Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 April 2020

1. More than one crore masks produced by self-help groups

• Self-help groups across the country have produced more than one crore masks.
• These self-help groups have developed these masks while working under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihood Mission.
• The Samridhi Confederation of Maharashtra has created 50,000 masks in collaboration with women.
• Self-help group, ‘Runjhun’ in Nagaon, Assam is producing masks from the traditional Assamese cloth Gamocha.
• Members of the Prayas Self Help Group in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir are making tri-color masks.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihood Mission:
  • The mission was launched on 23 September 2013 by the Government of India Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • This scheme replaced the Swarana Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana.
  • The plan aims to reduce poverty by increasing livelihood opportunities through skill development and other measures.

2. Famous actor Irrfan Khan died on 29 April 2020 in Mumbai

• Irfan Khan, a 54-year-old noted actor, died of a neuroendocrine tumor.
• Irrfan Khan made his Bollywood debut in 1988 with Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay. He has acted in films like Maqbool, Life in a Metro, Paan Singh Tomar, Piku, Slumdog Millionaire, A Mighty Heart, Jurassic World and Life of Pi.
• He has been awarded the Padma Shri and National Film Award for Best Actor in 2011 for Paan Singh Tomar.

3. T.S. Tirumurti India's next Ambassador to the United Nations

• Recently, T S Tirumurti has been appointed as the next Ambassador or Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.
• He will replace Syed Akbaruddin.
• Mr. Tirumurti is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
• Currently, he holds the post of Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
• United Nations (UN):
  • It is an intergovernmental organization.
  • It aims to maintain international peace and security.
  • Its headquarters are located in New York, United States.
  • It was established on 24 October 1945.
  • Its official languages ​​are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
  • Antonio Guterres is the Secretary General of UNO.

4. Shri Suresh N. Patel swear in as Vigilance Commissioner

• Recently, Mr. Suresh N. Patel has been sworn in as Vigilance Commissioner in New Delhi.
• He was sworn in by video conferencing by Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.
• Central Vigilance Commission:
  • It is an independent, apex vigilance institute.
  • It is a multi-member body, consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairman), and can have a maximum of two Vigilance Commissioners. All of them are appointed by the President.
  • Advises various officers in central government organizations to plan, implement, review and improve their vigilance work.
  • It was established in February 1964, based on the recommendation of K.K. Santhanam.
  • In 2003, it was granted statutory status by the Parliament.

5. Return of Amur Falcon named Chinwal to Manipur

• Recently the Amur Falcon, named Chinwal, was tagged with the GPS satellite radio transmitters, reached back to Manipur.
• It is known that in the first week of November 2019, 5 Amur Falcons were released from Manipur tagged with GPS satellite radio transmitters.
• One of these Amur Falcons returned back to Manipur after traveling about 20,000 kilometers to Somalia in South Africa.
• The experiment was conducted by the Manipur Forest Department and local people in collaboration with scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
• Two of the remaining birds, Barak and Irani, are still in Somalia, while one bird has not been detected. Another bird died a few days after the flight.
• Tagging mission was done in 2018, but it failed.
• However, the mission has been successful this time and some other roasting sites in Churachandpur district in Manipur have been identified through tagging.
• This tracking mission will provide a lot of information about the nature and climatic conditions of birds in the sub-continent.
• Amur Falcon:
  • The Falcon family is a small raptor.
  • It is found in southeastern Siberia, northern China and across India.
  • Their IUCN status is Least Concern.

6. Deendayal Committees will be formed in Madhya Pradesh

• Recently, the state government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to constitute Deendayal Committees at ward and panchayat level.
• It aims to ensure the benefit of welfare schemes to the people during the coronavirus crisis.
• The committees will monitor to reach out to the people and ensure various welfare schemes and also help in the distribution of government assistance.

7. Karnataka will host an online chess tournament

• Recently Karnataka Youth Empowerment and Sports Department and United Karnataka Chess Association have announced to host an online chess tournament.
• It will collect funds for the CM COVID-19 Relief Fund.
• Chess players across the country can register on the mobile Premier League gaming platform by donating 50 rupees.
• The tournament will be held on 2 and 3 May.

8. Mobile COVID-19 sample collection kiosk prepared in Tripura

• Recently Mobile COVID-19 sample collection kiosks have been prepared in Tripura.
• Agartala Municipal Corporation has developed this kiosk in association with the Agartala Smart City Mission.
• A mobile COVID-19 sample collection kiosk has been developed by transitioning a three-wheeler heavy duty auto-rickshaw.
• Through this kiosk, medical personnel can collect samples of patients without coming into physical contact.
• When collecting samples of patients, the glass cover in the auto-rickshaw will work like a personal protective equipment (PPE).

9. Selection of three Indians for the prestigious membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

• This year, three Indians have been selected for the prestigious membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• Their details are as follows-
  • Biman Bagchi from Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Prof. Bagchi, a theoretical physical chemist, was awarded the Humboldt Science Award for 2019. He is the author of books such as Statistical Mechanics for Chemistry and Materials Science, and Water in Biological and Chemical Processes.
  • Shobhana Narasimhan from the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.
  • Kavita Singh from School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
• This prestigious international honorary membership has also been received in the past by Albert Einstein, Akira Kurosawa, Nelson Mandela and Charles Darwin.
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences:
  • It is one of the oldest scholarship groups in the United States.
  • It was founded in 1780.
  • The academy is dedicated to honoring excellence and leadership.

10. US death toll from coronavirus exceeds that of Americans died in the Vietnam War

• According to the data recently released by Johns Hopkins University, the number of people who died of coronavirus in America has exceeded the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War.
• More than a million people are currently infected with coronavirus in the US, which is one-third of the world's total corona infected population and more than 60,000 have died.
• Vietnam War:
  • It is also known as the Second Indochina War.
  • It ran from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975.
  • In this, 58,220 American soldiers were killed.
  • During this war, America used methyl orange to remove greenery in Vietnam.

11. Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor died on 30 April 2020 in Mumbai

• Legendary actor Rishi Kapoor also died of cancer on 30 April 2020 in Mumbai. He was 67.
• He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his first role in the film Mera Naam Joker.
• Rishi Kapoor made his debut in 1973 with the film Bobby. He worked in Hindi cinema for more than 4 decades.
• In 2008, he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
• His autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, was released on 15 January 2017.

Read the complete list of Important Days in April