Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
According to a recent report form International Labour Organisation (ILO) titled ‘ILO Monitor 2nd edition: COVID-19 and the world of work’, about 400 million workers of India will fall into poverty.
India has nearly 90 per cent of its people working in informal economy. It also revealed that the lockdown measures in India have impacted these workers significantly. The measures are at the high end of University of Oxford’s COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index.

Notes:
Representatives of SAARC had a discussion on the impact of Covid-19 situation on intra-regional trade through video-conferencing.
The senior trade officials of all SAARC countries except Pakistan, also discussed the impact of travel restrictions. This is the follow-up of the first virtual meeting held on March 15. The eight member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Notes:
The United Nations has recently released a report titled ‘Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) 2020: Towards sustainable economies’.
As per the report, the GDP growth of India for the current fiscal is expected to dip to 4.8 per cent. The report also warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would result in adverse economic impacts globally. UN had earlier estimated the GDP growth of India at 5% for the current fiscal.

Notes:
According to a recent online survey conducted by the technology community website owned by Times Internet-TechGig, most IT professionals prefer Bengaluru as the best city to work for.
Bengaluru has been voted by over 40 per cent of the professionals, mainly for the high living standards, highest appraisal and career growth opportunities it provide. While Hyderabad and Pune secured the second and third spots respectively, Delhi-NCR secured the least votes among the chart.

Notes:
On April 9th, 1965 a small contingent of CRPF successfully fought and repulsed an attack by a Pakistani Brigade at Sardar Post in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.
That was the first time in the history of military battles, two companies of policemen fought back a whole infantry Brigade. Six CRPF men attained martyrdom during this attack. As a tribute to the martyrs of CRPF, April 9 is celebrated by the CRPF as ‘Valour Day’.

Notes:
To promote digital banking among the general public amid the nation-wide lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Reserve Bank of India has launched a Twitter campaign.
The central bank asked the bank customers to adopt digital modes of payment which are convenient and safe. Through the campaign that was launched in public interest, the RBI highlighted the multiple digital payment options such as NEFT, IMPS, UPI and BBPS that are available 24*7.

Notes:
The Union government recently announced that it has removed customs duty and health cess on the import of medical equipment related to COVID-19 till September 30, 2020.
The exemption on customs duty and cess have been given to all related medical equipment including ventilators, surgical masks, PPE, and test kits. This step is expected to boost availability of the products in the country, as per the Department of Revenue. The exemptions will be applicable on inputs used to manufacture the equipment.

Notes:
E-commerce marketplace Flipkart has launched an exclusive insurance policy to cover COVID-19, in association with ICICI Lombard and Go Digit General Insurance. The two health insurance policies, which provide instant claim benefits, do not require any medical tests at the time of purchase.
The COVID-19 Protection Cover by ICICI Lombard provides ₹25,000 benefit, on positive diagnosis of COVID-19, at an annual premium of ₹159. The cover by Digit Insurance provides hospitalization cover up to a sum assured of ₹1 lakh with an annual premium of ₹511.

Notes:
Veteran Hindustani classical singer and Padma Shri awardee Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away at Gurgaon, at the age of 87.
The renowned singer was trained in several styles of music including thumri, dadra and ghazal. She had conducted several stage-performances in Indian and abroad. She had been conferred with several accolades including the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2007.

Notes:
In 2003, the government of India declared the national safe motherhood day on April 11, which is the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about access to care during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services.
The government of India has launched Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram in 2011, to motivate the general public to opt for institutional deliveries. It aimed to eliminate out of pocket expenses for pregnant women and infants in accessing public health institution.