Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE – APRIL- 2020

BANKING
 ICICI Bank launches banking services on WhatsApp.
 Amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic BharatPe has partnered with ICICI Lombard to
roll out 'COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover' for shopkeepers.
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to lend up to $60 million
in Indian rupee equivalent to Aavas Financiers Limited, a housing finance company in
India, to improve access to housing finance for lower-income borrowers in the country,
particularly women.
 Interest rates on various small savings schemes have been cut by between 70 basis
points and 140 basis points (100 basis points = 1 per cent).
 Ways and Means Advance (WMA) Limit (ceiling on its temporary loan facility with RBI)
has been raised to Rs 1.2 lakh crore from Rs 75,000 crore, (60 percent increase).
 RBI asks banks to inform about re-appointment cases of MD, CEOs six months in
advance.
 RBI announces more measures to deal with economic fallout of Covid-19.
 Growth in refinery products, electricity and coal production pulled up India’s core sector
growth in February 2020 (year-on-year) to an 11-month high of 5.5 per cent.
 PhonePe launches coronavirus hospitalisation insurance policy 'Corona Care'.
 According to the The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI),
Arogya Sanjivani, a newly launched standard health insurance product, will cover
hospitalisation charges to treat coronavirus infection.
 IIM-B and ICICI Securities launch incubation program for fintech startups.
 PNB Housing Finance to raise USD 100 mn from JICA, Citibank.
 The Council also confirmed that the clause of ‘Force Majeure’ will not apply in case of
COVID-19 death claims.
 Airtel Payments Bank partners with Bharti AXA General to offer coronavirus insurance
policy.
 RBI relaxes overdraft facility norms for states, UTs until September 30.
 SIDBI offers emergency credit facility of up to Rs 1 crore to SMEs.
 RBI urges bank customers to adopt digital payment modes, launches Twitter campaign.
 Jana Small Finance Bank launches ‘DIGIGEN’ digital banking for savings account and FD.
 The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of
tenure of all members and the current part-time chairman of the Bank Board
Bureau(BBB) by 2 years.
 Yes Bank extends bancassurance tie-up with Max Life Insurance for 5 years.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 RBI to slap 200 bps penal interest on banks if failed to invest TLTRO funds within 30 days.
 According to the RBI,The government will issue Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) in six
tranches beginning April 20. Sovereign Gold Bond 2020-21 will be issued by Reserve Bank
India on behalf of the Government of India.
 State Bank of India will waive service charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs
as well as other bank ATMs.
 Tata AIA becomes the first Life Insurance Company to announce additional benefits
related to COVID-19 for Policyholders and Agents at no additional cost.
 Reserve Bank of India cancels the licence of The Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of
Goa Ltd., Goa.
 The Reserve Bank of India has launched the 49th round of its Order Books, Inventories
and Capacity Utilisation Survey (OBICUS). The survey is for the reference period January-
March 2020 (Q4:2019-20).
 Equitas Small Finance Bank steps up digital banking services.
 The Reserve Bank conducted the fourth and the final tranche of the Rs 1 lakh crore
targeted long term repo operation (TLTRO) by infusing Rs 25,000 crore into the system.
 ICICI Bank launches voice banking services on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
 RBI reduces FPI investment limits in G-secs to Rs 2.34 lakh crore for FY21.
 The Reserve Bank of India asked banks and NBFCs to carry out money laundering (ML)
and terrorist financing (TF) risk assessment exercise periodically. The new KYC has come
in force with immediate effect.
 Paytm Payments Bank partners with Mastercard to launch debit cards.
 Federal Bank to acquire additional stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance.
 World Bank approves Rs 585 cr for Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation
Project.
 Bajaj Allianz launches ‘BAGIC GOQii Co-pay Option’ under regulatory sandbox.
 SIDBI launches special liquidity scheme for MSMEs.
 Transcorp International Ltd has received RBI nod for entering into co-branding
arrangements for Prepaid Instruments that can be used in over 35 lakh stores and online
gateways.
 The government has declared banking industry as a public utility service for six months
till October 21 under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Indian Overseas Bank launches special scheme for SHGs.

 BRICS Bank to loan up to $ 15 billion to boost economies of member states.

APPOINTMENTS
NAME OF THE PERSON NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION/COUNTRY
D Lakshminarayanan MD of Sundaram Home Finance
Dilip Kumar Patel Human resources Director in NTPC
BSV Prakash Kumar Acting President of National Company Law
Tribunal
Madhabi Puri Buch whole time member (WTM) of the Securities
and Exchange Board of India
UB Pravin Rao Chairman Of Nasscom
Justice Shiva Kirti Singh Chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement
and Appellate Tribunal
Parag Raja Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
of Bharti AXA Life Insurance
Anamika Roy Rashtrawar Managing Director And Chief Executive Officer
of IFFCO Tokio General Insurance
Raj Vikash Verma Part-time Chairman of AU Small Finance Bank
Sanjay Agarwal Managing Director and CEO of AU Small
Finance Bank (Re-appointed )
Mahabaleshwara M S MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank
(reappointment)
Birupaksha Mishra Director of Union Bank of India
J Packirisamy Officer on Special Duty in Union Bank of India
Mrutyunjay Mahapatra Officer on Special Duty in Canara Bank
Ajay Mahajan Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
of CARE Ratings
P K Purwar Additional charge of Mahanagar Telephone
Nigam Limited (CMD)
Vineet Arora Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
of Paytm General Insurance Ltd.
Dipankar Datta Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
Biswanath Somadder Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice
Mohammad Rafiq Orissa High Court Chief Justice
Kapil Dev Tripathi The Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind
N Kamakodi MD and CEO of City Union Bank (re-
appointment)
David Li Chief Executive Officer of Huawei
Telecommunications India
Rakesh Sharma President in International Motorcycle
Manufacturers Association (IMMA)
Sanjay Kothari Chief Vigilance Commissioner
Suresh N Patel Vigilance Commissioner
J. Arunkumar The head coach of the USA national team
Madhavan Menon Part-Time Chairman of The Catholic Syrian
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

Bank
Shiv Das Meena Chairman & Managing Director of Housing and
Urban Development Corporation Limited
Rajiv Kumar Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection
Board
Neeraj Vyas Interim Managing Director and CEO of PNB
Housing Finance
INTERNATIONAL

 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has appointed a group of experts to study ways to further
strengthen the political dimension of the alliance.
 Members of the group include Anna Fotyga from Poland, Greta Bossenmaier from
Canada, Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen from Denmark, Hubert Vedrine from France, Thomas de
Maizière from Germany, Marta Dassu from Italy, Herna Verhagen from the
Netherlands, Tacan Ildem from Turkey, John Bew from the United Kingdom, and Wess
Mitchell from the United States.
 According to World Bank about 11 mn could be driven into poverty in East Asia and
Pacific.
 Growth in the developing East Asia and Pacific has projected to slow to 2.1 percent in
the baseline and to negative 0.5 percent in the lower-case scenario in 2020, from an
estimated 5.8 percent in 2019.
 Growth in China is projected to decline to 2.3 percent in the baseline and 0.1 percent in
the lower-case scenario in 2020, from 6.1 percent in 2019.
 The World Bank has approved a fast-track $1 billion India COVID-19 Emergency
Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project to help India.
 The World Bank Group is rolling out a $14 billion fast-track package to strengthen the
COVID-19 response in developing countries and shorten the time to recovery.
 The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution, co-
sponsored by 188 nations including India, on COVID-19, calling for intensified
international cooperation to defeat the pandemic that is causing severe disruption to
societies and economies.
 The resolution titled Global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)'
was the first such document on the global pandemic to be adopted by the world
organization.
 The resolution was sponsored by Ghana, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore
and Switzerland.
 According to UN trade report, the world economy will go into recession this year with a
predicted loss of trillions of dollars of global income due to the coronavirus pandemic,
spelling serious trouble for developing countries with the likely exception of India and
China.
 According to the new analysis from United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), the UN trade and development body titled 'The COVID-19
Shock to Developing Countries: Towards a 'whatever it takes' programme for the two-
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

thirds of the world's population being left behind', commodity-rich exporting countries
will face a $2 trillion to $3 trillion drop in investments from overseas in the next two
years.
 The US government, through its aid agency US Agency for International Development
(USAID), has announced a grant of $2.9 million to India to help it fight the coronavirus
pandemic.
 A four-year-old female Malayan tiger named Nadia in New York City has tested positive
for coronavirus, according to a news release from the Wildlife Conservation Society's
Bronx Zoo.
 The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) has allocated USD 5 million (about Rs 38 crore) for
COVID-19 projects in eight member countries as the virus pandemic threatens economic
activities across the globe.
 The Asian Development Bank has assured India $2.2 billion in its fight against the Covid-
19 pandemic.
 According to the UN's labour organization, About 400 million people working in the
informal economy in India are at risk of falling deeper into poverty due to the
coronavirus crisis which is having "catastrophic consequences", and is expected to wipe
out 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second
quarter of this year.
 According to the report, 1.25 billion workers are employed in the sectors identified as
being at high risk of "drastic and devastating" increases in layoffs and reductions in wages
and working hours.
 The United Nations released $2.5 million from its emergency humanitarian fund to help
thousands of people in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu affected by Cyclone
Harold and offered support to other hard-hit countries.
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has tripled the size of its response to the novel
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to $20 billion from $6.5 billion initially and
approved measures to streamline its operations for quicker and more flexible delivery of
assistance.
 India has approved USD 1 million to Antigua as project outlay, with immediate
assistance of USD 1,50,000 for medical equipment to combat coronavirus crisis.
 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has launched a ‘Lockdown
Learners' series of online dialogues with students and educators in India on COVID-19
and its impact on Sustainable Development Goals, peace and rule of law.
 The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched the
COVID India Seva, which provided an interactive platform to establish a direct channel of
communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic.
 Lebanon has become the first Arab country to legalise cannabis farming for medical and
industrial purposes- a move that could generate lucrative exports and foreign currency
as the country struggles to cope with a financial crisis.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 The Global Report on Food Crisis warns that global hunger could become the next big
impact of the pandemic. It is published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation,
the World Food Programme, and 14 other organizations.
 Dr. Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Programme states that COVID-19 is
potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread. By the end of
this year, about 265 million people around the world are forecast to be facing acute food
insecurity. It is a double of the 130 million estimated to suffer severe food shortages last
year.
 The 193 members of the UN General Assembly has adopted by consensus a resolution
that calls for "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any future vaccines developed to
fight coronavirus.
 The resolution also highlights the "crucial leading role" played by the World Health
Organization.
 India's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCSNSE 0.99 %) will
launch Israel's first fully digital bank.
 The digital bank yet to be named and is the first to receive a banking license in Israel in
over 40 years and is to be launched in 2021.
 India’s participation in the video conference of SAARC Health Ministers on COVID-19
hosted by Pakistan.
 Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes
committed by minors.
 Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court recently issued a directive to end flogging as a form of
punishment sometime in April.
 India's holding of US government securities jumped by over USD 13 billion in a month to
record high of USD 177.5 billion at the end of February.
 World Health Organisation’s Map shows Parts of Ladakh (Aksai-Chin) in the China
section of the WHO website has been shown as part of Chinese territory.
 According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
report, Developing countries' repayments on their public external debt alone will soar to
between $2.6 trillion and $3.4 trillion in 2020 and 2021.
 The Saudi G20 Presidency has welcomed the launch of “Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT)
Accelerator”, a landmark, global and timely collaboration for the accelerated
development, production and equitable access to new COVID-19 tools.
NATIONAL

 The Extraordinary G20 Trade & Investment Ministerial Virtual Meeting, commerce and
industry minister Piyush Goyal insisted that members uphold their multilateral
commitments and work on a global framework to enhance affordable access to
medicines for fighting pandemics and facilitating easier movement of health
professionals across national borders.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) introduced ‘Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020
and revised ‘Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) Settlement Scheme, 2020’ to provide
relief to law abiding companies and LLPs in the wake of COVID 19.
 The Government has extended the benefit of two percent Interest Subvention to Banks
and three percent Prompt Repayment Incentive to all farmers upto 31st of May.
 The interest subsidy has been extended to all crop loans upto 3 lakh rupees given by
banks which have become due or are becoming due between 1st April to 31st May 2020
 The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, with an aim to extend support to the
foreign tourists who are stranded in India, has come up with a portal to disseminate
information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who are stuck
far away from their home land.
 The portal is titled ‘Stranded in India’ and aims to act as a support network for foreign
tourists stuck in various parts of the country.
 The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a dedicated Twitter handle for
sharing news and updates about the novel coronavirus. The account is named
#IndiaFightsCorona and uses the handle @CovidnewsbyMIB.
 The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry has announced changes in the Foreign
Trade Policy (FTP) of Government of India. The present Policy which came into force on
1st April, 2015, is for 5 years and has validity upto 31st March, 2020.
 In view of the unprecedented current situation arising out of the pandemic Novel COVID-
19, the Govt. has decided to continue relief under various export promotion schemes by
granting extension of the existing Foreign Trade Policy by another one year i.e. up to
31st March, 2021.
 Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
launched DARPG’s National Monitoring Dashboard on COVID 19 Grievances.
 The National Monitoring Dashboard was developed and implemented at
https://darpg.gov.in where COVID 19 related grievances received in CPGRAMS with all
Ministries/ Departments and States/ Union Territories are monitored on priority basis by
a technical team of DARPG.
 Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in
the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG)
meeting under the Saudi Arabian Presidency to discuss the impact of COVID-19
pandemic on the global economy and coordinate efforts in response to this global
challenge.
 Naval Dockyard, Mumbai has designed and developed its own handheld IR based
temperature sensor for undertaking screening of large number of personnel at the entry
gates of the yard reducing the load on the security sentries at the gate. The instrument
has been manufactured under Rs. 1000/ - through in-house resources.
 National Cadet Corps (NCC) has offered a helping hand to civilian authorities in the
country’s fight against COVID-19 by extending the services of cadets under ‘Exercise NCC
Yogdan’.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 The National Health Authority (NHA) has inked a pact with ride hailing app Uber to
provide transport services for frontline healthcare workers involved in treatment of
covid-19 patients.
 The Centre has released Rs 17,287.08 crore to different states to enhance their financial
resources to deal with the various challenges in the country’s fight against the Covid-19
pandemic.
 The grant includes Rs 6,195.08 crore on account of ‘revenue deficit grant’ under 15th
Finance Commission recommendations to 14 states, and Rs 11,092 crore in advance
under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRF) to states to set up quarantine
facilities.
 The consignment was airlifted to Male by an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 aircraft as part
of ‘Operation Sanjeevani’.
 A number of top fund managers from blue-chip venture capital firms – including Sequoia
Capital, Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners — and prominent startup CEOs have
joined hands to set up a Rs 100 crore grant that will back fledgling firms working on
products and services to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
 All MPs, including Prime Minister and his entire council of ministers, are taking a 30
perent pay cut for a year, starting 1 April, as the government looks to shore up finances
to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
 The decision to approve the ordinance to amend the salary, allowances and pension of
Members of Parliament Act, 1954.
 The Cabinet also approved the temporary suspension of the MPLAD (Members of
Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) Fund during 2020-21 & 2021-22. The
consolidated amount of MPLAD Funds for 2 years - Rs 7900 crores - will go to
Consolidated Fund of India.
 Empowered Group # 6 on Coordinating with Private Sector, NGOs, and International
Organisations for COVID-19-related Response Activities.
 The Empowered Committee, which is chaired by Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog.
 Domino's Pizza in partnership with ITC Foods has launched Domino's Essentials.
 Union HRD Minister has launched MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal
developed by AICTE in New Delhi.
 FMCG major Britannia Industries has partnered with Dunzo, an on-demand e-commerce
platform, to deliver its range of products during the nationwide lockdown.
 PNB Housing Finance gained 3.47% to Rs 167.20 after the company announced, it signed
an agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to raise $75 million to
finance mortgage loans in affordable housing segment.
 The Ministry of Human Resource Development has designated DigiLocker as the sole
National Academic Depository (NAD). The ministry has directed the University Grants
Commission to implement NAD as a permanent scheme within DigiLocker.
 DigiLocker is primarily a cloud-based safe, which allows users to store electronic
versions of important documents like Aadhaar card, birth certificates, voters ID cards,
PAN cards, driving license, property documents and provides access to these on the go.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Smart Cities are joining hands with medical practitioners (certified doctors and health
experts) to provide online medical consultation facilities to citizens. The guidelines
issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in collaboration with NITI
Aayog and Indian Medical Council, allow remote delivery of medical services during the
lockdown period.
 The Department of Personnel and Training, under the Government of India, launches
digital platform to train all healthcare and COVID-19 warriors of India with first of its
kind iGOT e-learning Platform.
 Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro has won a 'large' contract from the
Indian Army for setting up an advanced IT-enabled system to operate the Armed Forces
network under the Network of Spectrum (NFS).
 Thus, in order to mitigate this challenge, Indian Railways’ Coach Rehabilitation
Workshop, Bhopal, which falls under the West Central Railway zone, has designed a
“mobile doctor booth” named “CHARAK”.
 Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced collaboration with UNICEF India to
undertake a mass communication campaign to inform and empower the general public
about the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The mass media campaign titled '#BreakTheChain #VirusKiKadiTodo' will have simple yet
powerful five and 15 second informative assets to empower the general public with
prevention strategies to protect themselves against COVID-19.
 The six-year-old, privately-held STX has done 34 movies including 'Hustlers' and 'Bad
Moms' which have cumulatively grossed $1.5 billion, while Eros focuses primarily on the
Indian and diaspora markets by producing movies and distributing them through an OTT
platform.
 The Indian Navy's Naval Aircraft Yard has developed a smart evacuation pod for
evacuation of COVID-19 patients safely from remote areas such as islands and ships.
 The indigenously designed and fabricated an Air Evacuation Pod (AEP) will help the
evacuation team to safely shift coronavirus-infected persons from ships and islands in a
fully sealed patient transfer capsule.
 The Union Government has created an online data pool on https://covidwarriors.gov.in
of doctors including AYUSH doctors, nurses and other health care professionals,
volunteers from NYKs, NCC NSS, PMGKVY, ex Servicemen etc for use by the ground level
administration at state, district or municipal levels.
 The iGOT online training modules mounted on a especial digital platform-Integrated
Government Online Training (iGOT) portal (https://igot.gov.in ) for training and capacity
building of dictors, nurses, paramedics, hygeine workers, technicians, AYUSH doctors and
staff, other frontline workers and volunteers.
 IT services firm Tech Mahindra has announced that it is collaborating with the United
States-headquartered IBM to help businesses transform operations and accelerate their
hybrid cloud strategies.
 Maruti Suzuki, the automobile giant is now spearheading the production of low cost
ventilators in country and helping the government in the fight against COVID-19.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Short video app VMate has now joined hands with the Government’s citizen engagement
platform MyGov to aid the Centre’s efforts in combating the menace of the coronavirus
pandemic.
 The union minister prakash javadekar has participated in the first virtual Climate
Dialogue, was the eleventh session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2020, it has been
hosted by Germany since 2010.
 According to a CRISIL Research report, Karnataka retained 1st position in terms of total
installed renewable capacity in FY20 followed by Tamil Nadu (2nd) & Gujarat (3rd).
 The top 3 states in overall solar energy capacity addition are Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka & in wind energy- Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
 India facilitates $ 150 million foreign currency swap facility to Maldives.
 The government has established International Financial Services Centres Authority to
regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in
Gandhinagar, Gujarath.

PERSONS IN NEWS

 Minal Dakhave Bhosale developed India's first Covid kit in just six weeks.
 Founder MD and CEO of Paytm Money Pravin Jadhav has resigned from his post due to
growing differences with the company board.
 Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has been posthumously inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
 East Bengal have roped in Iran's Indian-origin winger Omid Singh on a two-year deal.
 China's twerking high jumper Zhang Guowei retires at 28.
 Jack Dorsey, the CEO of social media giant Twitter and digital payments platform Square
announced that he will donate $1 billion to charities working towards combatting the
global COVID-19 pandemic.
 IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva has named former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and 11
others to her external advisory group to provide perspectives from around the globe on
key developments and policy issues, including responses to the exceptional challenges
the world now faces due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 MS Dhoni Replaces Nawazuddin Siddiqui As PokerStars India's Brand Ambassador.
 International Weightlifting Federation president Tamas Ajan resigns amid ongoing
corruption investigation.
 India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma has become brand ambassador of
'CricKingdom', a cricket academy based here which will also facilitate coaching through
its online platform after the global COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
 Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand has joined WWF (World Wide
Fund) India as its ambassador for environment education programme.
 World Champion PV Sindhu was unveiled as one of the ambassadors for Badminton
World Federation's (BWF) 'i am badminton' awareness campaign.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Former Pakistan women’s skipper Sana Mir announced her retirement from
international cricket, ending a 15 year long illustrious career.
 Mir featured in 226 international matches for Pakistan, including 137 as captain from
2009 to 2017, the 34-year-old cricketer is currently ranked 9th and 41st in the ICC’s ODI
and T20I bowlers’ lists, respectively.
 Denmark's Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe announces retirement from
international badminton.
 T.S Tirumurti is India’s new permanent representative to the UN and he replaced Syed
Akbaruddin.
 Deepak Mittal has been appointed India's next Ambassador to Qatar.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 Chittaranjan locomotive works of Indian Railways creates world record of making 431
locomotives for FY 2020
 Indian NGO ARMMAN among 4 winners to clinch Skoll Award for Social
Entrepreneurship 2020

Organization Founder Coverage

ARMMAN Dr. Aparna Hegde India
Center for Tech and Civic Life Tiana Epps-Johnson, Donny United states
(CTCL) Bridges, and Whitney May
Glasswing International Celina de Sola and Ken Baker Central America
International Council on Drew Kodjak Global
Clean Transportation (ICCT)
Organized Crime and Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu Global
Corruption Reporting Project
(OCCRP)

 Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has been conferred with ‘Hero to Animals
Award’ by animal rights body PETA India. He has been awarded by People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for allocating funds to feed community animals in
Odisha during the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.
 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2020 edition, named Ben Stokes of England and Ellyse
Perry of Australia as the Leading male and female cricketer of the World 2020
respectively.
o Apart from Leading Cricketers, Wisden also named Jofra Archer, Pat Cummins,
Simon Harmer, Marnus Labuschagne and Ellyse Perry as the Five Cricketers of the
Year.
o All-rounder Andre Russell has been named as the Leading T20 Cricketer in the
World.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Four Indian-Americans have been awarded with a prestigious US fellowship for their
accomplishments and “exceptional promise”.
o Pradeep Sharma, mechanical engineer at the University of Houston, Kavita
Ramanan, professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University, Dilip Da Cunha,
architect, planner and teacher at Harvard University and Columbia University,
and Mukul Sharma, professor of Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College, have been
awarded the 2020 Guggenheim fellowships.
st
 1 Algerian Novelist, Abdelouahab Aissaoui, to win the 13th International Prize for
Arabic Fiction (IPAF) 2020 for his novel ‘The Spartan Court’ published by Dar Min in
2018.
 Tata Power Company limited’s ‘Club Enerji #Switchoff2SwitchOn’ campaign, which is
India’s 1st, energy & resource conservation club has won silver in the Edison Award
2020 under Social innovation’s subcategory, social energy solution.
 Adam Higginbotham 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.
 Panchayat Awards 2020: Jammu and Kashmir’s 3 panchayats get prestigious national
award

S.No Award Name

Name of the Panchayat

Panchayat Jamola Lower of

1 Child-friendly Gram Panchayat Award 2020
Rajouri District

Panchayat Dhangri of Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram

2
Rajouri District Sabha Puraskar (NDRGGSP) 2020

Panchayat Zaloora B of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP)

3
Baramulla District 2020
SPECIAL DAYS

DATE SPECIAL DAY THEME

March 31 International Transgender Day #MoreThanVisibility
of Visibility
April 01 Utkal Divas or Odisha Day
April 02 World Autism Awareness Day ‘The Transition to Adulthood’

International Children’s Book A Hunger for words

Day
April 03 Army Medical Corps celebrates “Sarve Santu Niramaya”
its 256th Raising Day
April 04 International Day for Mine
Awareness and Assistance in
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

Mine Action 2020

st
April 05 1 International Day of
Conscience
57th edition of National
Maritime Day
April 06 International Day of Sport for
Development and Peace
April 07 International Day of Reflection
on the 1994 Genocide against
the Tutsi in Rwanda
World Health Day Support nurses and midwives
April 08 International Romani Day
April 09 WADA celebrates Play True Day ‘Play Safe on Play True Day 2020’
2020
55th Anniversary of CRPF
Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas)
April 10 World Homoeopathy Day “Enhancing the scope of
Homeopathy in Public Health”
April 11 National Safe Motherhood Day
National Pet Day

April 12 International Day of Human

Space Flight
April 13 Indian Army observes 36th
Siachen day
April 14 World Chagas Disease Day

National Fire Service Day “Samanamagni – Saranam Agni”.

April 15 World Art day

April 16 World Voice Day FOCUS ON YOUR VOICE
April 17 World Hemophilia Day Get + Involved
April 18 World Heritage Day “Shared Culture’, ‘Shared heritage’
and ‘Shared responsibility”
April 19 World Liver Day
April 20 UN Chinese Language Day
April 21 Civil Services Day celebrated by
India
World Creativity and Innovation
Day
Administrative Professionals
Day (also known as Secretaries
day or Admin Day) in India
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

April 22 Earth Day or International Climate Action

Mother Earth Day
April 23 English Language Day

World Book and Copyright Day “KL Baca- caring through reading”

International Girls in ICT day ‘Expand horizons, change attitudes’

Manipur Govt commemorates

“Khongjom Day”
April 24 National Panchayati Raj Day

International Day of
Multilateralism and Diplomacy
for Peace
World day of laboratory
animals 2020
April 20-26 “Lab Animal Week”
April 24-30 World Immunization Week Vaccines Work for All
2020
April 25 World Malaria Day “Zero malaria starts with me.”

International Delegate’s Day

World Penguin Day 2020

World Veterinary Day 2020 “Environment Protection for

Improving Animal and Human
Health”
April 26 World Intellectual Property Day “Innovate for a Green Future”
International Chernobyl
Disaster Remembrance Day
April 28 World Day for Safety and
Health at Work
April 29 International Dance Day 2020
April 30 International Jazz Day
April 30 Ayushman Bharat Diwas

SPORTS

 The 2021 world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon will be shifted to 2022 to
accommodate the re-arranged Tokyo Olympics.
 134th Wimbledon 2020 has been cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic. The premier
tennis Grand Slam tournament has been scrapped off the calendar for the 1st time since
World War II.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 China, the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic, will host the third edition of Asian Youth
Games from November 20 to 28, 2021.
 The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were unveiled at a digital launch
ceremony in Hangzhou, China. The Mascots - Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, which
reflect the internet prowess of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province.
 The International World Games organisers announced that 2021 World Games to be
held in Birmingham, Alabama has been postponed to the year 2022 due to the conflict
of rescheduled dates of the Tokyo Olympics.
 The Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International
Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions on Thailand and
Malaysia and banned both the countries to from participating in weightlifting events at
the Tokyo Olympics.
 East Bengal F.C (Football Club), a professional football Club based in Kolkata, West
Bengal (WB), has signed Iran’s Indian-origin footballer Omid Singh for a 2-year deal.
 The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup to be held in India in November was
postponed by football's governing body due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic
across the globe.
 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association)/Coca-Cola World Ranking
2020, released on April 09, 2020, Indian football team retained its 108th position with
1187 points. Belgium tops the list.
 The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council of the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended till “further notice”.
 ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) World Ranking 2020 of senior male
players, India table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal has become the top-ranked
player at 31st position with 6460 points. The list has been topped by Fan Zhendong of
China with 17915 points.
 BCCI uploaded a video “The Mask Force” to promote wearing masks in public places and
help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, an initiative that has been hailed by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins the Formula One Esports Chinese Virtual Grand Prix
championship. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the actual F1 races are not
being held.
 Alireza Firouzja, a 16-year-old Iranian chess player, has defeated world chess champion
Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup 2020.
 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.
 The 11th edition of World Games which is to be held in Birmingham, Alabama, US
(United States), unveiled an updated logo and title after being delayed a year because of
the Coronavirus pandemic. The World Games 2021 Birmingham has been renamed
to World Games 2022 Birmingham.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 The President of Weightlifting Federation of India (WFI) Shadev Yadav confirmed that
Mirabai Chanu and Jeremy Lalrinnunga have been qualified to participate in the Tokyo
2020 Olympic Games due to their current International rank.
 Middle distance runner Khatun handed 4-year ban for dope flunk.
 Umar Akmal banned for 3 years from all forms by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
 India lost the hosting rights of the 2021 men's world boxing championship to Serbia
after the national federation failed to pay the host fee, prompting the International
Boxing Association (AIBA) to terminate the agreement signed in 2017.
 The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Deepak Agarwal from all cricket for
two years, with six months of that suspended, after he accepted one charge of
breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
 India women's cricket team, with 23 points in the Women's Championship, has become
one of the 5 sides to seal a direct berth at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 to
be held in New Zealand.

SEMINARS AND MEETINGS

SEMINAR/MEETING PLACE THEME/TAGLINE

"National Conference on Kharif Addressed by The Union
crops 2020" through a video Minister of Agriculture and
conference. Farmers' Welfare Narendra
Singh Tomar
101st Development Committee Union Minister of Finance &
plenary Meeting of the Corporate Affairs Nirmala
International Monetary Fund Sitharaman attended
(IMF) through video conference
G20 Health Ministers Meeting Minister of Health and Family
held via video conference to Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan
control COVID-19 participated.
5th Annual Meeting of Board of Union Minister of Finance &
Governors of New Development Corporate Affairs Smt.
Bank through video-conference Nirmala Sitharaman attended
G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Union Agriculture Minister
Ministers Meeting through Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
Video Conferencing on the issue participated
of COVID-19 impacts on food
security, safety and nutrition
Indian High Commission in Riva Ganguly Das, High
Bangladesh, and India Commissioner of India to
Bangladesh Chambers of Bangladesh called upon the
Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) business leaders of India and
has jointly organized a webinar Bangladesh
on trade promotion.
UN COP26 Climate Change Glasgow, Scotland
Summit postponed to 2021
G20 extraordinary energy Chaired by Saudi Arabia
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

ministers virtual meeting 2020

Nirmala Sitharaman attends 2nd Chaired by Saudi Arabia Realizing Opportunities
G20 Finance Ministers and of the 21st Century for
Central Bank Governors Virtual All
Meeting
44th session of World Heritage Fujian Province, China
Committee of UNESCO
postponed
Plenary Meeting of the Union Minister of Finance &
International Monetary and Corporate Affairs Smt.
Financial Committee, the Nirmala Sitharaman attended
Ministerial-level committee of through video-conference
the International Monetary Fund
(IMF).
The Member States of the Chaired by Nguyen Xuan
Association of Southeast Asian Phuc, Prime Minister of
Nations (ASEAN) held the Special Vietnam
ASEAN Summit via video
conference
Virtual Special Participated by China, Japan
ASEAN Plus Three and South Korea
Summit on COVID-19 Response

ECONOMY

 S&P Global Ratings further slashes India's growth forecast to 3.5% from 5.2% for FY21.
 According to the SBI, Australia's IAG has sold its entire 26 per cent stake in the lender's
general insurance joint venture SBI General Insurance Co Ltd for USD 310 million (about
Rs 2,325 crore).
 HDFC Trustee Company picks up 5.45% stake in SpiceJet.
 SBI lists USD 100 mn green bonds on India INX.
 According to the United Nations, Global economy could shrink by almost 1% in 2020 due
to COVID-19 pandemic
 CCI approves stake-buy in Religare Health Insurance by Trishikhar Ventures.
 Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved acquisition of 80.1 per cent stake
in ABB Management Holding AG by Hitachi Ltd.
 JSW Energy rose 1.99% to Rs 43.50 after the Competition Commission of India (CCI)
approved acquisition of GMR Kamalanga Energy by the company.
 Goldman Sachs slashes India's FY21 real GDP growth forecast to 1.6%.
 According to the UN report, India FY21 growth projection down 20 bps to 4.8.
 The RBI has forecast inflation to collapse to 2.4% in the fourth quarter of FY21amid a
pronounced slump in demand that could create room for more rate cuts.
 Flipkart, ICICI Lombard offer health plan for Covid-19 with instant claim
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 India’s fiscal deficit stood at 5.07% of gross domestic product (GDP) in February,
according to a report released by the government.
 PBOC buys 1.1% HDFC shares on behalf of Chinese sovereign wealth fund.
 The retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 6.58 per cent in February
2020 and 2.86 per cent in March 2019.
 According to the K.Chandrashekar Rao, RBI should implement 'Helicopter Money' to
counter economic crisis.
 Hindalco closes $2.8-billion acquisition of US-based Aleris Corp.
 GP Global acquires lubricants assets of Nigeria's Grand Petroleum.
 India’s exports plunged by a record 34.57 per cent in March due to a steep decline in
shipments of leather, gems and jewellery and petroleum products, dragging the total
exports in 2019-20 down to USD 314.31 billion.
 IL&FS sells entire stake in IWPSL to ORIX Corp for Rs 6.05 cr.
 The Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG to lead the development of sustainable
transportation by forming joint venture for large-scale production of fuel cells.
 Facebook buys 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore.
 According to the World Bank, remittances to India likely to decline by 23% in 2020 due
to COVID-19.
 Ashok Leyland acquires 3.36% share in subsidiary Hinduja Leyland Finance.
 Singapore's Caladium ups stake at Bandhan Bank by 1% via market purchases.
 India's chemical exports rose by 7 per cent to 2.68 lakh crore rupees during April-
January period of the last fiscal, and became the top exporting sector in the country for
the first time.
 HDFC invokes pledged shares to acquire 6.43% stake in Reliance Capital.
 According to the Bengaluru-headquartered biopharmaceuticals company , Biocon
Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been recognised for her contribution
to the world of medicine as an entrepreneur and innovative business leader,

PLACES IN NEWS

 Ahmedabad railway station gets sanitizing tunnel.

 Delhi government launches operation ‘SHIELD’ in identified hotspots.
 Goa to be the first state to integrate allopathy with Ayurveda to treat COVID-19 patients.
 Rajasthan first in country to start rapid testing for Covid-19.
 Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to geotag community kitchens.
 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructs bridge in record time on a key road
connecting strategic areas in Arunachal Pradesh.
 Amid the lockdown for the coronavirus outbreak, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani
gave the green signal for the third edition of his government's 'Sujalam Sufalam Jal
Sanchay Abhiyan' , a conservation plan to deepen water bodies in the state before
monsoon.
 Kerala’s Pathanamthitta launches Tiranga vehicle for rapid screening of symptoms.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Pune municipal corporation develops ‘Saiyam’ app to track home-quarantine.

 Amid the country-wide corona-triggered lockdown , Uttar Pradesh has become the first
state to have the requisite infrastructure in all its courts for hearing cases through video
conferencing.
 Assam government has launched a new scheme under which locally unavailable
medicines due to the lockdown shall be delivered to patients at home.
 11th Session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue held via video conferencing.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 With the number of COVID-19 cases rising in the country, the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) in Kanpur is developing portable ventilators which will be significantly
cheaper than the ones available in the market.
 A group of students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has developed
a drone with an automated sprayer to sanitise large areas including roads, parks and
footpaths, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
 NASA’s latest mission, called the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE),
consists of six CubeSats operating as a single large radio telescope. NASA has awarded
$62.6 million to design, build and launch SunRISE by no earlier than July 1, 2023.
 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a bio suit to
keep the medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19
safe from the deadly virus.
 IBM offers ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ to quickly address covid-19 queries.
 Union HRD Minister launches MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal developed
by AICTE in New Delhi.
 Press Information Bureau (PIB) has set up a portal - COVID 19 Fact Check Unit which will
receive messages by email and send its response in quick time.
 Scitech Airon to Protect Healthcare Workers by Disinfecting Hospitals in COVID19 Fight.
 According to the Genetic and microbiome testing firm Bione, it has launched a rapid
COVID-19 at-home screening test kit that displays accurate results within minutes.
 IIT Roorkee develops low-cost portable ventilator to tackle COVID-19.
 Railways develops low-cost ventilator ''Jeevan''.
 IIT Hyderabad incubated startup develops low-cost ventilator.
 NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims to land humans on the moon by
2024.
 DST sets up rapid response centre at SINE, IIT Bombay to combat COVID-19.
 DRDO develops sanitisation enclosures and face shields to save primarily healthcare
professionals from COVID-19.
 Commerce ministry creates online platform for issuance of 'certificate of origin' for
exporters.
 DST funded company to scale up device to enrich oxygen supply in air for treatment of
COVID-19 patients.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 MoHUA Launches Revised Version of Swachhata App to Handle Queries Specific to

COVID 19.
 SCTIMST scientists design super absorbent material for safe management of infected
respiratory secretions.
 A New Virtual Braille Keyboard by Google is out on Android.
 Apple has purchased the weather predicting app Dark Sky.
 Centre introduces Arogya Setu IVRS facility on test basis in Tamil Nadu.
 Madhuban Gajar, a biofortified carrot variety with high β-carotene and iron content
developed by Shri Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer scientist from Junagadh
district, Gujarat is benefitting more than 150 local farmers in the area.
 Bharat Biotech ties up with FluGen, UW-Madison virologists.
 DST approves funding for developing a gel for nasal passage as prevention for COVID 19.
 CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune ties up with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL)
for production of medical devices.
 SCTIMST scientists develop disinfection gateway & facemask disposal bin to fight COVID-
19.
 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Rishikesh, in collaboration with Navratna
defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), has developed a state-of-the-art health
monitoring system to remotely assess the health of COVID-19 suspects/patients
quarantined in homes and hospitals.
 In a First, NASA Measures Wind Speed on a Brown Dwarf.
 IIT Bombay develops ‘smart stethoscope’ which can hear heartbeats from a distance.
 Apple, Google to create contact tracing technology to fight coronavirus spread.
 NIF brings herbal dewormer for livestock owners from indigenous knowledge.
 Science-based website on COVID 19 launched. It is a multi-institutional, multi-lingual
science communication initiative, called `CovidGyan’.
 US clears sale of Harpoon missiles, torpedoes worth $155 million to India.
 C-DOT and Telecom Service Providers develop COVID Quarantine Alert System.
 DRDO develops kiosk for Covid-19 sample collection.
 A team of researchers from National Institute of Technology-Karnataka at Surathkal
near here has developed a cost-effective disinfectant chamber that could disinfect
personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, surgical masks, vegetables, packed food and
other day-to-day items without causing them damage.
 GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY), two European pharmaceutical
companies that are leaders in vaccines for viral diseases, announced a collaboration to
develop an adjuvanted vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
 Aarogya Setu app has reached 50 million users in just 13 days-fastest ever globally for
an app.
 As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have found the
presence of a different kind of coronavirus -- bat coronavirus (BtCoV) -- in two bat
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, according to a first
of its study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
 Scientists have just seen the biggest star explosion observed to date. Star explosions are
often called supernovas.
 CeNS develops portable sensor to ease heavy metal detection in water.
 Kerala’s Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has
developed a much cheaper and faster diagnostic test kit (Chitra Gene LAMP-N).
 A team of transatlantic scientists, using reanalyzed data from NASA’s Kepler space
telescope, has discovered an Earth-size exoplanet orbiting in its star's habitable zone,
the area around a star where a rocky planet could support liquid water.
 The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has created an
Integrated Geospatial Platform out of available geospatial datasets, standards-based
services, and analytic tools to help decision making during the current COVID-19
outbreak and aid devising area-specific strategies to handle the socio-economic impact
in the recovery phase.
 Indian herpetologists discover new viper species in Arunachal Pradesh.
 CSIR-NAL develop Personal Protective Coverall Suit to Combat COVID-19.
 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Introduces two new products
to enable COVID-19 disinfection process.
 Researchers at the state government-run Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre
(GBRC) have succeeded in decoding the entire genome sequence of the novel
coronavirus, and identified its three new mutations.
 CeNS develops portable sensor to ease heavy metal detection in water.
 An international team led by an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode
student is pioneering a vital digital tool to fight the COVID-19 pandemic of
misinformation. The website 'COVID FYI' (covidfyi.in) is a one-stop digital directory for all
COVID-19 related services and help released by official sources.
 A SpaceX rocket will carry two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on
May 27, in the first crewed space mission launched from the United States since 2011.
 Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), Navi Mumbai, an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, have developed a
global model to predict the ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage—a
crucial need for communication and navigation.
 Researchers discover a six-planet system with near 3:2 resonance.
 CSIR-NAL develop Personal Protective Coverall Suit to Combat COVID-19.
 SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites, aces rocket landing in milestone flight.
 DRDO develops India's first Covid-19 sample collection mobile lab.
 NASA engineers have developed a new, easy-to-build high-pressure ventilator tailored
specifically to treat COVID-19 patients.
 Iran Launches 1st Military Satellite.
 Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute develops magnetic nanoparticle-based RNA extraction kit
for PCR and LAMP tests for COVID-19.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala (IIITM-K) has

developed Vilokana, a search engine based on artificial intelligence to enable
researchers to get deeper insights into scientific studies on Covid-19.
 An e-office application, that enables movement of files and documents without physical
touch, has been launched for usage in the 1.62 lakh personnel-strong Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF) to prevent coronavirus infection.
 NASA is celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's 30 years of unlocking the beauty and
mystery of space by unveiling a stunning new portrait of a firestorm of starbirth in a
neighboring galaxy.
 CeNS develops TriboE masks to protect healthy individuals from COVID-19.
 Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, is collaborating with another
Hyderabad-based integrated pharmaceutical company, LAXAI Life Sciences, to develop
and manufacture APIs and drug intermediates. The initiative may help in reducing the
dependency of the Indian pharmaceutical sector on Chinese imports of these
ingredients.
 New tool can map nanomechanical properties of materials like multi-phase alloys,
composites & multi-layered coatings.
 Pakistan Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missiles.
 The robotic device HCARD, in short for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help
frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by
coronavirus.
 JNCASR scientists develop a natural product based Alzheimer inhibitor.
 Near-Earth asteroid '1998 OR2' to fly past within 3.9m miles of our planet.

STATE

 Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio launched the Self Declaration COVID19 Nagaland App at
Kohima.
 Karnataka government has launched a mobile application 'Corona Watch' to track the
movement history of persons tested positive.
 According to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Active Case Finding
Campaign would be launched in the State to provide information regarding symptoms of
COVID-19 to the people at their doorsteps.
 A 'Modi Kitchen' with a capacity to serve 500 meals every day has started functioning in
Kovai (Coimbatore).
 Jharkhand government launches PRAGYAAM app to issue e-passes to everyone
associated with delivery of essential services amid lockdown.
 The Andhra Pradesh government has come forward to purchase the portable Multi-feed
Oxygen Manifold (MOM) developed by NAVY for COVID-19 patients.
 Andhra Pradesh government started door to door distribution of welfare pensions to
the beneficiaries across the state.
 Disinfectant tunnel installed at Telangana DGP office.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a 5T plan to stop the spread of the novel
coronavirus. The 5T plan includes testing, tracing, treatment, teamwork and tracking.
 New app ''COVID CARE'' allows Arunachal Pradesh people to report their health status.
 Manipur’s Imphal East district administration has introduced a new initiative to provide
immediate aid in the form of free food to the poor and needy with titled – “Food Bank”
under the theme, “Help End Hunger Today."
 Manipur State Education (School) Department has launched electronic format comic
textbooks for class III to V for Mathematics, Environmental Studies and English Language
in a motive to make up the gaps for the academic situation arises due to lockdown due
to COVID-19 pandemic.
 Robots to serve food, medicine to COVID-19 patients in Jharkhand.
 Uttar Pradesh becomes first State in the country to start pool testing of corona virus
samples.
 Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launches COVID-19 and YSR Nirman portals.
 The Delhi government has asked officials 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, removing a major obstacle in the efforts to contain the virus.
 Lending a hand to Kerala’s battle against Covid-19, actor Mohanlal’s ViswaSanthi
Foundation donated an autonomous robot for the isolation ward at Ernakulam medical
college at Kalamasserry.
 The Medical and Health Department of Andhra Pradesh launched 'Covid Pharma', a
mobile application to keep a track of people purchasing medicines over-the-counter
(OTC) for cough, cold and fever from medical stores across the state.
 Andhra Pradesh government announces scheme to provide full fee reimbursement to
students, releases Rs 4,000 crore.
 The Andhra Pradesh government launched two more schemes. The 'Jaganna Amma
Vodi' aims to give Rs 15,000 per year to poor and needy mothers to educate children
studying in classes 1-12. The other scheme, 'Jagananna Vasati Deevana' will see the
government giving Rs 20,000 per year in two installments to 12 lakh mothers of students
pursuing higher education.
SURVEYS

 Fitch Ratings has slashed India's growth forecast for FY21 to a 30-yr low of 2%, from
5.1% projected earlier.
 Forbes published its annual list of billionaires and found that the number of billionaires
has dropped significantly because of the pandemic and even among those still on the
list, more than half saw their wealth decrease.
 Mukesh Ambani with $44 bn top Indian in Forbes world billionaires' list.
 According to the UN report, Developing nations in Asia-Pac need to hike health
emergency spending by $880 mn/yr.
 India ranks high on "Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker".
 According to CMIE, Jobless rate amid Covid-19 lockdown period hits 23.4%.
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

 Bank credit growth slumps to 5-decade low of 6.14% in FY20 over low demand .
 Japanese brokerage Nomura predicts the RBI will cut rates further by 0.75 per cent. The
Indian economy will contract by 6.1 per cent in the April-June quarter and is likely to
expand only in the December quarter.
 India's GDP growth may slide to 1.1 per cent in the current financial year, on account of
the impact of coronavirus outbreak on the economy, a research report by SBI.
 S&P Global Ratings slashes India's FY21 growth forecast to 1.8%.
 Fitch slashes India’s GDP growth forecast to 1.8%.
 India ranks 142nd on global press freedom index.
 Fitch Ratings sees India growth slipping to 0.8% in FY21.
 IIT Kharagpur is the only Indian university to make it to top 100 in THE Impact Rankings
2020.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Name of the Book Author Speaks About

The book states about India’s
spectacular economic growth and its
historic achievements in poverty
Backstage: The Story
Montek Singh alleviation during the 10-year tenure
Behind India’s High
Ahluwalia of the United Progressive Alliance
Growth Years
(UPA), as well as allegations of policy
freeze and corruption in India’s
recent history.
The novel is about the unbreakable
connection between the living and
the dead. The core of the story is
Shokoofeh
The Enlightenment of based on the hardships and sorrows
Azar
The Greengage Tree of everyday life in Iran after the
Islamic Revolution in 1979 which is
narrated by the ghost of a 13-year-
old girl, Bahar.
Writing from his home in Rome amid
lockdown, the author explores the
How Contagion Works: mathematical structures of
Paolo
Science, Awareness and contagion and also investigates how
Giordano
Community in Times of the virus itself is a manifestation of
Global Crisis an interconnected world struggling
to build a sustainable global
community.
A fearless and semi-autobiographical
Memoirs and Jim Carrey & Dana
novel about the reconstruction of
Misinformation Vachon
personality.
It states about the strain and
The Wizenard Series: sacrifice, supernatural
Wesley King
Season One’ breakthroughs, and supreme
dedication to the game where
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

Bryant is the series creator who

The Art of Her Deal: The
Untold Story of Melania Mary Jordan
Trump
Shuttling to the Top: The
Krishnaswamy V
Story of P V Sindhu
Sayajirao Gaekwad III: Uma
The Maharaja of Baroda Balasubramaniam
envisioned the story lines
The book is based on 100
interviews, which depicts Melania
Trump, the first woman to be more
influential in the White House than
most people realize.
This book conveys the story of one
of the finest badminton players in
the world. The biography tells her
life from the time when, while living
in the colony of Secunderabad, she
travelled over 40 km every day by
train to get to P Gopichand’s
academy.
The author captivatingly narrates
how a 13- year old farm boy
becomes the King of Baroda. It
further uncovers interesting details
of how the 'chosen one' of the
British Government soon earned
their wrath.

OBITUARIES

Name of the Person Field/Importance

Arjun Dev The legendary educationist and historian
Maria Teresa Spain’s Princess
Phillip Anderson A Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Bhai Nirmal Singh Padma Shri Recipient and Former 'Hazoori Raagi'
Adam Schlesinger Emmy award-winning musician
Tony Lewis Renowned in cricket for creating the DLS system
Gita Ramjee Prominent virologist
Bill Withers A three-time Grammy Award winner
Mahmoud Jibril Former Libya interim prime minister
MK Arjunan Veteran music composer
Jock Edwards Former New Zealand cricketer
Forrest Compton American actor
Bullet Prakash Popular Kannada actor
Sasi Kalinga Malayalam actor
Honor Blackman Actress
Radomir Antic Serbian professional football manager and player
Brahm Kanchibotla Indian-American Journalist
John Prine American singer-songwriter
Donato Sabia Italian Olympic 800 metres finalist
Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE APRIL-2020

Hazarilal Raghuvanshi Former minister

Renowned Hindustani classical singer and Padma Shri
Shanti Hiranand awardee
Jackie du Preez Former Zimbabwean cricketer
Tim Brooke-Taylor English comedian and actor
Stirling Moss British racing driver
Peter Bonetti English footballer
Nobuhiko Obayashi Japanese director
Stirling Moss British racing driver
Ashok Desai Former attorney general
MV Rajasekharan Former Union Minister
Rifat Chadirji Iraqi architect
Roger Chappot Swiss professional ice hockey player
Doug Sanders American professional golfer
Zafar Sarfraz Former Pakistan first-class cricketer
Ranjit Chowdhry Actor
R.V. Bhuskute Freedom fighter
Willie Davis American football player
Saharai Oram Tribal leader and former Odisha minister
Luis Sepulveda Chilean best-selling author
Gene Deitch Oscar-Winning Animator, Filmmaker
Laisenia Qarase Former Fiji prime minister
Rudratej Singh BMW India CEO
Usha Ganguly Indian theatre director-actor and activist
Basanta Das Former Odisha MP
Graeme Watson Former Australian All-Rounder
Devanand Konwar Veteran Congress leader
Ronny Roy Veteran photojournalist
James M. Beggs Former NASA administrator
Bijay Mishra Noted playwright and lyricist of Odisha
Michael Robinson Footballer
Irrfan Khan Padma Shri-awardee Bollywood actor
Troy Sneed American musician
Rishi Kapoor Veteran Bollywood actor

***