Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
The animal rights body PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India has conferred the ‘Hero to Animals Award’ on the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik.
The Chief Minister was selected for his empathetic act of allocating Rs 54 lakhs from relief fund, to feed public animals in the municipal corporations and all municipalities of Odisha during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Notes:
Kolkata Port Trust has recently declared force majeure at its Haldia Dock Complex from 06:00 Hrs on 22 March to 06:00 Hrs on 15 April 2020, thereby becoming the first state-owned major port trust to invoke the clause, at the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak.
The force majeure clause is invoked when the firms are not able to meet their contractual commitments for reasons beyond their control. During the nationwide lockdown, as the trade is grippled, several private ports and terminals operating in the country already invoked the clause.

Notes:
In the last financial year 2019-20, Tamil Nadu has topped the micro-irrigation coverage in the financial year 2019-20.
This has been achieved as part of implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). While Tamil Nadu has topped the coverage in the year 2019-20, in the cumulative total coverage under the PMKSY during 2015-2020, Tamil Nadu is in the fourth place, where the list is topped by Karnataka.

Notes:
The World Health Organisation has recently released a report titled ‘State of the World’s Nursing 2020’, on the occasion of the World Health Day on 7th April 2020.
It states that Nursing is the largest occupational group in the health sector, which accounts for about 59% of the health professions. The report highlights that Investment in nurses will contribute not only to health-related SDG targets, but also to education (SDG 4), gender (SDG 5), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).

Notes:
The teams of Thailand and Malaysia have been banned from participating in weightlifting events at the Tokyo Olympics.
The sanctions panel of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions on the two countries regarding the same. The panel also suspended the Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) for three years and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) for a year.

Notes:
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) recently announced a collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for a campaign against Covid-19.
The mass media campaign, which has been titled ‘BreakTheChain’ will provide information prevention strategies to the general public to protect themselves against Covid-19. The campaign will focus on three main themes: Social Distancing, Handwashing and Generosity and will be publicized through television, news portals and social media channels.

Notes:
The Indian government has extended term of board members of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB), for a period of two years beyond April 11 or until further orders whichever is earlier.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has also approved to extend the term of existing part-time chairman B P Sharma. Bank Boards Bureau was constituted in 2016 to recommend appointment of whole-time directors and non-executive chairpersons of public sector banks (PSBs) and financial institutions owned by the government.

Notes:
The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has partnered with UNICEF to promote a digital campaign on Social Distancing, for Self Help Groups (SHGs).
UNICEF is to provide the necessary support for circulating Digital Multimedia content, Webinars and Social Media campaigns on social distancing, home quarantine, etc. This initiative will reach more than 18,000 participants and will ensure tribal gatherers carry on their work safely.

Notes:
Chris Cassidy, an astronaut of NASA, along with two cosmonauts of Russia- Roscosmos, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner docked at the International Space Station.
The three-man crew docked successfully aboard the Soyuz MS-16 capsule, which was launched from the Russia’s space hub, Baikonur, in its neighbouring country Kazakhstan. The crew reached the ISS at 1413 GMT, over six hours after blasting off. The next crew to return to Earth from the ISS will fly to their home countries on April 17.

Notes:
The Chief of International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva has recently named former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India Raghuram Rajan and 11 other experts in her external advisory group.
The group is expected to provide perspectives on policy issues and responses to the challenges faced by the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. The group has 12 eminent individuals who have expertise in policy-making, global market and private sector. Raghuram Rajan is currently serving as a professor at the University of Chicago.