Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
New York based Global rating agency Moody’s Investors Service, also known as Moody’s has recently slashed the GDP growth rate of India to 0.2 per cent in 2020-21, which is the lowest estimate made for the country till date after Covid-19 pandemic.
It has previously decreased the growth rate from the estimate of 5.2% to 2.5%, after the first nation-wide lockdown has been imposed by the Government on March 24. However, it predicts that India would grow at 6.2 per cent in 2021-22.

Notes:
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report recently, where it has classified India under ‘Countries of particular concern’ (CPC) for increasing assault on religious minorities.
The report has placed India in the concern list along with 13 other nations including nine countries which were placed in December 2019 and 5 countries added now. The recently added countries include Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam in addition to India.

Notes:
Nagaland has introduced a scheme to levy COVID-19 cess for diesel, petrol and motor spirit. It has levied a cess of Rs 5 per litre for diesel and Rs 6 for petrol and motor spirit, from the night of April 28.
This decision has been taken with the powers conferred under Nagaland (sales of petroleum and petroleum products including motor spirit and lubricants) Taxation Act, 1967 (as amended). Meghalaya has levied sales tax surcharge at 2 percent on motor spirit including petrol and diesel.

Notes:
According to the recent report titled ‘The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID 2020)’, released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), about 5 million people were displaced in India in 2019, which is the highest in the world till date.
IDMC, a part of the Norwegian Refugee Council, also states that the displacements in India is due to increased hazard intensity, high population and social and economic vulnerability. As many as 8 tropical storms hit the country. The centre has also noted a concentrated pattern inside countries, in regard with the displacement.

Notes:
Veteran Indian Foreign Service Officer T. S. Tirumurti has been appointed as the next Ambassador or Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.
The officer is currently serving as the Secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs. He replaces Sayyad Akbaruddin, who is superannuating this month. Prior to this appointment, Tirumurti has held several prime engagements and positions in India’s external affairs.

Notes:
Union MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently launched Bank of Schemes, Ideas, Innovation and Research portal on MSMEs, through the Video conferencing.
The Portal enables the Centre, State and UT governments to access all related schemes. The portal also has features to upload Ideas, Innovations & Researches in the sector. The ideas crowdsourced are evaluated and rated by experts. The portal would be handled and updated by professionals.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has launched the Special Shramik Trains to bring back stranded labourers and students stuck in different states across the country to their home states.
Jharkhand becomes the first state to bring its migrant labourers back home through the first train run from Telangana to Ranchi. Recently, another special train carrying 1,200 migrant workers from Kerala left to Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan recently announced that five more states viz. Bihar, UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Daman and Diu have been integrated with the ‘One nation, One ration card’ scheme. Under the scheme, eligible cardholders can avail food grains from any fair-price shop under NFSA.
On January 1, 2020, there were 12 states on the integrated Public Distribution system. With the addition of 5 new states, the total count of states integrated in the scheme becomes 17, as of May 2020.

Notes:
During the era of industrialisation, the labourers of the United States revolted together against the unjust labour system and the exploitative industrialists. They demanded for fair wages, breaks between the work and paid leaves. The revolt on May 1 1886 led to the celebration of May Day.
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day is celebrated across the world on May 1. In India, the first May Day was celebrated on May 1, 1923, by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in Chennai.

Notes:
International Astronomy Day is celebrated twice a year, during autumn and spring. The Astronomy Day 2020 is celebrated on May 2 and the next edition of this year on September 26, 2020.
The President of the Astronomical Association of Northern California had organised the celebration of first Astronomy Day in 1973. The objective of celebrating this day is to inculcate the awareness about the universe and the field of astronomy.