Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

Notes:
The ‘11th Bengaluru INDIA Nano conference and exhibition’ was recently organised by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), in association with other state-owned Institutions and industries.
It was inaugurated by the veteran scientist Professor CNR Rao. The three-day event showcased technologies and products developed by academic institutions and companies in nanotechnology.

Notes:
The Federation Council, the Upper House of the Russian parliament approved the presidential bill on amending the national Constitution, after the Lower house passed it.
The bill changes the powers of the parliament and allows President Vladimir Putin to run for the presidency again in 2024, which may extend his rule to two more terms. The bill will be considered after two-thirds of the regional parliaments back it and after the all-Russia vote. The bill also seeks to give additional powers to the President to fire judges in the country’s higher courts and to reject laws passed by Parliament.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath recently announced that one ‘Arogya Mitra’ each is to be deputed at all Primary health centres in the state to inform people about health-related schemes of the government.
The Chief Minister also ‘Kaushal Satrang’ programme of the Department of Vocational Education and Skill Development and Department of Labour and Employment Exchange. The programme is aimed at generating employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth of the state.

Notes:
The US Congress approved a resolution to restrain the US President Donald Trump from attacking Iran. The House of Representatives joined the Senate in support of the resolution.
As per the resolution, no military action shall be taken against Iran without an explicit vote from the Congress. Earlier, a rocket fired on a military base north of Baghdad killed an American soldier, a British soldier and a US contractor. In January 2020, Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iran’s military general, Qassem Soleimani, at the Baghdad airport of Iraq.

Notes:
Indian mountaineer Bhawna Dehariya has successfully scaled Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain peak of Australia.
The mountaineer had scaled Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro last year and has successfully climbed the 2,228-metres Mount Kosciuszko now. Bhawna Dehariya hails from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Notes:
Mumbai headquartered IDFC FIRST Bank recently announced that it has appointed veteran Bollywood celebrity Amitabh Bachchan as its first ever brand ambassador.
The IDFC bank was originally founded in 2015. It was founded as a new entity after the merger of IDFC Bank and Capital First in December 2018. At present, the bank has 424 bank branches with 104 asset branches and 272 ATMs.

Notes:
Veteran Bengali actor Santu Mukhopadhyay recently passed away of cardiac arrest at Kolkata. He was known for his roles in Bengali films such as ‘Sansar Simante’ and ‘Bhalobasa Bhalobasa’.
The actor has performed in several memorable films and his acting career spanned a period of over four decades. He was born in 1951 in Kolkata and his debut movie was ‘Raja’ in the year 1975. The actor also featured in television serial shows and advertisements.

Notes:
The Cabinet has recently approved building 780-km Green National Highway project at a cost of Rs 7,660 crore. It includes upgradation of various National Highways in four states – Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
The aim of the ‘Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy’ is to promote greening of Highway corridors with participation of the community. 1% of the total project cost of all highway projects will be kept aside for highway plantation and its maintenance.

Notes:
All the states and union territories of India are advised by the government to invoke the provisions of Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. This Section empowers state governments/UTs to take special measures and formulate regulations to control any outbreak.
The 123-year old act also includes the detention of people or any vessel that come from international shores and are probable to spread the epidemic in the country. According to reports, the Act was invoked in 2018 to contain the spread of cholera in a village in Gujarat.

Notes:
The co-founder of Microsoft and the world’s second richest person Bill Gates has stepped down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.
Bill Gates recently announced that he steps down from the public boards to focus on the philanthropic work of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation run by him and his wife Melinda Gates. Microsoft is now led by Satya Nadella as its CEO and is among the world’s most valuable companies.