Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
HDFC Bank has launched a campaign named ‘Safety Grid’, to encourage people maintain social distancing while waiting at public places.
The campaign was launched in Kolkata on a pilot basis and has been extended to many cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru among others. The safety grid markers are physically painted in front of the retail outlets and ATMs, where people wait. Each grid is spaced at one metre from each other, as prescribed by the WHO.

Notes:
World Haemophilia Day is observed every year on 17 April across the world, to increase awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand disease and inherited bleeding disorders.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Haemophilia day. The theme of this year’s observance is “Get+involved”. The international organisation, World Federation of Haemophilia was established by a businessman Frank Schnabel in 1963.

Notes:
The Chief of Staff of the President of Nigeria, Abba Kyari, recently passed away, after contracting the novel coronavirus.
Abbu Kyari was considered as one of the most powerful personnel in the country and he was also the top official advisor to the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. The spokesperson of the President confirmed his death.

Notes:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has launched an awareness campaign called ‘Team Mask Force’ on the importance of wearing masks in public places.
BCCI has earlier tweeted about the launch of the campaign and urged the people to download the Aarogya Setu mobile application. It has also released a video featuring famous Indian cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj, advising the people about using masks.

Notes:
The state Government of Rajasthan has collaborated with healthcare start-up MedCords for delivering online medical service to the people.
The start-up is set to provide online medical consultation and delivery of medicines to the people of Rajasthan through its applications named Aayu & Sehat Sathi. The service has covered 7 districts of the state and it will be extended to cover the whole state.

Notes:
As per the recent announcement of the Chief Minister of Goa, it is the first state in the country to become coronavirus-free.
The state had seven patients who had contracted the coronavirus and all the 7 patients have been discharged. As the repeat samples of the patients were tested negative, they will be quarantined for further observation. After Goa, Manipur has also become a green state, free of coronavirus infections.

Notes:
The United Nations designated 21 April as World Creativity and Innovation Day, to raise awareness about the role of creativity and innovation in overall human development.
As per the Creative Economy report titled “Widening local development pathways”, jointly published by UNESCO, UNDP and UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Creativity and innovation are the true wealth of nations in the 21st century.

Notes:
The President of India Ramnath Kovind approved the promulgation of the ordinance which seeks to make the violent acts against healthcare personnel fighting COVID-19 pandemic as cognizable and non-bailable offence.
The ordinance amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and provides for compensation for injury or for causing damage or loss to property. The acts of violence are punishable with imprisonment for a term of three months to seven years and with a fine of Rs. 50000 to 5,00,000, depending on the act.

Notes:
A seven-member team of researchers from New Delhi-based IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology), of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have developed a low-cost diagnosis method for detecting coronavirus.
Feluda is an acronym for Fncas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay, which is the scientific name of the test. It is also the name of a Bengali fictional character created by Satyajit Ray. The test is set to receive approval shortly and it claims to give results in less than 1.5 hours.

Notes:
The Fitch Ratings Agency has recently slashed its growth forecast for India in the financial year 2020-21 to 0.8%, amid the estimated severe global recession.
Earlier, the ratings agency had estimated the forecast for India to be 2%, which was claimed to be the lowest forecast for thirty years. The agency estimated that the economy of China would grow at 0.7% in 2020-21.