Current Affairs Today 1st April 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 1st April 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

• International Transgender Day of Visibility observed globally on 31st March every year.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the merger of 10 state-run banks into four lenders came into effect on 1 April amid the lockdown triggered by coronavirus outbreak.
• The United Nations warned that the world countries face the most challenging crisis since World War II.
• Standard & Poor(S&P) Global Ratings has slashed down India’s growth forecast to 3.5% from 5.2% for the Financial Year(FY)21.
• HDFC Trustee Company Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), has acquired 3.4 crore shares or 5.45% stake in Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet.
• Lifeline Udan flights supplied medical supplies to treat COVID-19 across India.
• The government of India passed “Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020” on 31 March.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has launched a dedicated Twitter handle for COVID-19 updates.
• Maharashtra State government announced a 60% pay cut for all government employees with an aim to financially assist the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Utkal Diwas, meaning Odisha day, is observed on 1 April in Odisha every year.
• A ‘Modi Kitchen‘ has been set up in the Kovai (Coimbatore), Tamil Nadu.
• Himachal Pradesh government has started “Active Case Finding Campaign” in the state.
• The state government of Karnataka has launched a mobile application ‘Corona Watch’.
• The World Bank has announced $1 billion to the Government of India for a proposed India COVID-19 emergency response and health systems preparedness project.
• Pravin Jadhav, the Managing Director and CEO of Paytm Money resigned from the company.
• The Centre has extended the tenure of Reserve Bank Deputy Governor BP Kanungo by a year with effect from April 3, 2020. Kanungo, whose term was to end on April 2, had taken charge as a deputy governor in April 2017.
• The Tokyo Olympic Games have been rescheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021.
• The 2021 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon has been shifted to 2022.
• Nobel Laureate John Maxwell Coetzee, who authored the book “The Death of Jesus”, completed his Jesus trilogy (a group of 3 related novels) with the final book.
• Author & screenwriter Satyarth Nayak authored his 1st non-fiction book titled as ‘Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess’ which is about the late actress Sridevi.
• The Hindu prize (annual) 2019 is awarded to Mirza Waheed’s Tell Her Everything (Fiction)-2019 and Santanu Das’s India, Empire, and First World War Culture: Writings, Images and Songs (Non-Fiction)-2018.
• The US space agency, NASA selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms.
• The Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) asked the Government of India to set up a National Electronics Mission in lines with India’s space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With this, IESA aims to build a homegrown electronics ecosystem that would help the country reduce imports of semiconductor chips and sensors.
• Amidst the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur is developing portable ventilators which will be significantly cheaper than the ones available in the market.
• A team of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has developed a drone to sanitise large areas such as roads, parks and footpaths.
• French football club Olympique de Marseille’s former President Pape Diouf passed away at the age of 68.
• Spanish Princess Maria Teresa has become the first royal to pass away due to COVID-19.
• The legendary historian and educationist, Professor Arjun Dev passed away.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

International Transgender Day of Visibility: March 31

• International Transgender Day of Visibility observed globally on 31st March every year.
• The day is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Merger of 10 PSBs into 4 comes into from 1 April

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the merger of 10 state-run banks into four lenders came into effect on 1 April amid the lockdown triggered by coronavirus outbreak.
• The branches of merging banks will operate as of the banks in which the banks have been amalgamated.

Highlights:

• GoI announced the amalgamation schemes for 10 state-owned banks into four as part of its consolidation plan. The move aimed to create bigger size stronger banks in the public sector.
• The customers of the merging banks will be treated as customers of the banks in which these banks have been merged.
• The amalgamation of 10 PSBs into four Banks include:
• United Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) into Punjab National Bank (PNB)
• Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank
• Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank into Union Bank of India
• Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank

Benefit:

• The major objective of the merger is to achieve India’s vision to make a $5 trillion economy.
• The merger will reduce the lending cost and enhance the capacity in order to increase credit. It will also improve the ability to raise market resources.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

UN report stated COVID-19 is worst crisis since World War II

• The United Nations warned that the world countries face the most challenging crisis since World War II.
• The pandemic is expected to cause a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past.
• The announcement was made by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the launch of the “Report on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19” on 31 March.

Report Highlights:

• UN stated that there is also a high risk that the combination of the disease and economic impact will contribute to enhanced instability, unrest, and conflict.
• The report also highlighted that International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates for the year 2020 which stated 5-25 million jobs will be lost, with a corresponding loss of between $860 million and $3.4 trillion in labor income.
• It pointed to the UN trade and development organization UNCTAD’s estimate of a 30-40% downward pressure on global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in 2020.
• It also recommended establishing a COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support efforts in low- and middle-income countries, with the aim of swiftly enabling governments to tackle the crisis and promote recovery.

Extra Shots:

UN: The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations.

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States
• Official languages: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish;
• Secretary general: António Guterres

S&P lowers India’s growth forecast for FY21 to 3.5% from 5.2%

• Standard & Poor(S&P) Global Ratings has slashed down India’s growth forecast to 3.5% from 5.2% for the Financial Year(FY)21.

Key Points:

• The growth rate has been slashed due to the deteriorating credit conditions in the Asia-Pacific region as a result of Covid-19 outbreak.
• It also expects a sharp growth at 7.3% in the Indian economy for FY22 & also has lowered India’s growth rate to 5.2% from 5.7% before lockdown.

Extra Shots:

S&P:

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• President and Chief Executive Officer(CEO): Douglas L. Peterson

HDFC Trustee company acquires 5.45% stake in SpiceJet

• HDFC Trustee Company Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), has acquired 3.4 crore shares or 5.45% stake in Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet.

Key Points:

• The shares were bought by HDFC trustee from the open market, where the SpiceJet’s shares were trading at Rs 35.65 apiece, a reduction of 3.65% as against the previous close.
• The acquisition shows the confidence of HDFC in the airline, which has suffered a huge impact on their businesses as travel has almost completely reduced due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Extra Shots:

HDFC Trustee Company Limited:

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman: Mr.Vimal Bhandari

SpiceJet:

• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana
• Chairman & Managing Director: Mr Ajay Singh

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

• Lifeline Udan flights supplied medical supplies to treat COVID-19 across India.
• Lifeline Udan flights have transported over 15.4 tonnes of essential medical supplies across India amid coronavirus lockdown.
• The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) stated that 62 Lifeline Udan flights were operated in this regard.

Lifeline Udan:

• Lifeline Udan was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). It was launched to transport essential medical supplies across the country.
• A total of 62 Lifeline Udan flights were operated during the five-day period from 26-30 March.
• The Lifeline Udan cargo includes essential medical supplies for COVID-19 related reagents, medical equipment, enzymes, testing kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks, gloves and other accessories that are required to treat the COVID-19 patients across the country.
• The carriers involved in Lifeline Udan operations include the Indian Air Force (IAF), Pawan Hans, Air India, and Alliance Air.
• Also, few private carriers like Spicejet, Blue Dart, and IndiGo are operating medical cargo flights on a commercial basis.
• The Lifeline Udan flights are planned using a hub and spoke model. Cargo hubs were established in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Kolkata. Lifeline Udan flights connect these hubs to each other and different parts of the country.

Extra Shots:

UDAN scheme:

• UDAN scheme was launched on 27 April 2017. It functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India).
• The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) is known as Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN).
• The main objective of the scheme is to make air travel affordable and possible in the country. It also aims to boost inclusive national economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of all regions and states of India.
• The airlines compete to win subsidies to operate flights that link small airports with bigger airports in the country.

GoI passed Ordinance to make PM CARES donations tax free

• The government of India passed “Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020” on 31 March.
• The Ordinance will give relief in compliance in filing income tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST), customs and central excise returns, to help taxpayers tide over the coronavirus crisis.

Ordinance Highlights:

• The ordinance provides relaxation in several compliances including the extension in deadline to 30 June to make investments in instruments such as National Savings Certificates, Public Provident Fund for claiming income tax benefits.
• The Ordinance seeks amendment to the Income-tax (IT) Act, Benami Act.
• It aims to amend the IT Act to enable a 100% deduction for donations made to the PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. It was set up to enable citizens to contribute to the government’s effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak.
• It will also provide an extension of various time limits for making various investments or payments including for claiming deduction under 80C, 80D, and 80G to 30 June 2020.

GoI introduced dedicated Twitter handle for COVID-19 updates

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has launched a dedicated Twitter handle for COVID-19 updates.

Highlights:

• This dedicated twitter handle has been set up to share news and updates about the novel coronavirus.
• The account is named as #IndiaFightsCorona and it uses the handle @CovidnewsbyMIB.
• The twitter handle would be responsible for sharing authentic information and all updates on Novel Coronavirus. In its first tweet, the dedicated twitter handle has shared the helpline numbers for information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
• With the launch of dedicated Twitter handle #IndiaFightsCorona, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked the citizens to not get “infodemic” with false information and stay updated with correct information on #COVID19.

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Maharashtra announced pay cut of govt employees for March

• Maharashtra State government announced a 60% pay cut for all government employees with an aim to financially assist the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• The decision was made by the Deputy Chief Minister and State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar after consultation with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and various unions of employees.

Pay cut:

• The 60% pay cut will be in the March salaries of the Chief Minister, all other ministers, MLAs, MLCs, and representatives of local governing bodies.
• The salaries of Class I and II will be cut by 50% and of Class III employees will be cut by 25%.
• The state announced no pay cut of remaining classes in the state bureaucracy.
• The move is to provide strong financial support for the state to combat coronavirus.

Extra Shots:

Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

Utkal Diwas is observed on 1 April

• Utkal Diwas, meaning Odisha day, is observed on 1 April in Odisha every year.

Significance:

• The day marks the formation of the state in the year 1936.
• The day remembers the contributions and sacrifices made by the people of Odisha. Utkal Diwas is celebrated in many cities, towns in India and abroad where people from Odisha reside.

‘Modi Kitchen’ set up in Tamil Nadu

• A ‘Modi Kitchen‘ has been set up in the Kovai (Coimbatore), Tamil Nadu.

Highlights:

• The kitchen which has a capacity to serve 500 meals per day will remain operational till 14th April 2020.
• The Modi Kitchen aims to deliver food parcels within a range of radius of 10 kms and has been set up in one of the main shopping areas of the city.
• This initiative has been taken by the functionaries of the Common Service Centre amid the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Extra Shots:

Tamilnadu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
• National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,             Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

“Active Case Finding Campaign” begins in Himachal Pradesh

• Himachal Pradesh government has started “Active Case Finding Campaign” in the state.

Campaign Highlights:

• The campaign has been rolled out in the state to provide information about the symptoms of COVID-19 to the people at their doorsteps.
• Under the “Active Case Finding Campaign”, the information would be provided to the people by the health workers.
• Every ASHA worker with a two-person team will reach out every house in the village and collect health information of every person.
• The collected information would be shared by the team with the department via Google form.

Extra Shots:

Himachal Pradesh:

• State formed on: 25 January 1971
• Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
• Chief Justice: Lingappa Narayana Swamy
• Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur
• Official language: Hindi

Karnataka government launches ‘Corona Watch’ app

• The state government of Karnataka has launched a mobile application ‘Corona Watch’.

About the App:

• The mobile application aims to track the movement history of persons tested positive, before their detection in order to take precautions and to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
• The app will also provide the date and time of visit to spots by the patients. ‘Corona Watch’ app also comprises a list of government designated first response hospitals for COVID-19 where citizen with symptoms can visit. In addition to ‘Corona Watch’ app, the Karnataka government has also constituted a ten member Task Force on COVID-19.
• The task force is utilizing IT applications & GPS to track individuals who are suspected of novel Corona Virus infection.
• The quarantined persons have been ordered to declare their location every day during the 14 day quarantine period.

Extra Shots:

Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

World Bank offered USD 1 bn for proposed India project

• The World Bank has announced $1 billion to the Government of India for a proposed India COVID-19 emergency response and health systems preparedness project.
• The World Bank funding allocated the fund from its COVID-19 fast-track facility.

Project:

• The span of the proposed project is four-years. The project aims to develop the preparedness of India’s health care systems in the time of the pandemic.
• The main objective of the project is to respond and mitigate the COVID-19 threat and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in India.
• Under this both the World Bank and the Government of India will work on following the best international practice.
• The project will measure progress on key indicators such as the proportion of laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 who responded within 48 hours and the proportion of specimens submitted for SARS-COV-2 laboratory testing confirmed within WHO stipuIated standard time.
• The government has assessed that outbreaks like COVID-19 might continue in the coming years, and hence there needs to be a long-term strategy to tackle the disease.

Extra Shots:

WB: The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of poorer countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association.

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
• Parent organization: World Bank Group
• Founded: 1944
• Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White

APPOINTMENT

Pravin Jadhav resigns as MD and CEO of Paytm Money

• Pravin Jadhav, the Managing Director and CEO of Paytm Money resigned from the company. He will be relieved by the end of April.
• The reason cited for his resignation was differences over ESOPs, annual salary, and remuneration.

Pravin Jadhav:

• Jadhav was elevated as MD and CEO in September 2019.
• Previously, he was associated with the wealth management platform since the inception of the firm. From 2017, he served with Paytm Money in various roles like a consultant, director, and MD.

Extra Shots:

Paytm Money:

• Paytm Money was founded in 2019 by Jadhav. So far, the payment has around Rs.5000 crore assets under its management.
• Paytm money is one of the big bets played by the payments unicorn. It is a product of Paytm.
• Founded on: August 2010
• Headquarters: Uttar Pradesh, India
• Founded by: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• CEO & President: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Vice president: Ajay Shekhar Sharma

RBI Deputy Governor BP Kanungo gets one-year extension

• The Centre has extended the tenure of Reserve Bank Deputy Governor BP Kanungo by a year with effect from April 3, 2020. Kanungo, whose term was to end on April 2, had taken charge as a deputy governor in April 2017.
• Kanungo has under him at the RBI the Department of Currency Management, Department of External Investments & Operations, Department of Government & Bank Accounts, Department of Information Technology and Department of Payment & Settlement System.
• Other departments are Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), Foreign Exchange Department, Internal Debt Management Department, Legal Department and Right to Information departments. The apex bank has four deputy governors. Other three are S Vishwanathan, M K Jain and Michael Debabrata Patra.

Extra Shots:

RBI: The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central banking institution, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee.

• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors: B P Kanungo, M K Jain

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Tokyo Olympics games rescheduled to 2021 July

• The Tokyo Olympic Games have been rescheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021.
• The announcement was made by the organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games on 30 March.
• The Paralympic Games will be held from 24 August to 5 September 2021. International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also announced the official date on its website.

Background:

• The Olympics was earlier scheduled to be held from 24 July to 9 August 2020, with the Paralympics on 25 August.
• The game was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Japan announced that it had secured agreement from the IOC to postpone the Games.
• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the games will be held in around a year.
• The Olympic flame which was lit would be displayed for a month at the J-Village sports complex in Fukushima, Tokyo.

Extra Shots:

International Olympic Committee (IOC):

• Formed on: 23 June 1894
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Honorary President: Belgium Jacques Rogge
• President: Germany Thomas Bach
• Director-General: Belgium Christophe De Kepper

World Athletics Championships rescheduled to 2022 due to Tokyo Olympics

• The 2021 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon has been shifted to 2022.
• The move is to accommodate the re-arranged Tokyo Olympics which was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
• The move was made by the World Athletics to support the Japanese organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• New dates were not announced yet.

Background:

• The world athletics championships were scheduled to be held in Eugene on 6-15 August 2021.
• It is expected that the rescheduling will give the athletes enough time they need to get back into training and competition.
• World Athletics also discussed with the Commonwealth Games Federation to move the dates from 2021 to 2022 as the Commonwealth Games were scheduled to be held In the English city of Birmingham on 27 July to 7 August 2022.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A book titled The Death of Jesus authored by JM Coetzee

• Nobel Laureate John Maxwell Coetzee, who authored the book “The Death of Jesus”, completed his Jesus trilogy (a group of 3 related novels) with the final book.
• The book explores the meaning of a world empty of memory but brimming with questions.

Key Points:

• The book comprises 3 novels: The Childhood of Jesus, The Schooldays of Jesus and the Death of Jesus.
• Publisher: All the books in the trilogy have been published by Penguin Random House.
• About JM Coetzee: He is a South-African born novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature.
• Other awards of Coetzee: He also won the Booker Prize, the CNA (Central News Agency) Prize, the Jerusalem Prize, Prix Femina étranger (French literary award), the Irish Times International Fiction Prize etc., and honorary doctorates.

Satyarth Nayak authored a book- ‘Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess’

• Author & screenwriter Satyarth Nayak authored his 1st non-fiction book titled as ‘Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess’ which is about the late actress Sridevi.
• It is published by Penguin eBury Press

Key Points:

• The book states about her cinematic journey from child star to megastar & also give glimpses of her as a person, sister, mother & wife.
• Satyarth Nayak is known for his bestselling novel The Emperor’s Riddles(2014), a historical thriller.
• He has won the Youth Inspiration Award (Literature) 2017, Shri Award for Men Achievers (Literature) 2016,South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)Heal Honour Award 2008.

AWARDS

Mirza Waheed and Santanu Das win The Hindu Prize 2019

• The Hindu prize (annual) 2019 is awarded to Mirza Waheed’s Tell Her Everything (Fiction)-2019 and Santanu Das’s India, Empire, and First World War Culture: Writings, Images and Songs (Non-Fiction)-2018.

Key Points

• Mirza Waheed’s novel talks about human ethics, noble love & the corrosive nature of companionship & is published by Westland Publications Limited (Context).
• He also has written 2 other novels namely: The Collaborator(2012), The Book of Gold Leaves(2014) & also is a journalist.
• Santanu Das’ book retrieves the intellectual worlds of militants, non-combatants and civilians from India, who were not divided in World War I, is published by Cambridge University Press.
• He also has written Touch and Intimacy in First World War Literature(2006).
• Prize was founded in 2010 to honor writers who have spent the rest of their lives mining the human spirit with their words & ideas.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA to launch SunRISE mission to study Solar Particle Storms

• The US space agency, NASA selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms.

SunRISE Mission:

• The SunRISE mission will aid scientists to understand the working of the Solar System. The mission is believed to help protect future astronauts from Solar Storms while going to the Moon or Mars.
• As a part of the Explorers Program, SunRise mission was one of two missions selected by NASA in August 2017 for the Mission of Opportunity program.
• The mission initially conducted an 11-month concept study. It was extended for another year, for formulation study, by NASA in February 2019 for the program.
• The mission is led by Justin Kasper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
• In March 2020, the Mission was awarded $62.6 million to design, build, and launch the mission. The NET launch date of the SunRISE mission is 1 July 2023.

Extra Shots:

NASA:

• Formed on: 29 July 1958
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Administrator: Jim Bridenstine
• Deputy Administrator: James Morhard

IESA sought ISRO type commission for electronics

• The Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) asked the Government of India to set up a National Electronics Mission in lines with India’s space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With this, IESA aims to build a homegrown electronics ecosystem that would help the country reduce imports of semiconductor chips and sensors.
• With that, it aims to spearhead all the activities and for making India a design-led manufacturing hub for the world.
• IESA also sought the Central government to allocate $1 billion for an Indian electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) Innovation fund.
• It aims to help startups design and build local electronics products.

IESA:

• IESA is responsible for the development of a vibrant Indian Electronics and Semiconductor ecosystem. Its main objective is to establish “Brand India” that is recognized worldwide as a go-to destination for electronic products.
• It also aims to bring the Indian government, industry, and academia on a common platform and jointly work to develop and promote Made-in-India products for the global markets.
• The Chairman of IESA is Jitendra Chaddah, Senior Director, Operations and Strategic Relations, Intel India. The Vice-Chairman of IESA is Dr.Satya Gupta, CEO, Seedeyas Innovation.

Extra Shots:

ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bengaluru. Its vision is to “harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research & planetary exploration”.

• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Parent organisation: Department of Space
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan
• Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

IIT Kanpur to develop low-cost portable ventilator

• Amidst the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur is developing portable ventilators which will be significantly cheaper than the ones available in the market.
• The prototype of this ventilator will be ready very soon and just after assembling, it can be used as a life support system.
• The ventilator is a very important medical equipment for COVID-19 Patients, especially those who are old and the virus can prove fatal to them.

About the lifesaver portable ventilator:

• The BioScience and BioEngineering department of IIT Kanpur has prepared a design of lifesaver portable ventilator.
• Two graduates from the institute Nikhil Kurule and Harshit Rathore who are running a start-up called “Nocca Robotics” incubated at IIT Kanpur, have developed a prototype for the portable ventilator. IIT, Kanpur has formed a nine-member team, including doctors from Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences (NICS), Bangalore to vet the prototype following which the start-up will get around 1000 portable ventilators ready within a month.

IIT Guwahati team develops drone to sanitise large areas

• A team of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has developed a drone to sanitise large areas such as roads, parks and footpaths.
• The drone comprises of automated sprayer which will help the authorities to sanitise large areas in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

About the Drone:

• The drone installed with automated sprayer has the capability of accomplishing the task of sanitising the area in less than 15 minutes which would otherwise take a person 1.5 days of work.
• The drone can be operated by using a mobile app and will enable just one person in sanitizing large areas.
• Hence, it is an effective alternative to the manual spraying disinfectants which needs more cleaners.
• The drone has a signal range of 3 km and can cover more than 1.2 hectare in one flight and more than 60 hectares in a day.

OBITUARIES

Pape Diouf passed away due to complications from coronavirus

• French football club Olympique de Marseille’s former President Pape Diouf passed away at the age of 68.
• He died due to complications from COVID-19 on 31 March.
• Diouf served as the President of Ligue 1 club Marseille between 2005 and 2009.
• Prior to this, he worked as a journalist, covering the exploits of Marseille’s football team among other sports. He then became a player and agent with Marseille.

Spain Princess Maria Teresa becomes 1st royal to die from COVID-19

• Spanish Princess Maria Teresa has become the first royal to pass away due to COVID-19.
• She was born on July 28, 1933, and studied in France and became a professor at Paris’ Sorbonne as well as a professor of Sociology at Madrid’s Complutense University.
• She was known for her outspoken views and activist work, which led to her nickname the “Red Princess.”

Legendary historian Arjun Dev passes away

• The legendary historian and educationist, Professor Arjun Dev passed away.
• He was born on November 12, 1938, in Leiah, West Punjab (now in Pakistan).
• He served as a historian at the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT).
• Arjun Dev served as Member Secretary of the National Steering Committee on Textbook evaluation.
• One of his books, which was discontinued by NCERT and was republished by Orient Blackswan as “History of the World: From the Late 19th to the Early 20th century”, has remained a widely read text.

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