Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
Manila-based Asian Development Bank released its annual economic publication- Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020 recently. As per the report, India’s growth is to slow down to 4%, from the earlier estimate of 5% in the current fiscal year.
Weak global demand and the containment efforts of the government amid Covid-19 are cited as the reasons for the slash. The report also estimates the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 6.2% in FY22 provided full economic activity resumes from the second quarter of FY21.

Notes:
The World Bank has granted $1 billion fund to India to strengthen its response in containing Covid-19. This is also the largest ever grant provided for India till date, from the World Bank.
The fund will cover all states and UTs and will be managed by the National Health Mission (NHM), National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The fund will be used for procurement of testing kits, setting up of new isolation wards and purchase of personal protective equipment.

Notes:
Aerobiosys Innovations, an incubated start-up of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) has developed an affordable and emergency-use ventilator called ‘Jeevan Lite’.
This portable device is Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled and can be operated through a mobile application. The ventilator can also be operated by a battery, which enables it to be deployed in areas without power supply.

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:
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) recently announced that it will provide emergency loans to small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) named ‘SIDBI Assistance to Facilitate Emergency’ -SAFE PLUS.
Working capital of up to Rs 1 Crore will be provided to small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in manufacturing of medical equipment and products related to Covid-19. The SAFE PLUS collateral-free loans will be disbursed within 48 hours at an interest rate of five per cent. The limit of the loans has been enhanced from 50 lakh rupees to two crore rupees.

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:
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:
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:
The Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal has launched a ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign for crowd sourcing of ideas to improve online education ecosystem of India.
This week-long campaign invites all the people in the country to share suggestions and solutions about overcoming constraints of online education. The ideas can be shared directly with HRD Ministry through their mail address or their twitter account.

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.