Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

Notes:
The state government of Uttarakhand issued orders to remove reservation in promotions for SC/ST employees.
In the month of February 2020, the Supreme Court stated that the government is not bound to make reservations and claiming reservation in promotions is not a fundamental right. Now Uttarakhand government has implemented government order which bans reservation in promotion and removed the restriction in promotions in all state government departments.

Notes:
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has recently announced the global launch of “WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub” in partnership with the World Health Organization, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Development Program.
It has also contributed $1m to the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), to enhance the fact-checking network to curb fake news and rumours around coronavirus.

Notes:
Roger Mayweather, who passed away recently at the age of 58, was a two-time world champion turned trainer in boxing.
He was also the uncle of the boxing star Floyd Mayweather, and trained him for most of the latter’s boxing career. Roger Mayweather had won world titles at super featherweight and super lightweight categories. During his 20-year boxing career, he gained a total of 59 triumphs.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu K Palaniswami announced in the Assembly that 64,583 sanitary personnel employed by urban and rural civic bodies in the State shall be called ‘cleanliness workers’.
This announcement was made to honour their work in maintaining public health. The state government is already implementing several welfare measures for the workers including building residences, periodic health check-ups, employment camps and skill development for their children.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is to organise the first Global AI Summit in India (RAISE 2020).
This was in news recently, as the AI summit was postponed to October 5-6, 2020 due to the rising number of cases of Covid-19. It was initially scheduled to be held in the month of April. The summit is to be attended by academics, AI start-ups and big tech firms.

Notes:
The Government of India has recently constituted a high-level committee of medical experts for prevention & control of COVID-19. The committee is headed by Dr V K Paul, a member of the India think-tank NITI Aayog.
The 21-member high level technical committee comprises of noted public health experts to suggest measures on the prevention and control actions. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research are the Co-Chairpersons of the committee.

Notes:
The national task force for COVID-19 constituted by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended hydroxy-chloroquine as a preventive drug for high-risk cases, who are infected by coronavirus.
The medication should be given to the asymptomatic healthcare workers, who are under high risk by serving the infected patients. It is also recommended to asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases. The protocol recommended by the National Task Force is approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) for use in emergency situations.

Notes:
Debut novelist Ruchika Tomar has been selected as the winner of the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel ‘A Prayer for Travelers’.
PEN America was founded in 1922, in New York City. The prize is backed by the Hemingway family and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. The PEN/Hemingway Award includes a $25,000 prize, which is proposed to allow significant time and resources to pursue a subsequent work of fiction.

Notes:
The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed every year on 24 March, by the United Nations.
This day pays tribute to Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero of El-Salvador, who was murdered on 24 March 1980. Óscar Romero was actively involved in criticising violations of the human rights. He also condemned the practices of social injustice and assassinations. He was declared ‘Saint’ by Pope Francis in 2018.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation implements the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Scheme.
As per the ministry’s latest notification, the Members of Parliament can use the funds allotted to them under the MPLAD scheme to buy testing kits and other medical equipment needed to fight coronavirus pandemic. ₹5 crore is given to every member of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, per year under the MPLAD scheme to use for developing the community.