Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 7th 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 – 7th April 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is observed on 7 April.
- World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April every year.
- Punjab National Bank Housing Finance has partnered with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to raise 75 million dollars.
- Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India has set up a Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH).
- Trade body Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) reported that India’s edible oil imports have declined 32.44% to 9,41,219 tonnes in March 2020.
- Indian Railways has opened a Railway Control Office after the declaration of lockdown amid due to the coronavirus pandemic in order to assist railway passengers, other citizens and help resolve issues in freight operations.
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accomplished the construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20.
- Indian Railways has successfully converted convert 2500 coaches as Isolation Units with limited manpower amid the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired meeting with the Group of Ministers (GoM) on 7 April in New Delhi.
- The Ministry of Commerce has designed an online platform for the issuance of a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements.
- West Bengal state government has asked the Centre to release Rs.5,013 crore as the revenue deficit grant to the state.
- With the closure of educational institutions and suspension of annual examinations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Odisha government has planned to start online classes for Class 10th students of government schools.
- Bihar government has transferred one thousand rupees each to the bank accounts of over one lakh migrant workers stranded in other parts of the country due to nationwide lockdown.
- In Ladakh, the UT administration has started the process of the establishment of first ever COVID-19 Testing Laboratory.
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced a 5T plan to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- An online delivery platform, Dunzo has partnered with packaged foods company Britannia Industries to deliver range of products to its consumers.
- The tenure of Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, as the incumbent Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has been extended by the Supreme Court of India.
- The Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has banned the Malaysia & Thailand weightlifters from competing in Tokyo Olympics 2020.
- Ministry of Defence (MoD) has allowed temporary employment of National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’.
- Indian Smart Cities namely Bengaluru, Pune, Surat, and Tumakuru are using the integrated data dashboards to provide up-to-date information about the status of coronavirus in different administrative zones of their cities.
- The American space agency NASA has announced that it is working on the Artemis program.
- In view of increasing cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the country, Aerobiosys Innovations Private Limited, a start-up incubated at The Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) in the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H)– Telangana, has designed a low cost portable emergency ventilator called ‘Jeevan Light’.
- Former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Jock Edwards passed away.
- Former Libya Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril passed away due to COVID-19.
- Veteran Malayalam Music composer, MK Arjunan passed away.
NEWS IN DETAILS
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is observed on 7 April
- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is observed on 7 April.
- The day commemorates the victims of the genocide in Rwanda.
About 1994 Rwanda Genocide (massacre):
- 1994 Rwanda Genocide was a mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War.
- The was that began in 1990 was directed by members of the Hutu majority government.
- It lasted from 7 April to 15 July 1994.
- Most of the Rwandans (Around 85%) were Hutus. The Tutsi minority has long dominated the country. In 1959, the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and the Tutsis fled to neighbouring countries, including Uganda.
- A group of these Tutsi exiles formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
Extra Shots:
Rwanda (Capital/Currency): Kigali/ Rwandan franc (RWF)
- President: Paul Kagame
- Prime Minister: Edouard Ngirente
- Official languages: English, French, Kinyarwanda, Swahili
World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April
- World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April every year.
- The day aims to create awareness of health to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization.
- World Health Day is marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other organizations.
- The WHO has named this year the ‘International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife’.
Objective:
- The day honors the contribution of nurses and midwives and recognizes their vital role in keeping the world healthy.
Aim:
- The day aims to spread awareness around maintaining good health and a balanced lifestyle.
Theme :
- Support Nurses And Midwives.
Significance of Nurses and Midwives:
- WHO states that a strengthened workforce of nurses and midwives can only ensure that everyone gets the healthcare they need.
- They can help the countries to achieve their national and global targets related to universal health coverage, maternal and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases including emergency preparedness and response, mental health, patient safety and the delivery of integrated, people-centered care, among others.
History:
- World Health Day marks the inception of the World Health Day campaign at the First Health Assembly in 1948. It took effect in 1950.
- The campaign was initiated with the motive of promoting awareness about physical and mental health and offer the necessary support.
- It also focuses to make people understand the importance of universal health coverage.
Extra Shots:
WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. It is part of the U.N. Sustainable Development Group.
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Head: Tedros Adhanom
- Founded: 7 April 1948
BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
PNB Housing Finance ties-up with JICA to raise $75 million
- Punjab National Bank Housing Finance has partnered with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to raise 75 million dollars.
- The Citibank will also co-finance 25 million dollars to finance the mortgage loans in the affordable housing segment.
- This partnership also states first debt funding by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the housing finance sector in India.
- The partnership aims to facilitate low-income households of India with affordable housing, based on the Facility for Accelerating Financial Inclusion in Asia.
Extra Shots:
Punjab National Bank:
- Founded on: 12 April 1894
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Chairman: Sunil Mehta
- MD & CEO: S.S. Mallikarjuna Rao
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
DST sets up CAWACH to combat COVID-19 pandemic
- Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India has set up a Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH).
- The centre is a rapid response to combat COVID-19 global pandemic.
Aim:
- The CAWACH program focus to leverage the youthful energy, intelligence and extraordinary innovative potential of technology incubators and startups.
- It also aims to empower them to speedily address the multi-dimensional challenges of COVID-19 across respiratory aids, information and monitoring assists, disinfection systems, protective gear and coatings, diagnostics, and a plethora of other relevant materials, devices, and solutions
About CAWACH:
- The total cost of the centre is Rs.56 crore.
- The centre is to evaluate and support the innovations and start-ups that address COVID-19challenges.
- The centre will be implemented by Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), a technology business incubator at IIT-Bombay.
- Through the program, DST aims to support R&D initiatives by boosting innovations offering comprehensive solutions like Ventilators, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Informatics and other intervention for control and mitigation of COVID-19.
- The centre will support startups at different stages for fast-tracking commercialization process and journey and scale-up across geographies which will have a significant impact in the long term.
- It will provide access for all India networks for testing, trial and market deployment of these products and solutions in the identified areas of priority COVID-19 solutions.
- The program will help to address various challenges faced by the country due to the Coronavirus crisis.
Edible oil imports in India declined to 32.44 percent in March
- Trade body Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) reported that India’s edible oil imports have declined 32.44% to 9,41,219 tonnes in March 2020.
- The reason for the decline is due to government restrictions on the purchase of refined palm oil from the overseas market.
- India had imported 13,93,255 tonnes in March 2019.
Report Highlights:
- India is the world’s leading vegetable oil buyer.
- The share of palm oil is more than 60% of India’s total vegetable oil imports.
- It highlighted that there was a 90% fall in import of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palmolein at 30,850 tonnes in March 2020 against 3,12,673 tonnes in 2019.
- It highlighted that the import of RBD palmolein has been reduced drastically as the commodity has been put on a restricted list of trade since 8 January. In order to place palm oil in a restricted category, the importer will require licence or permission for the inbound shipment.
- Also, the import of soyabean oil declined marginally to 2,92,410 tonnes in March 2020 against 2,92,925 tonne in March 2019.
Extra Shots:
Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA):
- SEA was established in 1963.
- The aim is to help and foster the development and growth of the Solvent Extraction Industry in India.
- SEA currently has 875 members with about 350 working solvent extraction plants which has the processing annual capacity of about 30 million tonnes.
Note: The Oil year runs from November to October.
Railway Control Office to assist to resolve issues in freight operations
- Indian Railways has opened a Railway Control Office after the declaration of lockdown amid due to the coronavirus pandemic in order to assist railway passengers, other citizens and help resolve issues in freight operations.
Centralized Control Office:
- Railway control office has been doing 24×7 monitoring of four communication and feedback platforms namely Helplines 139, 138, social media and email ([email protected]).
- The queries were answered by its IVRS facility.
- Railways aim to ensure a seamless flow of information and suggestions between Railway Administration and the general public during the lockdown.
- Under the facility, the Railway personnel has responded to over 1,25,000 queries in the first 10 days on designated communication platforms, out of which over 1,09,000, 87% queries, were handled through direct human interaction over the phone.
NHAI achieved highest ever Construction of National Highways in 2019-20 Financial year
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accomplished the construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20.
- It is the highest ever highway construction achieved in a financial year by NHAI.
Bharatmala Pariyojana:
- The ambitious highway development program of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways includes the development of about 65,000 km of national highways.
- Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Ministry has approved the implementation of 34,800km of national highways in 5 years with an outlay of Rs.5,35,000 crore.
- NHAI has been mandated to develop about 27,500km of national highways under Bharatmal Pariyojna Phase-I.
- Also, a large number of initiatives have been taken to revive the stalled projects and expedite completion of new projects
Extra Shots:
NHAI:
- Formed on: 1995
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Chairman: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
Indian Railways has converted 2500 coaches into Isolation Units
- Indian Railways has successfully converted convert 2500 coaches as Isolation Units with limited manpower amid the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.
- The move by the Railways is to supplement the national efforts in combating COVID-19.
- The initial task was to prepare 5000 coaches as isolation wards for the COVID-19 infected patients.
- With the conversion of around 2500 coaches, 40000 isolation beds are now ready for contingency.
- On average, 375 coaches per day are being converted by Indian Railways.
- The conversion is being carried out at 133 locations in the country.
About Isolation Units:
- The isolation coaches will be used all across the country and will remain on railway premises.
- These coaches are equipped as per medical advisories issued.
- For the isolation cabin, middle berth from one side and all the three berths have been removed in front of the patient berth.
- Air curtains in each compartment have been provided.
- Each compartment is provided with four bottle holders and a 220-volt electric point for medical instruments.
- The aisle areas of the bathrooms have been modified to prepare the isolation coaches. A hand shower, one bucket, and a mug are placed in each bathroom.
- With these provisions, there are 10 isolation wards in each coach.
- Indian Railways is to make more designs of the isolation coaches as a measure to combat COVID-19.
- The isolation coaches are being prepared only as a contingency and to supplement the efforts of the Ministry of Health in fighting the COVID 19.
Rajnath Singh chaired GoM meeting to assess post lockdown situation
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired meeting with the Group of Ministers (GoM) on 7 April in New Delhi.
- The meeting focused on the assessment of the post lockdown situation in the wake of COVID-19.
- The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goel, Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Ram Vilas Paswan, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla among others.
Meeting Highlights:
- The Ministers discussed possible ways to ease the lockdown after 14 April.
- The Ministers evaluated the availability and procurement strategy of medical aids and the preparedness of hospitals.
- In a series of tweets, Rajnath Singh said they shared the appreciation for the Union Cabinet’s decision to reduce the salaries of all MPs for a year and also the suspension of MPLADS funds for 2 years.
- The Ministers discussed several methods to curb the spread of coronavirus infection and stay vigilant in combat against COVID-19.
Commerce Ministry launched online platform to issue of certificate of origin for exporters
- The Ministry of Commerce has designed an online platform for the issuance of a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements.
- The move aims to facilitate shipments during the COVID-19 crisis.
Highlights:
- As per the guidelines of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an exporter should submit a certificate of origin (COO) at the landing port of the importing country. The certificate is essential to prove where their goods come from.
- The submitted documents will be important to claim duty concessions under free-trade agreements (FTAs).
- The platform has been designed as single-point access for all FTAs/preferential trade agreement (PTA), for all designated COO issuing agencies and for all export products
- The platform can be accessed at https://coo.dgft.gov.in.
- The preferential certificate of origin for exports to various other countries under following FTAs/PTAs shall be applied and issued only from the online platform with effect from 7 April 2020.
- Previously, the certificate for exports from India to Chile under a PTA, exports to Nepal under South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) and shipments to Korea under India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have been applied and issued through this online platform.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
West Bengal sought fund from Centre to combat COVID-19 crisis
- West Bengal state government has asked the Centre to release Rs.5,013 crore as the revenue deficit grant to the state.
- The fund will be used to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.
Highlights:
- The grant was provided by the 15th Finance Commission.
- The state also sought several measures to ease its financial position as the state-specific revenue streams had dried up due to the nationwide lockdown.
- The state asked the Centre to release pending goods and service tax (GST) compensation and allow states to use interest accruing to the Consolidated Sinking Fund, besides a moratorium on loan payments.
- The state also asked to increase the fiscal deficit limit under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act to 5% from 3% for the ongoing financial year.
- The welfare measures aim to help the people, especially poor farmers, unorganized workers, and SMEs, who are badly impacted.
Extra Shots:
West Bengal:
- Established on: 26 January 1950
- Capital: Kolkata
- Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
- Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
Odisha to start online classes for Class 10 students of government schools
- With the closure of educational institutions and suspension of annual examinations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Odisha government has planned to start online classes for Class 10th students of government schools.
- The state government has asked the students to remain indoors for their safety and advised them to go for online studies.
- The students who have a desktop or laptop with internet facilities in their homes should download the DIKSHA app for online studies.
- The teachers will be instructed to guide the students.
- The online education will begin after April 14.
- Through this app, the students can revise lessons, practice academic exercises, find additional materials on difficult topics as well as get immediate feedback from their teachers.
- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recently launched e-contents for all subjects on DIKSHA.
Extra Shots:
Odisha:
- Capital: Bhubaneswar
- Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
- Governor: Ganeshi Lal
- National Park: Bhitarkanika NP, Simlipal NP
Bihar govt transfers Rs 1,000 each to bank accounts of over 1 lakh stranded migrant workers
- Bihar government has transferred one thousand rupees each to the bank accounts of over one lakh migrant workers stranded in other parts of the country due to nationwide lockdown.
- One thousand rupees per person was transferred in the bank accounts of migrant workers through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
- Bihar has become the first state in the country to reach out to its migrant workforce.
- The state government has made an allocation of rupees 100 crore for this purpose from CM Relief Fund.
Extra Shots:
Bihar
- Capital: Patna
- Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
- Governor: Phagu Chauhan
- Literacy Rate: 63.82%
Ladakh to establish first ever COVID-19 Testing Laboratory
- In Ladakh, the UT administration has started the process of the establishment of first ever COVID-19 Testing Laboratory.
- The health department at present is sending blood samples of the suspected patients to National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi in the absence of Covid 19 testing lab in the region.
Extra Shots:
Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.
- Area: 59,146 km²
- Union territory: 31 October 2019
- Administering Country: India
- Population: 2.74 lakhs (2011)
- Lowest elevation (Indus River): 2,550 m (8,370 ft)
- Capitals: Leh, Kargil
CM Arvind Kejriwal announced a 5T plan to stop the spread of Coronavirus
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced a 5T plan to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- The 5T plan is testing, tracing, treatment, teamwork, and track.
5Ts to curb COVID-19 spread:
- Testing:
- Aggressive testing can curb the spread of the new coronavirus. The Delhi government will conduct one lakh rapid tests in hotspot areas like Dilshad Garden and Nizamuddin.
- Tracing:
- Tracing the people who are identified to have come in contact with a positive patient and are asked to self-quarantine. The Delhi Police is ensuring if the self-quarantine is being followed.
- Treatment:
- In Delhi, over 2,950 beds are reserved for coronavirus patients. And hospitals like LNJP, GB Pant and Rajiv Gandhi hospitals will treat only coronavirus patients. It also plans to take over 12,000 hotel rooms for the treatment.
- Teamwork:
- COVID-19 can only be defeated through teamwork. Doctors and nurses are key members of the teams. All the Indian states are working along with the Centre to stop the spread of the virus.
- Tracking & Monitoring:
- The Delhi government is actively tracking the developments and actions taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Extra Shots:
Delhi:
- Formation :1 February 1992
- Governor: Anil Baijal
- Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
- Capital: New Delhi
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
Britannia Industries teams up with Dunzo to deliver essential items
- An online delivery platform, Dunzo has partnered with packaged foods company Britannia Industries to deliver range of products to its consumers.
- Britannia Industries has launched a Britannia Essentials store that will be available to Dunzo app users.
- The batch of essential products produced by Britannia Industries will be available at Britannia’s distribution centers.
- These essential products will be sourced by Dunzo from distribution centers to ensure proper handling of goods as well as the availability of these products to the people.
- Hence, Britannia Industries will be leveraging the innovative and most advanced technology platform of Dunzo to enable seamless delivery of products every day.
Extra Shots:
Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian food-products corporation. Founded in 1892 and headquartered in Kolkata, it is one of India’s oldest existing companies. It is now part of the Wadia Group headed by Nusli Wadia.
- CEO: Varun Berry
- Headquarters: Bengaluru
APPOINTMENT
Tenure of TDSAT Chairman extended by 3-months
- The tenure of Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, as the incumbent Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has been extended by the Supreme Court of India.
- The bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde along with Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjay Kishan Kaul took a decision to extend the tenure of Justice Shiva Kirti Singh by three months.
- In its decision, the SC bench has also directed the union government to expedite the process of appointment for TDSAT members.
- The incumbent Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), Justice Shiva Kirti Singh assumed the office in April 2017 was set to retire on 20th of April 2020.
Extra Shots:
TDSAT: The Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, was established to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.
- Website: tdsat.nic.in
- Founded: 29 May 2000
- Purpose: To adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector
- Jurisdiction: India
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Agency executive: Shiva Kirti Singh (Chairperson)
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
Thailand & Malaysia weightlifters banned from Tokyo Olympics 2020
- The Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has banned the Malaysia & Thailand weightlifters from competing in Tokyo Olympics 2020.
- IMSP has imposed the disciplinary sanctions on both the countries from participating in weightlifting events at the Tokyo Olympics for doping violations.
- Due to the doping violations, the membership status of Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) has been suspended for a period of three years through to 1 April 2023 while Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) is suspended from all IWF activities for a period 12 months through to 1 April 2021.
Extra Shots:
Malaysia (Capital/Currency): Kuala Lumpur/ Malaysian ringgit
Thailand (Capital/Currency): Bangkok/ Thai baht
- Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha
DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
NCC to provide services under Exercise NCC Yogdan in fight against COVID-19 pandemic
- Ministry of Defence (MoD) has allowed temporary employment of National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’.
- The Ministry also provided guidelines in this regard.
- The exercise was launched as per the request of the Civil and police administration in the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Exercise NCC Yogdan Highlights:
- NCC has offered its help to help civilians and combat COVID-19 under the exercise.
- These cadets will offer to state and municipal authorities to augment relief efforts.
- Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh has requisitioned for the employment of 8 cadets in supply chain management.
- Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have sought 245 cadets in supply chain and traffic management.
- Uttar Pradesh has asked for services of volunteer cadets from NCC Group Headquarters Gorakhpur
- Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh (PHHPC) Directorate sought for services of 86 cadets.
- Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu (TN) has approached services of NCC cadets and Tamil Nadu has provided services of 75 cadets and 57 cadets for Puducherry, so far.
Extra Shots:
NCC: The NCC, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is the largest uniformed youth organisation of the country and has been engaged in conducting various social service and community development activities.
- Director General: Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra, AVSM
- Motto: एकता और अनुशासन; Unity and discipline
- Founder: Government of the United Kingdom
- Founded: 16 April 1948
- Headquarters location: New Delhi
- Role: Student Uniformed Group
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ICCC of Smart city missions is used to monitor and track COVID-19 patients
- Indian Smart Cities namely Bengaluru, Pune, Surat, and Tumakuru are using the integrated data dashboards to provide up-to-date information about the status of coronavirus in different administrative zones of their cities.
- The data dashboards are developed by the data analysts and data experts who work with their Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and function as COVID-19 War Rooms in many cities.
Pune:
- In Pune, the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) partnered with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
- The partnership has aimed to develop an integrated data dashboard to fight COVID-19 pandemic.
- The city administration uses heat-mapping technologies and predictive analytics to develop a containment plan and the containment zones get reflected on the dashboard.
Surat:
- In Surat, the Surat Municipal Corporation has published an online dashboard on its municipal website, , to provide regular updates to the citizens.
Bengaluru and Tumakuru:
- In Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has set up a ‘war room’ to use technology to conduct surveillance on people within an 8km radius of a confirmed patient, so as to contain the spread of the virus.
NASA to set up Artemis, the first human base camp on south pole of Moon
- The American space agency NASA has announced that it is working on the Artemis program.
- NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024 through this program. NASA also submitted a report to the National Space Council on 2 April.
- The report focused on setting up the Artemis Base Camp at the South Pole of the moon.
NASA’s Artemis program:
- NASA’s Artemis program plans to establish a base camp on the Moon by 2024.
- NASA has also revealed a plan that showed the US lunar presence after achieving the milestone.
- NASA plans to test technologies and secure resources on the surface of the Moon, before exploring Mars.
- NASA plan to conduct several operations on and around the moon and for that, they require Artemis Base Camp. It will be their first sustainable foothold on the lunar frontier.
- The lunar base camp will demonstrate the US’s leadership in space and will eventually help them prepare to undertake humanity’s first mission to Mars.
Extra Shots:
NASA:
- Formed on: 29 July 1958
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
- Administrator: Jim Bridenstine
- Deputy Administrator: James Morhard
Start-up Aerobiosys Innovations at IIT-Hyderabad develops low-cost ventilator called ‘Jeevan Lite’
- In view of increasing cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the country, Aerobiosys Innovations Private Limited, a start-up incubated at The Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) in the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H)– Telangana, has designed a low cost portable emergency ventilator called ‘Jeevan Light’.
Highlights:
- Jeevan Lite with internet access can be run through the mobile app.
- Apart from this, it will also run on the battery for up to 5 hours so that the patient does not have any discomfort during the power cut.
- Every breath of the patient will be recorded and will reach the doctor operating it from the app to enable telemedicine support.
- This device can also be connected to an oxygen cylinder and can operate on its own in ambient air.
- After receiving the certification for the device, Aerobiosis will produce 50 to 40 portable ventilators daily.
- The price of this product has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh & it will be available in the market in the first week of April 2020.
Extra Shots:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Hyderabad):
- Headquarters:Hyderabad, Telangana
- Director: Budaraju Srinivasa Murty
Aerobiosys:
- Headquarters: Sangareddy, Telangana
- Co-founders: Rajesh Thangavel and Cyril Antony
OBITUARIES
Former New Zealand cricketer Jock Edwards passes away
- Former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Jock Edwards passed away.
- He had made his Test debut in the home Test series against Australia in 1976-77 as a specialist batsman.
- He played the last of his eight Tests against India in 1981.
Former Libya Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril passes away
- Former Libya Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril passed away due to COVID-19.
- Mahmoud Jibril was the former head of the Libyan rebel government that ousted the long term ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
- Before joining the revolution in 2011, Jibril served the Gaddafi government as an economic advisor in its final years.
Extra Shots:
Libya (Capital/Currency): Tripoli/ Libyan dinar.
Malayalam Music composer M.K. Arjunan passes away
- Veteran Malayalam Music composer, MK Arjunan passed away.
- He was popularly known as Arjunan master in the industry for his evergreen melodies in Malayalam cinema.
- He had a long career, spanning over five decades.
- He composed more than 600 songs, many of them among the biggest hits of all time.
- Some of his hit songs are a staple of music reality shows even today.
- MK Arjunan got his first break in films in 1968 and gave some mellow hits like Neela nisheedhini, yadukula rarhi devanevide and chembaka thaikal pootha.
- MK Arjunan was also conferred the state award for the song in Jayaraj directed movie “Bhayanakam” in 2017.
Veteran actor Forrest Compton passes away due to COVID-19
- Veteran American actor Forrest Compton passed away due to COVID-19 complications.
- Compton was popular for playing the role of district attorney Mike Karr in the long-running soap opera “The Edge of Night”.
