Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) which made up of seven emirates, is to launch its first unmanned rover to the Moon next year- 2022.
Lunar exploration firm iSpace will transport the rover, which has been named ‘Rashid’. It will be transported to the Moon on iSpace’s lunar lander.

Notes:
The National Nursery Portal has been launched by National Horticulture Board (NHB).
It is a Platform which is available both in the form of a Web Portal and a Mobile Application. It intends to create an online market place where Nurseries and Buyers can interact for sale of plants.

Notes:
The Special Drawing Rights (SDR) is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
Recently, the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced that IMF will distribute a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to member countries by mid-August. IMF members had agreed to support a new SDR allocation of $650 billion, the largest in the history of the IMF.

Notes:
Adenoviruses are a family of viruses that can cause a wide variety of illnesses in humans, including the common cold, gastrointestinal infections and pink eye. There are 88 types of adenovirus that would infect humans, and these are grouped into seven different species, A-G.
Recently, in several COVID-19 vaccines, including those produced by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, these viruses are the basis for several COVID-19 vaccines.

Notes:
The Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan has launched the MANAS app. MANAS stands for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System.
The app is a comprehensive, scalable, and national digital wellbeing platform aimed to promote mental wellbeing across age groups. This app has been initiated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor and jointly developed by NIMHANS Bengaluru, Armed Forces Medical College – Pune and C-DAC – Bengaluru.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Agriculture, has entered into an MoU with Microsoft for implementing a pilot project in 100 villages of six states – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
Under the project, Microsoft will develop a farmer interface for smart and well-organized agriculture, which includes post-harvest management and distribution.

Notes:
The Ministry of Energy, Israel has announced a National plan which includes the main target of reducing 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The plan aims to shut down all coal-fired power plants by 2025, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity sector by 75 to 85 per cent by 2050, increase electricity generation from renewable energy among others.

Notes:
Italy has recently launched its first ever mega food park project in India involving food processing facilities.
The pilot project “The Mega Food Park” was launched in virtual mode. A Letter of Intent was signed between the ICE Office in Mumbai and Fanidhar Mega Food Park, Gujarat. PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the country in the coming days.

Notes:
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and GIZ GmbH India on behalf of the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed an agreement on Technical Cooperation titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’.
The project’s outcomes are completely in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management and the target to phase out single use plastic by 2022”.

Notes:
The Gujarat Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) has ruled that Flavoured milk is ‘beverage containing milk’ and will attract 12 per cent GST.
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, which markets dairy product under Amul brand, had approached the AAR on the taxability under the GST of flavoured milk.