13th April 2020 Current affairs

1. The HRD Ministry has launched ‘YUKTI’ portal to monitor and record the efforts of the ministry in combating COVID-19 related challenges. Yukti stands for Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation.

2. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre had taken place on April 13, 1919 when General Dyer had ordered British troops to open fire on an unarmed crowd of people who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to peacefully protest against the Rowlatt Act.

3. Global technology giants, Google and Apple, announced on April 11, 2020 that they are building software for smartphones, which will help in contact tracing just like Arogya Setu App. The software will inform the users whether they have come in touch with COVID-19 positive people. 

4. Kerala has become the first Indian state to flatten the COVID-19 curve. The state has begun flattening the COVID-19 infection curve, with very few positive cases reported over the last week and more people recovering from the disease.

5. The International Day of Human Space Flight 2020 was observed on April 12, 2020. The day is observed to commemorate the beginning of space era for humankind. The marks the date if the first human space flight, which was carried out by Yuri Gagarin, first human being to journey into outer space.

6. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)  comprises eight member nations including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. 

7. The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement, was launched on August 8, 1942 at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee. The movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule in India.

8. The Director General of the World Health Organisation is Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He is an Ethiopian microbiologist and internationally recognized malaria researcher. He is serving as the Director-General of WHO since 2017.