Daily Current Affairs, 04th April 2020

1) International Mine Awareness Day observed globally on 4 April

•International Mine Awareness Day observed globally on 4 April every year. On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It was first observed on 4 April 2006.

•The day aims to raise awareness about landmines and progress toward their eradication. “Mine action” refers to a range of efforts to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war and to mark and fence off dangerous areas. It also includes assisting victims, teaching people how to remain safe in a mine-affected environment, advocating for universal participation in international treaties related to landmines, explosive remnants of war and their victims, and destroying landmines stockpiled by governments and non-state armed groups.

2) Odisha launches online cultural competition “Mo Prativa”

•The Odisha government has launched an online cultural competition “Mo Prativa” in collaboration with the UNICEF. The cultural competition “Mo Prativa” has been launched in order to keep children engaged at home during the lockdown period. The competition will enable childern to participate in various activies such as painting, writing of slogans, short stories, poems etc.

The entries for cultural competition “Mo Prativa” are being invited on following themes:

•Being at home during lockdown.

•My responsibility as a young citizen during COVID-19.

3) Online Hackathon “Hack the Crisis-India” launched

•Online Hackathon “Hack the Crisis-India” has been launched to find the working solutions to overcome the COVID 19 pandemic. The hackathon is a part of a global initiative and was launched by Minister of State Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Human Resource Development, Sanjay Dhotre.




•The hackathon will be organised by ‘Hack A Cause-India’ and ‘Ficci Ladies Organization Pune’ along with the support of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India (MEITY).

4) AICTE launches “MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal”

•All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has launched “MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal“. This portal has been launched to address the issues faced by students due to closure of colleges and hostels amid national lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak. The portal aims to provide help and support by connecting those who are willing to provide help with those who need help.

•The MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal will provide support in various aspects such as Food, on line Classes, Attendance, Accommodation, Transport, Harassment, Health, Examinations, Scholarships etc. More than 6500 colleges have agreed to provide support to students through this portal.

5) Asian Development Bank releases Asian Development Outlook 2020

•The Asian Development Bank has released its annual economic publication “Asian Development Outlook 2020”. In its annual flagship economic publication “Asian Development Outlook 2020”, the Asian Development Bank has projected India’s growth to slow down to 4% in the current fiscal year i.e. 2020-2021. The ADB has cited weak global demand and the government’s novel coronavirus containment efforts for the slow down in Indian economy.

•While for fiscal year 2021-2022, the Asian Development Bank has projected India’s growth to strengthen to 6.2%, boosted by government reforms. The Asian Development Bank has also estimated the growth in South Asia to decelerate to 4.1% in the fiscal year 2020-2021, hence will face a milder slowdown. Although, the bank expects the growth in South Asia to recover to 6% in the fiscal year 2021-2022.

6) “The Smart Triplets” to be the mascot 19th Asian Games

•The Olympic Council of Asia has announced the official mascots of the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou in 2022. The three robots namely Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen which are collectively known as “The Smart Triplets” will be the official mascots of the 19th Asian Games. The mascot was unveiled by Olympic Council of Asia at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China. The ceremony was held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the whole world to a stand still.