Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 26th and 27th April 2020. These are important for the upcoming Exams. Candidates who were preparing for the examination can use these current affairs and also you can download the same as PDF.
Current Affairs Today – 26th and 27th April 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- The World Veterinary Day was observed on 25 April 2020.
- Basava Jayanthi was celebrated on 26 April.
- World Intellectual Property Day is observed on 26 April every year.
- International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on 26 April.
- The Leading forex and payment solutions provider Transcorp International Limited (TIL), to receive Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nod to enter into co-branding arrangements for prepaid Instruments to be used in over 35 lakh stores and online gateways due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
- State-owned Bank of Baroda on Saturday said it will provide an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of business correspondents (BCs) in case of loss of life due to COVID-19. It will also provide health insurance cover of Rs 60,000 to the BCs.
- The banking services have been brought under the Industrial Disputed Act in order to prevent strikes by the employees of banking sector.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced Rs.50,000 crore liquidity support for Mutual Funds (MFs) on 27 April 2020.
- The Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) will receive a funding of US$82 million (Rs 585 crore) from World Bank (WB) for the upgradation of major roads and modernization of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Himachal Pradesh (HP).
- The CARE Ratings has projected the gross domestic product (GDP) of India for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-2021 between 1.1%-1.2% amid nationwide lockdown resulting in disruptions and halting of activities.
- IT group HCL on Friday said it has partnered the Tamil Nadu government to set up a Disaster Management-Data Analytics Centre to strengthen the state’s disaster management efforts amid the COVID 19 pandemic.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 11th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’ on 26 April. PM appreciated the resolve of the people as to how at each and every place, people have come forward to help each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- India’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd, has invited Global Expression of Interest (EoI) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based electric cars in Leh and Delhi.
- NTPC Vindhyachal Power Plant has become the largest power plant in India to achieve 100 percent Plant Load Factor (PLF).
- Under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Centre is planning to transport and milling of pulses in the country to distribute one kilogram of pulses to about 20 crore households for 3 months.
- Assam government has launched a new scheme named Dhanwantari.
- A government hospital in Ernakulam here has deployed a robot to serve food and medicines to coronavirus patients with an aim to reduce risk of infections for doctors and health workers.
- Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister (CM) Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launched zero interest loan scheme for Women Self-Help Groups(SHGs) by releasing a sum of Rs 1,400 crores to 8.78 lakh SHGs (to benefit about 91 lakh members) for the welfare of women.
- Madhya Pradesh government has launched the “Jivan Shakti Yojana” for women and aims at providing home-based employment for women.
- The King George Medical University in Uttar Pradesh became the first government hospital to launch plasma therapy to treat COVID-19.
- Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh announced that five out of the eight states in the North-East are corona-free now.
- The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to come up with a special package to ensure that not even a single employee out of the nine lakh workforce in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is sacked.
- Uttar Pradesh government has banned all public functions till the 30th of June.
- Hubble Space Telescope celebrates the 30th anniversary on 24 April 2020.
- The Australian government has launched a coronavirus tracking app called COVIDSafe that will help to trace people who come into contact with someone with COVID-19.
- The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired a series of anti-ship missiles in the North Arabian Sea on 25 April.
- India sent 50,000 surgical gloves and one lakh tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to Bangladesh to help its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Saudi Arabia will no longer impose the death penalty on people who committed crimes while still minors.
- Over a million Australians have downloaded the government’s coronavirus tracing app within hours of its launch.
- A US Hindu organisation has set up a unique programme for COVID-19 survivors to donate their blood plasma for therapy to save severely ill patients with respiratory failure.
- The second edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, was released on 22 April 2020.
- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, has collaborated with Hyderabad-based integrated pharmaceutical company, LAXAI Life Sciences, to develop and manufacture Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug intermediates.
- The Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF of ICICI picked up share of value Rs.59 Crore in the National Aluminium Company (NALCO) through the open market transaction.
- Former Pakistan skipper and Women Cricket team Captain, Sana Mir announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 34, ending her 15 year career currently ranking 9th in ICC’s ODI and 41st in T20I bowlers list
- Mathias Boe, 39 years old, badminton doubles player from Denmark announced retirement from international badminton.
- Scientists at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, have developed a herbal decongestant spray.
- Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) have developed carbon nitride quantum dots (g-CNQDs), a low-cost metal-free nanomaterial for visible light microbial disinfection.
- A team from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir has developed “Ruhdaar,” a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials.
- Veteran sports photojournalist Ronojoy ‘Ronny’ Roy passed away.
- Veteran Congress leader Devanand Konwar, who had served as the Governor of Bihar and Tripura, has passed away of old age ailments.
NEWS IN DETAILS
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
World Veterinary Day was observed on 25 April
- The World Veterinary Day was observed on 25 April 2020.
- The day is observed on the last Saturday of April of every year.
- The day provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and society.
Theme:
- The theme for 2020 World Veterinary Day is “Environmental protection for improving animal and human health.”
- The day is initiated by the World Veterinary Association (WVA).
World Veterinary Day Award:
- On this day, the WVA and global animal medicines association ‘Health for Animals’ will give the World Veterinary Day Award and a sum of $2,500 to a WVA member working alone or with other groups.
- The award will be presented to the person who submits the best contribution based on the annual theme.
Basava Jayanthi was celebrated on 26 April
- Basava Jayanthi was celebrated on 26 April.
- It is an annual event that is celebrated in the honour of the birth of Vishwaguru Basaveshwara, the 12th-century philosopher and social reformer.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Lord Basaveshwara and greeted the people on the occasion of Basava Jayanthi.
- The day aims to spread Lord Basavanna’s works and his ideas around the world to make the world a better place.
Note:
- In November 2015, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue of Basaveshwara along the bank of the River Thames at Lambeth in London. Also in 2017, the PM suggested the digitization of holy Vachanas of Basavanna, which was done later.
World Intellectual Property Day is observed on 26 April
- World Intellectual Property Day is observed on 26 April every year.
- The day is observed to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity.
Aim:
- World Intellectual Property Day provides an opportunity for IP offices, enterprises, and inventors to discuss and connect with each other about new innovations that will help to shape the world and improve the living of people.
Theme:
- The World Intellectual Property Day 2020 carves a pathway to a green future. Hence, WIPO organizes a campaign “Innovate for a green future” that aims to create awareness about the need to preserve the environment.
Extra Shots:
World Intellectual Property Organization:
- Established on: 14 July 1967
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Director-General: Francis Gurry
- Member States: 191
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on 26 April
- International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on 26 April.
- The day aims to raise awareness of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general.
History:
- The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1977. It was built to help make electricity for the infrastructure of the Soviet Union (present Pripyat, Ukraine) to develop economic growth. On 26 April 1986, a reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant experienced a catastrophic explosion and fire. It released unprecedented levels of radioactive materials into the atmosphere.
Extra Shots:
Ukraine (Capital/Currency):Kiev/ Ukrainian hryvnia
- President: Volodymyr Zelensky
- Prime Minister: Denys Shmyhal
BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Transcorp becomes the 1st non-bank company to receive RBI nod to enter into co-branding arrangements
- The Leading forex and payment solutions provider Transcorp International Limited (TIL), to receive Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nod to enter into co-branding arrangements for prepaid Instruments to be used in over 35 lakh stores and online gateways due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights:
- It will launch Application Programming Interface (API) based co-branded partnerships for digital, physical and contactless cards with select marquee clients in its own Bank Identification Number (BINs).
- These cards can be used by partners, financial institutions and corporate houses to ease their core business activities & facilitates the accounting department to manage expenses by not having to check every individual bill & eliminates cash as a medium of paying for company expenses
- Cards allow safe transactions to serve their existing and new customers even if they do not have a bank account & will replace cash payment for all value transactions up to Rs. 1,00,000.
- It is the 1st non-bank player in India to issue National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC/One Nation One Card) by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) certification to be used in Transit Systems and Smart Cities.
Extra Shots:
TIL:
- It is a Public Limited Company incorporated in 1994, is listed with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) with a turnover of Rs. 2300 crore.
- Headquarters: Jaipur, Rajasthan
- CEO: Amitava Ghosh
Bank of Baroda announces ex-gratia, health cover for business correspondents
- State-owned Bank of Baroda on Saturday said it will provide an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of business correspondents (BCs) in case of loss of life due to COVID-19. It will also provide health insurance cover of Rs 60,000 to the BCs.
- The bank has taken steps for BCs’ financial security, in terms of ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the nominee in case of loss of life due to COVID-19, and health insurance facility of Rs 60,000 to each active BC.
- In the first tranche, Rs 2,000 was provided to each active and functional BC in the month of April 2020. In May, each functional BC will be provided Rs 1,000 for hygiene maintenanceFurther, the bank will pay an amount of Rs 100 per working day towards transportation as an incentive to the BCs to encourage them to extend their services from 10 am to 5 pm till June 30, 2020, (except where local level restrictions are imposed), subject to minimum 40 transactions.
Extra Shots:
BOB: Bank of Baroda is an Indian Multinational, public sector Banking and Financial Services company. It is the third largest public sector bank in India with a business mix of close to US$225 billion. Based on 2019 data, it is ranked 1145 on Forbes Global 2000 list.
- CEO: P. S. Jayakumar
- Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara
Banking Services made Public Utility Services
- The banking services have been brought under the Industrial Disputed Act in order to prevent strikes by the employees of banking sector.
- The order has been passed by the labour ministry.
- This would mean that the banking sector would not see any strikes by employees or officers during the operation of the law starting from April 21 till October 21, 2020.
- The notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- The notifications read as – “services engaged in the Banking industry, which is covered under item 2 of the First Schedule to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (14 of 1947), to be a public utility service.”
- Reasons for the order There are several decisions of the government that the bank unions do not agree. For instance, several bank unions protested against the bank mergers.
- The unions did not agree to the merger as they believed that consolidation of banks will lead to closing down of branches.
Extra Shots:
Public Utility Services:
- The Public Utility Services are those services that operate as public service corporation.
- They provide essential services such as telephones, electricity, natural gas, postal services and water.
RBI announced Rs.50,000 crore liquidity for Mutual Funds
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced Rs.50,000 crore liquidity support for Mutual Funds (MFs) on 27 April 2020.
- It approved the funds under the special liquidity facility scheme effective from 27 April.
- RBI’s move comes after Franklin Templeton’s decision to close 6 debt funds and put redemptions on hold indefinitely.
Highlights:
- Under this move, the RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate. The facility will be on-tap and open-ended, and banks can submit their bids to avail funding on any day from 27 April- 1 May.
- The funds availed under the scheme can be used by banks exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of MFs by extending loans, and undertaking the outright purchase of and/or repo against the collateral of investment-grade corporate bonds, commercial papers (CPS), debentures and certificates of Deposit (CDs) held by MFs.
- The move by the Central Bank will increase confidence among investors.
- RBI has also added liquidity support that can be availed under the scheme which would be eligible to be classified as held to maturity (HTM), even in excess of 25% of the total investment that is permitted in the HTM portfolio.
- Exposures under this facility will not apply under the Large Exposure Framework (LEF). The face value of securities kept in the HTM category will not be reckoned for computation of adjusted non-food bank credit (ANBC) for the purpose of determining priority sector targets.
- The support extended to MFs under the Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds (SLF-MF) shall be exempted from banks’ capital market exposure limits.
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, N S Vishwanathan
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
World Bank Approves Rs 585 cr for Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project
- The Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) will receive a funding of US$82 million (Rs 585 crore) from World Bank (WB) for the upgradation of major roads and modernization of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Himachal Pradesh (HP).
- Under the project, Road construction work of Barotiwala-Baddi-Sain-Ramshehar with length of 45 kms, Dadol-Ladraurr Road with length of 14.5 kms, Mandi- Riwalsar-Kalkhar of length 28 kms and Raghunathpura-Mandi- Harpura-Bharari road with length of 3.5 kms would be undertaken in tranche -one.
- The target of construction of 900 kilometres road length was fixed for the year 2019-20 but 800 kilometres roads could be constructed during the outbreak of coronavirus. On the other hand 1666 crore rupees had been allocated for target construction of 4960 kilometres of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) for the year 2020-21.
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
World Bank: 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
- Parent organization: World Bank Group
- Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
- Founded: 1944
- Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White
CARE Ratings projected 1.1%-1.2% GDP growth in FY21; declined for FY20 to 4.7% from 5%
- The CARE Ratings has projected the gross domestic product (GDP) of India for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-2021 between 1.1%-1.2% amid nationwide lockdown resulting in disruptions and halting of activities.
- The lockdown was announced on March 24 for 21 days, which has now been extended until May 3, 2020.
- The agency also revised the GDP forecast for FY20 by declining it to 4.7% from 5% with GVA growth expected at 4.6%.
Extra Shots:
CARE Rating:
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- MD& CEO: Ajay Mahajan
HCL sets up disaster management-data analytics centre for Tamil Nadu government
- IT group HCL on Friday said it has partnered the Tamil Nadu government to set up a Disaster Management-Data Analytics Centre to strengthen the state’s disaster management efforts amid the COVID 19 pandemic.
- The Noida-based group is also helping to improve and expand the state’s disaster management helpline (1070) through technological upgradation
- The Disaster Management-Data Analytics Centre will help capture data trends from across all districts of Tamil Nadu in real time and display them live to inform the government’s future decisions on degree of response needed for each district
- HCL is also helping upgrade the existing call centre (helpline 1070) that delivers the first level of response in any emergency in the state.
- HCL is implementing an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system to effectively route calls between different government departments and, also put in place an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to help direct the queries to the appropriate state helplines.
Extra Shots:
HCL Technologies Limited is an Indian multinational information technology service and consulting company headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It is a subsidiary of HCL Enterprise.
- CEO: C Vijayakumar, Roshni Nadar
- Founders: Shiv Nadar, Arjun Malhotra
- Parent organization: HCL Enterprise
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
PM addressed 11th Episode of Mann Ki Baat 2.0
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 11th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’ on 26 April. PM appreciated the resolve of the people as to how at each and every place, people have come forward to help each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights:
- In his address, the PM urged the people to wear a mask if people want to save themselves and others from disease. He also suggested people use a Gamchha or a light towel to cover the face.
- The PM urged the people to understand the damage that can be caused by spitting in public places and eradicate the spitting habit.
- He lauded the Centre, State Governments, each and every department and institution working hand in hand for relief at full speed to combat COVID-19.
- PM also commended the state governments for playing a very proactive role in dealing with this pandemic.
- Modi talked about the Government’s Digital Platform covidwarriors.gov.in where the volunteers of social organizations, representatives of civil society, and local administration have been linked with each other through this platform.
Extra Shots:
Mann Ki Baat:
- Mann Ki Baat, an Indian radio program, is hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the program, he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National and DD News. The show was originally released on 3 October 2014.
- The program aims to deliver the PM’s voice to the general masses of India. It also aims to positivity, spread joy, and celebrate the strength of 130 crore Indians. People can share their queries and questions on the NaMo App Open Forum. To record the messages, people can dial the toll-free number 1800-11-7800.
NTPC launched Hydrogen Fuel bus and car project for Leh, New Delhi
- India’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd, has invited Global Expression of Interest (EoI) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based electric cars in Leh and Delhi.
Highlights:
- The first of its kind move aims to procure Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based vehicles is a project in the country. It will provide complete solutions from green energy to the fuel cell vehicle.
- The EoI has been issued by NTPC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited.
- The initiative is undertaken with support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
- It will support renewable energy for the generation of hydrogen and develop the storage and dispensation facilities under the pilot projects at Leh and Delhi.
- The move aims to launch hydrogen-powered vehicles at the decarbonizing mobility segment.
- Around 90 public charging stations in various cities and battery charging and swapping stations at Faridabad for e-3-wheelers have already been commissioned.
- Also, the e-Bus solution for Andaman & Nicobar Administration is under implementation.
Extra Shots:
NTPC:
- Founded: 1975
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Owner: Government of India
- CEO: Gurdeep Singh
NTPC Vindhyachal becomes India’s largest power plant to achieve 100 percent Plant Load Factor
- NTPC Vindhyachal Power Plant has become the largest power plant in India to achieve 100 percent Plant Load Factor (PLF).
- The 100 percent PLF means that the power plant was run at its full capacity of 3760 MW for a certain period.
- NTPC Vindhyachal is located in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.
Extra Shots:
NTPC:
- Founded: 1975
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Owner: Government of India
- CEO: Gurdeep Singh
NAFED distributed around 6 lakh MT pulses to nearly 20 crore households for 3 months under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
- Under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Centre is planning to transport and milling of pulses in the country to distribute one kilogram of pulses to about 20 crore households for 3 months.
Highlights:
- The massive operation includes the lifting of un-milled pulses from the godowns, getting the pulses cleaned, and then reaching them to the states for distribution.
- Under the scheme, NAFED will distribute around 5.88 lakh metric tonnes (MT) pulses to about 20 crore National Food Security Act households through ration shops for 3 months. Most of the beneficiaries will receive the quota for the first month within April or the latest by the first week of May.
- In the first move, several States and Union Territories (UT) will get the pulses for all three months. The remaining state will preferably within the third week of May.
- The operation will involve about 2 lakh truck trips and loading and unloading operation over a period of four weeks.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Assam Government Launches ‘Dhanwantari’ Scheme for home delivery of Medicines to Patients
- Assam government has launched a new scheme named Dhanwantari.
Highlights:
- Under this scheme, the locally unavailable medicines due to the lockdown shall be delivered to patients at home, if these are not available within their radius of 10 km.
- The patients can send their prescriptions over the telephone or inform the health workers and the health department will ensure that it is delivered to them even if it is not in the list of available free medicines.
- Medicines below Rs 200 will be provided to free of cost to patients, but if it is more than that, it will be charged.
- The patients can send their prescriptions over the telephone or inform the health workers and the health department will ensure that it is delivered to them even if it is not in the list of available free medicines.
Kerala govt hospital launches ‘KARMI-Bot’ to serve COVID-19 patients
- A government hospital in Ernakulam here has deployed a robot to serve food and medicines to coronavirus patients with an aim to reduce risk of infections for doctors and health workers.
- Malayalam star Mohanlal’s Viswasanthi Foundation donated the autonomous robot to the COVID-19 ward of the Ernakulam government medical college hospital.
- The robot named ‘KARMI-Bot’ will be used to assist patients at the medical college’s COVID-19 isolation ward from Saturday onwards.
- The robot is developed by ASIMOV robotics, a company working under maker village of Kerala start-up mission.
- The purpose of this project is to limit the interaction between COVID-19 patients and health workers as well as to address the shortage of PPE kits by minimizing its use.
Extra Shots:
Kerala:
- Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
- Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
- Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
- Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
- National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc
AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launches zero interest loan scheme for Women SHGs
- Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister (CM) Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launched zero interest loan scheme for Women Self-Help Groups(SHGs) by releasing a sum of Rs 1,400 crores to 8.78 lakh SHGs (to benefit about 91 lakh members) for the welfare of women.
- Each SHG will receive a sum ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 towards the interest component on their loans.
- Currently SHG are securing loans from banks at an interest rate of 7 to 13%.
- The State will also distribute house-sites to over 27 lakh women on July 8 as the programme got postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Extra Shots:
Andhra Pradesh:
- Capital: Amravati
- Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
- State Formed in: 1 November 1956
- Literacy Rate: 67.4%
Madhya Pradesh govt launches Jivan Shakti Yojana for women
- Madhya Pradesh government has launched the “Jivan Shakti Yojana” for women and aims at providing home-based employment for women.
- Under this scheme, women entrepreneurs of urban areas in MP can start the construction of masks by registering themselves on a portal.
- The masks manufactured by women will be purchased at the district level at the rate fixed by the Madhya Pradesh government.
Extra Shots:
Madhya Pradesh:
- Capital: Bhopal
- Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
- Governor: Lalji Tandon
- National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP
Lucknow Medical Hospital first in the country to launch Plasma Treatment Therapy
- The King George Medical University in Uttar Pradesh became the first government hospital to launch plasma therapy to treat COVID-19. The first dose of plasma therapy was given to a 58-year old patient.
- The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) recently cleared the proposal of plasma therapy that was submitted by ICMR. The DGCI nodded to use plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients.
Extra Shots:
Uttar Pradesh:
- Capital: Lucknow
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Governor: Anandiben Patel
- State formed in: 24 January 1950
- Literacy Rate: 67.68%
- Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park
Five out of eight Northeast states are coronavirus-free
- Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh announced that five out of the eight states in the North-East are corona-free now.
- those five states are – Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.
- “Three states in the region – Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram – are not corona-free but there have been no new positive cases in these states in the recent past.
Extra Shots:
Sikkim:
- Capital: Gangtok
- Chief Minister: Pawan Kumar Chamling
- Governor: Ganga Prasad
- Literacy Rate: 81.42%
Arunachal Pradesh:
- Statehood day: 20 February 1987
- Governor: Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.)
- Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
- Capital: Itanagar
- Districts: 25
- Official languages: English
- Literacy: 66.95%
Nagaland:
- Capital: Kohima
- Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio
- Governor: RN Ravi
- National Park: Intanki National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuary: Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, Puliebadze Wildlife Sanctuary, Rangapahar Wildlife Sanctuary
Andhra Pradesh government to announce special package for MSMEs soon to prevent job cuts
- The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to come up with a special package to ensure that not even a single employee out of the nine lakh workforce in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is sacked.
- The State government will announce the package next week to rescue the MSME sector from COVID blues, Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy revealed.
- The government, which focuses on the way forward by resuming operation of industries after lockdown, has also decided to change priorities in the new industrial policy 2020-2025 to be rolled out soon after analysing the existing scenario.
Extra Shots:
Andhra Pradesh:
- Capital: Amravati
- Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
- State Formed in: 1 November 1956
- Literacy Rate: 67.4%
Uttar Pradesh government bans all public functions till 30th June
- Uttar Pradesh government has banned all public functions till the 30th of June.
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officers that no public gathering should be allowed in the state till June 30 amid the coronavirus outbreak.
- Further decision will be taken depending on the situation.
- The move comes after the Chief Minister held a meeting with chairpersons of 11 committees of the state over the COVID-19 situation.
Extra Shots:
Uttar Pradesh:
- Capital: Lucknow
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Governor: Anandiben Patel
- State formed in: 24 January 1950
- Literacy Rate: 67.68%
- Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 30th anniversary
- Hubble Space Telescope celebrates the 30th anniversary on 24 April 2020.
- The unique design of the telescope has allowed being repaired and upgraded with advanced technology by astronauts.
- The telescope is one of NASA’s longest-living and most valuable observatories.
- It has beamed transformational astronomical images to Earth for decades.
- Hubble is expected to sustain through the 2020s.
- Also, a second-generation space telescope named “James Webb Space Telescope” has been scheduled to launch in 2021.
Extra Shots:
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope but it is one of the largest and most versatile, well known both as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy.
Australian Government Launches Controversial Coronavirus Tracking App ‘COVIDSafe’
- The Australian government has launched a coronavirus tracking app called COVIDSafe that will help to trace people who come into contact with someone with COVID-19.
- The app uses Bluetooth signals. The app will record the Bluetooth connections a phone makes with others so that incase a person catches the virus, the data can be used by state health authorities.
- The contact numbers picked up by a person’s phone can only be downloaded by a health officer when someone gets the coronavirus.
- The app is voluntary and will not track the location.
Extra Shots:
Australia (Capital/Currency): Canberra/ Australian Dollar
- Prime Minister: Scott Morrison
Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired anti-ship missiles
- The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired a series of anti-ship missiles in the North Arabian Sea on 25 April.
- The missile test was witnessed by the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.
Anti-missile test:
- The anti-ship missiles were fired from surface ships, fixed and rotary-wing aircraft at the sea level by warships and aircraft.
- The missile firing was a testament to the Pakistan Navy’s operational capability and military readiness.
- The test by the Pakistan Navy stated that the country is now fully capable to respond to the enemy’s aggression befittingly.
Extra Shots:
Pakistan (Capital/Currency): Islamabad/Pakistani Rupees
- Prime Minister: Imran Khan
- President: Arif Alvi
India provided Bangladesh one lakh anti-malarial HCQ tablets and 50,000 surgical gloves
- India sent 50,000 surgical gloves and one lakh tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to Bangladesh to help its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The information was passed by India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das.
Highlights:
- Earlier, India took the initiative and organised a conference of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders on the COVID-19 pandemic during which a SAARC emergency fund was launched.
- Under this initiative, India Provided one lakh HCQ medicines and 50,000 surgical gloves which can be used by the healthcare professional.
- India has also launched an initiative to conduct online courses that could help the medical professionals in the country.
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur conducted a course that was attended by many people from Bangladesh.
Extra Shots:
Bangladesh (Capital/Currency): Dhaka/Taka
- Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina
Saudi Arabia ends executions for crimes committed by minors
- Saudi Arabia will no longer impose the death penalty on people who committed crimes while still minors.
- The country has replaced the executions in cases where crimes were committed by minors with a maximum penalty of 10 years in a juvenile detention centre.
- The new rule was announced by the president of the Saudi government’s Human Rights Commission, Awwad Alawwad.
Extra Shots:
Saudi Arabia (Capital/Currency): Riyadh/ Saudi riyal (SR)
- King: Salman
- Crown Prince: Mohammad bin Salman
Australian coronavirus tracing app ‘COVIDSafe’ surpasses 1 million downloads in 5 hours
- Over a million Australians have downloaded the government’s coronavirus tracing app within hours of its launch.
- The COVIDSafe app was released at 6 p.m. (local time) on Sunday night.
- Health Minister of the country,Greg Hunt informed on Monday morning that by 10:30 p.m. on Sunday it had been downloaded 1 million times, rising to 1.13 million by 6 a.m. local time on Monday.
- The app uses Bluetooth to check if any other devices with the app installed are within 1.5 meters of the user.
- If a user tests positive for COVID-19 health authorities can then use the app to find other users that they have been in close contact with and warn them that they may have been exposed to the virus.
Extra Shots:
Australia (Capital/Currency): Canberra/ Australian Dollar
- Prime Minister: Scott Morrison
Indian American group Sewa International sets up COVID-19 plasma therapy programme
- A US Hindu organisation has set up a unique programme for COVID-19 survivors to donate their blood plasma for therapy to save severely ill patients with respiratory failure.
- Sewa International has created an online registry for the convalescent plasma therapy programme that connects donors and recipients who want to participate in the COVID-19 treatment and also set up a phone hotline to help them.
- Sewa President Sree Sreenath said that the organisation is working with partners in India to create a registry there since the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is allowing clinical trials of the therapy.
- The blood types of the donor and the recipient have to be the same. in some cases Sewa provides transportation for the donors to get to the medical facility to make the donation.
RANKS AND INDICES
New Zealand’s University of Auckland Tops THE Impact Rankings 2020, IIT Kharagpur Top Indian University at 57
- The second edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, was released on 22 April 2020.
- In the 2020 THE Impact Rankings, 766 universities from 85 countries have been included.
- The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance index that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The ranking measure how an institution’s research, outreach and stewardship is delivering against the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The list has been topped by University of Auckland, New Zealand for the second straight year.
- From India, 26 Universities have been ranked in the lndex.
- The top Indian University in the list is Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. It is placed at 57th position.
- Japan is the most-represented nation in the list with 63 institutions, followed by Russia (47) and Turkey (37).
Top 5 Universities in the List are:
- University of Auckland, New Zealand
- University of Sydney (Australia),
- Western Sydney University (Australia),
- La Trobe University (Australia),
- Arizona State University (Tempe), United States
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
IICT collaborated LAXAI Life Sciences to reduce dependency for APIs and drug intermediates
- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, has collaborated with Hyderabad-based integrated pharmaceutical company, LAXAI Life Sciences, to develop and manufacture Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug intermediates.
- The initiative may help to reduce the dependency of the Indian pharmaceutical sector on Chinese imports of these ingredients.
Provisions:
- The collaboration will use the know-how for the commercial manufacturing of the products.
- LAXAI Life Sciences will be one of the first few to commercialize these products.
- The manufacturing of these APIs and intermediates will be taken up at US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)/Good manufacturing practice (GMP) approved plants held by LAXAI through its subsidiary, Therapiva Private Limited.
Extra Shots:
IICT:
- Director: Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar
- Founded: 1944
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF picks shares worth Rs.59 crore in NALCO
- The Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF of ICICI picked up share of value Rs.59 Crore in the National Aluminium Company (NALCO) through the open market transaction.
- The National Stock Exchange said that more than 1.71 crore shares were bought at an average of Rs.34.43 apiece.
- This got the total deal value to Rs.58.9 crore and the NALCO’s shares ended at Rs.30.95 apiece, down 8.16% on the NSE.
- 50 lakhs shares of Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd were sold by the Yes Bank for Rs.65 Lakhs and Rs.1.13 Lakhs worth shares were sold by a private lender on 23rd April 2020.
- On 24th April 2020, The shares of Reliance Naval and Engineering ended at Rs.1.3 apiece, up 4%
Extra Shots:
NALCO:
- NALCO is under the Ministry of mines belongs to the Navaratna group ‘A’CPSE having integrated and diversified operations in mining, metal and power.
- Headquarters: Bhubaneswar, Odisha,India
- Chairman:Sridhar Patra
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund:
- It is a joint venture between ICICI Bank and Prudential Plc, a UK financial services sector.
- It is a second largest asset management company in India
- MD & CEO: Nimesh Shah
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Founded: 1993
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
Former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir announces retirement from International Cricket
- Former Pakistan skipper and Women Cricket team Captain, Sana Mir announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 34, ending her 15 year career currently ranking 9th in ICC’s ODI and 41st in T20I bowlers list
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Pakistan Women’s National Cricket Team:
- One of the eight teams participating in the ICC Women’s Championship.
- Captain: BismahMaroof
- Coach: Iqbal Imam
- Founded: 1997
Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe announces retirement from international badminton
- Mathias Boe, 39 years old, badminton doubles player from Denmark announced retirement from international badminton.
- He won silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 World Championships.
- Boe planned to retire after either the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Thomas Cup in May or the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, both of which have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Extra Shots:
BWF: The Badminton World Federation is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation with nine member nations, the BWF has since expanded to 176 member nations around the world.
- Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Founded: 5 July 1934
- President: Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen
- Membership: 194 member associations
- Formation: 1934
- Type of business: Sports governing body
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
CSIR-NBRI scientist develops herbal decongestant spray on mask to protect from suffocation
- Scientists at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, have developed a herbal decongestant spray.
- This comes when the need for face masks rises to prevent corona infection.
- The spray will address breathing and congestion in the respiratory system which is caused by wearing a mask for a long time.
Breathing problem due to wearing a face mask:
- The main reason for the problem is the accumulation of carbon dioxide and humidity in the inner cavity of the mask.
- When a person breathes in, this goes back to the lungs again. Repetition of this process over a period of time causes discomfort in breathing and congestion;
Herbal decongestant spray:
- Herbal decongestant spray is a fine blend of four plant-based oils.
- The product is developed based on the principles of Ayurveda and contains ingredients reported in traditional scriptures.
- This formulation helps in clearing the windpipe and congestion by removing the mucus or cough leading to ease of breathing.
- It also reduces stress due to excessive use of masks and decongestion.
- The spray will provide relief to people who are wearing masks for a long time.
- This spray has been prepared as per the guidelines of the Ministry of AYUSH.
INST scientists develops nanomaterial to disinfect garments under visible light exposure
- Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) have developed carbon nitride quantum dots (g-CNQDs), a low-cost metal-free nanomaterial for visible light microbial disinfection.
- It can be an alternative to silver and other metal-based materials.
Highlights:
- The researchers have tested g-CNQDs for visible-light-driven antibacterial activity and found it to be efficient. It was also biocompatible with mammalian cells.
- The material can be a viable anti bacterial alternative to metal/non-metal semiconductors and expensive silver. It is cost-effective.
- The newly developed nanomaterial possesses enhanced biocidal activity attributed to the larger surface area of g-CNQDs having more reactive sites and optical absorption both in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible region.
- This technology will be explored for antiviral efficiency considering its relevance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team led by IIT-Bombay student develops Ruhdaar, a low-cost mechanical ventilator
- A team from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir has developed “Ruhdaar,” a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials.
- This invention will solve the problem of the ventilator, which is the primary requirement to treat COVID-19 patients, as the high-end ventilators used in hospitals cost in lakhs of rupees.
Ruhdaar:
- Ruhdaar provides necessary functionalities that can provide adequate breathing support necessary to save the life of a critically ill COVID-19 patient.
- The prototype cost around Rs.10,000, which can get reduced during mass production.
- The ventilator can be used to control the basic parameters such as tidal volume, Breaths per Minute, and Inspiratory: Expiratory Ratio.
- It can also monitor pressure continuously during its operation.
OBITUARIES
Veteran photojournalist Ronny Roy passes away
- Veteran sports photojournalist Ronojoy ‘Ronny’ Roy passed away.
- He was popularly known as ‘Ronny’ and was associated with Bengali daily Aajkaal since the 1990s and covered the ICC World Cup in England last year.
Former Bihar & Tripura Governor Devanand Konwar Passes Away at 86
- Veteran Congress leader Devanand Konwar, who had served as the Governor of Bihar and Tripura, has passed away of old age ailments.
- He was 86.
- Konwar was the Governor of Bihar from July 24, 2009 to March 8, 2013.
- He served as the Governor of Tripura from March 25, 2013 and June 29, 2014.
- Besides this, he also served as governor (additional charge) of West Bengal from December 2009 to January 2010.
