Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

Notes:
The Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar recently informed that the number of job seekers in the country marginally declined between 2015 and 2017 from 4.35 crore in 2015 to 4.24 crore in 2017.
This is the count of job seekers who registered on live register of employment exchanges. The minister also added that all of them may not necessarily be unemployed. The Labour bureau has revamped quarterly employment survey (QES) with the objective to measure relative change in employment situation.

Notes:
After the state government of Haryana requested to rename its village in Kurukshetra district, the centre has given approval for renaming.
The decision has been taken by the Union Home Ministry after getting formal approval and a No objection certificate from a few central organisations including Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.

Notes:
As per the recent information from the Union Defence Ministry, the share of Indian companies in contracts awarded by the Union Defence Ministry for procurement of defence equipment is 75.03 per cent in 2019-20.
The share has increased from 39.06 per cent in 2015-16 to 75.03 per cent in 2019-20 as the Ministry tries to procure indigenously manufactured equipment to the maximum extent. In the last five years 158 contracts were signed with Indian vendors against 100 foreign contracts.

Notes:
The United States has begun the first phase of clinical trial of a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus disease.
The initiative is supported by a global coalition founded by India and Norway. It is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first participant received the investigatory vaccine in the trial, which is to enrol 45 healthy adult volunteers for approximately six weeks.

Notes:
Former Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari launched the book authored by Bhalchandra Mungekar, which was titled as “My Encounters in Parliament”.
The event was attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. Bhalchandra Mungekar is an Indian economist, Social worker and a former Rajya Sabha member. He is an ardent Ambekarite and an expert in agricultural economics. He has served in several important organisations including the Planning Commission.

Notes:
The President of Iraq Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country’s new prime minister-designate.
This announcement has been provided amidst the months-long political crisis prevalent in Iraq. Within 30 days, Al-Zurfi has to form his cabinet which shall be put to a vote of confidence in Iraq’s Parliament. Al-Zurfi would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in December following widespread mass demonstrations against the government.

Notes:
Fitch Ratings has recently cut India growth forecast to 5.1 per cent for FY 2020-21. Fitch had projected India to grow at 5.6 per cent in 2020-21 and 6.5 per cent in the following year, in its previous report released in December 2019.
In its Global Economic Outlook 2020, Fitch also estimated that India will witness increased number of people affected by coronavirus, in the coming weeks. It also announced that the outbreak will remain contained amidst the downside risks to this scenario.

Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly declared 21 March as the International Day of Forests in 2012. United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization are the main organisers of the Forest Day.
The Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forests. The theme for each International Day of Forests is selected by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. The theme for 2020 is Forests and Biodiversity.

Notes:
The Cabinet recently approved the relaunch of a scheme called ‘Bulk drug park scheme’. The approval aims to set up three bulk drug parks and four medical device parks for a total outlay of ₹3,400 crore over the next five years.
Under the bulk drug park scheme, the government will give grant to states with a maximum limit of ₹1,000 crore per bulk drug park, up to ₹3,000 crore in total. A similar scheme has been launched for medical devices, with a maximum grant of ₹100 crore per park.

Notes:
The birth anniversary of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, was recently observed on March 23. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the leader.
Ram Manohar Lohia was born on 23 March 1910 and was one of the founders of the Congress Socialist Party. He was also the editor of the Congress Socialist journal. He had also as the secretary of the Foreign Department of the All India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C)