Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, has released the Provisional Estimates of National Income for the financial year 2019-20.
As per the data, the Indian economy grew by 4.2 percent in the year 2019-20, as compared to the 6.1 percent growth in 2018-19. This GDP growth rate is said to be the lowest in past 11 years. Also, during the January-March (final) quarter of the year 2019-20, the growth rate of GDP fell to 3.1%. The Per Capita Income (real) had a growth of 3.1 percent during 2019-20, as against 4.8 per cent in the previous year.

Notes:
The President of the United States Donald Trump has recently announced that US is terminating its relationship with World Health Organization over its handling of the Corona virus.
The President has been blaming WHO and China for the deaths and damages caused by the pandemic across the world. The President also said that the funds provided by the US to WHO will be redirected to other global public health needs. He also issued directions to deny entry to certain Chinese nationals and tightened regulations against Chinese investments in America.

Notes:
Bobby Joe Morrow, veteran athlete from the United States, recently passed away at the age of 84. The sprinter had won three gold medals in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Bobby Morrow won the 100 and 200 meters in Melbourne Olympics and was a crucial part of the winning 400 relay team of the US and helped the relay team set a world record. He was honoured as “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated. He won the AAU’s James E. Sullivan Award and was also inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1989.

Notes:
As per the recent announcement from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon arrived on time over the Kerala coast. The southwest monsoon usually occurs in the period of June-September.
IMD declares the start of the monsoon when 60% of the 14 meteorological stations in Kerala record 2.5mm of more rains for two consecutive days. The other two factors are the westerlies (winds) and the outgoing longwave radiation. IMD also revised the forecast for rains to 102% of long-period average.

Notes:
Global credit ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service has currently degraded India’s foreign currency and local currency long-term issuer ratings to Baa3.
The agency had previously rated India’s ratings as Baa2. The reason for the downgrade of ratings was the high challenges to be faced by the policy-making institutions in enacting and implementing policies for sustainable growth in the country. Moody’s had upgraded India’s ratings to Baa2 in November 2017.

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 Central Government has initiated a consultation process for formulation of a new national Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).
To formulate this policy, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have jointly initiated a decentralised process. This is the 5th Science and Technology policy of the country.

Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly had declared 3 June as World Bicycle Day. The Assembly acknowledged bicycle for its versatility and longevity and its usage for two centuries.
The UN encourage its stakeholders to encourage the use of bicycles as a means of promoting sustainable development and health. It also welcomes various initiatives to organise bicycle rides at the national and local levels and develop a culture of cycling in society.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet recently amended the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in view of helping farmers and transforming the agriculture sector.
With the amendment, commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes will be removed from list of essential commodities, thereby attracting private sector/foreign direct investment into agriculture sector. The cabinet also approved two ordinances to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce and give a level playing field with wholesalers and exporters.

Notes:
Indian non-governmental organisation (NGO), Socio-Economic and Educational Development Society (SEEDS) has been conferred with the World No Tobacco Day Award 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO), from the South-East Asia Region.
The organisation is one among the 3 awardees and has been selected for its efforts to ban pan masala, gutkha, e-cigarettes and hookah in Bihar and Jharkhand. On May 31, World No Tobacco Day, the WHO selects individuals and organisations from its 6 regions for their contribution in the field of tobacco control.