Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 28th 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 – 28th April 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- The Workers’ Memorial Day, also known as International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers occurs every year on 28 April.
- World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN international day that is celebrated every 28 April.
- A special borrowing scheme has been launched by the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for self help groups (SHGs).
- India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2020-21 (FY21) at 1.9%. Earlier this was 3.6%.
- States including Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi have sought the Government of India for extension of goods and services tax (GST) compensation to the states for two years beyond 2022 to overcome the crisis that is expected to be faced post-COVID-19 pandemic.
- HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.)has acquired 6.43% stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares.
- Fitch Ratings today has slashed India’s economic growth projections to 0.8 per cent in the current fiscal saying an unparalleled global recession was underway due to disruptions caused by the outbreak of Corona virus pandemic and resultant lockdowns.
- Country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 3.09 billion to USD 479.57 billion in the week to April 17 due to an increase in foreign currency assets.
- Axis Bank has decided to raise its stake in Max Group promoted Max Life Insurance to 30 per cent, a development which values the insurer at over Rs 5,000 crore.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 1.5 billion loan to India to help fund its fight against coronavirus pandemic.
- Nokia and Bharti Airtel has signed a deal of about $1 billion in order to enhance the network capacity of Bharti Airtel.
- Varanasi Smart City used the spraying of sanitizer in the selected areas of Varanasi City under Smart Cities Mission to contain COVID-19 spread.
- Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar issued guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme, a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- Indian Railways has taken several measures to ensure that the interest of the passengers and all commercial clients are taken care of and national supply chains keep running.
- The government has announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for dependent members of port employees in case of loss of life due to COVID-19 while discharging duties.
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has permitted the Common Service Centres that operate as banking correspondents (BCs), to provide Aadhaar updation facility.
- Logistics services provider Blue Dart Express announced that it has launched a service through which customers can send medicines to relatives living abroad.
- The Assam government announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for journalists reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
- Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that in this time of Corona crisis it is necessary that every person has good immunity power, so that this virus does not affect us.
- In Gujarat, the government has banned all social and religious gathering and all kinds of public functions in view of Covid 19 pandemic. In
- Madhya Pradesh, a fine of Rs.1000 will be imposed now for spitting in public places in the state.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S.Jaganmohan Reddy has launched the ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ Scheme today at Tedepalli, in Guntur District in AP.
- World Health Organization (WHO) has partnered with Global Fund, UNTAID, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), etc. and launched the “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator or the ACT Accelerator.”
- President of the United States Donald Trump nominated senior Indian-American diplomat Manisha Singh as America’s next envoy to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
- Australia has informed India that their premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.
- The Pakistani Navy has successfully test-fired a series of anti-ship missiles in the North Arabian Sea from surface ships, fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
- Singapore will enter into a recession this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the city-state’s economic growth could even dip below the forecast range of -4 to -1 per cent to record its worst-ever contraction.
- Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar joins his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa for a meeting on 28 April.
- In a progressive move, the chemical & petrochemical industry became the Indian top exporting sector for FY 2019-20 as the export of chemicals increased by 7.43% to Rs 2.68 lakh crore during the April-January period of FY 2019-2020 in comparison to the corresponding period of 2018-19.
- To raise public awareness on the novel coronavirus, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has partnered with Amazon India, to launch the “Fight Against COVID-19 #AwareIndiaSafeIndia; Digital Campaign”.
- CSB (Catholic Syrian Bank), the private sector bank announced that RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has extended the term of appointment of Madhavan Menon as the part-time Chairman of the Bank till July 21, 2020.
- The Pakistan Cricket Board has banned Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal from all forms of cricket for a period of three years.
- Indian middle-distance runner, Jhuma Khatun was banned for 4 years for using banned substances(Steroids) by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the doping case from 2018.
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019” stated that India has become the third-largest military spender in the world, after the US and China.
- Littlemore Innovation Labs, a pioneer in paperless digital exams, announced the launch of PEXA Lite, an extended offering on its flagship PEXA platform.
- IIT-Bhubaneswar has designed a safe and multi-surface sanitizer using UV light for the disinfection of devices in the combat against COVID-19.
- Ex-NASA Administrator James M. Beggs passed away at 94.
- Noted Odia Dramatist & playwriters Bijay Mishra passed away.
NEWS IN DETAILS
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
Workers’ Memorial Day: 28 April
- The Workers’ Memorial Day, also known as International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers occurs every year on 28 April.
- The day has been organized worldwide by the trade union movement since 1996.
- Its purpose is to remembers workers killed in incidents at work or by diseases caused by work and honour the victims of occupational accidents and diseases by organizing worldwide mobilizations and awareness campaigns on this date.
- Theme 2020: ‘Stop the Pandemic in the Workplace.’
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on 28 April
- World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN international day that is celebrated every 28 April.
- The day aims to promote safe, healthy, and decent work. It has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003.
- The theme for 2020 is Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can save lives.
Extra Shots:
ILO: The International Labour Organization is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards. Founded in 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and oldest specialised agency of the UN.
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Head: Guy Ryder
- Founder: Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920
- Founded: 1919
- Formation: 29 October 1919; 100 years ago
- Parent organizations: United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Economic and Social Council
BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Special borrowing scheme launched by IOB for SHGs
- A special borrowing scheme has been launched by the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for self help groups (SHGs).
- IOB has taken this initiative to help the SHGs in order to overcome the difficulties posed by COVID-19.
- Each member of a self help group can avail a maximum loan amount of Rs 5,000 while there is a cap of Rs 1 lakh for the group.
- A self help group with history of minimum two loans from Indian Overseas Bank and good track record will be eligible for this loan facility.
- Also, only those SHGs are eligible to avail this special scheme whose existing loans are standard and performing as on March 1, 2020.
- The Special borrowing scheme can be availed by interested borrowers till June 30, 2020 and can apply through branches directly or through business correspondents.
- Bank will sanction and disburse the loans within six working days, without charging any processing fee or pre-payment fee for this loan scheme.
Extra Shots:
IOB: Indian Overseas Bank is a major public sector bank based in Chennai, India, with about 3,400 domestic branches, about 6 foreign branches and representative office
- Headquarters: Chennai
- CEO: Shri Karnam Sekar
- Founder: M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Ind-Ra cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for FY21 to 1.9%
- India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2020-21 (FY21) at 1.9%. Earlier this was 3.6%.
- According to Ind-Ra, India’s GDP growth rate has been in contraction (means negative) for 5 times.
- These 5 years are-> in 1957-58 was negative 0.4%, in 1965-66 it was negative 2.6%, in 1966-67 it was negative 0.1%, in 1972-73 it was negative 0.6%, and in 1979-80 it was negative 5.2%.
States sought GST compensation beyond 2022 to tide over COVID-19 crisis
- States including Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi have sought the Government of India for extension of goods and services tax (GST) compensation to the states for two years beyond 2022 to overcome the crisis that is expected to be faced post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights:
- The State Ministers made this move due to the problems arising because of lockdown, including the urgent requirement of some form of aid for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have been affected the most, besides relief for the services sectors.
- Some states are currently undergoing a financial crisis and have sought additional funds from the Centre.
- The states also raised the issue of releasing GST compensation pending since December 2019.
- The Centre recently paid Rs.34,053 crore in pending GST compensation cess for October and November, in two tranches, with the second tranche released in April 2020.
HDFC acquires 6.43% stake in Reliance Capital through invocation
- HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.)has acquired 6.43% stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares.
- In this regard HDFC has acquired 25.27 crore shares of Rs 10 each i.e. the total value of these shares are Rs 252 crore.
What is invoking pledged shares/invocation
- Pledged shares are those against which promoters of a company in need of capital take loans from banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
- For lenders, these shares are collateral (security for re-payment of loan).
- However the share price keeps fluctuating, the value of the collateral also changes so promoters are required to maintain the value of the collateral all the time by providing additional shares to lenders when their value erodes.
- The process of selling Pledged shares and invoking pledged shares is called invocation.
Extra Shots:
Reliance Capital:
- Parent organization: Reliance Group
- Headquarters: Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Chairman: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
HDFC Group:
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Chairman: Deepak Shantilal Parekh
- Tagline: With You, Right Through
Fitch Ratings slashes India’s economic growth projections to 0.8 pct in current fiscal
- Fitch Ratings today has slashed India’s economic growth projections to 0.8 per cent in the current fiscal saying an unparalleled global recession was underway due to disruptions caused by the outbreak of Corona virus pandemic and resultant lockdowns.
- In its Global Economic Outlook, Fitch Ratings said India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will slip to 0.8 per cent for the year April 2020 to March 2021 as compared to an estimated 4.9 per cent growth in the previous fiscal.
- Growth is, however, expected to rebound to 6.7 per cent in 2021-22
- The slump in growth was mainly due to a projected fall in consumer spending and contraction in fixed investment.
- The agency has further made large cuts to global GDP forecasts in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO) in response to Corona virus-related lockdown extensions and incoming data flows.
Extra Shots:
Fitch Ratings Inc. is an American credit rating agency and is one of the “Big Three credit rating agencies”, the other two being Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. It is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations designated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1975.
- Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
- CEO: Paul Taylor (2 Apr 2012–)
- Revenue: 170 crores USD
- Founder: John Knowles Fitch
- Founded: 1914, New York, New York, United States
Country’s foreign exchange reserves surge by over 3 billion dollars
- Country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 3.09 billion to USD 479.57 billion in the week to April 17 due to an increase in foreign currency assets.
- According to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India, in the reporting week ended April 17, foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, rose USD 1.55 billion to USD 441.88 billion.
- The RBI data showed that gold reserves increased USD 1.54 billion to USD 32.68 billion in the reporting week. While, special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund,IMF were up by USD 3 million to USD 1.43 billion.
- The country’s reserve position with the IMF remained stable at USD 3.58 billion during the reporting.
Axis Bank to pick about 30 per cent stake in Max Life Insurance for Rs 1,600 crore
- Axis Bank has decided to raise its stake in Max Group promoted Max Life Insurance to 30 per cent, a development which values the insurer at over Rs 5,000 crore.
- The bank is expected to pay Rs 1,600 crore to Max Financial Services (MFS), the holding company of Max Life.
- Axis Bank holds about 1 per cent stake in Max Life and is the biggest banking channel partner for distribution of its products.
- Products sold through the bank reportedly contribute for 54 per cent of Max Life’s revenues.
Extra Shots:
Axis Bank:
- CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry (1 Jan 2019–)
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Tagline: Badhti Ka naam Zindagi.
Asian Development Bank approves USD 1.5 billion loan to India to fight COVID-19
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 1.5 billion loan to India to help fund its fight against coronavirus pandemic.
- The loan has been sanctioned with a view to support immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention, as well as social protection for the poor and economically vulnerable sections.
- The quick-disbursing fund is part of a larger package of support that ADB will provide in close coordination with the government and other development partners
- Its COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) Program will contribute directly to the improvement of access to health facilities and care, as well as social protection for more than 800 million people, including families below the poverty line, farmers, health care workers, women, senior citizens, people with disabilities, low wage earners, and construction workers.
- The CARES Program is funded through the COVID-19 pandemic response option (CPRO) under ADB’s Countercyclical Support Facility.
- CPRO was established as part of ADB’s USD 20 billion expanded assistance for developing member countries’ COVID-19 response, which was announced on April 13.
Extra Shots:
ADB: The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.
- Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
- President: Masatsugu Asakawa
- Membership: 68 countries
- Founded: 19 December 1966
- Purpose: Economic development
Airtel partners with Nokia to enhance network capacity
- Nokia and Bharti Airtel has signed a deal of about $1 billion in order to enhance the network capacity of Bharti Airtel.
- A multi-year agreement has been signed by the two companies to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India.
- This $1 billion deal aims to improve customer experience of Bharti Airtel’s customers by providing them best-in-class connectivity.
- According to the multi-year agreement, Nokia will deploy approximately 3,00,000 radio units across several spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz across India by 2022.
- This deployment will also provide best possible platform to Airtel when 5G networks will be launched across India.
Extra Shots:
Airtel: Bharti Airtel Limited, also known as Airtel, is an Indian global telecommunications services company based in New Delhi, India. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, and also in the Channel Islands.
- CEO: Gopal Vittal
- Founder: Sunil Bharti Mittal
- Parent organizations: Bharti Enterprises (64%), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (36%)
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Varanasi Smart City uses drones to sanitize sensitive areas to contain COVID-19 spread
- Varanasi Smart City used the spraying of sanitizer in the selected areas of Varanasi City under Smart Cities Mission to contain COVID-19 spread.
- For this purpose, the city has engaged with Garuda Aerospace Private Limited, a Chennai based company.
- The move comes due to the limited options for transportation during the lockdown period.
Highlights:
- These drones were specially airlifted from Chennai through Air-India Cargo flights with special permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). A total of the seven-member team with two drones was made operational and trial runs were completed on 17 April 2020.
- Spraying of sanitizer through Drones is prioritized for Hot spots and Containment areas identified by the District Administration / Chief Medical Officer. After the hotspot areas, spraying is done on Isolation areas, Quarantined areas, Shelter Homes, and other places where manual spraying is difficult. The areas where Drones are to be deployed are decided by a team of Varanasi Nagar Nigam officials.
- The vehicles used for Drone Operations are fitted with GPS and GSM based wireless cameras by which the entire movement of Drones and their operations are centrally monitored from the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre, now converted to COVID-19 War Room.
- The Sanitary Inspector and other Team members report to the Nodal officer before and after drone operations are carried out at each designated location.
- The Capital Costs of the equipment are provided by the agency concerned, and the average cost of operations range from Rs.8000 to Rs.12000 per day per drone and is dependent on the area covered in acres.
Extra Shots:
Uttar Pradesh:
- Statehood: 24 January 1950
- Governor: Anandiben Patel
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Capital: Lucknow
- Literacy Rate: 67.68%
- Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park
Narendra Singh Tomar issued guidelines for SVAMITVA scheme and SOP for e-Gram Swaraj
- Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj,Narendra Singh Tomar issued guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme, a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- He also released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding e-Gram Swaraj.
Aim:
- The aim of the program is to provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes.
SVAMITVA scheme:
- SVAMITVA scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.
- The scheme aims to help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights. It will help in resolving property related disputes.
- The scheme will enable the creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), leveraging the maps created under this program.
- It also aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest Drone Surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabitant (Aabadi) land in rural areas.
- The program is being implemented in six states namely Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
- Under this scheme, mapping of rural housing land can be done using the latest survey methods and drones.
SOP of e-Gram Swaraj:
- SOP of e-Gram Swaraj e-Gram Swaraj will ensure that the funds given to the panchayats are not misused and transparency can be maintained in its use.
- The process will help in establishing a strong financial system by integrating the Priya Soft and PFMS, the payment portals of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- It aims to bring in better transparency and strengthening of the e-Governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country through decentralized planning, progress reporting, and work-based accounting. It will also assist in enhancing the credibility of Panchayats which would induce greater devolution of funds to PRIs.
- e-Gram Swaraj provides a platform for effective monitoring by higher authorities. It will be a single platform for all planning and accounting needs of the Panchayats.
- Also, the Online Payment Module (erstwhile PRIASoft-PFMS Interface (PPI)) is one of its kind whereby Gram Panchayats are carrying out online payments to the vendors and service providers. The main objective of introducing such a module is to have a sound financial management system in the Panchayats leading to their greater credibility and image.
- These measures are in line with the “Digital India Programme” which is to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy “Faceless, Paperless, Cashless.”
Extra Shots:
The Ministry of Rural Development, a branch of the Government of India, is entrusted with the task of accelerating the socio-economic development of rural India. Its focus is on health, education, drinking water, housing and roads.
- Jurisdiction: India
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founded: June 2011
- Annual budget: 1.05 lakh crores INR
- Departments: Department of Rural Development, Department of Land Resources
- Officeholders: Narendra Singh Tomar (Minister), Ram Kripal Yadav (Minister of State)
Railway Emergency Cell for COVID-19 responds to about 13,000 queries, requests, and suggestions
- Indian Railways has taken several measures to ensure that the interest of the passengers and all commercial clients are taken care of and national supply chains keep running.
- Indian Railways stopped passenger train operations during Lockdowns 1 & 2, to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
- Indian Railway has set up Railway Emergency Cell for COVID.
Railway Emergency Cell for COVID:
- Railway Emergency Cell for COVID is a nationwide Unit comprising of about 400 Officers and staff from Railway Board to Divisions. During the lockdown, the Cell has responded to about 13,000 queries, requests, and suggestions every day so far.
- Five communication and feedback platforms including Helplines 139 and 138, social media (especially Twitter), email ([email protected]), and Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).
- The 24-hours working Indian Railways Emergency Cell for COVID leads to a fleet-footed response to redress grievances of both Railways’ customers and the general public.
- RailMadad Helpline 139 answered over 2,30, 000 queries on a one-on-one basis in the first four weeks of the lockdown, in addition to queries answered by its Interactive voice response (IVRS) facility.
- Queries over 138 and 139 are mostly for the commencement of train services and the relaxed refund rules.
Government announces Rs 50 lakh compensation for port employees in case of death due to COVID-19
- The government has announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for dependent members of port employees in case of loss of life due to COVID-19 while discharging duties.
- The compensation has been announced for any death due to COVID-19 till September 30, 2019 and the situation will be reviewed after that.
- All port employees including contractual labourers employed directly by the port and other contractual employees are covered” under it.
- The ministry has decided that all the major ports may grant compensation /ex-gratia in the event of loss of life due to COVID-19 to the dependent members/legal heirs of the port employees.
- This compensation is applicable only for the pandemic and will be in force up to September 30, 2020, subject to review thereafter.
- India has 12 major ports — Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).
UIDAI allows CSCs to offer Aadhaar updation facility
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has permitted the Common Service Centres that operate as banking correspondents (BCs), to provide Aadhaar updation facility.
- This permission has been granted by UIDAI to CSCs to make Aadhaar updation easier for citizens.
- After the assent of UIDAI, around 20,000 CSCs will now be able to provide the Aadhaar updation service to citizens.
- The permission allows the Common Service Centre to only update demographic details such as name, address and date of birth.
- The Common Service Centre is a Special Purpose Vehicle established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for accessible electronic delivery of services, including e-governance, to citizens in rural India.
Extra Shots:
UIDAI:
- Founder: Government of India
- Founded: 28 January 2009, India
- Headquarters: New Delhi
Blue Dart Express launches service for medicine delivery to Indians living abroad
- Logistics services provider Blue Dart Express announced that it has launched a service through which customers can send medicines to relatives living abroad.
- To avail the medicine delivery service, customers need to visit any Blue Dart/DHL counter across India and provide valid medical prescription for sending medicines overseas to their family/ friends through the Blue Dart-DHL’s door-to-door express service.
- Blue Dart services have been operational even amid the lockdown with its teams working round-the-clock to ensure priority clearance and delivery of essential commodities.
- The company is working closely with the government of India, to ensure door-to-door delivery carrying inter-state and international supplies of essential goods through its strong air and ground express network.
Extra Shots:
Blue Dart Express or Blue Dart is an Indian Logistics Company providing courier delivery services headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has a subsidiary cargo airline, Blue Dart Aviation that operates in South Asian countries.
- Headquarters: India
- Parent organization: DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd
- Founders: Tushar Jani, Khushroo Dubash, Clyde Cooper
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Assam announces Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for journalists reporting on COVID-19
- The Assam government announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for journalists reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
- This insurance cover is for journalists who are working in high-risk environment and giving their selfless service towards the country.
- The Journalists’ Association of Assam (JAA) and the National Union of Journalists India (NUJI) welcomed the decision of the state government.
MadhyaPradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurates Jeevan Amrit Yojana
- Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that in this time of Corona crisis it is necessary that every person has good immunity power, so that this virus does not affect us.
- The special trikuta churna-kadha prepared by our AYUSH department is very effective in increasing immunity. This has to be taken three to four times daily.
- He inaugurated Jeevan Amrit Yojana in Mantralaya. The Chief Minister interacted with people of different districts of the state through video conferencing and told them about the scheme.
- One crore packets were distributed by him.
Extra Shots:
Madhya Pradesh:
- Capital: Bhopal
- Chief Minister: vacant
- Governor: Lalji Tandon
- National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP
Gujarat govt bans social, religious gathering & all kinds of public functions in view of pandemic
- In Gujarat, the government has banned all social and religious gathering and all kinds of public functions in view of Covid 19 pandemic.
- State home Department issued a notification yesterday which said that all the public functions will be prohibited in the state until further orders.
- The notification said during this period use of loudspeakers and public gatherings will not be allowed.
- The notification said those who found violating the order will face legal action.
- Meanwhile, the government has also asked religious leaders to create awareness among people regarding Covid 19.
Extra Shots:
Gujarat:
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
- Governor: Acharya Devvrat
- State formed on: 1 May 1960
- Literacy Rate: 79.31%
- National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch
MP govt bans spitting in public places amid coronavirus outbreak
- In Madhya Pradesh, a fine of Rs.1000 will be imposed now for spitting in public places in the state.
- The state government has banned spitting on public places in the urban areas of the state to control the outbreak of Corona infection.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also appealed people not to spit in public places
- any person who is found spitting in a public place will face a fine of 1 thousand.
- The commissioners of the local municipal bodies and the chief municipal officials have been authorized to strictly implement the order.
Extra Shots:
Madhya Pradesh:
- Capital: Bhopal
- Chief Minister: vacant
- Governor: Lalji Tandon
- National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP
Andhra Pradesh CM launches ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ Scheme
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S.Jaganmohan Reddy has launched the ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ Scheme today at Tedepalli, in Guntur District in AP.
- Under this scheme over Rs. 4 Thousand Crores of funds have been released along with Rs. 1880 crore towards pending amount left by the earlier government.
- Under this scheme, fee reimbursement will be credited directly to mothers’ accounts instead of college accounts in the coming academic year 2020-21.
- Through this Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme, the AP State Government is going to provide Fee Reimbursement for ITI, B.Tech, B. Pharmacy, MBA, MCA, and B.Ed Courses.
- An amount of INR 15,000 To INR 20,000 will be offered for the eligible candidates through the Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme.
- Orders have been issued to the colleges to reimburse the entire fee amount paid by all the parents during the year 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Extra Shots:
Andhra Pradesh:
- Capital: Amravati
- Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
WHO launched COVID-19 Tools Act Accelerator
- World Health Organization (WHO) has partnered with Global Fund, UNTAID, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), etc. and launched the “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator or the ACT Accelerator.”
ACT Accelerator initiative:
- ACT Accelerator initiative provides a global platform for action to enhance connections and leverage interdependencies for collective partnership. It also enhance problem-solving, mobilizing and guiding investments, and driving equitable access for new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
- The process will help “speed up and harmonize” the development, production, and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19.
- The initiative will ensure all people have access to all the tools to defeat COVID-19.
- The ACT Accelerator ensures to bring together the combined power of several organizations to work with speed and scale.
- The initiative has been launched based on the experience that during H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009, the distribution of vaccines was not equitable.
Extra Shots:
WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.
- Head: Tedros Adhanom
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Founded: 7 April 1948
- Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council
US President Trump nominated Indian-American Manisha Singh as US Envoy to OECD
- President of the United States Donald Trump nominated senior Indian-American diplomat Manisha Singh as America’s next envoy to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Manisha Singh:
- Manisha Singh is currently serving as the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department. Prior to that, she served as the Acting Under Secretary of Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs at the State Department. The 49-year-old has also served as the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Singh served as the Senior Fellow for International Economic Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council. She was also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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USA (Capital/Currency): Washington, D.C./ United States Dollar
- President: Donald Trump
- Official languages: English
Australia cancels premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020
- Australia has informed India that their premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation
- This was conveyed by Air Marshal Meg Hupfeld, Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), in a letter to Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.
- The next edition of Pitch Black is scheduled in 2022.
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Australia (Capital/Currency): Canberra/ Australian Dollar
- Prime Minister: Scott Morrison
Pak Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missiles in North Arabian Sea
- The Pakistani Navy has successfully test-fired a series of anti-ship missiles in the North Arabian Sea from surface ships, fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
- The announcement was made by Pakistan Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Arshid Javed and didn’t reveal the details of the drill.
Highlights:
- Partakers: Pakistan’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was present at the time of testing the missiles and witnessed the event along with Commander Pakistan Fleet Vice Admiral Asif Khaliq and other senior naval officers.
- Significance: The successful demonstration of the missile test is a testimony to the operational capability and military preparedness of Pakistan’s navy.
- Background: After the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by the Indian government in 2019,the relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated further, which in turn ended diplomatic relations with India.
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Pakistan (Capital/Currency): Islamabad/ Pakistani rupee
- Prime Minister Imran Khan
- President– Arif Alvi
Singapore to enter into recession this year due to coronavirus pandemic
- Singapore will enter into a recession this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the city-state’s economic growth could even dip below the forecast range of -4 to -1 per cent to record its worst-ever contraction
- Depending on how the pandemic evolves and the efficacy of policy responses around the world, Singapore’s economic growth could even dip below the forecast range of -4 to -1 per cent to record its worst-ever contraction
- Singapore’s economy is likely to contract more sharply, in the second quarter, given the severity of the outbreak among its major trading partners.
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES
EAM Jaishankar to participate in BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting on response to COVID-19 pandemic
- Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar joins his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa for a meeting on 28 April.
- The foreign ministers of BRICS member countries will hold an extraordinary video conference to discuss ways to jointly combat the coronavirus pandemic.
- The event will be chaired by Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.
Highlights:
- The Ministerial video conference will be hosted by Russia, who is the current rotating head of the BRICS.
- The meeting will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international relations and possible joint measures in the fight against the highly dangerous and fast-spreading contagion.
- The BRICS presidency was passed from Brazil to Russia from 1 January 2020.
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide amounts to 30,40,709 death. Out of which 2,10,842 deaths were reported and 8,93,872 recoveries.
Note: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are the BRICS countries.
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BRICS: BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as “BRIC”, before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
- Headquarters location: Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Founded: June 2006
- Formation: 2009
- Predecessor: BRIC
- Founders: India, China, Russia, Brazil
RANKS AND INDICES
Chemicals, Petrochemicals contributed 14.35% of total exports; becomes top exporting sector for 1st time
- In a progressive move, the chemical & petrochemical industry became the Indian top exporting sector for FY 2019-20 as the export of chemicals increased by 7.43% to Rs 2.68 lakh crore during the April-January period of FY 2019-2020 in comparison to the corresponding period of 2018-19.
- This industry contributed 14.35% of the total exports.
- Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda has assured full support to the chemical industry towards and appreciated the efforts made by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals making India a leading global hub for manufacturing of chemicals and petrochemicals.
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
NSDC and Amazon India collaborate to launch Combat COVID-19 Digital Campaign
- To raise public awareness on the novel coronavirus, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has partnered with Amazon India, to launch the “Fight Against COVID-19 #AwareIndiaSafeIndia; Digital Campaign”.
- Using digital platforms and online community engagement, the campaign will drive awareness on the importance of precautionary measures in combating COVID 19 such as physical distancing and maintaining hygiene.
- In addition to this, Amazon and NSDC will engage students and skill trainees through NSDC’s network of 11,000+ Training Centres, 800+ Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra and digital interfaces.
- Amazon can scale up digital communication in a short span of time, covering millions and impacting community behavior positively
- The partnership will identify volunteers, namely ‘COVID-19 Digital Heroes’ through digital outreach across various platforms.
- Students who are a part of Amazon’s ALEXA student ambassador program will also act as COVID-19 Digital Heroes and help amplify the campaign further.
- The campaign’s content will be aligned with the official communication and guidance from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Aarogya Setu app that has been launched recently.
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NSDC: National Skill Development Corporation is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated on July 31, 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. NSDC was set up by Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership model.
- CEO: Manish Kumar Headquarters location: New Delhi
- Founded: 2008
- Type of business: Non-profit organisation
APPOINTMENT
RBI extends Madhavan Menon’s term as part-time Chairman of CSB Bank
- CSB (Catholic Syrian Bank), the private sector bank announced that RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has extended the term of appointment of Madhavan Menon as the part-time Chairman of the Bank till July 21, 2020.
Highlights:
- The extension of MahavMenon is in terms of Section 10B (1A)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- About Madhavan Menon: He was appointed as part-time Chairman of CSB Bank for a period of 1 year with effect from April 22, 2019. He is Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of Thomas Cook (India) Limited.
- He has also been serving as the Non-Executive Director of the CSB Bank since September 3, 2018.
- Menon is a nominee director of FIH-Mauritius Investments Limited, which held 49.73% stake in the Bank as at March-end 2020.
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Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB):
- Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala.
- Tagline: Support All the Way.
- MD & CEO:Rajendran Chinna Veerappan
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
PCB bans Umar Akmal over corruption charges
- The Pakistan Cricket Board has banned Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal from all forms of cricket for a period of three years.
- The Pakistani batsmen has been charged with two breaches of anti-corruption codes of Pakistan Cricket Board after he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of 2020 PSL.
- The Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been charged under Article 2.4.4, which deals with a failure of participant to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code”.
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PCB: The Pakistan Cricket Board – PCB controls and organises all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan National Cricket Team.
- Chairperson: Ehsan Mani
- Women’s coach: Iqbal Imam
- Men’s coach: Misbah-Ul-Haq
- Headquarters location: Lahore, Pakistan
- Director: Wasim Khan
- Sport: Cricket
Jhuma Khatun banned for 4 years for failing dope test
- Indian middle-distance runner, Jhuma Khatun was banned for 4 years for using banned substances(Steroids) by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the doping case from 2018.
- The sample from Jhuma Khatun collected during the National Inter-State Championships in June 2018 in Guwahati meet.
- In National Inter-State Championships, Guwahati, she won a bronze each in 1500 m and 5000 m, tested negative for the presence of substances by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) then decided to test the sample of Khatun at its Montreal Laboratory in Canada and it returned positive for dehydrochloromethyl testosterone.
DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
India became third largest military spender in the world
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019” stated that India has become the third-largest military spender in the world, after the US and China.
Highlights:
- For the first time that India and China are among the top three military spenders.
- It highlighted that India’s tensions and rivalry with Pakistan and China are among the main reasons for its increased military expenditure.
- The military spending of India grew by 6.8% to $71.1 billion in 2019. This was the highest military spending in South Asia.
- The report stated that the total global military expenditure rose to $1,917 billion in 2019, which is an increase of 3.6% from 2018 and the largest annual growth in spending since 2010.
- The five largest spenders in 2019 accounted for 62% of the expenditure.
Top 5 countries in the list:
- US
- China
- India
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
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SIPRI: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute is an international institute based in Sweden, dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
- Founder: Government of Sweden
- Founded: 6 May 1966
- Headquarters: Solna Municipality, Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Littlemore Innovation Labs launches PEXA Lite, an “Exam – from – Home” solution
- Littlemore Innovation Labs, a pioneer in paperless digital exams, announced the launch of PEXA Lite, an extended offering on its flagship PEXA platform.
- PEXA Lite will offer an “exam – from – home” service to overcome the impact of COVID on educational institutions.
- “PEXA Lite is being introduced in India first, followed by UAE, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
- “Exam-from-home” will be a new experience for Institutions and students alike. Students would enjoy this new experience.
- “PEXA Lite is a device-agnostic solution, designed to deliver exams on student laptops, tablets, and smartphones – at home.
- With all features of PEXA, the Lite offers a seamless transition for our existing student users. New users will have access to practice sessions and self-help tutorials.
- PEXA Lite has built-in biometric and digital proctoring features, which monitor students’ activities. Advanced traceability algorithms help identify acts of malpractices.”
IIT-Bhubaneswar develop multi-surface sanitizer to disinfect devices
- IIT-Bhubaneswar has designed a safe and multi-surface sanitizer using UV light for the disinfection of devices in the combat against COVID-19.
Highlights:
- When the infected object was placed into the chamber, it gets exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. The object would be disinfected within 15 minutes.
- The university has developed the chamber for the disinfection of masks, Personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by the doctors and devices like cell phones, etc as they cannot be disinfected with soap water.
- This device has been developed based on the results available for SARS COV-1 and the same device is expected to work for SARS COV-2.
- The device is yet to be certified by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for commercial use.
- The device was developed to control the number of deaths of healthcare workers due to COVID-19.
OBITUARIES
Ex-NASA Administrator James M. Beggs passes away
- Ex-NASA Administrator James M. Beggs passed away at 94.
- He was the sixth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- He served within the agency’s top position from July 1981 to December 1985.
- NASA had quite 20 successful spacecraft missions during Beggs’ tenure.
Noted Odia Dramatist & playwriter Bijay Mishra passes away
- Noted Odia Dramatist & playwriters Bijay Mishra passed away.
- He has written scripts for about 60 plays, 55 films and 7 TV serials.
- He was a recipient of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and also received Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2013 for his book ”Banaprastha”.
