Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (1st to 7th April 2020)

By Priyanka Priya - Apr 13 2020

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 1st week April 2020. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2020 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Autism Awareness Day

  • World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on 2 April every year, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world. Theme ‘The Transition to Adulthood’

International Children’s Book Day

  • International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is annually celebrated on April 2, Danish author and poet Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday.
  • This year, IBBY Slovenia is hosting ICBD and chose the theme, “A Hunger for Words.”

International Day of Mine awareness

  • Every year, April 4 is celebrated as the International Day for Mine Awareness in order to spread awareness about the dangers and threats caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian population. This year’s theme “together for mine action”

National Maritime Day

  • National Maritime Day in India is observed on 5 April every year. First time it was celebrated on 5 April, 1964.

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

  • The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding.

United Nations International Day of Conscience

  • The United Nations General Assembly has designated 5 April to be observed as an International Day of Conscience every year.2020 Theme: Change the World with Conscience

 World Health Day

  • The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization, as well as other related organizations.The tagline for World Health Day is: Support nurses and midwives

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Foreign trade policy extended for one year till March 2021

  • The government extended the existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021 amid coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown to contain the virus spread.
  • The existing foreign trade policy 2015-20 which is valid up to March 31 this year is extended up to March 31, 2021.

Tourism Ministry launches ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists

  • The Ministry of Tourism has launched a portal ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists who are stuck in various parts of the country.

Govt extends crop loan interest benefits till May 31

  • Farmers who have taken short-term crop loans will get time till May 31 to repay the loan without losing the benefit of interest subvention and other additional incentives offered by the government on timely repayment, an official statement stated.

DARPG’s National Monitoring Dashboard launched for COVID-19 Grievances

  • Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh launched DARPG’s National Monitoring Dashboard on COVID-19 Grievances. The National Monitoring Dashboard was developed and implemented at https://darpg.gov.in where COVID-19 related grievances are monitored on priority basis by a technical team of DARPG.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches new features of e-NAM Platform

  • Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched new features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) It will help strengthen agriculture marketing by farmers which will reduce their need to come to wholesale mandis for selling their harvested produce, at a time when there is critical need to decongest mandis to effectively fight against COVID-19.

C-DOT and Telecom Service Providers develop COVID Quarantine Alert System

  • The Department of Telecommunication and C-DOT in coordination with Telecom Service Providers have developed and tested an application which automatically triggers an email or SMS if any identified corona positive person moves away from their quarantine location.

MoS HRD and IT, Sanjay Dhotre launches ‘Hack the Crisis-India’ hackathon

  • Minister of State Human Resource Development and IT Sanjay Dhotre launched Hack the Crisis – India, an Online Hackathon to find working solutions for overcoming COVID-19 pandemic.

Home Minister Amit Shah approves release of Rs 11,092 Cr under SDRMF to all States

  • Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the release of Rs 11,092 crore under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund, SDRMF to all States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his video conference meeting with the Chief Ministers had assured about it.

DST sets up rapid response centre at SINE, IIT Bombay to combat COVID-19 

  • Department of Science & Technology, Government of India in a rapid response to combat COVID-19 global pandemic approved setting up of a Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH) at a total cost of Rs 56 Cr to scout, evaluate and support the innovations and start-ups that address COVID-19 challenges.

Finance ministry releases Rs17,287 crore to states to fight Covid-19 outbreak

  • Finance ministry released 17,287 crore to different states on account of Centre’s share of state disaster response mitigation fund (SDRMF) as well as revenue deficit grants in order to enhance financial resources of states to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

Indian Railways develops low-cost ventilator

  • The Indian Railways has developed a low-cost ventilator, Jeevan, at its Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory, Punjab.

Govt constitutes Empowered Group for coordinating COVID-19 related Response Activities

  • Government has constituted an Empowered Group chaired by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant for coordinating with Private Sector, NGOs and International Organisations for COVID-19-related Response Activities. It will address the issues pertaining to identification of problems, effective solutions and formulation of plans with three groups of stakeholders.

IAS, IPS officers’ associations form ‘Caruna’, an initiative to fight Coronavirus

  • Associations representing officers of Central Civil Services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), have formed an initiative called ‘Caruna‘ to support and supplement the government’s efforts in fighting coronavirus, an official stated.

NHAI achieves highest ever construction of National Highways in FY 2019-20

  • National Highway Authority of India, NHAI has achieved highest ever construction of National Highways in financial year 2019-20.
  • NHAI stated, it has accomplished construction of three thousand 979 kilometre of national highways and this is the highest ever highway construction achieved in a financial year by NHAI.

Cabinet approves ordinance to reduce salaries of PM, Ministers, MPs by 30% for a year

The Union Cabinet approved a 30% cut in the salaries of all Members of Parliament and a two-year suspension of the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme so that the amount saved can go to the Consolidated Fund of India to fight COVID-19, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar

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Ministry of Tourism:

  • Officeholder: Prahlad Singh Patel (MOS independent charge)
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions:

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Officeholders: Narendra Modi (Minister), Jitendra Singh (Minister of State)

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

  • Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Cabinet Minister
  • Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State
  • Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary

Home Ministry

  • Union Minister of Home Affairs : Amit Shah.
  • Ministry executive: Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS, Home Secretary
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

Department of Science and Technology (DST) :

  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Minister of State Dr. Harsh Vardhan is head of the department
  • Ashutosh Sharma is its present secretary

Finance Ministry:

  • Union Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman,
  • Deputy Minister: Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance
  • Ajay Bhushan Pandey ,IAS, Finance Secretary & Revenue Secretary

Indian Railways

  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Union Minister of Railways– Piyush Goyal
  • Chairman- Vinod Kumar Yadav

NITI Aayog:             

  • Narendra Modi, (Chairperson)
  • Rajiv Kumar, (Vice Chairperson)
  • Amitabh Kant, (CEO)
  • Head Quarters : New Delhi

National Highway Authority of India:

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Agency executive: Sanjeev Ranjan (Chairperson)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Secretary General appoints group as part of NATO reflection process

  • Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the appointment of a group of experts on to support his work in a reflection process to further strengthen NATO’s political dimension. The group of five men and five women will be co-chaired by Thomas de Maizière and Wess Mitchell, and will report to the Secretary General

Global economy could shrink by almost 1 per cent in 2020, say UN

  • The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal from the previous forecast of 5 per cent growth, the United Nations (UN) stated, warning that it may contract even further if restrictions on the economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses.

World Bank offers $1bn for proposed India project

  • The World Bank has offered $1 billion to the Indian government for a proposed India Covid-19 emergency response and health systems preparedness project. This four-year project aims to develop the preparedness of India’s health care systems in the time of the pandemic.

World Bank to roll out USD 160 billion emergency aid to help nations deal with Covid-19

  • The World Bank approved a plan to roll out USD 160 billion in emergency aid over 15 months to help countries deal with the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

UNGA adopts resolution calling for global solidarity in fight against COVID-19

  • The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution on COVID-19, calling for intensified international cooperation to defeat the pandemic.
  • Co-sponsored by 188 nations including India, the resolution titled Global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is first such document on the global pandemic to be adopted by the world organization.

UAE officially asks to postpone Expo 2020 Dubai, likely to be held in October 2021

  • The United Arab Emirates has officially requested to postpone the start of the Expo 2020 Dubai until October next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the body that oversees the world fair stated.

IMF to open USD 1 trillion war chest to aid fight against the coronavirus

  • More than 90 countries have sought emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, according its MD Kristalina Georgieva. The 189-member-nation multilateral agency has indicated that it will put to use its $1 trillion war chest to help countries cope up with the ensuing crisis.

UN Security Council to discuss Covid-19 pandemic in closed session

  • The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a closed session to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, the first time the powerful UN organ is holding a meeting on coronavirus that has killed more than 74,000 people and infected over 1.3 million globally.

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NATO:

  • The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 North American and European countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.
  • Chairman of the NATO Military Committee: Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach, Royal Air Force
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe: General Tod D. Wolters, United States Air Force
  • Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium

United Nations (UN):

  • Headquarters: New York, United States
  • Founded: 24 October 1945
  • Secretary general: António Guterres
  • General Assembly President: Tijjani Muhammad-Bande

World Bank:

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • David Malpass :President
  • Anshula Kant: MD and CFO
  • Penny Goldberg: Chief Economist

United Arab Emirates:

  • Capital: Abu Dhabi
  • Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
  • President : Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

International Monetary Fund (IMF):

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C. U.S.
  • Managing Director : Kristalina Georgieva
  • Chief Economist : Gita Gopinath

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Small Savings Scheme, PPF Rates Slashed For April-June

  • Interest rate on public provident fund (PPF) scheme has been lowered to 1 per cent for the upcoming June quarter of financial year 2020-21. This is the lowest interest rate offered on the popular small savings scheme since 1977. Till the March quarter of FY20, PPF accounts used to attract 7.9 per cent interest.

RBI raises WMA limit for H1FY21 to Rs1.20-lakh crore

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has upped the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limit for the first half of the financial year 2020-21 (April 2020 to September 2020) to Rs 20-lakh crore from Rs 75,000 crore in the year-ago period.

ICICI Bank launches banking facilities on WhatsApp

  • Private sector lender ICICI Bank has rolled out banking facilities on
  • This will enable its retail customers to undertake a slew of banking requirements from their home at a time when they are advised to stay indoors in the wake of the nationwide lockdown to fight against coronavirus,

IBA instructs banks to deposit Rs500 each in PMJDY accounts of women for three months

  • An amount of Rs 500 each will be credited to the accounts of all women account holders under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) for the next three months, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
  • The Indian Banks Association (IBA) has written to member banks with respect to the direct cash transfer and logistics for withdrawal by the account holders, as part of Central assistance amid the pandemic

PhonePe launches coronavirus insurance policy, offers Rs 50,000 cover at Rs 156

  • One of the leading digital payment platforms in India, PhonePe announced the launch of an insurance policy for coronavirus hospitalization called ‘Corona Care’ from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, the policy is priced at Rs 156 and offers an insurance cover of Rs 50,000 for an individual under 55 years of age. The cover is applicable for any hospital which offers treatment for COVID-19.

India’s fiscal deficit may shoot to 6.2 per cent of GDP in FY21: Fitch Solutions

  • India’s fiscal deficit in 2020-21 may shoot up to 2 per cent of the GDP from 3.5 per cent government estimate as a fallout of the Covid-19 economic stimulus package, Fitch Solutions stated.

RBI announces more measures to deal with economic fallout of Covid-19

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced more measures, including extension of period for realisation and repatriation of export proceeds, to deal with the economic fallout of Covid-19 pandemic.
  • It also increased ways and means advances (WMA) limit by 30 per cent from existing limit for all states and union territories.

Axis Bank offers EMI deferment on loans for 3 months

  • Axis Bank has offered its customers to opt for the loan moratorium if they face problem is keeping their EMIs running, in line with actions of its peers.

ADB expects India’s economic growth to slow down to 4 per cent in FY21

  • India’s economic growth is likely to slow down to 4 per cent this fiscal on the back of the current global health emergency, Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated in its outlook for financial year 2020-21.

Indian Bank launches new products to support farmers, poultry players

  • The Indian Bank has launched three new products to support farmers, poultry players and the workforce in the informal sector during the current crisis triggered by the outbreak of dreaded Covid-19 virus.
  • Under the IND Covid Emergency Agro-Processing Loan, agro-processing units can avail 10 per cent of the working capital limit.

SBI Cards offers moratorium on credit card dues

  • The RBI’s Covid-19 package, SBI Cards and Payment Services has given its cardholders the option to avail a moratorium on their credit card dues.
  • The moratorium period is of three months, for making payment of credit card outstanding balance/EMIs which are due between March 1 and May 30 this year

Global cost of Covid-19 could top $4 trillion: Asian Development Bank

  • The coronavirus pandemic could cost the global economy $4.1 trillion as it ravages United States, Europe and other major economies, the Asian Development Bank warned .

RBI reduces trading timings of currency and debt markets

  • In view of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Reserve Bank of India has notified a change in market timings. Beginning April 7th, markets dealing with government securities, call/notice/term money, corporate bonds, foreign currency, Indian Rupee Trades, commercial paper and Certificates of Deposit will be working from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Fitch slashes India growth forecast to 30-year low of 2 per cent for FY21

  • Fitch Ratings stated it has slashed India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to a 30-year low of 2 per cent, from 1 per cent projected earlier, as economic recession gripped global economy following the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

India seeks $6 billion loans from AIIB, ADB to combat COVID-19: Report

  • India is seeking loans worth $6 billion from multilateral institutions including the Asian Development Bank to combat COVID-19.
  • The central government is in talks with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and ADB to secure these loans to further the testing and infrastructure facilities in the country.

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Ways and Means Advances (WMA):

  • Ways and means advances is a mechanism used by Reserve Bank of India under its credit policy to provide to States, banking with it, to help them tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of their receipts and payments.

RBI:

  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Formation– 1 April 1935
  • Governor– Shaktikanta Das
  • Deputy Governors– 3 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra)

ICICI:

  • CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Tagline : Hum Hai na.

Indian Banks Association (IBA)

  • Indian Banks’ Association, formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India – an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai.
  • Chairman : Mr. Rajnish Kumar
  • CEO: Sunil metha
  • Headquarters location: Mumbai

Phonepe

  • Headquarters -Bengaluru
  • Founder and CEO- Sameer Nigam

Fitch Solutions

  • Headquarters: New York City, U.S.
  • Paul Taylor, CEO of Fitch Group

Axis Bank:

  • CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Tagline :Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

 Asian Development Bank (ADB)

  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
  • President: Masatsugu Asakawa
  • Membership: 68 countries
  • Founded: 19 December 1966

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

  • President : Jin Liqun
  • Headquarters: Beijing, China
  • Membership: 76 Members

Indian bank:

  • Headquarters: Chennai
  • CEO: PadmajaChunduru
  • Tagline :Your Own Bank

SBI Cards and Payment Services:

  • CEO: Hardayal Prasad
  • Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
  • Headquarters :Gurgaon

 Fitch ratings:

  • Headquarters: New York City, U.S.
  • Paul Taylor, CEO of Fitch Group

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Tata Power JV commences commercial operationsof 178 MW Shuakhevi HPP in Georgia

  • A Joint Venture between Tata Power, Norway’s Clean Energy Invest (CEI), and International Financial Corporation (IFC) has announced the start of commercial operation of the 178 MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project (Shuakhevi HPP) located in southwest Georgia

Affordable housing firm Aavas gets $60m ADB loan

  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to lend up to $60 million to Aavas Financiers Ltd , a housing finance company in India, to improve access to housing finance for lower-income borrowers, particularly women.

Google donates USD 6.5 million to help fight coronavirus misinformation

  • Google has announced $6.5 million in funding to fact-checkers and non-profit organisations fighting misinformation globally around novel coronavirus.
  • The funding is being given as part of Google News Initiative (GNI) which is also providing an online resource hub, dedicated training and crisis simulations for reporters covering COVID-19 all over the globe.

Domino’s Pizza joins hands with ITC Foods to make home delivery of essentials  

  • Dominos Pizza, in partnership with ITC Foods, announced the launch of Dominos Essentials to deliver essential items at home in view of the lockdown imposed owing to the spread of coronavirus.

Bione launches India’s first COVID-19 home screening test kit

  • Bione has recently launched a rapid COVID-19 at-home Screening test kit and has established itself as the first healthcare company in India to achieve the feat. The easy-to-use kit displays accurate results within minutes, instrumental in the timely screening of the deadly virus.

Uber partners NHA to provide dedicated transport service to COVID-19 healthcare workers

  • Ride-hailing platform Uber stated it has partnered with the National Health Authority (NHA) to provide transport service to frontline healthcare workers in the country, who are engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Tata Power Solar bags NTPC contract for Rs.1,730 crore

  • Tata Power Solar will build the 300 MW CPSU-II for NTPC at an all-inclusive price of 1,730.16 crore.
  • The Commercial Operation Date (COD) for this grid-connected solar photovoltaic project is set for September 2021 (18 months). With this order, the order book of Tata Power Solar stands at approximately 8541 crore, including external and internal orders.

L&T bags larger order from Indian Army

  • The smart world and communication business of L&T Construction has bagged a large order from the Indian Army to establish a unified network management system to manage, support and operate the countrywide armed forces network under the Network for Spectrum (NFS)

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 Uber:

  • CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

L&T constructions:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Chairman : A.M. Naik
  • N. Subrahmanyan : (MD & CEO)

Georgia

  • Capital- Tbilisi
  • Currency- Georgian lari
  • President- Salome Zourabichvili

ADB:

  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
  • President: Masatsugu Asakawa
  • Founded: 19 December 1966

 Google :

  • CEO: Sundar Pichai
  • Founded: 4 September 1998
  • Parent organization: Alphabet Inc
  • Headquarters: California, United States

Tata Power Solar:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Parent organization: Tata Group
  • Founded: 1989

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Odisha Foundation Day

  • Odisha Day is celebrated on 1 April in Odisha in the memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of Bihar and Odisha province on 1 April 1936.

25 lakh poor in A.P. to get house sites on April 14 under Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu programme

  • The government has issued modified guidelines for the distribution of 25 lakh house sites to the poor in urban and rural areas under Navaratnalu – Pedalandariki Illu (houses for all the poor)

AP govt to buy MOM developed by NAVY for COVID-19 patients

  • The Andhra Pradesh government has come forward to purchase the portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold (MOM), a novel contraption developed by naval personnel in Visakhapatnam, that would help meet any emergency requirement of oxygen supply to coronavirus patients

Delhi govt to provide financial assistance worth Rs 5,000 each to all auto-rickshaw, taxi drivers amid lockdown situations AIR Pics

  • Delhi government will provide financial assistance worth 5,000 rupees each to all auto-rickshaw, Gramin-sewa, E-rickshaw and taxi drivers in wake of difficulties faced by them amid lockdown situations. The amount will be transferred into their bank account.

Maharashtra govt launches online self-assessment tool to better identify, assist patients

  • In Maharashtra, with over 400 people testing positive for Corona virus, the State Government has now taken the fight against the pandemic online, by launching a COVID-19 self-assessment tool

Gujarat govt announces financial assistance of Rs 25 per day for each animal for April for all registered Gau Shalas

  • Gujarat government has announced financial assistance of Rs 25 per day for each animal for the month of April for all registered Gau Shalas in the state.

Delhi government launches WhatsApp helpline number to provide credible information

  • In order to ensure that the citizens of Delhi have easy access to credible information around Covid-19, the Health & Family Welfare Department of Government of Delhi has launched a dedicated WhatsApp helpline number

Odisha government, UNICEF launch ‘Mo Prativa’ to engage young minds amid COVID-19 lockdown

  • Odisha government in collaboration with the UNICEF has launched an online competition programme ‘Mo Prativa’ to engage the children and youth who are staying at home during the lockdown.
  • Two themes, ‘Being at home during lockdown’ and ‘My responsibility as a young citizen during Covid-19’

Disinfectant tunnel installed at DGP office in Hyderabad

  • 3V Safe Tunnel, a disinfectant tunnel was installed at the Director General of Police’s office in Telangana State by S3V Vascular Technologies Private Limited

Kerala installs Walk in Sample Kiosks for Covid-19 testing in Ernakulam districtA

  • Kerala has installed Walk in Sample Kiosks (WISK) for mass collection of samples for Covid-19 testing  in Ernakulam district based on South Korean model.
  • A  Walk-in Sample Kiosk or WISK is a mobile cubicle with a sealed glass front, and have extended gloves attached in the front, through which a medical practitioner standing in the cubicle can collect samples.

Delhi lab launches India’s 1st drive-through coronavirus test centre

  • In a first of its kind in the country, Dr Dang Labs launched a testing drive through a COVID-19 testing Centre on the western side of the national capital’s Punjabi Bagh area.

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 AP

  • CM- Jegan Mohan Reddy
  • Governor- Biswabhusan Harichandan

Delhi

  • Chief Minister- Arvind Kejriwal
  • Governor- Anil Baijal

 Maharashtra:

  • Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
  • Capital: Mumbai
  • Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray

Gujarat :

  • Capital: Gandhinagar
  • Governor: Acharya Devvrat
  • Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

 Odisha

  • Capital– Bhubaneswar
  • Chief Minister– Naveen Patnaik
  • Governor– Ganeshi Lal

UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund)

  • Headquarters– New York, United States
  • Executive Director– Henrietta H. Fore

 Telangana

  • Capital- Hyderabad
  • CM- Chandra Sekar Rao
  • Governor- Tamilisai Soundarajan

 Kerala:

  • Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
  • Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

Apple acquires weather app Dark Sky, to shut down Android version in June

  • Apple has acquired popular weather app Dark Sky and will shut down its Android and Wear OS versions in July. However, terms of the deal was not disclosed.

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Apple:

  • CEO: Tim Cook
  • Chairman :Arthur D. Levinson
  • Head quarters: California, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

‘Aarogya Setu’: Govt launches coronavirus tracker app

  • The Central government launched an app called Aarogya Setu to help people track coronavirus infections more accurately.
  • The app was launched by the National Informatics Centre that comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Geo-Fencing App To Locate Quarantine Violators

  • Geo-fencing is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location.

IBM offers ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ to quickly address covid-19 queries

  • IBM is offering its AI platform ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ free of cost for at least 90 days, which will provide reliable information on covid-19 related queries.

AICTE comes out with unique helpline portal to support students during lockdown

  • All India Council for Technical Education, AICTE has come out with a unique MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal to address the issues. The website with URL https://helpline.aicte-india.org was launched by Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

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Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

  • Union Minister of Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology- Ravi Shankar Prasad
  • Constituency- Patna Sahib, Bihar

AICTE

  • Headquarters- New Delhi
  • Chairman- Anil Sahasrabudhe

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Hindustan Unilever completes the GlaxoSmithKline merger

  • Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has completed the merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH India).
  • HUL has received all the regulatory approvals along with the National Company Law Tribunal for the merger.

Be updated with Daily Current affairs News

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 Hindustan Unilever

  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Chairman and Managing Director– Sanjiv Mehta

 GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited

  • Headquarters– Gurgaon, Haryana

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

NEC Corporation appoints new President, CEO

  • NEC Corporation and NEC Technologies India have appointed Aalok Kumar as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of NEC Technologies India.
  • With this appointment, Takayuki Inaba, former Chairman and Managing Director, has been appointed Executive Chairman of NEC Technologies India.

Lakshminarayanan takes over as MD of Sundaram Home Finance

  • Sundaram Finance Ltd. has announced the appointment of Lakshminarayanan as the Managing Director of its wholly-owned home finance subsidiary Sundaram Home Finance.

Nissan appoints new Chairman for Africa, Middle East and India

  • Yokohama-headquartered Nissan Motor Company Ltd has appointed Guillaume Cartier as senior vice president and the new chairman for Africa, Middle East and India markets.

Paytm Money MD & CEO Pravin Jadhav resigns

  • Paytm Money managing director and CEO Pravin Jadhav has resigned
  • Prior to being elevated to as Paytm Money’s MD and CEO in September last year, Jadhav was working as a whole-time director with the company.

Justice Rajnesh Oswal sworn in as permanent Judge of High Court of J&K, Ladakh under Indian Constitution

  • Justice Rajnesh Oswal was sworn in as a permanent Judge of the common High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

Govt extends tenure of NCLT acting President BSV Prakash Kumar

  • The government has extended the tenure of acting President of National Company Law Tribunal BSV Prakash Kumar for another three months

SEBI whole-time member Madhabi Puri Buch gets six-month extension

  • Madhabi Puri Buch, Whole Time Member (WTM) at SEBI, has been given a six months extension by the government. Buch was appointed in April 2017 and her three-year tenure ends in March.

Indian-origin Lisa Nandy appointed UK shadow foreign minister

  • The Labour Party’s newly-elected Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, named Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy as his shadow foreign secretary

Infosys COO UB Pravin Rao appointed Nasscom Chairman for 2020-21, Rekha Menon as vice chairperson

  • IT industry body Nasscom has appointed Infosys Chief Operating Officer UB Pravin Rao as its chairman for 2020-21, succeeding WNS Global Services Group CEO Keshav Murugesh

 Anurag Srivastava takes charge as MEA Spokesman

  • Senior diplomat Anurag Srivastava took charge as the Spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, succeeding Mr Raveesh Kumar.

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Ministry of External Affairs:

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Officeholders: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar ( union Minister),
  • Muraleedharan (Minister of State)

SEBI:

  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Chairman– Ajay Tyagi.

 NASSCOM

  • Headquarter- New Delhi
  • Chairperson- UB Pravin Rao

 Sundaram Finance Limited

  • Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • Chairman– T. T. Srinivasaraghavan

 Nissan :

  • CEO: Makoto Uchida
  • Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

 Paytm

  • Chief Executive officer– Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
  • Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

CLW sets World Record by producing 431 Locomotives in FY 2019-20

  • Indian Railways’ Chittaranjan Locomotive Works sets new world record amidst nationwide Coronavirus lockdown! Despite COVID-19 restrictions coming in force on 21 March 2020 across the country, the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has created another record in making the highest number of locomotives. In the financial year 2019-20, the CLW produced a total of 431 locomotives.

Bob Weighton 112-year-old officially recognised as world’s oldest man

  • A Hampshire resident Bob Weighton has been officially recognised as the world’s oldest man by Guinness World Records. Bob Weighton, from the UK, has been officially confirmed as the oldest person living (male) at 112 Years and 1 day as of 30 March 2020.

Indian NGO ARMMAN wins prestigious USD 1.5 million Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

  • ARMMAN, an India-based non-profit organization, has been awarded the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship 2020 for its exceptional work in the maternal and child health space in India.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik gets PETA award for allocating funds to feed community animals

  • Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been conferred with an award by animal rights body PETA India for allocating funds to feed community animals in Odisha during the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Kobe Bryant inducted into NBA Hall of Fame

  • Kobe Bryant will be posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • The other members of the Hall’s Class of 2020 will be Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens and Patrick Baumann.

STATIC GK

Indian Railways

  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Union Minister of Railways– Piyush Goyal
  • Chairman- Vinod Kumar Yadav

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

G20 finance ministers to hold virtual talks on coronavirus crisis

  • Finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of 20 major economies will hold a second round of virtual talks to push ahead the coronavirus response.
  • They were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off forecasts of a deep recession.

United Nation’s COP 26 climate change summit postponed till next year

  • United Nation’s COP 26 climate change summit due to take place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • British government rescheduled conference in 2021 would be announced later.

STATIC GK

G20

  • Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico,  ​Republic of Korea​,​ Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, ​​​Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU)​.
  • 2020- Saudi Arabia
  • 2021- Italy
  • 2022- India

UNFCCC

  • HQ- Bonn, Germany

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Two new books to hit the stands in May of understanding  CORONA

  • The books, “How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crisis” by Italian physicist Paolo Giordano and “Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs” by epidemiologist Michael Osterholm and author Mark Olshaker, will hit the stands in May.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NASA Announced New Sunrise Mission To Study Giant Solar Particle Storms

  • US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that it has selected a new mission to study giant solar particle storms.
  • The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) will look into how Sun generates and releases the giant weather storms, known as the solar particle storms, into space.

IIT Guwahati develops robots to deliver food, medicines to Covid-19 wards

  • Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are developing two robots that can be deployed in isolation wards for Covid-19 infected cases for delivery of food and medicine to patients and the collection of contagious waste.

IIT Kanpur works on portable ventilator to tackle the COVID-19 outbreake

  • Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur is working on portable ventilator to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The proto type of this ventilator will be ready soon and just after assembling, it can be used as life support system.

Personal safety app DROR to help users record their social distancing score

  • Personal safety app DROR has introduced an innovative feature to support the ongoing social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 outbreak in India. Registering with DROR’s online community will allow users to track their social distancing score in real-time.

DRDO develops bio suit to keep personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from virus

  • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a bio suit to keep the medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the virus. Defence Ministry stated, the suit has been prepared with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood.

China to launch communications satellite named after Wuhan 

  • China will launch the first two communications satellites for its space-based Internet-of-Things project this month with one of them named after its birthplace Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus, officials stated.
  • The rocket to send the satellites, Kuaizhou-1A, was developed by the Wuhan-based Sanjiang Group under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

IIT Roorkee develops low-cost face shields for protection of first line healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19

  • IIT Roorkee has developed low-cost face shields for first line healthcare professionals at AIIMS Rishikesh for protection from COVID-19.
  • The frame of face shield is 3D printed. The shield can be used along with the protective gear by healthcare personnel while entering the wards housing COVID-19 patients.

IIT Hyderabad incubated startup develops low-cost & portable ventilator

  • Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) incubated startup, Aerobiosys Innovations has developed a low-cost, portable, emergency-use ventilator Called ‘Jeevan Lite’

NASA unveils plan for Artemis ‘base camp’ on the moon beyond 2024

  • NASA is forging ahead with its Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024, but the agency has also just offered its first plan for what a U.S. lunar presence may look like after that milestone.

STATIC GK

 China:

  • President: Xi Jinping
  • Capital: Beijing
  • Currency: Renminbi

NASA:

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • Founded: 29 July 1958, United States
  • Agency executives: Jim Bridenstine, Administrator
  • James Morhard, Deputy Administrator

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:

  • Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences- Harsh Vardhan
  • Constituency- Chandni Chowk, Delhi.

 Defence Research and Development Organisation:

  • Headquarters -New Delhi
  • Founded- 1958
  • Chairman- Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

RIL overtakes TCS to become most valued firm

  • Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) surpassed TCS to become the most valued domestic firm by market capitalisation.
  • The market capitalisation (m-cap) of RIL was Rs 7,05,211.81 crore, which was Rs 21,133.32 crore more than that of Tata Consultancy Services’ Rs 6,84,078.49 crore valuation on the BSE.

Tamil Nadu finishes on top in micro-irrigation coverage

  • In the just-concluded financial year 2019-20, the TN State finished on top at the all-India level for micro-irrigation coverage.
  • This has been achieved as part of implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), a programme aimed at promoting the “more crop per drop” concept by focussing on water-saving technologies.

STATIC GK

 RIL

  • CEO- Mukesh Ambani
  • Founded-1973, Maharashtra

 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

  • Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana is a national mission to improve farm productivity and ensure better utilization of the resources in the country. The scheme has been approved with an outlay of 50000 crore for period of 5 years(2015-16 to 2019-20).
  • Formed- 2015

 TN

  • Capital – Chennai
  • CM- Edappadi K Palanisamy
  • Governor- Banwarilal Prohit

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Operation Sanjeevani: IAF airlifts medical and hospital consumables for the Maldives

  • India has supplied 2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives as  assistance in fight against COVID 19 under ‘Operation Sanjeevani’. The medicines were procured from various cities and delivered by an Hercules aircraft of Indian Air Force.

Army Medical Corps celebrates its 256th Raising Day

  • The Army Medical Corps (AMC) on April 3rd celebrated its 256th Raising Day. It was raised based on the Royal Medical Corps.
  • The 256th Raising Day was held with the motto ‘Survey Santu Nirmaya’, meaning ‘Let all humans be free from disease and disability’

STATIC GK

 Indian Air Force (IAF)

  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Chief of the Air Staff -Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria,

Maldives

  • Capital– Male
  • Currency– Maldivian rufiyaa
  • President– Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

 AMC

  • Director General of Army’s Medical Services – Manoj Kumar Unni

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

World athletics championships moving to 2022

  • The 2021 world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon will be shifted to 2022 to accommodate the re-arranged Tokyo Olympics, will now take place on July 23-August 8, 2021, World Athletics stated.

Wimbledon Tennis tournament canceled for the first time since World War-IIn

  • Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, has been cancelled for the first time since World War-II because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled in November postponed

  • The FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which was scheduled to be played in India between November 2nd and 21st, has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, FIFA stated, the new dates for the tournament will be identified later.

Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled in Hangzhou, China

  • The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were unveiled at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China. The three robots, which are going to be the mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games are collectively known as the smart triplets.
  • The Mascots – Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, which reflect the internet prowess of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province

All India Football Federation submits bid to host AFC Asian Cup 2027

  • India has submitted its bid documents for hosting the AFC Asian Cupin 2027, a top official of the national federation confirmed.

World Games in Birmingham, Alabama postponed until 2022

  • Joining the parade of postponed events in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced the 11th edition of the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama will now be held in the summer of 2022

IWF: Thailand, Malaysia banned from weightlifting at Tokyo Olympics

  • The Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions on Thailand and Malaysia and banned both the countries to from participating in weightlifting events at the Tokyo Olympics.

STATIC GK:

Wimbeldon Tennis:

  • The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon or The Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and is regarded by many as the most prestigious.
  • Headquarters location: London, United Kingdom
  • Surface: Grass court

 FIFA:

  • President: Gianni Infantino
  • Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
  • Senior Vice-President: Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa

IWF:

  • Headquarters– Budapest, Hungary
  • President– Tamas AJAN

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Arjun Dev, a legendary historian passes away

  • Professor Arjun Dev, the legendary educationist and historian passed away.
  • In partnership with Indira he wrote a number of extremely popular textbooks for the NCERT on Modern and Contemporary India and the World.

Princess Maria Teresa of Spain passes away

  • Spanish Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma has become the first royal to pass away due to coronavirus complications

Star Wars’ actor and ‘Batman Begins’ dialect coach Andrew Jack dies at 76

  • Actor Andrew Jack, best known for playing Major Ematt in “Stars Wars” films, has died of coronavirus complications at the age of 76. Jack passed away at a hospital in Chertsey, England.

Philip Anderson, Nobel laureate in physics passes away

  • Philip Anderson, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who expanded the world’s understanding of magnetism and superconductivity, has passed away. He was 96.

‘The Witches’ actor Vincent Marzello Passes away

  • Actor Vincent Marzello, best known for playing the father of the young protagonist in the 1990 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book “The Witches” has passed away.

Prominent Indian-origin virologist Gita Ramjee dies from coronavirus in South Africa

  • World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country.

Emmy-winning singer Adam Schlesinger passes away due to COVID-19

  • Emmy-winning singer Adam Schlesinger passed away at 52 following complications related to the virus COVID-19.
  • He has received a total of ten Emmy nominations throughout his career for writing satirical songs and has won three of them.

 Tony Lewis of ‘DLS method’ fame passes away

  • Tony Lewis, the man renowned for devising cricket’s Duckworth-Lewis rain rules, has passed away. He was 78.

Bhai Nirmal Singh, Padma Shri Recipient and Former ‘Hazoori Raagi’ passes away

  • Padma Shri recipient and former “Hazoori Raagi” at the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh, passed away, days after testing positive for coronavirus.

Former Arunachal minister Passang Wangchuk Sona passes away

  • Passang Wangchuk Sona, former minister of Arunachal Pradesh, passed away.
  • The later leader was the minister of mines & minerals and cooperation, besides food & civil supplies from 1995 to 1999 in the Arunachal Pradesh cabinet.

Bill Withers, Grammy-winning writer and singer passes away

  • Bill Withers, a three-time Grammy Award winner who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s passed away. He was 81.

Ex-Honduras President Disgraced By FIFA gate passes away

  • Honduran ex-president Rafael Callejas, who pleaded guilty in the United States for his part in the sweeping FIFA gate football corruption scandal, passed away.

Veteran Malayalam music director MK Arjunan Master passes away

  • Renowned Malayalam music composer MK Arjunan, who has composed music for over 700 songs in 200 films and regarded as the original master of melody in Malayalam films, passed away at his home in Palluruthy. He was 85.

Former Libya interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril Passes away

  • Mahmoud Jibril, the former leader of the opposition Libyan government during the civil war has passed away after being hospitalised with the coronavirus.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell passes away 

  • Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell passed away at 84 years.
  • Mitchell was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Former New Zealand Wicketkeeper Jock Edwards passes away

  • Former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Jock Edwards passed away at the age of 64. Edwards also played six ODIs, between 1976 and 1981.

Former England all-rounder Peter Walker passes away

  • Former England and Glamorgan County Cricket Club all-rounder Peter Walker has passed away at the age of 84.
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