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Chak-Hao- the Consortium of Producers of Chak-Hao (Black Rice), Manipur and was facilitated by the Department of
Agriculture, Government of Manipur and the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited
(NERAMAC).
Gorakhpur terracotta- Laxmi Terracotta Murtikala Kendra in Uttar Pradesh.
Kovilpatti kadalai mittai- the Kovilpatti Regional Kadalaimittai Manufacturers filed on July 3, 2014, the same was
published in GI journal on November 29, 2019 inviting for objections if any.
Chak-Hao
i.The black rice is glutinous rice cultivated in Manipur over centuries, is characterised by its special aroma& is
consumed mainly after being cooked like rice or kheer.
ii.It has a deep black colour and when cooked, it usually turns purple. It’s dark purple colour is primarily a product of
its anthocyanin content which is considered as boosting up the antioxidants level, apart from this it also has vitamins,
minerals, fibre, proteins, among others.
iii.It is a bit heavier as compared to other varieties of rice but its natural flavour is rich and sweet & is used as
traditional medicine & takes the longest cooking time of 40-45 minutes due to the presence of a fibrous bran layer
and higher crude fibre content.
iv.Health Benefits- prevents and manages ailments such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease,
hypertension, high cholesterol levels, arthritis, allergies, ageing signs and even cancer.
Gorakhpur terracotta
i.It is a centuries-old traditional art form, the work is done with bare hands including the ornamentation & natural
color which stays fast for a long time. There are more than 1,000 varieties of terracotta work designed by the local
craftsmen
ii.Some of the major products of craftsmanship include the Hauda elephants, Mahawatdar horse among others.
Kovilpatti kadalai mittai
i.It is a peanut candy manufactured in Kovilpatti and adjacent towns and villages in Thoothukudi district, the
southern part of Tamil Nadu.
ii.It is produced by using groundnuts and vellam (jaggery) and water from the river Thamirabarani which enhances
the taste naturally. It is sold as single rectangular chunks, or rather cuboids, sealed in packets.
iii.For decades it was traditionally prepared during village festivals using palm jaggery and groundnuts from nearby
districts. The switch to sugarcane jaggery happened in the pre-independence era, around the 1940s
MoC launched Project Monitoring Unit for early operationalization of coal mines
On April 30, 2020, the Ministry of Coal (MoC) launched a project monitoring unit (PMU) to facilitate early
operationalization of coal mines allocated by the government in order to ramp up coal production in the country.
The decision has been taken to attract bidders during auction of commercial mines and also to promote ease of doing
business in India by enabling allocatees (to whom something is allocated) to obtain timely approvals for
operationalizing the mines.
KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler) has been appointed as the consultant in the project monitoring unit (PMU)
through a transparent bidding process.
About PMU:
PMU will act as a consultant for sorting out the issues of allocatees of coal minesso that the coal production may begin
at the earliest. The issues include obtaining various clearances required from the Centre and state government
authorities for operationalisation of coal mines.
About Ministry of Coal:
Union Minister– Pralhad Joshi
Secretary– Anil Kumar Jain
About KPMG:
Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four
accounting organizations. The Big Four is the nickname to the four largest professional services networks in the
world, consisting of Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Price waterhouse Coopers.
KPMG India Chairman & CEO– Arun M. Kumar
KPMG Global Chairman and CEO– Bill Thomas
This programme will provide scientific awareness and health preparedness to combat the pandemic scenario like
COVID-19 outbreak which has posed concerns and challenges around the globe.
How YASH works?
-The programme consists of conveying the authentic scientific information to various cross-sections of the Indian
society to overcome the pandemic situation which includes development of science, health, and risk communication
software, publications, audio-visual, digital platforms, folk performances, trained communicators, especially in
regional languages.
-It also includes information dissemination mechanisms to reduce the fear of risks and build confidence with
necessary understanding for adopting sustainable healthy lifestyles and nurturing scientific culture.
-This programme will provide clarity on the misperceptions, misbeliefs by introducing practices based on authentic
knowledge duly verified by scientific processes.
-This will also involve academic, research, media, and voluntary organizations to facilitate necessary actions and
emergency preparedness of society to address the challenge.
About DST:
Parent Ministry– Ministry of Science and Technology
Secretary– Professor Ashutosh Sharma
About NCSTC:
Established in 1982 under DST, NCSTC is a scientific programme of the Government of India for the popularisation of
science, dissemination of scientific knowledge and inculcation of scientific temper.
NLC India Limited, a Navaratna Public Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal commences coal
production
On 26th April 2020,Neyveli Lignite Corporation(NLC) India Private Limited ‘Navaratna’ a government of India
Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal started the production of Coal for the first time. The coal allocated to the
Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited(NLCIL) in 2016 with a capacity of 20 million tonne per annum from the
Talabira II and III mines of Odisha will suffice the requirements of existing and future coal fired power plants.
Key Points:
i.Through the Mine Developer and Operator(MDO) model this coal block was innovatively developed and
implemented by the NLC team.
NBWL permits coal mining in part of Assam’s Dehing Patkai elephant reserve
On April 24, 2020, National Board for Wild Life (NBWL),the apex body to review all wildlife-related matters, has
permitted the use of 98.59 hectares of land at Saleki, a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve in Assam for
opencast coal mining project done by North-Easter Coal Field (NECF), a unit of Coal India Limited. While, the rest of
the area may be used for underground coal mining.
As we have notified earlier,on April 27, 2020, RBI has initiated a special liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 crore for MFs
under which RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate.Click Here to Read. So, the above
mentioned extension is a part of this scheme.
Eligibility criteria to claim the regulatory benefits under SLF-MF scheme:
-Banks meeting the liquidity requirements of MFs by extending loans,
Key Points:
i.Sania Mirza won the doubles match which helped her to win against Indonesia in the final Group 1 match and
secured her a place in the playoff.
ii.In her comeback after giving birth in October 2018 in January 2020 pairing with Nadiia Kichenok, she secured the
women’s double title at Hobart International.
Key Points
i.The transaction involves a transfer of RIL to RBPML and its group entities’ entire undertaking relating to owning,
operating and conducting petroleum retail and related activities in India
ii.Acquisition of shares will be by way of acquiring the existing equity shares of RBPML from Reliance Industries
Limited (RIL) and subscription by BP Global to fresh equity shares of RBPML.
iii.In addition to it certain specified mobile aviation business assets at certain airport locations will be
transferred(currently owned & used by RIL) for RBPML to operate RIL’s aviation fuel business in India as a service
provider.
About BP Global:
It is an investment holding company which holds shares in subsidiaries and associated companies & currently does
not conduct any business operations in India.
Headquarters– London, England
Chairman– Helge Lund
Chief Executive officer (CEO)– Bernard Looney
Gist about Competition Act, 2002:
It was enacted by the Parliament of India and replaced The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969. It
has been amended twice, The Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007 and The Competition (Amendment) Act, 2009.
CCI approves proposed acquisition of 100% shares and control of Tech Data Corporation by Tiger
Midco LLC
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition of 100% shares and control of Tech
Data Corporation by Tiger Midco LLC. In this regard, Tech Data Corporation (Tech Data) will be acquired by Tiger
Midco LLC (Tiger Midco) by way of merger of Tech Data with a wholly owned subsidiary of Tiger Midco, viz., Merger
Sub.
Tech Data will continue as the surviving corporation after the merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Tiger
Midco.
About Tiger Midco
Tiger Midco is a special purpose vehicle set up and managed by investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo
Management, L.P. that manage funds invested in equity and debt issued by entities involved in various businesses
throughout the world.
About Tech Data
Tech Data, a Florida based NASDAQ listed corporation, is active globally in the wholesale distribution of technology
products and solutions to resellers. Tech Data is present in India through a subsidiary, Tech Data Advanced Solutions
(India) Pvt. Ltd. (“Tech Data India”).
About CCI:
Establishment– 2003
Chairperson– Ashok Kumar Gupta
Headquarter– New Delhi
CCI approves the acquisition of less than 5% shareholding in Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd by Canary
Investments and Link Investment Trust II
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the acquisition of less than 5% shareholding in Intas
Pharmaceuticals Limited by Canary Investments Limited and Link Investment Trust II, under Section 31(1) of the
Competition Act, 2002.
In this regard, less than 5% shareholding of Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited (Intas) will be acquired by Canary
Investments Limited (Canary) and Link Investment Trust II (Link II).
Key Points
i.It is designed in accordance with the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) issued by the Department
of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India(GOI)
ii.It has a well designed and dynamic Homepage with a new feature of social media integration with video uploading
facility.
Gist about NIC
It is an organisation under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology(MeitY), which was established in
1976, and has rich experience in providing Information and communications technology (ICT) and eGovernance
support to the government for the past 4 decades and bridging the digital divide.
Major activities undertaken are- Setting up of ICT Infrastructure, Implementation of National and State Level e-
Governance Projects/Products, Consultancy to the Government departments, Research & Development, Capacity
Building.
Key Points:
i.About Atulya: The steriliser was tested for human/operator safety and has been found to be safe depending upon
the size and shape of various objects.
ii.Atulya is a cost-effective solution that can be operated in portable or fixed installations and weighs around 3
kilograms (Kg). It can be used for sterilisation of non-metallic objects only.
iii.About DIAT: The DIAT is a deemed university under the ministry’s Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
iv.Other products of DRDO: The DRDO has developed several products including ventilators, personal protective
equipment (PPE) kits, large area sanitisation solutions and Covid-19 sample collection kiosks to fight against
Coronavirus.
v.The DRDO has also stepped forward to provide medical oxygen plants to hospitals in far-flung areas to generate
their own oxygen supply.
Key Point
i.The research shows how rivers in drier Ladakh Himalaya are operating on longer time scales and how they respond
to varying climates, an understanding of water and sediment routing, which is important as the country improves its
infrastructure and develops smart cities.
ii.It helps to understand the river-borne erosion and sedimentation, which are the main drivers that make large
riverine plains, terraces, and deltas which in due course becomes the cradle to evolving civilizations.
iii.To understand the landform evolution in transitional climatic zone the Zanskar catchment was explored by WIHG
team by using morpho stratigraphy and origin study of landforms like valley fill terraces, alluvial fans(triangle-
shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt).
Highlights of the study
i.Discovered the rivers that drained Himalayas, its foreland that eroded the most and the zones that receive these
eroded sediments and fill up.
ii.The Ladakh Himalaya forms a high altitude desert between Greater Himalayan ranges and Karakoram Ranges. The
Indus and its tributaries are major rivers flowing through the terrain.
iii.The Zanskar River is one of the largest tributaries of the upper Indus catchment, which drains orthogonally by
highly deformed Zanskar ranges.
iv.The Doda and TsrapLingti Chu are the 2 prominent tributaries of the Zanskar River, which meet at Padam village in
the upper valley to form the Zanskar River.
v.Suggested that the wide valley of Padam, with an area of 48 square km, in the upper Zanskar, has stored a vast
amount of sediments in these landforms.
Key Points:
i.The technology transfer event was conducted over video conferencing between the Rite Water Solutions Private
Limited and CSIR-CSIO in the presence of Sanjay Kumar, Director (CSIR-CSIO) and other department head
ii.The Director of Rite Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Abhijeet Gaan and the head of Business Initiatives & Project Planning
at CSIR-CSIO, Dr.Surender Singh Saini signed the Technology transfer agreement.
iii.Electrostatic Disinfection Machine produces droplets of disinfectants in 10-20 micrometer size in a uniform and
fine spray to kill the microorganisms and viruses developed based on the electrostatic principle.
iv.The usage of disinfectant by the machine is less compared to the other methods and supports in saving the natural
resources by controlling the chemical waste in the environment.
It hinders the growth of the pathogens and kills them by reaching hidden areas where the possibilities to find viruses
is high.
v.Dr. Surender Singh Saini mentioned that various technologies of electrostatic spraying like pesticides sprayer, dust
mitigation and environment protection device have already been transferred to different industrial and societal
applications
Key Points:
i.Along with Rupani , a total of 28, 000 students from each state and territory of the US (United States) participated in
this competition.
ii.NASA in March 2020 announced that its next rover would be named ‘Perseverance’, based on an essay by seventh-
grade student Alexander Mather. The agency had also decided to name the helicopter that goes with the rover on
Mars.
iii.Both the ‘Ingenuity’ & ‘Perseverance’ are scheduled to launch in July 2020 and will land in February 2021 in the
Jezero Crater of Mars, the site of a lake that existed 3.5 billion years ago.
iv.The rover will collect samples of Red Planet Mars, the helicopter (1.8 kilograms) will try to fly there and give
information about the geographical location of Mars. if all goes well, NASA will add aerial dimensions to future Mars
exploration missions.
About NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration):
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States
Administrator– Jim Bridenstine
SPORTS
Australia deposes India for the first time since 2016 in Test ranking for men: ICC India slips to 3rd
Position
On May 1, 2020, India has lost its top spot & has slipped to the 3rd position(114) for the first time since 2016 in the
International Cricket Council (ICC) test rankings, as its record of 12 test victories and one Test defeat in 2016-17 was
removed in the latest chart as per rules. Australia(116) topped the rank, followed by New Zealand(115).
Key Points
i.India still leads the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test
sides.
ii.This is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest
for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point.
T20 International(I)
iii.India(266) is ranked in 3rd position with points, Australia (278) topped the list for the first time since the T20I
rankings were introduced in 2011.
iv.England(268) have moved into 2nd position.Pakistan cricket team, who had overtaken New Zealand(260) to reach
top position in January 2018 are now 4th
One Day International(ODI)
v.India(119) was positioned in 2nd place, with England(127) in 1st place & New Zealand(116) in 3rd, the top 110
rankings remained unchanged.
About ICC:
Headquarters– Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)– Manu Sawhney
Chairman– Shashank Manohar.
Key Points:
i.About Goswami: He started his international career in 1957, who was one of the biggest stars of the national team.
In his college days, he captained Calcutta University in both football and cricket in the same year.
ii.Goswami played 50 matches for India as a footballer from 1956 to 1964. However, he quit international football in
1964, at the age of 27.
iii.Cricket career: Goswami was successful in cricket as well, he represented Bengal in 46 first-class games between
1962 and 1973. Goswami was part of the Bengal’s triumphant Santosh Trophy squad thrice in 1955, 1958, and 1959.
iv.In 1966, he and Subroto Guha plotted the historic innings defeat of Gary Sobers’ West Indies by the combined
Central and East Zone team under Hanumant Singh in Indore. Goswami took 8 wickets in that fixture.
v.He was appointed the Bengal Ranji Trophy captain in 1971-72 season and under his captaincy, the team reached the
final, before losing against Bombay at the Brabourne Stadium.
vi.Achievements of Goswami: Under the captaincy of Goswami, the Indian Football team won gold at the 1962 Asian
Games, finished runner-up at the Asian Cup in 1964 & narrowly lost to Burma in Markeda football six months later.
vii.In club football, Goswami always played for Mohun Bagan (professional football club in West Bengal) throughout
his career before his retirement and captained the club in five seasons from 1960 to 1964.
viii.Goswami also served Indian football as a selector in the 1970s and was part of an advisory committee when the
National Football League began in 1996.
ix.Awards: Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1983. The
Indian postal department had also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his birthday in January 2020.
x.He also served as the Tata Football Academy as its Director and was appointed the Sheriff of Kolkata in 2005. He
was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2005 and was bestowed the Banga Bibhusan in 2013.
About West Bengal:
Capital– Kolkata.
Chief Minister– Mamata Banerjee.
Governor– Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Writer and columnist RV Smith, known for his books on Delhi, passed away at 81
On April 30, 2020, Eminent author and columnist Ronald Vivian Smith passed away at the age of 81 in Delhi, due to
age-related ailments. He was born in 1938 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He was best known for his writings in Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The announcement of the book is made on the 60th Maharashtra Day – May 1,2020.
ii.The book speaks about many lesser known tales of the time of the Satavahanas to the present day, the empire that
brought the Mughals to their knees due to a complaint of a woman to the Queen Victoria about the issue of consent in
the marital sex.
iii.The evolution movements of the right and left, the Dalit pride, the leader who mentored Gandhi and the man who
killed him, the prime minister we never had and the uncertain tryst of Shivaji’s metaphorical descendants with
national power are some of the discussed matters of the book.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Labour Day 2020, May 1
May 1st of every year is acknowledged as International Labours day, an official public holiday in many countries all
over the world as a tribute to the workers across the globe. It is also known as Workers day or May day. The origin of
May day differs from country to country but the common theme is the working class taking a stand against
exploitation enforced on them.
STATE NEWS
Delhi Police & AIIA jointly launches ‘Ayuraksha’ programme to fight COVID-19
On April 30, 2020, The Delhi Police in association with All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), a public Ayurveda
medicine and research institution, has jointly run the program called ‘Ayuraksha – Corona se Jung, Delhi Police ke
sang’ with the aim of providing all possible health-related help to all those Delhi Policemen working in the frontline to
fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). Key Points:
i.About Ayuraksha: Under this programme, Ayurveda immunity-boosting kit, which contain medicine formulations,
method of use and advisory, will be distributed by Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha
and Homoeopathy) to the Delhi Police in 4 different phases. It includes,
Phase I: All quarantined police officers and officials
Phase II: Police officials/officers deputed in containment zones
Phase III: Police officials/officers deputed in quarantine zones
Phase IV: All policemen working as front line workers in field.
ii.Drug formulations: The simple medicines of recommended formulations like Chyawanaprasha (Amla as main
content), Anu Taila and Sanshamani Vati (prepared from Guduchi) which are time-proven and scientifically to
promote immunity.
iii.Procurement: These drugs will be procured from Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd (IMPCL) under
the Ministry of AYUSH.
iv.The Secretary of Ministry of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha & Delhi Police Commissioner Shri S N Shrivastava were
also present during the launch of this programme and highlighted the role of Giloy as Vayasthapana (Anti-aging herb),
Ministry is working for AYUSH medicines to be given as add-on therapy for COVID 19 positive cases.
i.About agro-entrepreneur desk: The state cabinet has approved the setting up of the desk, which will operate from
the Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation in the state capital, Agartala.
ii.The desk will be operated by those who hold a masters’ degree in business administration (MBA) or an
undergraduate degree in science. The state government has worked out an estimated budget of Rs 24 lakh for the
exercise, including the salaries of new hires and other related official activities.
iii.Funds: The funds for the project will be sourced from the Technical Support Group Funds of the Mission for
Integrated Development of Horticulture.
iv.The state government encourages the processing and marketing of fruits such as pineapple, lemon, jackfruit, and
also vegetables that are grown in abundance in Tripura, in order to increase the farmers income.
v.The government plans a target of encouraging 2,000 youths in joining agro-based business within a year and
initiatives are being given to facilitate 400 people to start the business in the agriculture sector.
vi.Tripura Chief Minister (CM) Biplab Kumar Deb also mentioned that the primary sector activities like agriculture,
horticulture, dairy industries would help in reviving the state’s economy which suffered losses due to lockdown.
About Tripura:
Capital– Agartala.
Governor– Ramesh Bias.
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