Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

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:
World Water Day is observed every year on March 22, across the world since the year 1993. The theme of the World Water Day this year is ‘Water and Climate Change’.
In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Water Day from 1993. The Day focuses on the importance of freshwater and creates awareness of the people who still live without access to safe water.

Notes:
India’s largest lender State Bank of India has recently unveiled an emergency credit line to meet liquidity mismatch for its borrowers, amid the coronavirus pandemic scare.
The additional liquidity facility called Covid-19 Emergency Credit Line (CECL) will provide credit up to 200 crore rupees. This loan facility will be available till June 30 where the loan will be offered at an interest rate of 7.25 per cent with a 12-month tenure.

Notes:
Amid the coronavirus pandemic scare, the Government of India recently allowed states and Union Territories to lift food-grains for three months in advance from Food Corporation of India (FCI) for distribution through ration shops.
There are about 75 crore beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India. According to a recent government data, our country has surplus food-grains of 435 lakh tonnes, with 272.19 lakh tonnes of rice and 162.79 lakh tonnes of wheat

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 state government of Karnataka tabled the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Bill, 2020 in the Legislative Assembly. The Bill seeks to enable public participation in various levels of municipal governance.
The Bill also provides for an independent legislation and seeks to improve decentralisation, integration of public participation at various levels of municipal governance and also to ensure efficient decision making by the BBMP.

Notes:
The Indian arm of then US-based retailer Walmart recently announced the appointment of Sameer Aggarwal as the Chief executive officer of its Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in India.
Sameer Aggarwal is promoted as CEO and will replace Krish Iyer, who is to retire from the top post. Krish Iyer will continue to serve as the advisor to Best Price, Walmart India. Sameer had joined Walmart as executive Vice president in 2018 and was made the Deputy CEO in January 2020.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the construction of 22 km-long railway flyover between Aligarh-Harduaganj in Uttar Pradesh.
The project entails an estimated cost of ₹1,285 crore to remove traffic jam in the area. This project is expected to curb the delays and detention of trains at Aligarh junction. The flyover project is expected to be completed by 2024-25.

Notes:
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed on March 25 every year, across the world. The day honours those who suffered and died due to brutal slavery system. It also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice.
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is also observed on March 25. It marks the anniversary of the abduction of a former journalist named Alec Collett, who worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Notes:
The Government of India has launched a mobile application to track the risk of coronavirus infection called ‘Corona Kavach’.
The application is jointly developed by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It uses the person’s location to assess if they are in the high risk geographical zone. It is now available in beta version in the Google Play Store.