Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
The Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe recently declared a state of emergency in the country, due to the rise in the coronavirus cases.
A month-long state of emergency starting from April 7 has been declared in the capital city Tokyo and six other parts of the country. This move gives powers to local governments to contain the spread of the coronavirus, by urging residents to stay at home and calling for businesses to close.

Notes:
The innovation cell of Ministry of HRD and AICTE have recently launched an online challenge for students called ‘SAMADHAN’, in collaboration with Forge and InnovatioCuris.
This challenge calls for students to search and develop quick solutions to the Coronavirus pandemic, that will assist the government agencies and health services. Under the programme, the students and teachers of the country will be motivated for conducting new experiments.

Notes:
Government has directed Food Corporation of India to provide food grains to NGOs and charitable organisations providing cooked meals to the needy at OMSS (Open Market Sale Scheme).
During the period of nationwide lockdown, the organisations can buy wheat and rice from FCI godowns without going through the e-auction. OMSS reserve price for rice is ₹2,250 per quintal and price of wheat is ₹2,135 per quintal. Earlier, only State governments and registered bulk users were allowed to buy from FCI under OMSS rates.

Notes:
The Democratic party of the United States has selected former Vice President Joe Biden as the nominee for the American Presidential Election.
Earlier, US Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he is not participating in the upcoming elections, which are due in November. Hence Joe Biden became the official Democratic nominee for the election to take on the incumbent US President Donald Trump.

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:
As per the announcement of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the government will implement ‘Operation SHIELD’ at 21 locations which have been identified as containment zones in the UT.
‘Operation SHIELD’ is an acronym, which includes Sealing; Home Quarantine; Isolation and Tracing of people; Doorstep Delivery of Essential Items; Local Sanitisation And Disinfection and Door-To-Door Checking of people having symptoms of COVID-19.

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:
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given approval to plasma therapy for COVID-19 treatment to Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST).
It is an Institution of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology, located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala. The treatment called ‘convalescent-plasma therapy’ transfers the antibody from a recovered patient to a sick person, increasing his/her immune power. The Scientists have also discovered Chitra Disinfection Gateway and Chitra UV Based Facemask Disposal Bin.

Notes:
The World Bank has released its bi-annual flagship report titled ‘South Asia Economic Focus’ recently. In the report, it estimates a sharp economic crash in eight countries of the South Asian region.
The report has also estimated India to grow at 1.5%-2.8% this fiscal year, which will be the worst economic phase since the liberalisation policies implemented in 1991. It also forecasted that all countries would see a decline in GDP in the worst-case scenario.

Notes:
Veteran architect and photographer, also known as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, Rifat Chadirji passed away in the United Kingdom after contracting the novel coronavirus, at the age of 93.
He is known for designing some of the world-famous buildings and structures, including the “Freedom Monument” and his masterwork called “The Unknown Soldier” arch. But several of his designs were damaged in the recent years.