Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2019

Notes:
A book containing English translation of the 100-year-old classic Punjabi poem about Jallianwala Bagh massacre, ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ has been released in Abu Dhabi. India’s Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri has commended the launch of a book containing English translation of the Punjabi poem. The poem was translated by Mr Suri whose grandfather, revolutionary poet and novelist Nanak Singh, a Jallianwala Bagh survivor, wrote it after witnessing first-hand the events of April 13, 1919. On this ill-fated day, British troops fired upon crowds of protesters peacefully demonstrating against the Rowlatt Act of the British Raj, leading to the loss of well over a thousand lives. The book was also released in New Delhi on 13th April 2019, marking 100 years since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place in Amritsar.

Notes:
India has slipped two places to rank 140th among 180 nations in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), report released by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international NGO based in Paris. The report notes that attacks against journalists by supporters of the ruling BJP increased in the run-up to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.The index is topped by Norway, followed by Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. In its 2019 index, RSF finds that hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear around the world. In reference to India, it found an alarming rate of coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva. The critics are branded as ‘anti-national’ in the current discourse that is shaping up. The Reporters Without Borders is a non-profit organisation that works to document and combat attacks on journalists around the world.

Notes:
The Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery has recently inaugurated by a Buddhist scholar Shyalpa Tenzing Rinpoche at Lisankhu village in Sindhupalchok district in Nepal. The Monastery has been reconstructed with Government of India (GoI) grant of 18.9 million Nepalese rupees. Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India Dr. Ajay Kumar was also present on the occasion. In addition to reconstructing the monastery, the project also included building additional infrastructure such as residences, kitchen, sanitation facilities and compound wall. The Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery was established in 1946 with the active initiation and contribution of Lisankhu villagers. It has been carrying out various socio-cultural activities like teaching Buddhism,Thangka painting, wood carving and sculpting etc. Apart from being an important heritage building, the monastery is also an integral part of social and cultural life of people in the area.

Notes:
On April 17, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has partnered with M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform for MSME bill discounting. TReDS is a digital platform to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to get their bills financed at a competitive rate through an auction where multiple registered financiers can participate. In addition to TReDS platform of Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL) & Invoicemart (A.TREDS Ltd), the bank has now on-boarded as financier on the TReDS platform of M1Xchange of Mynd Solutions. Mynd Solutions is a technology management firm which runs the TReDS platform of M1Xchange. The main purpose of TReDS platform is to facilitate smooth flow of liquidity in the system and make finance available at a competitive rate. The cost of funds will be reduced for MSMEs as banks will be bidding based on the risk rating of a corporate.

Notes:
Cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed brand ambassador of bus ticketing platform ‘redBus’. Dhoni will appear in a hockey player avatar in his first cameo for the brand, slated to be launched soon. According to celebrity managers, Dhoni’s brand endorsement deals can be in the range of Rs 3-10 crore, depending on the size of the company he is associated with and the size and duration of the contract. Currently, the cricketer endorses an array of brands across categories, including fantasy sports firm Dream11, Colgate, MasterCard, Orient Fans, Bharat Matrimony, Indigo Paints, SRMB Steel, and health supplement brand Revital H among others.

Notes:
IDBI Bank has launched the ‘NRI-Insta-Online’ account-opening process for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) residing in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member countries. The person will not be required to furnish physical documents and KYC proofs for opening an account with the bank. NRIs will now be able to open account in IDBI Bank without submitting paper documents. FATF is an inter-governmental body which devices policy and sets standards to promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The body has 38 member countries, including the US, UK, India, Japan, China and France, among others.

Notes:
In Ukraine, comedian and political newcomer Volodymyr Zelensky has apparently secured a landslide victory in the 2019 Presidential election. Mr Zelensky is best known for starring in a satirical television series ‘Servant of the People’ in which his character accidentally becomes Ukrainian president. The pressure will now be on Mr Zelensky to demonstrate that he knows what he is doing. Throughout the election campaign, he avoided serious interviews and discussions about policy – preferring instead to post light-hearted videos to social media.

Notes:
Ravinder Kumar Passi has been appointed to the post of chairman of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). He succeeded O P Prahladka. EPCH is a non-profit organisation, with an objective to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.

Notes:
Iran and Pakistan have decided to set up a Joint Border Reaction Force (JBRF) following a number of deadly attacks by militant groups on their frontier. The announcement comes following tensions between the two countries who have in recent months accused each other of not doing enough to stamp out militants allegedly sheltering across the border. The The Iran-Pakistan border skirts the volatile southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan which has been the scene of frequent attacks on Iran’s security forces.

Notes:
The Ministry of AYUSH has recently signed a MoU with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR –New Delhi) for cooperation in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science. Under the MoU, both organizations shall jointly endeavor to pursue: R&D covering fundamental research; AYUSH specific diagnostic tools; linking microbiome, gene expression and prakriti; multi-ingredient herbal formulations, including their standardization; exploring modern scientific methods for integration with traditional Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM); linking disease signatures, etc.