Current affairs notes on October 11-15

1.October 12 marks 15 years since the implementation of the
Right to Information Act. This act was enacted in order to consolidate the
fundamental right in the Indian constitution ‘freedom of speech’.  It
replaced the former Freedom of Information Act, 2002.

2.‘Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology
in Village Areas’ (SVAMITVA) scheme: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently
launched the physical distribution of property cards under the scheme. This
launch will enable nearly one lakh property holders to download their property
cards through SMS on their mobile phones and pave the way for villagers to use
property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.

3. Feluda is the acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked
Uniform Detection Assay. It is an accurate and low-cost paper-based test
strip to detect Covid-19 and can deliver a result in 45 minutes.
It has been approved for commercial launch by the Drugs Controller General
of India.

4. Two beaches in Karnataka are among the eight in India
that have bagged the coveted eco-label ‘Blue Flag’ from the international
agency, Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark.  In kerala Kappad beach also got
certification. It is an ‘eco-tourism model’ and marks out beaches as providing
tourists and beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities,
a safe and healthy environment, and sustainable development of the area.

5. Goa has become the first Har Ghar Jal State in the
country by providing tap water connection to every rural household.

6. ADB, India sign $270 million loan to improve urban
services in 64 Madhya Pradesh small cities. It is a regional development bank. established
on 19 December 1966. headquartered — Manila, Philippines. Asian
developmental report is published by ADB.

7. 7th Justice Ministers’ Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) Member States to be hosted by Union Law Minister Shri Ravi
Shankar Prasad on 16th October, 2020. SCO is a permanent intergovernmental
international organisation. It’s creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in
Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China,
the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and
the Republic of Uzbekistan.

8. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been
awarded to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson “for improvements to
auction theory and inventions of new auction formats.” The Sveriges
Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences gives award.

9. The Line of Credit is not a grant but a ‘soft loan’ provided
on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid
by the borrowing government. The LOCs also helps to promote exports of Indian
goods and services, as 75% of the value of the contract must be sourced from
India.

10. TRIFED, IIT Kanpur and Chhattisgarh MFP Federation
E-Launch “Tech for Tribals” Initiative. TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs is establishing 1,200 “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK)”, across 28 States
engaging 3.6 Lakhs Tribal Forest Produce gatherers.

11. The eVIN network is being repurposed for the delivery of
the COVID-19 vaccine. The eVIN is an innovative technological solution aimed
at strengthening immunization supply chain systems across the country. This
is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) by the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

12. Cabinet approves Rs. 5718 crore World Bank aided project
STARS. STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results
for States Program (STARS). Six states included are- Himachal Pradesh,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.

13. Union Health Minister launches 2nd phase of “Thalassemia
Bal Sewa Yojna”. Thalassemia,It is a chronic blood disorder. It
is a genetic disorder due to which a patient cannot make enough
hemoglobin found in Red Blood Cells (RBC’s).

14. 75th Anniversary of Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) on 16th October 2020. India has released a commemorative coin of Rs 75
denomination to mark the occasion. India’s proposals for the International
Year of Pulses in 2016 and the International Year of Millets 2023 have
also been endorsed by FAO. Headquarters: Rome, Italy.  Every two years, FAO publishes the State
of the World’s Forests.  October 16:World
food day.

15. PM to dedicate to the Nation 17 recently developed
biofortified varieties of 8 crops. It is the process of increasing nutritional
value of food crops by increasing the density of vitamins and minerals in a
crop through either conventional plant breeding; agronomic practices or
biotechnology.

16. Pakistan has been re-elected to the United Nations Human
Rights Council (UNHRC). With its re-election, Pakistan will continue as a
member for another three-year term commencing on January 1, 2021.