Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has entered into a loan agreement with
Deutsche Bank for a loan value of Euro 68.87 million (Rs 600 cr).
The proceeds of the loan would be used by the corporation for onward lending to cooperatives in the country. Also, the NCDC has entered into another agreement with Indian Chamber of Commerce to boost farmers’ linkages with markets.

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 Union Minister for Communication & IT and Law & Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad has recently launched the Online Grievance Management Portal of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
This was launched on the Birth Anniversary of Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Notes:
The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), announced some new initiatives to raise awareness of the IPv6 protocol in India.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) had, in February last year, mandated all government organizations to transition to IPv6 by March 2020. NIXI launched an expert panel called IP Guru to support transition to IPv6 systems. NIXI is also creating an education platform for IPv6, called NIXI Academy and a NISI IP-Index.

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 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has notified the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for white goods (Air conditioners and LED lights).
The budgetary outlay of the PLIWG scheme was Rs 6,238 crore. An incentive of 4-6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India would be given for a period of five years to the companies engaged in the production of white goods.

Notes:
As per a recent study, only 3% of the world’s land remains ecologically intact, without spoiled by human beings.
The undamaged lands are mainly in parts of the Amazon and Congo tropical forests, east Siberian and northern Canadian forests and tundra, and the Sahara. The researchers suggest reintroducing a small number of important species to some damaged areas, such as elephants or wolves.

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:
A new global marine initiative has been launched to protect and conserve 18 million square kilometres of the ocean over the next five years.
This initiative is known as the “Blue Nature Alliance”. It is led by several philanthropic organisations along with national governments, local communities, Indigenous peoples, scientists, and academics.

Notes:
The United Nation’s flagship report – State of the Global Climate report has been released for the year 2020.
The report has stated that Cyclone Amphan that made landfall in the India-Bangladesh border last year, was the costliest tropical cyclone on record for the North Indian Ocean. It has led to economic losses amounting $14 billion to the affected nations.