Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
The state government of Himachal Pradesh announced that it will launch an initiative called ‘Nigah’, that aims to impart awareness among the family members of people coming to the state from other parts of the country.
The health care workers, ASHA and Anganwadi workers would be deployed in this scheme, to create awareness in maintain social distancing and hygiene during the home quarantine period. The houses of the persons returned would be labelled and members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies are asked to ensure proper implementation of the scheme.

Notes:
When a polymer plant in Vishakhapatnam resumed its operations after lock down, there was a leakage of styrene gas, that has killed about 11 people. Thousands of people were evacuated from around the plant and many of them were hospitalised.
The styrene gas is a poisonous, inflammable gas used in plastic engineering industry, which caused nausea and dizziness. As per the experts, the gas could have triggered a series of explosions from the LG Polymers plant, which manufactures polystyrene.

Notes:
French cybersecurity researcher and ethical hacker Robert Baptiste who writes in the pseudonym Elliot Alderson on Twitter, warned about the security issues in the Aarogya Setu application. He also explained how the application could be manipulated to retrieve data of people infected in a given area.
As per the recent announcement of the Indian government, more than 90 million people have downloaded the application. However, the team of Aarogya Setu assured that no data or security breach has been identified.

Notes:
United States Special envoy and Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad recently visited India as a part of his three-nation tour including Qatar and Pakistan.
This is the first high-level foreign dignitary to travel to New Delhi since Covid-19-related travel restrictions came into effect. He met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. While providing details of peace & reconciliation efforts of the U.S. in Afghanistan, he also said that US recognises India’s contribution to Afghanistan.

Notes:
As a part of the humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) outreach of the Indian Navy, the armed force has deployed five of its biggest amphibious warfare vessels on a mission to provide essential supplies to friendly Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries.
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari, INS Jalashwa, INS Magar, INS Airawat and INS Shardul are deployed in the operations. On their return journey some of them will bring back the stranded Indian nationals in those countries.

Notes:
The Sunderbans delta, which is spread over India and Bangladesh, is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.
According to the latest estimation conducted by the West Bengal Forest Department, the count of tigers has increased by 8 in 2019-20 to 96, from 88 in the previous year. The increase was significant as this is the biggest annual jump ever reported from the Sundarbans, which is a world heritage site and a Ramsar site.

Notes:
Moody’s Investors Service has recently projected India’s growth at zero per cent for the current fiscal 2020-21.
It had estimated a growth of 4.8 per cent for the last fiscal year. Last month the ratings agency estimated that the Indian economy would grow at 0.2 per cent. It had also provided a ‘Baa2’ rating for India, which represents moderate credit risk. It also said that India would regain its growth rate at 6.6 per cent in the 2021-22 fiscal.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has recently launched the ‘Pravasi Rahat Mitra’ application, which aims at incoming aiding migrant citizens.
The application has been developed by the state revenue department in collaboration with United Nation Development Program. The application collects data of the migrant workers, which will be used in formulating programs for employment and livelihood of these citizens. The application will also monitor their health status.

Notes:
Several states in India including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Goa have relaxed the provision of the Factories Act, 1948 and increased the working hours of labourers, after facing a shortage of workers following the lock-down.
Recently, Odisha and Maharashtra labour departments exempted their industries from four sections of the Factories Act, 1948, related to working hours of the staff, till June 30. Uttar Pradesh suspended key labour laws for three years through an ordinance. With the approved exemption, employers can allow labourers to work in two shifts of 12 hours each.

Notes:
Tennis star Sania Mirza became the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award for Asia/Oceania zone. The Fed Cup Heart Award winners were determined through online voting by fans, starting from May 1.
She has been nominated for her successful return post motherhood. She secured more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 cast for the nominees of this year. The Fed Cup Heart Award is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) initiative that was established in 2009 to recognise the Fed Cup players for their distinction, courage and commitment.