Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
The Union Jal Shakti Ministry approved Rs 465 crore performance to 7 states under the Jal Jeevan Mission. These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
The Ministry has stated that Gujarat was among the best performing in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Notes:
Special forces of India carried out a joint military exercise with the US Special forces at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.
The 11th edition of the joint special forces exercise ‘Vajra Prahar 2021’ was held with an aim to share the best practices and experiences in joint mission planning and operational tactics. In February 2021, the Armies of both the countries carried out ‘Exercise Yudh Abhyas’.

Notes:
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that India holds the world record for fastest road construction.
India has entered Guinness World Records by building a 2.5 km 4-lane concrete road within 24 hours. It also built 25-km bitumen Solapur-Bijapur road within 24 hours. A record construction of 37 km per day was achieved in financial year 2020-21.

Notes:
Pakistan has recently rejected the proposal for trade relations with India. Prime Minister of Pakistan has denied to allow imports of sugar and cotton from India, in order to control prices and overcome a shortage.
Pakistan has stated that no bilateral trade would be encouraged with India till Article 370 is not restored in Jammu and Kashmir.

Notes:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2020, also known as the Shanghai Ranking has been released recently.
As per the ranking, Calcutta University has been ranked 1st among the Indian Universities and 3rd among higher educational institutions in the country. 15 India Universities have made it into the ARWU 2020 list.

Notes:
The Food and Drug Administration of the USA have approved the first new drug in over a decade for children aged 6 to 17 with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
ADHD is said to cause inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This new medicine is different from the traditional ADHD medicines as it is not a stimulant or a controlled substance, which makes it hard to abuse.

Notes:
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has revised its global merchandise trade volume growth in 2021 and 2022 to 8 per cent and 4 percent respectively.
Earlier in October 2020, WTO has predicted 7.2 per cent growth. The slow down of 4 per cent in 2022 is due to the continued effects of pandemic. The report also highlighted that much of global import demand will be met by Asia.

Notes:
The Centre promulgated the Tribunal Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance 2021 recently.
As per the ordinance, existing appellate authorities are replaced and their powers are vested High Courts. The laws covered are Cinematograph Act; Copyright Act; Customs Act; Patents Act; AAI Act; Trade Marks Act; GI of Goods (registration and protection) Act; Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act and Control of NH (land and traffic) Act.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Finance implements the Government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, which was launched in the year 2015.
The Finance Ministry has recently stated that nearly 15 lakh loans have been sanctioned under the scheme and 68 percent of loans have been given to women entrepreneurs.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Ministry of Rural Development has agreed to converge for successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme.
Under the convergence, MoFPI and DAY NRLM (Ministry of Rural Development) agreed to work together on implementation of PM-FME to support Self Help Groups (SHGs) in food processing.