Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2021

Notes:
Reserve Bank of India’s former Deputy Governor Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty passed away recently after suffering a heart attack. He was 68 years old.
He also served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab National Bank (2007-2009) and Indian Bank (2005-2007).

Notes:
As per the recent World Development Report by the World Bank, most countries have not implemented the open-data policy, particularly the developing economies.
Only 11 per cent low-income countries consistently made their data available with an open license. The per centage in lower-middle-income countries was 19 per cent; for upper-middle-income countries is 22 per cent and high-income countries at 44 per cent.

Notes:
Norway has recently got the approval to construct what’s being claimed as the world’s first ship tunnel, to help vessels navigate the Stadhavet Sea
It is to be constructed as a mile-long 118-feet-wide tunnel, that will burrow through the Stadhavet peninsula in north-west Norway. This project will cost around 2.8 billion Norwegian kroner (USD 330 million) and will take between three to four years.

Notes:
The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments.
Recently, the public procurement of goods and services has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore from the GeM since the platform was launched. The main reason is the sharp increase in buying activities by various ministries.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina has recently inaugurated the new passenger train named ‘Mithali Express’.
It connects Dhaka Cantonment and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal via Chilahati, a border railway station in Bangladesh. This is the third passenger train after Maitree Express (Dhaka-Kolkata) and Bandhan Express (Khulna-Kolkata).

Notes:
The Supreme Court appointed a four-member committee to study the three new controversial agricultural laws in January 2021. It had temporarily suspended the implementation of the three farm laws until further notice.
The members include P. K. Mishra, Anil Ghanwat, Ashok Gulati and Bhupinder Singh Mann. The panel has submitted its report to the Supreme Court recently.

Notes:
The Government of India had signed the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) on 22nd February, 2021.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has notified that all the legal formalities pertaining to the CCEA has been completed and the agreement has come into force on 1st April 2021.

Notes:
The Department of Economic Affairs, Union Finance Ministry decides the small saving schemes such as the PPF, NSC and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana.
The Government announces interest rates for small saving schemes at the end of every quarter. Recently after announcing steep cuts in the rates, the Finance Minister rolled back the changes to previous rates for the next quarter.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has recorded highest ever electrification in a single year, covering 6,015 Route Kilometre (RKM) in a single year during 2020-21. This was released as a statement by the Railways recently.
It has surpassed its previous year’s achievement of 5,276 RKM in 2019-20 and this fete was achieved amidst COVID pandemic.

Notes:
Under the PM SVANIDHI scheme, urban street vendors are sanctioned with working capital credit facilities upto Rs,10,000 per year by banks. This scheme was launched by the Government of India to provide micro-credit facility to vendors during Covid-19 lockdown.
As per a recent data by the Ministry of Home Affairs, out of the total disbursement under the scheme, private banks have contributed only 1.6%.