NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Government launches Dashboard
‘COVID Warriors’ Containing Details of Healthcare Professionals and Volunteers
for combating Covid-19: The Union
Government has launched an online portal https://covidwarriors.gov.in which
consists of details of AYUSH doctors, nurses and other health care
professionals, volunteers from NYKs, NCC NSS, PMGKVY, ex Servicemen etc. The
dashboard contains state wise and district wise availability of the large pool
of human resources from various groups along with contact details of the nodal
officers, in order to help in combating and containing COVID-19. The dashboard
aims at helping various ground level administration at state, district or municipal
levels to prepare Crisis Management/Contingency Plans based on the available
manpower. The information uploaded on a dashboard will be regularly updated.
2.
Kerala-based Research institute develops low-cost diagnostic kit ‘Chitra
GeneLAMP-N’ that can confirm Covid-19 in 2 hrs: Trivandrum,
Kerala-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology
has developed a low cost diagnostic test kit that can confirm COVID-19 cases in
just two hours. The test kit has been named Chitra GeneLAMP-N. The diagnostic
test kit can detect coronavirus in 10 minutes, and the ‘sample to result’ (from
RNA extraction in swab to RT-LAMP detection time) time take less than two
hours. The new diagnostic kit is cost-effective as each test will cost the lab
Rs. 1,000, which is less than the minimum cost of COVID-19 tests being carried
out at present. A total of 30 samples can be tested in a single batch and the
machines are estimated to cost Rs 2.5 lakh. The test kit is funded by the
Department of Science & Technology.
3.
CeNS develops TriboE masks that use electrostatics of materials to restrict the
entry of infections but without any external power: A team of
researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore,
an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have
developed a unique face masks, called TriboE Mask. The interesting thing about
this mask is that it can hold electric charges to restrict the entry of
infections and that too without any external power. The mask works on the
principle of electrostatics, wherein when two non-conducting layers are rubbed
against each other, the layers develop positive and negative charges instantly
and continue to hold the charges for some time, to deactivate or possibly even
kill the germs. TriboE mask is three-layered, comprising of nylon cloth
sandwiched between polypropylene layers. When the layers are rubbed against
each other, static electricity is produced, which is expected to restrict the
possible transmission of infections.
4.
Uttar Pradesh Government sets up panel, headed by Agriculture Production
Commissioner, to provide jobs to 5 lakh migrant workers: The state
government of Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has
constituted a committee to provide employment to the 5 lakh migrated laborers
who reached the state during last 45 days, and got stuck due to COVID-19. The
committee will be headed by Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC). The
current APC of Uttar Pradesh is Shri Alok Sinha. Apart from APC, the principal
secretaries of Rural development, Panchayati Raj, MSME and Skill development
will be the members of this committee. The Committee will recommend how maximum
opportunities of employment may be generated at local level and strengthen
rural economy. It will arrange loan fairs for bank loans and suggest employment
under one district one product program (ODOP), to provide employment to the
maximum people.
5.
Kerala’s Pathanamthitta Distrcit Administration Launches Tiranga Vehicle for Rapid
Screening of Symptoms: The Pathanamthitta district in Kerala has come up with
an innovative ‘Rapid Screening Vehicle-1 (RSV – 1)’, as an initiative to help
reduce the risk of exposure of health workers as they go out to screen people.
The vehicle called TIRANGA (Total India Remote Analysis Nirogya Abhiyaan) will
have three people (medical volunteer, a non-medical volunteer and a driver),
two of them asking questions to a person standing outside. The vehicle is
equipped with thermal scanning, an infrared thermometer mounted on the bonnet,
a two-way microphone system by which people inside and outside the vehicle can
talk to each other, a mobile camera that will click photos of their identity
cards and so on. The vehicle has been painted with tricolour so that people
would immediately recognise it as an initiative of the government and leave the
health workers alone. Screening will be done in containment zones and buffer
zones and in the camps for migrant workers and destitute people.
6.
IIA connects Li abundance in interstellar space to new Li-rich red giants: Researchers Team at
the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have discovered hundreds of Li-rich
giant stars indicating that Lithium is being produced in the stars and accounts
for its abundance in the interstellar medium. The researchers determined the
evolutionary phase of these giants by analyzing relative positions of stars
using their temperature and luminosity and from Kepler Space Telescope. This
will eliminate theories such as nucleosynthesis.
7.
INST develops electro-catalyst from fish gills: Ramendra Sundar Dey
and his team from Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali have
recently come up with an efficient, low-cost electro-catalyst from fish gills
that can help develop environmentally friendly energy conversion devices. This
bio-inspired carbon nanostructure can help overcome the bottleneck in the
realization of several renewable energy conversion and storage technologies
such as fuel cell, biofuel cell, and metal−air battery.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
World Bank-IMF Development Committee meeting held: The 101st Meeting
of the Development Committee Plenary was held through video conference on. The
items on the agenda included update on World Bank Group Response to the COVID-19
Emergency, and the Covid-19 Debt Initiative: International Call for Action in
Support of IDA Countries. The next meeting of the Development Committee is
currently scheduled for October 17, 2020, in Washington, DC.
2. UN
Chinese Language Day: 20 April: UN Chinese Language Day is observed on
April 20 annually. The UN Department of Public Information established the day
in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote
equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the
organization. April 20 has been chosen to pay tribute to Cangjie, a mythical
figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years
ago.
Note: Secretary-General of the United
Nations: Antonio Guterres.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
BCCI creates ‘Team Mask Force’ to spread awareness against COVID-19: Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) has created a video to promote wearing masks in
public places and help the country to fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The
‘Team Mask Force’ has been formed to spread awareness about wearing masks in
public places. It features Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly,
Mithali Raj, etc. The tag line by BCCI for this is “TeamIndia is now #TeamMaskForce!
Join #IndiaFightsCorona and download @mygovindia’s @SetuAarogya mobile
application Mobile phone.”
Note: BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly;
Headquarter of BCCI: Mumbai.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. GoI amends extant FDI policy due
to the current pandemic: The
Government of India has amended the extant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
policy for curbing opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies due
to the COVID-19 of Consolidated FDI Policy, 2017. As per the new change, an
entity of a country which shares land border with India or where the beneficial
owner of an investment into India is situated can invest only under the
Government route. The decision will take effect from the date of FEMA
notification.
BUSINESS AND ECONMY
1.
Fitch slashes India’s GDP growth forecast to 1.8%: Fitch Solutions has
slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 1.8% from 4.6% for the financial
year 2020-21 stating large-scale loss of income across the economy due to
domestic outbreak of COVID-19. It has predicted the contraction in fixed
investments as capital expenditure has been reduced by businesses to conserve
cash amid elevated economic uncertainty. Fitch Solutions has also reduced the
real GDP forecast of China for the financial year 2020 from 2.6% to 1.1%.
2. Cognizant hit by ‘Maze’
ransomware attack: IT services company Cognizant has
been hit by ‘Maze’ ransomware attack that has caused disruptions to some of its
clients. Ransomware logs users out of their systems through forced encryption of
data and asks them to pay a ransom if they want to access the encrypted data.
The Maze ransomware was discovered in 2019.
Note:
Headquarters of Cognizant: New Jersey, United States.
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