Current Affairs Today 31st March 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 31st March 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined the Government of India (GOI) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as an investor under the instruments of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India.
• The United Nations Trade report titled “The COVID-19 Shock to Developing Countries: Towards a whatever it takes program” stated that the world economy will go into recession in 2020 with a predicted loss of trillions of dollars of global income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that the world has clearly entered a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) celebrated the 66th Foundation Day on 29 March 2020. On the occasion, NGMA launched “Virtual Tour of its permanent collection” for the visitors.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced an extension on the validity of documents like driving licenses, permits and registration that are expired since 1 February.
• Ride-sharing platform Ola has announced that it is ready to join hands with various state governments to offer mobility help to all the frontline warriors engaged in the battle against novel coronavirus.
• Online travel agent MakeMyTrip on Tuesday said it has launched Stays for Saviours initiative for temporary accommodation of medical practitioners fighting covid-19.
• Himachal Pradesh State government has unveiled ‘Corona Mukt Himachal’, a mobile application on 31 March as a measure to protect the State’s people.
• Jharkhand state government has launched PRAGYAAM, a Mobile application, on 30 March.
• Andhra Pradesh State government has set up “Mobile Hand-wash facilities” for the benefit of Slum Dwellers amidst lockdown in the state.
• Rajasthan police have launched a mobile app “RajCop citizens app” to enable individuals and company employees in the state take permission for venturing out in necessary conditions.
• Sudhir Rajkumar, a senior official from India, has resigned from his position of Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).
• The Indian Army has prioritized essential activities that are necessary for its functioning in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed a casualty evacuation bag to transport or isolate persons infected with COVID-19.
• National Book Trust (NBT) is to launch Corona Studies Series books to provide relevant reading materials for all age-groups for the post-Corona readership needs.
• DheeYantra, the pioneers in Indian languages NLP and conversational AI, has launched “Aham!”, a virtual assistant.
• A group of 500 officials from the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has unveiled Trifed VanDhan GIS-based website, the power of Webinars to keep in touch with each other and keep moving and working.
• A team at IIT Bombay has developed a mobile app named ‘CORONTINE’.
• Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura passed away due to coronavirus.
• Tamil folk singer and actress Paravai Muniyamma passed away.

NEWS IN DETAILS

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

ADB to invest $100 mn in NIIF FOF

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined the Government of India (GOI) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as an investor under the instruments of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India.
• Under the move, ADB will invest $100 million equivalent in the NIIF Fund of Funds (FOF).

ADB’s investment Highlights:

• With the investment now made by ADB into the NIIF platform, the FOF has now secured $700 million in commitments. NIIF’s FOF is targeted at India-focused PE fund managers who rely on international investors for large-scale fundraising.
• The FOF invests in various sectors and strategies through third-party managed funds. FOF is committed to three funds, aggregating to over $350 million (Rs.2,600 crores), that focus on green energy and climate, middle-income and affordable housing and entrepreneur-driven mid-market growth companies, operating across diversified sectors.

Extra Shots:

NIIF FOF:

• NIIF FOF was established in 2018.
• The main objective of NIIF FOF is to create a vehicle to provide India-focused private equity fund managers with a go-to institutional investor operating at scale and based in India.

UN report states India, China will stay away from world recession

• The United Nations Trade report titled “The COVID-19 Shock to Developing Countries: Towards a whatever it takes program” stated that the world economy will go into recession in 2020 with a predicted loss of trillions of dollars of global income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It also predicted serious problems for developing countries with the likely exception of India and China.

Report Highlights:

• The report highlighted that the two-thirds of the world’s population living in developing countries face unprecedented economic damage from the coronavirus crisis.
• The UN is planning a $2.5 trillion rescue package for the nation.
• As per the new analysis from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the developed countries will face a $2 trillion to $3 trillion drop in investments from overseas in the next two years.
• It highlighted that the recession will occur despite the massive government package of $5 trillion that is to be infused by G20 member countries.
• However, the report did not mention any explanation as to why and how India and China will be exceptions as the world faces a recession and loss in global income that will impact developing countries.

Extra Shots:

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

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

IMF declares that World is now in “Recession”

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that the world has clearly entered a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• It has emphasized that the current recession is even worse than that of 2009.
• The statements about the world economy were made after the meeting of governing body of the IMF, the International Monetary and Financial Committee.
• The International Monetary Fund has also projected a recovery in the next financial year i.e. 2021.
• The recovery from the recession will be possible if the international community contains the virus everywhere successfully and prevent the liquidity problems from becoming a solvency issue.

Extra Shots:

IMF: The International Monetary Fund (IMF), is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world while periodically depending on World Bank for its resources.

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C. U.S.
• Membership: 189 countries
• Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva
• Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

NGMA launched Virtual Tour of its permanent collection

• National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) celebrated the 66th Foundation Day on 29 March 2020. On the occasion, NGMA launched “Virtual Tour of its permanent collection” for the visitors.

Virtual Tour by NGMA:

• People are not allowed to visit NGMA due to the lockdown for 21 days in India as a measure to curb COVID-19 spread.
• The Virtual launch was launched so that the visitors can enjoy without having to physically visit the Museum. It had plenty to explore and ponder over.
• The permanent collection reflected its repository as an institution of dynamic and progressive collective acumen.
• The sculptures, paintings, and prints in the visual tour are a step further to showcase the hidden treasures of the reserve collection.
• The visual tour was a tribute to the modern masters. It was expected that it will generate greater interest among people towards the legacy of sculptures, paintings, and prints as a creative medium.
• The website for the virtual tour is “http://www.ngmaindia.gov.in/index.asp”.

Extra Shots:

National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA):

• NGMA was established on 29 March 1954. It is located in New Delhi.
• The premier art gallery is one of the world’s largest modern art museums.
• It functions under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. NGMA has subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore.

GoI extends validity of expired Driving Licences and Vehicle Registration till 30 June

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced an extension on the validity of documents like driving licenses, permits and registration that are expired since 1 February.
• The Ministry has directed all states and Union Territories (UT) to treat the documents as valid till 30 June.

Highlights:

• The move by the Government aims to help the people who face difficulties in renewing the validity of various motor vehicle documents due to nationwide lockdown and closure of government transport offices due to the coronavirus outbreak.
• As per the Ministry’s guidelines, the documents include fitness, permits of all types, driving licence, registration or any other concerned document under the Motor Vehicle Rules.
• The Ministry has directed all states/UTs to implement so that the people and transporters and organizations that render essential services do not get harassed and face difficulties amid the lockdown aimed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Ola offers mobility services for health workers, kitchen staff to states

• Ride-sharing platform Ola has announced that it is ready to join hands with various state governments to offer mobility help to all the frontline warriors engaged in the battle against novel coronavirus.
• It plans to facilitate the transportation of healthcare professionals, senior citizens, government officials and quick response teams.
• Ola CEO and co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal also announced that the states can also take help of the corporate kitchen staff from over 40 cities.
• Apart from lending a helping hand to state governments, Ola is also raising funds for its partner drivers who have been left unemployed by the 21 days national coronavirus lockdown.
• Under the ‘Drive the Driver Fund’ initiative, it plans to raise Rs 50 crore through crowdfunding to secure monetary help for the auto-rickshaw, cab, kaali-peeli and taxi drivers employed by Ola.
• Ola will donate Rs 20 crore for the fund. Ola CEO would forgo his salary for one year that would go towards the fund.

Extra Shots:

OLA:  Ola Cabs, is an Indian ridesharing company offering services that include peer-to-peer ridesharing, ride service hailing, taxi and food delivery. The company is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and was developed by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd. As of October 2019, Ola was valued at about $10 billion. Wikipedia

• Founded: 3 December 2010, Mumbai
• CEO: Bhavish Aggarwal
• Headquarters location: Bengaluru
• Founders: Bhavish Aggarwal, Ankit Bhati

MakeMyTrip launches ‘Stays for Saviours’ for healthcare providers

• Online travel agent MakeMyTrip on Tuesday said it has launched Stays for Saviours initiative for temporary accommodation of medical practitioners fighting covid-19.
• The initiative has been rolled out in partnership with hotel chains and independent hotels that are pitching in to support healthcare practioners across 26 states and four union territories.
• The initiative will enable medical practitioners to book from over 900 hotel properties across 200 cities in India on the MakeMyTrip app.

Extra Shots:

MakeMyTrip Limited is an Indian online travel company founded in 2000. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, the company provides online travel services including flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, and rail and bus tickets.

• CEO: Deep Kalra
• Headquarters: India

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Himachal Pradesh launched mobile app to monitor quarantined people

• Himachal Pradesh State government has unveiled ‘Corona Mukt Himachal’, a mobile application on 31 March as a measure to protect the State’s people.
• The app will track and monitor the people who are quarantined for COVID-19.

Corona Mukt Himachal:

• Corona Mukt Himachal app was developed by the Department of Information Technology. Using the app, the health workers of the Health Department will monitor the people, especially on home quarantine.
• It is an OTP based application which would be given by the health worker. Violation of quarantine will be monitored through this tracking application.

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

Jharkhand launched PRAGYAAM to provide essential services

• Jharkhand state government has launched PRAGYAAM, a Mobile application, on 30 March.
• The app was launched by the State Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
• The app aims to issue e-passes to everyone associated with the delivery of essential services during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Other measures:

• Jharkhand govt has announced to provide 2 months ration in advance to the beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS). It is expected that around 90% of the families in the state will benefit from the decision.
• The state also launched an app ‘VeggiGo’ for people to place an order for essential commodities.

Extra Shots:

Jharkhand

• Capital: Ranchi
• Chief Minister: Hemant Soren
• Governor: Draupadi Murmu

Andhra Pradesh govt sets up Mobile Hand-wash facilities

• Andhra Pradesh State government has set up “Mobile Hand-wash facilities” for the benefit of Slum Dwellers amidst lockdown in the state.
• This facility to help them protect themselves from COVID-19.
• The mobile Hand Wash facility has become handy for both the state authorities and slum dwellers to access facility of hands cleaning.

Extra Shots:

Andhra Pradesh:

• Capital: Amravati
• Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan

Rajasthan Police launches a mobile app “RajCop citizens app”

• Rajasthan police have launched a mobile app “RajCop citizens app” to enable individuals and company employees in the state take permission for venturing out in necessary conditions.
• Rajasthan Police start giving permit on the app for movement during the lockdown.
• This app will help law-abiding citizens to go out of their home in case of emergency or essential services during the lockdown with a valid permit.
• The developer of the app Data Ingenious GLobal Limited to address the immediate need of the people during the lockdown and its team is working from home to bring changes that will be asked by the government.

Extra Shots:

Rajasthan

• Capital:Jaipur
• Chief Minister:Ashok Ghelot
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Sudhir Rajkumar resigns from UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

• Sudhir Rajkumar, a senior official from India, has resigned from his position of Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).
• He was appointed to the role of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October 2017.
• Rajkumar did not mention any reason for his resignation.
• He managed the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Indian Army prepares amid the lockdown

• The Indian Army has prioritized essential activities that are necessary for its functioning in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
• Centre’s nationwide lockdown has led to the formations and military stations reducing contact with civilians.
• Some of the units have isolated themselves from the outside environment and other units.

Army’s lockdown:

• As per the social distancing norms, troops have isolation themselves within a unit. It ensured regular sanitation and dividing troops into groups that maintain distance from each other.
• Some of the preventive measures include not allowing civilians to enter the unit lines, maintenance of distance between individuals and groups, avoiding interactions, keeping markets out of bounds, sanitizing persons and vehicles, reporting sick if there are symptoms and establishing different barracks for troops.
• The Army has extended leaves for those who are already on leave. Troops returning from temporary duty will undergo sanitization and checking symptoms before being taken away for isolation.
• To avoid contagion within a unit, the troops have been divided into small teams that maintain a distance of 500m. Different barracks were allotted for different teams.

DRDO develops casualty evacuation bags

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed a casualty evacuation bag to transport or isolate persons infected with COVID-19.
• The bag is water and air-proof and treated to deal with biological agents. DRDO will be procuring an initial lot of 500 such bags.
• DRDO’s Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), which carries out research in aero-medical engineering and life support equipment and Nuclear Chemical and Biological (NBC) protection systems, has developed this bag.
• The bag is in the shape of a rigid cylinder is made of non-woven, water-repellant fabric with air and waterproof zippers as well as a ventilator. It is coated with a film to cater to a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) environment with requisite protection against blood and viral penetration.

Multi-Patient Ventilators:

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also trying to develop ‘multi-patient ventilators’ to support critical COVID-19 patients. The multi-patient ventilators will help support several patients through a single unit. The DRDO is developing the advanced ventilators to meet the demand in case the coronavirus outbreak goes out of control. The DRDO aims to produce around 5000 ventilators in the first months and 10,000 subsequently.

Extra Shots:

DRDO: The Defence Research and Development Organisation is an agency of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in Delhi India.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Motto: बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम्; “Strength’s Origin is in Science” (Sanskrit)
• Founded: 1958

BOOKS & AUTHORS

NBT launched Corona Studies Series books

• National Book Trust (NBT) is to launch Corona Studies Series books to provide relevant reading materials for all age-groups for the post-Corona readership needs.
• The information was passed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Corona Studies Series books:

• NBT’s initiative aims to launch the series in order for the people to realize the extraordinary psychological, social, economic and cultural significance of Corona Pandemic for human society in times to come.
• NBT has comprised a ‘Study Group’ in this regard. The group comprises of Dr.JitenderNagpal, Dr.Harsheeta, Sq. Ldr (Rtd.) Meena Arora, Lt. Col. TarunUppal, Mrs. Rekha Chauhan, Mrs. Sonie Sidhu, and Ms. Aparajita Dixit.
• The ‘Corona Studies Series’ is expected to be the long-term contribution to prepare and engage readers with the various aspects of the Corona times. NBT plans to bring out affordable books in various Indian languages in the identified subject areas.
• It also provides a platform for the authors and researchers to contribute to this genre. It aims to bring out the affordable books in various Indian languages in the identified subject areas.

Extra Shots:

NBT: National Book Trust is an Indian publishing house, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. NBT now functions under aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India India’s first Prime Minister Pt.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• President: Govind prasad sharma
• Founder: Jawaharlal Nehru
• Founded: 1 August 1957
• Jurisdiction: India
• Type of business: Government agency

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DheeYantra launched Virtual assistance to curb fake messages on Coronavirus

• DheeYantra, the pioneers in Indian languages NLP and conversational AI, has launched “Aham!”, a virtual assistant.
• The chatbot was developed to provide answers to the concerns on the COVID-19 crisis.

Aham!:

• Aham! is released in 7 Indian languages namely Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil, in addition to English.
• Aham aims to combat the rise of fake news related to COVID-19 contagion across India and the world
• Aham will provide factual information curated from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW).
• Users can now visit and converse with Aham on www.aham.ai and on Facebook messenger.
• Aham provides information about COVID-19, and the precautions one should take not to contract or contribute to the contagion.
• The bot will help people to perform self-diagnosis to identify their risk profile.
• A user can also get the statistics of the worldwide spread of the contagion, emergency numbers to contact, information about COVID-19 diagnostic and treatment centers designated by the Govt. etc.
• The chatbot is built over the conversational AI platform dhee.ai. Users can either speak to Aham using a microphone or type in their queries in their language of choice.

TRIFED launched Trifed VanDhan GIS-based website

• A group of 500 officials from the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has unveiled Trifed VanDhan GIS-based website, the power of Webinars to keep in touch with each other and keep moving and working.
• The move aims to support people working from home amid the lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people across 27 states are working from home.
• Working on their computers from home, they have raised the bar very high, achieving unbelievable results.

TRIFED VanDhan GIS-based website:

• The TRIFED VanDhan GIS-based website remains the future medium of communication for 50 lakh tribal gatherers.
• The website was launched online for testing with 27 State teams. TRIFED is arranging atleast 2 team meetings every day and the Team is reaching out to partners to keep moving forward.
• TRIFED set up 1205 VANDhan Centers across 22 states of the country, employing 3 lakh 70 thousand Tribals in ventures to promote entrepreneurship.

IIT Bombay develops mobile app ‘CORONTINE’

• A team at IIT Bombay has developed a mobile app named ‘CORONTINE’.
• The ‘CORONTINE’ app aims to help the authorities in tracking the asymptomatic carriers and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
• The mobile app ‘CORONTINE’ would be installed on the mobile of asymptomatic carriers (AC) by an authorized agency (AA).
• The app will share the GPS coordinates of the mobiles on the regular intervals with a server under the supervision of authorized agency.
• The mobile app will auto detect the movement of user if the user leaves a specified quarantined zone marked by a geo-fence and will generate alerts via sms or email following which the authorities can take necessary steps.

OBITUARIES

Japanese comedian Ken Shimura passes away due to coronavirus

• Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura passed away due to coronavirus.
• The actor was set to star in his first feature film “God of Cinema”, directed by Yoji Yamada.
• Shimura grew up in the west Tokyo neighbourhood of Higashimurayama and he started his career in showbiz when he joined the Japanese rock band and comedy group The Drifters, famous for an opening for The Beatles during their early tours of Japan.

Tamil folk singer and actress Paravai Muniyamma passes away

• Tamil folk singer and actress Paravai Muniyamma passed away.
• She was born on June 26, 1937, in Paravai, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The acting career of Muniyamma began in the year 2003 in the film Dhool.
• Her song “Madurai Veeran” became a huge hit. She had appeared in over 50 films, usually playing grandmother roles. In March 2019, Muniyamma was honoured with the Kalaimamani title by the Tamil Nadu government.

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