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Current Affairs Weekly PDF – April 2020 3rd Week (16-23)

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Nationwide lockdown extended till May 3, 2020 to contain COVID-19 spread

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3, 2020, to halt COVID-
19 spread. He made 7 points appeal (Saptapadi) to the citizens of India as a preventive measure from
COVID-19 (He insisted on respecting ‘corona warriors’, i.e. doctors, nurses, sweepers and police officers
on ground is one among them).
Fit India and CBSE organizing first-ever live fitness sessions for school students amid lockdown
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Fit India in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is organizing a first-of-
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a-kind live fitness session under its Fit India Active Day programme for school children across the country
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from 15th April 2020 at 9:30 am. The guidelines of the Ministry of AYUSH to stay healthy and to build
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immunity will also be shared with students during this programme.
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Uttar Pradesh became first state to initiate Pool Testing of COVID-19
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its approval for pool testing (In pool testing, a
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group of samples are tested as one - if the cumulative result is negative it means all the samples in the
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pool is negative, only if result is positive then individual samples need to be tested) to Uttar Pradesh (UP),
making latter the first state to do so. UP has announced life insurance worth Rs 50 lakh has been provided
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to health workers, police personnel and home guards.

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External affairs ministry announced COVID-19 training program for healthcare professionals
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from SAARC countries

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced a training program on COVID-19 from April 17 for
healthcare professionals from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries,
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it will be carried out by the Central Government’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)
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programme. It is to take forward the Prime Minister’s (PM) ‘Prepare Not Panic’ for ‘SAARC fights Corona’.
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Jim Corbett National Park of U’khand becomes India’s 1st quarantine centre for animals
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India’s oldest forested wildlife sanctuary Jim Corbett National Park located in the Nainital district of
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Uttarakhand, has become the India’s 1st quarantine centre for animals with symptoms of COVID-19. At
least 10 quarantine centers are being set up within the complex to handle the corona virus prey animals.
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This precautionary measure is due to a tiger named ‘Nadia’ tested positive for covid-19 in Bronx zoo, NY,
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US.
Narendra Singh Tomar chairs the National Conference on Kharif crops 2020 by video conference
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar chaired the National
Conference on Kharif crops 2020 through video conference & stated that all states should aim to achieve
the kharif target and also the doubling of farmers income should be taken up in mission mode. The main
aim of the conference was to discuss various issues & to list the steps with the states on the preparedness
for Kharif cultivation due to the lockdown situation.
Read More Details Here: Narendra Singh Tomar chairs the National Conference on Kharif crops 2020 by
video conference
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Nirmala Sitharaman attended virtual 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
Meet
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman attended the virtual session of the
2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting. The meet was conducted
under the presidency of Saudi Arabia. Its objective was to discuss the global economic outlook during
COVID-19 pandemic crisis. She discussed about Indian government’s financial assistance of USD 3.9
billion to more than 320 million people, with a special focus on direct benefit transfer (DBT).
MS Sahoo Panel proposed National Institute of Valuers for institutional framework for valuers
The government-appointed 8-member committee (on August 30, 2019 – by Ministry of corporate affairs)
of experts headed by IBBI (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India) Chairman M S Sahoo submitted its
report on “valuation professionals” on March 31, 2020. In the Report, they proposed an institutional
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framework for valuers by setting up National Institute of Valuers (NIV), also they have provided the Draft
Valuers Bill, 2020 which is now open for comments till May 14, 2020.
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Read More Details Here: MS Sahoo Panel proposed National Institute of Valuers for institutional
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framework for valuers
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Govt to set up “Suraksha Stores” and “Suraksha Circle” under PPP mode amid COVID-19
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lockdown
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The government will set up 20 lakh retail shops through public-private partnership (PPP) named
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‘Suraksha Stores’ across India in the next 45 days to provide daily essentials to Indian citizens during
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lockdown. Around 50 top private Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have been
approached to implement this plan. Similarly, the Consumer Affairs Ministry is working on creating
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‘Suraksha Circle’ to maintain product supply chain.

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Nirmala Sitharaman attends the Plenary Meeting of IMFC through video-conference

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Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman attended the Plenary Meeting of the
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International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
through video conference due to pandemic. The discussion in the meeting is based on IMF Managing
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Director Kristalina Georgieva global policy agenda titled, “Exceptional Times – Exceptional Action”.
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India heading towards Ayurveda for COVID-19 treatment; Task force created for scientific
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validation
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Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has formulated a task force for scientific validation of Ayurveda and
traditional medicine formulas through research institutions, to be used in the treatment of COVID-19.
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The task force has members from the department of biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific and
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Industrial Research (CSIR) and also AYUSH practitioners.
NIRDPR and UNICEF training community leaders online to combat COVID-19

Hyderabad based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) has partnered
with the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF), Hyderabad field office, to train over 28.33 lakh
community leaders through online programs to practice social behaviours required to control the
transmission of COVID-19 cases in villages in association with the governments of Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka.
Advisory issued on secure use of Zoom meeting platform: MHA

The Cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has issued an
advisory to safeguard private individuals who use the video-conferencing app “Zoom” for private
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purposes like a meeting platform & states that it is not for use by government officers/officials for official
purposes.
India’s subsidies to renewables drops 35 per cent from FY17 to FY19: IISD & CEEW
According to the study, Mapping India’s Energy Subsidies 2020 released by the International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), India’s
energy subsidies drops 35% from Financial Year FY17 to FY19, while its oil and gas subsidies increased
by 65%.
Read More Details Here: India’s subsidies to renewables drops 35 per cent from FY17 to FY19: IISD &
CEEW
Nirmala Sitharaman attends the 101st Development Committee Meeting of World Bank – IMF
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Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman attended the 101st Development
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Committee plenary Meeting of World Bank (WB) - International Monetary Fund (IMF) through video
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conference. The meeting had updates on World Bank group response to the covid-19 pandemic
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emergency & the Debt Initiative: International Call for Action in Support of International Development
Association (IDA) countries. The WB has decided to grant financial support of $150-160 Billion to combat
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COVID-19 for the next 15 months.
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Government increases loss coverage for micro loan defaults under CGFMU scheme
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As per the notification of Ministry of Finance, the coverage of lender’s loss in case of loan default under
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Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU) scheme is increased to 75% from earlier 50%
(amended). The CGFMU scheme was announced in April 2016 covering microloans up to Rs 10 lakhs
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extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).

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Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel launches the National list of intangible cultural heritage of
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India in New Delhi

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Union Minister for Culture (I/C) Prahlad Singh Patel, launched the National List of Intangible Cultural
Heritage (ICH) of India with the aim to create awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage
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sites from different states of India at national and international level to ensure their protection.
Read More Details Here: Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel launches the National list of intangible
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cultural heritage of India in New Delhi

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Health Ministry formulated colour codes for Lockdown 2.0 to manage COVID-19 pandemic
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has formulated a new set of guidelines for the nationwide
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lockdown-2.0 or Smart Lockdown, which started from 20th April 2020 and continues till May 3, 2020. It
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decided to divide all Indian districts into hotspots (red zones – districts with more than 6 cases); non-
hotspots (orange zones and green zones) on the basis of absolute number of cases and the speed of
growth in cases.
Rajasthan: First Indian State to carry out Rapid Testing for Covid-19
Rajasthan became the first state in the country to carry out Rapid Testing (Antibody test using blood) for
Covid 19 at state’s urban primary health centre of TopkhanaDesh (also known as Jaju Dispensary) in
Jaipur. This test will be done at a large scale to assess the prevalence of Covid 19 in hotspots. Apart from
this, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will aslo continue in the containment zones all over Rajasthan.
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Central Government releases 7,300 crore rupees to State & UTs under MGNREGS
The Central Government has released 7,300 crore rupees to the States and Union Territories (UT) under
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to liquidate pending dues
of last financial year but also the wages dues for the first fortnight of 2020-21.
G20 Health Ministers Meeting held via video conference to control COVID-19; US $8mn required
for containment
Dr. Harsh Vardhan Minister of Health and Family Welfare participated in G20 Health Ministers meeting
held on April 19, 2020, via Video Conference. The objective behind this meet was to discuss weaknesses
in health systems that made the world vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak to pursue unified efforts
towards mitigation of COVID-19. Also, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) estimated that,
over $8 billion is required to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Centre formed high-level task force headed by Vinod Paul & K Vijay Raghavan for development
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of Covid-19 vaccine
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The central government has constituted high-level task force for vaccine and drug testing for Covid-19
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co-chaired by Vinod Paul, member NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, and
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Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to the government. The objective of the task
force is to catalyze national and international efforts towards vaccine development to treat Covid-19.
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Department of biotechnology would act as a nodal agency for the development of the vaccine to fight
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COVID-19 and to provide government facilitation.
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Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to geotag community kitchens

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Uttar Pradesh (UP) became the first state in the country to geotag its 7,368 community kitchens and
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community shelters across 75 districts which produce 12 lakh food packets a day, due to the sudden
onset of COVID-19 lockdown. The State government has also tied up with Google to “Geo-map” for the
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location of all these establishments through the Google Maps app for ease of beneficiaries.
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DCGI clears ICMR plasma therapy trial in Covid-19 patients; 99 applications received
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The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr. VG Somani has approved the clinical trial proposal for
convalescent plasma therapy submitted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Under this
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therapy, plasma from recovered Covid-19 individuals will be transfused into sick patients to check
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whether this therapy can be used as a treatment for the pandemic. Earlier, the US Food and Drug
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Administration (FDA) has also approved the plasma therapy and they started trail.
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Centre has amended FDI Policy, 2017 for curbing opportunistic takeovers
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Government amends the extant FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) policy for curbing opportunistic
takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies from neighboring nations due to the current COVID-19
pandemic. In this regard, the Centre has amended para 3.1.1 of extant FDI policy as contained in
Consolidated FDI Policy, 2017.
MNRE urges states to set up renewable energy equipment parks

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE – MoS I/C RK Singh) has directed states to set up
Renewable Energy (RE) equipment manufacturing parks to meet domestic demand and make India a
global manufacturing hub.
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Nirmala Sitharaman attends the 5th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of New Development
Bank
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman attended the 5th Annual Meeting of
Board of Governors of New Development Bank (NDB – HQ at Shanghai, China) held through video
conference. In the meeting she appreciated NDB’s effort to provide financial assistance of about USD 5 Bn
to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries including USD 1 Bn to India as an
emergency Assistance to combat COVID-19 pandemic & suggested to enhance the assistance to USD 10
Bn.
CM Pema Khandu inaugurated revamped Hangpan Dada Bridge in Arunachal Pradesh through
video conferencing
The Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, has inaugurated the revamped Hangpan Dada Bridge over
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River Subansiri at Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district, AR. The reconstruction work of this 430 feet multi
span bridge was done by Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) of Border Road Organization (BRO) within a
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month’s time under Project ARUNANK.
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IREDA to handle CPSU Scheme Phase-II: MNRE
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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on its behalf in the amended clause has appointed
the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) as the implementing agency to
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handle the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme Phase-II & all issues regarding the time-
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extension and dispute resolution on inevitable events.
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Read More Details Here: IREDA to handle CPSU Scheme Phase-II: MNRE
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FCI allowed to convert surplus rice to ethanol: Government

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The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) meeting under the chairmanship of Minister of
Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has approved & allowed Food Corporation of India (FCI)
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to convert the available surplus rice to ethanol so as to utilize it in making alcohol-based hand-sanitizers
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& also for the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. Recently the government has also allowed
sugar companies and distilleries to make hand sanitizers using ethanol.
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DCGI approves trial of a drug “Sepsivac”to reduce mortality rate in critically ill COVID-19
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patients
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The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) VG Somani has approved a trial of a drug, “Sepsivac” for
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reducing mortality rate in critically ill COVID-19 patients and the trial is likely to begin at multiple
hospitals. CSIR through its flagship New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI)
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program, supports Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Ahmedabad for developing this drug to save lives of
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critically ill patients suffering from Gram-negative Sepsis. This entire development effort (pre-clinical
and clinical studies) has been supervised by CSIR appointed Monitoring Committee.
Narendra Tomar participates in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Meeting

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture
Ministers Meeting through video conference to address the issue of COVID-19 impacts on food security,
safety and nutrition. The meeting was held under the Saudi Presidency- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al
Saud to discuss the ways and means to ensure continuity of the food supply value chain, including
farmers’ livelihoods.
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Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute becomes 1st in country to carry out plasma research in view
of Covid-19
Ahmedabad based - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Science and Research (SVPIMSR) has
signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) &
becomes the 1st authorized study centre in the country to carry out plasma research under trial in view
of COVID 19.
Government-appointed committee suggests restructure of GDP data & other estimates for states
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) has formed a 13-member committee
headed by Ravindra H Dholakia in 2018 to review the methodology of estimation of sub-national accounts
(state & district), revise the base year for national accounts or GDP calculation & suggest
recommendations. Now, the committee has suggested a complete restructure of how states collect and
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compile data for state-level gross domestic product (GDP) and other estimates.
Read More Details Here: Government-appointed committee suggests restructure of GDP data & other
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estimates for states
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
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ASEAN leaders held Special summit and Special ASEAN plus 3 summit on COVID-19 via video
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Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held the Special ASEAN Summit
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via video conference which was chaired by Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam (ASEAN
currently chaired by Vietnam). In addition to that, virtual Special ASEAN along with China, Japan and
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South Korea (ASEAN Plus Three) Summit on COVID-19 Response was held.
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India becomes World’s most digitally dexterous country; 39% technophiles want OTJ & JIT
training: Gartner 2019 Survey
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According to Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey, India has become the world’s most digitally
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dexterous (skilful) country in the world as it has a vast Gen Z workforce who are keen to learn new
digitally powered skills in the workplace. India is followed by the United Kingdom (UK) and United States
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(US). It should be noted that Generation Z or Gen Z are the ones born between 1995 and 2009.
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Read More Details Here: India becomes World’s most digitally dexterous country; 39% technophiles want
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OTJ & JIT training: Gartner 2019 Survey
India slipped two places to 142nd on global press freedom index 2020; Norway tops
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The rank of India has decreased by two places to 142nd from 140th position with a score of 45.33 in the
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“The World Press Freedom Index 2020” which has analysed 180 countries. The World Press Freedom
Index is compiled by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders. The
index has been topped by Norway with a score of 7.84 while North Korea stood at last rank of 180 with
score of 85.82.
Rank Country Score
1 Norway 7.84
142 India 45.33
180 North Korea 85.82
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COVID-19 could double number facing acute hunger; $350mn needed for containment: UN GRFC
2020
As per the fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2020) titled “2020 Global Report on Food
Crises-Joint Analysis for better decisions” by United Nation’s (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), the
coronavirus pandemic could nearly double the number of people around the world facing acute hunger.
Read More Details Here: COVID-19 could double number facing acute hunger; $350mn needed for
containment: UN GRFC 2020
UN member states demand ‘equitable’ access to any COVID-19 vaccines

Members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution, ‘equitable, efficient
and timely’ access to any future vaccines developed to fight against COVID-19 without any voting. The
World Health Organization (WHO) faced criticism from the Washington and the others for playing a
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major role in the resolution. The resolution was drafted by Mexico and supported by the United States
(US) which encourages Scientific international cooperation and coordination to fight against COVID-19
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along with the private sector.
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BANKING & FINANCE
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BSNL in partnership with SBI launches Bharat InstaPay a UPI-based payment platform
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Government Telecom company - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in partnership with India’s
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largest public sector bank - State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
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based payment platform, “Bharat InstaPay” to enable all types of channel partners of BSNL to digitize
their payment transactions on a round the clock basis/ real- time basis.
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HDFC Bank launches Safety Grid campaign for social distancing

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The HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank) has launched “Safety Grid campaign”
which was conceptualized by Leo Burnett India to help people maintain social distancing as prescribed
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by the World Health Organization (WHO) while waiting at shops during Lockdown.
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OBICUS Q4: 2019-20: 49th round of quarterly survey on manufacturing sector launched by RBI
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Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the 49th round of quarterly order books, inventories and
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capacity utilization survey (OBICUS) of the manufacturing sector which will provide important figures
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and input for monetary policy formulation. The reference period for this survey is January-March 2020
(Q4: 2019-20).
Read More Details Here: OBICUS Q4: 2019-20: 49th round of quarterly survey on manufacturing sector
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launched by RBI
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Tata AIA becomes the 1st Life Insurance company in India to announce additional benefits:
COVID-19
Tata AIA becomes the 1st Life Insurance company in India to announce additional benefits for its
policyholders & agents so as to support them during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The
Additional benefits are, All policyholders will get additional benefit equal to the base sum assured or Rs
5,00,000 (no additional cost) whichever is lower, it is applicable for all valid death claims with a date of
death on or before June 30th 2020 & All ‘active’ agents with their spouse and children are entitled upto
Rs 25,000 hospitalization cover if diagnosed with COVID-19 within the period as mentioned for the
policyholders.
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RBI Governor announced relief measures for liquidity in system; Reverse Repo Rate slashed to
3.75% from 4%
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das announced relief measures for small and medium-
sized financial organisations which have been struggling to operate due to Covid-19. The important
among them is reduction of fixed reverse repo rate from 4% to 3.75% with immediate effect to maintain
more liquidity in the banking system. Also, RBI to conduct a second round (TLTRO 2.0) of targeted long-
term repo operations (TLTRO) for an initial amount of Rs 50,000. A special refinance facility for an
amount of Rs 50,000 crores will be provided to NABARD, NHB and SIDBI.
Read More Details Here: RBI Governor announced relief measures for liquidity in system; Reverse Repo
Rate slashed to 3.75% from 4%
Equitas Small Finance Bank launches Selfe Fixed Deposits and Selfe savings accounts
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Chennai based private sector bank, Equitas Small Finance Bank (ESFB) has launched Selfe Fixed Deposits
(FD) and Selfe savings accounts to expand its digital banking services so as to help its customers to avoid
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visiting the branches as the lockdown is extended till May 3.
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Selfe FD: Min invest – Rs. 5,000; Max invest – Rs. 90,000; Interest rate upto 7.75% for 1 year.
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Selfe savings accounts: No minimum balance requirement; Interest rate upto 7.5% p.a.
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RBI’s 1st auction under TLTRO 2.0 for Rs 25,000 cr on Apr 23; final tranche of Rs 1 lakh crore
TLTRO concluded
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Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has announced a Targeted Long-Term Repo
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Operations 2.0 (TLTRO) window of Rs 50,000 crore during press conference (concluded 1st phase of
TLTRO of Rs. 1 lakh crore on April 17, 2020). Now as a part of it, RBI is all set to conduct the first auction
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under the TLTRO 2.0 for an amount of Rs 25,000 crore on April 23, 2020. The funds availed under TLTRO
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2.0 shall be deployed in investment grade bonds, commercial paper (CPs) and non-convertible
debentures (NCDs) of NBFCs.
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Voice banking services on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant launched: ICICI

The Mumbai based ICICI bank has launched voice assistance-based banking services on its integrated
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artificial intelligence (AI) powered multi-channel chatbot “iPal” with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
for its retail banking customers by which they can access a wide range of banking services like check
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balance, seek credit card details & ask queries through voice commands.
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RBI reduces FPI investment limits in G-secs for FY21; Rises for SDL
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the investment limit for general category foreign portfolio
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investors’ (FPI) in central government securities (G-secs) to Rs 2.34 lakh crore for FY21 from the existing
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limit of Rs 2.46 lakh crore. The limits have been brought down by almost $1.5 billion to just above $31
billion. On the other hand, RBI has increased the general category FPI investment limits in state
development loans (SDL) by Rs 3,215 crore to Rs 64,415 crore for the H1 of FY21 & a rise of Rs 3,215
crore to Rs 67,630 crore for the H2 of FY21. The limits for FPI investment in G-secs and SDLs remained
unchanged at 6% and 2%, respectively, of outstanding stocks of securities for FY21.
RBI increases WMA limit for Central Government to Rs 2 lakh cr from 1.2 Lakh cr for H1 FY21
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with Indian Government has increased the limit for Ways and
Means Advances (WMA) by 66% for Central Government to Rs 2,00,000 crore from Rs 1,20,000 crore for
the remaining part of first half of the financial year 2020-21 i.e H1 FY21 (April 2020 to September 2020)
to tackle the financial crisis arisen due to COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, RBI increased the WMA limit
of state governments by 60%.
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Read More Details Here: RBI increases WMA limit for States/UTs to Rs 2 lakh cr from 1.2 Lakh cr for H1
FY21
RBI instructed its regulated entities to carry out money laundering risk assessment periodically
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) instructed its regulated entities (REs) to carry out money laundering (ML)
and terrorist financing (TF) risk assessment exercise periodically. In this regard the central bank has
added a new section in the Master Directions on KYC (know your customer), which has come into force
with immediate effect. The entities regulated by the RBI include, banks, All India Financial Institutions,
Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), and all payment system providers.
RBI cancels license of Goa’s oldest bank, Mapusa urban co-operative bank of Goa Ltd.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has canceled the license granted to the Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of
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Goa Ltd., Goa to conduct banking business which includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of
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deposits as defined in Section 5 (b) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 with
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immediate effect. The order came into effect from the close of business on 16 April 2020.
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Read More Details Here: RBI cancels license of Goa’s oldest bank, Mapusa urban co-operative bank of Goa
Ltd.
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Paytm Payments Bank partnered with Mastercard to issue virtual and physical debit cards
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Noida based Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has collaborated with Mastercard to issue virtual and
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physical debit cards to enable its customers to perform secure online transactions, make payment in
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stores as well as withdraw cash from ATMs. PPBL will issue Mastercard virtual debit cards to its new
customers to perform secure online transactions for everyday purchases.
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ECONOMY & BUSINESS

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IMF cuts India GDP growth to 1.9%, projects while Barclays forecasted it to 0%
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International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its “World Economic Outlook, April 2020” has decreased India’s
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GDP (Gross Domestic Products) growth rate to 1.9% projection from 5.8 % for fiscal year 2020-21 & It
has also predicted 7.4% growth rate in FY 21-22. Barclays Predicted India’s growth to 0% for calendar
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year 2020 from its earlier projection of 2.5%. Whereas, ICRA Ltd projected economic growth at anywhere
between -1% and 1% in FY 20-21.
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Telangana CM recommended the implementation of “Helicopter Money”

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has recommended to implement Helicopter money
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concept during a video-conference with Prime Minister Modi. Helicopter money is the term used for a
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large sum of new money that is printed and distributed among the public, to stimulate the economy
during a recession or when interest rates fall to zero. He also suggested releasing 5% funds from Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) to improve money circulation in the system and boost the economy & increasing
the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budgetary Management) limit to 5% from the existing 3%.
Read More Details Here: Telangana CM recommended the implementation of “Helicopter Money”
Exports declined by 34.57% in March & 4.78% in FY20; Q1 FY21 remain sluggish
As per data of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Indian exports of goods decreased by 34.57% to
$21.41 billion in March 2020 due to COVID-19 spread which has interrupted the production and supply
chains. With this, the overall export for FY 2019-20 declined by 4.78% to $314.31 billion. This is likely to
be the steepest fall in monthly exports since 2008-09, when shipments dipped by 33.3% in March 2009.
Read More Details Here: Exports declined by 34.57% in March & 4.78% in FY20; Q1 FY21 remain sluggish
10 | P a g e
Asia to stall at 0% growth in 2020 for 1st time in 60 years: IMF

International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) report titled ‘COVID-19 Pandemic and the Asia-Pacific Region:
Lowest Growth Since the 1960s’ stated that Asia will stall at 0% growth in 2020 for the 1st time in 60
years which includes the Global Financial Crisis (4.7%) and the Asian Financial Crisis (1.3%). Also, IMF
in its latest edition has placed India & China as the fastest-growing emerging economies of the world with
a positive growth rate in 2020.
India’s GDP growth may fall to 1.1% in FY21: SBI Ecowrap report
The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Ecowrap report predicted India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth
may fall to 1.1% in FY21 from its earlier projections of 2.6%, with the likelihood of 1st quarter growth
contracting 6% or more and 2nd quarter witnessing no growth due to the impact of the coronavirus
pandemic outbreak. The FY20 GDP growth has been revised from 5% to 4.1%.
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NCAER Business confidence index (N-BCI) declined to 77.3 in Q4 FY20
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The economic think-tank National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has carried out 112th
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Business Expectations Survey in March 2020. In the survey, NCAER’s Business Confidence Index (N-BCI),
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an indicator of business sentiments across Indian industry, stood at 77.3 in Q4 of FY20 which is decline
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of about 30.4% on a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis when compared to 111.2 in Q3 of FY20. This was
the lowest level of BCI recorded since the 25th Round of the BES in 1998. Political Confidence Index (PCI)
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fell from 96.2 per cent in January 2020 to 73.7 per cent in April 2020.
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S&P cuts India growth forecast to 1.8% from 3.5% for FY 20-21
S&P (Standard & Poor’s) Global Ratings has declined India’s growth forecast for the FY 20-21 to 1.8%
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from 3.5% estimated earlier due to an extended nationwide lockdown to contain COVID-19 spread. For
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FY 2021-2022, the rating agency has projected India’s growth to 7.5%. The growth of Asian front is
revised to 0.3%.
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Fitch cuts India’s FY21 GDP growth forecast to 1.8%

Fitch Solutions has declined India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the Financial Year (FY)
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2020-21 (April 2020 to March 2021) to 1.8% from previous estimation of 4.6%. For China, it has revised
to 1.1% from 2.6% for 2020.
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

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Algerian Novelist Abdelouahab Aissaoui wins 13th International Arab fiction prize 2020
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Abdelouahab Aissaoui has become 1st Algerian author to win the 13th International Prize for Arabic
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Fiction (IPAF) 2020 for his novel ‘The Spartan Court’ published by Dar Min in 2018 & will receive USD
50,000 and funding will be provided for the English translation. The Prize is run with the support of The
Booker Prize Foundation in London and is funded by the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi
(DCT).
Tata Power wins Edison Award 2020 for social innovation

Tata Power company limited has won silver in Edison award 2020 under Social innovation’s subcategory,
social energy solution for its campaign named ‘Club Enerji #Switchoff2SwitchOn’. The company’s ‘Club
Enerji’ is a 12-year old sustainability initiative which targets school children.
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Adam Higginbotham’s Midnight in Chernobyl wins William E. Colby Award 2020

British Author Adam Higginbotham has won the William E. Colby Award 2020 for his book “Midnight in
Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster” published by Transworld Digital
(February 14, 2019), The worth of prize is USD 5,000.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank chiefs appointed as OSDs in Union Bank of India and Canara Bank
Andhra Bank Managing Director (MD) J Packirisamy and Syndicate Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mrutyunjay Mahapatra were appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Union Bank of India (UBI)
and the Canara Bank respectively. The appointments come after some of the public sector banks were
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merged by the government with effect from April 1, 2020 (Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank have
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merged with Union Bank of India whereas Syndicate Bank merged with Canara Bank).
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MS Dhoni appointed as the brand ambassador of PokerStars India
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PokerStars India has appointed former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its new brand
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ambassador. Prior to MS Dhoni’s appointment popular Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was the
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brand ambassador of the company.
IWF President Tamas Ajan resigns

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International Weightlifting Federation (IWF – Hungary, budapest) President Tamas Ajan (81), resigned
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in the wake of allegations of corruption and doping violations. The IWF Executive Board accepted the
resignation of the IWF president. Ursula Papandrea from United States will be the acting president of
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IWF, she will be the first women president & 3rd president of the federation.
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Ajay Mahajan appointed as MD and CEO of CARE Ratings

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Mumbai based Credit Analysis and Research Limited (CARE) Ratings appointed Ajay Mahajan as
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Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company for 5 years commencing from
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April 15, 2020. He is the successor of T.N. Kumar- Interim CEO of the company.
India’s Limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma becomes brand ambassador for “CricKingdom”
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Rohit Sharma the limited-overs Vice-captain of Indian cricket team was named as brand ambassador of
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Dubai-based cricket coaching academy named “CricKingdom”, which provides a platform for online
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coaching after the global COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

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Vineet Arora appointed as MD & CEO of Paytm General Insurance

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Paytm, a major digital payment system and financial service platform, appoints Vineet Arora as the
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Paytm General Insurance Limited (Ltd). The
following are few of initiatives of PayTm, they partnered with McDonald’s for distribution of food & part
of ‘India Fights Corona’ campaign to distribute hygiene products and masks to corona warriors which is
launched in association with Lifebuoy, brand of Unilever and YouWeCan, a foundation established by
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh on March 18.
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand becomes ambassador of WWF India’s environment
education programme
The 5 times world chess champion Viswanathan Anand was appointed as ambassador of World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) India’s environment education programme. The programme was started in 1976 as an
initiative of Nature Clubs of India (NCI) with aim to create a generation of critical thinkers, problem
solvers and environmentally conscious individuals.
12 | P a g e
Central Government forms 6 Inter-Ministerial Teams

The central government under Section 35(1), 35(2)(a), 35(2)(e) and 35(2)(i) of the Disaster Management
Act 2005 has formed 6 Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCT), 2 each for West Bengal, Maharashtra and
1 each for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to make on-the-spot assessment of the situation and issue
necessary directions to redressal of state authorities, to submit their report to the Central Government
so as to fight and contain the spread of COVID-19.
2 empowered committees formed to look into implementation of exit from lockdown

The Government has formed 2 empowered Committees to look into the implementation of exits from
lockdown by states to ensure that only areas designated as hotspots continue with the strict restrictions.
1st committee headed by P Iyer, will looking into facilitation of supply chain and logistics management
and availability of necessary items such as food and medicines & 2nd committee headed by Amit Khare,
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for the purpose of public grievances & suggestions regarding exit in lockdown.
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BSNL CMD P K Purwar takes additional charge as CMD MTNL
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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Pravin Kumar (PK)
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Purwar took additional charge as CMD of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for 6 months or
until further orders, whichever is earlier.
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SC collegium names New Chief Justices for Bombay, Meghalaya & Orissa High courts
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The Supreme Court (SC) Collegium led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde has
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recommended the appointment of new Chief Justices for the Bombay, Orissa and Meghalaya High Courts.
Name High court in which appointed
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Dipankar Datta Bombay High Court

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Biswanath Somadder Meghalaya High Court

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Mohammad Rafiq Orissa High Court

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N Kamakodi re-appointed as MD & CEO of City Union Bank: RBI

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the re-appointment of N Kamakodi as the Managing Director
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(MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of City Union Bank (CUB – HQ at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), a
private sector bank for 3 years with effect from May 1, 2020.
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HSBC appoints Noel Quinn as Chief Executive Officer

The UK based HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) Bank headquarters at London has
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appointed Noel Quinn as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He served as the interim CEO of the bank since
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August 2019. He was the successor of John Flint.
PV Sindhu named as ambassador for BWF’s ‘I am badminton’ campaign

Badminton World Champion PV Sindhu, named as one of the ambassadors for Badminton World
Federation’s (BWF’s) “I am badminton” awareness campaign to provide a platform for the players to
express their love and respect for the sport.
Rakesh Sharma, Bajaj Auto Executive Director appointed as IMMA President

Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director (ED), Bajaj Auto, was appointed as the President of Geneva-based
International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA) for a two-years. He was the successor of
Johannes Loman.
13 | P a g e
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Novelis Inc. of Hindalco acquired US’s Aleris for $2.8 billion deal
Hindalco Industries Ltd. Of Aditya Birla group has acquired Aleris Corporation through its wholly owned
subsidiary US based Novelis Inc. for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion (Rs 21,295 crores). Hindalco is
now one of the world’s largest aluminium makers.
GP Global acquires lubricants assets of Nigeria’s Grand Petroleum

Gulf Petrochem (GP) Global, a leading energy-to-agriculture conglomerate, announced the acquisition of
the lubricant assets of Grand Petroleum which is part of the Nigerian Conglomerate the Nosak Group, to
expand and strengthen its presence in the African nation and western part of the continent.
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ORIX acquires IL&FS’s 100% stake in IWPSL for Rs 6.05 cr
Japanese financial service group, ORIX Corporation has completed its acquisition of 100% stake in IL&FS
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Wind Power Services Ltd (IWPSL) the wholly- owned subsidiary of Mumbai based Infrastructure Leasing
and Financial Services (IL&FS) for Rs 6.05 crore. The sale was cleared by NCLT (National Company Law
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Tribunal) appointed Justice D K Jain, who oversaw the reconciliation process of the group companies.
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TVS motor acquires 122-year-old UK-based firm Norton motorcycles for Rs 153 cr
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TVS Motor Company Ltd, an Indian multinational motorcycle company, has acquired the 122-year-old
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iconic British company Norton Motorcycle (UK) Ltd for Rs 153 crore (£16 million). TVS has also tied up
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with BMW Motorrad i.e. BMW G 310R and BMW G 310 GS are being manufactured at the TVS plant itself.
Along with this, TVS also has its own motorcycle-based platform TVS Apache RR 310.
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Eros International & Hollywood’s STX Entertainment to merge all share- 1st of its kind
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Indian movie producer and distributor Eros International (holding company of the Lulla’s-promoted Eros
Group) announced an 1st of its kind all-share merger with 6-year-old, privately held Hollywood’s STX
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Entertainment to create an equally-held global entertainment company with a value of USD 1 billion.
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Volvo & Daimler Truck set up Joint Venture to develop fuel cells for heavy vehicles
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Swedish luxury vehicles brand Volvo Group and German automotive corporation Daimler Truck AG have
collaborated to set up a joint venture (JV) with equal partnership for the development and production of
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fuel cell systems for heavy vehicles. As a part of JV, Daimler Truck will put all its current fuel cell activities,
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and Volvo Group will buy a 50% stake in the venture for around 600 million euros ($652 million).
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Facebook buys 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio, largest FDI in India’s tech sector
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The US tech giant Facebook has bought a 9.99% stake in the telecom unit of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL),
Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crore. This is the largest investment for a minority stake by a
technology company anywhere in the world and the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the
technology sector in India.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DRDO develops COVSACK for COVID-19 sample collection

The Hyderabad based - Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), which functions under
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed COVID Sample Collection Kiosk
(COVSACK) in consultation with the doctors of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC),
Hyderabad, for healthcare workers to safely collect COVID-19 samples from suspected patients.
14 | P a g e
Pharma majors Sanofi & GlaxoSmithKline joined hands to prepare vaccine for coronavirus
British multinational pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline plc, has tied-up with France’s
Pharmaceutical company Sanofi S.A., to develop the COVID-19 vaccine to deal with the current epidemic.
Both companies plan to conduct the first phase clinical trials in the second half of 2020.
Researchers at NIT-Karnataka develops cost-effective disinfectant chamber called ‘ZERO-COV’

A team of researchers headed by Professor M Isloor from National Institute of Technology-Karnataka
(NIT-K) at Surathkal, has designed a disinfection chamber called ‘ZERO-COV’ to disinfect personal
protective equipment (PPE) tools, surgical masks, vegetables, packaged food items, currency notes and
other day-to-day items within 15 minutes.
Government launches ‘CovidGyan’ a science communication initiative
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Government launches a multi-institutional, multi-lingual science communication initiative, ‘CovidGyan’
to bring together the collection of resources, which are generated by public supported research
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institutions in India & associated programs in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 so as to create public
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awareness, & to conduct a complete approach to understand the disease & ways to mitigate it.
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India’s Aarogya Setu becomes world’s fastest app to reach 50 million downloads in 13 days
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The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant
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stated that Centre’s mobile app, Aarogya Setu, which was developed by National Infomatics Centre (NIC)
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under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for tracking COVID-19 patients, has
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become the world’s fastest app to reach 50 million (5 crore) downloads in just 13 days. The App is
available in 11 languages.
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Central Government unveils PUSA decontamination, sanitizing tunnel

Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary inaugurated a “PUSA decontamination and
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sanitizing tunnel” in Delhi and was developed by the government research body ICAR-IARI (Indian
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Council of Agricultural Research - Indian Agricultural Research Institute). The sanitization protocol
includes hand washing with foot operated soap and water dispenser and fogging in a sanitizing tunnel
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for 20 seconds.
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‘Bat coronavirus’ in 2 Indian bat species: ICMR

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a 1st of its study in collaboration with a team of
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scientists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, have found the presence of different kind
of ‘Bat coronavirus’ (BtCoV) from 25 bats in 2 Indian bat species namely, Pteropus (Indian Flying Fox)
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and Rousettus (old world fruit bats).

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Read More Details Here: ‘Bat coronavirus’ in 2 Indian bat species: ICMR
Scientists observe biggest star explosion ever seen

An international team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham, UK and the Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics, United States, have observed the biggest supernova (stellar explosion) named
SN2016aps. This supernova is 10 times more powerful than a normal supernova but is also about 500
times brighter than that & was detected by the Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid
Response System Survey). The findings have been published in peer reviewed journal Nature Astronomy.
COVID-19: Kerala institute develops Chitra GeneLAMP-N test kit gives results in 2 hours
The Kerala based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), under
the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has developed a low-cost diagnostic test kit “Chitra
GeneLAMP-N” that can confirm COVID-19 in just 2 hours.
15 | P a g e
Scientists at NASA discovers Earth-like planet ‘Kepler-1649c’ found to be hidden in early Kepler
data
A team of scientists at the US (United States) space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration), has discovered an Earth-size exoplanet (1.06 larger than Earth & 300 light years away),
called Kepler–1649c, orbiting in its red dwarf star’s habitable zone. The findings have been published in
the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches transport aggregator app ‘Kisan Rath’ for
farmers
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, has launched farmer
friendly mobile application named ‘Kisan Rath’ with tagline “Kisan ka apna Vahan” to facilitate the
movement of crops. The app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and will
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connect 5 lakh trucks & 20,000 tractors for transporting farm produce.
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Integrated geospatial platform created: “SAHYOG” by Survey of India
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The mobile application SAHYOG and the web portal (https://indiamaps.gov.in/soiapp/) prepared and
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managed by Survey of India (SOI), under Department of Science and Technology (DST) will complement
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the “AAROGYA-SETU” mobile application launched by the Government of India for contact tracing, public
awareness & self-assessment objectives.
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Read More Details Here: Integrated geospatial platform created: “SAHYOG” by Survey of India
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Automatic Mist Based Sanitisers Dispensing Unit & UV Sanitisation Box and Hand-held UV device
introduced: DRDO
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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has introduced Automatic Mist Based Sanitiser
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Dispensing Unit [developed by The Centre for Fire Explosive & Environment Safety (CFEES)] &
UltraViolet (UV) Sanitisation Box and Hand-held UV device [designed & developed by Defence Institute
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of Physiology & Allied Sciences (DIPAS) and Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS)] to
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enhance the operations at public places during the pandemic.

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Gujarat’s GBRC: 2nd Indian institute to decode COVID-19 genome sequence; 3 new mutations
found
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Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) has become the second institute in India after the
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National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, Maharashtra to decode the entire genome sequence of the
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COVID-19 virus. GBRC has totally found 9 mutations in its genome sequence. However, 6 of the mutations
were already found by other research institutes globally but the three new mutations may help in
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developing medicines. The first genome sequence of the COVID-19 virus was found by China CDC in
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Bejing, China on January 10, 2020.
Indian Navy develops air evacuation pod for COVID-19 patients

Indian Navy’s Southern Command, Kochi has developed an air evacuation pod (AEP) to airlift COVID-19
infected patients safely from remote areas such as islands and ships in a fully sealed patient transfer
capsule. The pod is made up of aluminium, nitrile rubber and perspex. It weighs only 32 kg and has
incurred a manufacturing cost of Rs 50,000.
Researchers at CeNS designs portable sensor to detect heavy metal in water

A team of researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), an autonomous research
institute based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has developed a portable compact solid-state sensor to identify
the heavy metal ions such as lead (Pb2+), mercury and cadmium in water up to 0.4 parts per billion (ppb).
16 | P a g e
Government launches online data pool to combat & contain COVID-19

The Union government created & launched an online data pool on https://covidwarriors.gov.in. of
operational healthcare professionals and volunteers for ground level administration at state, district or
municipal levels along with contact details of the nodal officers so as to combat & contain COVID-19.
Researchers at IIA, Bengaluru discovers hundreds of Li-rich giant stars

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, Karnataka, have discovered
hundreds of Lithium (Li) rich giant stars, which proves it is being produced in the stars and accounts for
its abundance in the interstellar medium. The study has been published in the Astrophysical Journal
Letters.
CSIR-CDRI signs MoU with KGMU to sequence the virus strains
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The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), with King
George’s Medical University (KGMU) has written a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to sequence
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the virus strains obtained from COVID-19 patients in Uttar Pradesh. They work on 3 out of 5 verticals
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formulated by CSIR-CDRI. 1st vertical – ‘Digital and molecular surveillance’; 2nd vertical - ‘Therapeutics or
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repurposing of the drugs against COVID-19’; 3rd vertical – ‘Target-based screening system’.
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NASA to launch 1st US astronaut mission to ISS since 2011
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For the first time since July 21, 2011, a human mission from American Earth will go into space. That is
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after 9 years, the US space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) & SpaceX will
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send two veteran astronauts –Bob Behnken & Doug Hurley- from the Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre in
indigenous 23-story Falcon 9 rockets to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 27, 2020. The name
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of the mission is Demo-2.

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New model to predict ionospheric electron density to help communication & navigation
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The Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), Navi Mumbai, an autonomous Institute
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under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have developed a global model to predict the
ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage- a crucial need for communication and navigation.
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Road Ministry launches dashboard link in its website with list of Dhabas and Truck Repair Shops
gr
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has created & launched a dashboard link in its
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website which lists details of Dhabas and Truck Repair Shops available across the country by various
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organisations like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), States, Oil Marketing companies. Also,
NHAI’s centralized call number 1033 is also enabled to answer calls and help drivers/cleaners to find
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information about the dhabas and repair shops along National Highways.
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Health ministry launches citizen engagement platform on coronavirus called ‘COVID India Seva’
Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has launched the ‘COVID India Seva’, a
Twitter handle (@CovidIndiaSeva) for citizen engagement on the COVID-19. The aim of this initiative is
to enable real-time e-governance delivery and answer citizen queries. The platform is a multi-lingual
platform, where Hindi is used as the second most language after English.
Swiss scientists discovered six-planets system with near 3:2 resonance

A team of Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered a six-planet
system (a ‘super-Earth’ & five ‘mini-Neptunes’) orbiting the star HD 158259 in the Draco constellation.
The discovery was done by using the SOPHIE spectrograph installed at the Haute-Provence Observatory
in the South of France and TESS exoplanet-hunting space telescope. Every planet in the HD 158259 star
17 | P a g e
has the same orbital resonance from its later planet and it is 3:2. This would be 1.5 according to Period
Ratio.
CSIR-NAL develops Personal Protective Coverall suit to fight against COVID-19

Bengaluru based - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-
NAL) along with MAF Clothing Private Limited, developed and certified a polypropylene spun-laminated,
multilayered non-woven fabric-based coverall to protect the medical personnel fighting against the
COVID-19, which is highly cost-effective than the other manufacturers.
Fish gills used to develop efficient low-cost electro-catalysts: INST

The Scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute
under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) developed an efficient, low-cost electro-catalyst
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from fish gills that helps to develop environment friendly energy conversion devices & it is better than
commercial Platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst.
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Pune Municipal Corporation designs ‘Saiyam’ app to track home quarantined people
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The Pune Municipal Corporation, the civic body that governs Pune City, Maharashtra has developed a
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mobile application called ‘Saiyam’ under the Smart City Mission (SCM) to ensure effective monitoring of
home quarantine citizens, who have recently returned from international trips and those discharged after
treatment for COVID-19.
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TDB approves funds for MYLAB for production of COVID-19 diagnostic kits
The Technology Development Board (TDB) under Department of Science and Technology (DST), has
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approved financial support to MyLab Discovery Solutions, Pune to increase the production of COVID-19
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diagnostic kits developed by them. The efforts were made to increase the production rate of diagnostic
kits from 30,000 tests per day to 1 lakh tests per day. The kit has been approved by Indian Council of
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Medical Research (ICMR) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
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IIT-Mandi team develops magnetic RAM to enable higher data storage & faster computation
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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Mandi team, developed a magnetic Random Access Memory (RAM)
using spintronic technology which is faster, more energy-efficient and capable of storing more
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information in a smaller volume than existing data storage technologies. The research by the team has
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been published in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, a reputed international journal.

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ARI researchers developed “bug sniffer” for detection of pathogens in 30 minutes

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Researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) of Pune, Maharashtra have developed a low-cost
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biosensor namely “bug sniffer”to rapidly detect bacteria. This portable device can detect 10 bacterial cells
from a sample size of one millilitre in just 30 minutes. This research is led by Dr. Dhananjay Bodas, and
has been published in the Journal of Biotechnology.
ENVIRONMENT
New pit viper discovered in Arunachal Pradesh named after Harry Potter Character
The new species of green pit viper discovered in Arunachal Pradesh by a team of researchers was named
Salazar’s pit viper after Salazar Slytherin, a fictional character in J.K Rowling’s book series “Harry Potter”.
Trimeresurus Salazar– a fifth variety of reptile to be discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. They belong to
genus Trimeresurus Lacépède “charismatic venomous serpents with morphologically as well as
ecologically diverse species”.
18 | P a g e
SPORTS
China releases 4th Asian Para Games 2022 mascot as ‘Fei Fei’ bird
The organizing committee of Hangzhou Asian Games, has released ‘Fei Fei’ the bird as an official mascot
for 4th Asian Para Games 2022, which is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from 9 – 15 October
2022. The design inspiration of “Feifei” comes from the motif of the ‘Divine Bird’ in the Liangzhu Culture
and represent both Hangzhou city’s heritage and its innovation in technology.
ITTF world rankings 2020: India’s No.1 Table tennis player at 31st spot, China tops
According to the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) World Ranking 2020 of senior male
players, India’s table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal has become the top-ranked player at 31st
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position with 6460 points by beating Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (who slipped one place to number 32). The
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list has been topped by Fan Zhendong of China with 17915 points.
Here is the list of Toppers in world and Indian players among Top 100:
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Rank Men’s ranking Women’s ranking
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1 Fan Zhendong (China) Chen Meng (China)
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Indian Players
Achanta Sharath Kamal-31st
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Manika Batra-63rd
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Sathiyan Gnanasekaran-32nd Sutirtha Mukherjee-95th
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Iran’s Alireza Firouzja beats world chess champion Magnus Carlsen to win Banter Blitz cup 2020
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Alireza Firouzja, a 16-year-old Iranian chess player, has defeated world chess champion Sven Magnus
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Oen Carlsen of Norway in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup 2020 with 8.5-7.5 scores to claim the $14,000
prize. The tournament, hosted by chess24.com in association with Opera and JFD bank from September
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25, 2019- April 15, 2020, was one of the most phenomenal blitz games ever played online.
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OBITUARY
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Former Pakistani first-class Cricketer Zafar Sarfraz passed away at 50 due to Coronavirus
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Zafar Sarfaraz (50), the former Pakistani first-class cricketer, who tested positive to COVID-19 passed
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away in a hospital at Peshawar, Pakistan. He played games for Peshawar cricket team between 1988 to
1992.
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Comedy Classic ‘Khubsoorat’ actor Ranjit Chowdhry passed away at 65 in the US

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Mumbai born Bollywood and Indian Theatre actor Ranjit Chowdhry (65) passed away in the United
States. He was well known for his performance in classic comedies like Baton Baton Mein as Sabhi
Perreira and Khubsoorat as Jagan Gupta.
Chilean author Luis Sepúlveda dies of coronavirus in northern Spain at 70

The best-selling Chilean writer and journalist Luis Sepúlveda Calfucura (70) passed away at a hospital in
Oviedo, northern Spain six weeks after testing positive for coronavirus. He was best known for his first
novel” The Old Man Who Read Love Stories” which was translated in numerous languages. He was the
writer and director of “Vivir a los” in 1986, and “Nowhere” in 2002.
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Former Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase passed away at 79

Laisenia Qarase (79) the founder of the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua Party & former Fiji Prime
Minister (2000-2006) passed away in Oceania Hospital, Suva due to an illness. He hails from Mavana,
Vanuabalavu, Lau.
Tom and Jerry, Popeye director Gene Deitch passes away at 95

Eugene Merril Deitch (95), Oscar-winning illustrator and animator, film director and producer passed
away in Prague, Czech Republic. He was born on April 8, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, US (United States). He
was one of the directors behind world’s most popular cartoons and directed 13 episodes of Tom and
Jerry. He also directed multiple episodes of the ‘Popeye the Sailor’ series and also directed popular
animator cartoons such as Munro, Tom Terrific and Nudnik.
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BOOKS & AUTHORS
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Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P V Sindhu authored by Krishnaswamy V
A book titled “Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P V Sindhu” authored by Krishnaswamy V was published
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by HarperCollins in Amazon digital platform along with other two books, amid the lockdown due to
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Coronavirus. The other 2 books published by HarperCollins are, Shameless by Taslima Nasreen
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translated from Bengali written by Arunava Sinha & “The Big Questions of Life” by Om Swami.
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A book titled “How the Onion Got Its Layers” authored by Sudha Murty
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A book titled “How the Onion Got Its Layers” authored by Sudha Murty was published by Puffin. The book
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is being released in its e-book and audio form for young children. “How the Onion Got Its Layers” marks
the first ever audio book by Murty and will be released on World Book Day, ie, April 23, 2020. This is the
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second book of the Chapter series by Murty, the first being “How the Sea Became Salty”.
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IMPORTANT DAYS
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International Day of Action for Rivers 2020: March 14

International Day of Action for Rivers is observed every year on March 14 and aims to raise public
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awareness of destructive water development projects, health and sustainable management of the
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watersheds. The year 2020 marks the 22nd edition of International Day of Action for Rivers. Theme for
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the year 2020: “Women, Water and Climate Change”.

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World Voice Day 2020: April 16

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World Voice Day (WVD) is a worldwide annual event that takes place on April 16 devoted to the
celebration of the phenomenon of voice. The day is celebrated to increase the public awareness of the
importance of voice and alertness to voice problems. Voice is an important aspect of healthy and effective
communication. Theme for the year 2020: “Focus On Your Voice”.
1st International Mathematics Day 2020: March 14

The International Day of Mathematics (IDM) was celebrated for the first time on March 14, 2020. On this
day all countries will be invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public
in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces. The day was proclaimed by UNESCO (The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on the 40th session of the General Conference,
November 26, 2019. Theme for the year 2020: “Mathematics is Everywhere”.
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World Haemophilia Day 2020: April 17

World Haemophilia Day is celebrated worldwide on 17th April to create awareness about Haemophilia
and other inherited bleeding disorders. The World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH) initiated the
celebration of the World Haemophilia Day in 1989 on April 17 to honor the birth anniversary of Frank
Schnabel, the founder of WFH. The theme of the World Haemophilia Day 2020 is “Get+involved”
World Art Day 2020: April 15

To celebrate the fine arts & to promote awareness of creative activity worldwide, The International
Association of Art (IAA/AIAP), partner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) has declared the World Art Day on April 15.
World Heritage Day 2020: April 18
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World Heritage Day, which is also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites is an annual
event which is celebrated every year on April 18, to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural
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heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.
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Theme for the year 2020: “Shared Culture, Shared Heritage and Shared Responsibility”.
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World Liver Day 2020: April 19
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World Liver Day (WLD) is observed every year on April 19, to spread awareness about the importance of
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liver in our body and liver related diseases.On 28th July 2018, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
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Government of India launched National Viral Hepatitis Control Program it aims at prevention and control
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of viral hepatitis in India to achieve Sustainable Developmental 2030. As per World Health Organization
(WHO), liver diseases are the 10th most common cause of death in India.
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UN Chinese Language Day: 20th April

The 20th April of every year is observed as the Chinese Language Day by the United Nations (UN) as a
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contribution of Chinese Literature, poetry, and Language as well as to celebrate the multilingualism and
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cultural diversity and to promote the use of Chinese as one of its six official languages (Arabic, English,
French, Russian, Spanish) of UN.
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World Creativity and Innovation Day 2020: April 21

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World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID) is a global United Nations (UN) day celebrated on April 21
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to raise awareness around the importance of creativity and innovation in problem solving with respect
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to advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals, also known as the “global goals”. The day
was first created with UN resolution 71/284 with the support of 80 countries and the first WCID was
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celebrated on April 21, 2018.

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National Civil Service Day 2020: April 21

21st April every year is celebrated as the National Civil Service Day to celebrate the civil servants who
dedicated their lives to the citizens and to renew their commitments and excellence in work. This is also
to encourage the passion of the Indians to get into civil service. On April 21, 1947, The Home member of
Parliament, Sardar VallabhBhai Patel inaugrated the All India Service and referred the civil servants as
the ‘Steel Frame of India’. The day was 1st celebrated in 2006. Charles Cornwallis was known as the
“Father of Civil Services in India”
Administrative Professionals (Secretary’s) Day 2020

Administrative Professionals Day (also known as Secretaries day or Admin Day) is observed on April 21
for the year 2020, across India to recognize the work of secretaries, receptionists, administrative
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assistants and other administrative support professionals. The Day was celebrated on different dates in
different countries.
Earth Day 2020: April 22

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 around the world to demonstrate support for
environmental protection since 1970. The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Theme
for Earth Day 2020: “Climate action”. Also, The United Nations General Assembly recognised April 22 as
International Mother Earth Day in the year 2019 by passing Resolution A/RES/63/278.
STATE NEWS
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Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launches ‘YSR Nirman’ online platform
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Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launches ‘YSR Nirman’ an online platform to help various
departments of the State to procure cement from suppliers for government works such as Polavaram
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irrigation project, housing and roads & also display availability of cement demand and supply on a real-
time basis.
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UP govt launches Annapurna, Supply Mitra portals for citizens’ food needs
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Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government has launched two portals namely the Annapurna portal (help people get
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the knowledge of food products and packets) and the Supply Mitra portals (provide free home delivery
of eatables) for the convenience of the food needs for the people of the state during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Madhya Pradesh govt launches ‘Chief Minister COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana’ to benefit
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Anganwadi workers & Assistants

Madhya Pradesh (MP) Women and Child Development department’s (WCD) Principal Secretary Anupam
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Rajan, the state government has launched the ‘Chief Minister COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana’ to benefit
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the Anganwadi workers and Assistants of the state. Under the scheme, the state government will provide
a special health insurance cover of Rs 50 lakhs.
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Rajasthan government partners with healthcare startup MedCords to tackle COVID-19

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The Government of Rajasthan has partnered with MedCords, a healthcare startup to provide online
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consultations and to deliver medicine to the people of Rajasthan to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
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MedCord will provide the requirements of over 68 million people throughout Rajasthan through its
integrated solution – Aayu and SehatSathi app.
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Delhi govt: Use ‘Assess Koro Na’ app for door-to-door survey in containment zones
Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev has asked all district magistrates (DM) to use the new “Assess Koro Na”
app for door-to-door survey in COVID-19 containment zones to speed up decision-making by analysing
real-time data. The first phase of the app-based assessment will be launched in South Delhi.
Gujarat’s water conservation scheme Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan initiated amid
lockdown
The chief minister (CM) of Gujarat Vijay Rupani has approved the 3rd edition of his government’s
‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ (SSJA – launched in 2018), a conservation plan to deepen water
bodies in the state before monsoon. The scheme will continue till June 10, 2020 with a focus on deepening
of lakes, check dams and rivers by removing silt. It will be done with people’s participation as well as
under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
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Himachal Pradesh starts to use eSanjeevaniOPD

Himachal Pradesh government has started eSanjeevaniOPD through which free online medical
consultation & general health advice will be provided to the people at their residence throughout the
state from doctors of different medical colleges from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM on all working days. It is a
National Teleconsultation Service of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare & is the 1st of its kind
online OPD (Out Patient Department) service. It was developed & designed by Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Mohali, Punjab.
AC GAZE
Webinar series “DekhoApnaDesh” launched: Tourism ministry
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In order to reach out to people amid COVID-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Tourism launched a webinar
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series called “DekhoApnaDesh”, which is based on tourism awareness and social history. The title of the
first series is ‘City of Cities – Delhi’s Personal Diary’.
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Multiple short-range anti-ship missiles test fires: North Korea
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As part of military exercises, North Korea has launched Multiple short-range anti-ship cruise missiles into
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the sea more than 150 kilometres (93 miles) off the east coast town of Munchon and Sukhoi jets fired air-
to-surface missiles.
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Over 6300 PM Jan Aushadhi centers: Mansukh Mandaviya
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The Ministry of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that more
than 6300 Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra (PMJK) working across the country during COVID-19
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lockdown. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) scheme under the aegis of
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Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India with an

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objective of providing quality and affordable healthcare to anyone in need.

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First-ever online training of coaches during COVID-19 lockdown: Sports Ministry

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As a part of sports Ministry’s first ever online initiative by Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National
Sports Federations (NSFs) to upgrade knowledge of coaches, Archery Association of India (AAI) has
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started first-ever online training of its coaches by experts. The Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee Sanjeeva
Singh will conduct mental toughness training for coaches.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s party wins election amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Democratic Party of South Korean President Moon Jae-in has won victory in parliamentary elections,
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with 163 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly, first country conducted election among COVID-19
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pandemic. The capital and currency of South Korea is Seoul and South Korean won respectively.
44th session of World Heritage Committee 2020 of UNESCO in Fuzhou postponed

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee 2020 of
UNESCO, scheduled from 29th of June to 9th of July, in Fuzhou, China, has been postponed, the decision
was made by the committee’s bureau members. The Headquarter of United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is Paris, France.
Nigeria President Buhari’s chief of staff Abba Kyari passes away

The Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, 70, passed away due to Covid-
19 after a month-long infection, who was in his 70s and the top official aide to 77-year-old President
Muhammadu Buhari. The capital and currency of Nigeria is Abuja and Nigerian naira respectively.
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• GA Questions Asked in IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2020 – 90% Questions Covered by AC
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• GA Questions asked in SBI PO 2019 Main Exam
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• GA Questions asked in SBI Clerk Main Exam 2019
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• GA Questions asked in IBPS PO Main Exam 2019
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• GA Questions asked in RBI Grade B Prelims Exam 2019
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• GA Questions asked in IBPS RRB Clerk Mains Exam 2019
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• GA Questions asked in IBPS RRB PO Mains Exam 2019
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All The Best for Your Exams!!!

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Current Affairs Weekly PDF – April 2020 3rd Week (16-23)

Nationwide lockdown extended till May 3, 2020 to contain COVID-19 spread

to health workers, police personnel and home guards.

from SAARC countries

‘Suraksha Circle’ to maintain product supply chain.

Nirmala Sitharaman attends the Plenary Meeting of IMFC through video-conference

Industrial Research (CSIR) and also AYUSH practitioners.

NIRDPR and UNICEF training community leaders online to combat COVID-19

Advisory issued on secure use of Zoom meeting platform: MHA

extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).

India in New Delhi

cultural heritage of India in New Delhi

Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to geotag community kitchens

MNRE urges states to set up renewable energy equipment parks

FCI allowed to convert surplus rice to ethanol: Government

Narendra Tomar participates in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Meeting

OTJ & JIT training: Gartner 2019 Survey

UN member states demand ‘equitable’ access to any COVID-19 vaccines

HDFC Bank launches Safety Grid campaign for social distancing

Voice banking services on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant launched: ICICI

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Telangana CM recommended the implementation of “Helicopter Money”

Asia to stall at 0% growth in 2020 for 1st time in 60 years: IMF

Fitch cuts India’s FY21 GDP growth forecast to 1.8%

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Tata Power wins Edison Award 2020 for social innovation

Adam Higginbotham’s Midnight in Chernobyl wins William E. Colby Award 2020

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

IWF President Tamas Ajan resigns

Ajay Mahajan appointed as MD and CEO of CARE Ratings

coaching after the global COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

Vineet Arora appointed as MD & CEO of Paytm General Insurance

Central Government forms 6 Inter-Ministerial Teams

2 empowered committees formed to look into implementation of exit from lockdown

Dipankar Datta Bombay High Court

Biswanath Somadder Meghalaya High Court

Mohammad Rafiq Orissa High Court

N Kamakodi re-appointed as MD & CEO of City Union Bank: RBI

HSBC appoints Noel Quinn as Chief Executive Officer

August 2019. He was the successor of John Flint.

PV Sindhu named as ambassador for BWF’s ‘I am badminton’ campaign

Rakesh Sharma, Bajaj Auto Executive Director appointed as IMMA President

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

GP Global acquires lubricants assets of Nigeria’s Grand Petroleum

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO develops COVSACK for COVID-19 sample collection

Researchers at NIT-Karnataka develops cost-effective disinfectant chamber called ‘ZERO-COV’

Government launches ‘CovidGyan’ a science communication initiative

Central Government unveils PUSA decontamination, sanitizing tunnel

‘Bat coronavirus’ in 2 Indian bat species: ICMR

and Rousettus (old world fruit bats).

Scientists observe biggest star explosion ever seen

enhance the operations at public places during the pandemic.

Bejing, China on January 10, 2020.

Indian Navy develops air evacuation pod for COVID-19 patients

Researchers at CeNS designs portable sensor to detect heavy metal in water