Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

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:
UK-born veteran author Adam Higginbotham has received the prestigious William E. Colby Award for his famous book titled “Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster”.
The book based on intelligence story has fetched the coveted $5,000 prize. The book had earlier won the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The Award is named after William E. Colby, an American intelligence officer and Director of CIA (1920-1996).

Notes:
Vienna-based UN office, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has launched a mentorship series named ‘Lockdown Learners’.
The online dialogues are to be conducted with students and educators in India on the impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), peace and law. This program has been launched under the Education for Justice initiative of UNODC.

Notes:
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has planned and constructed a Class-70 all-weather permanent bridge on the river Ravi.
The bridge is 484-meter long and was built by the 49 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) of Project Chetak. The project of the Kasowal bridge entails a cost of Rs.17.89 crore. It connects the Kasowal enclave of Punjab with the rest of the places of the country.

Notes:
As per the notification of the Shipping Ministry, the government has approved reconstitution of the National Shipping Board. It is the highest advisory board on matters associated with Indian shipping.
The reconstituted board with 16 members is to be headed by Malini Shankar, former Director General of Shipping. Other members include representatives from the Ministry, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, National Union of Seafarers of India, Maritime Union of India representative, Thakur and National Ship Owners’ Association.

Notes:
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act passed by the Parliament in April 24 1992 provided constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions of the country.
The status was given through inserting Article 243 to Part IX of the Indian Constitution. To commemorate the occasion, 24 April is celebrated as the Panchayati Raj Day, across the country. The act added certain provisions in constitution including forming Gram Sabha in a village or group of villages; constitution of Panchayats at village levels and direct elections to all seats in Panchayats.

Notes:
The UN body for Trade and Development, UNCTAD recently released a report titled ‘From the Great Lockdown to the Great Meltdown’.
In the report, the agency highlights that the repayment of the developing countries towards their public debt will amount to between 2.6 trillion and 3.4 trillion in 2020 and 2021. It also proposed a global debt deal to prevent Covid-19 pandemic from aggravating economic disaster.

Notes:
The World Intellectual Property Day 2020 is celebrated every year on April 26, across the world. The Geneva-based UN specialised agency, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) leads the celebration.
This year, the theme of the World Intellectual Property Day 2020 is ‘Innovate for a Green Future’. While the WIPO could not organise any physical event amidst the Covid Pandemic, it highlights innovation and the IP rights as the main tools to create a green future. It encouraged its offices to celebrate the day through virtual channels.

Notes:
United Kingdom recently launched a new scheme called ‘Bounce Back Loan Scheme’, to assist the small businesses of the country to tackle the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
The Finance Minister of UK launched this state-backed fast-track finance scheme in the House of Commons. Under the new scheme, small businesses can borrow between 2,000 pounds and 50,000 pounds as interest-free loans. The support schemes released in the last few weeks had provided about 15 billion pounds for business revamping.

Notes:
International Labour Organisation (ILO) has recently released a report titled ‘In the face of a pandemic: Ensuring Safety and Health at Work’. The report has been released on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28.
The report highlights the occupational safety and health (OSH) risks which are arising due to the spread of COVID-19. It also asked the governments to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the work-places across the world.