NATIONAL NEWS
1. 20 lakhs crore package announced by Fm Nirmala Sitharaman
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman shared the details of the combined Rs 20-lakh crore stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help cushion Covid-19 blow.
• She announced a facility of Rs 3 lakh crores collateral-free automatic loans for business, including micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs), among other decisions.
• The move will enable 45 lakh MSME units to resume business activity and also safeguard job.
• The e other key announcements made by FM Sitharaman are:
I. Rs 3 lakh crores collateral-free automatic loans for businesses, including MSMEs
• Borrowers with up to Rs 25 crore outstanding and Rs 100 crore turnover eligible
• Loans to have 4-year tenor with a moratorium of 12 months on principal repayment
• Interest to be capped
• 100 per cent credit guarantee cover to banks and NBFCs on principal and interest
• Scheme can be availed till 31st October 2020
• No guarantee fee, no fresh collateral
• 45 lakh units can resume business activity and safeguard jobs
II. Rs 20,000 crores subordinate debt for stressed MSMEs
• Stressed MSMEs need equity support. Two lakh MSMEs are likely to benefit’
• Functioning MSMEs which are NPA or are stressed will be eligible
• Govt will provide a support of Rs 4,000 crore to CGTMSE
• CGTMSE will provide partial credit guarantee support to banks
• Promoters of MSMEs will be given debt by banks, which will then by infused by promoter as equity in the unit.
III. Rs 50,000 cr equity infusion for MSMEs through fund of funds
• Fund of funds with corpus of Rs 10,000 crores will be set up
• Will provide equity funding for MSMEs with growth potential and viability
• FoF will be operated through a Mother Fund and few daughter funds
• Funds structure will help leverage Rs 50,000 cr of funds at daughter funds level
• Will help to expand MSME size and as well as capacity
• Will encourage MSMEs to get listed on main board of Stock Exchanges
IV. New definition of MSMEs
• Low threshold in MSME definiton have created a fear among MSMEs of graduating out of the benefits and hence the killing the urge to grow. There has been a long-pending demand for revisions.
• Definiton of MSMEs will be revised
• Investment limit will be revised upwards
• Additional criteria of turnover also being introduced
• Distinction between manufacturing and service sector to be eliminated
• Necessary amendments to law will be brought about
V. Rs 2500 crore EPF support for Business and workers for 3 more months
• Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, payment of 12% of employer and 12% employee contributions was made into EPF accounts of eligible establishments
• This was provided earlier for salary months of March, April and May 2020
• This support will be extended by another 3 months to salary months of June, July and August 2020
• This will provide liquidity relief of Rs 2500 crore to 3.67 lakh establishments and for 72.22 lakh employees.
VI. EPF contribution reduced for business and workers for 3 months
• Statutory PF contribution of both employer and employee will be reduced to 10% each from the existing 12% each for all establishments covered by EPFO for the next three months.
• CPSEs and State PSUs will, however, continue to contribute 12% as employer contribution.
• This scheme will be applicable for workers who are not eligible for 24% EPF support under PM Garib Kalyan package and its extension
VII. Rs 30,000 crore special liquidity scheme for NBFCs/HFCs/MFIs
• The government will launch a Rs 30,000 crore special liquidity scheme
• Under this scheme investment will be made in both primary and secondary market transactions in investment grade debt paper of NBFCs/HFCs/MFIs
• Will supplement RBI/Government measures to augment liquidity
• Securities will be fully guaranteed by the government of India
• This will provide liquidity support for NBFCs/ HCI/MFIs and mutual funds and create confidence in the market
VIII. Rs 50,000 crores liquidity through TDS/TCS rate reduction
• In order to provide more funds at the disposal of the taxpayers, the rates of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) for non-salaried specified payments made to residents and rates of Tax Collection at Source (TCS) for the specified receipts shall be reduced by 25% of the existing rates.
• Payment for contract, professional fees, interest, rent, dividend, commission, brokerage, etc. shall be eligible for this reduced rate of TDS.
• This reduction shall be applicable for the remaining part of the FY 2020-21 i.e. from tomorrow to 31st March, 2021.
• This measure will release Liquidity of Rs. 50,000 crore.
IX. Other Direct Tax Measures
• All pending refunds to charitable trusts and noncorporate businesses & professions including proprietorship, partnership, LLP and Co-operatives shall be issued immediately.
• Due date of all income-tax return for FY 2019-20 will be extended from 31st July, 2020 & 31st October, 2020 to 30th November, 2020 and Tax audit from 30th September, 2020 to 31st October, 2020.
• Date of assessments getting barred on 30th September, 2020 extended to 31st December, 2020 and those getting barred on 31st March,2021 will be extended to 30th September, 2021.
• Period of Vivad se Vishwas Scheme for making payment without additional amount will be extended to 31st December, 2020.
X. Rs 90000 crore liquidity injection for DISCOMs
• PFC/REC to infuse liquidity of Rs 90,000 cr to DISCOMs against receivables
• Loans to be given against state guarantee for exclusive purpose of discharging liablities of Discoms to Gencos
• Digital payments facility by Discoms for consumers, liquidation of outstanding dues of state governments, plan to reduce financial and operational losses.
• Central Public Sector Generation Companies shall give rebate to Discoms which shall be passed on to the final consumers (industries)
XI. Relief to contractors
• Extension of up to 6 months (without costs to contractor) to be provided by all central agencies (like Railways, Ministry of Road transport and Highways, Central Public Works dept etc)
• Covers construction/works and goods and services contracts
• Covers obligation like completion of work, intermediate milestones etc and extension of concession period in PPP contracts
• Government agencies to partially release bank guarantees to the extent contracts are partially completed to ease cash flows
XII. Global tenders to be disallowed upto Rs 200 crores
• Indian MSMEs and other companies have often faced unfair competition from foreign companies. Therefore, global tenders will be disallowed in government procurement tenders upto Rs 200 crores.
• Necessary amendments of General Financial Rules will be effected.
• Extension of registration and completion date of real estate projects under RERA
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will advise States/UTs and their regulatory authorities to the following effect
• Treat COVID-19 as an event of ‘Force Majeure’ under RERA
XIII. Extend the registration and completion data suo-moto by six months for all registered projects expiring on or after March 25, 2020 without individual applications
• Regulatory authorities may extend this for another period of upto 3 months, if needed
• Issue fresh ‘Project Registeration Certificates’ automatically with revised timelines
• Extend timelines for various statuary compliances under RERA concurrently.
• These measures will de-stress real estate developers and ensure completion of projects so that homebuyers are able to get delivery of their booked houses with new timelines.
2. COVID KAVACH: India’s first indigenous ELISA Test Kit for COVID-19
• Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare Ltd has has been provided with technology to make and market the country’s first anti-SARS-Cov-2 human IgG Elisa test kit.
• The kit will be used for antibody detection of Covid-19.
• After the initial development at ICMR-NIV, technology has been transferred to Zydus Cadila for mass scale production.
• ‘Covid Kavach Elisa’ is the first indigenously developed IgG Elisa test for antibody detection.
• It has been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.
• This test will play a critical role in surveillance of proportion of population exposed to SARSCoV2 infection.
• ICMR-NIV’s test kit was validated at two sites in Mumbai and has been found to have high sensitivity and specificity.
• The kit can test 90 samples together in a single run of 2.5 hours.
• Elisa-based testing is easily possible even at the district level.
3. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced modifications in PMRF Scheme to boost research
• The HRD Ministry announced amendments in the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme.It included reduction in the required GATE score and introduction of a lateral entry option to attract more students.
• Under the scheme, 1000 seats were created which have been remaining empty every year. These changes were made so that students can apply.
• The requirement of GATE Score is reduced to 650 from 750 apart from minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent for the students from any recognised institute or university (other than IISc, IITs, NITs, IISERs, IIEST and IIITs).
• There will be two channels of entries, one direct entry and lateral entry.
• In lateral entry, the students, who are pursuing PhD in PMRF granting institutions (like IITs and NITs) can also apply to become fellow under the scheme as per new guidelines.
• The candidates will be selected through a rigorous selection process and their performance will be reviewed suitably through a national convention.
4. MHA issues Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) to facilitate Movement of Persons by Train and Passenger services on Indian Railways shall be partially restored w.e.f. from 12th May 2020 in a graded manner
• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) to facilitate movement of persons by train.
• Movement of trains shall be permitted by Ministry of Railways (MoR), in a graded manner, in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and MHA.
• Movement of passengers to & fro and entry at the railway station would be permitted only on confirmed e-ticket.
• There would be compulsory medical screening of all passengers. Only asymptomatic persons would be allowed to board the train.
• During the travel and at the railway stations, Strict adherence to Health/hygiene protocols and social distancing.
• All passengers would be provided with hand sanitizer at entry and exit points at station and in coaches.
• Further, it would be ensured that all passengers wear face covers/ masks at entry and during travel.
• On arrival at their destination, the traveling passengers would have to adhere to such health protocols as are prescribed by the destination State/ UT.
• The operations will initially start with 15 pairs of trains.
5. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) releases Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol
• The Empowered Group 9 on Technology and Data Management developed and released the Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol.
• IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney is the chairman of the group.
• The new norms lay emphasis on anonymisation of data collected by the app.
• The National Informatics Center (NIC) is responsible for collecting, processing and managing all the data collected by Aarogya Setu and it will collect only that data which is necessary to formulate or implement appropriate health responses.
• Under the protocol, the Ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) will have a supervisory role.
• The protocol outlined that personal data from the application can only be used for health purposes.
• The data collected include name, mobile number, location, age, gender, profession, travel history, persons in contact and location of persons in contact.
• The data must be permanently deleted after a maximum of 180 days “unless a specific recommendation is made” by the empowered group on technology.
• The data can be shared with the “Government of India”, and all the agencies that are granted access to the data must use it only for the purpose for which it has been shared and delete it after 180 days.
• An individual can request for deleting demographic data, which must be abided by in 30 days.
• For developing health responses, the information can be shared with third parties. The government agency sharing information with the third party is responsible for adherence to the protocol by the third party.
• The most important data set is the special surveillance system made by the health department in which states (and districts) can look at the information.
• All health systems in NIC and the Health Ministry are combined with Aarogya Setu’s self-assessment and Bluetooth contact tracing data after applications for testing samples with data reaches ICMR’s lab portals.
• The data obtained from NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) and IIT Madras is used to develop an analytics basis which the action that is to be taken is decided.
• In case of any violation or deviation from the protocol, legal consequences under section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act will follow. This invites jail term for up to two years.
• The protocol will be in effect for six months.
• Extension, if any, will be considered after six months, subject to a review.
6. Delhi Police gets India's first 'Thermal Corona Combat Headgear' to enhance social distancing
• Delhi Police has inducted in service India's first thermal detection headgear that will enhance the social distancing while still enabling the policemen to perform their duties.
• Indian Robo Store group in partnership with the Delhi Police has invented this headgear that has been given the name -- Thermal Corona Combat Gear (TCCH).
• The wearer of the headgear will be able to scan the elevated body temperature-EBT. It will help in thermally scanning individuals from a safe distance of 10m to 15m.
• It will assist the police personal and health authorities to be on the ground and scan many people at once. It can send the live imagery to a centralized control center. It will assist in hospitals, supermarkets, and other public areas during and also post corona pandemic.
7. 4 new products from three states receive Geographical Indication (GI) tag
• Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting (a traditional and ritualistic mural art), Telangana’s Telia Rumal cloth (an intricate handmade work with cotton loom) and Thanjavur Netti Works (pith works) and Arambavur Wood Carvings from the state of Tamil Nadu (TN) are the latest addition in the GI list.
• The GI tagging will help rural artisans, who possess unique skills and knowledge of traditional practices and methods. They can make & market their products domestically and internationally.
8. Madhya Pradesh is the first state to launch innovative Scheme “FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana”
• The state government of Madhya Pradesh launched FIR (First Information Report) Aapke Dwar Yojana in Bhopal.
• It was launched by the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra.
• This makes Madhya Pradesh the first state in the country to implement such an innovative scheme.
• It is a pilot project under which a complainant is supposed to dial police emergency number 100 to lodge an FIR.
• As a part of this scheme, police officials will go to homes of victims to register a FIR and they will resolve their problems at their doorstep only and they need not have to come to police stations. Trained head constables are deployed for the scheme.
• Initially, the scheme will be implemented in a police station area under 11 divisions (both urban and rural) of the state and also under one police station in Datia.
• It has been launched in 23 police stations and will be a pilot project till 31 August 2020.
• The home minister also launched "Dial-112" scheme.
• By dealing this number, facilities of ambulance, police and fire services will be made available to the caller immediately across the state.
9. ICMR, NCDC to initiate a population-based Sero-survey in selected districts
• Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will conduct a population-based sero-survey in selected districts in collaboration with key stakeholders and State Health Departments.
• The objective of this survey is to monitor the trend in prevalence of COVID-19 infection at district level.
• Testing of blood serum of a group of individuals to determine the presence of antibody against that particular disease.
• It would test outpatient attendees and pregnant women in the low-risk group.
• Health workers will be covered in the under the high risk group.
• It will not be used for diagnosis of individual patients.
• Each month 200 samples per district per week shall be taken. This will take the number to 800 samples per district per month.
• ICMR AND NCDC will select 10 health facilities including six public and four private health from each district.
• The samples will be tested in a one-time pool of 25 and result of sample pooling is only for surveillance purposes.
• In addition to throat, nasal swabs, blood samples will be collected for detecting IgG antibodies for ELISA testing.
• In subsequent rounds, IgG ELISA based testing of serum samples will replace RT-PCR based testing for surveillance purpose.
• Data on demographic characteristics will be collected on a specifically designed standard data collection form.
• The data will be analyzed locally for action using standard indicator formats.
10. Pranavayu Programme launched in Bengaluru, Karanataka
• Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has launched Pranavayu programme in Bengaluru.
• The program aims to create awareness on the need to self examine the respiratory health for personal safety of the individuals from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemicthrough advertisements in media.
• The number of positive cases of Coronavirus have been rising in Bengaluru and due to this it became highly important to identify the persons who are prone or susceptible to the deadly corona virus infection.
• It emphasises on the fact that the person can self-examine themselves for an early detection of the disease without it leading to the aggravation of the situation.
• This programme is an effort to assist people with low oxygen level in their blood to get themselves examined early before their infection becomes fatal.
11. Parakh: DRDO- DFRL’s mobile microbial containment lab handed over to MMCRI
• Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) has handed over an innovative, state of the art Mobile Microbial Containment (BSL-3) Laboratory ‘PARAKH’ to the Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) to test samples of coronavirus (Covid-19) at its hi-tech Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL).
• The lab was handed over by Dr Anil Dutt Semwal, director of DFRL to KR hospital at a formal event.
• With this, an extra 200-300 samples can be tested in addition to the 400-450 samples being tested.
• It is a fully autonomous Mobile Microbial Containment Lab.
• It was developed by ministry of Defence in collaboration with ESIC (Employees’ State Insurance Corporation) Medical College & Hospital, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad with due permission from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) within record time of 2 weeks.
• It is designed on ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 20 feet container and installed on Ashok Leyland 1618-2C-4700 wb cabin Chassis.
• It was designed during situations like bio warfare, but with the ongoing situation, it was handed over to the district.
• It has BSL level-three certification for containment, thereby enabling it to test COVID-19 and other similar heavily communicable infections.
• It has a RT-PCR machine as well as facilities for storage of biomedical waste.
• It can even be deployed in a site of emergency since it can operate on battery power.
12. 177 new mandis integrated with e-NAM platform
• Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched integration of 177 new Mandis with the National Agriculture Market to strengthen agriculture marketing and facilitate farmers to sell their harvested produce through the online portal.
• The Mandis integrated today include 17 in Gujarat, 26 in Haryana, 54 in Maharashtra and 17 in Punjab. With the launch of 177 additional Mandis, the total number of e-NAM Mandis across the country has now reached 962.
• Launching the new Mandis through video conferencing, the Minister said, efforts should be made to strengthen e-NAM further to benefit the farmers. He said e-NAM portal has been envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an ambitious use of technology for the benefit of farmers.
13. J&K: SC orders setting up of a committee to look into demands for restoration of 4G services
• The Supreme Court ordered setting up of a high-level committee to look into the demands of restoring 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir. Stating that there needs to be a balance between human rights and national security, the apex court directed the MHA secretary to examine the committee.
• A plea was filed by ‘Foundation for Media Professionals’ had sought sought restoration of high-speed internet in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the COVID-19 situation.
• The J&K administration, however, sought dismissal of the plea, insisting that high-speed internet will enable the spread of fake news/rumours and transfer of heavy data files (audio/video files) will become prevalent and may be utilised by terror outfits for incitement as also in planning attacks.
• The SC had in its judgment dated January 10, 2020 said that the freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom of trade and commerce through the internet are fundamental right under the Constitution and as such cannot be curtailed without following the mandate of the Constitution and should meet the test of proportionality.
14. Madhya Pradesh: COVID-19 affected 39 districts, Education dept providing Radio School, Doordarshan Classroom to students
• Doordarshan classroom is starting in Madhya Pradesh. The special educational program "Doordarshan Class Room" is being produced by the School Education Department in collaboration with Doordarshan.
• The program aims to provide study material to the students of the state's higher classes so that they can study regularly at their home during the lock-down period. This program is designed on thematic concepts for 10th and 12th classes.
• It will also include interesting videos on difficult concepts of the subject over a period of 1 hour.
• The program will air twice a day from Monday to Friday on every week. Programs will be broadcast every day from 12 to 1 pm for class 10th and 3 to 4 pm daily for class 12th.
• Apart from this, subject-wise study material on interesting topics is also being provided by the department through WhatsApp groups and local cable TV.
15. CSIR-NAL develops Non-Invasive Ventilator to treat COVID-19 patients
• In a record time of just 36 days a non-invasive BiPAP Ventilator 'SwasthVayu' has been developed by CSIR - National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, a constituent of lab of CSIR to treat Covid-19 patients.
• CSIR NAL team has enabled a spin-off technology based on its expertise in the aerospace design domain.
• The system has undergone stringent biomedical tests and beta clinical trials at NAL Health Centre.
• The non-invasive ventilator will be ideal to treat moderate or mid-stage severe Covid-19 patients who do not require intubation and invasive ventilation.
• Based on global experience and specific inputs from pulmonologists in India and abroad, CSIR-NAL developed BIPAP non-invasive ventilator with externally connected oxygen concentrator which will be ideal to treat moderate or mid-stage severe Covid-19 patients who do not require intubation and invasive ventilation.
• The system has been certified for safety and performance by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited agencies and undergone stringent biomedical tests.
• The major advantage of this machine is that it does not require any specialised nursing for usage.
• It is cost effective, compact and configured with majority of indigenous components and is ideal for treating Covid -19 patients in wards, makeshift hospitals, dispensaries and homes in current Indian Covid-19 scenario.
• It's unique features like spontaneous, CPAP, timed, auto BIPAP modes with provision to connect Oxygen concentrator or enrichment unit externally alleviate the fear of the virus spread.
• BiPAP non-invasive ventilator is a microcontroller-based precise closed-loop adaptive control system with a built-in biocompatible "3D printed manifold and coupler" with HEPA filter (Highly Efficient Particulate Air Filter).
• CSIR-NAL is in process of taking it forward with the regulatory authorities for the approval and expected to get permission shortly. It has already initiated dialogue with major public/private industries to partner for mass production.
16. Gadchiroli stays vigilant to retain COVID-19 free tag
• In Maharashtra, even as the toll of infected patients due to novel coronavirus is climbing, the Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha has so far remained untouched by the scourge of this contagion, till now.
• The administration of Gadchiroli, which is the only district so far untouched by the scourge of coronavirus in Maharashtra, is now being more vigilant to ensure it retains the green zone tag.
• The authorities are mindful that if at all any COVID-19 case comes to light in the district, it will come from outside and hence, they have enhanced efforts and are closely monitoring migrant workers entering the territory.
• Maharashtra has total 36 districts. Gadchiroli, located over 900 km from Mumbai in the state’s Vidarbha region and having a population of around 12 lakh, has not reported a single COVID-19 case yet.
• These people were allowed to enter the district only if they possessed medical certificates as per norms and were kept under institutional quarantine according to the guidelines.
17. HP govt provides special relief to more than 5 lakh social security pension beneficiaries
• In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic the Himachal Pradesh state government has provided special relief to more than 5 lakh social security pension beneficiaries by making advance payment of Rs 217.86 crore.
• Amid statewide curfew the task of paying the social security pension to the beneficiaries was a big challenge.
• In such a situation the personnel of the Social Justice and Empowerment and the Indian Postal Service Department played a significant role in providing advance payment in tribal and non tribal areas of the state.
• A special relief to the beneficiaries of social security pension has been given for six months in advance to the tribal areas while three months for the non-tribal areas of the state.
18. Trials for 4 AYUSH formulations against Covid-19 to start within a week
• The AYUSH Ministry and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working together on validating four Ayush formulations against Covid-19.
• These four candidates are - Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi + Pippali (Giloy) and AYUSH-64, which was invented for the treatment of malaria and its repurposing is going on.
• These four formulations will be tried as an add-on therapy and standard care for Covid-19 patients.
19. ICMR to fast-track WHO’s solidarity trial roll-out in India to find effective treatment for COVID-19
• The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has fast-tracked the roll out of the global 'Solidarity' trial launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help in finding an effective treatment for Covid-19.
• 'Solidarity' is an international clinical trial to compare four treatment options against the standard of care to assess their relative effectiveness against Covid-19.
• By enrolling patients in multiple countries, the trial aims to rapidly discover whether any of the drugs slow disease progression or improve survival. Importantly, the initiative provides for both speed and scale.
• The ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) is the national coordination site for the trial in India.
• Four potential anti-viral agents, Remdesivir, Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir-Ritonavir and Lopinavir-Ritonavir with Interferon (b1a) are to be evaluated in the trial.
• Till now, a total of nine sites have been approved.
• The Solidarity trial provides simplified procedures to enable even overloaded hospitals to participate.
• Over 100 countries have requested participation to find effective therapeutics as soon as possible, via the trial.
• The participation of multiple clinical trial units/hospitals in multiple countries will ensure adequate enrollment of participants in the shortest possible time. This will help fast-track the identification of correct treatment options for the Covid-19 disease.
20. Tribal Affairs Minister launches 'GOAL' programme to provide online mentorship to tribal youth
• Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has launched the “GOAL - Going Online As Leaders - programme of his Ministry in partnership with Facebook.
• The GOAL programme is designed to provide mentorship to tribal youth through digital mode.
• The digitally enabled programme envisages to act as a catalyst to explore hidden talents of the tribal youth, which will help in their personal development as well as contribute to all-round upliftment of their society.
• The programme intends to upskill and empower 5,000 tribal youths in the current phase to harness the full potential of digital platforms and tools to learn new ways of doing business, explore and connect with domestic and international markets.
21. 3,100 crore rupees allocated for migrant workers, ventilators and vaccine development
• PM CARES Fund Trust decided to allocate Rs. 3100 Crore for fight against COVID-19.
• Out of Rs 3100 crore, a sum of approximately Rs.2000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators, Rs. 1000 crores will be used for care of migrant labourers and Rs.100 crores will be given to support vaccine development.
• The PM-CARES has the Prime Minister as chairperson, and the Defence Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister and three trustees nominated by the Prime Minister “who shall be eminent persons in the field of research, health, science, social work, law, public administration and philanthropy”.
• As many as “50, 000 ‘Made-in-India’ ventilators will be purchased for Rs 2,000 crore from the fund and will be provided to government run COVID hospitals in all States and Union Territories. States and union territories will also be given a lumpsum assistance of total Rs 1000 Crore from PM CARES Fund for strengthening their efforts in providing accommodation facilities, making food arrangements, providing medical treatment and making transportation arrangements of the migrants.
• PM-CARES, which was set up as a public charitable trust with the trust deed registered on March 27, is meant for supporting “relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress, either man-made or natural, including the creation or upgradation of healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, other necessary infrastructure, funding relevant research or any other type of support”.
• The emphasis on ‘public health’ and ‘healthcare’ make it an appropriate vehicle to deal with the outbreak.
22. A&N admin extends last date of submission of subsidy claim under 'Blue Revolution' and 'UT Plan'
• In wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Andaman and Nicobar Administration has extended the last date of submission of subsidy claim under centrally sponsored scheme 'Blue Revolution' and 'UT Plan' till 31st December 2020.
• Under this scheme fishing activities promoted by providing subsidy under various components like purchase of boat and fish transport vehicles, motorization of traditional boat, assistance being also given for transportation and holding of fish.
• The above extension is for the period of 2019-20 and beneficiaries persons are told to submit all relevant documents to the respective Zonal Fisheries office or sub stations for their respective claims before the due date.
23. ICCR launches song “United we Fight” to fight COVID-19
• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has launched a new song to help people stay united and encourage them to think positive amid the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged havoc across the world.
• The song 'United We Fight' is written and composed by Joe Alvares and is sung by Usha Uthup, Salim Merchant, Shefali Alvares Rashid, Benny Dayal, Sonam Kalra, Chandan Bala Kalyan, Joe Alvares, Salome, and Samira.
• The music is created by Tubby, Pandit Ravi Chari, Pandit Rakesh Chaurasiya, and Ustad Faisal Qureshi.
• The song is meant for an international audience and is created to carry India's message of hope and resilience to the world.
• The 3.33 minutes long song features the above-mentioned singers and composers who shot their individual parts from the confinement of their homes which was later created into one single video.
24. MP govt relaunches Sambal scheme for Dalits, tribals and poor
• The Madhya Pradesh government has re-launched the ambitious Sambal Yojana aimed to strengthen the lives of the poor and the SC and ST communities by providing them social security cover, right from birth to death.
• CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan transferred Rs 41.33 crores into the accounts of the beneficiaries of Sambal Yojana.
• Though the previous government had discontinued the scheme, the cards meant for the scheme can now be used again.
• Sambal Yojana was started in April 2018.
• The objective of this innovative scheme - from birth to death - is to provide social security to the poor and the beneficiaries of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Under the scheme, Rs 4,000 will be given to pregnant women before delivery and Rs 12,000 post-delivery. Nutritious food will be given and the education of children will be free. Besides, free books, uniforms, mid-day meals are available till Class VIII.
• Under Sambal Yojana, 5,000 children of beneficiary members who score highest marks in Class XII, will be provided Rs 30,000 each as an incentive.
• The government will also make arrangements for their fees on their admission to institutions like IIT, IIM, Engineering and Medical Colleges after Class XII.
• Further, sportspersons will be encouraged by the state government. In the scheme, members of registered families who participate in the All India University National Sports Competition will be given an incentive amount of Rs 50,000.
25. Uttarakhand CM launches ‘HOPE’ portal to help unemployed youth
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched “HOPE” (Helping Out People Everywhere) portal to help unemployed youth to get jobs opportunities.
• The portal will be used to collect the data on the youths of the state who are staying in as well as the recently returned migrant youths.
• This platform will help unemployed youths for job seeking and skill development.
• The database in the portal will help employers to find suitable candidates for their requirements. The employers will get knowledge about the candidates like where they worked.
• When the database is ready it’ll be linked with the Mukhya Mantri Swarojgar Yojana.
26. Covid crisis: TVS group, IIT-Madras develop affordable respiratory assistance device for intensive healthcare
• The TVS group and IIT Madras (IIT-M) have jointly developed a low-cost, automated respiratory assistance device called ‘Sundaram Ventago’ to provide breathing support to patience through controlled and automated squeezing of a self-inflating or Ambu bag.
• It includes functionalities to control respiratory rate (breaths per minute), tidal volume, pressure parameters and I:E ratios.’
• ‘Sundaram Ventago’ provides physicians a simple and cost-effective option to treat patients with respiratory difficulty in case of shortage of ventilators, and is especially useful in remote areas where ventilator facilities are not available.
• The device works with or without compressed/hospital air and oxygen and requires only a standard power connection to operate (easy to use in non-ICU wards, ambulances, remote/rural areas). It can also be used in conjunction with a standard UPS or can be mounted on a crash cart, wheelchair, bed, in an ambulance to support patient mobility.
• ‘Sundaram Ventago’ is designed to internationally accepted medical standards with an objective to give every patient quality medical support at an affordable cost.
27. Jharkhand: Education dept with Doordarshan starts online classes for School children
• In Jharkhand, the State Education Department in collaboration with Doordarshanstarted online classes and educational programs to provide school education to students of the state through video and thematic lectures.
• The special educational lectures designed for students from class 1 to 12 began from today with special slots allotted for each class.
• The programme is scheduled to air on the regional DD channel and free Dish TV from morning 10 am to afternoon 2 pm for five days a week everyday from Monday to Friday.
• With schools remaining closed till June 15 due to summer vacations, as per the orders from the state government, post Lockdown period, the new initiative taken up by the School Education Department to educate children through video lectures is a great step.
• Students can study regularly at their home during this lockdown period and can get benefitted of the one hour long subject-wise classes specially designed with the help of teachers aided by UNICEF and state education department.
• Apart from the regional broadcast on Doordarshan these classes will also be available online on YouTube channel of Doordarshan - DD Jharkhand and DIGI SATH for uninterrupted access by the students as per their convenience. The educational programme aims to provide tutorials, clear concepts and impart knowledge to students of higher secondary sections and thematic pictographic video learning programmes for junior section classes.
28. Government of West Bengal announces two new schemes- ‘Sneher Porosh’ &‘Prochesta’
• The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee launched two schemes ‘Sneher Porosh’ to provide support for the migrant workers and ‘Prochesta’ to help the workers of the unorganised sector of Bengal to enable them to earn their living in the lockdown situation.
• Prochesta Scheme is to provide daily wages to all the daily wage workers whose livelihood are disturbed because of the national lockdown.
• The scheme application submission commenced on 15th April 2020 and the last date for submission of the application is 15th May 2020.
• The application to the scheme can be done through online in the official site: prachestawb.in or the form can be obtained from the office of District Magistrate or Office of Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal corporation for free of cost or through the android mobile application ‘Prochesta Prokolpo’.
• The migrant labours are required to submit the physical application forms.
• The Jai Bangla Sneher Porosh App can be used to apply for the Jai Bangla 1000 Rs scheme for migrant workers.
29. MHRD launched e-Governance platform, SAMARTH
• Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has developed an e-Governance platform, SAMARTH Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP), under the National Mission of Education in Information and Communication Technology Scheme (NMEICT).
• The aim of the e-Governance platform, SAMARTH, is to provide quality education to students across all Universities & Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
• The objective of this initiative is to automate the processes of the Institute. This initiative will also enhance productivity through better information management in the institute by seamless access to information, and its utilization for various purposes.
• SAMARTH is an Open Standard Open Source Architecture, Secure, Scalable, and Evolutionary Process Automation Engine for Universities and Higher Educational Institutions.
• It caters to faculty, students and staff at a University/Higher Educational Institutions.
• The SAMARTH team has provided the software free of cost to NIT, Kurukshetra who have implemented it through a collaboration between NMEICT and TEQIP teams in MHRD.
• NIT, Kurukshetra is a participating unit under the World Bank supported Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP).
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. North Pole’s largest-ever ozone hole,620,000 square miles, finally closes
• Scientists who have been observing the ozone hole at Copernicus' Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) have announced that the hole is now closed.
• This ozone hole became the largest one ever recorded in the Arctic region spanning an area of over 620,000 square miles (or 997793.28 kms).
• This hole in Ozone was first identified by scientists in March 2020.
• This first opened when unusual wind conditions trapped frigid air over the North Pole for several weeks in a row.
• Those winds, known as a polar vortex, created a circular cage of cold air that led to the formation of high-altitude clouds in the region.
• The clouds mixed with man-made pollutants like chlorine and bromine, eating away at the surrounding ozone gas until a massive hole roughly three times the size of Greenland opened in the atmosphere.
• The last time such a strong chemical ozone depletion was observed in the Arctic occurred nearly a decade ago, in 2011.
• However, the polar vortex “split” creating a pathway for ozone-rich air to rush back into the area above the North Pole.
2. Saudi Arabia to raise VAT from 5% to 15%
• The Saudi Arabia government is suspending the cost of living allowance and raising the value added tax threefold, as part of measures aimed to shore up state finances, which have been battered by low oil prices and the coronavirus.
• Cost of living allowance will be suspended as of June first, and the value added tax will be increased to 15% from 5% as of July first, the state news agency reported on Monday.
• The worlds largest oil exporter is suffering from slumping prices, while at the same time measures to fight the new coronavirus are likely to curb the pace and scale of economic reforms launched by Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman.
• The austerity measures introduced comes as spending outstripped income, pushing the kingdom into a $9 billion budget deficit in the first quarter.
3. World Bank approves USD 1 bn aid to India
• The World Bank has approved USD 1 billion aid to support India’s efforts for providing social assistance to poor, vulnerable households amid the coronavirus outbreak.
• With this, the total commitment from the World Bank towards emergency COVID-19 response in India has now reached to USD 2 billion.
• Earlier, a USD 1 billion support was announced last month to support India’s health sector.
• The Word Bank will partner with the Govt of India in three areas – health, social protection and the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Of the USD 1 billion commitment, USD 550 million will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm and USD 200 million will be a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), with a final maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of five years.
• The remaining USD 250 million will be made available after June 30, 2020.
4. Israel Names Street After Rabindranath Tagore to Honor Him On His 159th Birth Anniversary
• On May 7, the world celebrated the 159th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Bard of Bengal. Among Tagore’s most permanent marks on history, is his penning of the Indian and the Bangladeshi national anthem.
• He left a mark not only on India and the neighboring countries, but around the world. That is the reason Israel paid tribute to him on his birth anniversary, by naming a street after him.
• The street named after Rabindranath Tagore is in Tel Aviv.
• The naming of the street took place to commemorate the poet's birth anniversary.
5. US approves new coronavirus antigen test with fast results
• US regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have promoted as a key to opening up the country.
• The Food and Drug Administration announced emergency authorization for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corporation of San Diego. The test can rapidly detect fragments of virus proteins in samples collected from swabs swiped inside the nasal cavity, the FDA said in a statement.
• The antigen test is the third type of test to be authorized by the FDA. Currently, the only way to diagnose active COVID-19 is to test a patient’s nasal swab for the genetic material of the virus. While considered highly accurate, the tests can take hours and require expensive, specialized equipment mainly found at commercial labs, hospitals or universities.
• A second type looks in the blood for antibodies, the proteins produced by the body days or weeks after fighting an infection. Such tests are helpful for researchers to understand how far a disease has spread within a community, but they aren’t useful for diagnosing active infections.
• Antigen tests can diagnose active infections by detecting the earliest toxic traces of the virus rather than genetic code of the virus itself. The FDA said that it expects to authorize more antigen tests in the future. Quidel said Saturday that the test can provide an accurate, automated result in 15 minutes.
• The FDA’s emergency authorization allows us to arm our health care workers and first responders with a frontline solution for COVID-19 diagnosis, accelerating the time to diagnosis and potential treatment.
ECONOMY, BUSINESS AND BANKING NEWS
1. Central Board of Direct Taxes amends 44G of Income-tax Rules 1962
• Central Board of Direct Taxes has amended Rule 44G of Income-tax Rules, 1962 for making an application to invoke the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) in Form no. 34F.
• These rules will be called Income-tax (8th Amendment) Rules, 2020.
• Rule 44G deals with application and procedure for giving effect to MAP agreement.
• The revised Form 34F deals with respect to making application to the competent authority for invoking MAP.
• Indian authorities would "endeavour" to resolve MAP disputes within a timeframe of 24 months. This move is aimed at speedy settlement of cases of multinational corporations that have opted the alternative dispute resolution process.
• If a resolution is arrived, the same shall be communicated to the assessee, who shall communicate his acceptance or non-acceptance within 30 days.
• Upon acceptance of the resolution, the assessee shall withdraw any appeal filed in this regard and pay the tax determined by the assessing officer after giving effect to the resolution.
• MAP is an alternative dispute resolution process under the tax treaties, under which competent authorities of two countries enter into discussions to resolve tax-related disputes.
• As many as 600 tax disputes were resolved under MAP between April 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018.
2. Carlyle Group to buy 74% in SeQuent Scientific for over Rs 1,500 crore
• Private equity player The Carlyle Group will acquire a majority 74% stake in SeQuent Scientific for over Rs 1,500 crore.
• The deal will be executed through two investment vehicles-CA Harbor Investments, affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius, which is an affiliated entity of Carlyle. The deal is the Carlyle's first majority transaction in an Indian publicly-listed company.
• The promoters of the company sold a 44.92% stake and Carlyle agreed to buy 5.69% of the existing private equity investor Ascent Capital.
• The deal was managed by Nomura acting as the Financial advisor for Carlyle.
• The Law Firm Nishith Desai Associates was the advisor of Sequent and its Promoters.
• Under the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) takeover regulations, a mandatory open offer by CA Harbor Investments and CAP V Mauritius will have to be offered for the purchase of a maximum up to 26% equity shares of SeQuent from public shareholders.
3. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Launch CHAMPIONS Portal- www.Champions.gov.in
• The Union Ministry of MSME launched CHAMPIONS portal.
• CHAMPIONS stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength.
• The portal will help in grievance registration and management of complaints lodged by MSMEs.
• It is a technology driven Control Room-Cum-Management Information System which is a real one-stop-shop solution of MSME Ministry.
• It is also fully integrated on real time basis with GOI’s main grievances’ portal Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and MSME Ministry’s own other web based mechanisms.
• The grievances will then be diverted subject-wise to concerned branch/bureau/office heads under the MSME Ministry to attend them within three days.
• The system is enabled by Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning.
• This will help the Indian MSMEs to march into big league as National and Global CHAMPIONS.
• NIC created the portal in-house without charging any money for this.
• These have been set up at MSME Development Institutes across the country that will help the small businesses to get guidance from the government.
• The control rooms network is created in a “Hub & Spoke Model.
• The Hub is situated in New Delhi in the Secretary MSME’s office.
• The spokes will be in the states in various offices and institutions of Ministry.
• As of now, 66 state level control rooms are created as part of the system.”
4. Consumer Affairs dept partners with 2 startups to power ‘Suraksha Store initiative’
• The Department of Consumer Affairs has partnered with tech startups Safejob and Seekify to use technology to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at the local Kirana store level.
• Suraksha Store is an initiative designed for the health and safety of the citizens during and after the lockdown.
• Aims to educate Kirana store owners across the country about the Covid-19 safety guidelines and protocols required to be followed while running their businesses.
• The protocols were decided by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and included norms around social distancing and hygiene at all retail outlets.
• Consumers can use the Aarogya Setu app to find a Suraksha Store near them and shop.
• Seekify and Safejob built a custom solution for registering Kirana store owners, their employees, capturing their location, and allowing them to complete online training and certification - all on mobile.
• The solution is optimized for rural and low bandwidth areas.
• The training material and assessment is available in eight languages to ensure that customers can be certified to be aware of the Suraksha norms.
5. DGCA extends validity of flying license of pilots
• India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the validity of pilots' licences that were nearing expiry by 90 days, noting that they were facing issues in completing various requirements due to the restrictions imposed to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Similarly, the regulator has also extended the validity of medical assessment certificates, aircraft rating certificates, skill test certificates, etc, for a period of 90 days.
• FATA stands for foreign aircrew temporary authorization, which is issued to foreign pilots that are working for Indian airlines.
6. New initiative by Railways, Postal dept for door-to-door delivery, pick up of parcels
• In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Railways and Postal department in Kerala have entered into a tie-up for door-to-door delivery and pick up of parcels to help people during the lockdown.
• The service has been started to mitigate the difficulties being faced by customers in sending and receiving parcels through the railway network during the lockdown period.
• It would cater to the growing number of customers using the daily parcel trains between Thiruvananthapuram Central Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram Central Chennai Egmore.
• The trans-shipment will be through Railways from the nearest railway station to the destination railway station. From there, the parcel will again be collected and delivered to the consignee at his doorstep by the Department of Posts.
• A minimum charge will be collected from the customer under Logistics Post levied by Postal Department in addition to the charges levied by Indian Railways.
• The service will be initially available at Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, and Thrissur.
7. After China, BRICS bank loans $1 billion to India to fight Covid-19 pandemic
• The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS countries has given a $1billion loan to India to help fight and contain the Covid-19 pandemic, the Shanghai-based bank said Wednesday.
• It’s the second such “emergency assistance loan” that the NDB has provided to one of its member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) after it handed out a similar amount to China in the third week of March.
• The ‘emergency assistance program loan’ to India was approved by the NDB’s board of directors April 30, and it is aimed at supporting the Indian government to contain the spread of Covid-19 and reduce human, social and economic losses caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
• In March, the NDB had approved an emergency assistance loan of 7 billion yuan (about 1 billion U.S. dollars) to China to help the country fight the outbreak.
• It was not only the first loan under NDB’s emergency assistance programme but also the largest single loan issued by the bank so far.
OBITUARIES
1. Former Union Minister Dalit Ezhilmalai passed away at 74
• Former Union Minister of State for Health Dalit Ezhilmalai passed away at 74 in his residence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu due to a cardiac arrest.
• He was born on 24th July 1945 in Irumbedu village, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu
• He served in the Former Post & Telegraph Department of the Government of India Between 1963 and 1987 and deputed to the Army for five years.
• He participated in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 as an army officer and received Sainik Sewa Medal for his meritorious service.
• He was one of the founding members of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and was the first general secretary of the party in 1989.
2. Historian Hari Vasudevan passed away at the age of 84
• Historian Hari Sankar Vasudevan died at a private hospital in Kolkata at the age of 68.
• He was tested positive for coronavirus. He was put on a ventilator after developing respiratory distress.
• He was the author of 'Footsteps of Afanasii Nikitin: Travels through Eurasia and India in the early 21st century’.
• He authored 'Shadows of Substance: Indo-Russian Trade and Military Technical Cooperation' in 2010.
3. Roy Horn of Vegas duo Siegfried & Roy dead at 75 from coronavirus
• Roy Horn died of complications related to the coronavirus at the age of 75 years.
• He is the half of the famed Las Vegas magic and entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy.
• Roy was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens.
• He worked as a waiter on the cruise ship Bremen, where he met Fischbacher and launched his performance career. Both of them were reportedly fired for bringing a live cheetah on to the ship.
• Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher, were known for including white tigers and other animals in their act. They first worked in Las Vegas in 1967, and then worked at the Mirage Hotel.
• Their shows combined magic tricks with circus thrills, alongside performances featuring dozens of rare white lions and tigers.
• Horn was forced to stop performing in 2003 after a white tiger attacked him during one of their shows. He was severely injured and also suffered a stroke.
• The incident permanently affected his mobility and speech, but Horn was able to take part in some events.
• The duo retired in 2010.
4. Little Richard, rock 'n' roll pioneer, has died at 87
• Little Richard, one of the chief architects of rock 'n' roll whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died after battling bone cancer at the age of 87.
5. Sahitya Akademi winner Debesh Roy passes away
• Veteran Bengali author Debesh Roy, who was conferred the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel 'Teesta Parer Brittanto', died at a private hospital in Kolkata.
• A regular contributor to a number of Bengali dailies, he was a staunch critic of the attacks on liberals by in the country in recent times and attended protest meetings despite his failing health.
• Besides Teesta Parer Britanta', he will be remembered for books like Borisaler Jogen Mondal , Manush Khun Kore Keno and Samay Asamayer Brittanto . His first book was Jajati.
6. Padma Bhushan recipient Professor Anisuzzaman passes away in Bangladesh
• Padma Bhushan recipient and Bangladesh''s National Professor Anisuzzaman died at a military hospital in Dhaka.
• Anisuzzaman, who made an immense contribution to Bangla language and literature through his research and writings, is survived by two daughters, a son and his wife.
• President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have condoled the death of Anisuzzaman.
• India had awarded him Padma Bhushan for his distinguished service in fields of Bangla literature and education. He was also awarded Ekushey Padak and Swadhinata Padak, the highest state awards given by Bangladesh.
• Born in Kolkata in February 1937, Prof Anisuzzaman and his family shifted to Bangladesh soon after the partition in 1947.
• Anisuzzaman played a significant role in all democratic movements -- from the Language Movement of 1952 to Liberation War in 1972, for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh in the 1980s, and for the trial of war criminals later. He also appeared as a witness before the International Crimes Tribunal.
• He was a member of the Planning Commission during the 1971 war and a member of the National Education Commission set up by the government after liberation. He was inducted as a National Professor by the Government of Bangladesh in 2018.
• He also won many international awards for his contributions to literature.
SPORTS NEWS
1. SAI forms committee to prepare SOP to resume training post lockdown
• Sports Authority of India (SAI) has formed a committee to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure to resume training in all SAI Centres in all sporting disciplines after the lockdown is lifted.
• All training had been suspended across SAI Centres in view of the on-going Corona pandemic.
• A separate committee has been formed to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for swimming, since the sport requires athletes to train in water and may have different health risks involved, as compared to other sport.
• The recommendations of the Committees are being made in consultation with respective National Sporting Federations (NSFs) and other stakeholders and will be sent to the Sports Ministry for final approval.
• The six-member panel will be headed by Rohit Bharadwaj SAI secretary. The members of the committee are: CEO Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Rajesh Rajagopalan, Executive Director (Operations) SS Roy, SS Sarla, Col BK Nayak and Assistant Director TOPS Sachin K as members.
BRAND AMBASSADORS
1. ELSA Corp appoints Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane as its brand ambassador for India, Middle East, ANZ & SAARC
• ELSA Corp (English Language Speech Assistant Corporation) has appointed Ajinkya Rahane as its brand ambassador for India, Middle East, ANZ & SAARC.
• Ajinkya Rahane will be endorsing the brand's mobile application.
• This association aims to popularize ELSA Speak amongst Indian individuals who want to better their English pronunciation.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
1. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's biography ‘Finding Freedom’ set for August release
• Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Dur will be releasing biography on the lives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by the name ‘Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family.’
• It will be released on 11 August 2020.
• The authors of the book were members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements.
• The book claims to go beyond the headlines to reveal details of the couple.
• It will provide a glimpse into the lesser known aspects of their romance and decision to go their separate way from Buckingham Palace.
• The authors are mission motivated by a desire to tell an accurate version of the couple’s journey and finally present the truth of misreported stories.
2. ‘The Life of a Kargil War Hero’ authored by Colonel VN Thapar and Neha Dwivedi released
• The book titled as ‘Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero’ authored by Vijyant’s father Colonel VN Thapar and writer Neha Dwivedi was released.
• Neha Swivedi is a Kargil war martyr’s daughter, an Armoured Corps Officer’s wife and a doctor by profession.
• The book is published by Penguin Random House.
• It describes the journey of Vijyant Thapar to join the Indian Military Academy and the experiences that shaped him into a fine officer.
3. Vadhan authors a new book titled “Fear of God” deals with corruption, vigilantism & law
• The book of “Fear of God” written by Bomma Devara Sai Chandravadhan was published by TreeShade publications.
• Chandravadhan writes under the Pen Name, Vadhan.
• The Book was released by author and Producer Anirban Bhattacharya.
• The book weaves law, corruption, vigilantism and courtroom drama to follow the three central characters who are looking to achieve the same thing but through different means.
• A parliamentarian is brutally murdered. The vigilante's next target is a war hero and top constitutional lawyer. A top police officer has to race against time to stop the killings. The vigilante is as devious as he is effective in instilling the fear of God into those who think they are above the law.
• The book talks about enforcing the law using an extreme form of justice delivery.
APPOINTMENTS
1. Yes Bank has appointed Neeraj Dhawan as Chief Risk Officer
• Yes Bank has designated Neeraj Dhawan as its central hazard official with a quick impact.
• The board of directors appointed him as the chief risk officer of the bank for a period of three years.
• He will replace Ashish Agarwal.
• Prior to this, Dhawan was holding the position of chief risk officer for retail and business banking at Yes Bank.
2. Manoj Ahuja appointed new CBSE chief, Anurag Jain DDA vice-chairman
• Senior IAS officer Manoj Ahuja has been appointed as the CBSE chairman, and Anurag Jain, the vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle.
• Gujarat-cadre IAS officer (1989 batch) Katikithala Srinivas will be Additional Secretary and Establishment Officer, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
• Shri Shiv Das Meena, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed as the Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board.
• Senior bureaucrats V Vidyavathi and Rajendra Kumar have been appointed as the Director Generals of Archaeological Survey of India and Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) respectively.
• Rakesh Sarwalhas been posted as the Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog.
3. Akhil Kumar re-inducted into NADA disciplinary panel
• Former Commonwealth Games gold-winning boxer Akhil Kumar has been re-inducted into the National Anti-Doping Agency's Disciplinary Panel.
• Akhil, who is also serving in Haryana Police as ACP Gurugram, was formerly in the panel from 2017 to 2019.
• The Arjuna award-winning Olympian is among the most accomplished names in Indian boxing and has also been the government observer for the sport between 2017 and 2019.
• In the past, the Haryana-boxer has advocated criminalising doping while expressing his views on the menace.
• The NADA ADDP also features track-and-field Arjuna awardee Ashwini Nachappa among others.
DAYS AND EVENTS
1. National Technology Day-11 May
• India observed its 29th National Technology Day in 2020 and this term was coined by late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• This day is the reminder of India’s technological advancements.
• National Technology Day was first observed on May 11, 1999 to commemorate the achievements of Indian scientists and engineers.
• Every year since 1999, the Technology Development Board (TBD) celebrates this day by awarding individuals for their scientific contributions to India.
INDICES AND REPORTS
1. India up at 74th place on WEF’s global energy transition index
• India has moved up two positions to rank 74th on a global ‘Energy Transition Index’ with improvements on all key parameters of economic growth, energy security and environmental sustainability.
• Sweden has topped the Energy Transition Index (ETI) for the third consecutive year and is followed by Switzerland and Finland in the top three.
• This was released in the World Economic Forum’s annual ranking.
• The study measured readiness for clean energy transition in 115 economies showed that 94 have made progress since 2015, but environmental sustainability continues to lag.
• India is one of the few countries in the world to have made consistent year-on-year progress since 2015.
• India’s improvements have come across all three dimensions of the energy triangle -- economic development and growth, energy access and security, and environmental sustainability.
• The index benchmarks 115 economies on the current performance of their energy systems across economic development and growth, environmental sustainability, and energy security and access indicators- and their readiness for transition to secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive energy systems.
• The US ranks outside the top 25 per cent for the first time, primarily due to the uncertain regulatory outlook for energy transition.
2. Bengaluru airport voted as best regional airport in India & Central Asia
• The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has won this year’s SKYTRAX Award for Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia.
• The airport was voted by customers as the Best Regional Airport in India & Central Asia for the third time in four years at the 2020 World Airport Awards.
• The Awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires completed by over 100 nationalities of airport customers during the 6-month survey period. The survey evaluated the customer experience across airport service and product key performance indicators – from check- in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.
• In the previous SKYTRAX Awards, the Bengaluru airport was adjudged the best airport in India in 2011 and the second best airport in India in 2012.
• The World’s Top 10 Airports of 2020 are:
I. Singapore Changi Airport
II. Tokyo Haneda Airport
III. Hamad International Airport Doha
IV. Incheon International Airport
V. Munich Airport
VI. Hong Kong International Airport
VII. Narita International Airport
VIII. Central Japan International Airport
IX. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
X. Kansai International Airport
