Daily GK Updates - 30th April, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Madhya Pradesh Government Launches ‘Jeevan Amrit Yojana’ scheme to boost immunity system of citizens: The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched a unique scheme named ‘Jeevan Amrit Yojana’, to help in boosting immunity system of citizens of the state in order to fight the deadly coronavirus. Under this scheme, the State Government will distribute packet of special Trikut Churna-kadha free of cost to the citizens, which is very effective in increasing immunity and has to be taken three to four times daily. Trikut, an ayurvedic product made of three spices, has been prepared by Madhya Pradesh Laghu Vanopaj Sangh in collaboration with the Department of AYUSH. 50 gms packet each of the kadha has been prepared which consists of peepal, ginger and black pepper. The state will distribute the packets free of cost to one crore people in rural and urban areas of the state.

Note: Madhya Pradesh (CM): Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Capital of Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal; Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lalji Tandon.

2. ADB to support Maharashtra with $346 mn loan for power sector: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to Maharashtra state government to provide reliable power connections in rural areas of Maharashtra. The loan will support the state government’s high voltage distribution system (HVDS) program for new grid-connected rural agricultural customers in Maharashtra.

 Note: President of Asian Development Bank: Masatsugu Asakawa; ADB was established in 1966.

3. Ayushman Bharat Diwas: 30th April: Nation celebrates Ayushman Bharat Diwas on 30th April. The day aims to promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas of the country based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census database. It will also promote health and wellness and provide insurance benefits to the poor. This day is of national importance to mark the launch of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which is also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).

Note: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH): Shripad Yesso Naik.

4. Suresh N Patel takes oath as vigilance commissioner of India: Suresh N Patel took oath as the Vigilance Commissioner in the anti-corruption watchdog CVC. He took the oath of office by Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari through video conference. He will have a tenure of over two years, till late December 2022, in the CVC. Sharad Kumar is working as the other vigilance commissioner. The tenure of a vigilance commissioner is of four years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years. Suresh N. Patel was the MD & CEO of Andhra Bank and was an Executive Director in OBC. He is a Permanent Invitee to the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS) of RBI and a member of the Advisory Board for Banking and Financial Frauds (ABBFF) prior to his appointment as Vigilance Commissioner.

Note: Central Vigilance Commission formed: February 1964; Central Vigilance Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.

5. Rajiv Kumar Takes Charge as Chairperson of PESB: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the appointment of former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar as the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), with effect from 29 April 2020. He has been appointed to the post for a period of three years. Kumar is a 1984-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre who retired as the finance secretary in February 2020. He succeeds Kapil Dev Tripathi who has recently taken over as the Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Note: PESB is a high powered body constituted by Government of India for the selection and placement of personnel in the public sector undertakings.

Director of Public Enterprises Selection Board: Kailash Dan Ratnoo; Secretary of Public Enterprises Selection Board: Kimbuong Kipgen.

6. Book titled ‘Sayajirao Gaekwad III: The Maharaja of Baroda’ released: Uma Balasubramaniam's latest historical epic biography titled, 'Sayajirao Gaekwad III: The Maharaja of Baroda' has been released. It focuses on his ascendancy to the throne, his liaison with the British government in India, his extraordinary administration, and his noteworthy reforms. This book has been written with an intention to enlighten people about one of India's forgotten kings, who worked towards building a modernized India and India's fight for freedom.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. USCIRF releases 2020 annual report on international religious freedom: On April 28, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2020 annual report, which serves to provide an overview of what is happening in regard to religious freedom around the world, and make policy recommendations to Congress, the administration, and the State Department.

In the 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommends 14 countries to the State Department for designation as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) because their governments engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations.” These include nine that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2019—Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as five others—India (first time since 2004), Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.

Instead of using its own “Tier 2” category, as in past reports, the 2020 Annual Report also recommends 15 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) for severe violations. These include four that the State Department placed on that list in December 2019—Cuba, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Uzbekistan—as well as 11 others—Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Central African Republic (CAR), Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Turkey.

Note: USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom; headquarter: Washington D.C.

2. TS Tirumurti appointed as Permanent Representative of India to UN: The Government of India has appointed T.S. Tirumurti as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He is currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and was a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. He replaces Syed Akbaruddin. Govt also appointed Jaideep Mazumdar as India's ambassador to Austria who is presently serving as Indian envoy to Philippines. Joint Secretary Deepak Mittal was also appointed as India's Ambassador to Qatar, while Piyush Srivastava goes to Bahrain in the same capacity. Both of them are 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officers.

Note: Qatar Capital: Doha; Currency: Qatari riyal; Prime Minister of Qatar: Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani.

King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; Capital of Bahrain: Manama; Currency of Bahrain: Bahraini Dinar.

Austria Capital: Vienna; Currency: Euro; President: Alexander Van der Bellen

3. International Jazz Day: 30 April: The International Jazz Day is celebrated on 30 April every year to highlight the importance of jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. The day aims to create awareness around the world of the virtues of jazz as a force of peace, unity, dialogue, and enhanced cooperation among people, and an educational tool. This Day was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2011. This year is the 9th edition of International Jazz Day. Cape Town, South Africa has been designated the Global Host City for International Jazz Day 2020. The day was introduced by jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock.

Note: Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey Azoulay; UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Former Karnataka cricketer J Arunkumar named USA head coach: Former Karnataka cricketer, J. Arunkumar has been appointed the head coach of the USA national team. He was the successor of interim coach James Pamment. He has worked with the Karnataka team for several years and as batting coach for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League. He scored over 7,200 runs in first-class cricket and over 3,000 runs in List ‘A’ games.

Note: Headquarters of USA cricket: Colorado, United States (US); Chairman of USA cricket: ParaagMarathe; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of USA cricket: Iain Higgins.

2. Deepak Agarwal banned by ICC from all cricket for 2 years:  Deepak Agarwal has been banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from all cricket for a period of 2 years. He has been banned by the ICC after he accepted one charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Deepak will be free to continue his involvement in cricket from 27 October 2021.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Government sets up IFSCA to regulate financial services: The government has established International Financial Services Centres Authority to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs). The unified authority will be headquartered in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Currently, banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSC are regulated by multiple regulators like RBI, SEBI, and IRDAI. It will comprise a chairperson, members nominated by regulators, 2 members from the central government.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Moody’s cuts India’s GDP growth estimate for CY2020 to 0.2%: Moody’s Investors Service has cut India’s GDP growth forecast for the calendar year 2020 to 0.2% from its earlier estimate of 2.5%. For 2021, Moody’s has predicted India’s GDP growth rate to be 6.2%. As per Moody’s only three countries are projected to witness economic growth in 2020 these are China, India, and Indonesia. Moody’s has cut its growth projection for India amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Note: Headquarters of Moody’s: New York, United States (US); President and CEO of Moody’s: Raymond Whitehead McDaniel, Jr.

2. Neeraj Vyas Appointed as Interim MD and CEO of PNB Housing Finance: PNB Housing Finance has appointed Neeraj Vyas as the interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from 28 April 2020, for a period of eight months. The incumbent MD & CEO, Sanjaya Gupta, has stepped down from his active duties of the post on 28 April, 2020. His tenure was to end on May 4, 2020. Till now Vyas was serving as an independent director on the company’s board. He has resigned as the independent director to take charge as the Executive Director and interim MD and CEO. Previously, Vyas has worked as Deputy MD and COO of State Bank of India and has 36 years of banking experience.

Note: PNB Housing Finance Limited is headquartered in New Delhi.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passes away: Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai with wife Neetu Kapoor by his side on 30 April 2020. He was 67. The actor was undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year. He made his screen debut in 1970 with film “Mera Naam Joker” as a child artist and also received National Film Award for the role. His first lead role as an adult came in 1973 with the film Bobby for which he was awarded with Filmfare Best Actor Award. He played leading roles in many films between 1973 and 2000. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor in 2011 for Do Dooni Chaar, and for Kapoor & Sons, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2017. He was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Daily GK Updates - 29th April, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ADB approves $1.5 billion loan to India to help fund its fight against Covid-19: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 1.5 billion (about Rs 11,400 crore) loan to India on April 28, 2020, to help fund its fight against coronavirus pandemic. The loan amount will be used in fulfilling India’s immediate priorities. These priorities comprises of disease containment and prevention, social protection for the poor as well as economically vulnerable sections of the society, especially women and disadvantaged groups.

Note: President of Asian Development Bank: Masatsugu Asakawa; ADB was established in 1966.

2. Automobile giant Maruti Suzuki develops low cost ventilators: Automobile giant Maruti Suzuki has developed low-cost ventilators for helping the government in the fight against COVID-19. The production is going on in Gautam Buddha Nagar of Uttar Pradesh, where the company is supporting a start-up Agva Healthcare to scale-up ventilator production.

Note: Chairman of Maruti Suzuki: R. C. Bhargava; Managing Director & CEO of Maruti Suzuki: Kenichi Ayukawa; Headquarters of Maruti Suzuki: New Delhi.

3. Andhra Pradesh CM launches ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ Scheme : The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S.Jaganmohan Reddy has unveiled the ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ Scheme on 28 April 2020. The scheme has been launched to give 100% free reimbursement to those students pursuing courses post-matric like ITI to Ph.D and who hails from below poverty line family. To be eligible to avail the service under the scheme, the income of the family must be less than the Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. The Chief Minister has released over Rs. 4,000 Crores of funds for the scheme, along with Rs. 1880 crore towards pending amount left by the earlier government. Under Jagananna Vidya Deevena, fee reimbursement will be credited directly to mothers’ accounts instead of college accounts in the academic year 2020-21. This amount will be credited in four installments every year. Amount to be disbursed under the scheme will as under:

ITI Students: Rs.10, 000

Polytechnic students: Rs.15, 000

Degree students: Rs.20, 000

Note: Governor of Andhra Pradesh: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

4. CSIR-CMERI Develops Low-cost Robotic Device ‘HCARD’ to assist frontline COVID-19 healthcare warriors: The Durgapur-based CSIR lab, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) has developed a low-cost robotic device named HCARD, which can be used for a host of activities like collecting samples of people having symptoms of coronavirus, as well as treating COVID-19 patients. HCARD stands for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device. The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation. It will be able to transport food items, medicines, testing equipment, files, personal protective equipment in a comprehensive sterilised environment. HCARD will help frontline healthcare workers in dealing with COVID-19 patients in delivering services while maintaining mandatory physical distancing. The cost of the device is less than Rs 5 lakh and the weight is not more than 80 kg, making it easy to use and affordable for healthcare facilities.

5. JNCASR scientists develops “Berberine” based Alzheimer inhibitor:  Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) has developed “Berberine” based Alzheimer inhibitor. To make a natural product based Alzheimer’s inhibitor, scientists from JNCASR selected isoquinoline natural product Berberine which is found in India and China. The research work of scientists from JNCASR has been published in the scientific journal iSceince.

6. AP launches ‘Covid Pharma’ mobile application: Medical and Health Department of Andhra Pradesh launched 'Covid Pharma' to keep a track of people purchasing medicines over the counter (OTC) for cough, cold and fever from medical stores across the state. Using the App, the respective pharmacies will have to take down details of persons, including their mobile number, making OTC purchase of medicines for such common ailments and report to the government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G20 launches ‘Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator’: G20 has launched 'Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator', an international initiative to accelerate access to health tools needed to fight COVID-19. The new initiative “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator” will act as global platform for action to improve connections as well as to leverage interdependencies for collective partnership, mobilizing, problem-solving, and guiding investments for new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics as well as vaccines. It also aims to provide equitable access of all the tools to all the members.

Note: The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation of 19 countries and EU; G20 Presidency 2020: Saudi Arabia; G20 Headquarter: Cancún, Mexico.

2. 11th Session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue held: The 11th session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue was held through video conferencing witnessing India along with 30 countries deliberating over ways and means to tackle COVID-19. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Prakash Javadekar representing India in the first virtual Petersberg Climate Dialogue. The session focused on enhancing collective resilience and catalyzing climate action while supporting vulnerable. It has been hosted by Germany since 2010 to provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing on international climate negotiations and climate action. It was co-chaired by the United Kingdom.

Note: Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Babul Supriyo.

3. North Pole's largest-ever ozone hole finally closes: Scientists who have been observing the ozone hole at Copernicus’ Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) announced that the largest Ozone Hole recorded over North Pole has now ‘Healed Itself’ and Closed due to polar vertex which is a low pressure area and a wide expanse of swirling cold air of polar regions. Due to unusual climatic conditions, ozone hole in the Arctic region increased spanning an area of 620,000 square miles. The hole in Ozone was first identified by scientists in March 2020. Ozone layer is a portion of Earth's upper atmosphere that shields the planet from UV rays.

4. International Dance Day: 29 April: The International Dance Day is organised globally on 29 April to celebrate the value and importance of the art form dance. The day was created in 1982, by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO. The day 29 April has been chosen as it marks the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of modern ballet.

Note: International Theatre Institute Founded: 1948; Headquarters of International Theatre Institute: Paris, France.

5. Merger of two unequal mass black holes detected at LIGO observatory: The gravitational wave observatories at LIGO scientific collaboration have detected a merger of two unequal-mass black holes. The event has been named as GW190412. This is the first such observation involving two black holes of unequal masses coalescing. LIGO is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and develop astronomical tools with headquarter in US. This once again confirms Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India loses hosting rights of 2021 men’s World Boxing Championships to Serbia: On 28 April 2020, the world boxing body, International Boxing Association (AIBA) has cancelled India’s hosting rights for the 2021 men’s World Boxing Championship, after the national federation failed to pay the host fee. Serbia’s capital Belgrade has now been given the hosting rights. The agreement to host the championship was signed in 2017 between AIBA and Boxing Federation of India. Due to the cancellation of the agreement, India would have to pay a cancellation penalty of USD 500,000. It was for the first time that the elite competition was going to be held in India.

Note: AIBA Founded: 1946; AIBA Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland; AIBA President: Dr Mohamed Moustahsane.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Axis Bank to buy 29% in Max Life Insurance, total stake to rise to 30%: Axis Bank has announced that it will acquire an additional 29% stake (for ₹1,600 crore) in Max Life Insurance. With this, the total stake of Axis Bank in Max Life Insurance will become 30%. The remaining 70% stake will be with Max Financial Services. After the completion of these transactions, Max Life would become a 70: 30 joint venture between Max Financial Services and Axis Bank.

Note: Headquarters of Axis Bank: Mumbai, Maharashtra; MD and CEO of Axis Bank: Amitabh Chaudhry.

Max Life Insurance Company Headquarters: New Delhi; MD & CEO of Max Life Insurance Company: Prashant Tripathy.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. CRISIL cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for FY21 to 1.8%: Rating agency CRISIL has cut the GDP growth rate forecast for India for 2020-21 (FY21) to 1.8% from the previous prediction of 3.5%. CRISIL has projected a total losses of Rs 10 lakh crore or Rs 7,000 per person due to the impact of lockdowns to control COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Shiv Das Meena Takes Charge as new CMD of HUDCO: Shiv Das Meena, additional secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed as the new chairman and managing director (CMD) of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for a period of six months with effect from 21 April 2020. Meena is a 1989 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre with over 30 years of experience in public service.

Note: Headquarters of HUDCO: New Delhi; HUDCO Established: 1970.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passes away: One of the finest actors of Bollywood, Irrfan Khan passed away at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai after suffering from colon infection on 29 April 2020. He was 54. The actor was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (neuroendocrine) in 2018, for which he was undergoing treatment. During his over 30 years film career, Irrfan had worked across Indian, Hollywood and British films. He was last seen in comedy drama Angrezi Medium that hit screens before the nationwide lockdown in mid-March. In 2011, Khan was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.

2. Grammy-nominated Singer Troy Sneed passes away: Grammy-nominated gospel singer, Troy Sneed (52 years) passed away due to complications from the coronavirus. Sneed started his music career in 1999 when he released his maiden album 'Call Jesus' in collaboration with Malaco Records. He has several hit songs within the gospel realm to his credit including Work It Out and My Heart Says Yes. For his work on the Youth For Christ’s 1999 album ‘Higher’, singer Troy Sneed was nominated for Grammy award.

3. Former Liverpool footballer Michael Robinson Passes Away: Former Liverpool striker Michael Robinson, from Republic of Ireland has passed away at the age of 61. He was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2018. Playing for the football club Liverpool, Robinson won a league, League Cup and European Cup treble in the 1983-84 season. Robinson settled in Spain after his retirement in 1989 and became a respected television commentator, pundit and presenter.

Daily GK Updates - 28th April, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UIDAI permits Aadhaar updation facility through CSC: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has permitted Common Service Centre (CSC), that are designated banking correspondents of banks, to offer Aadhaar services to make Aadhaar updating easier for citizens. Around 20,000 such CSCs will now be able to offer this service to citizens. With these 20 thousand centers available to Aadhaar, the users particularly in rural areas need not visit Aadhaar centres in bank branches or Post Offices for this work. According to the permission, the Common Service Centre are allowed to only update demographic details such as name, address and date of birth.

Note: CEO of the Common Service Centre (CSC): Dinesh Tyagi.

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad.

2. Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar issues guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme: Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has issued the guidelines for the SVAMITVA scheme, which is a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. SVAMITVA scheme has been launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. SVAMITVA scheme aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest Drone Surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabitant (Aabadi) land in rural areas. The scheme will provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes. The program is currently being implemented in six states – Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

3. Lucknow’s KGMU becomes India’s First Government Hospital to successfully launch Plasma Therapy Treatment for COVID-19: The King George Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh has become the first government hospital in the country to successfully launch the plasma therapy treatment for the COVID-19 patients. Convalescent Plasma Therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients.

What is Plasma Therapy? In this therapy, plasma- a blood component, from a cured COVID-19 patient is transfused to a critically ill coronavirus patient. The blood of a person who has recovered from COVID-19 develops antibodies to battle against the virus. The antibodies from the blood of a cured coronavirus patient are then used to treat another critical patient. The therapy can also be used to immunise those who are at a high risk of contracting the virus.

Note: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath; Governor of Uttar Pradesh: Anandiben Patel.

4. IIT Delhi Launches Dashboard ‘PRACRITI’ to predict district, state wise Covid-19 transmission rate: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have developed a web-based dashboard named ‘PRACRITI’ which can predict the district and state wise transmission rate of COVID-19. PRACRITI stands for PRediction and Assessment of CoRona Infections and Transmission in India. PRACRITI will give details of the R0 (R nought) number of each state and district in India. R nought refers to the number of people to whom the disease spreads from a single infected person. For instance, if an active COVID-19 patient infects two uninfected persons, the R0 is two. The details will be based on the data available from sources such as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and World Health Organisation (WHO). This data will enable the authorities and the public to know the exact rate of spread in India locally and take necessary step to control and mitigate Coronavirus transmission in India.

5. Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi takes charge of Bodoland Territorial Council: Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has taken over the administration of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) after its term expired. Governor is the Constitutional head of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) that fall under 6th Schedule of the Constitution and is administered by BTC. 40 council election to constituencies could not be conducted due to present situation. Meanwhile, Siddhartha Singh has been posted as Principal Secretary of BTC, Kokrajhar.

6. NTPC Vindhyachal becomes India’s largest power plant to achieve 100 percent Plant Load Factor: NTPC Vindhyachal Power Plant has become the largest power plant in India to achieve 100 percent Plant Load Factor (PLF). The 100 percent PLF means that the power plant was run at its full capacity of 3760 MW for a certain period. NTPC Vindhyachal is located in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SIPRI released data on Global military expenditure:  A report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019” has been released by swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The report analysed the global military spending in 2019 stating that the global military spending in 2019 was 2.2% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) i.e 7.2% higher in 2019 than it was in 2010. The total global military expenditure in the year 2019 has been reported to be $1917 billion. As per the report, the total military spending in 2019 represents an increase of 3.6 percent, compared to the spending in 2018.

United States ($732 billion), China ($261 billion), India ($71.1 billion), Russia ($65.1 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($61.9 billion) are the top five largest spenders in 2019 respectively. Collectively, they accounted for 62 percent of the total expenditure. Also, this is the first time that two Asian states have featured among the top three military spenders. India’s military spending grew by 6.8 percent to USD 71.1 billion in 2019, to become third largest military spender in the world.

Note: Headquarter of SIPRI: Solna, Sweden.

2. Pakistan Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missiles: The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired a series of anti-ship missiles from Surface & Aviation units in the North Arabian Sea. The missiles were fired from surface ships, fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi witnessed the firing of the missiles. The anti-ship missiles were fired at the sea level by warships and aircraft.

3. World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April: World Day for Safety and Health is celebrated every year on 28 April to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally and raise awareness to ensure health and safety at the workplace. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2020 will primarily focus on addressing the outbreak of infectious diseases at work, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. It was first observed by the International Labour Organization in 2003. The day is a significant tool to raise awareness of making work safe and healthy and political profile of occupational safety and health. Theme for World Day for Safety and Health 2020: “Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can save lives”.

Note: Headquarters of International Labour Organization: Geneva, Switzerland; President of International Labour Organization: Guy Ryder; International Labour Organization Founded: 1919.

4. World Veterinary Day 2020: 25 April: The World Veterinary Day is observed on the last Saturday in the month of April. In the year 2020, the day is being celebrated on 25th April 2020. It is observed to mark the importance of Veterinary doctors who serve to protect animals to improve their animal lives and thus human lives. The theme of World Veterinary Day 2020 is Environment Protection for Improving Animal and Human Health.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Indian middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun banned for Four years for failing dope test: Middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the world governing body, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), for testing positive for a banned substance, Steroid. The 31-year-old has been banned in a nearly two-year-old doping case which the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) had failed to detect. Khatun’s dope sample collected during the National Inter-State Championships in June 2018 in Guwahati returned negative when it was tested by NDTL. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) then decided to test the sample of Khatun at its Montreal Laboratory in Canada and it returned positive for dehydrochloromethyl testosterone. Jhuma won a bronze medal in both the 1500 and 5000m competitions at the Guwahati Championships.

Note: President of World Anti-Doping Agency: Witold Banka; World Anti-Doping Agency Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.

2. PCB Bans Cricketer Umar Akmal for three-year for anti-corruption code breaches: Pakistan’s test cricketer Umar Akmal has been banned from all forms of cricket for a period of 3 years by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Disciplinary Panel, on corruption charges. He has been charged with two breaches of anti-corruption codes of Pakistan Cricket Board after he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of 2020 PSL. He was charged under Article 2.4.4, which deals with a failure of participant to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code. Earlier, Umar escaped a ban from PCB in February for allegedly making crude remarks to a trainer during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Indian Overseas Bank introduces special borrowing programme: Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has introduced a special borrowing programme for self-help groups (SHG) to help the SHGs in order to overcome the difficulties posed by COVID-19. The maximum loan amount is Rs 5,000 per member of a SHG with a cap of Rs 1 lakh without any processing fee or pre-payment fee. SHGs with a good track record and a history of minimum two loans from IOB will be eligible. The loan can be availed till June 30, 2020 through branches or business correspondents.

Note: Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Indian Overseas Bank: Karnam Sekar.

2. Madhavan Menon term as CSB part-time chairman extended: RBI approved the appointment of Madhavan Menon as Part-time Chairman of the Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB) for a period of one year from the date of appointment Menon is currently the chairman and managing director of Thomas Cook India. Extension is in terms of Section 10B (1A) (i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The private sector bank CSB was formerly known as The Catholic Syrian Bank.

Note: Headquarters of CSB: Thrissur, Kerala

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Ind-Ra cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for FY21 to 1.9%: India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2020-21 (FY21) at 1.9%. Earlier this was 3.6%. According to Ind-Ra, India’s GDP growth rate has been in contraction (means negative) for 5 times. These 5 years are-> in 1957-58 was negative 0.4%, in 1965-66 it was negative 2.6%, in 1966-67 it was negative 0.1%, in 1972-73 it was negative 0.6%, and in 1979-80 it was negative 5.2%.

2. Nokia and Airtel signs deal to boost network capacity & customer experience: Airtel and Nokia sign multi-year deal to deploy Nokia’s Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) solution across 9 circles in India to enhance the network capacity & improve customer experience with 300,000 radio units across several spectrum bands. This will also lay the foundation for 5G connectivity in the future. Nokia's SRAN solution helps operators manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from one platform reducing network complexity and increasing cost efficiencies. According to the deal between two companies, Nokia will deploy approximately 3,00,000 radio units across several spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz across India by 2022.

Note: MD & CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel: Gopal Vittal.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia: Rajeev Suri.

DEFENCE

1. Australia cancels premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020: Australia has informed that they have decided to cancel the three week long multi-national air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020, to ensure compliance with COVID-19-related Government restrictions and to protect the personnel, their families and the community. The exercise was scheduled to be held from July 27 to August 14, 2020. The next edition of Pitch Black will be held in 2022. Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial warfare exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Exercise Pitch Black is the Royal Australian Air Force’s biennial capstone International Engagement activity with forces participating from a wide range of regional, coalition and allied nations developing and enhancing military relationships. The last edition of the exercise was held in 2018, in which the Indian Air Force took part in the exercise for the first time.

Note: Capital of Australia: Canberra; Prime Minister (PM) Australia: Scott John Morrison; The currency of Australia: Australian Dollar.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Odia Dramatist Bijay Mishra Passes Away: Eminent Odia dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter Bijay Mishra has passed away following a prolonged illness. He was 83. Mishra has written scripts for about 60 plays, 55 films and 7 TV serials. He was a recipient of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and also received Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2013 for his book ”Banaprastha”. He also received Jayadev Award for his lifetime contribution to Odia film industry at the 30th Odisha State Film Awards in 2019.

2. Ex-NASA Administrator James M. Beggs Passes Away: Former NASA administrator, James M. Beggs, has passed away due to Congestive heart failure. He was 94. James beggs served Navy till 1954. He was an executive vice president and a director of General Dynamics Corp before becoming NASA administrator. Beggs was the sixth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He had served in the agency’s top position from July 1981. He formally resigned from the post on February 26, 1986. NASA had quite 20 successful spacecraft missions during Beggs’ tenure.

Note: The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Jim Bridenstine; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States. 

Daily GK Updates - 27th April, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kerala uses Robots to reduce human interaction in COVID-19 treatment: Robot named "Nightingale-19" and Karmi Bot are being used to provide food and medicines to COVID-19 patients in Kerala. The robot also has a special display facility, attached to it, that allows patients to communicate. "KARMI-Bot" is used in Ernakulam Government Medical College and Nightangle-19 is in Ancharakandi at Kannur district, Kerala. It will serve food and medicines, collects trash, performs disinfection and enables video call between the doctor and patients. The ‘KARMI-Bot’ robot has been donated to the hospital by Viswasanthi Foundation that is owned by Malayalam star Mohanlal.

Note: Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor of Kerala: Arif Mohammad Khan; Capital of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram.

2. Uttar Pradesh Government bans public gathering till June 30: Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to ban the public gathering till June 30, 2020. The decision was taken by the state government during the Chief Minister’s meeting with chairpersons of 11 committees of the state over the COVID-19 situation.

Note: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath; Governor of Uttar Pradesh: Anandiben Patel.

3. Madhya Pradesh govt launches ‘Jivan Shakti Yojana’ for women: Madhya Pradesh government has launched the “Jivan Shakti Yojana” for women and aims at providing home-based employment for women. Under this scheme, women entrepreneurs of urban areas in MP can start the construction of masks by registering themselves on a portal. The masks manufactured by women will be purchased at the district level at the rate fixed by the Madhya Pradesh government. The government will pay them Rs 11 per mask. Through this, they will not only earn profit by preparing the cotton masks but will also participate in a pious work. CM informed that women wishing to make masks are required to register themselves by calling the call center number 0755-2700800.

Note: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

4. IIT Bombay develops low cost ventilator ‘Ruhdaar’: A team of engineering students from IIT Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Jammu and Kashmir have come up with a low-cost ventilator ‘Ruhdaar’ using locally available materials. The prototype cost around Rs.10,000, which can get reduced during mass production and will meet the requirement to treat COVID-19. The ventilator can be used to control tidal volume, Breaths per Minute, and Inspiratory: Expiratory Ratio.

5. Hydrogen fuel car & bus project launched by NTPC in Leh & New Delhi: A Global Expression of Interest (EoI) has been launched by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based electric cars in Leh and Delhi. The initiative is undertaken with support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and aims to launch hydrogen-powered vehicles at the decarbonizing quality phase. The EoI has been issued by NTPC's wholly owned subsidiary, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited.

Note: NTPC Ltd Founded: 7 November 1975; NTPC Ltd Headquarters: New Delhi, India; Chairman & MD NTPC Ltd: Gurdeep Singh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for crimes committed by minors: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has abolished the death penalty for crimes committed by minors. The new order states that any individual who has received a death sentence for crimes committed while he or she is a minor will no longer face execution. Instead of the death sentence, the individual will undergo a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile detention facility. The new rule was announced by the president of the Saudi government’s Human Rights Commission, Awwad Alawwad. Saudi Arabia has already ended the practice of flogging recently. The step is taken to blunt the human rights criticism faced by Saudi Arabia at the international level and an attempt to carry out reforms as per the vision 2030 projected by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin

Note: Capital of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh; Currency: Saudi riyal.

2. Australian Government Launches Controversial Coronavirus Tracking App ‘COVIDSafe’: The Australian government has launched a coronavirus tracking app called COVIDSafe that will help to trace people who come into contact with someone with COVID-19. The app uses Bluetooth signals. The app will record the Bluetooth connections a phone makes with others so that incase a person catches the virus, the data can be used by state health authorities. The contact numbers picked up by a person’s phone can only be downloaded by a health officer when someone gets the coronavirus. The app is voluntary and will not track the location.

3. New Zealand’s University of Auckland Tops THE Impact Rankings 2020: The second edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, was released. In the 2020 THE Impact Rankings, 766 universities from 85 countries have been included. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance index that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ranking measure how an institution’s research, outreach and stewardship is delivering against the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The list has been topped by University of Auckland, New Zealand for the second straight year. From India, 26 Universities have been ranked in the lndex. The top Indian University in the list is Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. It is placed at 57th position. Japan is the most-represented nation in the list with 63 institutions, followed by Russia (47) and Turkey (37). Top 5 Universities in the List are:

(1) University of Auckland, New Zealand

(2) University of Sydney (Australia),

(3) Western Sydney University (Australia),

(4) La Trobe University (Australia),

(5) Arizona State University (Tempe), United States

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Former Pakistan Skipper Sana Mir Announces Retirement International Cricket: Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir has announced her retirement from international cricket on 25 April 2020, ending a 15 year long illustrious career. The 34-year-old cricketer featured in total 106 T20Is and 226 international matches for Pakistan in which she was the captain for 137 international matches from 2009 to 2017. Mir is currently ranked 9th and 41st in the ICC’s ODI and T20I bowlers’ lists, respectively.

Note: Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan; President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi; Capital of Pakistan: Islamabad.

2. Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe Announces Retirement from International Badminton: Former doubles world number 1, Mathias Boe of Denmark, has announced retirement from international badminton at the age of 39, to end his 22 years of his illustrious career. Boe was a silver medallist in men’s double at the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 World Championships. He was the oldest active player at the elite level who made his international debut in 1998. In his career spanning two decades, he partnered the with Michael Jensen, Thomas Hovgaard and Michael Lamp, before striking up a successful long-term combination with Carsten Mogensen.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI announces Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds (SLF-MF) worth Rs 50,000 Crore: The Reserve Bank of India has launched a Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds (SLF-MF) of Rs. 50,000 crore. This has been done for easing liquidity pressures on Mutual Funds in wake of COVID-19. This is a measure taken by the RBI to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 and preserve financial stability. The minimum bid amount would be Rs. 1 Crore and multiples thereof. The allotment would be in multiples of Rs. 1 Crore. Under the SLF-MF, the RBI shall conduct repo operations at the fixed repo rate. The tenor will be 90 days. The SLF-MF scheme is available from April 27, 2020 till May 11, 2020 or up to utilization of the allocated amount, whichever is earlier. Banks can use the funds available under the SLF-MF for meeting the liquidity requirements of MFs by: extending loans, and undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against the collateral of: (1) investment-grade corporate bonds; (2) commercial papers (CPs); (3) debentures and (4) certificates of Deposit (CDs) held by MFs.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikanta Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

2. Life insurance companies register 11.4% growth in premium income in FY20: Life insurance companies in India have registered a growth of 11.4% in premium income in FY20 with respect to the previous year. The collective premium income of all Life insurance companies in India was Rs 48.26 lakh crore during the fiscal ended March 2020. While the same was Rs 43.33 lakh crore during the fiscal year 2018-19. State-owned insurer LIC, however, posted a decline in premium income at Rs 8.32 lakh crore during 2019-20. The combined market share of all private sector life insurers as of March 31, 2020 stood at 17.24 percent.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. HDFC acquires 6.43% stake in Reliance Capital: HDFC has acquired 6.43% stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares. Apart from this, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) has acquired 8.21% stake in Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, and 6.97% stake in Reliance Power Ltd.

OBITUARIES

1. Former governor of Bihar & Tripura Devanand Konwar passes away: Veteran politician Devanand Konwar (77 years) passed away. He had served as the Governor of West Bengal from December 14, 2009 to January 23, 2010, Governor of Bihar from June 29, 2009 to March 21, 2013 and Governor of Tripura from March 25, 2013 to June 29, 2014. He joined Indian National Congress in 1955 as a student leader and he had been cabinet minister in Hiteswar Saikia-led Assam government in 1991 and Tarun Gogoi-led government in 2001.