Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland recently directed the Government of India to carry out effective measures to ensure a minimum adequate standard of living to the migrant workers, who are largely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.
India has imposed a nation-wide lockdown from March 25 to April 14 earlier and has been extended to May 3 to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The organisation also highlighted that due to the massive internal displacement 22 internal migrant workers and their family members have died.

Notes:
Veteran freedom fighter R V Bhuskute recently passed away at the age of 94 due to age related ailments. He had participated in the Quit India Movement and various other national events.
The veteran fighter has also written several books on land laws. He strived hard towards the release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers in tribal areas of his state, Maharashtra.

Notes:
The United Nation has six official languages namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It celebrates special days for all the languages to celebrate multilingualism and promote the usage of all languages in the organisation.
Chinese was established as an official language of the UN in 1946. April 20 is celebrated as the Chinese Day. The date of the Chinese day is selected to honour and pay tribute to Cangjie, who is claimed to be the inventor of Chinese characters. The people of China celebrate the day of Guyu to commemorate Cangjei.

Notes:
The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) has recently released information on the sales of the electric vehicles in the country in 2019-20.
As per SMEV, electric vehicles registered a 20 per cent increase in sales in 2019-20, when compared to the sales of previous year. The major portion of the sales is occupied by the low-speed scooters, which do not require registration with the transport authorities. About 97% of the electric two-wheelers sold was scooters.

Notes:
A strategic bridge over River Subansiri in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh has been recently revamped and inaugurated by the Chief Minister of the state Pema Khandu.
The bridge was in run-down condition and transport across the bridge had been restricted. The reconstruction project of the bridge was accomplished by the Border Road Organization (BRO) under Project ARUNANK.

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 Reserve Bank of India recently notified that it has decided to revise Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the period of April 2020 to September 2020, to Rs 2 lakh crore. The limit has been extended from the previous limit of Rs. 1.2 lakh crore.
Ways and Means advances, WMA is a mechanism by which state governments receive short-term funding from the Reserve Bank of India, which is to be repaid in 3 months. The funds are used for balancing temporary mismatches and are usually granted at the repo rate.

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:
Fitch solutions of the American credit ratings agency Fitch ratings has recently slashed the GDP growth forecast of India for the financial year 2020-21 to 1.8 per cent.
India’s growth rate was previously forecasted at 4.6 per cent, as per the Fitch solutions. The reduction in the rate is mainly due to contraction in the private consumption, loss of income and slow delivery of fiscal stimulus by the government.

Notes:
The Former prime minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase passed away recently at the age of 79, in Suva, after a brief illness.
Laisenia Qarase served as the sixth Prime Minister of the Oceanian nation Fiji from 2000 to 2006. He was also the founder of the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua Party. He was dethroned from power in 2006 and was imprisoned on charges of corruption.