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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Veterinary Day
- World Veterinary Day is celebrated on the last Saturday of April.
- This year it falls on April 25th.
- It is observed every year to mark the importance of Veterinary doctors who serve to protect animals. These veterans work on improving animal lives and thus human lives.
- The theme of World Veterinary Day this year is ‘Environment Protection for Improving Animal and Human Health’
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
ADB approves $1.5 billion loan for India to fight coronavirus pandemic
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated it has approved $1.5 billion loan to India to help fund its fight against coronavirus
- The loan has been sanctioned with a view to support immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention, as well as social protection for the poor and economically vulnerable sections.
- It is fully committed to supporting the Indian government in its response to this unprecedented challenge, stated ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa.
- The quick-disbursing fund is part of a larger package of support that ADB will provide in close coordination with the government and other development partners.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
- Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
- President: Masatsugu Asakawa
- Founded: 19 December 1966
India extends USD 150 million foreign currency swap support to Maldives
- India extended a USD 150 million foreign currency swap support to the Maldives to help the strategically important Indian Ocean island nation mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The swap facility was extended under USD 400 million currency swap arrangement signed between India and the Maldives in July last year.
- The currency swap facility is part of the USD 1.4 billion economic package announced by India for the Maldives during the state visit of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in December 2018.
- India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Maldives in tackling the global COVID-19 pandemic and providing financial stability. India is also considering extending the validity of the currency swap facility by one year, the statement stated.
About Maldives:
- Capital: Malé
- Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
- President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
Airtel signs $1 billion deal with Nokia to improve 4G network experience
- Bharti Airtel has signed a multi-year deal with Nokia to deploy the Finnish company’s network solutions across nine circles in India. The deal could be worth $1 billion.
- Nokia’s SRAN solution helps operators manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from one platform reducing network complexity, increasing cost efficiencies and future-proofing investment.
- The Finnish company will be the sole provider of SRAN in the nine circles in the country.
- The Nokia supplied networks with low latency and faster speeds will provide Airtel the best possible platform for when 5G networks launch across the country.
- Nokia stated the deal includes Nokia’s Single Radio Access Network solution, AirScale Radio Access, Baseband, and related Services.
- The rollout, which will also lay the foundation for providing 5G connectivity in the future, will see approximately 300,000 radio units deployed across several spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz, and is expected to be completed by 2022
About Bharti Airtel
- CEO: Gopal Vittal
- Head Quarters: New Delhi
About Nokia :
- Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
- Risto Siilasmaa : chairman
- Rajeev Suri : president and CEO
Bharti AXA General ties up with Policy Bazaar
- Bharti AXA General Insurance, a private insurer, has tied up with com to offer ‘Pay As You Drive’ Motor Insurance policies under a regulatory sandbox project.
- The usage-based motor insurance, popularly known as ‘Pay As You Drive’, allows customers to pay the premium depending on how many kilometres the car has travelled.
- Under this product, a customer pre-declares vehicle usage for a period of one year. Accordingly, the insurance premium will be calculated dynamically as per the pre-declared distance in km. The customer can choose from three slabs – 2,500 km., 5,000 km. and 7,500 km – as per his/her usage need.
- Bharti AXA General Insurance’s proposal for a usage-based motor insurance product is among the several products approved by IRDAI in January this year under the Regulatory Sandbox project.
- As car usage is highly varied across users, the product benefits those who drive less.
- Own damage (OD) premium will be calculated post factoring the premium benefit as per the pre-declared slab. The issued policy will have all the coverage under standard motor OD cover for the tenure of one year.
- It is also useful for those who commute daily via public transport or frequently travel beyond city limits and rarely use their personal vehicle.
About Bharti AXA General Insurance:
- CEO: Sanjeev Srinivasan
- Headquarters: Mumbai
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Moody’s slashes India’s growth estimate to 0.2% for 2020 from 2.5%
- Moody’s Investors Service slashed India growth forecast for calendar year 2020 to 2 per cent, from 2.5 per cent projected in March. For 2021, the rating agency expects India’s growth to rebound to 6.2 per cent.
- The rating agency had cut its projections from 5.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24.
- India lost the tag of the fastest-growing major economy to China in 2019, when it grew 5.3 per cent, against China’s 6.1 per cent.
- The same holds true for 2020 and 2021. China is projected to grow 1 per cent in 2020 and 7.1 per cent in 2021.
- Only China, India, and Indonesia are projected to witness economic growth in 2020 by Moody’s. It expects G20 advanced economies as a bloc to see a fall in its GDP by 4 per cent in 2020.
GDP growth rate estimates by various agencies for India
| India Ratings (for 2020-21) | (-) 2.1 to 1 per cent |
| CII (for 2020-21) | (-) 0.9 to 1 per cent |
| Nomura (for 2020) | (-) 0.5 per cent |
| Fitch ratings (for 2020-21) | 0.8 per cent |
| Goldman Sachs (for 2020-21) | 1.6 per cent |
| World Bank (for 2020-21) | 1.5 to 2.8 per cent |
| IMF (for 2020-21) | 1.9 per cent |
| Asian Development Bank (for 2020-21) | 4 per cent |
About Moody’s rating agency:
- Headquarters: New York, United States
- CEO: Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
Amazon India launches special fund to help its SMB partners in logistics
- Amazon India stated it has introduced a partner support fund to help the small and medium businesses (SMBs) who are heavily reliant on the company.
- The company noted in a statement that SMBs across India have been financially impacted due to the nationwide lockdown.
- This fund for SMBs in logistics will be available to delivery service partners and select transportation partners in India to help adjust their business model to the “new realities” posed during the lockdown, it stated.
- Through the one-time disbursement, the fund will support the partners in multiple ways. This includes enabling them to provide financial aid to close to 40,000 of their staff for the month of April 2020.
- Additionally it will help cover some critical fixed infrastructure costs, and support liquidity and cash flow for these businesses as they resume and scale their operations post lockdown,” the company stated.
About Amazon:
- Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States
- Jeff Bezos :chairman, president and CEO
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES
WCD Ministry takes unique initiative ‘doorstep Aanganwadi’ to reach out to children during lockdown in Gujarat
- In Gujarat, Women and Child Development Ministry(WCD) has taken a unique initiative called Umbare Aanganwadi, i.e doorstep Aanganwadi to reach out to children during the lockdown.
- Under ICDS programme the government has not only ensured the nutritious food to the children but also ensure their overall development.
- The ICDS Department has launched a TV programme called Umbare Aanganwadi which is telecast every alternate day through Vande Gujarat channel as well as Jio TV. Same is also telecast on You Tube.
- The regular theme based modules of Aanganwadi are being taught in an interactive the way in the programme which children can watch with their parents.
- Apart from this, various experts teach different Art and Craft activities in the programme which children can make from home based resources during the lockdown.
- The programme is targeted to around 14 lakh Aanganwadi children in the age group of 3-6 years old. In view of COVID-19, the department has also distributed ready to eat nutritious food packets by AMUL to its beneficiaries including children pregnant women and adolescent girls through the network of around 53 thousand Aanganwadi.
About Gujarat
- Capital– Gandhinagar
- Chief minister– Vijay Rupani
- Governor– Acharya Devvrat
About MWCD
- Minister of Women and Child Development and Textiles- Smriti Zubin Irani
- Constituency- Amethi, UP.
AP govt launches fee reimbursement scheme for students
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launchedJagananna Vidya Deevena which provides full fees reimbursement to about 14 lakh college students, including those in professional courses, across the State.
- The Government released4,000 crore along with the pending due of Rs.1,880 crore during the previous TDP government. The amount has been directly credited into the accounts of the students’ mothers.
- The scheme is aimed at extending financial assistance to nearly 14 lakh students across the State, particularly those from lower-income households.
- Another scheme,Jagananna Vasathi Deevana, will take care of hostel and mess charges.
- Under Jagananna Vidya Deevena, money will be directly credited into the accounts in four installments every year. In case, if the parents have paid the college fees for the 2019-20 academic year, the government asked the parents to approach the college management and claim refund.
- Apart from those who took fresh admissions in the year 2019-20, those who were in professional courses are also eligible for this scheme.
- Amount to be disbursed under the scheme will as under
- ITI Students: Rs.10,000
- Polytechnic students: Rs.15,000
- Degree students: Rs.20,000
About Andhra Pradesh:
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
- Chief minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
- Capitals: Amaravati, Hyderabad
MP CM launches ‘Jeevan Amrit Yojana’ scheme to boost immunity system of citizens
- In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Jeevan Amrit Yojana, a unique scheme to boost immunity system of citizens of the state.
- Under this scheme, the State Government will distribute packet of special Trikut Churna prepared by the AYUSH Department free of cost to the citizens.
- On this occasion, Chief Minister stated that in this time of Corona crisis it is necessary that every person has good immunity power, so that this virus does not affect us.
- Under Jeevan Amrit yojna, packets of 50 grams each of the kadha have been prepared by Madhya Pradesh Laghu Vanopaj Sangh in collaboration with the Department of AYUSH.
- This kadha made of peepal, ginger and black pepper is being distributed free of cost to one crore people in rural and urban areas of the state.
About Madhya Pradesh:
- Capital: Bhopal
- Chief minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
- Governor: Lalji Tandon
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Shiv Das Meena takes charge as HUDCO’s CMD
- Shiv Das Meena, has been appointed as chairman and managing director of Housing and Urban Development Corporation for a period of six months with immediate effect.
- Meena is presently holding the position of additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and simultaneously holding the additional charge of CMD, HUDCO.
About HUDCO
- Head Quarters- New Delhi
- Chairman & MD– Shiv Das Meena
- Director (Corporate Planning)– M Nagaraj
Bureaucratic reshuffle in govt, Tarun Bajaj appointed DEA Secretary
- Rural Development Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has been appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Health and Family Welfare Department in the rank of secretary.
- Nagendra Nath Sinha will be the new Secretary of Rural Development Department in place of Bhushan.
- Information and Broadcasting Secretary Ravi Mittal has been moved out as Secretary, Department of Sports.
- Consumer Affairs Secretary Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Special Secretary (Logistics) in the Department of Commerce.
- Leena Nandan, the Special Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will be the Consumer Affairs Secretary in place of Agarwal.
- Food and Public Distribution Secretary Ravi Kant has been moved out as the Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
- Senior bureaucrat Sudhanshu Panday will be the Food and Public Distribution Secretary in place of Kant.
- Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan has been moved out as the Shipping Secretary.
- Aramane Giridhar, the Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat will be the Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in place of Ranjan.
- Rameshwar Prasad Gupta has been appointed as the Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Pradip Kumar Tripathi, the Special Secretary and Establishment Officer in the Department of Personnel and Training, will be the Secretary, the Ministry of Steel.
- Tarun Kapoor, the Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- Rajesh Verma, Special Secretary in the Department of Agriculture will be the new Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- Anand Kumar, a 1984-batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, will be new Culture Secretary.
- Ram Mohan Mishra has been appointed as the Secretary in the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
- Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi who is currently Special Secretary & Financial Advisor in the Culture Ministry, will now be the Secretary in the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
- Shri Ajay Tirkey, will be the Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, while Niten Chandra has been appointed as the Additional Secretary, Central Agency Section, Department of Legal Affairs
J Arunkumar named USA men’s head coach
- USA have finalised a two-year deal with J Arunkumar as head coach of their men’s national team. Arunkumar, 45, is a former Karnataka captain, with a strong body of work in the Indian domestic circuit.
- He replaces interim coach James Pamment, who was appointed in October 2019 after USA Cricket chose not to renew contracts of their support staff in the likes of former India players Kiran More, Sunil Joshi and Pravin Amre along with David Saker, the former Australia bowling coach.
- Arunkumar scored 7208 first-class runs in a career spanning over 15 years, before becoming a coach in 2012. Success came early, with Karnataka clinching all three titles on the Indian domestic circuit – the Ranji Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Irani Cup – for two seasons in a row: 2013-14 and 2014-15.
- Arunkumar also has IPL coaching experience, having worked as assistant to Virender Sehwag at Kings XI Punjab. In the domestic circuit, he’s worked with Hyderabad and Puducherry, apart from Karnataka.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Team Led By IIT Bombay Student Develops Low-Cost Mechanical Ventilator ‘Ruhdaar’
- A team of engineering students from IIT Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir has come up with a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials.
- The project head Zulqarnain, a first-year student of Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay teamed up with his friends PS Shoib, Asif Shah and Shakar Nehvi from IUST, Awantipora and Majid Koul from NIT Srinagar.
- Taking assistance from the Design Innovation Centre (DIC) at IUST, the team has been able to design a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials.
- The prototype cost the team around Rs. 10,000 and that the cost will be much lower, while high-end ventilators used in hospitals cost in lakhs of rupees.
- Ruhdaar provides necessary functionalities which can provide adequate breathing support necessary to save the life of a critically ill COVID-19 patient.
- It has been able to achieve control of basic parameters such as tidal volume, Breaths per Minute and Inspiratory: Expiratory Ratio and to also monitor pressure continuously during its operation.
Recent News
- IIT Roorkee- Prana-Vayu
- Indian Railways- Jeevan
- IIT Hyderabad- Jeevan Lite
- IISc Bengaluru- Praana
- NASA- VITAL
CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING
Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recognised among world s top 20 inspirational leaders in Biopharma
- Biocon Ltd announced that The Medicine Maker Power List 2020 has ranked its Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as one of the world’s top 20 inspirational leaders in the field of biopharmaceuticals.
- She has been recognised for her contribution to the world of medicine as an entrepreneur and innovative business leader.
- The Medicine Maker 2019 Power List is now online at https://themedicinemaker.com/power-list/2019
- Shawhas been featuring on The Medicine Maker Power List for six consecutive years since 2015.
About Biocon Ltd
- MD & CEO– Siddharth Mittal
- Headquarter– Bengaluru, Karnataka
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY
Michael Robinson, former Liverpool player and broadcaster, passes away
- Former Liverpool striker Michael Robinson has passed away at the age of 61.
- The former Ireland international, who won a league, League Cup and European Cup treble with Liverpool in the 1983-84 season, also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers before ending his career with Spain’s Osasuna.
- After his playing career finished in 1989, he became a respected television commentator, pundit and presenter
Actor Irrfan Khan, 53, dies of colon infection at a Mumbai hospital
- Actor Irrfan Khan, 53, died battling colon infection at a Mumbai hospital. Khan had been admitted to the intensive care unit of Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
- The actor career spanned over several decades and industries. He has been acclaimed for his roles in Indian cinema and was also part of many international blockbusters like Slumdog Millionaire, Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man and Life of Pi. His Debut film ‘Salaam Bombay! was also nominated for an Academy Award.
- Some of his acclaimed works in India include Maqbool (2004), Paan Singh Tomar (2011), The Lunchbox (2013), Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) and Talvar (2015) and Hindi Medium (2017).
DAILY CA 28th APR
- World Day For Safety And Health At Work – 28th april
- Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar issues guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme
- Axis Bank, Max Financial Services sign JV pact for Max Life Insurance
- Indian Overseas Bank launches special scheme for self help groups
- DROR partners with MobiKwik to launch first-ever ‘Social Distancing Contest’
- CRISIL pegs India’s FY21 economic growth rate at 8% from 3.5%
- King George Medical University in Lucknow becomes 1st govt hospital in country to successfully launch Plasma Therapy Treatment for COVID-19
- Assam government announces Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for journalists
- RBI extends Madhavan Menon’s term as part-time Chairman of CSB Bank
- US President Donald Trump nominates Indian-American as US envoy to OECD
- Pakistan Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missiles in Arabian Sea
- Australia cancels premier multilateral air combat training exercise
- Middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun banned for four years by AIU after testing positive for banned substance
- Former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir announces retirement from international cricket
- Olympic Medallist Mathias Boe Announces Retirement from International Badminton
- PCB bans Umar Akmal for 3 years
- French Grand Prix becomes 10th race to get cancelled over coronavirus
- India third largest military spender in world, after US and China
- IIT-Kharagpur ranked top in India, 57th globally in THE Impact Rankings
- Former Governor and veteran politician Devanand Konwar passes away
- Noted playwright Bijay Mishra passes away
- Ex-NASA administrator James Beggs passes away
DAILY CA 29th APR
- World Veterinary Day -25th april
- ADB approves $1.5 billion loan for India to fight coronavirus pandemic
- India extends USD 150 million foreign currency swap support to Maldives
- Airtel signs $1 billion deal with Nokia to improve 4G network experience
- Bharti AXA General ties up with PolicyBazaar
- Moody’s slashes India’s growth estimate to 2% for 2020 from 2.5%
- Amazon India launches special fund to help its SMB partners in logistics
- WCD Ministry takes unique initiative ‘doorstep Aanganwadi’ to reach out to children during lockdown in Gujarat
- AP govt launches fee reimbursement scheme for students
- MP CM launches ‘Jeevan Amrit Yojana’ scheme to boost immunity system of citizens
- Shiv Das Meena takes charge as HUDCO’s CMD
- Bureaucratic reshuffle in govt, Tarun Bajaj appointed DEA Secretary
- J Arunkumar named USA men’s head coach
- Team Led By IIT Bombay Student Develops Low-Cost Mechanical Ventilator ‘Ruhdaar’
- Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recognised among world s top 20 inspirational leaders in Biopharma
- Michael Robinson, former Liverpool player and broadcaster, passes away
- Actor Irrfan Khan, 53, dies of colon infection at a Mumbai hospital