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Issue 04 : April 2020 www.goyalsgktimes.com [email protected]
appointmentVishwanathan anand–ambassador of wwf
17 april, 2020
On April 17, 2020, the Chess legend Viswanathan Anand was named the ambassador of World
Wide Fund India.
He has joined the organization for its environment education program.The environment education program was started in 1976. It undertakes initiatives to reach out to youth, school children and citizens in the country.
new secretary for President KoVind
21 april, 2020
On April 20, 2020, the Former IAS officer Kapil Dev Tripathi was appointed as the new secretary
to the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment for a term co-terminus with the tenure of the President.He is a 1980 batch IAS officer. He is to replace Sanjay Kothari.
new cVc at rashtraPati bhaVan
25 april, 2020
On April 25, 2020, retired IAS officer Sanjay Kothari was sworn in as the Central Vigilance
Commissioner (CVC) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He was sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind. Mr Kothari acted as the secretary to the President of India. He was replaced by Mr Kapil Dev Tripahi.
enViRonmentrenewable manufacturing ParKs in india
18 april, 2020
On April 18, 2020, the Ministry of Renewable Energy has initiated big action to set up
Renewable Manufacturing parks in India.In order to achieve this the central government has directed the states to identify land parcels between 50 acres and 500 acres to set up these parks.
locKdown increases leather bacK moVement
20 april, 2020
The largest number of nests of the rare Leather back sea turtles were found in Thailand.
This was mainly because, the beaches in Thailand were deserted due to COVID-19 lockdown.
new sPecies of ViPers discoVered
22 april, 2020
The Indian Herpetologists discovered new species of viper family in the Pakke Tiger Reserve in
Arunachal Pradesh.It has been named after a fictional character, Salazar Slytherin.
e-papergeneral Knowledge times
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air Pollution in india at 20 year low
23 april, 2020
On April 22, 2020, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced that Air
Pollution in India has reached 20 year low.According to the data published by NASA, the Aerosol Optical Depth in 2020 has been the least as compared to the average of 2016 to 2019.
ganga has clear waters
29 april, 2020
The Lockdown imposed in the country on March 22, 2020 has improved air quality and water
quality.
According to CPCB (CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), 40 million litres of waste water enters water bodies. The Ganga had become dump yard for industrial waste and untreated sewage but now has clear waters.
impoRtant DaYS
utKal diVas
2 april, 2020
Every year, the state of Odisha celebrates Utkal Divas on April 1. The tradition of the celebration
is being followed for 84 years now.Being the 9th largest state, the state is rich in mineral resources. The State of Odisha was established on April 1, 1936. It was established as a province of British India on April 1, 1936. It was named Orissa.The English name was changed to Odisha on November 4, 2011.
world autism awareness day
2 april, 2020
Every year, the World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2 by the members of United
Nations.
The day is observed to take measures to increase awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder.This is being observed since 2008. April 6, 2020.
world health day
6 april, 2020
Every year, April 7 is
marked as the World Health Day. The day is marked to celebrate the work of midwives and nurses for their role in keeping the world safety and healthy.This year, 2020, has added significance of marking the World Health Day for the year being celebrated as International Year of Nurse and Midwife.
army medical corPs raising day
6 april, 2020
On April 3, 2020, the Army Medical Corps Raising Day was celebrated under the motto: “Survey
Santu Nirmaya”.The meaning of “Survey Santu Nirmaya” is “Let all the humans be free from disabilities and diseases.
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crPf shaurya diwas
9 april, 2020
Every year, April 9 is being marked as CRPF Valour Day all over India. The day is also called
“CRPF Shaurya Diwas”.A small contingent of the CRPF on April 9, 1965 fought against Pakistan in Rann of Kutch eliminating 34 Pakistan soldiers.
international day of human sPace flight
12 april, 2020
Every year, International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on April 12.
The day commemorates the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight in 1961.
Jallianwala bagh massacre day
13 april, 2020
The Government of India marked the anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on April 13, 2020.
The martyrs killed on the day mercilessly are remembered. PM Modi and other leaders paid tribute to such great martyrs.On April 13, 2020, (Baisakhi Day), at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, a peaceful meeting was held by 150,000 to 200,000 people. General Dyer ordered to open fire at the crowd that killed thousands.
world chagas disease day
13 april, 2020
On April 14, 2020, the world community is to celebrate World Chagas Disease Day for the
first time.
The main aim of marking the day is to increase awareness of Chagas disease.Also, it focuses on the resources needed to prevent, control and eliminate the disease.
siachen day
14 april, 2020
On April 13, 2020, the Indian Army commemorated Siachen Day.
The day is observed to commemorate the courage of Indian Army under “Operation Meghdoot”. The Day also honours Siachen Warriors serving motherland successfully from the enemy.
ambedKar Jayant
14 april, 2020
On April 14, 2020, India celebrated the 129th birth anniversary of Bhimarao Ramji Ambedkar.
Amidst the lockdown, his birth anniversary is being celebrated digitally by the whole of India.
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world hemoPhilia day
17 april, 2020
Every year April 17 is celebrated as World Hemophilia Day.
The day is observed by the World Federation of Hemophilia.This year the World Hemophilia Day is marked under the theme Get + Involved virtually and stay safe.
world heritage day
18 april, 2020
Every year April 18 is observed as the World Heritage Day.
The day is also celebrated as the International Day of Monuments and sites.The World Heritage Day is celebrated to create awareness about diversity, heritage and vulnerability of the monuments and heritage sites.This year the World Heritage Day, 2020 is celebrated under the theme Shared Culture, Shared heritage and Shared responsibility.
ciVil serVice day
21 april, 2020
Every year, India celebrates Civil Service Day on April 21.
The main aim of celebrating the day is to motivate the efforts and works of civil servants.On the Civil Service Day, India rewards various officers with Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration.
world creatiVity and innoVation day
21 april, 2020
Every year on April 21, the World Creativity and Innovation Day is celebrated by the United
Nations.
The day creates awareness about the importance of innovation and creativity to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
world earth day
21 april, 2020
Every year World Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. The day is celebrated to demonstrate
environmental protection.
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It is being celebrated since 1970. This year the World Earth Day is celebrated under the theme Climate Action.
world booK day
22 april, 2020
Every year, World Book Day or International Day of Book or World Book and Copyrights Day is
organised by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The World Book Day is being celebrated since 1995.
The idea of World Book Day was given a writer Vicente Clavel Andres to celebrate World Book Day on the death anniversary of author Miguel de Cervantes.
english language day
23 april, 2020
Every year, April 23 is celebrated as English Language Day. The Spanish Language Day is
celebrated on the same day as well.English is one of the two working languages of the United Nations. The Day is also celebrated as World Book Day.
international day of multilateralism and diPlomacy for Peace
24 april, 2020
Every year April 24 is marked as the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
It was first observed on April 24, 2019.The day is marked by the United Nations. It aims to preserve values of international cooperation and multilateralism, based on which the UN Charter and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are framed.
national Panchayati raJ day
24 april, 2020
Every year, Indian Government celebrates April 24 as National Panchayati Raj Day.
The day is also called National Local Self Government Day. The National Panchayati Raj Day was first declared by the then PM Manmohan Singh in 2010.
world malaria day
25 april, 2020
Every year, on April 25, the World Malaria Day is being marked by several international
organizations including World Health Organization. This year, the day is being marked under the theme Zero Malaria Starts with me.
international delegate’s day
25 april, 2020
On April 25, 2020, for the first time, the United Nations marked the International Delegate’s Day.
The Day is being marked to celebrate the 75th anniversary of San Francisco Conference.The main aim of the conference was to come together to restore world peace and impose rules post world war.
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world intellectual ProPerty day
27 april, 2020
Every year, the World Intellectual Property Day is marked on April 26 to encourage creativity
and innovation.The day was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000. This year, the World Intellectual Property Day is being marked under the theme Innovate for Green Future.
international chernobyl disaster remembrance day
27 april, 2020
Every year on April 26, the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is being observed.
The day was proclaimed by the United Nations and was first observed in 2016.The International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day was first observed on the 30th anniversary of 1986 nuclear disaster.
world day for safety and health at worK
28 april, 2020
Every year the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on April 28.
With COVID-19 pandemic creating great challenges for governments, workers and employers, this year the day is to focus on addressing outbreak of infectious diseases at work. This year, the day is marked under the theme Stop the Pandemic.
SCienCecoVid-19 Quarantine alert system (cQas)
4 april, 2020
The Department of Telecommunications has issued Standard Operating Procedure for the use of
COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).The CAQS is an application used to track COVID-19 patients who have violated quarantine.
nasa ProJect artemis
6 april, 2020
The NASA project Artemis aims at placing first woman and next man on the moon.
The project aims to build a base camp on the moon’s south pole.
three new mutations of coVid-19 Virus found
17 april, 2020
On April 17, 2020, the scientists at Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) have
found three new mutations of COVID-19 virus. With this, GBRC becomes the first government laboratory in the country to sequence whole genome of COVID-19.
nasa to launch astronauts in may
18 april, 2020
On April 18, 2020, NASA announced that it will launch its flight of astronauts on May 27, 2020.
This is the first flight of NASA in 9 years. The mission is to use Falcon-9 rocket. The astronauts are to be sent for an extended stay at the international space station.
Predicting electronic density of ionosPhere
20 april, 2020
The Indian Institute of Geomagnetism researchers have developed a model that will predict
electronic density of ionosphere.
This is highly important for the communication and navigation on the earth.
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enVironment friendly catalyst for rechargeable metal battery20 april, 2020
The Institute of Nano Science and Technology operating under Department of Science and
Technology has launched an environment friendly catalyst for rechargeable metal battery.
The Catalyst used is made of fish gills. It is low cost and can be used in energy conversion device.
cnsa announces tianwen series
24 april, 2020
On April 24, 2020, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) named its first Mars
Exploration mission as Tianwen 1.The CNSA also announced that henceforth all the planetary missions are to be named as Tianwen series.
19 new asteroids discoVered between the JuPiter and the nePtune25 april, 2020
The Brazilian Astronomers have discovered 19 new asteroids between the Jupiter and the Neptune.
The astronomers believe that they joined the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
ligo haVe recently recorded the first merger of blacK holes27 april, 2020
The scientists of Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Laboratory (LIGO) have recently recorded
the first merger of black holes that were of unequal masses.
On April 12, 2020, the LIGO-Virgo collaboration detected collision between two black holes that were 2.4 billion light years apart.The scientists have now concluded from their researches and analysis that these black holes were of unequal masses.
oZone layer has healed itself
27 april, 2020
The C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service) and CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring
Service) confirmed that the hole in the Ozone layer has healed itself.The hole was 1 million square kilometres wide above the Arctic. The hole was identified by the scientists in March 2020.
miSCeLLaneoUS Pm care funds’ exemPtions
1 april, 2020
On March 31, 2020, the Government of India passed an ordinance to allow 100% exemption
on donations made on PM Cares Funds. The ordinance has also extended the time limit of direct and indirect tax filings to June 30, 2020.
united against corona-exPress through art
1 april, 2020
On March 31, 2020, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) launched global painting
competition on the title United against CORONA-Express through Art.
The event encourages artistic expressions of ideas, feelings and thoughts on social distancing, fight against the virus and quarantine.
wb aids coVid-19 emergency resPonse and health systems
1 april, 2020
On April 1, 2020, the World Bank announced that it is to offer 1 billion USD to Government of
India to implement Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems preparedness project.
The project is being launched by India in order to mitigate the threats created by the virus.
It will strengthen the national system and keep up public health preparedness in the country.
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g20 finance minister meet
1 april, 2020
On March 31, 2020, Nirmala Sitaraman represented India to attend the second G20 Finance Minister
Meet. The virtual meet was chaired by Saudi Arabia.
The ministers are currently in the process of framing a “G20 Action Plan” in response to COVID-19.
guidelines to maKe masKs at home
1 april, 2020
On March 31, the Scientific Advisor
of Government of India issued guidelines to make masks at home.He also insisted that these masks are 70% safer and effective in containing the spread of the virus.The GoI also suggests use of double layered 100% cotton cloth. This is because they are as effective as that of a surgical masks.
international atomic energy agency helPs
2 april, 2020
The International Atomic Energy Agency, an autonomous wing of the United Nations has
sent COVID-19 testing gears to around 40 countries.The first set of beneficiaries include Iran, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Vietnam, Cuba, Thailand, Peru and Uruguay.The recipients from Asia include Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Philippines.
Other countries are from Africa and Latin America.
corona studies booK series
2 april, 2020
The National Book Trust of India has launched the Corona Studies book series that provide related
information about the spreading Corona virus.
The book series holds materials suitable for all age groups.
coVid-19 meet
2 april, 2020
On April 2, 2020, the current president of United Nations Security Council, Dominican Republic
announced that the world body is to meet over COVID-19 next week.
The Council is planning to meet over teleconferencing.
“arogya sethu”
2 april, 2020
On April 2, 2020, National Informatics Center operating under Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology has developed an application “Arogya Sethu”.
The app alerts the person whenever he comes in contact within six feet of COVID-19 infected person.
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The application is available in 11 languages. In order to keep the application running, one has to keep their GPS and Bluetooth ON always.The data extracted are to be shared only to Government of India according to the terms and conditions of the application.
action coVid team
3 april, 2020
The Action COVID Team was launched by top fund managers of private sector and blue-chip
venture capital firm.The Team gained its popularity lately as Rs 1 crore was bagged by the Mylab from the fund set up by the team.Mylab is the first Indian firm to get permission to make and sell corona testing kit.
bio suit by drdo
3 april, 2020
A Bio Suit has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) to keep the medical professionals working with COVID-19 safe.The suit exceeds the criteria set by the Ministry of Health and Family welfare for the body suits of protection against synthetic blood.
un resolution against coVid-19
3 april, 2020
On April 3, 2020, the United Nations approved the resolution that called upon international
cooperation to fight against COVID-19.This is the first resolution adopted by the organization since the pandemic.The resolution called for intensified international cooperation, exchange of information, applying relevant guidelines for the WHO.
caruna initiatiVe
4 april, 2020
On April 4, 2020, the associations of civil servants formed an initiative called CARUNA.
CARUNA is Civil Services Associations Reach to Support Natural Disasters.
lights against corona
4 april, 2020
On April 3, 2020, PM Modi addressed India to switch off their lights at 9 PM for nine minutes
and light lamps or candle.This is being done to show the united strength of the country against the virus.
guidelines for Quarantine
6 april, 2020
On April 5, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued guidelines for quarantine.
According to the guidelines, the quarantine is separation and restriction of movement. It shall be applied to an individual or a group of persons.
lifeline udan
6 april, 2020
The Lifeline UDAN was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to help India fight against
COVID-19.
Under this initiative, flights were operated in transporting essential equipment and medicines all over the country.
economy at end of locKdown
7 april, 2020
With the lockdown period nearing its closure, the Government of India has begun its preliminary
preparations to pull the economy back to its bloom. Several strategies are being adopted by the Government in order to achieve this.
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JaPan declares coVid emergency
7 april, 2020
On April 7, 2020, the world’s third largest economy, Japan declared emergency to combat
the Covid-19 pandemic.The State of Emergency is to last till May 6, 2020.
oPeration shield
10 april, 2020
On April 9, 2020, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced Operation Shield in the
containment zones of National Capital Region.
SHIELD stands for Sealing, Home quarantine, isolation and tracing, essential supply, local sanitation and door-to-door checks.
Plasma theraPy aPProVed
11 april, 2020
The Indian Council of Medical Research has recently approved plasma therapy as potential
treatment for COVID-19.
However, the protocol to conduct the therapy is yet to be finalized.
“bharat Padhe online camPaign”
12 april, 2020
The Ministry of Human Resources Development has launched a week long campaign called
“Bharat Padhe Online Campaign”.
The campaign aims to improve online education in India.The main aim of the campaign is to invite experts in the country to share their knowledge and solutions in order to overcome the constraints in promoting digital education.
smart locKdown
12 april, 2020
On April 11, 2020, PM Modi interacted with the Chief Ministers of the states through video
conferencing.During the meet, most of them favoured extending the lockdown.It has now been concluded that India will enter into “smart Lockdown”. Under the smart lockdown, India is to be demarcated into red, orange and green zones.
“saPtaPdi” to fight against coVid-19
14 april, 2020
On April 14, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Saptapdi” to fight against COVID-19.
Saptapadi is seven mantras to fight against the virus.
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The 7 mantras are as follows :• The senior citizens and elderly have to be looked
after with special care. • Social distancing and lockdown rules have to be
followed strictly. • The citizens should boost their immunity based on
the guidelines issued by the Ministry of AYUSH.• He has suggested to download “Arogya Sethu”
mobile application. • Provide shelter and food to the needy and the poor.• Compassion towards colleagues and avoid payment
cuts and job cut.• Showing respect to health professionals such as
doctors, nurses and sanitation workers.
Pool testing of coVid-19
15 april, 2020On April 14, 2020, the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) gave permission for the state of Uttar Pradesh to start pool testing of COVID-19.
With this, UP has become the first state to start pool testing.
Under Pool Testing, if 10 samples of COVID-19 test negative, then it is an indicator that all the samples test negative.
guidelines for locKdown 2.0
15 april, 2020 On April 15, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs launched revised guidelines for lockdown 2.0.
The second lockdown, also called the smart lockdown aims to consolidate the gains achieved by the first lockdown.
It is to be extended till May 3, 2020.
arogya setu users reach 50 million
15 april, 2020
On April 15, 2020 NITI Aayog announced that Arogya Setu became the first mobile application
in the world to reach more than 50 million downloads in short span of time.
The application was developed by a committee set up by Prime Minister Modi. The application was used for contact tracing.
hotsPots in india
16 april, 2020
On April 15, 2020, the Government of India announced 170 hotspots and 207 non hotspots
in the country.
The districts were sorted into 3 zones namely hotspots, non-hotspots and green zones. The sorting was done by the Ministry of Health.
The hotspots are also called red zones and the non-hotspots are called the orange zones.
about migrant labourers
20 april, 2020
On April 19, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Standard of Operating Procedure for
movement of stranded migrant labourers.
The workers employed in construction, agriculture, industries and other sectors have been moved from their work places and have been housed in shelter.
goa and maniPur coVid free
21 april, 2020
On April 21, 2020, Goa became the first state in the country to become free of COVID-19.
After Goa, Manipur becomes COVID-19 free.
end Violence against doctors and health care worKers
22 april, 2020
On April 22, 2020, the Government of India brought in ordinance to end violence against
doctors and health care workers.
According to the ordinance, persons attacking health personnel are to be sentenced to jail for 6 months to 7 years.
In non-serious cases, the workers are liable to pay penalty of Rs 50,000 and in serious cases between Rs 2 lakhs and 5 lakhs.
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Plasma theraPy carried out
27 april, 2020
On April 27, 2020, the King George Medical University in Uttar Pradesh became the first
government hospital to launch plasma therapy t to treat COVID-19.
The first dose of plasma therapy was given to a 58-year old patient.
SpoRtS
wimbledon was cancelled due to corona
1 april, 2020
On April 1, 2020, Wimbledon was cancelled due to the threats of Corona Virus.
This is the first time the tournament is being cancelled since the World War II.
Wimbledon was scheduled between June 29, 2020 and July 12, 2020 in the outskirts of London. However, it was cancelled considering lockdown situation.
The next edition of the tournament is to be held between June 28, 2021 and July 11, 2021.
2021 world games PostPoned
3 april, 2020
The 2021 World Games that was scheduled to be held in Birmingham, Alabama was postponed
to 2022.
This is being done to avoid the clash with Tokyo Olympics.
third asian youth games announced
5 april, 2020
The Olympic Council of Asia announced that the third Asian Youth Games is to be held in China
in November 2021.
Around 18 Olympic games such as rock climbing, athletics, gymnastics, aquatics, boat racing are to be included.
The Asian Youth Games is held once in four years. It is organized by the Olympic Council of Asia. It is the second largest sports gamed after the Asian Games.
fifa PostPones under-17 women’s world cuP
5 april, 2020
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) or the International Federation
of Association Football has postponed the under-17 Women’s world cup to November 2020.
The Under-20 women’s FIFA world cup was planned to be conducted in Panama Costa Rica. The Under-17 Women’s FIFA world cup was scheduled to be conducted in Indian cities such as Guwahati, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
asian boxing chamPionshiP scheduled
15 april, 2020
The National Sports Federation of India recently announced that it is host the Asian Boxing
Championship by November-December 2020.
The federation is positive about the virus to be wiped out by then.
P V sindhu ambassador of “i am badminton”
23 april, 2020
On April 22, 2020, the World champion P V Sindhu was named the ambassador of the campaign
“I am Badminton”.
The campaign was launched by Badminton World Federation (BWF). The campaign provides platform for the badminton players to advocate and commit to honest and clean play.
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DeatHirrfan Khan dies at 53
29 april, 2020
Indian Actor Irrfan Khan died from complications related to cancer on Wednesday.
The Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi star was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and sought treatment for his cancer in London in 2019. Khan was rushed to the hospital before he died due to a colon infection. His mother died only four days before Khan, and he was unable to go to her funeral because of the coronavirus lockdown.
noted actor rishi KaPoor is no more
30 april, 2020
Rishi Kapoor, veteran Bollywood actor died in hospital after a two-year battle with leukemia.
He breathed his last at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai.
The actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and went to New York for his treatment and returned after a year in 2019.On April 29, 2020 , the actor was rushed to Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai as he had difficulty in breathing.Unfortunately, Rishi Kapoor couldn’t make it after the reported cancer relapse at the age of 67.