Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

Notes:
Lokpal is an apex body to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries of central government. The Lokpal shall dispose of any received complaint within 30 days.
President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath to Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as the first chairperson of Lokpal, in March 2019. Recently, the government has issued a format for filing complaints of alleged corruption against public servants (including the prime minister) with the Lokpal.

Notes:
As per the recent notification from the Centre, it has finalised a set of 31 questions to be asked during the collection of data for Census 2021.
Some of the important questions include predominant material of floor, wall and roof of the house, number of dwelling rooms in possession of the household, access to a latrine and type of latrine. The data shall be collected between April 1 to September 31 this year. The questions are asked by using the powers conferred by the Census Act, 1948.

Notes:
Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi has been named Chairman of the National selection panel by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI.
The Cricket Advisory Committee has shortlisted a five-member group including former Indian pacer Harvinder Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Rajesh Chauhan and LS Siva Ramakrishnan. BCCI also announced that the CAC will review the panel’s performance after a year and make suitable recommendations.

Notes:
Two Scientists – Dr Shweta Rawat from Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), DRDO and Dr. Shalini Gupta, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT-Delhi were recently conferred with the ‘National Award for Young Women Showing Excellence through Application of Technology for Societal Benefits’ by the President of India Ramnath Kovind.
Dr.Shweta has developed a female-specific Full Body protector whereas Dr.Shalini has successfully led the development of a technology SeptifloTM, for point-of-care diagnosis and treatment of bacterial septicaemia.

Notes:
The Cabinet recently approved a proposal to allow direct listing of Indian companies overseas. Appropriate amendment would be made in the Companies Act, 2013 for the same.
Very few Indian companies have Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) and only some have American Depository Receipts (ADRs) which can be traded in the US. A Depository receipt is a foreign currency denominated instrument, issued by a foreign depository to a domestic institution and it is listed on an international exchange.

Notes:
Former United Nations Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar recently passed away at the age of 100, in his native country Peru.
The veteran diplomat served as United Nations Secretary General from 1981 to 1991 and led the UN during the Iran-Iraq war and the El Salvador civil war. Recently, Javier Perez celebrated his 100th birthday.

Notes:
Lalit Kala Akademi is organising the 61st National Exhibition of Art from March 4 to 22 in New Delhi. The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC) Prahlad Singh Patel. The Exhibition displays several artworks selected by a jury panel.
The President of India Ram Nath Kovind conferred the 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi Awards on 15 meritorious artists recently.

Notes:
Markets regulator SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India) recently launched a mobile application for assisting investors to enter grievances in SEBI Complaints Redress System (SCORES) portal. The app has all the features of SCORES web portal for grievance redressal, which is already functioning.
The app, ‘SEBI SCORES’, which is to be available on both iOS and Android platforms, will encourage investors to lodge their complaints on SCORES instead of sending physical letters.

Notes:
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) which functions under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs recently signed MoU with e-commerce major Amazon.
The agreement is for e-marketing of products made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) across the country in urban areas. The MoU focuses on women empowerment and it aims to provide greater access to customer base for products made by SHGs. The Mission has also undertaken similar collaboration with Flipkart recently.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that it will provide 50 billion dollars through its rapid-disbursing emergency financing facilities. The fund is to be given for low income and developing countries to combat the spread of coronavirus.
10 billion dollars of the fund is available at zero interest for the poorest members under the rapid credit facility. Recently, the World Bank and the United Nations announced financial assistance of USD 12 billion and USD 15 million respectively.