Daily GK Updates - 26th March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced Economic relief package during Lockdown: The Union Finance Minister Smt. Niramla Sitharaman on March 26, 2020 has announced Rs 1.70 Lakh Crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the poor to help them fight the battle against Corona Virus. Important announcements are:

(1) Insurance Related: Any health professional, who while treating Covid-19 patients, meet with some accident, then he/she would be compensated with an amount of Rs 50 lakh under the scheme; (2) PM Garib Kalyan Ann (अन्न) Yojana: 80 crore individuals who have been covered under the scheme will be provided double of their current entitlement over next three months. 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the next three months.

Benefit to farmers: The first installment of Rs 2,000 due in 2020-21 will be front-loaded and paid in April 2020 itself under the PM KISAN Yojana; (3) Cash transfers Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana: A total of 20.40 crores PMJDY women account-holders would be given an ex-gratia of Rs 500 per month for next three months; (4) Gas cylinders: Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, 3 gas cylinders, free of cost, would be provided to 8 crore poor families for the next three months; (5) Help to low wage earners in organised sectors: For Wage-earners below Rs 15,000 per month in businesses having less than 100 workers, government proposes to pay 24 percent of their monthly wages into their PF accounts for next three months; (6) Support for senior citizens (above 60 years), widows and Divyang: Government will give them Rs 1,000 to tide over difficulties during next three months; (7) MNREGA: Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, MNREGA wages would be increased by Rs 20 with effect from 1 April, 2020. (To Rs 202 a day from Rs 182); (8) Self-Help groups: Limit of collateral free lending would be increased from Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakhs; (9) Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to include Pandemic as the reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75 percent of the amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts.

2. Odisha CM Launches Mo Jiban Programme to Urge People to Pledge to Stay Indoors & Keep Coronavirus At Bay: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched state-wide ‘Mo Jiban’ (My Life) programme to fight Coronavirus. Under the ‘Mo Jiban’ programme, people are requested to take a pledge to stay at home during this period of crisis. The Chief Minister has asked the people to take an oath in name of their children and parents that they will not be the reason of danger for their family and community, and thus stay indoors. The chief minister has also asked people to send him videos of them taking oaths.

Note: Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.

3. Delhi Government Launches Rs 20 Crore Women Safety Scheme for Triggering Behavioral Change: The Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal has announced a new scheme ‘Behavioural Change for Safety of the Women’ for awareness campaign to trigger behavioral change in the society and make Delhi safer for women. The scheme has been launched with an outlay of Rs 20 crore in 2020-21. The government has also proposed Mukhyamantri Divyangjan Punravas Sewa Yojana, with an outlay of Rs 10 crore, to provide immediate treatment in cases of accident, stroke or any other ailment, and accident causing permanent or partial disabilities.

4. Government bans export of hydroxycloroquine amid COVID-19 outbreak:  Government of India has banned the export of anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine and the formulations made up of it within the wake of COVID-19 outbreak. The government’s decision aims to ensure sufficient availability of drugs within the domestic market. The utilization of hydroxychloroquine has been recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research for the treatment of healthcare workers who are handling suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases and also the asymptomatic household contacts of the lab-confirmed cases. This has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) for restricted use in emergency situations.

Note: Director-General of ICMR: Balram Bhargava; Headquarters of ICMR: New Delhi.

5. Health Ministry takes indelible ink from EC to stamp people for home quarantine: Election Commission of India has permit the use of indelible ink on persons for stamping for home quarantine by health authorities insight of COVID-19. The Health Ministry may standardise the mark and also the location of the mark on the body where the mark has got to be applied in the order that it doesn’t are available the way of conducting elections. The authorities shall even be instructed to make sure that the ink shall not be used for the other purpose. The concerned authorities are going to be instructed to not use the ink on any finger on the left hand of any person. The choice has been taken in public interest keeping in sight the demand from states to use an indelible marker on quarantined individuals.

Note: Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora.

6. Senior Journalist Chander Suta Dogra Pens Book ‘Missing in Action: The Prisoners Who Never Came Back’: Chander Suta Dogra, a senior Indian journalist has come up with her meticulously-researched new book titled ‘Missing in Action: The Prisoners Who Never Came Back’. The book is a story of India’s soldiers who went missing during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. They are called “the missing 54” Indian soldiers, who have been forgotten in the fog of past wars with Pakistan. With the help of the book, the author tries to answer the key question: ‘what happened to these men?’.

Note: Chander Suta Dogra is a journalist and author and has worked for various publications, including Outlook, Indian Express, Hindu and Hindustan Times.

7. AIIMS to launch Tele-Consultation facility: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi will start Tele-Consultation facility for the non-Covid19 patients. The decision to start Tele-Consultation facility has been taken by AIIMS for its follow-up patients. Those patients whose appointments are now cancelled due to lockdown as well as the chronic patients can consult doctors via this facility. Telemedicine can be used without exposing staff to viruses/infections in the times of such outbreaks. AIIMS has also developed a plan for hospital in-patient care service amid coronavirus virus crisis.

Note: Director of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi: Dr Randeep Guleria.

8. NBT launches initiative #StayHomeIndiaWithBooks: The National Book Trust, India has launched initiative #StayHomeIndiaWithBooks to encourage people to read books during their stay at home. This initiative has been launched as a preventive measure to contain the spread of Covid-19 and to encourage people to #StayIn and #StayHome. Through this initiative, NBT is providing people its select and best selling titles for FREE Download. These books are available in various languages including Hindi, English, Odia, Marathi, Bodo, Nepali etc covering various genres such as fiction, biography, popular science and many more.

Note: Chairman of National Book Trust: Govind Prasad Sharma; Established: 1957.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IMF launches Tracker of Govt. Policies in Response to COVID-19: The International Monetary Fund has launched a “Tracker of Policies Governments are Taking in Response to COVID-19” which outlines the key economic responses taken by the government of various countries in order to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy tracker brings into focus the discretionary measures that supplement existing social safety nets and insurance mechanisms. The policy tracker covers the responses on the basis of three pillars, namely: Fiscal; Monetary and Macro-Financial and Exchange Rate And Balance Of Payments.

Note: Managing Director of IMF: Kristalina Georgieva.

2. CDC Launches Coronavirus Self-Checker Chatbot Called ‘Clara’: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has introduced an AI chatbot called Clara, to talk to the people about the symptoms of COVID-19, and whether or not they should seek medical assistance. Clara, the “coronavirus self-checker”, is intended for use by people currently in the United States. CDC has created Clara in partnership with CDC Foundation and Microsoft Azure’s Healthcare Bot service. Clara will assess symptoms and risk factors for people who are concerned they might get infected, suggest what action they should take, and provide information for how to safely manage at home.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft: Satya Nadella; Microsoft Founded: April 4, 1975; Headquarters of Microsoft: Washington, United States.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Indian Bank announced additional funding facility for MSME: State-run Indian Bank has announced an additional funding facility for MSME, retail customers, pensioners and self-help groups (SHGs) in the wake of COVID 19. IND-COVID Emergency Credit Line will provide additional funding of up to 10% of the working capital limits with a maximum limit of Rs 100 crore. The loan tenor will be for 36 months with an initial moratorium of up to 6 months and would carry fixed interest rate of 1-yr Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate.

2. Cabinet approves recapitalization of RRBs: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for continuation of the process of recapitalization of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to maintain minimum Capital to Risk weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 9%, as per the regulatory norms prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India. The CCEA also approved utilization of Rs.670 crore as central government share for the scheme of Recapitalization of RRBs.

3. Romesh Sobti Retires as MD & CEO of IndusInd Bank: The long term managing director (MD) and chief executive (CEO) of the private sector lender IndusInd Bank, Romesh Sobti, retired on 23 March 2020 as he turned 70. Sobti took over the position of MD and CEO of the bank on February 1, 2008, serving the position for 12 years. Further, IndusInd Bank has appointed Sumant Kathpalia as the new Managing Director and CEO with effect from 24 March 2020 for a period of three years.

4. SBI Commits 0.25% of FY21 annual profit to help fight COVID-19: India’s biggest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has announced to provide 0.25 percent of its annual profit for 2020-21 to fight the coronavirus outbreak in India. This is in line with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ notification, for spending CSR funds by companies to deal with the coronavirus outbreak as corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity under the companies law.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Zoya Akhter honoured with IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020: Asia’s largest film tourism event, 8th India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) was held in Mumbai. Veteran filmmaker Zoya Akhter has been honoured with IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020 for her outstanding contribution to the world tourism through her cinema. IIFTC is Asia’s largest locations show presenting a credible platform for film commissions, tourism offices and production service companies from around the world to showcase their locations, incentives and services to the Indian film industry.

OBITUARIES

1. “Asterix and Obelix” co-creator Albert Uderzo passes away: The co-creator of the “Asterix and Obelix” comics, Albert Uderzo passed away. He produced Asterix in 1959 along with the fellow Frenchman and writer Rene Goscinny. “Asterix and Obelix” entertained its audience over the past 60 years. “Asterix the Gaul” was the first Asterix book that was launched in 1961 and became an overnight sensation.

2. Yesteryear Bollywood Star Nimmi Passes Away: Veteran actress of Hindi Cinema, Nawab Banoo, known by her screen name as ‘Nimmi’, passed away after prolonged illness. She was 88. The doe-eyed star, was famous for her 1950s and ’60s Hindi movies such as “Aan”, “Barsaat” and “Deedar”.  Her last movie was ‘Love and God’.

3. Former Indian footballer Abdul Latif passes away: Former India midfield footballer and 1970 Asian Games bronze medallist, Abdul Latif (73 years) passes away. He had represented India in an Asia Cup Qualifier in 1968 in Myanmar and Merdeka Cup in 1969 in Kuala Lumpur. He was the part of the last national football team that had a podium finish at the continental games. Latif represented Mohammedan Sporting from 1963-1967 and later took over as coach.

Daily GK Updates - 25th March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to be in lockdown for 21 days from 25 March 2020: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the complete lockdown of the entire nation, as part of government’s stringent efforts to tackle coronavirus disease Covid-19. The entire country will be under lockdown from 25 March 2020 for 21 days. According to health experts, at least 21 days time is very important to break the coronavirus infection cycle. However, freight movement will continue to carry essential commodities across the country. Lockdown will be like ‘curfew' and more stringent than the 'janta curfew'.

2. 21 Days Lockdown in India: List of essential services that will remain operational: In his address to the nation, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the lockdown of the whole nation for 21 days with effect from 25th march 2020. During the lockdown period, population of the country will need some essential commodities as well services to live stable life. To assure people about the services, Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an official notification stating all the measures taken to fulfill the needs of the people during this lockdown period. These measures aim to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Here is the complete list of services which are available during India’s 21 Day lockdown: Shops, including shops, dealing with food, groceries, fruits, vegetables, dairy & milk booths, meat & fish, animal fodder as well as their transportation, will be available during the lockdown period. Defence, Central Armed Police forces, Police, civil defence, fire and emergency services, home guards, prisons, treasuries, district administration, public utilities (such as petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG) will be active during the lockdown period. Hospitals and all related medical establishments along with their manufacturing and distribution units will be active across the 21 day period. Banks, insurance offices, ATMs, print & electronic media, cold storage & warehousing services, private security services will be available during the lockdown period. Delivery of essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment will be available through E-commerce.

Here is the complete list of services which are not available during India’s 21 Day lockdown: Offices of the Government of India/State/Union Territory, its Autonomous/Subordinate Offices and Public relations shall remain closed during the lockdown period. Commercial & private establishments shall be closed down. Industrial establishments will remain closed. All transport services whether air, rail & road will remain suspended. All educational, training, research, coaching institutions etc, places of worship will remain closed. All social, political, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious functions will remain prohibited.

3. ITR filing deadline for FY 2019 extended to 30 June 2020: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the extension of statutory deadlines related to income tax to 30 June 2020. The Finance Ministry has decided to extend the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing deadline for the Fiscal Year 2019 from 31st March 2020 to 30th June 2020. Those Indian citizens who are still waiting to make investments in various instruments which offers tax deductions under section 80 C, can do their investments till 30 June and can also claim deduction for FY 2019-20. The deadline for the linking of Aadhaar & Pan was supposed to end on 31st March 2020. This deadline has been extended to 30 June 2020.

4. IIT Madras to host Global Hyperloop Pod Competition: IIT Madras is organising India’s first Global Hyperloop Pod Competition named as ‘Indian Hyperloop Pod Competition’ to increase awareness and enthusiasm about Hyperloop in India. Team Avishkar from IIT Madras was the only team from Asia to qualify for the finals of 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition, developing India’s first self-propelled Hyperloop Pod. Hyperloop is the 5th mode of transportation, a high-speed train that travels in a near-vacuum tube.

5. Telugu New Year Day ‘Ugaadi’ being observed: Telugu New Year day ‘Ugadi’ being observed. The festival is being celebrated across the two Telugu states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to mark the beginning of the Hindu Lunar calendar. It falls in the month of Chaitra (March or April) as per the Gregorian calendar (Hindu Lunar calendar). The date usually coincides with Gudi Padwa (Maharashtra) and Navreh (Kashmir). People savour special Ugaadi chutney today comprising Neem flower, jaggery, salt, sugar cane, tamarind and mango to indicate six basic tastes. Though the nation-wide lockdown due to coronavirus dampens the traditional fervour and gaiety, people are observing the customary festivities.

Note: Governor of Andhra Pradesh: Biswabhusan Harichandan; Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy; Capital of Andhra Pradesh: Amaravati.

Capital of Telangana: Hyderabad; Governor of Telangana: Tamilisai Soundararajan; Chief Minister of Telangana: K. Chandrashekar Rao.

6. YouTube cuts video streaming quality in India: Google-owned video streaming giant “YouTube” has decided to reduce streaming quality for users in India until 31st March 2020 to reduce strain on Internet networks during the coronavirus pandemic. YouTube has decided to temporarily default High Definition (HD) and ultra-High Definition (HD) streaming to Standard Definition (SD) content. The above changes will be made by keeping the streaming to SD content at bitrates not higher than 480p on mobile networks.

Note: CEO of YouTube: Susan Wojcicki.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Saudi Arabia to convene “Extraordinary virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit”: Saudi Arabia has proposed to convene an “Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit” on 26th March to advance a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will chair this meeting. The extraordinary Virtual Summit of G20 leaders will feature the participation of leaders across the globe including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit will deliberate on strategies to combat the coronavirus pandemic. G20 is one of the major forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues and a primary platform for global economic governance.

Note: The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation which brings together the leaders of both developed and developing countries from every continent.

The members of the G20 group are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU).

2. International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members: 25 March: The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on 25 March by the United Nations every year on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett. He was a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunman in 1985.

3. International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade: 25 March: The United Nations’ (UN) observes the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on 25 March every year. The day aims to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system and also raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. 2020 Theme: “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together”

Note: Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

4. US, UAE troops conducts biennial exercise “Native Fury” at Abu Dhabi: US Marines and UAE Emirati forces conducted the biennial exercise, named Native Fury at Abu Dhabi. The biennial exercise, called Native Fury, shows the close ties between American forces and the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula home to Abu Dhabi. The exercise saw 4,000 U.S. troops from the Army, Marines and Navy position armoured vehicles and other equipment from Kuwait and the island of Diego Garcia in al-Hamra using a portable pier system. The exercise saw forces seize a sprawling model Mideast city, a drill conducted amid tensions with Iran and despite the new coronavirus pandemic.

 Note: President of UAE: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Indian Footballer Sunil Chhetri Chosen for FIFA Campaign Against COVID-19: Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri is among 28 past and present global football stars, who all have been chosen for football world governing body FIFA’s campaign to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign titled ‘Pass the message to kick out coronavirus’ has been launched jointly by the FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat the coronavirus. The awareness campaign will be led by the 28 world-renowned footballers, who are calling on all people around the world to follow five key steps to stop the spread of the disease. The video campaign will be published in 13 languages.

Note: President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino; Founded: 21 May 1904; Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland.

2. 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponed till 2021 due to coronavirus: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now it will be held in the year 2021. The exact dates will be decided later. The decision came after a telephonic conversation between Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Tokyo Olympic Games was to be held from July 24 to August 9, while the Paralympic Games was scheduled to be held from August 25 to September 6. The event will still be called Tokyo 2020 despite taking place in 2021. The Olympics have never been delayed in their 124-year modern history, though they were cancelled altogether in 1916, 1940 and 1944 during the two world wars.

Note: President of International Olympic Committee: Thomas Bach; Headquarters of International Olympic Committee: Lausanne, Switzerland; International Olympic Committee founded: 23 June 1894.

Prime minister of Japan: Shinzo Abe; Capital of Japan: Tokyo; Currency of Japan: Japanese yen.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Charges for ATM cash withdrawal, minimum balance for Saving A/C waived for 3 months: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that no charges would be levied on cash withdrawal from any other bank ATMs, for debit card holders for a period of three months. The government has also waived penalties for non-maintenance of minimum balance amount in bank savings accounts. The decision has been taken to ensure that individuals do not visit bank branches due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Note: Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs: Anurag Singh Thakur.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Sameer Aggarwal appointed as the CEO of Walmart India: Sameer Aggarwal has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Walmart India. He will taker over as CEO from Krish Iyer with effect from 1st April 2020. He will focus on building more digital, and omni-channel services at the retailer. Walmart India is presently operating 28 Best Price cash-and-carry stores in India.

Note: President and CEO of Walmart Inc.: Doug McMillon

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Novelist Ruchika Tomar wins Pen/hemingway Award 2020: An Indian-origin American author Ruchika Tomar is the winner of the prestigious 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for her debut novel ‘A Prayer for Travelers’. It states about the friendship of 2 women which grows complicated until the relationship breaks apart, and one of the friends disappears. The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honours a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. Tomar hails from California and is currently a lecturer at Stanford University. The award includes a prize of USD 25,000 & also a 1-month residency fellowship worth USD 10,000.

Daily GK Updates - 24th March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 1st ‘Made in India’ COVID19 Test Kit gets CDSCO approval: “Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit” has become the first ‘Made in India’ COVID19 Test Kit to get the CDSCO approval. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has given the commercial approval to the COVID-19 diagnostic test kit made by Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd which is also known as the Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. It would cost nearly one-fourth of the current procurement cost and is faster as it screens and detects the infection within 2.5 hours as compared with over 7 hours. Pune-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd has developed this test kit.

2. ECI defers Rajya Sabha elections amid coronavirus pandemic: Election Commission has deferred Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on 26th March due to COVID -19 outbreak. The election to fill up 55 seats in the Upper House out of which 37 candidates have already been elected unopposed. Now, election was to be held for remaining 18 seats. Fresh date of poll and counting for the biennial elections will be announced soon after the situation becomes normal.

Note: Chief Election Commissioner: Sunil Arora.

Chairman of Rajya Sabha: M. Venkaiah Naidu.

3. IOC Becomes First Company to Begin Supply of BS-VI fuel Across Country: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the biggest oil firm of India, has successfully rolled out the supply of the BS-VI grade fuel, with all its 28,000 petrol pumps dispensing ultra-low sulphur fuel across the country. With this, the company is first in the Country to completely switch to world’s cleanest petrol and diesel, two weeks before the April 1 deadline. The government had set April 1, 2020 as the deadline for starting supply of ultra-low sulphur BS-VI (equivalent to Euro-VI grade emission compliant fuels) petrol and diesel. BS-VI has a sulphur content of just 10 ppm and emission standards are as good as CNG.

Note: Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Limited: Sanjiv Singh.

4. Gujarat Police becomes 1st state police to introduce taser guns: The Gujarat Police became the 1st in India to be equipped with taser guns as a part of their modernization drive to ensure public safety and security, It is an alternative between “ineffective lathis” and “deadly guns”. It is introduced after inspiration from UK Metropolitan Police, the Los Angeles Police Department and the New York Police Department, amid others. The taser guns (electrical weapon) use compressed nitrogen to fire, by sending electricity through attached wires, which disrupt voluntary control of muscles.

Note: Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani; Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Dev Vrat.

5. Shivraj Singh Chouhan appointed as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: BJP politician Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on March 23, 2020. He has been appointed for the fourth time. This comes after the Madhya Pradesh chief minister (ex) Kamal Nath resigned from his post on March 20, 2020, as his government fell short of the majority mark. The trigger of the downfall of Congress in Madhya Pradesh was Jyotiraditya M. Scindia leaving the Congress on 11 March, taking with him 22 MLAs.

Note: Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

6. India’s first COVID-19 dedicated hospital comes up in Mumbai by Reliance: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has set up India’s first COVID-19 dedicated hospital in Mumbai. A dedicated 100 bedded COVID-19 centre has been established at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital has done this in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This first-of-its-kind-in-India centre is fully funded by Reliance Foundation and includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross-contamination and helps control infection. All beds in the hospital are equipped with the required infrastructure, bio-medical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices.

Note: Reliance Industries Ltd Founder: Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani; Reliance Industries Ltd Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani; Reliance Industries Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

7. CBSE announced student helpline for COVID-19 safeguards: The Central Board of Secondary Education has announced new Tele-Helpline numbers on Corona Virus Safeguards for Students. The facility will be available from 10 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. and 2.00 P.M. to 5.00 P.M till 31st of March. This helpline is meant primarily for students to make them aware on how to protect themselves. Psychological helpline will also continue to aid throughout via IVRS at the toll-free number 1800-11-8004 till 31st of March.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Britain Confirmed as First Co-chair of India led Global Climate Initiative: United Kingdom has been confirmed as the first co-chair of the Governing Council on the India-led global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019. It is a voluntary international grouping, linking countries, United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development. The Governing Council is the highest policy-making body of the CDRI. It is co-chaired by India and a representative of another national government nominated by rotation every two years.

Note: Prime Minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson; Capital of the United Kingdom: London; Currency of the United Kingdom: UK Pound.

2. India ranked 120 in the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom: India has been ranked at 120 position in the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom published by Heritage Foundation Index. The index has been topped by Singapore. Hong Kong is on second in the ranking followed by New Zealand on the third. North Korea is at the last position at 180th place. Though there are 6 countries that are not ranked. The Index was first published in 1995 and Hong Kong has topped the charts ever since. This is the first time that Hong Kong has been replaced from the 1st position.

3. World Tuberculosis Day: 24th March: World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed globally on 24th March every year to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The theme of World TB Day 2020 is ‘It’s time’. March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

Note: TB is a disease which in humans is usually caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis); Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the WHO’s Director-General; WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

4. International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims: 24th March: International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed annually on 24th March every year. This day is observed on 24th March every year to pay tribute to “Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero” as he was murdered on 24 March 1980. The day aims to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations.

Note: Secretary General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Canada withdraws from Tokyo 2020 Olympics: The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Paralympic Committee (CPC) has announced that the Team Canada will not participate in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo, due to concerns about the outbreak of the coronavirus. With this, Canada became the first major country to withdraw from the event. Tokyo 2020 Olympics was scheduled to be held in Japan from 24th July to 9th August 2020. Miraitowa is the official mascot of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has admitted for the first time that the games could be postponed. The International Olympic Committee is expected to decide the postponement of the games which is currently to be held on 24th July.

Note: Prime Minister of Japan: Shinzo Abe; Capital of Japan: Tokyo; Currency of Japan: Japanese yen.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Karur Vysya Bank Launches Pre-paid Card ‘Enkasu’: In line with the digital initiative of the Government of India, Karur Vysya Bank has launched a pre-paid card named ‘Enkasu’ in Karur, to reduce the usage of cash in the district. The bank has launched the Enkasu card under its Quit Cash Movement, to do away with the need for cash and it will be beneficial to both merchants and customers alike. Enkasu works on Near Field Communication Technology in a semi closed loop. The cardholder can make tap & go payments, even for small purchases of Re. 1/-. It can be recharged through KVB’s mobile App DLite, UPI, NEFT or through KVB branches in Karur. These cards can be accepted ‘online’ as well as ‘offline’, so internet access is not mandatory for usage. KVB is committed to expanding the usage of Enkasu to other districts in Tamil Nadu after a successful launch in Karur.

Note: Headquarters of Karur Vysya Bank: Karur, Tamil Nadu; MD & CEO of Karur Vysya Bank: P. R. Seshadri.

2. S&P predicts Indias GDP growth forecast for FY21 at 5.2%: S&P Global Ratings has revised its GDP Growth rate projection for India for FY21 from 6.5% earlier to 5.2%. This is due to the coronavirus outbreak. The GDP projection for the following financial years as per S&P is as follows:

2021-22 (FY22): 6.9%

2022-23 (FY23): 7%

2023-24 (FY24): 7%.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. The Abel Prize Laureates 2020 announced: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has named Hillel Furstenberg from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and Gregory Margulis from Yale University, the USA as winners of the Abel Prize 2020 for their “pioneering use of methods from probability & dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics”. They share the prize & the amount of Norwegian Krone 7.5 Million (USD 8.3400).

Note: On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Niels Henrik Abel’s (Norway mathematician who made pioneering contributions during a sort of fields) birth, the Abel Prize was established by the Norwegian government in 2002.

Capital of Norway: Oslo; Prime Minister of Norway: Erna Solberg; Currency of Norway: Norwegian Krone.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Production Incentive Scheme for Electronics Manufacturing approved: The Union Cabinet has approved Production Incentive Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. The Government of India has proposed production linked incentives through Production Incentive Scheme to boost domestic manufacturing and to attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing. Cabinet has also approved financial assistance to the Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters Scheme (EMC2.0) for development of world class infrastructure through Electronics Manufacturing Clusters.

2. Martyrs Day (Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru): March 23: Every year, March 23 is observed as Martyrs Day (Shaheed Diwas or Sarvodaya Day) to pay tribute on death anniversary of the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, who laid their lives for the freedom of India. It was on March 23 in 1931, in Lahore (Pakistan), that these three were hanged to death for assassinating John Saunders, a British police officer in 1928. They had mistook him for British police superintendent James Scott, who had ordered lathi charge, which eventually led to the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.

3. Punjab becomes 1st state to impose curfew amid COVID-19: The state government of Punjab has imposed a curfew across the state with no relaxations. The Punjab government has taken this decision to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Note: Chief Minister of Punjab: Captain Amarinder Singh; Governor of Punjab: VP Singh Badnore.

4. UP government announces Rs. 1,000 financial aid to 35 lakh labourers: UP government has announced that around 35 lakh labourers in the state will get Rs. 1,000 each as financial aid while free ration for one month will be provided to 1.65 crore construction workers amid the coronavirus outbreak. CM Y Adityanath directed officials to release of payment to MGNREGA workers in the state and to make food grains available to the poor in cities and villages. This payment will be sent directly to their accounts through direct bank transfers.

5. Hamid Ansari releases "My Encounters in Parliament" book: Former Vice-President 'Hamid Ansari' has launched Bhalchandra Mungekar's book "My Encounters in Parliament". The book has been written by Bhalchandra Mungekar, Indian economist, Social worker and a former Rajya Sabha member. He specialises in agricultural economics and is an expert on B. R. Ambedkar.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Netflix establishes $100 mn fund for film and TV workers: Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) has announced the formation of $100 million fund to help workers on film and television productions that have been impacted due to the global coronavirus outbreak. Out of $100 million fund, company will contribute $15 million to third parties and non-profit organizations that were providing emergency relief suspended crew and cast members in countries where Netflix has a large production base.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of Netflix: Reed Hastings.

2. World Meteorological Day: March 23: The World Meteorological Day is celebrated every year on 23 March to commemorate the date of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 23 March 1950. The day also highlights the contribution that the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services make to the safety and well-being of society. The theme for 2020 World Meteorological Day is “Water and Climate Change”.

Note: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. World Meteorological Organization has a membership of 191 member states and territories.

3. SAARC Disaster Management Centre launched COVID-19 website: The SAARC Disaster Management Centre has launched a website for information related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the region which is grown to 960 cases. The website shows the number of coronavirus cases in the member states while updating the numbers regularly. The website is www.covid19-sdmc.org.

4. Priyanka Chopra works jointly with WHO to spread awareness over COVID-19: Actor Priyanka Chopra works jointly with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to spread awareness over COVID-19. Priyanka urged followers to rely on authentic sources of information about coronavirus and arranged an Instagram live with top personnel of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the pandemic.

Note: President of the World Health Organisation: Tedros Adhanom Trending; Headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland; WHO founded: 7 April 1948.

5. 'Wonderchicken': oldest fossil of modern bird discovered: The oldest fossil of a modern bird "wonder chicken" dating from the age of dinosaurs, has been discovered. It includes a nearly complete skull hidden inside nondescript pieces of rock and dates to more than 66 million years ago. That's less than 1 million years before the asteroid impact that killed off all the large dinosaurs. The seagull-size shorebird had features of ducks and chickens as well as turkeys.

6. Cannes film festival not to take place as planned in May: The Cannes film festival (the world's biggest film festival will not take place as planned in May (12 to 23rd in France) because of the coronavirus. According to the board, in light of the pandemic, they are now looking at rescheduling it to the end of June-beginning of July. Several other film festivals, including Tribeca, SXSW and Edinburgh have already been cancelled or rescheduled. 

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI to conduct variable rate Repo auctions for Rs 1,00,000 crores: As a pre-emptive measure to tide over any frictional liquidity requirements on account of dislocations due to COVID-19, the RBI has decided to conduct the following fine-tuning variable rate Repo auctions for Rs 1,00,000 crores in two tranches of Rs 50000 crore on 23rd and 24th March 2020. As a special case, Standalone Primary Dealers will be allowed to participate in these auctions along with other eligible participants.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

2. CRISIL Lowers India’s GDP Growth for FY’21 to 5.2% from 5.7%: Credit ratings agency CRISIL has pulled down the growth forecast for India’s GDP for the financial year 2020-21 by 50 basis points (bp) to 5.2 percent from its previous forecast of 5.7%. The slash in the growth forecast is due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran director M.R. Viswanthan passes away: Veteran Tamil film director Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan (74-years) popularly known as Visu passed away in Chennai. He was an actor, director and writer who also hosted live-debates on television. He started his career as an assistant under the legendary filmmaker K Balachander. Veteran Kollywood star Visu had acted in over 60 films and directed around 25 films, some of them considered as gems of Tamil cinema. Visu was also commissioned by the Government of Tamil Nadu to make his 1992 film, 'Neenga Nalla Irukkanum'.

2. Former Real Madrid President Lorenzo Sanz Passes Away at 76 after Contracting Coronavirus: The former Real Madrid President Lorenzo Sanz has passed away after being tested postive for the novel COVID-19 pandemic. He was 76. Sanz was in charge of the Spanish football club from 1995 to 2000, in which they won two Champions League titles and one La Liga crown among other trophies.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt Forms high level committee of medical experts for prevention & control of COVID-19: The Government of India has constituted a high level technical committee of Public Health Experts to provide guidance about the prevention and control activities for COVID-19 in the country. The 21 member committee will be headed by NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and Director General Indian Council of Medical Research are the Co-Chair.

2. J&K Government to start doorstep ration distribution: Due to the rising cases of COVID-19 pandemic, Government of J&K is considering to start doorstep ration distribution and other essential commodities to the consumers. This is in order to swipe away large gatherings at ration depots. Number of quarantine rooms with requisite facilities with the availability of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff must be enhanced in addition.

3. Uttarakhand abolishes quota in promotion for govt employees: Uttarakhand government abolished reservation in promotion in the state government jobs. The state government also issued orders regarding Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC). The move came after over 1.5 lakh General/OBC employees went on an indefinite strike from March 2 demanding the removal of quotas.

Note: Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat; Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.

4. Tamil Nadu’s sanitary workers to be called ‘cleanliness workers’: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced in the Assembly that 64,583 sanitary personnel employed by urban and rural civic bodies in the State will from now on be called ”cleanliness workers” to honour their work. As many as 64,583 sanitary workers are employed with 15 corporations, 121 municipalities, 528 town panchayats and 12,525 village panchayats.

5. A book entitled ‘Messiah Modi: A Great tale of expectations’ released: A book entitled ‘Messiah Modi: A Great Tale of Expectations’ penned by senior journalist & author Tavleen Singh has been released. The book has been published by HarperCollins India. The book talks about helpless dissatisfaction with Narendra Modi the Prime Minister (PM), his cabinet, the story of his first term as a journey from lynchings to demonetization up to Article 370, the foremost controversial law CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) & the guarantees he made in his first term.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal Commits NPR 100 million to SAARC emergency fund to fight COVID-19 outbreak: Nepal has committed NPR 100 million to the SAARC emergency fund proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in the region. The announcement in this regard was made by Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his first address to the nation after undergoing a kidney transplant.

2. COVID-19 outbreak: BRICS New Development Bank approves nearly USD 1 bn loan to China: China is set to receive a loan worth RMB 7 billion (USD 989 million) from the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) in order to combat the epidemiological threat and economic disruption caused by the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The loan is the largest ever awarded in the NDB’s history and is also the first emergency assistance given to one of BRICS’ member

3. Online Tawajudi service introduced in UAE: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, United Arab Emirates introduced a new service on its website: "Tawajudi for residents". This will facilitate the safe return of UAE residents residing outside to the UAE. Residents who are currently abroad can register for this service through MoFAIC's website, thus facilitating communication with them in case of emergency.

4. US FDA approved first COVID-19 diagnostic test: The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a corona virus diagnostic test that can be conducted entirely at the point-of-care and can deliver results in 45 minutes. It will be rolled out by March 30, 2020. It is developed by California based company ‘Cephid’. Point-of-care testing means results are delivered in the patient care settings like hospitals, urgent care centres and emergency rooms, instead of samples being sent to a laboratory.

5. ADB announces $6.5 billion initial response to COVID-19 pandemic: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a 6.5 billion dollar initial package to address the immediate needs of its developing member countries (DMCs) as they respond to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The initial package includes about 3.6 billion dollars in sovereign operations for a range of responses to the health and economic consequences of the pandemic, and 1.6 billion dollars in non-sovereign operations for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, domestic and regional trade, and firms directly impacted.

6. World Water Day: 22 March: World Water Day is observed globally on 22nd March every year. It focuses on the importance of freshwater. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. The theme of World Water Day 2020 is “Water and Climate Change”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IRDAI Constitutes Panel Under Pravin Kutumbe to Review Guidelines on Corporate Governance Systems of Insurers: The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulation and Development Authority (IRDAI), has set up a 16-member committee to find ways to improve its current guidelines on corporate governance systems of insurers, in a bid to further strengthen the guidelines. The committee will be Chaired by Shri Pravin Kutumbe, member-finance and investment at IRDAI. It will also consists of six other members from the insurance regulator, members from the Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India along with other industry participants. The committee will submit the report to IRDAI in three months.

2. SBI launches COVID 19 Emergency Credit Line (CECL) facility for existing borrowers: State Bank of India has launched an emergency loan facility for its existing loan customers whose business has been hit due to Coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19). The loan facility has been named COVID 19 Emergency Credit Line (CECL). It has been launched to meet the temporary liquidity mismatch arising out of covid-19. The interest rate under this facility will be 7.25% per annum. Which accounts are eligible: All standard accounts as on March 16, 2020 and till the date of sanction are eligible. With CECL, SBI will facilitate funds up to Rs 200 crore which will be available till June 30, 2020.

Note: Chairperson of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded : 1 July 1955.

3. SBI Funds Management adopts stewardship code as mandated by SEBI: SBI Funds Management, a joint venture between India’s largest bank SBI and European asset manager Amundi, has become the first fund house to implement the stewardship code in India from April 1,2020 Stewardship code which requires the fund house to monitor its investor companies and establish voting policies.  This is aimed at complying with markets regulator SEBI’s directive, which mandated all mutual funds and alternative investment funds in the country to adopt a stewardship code, which is applicable for investments in listed equities.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Satyarup Siddhanta, First Indian to Complete Seven Volcanic Summits enters ‘Limca Book of Records’: An Indian mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta has entered the coveted Limca Book of World Records for his extra-ordinary achievement of being the first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents. The Bengaluru-based 37-years-old techie mountaineer holds a world record for being the youngest in the world to summit the highest mountains (7 Summits) of each continent. He climbed the highest volcano of Antarctica – Mt Sidley to complete his 7 summits and Volcanic 7 summits. His Seven volcanic summits are: Ojos del Salado (6,893 m) – Chile – South America, Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) – Tanzania – Africa, Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) – Russia – Europe, Mount Pico de Orizaba (5,636 m) – Mexico – North America, Mt Damavand (5,610 m) – Iran – Asia, Mt Giluwe (4,368 m) – Papua New Guinea – Australia and Mt Sidley (4,285 m) – Antarctica.

He has many firsts attached to his name including being the first Indian in the world to play the National anthem with flute at Antarctica. He already has his name in some of the prestigious record books such as Guinness Book of World Records, Asia book of Records, India Book of Records, Champions Book of Records, British Book of records etc.

OBITUARIES

1. Legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers passes away: Country music icon, Kenny Rogers, who dominated the country charts and pop music era of the 1970s and 1980s, died. He was 81. Rogers was a three-time Grammy winner, six-time Country Music Awards winner and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was well known for hits like ‘Lady’, ‘The Gambler,’ ‘Islands in the Stream’, ‘Lucille’, ‘She Believes In Me’, and ‘Through the Years’.

Daily GK Updates - 21st March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government Forms COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force: Keeping in mind the economic challenges arising out of the coronavirus epidemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to constitute COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force. The task force will be led by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to deal with the situation arising out of novel coronavirus outbreak. The task force will remain in regular touch with all stakeholders, take their feedback and make decisions accordingly. This task force will also ensure that all steps are taken to reduce the economic difficulties and execute them effectively

2. Indian Railways to electrify all broad gauge routes by December 2023: Indian Railways has planned to electrify a total of 28,810 km of broad gauge route by December 2023. As part of its solar mission, it plans to source approximately 1000 megawatt (MW) of solar power & to source around 200 MW of wind power. The planning for the electrification of the remaining broad gauge routes of Indian Railways network is as follows:

(1) In the year 2019-20.20, a target of electrifying 6,000 km of broad gauge route has been planned. (2) In the year 2020-2021, a target of electrifying 6,000 km of broad gauge route has been planned. (3) In the year 2021-2022, a target of electrifying 6,000 km of broad gauge route has been planned. (4) In the year 2022-2023, a target of electrifying 6,5000 km of broad gauge route has been planned. (4) In the year 2023-2024 (till the month of December 2023), a target of electrifying 4,310 km of broad gauge route has been planned.

Note: Union Minister of Ministry of Railways: Piyush Goyal.

3. Goa govt launches chatbot named Cobot-19 to create awareness on coronavirus: Government of Goa has launched a Chatbot named Cobot-19 to create awareness among people about Coronavirus. Cobot-19 will act as a one-stop source of information for citizens of Goa on COVID-19 and its various aspects. The Chatbot has been developed in association with Portea Medical and Verloop. This Chatbot as a unified official point of communication for all COVID-19 related information. It is revolutionary and will be an effective interface to stem the flow of misinformation and clear doubts around the disease.

4. APEDA signs MoU with SFAC for development of agriculture sector: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium has signed an MoU for the development of agriculture and allied sectors as well as its exports for bringing better value to the stakeholders. As per MoU, APEDA and SFAC will jointly work to link up the FPOs with the exporters. They will also work towards capacity development, awareness programs, outreach programs and workshops of various stakeholders. APEDA will facilitate certification of organic produce/areas by the Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) assisted or identified by SFAC.

5. HP Government launched Police Station Visitor Survey System: Himachal Pradesh Government launched Police Station Visitor Survey System and e-Night Beat Checking System for Himachal police in Shimla. This will help in self-evaluation and improve the working of Police. It would automatically capture the date, time and GPS Location of the policeman on beat patrolling/night checking duty and thus would help in ensuring the increased presence of police on the roads for better safety of the citizens.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UN releases World Happiness Report 2020; India Ranks 144th: The United Nations has released World Happiness Report 2020. The World Happiness Report ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness. This is the 8th edition of the World Happiness Report. The special focus of World Happiness Report 2020 was on “environments for happiness” which emphasizes more specifically on social environments for happiness, as reflected by the quality of personal social connections and social institutions. The World Happiness Report 2020 covers the period of 2017-2019. India has been ranked at 144 position among 156 nations with a score of 3.573 points on a scale of 10. Finland has been named as the happiest country in the world for the third year in a row while Afghanistan is the lowest ranking country. Top Five ranking of countries as per World Happiness Report 2020:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Switzerland

4. Iceland

5. Norway

Note: Secretary General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

2. World Poetry Day: 21 March: The World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March every year to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world. The day was declared by the UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) during its 30th session in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.

Note: Secretary General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): Audrey Azoulay.

3. World Down Syndrome Day: 21 March: The World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is marked on 21 March each year since 2006, in order to raise public awareness of Down syndrome. Down syndrome occurs in an individual when he/she has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. The Theme of 2020 World Down Syndrome Day is focuses “We Deside”.  21st day of March (the 3rd month of the year) has been selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.

4. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: 21 March: The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. The day aims to remind people of racial discrimination’s negative consequences and encourage people to remember their obligation and determination to combat racial discrimination. The day is celebrated annually on 21 March as on this day in 1960, the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws”. This year the Day is focused on the midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent.

5. International Day of Forests: 21 March: The International Day of Forests (also known as World Forestry Day) is celebrated every year on March 21 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On this day, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees. The theme for International Day of Forests 2020 is ‘Forests and Biodiversity’. The organizers are the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  This day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. New Zealand All-rounder Andrew Ellis Announces Retirement from all Forms of Cricket: New Zealand all-rounder Andrew Malcolm Ellis has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, ending his 18-years long career. Andrew Ellis started his domestic cricket career in 2002. He has played 20 international matches for the Kiwi team, which includes 15 ODIs and five T20Is. He is the second New Zealand cricketer to play 100 or more matches in each format of the game.

2. Greece hands over Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020: The Olympic Flame was handed over to Tokyo 2020 organizers after the Greece leg of torch relay suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos handed the torch over to the Tokyo Organising committee represented by Naoko Imoto, who lit the lantern and left with it. The Tokyo Olympic games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9. The ceremony took place at Athens' iconic Panathenaic stadium without the planned cultural ceremonies from Greece or Japan.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Japanese yen; PM of Japan: Shinzo Abe.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Finance Commission Constitutes Committee under NK Singh To Review Fiscal Consolidation Roadmap Of General Government: The 15th Finance Commission (FC) has constituted a committee, to be headed by NK Singh, Chairman of the FC, to prescribe a new debt and fiscal consolidation road map for the general government for a period of five years beginning 01 April 2021. The general government consists of central, state and local governments and the social security funds controlled by them.

2. Fitch Projects India’s GDP growth at 5.1% for FY’21; 6.4% for FY’22: Fitch Ratings has cut India growth forecast for the financial year 2020-2021 to 5.1 percent from earlier prediction of 5.6%, in its latest Global Economic Outlook 2020, released on 20 March 2020. The downgrade is a result of coronavirus outbreak which is likely to hit investment and exports.

For 2021-22, India’s growth is projected to be 6.4 percent.

3. RBI to infuse Rs 30,000 crore to boost liquidity: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will infuse liquidity of Rs 30,000 crore by purchasing of Government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) to maintain financial stability in the Indian economy. RBI has took this decision to boost liquidity in order to ensure that all markets segments function normally with adequate liquidity and turnover, as certain financial market segments are facing stress due to COVID-19 outbreak. The auctions would be conducted on March 24, 2020, and March 30, 2020

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

4. ICICI Lombard launches insurance cover for Coronavirus: The ICICI Lombard has rolled out a coronavirus-focused policy ‘COVID-19 Protection Cover’ in a group insurance mode. The COVID-19 Protection Cover will pay 100 per cent of the sum insured irrespective of hospitalization expenses, on the diagnosis of COVID-19 positive cases, amid the contagious pandemic. The insurance company will pay out the entire sum insured if the policyholder tests positive for COVID-19 at any of the Government authorized centres.

OBITUARIES

1. Legendary Indian Footballer PK Banerjee Passes Away: India’s Football legend Pradip Kumar Banerjee has passed away after battling prolonged illness. He was 83. He won the gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Games in 1992. Banerjee has scored 65 international goals in 84 appearances for the national team. He was the recipients of some of the most prestigious awards including Arjuna Award in 1961, Padma Shri in 1990 and FIFA Order of Merit in 2004.