Daily GK Updates - 15th May, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. FM announces 3rd tranche of economic support under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan: In continuation to PM Modi’s announcement of Rs 20 lakh crore boost to the economy, and the announcement made by her on May 13, 2020 and May 14, 2020 the Finance Minister of India, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has made the announcement of the third tranche of economic support the Indian Economy’s fight against COVID-19. These are the announcements made on May 15, 2020. The announcement focusses on Infrastructure Logistics, Capacity Building, Governance and Administrative Reforms for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors.

PART 1: Measures to strengthen Infrastructure Logistics and Capacity Building for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors

(1) Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers- Financing facility of Rs. 1,00,000 crore will be provided for funding Agriculture Infrastructure Projects at farm-gate & aggregation points

(2) Rs 10,000 crore scheme for Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE)- a new scheme will be launched to help 2 lakh MFEs who need technical up-gradation to attain FSSAI food standards, build brands and marketing.

(3) Rs 20,000 crore for fisherman through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)- The Government will launch the PMMSY for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries. Rs 11,000 crore for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and Rs. 9000 crore for Infrastructure – Fishing Harbours, Cold chain, Markets etc shall be provided.

(4) Launch of National Animal Disease Control Programme- National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis launched with total outlay of Rs. 13,343 crore to ensure 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population (total 53 crore animals) for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and for brucellosis. Till date, 1.5 crore cows & buffaloes tagged and vaccinated.

(5) Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund – Rs. 15,000 crore- An Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs. 15,000 crore will be set up, with an aim to support private investment in Dairy Processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure.

(6) Promotion of Herbal Cultivation: Outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore- The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has supported 2.25 lakh hectare area under cultivation of medicinal plants. 10,00,000 hectare will be covered under Herbal cultivation in next two years with outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore.

(7) Beekeeping initiatives – Rs 500 crore- Government will implement a scheme for Infrastructure development related to Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres, Collection, Marketing and Storage Centres, Post Harvest & value Addition facilities etc.

(8) From ‘TOP’ to TOTAL – Rs 500 crore- “Operation Greens” run by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) will be extended from tomatoes, onion and potatoes to ALL fruit and vegetables. The Scheme would provide 50% subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets, 50% subsidy on storage, including cold storages and will be launched as pilot for the next 6 months and will be extended and expanded.

PART 2: Measures for Governance and Administrative Reforms for Agriculture Sector

(1) Amendments to Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realisation for farmers- The Government will amend Essential Commodities Act. Agriculture food stuffs including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato shall be deregulated.

(2) Agriculture Marketing Reforms to provide marketing choices to farmers- A Central law will be formulated to provide adequate choices to the farmer to sell their produce at a remunerative price; barrier-free Inter-State Trade; a framework for e-trading of agriculture produce.

(3) Agriculture Produce Pricing and Quality Assurance- The Government will finalise a facilitative legal framework to enable farmers to engage with processors, aggregators, large retailers, exporters etc. in a fair and transparent manner.

2. Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicates “COBAS 6800” testing machine to the nation: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the “COBAS 6800”, COVID-19 testing machine. COBAS-6800 is the first fully automatic high-end testing machine that has been procured by the Government for COVID-19. It is installed at the National Centre for Disease Control Delhi. The device will provide quality, high-volume testing with around 1200 samples in 24 hours increasing the testing capacity with reduction in pendency.

Note: National Centre for Disease Control Founded: 1909; National Centre for Disease Control Headquarters: New Delhi; National Centre for Disease Control Director: Sujeet Kumar.

3. World Bank Approves USD 1 billion Social Protection Package for India: The World Bank has approved USD 1 billion aid, under ‘Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program’, to support India’s efforts for providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable households, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new USD 1 billion support will be funded in two phases:

Allocation of $750 million in first tranche for fiscal year 2020. Of this, $ 550 million will be financed by International Development Association (IDA) and USD 200 million will be a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The remaining $250 million second tranche will be made available for fiscal year 2021. The Phase I of the operation will be implemented countrywide through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). With this, the total commitment from the World Bank towards emergency Covid-19 response in India reaches to $2 billion. Earlier in April 2020, World Bank announced $1 billion support for India’s health sector.

Note: President of World Bank: David Malpass; Headquarter of World Bank: Washington DC.

4. West Bengal Government Launches ‘Matir Smristi’ Scheme to Utilise 50,000-acre Barren Land in Six Districts: The West Bengal government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched ”Matir Smristi” to utilise 50,000 acres of barren land in six districts of the states, for income-generating activities like horticulture and pisciculture. The ”Matir Smristi” scheme is expected to benefit around 2.5 lakh people in rural Bengal. As per the data, there is at least 50,000 acre of barren land in Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, Jhargram, West Burdwan and West Midnapore districts of the state. Preference would be given to locals for carrying out the project in which “lakhs of women self-help groups” will be involved. Ad hoc bonus and festival advance for 2020-21 has also been increased to benefit over 10 lakh Government employees.

Note: Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

5. Centre sets up new body to promote rice exports- Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF): The Central Government has set up a new body – Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Promotion Development Authority (Apeda) to promote rice export. REPF will monitor, identify and anticipate developments pertaining to production and exports and recommend necessary policy measures. India is the second largest produce of rice in the world.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Slovenia becomes 1st European country to become coronavirus-free: Slovenia becomes the 1st nation in Europe to declare an official end to the COVID-19 pandemic. More restrictions have now been eased in the country and people entering from other European Union states. The country housing over 2 million people bordered with Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia has reported 1,464 cases of COVID-19 disease and 103 deaths after declaring a pandemic. According to data from Slovenia’s Ministry of Health, just one new case of the coronavirus was confirmed on Thursday, with no deaths reported. Over the past two weeks, just 35 people had been infected with the coronavirus.

Note: Capital of Slovenia: Ljubljana; Currency of Slovenia: Euro; Prime Minister of Slovenia: Janez Janza.

2. WTO Chief Roberto Azevedo to Step Down a Year Ahead: Roberto Azevedo, the head of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO), has announced his plan to step down from the post a year ahead, on 31 August 2020. He became the WTO chief in 2013.  The 62-year-old Brazilian career diplomat’s second four-year term was not scheduled to end until September 2021. He is cutting seven-year tenure marked in recent years by intense pressure from US President Donald Trump. Donald Trump had accused the Geneva-based trade body of an anti-US bias and other complaints.

Note: World Trade Organization Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; World Trade Organization Membership: 164 member states; World Trade Organization Founded: 1 January 1995.

3. International Day of Families: 15th May: The International Day of Families is observed every year on 15 May to reflect the importance that the international community attaches to families. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993. The theme of 2020 is “Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25”. The 2020 theme highlights the 25th anniversary of Copenhagen Declaration and Beijing Platform for Action. In 1995, the conference of Beijing and Copenhagen proposed the importance of family and its role in our social development and agreed to specify its worldwide observance as an initiative for the well-being of all individuals in the family.

4. S Jaishankar Participates in SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meet on COVID-19: The Union Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar participated in an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the eight member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on 13 May 2020, via video conference. During the conference, the eight countries discussed sharing of information on best practices on containing COVID-19, particularly in the medicine, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical sector. The conference was held under the Presidency of Russian Finance Minster Sergey Lavrov. The SCO Summit 2020 is scheduled to be held in St Petersburg in Russia in July 2020.

Note: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. Presently SCO comprises of eight member states: the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

5. Piyush Goyal Participates in Second Extraordinary G20 Virtual Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting on COVID-19: The Second Extraordinary G20 Virtual Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting on COVID-19 was held on 14 May 2020 under the Presidency of Saudi Arabia. The meeting will be chaired by the Saudi Minister of Commerce, Majid Al Qasabi, in the presence of the Minister of Investment, Khalid Al-Faleh. The Indian delegation was represented by the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Purpose of the meet was to discuss the “G20 Actions to Support World Trade and Investment through the COVID-19 Pandemic” developed by the Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG). These designed actions aim to alleviate the impact of the pandemic in the short run, support the reform of the multilateral trading system, build resilience in global supply chains; and strengthen international investment over the long run.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. MoneyGram Ties up with Federal Bank to offer direct-to-account deposits in India: MoneyGram Payment Systems, a global leader in cross-border peer-to-peer payments and money transfers has entered into strategic partnership with the private sector Federal Bank to offer cost-effective direct-to-bank-account credit option for customers in India. This partnership will help the non-resident Indians (NRIs) to enjoy a modern, low cost, fast, easy and more reliable way of transferring money to India.

Note: Federal Bank Limited Chairperson: Grace Elizabeth Koshie; Federal Bank Limited MD & CEO: Shyam Srinivasan; Federal Bank Limited Headquarters: Aluva, Kerala.

MoneyGram Chairman & CEO: Alex Holmes; MoneyGram founded: 1988.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Vice Admiral GM Hiranandani rolling trophy awarded in Kochi: Lieutenant Commander Akshay Kumar was awarded the Vice Admiral G.M. Hiranandani Memorial Rolling Trophy for the year 2020. He commissioned in Anti-Submarine Warfare School of the Southern Naval Command in Kochi. The award ceremony was held at the Maritime Warfare Centre, Kochi, Kerala. This trophy was instituted in 2013 for the officer performing best in tactics during the year-long warfare specialisation course.

Note: Chief of the Naval Staff (CNC): Admiral Karambir Singh.

DEFENCE

1. Defence Minister commissions ICGS “Sachet” & two interceptor boats: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet and two interceptor boats (IBs) C-450 and C-451 in Goa via video conference.

This is the first time in the Indian maritime history that the coast guard ship was commissioned through the digital medium The ICGS Sachet is the first in the series of five offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and has been designed & built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). It is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment

Note: Chief of the Naval Staff (CNC): Admiral Karambir Singh.

OBITUARIES

1. Actor Sai Gundewar passes away: Film actor, model, voiceover artist and an entrepreneur, Sai Gundewar passed away due to brain cancer, in US while undergoing treatment. He was 42. He was known for his appearances in shows like Survivor and Splitsvilla. He had also worked in films like PK, Yuvraaj and Rock On. He was also a co-founder of Foodizm which is a healthy meal delivery service in Mumbai.