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

The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ e-launched VidyaDaan 2.0 program on DIKSHA platform to invite e-learning content contributions, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Sanjay Dhotre also participated through video conferencing in New Delhi.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) under its flagship Education for Justice Initiative launched the “Lockdown Learners” series of online dialogues with students and educators in India on COVID-19 & its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), peace and the rule of law.

Lebanon became the 1^st Arab nation to legalise cannabis (also known as marijuana) farming for medicinal & industrial use with the aim to boost the exports & to beat the economic crisis created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Lebanon faces the worst economic crisis due to lockdown since the 1975-1990 civil war.

In accordance with the report on impact of COVID-19 on migration and remittances by World Bank, titled “COVID-19 Crisis: Through a Migration Lens” remittances to India are likely to drop by 23% to USD 64 billion in 2020 from USD 83 billion in 2019 due to COVID-19 impact. In 2019, the remittances were increased by 5.5%. Importantly, India is the world’s biggest recipient of remittances, which bolster the country’s foreign exchange reserves and help fund its current account deficit.

The Federal Bank’s board has approved its purchase to acquire an additional stake of up to 4% in the equity capital of IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Limited (IFLIC) from Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) Bank, increasing the total shareholding in the life insurance joint venture to 30% from 26%. Federal Bank Headquarters– Aluva, Kerala.

President of Weightlifting Federation of India (WFI) Shadev Yadav confirmed that Mirabai Chanu and Jeremy Larinnunga have been qualified to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due to their current International rank.

Veteran tribal leader and former Odisha Minister Saharai Oram died at Barbil in Keonjhar district on Friday following a prolonged illness. He was 78.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) becomes the 1st state with a software-based in-house facility of virtual courts, where a requisite infrastructure in Allahabad High Court and all district courts of Uttar Pradesh to hear cases through video conferencing as there is lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi has set the target for Coal India Limited (CIL) to produce 710 million tonnes (MT) of coal for FY 2020-2021. The decision has been taken on the lines of achieving 1 billion tonne (BT) coal production by year 2023-24 and also the demand of coal will be accelerated after coronavirus lockdown.

The Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) will receive a funding of US$82 million (Rs 585 crore) from World Bank (WB) for the upgradation of major roads and modernization of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Himachal Pradesh (HP).

The Ministry of Shipping has given its consent for the reconstitution of the 16-member National Shipping Board (NSB), the highest advisory body on matters related to Indian shipping and its development or other matters arising out of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The reconstituted board will be headed by former Director General of Shipping Malini Shankar.

Caladium Investment Pte Ltd, an affiliate of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation), has raised its stake in India-based private sector lender Bandhan Bank by 1 percent from 3.39% to 4.49% through secondary market operations.

Iran launched its 1^st military satellite into orbit named “Noor” or light. The satellite has successfully reached an orbit of 425 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) engineers developed a new, easy-to-build high-pressure ventilator named VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally) specifically to treat COVID-19 patients.

World Immunization Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. Theme for the year 2020: Vaccines Work for All. The World Immunization week celebrates “Vaccine Heroes” worldwide ranging from parents and community members to health workers and innovators who help to ensure that we are protected via the power of vaccines. The last week of April (24 to 30) every year is observed as World Immunisation Week in order to promote the use of vaccines for the ‘protection of people’ of all age-groups against disease.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is now rampant across the country & many people are now in dire straits without getting the required medicine in their area during the lockdown. In view of this, the Assam state government’s health department has launched a special scheme called ‘Dhanwantari’, under which locally unavailable medicines will be delivered to patients at home. This medicine is free up to 200 rupees.

The Leading forex and payment solutions provider Transcorp International Limited (TIL), a 25 year old BSE-listed company becomes the 1st non-bank company to receive Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nod to enter into co-branding arrangements for prepaid Instruments to be used in over 35 lakh stores and online gateways due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanjay Kothari, the secretary to the President, was on Saturday appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, head of the country’s anti-corruption watchdog CVC, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique. The post of the chief of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had been lying vacant since June last year after completion of K V Chowdary’s tenure.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) has named its first Mars exploration mission as “Tainwen-1” and also released its logo “Lanxingjiutian” during the online celebration of “Space Day” which marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the country’s first satellite Dong Fang Hong-1 in 1970.

Usha Ganguly, was an Indian theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in the 1970s and 1980s, passed away at the age of 75 in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP) in 1945.

On 23rd April 2020, on account of the World Book Day the Union Minister of Human Resource and Development, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched #MyBookMyFriendcampaign in his social media along with the video message saying that when you open a book you open a new world and he said that books are the best friends of a person which inspires and provides a way of thinking and guide in difficult times.

Uma Balasubramaniam’s “Sayajirao Gaekwad III: Maharaja of Baroda”, a historic epic published on December 5, 2019, by Rupa publication on how a Maratha farmers 13 year old boy becomes the King of Baroda and also how the fate twists for the favourite son of the British empire gets himself to the brink of being deposed by the British.

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), has called for a global expressions of interest (EoI) to buy 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses & 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars to operate them in Delhi and Leh.

CSB (Catholic Syrian Bank), the private sector bank announced that RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has extended the term of appointment of Madhavan Menon as the part-time Chairman of the Bank till July 21, 2020. Headquarters– Thrissur, Kerala.

The premier multilateral air combat training Exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 is cancelled by Australia due to the current and anticipated impacts of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. The next edition is scheduled in 2022. It is a biennial three-week multinational large force employment exercise conducted primarily from RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal. RAAF Base Amberley was to also be included in the exercise this year