Daily GK Updates - 25th May, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Andhra Pradesh government releases 1st tranche of “ReStart Package”:   Andhra Pradesh government has released the 1st tranche of “ReStart Package” to help the lockdown-hit Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to reopen and become functional. The first tranche is of Rs 450 crore which will be used in clearing the pending industrial incentives that would benefit nearly 98,000 units. Under the “ReStart Package”, government will waive of all the minimum power demand charges of MSMEs of the months of April, May and June, and will provide input capital of Rs 200 crore to the firms at low-interest rates in order to bring the MSMEs back on rails. This will be done by providing loans in partnership with the Small industrial Development Bank of India at a low-interest rate. The 2nd tranche will be made on 29 June 2020.

Note: Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

2. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Participated in "SIDM MSME Conclave 2020": Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in MSMEs E-conclave, “Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) MSME Conclave 2020“. The SIDM MSME Conclave 2020 was jointly organized by the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Department of Defence Production. The Theme of the E-conclave is ‘Business Continuity for MSMEs in Defence & Aerospace Sector’

More than 800 Defence MSMEs participated in it.

3. Chhattisgarh govt to observe May 25 as ‘Jhiram Tribute Diwas’: The state government of Chhattisgarh will observe May 25, 2020 as ‘Jhiram Shraddhanjali Diwas’ or ‘Jhiram Tribute Diwas’. Naxals had attacked a convoy of Congress leaders during the party’s rally in Jhiram valley on May 25, 2013. In this attack, 29 people were killed including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla. The day will be observed to pay tribute to Congress leaders who were killed in a Maoist attack in Jhiram Valley.

4. ICMR Revised Advisory on the use Of Hydroxychloroquine: The Indian Council of Medical Research has revised its advisory on the use of HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine).  According to the new advisory, the HCQ is only permitted and should only be given on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner. Three new categories has been included to whom HCQ shall be prescribed as prophylactic treatment which are: Asymptomatic Health care workers, Asymptomatic frontline workers employed in containment zones, Paramilitary and police personnel.

5. ‘Hunar Haat’ to make comeback in September with theme ‘Local to Global’:  ‘Hunar Haat’ a platform for artisans/craftsmen which helps them to generate employment, will return in September with a ‘Local to Global’ theme after an over five-month gap due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is an initiative by the Minority Affairs Ministry. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that ‘Hunar Haat’ had provided employment and employment opportunities to more than five lakh Indian artisans, craftspeople, culinary experts in the last five years and had become popular among the people. Hunar Haat is known for Empowerment Exchange of artisans and craftsmen from across the country providing employment to more than 5 lakh. “Jaan Bhi, Jahaan Bhi” pavilion will be created for health awareness with theme Say no to panic yes to precautions. Its product will also be launched digitally from now using GeM platform.

6. BSI discovered 3 new plant species of Western Ghats: Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has discovered 3 new plant species from the evergreen forest patches of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The new species are Eugenia sphaerocarpa of Rose apple family; Goniothalamus sericeus of custard apple and Memecylon nervosum of Kaasavu family. The species has shown purplish-blue flowers and mauve to purplish red fruits and can be characterized as small trees or shrubs.

7. CBIC sanctioned GST refund claims of Rs 11,052 crore: The Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) has sanctioned Rs 11,052 crore GST refund claims in last 47 days. The step was taken to ensure liquidity for GST taxpayers by Finance Ministry. All the pending GST and custom refunds will be issued benefiting around 1 lakh business entities including MSMEs. CBIC is the nodal national agency responsible for administering Customs, GST, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India with headquarter at New Delhi.

8. National Skills Development Corp. will create platform for Skilled Workers: The National Skills Development Corp. along with an artificial intelligence company is working on a new platform to map skilled and certified workers. The skilled management information system aims to create a local ecosystem in every region to minimise the need to depend on migrants. The platform will map details of skilled professionals by region, as well as demand across industries, using artificial intelligence-based solutions.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Missing Children’s Day: 25th May: Every year, 25 May is observed as International Missing Children’s Day (IMCD) around the world to commemorate the missing children who have found their way home, remember those who have been victims of crime, and continue efforts to find those who are still missing. The symbol for IMCD is the forget-me-not flower.  The day was proclaimed in 1983, by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The first IMCD was observed in 2001 through the joint efforts of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Children Europe, and the European Commission.

2. World Thyroid Day: 25th May: The World Thyroid Day is celebrated every year on May 25 to promote awareness and understanding of thyroid health and the advances made in treating thyroid diseases. The World Thyroid Day was established in 2008 by the European Thyroid Association and the American Thyroid Association.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. 2,749 Khelo India athletes given Rs 30,000 each: SAI: Sports Authority of India (SAI) has deposited 30,000 rupees each as out of pocket allowance in accounts of 2,749 Khelo India athletes. A total of 2,893 athletes will be given the pocket allowance with the funds for the remaining 144 athletes to be transferred by the end of this month. Athletes from 35 states and UT have been given the allowances in 21 sporting disciplines with the maximum number of them from Maharashtra (386), Haryana (381), Delhi (225), Punjab (202).

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. ICICI Bank introduces special FD scheme for senior citizens with higher interest: The Private sector ICICI bank has introduced a special fixed deposit (FD) scheme for senior citizens called ‘ICICI Bank Golden Years FD’ which offers an interest rate of 6.55% per annum(p.a) for deposits up to Rs 2 crores with a tenure of more than 5 years(5 years and 1 day ) to 10 years. It is applicable for resident Indians & is available from May 20 to September 30, 2020.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Fintech startup Zaggle Joins Hand with Visa for innovative payments solutions for SMEs and Startups: India-based Fintech startup Zaggle has partnered with payments technology major Visa to launch innovative payment solutions for SMEs and startups in the country. Under this partnership, both the companies will jointly create solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups to improve productivity, efficiency, automate processes, and reduce costs, access to faster credit through a unique card, which would have both inbuilt forex and prepaid. Zaggle will leverage Visa’s expertise in the payments space to co-create and build new solutions for SMEs. Visa will also support Zaggle for new technological innovations and ideas. Zaggle is all set to launch ''Founders Card'' (credit card) soon. It has also announced free Zaggle SAVE Do-it-Yourself AI Powered Solution for SMEs.

OBITUARIES

1. Australian tennis player Ashley Cooper passes away: Australian tennis player Ashley Cooper passed away at the age of 83 years. Ashley Cooper won the Australian championship, Wimbledon and U.S. Nationals in 1958. He is one of only 11 men to claim three Grand Slam crowns in a calendar year. Cooper had won all four of his Grand Slam crowns by beating compatriots in the final. His career concluded in 1959 after suffering from a back injury.

2. Former TN footballer and coach Shanmugam passes away: Former Tamil Nadu football player and coach R Shanmugam passed away at the age of 77 years due to age-related issues. Shanmugam, who was born in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1943, had represented the Burmese junior and senior national teams in 1966-’67. He coached ICF, Tamil Nadu and Indian Railways in the Santosh trophy and also served as selector for Tamil Nadu and Railways.