Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

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:
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 Union Government has approved Rs. 15,000 crores for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’ for states/UTs.
This package which has been approved to build the health infrastructure, will be provided in three phases — January 2020 to June 2020, July 2020 to March 2021 and April 2021 to March 2024. This fund would be divided on the basis of the number of positive Covid-19 cases and the size of the state/UT. Rs 7,774 crore is expected to be released for immediate response.

Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA) recently announced that the National Pension System (NPS) subscribers will be allowed partial withdrawal for covering expenses related to COVID-19 treatment.
It also announced that COVID-19 would be declared as a critical illness which is life threatening in nature. PFRDA also announced that there is no provision for partial withdrawal for Atal Pension Yojana (APY) customers at present. Both NPS and APY are managed and run by PFRDA.

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:
Technological giant Google has recently launched a new feature under its flagship app Google Pay, called ‘Nearby Spot’.
This feature enables the users to locate the local stores that sells essential things and to check if they are open amidst the lock-down. The feature has been launched in Bengaluru on a pilot basis and will be extended to other cities of the country soon.

Notes:
The first Law and Justice Minister of independent India was Bhim Rao Ambedkar. He was born on 14th April, 1891.
His 129th birth anniversary has been commemorated this year, across the country. Dr B.R.Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, which presented the final draft of the Indian Constitution in 1949. He was presented the highest civilian honour of India, Bharat Ratna in 1990, posthumously.

Notes:
The Indian Army has launched ‘Operation Meghdoot’ on April 13, 1984 in order to secure the passes on the Saltoro ridgeline, including the Bilafond La pass from Pakistan.
The courage and valour exhibited by the Army troops is commemorated every year on April 13 as ‘Siachen Day’ by the Indian Army across the country. The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the range of Himalayas.

Notes:
For the first time in the year 2020, April 14 has been celebrated as World Chagas Day by the World Health Organisation.
In May 2019, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, the World Health Assembly announced that April 14 would be observed as World Chagas Day, to create awareness about the infectious disease, caused by parasites. On the same day in 1909, the first patient of this disease was diagnosed.

Notes:
Trade Deficit is defined as the difference between the total imports of the country and the total exports. This condition occurs when a country is importing more goods than it is exporting.
Recently, the Commerce Ministry announced that the trade deficit in the month of March fell to $9.76 billion, which is the lowest in the last 13 months. Due to the steep fall in export of leather, gems and jewellery and petroleum products, the total exports in the year 2019-20 decreased.