Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
The present Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) and veteran bureaucrat Kapil Dev Tripathi, has been appointed as the Secretary to the Indian President Ramnath Kovind, as per the recent notification of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Mr.K.D.Tripathi is a retired IAS officer (1980 batch) of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment on contract basis, until the tenure of the President.

Notes:
The Scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have recently discovered that fish gills can be used to develop efficient electro-catalyst used in building energy conversion devices.
The devices thus developed are claimed to be more affordable and environment friendly. It is also expected to work better than the commercial Platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. The study has been published in the American Chemical Society’s ‘Inorganic Chemistry’ journal.

Notes:
As per the recent statement of the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, the country has asked India to revise the recent amendments in the Foreign Direct Investment policy.
Recently, India amended its FDI policy and mandated all countries sharing land borders with India to invest only under Government route. China said that India should promote a fair and equitable trade environment and this restriction violates the norms of World Trade Organisation.

Notes:
On April 21, 1947 the first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947.
While delivering the historical address at the Metcalf House, Delhi, he described the Civil servants as ‘steel frame of India’. To commemorate this occasion, April 21 has been observed as the Civil Services Day every year, across the country.

Notes:
The ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ was launched by the state government of Gujarat in 2018, with an aim to increase the water storage capacity.
Recently, the Chief Minister of Gujarat has approved to implement the third edition of the scheme, to deepen the water bodies of the state before monsoon. The works are to be carried out using community participation and MNREGA.

Notes:
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), which is a particular grade of crude oil, is the underlying commodity of oil futures contract of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).
Brent Crude, Dubai Crude and WTI Crude are the three major benchmarks in the pricing of oils in the global market. It was recently seen in news, as for the first time in history, the price of the May futures contract of WTI crude fell to a negative price of -$37.63 per barrel. This was due to the low demand of oil amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India recently directed all banks to extend the benefit of interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive to short term crop loans, to the accounts which have become due or will become due between March and May 2020.
The government offers an interest subvention of two percent per annum to banks and an additional 3 per cent interest subvention to farmers who pay their loans promptly. Hence the effective rate of interest is 4 per cent.

Notes:
The state government of Karnataka has recently launched a helpline in the name of “Apthamitra”, which aims at providing medical advice and guidance for the needy people.
The helpline comprises of both a toll-free number and a mobile application and was launched by the Chief Minister of the state. The helpline could be contacted, if anyone has symptoms of coronavirus. An expert medical team would provide medical advice to the user, based on their symptoms.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet recently approved ₹15,000 crore for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’.
An amount of ₹7,774 crore has been kept as provision for immediate COVID-19 emergency response. The package is launched with an aim of developing diagnostics and COVID-dedicated treatment facilities, thereby slowing down the spread of coronavirus. The initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Notes:
Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia was named as the World Book Capital for the year 2020 by UNESCO.
Every year, April 23 is celebrated as the World Book and Copyright Day across the world. UNESCO along with the international organizations associated with publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year. This year, Kuala Lumpur has been named for 2020.