Daily Current Affairs – 20 April 2022
Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 20 April 2022, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
Daily Current Affairs 20 April 2022
World Bank cuts global economy growth forecast to 3.2% for 2022
The Washington-based institution has lowered its estimate for global growth in 2022 to 3.2% from a January prediction of 4.1%, President David Malpass told reporters on a call on Monday. The decline was spurred by a cut in the outlook for Europe and central Asia, which include Russia and Ukraine, he said. The global forecast for this year compares with 5.7% expansion in 2021, he said.
The downward revision is due to the impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine on the world economy.
Supreme Court reconstitutes expert committee for Delhi-Dehradun Corridor project
The Supreme Court reconstituted the expert committee that would be looking into measures to ensure that the construction of the Delhi-Dehradun expressway does not impact the environment. The independent 12-member expert committee was formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to be headed by Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand. However, the counsel for the NGO Citizens for Green Doon had suggested that expert members on subjects concerning the environment should be included in the committee. The central government agreed to the suggestion.
The Director-General of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change will be the Chairperson of the reconstituted Committee. Chandra Prakash Goyal is currently appointed as the Director General of Forests and Special Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Apart from the new Chairperson, the Supreme Court has also included Anil Prakash Joshi (founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation) and Vijay Dhamsana (environmentalist) as additional members in the committee.
IAF successfully test-fires BrahMos missile from Su30-MkI fighter jet on Eastern seaboard
The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out live test-firing of a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet, Su30 MkI, on the Eastern seaboard on April 19, 2022. The “live firing” of the missile was carried out in close coordination with the Indian Navy, the IAF said. The missile hit the target with accuracy and precision.
Rajesh Talwar pens book titled ‘The Boy Who Wrote a Constitution’
Noted lawyer and writer Rajesh Talwar has come out with a new children’s book titled “The Boy Who Wrote a Constitution”. It is published by Ponytale Books. Talwar’s also authored books include “The Vanishing of Subhash Bose”, “Gandhi, Ambedkar, and the Four-Legged Scorpion”, and “Aurangzeb”.
This book seeks to inform children about the life story of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the person who came to write the Constitution of India.
India Pulses and Grains Association named Bimal Kothari as Chairman
India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for India’s pulses trade and industry, has appointed Bimal Kothari as the new Chairman with immediate effect. Kothari takes over from Jitu Bheda, who was the IPGA chairman since 2018.
Kothari, one of the key founding members of the association, has been the Vice-Chairman of IPGA since 2011 when it was formed. Bimal Kothari takes over as the third chairman of the association after Pravin Dongre and Jitu Bheda.
India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for pulses and grains trade and industry in India has over 400 direct and indirect members which include individuals, corporates as well as Regional Pulses Traders and Processors Associations taking its pan-India reach to over 10,000 stakeholders involved in the farming, processing, warehousing and import business of pulses across the entire value chain.
Russian vessel Moskva has sunk as a result of a ‘Neptune missile strike’ by Ukraine
According to a ministry message, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Moskva, was being hauled to port when it sank due to stormy waves. The 510-crew missile cruiser, which led Russia’s naval attack on Ukraine, was a symbol of the country’s military might.
Kyiv claims that its rockets struck the cruiser. According to the United States, it was also targeted by Ukrainian missiles. Moscow has denied any attack and claims the ship sank due to a fire.
According to Russia, the conflagration caused the warship’s ammunition to explode, and the whole crew was eventually evacuated to adjacent Russian boats in the Black Sea. After first stating that the battleship was floating, the Russian defence ministry revealed late Thursday that the Moskva had been lost. The 12,490-tonne warship is the largest Russian warship sunk in combat since WWII.
Two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise ‘NATPOLREX-VIII’ of Indian Coast Guard begins off Mormugao harbour in Goa
National Level Pollution Response Exercise ‘NATPOLREX-VIII’ of Indian Coast Guard starts: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) started off the 8th edition of the two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise, ‘NATPOLREX-VIII’, on April 19, 2022, off Mormugao harbour, Goa.
The marine spill preparedness exercise was inaugurated by the Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar. The exercise is being attended by more than 85 participants from 50 agencies, including 29 observers from 22 friendly foreign countries & International Organisations and two Coast Guard ships from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
It also aims to validate the procedures and guidelines as contained in the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) at the national and regional levels. The objective of NATPOLREX-VIII is to enhance the preparedness and response capability in combating marine spills.
“Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers fighting COVID-19” extended for 180 days from April 19, 2022
The ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP), insurance scheme for Health Care Workers Fighting COVID-19’ has been extended for a further period of 180 days from 19th April, 2022. It has been decided to extend the policy so as to continue to provide the safety net to the dependents of health workers who are deputed to take care of COVID-19 patients.
The PMGKP was launched on March, 30, 2020 to provide comprehensive personal accident cover of Rs. 50 Lakh to 22.12 lakh healthcare providers, including community health workers and private health workers dealing with COVID-19 patients and may be at risk of being impacted by the same.
India’s first portable solar rooftop system unveiled in Gandhinagar
The country’s first portable solar rooftop system was inaugurated at Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar on Monday.
The 10 PV Port systems has been manufactured by New Delhi-based Servotech Power Systems Ltd and designed by German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The systems have been installed under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s initiative to develop renewable energy cities across India.
IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for FY23 to 8.2%
India’s economy is estimated to grow by 8.2% in the current fiscal year (2022-23), sharply slower than the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) earlier forecast of 9% as the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine weighs heavily on prices and disruption of supply chains.
IMF has also cut India’s FY24 GDP growth forecast to 6.9 percent. Earlier this was 7.1 percent.
In the case of global economy, IMF has cut the growth forecast for calendar year 2022 to 3.6 percent from 4.4 percent.
UN Chinese Language Day 2022: 20 April
The UN Chinese Language Day is observed on April 20 annually.
The UN Department of Public Information established the day in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.
The day has been chosen to pay tribute to Cangjie, who is a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago.