Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
“World Economic Outlook” is the annual flagship report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This year, the report is to be released on April 6. The International Monetary Fund has announced that India’s economy is on the path of gradual recovery. It highlighted the return to positive territory in fourth quarter of 2020.

Notes:
Earth Hour, is being held annually on the last Saturday of March across the world. This year, the Earth Hour Day was observed on March 27.
The Earth hour began as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney by WWF and partners in 2007. It has turned into one of the world’s biggest events. The event calls for actions to raise awareness about the importance of nature and the role people can play in global efforts for nature.

Notes:
India has signed 5 MoUs in the fields of trade, IT and setting up of sports facilities with Bangladesh. This event took place during the concluding sessions of Indian Prime Minister’s 2-day visit to Bangladesh.
During the visit, both national leaders discussed progress achieved on various parameters like health, trade, connectivity etc.

Notes:
The Government of Japan has approved a grant of ¥4.02 billion, or ₹265 crore under the official development assistance (ODA) project for Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The grant is aimed to improve the power supply in the islands.
Additionally, Japan has also extended financial assistance for execution of 4 projects pertaining to Delhi Metro’s Phase 4 and Bengaluru Metro’s Phase 2 expansion. An agreement in these regards have been signed by JICA and Government of India.

Notes:
The Supreme Court appointed a four-member committee to study the three new controversial agricultural laws in January 2021. It had temporarily suspended the implementation of the three farm laws until further notice.
The members include P. K. Mishra, Anil Ghanwat, Ashok Gulati and Bhupinder Singh Mann. The panel has submitted its report to the Supreme Court recently.

Notes:
The Department of Science and Technology announced that Scientists have developed a new technique to track the huge bubbles of gas, which are ejected from the Sun.
This new technique will be used in India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1. A software named Computer Aided CME Tracking Software (CACTus) and CMEs Identification in Inner Solar Corona (CIISCO) algorithm have been developed.

Notes:
India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) announced that it has signed a loan agreement of up to USD 1 billion with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). JBIC is wholly owned by the Government of Japan.
This loan intends to promote smooth flow of funds for the business operations of Japanese automobile manufacturers in India. SBI had signed a similar deal with JBIC in October last year. The beneficiaries include suppliers, dealers and the end users.

Notes:
As per the data released by National Savings Institute under the Ministry of Finance, West Bengal has made the highest contribution to government’s small savings schemes and has a share of more than 15% in deposits at post offices and banks.
West Bengal is followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in the list.

Notes:
Hubert Hurkacz of Poland has recently clinched the Miami Open Men’s title. He defeated Jannik Sinner of Italy to take away the cup.
Presently, he is ranked 37th in the world. He has defeated two top 10 opponents in this tournament. With this he is projected to move up to 16th in world ranking.

Notes:
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin has recently approved a legislation that allows him to hold office for an additional two “six-year term”. The President, who is in power for the last 2 decades, can remain in power till 2036 (up to his age of 80 years).
This change is a part of constitutional reforms brought by Putin last year.