Top Current Affairs 31 July 2020

Top Current Affairs 31 July 2020

Top Current Affairs 31 July 2020: We have collected the latest current affairs for 31 July 2020 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. Improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.

Government sets up Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers

• The government has set up the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), under Consumer Protection Act, 2019 with the objective to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
• The CCPA has been set up under the section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which came into force on 20 July, 2020.
• Smt. Nidhi Khare, the Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, has been appointed as the Chief Commissioner of CCPA.
• The CCPA will begin its functioning in the premises of Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).
• Objective of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
  • Promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.
  • Conduct investigations into violation of consumer rights and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements,
  • Impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements among other things.

Green-Ag project launched in Mizoram

• Green-Ag, a project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF), which aims to catalyze sustainable transformation of Indian agriculture sector without compromising the country’s food security and farmers’ income, has been launched in Mizoram.
• Mizoram is among five Indian states where the project will be implemented.
• The other four states are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
• In Mizoram, the project will be implemented in Dampa Tiger Reserve in west Mizorams Mamit district and Thorangtlang Wildlife Sanctuary in Lunglei district in the southern part of the state covering more than 30 villages.
• The project seeks to bring transformative change in India’s agricultural sector for achieving national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes.

Bombay Flying Club becomes India’s first DGCA-approved drone training school

• The Bombay Flying Club (BFC) in Mumbai has become the first Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved drone training school in India.
• The BFC club’s will now be eligible for conducting remote pilot training for remotely piloted aircraft systems.
• The organisation’s status as a drone training school will be valid for a period of one year from the date of issue of the letter, or until the Digital Sky Platform goes live, whichever is earlier.

Atal Innovation Mission launches ‘AIM-iCREST’, in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation

• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST, a first of its kind initiative, for advancing innovation to enable the incubation ecosystem, at scale in India.
• AIM iCREST is an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program for a Robust Ecosystem focused on creating high performing Startups.
• AIM has collaborated with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation, which will lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.
• The AIM iCREST initiative will act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.
• Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy, that will help them to significantly enhance their performance.

SIDBI partners with TransUnion CIBIL to launch financial knowledge platform MSMESaksham

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has partnered with TransUnion CIBIL to launch a comprehensive financial education and knowledge platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) named MSMESaksham.
• The portal MSMESaksham, will act as a one-stop knowledge platform to guide MSMEs in seeking seamless and quick access to finance and will also support them in managing their credit obligations.
• The portal will help MSMEs across their credit lifecycle, ranging from availing credit to start and grow their businesses, manage credit lines, sustain and build structural strength of the business as well as ensuring timely closures and renewals of credit facilities.

Centre extends deadline for filing income tax returns till September 30

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) has further extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for the fiscal 2018-19 by two months till 30 September 2020. Earlier, the last date was 31 July 2020.
• This extension has been given in view of the constraints due to the Covid pandemic & to further ease compliances for taxpayer.
• It is the third extension given by the government for taxpayers to file both original and revised tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal.
• Earlier, in March 2020, the due date was extended from March 31 to June 30.
• Then again in June 2020, the date was extended by a month till July 31, 2020.

ADB approves grant worth USD 3 million to India to combat COVID-19

• Manila-based multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 3 million (about Rs 22 crore) grant to India from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to further support the government’s emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic.
• The new grant will be used to procure thermal scanners and essential commodities to strengthen the India’s COVID-19 response.
• In April 2020, ADB approved USD 1.5 billion COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) programme to support India in its immediate pandemic response efforts.

Rating Agency ICRA appoints N. Sivaraman as MD and Group CEO

• The board of directors of Indian credit rating agency ICRA Ltd has appointed N Sivaraman as the Managing Director & CEO of the Company and CEO of ICRA Group for a period of three years with effect from August 10, 2020.
• He will replace Naresh Takkar, whose service was terminated in August 2019 and the post was lying vacant since last one year.
• Currently he is working with the IL&FS group, since past 34-years.

Malayalam actor Anil Murali passes away at 56

• Famous Malayalam actor Anil Murali has passed away due to liver-related ailments. He was 56.
• He made his debut in movies in 1993, and had worked in over 150 films in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons : 30 July

• The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30.
• The day was designated by the UN General Assembly in 2013 to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.
• The 2020 theme for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is “Committed to the Cause – Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking”.