Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
The Governor of Reserve Bank of India delivered his third such address since the nation-wide lockdown.
He announced a cut in the repo rate by 40 basis points to 4% and the reverse repo is also simultaneously reduced by 40 bps to 3.35%. Earlier in the month of April, the repo and reverse repo rates were fixed at 4.4% and 3.75% respectively. The Governor also extended moratorium on all term loans by another 3 months till August 31, 2020.

Notes:
Oil India Limited (OIL) has recently announced that it has received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), for the extension of drilling and testing of hydrocarbons under the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park of Assam.
While several environmental activists raised fears about the impact of the project in an ecologically sensitive park and biosphere reserve, OIL negated the claims. The drilling and testing of hydrocarbons are to be done at seven locations under the park.

Notes:
The state government of Uttar Pradesh has announced that it will form a Migration commission to identify the skills of returning migrant workers and provide employment to them.
The government has also planned to provide insurance and a job security scheme to the returning workers. During the announcement, 23 lakh workers and migrants have returned to the state. The proposed Migration commission will map details of migrants, their skills and will provide training, employment and credit facilities.

Notes:
The first unmanned helicopter drone of China, named AR500C was seen in news as the helicopter made its first successful flight recently.
It has been designed to fly in plateau areas and capable of firing and conducting investigation from a high altitude. The unmanned helicopter is expected to be deployed along the country’s borders with India, to safe-guard the southwestern borders in Tibet.

Notes:
The rating agency Fitch Ratings has made further slashed world GDP forecasts in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO).
The biggest estimate cut was for India, where the rating agency forecasts a contract of growth by 5%, which means -5% growth in 2020-21. Earlier, Fitch had estimated India’s growth to be 0.8% for FY21. The global GDP is also estimated to fall by 4.6% in 2020.

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:
Social media and technology giant Facebook has recently launched CatchUp application, that lets the users make free phone calls.
The application developed by internal R&D group of Facebook -NPE Team, allows the users to make phone calls up to 8 people simultaneously. It uses the Facebook account in the phone to coordinate the service. It is launched at the United States as a pilot service and expected to be launched across the world soon.

Notes:
Social Media Giant Twitter recently labelled tweets from the United States President Donald Trump as misleading, by linking the tweets with a fact checking page.
Under the tweets by the President, there was a message displayed by Twitter which read, “Get the facts about mail-in ballots”. Though Twitter clarified that the move was to provide context to the tweets, the President alleged that Twitter is interfering in the 2020 presidential election.

Notes:
International Day of Action for Women’s Health is celebrated on May 28 every year by the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR).
Several women’s health advocates and their communities have been leading the celebration of the day since 1987. During the International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) proposed to celebrate May 28 as International Day of Action for Women’s Health.

Notes:
The state of Madhya Pradesh has recently launched a new scheme called ‘Rozgar Setu’ scheme, with an aim of providing employment to the skilled workers who have returned to the state.
The state is surveying the skilled workers who were employed at industries in other states and have returned now. The government will contact the owners of industries and factories and contractors associated with infrastructure projects such as road and bridge construction.