Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
The state government of Odisha has recently promulgated an ordinance allowing investors and farmers to enter into agreement for contract farming.
As per the state government, the aim of the ordinance was to facilitate farmers and sponsors to develop an efficient contract farming system, which is mutually beneficial to them. It was also clarified that no title, rights, ownership or possession of land or any other property would be transferred.

Notes:
Indian Hockey legend Balbir Singh Dosanjh also known as Balbir Singh Senior passed away in Punjab at the age of 96. He was the oldest surviving Olympic medallist from India.
Balbir Singh was a part of the 1948 London Olympics gold medal-winning Indian hockey team. He served as the vice-captain of the 1952 gold medal-winning team. During the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Balbir Singh led the team as the Captain and scored five goals against Afghanistan in India’s opening match. He trained the national team after his retirement.

Notes:
Every year, May 25 has been observed as the World Thyroid Day since 2008, across the world. The European Thyroid Association and American Thyroid Association established World Thyroid Day to promote public awareness of thyroid disease.
Thyroid is the most common endocrine disorder and a rapidly growing problem across the world. Jal Shakti Ministry has said that water plays a crucial role in treating the symptoms of thyroid and helping in weight loss.

Notes:
The World Steel Association located also called as worldsteel, is a global trade body for iron and steel industry. It is headquartered at Brussels, Belgium.
As per the recent report of the association, the crude steel output of India declined over 65 per cent to 3.13 million tonnes (MT) during April. During the same month in 2019, the production was 9.02 MT of crude steel. The lockdown has affected the demand and supply of steel in India. As per the report, Global steel output has also declined 13 per cent.

Notes:
An Indian Army officer, Major Suman Gawani, has been selected for the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019). This is the first time in history, that an Indian is awarded the mentioned award, that was created in 2016.
The officer has served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). She has been selected for her outstanding contribution towards peacekeeping efforts in the UNMISS. Indian major will receive the award during an online ceremony, along with Brazilian Naval Officer Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo.

Notes:
CSIR-IIIM (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine), Jammu a premier institute under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), to develop a new RT-LAMP based COVID-19 diagnostic kit.
The RT-LAMP (Reverse Transcriptase-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) kit is a nucleic acid- based test conducted from nasal/throat swab sample from patients. It is a rapid, affordable and accurate test. The components are easily available and can be completely manufactured in India.

Notes:
Ola Electric, the subsidiary of the India ridesharing platform Ola, has recently acquired Netherlands-based OEM (Original Equipment manufacturer) Etergo BV.
By this acquisition, Ola Electric is set to enter the premium electric two-wheeler market, both domestic and global. Ola Electric is to use the design and engineering capabilities of Etergo to build its smart electric two-wheeler and launch in India in the year 2021.

Notes:
World’s leading toy brand the LEGO Group has recently collaborated with NITI Aayog and Save the Children, to support children impacted by Covid-19 in India.
Under the partnership, LEGO will promote ‘Learning Through Play’ and support home-based learning for children aged 3-8 years during the lock-down times. The initiative will improve access to quality pre-school education through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and pre-school centres.

Notes:
Former Deputy Economy Minister of Brazil, Marcos Prado Troyjo has been selected as the new President of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank’s (NDB).
He is to replace the veteran Indian banker KV Kamath as the President of the multilateral financial institution set up by the BRICS countries. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the special board of Governors of NDB meeting through video-conference. Another Indian Anil Kishora was selected as the Vice President of NDB during the conference.

Notes:
Every year, May 28 has been celebrated as the World Menstrual Hygiene Day across the world. It is a global platform initiated by the German non-profit organisation WASH United.
This year, the theme of Menstrual Hygiene Day is ‘Periods in Pandemic’. Several government agencies, individuals, non-profits and media join hands to create awareness about the safe menstruation practices and hygiene management.