasitic intestinal worm infection in children. During the last round of deworming in the country, 11 crore children and adolescents had been administered with the Albendazole tablet across the country. However, the drive had to be halted due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Stammering affects 5% of children, and can have serious impacts on their development, in particular if they avoid speaking due to feelings of embarrassment and frustration. And the 1% of adults with a stutter are not immune to those feelings either. But, with the right supports it is something that can be managed allowing everyone to reach their full potential. And that's the message the Irish Stammering Association are trying to get across with their week of events to mark International Stuttering Awareness Day tomorrow.

Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully carried out the final trial of the third generation, anti-tank guided missile 'NAG', from the Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan. The successful final user trial of the missile makes the Nag anti-tank missile ready for induction in the Indian Army. Following the final trial, the missile will now enter into the production phase.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched 'YSR Bima', a scheme to provide financial assistance through insurance cover to the beneficiary in case of death or accident of their families members. All families with white ration cards are eligible for YSR Bima scheme. Village/ward volunteers will visit the families and enroll the names of the primary householders.

UK-based Indian-origin plastic surgeon, Dr Jajini Varghese has been named an 'Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020' by a non-profit NGO for her "incredible" scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer.

Union health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, virtually addressed the World Bank- IMF annual meeting. The theme of the meeting was "Unleashing the South Asian Century through Human Capital for All" and "Investing in COVID-19 Vaccines and Primary Healthcare Delivery System."

World Snow Leopard Day is observed globally on 23rd October. The main purpose of this day is to show the importance of snow leopard conservation and raise awareness about this incredible animal. The day also emphasizes the importance of taking measures to stop poaching, as well as consolidating efforts in terms of an environmental organization in the countries of the snow leopard range.

The Election Commission of India has set up a 2-member committee to examine the issue of revising the expenditure limit for candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The committee will comprise of Shri Harish Kumar, Ex. IRS and DG (Investigation), Shri Umesh Sinha, Secretary-General and DG (Expenditure). The need to set up this committee was felt in view of the increase in the number of electors and the rise in the Cost Inflation Index. It will submit its report within 120 days of its constitution.

The Principality of Andorra joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when Ambassador Elisenda Vives Balmana signed the IMF's Articles of Agreement at a ceremony in Washington D.C. Andorra had applied for membership to the IMF in January 2020.

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. Putting emphasis on mechanized farming for boosting productivity, state Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal urged National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Chairman G R Chintala to lend a helping hand to farmers to switch over to mechanized farming.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has launched the 'micro ATM' service in rural areas of the state. He distributed the handheld devices, through which money could be withdrawn, to banking correspondent agents (BCA) on Wednesday. "Micro ATMs will take banking services to the doorsteps of people in rural areas.

Indian Bank has introduced an initiative for funding start-ups, 'IND Spring Board', in collaboration with the IIT-Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC). The Chennai-headquartered bank seeks to bridge the gap in funding for start-ups through this collaboration with IITMIC.