NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
IIT-Roorkee developed ‘Prana-Vayu’ low-cost portable ventilator: A special,
low-cost, closed-loop, portable ventilator, ‘Prana-Vayu, has been developed by
Research team at IIT Roorkee in collaboration with AIIMS, Rishikesh, which will
be useful for COVID-19 patients. The ventilator can be manufactured in just Rs
25,000 and will be applicable for a wide degree of congestions in the
respiratory tract and can be used for all age group patients, especially the
elderly. The ventilator is equipped with state-of-the-art features: It can
automatically limit high pressure with an alarm system; In case of a failure,
the circuit opens to the atmosphere which prevents choking; Some additional
features include remote monitoring by health professionals, touch screen
control of all operating parameters, moister, and temperature control for
inhaled air. The research team from IIT Roorkee included Prof. Akshay Dvivedi
and Prof. Arup Kumar Das with online support from Dr. Debendra Tripathi from
AIIMS Rishikesh.
Note: Director of IIT-Roorkee: Ajit K.
Chaturvedi; Headquarters of IIT-Roorkee: Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
2.
Civil Services Association Launches Initiative ‘CARUNA’ to help Government
Fight Coronavirus: The
Associations representing officers of central civil services, such as IAS, IPS,
has come up with an initiative called ‘CARUNA’, as a collaborative platform to
support Government in the fight against #COVID19. The acronym ‘CARUNA’ stands
for Civil services Associations Reach to sUpport in Natural disAsters. The
collective abilities of this versatile group will support: (1) Decision Makers
by providing IT, HR & coordination support to enhance their outreach; (2)
Frontline Functionaries in reaching out to the last mile.
Since these officers have strong network at
district level, they will work towards the needs and requirement faced in particular
areas in a district like shortages of supplies. This network can be used to
create a database of information on migration, essential supplies and medical
equipment like masks, ventilators, PPE, etc, and forwarded to the government so
that they can take much better step to eliminate COVID-19 from every corner of
the country. The officers have set up teams which will work in sync with the 11
empowered groups created by the Narendra Modi government to tackle all issues
related to the Covid-19 outbreak.
3.
Disinfectant Tunnel ‘3V Safe Tunnel’ Installed at Telangana DGP Office: In Telangana, a
unique disinfectant tunnel named ‘3V Safe Tunnel’ has been installed at the
office of the state Director General of Police to sanitize people within 20
seconds from any possible bacteria and other microbes and reduce the local
transmission of Covid-19 in the state. The first-of-its-kind tunnel installed
in the state consists of a combination of a water-soluble polymer and iodine in
a form of spray. The solution is known to be effective against virus like SARS,
MERS and Ebola. The Sanitising tunnel has been installed with the help of a
private company, S3V Vascular Technologies Private Limited.
Note: Chief Minister of Telangana: K
Chandrasekhar Rao; Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan.
4.
GoI constitutes Empowered Group for coordinating COVID-19 related Response
Activities
The
Government of India has constituted an Empowered Group for coordinating
response activities with Private Sector, NGOs and International Organisations
related to COVID-19 to coordinate response activities with Private Sector, NGOs
and International Organisations related to COVID-19. The gorup will be headed
by the chief executive officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant and will
address the issues such as identification of problems, effective solutions and
making of plans along with three groups of stakeholders. It will address the
issues pertaining to identification of problems, effective solutions and
formulation of plans with three groups of stakeholders. 3 groups have been
created including UN agencies, World Bank, ADB, Civil Society Organisations,
Industry associations.
5.
Indian Railways develops low-cost ventilator prototype named “Jeevan”: Indian Railway’s
Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala, Punjab has developed a low-cost
ventilator prototype named “Jeevan” that is much cheaper than regular
ventilators. The ventilators can be put to use after it receives approvals from
the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The cost of these ventilators is
expected to be Rs. 10,000 without compressors. RCF Kapurthala has developed the
prototype after the government instructed the Indian Railways to explore the
possibility of manufacturing ventilators.
6.
National Maritime Day: 5 April: India observes National Maritime Day on 5
April every year to illustrate the awareness in supporting intercontinental
commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound,
environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one corner to
another corner of the world. National Maritime Day 2020 was the 57th edition of
the National Maritime Day.
On this day in 1919 navigation history was
created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company
Ltd., traveled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom, a crucial step for India
shipping history when sea routes were restricted and controlled by the British.
Note: World Maritime Day is observed on the
last week of September on Thursday annually. This year World Maritime Day will
be celebrated on September 24, 2020. According to the International Maritime
Organization, “Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet” has been selected
as the World Maritime theme for 2020.
7.
Geo-fencing app will be used to locate quarantine violators: The government has
tested an application that triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised
government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation,
based on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location.The Centre is using
powers under the Indian Telegraph Act to “fetch information” from telecom
companies every 15 minutes to track COVID-19 cases across the country. Kerala
was one of the first States to use geo-fencing to track COVID-19 cases.On March
29, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) shared a standard operating
procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application
called COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. US
research links BCG vaccination against COVID-19: US-based research
suggested the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination a “game-changer” in
the fight against novel coronavirus. BCG vaccine is used against tuberculosis
(TB). It contains a live but weakened strain of tuberculosis bacteria that
provokes the body to develop antibodies to attack TB bacteria boosting the
immune system. It can act as the first-line defence that keep a variety of
pathogens from entering the body and prevent infection.
2.
India Launches Operation “Sanjeevani” to Send 6.7 Tones of medical assistance
to Maldives amidst COVID-19 crisis: India launched an 18-hour operation called
‘Operation Sanjeevani’ to deliver 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines and
hospital consumables to Maldives, as an assistance in fight against COVID 19.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) used its C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to airlift
the supplies to Maldivian Capital, Male. These medicines and consumables were
procured from eight suppliers in India. The medicines could not be transported
directly to the Maldives from India through any other means as India is under a
21-day nation-wide lockdown The Maldives is the first neighboring country of
India to have received essential medicines since the lockdown commenced in
India. The medicines include influenza vaccines, anti-viral drugs such as
lopinavir and ritonavir.
3.
United Nations International Day of Conscience: 5 April: The United Nations
General Assembly has designated 5 April to be observed as an International Day
of Conscience every year. The resolution was adopted on on 31 July 2019 by the
UN General Assembly. The year 2020 marks the first edition of the celebrations.
This day aims to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and do
the right things. 2020 Theme: Change the World with Conscience.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Kobe Bryant inducted into NBA’s Hall of Fame (Basketball): Late basketball
player, Kobe Bryant, has been inducted into the NBA’s Hall of Fame 2020. He was
an American Basketball Player. Kobe Bryant, 41 was killed in a helicopter crash
in January 2020 in which total of 9 people died. A total of 9 people have been
inducted into the 2020 NBA’s Hall of Fame. The other eight are: MVP Tim Duncan,
Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey,
Barbara Stevens and Patrick Baumann.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Centre credits Rs 500 in each Jan Dhan account held by women: The Ministry of
Rural Development said that it is releasing a lump sum amount of Rs. 500 per
head to women account holders under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) for
April and the same have been credited to the designated accounts of individual
banks . This follows the announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on March 26 regarding ex-gratia payment of Rs. 500 for each woman
PMJDY account holder for the next three months under the PM Garib Kalyan
Package amid coronavirus crisis that has affected all economic activity and the
incomes.
2.
GoI extends tenure of Madhabi Puri Buch as WTM at SEBI: The Government of
India has extended the term of Madhabi Puri Buch as a Whole Time Member (WTM)
at Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by 6 months. She is the first
woman Whole Time Member (WTM) of SEBI who is also the first from the private
sector to be appointed as a board member in SEBI. She was appointed by the
Government of India as the Whole Time Member (WTM) at Securities and Exchange
Board of India in 2017.
Note: Chairman of SEBI: Ajay Tyagi;
Headquarter: Mumbai.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Naveen Patnaik awarded with ‘Hero to Animals Award’ by PETA India: 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. CM approved of
Rs 54 lakhs from a relief fund to feed animals of the community to ensure that
the animals do not go starving in such conditions. The government sanctioned
the amount after it was found that thousands of stray animals in Odisha were
having a hard time finding food as markets, eateries and hotels are closed.
Note: PETA established: March 22, 1980;
Headquarters: Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
OBITUARIES
1.
Renowned singer Bill Withers passes away: Renowned singer and lyricist, Bill
Withers (81 years) passes away. Wither won Grammy Awards 3 times in his career
for his song Ain't No Sunshine, Just the two of us and Lean on Me. He was known
for his smooth baritone vocals and sumptuous soul arrangements of 1970s. Lean
on Me has recently become associated with the Coronavirus pandemic, with many
people posting their own versions to support health workers.
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