Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
The fossil of a skunk-like mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Patagonia region of Chile, South America.
Named as “Orretherium tzen” meaning ‘Beast of Five Teeth’, it is claimed to have lived lived between 72 and 74 million years ago. It is said to have been a herbivore and said to have lived in South America at the end of the Mesozoic era.

Notes:
The Punjab government has said to the central government that it will pay the Minimum Support Price (MSP) directly into the accounts of farmers.
Earlier, the Arhtiyas (commission agents) used to pay the farmers. Punjab Chief Minister captain Amarinder Singh announced that the State Food Department has amended the procurement software so that the Arhtiyas will continue to be involved in the direct payment process.

Notes:
Tropical cyclone Seroja recently hit and damaged a 1,000km stretch of Western Australia. With a windspeed of up to 170km/h, the category three storm made landfalls.
As per the country’s Bureau of Meteorology the storm had weakened yet it would cause damages wi the peak winds of 110 km/hr.

Notes:
NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched Poshan Gyan.
It is a national digital repository on health and nutrition. It is a collection of communication materials created by government agencies and other development organizations for awareness creation and behaviour change in the nutrition sector.

Notes:
Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the EatSmart Cities Challenge and Transport 4 All Challenge.
EatSmart Cities Challenge was organized in association with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Smart cities mission. It aims to encourage smart cities develop a sustainable food environment. Transport 4 All Challenge was launched in association with Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), to improve public transport.

Notes:
Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has proposed to increase the maximum age of entry to NPS (National Pension System) to 70 years. Presently the maximum entry age is 65 years.
PFRDA has also planned to allow subscribers who join after 60 years of age to continue their NPS accounts till 75. The maturity age will remain 70 for others.

Notes:
The Supreme Court of India ordered that the 1994 espionage case relating to ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan be delegated to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court ordered that CBI conduct further investigation in this regard.
Earlier, the issue was handled by a high-level committee and the court ordered to use the committee’s findings as preliminary information.

Notes:
The Indian Navy deployed its specialised diving support, INS Nireekshak for the search and rescue of the missing fishermen, off the Mangalore coast.
Recently, nine fishermen of a Kerala-registered mechanised fishing boat went missing. On account of this issue, the Indian Navy is carrying out deep-sea diving operations using specialised equipment and naval divers.

Notes:
Ashok Leyland, which is a flagship firm of the Hinduja group, has delivered the first lot of light bulletproof vehicles to the Indian Air Force.
These vehicles have been designed and developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, which is a US based aerospace and defence technology company.

Notes:
Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually launched world’s first affordable and long-lasting hygiene product in the name of “DuroKea Series”.
The hygiene product has been launched by IIT Hyderabad researchers. This innovative and long-lasting technologies was developed to combat COVID-19 virus spreading.