General Knowledge-17th July 2020

Current Affairs:

• Government of India (GoI) launched the implementation guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs.15,000 crore. The fund was approved by the Union Cabinet in June under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan stimulus package for ensuring growth in several sectors
• IOC postpones 2022 Dakar Youth Olympics to 2026The Senegal and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have “mutually agreed” to postpone the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Dakar in 2022.The Youth Olympic Games will now be held in 2026.
• Marcus Rashford receives honorary degree from University of Manchester The 22-year-old England football player, Marcus Rashford becomes the youngest ever recipient of an honorary degree from The University of Manchester.He will receive the degree in recognition of his achievements as a footballer and as a passionate campaigner against child poverty. Rashford’s collaboration with FareShare, a poverty and food waste charity, has led to £20million being raised in financial and food donations.

• India and Israel have signed an agreement to expand cooperation in cybersecurity. The agreement was signed to expand collaboration in dealing with cyber threats amid rapid digitization due to the COVID-19 pandemic that exposed the vulnerabilities of the virtual world.
•  Secretary Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has launched the Mobile Application of PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) on 17 July 2020. The aim is to provide a user-friendly digital interface for Lending Institutions (LIs) and their field functionaries for sourcing and processing loan applications of street vendors under the Scheme.
• World Day for International Justice is observed on 17 July across the world. The aim is to recognize the strengthening system of international justice. The day also promotes international criminal justice.
• DCGI approves India’s 1st homemade Pneumonia vaccineDrug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved India’s first fully indigenously developed Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine (Pneumonia vaccine).The vaccine will be utilized for active immunization against invasive disease and pneumonia caused by “Streptococcus pneumonia” among infants.The vaccine has been developed by Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, Pune. It is India’s first indigenously developed vaccine in the field of pneumonia.
• First on-line NISHTHA programme launched in Andhra PradeshFirst on-line NISHTHA programme has been launched by the Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister of State for HRD Shri Sanjay Dhotre in Andhra Pradesh.Online NISHTHA programme has been launched for 1200 Key Resources Persons of Andhra Pradesh, hence making it the first ever state in the country.NISHTHA has been customized for online mode because of COVID-19 pandemic situation which has affected the conduct of this programme in face-to-face mode.Online NISHTHA programme would be conducted through DIKSHA and NISHTHA portals by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) is a capacity building programme that was launched by the government of India on 21st August, 2019 to improve the quality of school education through Integrated Teacher Training.
• NABARD launches development projects in Andaman & Nicobar Islands The projects worth Rs 44 lakhs aims to strengthen the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat through rural entrepreneurship.As part of the project, there would be focus on the formation and skill development of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to promote rural entrepreneurship at micro level.As part of the initiative, NABARD will conduct 385 village-level programmes and also offer training to leaders of newly formed SHGs with a sum of more than Rs 10 lakh.Training for Mushroom Cultivation and Bamboo Handicrafts making will be provided to the women attached to SHGs in Little Andaman.
• Pakistan & China signs agreement for “Azad Pattan Hydel Power Project”Pakistan and China have signed an agreement for the 700 MW Azad Pattan hydel power project on the Jhelum river in Sudhoti district of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).The $1.5-billion project is the second power project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).The first agreement, for the 1,100 MW Kohala project, was signed on June 23. That project, worth $2.3 billion, too will come upon the Jhelum near Muzaffarabad.

History on this Date:

• Spanish generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War (1936)
•  Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold 1st post-World War II meeting (1945)
• Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down over Eastern Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board (2014)