Weekly CA Quiz: April 2020 4th week

Amid the lockdown for the coronavirus outbreak, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani gave the green signal for the third edition of his government’s ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ , a conservation plan to deepen water bodies in the state before monsoon.

The Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank e-launched VidyaDaan 2.0 program for inviting e-learning content contributions in New Delhi.

The Administration of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala has launched a vehicle called ‘Tiranga’ (Total India Remote Analysis Nirogya Abhiyaan) for rapid screening of COVID-19 symptoms.

Aimed at empowering people in its fight against coronavirus, the Karnataka government launched “Apthamitra” helpline with an exclusive toll free number and a mobile app, aimed at providing required medical advice and guidance for those in need.

Researchers at IIIT-Delhi have developed an app which warns people about a coronavirus containment zone nearby and helps them check whether a news item about the pandemic is genuine or fake.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) named Indian shuttler PV Sindhu as one of the ambassadors for its ‘I am badminton’ awareness campaign.

Oscar-winning animator Gene Deitch, credited with directing episodes of world-famous cartoons Tom and Jerry and Popeye, passed away at the age of 95 in his apartment in Prague.

World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated on April 23 each year. The day is celebrated by UNESCO and other related organisations across the world to honour authors, books worldwide, to promote the art of reading etc.

Jammu and Kashmir State legal Services Authority (JKSLSA) has launched a helpline under ‘Serve-the-Seniors Initiative’ under the guidance of Justice Gita Mittal, Patron-in-Chief and Justice Rajesh Bindal Executive Chairman of State Legal Services Authority.

Amid the country-wide corona-triggered lockdown , Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to have the requisite infrastructure in all its courts for hearing cases through video conferencing.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has launched a ‘Lockdown Learners’ series of online dialogues with students and educators in India on COVID-19 and its impact on Sustainable Development Goals, peace and rule of law.

Relaxing norms, the Reserve Bank of India permitted banks to issue electronic cards to persons having overdraft accounts that are only in the nature of personal loan without any specific end-use restrictions.

Public sector lender Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched an exclusive credit facility for agriculture and allied activities.

India’s GDP is likely to range between a decline of 0.9 per cent and a growth of 1.5 per cent in the current financial year, with the economy undergoing a “turbulent” phase caused by the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to a report.

Fitch Ratings lowered India’s economic growth forecast for current fiscal year 2020-21 to 0.8 per cent from 1.8 per cent estimated barely three days ago, citing fall in consumer spending and fixed investment due to extension of coronavirus lockdown and disruption in economic activities.

 The World Games to be held in Birmingham, Alabama — which have been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak — have unveiled a new logo and a new title.

 Usha Ganguly, veteran theatre actor and director, passed away after suffering from a cardiac arrest. She was 75.

The Centre froze the dearness allowance (DA) for its 4.8 million employees and 6.5 million pensioners at 17 per cent till July 1, 2021, to partly offset the increase in spending on health in light of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.

The government has approved reconstitution of the National Shipping Board to be headed by former Director General of Shipping Malini Shankar.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed and opened a new permanent bridge on the Ravi river that connects the Kasowal enclave in Punjab with the rest of the country.

The World Bank has approved 82 million US dollars (585 crore rupees) for the Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) for upgradation of major roads and modernization of the Public Works Department in the state.

Vodafone Idea and Paytm, a digital payments and financial services platform, have launched ‘Recharge Saathi’ programme which helps individuals and small businesses to earn an additional income.

Sanjay Kothari was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, head of the country’s anti-corruption watchdog. He was working as the Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.

An e-office application, that enables movement of files and documents without physical touch, has been launched for usage in the 1.62 lakh personnel-strong Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to prevent coronavirus infection, officials said on Friday.

 Veteran sports photojournalist Ronojoy ‘Ronny’ Roy died following a cardiac arrest at a city hospital. He was 57.

 International Girls in ICT Day is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) initiative and annually it was observed on the 4th Thursday in April.In 2020, International Girls in ICT Day celebrated on 23 April under the theme: ‘Expand Horizons, Change Attitudes’.

World Malaria Day is an international observance commemorated every year on 25 April and recognizes global efforts to control malaria.The theme of World Malaria Day 2020 Zero Malaria Starts with Me, a grassroots campaign that aims to keep malaria high on the political agenda, mobilize additional resources, and empower communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care.

Assam government has launched a new scheme Dhanwantari under which locally unavailable medicines are provided to patients at home.

The Andhra Pradesh government revived the ”zero interest” loan scheme for women self-help groups (SHGs) in the state.

India based payment solution provider Transcorp International has received Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval to issue co-branded prepaid instruments (PPI) cards & wallets to facilitate cashless payments.

CARE Ratings said the country’s GDP growth is likely to decline to 1.1 per cent in the current financial year 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The domestic rating agency added that the estimate has a “downward bias“, saying predicting the recovery is very difficult at present.

Caladium Investment PTE Ltd, backed by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, has raised stake in Bandhan Bank by 1.1 per cent to 4.49 per cent.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched a mobile application ‘HelpMe’ designed to help the needy in the state during the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Manabasa Gurubara, Chhau and Ravanachhaya — the three popular cultural practices from Odisha have been included in the recently-published Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list by the Union Ministry of Culture.

Government has declared banking industry as a public utility service for six months till October 21 under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act.

Denmark’s ace doubles exponent Mathias Boe, a silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 World Championships, called time on his illustrious career.

Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has announced her retirement, bringing to an end a 15-year career that saw her play 226 internationals, including 137 as captain from 2009 to 2017. She had announced a break from international cricket in November last year to recalibrate her future objectives and targets.

China named its first Mars exploration mission to be launched later this year as Tianwen-1 as it celebrated Space Day to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of the country’s first satellite Dong Fang Hong-1 in 1970.

A government hospital in Ernakulam has deployed a robot to serve food and medicines to coronavirus patients with an aim to reduce risk of infections for doctors and health workers. Malayalam star Mohanlal’s Viswasanthi Foundation donated the autonomous robot to the COVID-19 ward of the Ernakulam government medical college hospital.

Every April 26, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity.The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2020 is “Innovate for a Green Future“.

In Gujarat, Women and Child Development Ministry(WCD) has taken a unique initiative called Umbare Aanganwadi, i.e doorstep Aanganwadi to reach out to children during the lockdown.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has approved $1.5 billion loan to India to help fund its fight against coronavirus pandemic.

The APEC region is expected to post a 2.7 percent economic contraction in 2020 due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, the most significant fall since the near-zero growth rate logged in 2009 during the global financial crisis, according to the report ‘APEC in the Epicentre of COVID-19’.

 India lost the hosting rights of the 2021 men’s world boxing championship to Serbia after the national federation failed to pay the host fee, prompting the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to terminate the agreement signed in 2017.

The World Veterinary Day is observed on the last Saturday of April in order to acknowledge the work done by veterinarians across the globe.The 2020 World Veterinary Day held on 25th April 2020. The theme for the event this year is “Environmental protection for improving animal and human health”.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work takes place on April 28. The main objective is to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and to promote healthy work culture so that several work-related deaths and injuries can be reduced.The theme for World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2020 is “Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can save lives”.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan launched the Jeevan Shakti Yojana.

Australia has informed India that their premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.

 India has become the third largest military spender in the world, after the US and China, according to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report. This is the first time that India and China are among the top three military spenders.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday provided a Rs 50,000-crore shot in the arm to stressed mutual funds by unveiling a special liquidity facility for the sector, days after Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund decided to close six debt schemes.

Domestic rating agency Crisil said nearly halved its GDP forecast for India to 1.8 per cent for 2020-21 while projecting total losses of Rs 10 lakh crore or Rs 7,000 per person due to “disastrous” lockdowns to control COVID-19 pandemic.

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) revised its FY21 economic growth forecast for the country further down to 1.9 per cent, lowest in the last 29 years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

Eminent Odia dramatist,lyricist and screenwriter Bijay Mishra died at a hospital following a prolonged illness.He was 83.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’, a fee reimbursement scheme that would benefit 14 lakh college students in the State.

 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has approved a USD 346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to Indian government to provide reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra.

Moody’s Investors Service slashed India growth forecast for calendar year 2020 to 0.2 per cent, from 2.5 per cent projected in March. For 2021, the rating agency expects India’s growth to rebound to 6.2 per cent.

PNB Housing Finance said it has appointed Neeraj Vyas as its interim Managing Director and CEO.

Andhra Bank’s former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Suresh N. Patel was sworn in as vigilance commissioner, taking the watchdog to its full strength of three.

 Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar was y appointed as the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the government’s headhunter for top level posts in public sector undertakings for a period of three years.