Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

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:
A report titled “Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India” is set to be released by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The report gives a detailed national level assessment of climate change vulnerability of states and districts all over India. The compilation of data pertaining to the report was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC).

Notes:
The “Urban heat island effect” describes cities being warmer than surrounding rural areas. It means that darker, paved surfaces absorb more heat than more natural surroundings.
A recent study found that 94% of lower income communities of color, are exposed to higher temperatures than affluent areas. This is because these lower income communities lack green space and suffer most from urban heat islands.

Notes:
Recently, researchers have identified a new and distinct shark species, by recognising the 300-million-year-old shark’s single tooth on its lower jaw.
The researchers named the 6.7-foot shark as “Dracopristis hoffmanorum”, or Hoffman’s Dragon Shark. The fossils were found in the Manzano Mountains, New Mexico. The skeleton of the species was found in 2013 in New Mexico.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated a water sports and adventure institute on the bank of the Tehri lake.
The institute will be run by the Indo Tibetan Border Police and has been built at a cost of Rs 20 crore. The institute is built at a cost of Rs 20 crore and will be run by the Indo Tibetan Border Police.

Notes:
The Health Ministry announced that 162 Pressure Swing Adsorption, PSA oxygen plants have been sanctioned by the Government of India for installation in public health facilities in all States.
This step would enhance the local oxygen capacity by over 154 Metric Tonnes. Out of 162 PSA Oxygen plants, 33 have been installed. States have also requested the Centre to provide additional 100 oxygen plants.

Notes:
The Centre has allowed states to use 50% of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the financial year 2021-22 to fight the Covid-19 surge.
As per a communication by the Home Ministry to states and UTs, the special onetime measure will have to be in lines with approved items and norms in the financial year 2021-22. The fund can be used to buy ventilators, air purifiers, oxygen generation, storage, etc.

Notes:
A report was recently released by China’s central bank, People’s Bank of China (PBOC). It stated that India’s demographic advantage to overtake China’s by 2035.
It also proposed that China should immediately liberalise its birth policies to tackle the problems of an ageing population. This would enable the country to compete economically with demographically young India and immigration-friendly US.

Notes:
Recently the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is found to effectively neutralise the double mutant strain, B.1.617, of SARS-CoV-2. This vaccine is manufactured by Hyderabad based – Bharat Biotech
Also, ICMR has stated that at its National Institute of Virology, scientists have successfully isolated and cultured the double mutant strain which has E484Q and L452R mutations.

Notes:
The former RBI Governor Shri. M. Narasimham passed away recently at the age of 94 years. He was the 13th Governor of RBI and till date is the only Governor of RBI to be appointed from Reserve Bank cadre.
He chaired the Committee on Financial System (CFS) 1991 and the Committee on Banking Reforms 1998, which forms the financial sector landscape that is in existence today.