NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Ministry of Tourism launches ‘Stranded in India’ portal: The Ministry of
Tourism launched a portal ‘Stranded in India’ to extend support to the foreign
tourists stuck in various parts of the country. The portal will disseminate
information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who
are stuck far away from their homeland.
Note: Minister of State (Independent
Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism: Prahalad Singh Patel.
2.
Validity extension of expired Driving Licences and Vehicle Registration: In an advisory to
all states and Union Territories, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
has extended the validity of documents that expired since 1st February 2020.
The validity of these documents has been extended till 30th June 2020. The
documents include fitness, driving licence, permits (all types), registration
or any other concerned document under the Motor Vehicle Rules.
Note: Union Minister of Road Transport and
Highways: Nitin Jairam Gadkari.
3.
Utkal Divas or Odisha Day is celebrated on 1 April: Utkal Divas (Odisha
Day) is celebrated every year on 1st April all over Odisha. It is celebrated to
commemorate the sacrifices made by leaders for the formation of Odisha as a
separate State when it was carved out of the combined Bengal-Bihar-Orissa
province. After losing its complete political identity in 1568 due to the
defeat-death of Mukunda Dev the last Hindu king, led to the formation of a
separate state under British rule based on the language on 1 April 1936. This
year marks the 83rd Utkal Divas or the foundation day of Odisha.
Note: Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal;
Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Capital of Odisha: Bhubaneswar.
4.
Karnataka Government Launches ‘Corona Watch’ App to Track Movement History of
Corona Positive Patients: The State government Karnataka has launched a mobile
application named “Corona Watch” for people to track the movement history of
patients, who tested positive, before their detection so that they can take
precautions. The quarantined persons have to declare their location every day
during the 14-day period failing which the person will be send to government
quarantine institution. The app will give the date and time of visit to spots
by the patients. The app also has a list of government designated first
response hospitals for COVID-19 where citizen with symptoms can go.
The mobile app “Corona Watch” can be
downloaded from Google Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ksrsac.drawshapefile
Note: Chief Minister of Karnataka: B. S.
Yediyurappa; Governor: Vajubhai Vala.
5.
IIT Kanpur to develop COVID-19 portable ventilator: Amidst the rising
cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT)-Kanpur is developing portable ventilators which will be significantly
cheaper than the ones available in the market. The prototype of this ventilator
will be ready very soon and just after assembling, it can be used as a life support
system. The ventilator is very important medical equipment for COVID-19
Patients, especially those who are old and the virus can prove fatal to them.
Bio Science and Bio Engineering department of IIT Kanpur has prepared a design
of live saver portable ventilator.
6.
“Active Case Finding Campaign” begins in Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh
government has started “Active Case Finding Campaign” in the state. The
campaign has been rolled out in the state to provide information about the
symptoms of COVID-19 to the people at their doorsteps.
Note: Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh:
Jai Ram Thakur; Governor: Bandaru Dattatraya.
7.
GoI introduced dedicated Twitter handle for COVID-19 updates: The Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting has launched a dedicated Twitter handle for
COVID-19 updates. This dedicated twitter handle has been set up to share news
and updates about the novel coronavirus. The account is named as
#IndiaFightsCorona and it uses the handle @CovidnewsbyMIB. The twitter handle
would be responsible for sharing authentic information and all updates on Novel
Coronavirus. In its first tweet, the dedicated twitter handle has shared the
helpline numbers for information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
8.
GoI extended foreign trade policy to March 2021: The Government
extended the existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for 1 year till March 2021
amid COVID-19 and the lockdown to contain the virus spread. Validity of DFIA
and EPCG authorizations for import purposes has also been extended. Advance
authorization is issued to allow duty free import of inputs, which is
physically incorporated in export product. Exports during April-February dipped
by 1.5% to 292.91 billion dollars and imports declined by 7.3%.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
NATO Secretary General Appoints ‘Reflection Group’ to study the alliance’s
political direction: The
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced the appointment of a
group of experts on 31 March 2020 to support his work in a reflection process
to further strengthen NATO’s political dimension. The group of five men and
five women will be co-chaired by former German defence minister Thomas de
Maziere and Washington’s former top diplomat for Europe, Wess Mitchell and will
report to the Secretary General. The panel will offer recommendations to
reinforce alliance unity, increase political consultation and coordination
between allies, and strengthen NATO’s political role. The following people have
been appointed to the group: Greta Bossenmaier (Canada), Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen
(Denmark), Hubert Védrine (France), Thomas de Maizière (Germany), Marta Dassù
(Italy), Herna Verhagen (The Netherlands), Anna Fotyga (Poland), Tacan Ildem
(Turkey), John Bew (United Kingdom) and Wess Mitchell (United States).
Note: Member countries of NATO: 30;
Founded: 4 April 1949; Headquarters:
Brussels, Belgium.
2.
IMF declares that World is now in “Recession”: The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that the world has clearly entered a
recession due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has emphasized that the current
recession is even worse than that of 2009. The statements about the world
economy were made after the meeting of governing body of the IMF, the
International Monetary and Financial Committee.
Note: Managing Director of IMF: Kristalina
Georgieva.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
2021 World Athletics Championships Being Moved to 2022: The World Athletics
has informed that the 2021 world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon,
United States, is now being shifted to 2022 to accommodate the re-arranged
Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 Tokyo Games has been postponed because of the
coronavirus pandemic and will now take place on July 23-August 8, 2021. The
world athletics championships was earlier scheduled to take place in Eugene on
August 6-15, 2021. It will now take place in August 2022.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
ICICI Lombard, BharatPe launch COVID-19 insurance cover for shopkeepers: BharatPe has
partnered with ICICI Lombard to roll out 'COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover'
for shopkeepers of the age group-18 to 65 years. On diagnosis of COVID-19
(positive), 100% of the sum will be given, irrespective of hospital expenses
with a premium starting at Rs 199. It will also provide value-added benefits
such as health assistance and CHAT/ virtual assistance, teleconsultation and
ambulance assistance.
Note: CEO & Co-founder of Bharatpe:
Ashneer Grover; Headquarters of Bharatpe: New Delhi.
MD of ICICI Lombard: Bhargav Dasgupta;
Headquarters of ICICI Lombard: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
2.
Public sector banks announce deferment of EMI payments on loans: Public sector
banks have announced suspension of EMI payments on loans to customers for three
months in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. RBI has already allowed 3-month
moratorium on loan payments. Banks like State Bank of India, Punjab and Sind
Bank, Canara Bank, UCO Bank, Syndicate Bank and Bank of Baroda have announced
the offer of the moratorium already to customers via tweets.
3.
S&P Further Slashes India’s GDP Forecast to 3.5% from 5.2% for FY21: S&P Global
Ratings has further slashed India’s growth forecast to 3.5% from a previous
downgrade to 5.2% for the fiscal year 2020-21. The latest downgrade is due to
the slump in demand, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, which is leading to
declining credit quality and rising defaults particularly among non financial
corporates with weaker credit profiles. For the Financial year 2019-20, the
rating agency has estimated growth forecast of 5%. However the S&P expects
the Indian economy to bounce back to 7.3% in FY22.
FY’20- 5%
FY21- 3.5%
FY22- 7.3%
4.
Fitch Solutions Predicts India GDP growth forecast at 4.6% for FY21: Fitch Solutions has
predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2020-21 (FY21) at 4.6%. This is less than
its earlier prediction of 5.4%. For FY20, Fitch Solutions has predicted India’s
GDP Growth rate at 4.9%.
OBITUARIES
1.
Princess of Spain Maria Teresa Passes Away Due to COVID-19: Spanish Princess
Maria Teresa has become the first royal to pass away due to COVID-19. She was
born on July 28, 1933, and studied in France and became a professor at Paris’
Sorbonne as well as a professor of Sociology at Madrid’s Complutense
University. She was known for her outspoken views and activist work, which led
to her nickname the “Red Princess.”. The Princess was the cousin of King of
Spain Felipe VI.
2.
Legendary NCERT Historian Arjun Dev Passes Away: Professor Arjun
Dev, the legendary educationist and historian, has passed away. He was 81.
Prof. Arjun had worked as a historian at the National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT). He has written a number of extremely popular
textbooks for the NCERT on Modern and Contemporary India and the World.
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