Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2020

Notes:
The World Happiness Report is published by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. This year, the report has ranked Finland as the happiest country for the third time in a row.
People in 156 countries were asked to evaluate their own levels of happiness while measures like GDP, social support, personal freedom and levels of corruption were also considered to arrive at a score. This year, the rankings are based on data collected in 2017-2019. India is ranked 144 in the list of 156 countries.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed former RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi and former banker Ananth Narayan on the board of Yes Bank.
They have been appointed as Additional directors on the board for two years. Ananth Narayan was serving as the regional head of financial markets in the Standard Chartered Bank. R Gandhi was earlier appointed to Yes Bank’s board last year. Prashant Kumar has been appointed Chief Executive of Yes Bank.

Notes:
World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21 every year, across the world. The United Nations General Assembly declared the day in the year 2011.
Down syndrome occurs when a person has an extra partial or whole copy of chromosome 21. The day is celebrated to raise public awareness of Down syndrome. On World Down Syndrome Day 2020, the forum-Down Syndrome International focuses on the theme “We Decide”.

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:
Canada became the first major country to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics over coronavirus fears. Australia has also directed its athletes to prepare for the 2021 games, as it could not be held this year.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe has announced for the first time that the Olympic Games might get postponed. The International Olympic Committee is expected to decide about the schedule of the games soon, which had been planned to commence from July 24 this year.

Notes:
The Delhi Government has recently presented its budget in the Assembly. The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia presented the first budget of the AAP government’s second term.
The government of Delhi announced the ‘Mukhya Mantri Health Card’ scheme for the people of Delhi. Under this scheme, health ID cards will be prepared and distributed to all the residents of Delhi. It will be linked to the hospital information management system across all the health centres of the government.

Notes:
Scientists at Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, which is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, have developed a biofortified high-protein wheat variety MACS 4028.
The development of the crop was published in the Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding. It is a semi-dwarf variety which exhibits a higher yielding ability of 19.3 quintals per hectare. It is claimed to be resistant to several pests and diseases unlike the normal wheat varieties.

Notes:
The companies in the digital industry have decide to temporarily offer SD (Standard Definition) content instead of HD (High Definition) and ultra-HD streaming.
By Standard Definition, the bitrates of the streaming will not be higher than 480p on cellular networks until 14th April. As a higher number of people are staying at home during the nation-wide lockdown, there is an extra-ordinary surge in the consumption of mobile internet. This step would ensure that the cellular network remains robust.

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 G-20’s first ever virtual summit, chaired by Saudi Arabia, was recently held through video conferencing. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also attended the virtual meeting.
Leaders of the G20 major economies pledged to restore global growth and infuse over $5 trillion into the global economy. The countries also vowed to take necessary steps to minimize the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.