Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
As per the data from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), India’s fiscal deficit was 4.59% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the year 2019-20. Fiscal Deficit is the gap between the government’s revenue and expenditure
The government’s revised target for its fiscal deficit was 3.8%, and the real deficit has exceeded it. However, the budget estimate was 3.5% of GDP. The Union Finance Minister invoked the escape clause in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act to peg the deficit 0.5% higher than the Budget estimate.

Notes:
Swiss Tennis legend Roger Federer has been ranked at the top spot in the annual Forbes ranking of highest-paid athletes.
As per the magazine, the total earning of Federer amounts to USD 106.3 million. He is the winner of record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, the prize money of which gave him USD6.3 million. Federer is followed by the football trio in next three ranks: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar. Two female Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams were found in the top-100 list.

Notes:
As per the recent announcement of the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the state is to develop 800 km roads as Herbal roads in the state.
The Herbal roads will have medicinal trees on both sides, including Peepal, Neem, Sehjan and other important herbal trees. The state’s Public Works Department will implement the project and rain water recharging system on the roads.

Notes:
The Union Government has launched a national programme for the youth, called “Responsible AI for Youth”. It has been developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT in collaboration with Intel India, with support from Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L). It aims to equip young students with new generation technology.
A dedicated portal for Artificial Intelligence, which will be a platform for all AI related developments in India, was also launched to mark the first anniversary of the second tenure of the government. It has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT and NASSCOM.

Notes:
Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), the Delhi based laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a disinfection unit named Ultra Swachh.
It is a multi-purpose unit, which can be used to disinfect a wide range of objects and materials including Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), fabrics among others. The system is compliant with international standards of personal and environmental safety. The system will be available in two variants namely Ozonated Space and Trinetra Technology

Notes:
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently announced that it has witnessed a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease.
The country located in Central Africa has seen its 11th outbreak since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976. At present, the disease is occurring in the Equateur province. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also announced about the disease.

Notes:
World Health Organisation has launched a new initiative called COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), along with Costa Rica.
The pool was initially proposed in the month of March by the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado. As of now, thirty countries and several global partners have joined the initiative. The pool seeks to make all vaccines, tests, treatments and other health technologies developed to fight COVID-19, accessible to all.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu released the standard operating procedure for the salons, beauty parlours and spas, when they resume their service after the lockdown.
As per the rules, the mentioned service providers will have to maintain a record of the name, phone number, address and Aadhaar number of the customers as a preventive measure against Covid-19. It would also facilitate contact tracing. Other sanitation procedures were also provided for resuming.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers recently fixed the minimum percentage of local content in public procurement of 55 chemical and pesticide products.
This step is a part of the government’s effort to boost domestic manufacturing and the Make-in-India programme. As per the new norm, the minimum local content has been fixed at 60 per cent for 2020-21, 70 per cent for 2021-23 and 80 per cent during 2023-25. Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had revised the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 for implementing this norm.

Notes:
The World Bank recently warned that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020, after Covid-19 crisis.
The World Bank President David Malpass released analytical chapters from its flagship Global Economic Prospects report. He urged the countries to implement comprehensive policies to boost long-term growth and to address immediate health emergencies. The estimates are likely to increase further.