Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
India recently hosted the Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors 2021. It was co-chaired by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.
Finance Minister addressed the meeting virtually from New Delhi. Issues regarding New development bank, social infrastructure, IMF reforms, fintech for SME and financial inclusion, customs cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

Notes:
Veteran Japanese scientist Isamu Akasaki, who shared a Nobel Prize in physics for the invention of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), passed away recently.
Akasaki was one of three Japanese-born researchers who was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics. He was also a recipient of 2009 Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest honor, recognizing developments in advanced technology.

Notes:
The Government has appointed S Ramann as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
Banks Board Bureau had recommended his name for the post and the appointment is for a period of three years. Ramann is an Indian Audit & Accounts Service officer, is currently the CEO of National E-Governance Services Ltd.

Notes:
Scientists from Singapore are working on an experiment named “Robo Plants”. Under the experiment electrodes are attached to a Venus flytrap plant.
These electrodes fit tightly to the plant’s surface using a thermogel. These electrodes monitor weak electrical pulses naturally emitted by plants.

Notes:
In the first bi monthly monetary policy statement for the year 2021-22, RBI has stated that it would conduct open market purchase of government securities amounting Rs.1 lakh crore, under its G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 1.0).
The first tranche of G sec purchase operations amounting Rs.25,000 crore is scheduled on 15th April 2021.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has doubled the limit of maximum balance that an individual customer can hold with payments banks to Rs 2 lakh.
The announcement in this matter was made by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee. As per the current norms, the payment banks can hold a maximum balance of Rs 1 lakh per customer. This expansion will help them to serve more MSMEs.

Notes:
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US Special Presidential Envoy for climate John Kerry have agreed to come together and collaborate for the 2030 climate change agenda.
The special focus of the collaboration would be clean and green energy, adequate finance, resilient infrastructure and green hydrogen.

Notes:
The three-banded rosefinch was spotted in Arunachal Pradesh and has become the 1,340th species of the bird family in India.
The new species was spotted with a flock of white-browed rosefinch, a species commonly seen in this region. A male and a female three-banded rosefinch were spotted at an altitude of 3,852 metres above sea level.

Notes:
As per the Fiscal Affairs Department of the Internatioanl Monetary Fund, India’s debt to GDP ratio increased from 74 per cent to 90 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
IMF also expects that the ratiop would drop down to 80 per cent as a result of the country’s economic recovery.

Notes:
The Artemis program is NASA’s manned mission to the moon which is set to be executed in the year 2024.
Recently, NASA has stated that it will land the first person of colour on the moon and the first woman on moon as a part of the mission in 2024.