10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: March 28, 2020

The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country. Established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (No. 59 of 1960), the Animal Welfare Board of India was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, well known humanitarian. From ensuring that animal welfare laws in the country are diligently followed, to provide grants to Animal Welfare Organizations and advising the Government of India on animal welfare issues, the Board has been the face of the animal welfare movement in the country for the last 50 years. The Board consists of 28 Members. The term of office of Members is for a period of 3 years.

The Malabar large spotted civet is one of the world’s rarest mammals. According to IUCN red list it is critically endangered animal .The Malabar large spotted civet’s original habitat was found in the evergreen rain forest belt in the Western Ghats of southwest India, where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes. Natural forests have almost completely disappeared in the entire stretch of the coastal Western Ghats due to human activities. The present vegetation consists mostly of plantations. The cashew plantations are the least disturbed. They are not weeded and have a dense understory of shrubs and grasses. For a terrestrial species such as the Malabar large spotted civet, these thickets can provide important cover. However, it is likely that the cashew plantations are a ‘refuge’ rather than a preferred habitat. Furthermore, most captures of this species in the last 30 years have been in valleys, around riparian areas. This suggests possible dependence on shallow waterways where the civet forages at night.

The United Nations has launched a $2 billion Global Humanitarian Response Plan to fight against COVID-19. The Global Humanitarian Response Plan will be implemented in the world’s most vulnerable countries by UN agencies along with international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Its aim is to deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, medical supplies to treat people, install hand washing stations and launch public information campaigns on prevention.

A virtual G20 Summit was held under the presidency of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the first Arab nation to hold the G20 presidency. G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It was initially founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. However after the 2008 Financial Crisis, the meeting has been held annually since 2010.

Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGN) has launched Project Isaac to engage its students in creative projects to enhance their critical skills while they are confined to their homes because of Corona virus. The official release said, the project is inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, who was similarly sent home by Trinity College, Cambridge, because of the Great Plague of London in 1665. During this year, Newton, then a 22-year-old college student developed some of his most profound discoveries, including early calculus, as well as his theories of optics and gravity. As part of the project, four different competitions are being organized by IIT, Gandhinagar to cultivate new skills among students regarding writing, painting, coding, music, creative expression, and so on. Students can take part in competitions online. Nearly 40 per cent of IITGN students are already participating in various activities, which are entirely voluntary.