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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
International Midwives’ Day
- International Midwife Day is celebrated on the 5th of May every year, to appreciate the work of midwives.
- International Day of the Midwives was first celebrated May 5th 1991, and has since been observed in over 50 nations around the world.
- The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands.
- This year in 2020, the International Confederation of Midwives’ theme is-Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW!
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
Suryoday SFB launches new working capital product
- Suryoday Small Finance Bank has rolled out a working capital product with a small overdraft (OD) limit on a pilot basis in two branches – Trichy (Tamil Nadu) and Cuttack (Odisha) – to help its customers meet the urgent liquidity requirements during the lockdown.
- To begin with, the bank has set a limit of 5,000 for this working capital product. But this could be increased anytime. The bank plans to scale up the number of branches offering this product to 100 in no time if it sees good traction.
- For example, if a customer wants only 2,000, he can take that, be comfortable. But the limit available is Rs.5,000. So, he can avail the balance Rs.3,000 whenever he wants, stated Baskar Babu R, MD and CEO.
- Babu emphasised that at 15 per cent, the interest rate on this product is lower than the bank’s regular microfinance loan, which is all about doorstep delivery to service the customer.
About Suryoday Small Finance Bank :
- Baskar Babu Ramachandran : MD & CEO
- Head quarters :Navi Mumbai
- Tagline : A bank of smiles
Nabard disburses Rs.12,767 cr to State Co-op Banks, RRBs
- The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), stated it has disbursed 12,767 crore to State Co-operative Banks (StCBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) across the country to augment their resources for extending credit to farmers during the ongoing lockdown.
- There are 33 StCBs and 45 RRBs in the country, and they are important intermediaries in the rural credit structure.
- The RBI had announced a Rs.50,000-crore refinance facility for three AIFIs – Nabard, the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and the National Housing Bank (NHB).
- These AIFIs play an important role in meeting the long-term funding requirements of agriculture and the rural sector, small industries, housing finance companies, non-banking finance companies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs).
- Of the Rs.50,000-crore refinance, Nabard got 25,000 crore for refinancing RRBs, co-operative banks and MFIs. Nabard stated it has augmented the resources of the rural banks to the tune of Rs.30,021 crore to since the second half of March 2020 when the lockdown came into force in different States as a measure to contain the spread of Covid19 pandemic.
About NABARD:
- Founded: 12 July 1982
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Chairperson : Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES
Jharkhand govt launches three schemes to boost rural employment
- The Jharkhand government launched three schemes under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in a bid to “revive the rural economy”, affected by the lockdown in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
- The three initiatives launched were the Birsa Harit Gram Yojana for rural plantations, Neelambar Pitambar JAL Sammridhi Yojana for water conservation and the Poto Ho Khel Vikas Scheme for making playgrounds.
- Under the Birsa Harit Gram Yojana, over two lakh acres of land will be used for
- Five lakh families would be given nearly 100 fruit-bearing plants, with initial plantation, maintenance, land work and afforestation to be taken up through MNREGA. Each family is estimated to receive an annual income of Rs 50,000 annually from the produce, the third year onwards.
- Under the Jal Sammridhi Yojna, water storage units will be constructed to store rainwater and runaway ground water. This scheme will primarily implemented in the Palamu division, which faces severe drought.
- Under the playground scheme, the government aims to develop 5,000 grounds, with at least one in one Panchayat. There are around 4,300 panchayats in the state.
- In Birsa Harit Gram Yojna, Rs 660 crore will be spent in a year, in which, Rs 520 crore will be the only wage component, leading to the creation of employment of 270 lakh person days and assets in 2,20,000 hectares. Under the Jal Yojna, Rs 1,200 crore will be spent with 90% being the wage component. For playgrounds, we will develop 1,000 in one year, generating employment of 850 lakh person days.
About Jharkhand
- Capital– Ranchi
- CM- Hemant Soren
- Governor- Draupadi Murmu
Himachal Pradesh govt to launch ‘Nigah’ to aware family members of migrant returnees
- In Himachal pradesh, the state government is planning to launch a new programme Nigah, in order to sensitize and educate the family members of the people coming to the state from other parts of the country.
- Under this programme Asha, health and anganwadi workers would be deployed to create general awareness in maintaining social distancing during home quarantine.
- Under the Nigah programme a team of ASHA, health and Anganwadi workers would sensitize the family members of persons arriving from other States regarding the importance of social distancing, so that they could be saved from any possible infection.
- Chief Minister Jairam Thakur stated the residence of such persons who recently returned to the state from other states must be properly labeled.
- He stated members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies must ensure that such persons do not jump from home quarantine.
About Himachal Pradesh :
- Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
- Capitals: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
- Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur
Andhra CM launches app to monitor agriculture needs of farmers
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched an app ‘CMAPP (Comprehensive Monitoring of Agriculture, Price, and Procurement)’, a mobile application to monitor the agriculture needs of farmers
- During a review meeting on marketing intelligence, the Chief Minister stated that the mobile application will display data relating to the cost, procurement, and marketing facilities of the farmers for their agriculture produce.
- The Chief Minister instructed the officials to monitor and review agriculture conditions including the sale and procurement of crops at the village level on a daily basis.
About Andhra Pradesh :
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
- Chief minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
- Capitals: Amaravati
CURRENT AFFAIRS: COMMITTEE
Irdai sets up panel to draft standard professional indemnity policy for insurance intermediaries
- Regulator Irdai has set up a panel to frame standard professional indemnity policy for insurance intermediaries that can be issued by all the insurers.
- The development came after Irdai witnessed several instances where policies taken by insurance intermediaries did not comply with the regulatory provisions.
- Insurance intermediaries such as insurance brokers, insurance web aggregators, and corporate agent are required to take professional indemnity insurance policies governed by different regulations.
- The panel has been asked to prepare a standard professional indemnity policy “which covers all the contingencies and conditions (retroactivedate, indemnity limits, excess, etc) mentioned in the Regulations” that can be issued by all insurers.
- It is being headed by Yegnapriya Bharat, CGM (Non-Life), Irdai. Its members are Umesh Rathod (The New India Assurance Co), Kasturi Sengupta (National Insurance Co), Surbhi Goel (HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co), and Najim B (TATA AIG General Insurance Co).
About IRDAI
- Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Chairman– Subhash Chandra Khuntia
MCA constitutes 7-member panel to enhance audit independence
- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has constituted a seven-member committee to examine the comments received on the consultation paper floated by it for enhancing audit independence and accountability in the country.
- The committee will examine the comments and make recommendations requiring any amendments in law, rules and standards to achieve the objective of enhancement of audit independence and accountability.
- The panel has been asked to submit its report by June 30. The committee members are: Amarjit Chopra, Past President of CA Institute; KVR Murty, Joint Secretary, MCA; PR Ramesh, former Deloitte India Chairman; Ajay Bahl, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, AZB Partners; Sridhar Pamarthi, Joint Director, MCA; NK Dua, Joint Director, MCA, and Atma Sah, Deputy Director, MCA.
- The MCA had earlier come up with a 20-page consultation paper seeking comments from government departments and regulatory agencies, besides others, by 28 February 2020 on wide ranging issues affecting audit independence. The consultation paper had sought to address five threats for auditor independence, self-interest, self-review, advocacy, familiarity and intimidation.
- To address the oligopoly of ‘Big4’ audit firms (economic concentration of audit) and making the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) prepare a separate panel of auditors for appointment as auditors of listed entities.
About MCA
- Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman
- Constituency- Karnataka
- Minister of State– Anurag Singh Thakur
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath launches ‘Ayush Kavach-Covid’ App
- Yogi Adityanath launched ‘Ayush Kavach-Covid’ app to help people get health remedies which can be useful in fight against COVID-19. The app has been developed by AYUSH ministry.
- The ‘Ayush Kavach-Covid’ App will provide s for measures to boost immunity based on natural resources.
- The app is designed to tell users how commonly available kitchen ingredients such as tulsi, clove and cinnamon can be used to enhance the body’s immunity to fight against COVID-19. It also offers users the opportunity to seek advice from experts.
About UP
- Capital- Lucknow
- CM- Yogi Adityanath
- Governor- Anandi Ben Patel
DGCA launches GARUD portal to fast-track approval to COVID-19 related drone operations
- Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA have launched the GARUD (Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones) portal for providing fast track conditional exemptions to government agencies for COVID-19 related drone operations.
- The step has been taken to aid government entities in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19 and will remain in force until further orders.
- Civil Aviation Ministry stated, any violation of provisions will make the conditional exemption null and void and will lead to penal action.
About Directorate General of Civil Aviation:
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Parent agency: Ministry of Civil Aviation
- Minister responsible: Hardeep Singh Puri
- Arun Kumar, IAS, Director General
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU
CCMB ties up with Bengaluru-based company to research on COVID-19
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad has tied up with a Bengaluru-based company, Eyestem Research Private Limited, to take up research activities on COVID-19. Through this research collaboration, an attempt will be made to grow novel coronavirus in human cell lines, which will enable in vitro testing of potential drugs and vaccines against the COVID-19.
- Scientists of CCMB stated, the research team will use Eyestem’s human lung epithelial cell culture system provided as part of its Anti-COVID Screening (ACS) platform to understand the molecular and pathological characteristics of the novel coronavirus, with a view of establishing a rational basis for testing potential drugs in vitro. Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director of CCMB stated, culturing the virus outside the human host is a technological challenge that needs to be overcome.
- CCMB is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR known for its cutting-edge research work on cellular and molecular biology. Eyestem Research Private Limited is a cell therapy start-up incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, C-CAMP, Bengaluru. C-CAMP is an initiative of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
About Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB):
- Director: Rakesh Mishra
- Head quarters: Hyderabad
CSIR’s IGIB, Tata Sons sign agreement for licensing of KNOW-HOW for rapid, accurate diagnosis of COVID-19
- The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),constituent lab Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and Tata Sons have signed an agreement for licensing of KNOW-HOW for rapid and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19.
- The license shall include transfer of the knowledge for scaling up the KNOW-HOW in the form of a kit that can be deployed for COVID-19 testing on ground as early as end of this month.
- A completely indigenous scientific invention, FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay, FELUDA for COVID-19 has been designed for mitigating the ongoing COVID-19 situation and cater to mass testing.
- Its main advantages are its affordability, relative ease of use and non-dependency on expensive Q-PCR machines. CSIR IGIB and TATA Sons will now work together to bring it for widespread use at the earliest. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a premier organisation under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
- This innovative CRISPR ‘Feluda’ test uses cutting edge CRISPR technology for detection of genomic sequence of novel coronavirus. It uses a test protocol that is simple to administer and easy to interpret enabling results to be made available to the medical fraternity in relatively lesser time, as compared to other test protocols. He stated, they believe that CRISPR is futuristic technology that can also be configured for detection of multiple other pathogens in the future.
About Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) :
- Established :26 September 1942
- President: Prime Minister of India
- Director General : Shekhar C. Mande
- Head Quarters :New Delhi
PNB Housing Finance signs MoU with IIT Delhi
- To support R&D for reusable PPE to be supplied to government hospitals .PNB Housing Finance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology).
- The initiative will support critical research and development (R&D) of a unique prototype material to be used in manufacturing sustainable (washable and reusable) PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) surgical gowns and masks. These will then be supplied to notable government hospitals.
- Through this MoU, the company will support the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi in fast tracked R&D of high quality PPE material. The cloth technology developed under this initiative will help in producing affordable, sustainable and reusable PPEs. The prototype will be tested at government accredited labs.
About PNB Housing Finance :
- Headquarters :New Delhi, India
- Neeraj vyas :Managing Director
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Max Bupa appoints Krishnan Ramachandran as MD, CEO
- Max Bupa Health Insurance has appointed Krishnan Ramachandran as its new managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO).
- He succeeds Ashish Mehrotra.
- Ramachandran has over 23 years of experience in health insurance, healthcare and life sciences segments
- He last served as the CEO of Apollo Munich Health Insurance.
About Max Bupa Health Insurance
- Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Indian-American attorney Saritha Komatireddy nominated by Trump as US federal court judge
- US President Donald Trump nominated an Indian-American attorney Saritha Komatireddy to a federal court in New York.
- Earlier, she has clerked under the former judge of the same district, Brett Kavanaugh.
- Komatireddy is currently Deputy Chief of General Crimes in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
- Previously she was Acting Deputy Chief, International Narcotics and Money Laundering (June, 2018 – January, 2019) and Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Coordinator (2016-2019).
Government nominates Tarun Bajaj as Director on Board of RBI
- The Central Government has nominated Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, as a Director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- Bajaj’s nomination follows the retirement of Atanu Chakraborty as Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
- The Reserve Bank’s affairs are governed by a central board of directors. The board is appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India Act.
- The Board currently has four official directors (full-time comprising the Governor and three deputy governors) and 10 non-official directors.
About RBI:
- Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Formation– 1 April 1935
- Governor– Shaktikanta Das
- Deputy Governors– 3 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael DebabrataPatra)
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Vladimir Putin awards commemorative World War II medal to Kim Jong-un
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Kim Jong-un a commemorative war medal marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
- The medal was awarded to the North Korean leader for his role in preserving the memory of Soviet soldiers who died on North Korean territory.
- Russia’s ambassador in North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, presented the award to the country’s Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon.
About Russia
- Capital– Moscow.
- Currency– Russian ruble.
About North Korea
- Capital– Pyongyang.
- Currency– North Korean won.
Star Air’s MD Shrenik Ghodawat Earns A Prominent Asian Award
- AsiaOne recently honoured noted entrepreneur, Shrenik Ghodawat with the “40 Most Influential Asian Under 40” recognition, which is considered as one of the most admired recognitions in the entire Asian region amongst the business community.
- This award was bestowed upon him for his valuable contribution towards the remarkable growth of Star Air, which he heads in the capacity of its Managing Director.
- Star Air in a very little time stunned the whole aviation industry and established a special place in people’s hearts.
- Launched in January 2019, Star Air has witnessed a quantum jump in its business and become the only private airline company in India that has operated in profit in its very first year.
- Shrenik is the brain behind Star Air, whose fine business acumen, smart strategies, and the ability to make the right decisions on time, helped the airline to have such a wonderful start.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
Indian Navy launches Operation Samudra Setu to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas
- Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu – meaning Sea Bridge, as a part of national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa and Magar are presently enroute to Malè in Maldives to commence evacuation operations from as part of Phase-1. Indian Mission in Maldives is preparing a list of Indian nationals to be evacuated by Naval ships and will facilitate their embarkation after requisite medical screening.
- A total of one thousand persons are planned to be evacuated during the first trip, catering for COVID- related social distancing norms vis-a-vis the carrying capacity and medical facilities available onboard. The ships have been suitably provisioned for the evacuation operation. The evacuated personnel would be provided the basic amenities and medical facilities during the sea-passage. In view of the unique challenges associated with COVID-19 stringent protocols have also been stipulated.
About Indian navy :
- Commander-in-Chief : President Ram Nath Kovind
- Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh,
- Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS): Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar,
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Astronomers Find Jupiter-Like Cloud Bands On Closest Brown Dwarf
- A team of astronomers has discovered that the closest known brown dwarf, Luhman 16A, shows signs of cloud bands similar to those seen on Jupiter and Saturn.
- Brown dwarfs are objects heavier than planets but lighter than stars and typically have 13 to 80 times the mass of Jupiter.
- Luhman 16A is part of a binary system containing a second brown dwarf, Luhman 16B. At a distance of 6.5 light-years, it is the third closest system to our Sun after Alpha Centauri and Barnard’s Star. Both brown dwarfs weigh about 30 times as much as Jupiter.
- Despite the fact that Luhman 16A and 16B have similar masses and temperatures (about 1,900deg F or 1,000deg C), and presumably formed at the same time, they show markedly different weather. Luhman 16B shows no sign of stationary cloud bands, instead of exhibiting evidence of more irregular, patchy clouds. Luhman 16B, therefore, has noticeable brightness variations as a result of its cloudy features, unlike Luhman 16A.
- The researchers used an instrument on the Very Large Telescope in Chile to study polarised light from the Luhman 16 system. Polarisation is a property of light that represents the direction that the light wave oscillates. Polarised sunglasses block out one direction of polarisation to reduce glare and improve contrast.
DAILY CA 5th MAY
- World Asthma Day – 5th may
- DBS Bank slashes India’s FY21 GDP forecast to 1%
- Silver Lake to buy stake in Jio Platforms
- HP govt to launch employment scheme for urban areas
- Chandigarh launches mobile app for COVID-19 “CHDCOVID”
- West Bengal govt launches exit app for stranded people of other states
- BharatPe launches two apps to curb need to touch handsets for checking transactions
- Aarogya Setu Launches Mitr Telemedicine Portal For Consultations
- Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launches “The Saras Collection” on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
- Swachhata -MOHUA app -A citizen’s tool to better city management
- IIT Hyderabad Partners With Hong Kong Financial Capital Firm To Create Venture Ecosystem
- Facebook and Bollywood collaborate on ‘I FOR INDIA’ concert
- President Trump nominates Indian-American as US representative to IBRD
- Sriram Venkataraman will be new Flipkart Commerce CFO
- Senior diplomat Rahul Chhabra appointed economic relations secretary in MEA
- J&K photojournalists secure Pulitzer 2020 for ‘striking images of life’
- DRDO develops Ultra Violet Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection
- ICMR to leverage IBM’s virtual agent Watson to enable rapid response to Covid-19 testing facilities
- India is placed 3rd among countries in scientific publication
- Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari gets 4-year ban for dope flunk
- FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022
- Egyptian tennis player Youssef Hossamfollows brother in receiving life ban for match-fixing
- Veteran Kannada poet, writer Nissar Ahmed passes away
DAILY CA 6th MAY
- International Midwives’ Day- 5th may
- Suryoday SFB launches new working capital product
- Nabard disburses 12,767 cr to State Co-op Banks, RRBs
- Jharkhand govt launches three schemes to boost rural employment
- Himachal Pradesh govt to launch ‘Nigah’ to aware family members of migrant returnees
- Andhra CM launches app to monitor agriculture needs of farmers
- Irdai sets up panel to draft standard professional indemnity policy for insurance intermediaries
- MCA consitutes 7-member panel to enhance audit independence
- Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath launches ‘Ayush Kavach-Covid’ App
- DGCA launches GARUD portal to fast-track approval to COVID-19 related drone operations
- CCMB ties up with Bengaluru-based company to research on COVID-19
- CSIR’s IGIB, Tata Sons sign agreement for licensing of KNOW-HOW for rapid, accurate diagnosis of COVID-19
- PNB Housing Finance signs MoU with IIT Delhi
- Max Bupa appoints Krishnan Ramachandran as MD, CEO
- Indian-American attorney Saritha Komatireddy nominated by Trump as US federal court judge
- Government nominates Tarun Bajaj as Director on Board of RBI
- Vladimir Putin awards commemorative World War II medal to Kim Jong-un
- Star Air’s MD Shrenik Ghodawat Earns A Prominent Asian Award
- Indian Navy launches Operation Samudra Setu to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas
- Astronomers Find Jupiter-Like Cloud Bands On Closest Brown Dwarf