Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to invest $100 million equivalent in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund-NIIF’s Fund of Funds.
ADB joins the Government of India (GOI) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as an investor in one of the instruments of NIIF of India. NIIF is an investment platform for Indian and international investors where they are mandated to invest equity capital in domestic infrastructure.

Notes:
According to the April 2020 update of the World Bank, titled ‘East Asia and Pacific in the Time of Covid-19’, it has estimated that nearly 11 million people would be affected by poverty in East Asia and the Pacific as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The World Bank has earlier estimated that about 35 million people would escape poverty in East Asia and the Pacific in 2020.

Notes:
From April 1, 2020, several changes are coming into force in the direct tax regime of India, with the changes in provision of Finance Act.
The prime change is with respect to the Non-Resident Indians. The NRIs with over ₹15 lakh income from Indian sources will be deemed as Indian residents for the purpose of taxation, if they had spent 120 days in India in the previous year. Earlier the number of days needed to be spent was 182.

Notes:
The state government of Andhra Pradesh has recently issued modified guidelines in the Navaratnalu – Pedalandariki Illu (houses for all the poor) scheme, under which 25 lakh house sites are to be distributed at concessional rates to the poor.
As per the recent order, the house sites will be allotted at a concessional rate of ₹1 for the beneficiaries with white ration cards. A sum of only ₹ 20 will be collected from them towards cost of stamp paper and lamination charges. The distribution is also postponed to April 14, from March 25.

Notes:
On April 1, the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic relations between India and China was celebrated on April 1.
As per the release of the Union External Affairs Ministry, the Presidents, Prime Ministers and External Affairs Ministers of India and China exchanged messages of felicitation to mark the 70th anniversary. India was the first non-Communist country in Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), on April 1, 1950.

Notes:
The government of India recently announced the establishment of “cargo air-bridge” between India and China.
This air bridge uses regular cargo flights for transporting critical medical supplies between the two countries. This initiative is operated by Air India from April 3. This is implemented under the ‘Lifeline Udan’ initiative of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Notes:
The 2021 World Games which were initially scheduled to be held in the city of Birmingham in the state of Alabama in the United States have now been rescheduled to 2022.
This postponement has been announced to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics, which were also rescheduled to 2021, against this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The World Games are held every four years and comprises of 32 sports that are not included in the Olympic program.

Notes:
The fourth day of April has been observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action after the declaration by the UN General Assembly in 2005.
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has been serving for more than 20 years, to save lives, to deliver humanitarian assistance and facilitate recovery activities. In 2015, the UN Secretary-General designated actor Daniel Craig as the first UN Global Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive Hazards.

Notes:
As per the recent announcement of the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, more than 50 crore vulnerable citizens will be eligible for free COVID-19 testing and treatment under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana- PMJAY.
The Minister also appealed to the private labs and hospitals to come forward and become a part of this initiative. Hospitals empanelled under the AB-PMJAY scheme can use their authorised testing facilities or tie up with an authorised testing facility to provide this service.

Notes:
A four-year-old female tiger named Nadia from the Bronx Zoo in New York City, has been tested positive for the coronavirus.
This is claimed to be the first known case where transmission of the coronavirus from human to an animal has been confirmed. The tiger is believed to have been infected by an asymptomatic zoo-keeper. Later, six other animals, including lions and tigers, have also been showing symptoms.