Current Affairs - March 2020 to May 2020

Month May 2020 Type All

978 Current Affairs were found in Last Three Months for Type - All

Appointments 1. Mustafa Al Kadhimi has been chosen as New Prime Minister of Iraq, after Adel Abdul Mahdi had resigned in November 2019. 2. Benjamin Netanyahu secured his 5th term as Israeli Prime Minister. 3. Govinda Rajulu Chintala has been appointed as chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). 4. AU Small Finance Bank appointed R V Verma as part-time chairman and Sanjay Agarwal has been re-appointed as MD and CEO. 5. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been appointed as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. 6. Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as new Finance Secretary of India, succeeding Rajiv Kumar. 7. Anamika Roy Rashtrawar has been appointed by IFFCO Tokio General Insurance as its new MD & CEO. 8. Assam-based entrepreneur Jahnabi Phookan has been appointed as National President of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO), women wing of FICCI. 9. BRICS Nations' Bank New Development Bank (NDB) elected Marcos Troyjo from Brazil as its new president, as term of India's KV Kamath as NDB President has ended. Anil Kishora from India will be new vice-president. 10. Banks Board Bureau appointed SN Rajeswari as Chairman and MD of Oriental Insurance Company (OIC). 11. Banks Board Bureau (BBB) recommended names of Ashwini Bhatia, M V Rao and P P Sengupta for post of managing director of State Bank of India, Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank, respectively. 12. Bhushan P Dharmadhikari is appointed as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court (Maharashtra). 13. British Telecom Major Vodafone appointed Jean-Francois Van Boxmeer (CEO of brewer Heineken), to succeed Gerard Kleisterlee as chairman from November 2020. 14. Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Sunil Joshi as new Chief Selector of Indian Cricket Team. 15. DPS Negi has been appointed as Director-General of Labour Bureau in Ministry of Labour and Employment. 16. Ford India MD Anurag Mehrotra is appointed as CEO for New joint venture formed by Mahindra and Ford. This JV will sell Ford branded cars in India and other emerging markets. Mahindra will own controlling stakes of 51 %, while Ford will having 49 %. 17. Former Karnataka cricketer J. Arunkumar has been appointed the head coach of USA Cricket team. 18. Former SC judge A K Sikri inaugurated Indian Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) in New Delhi, which aims at providing a completely paperless dispute resolution environment. The centre offers offline also as e-alternate dispute resolution (ADR) facility through its state-of- the-art e-arbitration, e-meditation and e-conciliation software portal. 19. Government announced new appointments at Secretary level - Ministeries - Sanjeev Ranjan - Ministry of Shipping. Arvind Kumar Sharma - MSME Ministry. Aramane Girdhar - Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Ajay Tirkey - Ministry of Women & Child Development Rajesh Verma - Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Tarun Kapoor - Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi - Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Rameshwar Prasad Gupta - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Pradip Kumar - Ministry of Steel. Anand Kumar - Ministry of Culture. Amit Khare - Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Notable Departments under Ministeries - Ravi Mittal - Department of Sports (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports). Tarun Bajaj - Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance). Rajesh Kr. Chaturvedi - Deptt of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers). Leena Nandan - Department of Consumer Affairs (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution). Sudhanshu Panday -Department of Food and Public Distribution (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution). Nagendra Nath Sinha - Department of Rural Development (Ministry of Rural Development). Anita Karwal - Department of Education and Literacy (Ministry of Human Resource Development). 20. Government appointed Bansi Lal Bhat as officiating chairperson of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). 21. Government appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj as a director on central board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He replaces Atanu Chakraborty. 22. Government re-appointed B. P. Kanungo as RBI Deputy Governor. Other RBI Deputy Governors are M. D. Patra, M. K. Jain. N. S. Vishwanathan retired as RBI Deputy Governor on Mar 31, 2020. 23. Government reconstituted 16 member National Shipping Board (NSB), which is highest advisory body on matters related to Indian shipping. Its board will now be headed by former Director General of Shipping Malini Shankar. 24. Govt appointed Kapil Dev Tripathi as new secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. 25. Govt appointed Krishan Mohan Prasad and Satish Kumar Gupta as members of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Current CBDT chairman is Pramod Chandra Mody. 26. Govt. appointed Arun Singhal as Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 27. Govt. appointed V. Vidyavathi as Director General of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). 28. Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan appointed as chairman of 34-Member World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board. He replaced Hiroki Nakatani of Japan. WHO is governed by two decision-making bodies, World Health Assembly and Executive Board. 29. Indian Chess legend Viswanathan Anand has been named ambassador of World Wide Fund India. WWF is an international NGO, founded in 1961. 30. Indian IT Major Wipro appointed Thierry Delaporte as a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD), replacing Abidali Z Neemuchwala. Also, Aiman Ezzat has become new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of French technology major Capgemini Group. 31. Indian Steel Association (ISA) appointed Dilip Oommen as its new President. He is presently CEO of Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India. 32. Indian economist Abhas Jha has been appointed by World Bank as Practice Manager for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management for South Asia. 33. IndusInd Bank appointed Sumanth Kathpalia as its MD & CEO. 34. Infosys COO UB Pravin Rao is appointed as chairman of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for 2020- 21. 35. International Monetary Fund (IMF) named several individuals to serve as IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva's External Advisory Group. It Includes former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. 36. Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as country’s new prime minister. 37. Ivan Janša (Janez Janša) has been appointed as New Prime minister of Slovenia. 38. Jammu and Kashmir Govt appointed Zubair Iqbal as new managing director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank (earlier HDFC Bank Senior VP). 39. Madhya Pradesh Government appointed Iqbal Singh Bains as Chief Secretary of state. 40. Manoj Ahuja has been appointed as New chairperson of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education). 41. Ministry of finance appointed PR Jaishankar as managing director of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL). 42. Misc. Appointments (April 2020) - Lakshminarayanan Duraiswamy appointed as MD of Sundaram Home Finance. Government extended term of Madhabi Puri Buch as a Whole Time Member (WTM) at Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by 6 months. She is the first woman Whole Time Member (WTM) of SEBI. Parag Raja has been appointed by Bharti AXA Life Insurance as its MD & CEO. Supreme Court extended tenure of Shiva Kirti Singh as Chairman of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), for 3 months. Govt.approved extension of tenure of members and current part-time chairman of Bank Board Bureau(BBB) by 2 years. Karnataka Bank received RBI nod for reappointment of Mahabaleshwara M S as MD and CEO for 3 years. Birupaksha Mishra became Executive Director of Union Bank of India, after its amalgamation with Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank. Vineet Arora has been appointed MD and CEO of New Paytm Group Entity Paytm General Insurance Ltd. Ajay Mahajan appointed as MD & CEO of credit rating agency CARE Ratings. Rajnesh Oswal has been appointed as First permanent Judge of common High Court of UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Anurag Srivastava has been appointment as spokesperson for ministry of external affairs, replacing Raveesh Kumar. V Kanagaraj appointed as new State Election Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh. Tata Capital appointed Sarosh Amaria as Managing Director. US President Donald Trump appointed Indian-American Sudarsanam Babu to US National Science Board. Shiv Das Meena is appointed as CMD of PSU HUDCO. David Li has been appointed as CEO of Chinese Telecommunications Giant Huawei's India Operations. RBI approved re-appointment of N Kamakodi as MD & CEO of City Union Bank. International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA) elected Rakesh Sharma (Bajaj Auto Executive Director) as its President for 2 years. London Based Financial Firm HSBC appointed Noel Quinn as Group chief executive officer. Neeraj Vyas has been appointed as interim MD & CEO of PNB Housing Finance for 8 months. RBI extended Madhavan Menon’s term as part-time Chairman of CSB Bank (Formerly Catholic Syrian Bank). 43. Misc. Appointments (Mar 2020) - Sudhanshu Pandey appointed as new CMD of PSU MMTC. Amita Pandove appointed as Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission. Note that Bimal Julka was recently appointed Chief Information Commissioner of India. Indian-American Seema Verma is appointed a key member of White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump. Sanjay Kumar Panda is appointed as New Indian Ambassador to Turkey. MRF’s CMD K.M. Mammen is re-elected as chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufactures’ Association (ATMA). SBI Life Insurance Company re-appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as MD & CEO. SBI Appointed Chalasani Venkat Nageswar as deputy MD and chief financial officer (CFO). KJS Dhillon appointed as Director General of Defence Intelligence Agency and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence). Nupur Kulshrestha became first woman to be appointed as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Indian Coast Guard. ITBP Director General Surjeet Singh Deswal has been given additional charge to serve as a Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) Actor Amitabh Bachchan signed by IDFC FIRST Bank as its First brand ambassador. Microsoft appointed Eric Horvitz as its first-ever Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). UK Based Banking Group HSBC appointed Noel Quinn as its permanent CEO. US based service provider Salesforce appointed former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya to head its India operations. Karan Bajwa is appointed as Head of Google Cloud India. Rajiv Bajaj is appointed as MD & CEO of Bajaj Auto. Ravinder Singh Dhillon is appointed as CMD of PSU Power Finance Corporation (PFC). Hirdesh Kumar is appointed as new Chief Electoral Officer of UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Ajay Kumar appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Uganda (East Africa). Sameer Aggarwal =appointed as new CEO of Walmart India, the India arm of American Retail Giant. 44. Misc. Appointments (May 2020) - Former Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma has been named advisor to Google Pay India. Yes Bank appointed Neeraj Dhawan as its Chief Risk Officer (CRO), while RBL Bank appoints Deepak Kumar to the same post. Raj Shukla assumed command of Indian Army's Army Training Command (ARTRAC). Krishnan Ramachandran has been appointed as MD and CEO of Max Bupa Health Insurance. Govt appointed Sanjay Kumar Jha as CMD of PSU Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI). Also, Pradip Kumar Das is named CMD of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). United Nations Environment Programme extended term of Indian actress Dia Mirza as Goodwill ambassador for India till 2022. Nilaya Mitash has been appointed as principal operations coordination specialist at Philippines Based Asian Development Bank (ADB). Former Sri Lanka Cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has been re-appointed as president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in England, for his second term. Narinder Batra’s term as President of International Hockey Federation has been extended until May 2021. Former CWG gold-winning boxer Akhil Kumar has been re-inducted into National Anti-Doping Agency’s Disciplinary Panel. Delhi HC Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal will be approinted as President of Delhi State Consumer Redressal Commission (DSCRC). Rajesh Goel has been appointed director-general of the Realtors body National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO). Chinese Video Sharing App Tiktok named Disney Executive Kevin Mayer as New CEO. Government appointed Prem K Nair as Indian Ambassador to Republic of Niger (West Africa). Government appointed P Kumaran Indian Ambassador to Singapore. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports extended tenure of Sandip Pradhan as Director General of Sports Authority of India (SAI) by 2 years. Venkataramani Sumantran has been appointed as independent director of airline company IndiGo. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra has been designated as a member of Olympic Channel Commission. Batra Also likewise heads International Hockey Federation (FIH). Leo Puri has been appointed Chairman of JP Morgan South Asia and South East Asia. R Sreelekha is appointed as first woman Director General (DGP) of Kerala police. Ravinder Singh Dhillon is appointed as Chairman & MD of PSU PFC (Power Finance Corporation). Andhra Pradesh HC directed state government to reinstate State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, who was dismissed recently. Vishwas Mehta is appointed as chief secretary of Kerala. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen won her second term as President. Food ordering platform Zomato elevated Mohit Gupta (CEO of its food delivery business) as a co-founder. Deepinder Goyal is other cofounder and CEO of Zomato. Manoj Pande appointed as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command of Indian Army. 45. Moeketsi Majoro has been appointed as Prime Minister of Lesotho (Southern Africa), after Tom Thabane resigned from the post. 46. Muhyiddin Yassin appointed as new Prime Minister of Malaysia. He replaced Mahathir Mohammad who had resigned recently. At 94 years of age, he was World’s Oldest govt leader. 47. New Chief Justices for the Bombay, Orissa and Meghalaya High Courts (HC) have been recommended by Supreme Court Collegium - Bombay High Court - Dipankar Datta Meghalaya High Court - Biswanath Somadder Orissa High Court - Mohammad Rafiq 48. Noted Bharatanatyam dancer and former chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi Leela Samson will head jury for Rs 25 lakh JCB Prize for Literature 2020. JCB Prize for Literature is an Indian literary award established in 2018, awarded annually with 25 lakh INR prize to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. 49. P. K. Purwar (BSNL CMD) has been given additional charge as CMD of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). 50. Pekka Lundmark appointed President and CEO of Finnish Tech firm Nokia. He will Rajeev Suri for the post. 51. Prashant Kumar has been appointed as New MD & CEO of Yes Bank, with Sunil Mehta as non-executive chairman. Mahesh Krishnamurthy and Atul Bheda will serve as non-executive directors. SBI, which has 49 % stake in Yes Bank, will nominate 2 directors. Any investor other than SBI with 15% voting rights can nominate 1 director. RBI appointed R Gandhi (former RBI Deputy Governor) and Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan as additional directors on Yes Bank board. 52. President Ramnath Kovind nominated former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha. Under Clause (3) of article 80, President can nominate upto 12 persons to Rajya sabha. 53. Pulitzer winning Indian-American physician, Siddhartha Mukherjee has been appointed as member of New York’s commission that will focus on jumpstarting state’s economy, which is badly hit by coronavirus pandemic. Another Indian-origin higher education leader, Satish Tripathi has also been named as member of commission. 54. RBI nominated Debasish Panda (Department of Financial Services Secretary) on its central board. 55. Rajiv Kumar (Former finance secretary) has been appointed as Chairperson of Public Enterprises Selection Board(PESB). 56. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive of Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has been elected a Fellow of Royal Society in UK. Active since 1660, Royal Society is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Indian-origin Persons Vikram Deshpande (University of Cambridge) is also among new Fellows. 57. Sanjay Kothari has been appointed as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). He earlier served as secretary to President of India, replaced by Kapil Dev Tripathi recently. Also, Suresh N. Patel appointed as Vigilance Commissioner. Central Vigiliance Commission Consists of A Chief Vigilance Commissioner (Sanjay Kothari) and 2 Vigilance Commissioners (Suresh N. Patel AND Sharad Kumar). 58. Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been appointed as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for his 4th term. Few days earlier, Kamal Nath-led Congress government lost its majority in state after several MLAs withdrew their support, led by Jyotiraditya Scindia. 59. Shobhana Narasimhan from Theoretical Sciences Unit (TSU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), has been elected as an International Honorary Member to American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has done significant work on rational design of nanomaterials, examining how lowering of dimensionality and reduction of size affect material properties. Her work is relevant for a number of different applications, such as nanocatalysts for clean energy applications, and magnetic materials for memory storage. 60. Singapore’s Daren Tang elected as Director General of World Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO), succeeding Australia’s Francis Gurry. WIPO is one of 15 specialized agencies of United Nations (UN). List - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) International Labour Organization (ILO) International Maritime Organization (IMO) International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Universal Postal Union (UPU) World Bank Group International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) International Finance Corporation (IFC) International Development Association (IDA) World Health Organization (WHO) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Tourism Organization (UNWTO or WTO) WIPO was created in 1967, headquartered at Geneva (Switzerland). 61. T S Tirumurti will be appointed as India''s Permanent Representative to United Nations, replacing Syed Akbaruddin. Several Other Ambassadors Appointed - Namrata S Kumar - Slovenia Jaideep Mazumdar - Austria Deepak Mittal - Qatar Piyush Srivastava - Bahrain 62. US President Donald Trump appointed Indian American Manisha Singh as his envoy to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Also, President Trump appointed Indian American Ashok Michael Pinto as US representative to IBRD (International Bank of Reconstruction and Development). 63. Ukraine's parliament appointed Denys Shmygal as new prime minister, after his predecessor Oleksiy Honcharuk resigned. 64. World Bank Group appointed Carmen Reinhart (US)as its new Vice President and Chief Economist. Top

Awards 1. 17 journalists from 14 countries named for Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award 2020 for showing “outstanding commitment to human rights and freedom of expression in the media”. Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan is among the 17 recipients. Awards were announced on World Press Freedom Day on May 03, 2020. 2. 4 Indian-Americans have been awarded with Guggenheim fellowships 2020 for their exceptional creative ability in arts - Pradeep Sharma (University of Houston) Kavita Ramanan (Brown University) Dilip Da Cunha (Harvard University and Columbia University) Mukul Sharma (Dartmouth College) About 175 such fellowships are awarded each year, established in 1925. 3. Vinay Badhwar, India's National Hydrographer has been honoured with 2019 Alexander Dalrymple Award by UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), for his contribution to Indian hydrography. 4. Abdelouahab Aissaoui became 1st Algerian Novelist to win International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) 2020 (13th edition) for his novel ‘The Spartan Court’. He will receive grant of USD 50000, for English translation. The novel relates power struggle between Ottoman and French colonial powers in Algeria. It is shortlisted from 6 novels, where the other 5 authors will each receive USD 10,000. 5. Adam Higginbotham's Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster, won William E. Colby Award. It includes $5,000 monetary prize. 6. Arfa Khanum Sherwani of The Wire and Bengaluru-based freelancer Rohini Mohan jointly conferred Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding woman journalism. It was instituted by the Media Foundation in 1980, named after Chameli Devi Jain, a legendary freedom fighter. 7. Assam based Environmental activist Jadav Payeng (popularly called Forest Man) is named winner of 128th Commonwealth Points of Light Award, conferred by British Queen Elizabeth II. Payeng has transformed a treeless sandbar along the Brahmaputra river into a 1,360-acre vibrant wildlife haven. Points of Light Award recognises people across 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond. 8. BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) topped list of top 500 Global Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), for 5th consecutive year. List is released by Geneva-based organization NGO Adviser. BRAC was found in 1972 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed to facilitate the returning war refugees with small-scale relief and rehabilitation project. Currently, It has presence in 11 countries of Asia and Africa, working in various fields including poverty alleviation. 9. Badminton Player P V Sindhu won BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Indian Sportswoman of the year award 2019 and former sprinter Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha won Lifetime Achievement award. PV Sindhu also named brand ambassador for Andhra Pradesh government’s anti-graft helpline or anti-corruption helpline 14400. 10. BusinessLine Changemaker Awards 2020 organized by Hindu Business Line in New Delhi - Social Transformation - Shanti Raghavan. Digital Transformation - Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Changemaker – (Financial Transformation)– India Stack. Young Changemaker - Pradeep Mewada, for using innovative ways to end open defecation in villages. Iconic Changemaker– Arunachalam Muruganandam, for creating low-cost sanitary pad for women. Changemaker of the Year– Dutee Chand - for winning India’s first medal in 20 years, in 100-metre race at Jakarta Asian Games in 2018. Changemaker of the year– ISRO - for making India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit. 11. Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar received IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020 for her contribution to world tourism through cinema. She has honored during 8th India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) in Mumbai (Maharashtra). 12. Hockey India 3rd annual awards 2019 -

S.No. Award/Category Winners 1 Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 Mr. Harbinder Singh 2 Player of the Year 2019 (Male) Mr. Manpreet Singh 3 Player of the Year 2019 (Female) Ms. Rani Rampal 4 Upcoming Player of the Year 2019 (Men – Under 21) Mr. Vivek Sagar Prasad 5 Upcoming Player of the Year 2019 (Women – Under 21) Ms. Lalremsiami 6 President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement 2019 Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha 13. IIT Madras Professor Thalappil Pradeep has been selected for Nikkei Asia Prize 2020, in category of ‘Science and Technology’. He would be honoured for his pioneering work in nanotechnology-based water purification. Other Winners - Science and Technology - Thalappil Pradeep (India) Culture and Community - Ram Prasad Kadel (Nepal) Economic and Business Innovation - Anthony Tan (Malaysia) & Tan Hooi Ling (Malaysia) Nikkei Asia Prize recognizes individuals who have contributed to region’s sustainable development, in three areas - Economic and Business Innovation, Science and Technology, Culture and Community. 14. Indian Army's Major Suman Gawani will be awarded UN Military Gender Advocate of 2019, as first time an Indian peacekeeper will be honored by this award. Major Suman was stationed in South Sudan under the United Nations Mission. Recently she has completed her mission. UN Military Gender Advocate Award began In 2016. 15. Indian Origin Author Ruchika Tomar won 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for her Debut Novel A Prayer for Travelers. This award is given annually to an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. 16. Indian Origin businessman Rajesh Chaplot honoured with Highest Civilian Award (Golden Jubilee Medal-Civilians) of Uganda, for his excellence in field of Business & Commerce, Social Service and for fostering India - Uganda ties. 17. Indian-American IBM Inventor Rajiv Joshi won NYIPLA “Inventor of the Year award” for 2020, for his contribution to advancing the electronic industry and improving artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This award is presented by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA), carrying $5,000. 18. Industrial Awards (April 2020) - Animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has conferred Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik with ‘Hero to Animals Award’ for allocating funds to feed community animals in Odisha during lockdown. India-based non-profit organization (NPO) ARMMAN has been awarded Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship 2020 in recognition of its exceptional work in the maternal and child health space in India, along with 4 other awardees. Tata Power company’s Club Enerji #Switchoff2SwitchOn’ campaign, which is India’s 1st, energy & resource conservation club has won silver in Edison Award 2020 under Social innovation’s subcategory, social energy solution. 19. Industrial Awards (Mar 2020) - Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) VC V Praveen Rao won 7th Dr MS Swaminathan Award for 2017-2019, instituted by Retired ICAR Employees Association (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL). It carries prize of 2 lakh. PGIMER Faculty Jaimanti Bakshi won Best Citizens of India award by Global Economic Progress and Research Association. Prachi Salve of IndiaSpend and Pradeep Dwivedi of DainikJagran jointly won top prize in Road Safety Media Fellowship 2019, by Centre for Media Studies (CMS). 20. Industrial Awards (May 2020) - Travel services company Thomas Cook (India) won silver award for Asia's Best Integrated Report (First Time) at the 5th Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA). Bengaluru-based doctor Hema Divakar honoured with the 'Global Asian of the Year 2018-19' award in Dubai, for her contribution to women's healthcare ecosystem. Indian IT Major TCS won 2 Steviesin 2020 American Business Awards, for 2019 TCS New York City Marathon app. 21. Irish Architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are named as winners of Pritzker Architecture prize 2020. Awardees co- founded Grafton Architects in 1978 at dublin. It is an annual award sponsored by Hyatt foundation, consisting USD 100000 and a bronze medallion. It is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” & “the profession’s highest honor.” 22. Joseph J Landsberg, Richard H Waring and Nicholas C Coops won 2020 Marcus Wallenberg Prize for forest sector’ for 3-PG (Physiological Principles Predicting Growth), a model to predict forest growth in a changing climate. Prize will be presented by King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden, with prize money of 2 million Kronor. 23. Manipuri doctor Thangjam Dhabali Singh has been conferred Order of Rising Sun by Japan, for promoting better ties. He is founder of Manipur Tourism Forum (MTF). He had organised 70th anniversary of Battle of Imphal of Second World War. 24. Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters named Hillel Furstenberg of Israel and Gregory Margulis of USA as winners of Abel Prize 2020 for their pioneering use of methods from probability & dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics - Abel Prize is a Norwegian prize awarded annually by of Norway to outstanding mathematicians, named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. It comes with a monetary award of 7.5 million Norwegian Kroner (NOK) (.7 Million USD - Approx 5 Crores INR). 25. Noted writer Paramananda Majumder has been presented 10th Moghai Ojah Award, for his significant role in raising issues of public interest. Moghai Ojah award was instituted in 2011 by Jorhat district unit of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP). It is annually presented on 15 March, carrying cash prize of 21000. 26. President Ram Nath Kovind Conferred 61st Lalit Kala Akademi Awards on 15 artists - Anoop Kumar Manzukhi Gopi David Malakar Devendra Kumar Khare Dinesh Pandya Faruque Ahmed Halder Hari Ram Kumbhawat Keshari Nandan Prasad Mohan Kumar T Ratan Krishna Saha Sagar Vasant Kamble Satwinder Kaur Sunil Thiruvayur Tejaswi Narayan Sonawane Yashpal Singh Yashwant Singh 27. Professor Saurabh Lodha from IIT Bombay received Young Career Award in Nano Science & Technology for 2020, instituted by Department of Science and Technology (DST). It recognises his pioneering contributions in development of logic transistor technologies beyond silicon and nanoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional Van der Waals materials. 28. Pulitzer Prize 2020 - Winners - Letters, Drama, and Music - Fiction - The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday) Drama - A Strange Loop, by Michael R. Jackson History - Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press) Biography or Autobiography - Sontag: Her Life and Work, by Benjamin Moser (Ecco) Poetry - The Tradition, by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press) Music - The Central Park Five, by Anthony Davis General Non-fiction - The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America, by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books) AND The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care, by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Journalism - Public Service - Anchorage Daily News with contributions from ProPublica Breaking News Reporting - Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky. Investigative Reporting - Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times Explanatory Reporting - Staff of The Washington Post Local Reporting - Staff of The Baltimore Sun National Reporting - Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times AND T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica International Reporting - Staff of The New York Times Feature Writing - Ben Taub of The New Yorker Commentary - Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times Criticism - Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times Editorial Writing - Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press Editorial Cartooning - Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker Breaking News Photography - Photography Staff of Reuters Feature Photography - Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of Associated Press (India) Special Awards and Citations - Ida B. Wells About Pulitzer Prizes - Given for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in USA. Established in 1917 by provisions in will of American (Hungarian-born) Joseph Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher and is administered by Columbia University in New York City. 29. South African HIV researcher Quarraisha Abdool Karim, who found that a topical gel could stop many women catching the virus has been awarded Christophe Merieux Prize. It is one of France’s top science prizes, carrying $551,000. 30. Swarajya Awards 2020 conferred at 6th India Ideas Conclave in Gujarat, Instituted by India Foundation & Indic Academy-

Awardee Category Field Sarbananda Sonowal Dr S P Mukherjee Award Politics K Parasaran Sree Narayana Guru Award Social Work Bharatbala Ustad Bismillah Khan Award Culture N K Singh Dr B R Shenoy Award Economics 31. The Hindu Literary Prize 2019 winners - Fiction - Mirza Waheed (Tell Her Everything) Non-Fiction - Santanu Das (India, Empire, and First World War Culture: Writings, Images and Songs). 32. Times of India (TOI) Sports Awards 2019 -

S. No. Award Award Winner

1 Sports person of the Year P.V. Sindhu (Badminton) 2 Cricketer of the year Rohit Sharma 3 Team of the year Indian men’s Hockey Team 4 Coach of the year Jaspal Rana (Shooting) 5 Youth Icon of the year Vijendra Singh (Boxer) 6 Lifetime Achievement Bhaichung Bhutia (Football) 7 Icon of the year Balbir Singh (Hockey)

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Books 1. Memoirs and Misinformation Novel by Dana Vachon and Jim Carrey has been released. 2. A new book Messiah Modi: A Tale of Great Expectations written by Tavleen Singh has been released. 3. Apurva Purohit's 2nd book Lady, You’re the Boss, has been launched. 4. Book Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City authored by Chinese Author Fang Fang has been released. 5. Book Fear of God, written by Bomma Devara Sai Chandravadhan (pen name Vadhan) has been released. 6. Book How the Onion Got Its Layers authored by Sudha Murty has been released. 7. Book Invincible – A Tribute to Manohar Parrikar, authored by Tarun Vijay has been released. Another book based on life of Manohar Parrikar, titled An Extraordinary Life, will be lanched in April 2020. 8. Book Missing in Action: The Prisoners Who Never Came Back, written by Chander Suta Dogra has been published. 9. Book My Encounters in Parliament authored by Bhalchandra Mungekar has been released. He is former member of Rajya Sabha. 10. Book Sayajirao Gaekwad III: The Maharaja of Baroda, written by Uma Balasubramaniam has been published. 11. Book Shivaji in South Block: The Unwritten History of Proud People, written by Girish Kuber has been released. 12. Book Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P.V. Sindhu, authored by Sports journalist V. Krishnaswamy has been released. 13. Book Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess written by Satyarth Nayak has been released. 14. Book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, authored by John Bolton will be relased in June 2020. 15. Book The Wizenard Series: Season One created by Late American Basket baller Kobe Bryant and Wesley King has been released. 16. Book Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero authored by VN Thapar and Neha Dwivedi. It is 1st biography about Vir Chakra awardee Captain Vijyant Thapar. 17. Book titled An Extraordinary Life, based on life of Manohar Parrikar, will be lanched in April 2020. He served as Union defence minister and Goa chief minister. 18. Book titled Backstage: The Story Behind India’s High Growth Years, authored by Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been launched. 19. Book titled The Enlightenment of The Greengage Tree written by Shokoofeh Azar has been released. 20. Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched e-book titled Prof. B.B. Lal: India Rediscovered, on occasion of centenary year of Noted archaeologist B. B. Lal (Born May 2, 1921). 21. First biopic on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life, titled ‘Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family’, will be published soon. It has written by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. 22. Minister of Women & Child Development Zubin Irani released book titled Chronicles of Change Champions, as compilation of 25 innovative initiatives taken under Prime Minister’s flagship scheme of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP). 23. Noted British author and Harry Potter Series Creator J.K. Rowling released first two chapters of her new Children’s book “The lckabog”. 24. Noted Indian Author Ruskin Bond's new book Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes, has been released. 25. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik released comic book The Adventures of the Daredevil Democrat, on occasion of 104th birth anniversary of former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik. 26. Pulitzer Prize-winning American reporter Mary Jordan wrote a book The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, based on US First Lady Melania Trump. 27. Savita Chhabra's first novel Legacy of Learning’ has been launched. 28. Tahira Kashyap Khurrana 's new Book The 12 Commandments Of Being A Woman has been released. 29. To provide better understanding and prevention of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), 2 new books to release in May 2020 - How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crisis - Italian physicist Paolo Giordano. Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs - Michael Osterholm and Mark Olshaker. Top

Committees 1. 15th Finance Commission constituted a Committee to review fiscal consolidation roadmap of the general government, to be headed by N K Singh (15th Finance Commission Chairman). Fiscal Consolidation is the policy adopted by the Government to reduce the deficits. 2. 2 special committees formed by Ministry of Home Affairs to deal with issues and approvals related to Central Armed Police Force(CAPF). First committee will be chaired by Home Secretary (Ajay Kumar Bhalla currently) and will deal with issues that need to be decided between Home Ministry and CAPFs. Second committee will be headed by Secretary (Border Management) and will solve only the procurement matters. 3. A Government appointed panel headed by IBBI Chairperson M S Sahoo has submitted a report on “valuation professionals” and proposed an institutional framework for valuers by setting up National Institute of Valuers (NIV). A valuer is a professional who carries out inspections in order to help determine the current market value of property and/or land. 4. Andhra Pradesh (AP) government formed a 5-member committee led by Neerabh Kumar Prasad, to probe into the causes behind leakage of styrene gas from the LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam, which claimed several lives. 5. Committee headed by Ravindra H Dholakia, which was tasked with reviewing methodology of estimation of sub-national accounts and giving recommendations for the same, has suggested a complete revamp of how states collect and compile data for state-level gross domestic product (GDP) and other estimates. It suggested that GST must be used for estimating incomes and other statistics at the state level. It also said that states should compile their own index of industrial production (IIP) instead of relying on all-India IIP data. 6. Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) constituted a seven-member committee to examine the comments received on the consultation paper floated by it for enhancing audit independence and accountability in country. 7. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) constituted a 25-member Development Council for pulp, paper and allied industries (DCPPAI) headed by A S Mehta, President of J K Paper Ltd. 8. Government has set up a 12-member panel to prepare an investigation manual for probe agency SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Agnecy), chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas. 9. Government implemented 3 important recommendations of Committee of Experts (CoE) under Chairmanship of D B Shekatkar, relating to border Infrastructure. On matter related to creating border infrastructure, Government accepted to outsource road construction work beyond optimal capacity of Border Roads Organisation (BRO). It has been made mandatory to adopt Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) mode for execution of all works costing more than Rs 100 crore. Other recommendation relating to introduction of modern construction plants, equipment and machinery has been implemented by delegating enhanced procurement powers from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 100 crore to BRO. Land acquisition and statutory clearances like forest and environmental clearance are also made part of approval of Detailed Project Report (DPR). Also, with adoption of EPC mode of execution, it is mandatory to award work only when 90 % of statutory clearances are obtained, implementing recommendation regarding obtaining prior clearances before commencement of project. 10. Government reconstituted National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR), with Home Minister Amit Shah as chairperson. NPDRR will review progress in field of disaster management and advise on coordination between central and state governments. 11. Govt. has set up high-level task force to work on cutting edge vaccine and drug testing for Covid-19 in India. It is co-chaired by principal scientific adviser to government K Vijay Raghavan and Niti Aayog member V K Paul. 12. IRDAI Panel headed by New India Assurance (NIA) CMD Atul Sahai has recommended - Increase in indemnity (protection against finances) being provided to policyholders under Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) from existing 85% of trade receivables from each buyer to 90%. For Micro and small enterprises (MSEs), 95% indemnity is proposed to provide relief in event of loss which is beyond their control. Recommendations are aimed at improving overall business environment by protecting suppliers as well as lenders against payment defaults. Other recommendations Include - Permitting issue of TCI policy to banks, financiers, lenders for trade-related transactions, except for covering loan default of seller. Modifications in certain definitions for improved clarity and understanding. Creation of a Buyer Default Database with Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) as a measure to keep a check on defaulters. RBI to recognise credit insurance products as risk mitigation tools for banks to make them eligible for capital relief. TCI was Introduced in 2016, as an effective risk management tool for suppliers of goods and services and other financial institutions, to facilitate and promote trade by addressing issues concerning losses arising from payment related defaults. 13. IRDAI has set up a 16-member committee to improve corporate governance systems of insurers, primarily on making key functions such as risk management and internal audits independent of each other. It is headed by Pravin Kutumbe. 14. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a panel, headed by Yegnapriya Bharat, to frame standard professional indemnity policy for insurance intermediaries that can be issued by all insurers. It came after regulator witnessed several instances where policies taken by insurance intermediaries did not comply with regulatory provisions. 15. Jammu and Kashmir government has set up a commission to examine the social and educational backwardness of various backward classes people, including dalits. It is Named J&K Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, and will be headed by Justice (retired) G D Sharma. 16. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has constituted a committee to reform Drug Regulatory System, headed by Rajesh Bhushan (Officer on Special Duty to health minister). 17. Ministry of Tribal Affairs constituted a committee under NC Saxena, former member of Planning Commission of India. Committee will examine and recommend Community Forest Resources (CFR) Guidelines, under Forest Rights Act 2006. 18. Sports Authority of India (SAI) formed six-member committee to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for a phased resumption of training across sporting disciplines at all centres once the coronavirus-forced national lockdown is lifted. It will be headed by Rohit Bharadwaj. 19. Supreme Court ordered setting up a high-powered committee to look into the demands by petitioners who seek restoration of 4G internet services in UT of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K). It is headed by Home Secretary (Ajay Kumar Bhalla Currently). 20. Tamil Nadu Govt. constituted 24 member high-level committee headed by ex-RBI Governor C Rangarajan, to assess the immediate and medium-term impact of COVID-19 pandemic on various sectors of State’s economy, and suggest ways to improve it. 21. University Grants Commission Committee headed by R. C. Kuhad, submitted its report regarding Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar, amid Covid-19 pandemic. Main Recommendations - Intermediate Semester Students Will be graded based on internal assessment of present and previous semester. In states where COVID-19 situation has normalized, exams will be in July. For Terminal Semester Students, exams will be held in July. COVID-19 cell will be constituted in every university, and A COVID-19 cell in UGC to be created for faster decision making. Universities may Consider - Reducing exam time from 3 hours to 2 hours. Conduct examinations in offline / online mode, observing guidelines of “social distancing” and and ensuring fair opportunity to all students. Conduct practical / Viva Examinations through Skype or other meeting apps. Extension of six months period to the M.Phil.or Ph.D. students. Top

Days 1. Apr 13 is anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, when on 13 April 1919, Reginald Dyer ordered troops of British Indian Army to fire into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians, killing over 1000 people. 2. 29 May - International Day of UN Peacekeepers, with 2020 theme is Women in Peacekeeping: A key to Peace. May 29 is also observed as World Digestive Health Day. 3. Apr 10 is observed as World Homoeopathy Day. 2020 marks 265th birth anniversary of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of Homoeopathy. During a special webinar on this occasion, Ministry of AYUSH approved Telemedicine guidelines for homeopathic practitioners. 4. Apr 11 is observed as National Safe Motherhood Day in India. Apr 11 is also marked as National Pet Day (US and several other nations). 5. Apr 11 is observed as World Liver day. 6. Apr 12 is marked as International Day of Human Space Flight. It commemorates Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight on Apr 12, 1961. Day was proclaimed by UN in 2011. In 1957, first human made earth satellite Sputnik I was launched into outer space. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit earth successfully. In 2020 Apr 12 (Eastern) and 19 (Western) are also to be observed as Easter, which commemorates resurrection of Jesus from the dead, on third day after his burial following his crucifixion by Romans. 7. Apr 15 is observed as World Art Day, being observed since 2012. 8. Apr 16 is observed as World Voice Day. 9. Apr 17 is observed as World Hemophilia Day, observed by World Federation of Hemophilia. 2020 theme is Get + Involved virtually and stay safe. 10. Apr 18 is observed as World Heritage Day, also as International Day of Monuments and sites. It was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1983. 2020 Theme is Shared Culture, Shared heritage and Shared responsibility. This year, five Indian monuments illuminated on this occasion - Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Safdarjung’s Tomb, Red Fort and Purana Qila. Minister of culture Prahlad Singh Patel launched National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, to include 13 elements that are already included in UNESCO Representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a part of Vision 2024 of Ministry of Culture, to increase awareness about intangible cultural heritages. Intangible Cultural Heritage is representation, practice, knowledge, expression of skills. It involves non-physical intellectual property such as beliefs, folklore, traditions, customs and language. 11. Apr 2 is observed as World Autism Awareness Day, proclaimed in 2007. Apr 2 is also observed as International Children's Book Day (ICBD). 12. Apr 20 is observed as UN Chinese Language Day, being observed since 2010. 13. Apr 21 is marked as National Civil Services Day. It was on this day in 1947, That First Home Minister Sardar Shri Vallabhai Patel addressed first batch probationers of Administrative Services. Apr 21 is also observed as World Creativity and Innovation Day. 14. Apr 22 is observed as World Earth Day, Being Observed Since 1970. 2020 is 50th anniversary of this Observance. 2020 Theme is Climate Action. 15. Apr 23 is observed as UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. It is being observed since 1995. For 2020, Kuala Lampur (Malaysia) is declared as World Book Capital. Apr 23 is also observed as Global English Language Day and Spanish Language Day. April 23 also observed as Khongjom Day in Indian state of Manipur, commemorating warriors who fought in 1891 Anglo-Manipur war. War was fought between 31 March and 27 April of 1891. It resulted in victory of British. The war has its significance in Indian history for bravery of soldiers that fought against three sides of British attack, that is, from Silchar, Kohima and Myanmar. Battle was fought at the Kheba hills of Khongjom in Manipur, hence named Khongjom Day. Apr 23, 2020 is also observed as International Girls in ICT (Information and Comunication Technology) Day, celebrated every year on 4th Thursday of April. 16. Apr 25 is observed as World Malaria Day, established by World Health Organization in 2007. 2020 Theme is Zero malaria starts with me (Same as 2019 Theme). Apr 25, 2020 also marks First Ever International Delegate’s Day. It marks75th anniversary of San Francisco Conference (1945). Apr 25, 2020 is also observed as World Veterinary Day. It is observed on Last Saturday of April. Apr 25 is also observed as World Penguin Day. 17. Apr 26 is observed as World Intellectual Property Day, established by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000. 2020 Theme is Innovate for a Green Future. Apr 26 is also observed as UN International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, Proclaimed in 2016. 18. Apr 28 - World Day for Safety and Health at Work, observed annually since 2003. 2020 Theme is Stop The Pandemic. 19. Apr 29 - International Dance Day. It marks birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (born on 29 April 1727), a French dancer, and creator of modern ballet, and great reformer of dance. 20. Apr 30 is observewd as Ayushman Bharat Diwas, being observed since 2018. Under Ayushman Bharat / Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Health Insurance of 5 lakh rupees per family is given to a family. Apr 30 is also Observed as International Jazz Day, declared by UNESCO in 2011. 21. Apr 4 is observed as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. 22. Apr 5 is observed as National Maritime Day in India, being observed since 1964. The saga of India shipping started on April 5, 1919, when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company travelled from Mumbai to United Kingdom (London). 23. Apr 5, 2020 is observed as First ever UN International Day of Conscience. 24. Apr 6 is observed as International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. 25. Apr 7 is observed as World Health Day, with 2020 theme Support Nurses and Midwives. It marks establishment of World Health Organization, on Apr 7, 1948. Apr 7 is also marked as International Day of Reflection on 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda. 26. Apr 8 is observed as International Romani Day, to celebrate Romani culture and raise awareness of issues facing Romani people. 27. Apr 9 is observed as CRPF's Valour Day. A CRPF contingent on April 9, 1965 fought against Pakistanis in Rann of Kutch,eliminating 34 Pakistani Soldiers, losing 6 CRPF Soldiers. 28. April 14th is Birth Anniversary of B R Ambedkar. He campaigned against social discrimination towards untouchables (Dalits). He was independent India's first law and justice minister, and architect of Constitution of India. His Birth anniversary is observed as Social Justice Day, announced in 2018. Note that UN World Day of Social Justice is observed on Feb 20. April 14, 2020 is also observed as First World Chagas Disease Day, to increase awareness of Chagas disease. Apr 14 is also observed as National Fire Service Day in India. 29. April 24 is Observed as - International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. 2019 was First ever observance of this day. World Day for Laboratory Animals. 30. Mar 10 is foundation day of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which was set up on Mar 10, 1969. 31. Mar 12 is observed Globally as World Kidney Day. 32. Mar 13 is observed as World Sleep Day (Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox). 33. Mar 14 is observed as International Pi (π) Day, observed since 1988. Also, UNESCO Observed Mar 14, 2020 as First Ever International Day of Mathematics, Proclaimed in 2019. Mar 14 is also observed as International Day of Action for Rivers. 34. Mar 15 is observed as World Consumer Rights Day. 2020 Theme is The Sustainable Consumer. 35. Mar 16 is observed as National Vaccination Day in India. 36. Mar 18 is observed as Ordnance Factory Day in India. First Ordnance Factory was established in Kolkata in 1801, which are 41 now. Mar 18 is also observed as Global Recycling Day, created in 2018. 37. Mar 20 is observed as International Day of Happiness, with 2020 Theme Happiness For All, Together. UN released World Happiness Report 2020 (153 Nations Analyzed for 6 Variables) - India ranked 144th. Top 5 - Finland (1), Denmark (2), Switzerland (3), Iceland (4), Norway (5) Bottom 3 - Afghanistan (153), South Sudan (152), Zimbabwe (3299) Mar 20 is also observed as UN French Language Day. Mar 20 is also observed as World Sparrow Day. 2020 Theme is I Love Sparrows. Mar 20 is also observed as Navroz (Parsi New Year). Globally, Dates vary between Mar 20 and 21. Mar 20 is also Observed as World day of theatre for children and Young People. 38. Mar 21 is observed as - UN International Day of Forests, proclaimed in 2012. 2020 Theme is Forests and Biodiversity. World Down Syndrome Day, Observed since 2006. 2020 theme is We Decide. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Proclaimed in 1966. World Poetry Day, Proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999. World Puppetry Day. 39. Mar 22 is observed Globally as World Water Day, Being Observed by UN since 1993. 2020 Theme is Water and Climate Change. As per a UN Report, 3.5 to 4.4 billion people are to live with limited access to water by 2050. Presently, 2.2 billion people are lacking safe drinking water. 40. Mar 23 is Obvserved As Martyr's Day (Shaheedi Diwas) in India. It marks death anniversary of Great Freedom Fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru on 23 March 1931, in Lahore (Pakistan). In India, apart from Mar 23, there are 5 otherd days declared as Martyrs' Day- Jan 30 - Date of Assasination of M K Gandhi by Shri Nathuram Godse, is Observed as Martyr's Day. May 19 - Bengali Language Movement of Barak Valley in Assam was a protest against decision of Government of Assam to make Assamese only official language of state, even though significant proportion of population were Bengali. Main incident, in which 15 people were killed by state police, took place on 19 May 1961. 19 May is thus designated Bhasha Shahid Divas ("Language Martyrs Day"). 21 October is Police Martyrs' Day. On this date in 1959, a CPRF patrol at Indo-Tibetan border in Ladakh was ambushed by Chinese forces. Odisha observes 17 November, death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai as Martyr's Day. Birthday of Rani Lakshmibai, 19 November is observed as Martyrs' Day in Maharashtra. Mar 23 is also Birth Anniversary of Noted Freedom Activist Ram Manohar Lohia. 41. Mar 23 is observed as World Meteorological Day, to mark establishment of World Meteorological Organization on Mar 23, 1950. 42. Mar 24 - World Tuberculosis Day. 2020 Theme is Its Time. Mar 24 is also observed as International Day for Achievers. 43. Mar 25 is observed as - International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members. Telugu New Year day ‘Ugadi’ observed on Mar 25. 44. Mar 27 is observed as World Theatre Day, proclaimed in 1961 by International Theatre Institute. 45. Mar 3 is observed as UN World Wildlife Day. 2020 Theme is Sustaining all Life on Earth. It was proclaimed in 1973. Mar 3 is also observed as World Hearing Day. 2020 theme is Hearing for life, don’t let hearing loss limit you. On occasion of World Wildlife Day 2020 (Mar 3), European Commission launched in Monaco a new global coalition for biodiversity, calling for stronger mobilisation in raising awareness about need to protect biodiversity. Also, 2020 UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15) will be held in Kunming (China) in October 2020. 46. Mar 30 is statehood day of State of Rajasthan, established on Mar 30, 1949. Mar 30 is also observed as Doctors' Day in USA. In India, it is observed on March 30. 47. Mar 4 is observed as National Security / Safety Day in India, as a tribute to all security forces of country. National Safety Council was set up on 4 March 1966. 48. Mar 7 is observed as Jan Aushadi Diwas, to commemorate achievements of Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadi Pariyojana. Mar 1 - 7 is also observed as Jan Aushadhi Week. 49. Mar 8 is observed as International Women's Day. 2020 Theme is I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights. United Nations began celebrating the day in 1977. Environment Minister Prakash Javedekar announced that sanitary napkin disposal bags are to be made mandatory from 2021. Sanitary napkin manufacturers will have to supply a biodegradable bag along with every napkin from January 2021. Govt. launched a new Helpline 011-26565285, for use of women students / researchers / entrepreneurs to get their queries answered related to programs of Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat released a study by UNICEF and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on impact of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) on rural women. It stated that increased access to household toilets has led to improvement in Suvidha, Suraksha and Swabhimaan of women in rural India. President Ram Nath Kovind presented Nari Shakti Puraskar to Awardees, instituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development - Padala Bhudevi (Andhra Pradesh) Bina Devi (Bihar) Arifa Jan (J& K) Chami Murmu (Jharkhand) Nilza Wangmo (Ladakh) Rashmi Urdhwardeshe (Maharashtra) Mann Kaur (Punjab). At 103 years age, she is among oldest women athletes of India. Kalavati Devi (Uttar Pradesh) Tashi and Nungshi Malik (Uttrakhand) (Noted mountaineers) Kaushiki Chakroborty (West Bengal) - Noted vocalist. Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawanna Kanth, Mohana Singh Jitarwal - Indian Air Force’s first women fighter pilots Bhageerathi Amma and Karthyayini Amma (Kerala) NITI Aayog organized Fourth Edition of the Women Transforming India Award, honoring 16 awardees. Indo-U.S. Fellowship for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (WISTEMM)”program of Department of Science and Technology(DST) in association with Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) provides international exposure to several women scientists. Maldives' Parliament introduced a motion to launch an inquiry into systemic gender discrimination, seeking to identify policies, laws and systems that are detrimental to women. Cab aggregator Uber launched a diversity and inclusion sponsorship programme for women in India. CRPF instituted a special Shakti Award', to be annually given to a chosen personnel who works for empowerment of women. Award will carry a reward of Rs 1 lakh. Odisha government approved a separate Mission Shakti department that would exclusively work for around 70 lakh rural women associated with nearly six lakh women self-help groups (SHGs). University of Ranchi launched its own Community Radio Station named as RADIO KHANCHI 90.4 FM with slogan Aap Sabka Radio. 50. March 1 is observed as Zero Discrimination Day Globally, being observed since 2014. 2020 Theme is Zero Discrimination against Women and Girls. Mar 1 is also observed as World Civil Defence Day. 51. May 1 - Labour Day, also known as International Worker's Day and May Day. In India, first celebration of the Labour Day was organised in Madras by Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. Labour Day commemorates happenings of May 4, 1886, the Haymarket affair (Haymarket Massacre) in the Chicago. It was a big event as workers were on the general strike for their eight-hour workday, with protests getting violent. 52. May 1 is Formation day of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Both states were formed on May 01, 1960, when Bombay state was split. 53. May 10, 2020 is observed as Mother's Day. Dates vary across Nations. 54. May 11 - National Technology Day in India. It marks anniversary of Pokhran Nuclear Tests (Operation Shakti) of 1998. It was coined by late PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayeem, as a reminder of India’s technological advancements. A digital conference on Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations (RESTART), has been organised by Technology Development Board (TDB)on this occasion. May 11 also marks flight of Hansa-3, India’s first indigenous aircraft which was developed by National Aerospace Laboratories. 55. May 12 - International Nurses Day, Being observed since 1965. It is observed on Birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, noted British social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She was born on May 12, 1820. 2020 is celebrated as Year of Nurse and Midwife as it is the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. 2020 Theme is Nurses : A Voice to lead-Nursing the World to Health. World Health Organization, Nursing Now Campaign and International Council of Nurses released the State of World’s Nursing report. There are 36.9 nurses per 10,000 people with variations in different parts of world. In America, there are 83.4 nurse per 10,000 people and in Africa there are 8.7 nurses per 10,000 people. There are 1.56 million nurses in India. Nurses comprise of 47% of medical staff in India. The doctors constitute 23.3%, dentists constitute 5.5% and pharmacists constitute 24.1% of medical staff in India. 56. May 15 is observed as International Day of Families, proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly in 1993. May 15, 2020 is also observed as National Endangered Species day in India, observed on 3rd Friday of May. 57. May 16 Statehood Day of Sikkim. Sikkim Joined Indian Union as 22nd state on May 16, 1975. May 16 is also observed as UN International Day of Living Together in Peace. May 16 is also observed as International Day of Light. It marks anniversary of first successful operation of laser in 1960 by physicist Theodore Maiman. It is being held since 2018. May 16 is also observed as National Dengue Day in India. 58. May 17 - World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), first observed on 17 May, 1969. It marks establishment of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and also signing of first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 in Paris. 2020 Theme is Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). May 17 is also observed as World Hypertension Day, Observed Since 2006. 2020 Theme is Measure Your Blood Pressure, Control It, Live Longer. 59. May 18 is Observed as International Museum Day, held since 1977. 2020 Theme is Museum for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. May 18 is also observed as World AIDS Vaccine Day. 60. May 19 is Birth Anniversary of Former President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.He servied from 1977 to 1982, as 6th President of India. 61. May 2 - World Tuna Day. May 2, 2020 is also observed as International Astronomy Day. It is Observed twice a year - one in autumn and another in spring. Next Astronomy Day on September 26, 2020. May 2, 2020 also represents 100th Birth Anniversary of Noted Filmmaker Satyajit Ray. On this occasion, Ministry of Culture’s Development of Museums and Cultural Spaces (DMCS) launched short film A Ray of Genius. 62. May 20 is observed as UN World Bee Day, being observed since 2018. 2020 Theme is Bee Engaged. May 20 is also observed as World Metrology Day. 2020 theme is Measurements for global trade. The date is the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875. 63. May 21, 2020 is observed as First ever UN International Tea Day. On this occasion, IHBT Palampur stated that Tea chemicals could be effective in boosting immunity as they can block coronavirus activity better than anti-HIV drugs. May 21 is also observed as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2002. 64. May 21, death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in India. On this occasion, Chhattisgarh Government launched Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. It will infuse Rs 5,100 crores into the rural economy of the state. Farmers are to be paid Rs 10,000 per acre, for sowing 14 types of crops (1 rabi and 13 kharif ). As First Tranche, State Government transferred 1,500 crores into accounts of more than 18,000 farmers 65. May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), first observed by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1993. 2020 Theme is Our Solutions are in nature. On the occasion, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched 5 initiatives on conservation of biodiversity - Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) campaign called Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Species. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau campaign called Not All Animals Migrate by Choice. A Webinar series on “Biodiversity Conservation and Biological Diversity Act, 2002”. World Wildlife Fund Model Conference of Parties. 66. May 23 is observed as International Day to End Obstetric Fistula. 67. May 23 is observed as World Turtle Day, observed since 2000. 68. May 24 - Commonwealth Day in India. It is globally observed on Second Monday of March. However, in some nations Including India, it is observed on May 24. May 24 is Birth Anniversary of Queen Victoria (1819), who was Queen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. On 1 May 1876, she adopted additional title of Empress of India. 69. May 25 is observed as World Thyroid Day, observed since 2008. May 25 is also International Missing Children's Day. 70. May 27 is Death Anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India. 71. May 28 is Birth Anniversary of Legendary freedom Fighter Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also called Veer Savarkar. May 28 is also observed as International Day of Action for Women's Health. 72. May 28 is observed as World Hunger Day, an initiative of the Hunger Project. May 28 is also observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day. 73. May 29 is observed as International Everest Day. On this day in 1953, Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand's Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest, as first humans to achieve this feat. 74. May 3 - World Press Freedom Day. 2020 Theme is Journalism without Fear of Favor and host nation is The Netherlands. In December 1993, UNGA following recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference proclaimed 3 May as World Press Freedom Day. UNESCO marks World Press Freedom Day by conferring the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997. Colombian investigative journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima has been named as laureate of the 2020 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. May 3, 2020 is also World Laughter Day, first Sunday of May of every year. First celebration was on January 10, 1998, in Mumbai. 75. May 30 is statehood day for Goa. On this day in 1987, Goa became 25th state of India. It was a Union Territory along with Daman and Diu from December 1961 onwards when Goa was liberated from Portugese rule. 76. May 31 is Observed as No Tobacco Day, established by World Health Organization (WHO). 2020 Theme is Protecting Youth. On this occasion, WHO accorded World No Tobacco Day Award 2020 to Socio-Economic and Educational Development Society(SEEDS), an Indian non-governmental organization(NGO), one among 3 SouthEast Asian Region awardees, for its efforts to ban pan masala, gutkha, e-cigarettes and hookah in Bihar and Jharkhand. WNTD is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by WHO, Others are - World Health Day - Apr 7 World Blood Donor Day - June 14 World Immunization Week - Last week of April World Tuberculosis Day - Mar 24 World Malaria Day - Apr 25 World Hepatitis Day - July 28 World AIDS Day - Dec 1 77. May 4 is observed as International Firefighters' Day (IFFD), established in 1999, after deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a bushfire in Australia. 78. May 5 is observed as - World Hand Hygiene Day. International Day of the Midwife, Observed since 1991. May 5, 2020 is also observed as World Asthma Day, Observed on first Tuesday of May. Birth Anniversary of 7th President of India, Giani Zail Singh (1982 to 1987). 79. May 7 is observed as World Athletics Day. May 7 is also Birth Anniversary of India’s first Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He started Vishwa Bharati University in Shantiniketan. His birth anniversary is also known as Pochise Boishakh. On this occasion, National Gallery of Modern Art organised virtual tour Gurudev: Journey of the Maestro through his visual vocabulary. Also, Israel named a street in Tel Aviv after Rabindranath Tagore. May 07, 2020 is also observed as Vesak (Buddha Jayanti). 80. May 8 - World Red Cross Day, also known as Red Crescent Day. It commemorates birth anniversary of Henri Dunant (born on 8 May 1828), the founder of Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). May 8 is also observed as ‘World Thalassaemia Day’. May 8 is also observed as Victory in Europe Day, Marking formal end of World War II in Europe, when allied powers defeated German leader Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Forces, On May 8, 1945. 81. May 9 is Birth Anniversary of Pratap Singh I (Also called Maharana Pratap), the 13th Sisodia king of Mewar. May 09, 2020 is observed as World Migratory Bird Day. It is observed on second Saturday in May and in October. 82. National Panchayati Raj Day in India. It began in 2010. It marks passing of Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993. On this occasion in 2020, PM Modi launched E-Gram Swaraj application. Also, he launched Swamitva scheme to integrate lands and reduce land disputes, in 6 states. 83. Odisha Day (Utkala Dibasa) is observed on 1 April, in memory of formation of state as a separate state out of Bihar, Bengal and Odisha provinces with addition of Koraput and Ganjam from Madras Presidency on 1 April 1936. 84. UNESCO Observed Mar 14 as First Ever International Day of Mathematics, Proclaimed in 2019. Mar 14 is observed as International Pi (π) Day, observed since 1988. Mar 14 is also observed as International Day of Action for Rivers. 85. World Immunization Week is observed annually during last week of April. Top

Defence 1. A new Explosive Detection device called RalDer-X launched during National Workshop on Explosive Detection in Pune. It can detect explosives that are in pure form and also those that are added with contaminants. It is also capable of detecting explosives at a distance. It can also detect several other elements that are non-explosive in nature, such as narcotics. 2. As per report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) - India continues to be world’s second-largest arms importer, just behind Saudi Arabia. India accounts for 9.2% of total global arms imports during 2015-2019, while Saudi Arabia registered 12%. Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China are top 5 arms Importers. In Terms of Arms Exports, India ranks 23rd, with .2% share of total global arms expors and Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius as India's biggest clients. US is top Arms Exporter, followed by Russia. 3. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, has approved procurement of 83 more advanced Mk1A version of Tejas aircraft from HAL. Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is indigenously designed by Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Proposal will now be placed for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). 4. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved optimisation of over 9300 posts in Military Engineering Service, in line with recommendations of Lt General Shekatkar Committee. Committee had recommended this, to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of Armed Forces. 5. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet and two interceptor boats C-451 and (IBs) C-450. Sachet is first in the series of five offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard (Ltd). 6. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched draft of new Defence Procurement Procedure 2020, which aims to increase Indigenous Content ratio to boost indigenous manufacturing. Ratio is percentage of content of defence equipment built in India. Draft proposes increasing Indigenous Content (IC) stipulated in various categories of procurement by about 10% to support the ‘Make in India’s initiative. For instance, Indigenous Content Ratio of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is 75.5%. Procedure has introduced Buy Global category, with minimum 50% indigenous content on cost basis of total contract value. Procedure introduced Leasing as a new category. This is to replace huge initial payments with periodical rental payments. A new system has been introduced for software procurement, as software requires more frequent updates. 7. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled India's First Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (MVRDL) developed by DRDO's Hyderabad based Research Centre Imarat (RCI). It is capable of processing over 1000 samples in a day for COVID-19 Infection. 8. Defence Minsiter Rajnath Singh approved Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) with outlay of 400 crores, for creating state-of- the-art testing infrastructure for domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing sector. It would run for the duration of five years and envisages to 6 - 8 new test facilities in partnership with private industry. Projects under the scheme will be provided with up to 75% government funding and remaining will be borne by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), whose constituents will be private entities and State Governments. 9. Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE), Ministry of Defence and eGov Foundation signed MoU for Online Management of Cantonment Boards. Services will be delivered under a cloud-based platform DIGIT (Digital Infrastructure for Governance, Impact & Transformation), under program named e-Chhawani. 10. Foundation Stone for Missile Park AGNEEPRASTHA laid at INS Kalinga, to capture glimpses of Missile History of INS Kalinga since its inception in 1981. A 2 MW Solar Photovoltaic Plant was also commissioned at INS Kalinga. Govt aims to achieve 100 GW of solar power by 2022. 11. INLCU L57 has been commissioned into Indian Navy, as seventh Landing Craft Utility (LCU) MK-IV class to be inducted into Indian Navy. It has been built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). 12. In order to help fight unemployment generated due to COVID-19, and amid rising patriotism, Indian Army is considering ToD (Tour of Duty). ToD is a 3 year internship for youths to work as officers and soldiers. ToD is for persons who do not wish to take defence services as a career, but still want to experience adventure and thrills in armed forces. Earnings made by the individual under the scheme has been made tax free. Also, these candidates are to be given preferences in public sector jobs and also in post-graduate courses. ToD model is similar to short-service commission that allows to serve for 10 to 14 years. 13. India secured a defence deal with Armenia, to supply 4 Swathi weapon locating radars. India has beaten competing bids from Russia and Poland for the deal, as a boost for Make in India Initiative. These radars can provide accurate location of enemy weapons within 50 km range. 14. India signed agreement with Israel to procure 16, 479 Light Machine Guns named Negev, for Rs 880 crores. 15. Indian Air Force (IAF) inducted Tejas Mk-1 FOC aircraft into recently resurrected No 18 Sqn, the “Flying Bullets” at Air Force Station Sulur. The Squadron is the first in the IAF to induct this platform. Tejas Mk-1 FOC is a single engine, light weight, highly agile, all weather multi role fighter aircraft capable of air-to-air refueling. 16. Indian Air Force shelved 3 projects worth INR 8000 crores, amid Central Government pushing for Make in India. Projects include buying 20 additional Hawk Planes from UK, 30 Jaguar fighter planes from US and 38 trainer aircrafts. 17. Indian Army will convert 61st cavalry, the only horse serving cavalry in the world, into a regular armoured regiment with tanks. The jaipur based largely ceremonial unit, will now be formed into a combat force. There are oppositions to the steps claiming that the step will destroy glorious tradition of the regiment. 61st cavalry was raised in 1953, by amalgamating horse mounted cavalry units in princely states of India. Soldiers in cavalry are armed with Lancers. Teen Murti Memorial was erected in New Delhi to honour the lancers. The memorial was erected during British Raj, to commemorate heroic role played by Jodhpur, Hyderabad and Mysore during Battle of Hafia. Lancers represented British during world war I. Hafia Day is celebrated by Indian Army on September 23, to honour the regiment. 18. Indian Coast Guard conducted 9th edition of national level search and rescue exercise ‘SAREX-2020’ based on theme Harmonization of Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue (HAMSAR), in Goa. 19. Indian Navy launched Mission Sagar, to extend helping hand to Indian Ocean Region Nations amid COVID-19 pandemic. Indian Naval Ship Kesari departed for Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to provide Food and medical aid Items. 20. Indian Navy launched Operation Samudra Setu, as an effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa and Magar are enroute to port of Malè, Maldives to commence evacuation, Under Phase-1. 21. Supreme court cleared permanent commission for women officers in Indian Navy, contrary to Govt’s policy of 1991 and 1998 which lifted statutory bar on induction of women officers in Navy. 22. US approved Torpedoes lightweight missiles and Harpoon air-launched missiles sales to India, for 155 million USD. Top

Economy 1. India signed $1.5 billion loan Agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB), to support government’s response to COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention. 2. 39th GST Council Meet Held in New Delhi - Rate Changes - GST on mobile phones increased from 12% to 18%. Reduced GST on handmade and machine made match sticks to 12%. GST on maintenance repair overhaul services of aircraft was reduced from 18% to 5%. Policy Updates - New facility called ‘Know Your Supplier’ to be introduced. IT Firm Infosys will deploy a better GSTN system by July. 3. BharatPe launched 2 voice-based applications - Paisa Bolega and BharatPe Balance. These will enable account holders to access transactions and balance using without touching phones, amid COVID-19 pandemic. Paisa Bolega button provides voice alerts of transactions through their BharatPe QR. BharatPe Balance will provide information about total available balance across deposits, loan and daily collections through QR. 4. iTurmeric FinCloud microservices-based platform has been launched by Intellect Design Arena Ltd, launched through IBM public cloud. This platform will enable new digital banks’ systems to be tested and run in isolation or in parallel with core legacy systems. 5. Bharti Airtel acquired 10% stake in Voicezen, a Gurgaon based startup focused on conversational AI technologies. 6. A quarterly business confidence index issued by economic think tank National Council for Applied Economic Research, dropped by over 30% in last quarter of previous fiscal year. Its at lowest level since 1998 when business sentiment was low due to Asian financial crisis 7. According to ADB report Updated Assessment of the Potential Economic Impact of COVID-19 - Global economy is expected to lose between $ 5.8 trillion to $ 8.8 trillion (6.4 % to 9.7 %) of global GDP, due to COVID-19 outbreak. GDP in South Asia is expected to decrease from USD 142 billion to 218 billion (3.9 to 6 %). In China, this loss can range from 1.1 trillion to 1.6 trillion dollars. Worldwide, workers’ revenues will fall from $ 1.2 trillion to $ 1.8 trillion. COVID-19 will likely cut global trade by $1.7 trillion to $2.6 trillion. Global employment decline will be between 15.8 to 24.2 crores, with Asia and Pacific comprising 70% of total employment. 8. According to RBI report, India’s current account deficit (CAD) fell sharply to $ 1.4 billion, or 0.2 % of GDP, for October-December 2019 quarter of FY 2019-20, compared to 2.7 % of GDP ($ 17.7 billion) in same period last fiscal. Foreign direct investment (FDI) during the period stood at $ 10.0 billion, higher than $ 7.3 billion same period last year. 9. Aditya Birla group's Hindalco Industries acquired US Based Aleris Corporation through its wholly owned subsidiary Novelis Inc. for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion (Approx 21000 crores). Novelis will acquire Aleris’ 13 plants across North America, Europe and Asia. 10. Airtel Payments Bank (APBL) partnered with Payments Firm Mastercard, to develop customized products catering to customers across the underbanked spectrum including farmers, small and medium enterprises and retail customers. 11. Amid COVID-19 Impact, RBI announced further measures - RBI has cut reverse repo rate to 3.75%, keeping othr rates unchanged. Current MPC Rates - Repo Rate - 4.40 % Reverse Repo - 3.75 % Bank Rate - 4.65 % CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) - 3 % SLR(Statutory Liquidity ratio) - 18.00 % Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate - 4.65 % RBI announced to conduct Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO) 2.0 at policy repo rate for tenors up to 3 years for a total amount of up to 50000 crores. RBI eased Liquidity Coverage Ratio from 100% to 80%. LCR is assets held by banks to make sure its ongoing ability to meet short- term obligations are fulfilled. RBI will also provide 50,000 crores to institutions such as SIDBI, NABARD, NHB. 12. Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, Small Industries Development Bank of India will provide emergency working capital of up to 1 crore rupees to small and medium enterprises(MSMEs). Named, SIDBI SAFE PLUS, it will be offered collateral free and disbursed within 48 hours, at interest rate of 5 %. 13. Amid disruptions caused by COVID-19, RBI decided to extend window timings of Fixed Rate Reverse Repo and MSF operations to provide eligible market participants with greater flexibility in their liquidity management -

Type of operation New Window Timing Old Window Timing Fixed-rate Reverse Repo 09:00 hrs to 23:59 hrs 17:30 hrs to 23:59 hrs MSF 09:00 hrs to 23:59 hrs 17:30 hrs to 23:59 hrs 14. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India completed acquisition of Bhander Power Plant in Hazira (Gujarat) from Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company. 15. As a relief measure amid COVID-19 Pandemic, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announced changes in Policy Rates. New Rates are -

Repo Rate - 4.00 % (-.40 %)

Reverse Repo - 3.35 % (-.40 %)

Bank Rate - 4.25 % (-.40 %) CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) - 3 % SLR(Statutory Liquidity ratio) - 18.00 %

Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate - 4.25 % (-.40 %) Other Measures - RBI Extended Moratorium on Term Loans by 3 Months, to enable borrowers to avail 3 months deferment on payment of Loan EMIs. It is applicable between repayments due between June 1 - Aug 31, 2020. In order to enable increased supply of affordable credit to small industries, RBI had announced a special refinance facility of 15000 crore to for 90 days. This facility has now been extended by another 90 days. Relaxation of Rules for Foreign Portfolio Investment under Voluntary Retention Route. Rules stipulate that at least 75% of allotted investment limit be invested within 3 months. This has now been revised to six months. RBI announced a line of credit of 15,000 crore to the EXIM Bank, for financing, facilitating and promoting foreign trade. Maximum credit which banks can extend to a particular corporate group has been increased from 25% to 30% of the bank’s eligible capital base. 16. As per Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy, 12.15 Crore people have lost their Jobs amid COVID-19 Outbreak, with 27.1 % Unemployment. 9.13 Crore daily wagers are out of jobs due to COVID-19 crisis. Also, 1.82 Crore entrepreneurs are without work. Around 1.78 Crore salaried workers are also affected due to COVID-19. Rural unemployment increased from 20.88% to 26.16%. 17. As per Govt Data, total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India grown by 18% to reach 73 billion USD in FY 2019-20. Of this, FDI equity inflows through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), RBI’s automatic route of through acquisition rose 13 percent to around $49.98 billion. 18. As per IMF's April update of World Economic Outlook (WEO) - India’s growth to be to 1.9% from 5.8% earlier for FY21 (2020-21). India’s growth is seen recovering sharply to 7.4% in next fiscal year (FY 22 (2021-22)). IMF warns of worst global recession since Great Depression (1929-1930), due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Global economy is expected to shrink by 3%. China is seen growing 1.2% in 2020 and rebound to 9.2% in 2021. Asia will stall at 0% growth in 2020 for 1st time in 60 years,which includes Global Financial Crisis (4.7%) and Asian Financial Crisis (1.3%). US to shrink by 6 % and Europe by 6.6 %. 19. As per Japanese Firm Nomura, Indian economy will contract by 6.1 % in April-June quarter, and will expand only in December quarter. Economy will grow at 3.2 per cent in January-March 2020 Quarter, contract by 6.1 % in June - Aug quarter and 0.5 % in Sep - Dec quarter, before rising by 1.4 % in the last quarter of FY 21 (Jan - Mar 2021). Nomura Predicted Indian GDP to grow at -.5 % in FY 2020-21 (FY 21). 20. As per N K Singh Headed 15th Finance Commission, States can use escape clause under their Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRBM) to raise additional resources to fight Covid-19 pandemic. Centre and States have their own FRBM Acts, respectively. However, there are two similarities. One, the limit for the fiscal deficit is 3 % and, there is an escape clause to raise deficit up to 50 basis points in exceptional situations. 21. As per RBI data, Bank credit growth declined to 5 decade low to 6.14% in FY 20 (2019-20), due to lower demand and risk aversion among banks. Bank deposits grew by 7.93% to 135.71 lakh crores as against 125.73 lakh crores in 2019. 22. As per RBI report, Consumer price index based inflation will soften during FY 21 (2020-21). CPI inflation is projected to ease from 4.8% in Q1= of 2020-21 to 4.4% in Q2, 2.7% in Q3 and 2.4% in Q4, amid prevailing high uncertainty due to COVID-19 Outbreak. 23. As per S&T survey 2018 by National Science and Technology Management Information (Under Department of Science and Technology). Expenditure in R&D - India’s Gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 - 2018, from 39437 crores in 2007- 08 to 113825 crores in 2017-18. India’s per capita R&D expenditure increased to $ 47.2 in 2017-18 from $ 29.2 in 2007-08. India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, while same among other developing BRICS countries - Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%. Number of researchers - Number of researchers per million population in India increased to 255 in 2017 from 218 in 2015 and 110 in 2000. India occupies 3rd rank in terms of number of Ph. D.’s awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) after USA (39,710 in 2016) and China (34,440 in 2015). Scientific publication - India ranks 3rd, in terms of Scientific Publication. During 2018, India was ranked at 3rd, 5th and 9th in scientific publication output as per the NSF, SCOPUS and SCI database respectively. Resident Patent Filing activity - India ranks 9th, in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity. According to WIPO, India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world 24. As per Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), sales of Electric Vehicles increased by 20% in 2019-20. Sale of electric vehicles for 2019-20 included 3,400 cars, 152,000 two wheelers and 600 buses. 25. As per federation of Indian Export Organization, Indian Exports are to fall by 20% in FY 2020-21 (FY 21) due to COVID-19 Outbreak, amountign approx 50-60 billion USD. FIEO requested to provide additional 2% support under the MEIS (Merchandise Exported from India) scheme and additional 4% support to labour intensive sectors. 26. Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved USD 346 million (around Rs 2600 crores) loan to India, for reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra. 27. Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved loan of $60 million for India's Aavas Financiers, enabling it to provide housing finance to women in low-income communities either as primary borrowers or co-borrowers. 28. Asian Development Bank apprpved loan of 2.2 billion USD to India, to combat COVID-19. India seeked help of 6 Billion USD from ADB and AIIB to tackle the pandemic. Earlier, World Bank offered $1 billion help to India for the purpose. 29. Asian Development Bank will invest 100 million USD in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), to help stressed Indian Economy. Main purpose of the fund is to aid Greenfield and brownfield projects in country. When an entity is to use benefits of the funds, Government invests 49% and rest has to be raised from third party investors. 30. Automaker Mahindra & Mahindra rolled out an end to end, online vehicle ownership solution titled ‘Own-Online’, to offer its customers a transparent, seamless and contactless experience during vehicle delivery. 31. Axis Bank acquired additional 29 % stake in Max Life Insurance, for approx 1590 Crores. It Makes Max Life Insurance a 70:30 joint venture between Max Financial Services and Axis Bank. 32. Beijing Based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approved loan of 145 million USD to improve irrigation facilities and flood management West Bengal. 33. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in partnership with SBI has launched a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based payment platform, Bharat InstaPay to enable all types of channel partners of BSNL to digitize their payment transactions. Also, SBI waived service charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI / Other Bank ATMs till June 30, in line with RBI Directive. 34. Bharti Airtel acquired 10 % stake in fitness start-up Spectacom Global Pvt Ltd, under its ‘Airtel Startup Accelerator Program’. Spectacom is 2nd firm to join the Airtel Start-up Accelerator Program after Bengaluru-based Vahan. 35. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) reduced annual listing fee by 25% for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) companies, to lower compliance costs for companies during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 36. British pharm Firm GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) sold its 5.7 % stake in Indian FMCG company Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) for $3.35 billion, in largest secondary trade on Indian stock exchanges. 37. Capital markets regulator SEBI imposed penalty of Rs 7 lakh on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for delay in making timely disclosure about financial results. 38. Central Board of Direct Taxes clarified about Section 115 BAC, which was inserted recently into Income Tax Act 1961. According to section, a person receiving income other than family business shall be taxed under Section 115 BAC. This is to be furnished along with those submitted under Section 139 of act. Issue that arose if tax that was imposed under Section 115 BAC is to be considered under TDS. CBDT clarified - If a tax payer has income other than that received from his employer, and intends to get concessional rate under Section 115 BAC, then he should intimate the deductor each previous year. In case employee fails to make intimation, employer shall make TDS without considering provisions of Section 115 BAC. 39. Central Board of Direct Taxes exempted Companies engaged in business-to-business (B2B) transactions have been exempted from installing e-payments facilities such as RuPay or UPI. It is applicable for B2B companies for which min 95% of aggregate of amount received during previous year, are by any mode other than cash. This came amid representations stating that requirement of mandatory facility for payments through prescribed electronic modes was not applicable to B2B businesses since they don’t deal with customers directly. Also, it puts cap on their daily receipts. 40. Chennai Port Trust will buy 67 % in Kamarajar Port Ltd, from Central Government for about Rs 2,380 crores. Both ports are in Tamil Nadu. 41. Competition Commission of India Approvals (April 2020) - Approved acquisition of 18.95 % stake in Religare Health Insurance Company by Trishikhar Ventures under green channel route. Approved formation of Joint Venture between Adani Green Energy and Total S.A. in business of power generation through solar energy in India. Total S.A. is parent entity of Total Group. Approved 100% acquisition by JSW Energy Limited of GMR Kamalanga Energy Limited. Approved acquisition of 80.1% stake by Hitachi in power grid business of ABB Limited. Approved acquisition of 9.93% stake by Emerald Sage Investment Limited in Apollo Tyres Limited. Approved acquisition of majority shareholding in B.M.M Ispat Limited (BMM) by JSW Projects Limited (JPL). Approved acquisition of under 5% shareholding in Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited by Canary Investments Limited (Mauritius) and Link Investment Trust II. Approved Combination between BP Global Investments Limited (BP Global) and Reliance BP Mobility Limited (RBPML). It relates to - It involves transfer of Reliance Industries' and its group entities' entire undertaking and related activities in India to RBPML. Proposed transaction would involve acquisition of an aggregate 49 % of fully diluted paid-up equity share capital and voting rights in and of RBPML by BP Global. Approved acquisition of 100% shares and control of Tech Data Corporation by Tiger Midco LLC. 42. Competition Commission of India Approvals (May 2020) - Approved acquisition of 100% stake in Emami Cement Limited, by Nirma promoter group company Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited. 43. Credit Rating Agency CRISIL stated that India’s worst recession ever has arrived and economy will shrink by 5 % in current fiscal FY 21 (2020-21). It will be fourth recession since Independence and first since Liberalisation. India has seen recession only thrice- in fiscals 1958, 1966 and 1980. The reason for the recession in all three of them was the same- a monsoon shock hitting agriculture and then economy. In real terms there will be a permanent loss of about 10% GDP, which means that going back to the growth rates seen before the pandemic is highly unlikely in the next three fiscals. 44. E-commerce company Flipkart tied up with Aegon Life Insurance to sell insurance solutions to its customers. 45. Employees' Provident Fund Organization has cut interest rate on deposits to 8.5% for 2019-20, down from 8.65 percent last year (2018- 19). EPFO has approx 6 crore subscribers. 46. Federal Bank acquired additional stake of up to 4% in equity capital of IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd (IFLIC), from IDBI Bank. Federal Bank currently holds a 26% stake in JV insurance company. 47. Finance Minister Announced a Stimulus Package to aid economc activities hampered Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Facts - Termed as Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It values at approx 20 Lakh crores, approx 10 % of Indian GDP. Five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand. Earlier Measures - Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package - 1.7 Lakh Crores. Insurance cover of 50 Lakh per health worker. 80 crore poor people given benefit of 5 kg wheat or rice per person for 3 months 1 kg pulses for each household for free every month for 3 months 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders get Rs 500 per month for 3 months Gas cylinders, free of cost, provided to 8 crore poor families for 3 months Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182, to benefit 13.62 crore families Ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor Divyang Traneferred 2000 to farmers under existing PM-KISAN to benefit 8.7 crore farmers Building and Construction Workers Welfare Fund allowed to be used to provide relief to workers 24% of monthly wages to be credited into PF accounts for three months for wage-earners below Rs 15,000 p.m. in businesses having less than 100 workers 5 crore workers under Employee Provident Fund EPF to get non-refundable advance of 75% of amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts Limit of collateral free lending to be increased from Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakhs for Women Self Help Groups supporting 6.85 crore households District Mineral Fund (DMF) to be used for supplementing and augmenting facilities of medical testing, screening etc. Other Measures - RBI raised Ways and Means advance limits of States by 60% and enhanced the Overdraft duration limits Issued all the pending income-tax refunds up to 5 lakh, immediately benefiting around 14 lakh taxpayers Sanctioned Rs 15,000 crores for Emergency Health Response Package RBI Measures - Reduction of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) has resulted in liquidity enhancement of 1,37,000 crores Targeted Long Term Repo Operations (TLTROs) of 1,00,050 crores for fresh deployment in investment grade corporate bonds, commercial paper, and non-convertible debentures TLTRO of Rs.50,000 crore for investing them in investment grade bonds, commercial paper, and non-convertible debentures of NBFCs, and MFIs. Increased banks’ limit for borrowing overnight under the marginal standing facility (MSF), allowing banking system to avail additional 1,37,000 crore of liquidity at the reduced MSF rate Announced special refinance facilities to NABARD, SIDBI and the NHB for a total amount of 50,000 crore at the policy repo rate Announced opening of a special liquidity facility (SLF) of 50,000 crore for mutual funds to alleviate intensified liquidity pressures. Moratorium of 3 months on payment of dues in respect of all Term Loans For loans by NBFCs to commercial real estate sector, additional 1 year for commencement for commercial operations Tranche 1 (Businesses including MSMEs) - Rs 3 lakh crores Collateral-free Automatic Loans for Businesses, including MSMEs Borrowers with up to 25 crores outstanding and 100 crores turnover eligible. Loans to have 4 year tenor with moratorium of 12 months on Principal repayment 100% credit guarantee cover to Banks and NBFCs on principal and interest Scheme can be availed till 31st Oct 2020 No guarantee fee, no fresh collateral 20000 crores Subordinate Debt for Stressed MSMEs Govt. will provide support of 4,000 Cr. to CGTMSE (Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises) CGTMSE will provide partial Credit Guarantee support to Banks 50000 crores Equity infusion for MSMEs through Fund of Funds Fund of Funds with Corpus of Rs 10,000 crores will be set up FoF will be operated through a Mother Fund and few daughter funds. Fund structure will help leverage Rs 50,000 cr of funds at daughter funds level New Definition of MSMEs Approved amendment to change criteria to classify MSMEs from “investment” to “Annual Turnover AND investment”, adding the annual turnover clause. Earlier definition only classified on the basis of Investment made in setting up the unit. The new definition, on adding up annual turnover criteria, will encourage MSMEs to grow faster, to be able to notch up higher benefits.

Existing MSME Classification Criteria - Investment Made Classification Micro Small Medium Manufacturing Inv < 25 Lac Inv < 5 crore Inv < 10 crore Services Inv < 10 Lac Inv < 2 crore Inv < 5 crore

Existing MSME Classification Criteria - Investment Made AND Annual Turnover

Classification Micro Small Medium

Inv < 1 crore Inv < 10 crore Inv < 20 crore Manufacturing / Services AND AND AND Turnover < 5 crore Turnover < 50 crore Turnover < 100 crore

Global tenders to be disallowed upto Rs 200 crores Rs. 2500 crore EPF Support for Business & Workers for 3 more months Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP), payment of 12% of employer and 12% employee contributions was made into EPF accounts of eligible establishments. This support will be extended by another 3 months to salary months of June, July and August 2020. EPF contribution reduced for Business & Workers for 3 months - Rs 6750 crores Liquidity Support Statutory PF contribution of both employer and employee will be reduced to 10% each from existing 12% each for all establishments covered by EPFO for 3 months Applicable for workers who are not eligible for 24% EPF support under PM Garib Kalyan Package and its extension. Rs 30,000 crore Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs/HFCs/MFIs Investment will be made in both primary and secondary market transactions in investment grade debt paper of NBFCs/HFCs/MFIs Rs 45,000 crore Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme 2.0 for NBFCs Existing PCGS scheme to be extended to cover borrowings such as primary issuance of Bonds/ CPs (liability side of balance sheets) of such entities First 20% of loss will be borne by the Guarantor (Government) Rs. 90,000 Cr. Liquidity Injection for DISCOMs Loans to be given against State guarantees for exclusive purpose of discharging liabilities of Discoms to Gencos. Relief to Contractors Extension of up to 6 months for completion of contractual obligations, including in respect of EPC and concession agreements Relief to Real Estate Projects registration and completion date for all registered projects will be extended up to six months To provide more funds at disposal of taxpayers for dealing with economic situation arising out of COVID-19 pandemic, rates of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) for 23 non-salaried specified payments has been reduced by 25% for period 14th May, 2020 to 31st March, 2021. Tax Collection at Source (TCS) has also been reduced by 25 % for mentioned 4 receipt types. This measure will release Liquidity of Rs. 50,000 crore Due Dates for various tax relatedcompliances extended Income-tax return for FY 2019-20 will be extended from 31st July & 31st October, 2020 to 30th November and Tax audit from 30th September to 31st October, 2020 Period of Vivad se Vishwas Scheme for making payment without additional amount will be extended to 31st December,2020 Tranche 2 (Poor, including migrants and farmers) - Free food grains supply to migrants for 2 months (3500 Crores) - For migrant labour, additional food grain to all States/UTs at the rate of 5 kg per migrant labourer and 1 kg Chana per family per month for two months (May and June 2020), free of cost. Migrant labourers not covered under National Food Security Act or without a ration card, will be eligible. 8 Lakh MT of food-grain and 50,000 MT of Chana shall be allocated. Technology to be used, to enable Migrants to access PDS (Ration) from any Fair Price Shops by March 2021, Under One Nation one Ration Card Scheme - 100% National portability will be achieved by March, 2021. Scheme for Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for Migrant Workers and Urban Poor to be launched - Affordable Rental Housing Complexes will provide social security and quality life to migrant labour, urban poor, and students etc. 2% Interest Subvention for 12 months for Shishu MUDRA loanees (1500 Crores) - Govt will provide Interest subvention of 2% for prompt payees for a period of 12 months to MUDRA Shishu loanees, who have loans below Rs 50,000. Rs 5,000 crore Credit facility for Street Vendors - Under this, bank credit facility for initial working capital up to Rs. 10,000 for each enterprise will be extended. Rs 70,000 crore boost to housing sector and middle income group through extension of Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for MIG under PMAY(Urban) - Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Group (annual Income between Rs 6 and 18 lakhs) will be extended up to March 2021. Rs 6,000 crore for Creating employment using Compensatory Afforestation Management & Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds Rs 30,000 crore Additional Emergency Working Capital for farmers through NABARD NABARD will extend additional refinance support of Rs. 30,000 crore for crop loan requirement of Rural Co-op Banks & RRBs. This is above 90,000 crores that will be provided by NABARD to this sector in normal course. This will benefit around 3 crore farmers. 2 lakh crore credit boost to 2.5 crore farmers under Kisan Credit Card Scheme - Special drive to provide concessional credit to PM-KISAN beneficiaries through Kisan Credit Cards. Fisherman and Animal Husbandy Farmers will also be included in this drive. Tranche 3 (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors) - Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers. Rs 10,000 crore scheme for Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE) - Scheme promoting Vocal for Local with Global outreachwill be launched to help 2 lakh MFEs who need technical upgradation to attain FSSAI food standards, build brands and marketing. Rs 20,000 crore for fisherman through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) - Government will launch the PMMSY for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries. Rs 11,000 crore for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and Rs. 9000 crore for Infrastructure - Fishing Harbours, Cold chain, Markets etc shall be provided. National Animal Disease Control Programme - NADC Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis launched with outlay of 13,343 crore to ensure 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population (total 53 crore animals). Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (15,000 crores) Promotion of Herbal Cultivation (4,000 crores) - 10,00,000 hectare will be covered under Herbal cultivation in next two years with outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore. Beekeeping initiatives (500 crores) From ‘TOP’ to TOTAL (500 crores) - Operation Greens run by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) will be extended from tomatoes, onion and potatoes to ALL fruit and vegetables. Scheme would provide 50% subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets, 50% subsidy on storage, including cold storages and will be launched as pilot for the 6 months. Measures for Governance and Administrative Reforms for Agriculture Sector - Amendments to Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realisation for farmers. Agriculture Marketing Reforms to provide marketing choices to farmers - A Central law will be formulated to provide adequate choices to the farmer to sell their produce at remunerative price, barrier free Inter-State Trade, a framework for e-trading of agriculture produce. Agriculture Produce Pricing and Quality Assurance - Government will finalise a facilitative legal framework to enable farmers to engage with processors, aggregators, large retailers, exporters etc. in a fair and transparent manner. Tranche 4 (New Horizons of Growth) - Finance Minister announced policy reforms to fast track investment - Fast tracking of investment clearance through Empowered Group of Secretaries. Project Development Cell will be constituted in each Ministry to prepare investible projects, coordinate with investors and Central/State Governments. Ranking of States on investment attractiveness to compete for new investment. Incentive schemes for promotion of new champion sectors will be launched in sectors such as solar PV manufacturing; advanced cell battery storage etc. A scheme will be implemented in States through challenge mode for Industrial Cluster Upgradation of common infrastructure facilities and connectivity. Coal - Introduction of Commercial Mining in Coal Sector - Government will introduce competition, transparency and private sector participation in the Coal Sector through A revenue sharing mechanism instead of regime of fixed Rupee/tonne. Any party can bid for a coal block and sell in open market. Nearly 50 Blocks will be offered immediately. Diversified Opportunities in Coal Sector - Coal Gasification / Liquefication will be incentivised through rebate in revenue share. This will result in significantly lower environment impact and also assist India in switching to a gas-based economy. Infrastructure development of 50,000 crore will be done for evacuation of enhanced Coal India Limited’s (CIL) target of 1 billion tons coal production by 2023-24. Liberalised Regime in Coal Sector - Coal Bed Methane (CBM) extraction rights will be auctioned from Coal India Limited’s (CIL) coal mines. Several ease of Doing Business measures will allow for automatic 40% increase in annual production. Concessions in commercial terms given to CIL’s consumers (relief worth Rs 5,000 crore offered). Mineral - Enhancing Private Investment - 500 mining blocks would be offered through an open and transparent auction process. Joint Auction of Bauxite and Coal mineral blocks to enhance Aluminum Industry’s competitiveness will be introduced to help Aluminum industry reduce electricity costs. Policy reforms - Distinction between captive and non-captive mines to allow transfer of mining leases and sale of surplus unused minerals, leading to better efficiency in mining and production shall be removed. Mineral Index for different minerals will be developed. Defence - Enhancing Self Reliance in Defence Production. ‘Make in India’ for Self-Reliance in Defence Production will be promoted. Improve autonomy, accountability and efficiency in Ordnance Supplies by Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board. Policy Reforms in Defence Production - FDI limit in Defence manufacturing under automatic route will be raised from 49% to 74%. Time-bound defence procurement process by setting up of a Project Management Unit (PMU). Civil Aviation - Efficient Airspace Management for Civil Aviation - Restrictions on utilisation of Air Space will be eased, bringing benefit of approx 1000 crore per year for aviation sector. More World-Class Airports through PPP - 6 more airports have been identified for 2nd round bidding for Operation and Maintenance on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. Additional Private Investment in 12 airports in 2 rounds will bring 13,000 crores in sector. Other 6 airports will be put out for 3rd round of bidding. India to become a global hub for Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) - Aircraft component repairs and airframe maintenance to increase from 800 crore to 2,000 crore in 3 years. Power - Tariff Policy Reform - Consumer Rights - DISCOM inefficiencies not to burden consumers DISCOMs to ensure adequate power Load-shedding to be penalized Promote Industry - Progressive reduction in cross subsidies Time bound grant of open access Generation / transmission project developers to be selected competitively Sustainability of Sector - No Regulatory Assets Timely payment of Gencos DBT for subsidy Smart prepaid meters Social Infrastructure - Government will enhance the quantum of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) upto 30% each of Total Project Cost as VGF by Govt. For other sectors, VGF existing support of 20 % each from Government shall continue. Outlay is Rs. 8,100 crore. Space - Level playing field for private companies in satellites, launches and space-based services. Private sector will be allowed to use ISRO facilities and other relevant assets to improve their capacities. Atomic Energy - Research reactor in PPP mode for production of medical isotopes shall be established to promote welfare of humanity through affordable treatment for cancer and other diseases. Facilities in PPP mode to use irradiation technology for food preservation – to compliment agricultural reforms and assist farmers shall also be established. India’s robust start-up ecosystem will be linked to nuclear sector. Tranche 5 (Government Reforms and Enablers) - 40,000 crore increase in allocation for MGNREGS to provide employment boost. It will help generate nearly 300 crore person days. Health Reforms & Initiatives - Public Expenditure on Health will be increased by investing in grass root health institutions. Setting up of Infectious Diseases Hospital Blocks in all districts, to better manage pandemics. National Institutional Platform for One health by ICMR will encourage research. Implementation of National Digital Health Blueprint under National Digital Health Mission. Technology Driven Education with Equity post-COVID - PM eVIDYA, a programme for multi-mode access to digital education to be launched. Manodarpan, an initiative for psycho-social support for students, teachers and families for mental health and emotional well-being to be launched. New National Curriculum and Pedagogical framework for school, early childhood and teachers will be launched. National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission for ensuring that every child attains Learning levels and outcomes in grade 5 by 2025, will be launched by December 2020. Further enhancement of Ease of Doing Business through IBC related measures - Minimum threshold to initiate insolvency proceedings has been raised to Rs. 1 crore (from Rs. 1 lakh, which largely insulates MSMEs). Special insolvency resolution framework for MSMEs under Section 240A of the Code will be notified. Suspension of fresh initiation of insolvency proceedings up to one year, depending upon pandemic. Empowering Government to exclude COVID 19 related debt from definition of “default”, under Code for purpose of triggering insolvency proceedings. Decriminalisation of Companies Act defaults - Decriminalisation of Companies Act violations involving mentioned minor technical and procedural defaults. It will de-clog criminal courts and NCLT. 7 compoundable offences altogether dropped and 5 to be dealt with under alternative framework. Ease of Doing Business for Corporates - Direct listing of securities by Indian public companies in permissible foreign jurisdictions. Private companies which list NCDs on stock exchanges not to be regarded as listed companies. Including provisions of Part IXA (Producer Companies) of Companies Act, 1956 in Companies Act, 2013. Power to create additional benches for NCLAT Lower penalties for all defaults for Small Companies, One-person Companies, Producer Companies & Start Ups. Public Sector Enterprise Policy for a New, Self-reliant India - Government will announce a new policy whereby - List of strategic sectors requiring presence of PSEs in public interest will be notified In strategic sectors, at least one enterprise will remain in public sector but private sector will also be allowed In other sectors, PSEs will be privatized. To minimise wasteful administrative costs, number of enterprises in strategic sectors will ordinarily be only one to four; others will be privatised/ merged/ brought under holding companies Support to State Governments - Centre has decided to increase borrowing limits of States from 3% to 5% for 2020-21 only. This will give States extra resources of Rs. 4.28 lakh crores. Part of the borrowing will be linked to specific reforms (including recommendations of the Finance Commission). Reform linkage will be in four areas - universalisation of ‘One Nation One Ration card’, Ease of Doing Business, Power distribution and Urban Local Body revenues. A specific scheme will be notified by Department of Expenditure on the following pattern - Unconditional increase of 0.50% 1% in 4 tranches of 0.25%, with each tranche linked to clearly specified, measurable and feasible reform actions Further 0.50% if milestones are achieved in at least three out of four reform areas. Stimulus Breakup (In Crores) -

Stimulus from earlier measures Revenue lost due to tax concessions since Mar 22nd 2020 7800 Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) 170000 PM’s announcement for Health sector 15000 Total 192800 Tranche 1 (Businesses including MSMEs) Emergency W/C Facility for Businesses, incl MSMEs 300000 Subordinate Debt for Stressed MSMEs 20000 Fund of Funds for MSME 50000 EPF Support for Business & Workers 2800 Reduction in EPF rates 6750 Special liquidity Scheme for NBFC/HFC/MFIs 30000 Partial credit guarantee Scheme 2.0 for Liabilities of NBFCs/MFIs 45000 Liquidity Injection for DISCOMs 90000 Reduction in TDS/TCS rates 50000 Total 594550 Tranche 2 (Poor, including migrants and farmers) Interest Subvention for MUDRA Shishu Loans 1500 Free Food grain Supply to Migrant Workers for 2 months 3500 Special Credit Facility to Street Vendors 5000 Housing CLSS-MIG 70000 Additional Emergency WorkingCapital through NABARD 30000 Additional credit through KCC 200000 Total 310000 Tranche 3 (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors) Food Micro enterprises 10000 Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana 20000 TOP to TOTAL: Operation Greens 500 Agri Infrastructure Fund 100000 Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund 15000 Promotion of Herbal Cultivation 4500 Beekeeping Initiative 500 Total 150000 Tranche 4 + 5 (New Horizons of Growth AND Government Reforms and Enablers) Viability Gap Funding 8100 Additional MGNREGS allocation 40000 Total 48100 Grand Total Tranche 1 (Businesses including MSMEs) 594550 Tranche 2 (Poor, including migrants and farmers) 310000 Tranche 3 (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors) 150000 Tranche 4 + 5 (New Horizons of Growth AND Government Reforms and Enablers) 48100 Sub-Total of 5 Tranches 1102650 Earlier Measuresincl PMGKP 192800 RBI Measures (Actual) 801603 Sub-Total of Earlier Measuresincl PMGKP AND RBI Measures 994403 Grand Total 1102650 + 994403 = 20,97,053 Crores 48. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman launched INR-USD Futures and Options contracts on two International Exchanges - BSE’s India INX and NSE’s NSE-IFSC, at GIFT International Financial Services Centre at Gandhinagar This will be available 22 hours across all time zones for all global participants from GIFT IFSC. 49. Finance Ministry issued Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance 2020, to implement several taxation and other relaxation measures, amid COVID-19 Outbreak - Direct Taxes & Benami (Extended to 30-06-2020) Filing income-tax returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20). Aadhaar-PAN linking. Commencement of operation for SEZ units for claiming deduction under deduction 10AA of IT Act. Passing of order of notice by authorities under various direct taxes& Benami Law. Reduced interest of 9% shall be charged for non-payment of Income-tax Equalization Levy, Securities Transaction Tax (STT), Commodities Transaction Tax (CTT) which are due for payment from 20-03-2020 to 29-06-2020, if they are paid by 30-06- 2020.. Under Vivad se Vishwas Scheme, date extended up to 30-06-2020. Declaration and payment under the Scheme can be made up to 30-06-2020 without additional payment. Indirect Taxes (Extended to 30-06-2020) - Furnishing of Central Excise returns due in March, April and May 2020. All filing of appeal, refund applications etc., under excise, customs and service tax, due from 20th March 2020 to 29th June 2020, extended to 30-06-2020. Date for making payment to avail benefit under Sabka Vishwas Legal Dispute Resolution Scheme 2019 extended to 30-06- 2020. The ordinance also allows 100% exemption on donations made on PM-Cares Fund. 50. Finance ministry established International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), to be headquartered in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). It is a unified authority to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in country. Currently, IFSC are regulated by multiple regulators such as RBI, SEBI and IRDAI. This brings into effect certain provisions of IFSCA Act 2019. Government has not effected provisions pertaining to - Regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in IFSCs and its abilities to transact in foreign currencies and make rules. Main function of authority will be to regulate financial products in an IFSC, which were previously regulated by appropriate regulators. Details Pertaining to IFSCA act 51. Finance ministry increased coverage of a lender’s loss in case of loan default under Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU) scheme to 75%, from 50% earlier. It incentivizes lending to micro businesses which are bearing brunt of coronavirus outbreak. CGFMU scheme, announced in April 2016, covers micro loans up to Rs 10 lakh extended under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. Lenders can pay a fee for the portfolio of loans they want to be covered by the guarantee. 52. Fitch Solutions expected India’s fiscal deficit to go up to 6.2 % of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year FY21 (2020-21). due to economic slowdown and enhanced welfare spendings amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Government had set a target of limiting fiscal deficit to 3.5 % of GDP during FY 2020-21. Earlier, Fitch Ratings had lowered India’s GDP growth forecast to 0.8 % for FY2020-21(FY21), the 30 year low, due to global recession triggered by COVID-19 Outbreak. Also, Fitch Ratings lowered Global Growth forecast for 2020-21 (FY21) to 1.3% from 2.5% earlier. 53. Franklin Templeton Trustee Services Pvt. Ltd. appointed Kotak Mahindra Bank as an independent advisor, to assist Trustees in monetizing portfolios of 6 schemes that are being wound up & make payouts to affected investors. 6 schemes are - Low Duration Fund, Dynamic Accrual Fund, Credit Risk Fund, Short Term Income Plan, Ultra Short Bond Fund and Income Opportunities Fund of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund. 54. GST revenue collected in February 2020 is 105366 crores (CGST 20569 crores, SGST 27348 crores, IGST 48503 crores and Cess 8947 crores). 55. Godrej Consumer Products subsidiary Godrej East Africa Holdings Ltd acquired 25% stake in Kenya-based Canon Chemicals Ltd. Canon Chemicals would now be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Godrej East Africa Holdings Ltd. Earlier in February 2016, Godrej group had acquired 75 % stake in Canon. 56. Government amended General Financial Rules 2017 (GFR) to make sure goods and services that are of value less than Rs 200 crores are procured from domestic firms. This was announced under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. GFR are set of rules that deal with matters that involve public finances, first issued in 1947. GFRs were earlier modified in 1963 and 2005. GFR were last revised in 2017, to make sure an organization manages its business without compromising its flexibility. 57. Government amended Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy 2017, to prevent opportunistic acquisitions of Indian companies due to COVID-19 economic crisis. Currently, any non-resident entity from countries sharing borders with India are allowed to make investments in India. However, entities in Bangladesh and Pakistan are required to obtain government permission. After amendments - Every investor from a neighbouring country is required to invest through Government route. While transferring ownership, beneficiary is required to obtain the approval of Indian Government. It mainly targets Chinese companies. With world entering lock down and China returning to normalcy, China is now looking to acquire prominent companies all over world. 58. Government amended IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) 2016 by suspending provisions that result in insolvency proceedings against defaulters, for a period upto one year, amid the pandemic. This will act as a relief measure for corporate borrowers affected by COVID-19 pandemic as well as pave the way for banks to restructure loans. Sections are - Section 7 - pertains to initiation of corporate insolvency proceedings by a financial creditor. Section 9 - pertains to initiation of corporate insolvency proceedings by an operational creditor. Section 10 - relates to filing an application for insolvency resolution by a corporate. 59. Government amended income tax rules as per which Indian authorities would endeavour to resolve mutual agreement procedure (MAP) disputes within 24 months, aimed at speedy settlement of cases of multinational corporations that have opted alternative dispute resolution process. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) amended Rule 44G of Income tax act 1962, dealing with application and procedure for giving effect to MAP agreement, and also revised Form 34F with respect to making application to competent authority for invoking MAP. MAP is an alternative dispute resolution process under tax treaties, under which competent authorities of two countries enter into discussions to resolve tax-related disputes. 60. Government announced 100 crores interest subvention scheme on working capital, To help milk co-operatives and farmer-owned milk producer companies (FPCs) struggling with excess milk supply following restricted procurement by private dairies. It will help dairies convert surplus quantity of milk into high shelf-value products such as milk powder, white butter, ghee and UHT milk. Scheme provides for interest subvention of 2 % per annum, with an additional incentive of 2 % per annum interest subvention to be given in case of prompt and timely repayment or interest servicing. 61. Government announced that Common Service Centres (CSCs) will take over village level online retail chain, taking over work of E- commerce Giants Flipkart and Amazon in rural regions. Village-level online retail chains are being created to address the difficulties created by the restrictions imposed on mobility. Outlets will be privately run, but will be monitored by Ministry of electronics and IT. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) also allowed Common Service Centres to start Aadhaar updation facility at 20,000 centres that operate as Banking Correspondents (BCs). 62. Government declared banking industry as public utility service till October 21, under provisions of Industrial Disputes Act 1947. It is being done to prevent strikes by employees of banking sector, amid COVID-19 Oubreak. Aim of Industrial Disputes Act 1947 is to secure harmony and peace in work culture of Indian Industries, applied to organized sector. 63. Government in consultation with RBI has issued Guidelines for Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme 2020-21, to be issued in six tranches, with terms - Tranches -

S. No. Tranche Date of Subscription Date of Issuance 1. 2020-21 Series I April 20-24, 2020 April 28, 2020 2. 2020-21 Series II May 11-15, 2020 May 19, 2020 3. 2020-21 Series III June 08-12, 2020 June 16, 2020 4. 2020-21 Series IV July 06-10, 2020 July 14, 2020 5. 2020-21 Series V August 03-07, 2020 August 11, 2020 6. 2020-21 Series VI Aug.31-Sept.04, 2020 September 08, 2020 Features -

Sl. No. Item Details 1 Eligibility For sale to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions. 2 Denomination Multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram. Minimum permissible investment is 1 gram. 3 Tenor 8 years, with exit option after 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates. 4 Maximum limit 4 KG for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal. In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 KG will be applied to the first applicant only. 5 Issue price Issue / redemption Price of Bond will be fixed on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity, Issue price will be 50 per gram less on digital payments. 6 Payment option Payment for Bonds will be through cash (upto 20000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking. 7 Interest rate Fixed rate of 2.50 % annum payable semi-annually on nominal value. 8 Collateral Bonds can be used as collateral for loan. Bonds will be also be tradable on stock exchanges within a fortnight of the issuance. 9 Tax treatment Interest on Gold Bonds shall be taxable as per provision of Income Tax Act 1961. Capital gains tax arising on redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted. 10 Commission Commission for distribution of bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of total subscription and receiving offices shall share at least 50% of commission so received with agents. 11 Selling Channels Scheduled Commercial banks (except Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks), Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognised stock exchanges. 64. Government increased its market borrowing estimate to 12 lakh crores for current fiscal (FY 2020-21), to deal with expected shortfall in revenue due to impact of COVID-19 crisis. Earlier the borrowing estimate was 7.80 lakh crores. Government also increased weekly borrowing target to 30000 crores from 21000 crores earlier. 65. Government introduced scheme namely LLP Settlement Scheme 2020, by allowing Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) a One-time condonation of delay in filing statutorily required documents with Registrar. Due to applicability of additional fee on late filing, a large number of (LLPs) have remained non-compliant, mainly on account of their inability to pay late fees for the cumulative period of delay. Scheme shall come into force on the 16th March, 2020 and shall remain in force up to 13th June, 2020. It would be applicable to a LLP for filing overdue documents, which were due for filing till 31st October, 2019 on a payment of a additional fee of 10 per day for period of delay (up to 5,000 as additional fee per document). 66. Government laid down procedure to allocate quota for import of calcined pet coke in FY 21 (2020-21). In October 2018, Government permitted imports of certain quantity of pet coke in order to use it as fuel in anode making. Earlier, govt had banned import of pet coke. Import of petcoke was allowed only in lime kiln, cement, gasification and calcium carbide industries. Pet Coke is mainly used in aluminium industry as raw material. India is largest consumer of pet coke. Pet coke emits over 11% more green house gases than coal. 67. Government reduced interest rates on small savings schemes, applicable for April - June 2020 Quarter, widely due to economic stress caused by COVID-19 Outbreak - 68. Govt. approved several other economic relief measures amid COVID-19 Outbreak - Commerce and Industry Ministry extended Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) by 1 year, which came into force on 1st April 2015, for 5 years. Foreign Trade Policy is now valid up to 31st March, 2021. Benefit under all the Export Promotion Schemes (except SEIS) and other schemes, available as on date, will continue to be available for another 12 months. Approved hike in the wages of manual labourers under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The workers will get a wage hike ranging 13 - 34 INR. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) introduced Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020 and revised LLP Settlement Scheme 2020 - Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020 will enable companies make good of any filing-related defaults, irrespective of duration of default, and make a fresh start as a fully compliant entity. To provide a similar facility to Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), recently notified LLP Settlement Scheme 2020 is also revised. Both schemes provide one-time waiver of additional filing fees for delayed filings by companies or LLPs with Registrar of Companies during currency of Schemes (April 1 to September 30, 2020). The Schemes, apart from giving longer timelines for corporates to comply with various filing requirements under Companies Act 2013 and LLP Act 2008, significantly reduce related financial burden on them. 69. Gross GST revenue collected in March 2020 is 97597 crores (CGST 19183 crores, SGST 25601 crores, IGST 44508 crores, and Cess 8306 crores). 70. HDFC acquired 6.43 % stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital, by invoking pledged shares, with 25.27 crore shares valuing 252 crores. 71. Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) completed merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited (GSKCH) with itself, a year after this 31700 crores merger was announced. 72. Hydro power PSU NHPC conducted e-reverse auction for a 2,000 mega watt (MW) grid connected solar project. Against allocated capacity of 2,000 MW, lowest e-RA tariff of Rs 2.55 unit to 2.56 per unit was achieved. 73. ICICI Securities partnered with IIM Bangalore's startup hub N S Raghavan Centre of Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), to support startups in fintech space through a structured program. 74. ICICI bank launched voice banking services on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, enabling customers to avail several services. For this, ICICI Bank integrated its AI powered multi-channel chatbot, ‘iPal’, with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. 75. IT Major Accenture acquired Ahmedabad-based data analytics company Byte Prophecy, to meet growing demand for enterprise-scale AI and digital analytics solutions across the region. 76. IT firm Tech Mahindra collaborated with US Based IBM, to help businesses transform operations and accelerate their hybrid cloud strategies, by establishing innovation centres to address complex business problems. 77. India signed 500 Million USD Loan Agreement with Beijing Based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), for COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project. This is the first ever health sector support from AIIB to India. 78. India signed $177 Million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB), to upgrade 450 kilometers of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra. 79. India signed World Bank loan 80 million USD, for project aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and improve water management practices in Himachal Pradesh. 80. India's TVS Motor Company’s overseas subsidiary TVS Motor Singapore Pte. Ltd. accquired United Kingdom’s 122 year old iconic sporting motorcycle brand ‘Norton, in an all-cash transaction of £16 million. 81. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (April 2020) - Asian Development Bank's Asian Development Outlook 2020 has projected India’s growth to slow down to 4% in the current FY 21 (2020-21), and 6.2 % in FY 22 (2021-22). Growth in South Asia will decelerate to 4.1% in FY 2020-21, an dwill recover to 6% in 2021- 22. American and financial firm Goldman Sachs lowered India’s growth forecast for FY 2020-21 (FY21) to 1.6%. World Bank report South Asia Economic Focus - Indian Economy is expected to grow at 1.5% to 2.8% in FY 21 (2020-21), lowest since its balance of payment crisis in 1991. However, in coming years growth rate is expected to be 4% to 5%. As per IMF's April update of World Economic Outlook (WEO) - India’s growth to be to 1.9% from 5.8% earlier for FY21 (2020-21). India’s growth is seen recovering sharply to 7.4% in next fiscal year (FY 22 (2021-22)). IMF warns of worst global recession since Great Depression (1929-1930), due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Global economy is expected to shrink by 3%. China is seen growing 1.2% in 2020 and rebound to 9.2% in 2021. Asia will stall at 0% growth in 2020 for 1st time in 60 years,which includes Global Financial Crisis (4.7%) and Asian Financial Crisis (1.3%). US to shrink by 6 % and Europe by 6.6 %. Ratings agency ICRA revised its forecast for India’s growth in FY 21 (2020-21) to 2%. British Financial Firm Barclays has cut India's growth forecast for FY 21 (2020-21) to 0%, stating that economic fallout will be worse than earlier estimation. SBI Ecowrap report estimated India’s GDP growth to fall to 1.1% in FY21 (2020-21), due to impact of coronavirus pandemic. Fitch Solutions expected India’s fiscal deficit to go up to 6.2 % of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year FY21 (2020-21). due to economic slowdown and enhanced welfare spendings amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Government had set a target of limiting fiscal deficit to 3.5 % of GDP during FY 2020-21. Earlier, Fitch Ratings had lowered India’s GDP growth forecast to 0.8 % for FY2020-21(FY21), due to global recession triggered by COVID-19 Outbreak. Also, Fitch Ratings lowered Global Growth forecast for 2020-21 (FY21) to 1.3% from 2.5% earlier. S&P (Standard & Poor’s) Global Ratings declined India’s growth forecast for FY 21 (2020-21) to 1.8% from 3.5% earlier. For FY 22 (2021-22), it is projected to 7.5%. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) estimated India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to be 1.5% in FY 21 (2020-21). CARE Ratings projected Indian GDP Growth for FY 21 (2020-21) between 1.1%-1.2%. Agency also revised GDP forecast for FY20 (2019-20) to 4.7% from 5%. Moody’s Investors Service slashed India growth forecast for FY 2020-21 (FY 21) to 0.2 %, from 2.5 % earlier. For 2021, the rating agency expects India’s growth to rebound to 6.2 per cent. China is projected to grow 1 % in 2020-21 and 7.1 in 2021-22. Only China, India, and Indonesia are projected to witness economic growth in 2020 by Moody’s. Fitch group company India Ratings & Research slashed estimate for India’s GDP growth rate to 1.9 % for 2020-21 (FY 21), lowest after India recorded growth rate at 1.1 per cent in 1991-92. As per Japanese Firm Nomura, Indian economy will contract by 6.1 % in April-June quarter, and will expand only in December quarter. Economy will grow at 3.2 per cent in January-March 2020 Quarter, contract by 6.1 % in June - Aug quarter and 0.5 % in Sep - Dec quarter, before rising by 1.4 % in the last quarter of FY 21 (Jan - Mar 2021). Nomura Predicted Indian GDP to grow at -.5 % in FY 2020-21 (FY 21). American Investment Bank Goldman Sachs Predicted India's GDP to grow at 1.6 % in FY 2020-21 (FY 21). Domestic rating agency CRISIL has cut projections for India’s GDP growth rate in FY 21 (2020-21) at 1.8 %. 82. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (March 2020) - Fitch Ratings lowered India’s GDP growth forecast to 2% for FY2020-21(FY21) , the 30 year low, due to global recession triggered by COVID-19 Outbreak. Due to coronavirus crisis, Fitch Ratings lowered Global Growth forecast for 2020-21 (FY21) to 1.3% from 2.5% earlier. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its report OECD Interim Economic Assessment Coronavirus: The world economy at risk, has trimmed India’s real GDP growth forecast to 5.1% for 2020-21 (FY21) . For 2021-22 (FY22) , it is projected at 5.6%. S&P Global Ratings reduced India’s economic growth forecast to 3.5 % for FY 2020-21 (FY 21). India Ratings & Research revised its 2020-21 (FY21) forecast to 3.6%, down from 5.5% earlier. CRISIL reduced India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for fiscal 2020-21 (FY21) to 3.5 % from 5.2 % earlier. Moody’s reduced India’s GDP growth in 2020-21 (FY21) to 2.5 % from earlier estimate of 5.3 per cent. G-20 countries are expected to grow by 2.1% in 2020. Rating agency ICRA notified that India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) will grow by 2% in 2020-21 (FY 21) due to impact of COVID- 19. SBI EcoWrap report expected Indian GDP Growth to be 2.6 % in 2020-21 (FY 21). 83. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (May 2020) - Singapore based DBS bank Projected India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY 21 (2020-21) at 1%. Moody’s has cut down India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth to 0 % for current fiscal FY 21 (2020-21), down from previous estimate of 2.6%. Japanese brokerage firm Nomura Holdings Predicted India’s FY21 GDP growth forecast at - 5.2%, down from -0.4% earlier. UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2020 report Predicted Indian GDP growth rate for FY 21 (2020-21) to be 1.2%, down from 4.1% in FY 20 (2019-20). Growth of India will raise to 5.5% in FY 22 (2021-22). American brokerage Goldman Sachs expected Indian economy to contract by 5% in FY21, which means -5% GDP Growth. It will be the deepest compared to all recessions India has ever experienced since 1979. India’s nominal GDP growth rate in 2020-21 could range between -6% and 1%, according to 15th Finance Commission’s committee on the fiscal consolidation roadmap, which met via video conferencing, headed by Commission’s Chairman N.K. Singh. As per SBI Ecowrap report, India’s GDP is estimated to grow at 1.2% in last quarter(Q4) of FY20 GDP Growth is likely to be 4.2% for FY20, and - 6.8% for FY21 Gross value added (GVA) growth would be nearly - 3.1%. for FY21 Rating agency Fitch Ratings Predicted India's GDP Growth to be -5% in FY 21 (2020-21) (5 % Contraction). Rating agency S&P Predicted India's GDP Growth to be -5% in FY 21 (2020-21) (5 % Contraction). Rating Agency ICRA reduced India’s FY21 (Fiscal Year 2020-21) growth forecast to - 5 %. 84. Indian consumer goods Firm ITC acquired spices maker Sunrise Foods Private Limited. 85. India’s first InvIT in the power sector, IndiGrid acquied Gurgaon Palwal Transmission (GPTL) from Sterlite Power, for 1080 crores. This would increase assets under management of IndiGrid by 10% to $1.75 billion. 86. India’s nominal GDP growth rate in 2020-21 could range between -6% and 1%, according to 15th Finance Commission’s committee on the fiscal consolidation roadmap, which met via video conferencing, headed by Commission’s Chairman N.K. Singh. 87. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Allowed Union Bank of India to continue with its 30% holding in IndiaFirst Life Insurance. UBI also holds 25.1% stake in Star Union Dai-Chi Life Insurance. Condition is that ank lender will not exercise management or any control over insurer’s management. RBI permitted UBI and insurers promoted by it a period of 1 year to hold existing shares of Andhra Bank in IndiaFirst Life Insurance for 1 year, following merger of UBI, Corporation bank & Andhra bank. As per IRDAI’s guidelines, a Bank must not own more than 10% stake in two insurance companies. 88. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued guidelines for health insurance providers to implement Arogya Sanjeevani Insurance Policy. IRDAI had earlier made it mandatory for the insurance providers to frame a policy to provide basic coverage to at least 55% of Indian population. Purpose of this new policy is to cut the clutter created by insurance companies that launched multiple products with different features, leaving customers confused. Cost of premium shall cover between Rs 1000 and Rs 1 lakh. Interested customers shall opt for coverage up to Rs 5 lakhs. Room rent shall also be covered under the policy. It has been capped at 2% of the sum. IRDAI Notified Arogya Sanjeevani Insurance Policy products of 29 Insurance Companies. To maintain its uniqueness, Irdai banned insurance companies from imposing deductibles or offer riders and variants with it. Increase in cover, 5% for each claim free year subject to a maximum of 50% of the sum assured, is also mandated by Irdai. Though the entry age is restricted to 65 years, this policy will offer lifelong renewability. 89. Jana Small Finance Bank launched DigiGen digital banking platform, where customers can digitally open a savings account and fixed deposit instantly. 90. Japanese financial Firm ORIX Corporation acquired 100% stake held by cash-strapped Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) in its wholly-owned subsidiary IL&FS Wind Power Services Ltd (IWPSL) for 6.05 crores. 91. Karur Vysya Bank launched pre-paid card Enkasu (My cash in Tamil), under its Quit cash movement. 92. L&T Finance Holdings's subsidiary L&T Capital Markets (LTCM) has been acquired by IIFL Wealth Finance, for 230 crores. 93. LIC launched Modified Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana-PMVVY Scheme for those over 60 years. Sale will be available from May 26 for 3 financial years(up to March 31, 2023). As per Cabinet's Recent Approval - Approval Extension of Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) by 3 years, up to 31st March 2023. Assured rate of return of 7.40 % per annum for 2020-21 per annum, to be reset every year. Annual reset of assured rate of interest with effect from April 1st of financial year in line with revised rate of returns of Senior Citizens Saving Scheme (SCSS), upto 7.75%, with fresh appraisal of scheme on breach of this threshold at any point. Expenditure to be incurred on account of the difference between the market rate of return generated by LIC and guaranteed rate of return under scheme. Capping Management expenses at 0.5% p.a. of funds of the scheme for first year of scheme in respect of new policies issued and thereafter 0.3% p.a. for second year onwards for next 9 years. Delegating authority to Finance Minister to approve annual reset rate of return at the beginning of every financial year. Minimum investment revised to Rs.1,56,658 for pension of 12000 per annum and 162162 for minimum pension of 1000 per month. Maximum pension - In monthly mode – Rs 9,250; In quarterly mode-Rs. 27,750; In half-yearly mode- Rs 55,500; In yearly mode- Rs. 1,11,000 Loan- After 3 policy years, the policy allows loan up to 75% of purchase price. Surrender Value– There is a provision of premature(early) exit for treatment of any critical/terminal illness of self or spouse. In this case, the surrender value payable shall be 98% of the purchase price. 94. Maharatna PSUs NTPC and ONGC signed MoU to set up a Joint Venture Company for Renewable Energy business. NTPC and ONGC will explore setting up of offshore wind and other Renewable Energy Projects in India and overseas. They shall also explore opportunities in the fields of sustainability, storage, E-mobility and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) compliant projects. NTPC has 920 MW of installed Renewable power projects in its portfolio and about 2300 MW of RE projects under construction. It aims for 32 GW Renewable Energy Projects by 2032. ONGC has renewable portfolio of 176 MW comprising of 153 MW wind power and 23 MW of solar. It aims to add 10 GW of renewable power to its portfolio by 2040. 95. Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd acquired 49% stake in Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services’ subsidiary Mahindra Asset Management Company (AMC), for $35 million. Agreement for the same was inked in June 2019. Mahindra Finance now owns 51% stake in its AMC. 96. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India(Sebi) opened doors for Mauritius based funds to get preferential category I foreign portfolio investor(FPI) license. Until now, only off-shore funds coming from jurisdictions that Financial Action Task Force(FATF) complaint, were allowed to obtain a category I license. However, Now SEBI ruled that even funds coming from those countries which are non-FATF complaint may obtain FPI license if central government approves. It is significannt as several Mauritius based investors have been facing uncertainty ever since India was put on a ‘grey list’ by FATF. 97. Merger of several Public sector Banks became Effective from April 01, 2020 - Merger 1 - Punjab National Bank + Oriental Bank of Commerce + United Bank Created 2nd largest PSB with business of 17.95 lakh crores. Anchor Bank - Punjab National Bank Merger 2 - Canara Bank + Syndicate Bank Created 4th largest PSB with business of 15.20 lakh crores. Anchor Bank - Canara Bank Merger 3 - Union Bank + Andhra Bank + Corporation Bank Created 5th largest PSB with business of 14.59 lakh crores. Anchor Bank - Union Bank of India Merger 4 - Indian Bank + Allahabad Bank Created 7th largest PSB with business of 8.08 lakh crores. Anchor Bank - Indian Bank 98. Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman launched facility for instant allotment of PAN (on near to real time basis), available for those PAN applicants who possess a valid Aadhaar number and have a mobile number registered with Aadhaar. An Electronic PAN (e-PAN) is issued to applicants free of cost. It was annouced by in Union Budget 2020. 99. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified 3 schemes for the electronic sector to boost manufacturing, offering incentives worth over 48000 crores. Incentives will be applicable from August 2020, initially open for 4 months. The schemes were recently approved by Cabinet. Schemes are Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) 2.0 and Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronics Components and Semiconductors (SPECS). Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing - Scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five (5) years. Cost of proposed scheme is approx 40995 crores. It has direct employment generation potential of over 2,00,000 jobs over 5 years. Indirect employment will be about 3 times of direct employment as per industry estimates. Under this, companies that sell mobile phones for 15000 or more and which make a cumulative investment of 1,000 crore over 4 years, starting with 250 crore in the first year, will qualify for an incentive of 6 % for the first two years, followed by 5 % for the next two and 4 % in the fifth year. Approved assistance to Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC2.0) Scheme for development of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities through Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs). EMCs would aid growth of ESDM sector and help development of entrepreneurial ecosystem. Outlay of proposed EMC 2.0 Scheme is 3,762 crores. Scheme will create a robust infrastructure base for electronic industry to attract flow of investment in ESDM sector and lead to greater employment opportunities. Approved offering financial incentive of 25% of capital expenditure for manufacturing of goods that constitute supply chain of an electronic product under Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS). Scheme will help offset disability for domestic manufacturing of electronic components and semiconductors in order to strengthen electronic manufacturing ecosystem. Cost is approx 3285 crores. 100. Ministry of Finance released 9th Status Paper on Government Debt, for year 2018-19 (Being issued since 2010). Central Govt. Liabilities were 86.7 Lakh Crores (45.7 % of GDP), while General Govt. Liabilities were 130 Lakh Crores (68.6 % of GDP). Both these metrices saw decrease of .1% of GDP, over last year. External Debt is 5.1 Lakh Crores (2.7 % of GDP). 94.1 % of Central Government debt at end-March 2019 was domestic. Sovereign external debt constituted 2.7 % cent of GDP at end- March 2019. 101. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) appointed Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) as implementing agency to handle Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme Phase-II, on its behalf. Earlier, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) handled the scheme on behalf of ministry. Regarding timelines for commissioning of solar projects, existing clause provides 18 months for the same. In amended clause, projects up to 500 MW are required to be commissioned within 24 months. For projects with higher capacity, commissioning of balance capacity must be in next 6 months. As another amendment, power produced can be used on payment of usage charges of not more than Rs 2.80 per unit, down from 3.50 in existing clause. CPSU Scheme Phase-II is aimed at setting up 12,000-MW grid-connected solar PV power projects under government producers with VGF (Viability Gap Funding) support for self-use or by government entities either directly or through disc. 102. Misc. Corporate Events (April 2020) - Insurance Australia General (IAG) sold its entire 26% stake in SBI General Insurance for USD 310 million (about Rs 2,325 crore) to Napean Opportunities LLP (an affiliate of Premji invest) and WP Honey Wheat Investment Ltd (Warburg Pincus Group). HDFC Trustee Company Ltd, acquired 5.45% stake in Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet. E-Commerce Firm Flipkart partnered with ICICI Lombard General Insurance & Go Digit General Insurance to launched two health insurance policies related to COVID-19. YES Bank extended its strategic bancassurance relationship with Max Life Insurance, for 5-years. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched a preventive healthcare platform in partnership with GOQii under regulatory sandbox initiative. India's Ujjivan Small Finance Bank ranked 5th among ‘Best Large Workplaces in Asia 2020’ by Great Place To Work Institute. Paytm Payments Bank inked partnership with Mastercard to issue virtual and physical debit cards. It earlier partnered with VISA also, for the same. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) launched Working Capital demand Loan for agriculture sector (WCDL-Agri), a special credit facility for agriculture sector & allied activities as a relief measure to fight coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Hinduja Group's Automotive Brand Ashok Leyland acquired 3.36 % equity of its subsidiary Hinduja Leyland Finance Ltd (HLFL), taking its stake to 68.81 %. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF picked up shares worth 59 crores in National Aluminium Company (NALCO). Flipkart Tied Up With Meru Cabs, to Deliver Daily Essentials, Groceries During Lockdown. Indian Overseas Bank launched a special borrowing programme for Self Help Groups (SHGs) to help them amid COVID-19 Pandemic. A Member of SHG will be given a maximum loan of Rs 5,000 & the limit for the group has been fixed at 1 lakh, with 9.4 % Interest. 103. Misc. Corporate Events (March 2020) - Competition Commission of India approvals - Approved acquisition of up to 40 % stake in IndoStar Capital Finance by BCP V Multiple Holdings on a fully diluted basis. This clearance is through green channel, which allows automatic system for speedy approval of combinations, subject to certain conditions. Approved combination involving setting up of Mindspace REIT (REIT) by K. Raheja Corp Group and acquisition of certain equity shareholding held by selling shareholders in Target Entities by Mindspace REIT. Approved acquisition of additional equity shares in Hero FinCorp by Otter Limited and Link Investment Trust. Approved acquisition by Greenko Mauritius in Teesta Urja Limited (35 %). Target is a special purpose vehicle incorporated for implementation of 1200 MW (6 units of 200 MW each) hydro power project in North Sikkim. RBI extended regulatory restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) Bank by another three months (Mar to June 2020. Mobile handset maker Oppo launched Kash app that will offer lending, insurance and mutual funds. Food delivery platform Zomato partnered with RBL Bank to launch Co-branded Credit Cards, powered by Mastercard. HDFC Bank partnered with airline IndiGo to launch a co-branded credit card. ICICI Prudential AMC (Asset Management Company) partnered with Saraswat Co-operative Bank, to distribute its products to Bank's Customers. Shriram Transport Finance Company signed MOU with Indian Oil Corporation, through which its customers will be offered credit limit to purchase fuel from IOCL outlets. Hyderabad Metro Rail partnered with Paytm, to launch a QR-code-based metro ticketing system. It will enable commuters to avoid queues to buy tokens at metro stations. Tata AIA Life Insurance launched Bachhpan Ka Rakshakaran in association with Non-profit Oscar Foundation, to create interest in education for under-privileged girls aged 12-16 years, by using football coaching as a medium. PhonePe tied up with ICICI Bank, to Resume its UPI Services which were disrupted after RBI had put put Moratorium on Yes Bank. PSU HIL (India) Limited (Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers) launched Customer Payment Portal to collect Online payment from its customers, in association with Union Bank of India. Paytm Payments Bank partnered with Visa to issue Visa debit cards. Upto now, Paytm PB issued Rupay Debit Cards. RBI extended validity of Authorization to Vakrangee Limited till March 31, 2021 to set up, own and operates the White Label ATMs (WLA) Business in India. Ashok Leyland acquired up to 19% additional equity shares in Hinduja Leyland Finance Ltd (HLFL), the Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) part of Hinduja group. Jana Small Finance Bank launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) QR-based loan installment payment facility for its customers. Hindustan Unilever acquired Glenmark Pharmaceuticals's hygiene brand VWash. 104. Misc. Corporate News / Events (May 2020) - Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) launched loan scheme to provide relief to borrowers whose businesses are disrupted amid Covid-19 pandemic, with name Vikas Abhaya. It will be for existing MSME customers, enabling them to avail up to 1 lakh, with no collateral security. Customer engagement technology provider Ameyo launched video KYC engagement platform for banking / finance sector. It aims to eliminate requirement of physical KYC in accordance with latest RBI guidelines issued in January 2020. Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited(KPTL) completed sale of its entire stake in Kalpataru Satpura Transco Private Limited (KSTPL) to CLP India Private Limited. Federal Bank tied-up with MoneyGram Payment System to offer a cost-effective direct-to-bank account credit option for customers in India. National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) partnered with fintech start-up DotPe to build its own tech platform, enabling online payments for digital ordering, bill settlements, and contactless dining. Canara Bank started a special business vertical dedicated to gold loans, aimed at meeting financial needs of customers amid COVID- 19 pandemic. Bank has launched a gold loan campaign till 30th June 2020 with an interest rate as low as 7.85% per annum. Kotak Mahindra Bank became 1st bank in India to allow video Know your customer (KYC) facility for customers opening savings accounts, on its 811 banking platform. e-commerce Firm Flipkart and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company tied-up to offer a digital motor insurance policy to Flipkart’s customers. ICICI bank introduced a special fixed deposit (FD) scheme for senior citizens called ‘Golden Years FD’, which offers an interest rate of 6.55% per annum for deposits up to Rs 2 crores with a tenure of more than 5 - 10 years. Edelweiss General Insurance launched ‘SWITCH’, an app-based motor insurance own damage (OD) floater policy under IRDAI’s sandbox regulations. This allows owners of vehicles to cover multiple vehicles under a single policy. Maruti Suzuki Partnered with Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited, to launch ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ financing scheme to make purchase of its cars even more convenient amid COVID-19 outbreak. Customers will have option to avail a 60-day surcharge on their EMI. Government notified cessation of 7.75 percent Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2018, for subscription. Fintech startup Zaggle partnered with payments technology major Visa, to launch innovative payment solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups. E-Commerce Firm Flipkart signed MoU with Karnataka State Mango Department and Marketing Corporation, to empower mango farmers to sell their produce online. Reliance Industries launched a “WhatsApp chatbot” to address rights issue queries of its 2.6 million shareholders on offering. 105. Mumbai based Tech Firm Vakrangee Limited signed Corporate Agency partnership with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to distribute LIC’s micro insurance products in unserved and underserved areas through its Nextgen Vakrangee Kendra network spread across India. 106. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned 1500 crores for Punjab to ensure continuous credit flow to farmers. 1000 crores are sanctioned to Punjab State Cooperative Bank and 500 crores to Punjab Gramin Bank. It is part of NABARD’s Rs 25,000 crores nationwide special liquidity facility(SLF), made available to state cooperative banks, regional rural banks, and microfinance institutions (MFIs). NABARD also released 20500 crores, to act as front-loading resources to cooperative banks (15200 crores) and Regional Rural Banks (5300 Crores) ahead of the monsoon season. 107. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) disbursed 12,767 crores to 33 State Co-operative Banks (StCBs) and 45 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), to augment their resources for extending credit to farmers during lockdown. Earrlier, RBI had announced a 50,000-crore refinance facility for Nabard, SIDBI and National Housing Bank (NHB). 108. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved acquisition of debt-ridden Jaypee Infratech Ltd (JIL) by Navratna PSU NBCC (India) Limited (formerly National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited). Tribunal also ordered that 750 crores are to be deposited by Jayaprakash Associates (parent of Jaypee Infratech). NBCC will complete construction of over 20,000 unfinished flats of Jaypee Infratech. 109. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved to sell 50% stake in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Co Ltd (GIFT City) held by crisis hit Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to Gujarat government for 32.70 crores. IL&FS and the state government through Gujarat Urban Development Co Ltd hold 50:50 stake in GIFT City. IL&FS signed MOU with Gujarat government to develop an International Financial Services City (IFSC) in 2007. 110. National Payment Corporation of India launched Artificial Intelligence based chatbot called Pai, to increase financial inclusion in India. It provides information about NPCI products, created by Bengaluru based CoRover Private Limited. 111. National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released Estimates of National Income for financial year 2019-20, both at Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices - Quarterly - GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q4 of 2019-20 is estimated at 38.04 lakh crore, as against 36.90 lakh crore in Q4 of 2018- 19, showing a growth of 3.1 %. Earlier in 2019-20 - Q3 - 4.7 % Q2 - 4.5 % Q1 - 5.0 % Annual - Real GDP or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at Constant (2011-12) Prices in 2019-20 estimated to be 145.66 lakh crore, as against the First Revised Estimate of GDP for the year 2018-19 of 139.81 lakh crore. it shows 4.2 % Growth, compared to 6.1 % in 2018-19. It is India's lowest Growth in 11 Years. GDP at Current Prices in 2019-20 is estimated to be 203.40 lakh crores, as against First Revised Estimates of 189.71 lakh crore in 2018-19, showing growth rate of 7.2 %, as compared to 11.0 % in 2018-19. Per Capita Income - In real terms (at 2011-12 Prices) during 2019-20 is estimated to be 94,954, as compared to 92,085 in 2018-19, resulting in growth of 3.1 % during 2019-20, as against 4.8 % in the previous year. At current prices during 2019-20 is estimated to be 134226, showing rise of 6.1 %, as compared to 1,26,521 during 2018-19. 112. Ola Electric acquired Netherlands-based Etergo BV, an innovative electric scooter company for an undisclosed sum. Ola plans to set its own line of premium electric two-wheelers. Ola electric will launch its global electric two-wheeler in India in 2021. 113. PNB Housing Finance signed agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to raise 75 million dollars. Citibank will be co-financing 25 million dollars. 114. PSU HIL (Hindustan insecticides Limited) sent proposals to Indian Embassies in China, Japan and South Korea for inviting interested agro-chemical manufacturers in respective countries for investment in India. This has been done after Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, DV Sadananda Gowda suggested PSUs to strengthen their performance by exploring Joint Ventures with global enterprises looking for investments, during the times of pandemic. Mr. Sadananda Gowda also congratulated chemicals and petrochemicals industry on becoming top exporting sector for first time, after export of chemicals grew by 7.43% over previous corresponding period, reaching 2.68 Lakh Crores (in April 2019-January 2020). It constitutes 14.35% of total exports. 115. Paytm subsidiary Paytm Insurance Broking received brokerage licence from Insurance Regulatory and Authority of India (IRDAI), enabling it to offer insurance in various categories. 116. Pension Fund and Regulatory Authority (PFRDA) suggested Ministry of Finance to form a comprehensive scheme, for exploring social security measures for people with low income. Under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Rs 330 is being charged on yearly basis and Rs 12 per year is being charged under Suraksha Bima Yojana. Charges on Atal Pension Yojana are also quite low. Plan is to club all these schemes together. Integration will enhance stability of pension system. This will increase number of participating entities and will also improve social security of beneficiaries. 117. People’s Bank of China raised its stake in HDFC Ltd from .8 % to 1.01 % (1.75 crore shares), amid fall in HDFC shares due to COVID-19 Pandemic triggered slowdown. Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), central bank of Saudi Arabia also picked up a 0.7% stake in HDFC. 118. Polycab India Limited acquired 50% stake in Ryker Base Private Limited (RBPL), held by Trafigura Pte Ltd (Singapore), for approx US $ 4 Million. Polycab India had entered into a 50:50 JV with Trafigura in 2016 to incorporate Ryker to improve quality of its key input i.e., copper. Current transaction has terminated existing joint venture (JV). 119. RBI Allowed Transcorp International for entering into co-branding arrangements for Prepaid Instruments. Transcorp will be launching API based co-branded partnerships for Digital, Physical and Contactless cards with select marquee clients on its own BINs. 120. RBI Conducted 4 Targeted Long Term Repo Operations (TLTROs) of 3 year tenors - 1st TLTRO (Mar 27, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 60500 crores, with 25009 Crores as alloted amount. 2nd TLTRO (Apr 3, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 99760 crores, with 25016 Crores as alloted amount. 3rd TLTRO (Apr 9, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 113470 crores, with 25016 Crores as alloted amount. 4th TLTRO (Apr 17, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 61415 crores, with 25009 Crores as alloted amount. Facts - RBI started Long Term Repo Operation (LTROs), to enable banks to avail one year and three-year loans at same interest rate of one day repo. It will put pressure on banks to reduce their lending rates. Hence, there will be a decline in short term lending rates of banks. RBI Conducted 4 LTROs in Feb - Mar 2020 earlier. 121. RBI Conducted Targeted Long Term Repo Operations (TLTROs) of 3 year tenors - 1st TLTRO (Mar 27, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 60500 crores, with 25009 Crores as alloted amount. 2nd TLTRO (Apr 3, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 99760 crores, with 25016 Crores as alloted amount. 3rd TLTRO (Apr 9, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 113470 crores, with 25016 Crores as alloted amount. Facts - RBI started Long Term Repo Operation (LTROs), to enable banks to avail one year and three-year loans at same interest rate of one day repo. It will put pressure on banks to reduce their lending rates. Hence, there will be a decline in short term lending rates of banks. RBI Conducted 4 LTROs in Feb - Mar 2020 earlier. 122. RBI Imposed Monetary Penalties on Several Banks - Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) - 60 Lakh Citibank - 4 Crores TJSB Sahakari Bank - 45 Lakh Nagar Urban Co-operative Bank - 40 lakh Saraswat Co-operative Bank - 30 Lakh Bank of India - 5 Crores Karnataka Bank - 1.2 Crores 123. RBI Issued guidelines for implementation of Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) while preparing their financial results. Guidelines mandate NBFCs/ ARCs to put in place board-approved policies that articulate and document their business models and portfolios. 124. RBI allowed Small Finance Banks (SFBs) to carry out simple financial activities without seeking a prior approval from it, applicable to SFBs who have completed 3 years of operations. In November 2014, RBI had issued licences to 10 companies interested to launch small finance banks. 125. RBI announced to conduct Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO) 2.0 at policy repo rate for tenors up to 3 years for a total amount of up to 50000 crores - LTRO / TLTRO enables banks to avail 1 / 3 year loans at same interest rate of one day repo. It puts pressure on banks to reduce their lending rates and make credit available for consumers at lesser rates. At least 50 % of funds availed under TLTRO 2.0 shall be apportioned as - 10 % in securities/instruments issued by Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs). 15 % in securities/instruments issued by NBFCs with asset size of 500 crore and below. 25 % in securities/instruments issued by NBFCs with assets size between 500 crores and 5,000 crores. First auction under TLTRO 2.0 will be conducted on April 23, 2020. 126. RBI announced to undertake a six-month US Dollar sell/buy swaps to provide liquidity to foreign exchange market, as markets worldwide face intense selling pressures on extreme risk aversion due to the spread of Coronavirus. First sell/buy swap auction involves $2 billion. 127. RBI announced further 3 measures to contain economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic - Extension of realisation period of export proceeds - The Value of goods and software exports made by exporters currently is required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within 9 months from date of exports. RBI extended it to 15 Months, by end of July 2020. Review of Way and Means Limits of States/UTs - Based on the suggestions of Sudhir Shrivastava committee, RBI decided to increase the ways and means limit by 30 percent for all states and UTs. Implementation of countercyclical capital buffer framework - RBI had put forward a framework on the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) in its guidelines issued in February 2015. Under it, countercyclical capital buffer will be activated when required. CCyB framework envisages the credit-to- GDP gap as main indicator that is used along with other supplementary indicators. 128. RBI cancelled licence of CKP Co-operative Bank Ltd Mumbai, due to its financial instability and violations of various RBI norms. On liquidation, every depositor is entitled to repayment of deposits up to 5 Five lakh, from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). 129. RBI cancelled licence of Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of Goa, as bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. On liquidation, every depositor is entitled to repayment of deposits up to 5 lakh, from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). 130. RBI decided limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for first half of FY 2020-21 (April to September 2020), to be 120000 crores. RBI may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when Government utilises 75 % of WMA limit. 131. RBI enhanced limits of liquidity support for states /UTs facing cash-flow mismatches, elongating tenor and frequency of this facility. RBI increased number of days for which a State/UT can be in overdraft continuously,to 21 working days from current 14 days. Earlier, government enhanced WMA facility by 30 %, to meet revenue mismatches by States/UTs. 132. RBI extended its truncated timings of 10 am-2 pm for money market instruments, until further notice, in light of a likelihood of an extension of COVID-19 lockdown. 133. RBI has announced measures to make ample liquidity available in market, to enbale banks to lend to productive sectors, announcing measures to inject 3.74 lakh crores. These include targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO) of up to 1 lakh crores, a 100-basis point (bps) cut in cash reserve ratio CRR and easier borrowing requirements under the marginal standing facility (MSF) window. CRR cut and easing of MSF borrowing requirements will lead to a 1.37 lakh crores liquidity infusion each. 134. RBI imposed a month-long moratorium on Troubled Yes Bank, also imposinf withdrawal restrictions of 50000 by customers (except upto 5 lakh allowed in case of medical emergencies and higher education fees). RBI selected SBI to inject capital into Yes Bank. Moratorium is a temporary suspension of an activity or business. Moratorium has been imposed on bank by Govt under recommendation of RBI. RBI also superseded (replaced) board of YES bank, and appointed Former SBI Executive SBI Prashant Kumar as Yes Bank administrator for 30 days. 135. RBI increased foreign portfolio investment (FPI) limit in corporate bonds to 15% of outstanding stock for FY 2020-21 from 9%to strengthen segment of corporate bonds. Currently, an investor can invest Rs 3.17 lakh crore in Indian corporate bonds through FPI but with this hike, investorS can hold Rs 4.29 lakh crore of corporate bonds for half year ended September 2020, and 5.41 lakh crore for half year ending March 2021. RBI also enabled a Fully Accessible Route (FAR) for investment by non-residents in government securities. All new issuances of government securities of 5-year, 10-year and 30-year tenors from the FY20-21, will be eligible for investment under FAR. 136. RBI instructed its regulated entities to carry out money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment exercise periodically. For this, RBI added a new section in Master Directions on KYC. 137. RBI issued a draft scheme for reconstruction of Troubled Yes Bank, which was put under Moratorium, called Yes Bank Ltd. Reconstruction Scheme, 2020 - RBI did so by exercising its powers under sub-section (4) of section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act 1949. State Bank of India (SBI) is willing to invest in Yes Bank and also to participate in its reconstruction scheme. SBI can invest up to 49% stake for nearly Rs 2,450 crores. RBI plans to alter the authorised capital for reconstituted bank to 5000 crores. Share price must not be under INR 10. The Investor bank shall not reduce its holding below 26% before completion of three years from the date of infusion of the capital. 138. RBI issued new guidelines for payment aggregators (PAs) Under Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007, effectie from April 2020. - PAs connect e-commerce companies with banks and are of 2 Types - Bank and Non-Bank. New Rules are for Non Bank PAs and require authorisation from RBI under Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007 (PSSA). RBI reduced minimum capital requirements (MCR) for PAs at time of application for licence to 15 crore from 100 crores. Net worth needs to be increased to Rs 25 crore within three years of operations. Existing PAs shall achieve a net-worth of Rs 15 crore by March 31, 2021, and 25 crores by March 31, 2023. PAs are mandated to set up designated nodal offices to deal with customer grievance. PAs are prohibited from allowing online transactions to be done with ATM pin as the second factor of authentication. 139. RBI launched 49th round of quarterly order books, inventories and capacity utilisation survey (OBICUS) of manufacturing sector. It provides valuable input for monetary policy formulation. RBI conductis OBICUS of manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis since 2008. As per last survey, capacity utilisation declined to 68.6 % in 3rd quarter of 2019-20 from 69.1 % in previous quarter. 140. RBI opened a special liquidity facility for mutual funds of INR 50000 crores, Amid liquidity strains on mutual funds (MFs) due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Under This, RBI shall conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate. Scheme is available for bidding by banks, till May 11, 2020 or up to utilization of allocated amount, whichever is earlier. Funds availed under SLF-MF shall be used by banks exclusively for meeting requirements of Mutual Funds. Exposures under this facility will not be reckoned under the Large Exposure Framework (LEF), and shall be exempted from banks’ capital market exposure limits. Under this, liquidity support even when exceeds 25% of total investment is to be permitted to be included as Held to Maturity. 141. RBI opened an emergency line of credit of around 60,000 crore to Yes Bank to meet any liquidity crisis in paying back its depositors as bank resumed normal operations. Such move comes after 16 years when a similar credit line was opened for Global Trust Bank in 2004. 142. RBI reduced general category foreign portfolio investors’ (FPI) investment limit in government securities to 2.34 lakh crores for entire fiscal, from earlier 2.46 lakh crores. At the same time, long term FPI investment limits in G-secs have been brought down to Rs 1.03 lakh crore from prevailing limit of 1.15 lakh crores. RBI increased general category FPI investment limits in state development loans (SDL) by 3215 crores to 64415 crores for first half of FY21 and to 67630 crores for second half of FY21. 143. RBI revised exposure limits for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to a single borrower and a group of borrowers to 15 % and 25 % , respectively, of tier-1 capital. RBI had earlier permitted UCBs to have exposures up to 15 % and 40 % of their capital funds to a single borrower and a group of borrowers, respectively. UCBs must down existing exposures within these ranges, by March 2023. UCBs shall have at least 50 % of their aggregate loans (comprising loans of under 25 lakh or 0.2 % of their tier 1 capital), whichever is higher, subject to a maximum of 1 crore, per borrower. RBI also increased priority sector lending (PSL) target for UCBs to 75 % of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC), higher from 40 % earlier. 144. RBI started Long Term Repo Operation (LTROs), to enable banks to avail one year and three-year loans at same interest rate of one day repo. Usually, loans with higher maturity period have higher interest rate compared to short term (repo) loans. Current repo rate is 5.15%. It will put pressure on banks to reduce their lending rates. Hence, there will be a decline in short term lending rates of banks. RBI Intends to inject 1 lakh crores into banking system through LTRO auctions. 1st LTRO (Feb 17) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 1,94,414 crores, with 25035 Crores as alloted amount. 2nd LTRO (Feb 24, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 1-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 1,23,154 crores, with 25021 Crores as alloted amount. 3rd LTRO (Mar 02, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 1,71,965 crores, with 25028 Crores as alloted amount. 4th LTRO (Mar 09, 2020) - Notified amount was 25000 crores with 3-year tenor. Total bids received amounted to 48856 crores, with 25021 Crores as alloted amount. 145. RBI stated that bank credit to registered NBFCs towards agriculture, MSEs and housing sector up to prescribed limits will be treated as priority sector loans during next fiscal (FY 2020-21). It will boost credit disbursement in targeted segment like agriculture, MSME and housing sector. Bank credit to registered NBFCs (other than MFIs) and HFCs for on-lending will be allowed up to an overall limit of 5 % of individual bank's total priority sector lending. On-lending by NBFCs for 'term lending' component under agriculture will be allowed up to Rs 10 lakh per borrower.In case of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) limit will be Rs 20 lakh per borrower. In housing sector, limit has been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per borrower for classification of the loan as priority sector lending. 146. RBI will infuse liquidity of 30000 crores to maintain financial stability in economy, amid market segments facing stress due to COVID-19 outbreak. RBI will purchase Government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs), for total amount of 30000 crores. 147. Railways PSU RITES acquired 24% stake in Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) for 48 crores. IRSDC is joint venture of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and IRCON International. 148. Reliance Communicationss presented to National Company Law Tribunal a resolution plan approved by RCOM creditors, under insolvency and bankruptcy code. Plan entails realisation of around Rs 23,000 crore from sale of RCom assets and clawback of money paid to some of lenders. Reliance Jio will get tower and fibre assets of Reliance Infratel Ltd for Rs 4,700 crore, UV Asset Reconstruction Co Ltd (UVARC) will get assets of RCom and Reliance Telecom (spectrum) for Rs 14,000 crores. Under the plan, 38 lenders of RCom can recover over 70 per cent of their outstanding of Rs 33,000 crore secured debt. 149. Reliance Industries Subsidiary Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited(RSBVL) increased its stake to 26.3% on a fully diluted basis in US-based SkyTran Incorporated(Inc), a venture-funded technology company which develops modern transport modes including personal rapid transit system. 150. Reliance Industries approved raising over 53125 crores from its shareholders through rights issue, biggest-ever by an Indian company. Recently, Facebook spent $5.7 billion to buy 9.99% stake in Reliance’s digital arm Jio. 151. Reliance Industries ventured into retail market with launch of online store JioMart on WhatsApp platform. Recently, WhatsApp Owner Facebook had acquired 9.9 % stake in Jio, for USD 5.7 billion. JioMart WhatsApp Number is 8850008000 and is currently available in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan areas of Mumbai. It will soon be launched across country. 152. SBI acquired 6.825% stake in Zero Mass, the first ever Business Correspondent in country (starting in 2006 with Seiling village in Mizoram). 153. SBI holds 48.21 % stake in revived Yes Bank, bringing it out of trouble. Other Stakeholders in Yes Bank - HDFC and ICICI Bank - 7.97 % each Axis Bank - 4.78 % Kotak Mahindra Bank - 3.61 % Bandhan Bank - 2.39 %. Federal Bank - 1.92 % IDFC - 1.67 % LIC - 1.64 % 154. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched a mobile application for lodging investor grievances, called Sebi SCORES, to improve ease of doing business so that investors can conveniently lodge their grievances in Sebi Complaints Redress System (SCORES). 155. Shanghai-Based BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has approved 1 Billion USD for India, Under its Emergency Assistance Program, amid COVID-19 Pandemic. 156. Singapore’s Caladium Investment raised its stake in India's Bandhan Bank by 1.1% to 4.49%. 157. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) launched Liquidity support scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have been hugely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. SIDBI received 15000 crores from RBI, through a Special Liquidity Facility (SLF), to help MSMEs. SIDBI will provide liquidity lines to non-banking finance companies (NBFC’s), microfinance institutions (MFI’s), and banks who will refinance MSMEs. RBI announced 50000 Crores for All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) such as NABARD and SIDBI. 25000 crores are provisioned for NABARD. 158. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will launch SME Services Platform, as a digital platform to educate stakeholders in small and medium enterprises (SME) ecosystem. It will give micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) information about starting operations, getting finance or credit enhancement and other support services. 159. Social Network Facebook invested INR 43574 crores in Jio Platforms, a unit of Reliance Industries, for 9.99% stake. Jio Platforms is parent of phone and data unit Reliance Jio Infocomm and various digital app platforms such as JioMart, Jio-Saavn and JioCinema. RIL and Facebook are exploring possibility of creating a super-app like China’s WeChat, by leveraging Jio’s reach and Facebook owned WhatsApp’s ubiquity. It is Largest FDI in India's Tech Industry. 160. State Bank of India (SBI) switched to Cash Budget Based Assessment from Projected Balance Sheet method of Fund Based Working Capital limits for assessment of working capital requirement for corporates or large advances. CBBA of limits has been initiated for assessment of FBWC limits for units with total FBWC exposure of over 50 crores. 161. State Bank of India raised USD 100 million green bonds, first such bond by any state-owned bank in this fiscal. The bonds were priced at 3M Libor + 80 basis points. 162. State Govt Budgets 2020-21 - Arunachal Pradesh - Budget Size is 21880 Crores. Provision of 30 crores for enhancing farmer’s income. Chief Minister Krishi Puraskar Yojana to be launched planned to promote progressive farmers in state. Assam - Budgte size is 1,03,762 crores. Income support of 830 per month (Rs 400 for medicines and Rs 430 for vegetables and fruits) will be provided to 27 lakh families through direct benefit transfer mode. Free rice will be provided to all beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, as part of the Anna Yojana initiative. All households with monthly electricity consumption below 30 units will be provided free electricity. 1000 crores for covering 2 lakh youth under revised Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Yojana. Seed capital of Rs 50,000 will be provided to each member. Entrepreneurship will be introduced as a curriculum subject from Class 11 onwards. 1500 crores for acquiring additional shareholding in Numaligarh Refinery, to increase its stake from 12.35% currently to 26%.

Bihar - Budget Size is 211761 Crores. Presened a Green Budget indicating state’s spending on programmes related to environment conservation and climate change.

Krishi Yantra Banks will be established at Panchayat level. In 2021, organic certification will be done in 21,000 acres of land. Chhattisgarh - Budget size is 95650 crores. Rajiv Gandhi Kisaan Nyay Yojana, will be launched with an outlay of Rs 5,100 crore for providing appropriate benefit to farmers for their produce. Tuition fees of students from state, who take admission in any of IITs, IIMs, or AIIMS, will be borne by state government. Such graduates will be eligible for direct recruitment in government institutes of state. Mukhyamantri Suposhan Yojana will be started to eliminate malnutrition and anaemia in state, with 60 crores allocated. Priority and Antyodaya ration card holders will be eligible for cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. For other ration card holder families, limit is 50,000. Delhi - Budget size is approx 65000 crores. With primay focus on education, 100 crores will be spent on creating digital classrooms. 'Delhi Darshan Scheme' to be started, with 10 crores allocated. Delhi government will implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana of Central Govt, which provides free annual health cover up to Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Goa - Budget size for 2020-21 is projected at 21,056 crores, showing 7.8 % Hike compared to FY 2019-20. 1 lakh insurance cover for all cooperative societies. A labour and employment smart card for all employees in Goa to gather data on employment in the state. Goa will reconstitute state finance commission in order to oversee the utilization of funds and to support lower tiers of governance. Rs 250 crore allocated to hold the National Games 2020 in Goa. Gujarat - Budget Size is 217287 Crores. 200 Crores for Mukhya Mantri Pashudhan Sahay Yojana, aimed at providing cattle feed at concessional rate to farmers for their cattle and progeny. Haryana - Presented 142343 crores budget in state assembly for 2020-21. New category of electricity connections will be created for ‘special agriculture-based activities’ under which electricity will be supplied at a cost of Rs 4.75 per unit, instead of existing Rs 7.5 per unit. Earlier, farmers were not required to pay interest on loans of up to Rs 1.5 lakh taken from cooperative banks. It been extended to cover loans taken by farmers from all nationalised and cooperative banks. Board examination system for class VIII students will be re-started. Himachal Pradesh - Budget size is 49131 Crores. Swaran Jayanti Poshahaar Yojana will be introduced to provide for supplementing extra nutrition food such as milk and fruit in Anganwadi and mid-day meal schemes in primary and middle schools and starting pre-primary classes in primary schools (Swasth Bachpan). Income criteria for giving land to landless/houseless persons is to enhanced from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per annum. Minimum wage rate will be revised from Rs 250 per day to Rs 275 per day. Subsidy of Rs 2,000 per KW will be provided for executing solar projects of 250 to 500 KW capacities. Institute of Hotel Management in Dharamshala and Food Craft Institute in Sundernagar will be established. A Bill to provide for the establishment of the Himachal Pradesh Investment Promotion Agency will be introduced. Jharkhand - Budget size is 86370 crores. Unemployment allowance of Rs 5000 & Rs 7000 to be given annually for unemployed youths who have earned bachelor & master’s degree in past 3 years & have registered with employment exchange for jobs. People are not required to pay electricity dues for 1st 100 units if they consume less than 300 units of power. Proposal to set up ‘Jharkhand Rajya Kisan Rahat Kosh’ (farmers relief fund) from this Kharif season, changing the form of ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ (PMFBY). Will introduce Short Term Agriculture Loan Relief Yojana (Alpkaleen Krishi Rin Rahat Yojan), with 2000 Crores allocated. Jammu and Kashmir (UT) - Budget Size is 101428 Crores (Largest Ever Budget for J & K). Budget Implements Central Govt's Ayushmaaan Bharat Scheme in J & K, which was not applicable earlier. Tourism Promotion has been given 706 crores, including 3 new religious circuits - Shiv Khori-Uttar Bani-Purmandal-Mata Sukhrala Deviji Shankaracharya-Mata Khir Bhawani-Martand (Mattan) Makhdoom Sahib-Khanqah-e-Moula-Watlab-Babareshi-Pakharpora-Aishmuqam (First government-backed Sufi pilgrimage in J&K). Kerala - Budget size is 144265 crores. Tax proposals - Tax rate on motorcycles (value upto Rs 2 lakh) will be increased by 1% and on motor cars (of value upto Rs 15 lakh) will be increased by 2%. Electric auto-rickshaws will be exempted from tax for the first five years. The fair value of land fixed by the government will be increased by 10%. It promises to provide meals at Rs 25 at 1,000 Kudumbashree restaurants across state. Building 1 lakh homes under LIFE mission, is also provisioned in Budget. Govt to raise Rs 2,100 crores to fund KFC (Kerala Financial Corporation) loans. All welfare pensions to be hiked by Rs 100. Local Employment Assurance Programme (LEAP) will be started to give employment to 1.5 lakh people per year through local self-government institutions. Karnataka - Budget Size is 237893 Crores. Multiple changes have been proposed to different state taxes. Including 3% increase in sales tax on petrol and diesel, reduction of stamp duty to 2% for first registration of new houses below 20 lakhs and increase in excise duty by 6% on Indian Made Liquor (IML). For the first time, state government presented a child budget, with 279 programmes involving 36340 crores proposed. Woman safety portal will be launched to ensure that all programmes of the Department of Women and Child Development are delivered in a transparent manner. 2 Saturdays in a month will be observed as bagless days, for students. 8344 crores for new Mukhyamantrigala Nava Nagaroththana, to be launched for overall development of Bengaluru city. 14500 crores for developing peripheral ring road in Bengaluru, to decongest the city. Maharashtra - Budget size is 115000 crores. Increase value-added tax (VAT) on petrol & diesel by Rs 1 per litre. Reduce electricity duty on industrial use from 9. 3% to 7.5% of consumption charges. 1% reduction in the stamp duty in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, and municipal corporations of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Nagpur Two new schemes, Gramin Sadak Vikas Yojana and Nagari Sadak Vikas Yojana, announced for construction of roads in rural and urban areas, respectively. 1000 crore and 1501 crores allocated for these schemes, respectively. 7000 crores allocated to Mahatma Jotirao Phule Shetkari Karjamukti Yojana for loan waiver up to 2 lakh for agriculture loan taken between April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019. Five lakh solar pumps will be setup in the state over the next five years with a total outlay of 10000 crores. Manipur - Budget Size 21224 Crores. Meghalaya - Budget Size 17432 Crores. New programme for systematic periodic maintenance of roads, with a budget provision of Rs 50 crore has been launched. 2.5 crores for Meghalaya Outcome-oriented transformation in health, education, and rural development (MOTHER) program. Megha Health Insurance Scheme enhanced to Rs 5 lakh per family with no restriction on family size. Mizoram - Budget Size is 10715 Crores. It is a surplus budget of Rs. 17.73 crores. Nagaland - Budget Size is 21086 Crores. House also passed Nagaland Appropriation (No 2) Bill 2020, authorising Peoples' Democratic Alliance (PDA) government to withdraw budgetary amount from consolidated fund of state for FY 2020-21. Odisha - Presented budget 2020-21 for Rs 1.5 Lakh crores, 8 % hike as compared to 2019-20. It is Odisha's first ever paperless budget and second state in India after Himachal Pradesh. To increase income of farmers ‘Samruddha Krishi Niti-2020’ has been proposed. Odisha is 1st state to introduce Nutrition budget, Strategic budget and Climate code budget. Punjab - Presented 154805 crores budget for 2020-21. Reducing retirement age of government employees from 60 years to 58. Allocating 12488 crores for promotion of schools and higher education, Budget announced to grant free education in government schools to all students up to class 12th. Announced waiving off loans of landless farmers. 100 crores for giving 10 lakh free smartphones to youth. Fee on trade of agriculture produce on fruits and vegetables (mandi fee) will be reduced from 4% to 1%. Punjab to establish three mega industrial parks over 1,000 acres at Mattewara, Bathinda and Rajpura. Crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken by small / marginal farmers / landless labourers will be waived. 2000 crores allocated. Government will provide monthly assistance of 3000 to all construction workers in their old age and 1500 per month to their spouses. Rajasthan - Budget Size 225731 Crores. Tax proposals - Stamp duty on registration fees will be exempted on transfer of sick Micro and Medium Small Enterprises. Amnesty scheme will be launched to provide 100% waiver from interest and penalty on stamp duty for depositing stamp duty by June 30, 2020. Motor Vehicle tax will be reduced by Rs 50 per seat per month for all categories of sub-urban routes. Nirogi Rajasthan Prabandhan Kosh will be established with an allocation of Rs 100 crore for focus on prevention of diseases. Cancer Registry System will be setup for monitoring of cancer. Capacity of 1500 sub-stations will be increased with an expenditure of Rs 2,000 crores. An Ultra-Mega solar park will be developed in the state. Dearness Allowance (DA) has been increased from 12 per cent to 17 per cent from July 1, 2019. Sikkim - Budget Size is 9100 Crores. Tamil Nadu - Budget Size is 300390 Crores. 8156 Crores for Proposed Tamil Nadu Urban Flagship Investment Programme to support the state in developing urban and environmental infrastructure. Further, Rs 200 crore has been allocated as interest waiver for repayment of Farmer loans. Stamp duty for rental agreements will be reduced from 1% to 0.25%. Further, registration charges on such agreements will be reduced from 1% to 0.25% (subject to a maximum of Rs 5,000). Government will form a 'not-for-profit' Special Purpose Vehicle to finance and manage the Amma Unavagam programme. Comprehensive flood mitigation project for Greater Chennai has been proposed at a cost of 3000 crores. Telangana - Budget Size is 182914 Crores. Government will provide waiver of loans between 25000 - 1 lakh for farmers, requiring 24738 crores to be spent in four instalments. In 2020-21, an amount of Rs 6,225 crore has been allocated. Government estimated 50000 crores for development of Hyderabad over 5 years. In 2020-21, 10000 crores allocated for Musi River purification and Musi River Front Project and other works. 14000 crores for 'Rythu Bandhu', a flagship scheme of government, for providing investment support to farmers. Uttar Pradesh - Budget Size is 512861 Crores (Highest Among States). 100 crores for new scheme proposed to encourage youth to work as apprentices in industries by providing them apprenticeships, along with a monthly stipend. Of total monthly stipend to be provided, 1500 will be borne by central government, 1000 by state government, and rest by employer. A new scheme, Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyaan (Yuva), is proposed with aim of making more than one lakh young trained persons self-reliant. YUVA hubs will be set up in all districts to provide financial and operational assistance to startups for a one-year period. Kaushal Satrang scheme was also launched. State NITI Aayog will be constituted to replace existing State Planning Commission. Uttarakhand - Budget Size is 53527 Crores. 2300 Crores for Krishi Utpadan Lagat Sarvekshan Yojana will be started for providing minimum support price for crops such as mandua, sanwa, urad, ghat and masoor. Salary for guest teachers in universities will be increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000. Schemes - Mukhyamantri Shikshuta Yojana will be started for learning new work-related skills in different sectors. Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana and Mukhyamantri Palayan Roktham Yojana will be started for generating self- employment opportunities and preventing migration from state. Mukhyamantri Saubhagyaati Yojana will be started for preventing decline in sex-ratio by providing kits to mothers on birth of a girl child in first delivery. 300 crores for establishment of a medical college in Haldwani, Almora and Doon. Pension for old-age, dependent widows and disabled to be increased from Rs 1,000 per month to Rs 1,200 per month. West Bengal - Budget Size 255677 Crores. Persons belonging to SC / ST, who are over 60 years age and not covered under any pension scheme, will be provided a monthly pension of 1000. 3000 crores allocated for this. 500 crores for new scheme, Karma Sathi Prakalpa, proposed to provide assistance to unemployed youth to help them become self-reliant. Under this, 1 lakh unemployed youth, for next three years, will be provided soft loan and subsidy of up to two lakh rupees for taking up any new income generating project. 200 crores for New scheme to provide free electricity to poor domestic consumers. Under this, no electricity charge will be levied on poor domestic consumers whose quarterly consumption of electricity is up to 75 units (lifeline consumers). 163. Supreme Court lifted 2018 RBI ban on trading in virtual currencies, as a relief for traders in this sector. SC Validated plea from Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI) challenging RBI ban. 164. Supreme Court ruled that provisions of Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act 2002, will be applicable to state and multi-state cooperative banks. Ruling challenged Parliament’s decision to amend Section 2(c) of Sarfaesi Act, which allows banks and financial institutions to seize and auction properties of defaulters to recover their dues, and include cooperative banks among those who can exercise powers under Act. With this judgment, state and multi-state cooperative banking societies can now seize and sell assets to recover their dues. SC also said that state and multi-state cooperative banks will fall under definition of banks under provisions of Banking Regulation Act. 165. Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) submitted its Final Report on NIP for FY 2019-25, Finance Ministry. Summary Report of the same was released on December 31st, 2019. The summary Report stated that between 2020 and 2025, Govt has plans to invest 102 lakh crores rupees,to help make India a 5 trillion-dollar economy. Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech 2019-20 announced that 100 lakh crore would be invested on infrastructure over next five years. Final Report of NIP Task Force is projecting infrastructure investment of 111 lakh crores during FY 2020-25. Out of it - Projects worth Rs 44 lakh crores are under implementation Projects worth Rs 33 lakh crore are at conceptual stage Projects worth Rs 22 lakh crore are under development. Information regarding project stage are unavailable for projects worth Rs 11 lakh crores. Sector Wise - Sectors such as energy (24%), roads (18%), urban (17%) and railways (12%) amount to around 71% of the projected investments. Centre (39%) and States (40%) are expected to have almost equal share in implementing NIP, followed by private sector (21%). Task Force has recommended 3 Committees to be setup - A Committee to monitor NIP progress and eliminate delays A Steering Committee in each Infrastructure ministry level for following up implementation A Steering Committee in DEA for raising financial resources for NIP. 166. Tata Power's Tata Power International Pte Ltd (TPIPL) acquired 10 % stake in Adjaristsqali Netherlands BV (ABV) from International Finance Corporation (IFC) for USD 150000, increasing TPIPL's shareholding in ABV to 50 %. 167. Tech Firms Microsoft and Accenture partnered to help deepen reach of entrepreneurs and start-ups focused on social impact and sustainability. Joint initiative will provide hands-on support and technologies to social enterprises. 168. To help tackle situation arising from COVID-19 outbreak, RBI increased limit for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to 2 Lakh Crores, for remaining part of first half of financial year 2020-21 (April 2020 to September 2020). It was 1.2 Lakh Crores Earlier. WMA is an RBI mechanism, to help States tide over temporary mismatches in cash flow of their receipts and payments. 169. To provide relief to exporters, RBI extended interest subsidy period by one year to 31 March 2021, on export credit received before and after shipment of goods to exporters. Exporters get subsidy under Interest Equalisation Scheme for pre and post shipment Rupee Export Credit, which ended on March 31, 2020. Government announced new scheme in November 2018, which applies to all exporters in MSME sector. It aims at encouraging enterprises to increase productivity and provides incentives to MSMEs for onboarding on GST platform. 170. Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) will launch national e-commerce marketplace 'bharat market', for all retail traders. It will integrate capabilities of various tech companies to provide end-to-end services in logistics and supply chains from manufacturers to end consumers. 171. US Based Silver Lake partners bought 1.15% stake in Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms, for Rs 5,656 crores ($750 million). Also, Social Network Facebook had recently invested INR 43574 crores in Jio Platforms, for 9.99% stake. It was Largest FDI in India's Tech Industry. 172. US Based Carlyle Group acquired 74% stake in Indian animal healthcare company SeQuent Scientific Limited, for 1587 crores ($210 million). 173. US Based Vista Equity Partners invested 11367 crores into Reliance Jio Platforms for a 2.32 % stake. This would be the third major investment in Jio in less than three weeks. Earlier, US Based Silver Lake partners bought 1.15% stake in Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms, for Rs 5,656 crores ($750 million). Social Network Facebook invested INR 43574 crores in Jio Platforms, for 9.99% stake. It was Largest FDI in India's Tech Industry. 174. US Firm KKR invested Approx 11367 crores in Reliance Jio Platforms, for a 2.32% stake. Recent Jio Stake Buy-outs - US Investor General Atlantic invested Approx 6600 crores in Reliance Jio Platforms, for a 1.34% stake. US Based Vista Equity Partners invested 11367 crores into Reliance Jio Platforms for a 2.32 % stake. US Based Silver Lake partners bought 1.15% stake in Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms, for Rs 5,656 crores ($750 million). Social Network Facebook invested INR 43574 crores in Jio Platforms, for 9.99% stake. It was Largest FDI in India's Tech Industry. Under concerned 5 deals, Jio has divested total 17.12 % Stake to 5 US Firms, since April 2020. 175. US Investor General Atlantic invested Approx 6600 crores in Reliance Jio Platforms, for a 1.34% stake. It values Jio Platforms at an equity value of 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of 5.16 lakh crores. Recent Jio Stake Buy-outs - US Based Vista Equity Partners invested 11367 crores into Reliance Jio Platforms for a 2.32 % stake. US Based Silver Lake partners bought 1.15% stake in Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms, for Rs 5,656 crores ($750 million). Social Network Facebook invested INR 43574 crores in Jio Platforms, for 9.99% stake. It was Largest FDI in India's Tech Industry. Under concerned 4 deals, Jio has divested total 14.8 % Stake to 4 US Firms, since April 2020. 176. Various measures taken by Department of Food & Public Distribution for current sugar season 2019-20 - Government reimbursing carrying cost of Rs.1674 crore towards maintenance of buffer stockof 40 LMT of sugar. Assistance@ Rs 10448/MT being provided tosugar mills to meet expenses on export of 60 LMT of sugar, at approx 6268 crores. Soft loans of about Rs. 18600 crores are being extended through banks to 362 sugar mills and molasses-based standalone distilleries, for which interest subvention of 4045 crores for 5 years is being borne by Government. Estimated Production during sugar season 2019-20 is 270 LMT, with 240 LMT expected as Domestic Consumption. 177. Vodafone Idea tied up with Paytm to launch Recharge Saathi programme, to help individuals / small businesses to earn an additional income. It will enable Paytm customers to start selling Vodafone-Idea recharges on Paytm app. 178. With increasing global economic crisis due to COVID-19 Outbreak, Helicopter Money is a solution being suggested by economic specialists all over world. Helicopter Money term was framed by an American Economist Milton Friedman. It is monetary policy tool used for Quantitative Easing. It aims to dump money into a struggling economy, by extending non-repayable money to governments from central bank. It intends to make more money available for people to nudge them to spend more. In India - Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao has suggested this for state governments to revive economic growth. He asked the RBI to release 5% of GDP as Helicopter money. CII also recommended similar arrangement, by recommending direct cash transfer of 5000 to all account holders whose annual income is below 5 lakh. 179. World Bank approved 1 billion USD additional aid to India to accelerate COVID-19 Special Protection Response Programme. Around 550 million USD is to be credited by the IDA (International Development Association) and 220 million USD by the IBRD (International Bank of Reconstruction and Development). In April 2020, World Bank had announced 1 billion USD support to aid health sector of India. Recently, Shanghai-Based BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) also approved 1 Billion USD for India, Under its Emergency Assistance Program, amid COVID-19 Pandemic. 180. World Bank approved USD 400 million multi-year financial support to India, To enhance and safeguard coastal and marine resources. First phase will cover eight coastal States - Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal, along with 3 coastal Union Territories - Puducherry, Andaman, and Nicobar and Daman and Diu. These states / UTs will get USD 180 million for Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Resource Efficiency (ENCORE). 181. World Bank approved USD 82 Million (INR 585 crores) for Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP). 182. Yes Bank acquired 24.19% stake in direct-to-home (DTH) provider Dish TV India, by invoking pledged shares after loan defaults by several companies. Top

International 1. Baltic countries opened their borders to one another creating “travel bubble”, enabling their citizens to move freely. This is the first travel bubble since the lock down. Baltic states are not as badly affected as the other European states. Australia and New Zealand have also agreed to form a travel bubble, amid controlled spread of COVID-19. Baltic Nations is a geopolitical term, typically used to group three sovereign states in Northern Europe on eastern coast of Baltic Sea - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 2. 2nd Addendum on Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade between India and Bangladesh has been signed. Bangladesh and India signed a Protocol in 1972 , for Transit and Trade through inland waterways. It was last renewed in 2015 for five years. In Dec 2019, it was decided to include new routes and declaration of new Ports of Call to facilitate trade. These have now been made effective with signing of 2nd Addendum to Protocol . Number of Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes are being increased from 8 to 10 and new locations are also added to existing routes. Presently, There are six Ports of Call each in India and Bangladesh under the Protocol. Five more Ports of Call and two more extended Ports of Call have been added. 3. 34th Forbes' annual world’s billionaires list The Richest in 2020 - Topped by Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos for 3rd time in a row, with net worth $113 billion. He was followed by Bill Gates ($98 billion), Bernard Arnault ($76 billion). India's Mukesh Ambani with net worth of $44.3 billion, is top-ranked Indian and 17th globally. 4. 5 Indians Named on World Economic Forum (WEF) list of 115 Young Global Leaders - Byju Raveendran (Educational App Byju's Founder) Gaurav Gupta (Zomato’s co-founder) Tara Singh Vachani (CEO of Antara Senior Living) Vinati Mutreja (MD & CEO, Vinati Organics Limited) and Swapan Mehra (CEO, Iora Ecological Solutions) 5. 5th edition of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit 2020 will held in Sri Lanka in September 2020. Sri Lanka will lead science, technology, and innovation sector in BIMSTEC. Sri Lanka is Chair of BIMSTEC between 2018 and 2020 and it will hand over the chairmanship to Thailand by end of 2020. 6. 70th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2020 held in Berlin (Germany). External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Berlinale. Notable Winners -

S.No Award Name Won by 1 Golden Bear for Best Film There Is No Evil by Mohammad Rasoulof 2 Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Never Rarely Sometimes Always by Eliza Hittman 3 Silver Bear for Best Director Hong Sang Soo for The Woman Who Ran 4 Silver Bear for Best Actress Paula Beer for Undine 5 Silver Bear for Best Actor Elio Germano for “Hidden Away” 6 Berlinale Documentary Award Irradiés by Rithy Panh 7 Golden Bear for Best Short Film “T” by Keisha Rae Witherspoon 8 Heiner Carow Prize Garagenvolk by Natalija Yefimkina 9 Caligari Film Prize Victoria by Sofie Benoot, Liesbeth De Ceulaer and Isabelle Tollenaere 7. Aon Plc accquired Willis Towers Watson Plc for nearly $30 billion, making it world’s biggest insurance broker. Both Firms are UK Based. 8. Coronavirus (Covid-19) Updates (March 2020) - India - SBI launched an additional liquidity facility “Covid-19 Emergency Credit Line (CECL)” to meet any liquidity mismatch for its borrowers in order to tide over current crisis situation. SBI will facilitate funds up to 200 crores under this. SBI also committed 0.25% of annual profit for FY 2019-20, to fight COVID-19 Crisis. Indian Bank also launched five special emergency loans targeted at specific corporates. Government constituted a high level technical committee of Public Health Experts for COVID-19 to guide the prevention and control activities in country, headed by NITI Aayog member V K Paul. India shared two SARS-CoV-2 with the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). Pune based National Institute of Virology has shared two sequences of novel corona virus with Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data. Government Invoked Disaster Management Act 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, to control and mitigate coronavirus outbreak. Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 was first enacted to tackle bubonic plague in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in former British- occupied India. The law is meant for containment of epidemics by providing special powers that are required for the implementation of containment measures to control the spread of the disease. Scientists at CSIR-IHBT (Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology) developed a new sanitizer without using chemicals, amid hike in demand for the same due to COVID-19 Outbreak. Invest India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) launched Invest India Business Immunity Platform, to help businesses and investors get real-time updates on India’s response to COVID-19, in partnership with SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India). PM Narendra Modi called for a complete lockdown of entire nation for 21 days (Mar 25 - Apr 14, 2020), to contain the COVID- 19 Pandemic. Govt also allocated 15000 Crores to fight the pandemic. Reliance has set up India's first hospital to operate exclusively to treat Corona Virus patients, in Mumbai, with Negative Pressure Rooms. Negative Room Pressure technology is a technique in medical centres that prevent cross-contamination. This allows air to flow into the room and prevents air from escaping out of the room. PM Narendra Modi also launched Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), to enable voluntary contributions by Citizens, to help Govt in eradicating CODIV-19. People can use UPI handle pmcares@sbi, to contribute. Government announced 1.70 Lakh Crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for poor, to help them fight against Corona Virus - Insurance cover of 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19 to be provided under Insurance Scheme. 80 crore people will to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the next three months. Gas cylinders would be provided to 8 crore poor families for the next three months. 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for next three months. Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182 to benefit 13.62 crore families. Ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled. Government to pay 2000 to farmers in first week of April under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8.7 crore farmers. Government asked State Governments to use Building and Construction Workers Welfare Fund to provide relief to Construction Workers. For Wage-earners below 15000 per month in businesses having less than 100 workers, government will pay 24 % of their monthly wages into their PF accounts for 3 months. For 63 lakhs women Self Help Groups (SHGs) that support 6.85 crore households, Limit of collateral free lending would be increased from 10 to 20 lakhs. Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to include Pandemic as reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75 % of amount or three months of wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts. Govt also created a seperate fund of 15000 crores to fight COVID-19. Government announced several easing measures, aimed at helping citizens / companies during Lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 Outbreak. Financial Services - No charges on withdrawal of cash in bank ATMs. There will be no charges on not keeping minimum balance requirement, for 3 months. Reduced digital charges for trade transactions. Tax measures - For FY 2018-19, last date for returns extended to June 30, 2020. For delayed payments made till June 30, interest rate reduced to 9% from 12%. For delayed deposit of TDS, interest has been reduced to 9 % from 18% Aadhaar-pan linking extended to June 30 from March 31 Vivaad se Vishwaas scheme extended to June 30. No additional 10% amount, if payment made by June 30, 2020. Compliances under Income Tax Act, Wealth Tax Act, Benami Transaction Act, Black Money Act, Vivaad se Vishwaas, have been extended to June 30, 2020 GST All GST returns for March, April, May and composition returns extended to June 30, 2020 For companies less than 5 cr no late fee and penalty to be charged. For above Rs 5 cr, only int at the rate of 9% For Customs Sabka Vishwaas scheme for indirect taxes having last date till March 31 has been extended to June 30,2020. No interest to be levied. Customs clearance till June 30 to work 24x7. Companies - In respect of MCA21 registry, there is a moratorium being issued from April 1 till Sep 30 no additional fees for late filing. For newly incorporated companies, additional 6 months for filing declaration of commencement of business. Mandatory requirement of holding meetings of Board of companies within prescribed interval provided in Companies Act (120 days), shall be extended by 60 days (till 30th September). Requirement to create a Deposit reserve of 20% of deposits maturing during 2020-21 before 30th April 2020 shall be allowed to be complied with till 30th June 2020. Requirement to invest 15% of debentures maturing during a particular year in specified instruments before 30th April 2020, may be done by 30th June 2020. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code - Threshold of default raised from 1 lakh to 1 crore, to prevent triggering of insolvency proceedings for SMEs. If it continues like this beyond April, then sec 7, 9, 10 of the IBC will be suspended for a period of six months. RBI Announced several measures to prevent economic fallout due to COVID-19 Outbreak - RBI Allowed Banks to Declare 3 Months Moratorium on Term Loans, to enable borrowers to avail 3 months deferment on payment of Loan EMIs. It is applicable between repayments due between Mar 1 - May 31, 2020. Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, there may be temporary disruption in cash flows / loss of income, for businesses/ individuals. This measure is a great help to borrowers. More Details and FAQs RBI has announced several Monetary Policy Rates Changes, by preponing 7th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2019-20 due to COVID-19 Outbreak - Repo Rate by 75 basis points, to 4.4 %. Repo rate is now lowest ever. Before this, it had hit lowest point of 4.74% in April 2009 amid Global Financial Crisis. Reverse Repo Rate cut by 90 basis points, to 4 %. CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) of all banks reduced by 100 basis points to 3%, for one year. These measures will inject liquidity of Rs 3.74 lakh crore to the system. Current MPC Rates - Repo Rate - 4.40 % Reverse Repo - 4.00 % Bank Rate - 4.65 % CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) - 3 % SLR(Statutory Liquidity ratio) - 18.25 % Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate - 4.65 % Pune based testing services MyLab became first Indian company to get approval from CDSCO for sales of COVID-19 testing kits. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare declared Hydroxycholoroquine as a Schedule H1 drug, putting restrictions on its sales and distribution. Out of 4 treatments suggested by the World Health Organization to contain the virus, India adopted the use of Hydroxychloroquine. Mo Jeeban Programme launched by Odisha Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, appealing people to stay indoors. Indian Army launched Operation Namaste to contain spread of Corona Virus in country. RBI for the first time, shared its Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure zero disruptions in the national payments systems (NPS) due to the coronavirus outbreak. BCP is a recovery plan to prepare for anticipated disruptions, ensure smooth flow of operations and staffing, and form crisis management groups. Government fixed price of a three-ply face mask made of melton-non-woven fibre till June 30 at a maximum of Rs 16 per mask. Government created a ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’ in collaboration with WhatsApp to provide factually correct information about coronavirus. People can clarify their queries by sending Namaste to WhatsApp number 9013151515. Election Commission of India permited use of indelible ink on persons for stamping for home quarantine by health authorities insight of COVID-19. Indore became 1st Indian city to use drones to sanitize city against COVID-19 Virus. Labour and Employment Ministry issued advisory under Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act 1996, to all state and UT (Union Territory) governments to provide financial aid to nearly 3.5 crore construction workers from Rs 52,000- crore construction cess collected by Labour Welfare Boards. Government announced that Testing and Treatment of Corona virus (COVID-19) will be covered under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) Yojana, which covers expenses up to 5 Lakh. Tourism Ministry launched Stranded in India portal, to support foreign tourists stuck in India amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Technology developed by an incubatee company of Scitech Park, Pune has emerged as an effective solution for India’s fight against Covid-19 by reducing viral load of infected areas within a room significantly within an hour. DST has released Rs 1 crore to manufacture and scale up the product, under NIDHI PRAYAS program of Govt. Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched CoNTec, a Telecommunication Centre that aims to connect doctors in the country with AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). Ministry of Power approved relief measures to provide power supply 24/7 to consumers. Govt will provide moratorium of 3 months to Discoms in order to make payments to generating companies, as non payment of dues by consumers due to lockdown has dteeroited finanes of Discoms. Govt. exempted agriculture and farming related activities from Lock Down, to protect crops and livelihood of farmers. Jharkhand government launched PRAGYAAM Mobile application, to issue e-passes to everyone associated with delivery of essential services during lockdown to curb spread of COVID-19. ICICI Lombard And BharatPe Partner To Launch COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover for shopkeepers. Nagaland Govt launched Self Declaration COVID-19 App, which will be mandatory for any person who entered Nagaland after March 6. It is useful for tracking and surveillance of high-risk cases. Himachal Pradesh Government created a ‘HP COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund’ to provide personal protection equipment to health workers and other related officials. Rajasthan police also launched a mobile app called “RajCop citizens app” Govt. allowed using 30 % District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds for healthcare, screening and food distribution, to combat Covid-19 pandemic. IIT Bombay developed mobile app named ‘CORONTINE’, aiming to help tracking asymptomatic carriers and prevent spread of COVID-19. Govt has set up 11 empowered groups for ensuring a comprehensive and integrated response to Covid-19 pandemic, under Disaster Management Act 2005. Coronavirus risk-tracking app called ‘Corona Kavach’ has been launched by Government. It uses a person’s location to assess whether they are in the high-risk geographical zone or not. IIT Gandhinagar launched ‘Project Isaac’ to engage students in creative projects during COVID-19 lockdown. Saudi Arabia assured uninterrupted Liquefied petroleum gas(LPG) supply to India, during COVID-19 outbreak. Global - Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide USD 4 million to help developing countries in Asia and Pacific to fight the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). World Bank announced 12 billion USD to assist countries that are grappling with economic impacts of corona virus. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Member Russia refused to make deal for cutting production, as deepest oil production cuts since 2008 financial crisis. Saudi Arabia proposed cutting production by 1.5 million barrel a day from April 2020. Indian-American Seema Verma is appointed a key member of White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump. President Trump also signed a 8.3 Billion bill to combat spread of the Covid-19. As per UNCTAD report Global trade impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Epidemic - India has faced a trade impact of 348 million dollars due to slow down in China’s production. Most affected economies - EU (15.6 billion), US (5.8 billion), Japan (USD 5.2 billion), South Korea (USD 3.8 billion). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard committed up to $125 million in seed funding to speed-up response to COVID-19 pandemic by identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments. US Reserve Bank (Federal Reserve) reduced key interest rates to 0% - 0.25%, amid slwing down economy due to COVID-19 Impact. For the first time since 1962, Iran seeked help of International Monetary Fund, to fight Corona Virus Outbreak. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $200 million to companies manufacturing and distributing medicines, and other items needed to combat novel coronavirus (COVID-19). SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Nations held a Video Conference, to formulate Strataegy for tackling novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak. India proposed an emergency SAARC Fund in this regard and contributed 10 Million USD for same. World Economic Forum creatied COVID Action Platform, as first of its kind, aiming to convene business community for collective action, protect people’s livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for COVID-19 response. Philippines became first country to suspend all financial markets, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. African Lion Military Exercise, the joint US-Africa Military Exercise has been cancelled, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. WhatsApp launched Coronavirus Information Hub globally, and donated $1 million donation to Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). A New Virus called Hantavirus appeared in China, which is also deadly like Covid-19 but far less contagious. International Olympics Committee announced postponement of 2020 Tokyo Olympics, due to COVID-19 Outbreak. This is first such postponment in 124-year history of Olympics. Noted Tennis Grand Slam Wimbeldon which was to be held in England in June 2020, has been cancelled due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It is cancelled for the first time since Second World War. World’s largest streaming media service Netflix formaed $100 million fund, to help workers on film and television productions that have been impacted due to global coronavirus outbreak. The fund will help cast and crew members such as electricians, carpenters, drivers and other hourly workers. Football Governing Body FIFA started a campaign to raise awareness about COVID-19 and importance of lockdowns. It has 28 acclaimed international players, Including India's Sunil Chhetri. International Monetary Fund launched IMF Policy Tracker, as a platform to provide all key economic responses launched by Governments all over the world to fight against Corona Virus. UN launched Global Humanitarian Response Plan to fight against COVID-19, allocating 2 billion USD to implement the plan. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced an AI bot called ‘Clara’ to help people assess potential symptoms of COVID-19, in partnership with Microsoft Azure’s Healthcare Bot service. Proposed / Considered Treatment Methods - US Food and Drug Administration approved use of Convalescent plasma collected from patients recovered from COVID- 19 to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Idea is to inject plasma with antibodies into critically ill patients for them to gain immunity against the virus. World Health Organization (WHO) started a mega trial namely “Solidarity” of 4 most promising drugs that may cure COVID-19 - Remdesivir - experimental antiviral compound widely used to combat Ebola and other dangerous viruses. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine - Treats malaria. Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) also recommended this. Combination of lopinavir and ritonavir - Treats human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Ritonavir/lopinavir plus interferon-beta - Treats Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) patients. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) launched a “Global Network Resiliency Platform” to help global networks remain “safer, stronger and more connected” during COVID-19 crisis. US invoked Defence Production Act 1950, to direct General Motors to manufacture ventilators needed to fight COVID-19. The act was enacted in 1950 in response to Korean War. earlier In 2011, President Obama invoked it to force telecommunications industries to provide information related to use of foreign-manufactured hardware and software in networks of companies. US also approved largest stimulus package in US history, a $2 trillion bill intended to rescue the coronavirus-battered economy. US announced USD 174 million financial assistance to 64 most at-risk countries which include USD 2.9 million to India as support for combating coronavirus pandemic. In February 2020, USA provided 100 million aid for the same purpose. 9. Facebook acquired Giphy, a popular website for making and sharing animated images. Cost was not disclosed, although expected at around $400 million. 10. Japan launched its new space defense unit to monitor and counter threats to country's satellites. Called Space Operations Squadron, It is part of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force. It has 20 members initially, expected to grow to about 100 members once fully operational in 2023. 11. US terminated its relationship with World Health Organisation, amid WHO being criticized for its role in COVID-19 Pandemic and its accused favoring of China. US used to pay approx USD 450 million a year to WHO. 12. A recently issued World Health Organization map showed parts of Ladakh as Chinese territory, shown as dotted line and colour code. Also, regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir has been shown as dotted line. Dotted line suggest that the region is a disputed territory. Also, WHO has been criticized in its handling of COVID-19 Pandemic. It has been favoring and safeguarding China by hiding facts behind Coronavirus. 13. According to Freedom in the World 2020 report by US Based Freedom House - India ranks 83rd, with Timor-Leste and Senegal in ‘Free’category. Finland topped the list. 14. According to Open Budget Survey conducted by International Budget Partnership - India ranks 53rd among 117 countries in budget transparency and accountability. Top 3 - New Zealand and South Africa (Joint 1st), Sweden (2), Mexico (3). 15. According to a survey by Global Energy Monitor, global coal power plant development declined for the fourth consecutive year. Also, 13 gigawatts (GW) of capacity construction has been delayed so far this year due to the coronavirus. 16. Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC, a Joint Venture between Tata Power, Norway’s Clean Energy Invest (CEI), and International Financial Corporation (IFC) started commercial operation of 178 MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project (HPP) in Georgia. 17. Alibaba Founder Jack Ma (China) replaced India's Mukesh Ambani as Asia's richest man. It came after Reliance shares crashed due to Coronavirus pandemic and fall of oil prices, causing Mukesh Ambani to USD 5.8 billion of his worth. Jack ma has worth of USD 44.5 billion, ahead of Mukesh Ambani with USD 41.8 billion. 18. Amid Covid-19 Pandemic, Hanko personal stamps of Japan are being criticized. They are equivalent to signature in other countries. Japan is adopting work from home culture aggressively in response to COVID-19 pandemic. However, the age old Hanko tradition of Japan is forcing the employees to go to the office premises for security reasons. Hanko stamping is essential in Japan for several transactions. 19. Amphibious transport dock ship, USS Portland (LPD-27) of US Navy destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a solid-state laser “Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD)” from Pacific. It was first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid- state laser to disable an aerial drone aircraft. 20. An earthquake of high magnitude of 7.5 struck near Severo-Kurilsk in Russia, with No casualties reported. 21. Apple acquired Dark Sky, a weather app, which forecasts hyper-local weather predictions. 22. As 1st such deal, Indian movie producer and distributor Eros International announced all-share merger with Hollywood’s STX Entertainment to create an equally-held global entertainment company with a value of USD 1 billion. 23. As per Wealth Report 2020 by Knight Frank LLP - India has 5986 UHNWIs (Ultra high-net-worth individuals), expected to increase by 73% in coming 5 years. US topped the Report with 240575 UHNWIs, followed by China with 61587 & Germany with 23078. UHNWIs are people who are having a net worth of at least $30 million(mn) and above. 24. As per Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), India’s response to COVID-19 pandemic is one of most stringent in world, scoring perfect 100. OxCGRT collects publicly available information on 13 indicators of government respons. South Africa, Israel, New Zealand and Mauritius are some other countries that scored a 100 in concerned tracker. 25. As per Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC region will face economic decline of 2.7% in 2020 due to impact of COVID-19. Unemployment rate in region will increase to 5.4% in 2020, up from 3.8% in 2019. Anticipated growth of region in the 2021 is 6.3%. About APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout Asia-Pacific region. It began in 1989. The region has now been renamed as Indo-Pacific. India is not a member of APEC, constrained by the fact that India does not border Pacific Ocean. 26. As per Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey - India is world’s most digitally dexterous (skilful) country, world as it has vast Gen Z workforce (born between 1995 and 2009), who are keen to learn new digitally powered skills. India is followed by UK and US. 27. As per Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020). - Rate of forest loss has declined during 2015-2020, due to the growth of sustainable management. It was 10 million hectares during 2015-2020, compared to 12 million hectares in 2010-2015, World lost 178 mha of forest since 1990. Rate of net forest loss declined from 7.8 mha per year in 1990–2000 to 5.2 mha per year in 2000–2010 and 4.7 mha per year in 2010–2020. Africa had largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020, at 3.9 mha, followed by South America, at 2.6 mha. Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010–2020, followed by Oceania and Europe. World’s total forest area was 4.06 billion hectares (bha), 31 % of total land area. Largest proportion of the world’s forests are tropical (45 %), followed by boreal, temperate and subtropical. More than 54 % of world’s forests are in 4 countries — Russia, Brazil, Canada, US and China. 28. As per Mercom India report India Solar Market Leaderboard 2020 - India installed 7.3 GW of solar capacity in 2019, emerging 3rd largest solar market, with 35.7 GW capacity at end of December 2019. Solar accounted for 41% of new power capacity additions in 2019 behind coal (44%). At end of 2019, cumulative rooftop solar installations in India reached 4365 MW, with 1104 MW installed in 2019. 29. As per Sweden Based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) - Global military expenditure rose to $1917 billion in 2019 (3.6 % Hike). Top 5 Military spenders — U.S. ($732 bn), China ($261 Billion), India ($71 Billion), Russia ($65.1 bn) and Saudi Arabia ($61.9 bn). 30. As per UN report, World economy will go into recession this year, Due to Coronavirus Pandemic. It will be much more worse than 2008 Global recession. UNCTAD says it will create serious trouble for developing countries, but wont affct India and China much. Countries with rich commodity export will face a USD 2 - 3 Trillion drops in overseas investments in next two years. 31. As per US Data, India’s holding of US securities has gone up to record high of USD 177.5 bn at end of February 2020. 32. As per United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report A New Era for Girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress - Girls still face violence and discrimination even after 25 years of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Beijing Declaration was aimed at advancing women’s and girls’ rights. In 2016, females accounted for 70% of detected trafficking victims globally, mostly involving sexual exploitation. 33. As per World Bank report COVID-19 Crisis: Through a Migration Lens - remittances to India are likely to drop by 23% to USD 64 billion in 2020 from USD 83 billion in 2019 due to COVID-19 impact. India is the world’s biggest recipient of remittances. Globally, remittances by migrant workers are projected to decline by 20% due to economic crisis induced by COVID-19 pandemic. 34. As per World Steel Report by World Steel Association - Crude steel report of India declined by 65%. During April 2020, the steel output of India was 3.13 million tonnes, compared to 9.02 million tonnes in in April 2019. In March 2020, India faced a decline of 14% steel output as compared to March 2019. Global steel output declined by 13%. 35. As per World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International tourism could shrink by 60-80 % in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in revenue loss of $910 billion to $1.2 trillion and placing millions of livelihoods at risk. Pandemic has already caused a 22 per cent fall in international tourist arrivals during first quarter of 2020. 36. As per Worldline India report Wordline India Digital Payments 2019 - Bengaluru (Karnataka) accounted for highest number of digital transactions in India in 2019, followed by Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra. Among states, Maharashtra topped with highest number of digital transactions, followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi. The most preferred mode of payment was United Payments Interface (UPI). 37. As per a study by Comparisun - Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos could become world's first trillionaire by 2026. Chinese real estate tycoon Xu Jiayin will follow Bezos to become the second trillionaire in the world in 2027. India’s Mukesh Ambani could become a trillionaire in 2033. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg comes next, expetedly gaining trillionaire status in 2036. 38. As per report Boom and Bust 2020:Tracking the Global Plant Pipeline by Global Energy Monitor and Greenpeace International - 47.4 GW coal fired power projects at different stages were cancelled in India in 2019 which reduced total under development coal capacity to 66 GW. Globally, 16% year-on-yeardrop in capacity under construction and in pre-construction development, and 66% drop since 2015. 39. As per report by US-based think tank Global Financial Integrity (GFI) - India has 3rd highest trade-related illicit financial flow among over 135 countries, with USD 83.5 billion escaping government's tax net owing to trade-based money laundering tactics. GFI classifies illicit flows funds as illegally earned, transferred, and/or utilised across an international border. 5 countries with largest identified value gaps - China (USD 457.7 billion), Mexico (USD 85.3 billion), India (USD 83.5 billion), Russia (USD 74.8 billion) and Poland (USD 66.3 billion). 40. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) doubled available funds under its COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility to provide up to USD billion, amid high demand. This came after AIIB’s announcement to make USD 5 billion available to help firms manage through COVID-19 pandemic. 41. Australian Scientists discovered corals with increased heat tolerance which has potential to reduce impacts of coral reef bleaching due to climatic change. Bolstering heat tolerance of its microalgal symbionts, tiny cells of algae that live inside the coral tissues, the team made the coral more tolerant to temperature induced leaching. This will strengthen heat resistance of the coral reef by manipulating microalgae, the key factor of the coral’s heat tolerance. 42. Bangladesh High Court declared Joy Bangla as national slogan of Bangladesh. Joy Bangla’ was the main slogan during the liberation war of Bangladesh fought against Pakistan in 1971. 43. Calling application named CatchUp has been launched by Facebook, aiming to coordinate call timings with friends and family members, and will enable users to check availability of time with a group of up to eight people. 44. Campaign Earth Hour observed on March 28, being observed since 2007. Aim is to call attention towards global warming, loss of biodiversity and climate change. During one-hour campaign, businesses and people all over the world switch off unnecessary lights and electronic items between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM. Earth Hour is held ever year on the last Saturday of March. 45. Chinese Kuaizhou-1A (Y6) rocket launched first two operational satellites for Xingyun narrowband constellation, with First satellite named Wuhan and Other Xingyun-2. Each satellite has a launch mass of 93 kg and its main payload is an L-band communication system and a trans-satellite laser communication package. Also, A large Long March 5B rocket which was earlier launched successfully by China, fell into atmosphere over Atlantic Ocean. It became most massive object in nearly 30 years to perform an uncontrolled re-entry from orbit. 46. Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) named its first Mars Exploration mission as Tianwen 1. It was announced on Apr 24, Observed as National Space Day in China. It marks launch of first Chinese satellite Dongfanghong-1 (1970). Tianwen means Heavenly Questions. 47. Energy-to-agriculture conglomerate GP Global acquired lubricants assets of Grand Petroleum, Nigeria's leading lubricants player and part of Nosak Group, to strengthen its presence in Nigeria and west Africa. 48. Environmental organisations criticised a major project intending to link three rivers and provide seamless navigation between three of Europe’s peripheral seas. Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal intends to connect the Danube, Oder and Elbe rivers and thus provide another navigable link from the Black Sea to the North and Baltic Seas. Several environmental organisations asked European Union to halt this 23 Billion Euros project, as it would reportedly destroy region’s river landscapes, and is in violation of EU environmental laws. 49. European Union proposed 750 billion Euros as COVID-19 recovery fund, to recover from deep recession caused by COVID-19. France and Germany had earlier agreed to provide 543 billion USD fund to add cash to financial measures of the bloc. The alliance was led by France and Germany and the model is an outcome of the meet of 25 nations held in April 2020. Model aims to pull in world organizations in fight against COVID-19, aiming to strengthen UN and especially under financed World Health Organization (WHO) to develop and distribute tests and vaccines. 50. Europen Nation Luxembourg become first country to make all forms of public transport free. It is a dual social measure in the country, funded by tax payers. 51. First shipload of 1 million barrels of crude oil from UAE arrived at Mangalore, as part of India capitalizing on low global oil prices to fill its underground strategic oil reserves. India has built 5.33 million tonne of emergency storage, enough to meet its oil needs for 9.5 days. Reserves are built in underground rock caverns in Mangalore and Padur (Karnataka) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) Now, State-owned oil firms have been asked to buy oil at cheaper rates from market and fill them up, as Oil prices have declined by more than 60 % since January. 52. For 2019, China became leader in international patent filings via WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with a total of 58,990 applications surpassing US, which was at top since PCT began operations in 1978. Among Companies, For 3rd consecutive year, Chinese telecom firm Huawei topped global ranking with 4411 PCT applications, followed by Mitsubishi of Japan (2661), Samsung of South Korea (2334) and Qualcomm of US (2127). Nations - China - 58990 USA - 57840 Japan - 52660 India Ranked 14th with merely 2053 filings. 53. Global Animal Protection Index 2020 by World Animal Protection - India gained C grade (same as 1st edition in 2014), with other 8 countries. No country gained A grade. 54. Gurugram Based Marketing Technology Firm AdGlobal360 has been acquired by Japanese company Hakuhodo Inc. 55. Heritage Foundation's 26th annual Economic Freedom Index 2020 - Top 5 - Singapore (1), Hong Kong (2), New Zealand (3), Australia (4), Switzerland (5) Bottom 3 - North Korea (180), Venezuela (179), Cuba (178) India ranked 120th. Neighbors - China (103), Pakistan (135), Bangladesh (122), Nepal (139), Sri Lanka (112) 56. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will set up logistics bases in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This is to entice them towards buying India’s military helicopters and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. 57. IIT Kharagpur ranked 57th among global universities for its impact research in areas that help achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) as mandated by United Nations. IIT Kharagpur ranked 4th in SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 13th for SDG13 (Climate Action), joint 21st for SDG1 (No Poverty) and 24th for SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). Global Top 3 - University of Auckland (New Zealand) University of Sydney (Australia) Western Sydney University (Australia) La Trobe University (Australia) Arizona State University (US). 58. IT Firm Infosys and US Based chip maker Qualcomm tied up, to provide smart city solutions in India. These companies will provide several facilities in Indian Smart Cities like Smart Stadiums, Smart Venues, Smart Event Management and much more. 59. In Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s 4th edition of Inclusive Internet Index 2020 (100 countries), India ranked 46th and Sweden is at 1st place. 60. India annouced to continue $2.3 billion (about Rs 15,000 crore) deal with Turkey to manufacture fleet support vessels (FSVs) in collaboration with a Turkish shipyard. Doubts were raised about the same after Turkey’s links with Pakistan and Turkish President commenting against India about Kashmir conflict. 61. India extended USD 150 million foreign currency swap support to Maldives, under USD 400 mn. bilateral agreement signed in July 2019. 62. India handed over war game centre named as “INDIA” to Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), built at approx $2,65,000. 63. India joined 61 other countries in World Health Organization to identify source of COVID-19, with China and US staying out. Countries together moved a proposal at the WHO to identify zoonotic source. Only three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have backed the resolution namely Russia, France and UK. From SAARC countries, only India, Bhutan and Bangladesh have signed the resolution. World Organization for Animal Health will conduct field missions to identify the zoonotic source of the virus. Zoonotic sources are animals from which diseases can transmit to humans. 64. India joined Indian Ocean Commission as 5th observer, other four observers being Malta, China, European Union and OIF (International Organization of La Francophonie). It will help India in expanding its plans in Western Indian Ocean,which strategically connects South Eastern Coast of Africa. Indian Ocean Commission links African Indian Ocean nations - Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles. It was created in 1982, with secretariat in Mauritius. 65. India partnered with World Health Organization to implement National Polio Surveillance Network to contain COVID-19. With National Polio Surveillance Project, India eliminated polio in 2014. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with World Health Organization is to now use the project to control the spread of COVID-19. 66. India provided 2 million USD relief aid to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) to help in welfare of Palestine refugees. India recently increased its annual contribution to UNRWA from 1.25 million to 5 million USD. 67. India signed MOU with Nepal, to provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal, in Darchula,Dhanusha and Kapilvastu districts. 68. Indian IT Firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will launch Israel’s first fully digital bank, powered by TCS BaNCS Global Banking Platform. The yet to be named digital bank is the first to receive a banking license in Israel in over 40 years and is to be launched in 2021. 69. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) released 169 new names for tropical cyclones in Indian Ocean Region, contributed by 13 countries namely India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Thailand, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iran. Notable Naming norms - Names should be neutral to cultures, politics, gender and religious beliefs. Name should be less than 8 characters and easy to pronounce. Regional Specialize Meteorological Centre (RSMC New Delhi) is responsible to name cyclones in region of Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. 70. Indian PSU IRCON signed MoU with Russia's RZD International L.L.C., to explore opportunities for joint development of railways and other infrastructure projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. 71. Indian Twch Firm Infosys partnered with core banking software developer Swiss firm Avaloq, to offer end-to-end (e2e) products and services as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) across the world to its clients. 72. Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) invited Proposals for ‘COVID-19 Indo-U.S. Virtual Networks’ that would allow Indian and U.S. scientists and engineers currently engaged in COVID-related research to carry out joint research activities through a virtual mechanism. IUSSTF was established in March 2000, as autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by INdia and US, and promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Innovation. 73. International Dark Sky Association named Small Oceanic Nation Niue as first Dark Sky Preserve Nation. International Dark Sky Places are spaces recognised for responsible lighting policies that keep the night-time environment naturally dark. There are over 130 of these accredited dark sites across the world, but never before has been bestowed on an entire country like now. 74. International Energy Agency (IEA) released report Global Energy Review 2020 - Beyond immediate impact on health, current COVID-19 crisis has major implications for global economies, energy use and CO2 emissions. Countries in full lockdown are experiencing an average 25% decline in energy demand per week and countries in partial lockdown an average 18% decline. Global energy demand declined by 3.8% in the first quarter of 2020. Global coal demand fallen by almost 8% compared with first quarter of 2019. Oil demand fell 5% in first quarter. Gas demand went down by 2%. Renewables were only source that posted a growth in demand, driven by larger installed capacity and priority dispatch. Electricity demand has been depressed by 20%. Result will be 6% contraction in energy demand by 6%, largest in 70 years in percentage terms and largest ever in absolute terms. Impact of Covid-19 on energy demand would be over 7 times larger than impact of 2008 financial crisis on global energy demand. Global electricity demand is expected to fall by 5%, with 10% reductions in some regions. Global CO2 emissions are expected to decline by 8%, or almost 2.6 gigatonnes (Gt), to levels of 10 years ago. It is six times larger than previous record reduction of 0.4 Gt in 2009, caused by global financial crisis. 75. Iran Introduced New currency Toman, which is equivalent to 10000 Rials (Earlier National Currency). Idea of removing four zeros from currency gained strength after 2018 when U.S. exited Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. It caused Rial to loose 60% of its value. 76. Iran reportdly launched its first military satellite Noor, to orbit at 425 km. This has increased tensions between US and Iran. 77. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory in country's third general election in less than a year. 78. JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) signed agreement with India for 3 mega rail infrastructure projects, estimated at 15295 crores. 8553 crores are granted for phase I of the Dedicated Freight Corridors in India. 4262 crores for Mumbai-Trans Harbour link project. 2480 crores for Mumbai Metro Line Project. 79. Jewar International airport Project in Uttar Pradesh has been included in world's 100 strategic global infrastructure projects for 2020, recognised in CG LA Infrastructure list. Uttar Pradesh (India) and Yugoslavia have been chosen in field of aviation all over world. 80. Joint US and UAE biennial exercise Native Fury began at Abu Dhabi (UAE). 81. Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG)’s global Technology(Tech) industry innovation survey ranked India at 2nd position, shared with China as most promising country for developing globally impactful disruptive technologies. US topped the survey. 82. Leaders of G7 nations have set up Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, initiated by France and Canada. US had joined the alliance after initial denial. G7 consists France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, UK and US. The group has more than 46% of global GDP. 83. Lebanon became first Arab country to legalize marijuana cultivation, to boost export of marijuana. 84. Mar 17, 2020 marks 100th Birth Anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Jatir Pita of Bangladesh. He was first president of Bangladesh and later served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. 85. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave security clearance to Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG for construction of Jewar airport in Uttar Pradesh. Jewar Airport Project is to cost approx 29560 crores, spread over 5000 hectares. Once fully operational, it is expected to handle over 160 million passengers per year, having 6 - 6 runways (highest in India). 86. NASA picked up a new space capsule from Elon Musk led SpaceX to ferry cargo and supplies to NASA’s planned lunar space station, in a $7 billion contract. SpaceX will use its biggest rocket, Falcon Heavy to send spacecraft named as “Dragon XL” to Lunar Gateway. 87. Nepal approved a new map that includs territories of Kalapani, Lipuleh and Limpiyadhura; which are claimed by India as well. In October 2019, India issued a new political map that included Lipulekh and Kalapani on its side of border. In 1816, kingdom of Nepal and British India signed the Treaty of Sugauli under which Kali River was fixed as Western Border of Nepal. Issue has arisen in locating source of the river that led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal. According to India, under treaty of Sugauli, Limpiyadhura is point of origin of Kali river. It is point where Nepal border begins. 88. North Macedonia (formerly Republic of Macedonia) officially became NATO’s 30th member, upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO). 89. Noted conservationist Ian Redmond, Environmentalist Sacha Dench and Indian actor Randeep Hooda are named CMS Ambassadors for Migratory Species until 2023 under redesigned Ambassadors Programme launched at CMS COP13. Key UN Event 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was hosted by India in Gandhinagar (Gujarat), in Feb 2020, called CMS-COP-13. 90. On occasion of World Wildlife Day 2020 (Mar 3), European Commission launched in Monaco a new global coalition for biodiversity, calling for stronger mobilisation in raising awareness about need to protect biodiversity. Also, 2020 UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15) will be held in Kunming (China) in October 2020. 91. PSU Telecommunications consultants India Limited (TCIL) signed MoU with Gambia, for participation in MEA’s (eVBAB) e- VidyaBharati and e-ArogyaBharati Network Project for tele-medicine and tele-education in Africa. Gambia is 16th country to participate in this e-Network project. 92. Prices of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the best quality of crude oil in the world, crashed below $0 mark to -$40.32 a barrel. It is For the time that US oil prices have turned negative. Last time the oil prices crashed was right after World War II. It means that seller will be paying the buyer of crude oil for each barrel that is bought. This major downfall of crude oil prices has been triggered by growing glut of crude and a lack of storage space due to the lockdown imposed to control COVID-19 pandemic. Supply of crude is much more than demand, at present. 93. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2020 by Subject - In engineering and technology - IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi ranked 44th and 47th respectively. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) is at top. No Indian institutes are get placed among 100 in Other 4 categories - Natural Science, Life Sciences and Medicine, Social Sciences and Management, Arts and Humanities categories. 94. Ruling democratic party of President Moon Jae won South Korean elections 2020. South Korea is first country to hold national elections among COVID-19 pandemic. 95. Russia awarded North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a commemorative war medal, to mark 75th anniversary of victory over Nazis. Kim was awarded for preserving the memory of soviet soldiers that died during World War II in North Korean territory. In 1948, diplomatic relations were established between Soviet Union and North Korea. During Korean War, Soviet military forces supported Korean People’s Army. North Korea was established as communist bloc gaining maximum support from Russia. 96. Russia constructed its first Stealth Bomber Under its Perspective Aviation Complex for Long Range Aviation (PAKDA) programme. Bomber is second-generation combat aircraft after Sukhoi Su-57 supersonic fighter jet. 97. Saudi Arabia began a two-week unilateral ceasefire in Yemen, to show its awareness of threat the coronavirus poses to war-torn yemen. So far no Covid-19 cases have been reported in Yemen. 98. Saudi Arabia ended death penalty for crimes committed by minors, soon after Saudi Arabia ban flogging as Punishment (In which victim is hit repeatedly with stick). 99. Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020 - Top 5 Airports - Singapore Changi Airport Tokyo Haneda Airport Hamad International Airport Incheon International Airport Munich Airport Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport won Award for Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia. 100. Social media platform Facebook launched a third party fact checking system in Bangladesh, in partnership with Indian fact checking website Boom. It will discourage spread of fake news in Bangladesh. 101. Swedish luxury vehicles brand Volvo Group acquired Daimler’s fuel cell technology for heavy trucks, for approx $650 million. Daimler is parent company of Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Mitsubishi Fuso, and Torc robotics (among others). 102. TIME Magazine named India’s former pm Indira Gandhi and freedom fighter Amrit Kaur among 100 greatest women of year. TIME has created 100 coves for 100 women from 1920 to 2020. TIME named Amrit Kaur as women of the year for 1947 and Indira Gandhi for 1976. 103. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) downgraded Indian ranking by naming it into the list of Country of Particular Concern, from Special Watch List earlier - This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category, under International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) 1998. Total 14 Nations are under this category. India rejected this US religious freedom report, calling it biased. 104. UN Agency United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) called for writing-0ff Around $1 trillion of debt owed by developing countries, to help them overcome fallout of coronavirus pandemic. 105. UN Development Programme (UNDP) released Gender Social Norms Index, which measures social beliefs that obstruct Gender Equality. Report stated that gender disparity still exists in every country. Globally, only 24% of parliamentary seats are held by women. Top 3 Nations in terms of Bias Against Women - Pakistan (1), Qatar and Nigeria (2), Zimbabwe (3) Also, A UN Global Compact study stated that female labour participation in India has decreased from 34% in 2006 to 24.8% in 2020. Out of 153 countries surveyed, India is only country where economic gender gap is greater than political gap. Study suggests that corporate policies and public policies in India should ensure effective solutions. 106. UN Food and Agriculture Organization released Global Forest Resources Assessment Report 2020. Around 178 million hectares of forests is lost in last 30 years. However, rate of deforestration is being reduced. Between 2015 and 2020, rate of forest loss has declined to 10 million hectares. Between 2010 and 2015, it was 12 million hectares. Africa had largest decline of forest of all the continents (3.9 million hectares per year), followed by South America (2.6 million hectares per year), between 2000 - 2010. Largest proportion of forests is held by tropical forest (45%), followed by boreal forest, temperate forests and subtropical forests. 5 major countries with most forest resources - Brazil, USA, Canada, China and Russia. 107. UN Security Council approved peace agreement between US and Taliban, paving way for the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The deal was signed in February 2020 in Doha (Qatar). 108. UN's Food and Agriculture Organization released a report recently on Peatlands - Peatlands cover only 3% of the earth’s surface, they consist of 30% of world soil carbon. When they are released, they emit greenhouse gases. Peatlands are formed due to accumulation of decomposed plant remains. These remains stay accumulated over thousands of years due to water-logging. Indonesia has 40% of tropical peatlands. In India, peatlands occupy 320 square kilo metres to 1,000 square kilo metres area. 109. UNICEF and Airtel Africa partnered to support children & families affected by COVID-19, to provide children with access to remote learning and enable access to cash assistance for their families through mobile cash transfers. 110. UNICEF released report called Lost at Home, which enforces risks and challenges of internally displaced children and need to protect them. At end of 2019, around 46 million people were internally displaced due to conflict and violence, with approx 20 Million Children. Highest number of children that were displaced were in Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 111. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided $3.6 million to assist India in its response to COVID-19 pandemic. 112. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase government’s ability to regulate social media platforms. The order directs a Commerce Department agency to file a petition with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify scope of Internet law, Section 230. Section 230 of Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 is a landmark Internet legislation of US, which helped pave way for social media companies to grow into global giants. According to Section 230, no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. Section 230 was developed in response to a pair of lawsuits against Internet service providers in early 1990s, which had different interpretations of whether service providers should be treated as publishers or distributors of content created by its users. 113. US Senate passed legislation Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, that seeks to delist Chinese firms from US securities exchanges, if they fail to comply with US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's audits for 3 years in a row. Legislation now needs to be passed by the House of Representatives and then be signed by US President Donald Trump to become a law. 114. US placed India and 9 Other nations (Including China) on Priority Watch List due to lack of measurable improvements in intellectual property framework. US alleged that intellectual properties and their enforcements have deteriorated equitable market access for Americans in these countries. Other countries - Argentina, Algeria, Chile, Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Ukraine, China. Countries that were removed from the list included Canada, Kuwait and Thailand. 115. US to withdraw from Open Skies treaty, which was signed in 2002 as an aerial surveillance system for its 34 participants. It establishes a region of unarmed aerial observation. It is considered as one of most wide-ranging arms control effort that promotes transparency and openness amongst military forces. US accused that Russia has not stuck to its part of the deal. This is the third international arms pact the US has pulled out from since Donald Trump became the president. Earlier, US had opted out of Iran nuclear accord and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. India has similar treaty with Japan, signed in 2017. 116. United Kingdom unveiled a new post-Brexit tariff regime to replace European Union's external tariff, called UK Global Tariff (UKGT). New tax regime will continue 10% tariff on cars but will cut levies on many supply chain imports. The new tax regime aims to have deals covering 80 percent of British trade within a period of three years. UKGT will apply to countries with which UK has no agreements and will remove all tariffs below 2 %. Around 60 % of trade will come into the UK tariff free on WTO terms or through existing preferential access. It will remove tariffs on $37 billion worth of imports entering UK supply chains. It will also introduce a temporary zero tariff rate on products being used to fight the COVID-19 outbreak such as personal protective equipment. New UK trade regime will be set in pounds. UK formally ended its 47 years of membership with the European Union on January 31, 2020. 117. United Kingdom will co-chair India led CDRI (Global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure), established by India at G20 meet 2017 in Hamburg (Germany). CDRI will aid in reshaping construction, aimed at building strong climate resilient infrastructures that will reshape construction in core sectors such as energy, transportation, telecommunication and water. According to Sendai Framework, 1 USD spent in disaster risk reduction is 7 USD gained. However, developing countries are facing problems to balance economic investment and disaster resilient infrastructure. CDRI will help countries in solving this. 118. United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) World Economic Forecasting Model estimates that global economy could shrink by 1% in 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic, compared to earlier forecast of 2.5%. In 2009 global crisis, world economy had contracted by 1.7%. 119. United Nations (UN) released 2.5 million USD emergency humanitarian fund to help island nation of Vanuatu, which is affected by Cyclone Harold. It Affected Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands. 120. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) partnered to empower consumers to contribute to global development agenda and support their respective governments in times of global crisis due to COVID-19. 121. United Nations Security Council adopted China initiated Resolution 2518 to ensure safety and security of peacekeepers, as first such resolution for safety of peacekeepers. 122. United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2020 report - Global Economy - Global economy is expected to lose nearly $8.5 trillion in output over the next two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. World economy is to shrink by 3.2% in 2020. GDP growth in developed countries will decline to - 5.0 % in 2020. It will be -.7 % in developing nations. World trade is forecast to contract by 15 % in 2020. Pandemic will likely cause an estimated 34.3 million people to fall below the extreme poverty line in 2020. India - GDP growth rate of India in FY 21 (2020-21) will be 1.2%, down from 4.1% in FY 20 (2019-20). Growth of India will raise to 5.5% in FY 22 (2021-22). 123. United Nations adopted a consensus resolution (drafted by Mexico), calling for equitable, efficient and timey access to future vaccines developed to fight against COVID-19. It strengthens scientific international cooperation that is essential to combat COVID-19. 124. United Nations listed KHUDOL initiative of Manipur as one of the top 10 global initiatives to fight against COVID-19. KHUDOL is an initiative of a NGO called Ya_All. Under this, NGO provides food, hygiene and health of LGBTQ community, daily wage workers, people with AIDS. 125. United Nations released a report on Economic and Social Survey of Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) 2020 - Economic growth rate of India stood at 5% in 2019-20, forecasted to shrink to 4.8% in 2020-21 and improve to 5.1 % in 2021-22. Inflation in India - 4.8 % (2019-20), 5.3 % (2020-21), 3.5 % (2021-22) Global economy is to grow at 2.3% in 2019-20 and will pick up in 2021. 126. United States Space Force began its first national security mission by sending a hyper-secure military communications satellite into orbit, called Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. 127. World Bank announced emergency operations worth USD 160 billion to 100 developing countries over a 15-month period to fight COVID-19 Pandemic, which is expected to put over 6 crore into extreme poverty globally. 128. World Bank partnered with Indian Business School AIMA (All India Management Association), to organize a virtual workshop called The Contract Management during Emergency situations, to create awareness about likely impact of the coronavirus (COVID -19) pandemic on implementation of bank-funded projects. 129. World Bank report South Asia Economic Focus - Indian Economy is expected to grow at 1.5% to 2.8% in FY 21 (2020-21), lowest since its balance of payment crisis in 1991. However, in coming years growth rate is expected to be 4% to 5%. 130. World Economic Forum Global Energy Transition Index 2020 - India ranked 74th, improving from 76th rank last year. Top 5 - Sweden (1), Switzerland (2), Finland (3), Denmark (4), Norway (5) Neighbors - China (78), Nepal (95), Pakistan (94), Sri Lanka (55), Bangladesh (87) 131. World Food Programme of United Nations released 4th annual report on Food Crisis - Food crisis has grown by 10%, with 26.5 crore people facing food insecurity in 2020. This has almost doubled as compared to 2019, mainly due to COVID-19 Outbreak. 132. World Health Organization (WHO) announced the creation of the WHO foundation to support critical health needs. It is an independent grant-making entity that aims at supporting the efforts of WHO to address the global health challenges. 133. World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, a collaboration to progress development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics. It Aims to make COVID-19 treatment available to all in equitable manner. 134. World Health Organization and United Nations Postal Agency released commemorative stamp to mark 40th anniversary of eradication of small pox. WHO small pox eradication campaign was initiated in 1967. In 1980, world was declared is free from small pox. 135. World Health Organization released Global Nutrition Report 2020. As per report, India is among 88 countries that are to miss global nutrition targets set for 2025. Major 4 nutritional indicators are anemia among women in reproductive age, stunting among children under-5, exclusive breast feeding and childhood overweight. The report says that India is to miss the target on all four nutritional indicators. Global Nutrition Report was conceived during first Nutrition for Growth Initiative Summit that was held in 2013. World Health Assembly in 2012 fixed nutrition targets. They are - To reduce anaemic conditions among women by 50% To reduce stunting in under-5 children by 40% To reduce underweight births by 30% To reduce childhood wasting to less than 5%. 136. World Health Organization warned against issuance of immunity passports or Risk free Certificates. Immunity passports are to be provided to persons that have been recovered from COVId-19 and has tested positive to hold antibodies against the disease. WHO is against this concept as there is no evidence till that people who have recovered from COVID-19 will not get infected again. Despite WHO Warning, Chile stated to issue risk free certificates to people who have recovered from Covid-19, to allow them to return to work. 137. World Press Freedom Index 2020 report by Reporters Without Borders (180 countries) - Norway topped the index for 4th consecutive year. Top 5 - Norway (1), Finland (2), Denmark (3), Sweden (4), The Netherlands (5) Bottom 5 - Dijibouti (176th), China (177th), Eritrea (178th), Turkmenistan (179th), North Korea (180th) India drops by two positions (140th rank in 2019) to 142nd in 2020. Neighbours - China (177th), Bangladesh (151), Pakistan (145), Sri Lanka (127th). 138. World’s major oil producing nations agreed to slash their output, to save market from collapse amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, the group of 23 countries have pledged to cut production by at least 10 million barrels a day. Top

Meetings 1. 4th Global Ayurveda Festival will be held at Kochi (Kerala) in May 2020, with theme Ayurveda Medical Tourism: Actualizing India’s credibility. It will be organised by Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA), as largest Ayurvedic event ever to be held anywhere across the world. 2. 7th World Cities Summit (WCS) will be held in Singapore in July 2020, with theme Livable and Sustainable Cities: Adapting to a Disrupted World 3. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Meeting through Video Conferencing, on issue of COVID-19 impacts on food security, safety and nutrition. Saudi Arabia is G-20 Chair for 2020. 4. BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs /International Relations Held Through video conference, led by Russia. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India. BRICS nations agreed to allocate $ 15 billion to New Development Bank (NDB), so that it could set up a special loan instrument to support revival of economies amid coronavirus pandemic. 5. Department of Science of Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology) organized an International Conference on Nano-Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) at Kolkata. 6. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India at SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) foreign minister meet, held through video conferencing. EAM S Jaishankar also attened 7 nation meeting initiated by US. Nations included Australia, India, Brazil, Japan, Israel and South of Korea. 7. Health & Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan participated in 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting through Video Conference, with theme Delivering a co-ordinated Commonwealth COVID-19 response. 8. Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman participated in virtual session of 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under Saudi Arabian Presidency, to discuss global economic outlook amid evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis. She also attended Plenary Meeting of International Monetary and Financial Committee. She also attended 5th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of Shanghai Based New Development Bank, set up by BRICS Nations in 2014. NDB will provide assistance of 1 billion USD to India, to tackle COVID-19. India pitched NDB to enhance its COVID-19 Relief fund to 10 Billion USD. Other related Meets - Health and Family welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan attended Video Conference of Health Ministers of G20 countries. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Meeting through Video Conferencing, on issue of COVID-19 impacts on food security, safety and nutrition. Saudi Arabia is G-20 Chair for 2020. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan participated in G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual Meeting. It was called by Saudi Arabia, as G20 President. G20 Digital Ministers' Meet attended by Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad. 9. Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman participated in virtual session of 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under Saudi Arabian Presidency, to discuss the global economic outlook amid evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis. She also attended Plenary Meeting of International Monetary and Financial Committee. 10. Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Prakash Javadekar attended 11th session (and 1st virtual session) of Petersberg Climate Dialogue. It was hosted by Germany, co-chaired by UK. India suggested to create 1 trillion USD grant to developing world immediately. This Dialogue is being organized by Germany since failure of 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhegen. 11. Minister of Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan participated in 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) through Video Conference, as first ever virtual world health assembly. Harsh Vardhan is appointed as chairman of 34-Member World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board. He replaced Hiroki Nakatani of Japan. WHO is governed by two decision-making bodies, World Health Assembly and Executive Board. He also attended Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Health Ministers Meet through video conference. China announced to provide $2 billion over two years to fight coronavirus pandemic and economic fallout from it. Keva Bain from Bahamas has been elected to serve as president of 73rd World Health Assembly. 12. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan participated in G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual Meeting. It was called by Saudi Arabia, as G20 President. 13. Saudi Arabia Chaired Virtual G20 summit held on formulating strategy to fight COVID-19 Outbreak. G20 Nations pledged to infuse 5 trillion USD, to fight the pandemic. Extraordinary G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Virtual Meet was also held, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal representing India. Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting was also held, with India represented by Finance Minister Nirmala Nitharaman. 14. WION (World Is One News)'s 3rd Global summit 2020 based on theme Navigating and negotiating global imperatives, held in Dubai (UAE). During the meet, Pakistan recalled plan for Sir Creek pact. Sir Creek (originally Ban Ganga) is a 96 km long stream of water disputed between India & Pakistan in Rann of Kutch marshland. Sir Creek boundary line dispute has arisen due to a vague interpretation of maritime boundary line between Kutch and Sindh. Top

National 1. Aimed at further development of power sector, Ministry of Power issued draft proposal for amendment of Electricity Act 2003, as draft Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill 2020. Major amendments proposed - A Central Enforcement Authority to be set-up, with powers of Civil Court, to enforce performance of contracts related to dealing of power between related companies. Proposed to increase strength of APTEL to seven apart from Chairperson, and further empower APTEL to enforce its decisions. For compliance of provisions, section 142 and section 146 of Electricity Act proposed to be amended to provide for higher penalties. Proposed to provide for a policy document for development of generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy. A minimum percentage of purchase of electricity from hydro sources of energy is to be specified by Commissions. Payment security made necessary to schedule distribution of electricity and facilitate cross border trade. Privatization of discoms using franchises and sub-licenses. Power Tarrif is to be determined without subsidy. 2. Government of Andhra Pradesh modified guidelines of Navatatnalu-Pedalandariki Illu programme, called Houses for all the poor. Updated guidelines as per directions of High Court - House sites are to be allotted to the poor at Re 1 to the poor with white ration cards. State Government is to collect Rs 20 from people (Rs 10 for stamp paper charges and Rs 10 for lamination charges). Beneficiaries compulsorily use these sites to construct houses. They cannot sell the sites. However, they can sell the houses after occupying them for a minimum of five years. 9 Navartnalu flagship schemes of Andhra Pradesh Government are active. 3. Group of Ministers under Social Justice and Empowerment Minister (Thawar Chand Gehlot) submitted its draft proposals on employment and skill development. Draft proposed - The Land Pooling Model, which is being used in greenfield airports. It is suggested for Use in agriculture to enable corporatization. This will increase the demand for skilled labours. Merge MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) along with the skill development programmes, to create a wage subsidy programme. Reserve Bank of India should cut reverse repo rate to 0%. for a few months, to incentivize banks, to enable them to lend more to SMEs. A National Electronic Employment Exchange has been proposed, to help migrated workers at larger extent. Establish a Migrant Worker Welfare Fund. Cottage industry status to the food processing industries. Opening up EPF and ESIC for the unorganised sector. Enroll every migrant worker under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Create a new Department of Hygiene to ensure hygienic practices. 4. Indian Airline IndiGo ranked 43rd among most valuable and strongest airlines as per Brand Finance Airlines 50 report for 2020. It entered this list for the first time. 5. Microsoft and NASSCOM Foundation jointly launched Innovate for Accessible India campaign to empower people with disabilities with the help of technology and tools to provide better integration into society and access to equal opportunities. 6. West Bengal Government launched two schemes to help migrant workers and workers in unorganised sector. Sneher Porosh is for migrant labourers. Prochesta Prokolpo is for workers in the unorganised sector. It will give 1000 INR to benecifiaries. 7. 3rd Advance Estimates of production of major crops for 2019-20 released by Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare - Total Foodgrains Productionj estimated at 295.67 million tonnes (record) Rice – 117.94 million tonnes. (record) Wheat – 107.18 million tonnes. (record) Nutri / Coarse Cereals – 47.54 million tonnes. (record) Maize – 28.98 million tonnes. (record) Pulses – 23.01 million tonnes. Tur – 3.75 million tonnes. Gram – 10.90 million tonnes. Oilseeds – 33.50 million tonnes. (record) Soyabean – 12.24 million tonnes Rapeseed and Mustard – 8.70 million tonnes Groundnut – 9.35 million tonneS Cotton – 36.05 million bales (170 kg per bale) (record) Jute & Mesta - 9.92 million bales (180 kg per bale) Sugarcane – 358.14 million tonnes. 8. 4 new products from 3 states received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Geographical Indications Registry - Sohrai Khovar painting (Jharkhand) - Local tribal women of Jharkhand practices the Sohrai Khovar painting which is a traditional and ritualistic mural art. It is primarily practised only in the district of Hazaribagh during local harvest and marriage seasons. Telia Rumal (Telangana) cloth involves complex handmade work with cotton loom which can be only created by using the traditional handloom process and and not by any other mechanical means. Thanjavur Netti Works (Tamil Nadu) - Also called Pith Wor, it is Done by using pith obtained from netti, a hydrophyte plant called as Aeschynomene aspera that adorned palace of Rajaraja Chola. The Rraw material is from stem of the Netti plant in Pudukottai lake (Pudukullam & Kallaperumbur lake). Arambavur Wood Carvings (Tamil Nadu - Wooden sculpture made in the village of Veppanthattai in Perambalur district. 9. 7 services hosted on IMD Website (http://mausam.imd.gov.in) have been onboarded to UMANG Application. Services are - Current Weather, Nowcas, City Forecast, Rainfall Information, Tourism Forecast, Warnings, Cyclone. UMANG app (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is a unified multi-service mobile app launched by govt in 2017. About 660 services from 127 departments & 25 states and about 180 utility bill payment services are live and more are in pipeline. 10. Atmanirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana has been launched by Gujarat Government, to boost economy amid pandemic. It aims to provide an interest subsidy, a moratorium as well as a collateral free loan of up to Rs 1 lakh, for over a million small traders, street-vendors and small professionals in state. Gujarat government aims to lend 5000 crores as loans, with tenure of 3 years. Loans under this scheme would be available at 2% annual interest, while remaining 6% interest would be borne by state government. Moratorium period of 6 months would also be provided to beneficiary in which he would not be required to pay. 11. Didi Vehicle Service has been launched by the women of Rural Livelihood Mission in the tribal-dominated Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. 12. India Smart Utility Week 2020 Held in New Delhi. Key Highlights - ' India-European Union Flagship Call on Integrated Local Energy Systems announced at ISUW 2020. It will help strengthen cooperation in energy research and innovation, mainly in renewable energy and its integration in energy system. This Indo-EU flagship call is in line with Mission Innovation (MI), a global initiative of 24 countries and European Commission, committed to reinvigorate and accelerate global clean energy innovation, to make clean energy widely affordable. Sweden and India announced India-Sweden Collaborative Industrial Research & Development Programme, with commitment of 2.6 Million USD (Approx 18 Crore) from India and Sweden each. 13. Mee Annapurna inclusive programe has been launched for welfare of farmers in Maharashtra, announced by IRDA Licensed insurance intermediary Integrated Risk Insurance. Through this, Integrated Risk Insurance aims to re-invest in building long-term sustainable program for continuity of income for farmers and other individuals associated with agriculture and allied activities. 14. PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund Trust allocated 3100 Crores for fight against COVID-19. Approx 2000 crores ar earmarked for purchase of 50000 ventilators, 1000 crores for care of migrant labourers and 100 crores for supporting vaccine development. 15. Gujarat will implement sensor-based service delivery monitoring system in rural drinking water sector under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation has plans for providing household tap connections to rural households by end of FY 2020-21. JJM announced by Central govt in 2019, aims to provide tap water connections to 18 Crore rural households of country by 2024. Haryana and UT of Jammu and Kashmir also laid out plans to provide tap connections to all rural households by December 2022. 16. Andhra Pradesh government has come up with a 1,110-crore ‘ReSTART’ policy boost, to provide relief at to MSMEs amid the Pandemic TRiggered Slowdown. ReSTART Policy will include release of 905 crore of pending incentives to MSME units in two months, waive fixed demand charges towards power for a period of three months from April to June for MSMEs (188 crore) and 200-crore working capital loans by creating a fund to meet their liquidity crisis. It has proposed to defer the payment of fixed power demand charges of 17 crore for same period to all large and mega industries without interest or penal charges. MSMEs Preferential Market Access Policy will ensure that 25 % of government purchases will be from Micro and small units covering about 364 items. Government has also constituted a task force with Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy as chairman to attract investments into State. 17. Budget Session 2020 - Held in 2 Parts (Feb 1 to 11, 2020 and Mar 2 to 23, 2020) - Part 2 (Mar 2 to 23, 2020) - Facts - Productivitiy of Both houses (Lok and Rajya Sabha) was 93 %. Notable Info Disseminated During Question Hour - Government is running online ‘Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT)’ since 2018, to enhance quality of teaching in higher education, Using MOOCs platform SWAYAM. It aims at online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty. Rooftop solar plants with aggregate capacity of 1922 MW are installed in country. Gujarat has 64 % of approx 80000 Rooftop solar plants nationwide, followed by Maharashtra with just over 5000 installations. Gujarat government adopted scheme called Surya Gujarat, to increase use of solar energy at domestic level. It aims over 8 lakh domestic consumers by 2022 and provides 40% subsidy to projects with capacity between 3 KWhr and 10 KWhr. Current solar power capacity of India is 34.045 GW. India had set target of reaching 20 GW by 2022, which is now increased to 100 GW by 2022. This includes 40 GW of rooftop solar power. Government will give bonus marks to NCC certificate holders in direct recruitment examinations of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), to increase participation of India’s youth in NCC (National Cadet Corps). Indian Railways will electrify 28810 km of broad gauge route by December 2023. Government included grand Konark Sun Temple in Odisha & Statue of Unity in Gujarat in Iconic Tourist Sites list, taking the total number of such places from 17 to 19. Also, India has 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Also, India submitted 2 nomination dossiers namely ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for 2020. Tamil Nadu topped in disbursement of agriculture credit by giving away loans worth 1,63,289 crore out of a total of 10,33,183 crore distributed across country till December 31 this fiscal. As per latest key world energy statistics published by International Enery Agency, India is 3rd largest producer of electricity in world and ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption. As per Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, DPCO (Drugs Prices Control Order) 2013 has helped save Rs 12, 447 crores per annum. DPCO is an order issued by Govt under Essential Commodities Act 1955, which details to fix prices of the drugs. It empowered National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) to fix threshold prices of drugs. MP Rakesh Sinha issued asked for permit to move a resolution in Rajya Sabha, wich aims to drop word “Socialist” in the Constitution, claiming that it is redundant in current scenario and must be dropped to create space for economic thinking. Preamble of Constitution declares India to be sovereign, secular, socialist and democratic republic. Resolution claims that word was included without enough debate in Parliament as it was introduced during emergency. Words “Socialist” and “Secular” were included in the 42nd amendment of the Constitution, attempted to reduce powers of Supreme Court. It laid down fundamental duties of Indian Citizens. Amendment gave Parliament the powers to amend the constitution without judicial review. Till 1973, Supreme Court held that Preamble shall not be amended as it is not a part of Constitution. In 1973, in Keshvananda Bharti Case, Supreme Court pronounced that Preamble is a part of Constitution and Parliament has full rights to amend the Preamble. Ministry of Textiles has allocated Rs 1480 crores for National Technical Textiles Mission, to be implemented for a period of 4 years between 2020-21 and 2023-24. Technical textiles are a non-aesthetic product where function is its primary purpose. They are used in 12 applications namely Geotech, Indutech, Military textiles, packing, agro, buildings, Geotech, medtech, autotech, smartech, sportech and clothtech. Ground water is contaminated with Uranium at 30 micro-grams per litre in country. Bureau of Indian Standards has set the maximum permissible limit of Uranium in drinking water as 0.03 mg per litre. Intake of large amount of Uranium causes kidney problems. Rural Development Ministry will add over 14 lakhs SHGs (Self Help Groups) to achieve 75 lakh SHGs by 2022 to enable more women to get livelihood. Currently, there are 60.8 lakh SHGs across the country comprising about 6 crores 73 lakh women. Government aims to replace all level crossings on National Highways by Over/under Bridges, under Setu Bharatam scheme, which was launched in March 2016. Government formed a committee for implementation of Kisal Rail, to work out modalities of the scheme. It was proposed in Budget 2020-21. Under this, Govt envisages setting up of a national cold supply chain to transport highly perishable goods including milk, fish and meat, through a public-private-partnership (PPP) arrangement. Ministry of AYUSH released digital platform AYUSH GRID, aims to digitize entire AYUSH sector by providing related facilities and promote traditional health care. Ministry of AYUSH has developed National Ayurveda Morbidity Codes, that classify diseases described in Ayurveda. In the first phase of the initiative 4 disease conditions have been identified namely KAsa, Kushtha, Jwara and Shwasa. Ministry of Home Affairs approved automated facial recognition system (AFRS) by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for better identification of unrecognized bodies, missing children, persons and criminals without violating privacy. AFRS will use police records and it can be accessed only by law enforcement agencies. 1.83 lakh crore is spent under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, (MNREGA) in 2017- 2020 which is nearly double amount of Rs 92,483 crore spent in 2011-14. Ministry of Finance released figures related to various schemes having special provisions for women empowerment - Stand-Up India Scheme - Over 81% account holders are women ( 73155). Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) - 70% of borrowers are Women (15 Crores). Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) - 53 % bank account holders are women (20 crores). Atal Pension Yojana (APY) - 43 % subscribers are women (90 lakh). Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) - 40.70% enrollments are of women members. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) - 41.50% enrollments are of women members. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) granted 1.46 lakh crores in rural banking system during FY (2019-20). India’s bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Bhutan, Nepal, Republic of Korea and Malaysia saw cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 % over past 5 years. India’s share in contracts awarded by Defence Ministry for the procurement of defence equipment has increased from 39.06%(2015-16) to 75.03%(2019-20), showing growth in domenstic industry. 3 States and 5 UTs have become kerosene-free, evan after government meeting target of 8 crore LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Department of Biotechnology cleared Genome India Project, with over 20 leading institutions participating. In 1st phase, samples of 10,000 persons will be taken to develop a reference Genome. Human Genome Project was launched in 1990 and ended in 2003, as an international project funded by US. It aimed to map human genome and assemble them together to obtain a complete sequence of chromosomes. Bills Passed by Parliament (Passed by Both Houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) - Central Sanskrit Universities Bill 2019 - This Bill seeks to convert these 3 deemed-to-be uni universities into Central Sanskrit Universities - Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati. The Bill It seeks to form Executive Council and concerned authorities, to ensure smooth functioining of newly formed central sanskrit universities. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2019 - It amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016, which provides process for resolving insolvency in companies / individuals. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 was promulgated in Decembe 2019, which has now been negatived after passage of this bill. Background - Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 provides a time-bound process to resolve insolvency among companies. If company defaults by 1 lakh rupees, a creditor can initiate insolvency resolution process. Committee of Creditors is constituted to decide regarding the insolvency resolution. Committee consists of financial creditors to insolvent company. Financial IBC was amended in 2018 to classify allottees of real estate projects as financial creditors. Committee may consider a resolution plan. If it is not accepted by Committee, assets of company are liquidated. An Insolvency Law Committee in its report in March 2018, had recommended that supply of goods and services essential to keep a particular business running cannot be terminated when a company is undergoing insolvency resolution. Need for amendments was felt when, In a few cases, after successful resolution, actions were initiated against companies for offences committed by previous promoters. For instance, after NCLT approved JSW Steel’s resolution plan for Bhushan Power and Steel, Enforcement Directorate attached latter’s properties for its prior offences. In this context, IBC (Second Amendment) Bill 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha in December 2019. IBC (Amendment) Ordinance 2019, similar to the Bill, was issued in December 2019. Key Features of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2019 - Threshold for certain creditors for initiating resolution process - Code allows creditors to initiate an insolvency resolution process, if a company defaults on its payments. Ordinance introduces an additional threshold for certain classes of financial creditors, including allottees of real estate projects, for initiating resolution process. At least 10% of them or 100 such persons have to jointly initiate the process. Supply of critical goods and services not to be discontinued - Ordinance mandates that supplies of goods and services considered critical by the resolution professional cannot be discontinued during moratorium period. Licenses and permits not to be terminated due to insolvency - Ordinance states that any existing license, permit, registration, or clearance given by any government authority to debtor will not be suspended or terminated due to insolvency. Liabilities for prior offences - Ordinance states that the company will not be liable for any offence committed prior to commencement of insolvency resolution process. Such liabilities will cease and the company will not be prosecuted after resolution plan is approved by NCLT. Immunity will be to given only if resolution results in change in management of company. Appointment of Interim Resolution Professional and commencement date: Under the Code, insolvency commencement date when application for corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) is admitted. Insolvency Resolution Professional (IRP) is to be appointed within 14 days of this. Ordinance states that IRP must be appointed on date of admission of application, which will be considered as the insolvency commencement date. Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It Bill amends Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 (MMDR Act) and Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 (CMSP Act). An Ordinance with similar provisions was promulgated in January 2020. Which has now been negatived after passage of this bill. MMDR Act regulates overall mining sector in India. CMSP Act provides for the auction and allocation of mines whose allocation was cancelled by Supreme Court in 2014. Bill Features - Removal of restriction on end-use of coal - Currently, companies acquiring Schedule II and Schedule III coal mines through auctions can use coal produced only for specified end-uses such as power generation and steel production. Bill removes this and allosw Companies to carry on coal mining operation for other means including own consumption. Eligibility for auction of coal and lignite blocks - Bill clarifies that companies need not possess any prior coal mining experience in India in order to participate in auction of coal and lignite blocks. Composite license for prospecting and mining - Currently, separate licenses are provided for prospecting and mining of coal and lignite, called prospecting license, and mining lease, respectively. Prospecting includes exploring, locating, or finding mineral deposit. Bill adds a new type of license, called prospecting license-cum-mining lease. This will be a composite license providing for both prospecting and mining activities. Non-exclusive reconnaissance permit holders to get other licenses - Currently, holders of non-exclusive reconnaissance permit for exploration of certain specified minerals are not entitled to obtain a prospecting license or mining lease. Bill provides that holders of such permits may apply for a prospecting license-cum-mining lease or mining lease. Transfer of statutory clearances to new bidders - Currently, upon expiry, mining leases for specified minerals can be transferred to new persons through auction. This new lessee is required to obtain statutory clearances before starting mining. Bill provides that various approvals, licenses, and clearances given to the previous lessee will be extended to successful bidder for 2 years. During this period, new lessee will be allowed to continue mining operations. Reallocation after termination of the allocations - CMSP Act provides for termination of allotment orders of coal mines in certain cases. Bill adds that such mines may be reallocated through auction or allotment as may be determined by government. Prior approval from the central government - Under MMDR Act, state governments require prior approval of central government for granting reconnaissance permit, prospecting license, or mining lease for coal and lignite. Bill provides that prior approval of central government will not be required in granting these licenses for coal and lignite, in certain cases. Advance action for auction - Under MMDR Act, mining leases for specified minerals (minerals other than coal, lignite, and atomic minerals) are auctioned on the expiry of the lease period. Bill provides that state governments can take advance action for auction of a mining lease before its expiry. Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill 2020 - It provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to income tax and corporation tax. Appellant - Bill defines an appellant as the income tax authority, or the person, or both, whose appeal is pending before any appellate forum as on January 31, 2020. Appellate forums are Supreme Court, High Courts, Income Tax Appellate Tribunals, and Commissioner (Appeals). Resolution mechanism - Bill proposes a resolution mechanism under which an appellant can file a declaration to designated authority to initiate resolution of pending direct tax disputes. Designated authority will determine amount payable by the appellant against dispute and grant a certificate, within 15 days of the receipt of declaration. Appellant must pay this amount within 15 days of receipt of certificate. On issuance of certificate, appeals pending before Income Tax Appellate Tribunals and Commissioner (Appeals) will be deemed to be withdrawn. Appeals / petitions pending before Supreme Court and High Courts will be required to be withdrawn. Amount payable for resolution -

Disputes relating Payable before March 31, 2020 Additional amount payable after March 31, 2020 to

Amount of disputed tax (i) 10% of the amount of disputed tax, or (ii) interest Payment of tax (any interest or penalty associated with such tax will be and penalty relating to that tax, whichever is lower waived)

Payment of fee, 25% of the amount under such interest, or Another 5% of the amount under such dispute dispute penalty

Waiver of rights - For dispute resolution, appellant is required to furnish an undertaking waiving his rights to seek any remedy or claim in relation to that dispute. Disputes not covered - Proposed mechanism will not cover certain disputes. These include where prosecution has been initiated before declaration is filed, involving persons who have been convicted / prosecuted for offence, for enforcement of civil liabilities, and involving undisclosed foreign income or assets. Bills Passed by Lok Sabha (Pending in Rajya Sabha) - Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It amends Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act 2014 and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act 2017. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act 2017 declares certain Indian Institutes of Information Technology established under Public-Private Partnership mode as institutions of national importance. Under the Act, 15 institutes are currently incorporated as institutions of national importance. Bill seeks to declare 5 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) set up under the Public Private Partnership mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance. Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas. The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It seeks to amend Aircraft Act 1934, which regulates the manufacture, possession, use, operation, sale, import and export of civil aircrafts, and licensing of aerodromes. Key Provisions - Authorities - Bill converts 3 existing bodies under Ministry of Civil Aviation into statutory bodies under the Act. These three authorities are Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Each of these bodies will be headed by a Director General. DGCA will carry out safety oversight and regulatory functions. BCAS will carry out regulatory oversight functions related to civil aviation security. AAIB will carry out investigations related to aircraft accidents and incidents. Power of centre to make rules - Under the Act, government may make rules on several matters, including registration of aircraft, regulating air transport services, and prohibition of flight over any specified area. Bill adds regulation of air navigation services to this list. Adjudicating officers: - Bill provides appointment of designated officers, to adjudicate penalties under Bill. Offences and Penalties - Under the Act, penalty for various offences is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. Bill raises the maximum limit on fines for all these offences from Rs 10 lakh to one crore rupees. Under Bill, central government may cancel licences, certificates, or approvals granted to a person under Act if the person contravenes any provision of the Act. Bill allows for compounding of certain offences / rules under the Act. Courts will not take cognizance of any offence under this Act, unless a complaint is made by, or there is previous sanction from Director General of Civil Aviation, BCAS, or AAIB. Exemption for Armed Forces - Armed Forces Aircrafts are exempted from the provisions of the Act. Bill expands this exemption to include aircraft belonging to any armed force of India. Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill 2020 - It seeks to confer status of Institution of National Importance to Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Jamnagar by conglomerating cluster of Ayurveda Institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus (Jamnagar), namely - Institute for Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Shri Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences including Pharmacy Unit and to subsume Maharshi Patanjali Institute for Yoga & Naturopathy Education & Research into Department of Swasthvritta of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It amends Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971, which provides for the termination of certain pregnancies by registered medical practitioners. Termination of pregnancy - Under the Act, pregnancy may be terminated within 12 weeks, subject to certain conditions. For termination of a pregnancy between 12 to 20 weeks, two medical practitioners are required to give their opinion. Bill amends this provision to state that a pregnancy may be terminated within 20 weeks, with opinion of a registered medical practitioner. Approval of two registered medical practitioners will be required for termination of pregnancies between 20 to 24 weeks. Bill states that upper limit of termination of pregnancy will not apply in cases where such termination is necessary due to diagnosis of substantial foetal abnormalities. Protection of privacy of a woman - Bill states that no registered medical practitioner will be allowed to reveal the name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated, except to a person authorised by law. Bills Introduced in Parliament (Pending in Both Houses) - Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 - It seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in India and provide greater autonomy to these ports. It seeks to replace Major Port Trusts Act 1963. Application - Bill will apply to the major ports of Chennai, Cochin, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Kandla, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Paradip, V.O. Chidambaranar, and Vishakhapatnam. Major Port Authorities Board - Under Act, all major ports are managed by respective Board of Port Trusts. Bill provides for creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. Board will comprise of a Chairperson and a deputy Chairperson, appointed by government. It will have other designated prominent members. Powers of the Board - Bill allows the Board to use its property, assets and funds as deemed fit for the development of major port. Fixing of rates - Currently, Tariff Authority for Major Ports fixes scale of rates for assets and services available at ports. Under Bill, the Board or committees appointed by Board will determine these rates. Financial powers of Board - Under Act, Board has to seek prior sanction of government to raise any loan. Under Bill, to meet its capital and working expenditure requirements, the Board may raise loans from any bank / financial institution, within or outside India that is compliant with laws. For loans above 50% of its capital reserves, Board will require government approval. Corporate Social Responsibility - Bill provides that the Board may use its funds for providing social benefits. Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects - Bill defines PPP projects as projects taken up through a concession contract by Board. For such projects, the Board may fix the tariff for the initial bidding purposes. Adjudicatory Board - Bill provides for constitution of an Adjudicatory Board by government, to replace existing Tariff Authority for Major Ports constituted under 1963 Act. Penalties - Under Act, there are various penalties for contravening provisions of the Act, up to 10000 or penalty for evading rates may extend up to 10 times the rates. Under Bill, any person contravening any provision of the Bill or any rules or regulations will be punished with a fine of up to 1 lakh rupees. Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 - It seeks to amend Companies Act 2013. Producer companies - Under 2013 Act, certain provisions from Companies Act 1956 continue to apply to producer companies. Producer companies include companies which are engaged in the production, marketing and sale of agricultural produce, and sale of produce from cottage industries. Bill removes these provisions and adds a new chapter in Act with similar provisions on producer companies. Changes to offences - Bill makes three changes - Removes penalty for certain offences. For example, it removes penalties which apply for any change in rights of a class of shareholders made in violation of Act. Second, it removes imprisonment in certain offences. For example, it removes the imprisonment of three years applicable to a company for buying back its shares without complying with Act. Third, it reduces amount of fine payable in certain offences. For example, it reduces maximum fine for failure to file annual return with the Registrar of Companies from five lakh rupees to two lakh rupees. Under Act, one person companies or small companies are only liable to pay up to 50% of penalty for certain offences. Bill extends this provision to all producer companies and start-up companies, extends this provision to apply to violation of any provision of Act and limits penalty to 2 lakh rupees for company and one 1 lakh rupees for a defaulting officer. Direct listing in foreign jurisdictions - Bill empowers government to allow certain classes of public companies to list classes of securities in foreign jurisdictions. Exclusion from listed companies - Bill empowers government, in consultation with SEBI, to exclude companies issuing specified classes of securities from the definition of a "listed company". Remuneration to non-executive directors - Act makes special provisions for payment of remuneration to executive directors of a company if the company has inadequate or no profits in a year. Bill extends this provision to non-executive directors, including independent directors. Beneficial shareholding - Under Act, if a person holds beneficial interest of at least 10% shares in a company or exercises significant influence or control over company, he is required to make a declaration of his interest to company. Bill empowers government to exempt any class of persons from complying with these requirements if considered necessary in public interest. Exemptions from filing resolutions - Act requires companies to file certain resolutions with Registrar of Companies. However, banks are exempt from filing resolutions passed to grant loans, or to provide guarantees or security for a loan. Under Bill, This exemption has been extended to registered non-banking financial companies and housing finance companies. Corporate Social Responsibility - Under Act, companies with net worth, turnover or profits above a specified amount must constitute CSR Committees and spend 2% of their profits in last 3 years, towards CSR policy. Bill exempts companies with a CSR liability of up to Rs 50 lakh a year from setting up CSR Committees. Periodic financial results for unlisted companies - Bill empowers government to require classes of unlisted companies to prepare and file periodical financial results, and to complete audit or review of such results. Benches of NCLAT - Bill seeks to establish benches of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal. These shall ordinarily sit in New Delhi or such other place as may be notified. Rashtriya Raksha University Bill 2020 - It establishes Raksha Shakti University Gujarat (established under Raksha Shakti University Act 2009) as a University called Rashtriya Raksha University, declaring it as an institution of national importance. Bill also repeals 2009 Act. Bill provides for creation several authorities for ensuring its operationalization. Governing Body will consist of up to 15 members. National Forensic Sciences University Bill 2020 - Bill establishes Gujarat Forensic Sciences University Gandhinagar (established under the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University Act 2008) and Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences New Delhi, as a University called National Forensic Sciences University at Gujarat. It declares University to be an institution of national importance, and repeals 2008 Act. Objectives include promoting academic learning in the field of forensic science in conjunction with applied behavioural science studies, law and other allied areas to strengthen criminal justice institutions in India. Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It seeks to amend Banking Regulation Act 1949, with regard to cooperative banks. Exclusion - Act does not apply to certain cooperative societies - primary agricultural credit societies, cooperative land mortgage banks, and any other cooperative societies (except those specified in the Act). Bill amends this provision to state that Act will not apply to primary agricultural credit societies, and cooperative societies whose principal business is long term financing for agricultural development. Issuance of shares and securities by cooperative banks - Bill provides that a cooperative bank may issue equity / preference / special shares to its members / other person. It may issue unsecured debentures or bonds or similar securities with maturity of ten or more years to such persons, subject to RBI approval. Bill states that no person will be entitled to demand payment towards surrender of shares issued to him by a co-operative bank. Co-operative bank cannot withdraw or reduce its share capital. Supersession of Board of Directors - Act states that RBI may supersede Board of Directors of a multi-state cooperative bank for up to five years under certain conditions. Bill adds that in case of a co-operative bank registered with Registrar of Co-operative Societies of a state, RBI will supersede the Board of Directors after consultation with concerned state government. Power to exempt cooperative banks - Bill states that RBI may exempt a cooperative bank or a class of cooperative banks from certain provisions of the Act through notification, for a specific time period. Certain provisions omitted - Bill seeks to omit certain provisions from the Act. Some are - Act restricts cooperative banks from making loans or advances on security of its own shares. It also prohibits grant of loans to directors or related persons / firms. Bill omits this provision from the Act. Act states that cooperative banks cannot open a new place of business or change location of bank outside of city / town / village in which it is currently located, without permission from RBI. Bill omits this. Act requires a scheduled cooperative bank to maintain assets with a value not exceeding 40% of the its total demand and time liabilities, within India. Bill omits this provision. Part 1 (Feb 1 - 11, 2020) - Facts - Budget Session to be held in 2 phases - Phase 1 in January 31-February 11 and second session from March 2-April 3, 2020. Productivitiy of Both houses (Lok and Rajya Sabha) was 93 %. Notable Info disseminated during Question Hour - Public Enterprises Survey 2018-19 Presented in Parliament, prepared by Department of Public Enterprises (Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises) - There were total 348 CPSEs as on 31st March 2019, out of which 249 were operational. 86 CPSEs are under construction and 13 under closure / liquidation. Paid up capital in all CPSEs is 275697 crores, growth of 8.55%. Investment in all CPSEs is 1640628 crores,growth of 14.65%. Total income of all CPSEs during 2018-19 is 2440748 crores,growth of 20.12%. Profit of 178 profit making CPSEs stood at 174587 crores, showing growth of 11.96% from 2017-18. Loss of 70 loss making CPSEs stood at 31635 crores, showing decrease in losses by 1.69 %. 5.6 km long railway line between Agartala (Tripura) and Akhaura in Bangladesh will be completed by September 2021, improving connectivity between Indian and Bangladesh Railways and boosting trade. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is bearing cost for 5.46km Indian side and cost of 10.6 km-long track on Bangladesh side is Funded by Ministry of External Affairs (India). India’s trade deficit with China reduced from USD 63.05 billion to USD 53.57 billion. India’s imports from China declined from USD 76.38 billion in 2017-18 to USD 70.32 billion in 2018-19, and our exports grew from USD 13.33 billion in 2017-18 to USD 16.75 billion in 2018-19. Ministry of MSME is implementing a ‘Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI) Scheme under which financial support is being provided for setting up of traditional industries clusters viz. Khadi, Coir & Village industries clusters. Unemployment rate in India was 6.1 % in 2017-18, as per new Periodic Labour Force Survey being conducted by government. Labour force participation is 36.9 % in 2017-18. Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has sanctioned 39 Mega Food Parks and 298 Integrated Cold Chain Projects throughout country, under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). Among states, Maharashtra has been sanctioned with highest number of food parks and chain projects (67). Approx 38 Crores Bank accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) till January 2020, launched in 2014. PMJDY accounts have “No minimum balance” requirement. It offers an overdraft (OD) limit of Rs 10,000 & free accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh. Number of subscribers in Atal Pension Yojana (APY) reached over 1.5 Crores in FY 2018-19. As per UNICEF's State of World's Children Report 2019, Under 5 Mortality Rate in India is 37 per 1,000 live births against Global average of 39 per 1,000 live births in 2018, which translates to more than 8 lakhs under 5 deaths in India. As per Census conducted by Registrar General of India, sex ratio In India improved to 943 in 2011 from 926 in 1991. As per National Health Profile, India has declining birth rate (from 20.8 in 2015 to 20.2 in 2017) & death rate (from 6.5 in 2015 to 6.3 in 2017) over last three years. Bills Passed by Parliament (Passed by Both Houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) - None Bills Passed by Lok Sabha (Pending in Rajya Sabha) - None Bills Passed by Rajya Sabha (Pending in Lok Sabha) - None Bills Introduced in Parliament (Pending in Both Houses) - The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 - It Bill seeks to amend Aircraft Act 1934, which regulates the manufacture, possession, use, operation, sale, import and export of civil aircrafts, and licensing of aerodromes. Key Provisions - Authorities - Bill converts 3 existing bodies under Ministry of Civil Aviation into statutory bodies under the Act. These three authorities are Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Each of these bodies will be headed by a Director General. DGCA will carry out safety oversight and regulatory functions. BCAS will carry out regulatory oversight functions related to civil aviation security. AAIB will carry out investigations related to aircraft accidents and incidents. Power of centre to make rules - Under the Act, government may make rules on several matters, including registration of aircraft, regulating air transport services, and prohibition of flight over any specified area. Bill adds regulation of air navigation services to this list. Adjudicating officers: - Bill provides appointment of designated officers, to adjudicate penalties under Bill. Offences and Penalties - Under the Act, penalty for various offences is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. Bill raises the maximum limit on fines for all these offences from Rs 10 lakh to one crore rupees. Under Bill, central government may cancel licences, certificates, or approvals granted to a person under Act if the person contravenes any provision of the Act. Bill allows for compounding of certain offences / rules under the Act. Courts will not take cognizance of any offence under this Act, unless a complaint is made by, or there is previous sanction from Director General of Civil Aviation, BCAS, or AAIB. Exemption for Armed Forces - Armed Forces Aircrafts are exempted from the provisions of the Act. Bill expands this exemption to include aircraft belonging to any armed force of India. Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill 2020 - It seeks to confer status of Institution of National Importance to Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Jamnagar by conglomerating cluster of Ayurveda Institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus (Jamnagar), namely - Institute for Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Shri Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences including Pharmacy Unit and to subsume Maharshi Patanjali Institute for Yoga & Naturopathy Education & Research into Department of Swasthvritta of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda. Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill 2020 - It provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to income tax and corporation tax. Appellant - Bill defines an appellant as the income tax authority, or the person, or both, whose appeal is pending before any appellate forum as on January 31, 2020. Appellate forums are Supreme Court, High Courts, Income Tax Appellate Tribunals, and Commissioner (Appeals). Resolution mechanism - Bill proposes a resolution mechanism under which an appellant can file a declaration to designated authority to initiate resolution of pending direct tax disputes. Designated authority will determine amount payable by the appellant against dispute and grant a certificate, within 15 days of the receipt of declaration. Appellant must pay this amount within 15 days of receipt of certificate. On issuance of certificate, appeals pending before Income Tax Appellate Tribunals and Commissioner (Appeals) will be deemed to be withdrawn. Appeals / petitions pending before Supreme Court and High Courts will be required to be withdrawn. Amount payable for resolution -

Disputes relating Payable before March 31, 2020 Additional amount payable after March 31, 2020 to

Amount of disputed tax (i) 10% of the amount of disputed tax, or (ii) interest Payment of tax (any interest or penalty associated with such tax will be and penalty relating to that tax, whichever is lower waived)

Payment of fee, 25% of the amount under such interest, or Another 5% of the amount under such dispute dispute penalty

Waiver of rights - For dispute resolution, appellant is required to furnish an undertaking waiving his rights to seek any remedy or claim in relation to that dispute. Disputes not covered - Proposed mechanism will not cover certain disputes. These include where prosecution has been initiated before declaration is filed, involving persons who have been convicted / prosecuted for offence, for enforcement of civil liabilities, and involving undisclosed foreign income or assets. 18. Coronavirus (Covid-19) Updates - India - April 2020 - Andhra Pradesh Govt launched Covid Pharma app to keep track of people buying medicines for cough, cold and fever. Odisha Govt announced compassionate of 15 lakh to working journalists who die due to coronavirus infection. Short video app VMate partneted with Government’s citizen engagement platform MyGov, to support Government efforts against COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers at Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences Bangalore(CeNS) created face masks termed TriboE, that can hold electric charges to restrict entry of infections, without any external power. Nagaland government imposed a COVID-19 cess on diesel and petrol, becoming the first state to introduce such a tax in India. Nagaland imposed a Rs 5 per litre COVID-19 cess on diesel and Rs 6 per litre cess on petrol and other such liquid fuel. DRDO Supported Defence Institute of Advanced Technology Pune developed a microwave steriliser named as ‘ATULYA’ to disintegrate COVID-19, which gets disintegrated by differential heating in range of 560 - 600 Celsius temperatures. Researchers from IIT Bombay, Islamic University of Science and Technology, NIT Srinagar Jointly invented a low-cost ventilator called “Ruhdaar”. Durgapur-based CSIR - Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute developed Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device (HCARD), that can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from infected patient. A government hospital in Ernakulam (Kerala) deployed a robot to serve food and medicines to coronavirus patients with an aim to reduce risk of infections for doctors and health workers, named KARMI-Bot. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) is distributing 6 lakh metric tonnes of pulses to around 20 crore households under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. Earlier, it was announced that 80 crore poor people will to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the next three months. Researchers from IIT Delhi developed web-based dashboard to predict the spread of COVID-19, named PRACRITI (Prediction and Assessment of Corona Infections and Transmissions in India). India approved USD 1 million to Antigua as project outlay, with immediate assistance of USD 1,50,000 for medical equipment to combat coronavirus crisis. Ahmedabad based Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Science and Research became first authorized study centre in country to carry out plasma research under trial in view of Covid 19. It signed MoU with ICMR. Also, Luckow based King George Medical University became first government hospital to launch plasma therapy to treat COVID-19. Rajasthan government partnered with healthcare startup MedCords, to launch online consultation and medicine delivery app named Aayu & Sehat Sathi. Pathanamthitta district in Kerala launched a vehicle called ‘Tiranga’ (Total India Remote Analysis Nirogya Abhiyaan) for rapid screening of COVID-19. Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Delhi) developed a mobile app named ‘WashKaro’, which help warn people about a coronavirus containment zone nearby. CSIR IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) have come up with a COVID-19 test called Feluda, named after a detective character in stories of film maker Satyajit Ray. It produces results in 1 hour. IIT Delhi Kusuma School of Biological Sciences (KSBS) Researchers developed a COVID 19 probe - free Real-time PCR Diagnostic Kit. Kit has been validated at ICMR with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. This makes IIT Delhi first institute to have obtained ICMR approval for a real-time PCR-based diagnostic assay. Chitra Magna innovative RNA extraction kit has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology Kerala (SCTIMST), as an innovative technology for isolating RNA from swabs for COVID 19 tests. SARS-COV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19 pandemic, is an RNA virus, a long single-stranded polymeric substance present in all living cells that carries genetic information of organism necessary for life. One of the critical steps in detecting this virus is by confirming the presence of the RNA of virus in samples. Chitra Magna can be used to extract high purity RNA from patient samples not only for LAMP testing but also for the RT-PCR test. Karnataka Government launched Apthamitra mobile application and helpline,to fight COVID-19. It aims at providing medical guidance and advice on COVID-19. As per NASA, Air Pollution in India has reached 20 year low, amid lockdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Amid the pandemic, Government has put on hold the hike in dearness allowance for central government employees / pensioners for 2020-21. Currently, These employees are receiving Dearness Allowance at 17% of their salary. Researchers from Pune-based Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) developed a low-cost indigenous prototype of polymer swab which can be used for collection of samples for coronavirus testing. Himachal Pradesh government rolled out “e-sanjeevani-opd” for free online medical consultation to sick people. HDFC Bank started Safety Grid campaign, to encourage social distancing in Public places. IIT Ropar developed a ‘WardBot’,to deliver medicines and food to COVID-19 patients in isolation wards without human intervention. Digital directory named Covid FYI, containing information of all COVID-19 related services and helplines, has been released. Uttar Pradesh became first state to geotag community kitchens, with over 7500 community kitchens geo-tagged, in association with Google. The kitchens produce 12 lakh food packets per day. Goa, Manipur and Tripura declared themselves free of Covid-19. Madhya Pradesh Government launched COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana. Under it, around 1 lakh Anganwadi workers are to be benefitted. Anganwadi workers will get special health insurance of Rs 50 lakhs. Government created online data pool on URL https://covidwarriors.gov.in, of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, volunteers for use by ground level administration at state / district / municipal levels. Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan launched COVID India Seva, an interactive platform to establish a direct channel of communication with people amid the pandemic. People can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva and get them responded to in almost real time. Mobile application Saiyam has been developed by Pune Municipal Corporation under Smart Cities Mission, to effectively track home-quarantines citizens. Tata AIA Life Insurance became first Life Insurance Firm to announce additional COVID-19 Related benefits up to 5 lakh at no additional cost, for its Policyholders / Agents. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel launched website ‘CG Haat’, to provide home delivery of fruits and vegetables during COVID-19 lockdown. CSIR's National Aerospace Laboratory developed Personal Protective Cover all suit, with polypropylene spun multilayered non-woven fabric. It can be used to ensure safety of doctors, paramedical staff, health care workers and nurses. Delhi Government launched Assess Koro Na application, to conduct door to door survey in COVID-19 containment zones. Central Drug Research Institute signed MoU with King George Medical University to sequence strains of COVID-19 virus. Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) recently found 3 new mutations of COVID-19 virus. GBRC became first government laboratory in country to sequence whole genome of COVID-19. Including these, 9 mutations of virus are found so far. Ministry of Commerce launched an online platform to issue Certificate of Origin to the exporters and other guidelines, to facilitate shipments during COVID-19 lockdown. Currently, online platform is used to obtain certificate of exports under PTA signed with Chile, SAFTA signed with Nepal and SAPTA signed with SAARC countries and also India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Certificate of Origin document is used worldwide, which attests that product originated in a particular country. Guidelines for issuance of certificate of origin are issued by International Chamber of Commerce. Certificate is important to determine tariffs. SAFTA is South Asian Free Trade Area (signed in 2004) and SAPTA is SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement that envisages creating an area of preferential trading. Chitra GeneLAMP-N, developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, has made confirmatory tests results of COVID 19 possible in 2 hours, with 100% accuracy. Researchers at NIT-Karnataka developed cost-effective disinfectant chamber called ‘ZERO-COV’, that could disinfect personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and other related materials without causing them damage. Kailash Choudhary (Minister of State for Agriculture and Framers’ Welfare) Inaugurated Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel, developed by ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Survey of India launched a mobile application called “Sahyog” to collect information about COVID-19. ICMR and and National Institute of Virology Pune Study stated that pathogenic coronaviruses have been found in two species of Indian bats - Indian Flying Fox and Rousettes. It is yet to be found out if these viruses will affect humans. Also, Six new coronaviruses in bats were recently discovered by scientists in Myanmar. Uttar Pradesh govt launched Annapurna, Supply Mitra portals for citizens’ food needs amid COVID-19 Outbreak. An Integrated Geospatial Platform “SAHYOG” has been rolled out by Department of Science and Technology (DST), to help in decision making during COVID-19 outbreak. YSR Nirman and COVID-19 portals have been launched by Andhra Pradesh Govt, to fight against Coronavirus pandemic. Jim Corbett National Park, India’s oldest forested wildlife sanctuary located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, has become the India’s 1st quarantine centre for animals with symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). Department of Telecommunication and C-DOT in coordination with Telecom Service Providers have developed an Covid Quarantine Alert system, which alerts authorities when an identified corona positive person moves away from quarantine. Goa became first state to integrate allopathy and Ayurveda to boost immunity of COVID-19 patients and quarantined persons. COVID Sample Collection Kiosk (COVSACK) has been developed by DRDO's DRDL Hyderabad Unit. The kiosk will be useful for healthcare workers while taking COVID-19 samples of infected patients. ICMR permitted Uttar Pradesh to start pool testing of COVID-19, making UP first to start pool testing. Pool testing can highly increase scale of testing. Under Pool Testing, if 10 samples of COVID-19 test negative, then it is an indicator that all the samples test negative. On the other hand, if the samples tested are not negative, individual testing will be done. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) developed double-layered khadi masks, made with fabric which is washable, easy to reuse, biodegradable and breathable. CovidGyan initiative has been launched by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC). It aims to bring scientific / factual aspects of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in public domain. PM Narendra Modi annonced Extension of Nationwide lockdown till May 3, 2020. He also mentioned Saptapdi, to fight against COVID-19. It has 7 mantras - Senior citizens and elderly have to be looked after with special care Social distancing and lock down rules have to be followed strictly Citizens should boost immunity based on guidelines issued by Ministry of AYUSH Download “Arogya Sethu” mobile application. Provide shelter and food to the needy and poor Compassion towards colleagues Also - Govt made spitting in public places as an offense, under Section 51 of National Disaster Management Act. Indian Council of Medical Research announced that antiviral drug Remdesvir is highly effective in stopping replication of COVID-19. Remdesvir is a part of WHO’s “Solidarity Trial”. AIIMS Rishikesh and BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited) has set up India’s first remote health monitoring system, to be widely used in state of Uttarakhand to monitor COVID-19 patients. West Central Railway’s Coach Rehabilitation Workshop Bhopal designed a “mobile doctor booth” named “CHARAK”, providing doctors a much needed zero contact check-up facility. Researchers at Biomedical Engineering & Technology incubation Centre (BETiC) at IIT Bombay has developed a digital stethoscope (Named AyuSynk) that can listen to hear beats from a distance and record them, minimizing risk to doctors and health care professionals who are handling COVID- 19 patients. Government will set up 20 lakh retail shops called 'Suraksha Stores' across India which will provide daily essentials to citizens amid lockdown. Neighbourhood kirana stores will get sanitised and Suraksha stores. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) validated usage of TrueNat, a diagnostic machine for Tuberculosis , for COVID-19 tests. Hindustan Unilever partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support India to combat COVID- 19, launching ‘BreakTheChain’ campaign. Hyderabad based Indian Immunologicals Limited and Australia's Griffith University will joint work to develop a ‘Live Attenuated SARS – CoV-2 vaccine’. Bharat Biotech also tied-up with US-based FluGen and University of Wisconsin Madison to develop a vaccine named “Coro-Flu” to fight COVID-19. Researchers at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Guwahati developed 2 products that can be great help in the fight against current COVID-19. Products are - A 3D-printed hands-free object that could be used to help operate doors or related tasks that require hand touch. A 3D-printed antimicrobial face-shield to control spread of novel coronavirus. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (Kerala) obtained approval for providing innovative convalescent-plasma therapy treatment to patients suffering from COVID-19. Ministry of Home Affairs, exempted fishing and aquaculture industries from Lock Down. Earlier, only agricultural activities were exempted. Government approved grant of life insurance cover to over 1 lakh workers and officers of Food Corporation of India, who are working to supply food grains across country amidst outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. Cover will vary between 10 lakh to 35 lakh, depending on designation. Along with SBI, Bank of Maharashtra and HDFC Bank also received mandate for collecting Money on behalf of PM Cares Fund. Data collection period for 7th economic census extended by 6 months, till 30th September 2020, in wake of COVID-19. Economic census is only source of information on country’s large unorganized sector. Researchers from Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology Delhi and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Hyderabad began working on novel coronavirus genome sequencing, to figure out evolution of virus and its aspects. Chhattisgarh police has developed the app ‘Rakhsa Sarv’, to track quarantined people through Google Maps. Similar app has been developed by Mohali Police in Punjab, named ‘COVID Control’. Telangana Government deployed India’s first automated “Covid–19 Monitoring System App”, developed by Hyderabad- based Vera Smart Healthcare, to identify, undertake live surveillance, track, monitor, and provide real-time analytics to Health Department. Arunachal Pradesh government launched COVIDCARE app, to combat COVID-19. Department of Science and Technology funded a health care start up called Module Innovations, to develop COVID-19 testing kit that can make testing quicker (10 to 15 minutes), called nCoVSENSE. DST also funded Genrich Membranes, for scaling up membrane oxygenator equipment (MOE). DST also funded a IIT Bombay Project to develop a Nasal passage gel to limit transmission of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, causative agent of COVID-19. India announced restrictions on export of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) drug - India had recently imposed ban on export of HCQ drug to prevent shortage of this drug in country, which is proving useful in COVID-19 Treatment. India eased the bans after high demand from Many Nations. India allowed export of 12 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), which were earlier banned for export. Govenremnt launched Containment Plan for Large Outbreaks, similar to “Bhilwara Model” of Rajasthan. It has 6 steps - Isolation of a region by imposing Section 144. Door to Door screening of people. Adopt contact tracing and spot source of the new infection. Increase quarantine facilities. Build confidence of the people in the rural region, increase their awareness and monitor them continuously. Delhi Govt announced Operation Shield, in 21 containment zones of National Capital Region. SHIELD stands for Sealing, Home quarantine, isolation and tracing, essential supply, local sanitation and door-to-door checks. Delhi Government also announced 5T plan to tackle spread of Corona Virus - Testing, Tracing, Teamwork, Treatment and Tracking. Govt mandated to issue all pending income-tax refunds up to Rs. 5 lakh immediately, to benefit around 14 lakh taxpayers amid COVID-19 pandemic. It is also decided to issue all pending GST and Custom refunds which would provide benefit to around 1 lakh business entities. Government launched a training module for management of COVID-19 named ‘Integrated Government Online training’ (iGOT) portal (https://igot.gov.in) on DIKSHA platform of MHRD. It aims to enhance capacity building of front line workers to handle pandemic efficiently. Govt approved package named Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package, worth 15000 crores to build on health infrastructure. 7774 crores will be utilised for immediate response to pandemic, while rest will be spent in medium-term (1-4 years). V Safe Tunnel installed in Telangana, that can sanitize people from any possible bacteria and other microbes within 20 seconds to minimise local transmission of Coronavirus. Life Insurance Council announced that all life insurance companies, both public and private, will process all coronavirus- related death claims. Council confirmed that clause of ‘Force Majeure’ will not apply in case of COVID-19 death claims. Force majeure events include an Act of God or natural disasters, war or war-like situations, labour unrest or strikes, epidemics, pandemics, etc. Department of Science & Technology approved setting up of a Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH) at cost of 56 Crores, to support start-ups that address COVID-19 challenges. DST-supported Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) at IIT Bombay has been identified as Implementing Agency of CAWACH. Ministry of Human Resource and Development launched MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal, to support students facing difficulties due to closure of hostel and colleges. URL ishttps://helpline.aicte-india.org. Odisha Government launched “Mo Prativa” programme in collaboration with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Funds), to engage children in various activities during lockdown. Ministry of Civil Aviation launched Lifeline UDAN, to help India fight against COVID-19. Under this, flights are operated for transporting essential equipment and medicines all over country. Associations of civil servants formed an initiative called CARUNA (Civil Services Associations Reach to Support Natural Disasters), as a collaborative platform. National Health Authority has partnered with Uber India to provide dedicated transport services to the health care workers that are involved in treating COVID-19 patients. Government notified empowered group set up for coordination with private sector, NGOs and international organisations for COVID-19 related response activities. It is led by Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog. Government also constituted a Science and Technology Empowered Committee to make speedy decisions on research and development of COVID-19, chaired by Niti Aayog member Vinod Paul and K Vijay Raghavan. Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J transport aircraft delivered 6.2 tonne of essential medicines and hospital consumables to Maldives under Operation Sanjeevani. Government extended benefit of 2 % Interest Subvention (IS) to banks and 3 % Prompt Repayment Incentive(PRI) to all farmers up to May 31, 2020 for all crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh. It will allow farmers to repay such loans up to extended period at 4 % annual interest without any penalty. As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), mixture of three quasi-subspecies of SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19) is in circulation in India. Andhra Pradesh government purchased portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold (MOM), a novel contraption developed by Navy, to help meet any emergency requirement of oxygen supply to coronavirus patients. Also, Naval Dockyard Mumbai has developed a handheld IR-based temperature sensor that can be manufactured under 1000, to undertake screening of large number of people for COVID-19 infection. Andhra Pradesh government began distributing pensions to beneficiaries at their doorstep, with help of around 2.5 lakh volunteers. Aim is to encourage beneficiaries to stay at home during COVID-19 pandemic. RBI announced further 3 measures to contain economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic - Extension of realisation period of export proceeds - The Value of goods and software exports made by exporters currently is required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within 9 months from date of exports. RBI extended it to 15 Months, by end of July 2020. Review of Way and Means Limits of States/UTs - Based on the suggestions of Sudhir Shrivastava committee, RBI decided to increase the ways and means limit by 30 percent for all states and UTs. Implementation of countercyclical capital buffer framework - RBI had put forward a framework on the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) in its guidelines issued in February 2015. Under it, countercyclical capital buffer will be activated when required. CCyB framework envisages the credit-to- GDP gap as main indicator that is used along with other supplementary indicators. Govt launched Hack the Crisis – India Online Hackathon to find working solutions for overcoming COVID 19 pandemic. Govt Launched National Monitoring Dashboard on COVID-19, developed by DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances), aiming at timely implementations of COVID-19 response and containment activities. National Informatics Center developed an application “Arogya Sethu”, which can alerts a person whenever it comes within 6 feet range of a COVID-19 infected person. Aarogya Setu App has became world’s fastest app to reach 5 crore users. Department of Telecommunication(DoT) in partnership with Tamil Nadu (TN) government and IIT Madras launched its complementary initiative named “Aarogya Setu Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)”. Aarogya Setu is for smartphones while IVRS is its helpline version for non-smart phones. Karnataka government also launched 'Corona Watch' mobile application, to track movement history of persons tested positive. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs also launched a revised version of Swachhata application. National Cadet Corps (NCC) launched “Exercise NCC Yogdan” to help authorities fighting against COVID-19. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) launched global painting competition on Title United against CORONA- Express through Art. World Bank has offered $1 billion help to India for a proposed India Covid-19 emergency response and health systems preparedness project. The 4 year project aims to develop preparedness of India’s health care systems in time of pandemic. India seeks further help of 6 Billion USD from ADB and AIIB to tackle the pandemic. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology signed an agreement with Wipro 3D, Bangalore to jointly manufacture automated ventilators. IIT Kanpur and IISC Bengaluru are working to build portable and low cost ventilators. Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala also developed a low cost ventiltor called JEEVAN. IIT Roorkee developed a low cost portable ventilator called “Prana Vayu”. IIT Hyderabad Incubator Aerobiosys Innovations designed a low cost portable emergency ventilator called ‘Jeevan Lite’. IT Firm IBM introduced ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ in India, free of cost to address COVID-19 queries. Himachal Pradesh government started “Active Case Finding Campaign”, to provide information about COVID-19 to people at their doorsteps. Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has extended validity of documents that expired since 1st February 2020, to 30th June 2020. Ministry of Agriculture launched new features of National Agriculture Market, to reduce congestion at mandis and help fight COVID-19. Modules are - Warehouse based trading module in e-NAM software to facilitate trade from warehouses based on e-NWR (Negotiable Warehouse Receipt). FPO trading module in e-NAM whereby FPOs can trade their produce from their collection center without bringing produce to APMC (Agricultural produce market committee). March 2020 - SBI launched an additional liquidity facility “Covid-19 Emergency Credit Line (CECL)” to meet any liquidity mismatch for its borrowers in order to tide over current crisis situation. SBI will facilitate funds up to 200 crores under this. SBI also committed 0.25% of annual profit for FY 2019-20, to fight COVID-19 Crisis. Indian Bank also launched five special emergency loans targeted at specific corporates. Government constituted a high level technical committee of Public Health Experts for COVID-19 to guide the prevention and control activities in country, headed by NITI Aayog member V K Paul. India shared two SARS-CoV-2 with the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). Pune based National Institute of Virology has shared two sequences of novel corona virus with Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data. Government Invoked Disaster Management Act 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, to control and mitigate coronavirus outbreak. Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 was first enacted to tackle bubonic plague in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in former British-occupied India. The law is meant for containment of epidemics by providing special powers that are required for the implementation of containment measures to control the spread of the disease. Scientists at CSIR-IHBT (Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology) developed a new sanitizer without using chemicals, amid hike in demand for the same due to COVID-19 Outbreak. Invest India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) launched Invest India Business Immunity Platform, to help businesses and investors get real-time updates on India’s response to COVID-19, in partnership with SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India). PM Narendra Modi called for a complete lockdown of entire nation for 21 days (Mar 25 - Apr 14, 2020), to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic. Govt also allocated 15000 Crores to fight the pandemic. Reliance has set up India's first hospital to operate exclusively to treat Corona Virus patients, in Mumbai, with Negative Pressure Rooms. Negative Room Pressure technology is a technique in medical centres that prevent cross-contamination. This allows air to flow into the room and prevents air from escaping out of the room. PM Narendra Modi also launched Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), to enable voluntary contributions by Citizens, to help Govt in eradicating CODIV-19. People can use UPI handle pmcares@sbi, to contribute. Government announced 1.70 Lakh Crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for poor, to help them fight against Corona Virus - Insurance cover of 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19 to be provided under Insurance Scheme. 80 crore people will to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the next three months. Gas cylinders would be provided to 8 crore poor families for the next three months. 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for next three months. Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182 to benefit 13.62 crore families. Ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled. Government to pay 2000 to farmers in first week of April under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8.7 crore farmers. Government asked State Governments to use Building and Construction Workers Welfare Fund to provide relief to Construction Workers. For Wage-earners below 15000 per month in businesses having less than 100 workers, government will pay 24 % of their monthly wages into their PF accounts for 3 months. For 63 lakhs women Self Help Groups (SHGs) that support 6.85 crore households, Limit of collateral free lending would be increased from 10 to 20 lakhs. Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to include Pandemic as reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75 % of amount or three months of wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts. Govt also created a seperate fund of 15000 crores to fight COVID-19. Government announced several easing measures, aimed at helping citizens / companies during Lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 Outbreak. Financial Services - No charges on withdrawal of cash in bank ATMs. There will be no charges on not keeping minimum balance requirement, for 3 months. Reduced digital charges for trade transactions. Tax measures - For FY 2018-19, last date for returns extended to June 30, 2020. For delayed payments made till June 30, interest rate reduced to 9% from 12%. For delayed deposit of TDS, interest has been reduced to 9 % from 18% Aadhaar-pan linking extended to June 30 from March 31 Vivaad se Vishwaas scheme extended to June 30. No additional 10% amount, if payment made by June 30, 2020. Compliances under Income Tax Act, Wealth Tax Act, Benami Transaction Act, Black Money Act, Vivaad se Vishwaas, have been extended to June 30, 2020 GST All GST returns for March, April, May and composition returns extended to June 30, 2020 For companies less than 5 cr no late fee and penalty to be charged. For above Rs 5 cr, only int at the rate of 9% For Customs Sabka Vishwaas scheme for indirect taxes having last date till March 31 has been extended to June 30,2020. No interest to be levied. Customs clearance till June 30 to work 24x7. Companies - In respect of MCA21 registry, there is a moratorium being issued from April 1 till Sep 30 no additional fees for late filing. For newly incorporated companies, additional 6 months for filing declaration of commencement of business. Mandatory requirement of holding meetings of Board of companies within prescribed interval provided in Companies Act (120 days), shall be extended by 60 days (till 30th September). Requirement to create a Deposit reserve of 20% of deposits maturing during 2020-21 before 30th April 2020 shall be allowed to be complied with till 30th June 2020. Requirement to invest 15% of debentures maturing during a particular year in specified instruments before 30th April 2020, may be done by 30th June 2020. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code - Threshold of default raised from 1 lakh to 1 crore, to prevent triggering of insolvency proceedings for SMEs. If it continues like this beyond April, then sec 7, 9, 10 of the IBC will be suspended for a period of six months. RBI Announced several measures to prevent economic fallout due to COVID-19 Outbreak - RBI Allowed Banks to Declare 3 Months Moratorium on Term Loans, to enable borrowers to avail 3 months deferment on payment of Loan EMIs. It is applicable between repayments due between Mar 1 - May 31, 2020. Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, there may be temporary disruption in cash flows / loss of income, for businesses/ individuals. This measure is a great help to borrowers. More Details and FAQs RBI has announced several Monetary Policy Rates Changes, by preponing 7th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2019-20 due to COVID-19 Outbreak - Repo Rate by 75 basis points, to 4.4 %. Repo rate is now lowest ever. Before this, it had hit lowest point of 4.74% in April 2009 amid Global Financial Crisis. Reverse Repo Rate cut by 90 basis points, to 4 %. CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) of all banks reduced by 100 basis points to 3%, for one year. These measures will inject liquidity of Rs 3.74 lakh crore to the system. Current MPC Rates - Repo Rate - 4.40 % Reverse Repo - 4.00 % Bank Rate - 4.65 % CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) - 3 % SLR(Statutory Liquidity ratio) - 18.25 % Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate - 4.65 % Pune based testing services MyLab became first Indian company to get approval from CDSCO for sales of COVID-19 testing kits. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare declared Hydroxycholoroquine as a Schedule H1 drug, putting restrictions on its sales and distribution. Out of 4 treatments suggested by the World Health Organization to contain the virus, India adopted the use of Hydroxychloroquine. Mo Jeeban Programme launched by Odisha Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, appealing people to stay indoors. Indian Army launched Operation Namaste to contain spread of Corona Virus in country. RBI for the first time, shared its Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure zero disruptions in the national payments systems (NPS) due to the coronavirus outbreak. BCP is a recovery plan to prepare for anticipated disruptions, ensure smooth flow of operations and staffing, and form crisis management groups. Government fixed price of a three-ply face mask made of melton-non-woven fibre till June 30 at a maximum of Rs 16 per mask. Government created a ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’ in collaboration with WhatsApp to provide factually correct information about coronavirus. People can clarify their queries by sending Namaste to WhatsApp number 9013151515. Election Commission of India permited use of indelible ink on persons for stamping for home quarantine by health authorities insight of COVID-19. Indore became 1st Indian city to use drones to sanitize city against COVID-19 Virus. Labour and Employment Ministry issued advisory under Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act 1996, to all state and UT (Union Territory) governments to provide financial aid to nearly 3.5 crore construction workers from Rs 52,000-crore construction cess collected by Labour Welfare Boards. Government announced that Testing and Treatment of Corona virus (COVID-19) will be covered under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) Yojana, which covers expenses up to 5 Lakh. Tourism Ministry launched Stranded in India portal, to support foreign tourists stuck in India amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Technology developed by an incubatee company of Scitech Park, Pune has emerged as an effective solution for India’s fight against Covid-19 by reducing viral load of infected areas within a room significantly within an hour. DST has released Rs 1 crore to manufacture and scale up the product, under NIDHI PRAYAS program of Govt. Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched CoNTec, a Telecommunication Centre that aims to connect doctors in the country with AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). Ministry of Power approved relief measures to provide power supply 24/7 to consumers. Govt will provide moratorium of 3 months to Discoms in order to make payments to generating companies, as non payment of dues by consumers due to lockdown has dteeroited finanes of Discoms. Govt. exempted agriculture and farming related activities from Lock Down, to protect crops and livelihood of farmers. Jharkhand government launched PRAGYAAM Mobile application, to issue e-passes to everyone associated with delivery of essential services during lockdown to curb spread of COVID-19. ICICI Lombard And BharatPe Partner To Launch COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover for shopkeepers. Nagaland Govt launched Self Declaration COVID-19 App, which will be mandatory for any person who entered Nagaland after March 6. It is useful for tracking and surveillance of high-risk cases. Himachal Pradesh Government created a ‘HP COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund’ to provide personal protection equipment to health workers and other related officials. Rajasthan police also launched a mobile app called “RajCop citizens app” Govt. allowed using 30 % District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds for healthcare, screening and food distribution, to combat Covid-19 pandemic. IIT Bombay developed mobile app named ‘CORONTINE’, aiming to help tracking asymptomatic carriers and prevent spread of COVID-19. Govt has set up 11 empowered groups for ensuring a comprehensive and integrated response to Covid-19 pandemic, under Disaster Management Act 2005. Coronavirus risk-tracking app called ‘Corona Kavach’ has been launched by Government. It uses a person’s location to assess whether they are in the high-risk geographical zone or not. IIT Gandhinagar launched ‘Project Isaac’ to engage students in creative projects during COVID-19 lockdown. Saudi Arabia assured uninterrupted Liquefied petroleum gas(LPG) supply to India, during COVID-19 outbreak. Global - April 2020 - Biennial Warfare Exercise Pitch Black hosted by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), has been cancelled due to COVID-19 Threat. NASA Developed a new high-pressure ventilator named called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. US President Donald Trump signed executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into United States, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed to deploy its full USD 1 trillion lending capacity to support countries battling COVID-19. As per International Labour Organization report COVID-19 and world of work - 40 crore people are to enter poverty in India, wiping out 20 crore Jobs. Reductions of jobs are to be more in Arab countries and in Asia and Pacific. Also, as per Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),unemployment in India has risen over 23%, due to COVID-19 lockdown. In Americas and Africa, risk percentage of unemployment is 43% and 26% respectively. As per WTO, Global trade may fall by 13-32 % in 2020 amid Covid-19. Report states that in 2019, 1.7 % of world exports originated from India, while 2.5 % of imports reached India. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has tripled its COVID-19 Response Package to $20 Billion, up from $6.5 Billion USD Earlier. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Development Fund (SDF) allocated $5 million for Covid-19 related projects in member Nations. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledged $1 billion as his contribution for relief fund against Coronavirus pandemic. It represents 28 percent of his wealth, and will go to his charity fund, Start Small LLC. United Nations suspended its peace keeping forces till June 30, to mitigate risk of transmission of COVID-19 virus. World Bank April 2020 Economic Update for East Asia and Pacific (EAP) titled “East Asia and Pacific in the Time of COVID-19 stated that poverty is estimated to increase by about 11 million people in EAP region. Growth in developing EAP region will be 2.1%, from 5.8% in 2019. Growth in China will decline to 2.3% from 6.1% in 2019. World Bank Group is rolling out a $14 billion fast-track package to strengthen COVID-19 response in developing countries. UN postponed Conference of Parties (COP 26) that was to be held in Glasgow in November 2020, amid threat of COVID- 19. 2021 World Games that were to be held in Birmingham in Alabama (US), are postponed to 2022. This is being done to avoid clash with Tokyo Olympics that have been postponed to 2021 amid COVID-19 Outbreak. 2021 World Athletics Championships are also pushed to 2022 for the same reason. UN approved resolution that called upon international cooperation to fight against COVID-19, calling for intensified international cooperation and exchange of information. Apple and Google teamed up to allow contact tracing on most of world’s smartphones. The partnership will allow approx 3 billion people to opt in to location tracking through Bluetooth on their smartphones for purposes of combating Covid- 19. March 2020 - Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide USD 4 million to help developing countries in Asia and Pacific to fight the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). World Bank announced 12 billion USD to assist countries that are grappling with economic impacts of corona virus. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Member Russia refused to make deal for cutting production, as deepest oil production cuts since 2008 financial crisis. Saudi Arabia proposed cutting production by 1.5 million barrel a day from April 2020. Indian-American Seema Verma is appointed a key member of White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump. President Trump also signed a 8.3 Billion bill to combat spread of the Covid-19. As per UNCTAD report Global trade impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Epidemic - India has faced a trade impact of 348 million dollars due to slow down in China’s production. Most affected economies - EU (15.6 billion), US (5.8 billion), Japan (USD 5.2 billion), South Korea (USD 3.8 billion). Dveloping countries’ debt will increase between $2.6 trillion and $3.4 trillion amid COVID-19 pandemic. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard committed up to $125 million in seed funding to speed-up response to COVID-19 pandemic by identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments. US Reserve Bank (Federal Reserve) reduced key interest rates to 0% - 0.25%, amid slwing down economy due to COVID- 19 Impact. For the first time since 1962, Iran seeked help of International Monetary Fund, to fight Corona Virus Outbreak. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $200 million to companies manufacturing and distributing medicines, and other items needed to combat novel coronavirus (COVID-19). SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Nations held a Video Conference, to formulate Strataegy for tackling novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak. India proposed an emergency SAARC Fund in this regard and contributed 10 Million USD for same. World Economic Forum creatied COVID Action Platform, as first of its kind, aiming to convene business community for collective action, protect people’s livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for COVID-19 response. Philippines became first country to suspend all financial markets, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. African Lion Military Exercise, the joint US-Africa Military Exercise has been cancelled, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. WhatsApp launched Coronavirus Information Hub globally, and donated $1 million donation to Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). A New Virus called Hantavirus appeared in China, which is also deadly like Covid-19 but far less contagious. International Olympics Committee announced postponement of 2020 Tokyo Olympics, due to COVID-19 Outbreak. This is first such postponment in 124-year history of Olympics. Tokyo Olympics are tentatively rescheduled for July 23-Aug 8, 2021. Noted Tennis Grand Slam Wimbeldon which was to be held in England in June 2020, has been cancelled due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It is cancelled for the first time since Second World War. World’s largest streaming media service Netflix formaed $100 million fund, to help workers on film and television productions that have been impacted due to global coronavirus outbreak. The fund will help cast and crew members such as electricians, carpenters, drivers and other hourly workers. Football Governing Body FIFA started a campaign to raise awareness about COVID-19 and importance of lockdowns. It has 28 acclaimed international players, Including India's Sunil Chhetri. International Monetary Fund launched IMF Policy Tracker, as a platform to provide all key economic responses launched by Governments all over the world to fight against Corona Virus. UN launched Global Humanitarian Response Plan to fight against COVID-19, allocating 2 billion USD to implement the plan. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced an AI bot called ‘Clara’ to help people assess potential symptoms of COVID-19, in partnership with Microsoft Azure’s Healthcare Bot service. Proposed / Considered Treatment Methods - US Food and Drug Administration approved use of Convalescent plasma collected from patients recovered from COVID-19 to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Idea is to inject plasma with antibodies into critically ill patients for them to gain immunity against the virus. World Health Organization (WHO) started a mega trial namely “Solidarity” of 4 most promising drugs that may cure COVID-19 - Remdesivir - experimental antiviral compound widely used to combat Ebola and other dangerous viruses. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine - Treats malaria. Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) also recommended this. Combination of lopinavir and ritonavir - Treats human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Ritonavir/lopinavir plus interferon-beta - Treats Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) patients. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) launched a “Global Network Resiliency Platform” to help global networks remain “safer, stronger and more connected” during COVID-19 crisis. US invoked Defence Production Act 1950, to direct General Motors to manufacture ventilators needed to fight COVID- 19. The act was enacted in 1950 in response to Korean War. earlier In 2011, President Obama invoked it to force telecommunications industries to provide information related to use of foreign-manufactured hardware and software in networks of companies. US also approved largest stimulus package in US history, a $2 trillion bill intended to rescue the coronavirus-battered economy. US announced USD 174 million financial assistance to 64 most at-risk countries which include USD 2.9 million to India as support for combating coronavirus pandemic. In February 2020, USA provided 100 million aid for the same purpose. US halted funding of World Health Organisation, accusing it of Shielding China and covering up Info about COVID-19 Outbreak. US provide between USD 400-500 million per year to WHO, over 10 times more China. 19. Coronavirus (Covid-19) Updates - India - May 2020 - Kerala Based Sree Chitra Triunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) developed two types of nasal and oral swabs and viral transport medium for COVID-19 testing - Chitra EmBed flocked nylon swabs and Chitra EnMesh polymeric foam-tipped lint-free swabs. Government raised Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) of 49 items, amid Covid-19. Increase across various items of minor forest produce ranges from 16% to 66%. Compendium of Indian Technologies for Combating COVID-19 (Tracing, Testing and Treating) has been prepared by National Research Development Corporation (NRDC). It carries information about 200 COVID-19-related Indian technologies / research / initiatives taken by Government, categorised under 3Ts of Tracking, Testing and Treating. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Hyderabad tied up with a Bengaluru-based Eyestem Research Pte Ltd, to take up research activities on COVID-19. Attempt will be made to grow novel coronavirus in human cell lines, which will enable in vitro testing of potential drugs and vaccines against COVID-19. It will use Eyestem's human lung epithelial cell culture system. CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and TATA Sons signed a MoU for licensing of knowhow for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay (FELUDA) for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19. Uttar Pradesh Government launched Ayush Kavach application to help people access prescriptions, which will help the people to strengthen their resistance through ancient practices Ayurveda and Yoga. Arogya Setu Mitr Initiative has been launched under public-private partnership, to be available in the Arogya Setu application. It will offer free online consultation to COVID-19 with the data provided by the three private sector firms and government entities. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched 'COVID Katha', as a multimedia guide on COVID-19 disease. National Institute of Animal Biotechnology Hyderabad (NIAB) Researchers developed a biosensor called eCovSens, which can detect COVID-19 virus in saliva samples. The lens can help detect COVID-19 virus within 10 to 30 seconds of testing. Chandigarh government launched mobile app named “CHDCOVID” to provide COVID-19 related information. West Bengal government rolled out Exit App for people from other states who are stucked in West Bengal amid lockdown. HDFC Bank released song titled #HumHaarNahiMaanenge, to keep hopes up amid Covid-19 pandemic. It has been penned by Prasoon Joshi composed by AR Rahman. HDFC Bank will contribute INR 500 towards PM-CARES Fund, each time this song is shared via social media. Scientists at SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences Kolkata (SNBNCBS) developed cost-effective nanomedicine that can treat several diseases by altering oxidative stress in body. It provides hope in India’s fight against COVID-19. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) produced by Indian Navy has been certified by DRDO's INMAS (Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences) Delhi. IIT Delhi incubated Startup Nanosafe Solutions developed first antimicrobial face mask that can be washed and reused for 50 times, to fight against COVID-19. Called NSAFE, it provides 99.2% bacterial filtration. CSIR, through its flagship New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) program, has approved a project towards development of human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). MoU has been signed by PNB Housing Finance with IIT Delhi, to support Research & Development for reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be supplied to government hospitals. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed MoU with IIT Kanpur for large-scale manufacture of ventilators developed by NOCCA Robotics (incubated start-up of IIT Kanpur). CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) Bangalore developed a Non Invasive BiPAP Ventilator named SwasthVayu, to treat COVID-19 patients. Its a microcontroller-based precise closed-loop adaptive control system with a built-in biocompatible “3D printed manifold & coupler” with HEPA filter (Highly Efficient Particulate Air Filter). These features help alleviate fear of virus spread. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pune-based National Institute of Virology Pune (NIV) developed Elisa based antibody testing kit for coronavirus COVID-19. ELISA test can process 90 samples together in a single run of two-and-a-half hours, and testing is easily possible even at the district level as the ELISA kit has an inactivated virus. There are also minimal biosafety requirements as compared to real-time RT-PCR test. Hyderabad Based DRDO Lab Research Centre Imarat (RCI) developed Defence Research Ultraviolet Sanitizer (DHRUVS), to sanitize mobile phones, laptops, iPads, passbooks, challans and paper (including currency notes). It provides 360-degree exposure to UV rays to the objects placed inside the cabinet. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control) are to conduct a sero survey, which will help to learn about the prevalence of COVID-19 infection. A Sero Survey is testing of blood serum of individuals and determine the presence of antibodies against COVID-19. DRDO Lab Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) handed over Mobile Microbial Containment (BSL-3) Laboratory ‘PARAKH’ to Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) to test samples of coronavirus (Covid-19). Chhattisgarh topped among states in terms of providing jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) amid nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, with 18.52 lakh labourers employed in Chhattisgarh. CSIR received approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for its two clinical trial drugs- “favipiravir” and “phytopharmaceutical”, to combat coronavirus. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) tied-up with Bharat Biotech International Ltd(BBIL), to develop 1st fully indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by using virus strain isolated at National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune. Indian Council for Medical Research began participation in Global Solidarity Trial of COVID-19 launched by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has launched four mega trials to test the efficiency and accuracy of four treatments - Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, Lopinavir-Ritonavir. CSIR and Ministry of AYUSH began clinical trials of four Ayurvedic drugs - Ashwagandha, Guduchi + Pippali, Yashtimadhu and AYUSH-64 (an ayurvedic anti-malarial drug). Delhi Police launched Thermal Corona Combat Headgear, in collaboration with Indian Robotics Solution (IRS). It can protect Police personnel from COVID-19, by detecting temperature from distance of 10-15 metres. Gujarat Based Macpower CNC Machines made India’s 1st indigenous hot air seam sealing machine used to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. It is used to seal seam of PPEs so that viruses cannot penetrate from the small pores and infect COVID-19 warriors. Under corona studies series published by NBT, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ e-launched 7 titles as print and e-edition, based on Psycho-Social impact of pandemic & lockdown and how to Cope With. Titles - Vulnerable in Autumn: Understanding the Elderly The Future of Social Distancing: New Cardinals for Children, Adolescents and Youth The Ordeal of Being Corona Warriors: An Approach to Medical and Essential Service Providers New Frontiers At Home: An Approach to Women, Mothers and Parents Caught in Corona Conflict: An Approach to the Working Population Making Sense of It All: Understanding the Concerns of Persons With Disabilities Alienation And Resilience: Understanding Corona Affected Families Interactive COVID-19 dashboard named as MIR AHD Covid-19 Dashboard has been developed by IIT Gandhinagar, which aims to provide key information to stakeholders and public in order to make research-backed decisions during crisis. US President Donald Trump announced that US will donate 200 ventilators to India, to help fight COVID-19. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Guwahati (NIPER-G) developed 2 products to help fight COVID-19. First is a 3D-printed hands-free object that can enable contactless operation of doors, windows, drawers etc. Second product is a 3D-printed antimicrobial face-shield to control the spread of novel coronavirus. Scientists at CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute Durgapur (CMERI) developed 2 mobile indoor Disinfection Sprayer units - Battery Powered Disinfectant Sprayer (BPDS) and Pneumatically Operated Mobile Indoor Disinfection (POMID). CSIR Partnered with Intel India and International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad to help achieve faster and less expensive COVID-19 testing and coronavirus genome sequencing to understand epidemiology and AI- based risk stratification for patients with comorbidities. University of Hyderabad (UOH) and CSIR Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) tied up with UOH- incubated Vins Bioproducts Limited, to develop antibody-based immunotherapy for immediate treatment for Covid-19 pandemic. Textiles Committee Mumbai has been named as 9th approved laboratory to certify Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) body coveralls produced in country for healthcare workers and other COVID-19 warriors. Textiles Committee has developed testing equipment namely Synthetic Blood Penetration Testing equipment. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) commercially launched Agappe Chitra Magna, a magnetic nanoparticle-based RNA extraction kit. Madhya Pradesh Police Initiated Charan Paduka Campaign, for migrant workers passing through the state. Migrant workers are provided with shoes and slippers to reduce their pain. India Post released a Special Postal Cover dedicated to the migrant workers with an objective of paying tribute to them. Five migrant workers were called upon from different sectors to release Special Postal Cover. South Central Railway zone developed a robotic device, “RAIL-BOT” (R-BOT) to assist in the functions of hospital management to provide better health care to the COVID patients. J&K Department of Information and Public Relations has started an initiative “SUKOON – COVID-19 Beat the Stress” programme. Ranchi district launched Tatpar program to help the migrant workers to get back to their native places on bus instead of tiresome travel by foot. India became second largest producer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with China at top. India is now producing 2.06 lakh PPE kits every day. Also, Textiles Committee recently launched Synthetic Blood Penetration Testing Equipment. This will help increase PPE testing potential of country. CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (Jammu) partnered with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to develop a new Reverse Transcriptase-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) based COVID-19 diagnostic kit. COVID-19 RT-LAMP test is a nucleic acid based test carried out from nasal/throat swab sample from patients. It is rapid (45-60 min), cost effective and accurate test. Power Ministry PSU REC Limited's CSR wing REC Foundation, partnered with TajSATS (a joint venture of IHCL and SATS Ltd) to distribute specially-made nutritious meal packets for medical staff in Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. REC Limited is a Navratna NBFC focusing on Power Sector Financing and Development across India. Indian Navy formed “NavRakshak” PPE kit with innovative breathable fabric material. Domestic flights resumed operations from May 25, after temporary pause due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Airports and Carriers will be following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by Ministry of Civil Aviaton. Hyderabad based Research Centre Imarat (RCI) of DRDO developed an Artificial Intelligence based Attendance application (AINA) which allows non-contact based personnel verification, using facial features of person in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Naval Dockyard Mumbai manufactured a UV sanitisation bay for sanitisation of worker's coveralls, tools, personal gadgets and masks, to control spread of coronavirus. It utilises UV-C light source for Germicidal Irradiation towards sterilising items. Goa Made COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory for entry into state. Mumbai based start-up has come up with world's first contactless Visitor Management Software called VAMS SafeGuard, with temperature scanner and mask detection. It uses AI, to allow entry of visitors, only who are only complying to all COVID protection measures. To prevent COVID-19 breakout within a healthcare facility, Kochi Based Devaditek Innovations Private Limited developed a multi-purpose decontamination device called ‘Lumos’ that can sanitize items ranging from N95 masks to vegetables by using UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) technology. Global - May 2020 - Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) launched a campaign called "#WeWillWin", as a tribute to health workers / professionals working amid COVID-19 pandemic. Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) isolated a key coronavirus antibody, as a significant breakthrough towards a possible treatment for Covid-19. It claimed that monoclonal neutralising antibody attacks and neutralizes the virus. Italy also claimed to have developed first COVID-19 vaccine. China completed successful trials of Its COVID-19 Vaccine on Monkeys, preparing for human Trials. US food and drug regulatory body allowed emergency use of Remdesivir, an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat Covid-19 patients. US Treasury department plans to borrow USD 2.9 trillion during April-June quarter to deal with coronavirus pandemic. This is 5 times of what US borrowed at peak of the 2008 financial crisis. United Nations launched 6.7 billion USD global appeal in order to fight against COVID-19, under Global Humanitarian Response Plan. Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) developed ‘iFeel-You’ bracelet for social distancing. It will help users respect social distancing rules. Slovenia becomes 1st nation in Europe to declare an official end to COVID-19 pandemic. World Health Organization will initiate independent review in handling COVID-19 pandemic, launching Resolution on COVID-19 response. Aim is to put an end to international blame game about origin of COVID-19. Approx 116 countries backed the resolution of independent review. India supported the Australia initiated resulution, while China opposed it. WHO also informed that spraying disinfectant on streets does not eliminate COVID-19 Virus, and can poses a health risk. Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) developed “i-Feel you”, an intelligent bracelet which will help users respect social distancing rules. Japan’s economy officially entered a recession, with two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, due to COVID-19 pandemic slowdown. World Health Organization suspended trials on the efficacy of drug Hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19, due to possible serious side effetcs in affected patients. 20. Kerala Government project K-FON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) will be implemented by December 2020, to link all houses / offices with optical fibre network. Cost is approx 1548 Crores. 21. Mizoram Govt granted industry status to sports, to invest more in sports in order to generate employment and increase value. 22. A Delimitation Commission formed under former SC judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, for states of J&K, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal, Nagaland. Delimitation for Jammu and Kashmir is to be carried out according to Jammu and Kashmir reorganization act. Previous delimitation for Jammu and Kashmir was done in 1995. Delimitation commission has been formed under Section 3 of Delimitation Act 2002. So far, 4 such delimitation commissions have been constituted - in 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002. Delimitation is process of fixing boundaries of constituency. Delimitation was suspended between 1976 and 2001, because govt was implementing policy of family planning in a full-fledged way during this period. 23. A dedicated monitoring opened under Mission Bhagiratha to invite grievances and issues of supply of drinking water, to address water scarcity during summer. Mission Bhagiratha is a safe drinking water project launched in Telangana, to provide drinking water to every village and city household. It will supply clean drinking water from the rivers Krishna and Godavari. Though the mission is named “Bhagirathi”, it does not Bhagirathi river. River Bhagirathi flows through Uttarkhand, not Telangana. 24. A rare palm from South Andaman Island has been re-planted in Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), to prevent its extinction. Rare palm is called Pinanga andamanensis and is a critically endangered species, with only 600 specimens of the species at present. It resembles areca palm and is used in preparing palm oil. 25. According to 1st NCAER Land Records and Services Index by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) - Madhya Pradesh (MP) named best performing state in terms of digitising land records, followed by Odisha and Maharashtra. UT of Ladakh ranked at bottom. 26. According to Mapping India’s Energy Subsidies 2020 by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) - India’s energy subsidies dropped 35% from Financial Year FY17 to FY19, while its oil and gas subsidies increased by 65%. Health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 will impact subsidy expenditure. 27. Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed MOU with IIT Delhi, Quality Council of India (QCI) and Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA). It aims to increase agricultural export potential of country. 28. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed MoU with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), to bring in better synergy in agricultural activities. It aims to link Farmer Producer Organization and farmer cooperatives with export value chain. SFAC will share clusters of farmers and grouping distributed in various states with APEDA. They will then work together to link up these farmers with export chain. 29. Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Promotion Development Authority (APEDA) has set up Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), to provide stimulus to global rice exports. 30. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched All India Agri Transport Call Centre, to facilitate inter-state movement of perishables in current situation of lockdown due to COVID-19 threat. Call Centre numbers are 18001804200 and 14488. Call Centers are Operated by IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL). 31. Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Gujarat Government launched a unique initiative called Umbare Aanganwadi (doorstep Aanganwadi) under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) programme, to reach out to children during lockdown. 32. Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ‘NIGHA’ app to ensure ‘clean and healthy’ elections by curbing use of money and alcohol in upcoming local body elections. 33. Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy has launched mobile application CMAPP (Comprehensive Monitoring of Agriculture, Price, and Procurement), aiming to monitor needs of farmers. It showcases all data relating to the cost, procurement, and marketing facilities of the farmers for their agriculture produce. 34. Andhra Pradesh CM Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy started Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme. Under this, fee reimbursement (15000-20000) will be credited to mothers’ accounts instead of college accounts in coming academic year 2020-21. 35. Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launched zero interest loan scheme for Women Self-Help Groups(SHGs),by releasing 1400 crores to 8.78 lakh SHGs. Each SHG will receive 20000 - 40000 towards interest component on their loans. Currently, SHG are securing loans from banks at an interest rate of 7 to 13%. The scheme was first launched by Former CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy in united Andhra Pradesh in 2011. But, after state bifurcation, it was stalled. 36. Arunachal Pradesh Assembly went paperless with implementation of e-Vidhan, a project under Digital India programme. It will enables MLAs to access all Assembly related information Online. 37. Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu inaugurated Daporijo bridge across Subansiri river (Brahmaputra tributary), constructed by Border Roads Organization (Also called Hangpan Dada Bridge). The bridge with great importance of linking roads leading to India-Arunachal Pradesh border, has been constructed in under a month. 38. As First such event, Supreme Court removed Manipur Minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh from state cabinet. Mr Shyamkumar won 2017 assembly elections, and Disqualification petitions were filed against him to speaker by other MLAs. When the issue was appealed to SC, It invoked Article 142 and has removed minister from the cabinet. Under Article 212, courts (including Supreme Court) cannot interfere in proceedings of Legislature of state. This has been over ruled by SC in this matter invoking Article 142. This is because, the matter was left unsolved by state assembly. 39. As per Global Report on Internal Displacement by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre - Over 5 million people displaced in India in 2019, highest in world. Around 33.4 million people faced displacements in the world due to conflicts and disasters, in 2019. 40. As per Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) Emissions of toxic CO2 declined in India, For the first time in four decades. It has happened due to economic slowdown and lockdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic. CO2 emissions in India fell by around 15% in March, and are likely to have fallen by 30% last month, year-on-year. Power and transportation sectors are the major contributors of CO2 pollution in the country. Thermal sector spewed out nearly 929 million tones of CO2 in a year. Earlier, International Energy Agency estimated that Global carbon emissions from fossil fuel industry could fall by a record 2.5bn tonnes this year, a reduction of 5%, as coronavirus pandemic triggers the biggest drop in demand for fossil fuels on record. 41. As per Internet and Mobile Association of India report, Number of internet users in rural India has surpassed Those in Urban India. Rural India had 227 million active internet users and urban India had 205 million internet users. This is the first time in Indian history the number of rural internet users have surpassed urban internet users. 42. As per Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, sown crop area of summer crops has increased by 36%, on yearly basis. Rise has been mainly observed in rice cultivation. In Madhya Pradesh, harvesting has increased by 95%, Rajasthan has increased by 85% and Uttar Pradesh by 65%. 43. As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy report Impact of Energy Efficiency Measures 2018-19 - Energy initiatives of BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) has helped save 89122 crores, saving 113 billion units of electricity. Schemes have also helped to reduce 151.74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. 44. As per a CRISIL report - Karnataka retained its 1st position in terms of total installed renewable capacity in FY20 (2019-20), with 15232 MW Capacity. Karnataka is followed by Tamil Nadu (14347 MW) & Gujarat (10586 MW). 45. As per report by Consulting firm MicroSave Consulting (MSC) titled The real story of women's financial inclusion in India - Government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana helped in raising women's ownership of bank accounts from 43 % in 2014 to 77 % in 2017. India succeeded in reducing gender gap in financial inclusion by 14 percentage points in three years (2014-17). 46. As per study by Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis - India has increased its potential of renewable energy investments to 500-700 billion USD, mainly because of improvements in solar power. Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan is the largest solar park in the world, spread over 14,000 acres, with capacity 2245 MW. In 2016, India had set target of setting up of 40 industrial solar parks with a capacity of 20GW. The target was doubled to 40 GW in 2022. India has target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy by 2021-22 and 275 GW by 2026-27. State of Renewable Energy in India - Under Paris Agreement, India had committed to achieve 40% of its total electricity generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. Although India ambitiously targets 57% of electricity capacity from renewable sources by 2027. By 2027, India aims to have 275 GW from renewable energy, 72 GW of hydroelectricity, 15 GW of nuclear energy and nearly 100 GW from “other zero emission” sources. Currently, India's renewable electricity capacity is approx 130.68 GW, which is 35.7% of total electricity generation capacity in India (366 GW). Out of 2021-22 Target of 175 GW Reneweble Electricity, 83 GW is operational as of now. 175 GW interim target Includes 100 GW of solar, 60 GW of wind, 10 GW of bio mass and 5 GW of small hydro. 47. Assam government launched a new scheme Dhanwantari, under which locally unavailable medicines are provided to patients at home. Medicines below 200 rupees will be provided free of cost to patients. 48. Assam government will construct 33 stadiums in the state under Uttaran scheme, costing 300 crores. 49. Bengaluru City Corporation launched “Pranavayu Programme” to create awareness about the respiratory health of citizens. It aims to help people in increasing oxygen level of people by themselves. COVID-19 stimulates breathing difficulties through chemical reactions. Virus binds itself with haemoglobin in Red Blood Cells. This is the main reason for disruption in respiratory process. 50. Bharti Airtel and Nokia signed agreement (approx 1 Billion USD) to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India, helping Airtel to enhance network capacity of its networks. The rollout will see around 3 lakh radio units deployed across several spectrum bands, by 2022. Nokia’s SRAN solution helps operators to manage their networks from one platform, reducing network complexity and increasing cost efficiencies. 51. Black rice of Manipur (Chak-Hao), Gorakhpur Terracotta (Uttar Pradesh), Kadalai Mittai of Kovilpatti (Tamil Nadu) and Kashmir Saffron received Geographical Indication tag. Black rice's colour is mainly due to anthocyanin agent, suitable for creating dessert, porridge. Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai is a pea nut candy made in southern parts of Tamil Nadu. Kashmir Saffron is long, thick and has natural deep red colour. Also, it has high aroma and is processed without adding any chemicals. Kashmir Saffron is the only saffron in the world that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 metres. 52. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Resumed work on strategic Atal Tunnel in the Pir Panjal ranges of Himachal Pradesh, which was halted for 10 days due to COVID-19 outbreak. 8.8 KM Long Atal Tunnel is being constructed since Manali-Sarchu-Leh road remains closed for six months every year due to Rohtang Pass being completely snowbound between November and May. Tunnel will connect Manali to Lahaul Valley throughout year and will reduce length of Manali-Rohtang Pass Sarchu-Leh road by 46 kilometres. 53. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed a new permanent bridge on river Ravi, measuring 484 meters, connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to rest of country. Earlier, The pontoon bridge used to be dismantled every year prior to Monsoon, or else it would have got washed away. 54. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened for traffic 360 feet long bailey suspension bridge over Teesta River in Munshithang near Chungthang town. 55. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Ministry of Power) launched star rating programme for Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC) and Deep Freezers, During its 19th foundation day event. Star Rating Programme was formulated by BEE under Energy Conservation Act 2001, with Around 24 appliances covered. Urja Dakshata Information Tool (UDIT) was also launched, as online platform that explains energy efficiency platform in India. 56. CRPF Signed MOU with a disability support NGO Aditya Mehta Foundation, to train its troops, who lost their limbs in operations, in various skills including cyber operations, artificial intelligence and para-sports 57. CSIR Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) developed Kisan Sabha App, to connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation management system. Amid COVID 19, farmers are looking for help in their harvest reaching market, seed/ fertilizer procurement, etc. A robust supply chain management is urgently required to facilitate the timely delivery of the produce at the best possible prices. 58. CSIR's National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune tied up with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to produce medical devices in view of COVID19 outbreak. Under joint venture, CSIR-NCL’s Venture Centre’s incubatee BMEK has developed hand held digital Infra Red (IR) thermometer and Oxygen Enrichment Unit (OEU). 59. Cabinet Approvals (Apr 06, 2020) - General - Decided not to operate Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years (2020-21 and 2021- 22), To help contain spread of COVID 19 by using these funds in managing adverse impact of COVID-19. Approved to cut salary of Prime Minister and other MPs by 30%. 60. Cabinet Approvals (Apr 22, 2020) - General - Approved to relax requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data beneficiaries of the States of Assam and Meghalaya and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for release of benefits to them under PM-Kisan Scheme upto 31st March, 2021. PM-KISAN Scheme was launched in February 2019, to provide income support of 6000 per year to all landholder farmer families across country with cultivable land. Approved investments to the tune of 15000 crores for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package', to be utilized in 3 Phases. For an immediate response, 7774 crores are sanctioned. Rest are to be utilised as medium- term support in 1 to 4 years. CCEA - Approved fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphaticand Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers for 2020-21 -

Per Kg Subsidy rates (in Rs.)

N P K S

18.789 14.888 10.116 2.374

CCEA also approved inclusion of a complex fertilizer namely Ammonium Phosphate (NP 14:28:0:0) under NBS Scheme. Expected expenditure for release of subsidy on P&K Fertilizers during 2020-21 will be 22186 crores. 61. Cabinet Approvals (Mar 13, 2020) - General Approvals - Approved releasing additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners, with effect from Jan 01, 2020. There will be an increase of 4 percent over existing rate of 17 % of Basic Pay/Pension. CCEA - Approved reconstruction plan for Yes Bank - State Bank of India (SBI) will buy 49 % stake of Yes Bank, investing 7250 Crores. HDFC Bank will invest 1000 crores, ICICI 1000 crores, Axis Bank 600 crores and Kotak Mahindra Bank will invest 500 crores. Troubled Yes Bank will be replaced in Nifty banking index by Bandhan Bank from March 27, 2020. Approved introducing Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP), under which a mechanism would be created for reimbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies, at central, state and local level, which are currently not being refunded. It aims to boost domestic industry and Indian exports providing a level playing field for Indian producers in International market so that domestic taxes/duties are not exported. Refunds under RoDTEP scheme would be a step towards “zero-rating” of exports, along with refunds such as Drawback and IGST. This would lead to cost competitiveness of exported products in international markets and better employment opportunities in export oriented manufacturing industries. As and when rates under RoDTEP Scheme are announced for a tariff line/ item, the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) benefits on such tariff line/item will be discontinued. Approved Rehabilitation and Upgradation of various National Highways covering total 780 kms in States of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. It involves investment of 7662 crores which includes a world bank loan component of 3500 crores (USD 500 Million). Approved proposal of Department of Fertilizers to remove ambiguities in Modified New Pricing Scheme -III (NPS-III) for determination of fixed costs for urea units. Modified NPS-III was notified on 2nd April, 2014. However, due to ambiguous language of the notification, it could not be implemented. Concerned decision will facilitate its smooth implementation which will result in grant of Additional Fixed Cost of Rs.350/MT to 30 urea manufacturing units. The approval will also grant the special compensation of Rs. 150/MT to urea units which are more than 30 years old and converted to gas. Approved Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2020 season. Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of milling copra - 9960 per quintal (from 9521). Ball copra - 10300 per quintal (from 9920) It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit as one of the important and progressive steps towards making possible doubling of farmers' incomes by 2022. 62. Cabinet Approvals (Mar 21, 2020) - MOUs - Approved signing and ratifying Extradition Treaty with Belgium. General - Approved inclusion of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre (AYUSH HWC) component of Ayushman Bharat in National AYUSH Mission (NAM). It requires expenditure of 3399 Crores (2209 Crores as Central Share and rest State share) for operationalization of AYUSH HWCs within 5 years. Ministry of AYUSH proposed following 2 models for operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres. Upgradation of existing AYUSH dispensaries (approximately 10,000) Upgradation of existing Sub Health Centres (SHCs) (approx. 2,500) Approved offering financial incentive of 25% of capital expenditure for manufacturing of goods that constitute supply chain of an electronic product under Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS). Scheme will help offset disability for domestic manufacturing of electronic components and semiconductors in order to strengthen electronic manufacturing ecosystem. Cost is approx 3285 crores. Approved assistance to Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC2.0) Scheme for development of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities through Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs). EMCs would aid growth of ESDM sector and help development of entrepreneurial ecosystem. Outlay of proposed EMC 2.0 Scheme is 3,762 crores. Scheme will create a robust infrastructure base for electronic industry to attract flow of investment in ESDM sector and lead to greater employment opportunities. Approved schemes on - Promotion of Medical Device Parks for financing Common Infrastructure Facilities in 04 Medical Device Parks with financial implications of Rs. 400 crore. Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promoting domesticmanufacturing of medical devices with financial implications of Rs. 3,420 crore. Approved schemes for - Scheme on Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks for financing Common Infrastructure Facilities in 3 Bulk Drug Parks with financial implication of Rs. 3,000 crore for next five years. Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical KSMs/Drug Intermediates and APIs in the country with financial implications of 6,940 crore for next eight years. Approved Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing - Scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five (5) years. Cost of proposed scheme is approx 40995 crores. It has direct employment generation potential of over 2,00,000 jobs over 5 years. Indirect employment will be about 3 times of direct employment as per industry estimates. CCEA - Approved engaging Maharashtra State Co operative Cotton Growers Marketing Federation Ltd. (MSCCGMFL) to undertake Minimum Support Price (MSP)operations in Maharashtra, as Sub-agent of Cotton Corporation of India during cotton years 2017-18 and 2018-19. CCEA also approved to reimburse losses to CCI and MSCCGMFL on sale of cotton procured under MSP operations during the cotton years (October to September) - 2017-18 and 2018-19 - 312 Crores 2014-15 and 2015-16 - 748 Crores 63. Cabinet Approvals (Mar 25, 2020) - MOUs - Germany - Railways General - Approved extra supply of food grains via rations shops, with monthly quota of subsidized food grains increased from 2 to 7 kg, to help people during lock down. This will benefit over than 80 crore people. Also, food will be at subsidized rates - wheat (2 per kg) and rice at 3 per kg. Approved continuation of Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) from April 2020 onward, until its merger with Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP). CCEA had earlier Approved introducing Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP), under which a mechanism would be created for reimbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies, at central, state and local level, which are currently not being refunded. It aims to boost domestic industry and Indian exports providing a level playing field for Indian producers in International market so that domestic taxes/duties are not exported. Refunds under RoDTEP scheme would be a step towards “zero-rating” of exports, along with refunds such as Drawback and IGST. This would lead to cost competitiveness of exported products in international markets and better employment opportunities in export oriented manufacturing industries. As and when rates under RoDTEP Scheme are announced for a tariff line/ item, the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) benefits on such tariff line/item will be discontinued. CCEA - Approved continuation of recapitalization of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) by providing minimum regulatory capital to RRBs for another year beyond 2019-20, that is, up to 2020-21 for those RRBs which are unable to maintain minimum Capital to Risk weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 9%, as per RBI norms. CCEA also approved utilization of 670 crore as central government share for scheme of Recapitalization of RRBs (50% of the total recapitalization support of Rs.1340 crore). As per RBI guidelines, RRBs have to provide 75% of their total credit under PSL (Priority Sector Lending). Approved taking up construction of Aligarh-Harduaganj flyover by Ministry of Railways, with Length 22 kilometer. The project is expected to be completed by 2024-25 at a cost of over Rs. 1285 crores. 64. Cabinet Approvals (Mar 4, 2020) - MOUs - Côte d’lvoire - Health General - Approved Foreign Investment in Air India Ltd by NRIs, who are Indian Nationals, upto to 100% under automatic route. Earlier, only 49% was available for sale to NRIs in Air India. Approved mega consolidation of 10 Public Sector Banks, w.e.f Apr 01, 2020 - Amalgamation of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank. It will create 2nd largest PSB with business of 17.95 lakh crores. Amalgamation of Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank. It will create 4th largest PSB with business of 15.20 lakh crores. Amalgamation of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India. It will create 5th largest PSB with business of 14.59 lakh crores. Amalgamation of Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank. It will create 7th largest PSB with business of 8.08 lakh crores. It would result in creation of 7 large PSBs with scale and national reach with each amalgamated entity having a business of over Rupees 8 lakh crores. Approved Companies (Second Amendment) Bill 2019 to amend Companies Act 2013 (72 Changes). It would remove criminality under the Act in case of defaults which can be determined objectively and which, otherwise, lack element of fraud or do not involve larger public interest. It would enable listing of Indian companies on stock exchanges in foreign jurisdictions, to increase competitiveness of Indian companies in terms of access to capital, broader investor base and better valuations. Amendment aims to recategorize 23 offences and omit 7 compoundable offences. Under the amendment, companies with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligation of less than Rs 50 lakhs need not constitute a CSR committee. Section 129 A introduced, that will file results of unlisted companies (under the act) on a periodic basis. This is to be done in additional to annual filing. 65. Cabinet Approvals (May 20, 2020) - General - Approved Sovereign portfolio guarantee of up to 20% of first loss for purchase of Bonds or Commercial Papers (CPs) with a rating of AA and below issued by NBFCs/ MFCs/Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) by Public Sector Banks (PSBs), through an extension of Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS). Cabinet also approved modifications in existing PCGS on purchase of pooled assets, increasing its coverage. Existing PCGS was issued on 11.12.2019 offering sovereign guarantee of up to 10% of first loss to PSBs for purchasing pooled assets worth rated BBB+ or above worth up to Rs. 1,00,000 crore, from financially sound NBFCs/ MFCs. COVID-19 outbreak has now necessitated adoption of additional measures to support NBFCs and HFCs - On the liabilities side by providing a sovereign guarantee to cover purchase of Bonds/CPs issued by NBFCs/HFCs as well as MFIs. Window one-time partial scredit guarantee will remain open till 31st March, 2021. Approved a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme Scheme for Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)for Unorganized Sector, with outlay of 10000 crores (shared by Centre and States in ratio of 60:40). Features Include - 2,00,000 micro-enterprises are to be assisted with credit linked subsidy. Scheme will be implemented over a 5 year period from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Cluster approach. Focus on perishables. Support to Individual micro units - Micro enterprises will get credit linked subsidy @ 35% of the eligible project cost with ceiling of Rs.10 lakh. Beneficiary contribution will be minimum 10% and balance from loan. On-site skill training & Handholding for DPR and technical upgradation Support to FPOs/SHGs/Cooperatives: - Grant for backward/ forward linkages, common infrastructure, packaging, marketing & branding. Skill training & Handholding support. Credit linked capital subsidy. Seed capital will be given to SHGs (@Rs. 4 lakh per SHG) for loan to members for working capital and small tools. Impact - 8 lakh micro- enterprises will benefit through access to information, better exposure and formalization. The project is likely to generate nine lakh skilled and semi-skilled jobs. Scheme envisages increased access to credit by existing micro food processing entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in the Aspirational Districts. Approval Extension of Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) by 3 years, up to 31st March 2023. Assured rate of return of 7.40 % per annum for 2020-21 per annum, to be reset every year. Annual reset of assured rate of interest with effect from April 1st of financial year in line with revised rate of returns of Senior Citizens Saving Scheme (SCSS), upto 7.75%, with fresh appraisal of scheme on breach of this threshold at any point. Expenditure to be incurred on account of the difference between the market rate of return generated by LIC and guaranteed rate of return under scheme. Capping Management expenses at 0.5% p.a. of funds of the scheme for first year of scheme in respect of new policies issued and thereafter 0.3% p.a. for second year onwards for next 9 years. Delegating authority to Finance Minister to approve annual reset rate of return at the beginning of every financial year. Minimum investment revised to Rs.1,56,658 for pension of 12000 per annum and 162162 for minimum pension of 1000 per month. About - PMVVY was announced by Government in May 2017, for senior citizens aged above 60 years. It provides pension upto 10 years, implemented by LIC. Approved implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), aimed at bringing about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector Components Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) have estimated investment of 20050 crores, with Central share of 9407 crores. It will be implemented for 5 years (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25). Central Sector Scheme - Entire cost will be borne by Central government. Wherever direct beneficiary oriented activities are undertaken by entities of central government, central assistance will be up to 40% of project cost for General and 60% for SC/ST/Women category. For Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), Project/unit cost will be shared between Centre and State as - North Eastern & Himalayan States - 90% Central share and 10% State share. Other States - 60% Central share and 40% State share. Union Territories - 100% Central share. Benefits Include - Address critical gaps in the fisheries sector and realize its potential. Augmenting fish production and productivity at a sustained average annual growth rate of about 9% to achieve a target of 22 million metric tons by 2024-25. Creation of critical infrastructure including modernisation and strengthening of value chain. Doubling of fishers, fish farmers and fish workers incomes by 2024 Approved allocation of foodgrains from Central Pool to approximately 8 crore migrants @ 5 kg per person per month (May and June, 2020) for two months free of cost. It would entail an estimated food subsidy of about 2,982 crores. Expenditure towards migants' intra-state transportation will be approx 127 crores. Approved proposal of Ministry of Finance to launch a new Special Liquidity Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) to improve liquidity position of the NBFCs/HFCs. There is no financial implication for Government until Guarantee involved is invoked. On invocation, ceiling of aggregate guarantee has been set at 30000 crores, to be extended by amount required. An SPV would be set up to manage a Stressed Asset Fund (SAF) whose special securities would be guaranteed by Government and purchased by RBI only. Proceeds of sale of such securities would be used by SPV to acquire short-term debt of NBFCs/HFCs. Unlike Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme which requires NBFCs to liquidate their current asset portfolio, the proposed scheme would be a one-stop arrangement between SPV and NBFCs without having to liquidate their current asset portfolio. It was announced in Budget Speech of 2020-21 that a mechanism would be devised to provide additional liquidity facility to NBFCs/HFCs over that provided through the PCGS. Appr0ved enabling additional funding of up to 3 lakh crores to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers by way of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). 100% guarantee coverage to be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers, in form of a Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL). Corpus of 41600 crores shall be provided by Government, spread over 4 financial years. Features - MSME borrowers with outstanding credit of up to 25 crore as on 29.2.2020, and with an annual turnover of up to 100 crores, are eligible for GECL funding under Scheme. Tenor of loan under Scheme shall be four years with moratorium period of one year on the principal amount. No Guarantee Fee shall be charged by NCGTC from Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) under the Scheme. Interest rates under the Scheme shall be capped at 9.25% for banks and FIs, and at 14% for NBFCs. Scheme would be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL during the period from the date of announcement of the Scheme to 31.10.2020, or till an amount of Rs 3 lakh crores is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier. Approved Jammu & Kashmir (Adaptation of State Laws) Second Order 2020 issued under section 96 of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019. It modified applicability of Domicile conditions to all level of jobs in UT of Jammu & Kashmir. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Approvals - Approved waiver of interest of 7.59 crores on Government loans of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL), in addition to Waiver of penal interest and interest on interest up to 31st March 2005, that was earlier approved by CCEA in March 2006. Approved methodology for auction of coal and lignite mines/blocks for sale of coal / lignite on revenue sharing basis and increasing tenure of coking coal linkage. This provides that bid parameter will be revenue share. The bidders would be required to bid for a percentage share of revenue payable to the Government. The floor price shall be 4% of the revenue share. Bids would be accepted in multiples of 0.5% of revenue share till percentage of revenue share is up to 10%, and thereafter in multiples of 0.25% of revenue share. It aims to make maximum coal available in the market at the earliest and it also enables adequate competition which will allow discovery of market prices for the blocks and faster development of coal blocks. Geological Reserves in mine (MT) Upper ceiling of Upfront Amount (Rs. cr) Upto 200 100 Above 200 500 66. Central Govt (On May 17) extended lockdown for two more weeks till May 31, giving gave some major relaxations, permitting almost all economic activities and significant public movement. States will be issuing seperate guidelines for most activities, as per their infection status. Curbs will continue in containment zones. COVID-19 Lockdowns so far In India - Mar 23 - Apr 14 (Phase 1), Apr 15 - May 4 (Phase 2), May 5 - May 17 (Phase 3), May 18 - May 31 (Phase 4). Movement of people will be prohibited between 7 pm and 7 am, except for essential activities. 67. Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) recommended that TB drugs such as Streptomycin and Tetracycline should be completely banned on crops. 9% of Streptomycin sulphate and 1% of tetracycline hydrochloride is used on crops, with Highest in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Currently, CIBRC allows use of Streptocycline drug in eight crops. However, it is now found that it is being used on more crops as pesticides. 68. Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) has been renamed as Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), a premier national institution under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. 69. Central Public Works Department issued guidelines to use air conditioners during ongoing summers, to help minimize spread of COVID- 19 - Temperature to be maintained between 24 - 30 Degree Celsius. Relative humidity should be maintained between 40% and 70%. T Mechanical exhaust air shall be 70% to 80% of fresh air quantity. 70. Chhattisgarh presented their Annual Action Plan for 2020-21 for consideration of Ministry of Jal Shakti, under Jal Jeevan Mission. It aims to provide adequate potable drinking water to every rural household of country by 2024, with budget 3.60 lakh Crores. Chhattisgarh has planned to have 100% Functional Tap Water Connection (FHTC) by 2023-24, with budget of 445 Crore for Chhattisgarh for 2020-21. Under JJM, Bihar plans to provide tap connections to every household in 2020-21 itself, with budget of 1832 Crores. 71. Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi stated that Coal India Limited will produce 710 million tonnes of coal in FY 21 (2020-21). It aimes to achieve 1 billion tonne coal production by 2023-24. 72. Coir Board signed MoU with IIT Madras, to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the application of Coir exclusively or in combination with other natural fibres. 73. Coir Geo textiles has been accepted as a good material for rural road construction, under PMGSY-III. It is a permeable fabric, natural, strong, highly durable, resistant to rots, moulds and moisture, free from any microbial attack. As per PMGSY new technology guidelines for road construction, 15% length in each batch of proposals, is to be constructed using new technologies. Out of this, 5% roads are to be constructed using IRC accredited technology. IRC has now accredited coir Geo textiles for construction of rural roads. 1674 km road will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles in 07 states. 74. Comptroller and Auditor General's report for 2017-18, stated that between 2014 and 2016, 40% of environmental crimes in India were from Rajasthan. Wildlife Crime Control units were not established in the state. Environmental crimes registered in country were over 15000, and those registered in Rajasthan were over 6000. 75. Construction Firm Larsen & Toubro received a contract from Indian Army,for setting up an advanced IT-enabled system to operate Armed Forces network under the Network of Spectrum (NFS). 76. DRDO's Delhi Based Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC)dreveloped an Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection of high infection prone areas, named UV blaster. UV Blaster is useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods. 77. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed MoU with Amazon for e marketing of products made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) across country in urban areas, With an underlying narrative of women empowerment. 78. Department of Science and Technology (DST) initiated a COVID -19 Indian National Supermodel to help monitor future transmission of infection. As part of this initiative, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and IISc, Bangalore will co-ordinate to connect and work with all COVID-19 modeling projects and programs in the country. 79. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched GARUD (Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones), to assist state entities to obtain exemptions from central government to operate drones for COVID-19 purposes. The portal is significant as several state entities are deploying drones to disinfect public places. 80. Environment Ministry cleared proposal for new Parliament Complex at 922 crores. According to CPWD, Parliament was constructed 93 years ago and building a new building is of utmost importance. Central Vista Redevelopment project aims to build a triangular parliament building. It will revamp 3-km long Raj Path from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. Central Vista houses Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, North and South Block and National Archives. Parliament House was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens and secretariat that includes north and south block was designed by Herbert Baker. 81. Facebook announced a call for applications for its CSR initiative, Facebook Pragati - powered by N/Core (The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation). It will incubate and accelerate, early stage women led non-profits in areas of women entrepreneurship. 82. Finance Minister announces several initiatives to boost Education Sector - Initiative called PM e-VIDYA will be launched which unifies efforts related to digital education. It includes DIKSHA (one nation-one digital platform) which will become nation’s digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content in school education. TV (one class-one channel) where one dedicated channel per grade for each of the classes 1 to 12 will provide access to quality educational material. Study material for differently abled developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website. Manodarpan initiative launched to provide psychosocial support to students, teachers and families. Government is expanding e-learning in higher education , by liberalizing open, distance and online education regulatory framework. Top 100 universities will start online courses. Also, online component in conventional Universities and ODL programmes will also be raised from present 20% to 40%. It has been decided to prepare a new National Curriculum and Pedagogical Framework for school education, teacher education and early childhood stage to prepare students and future teachers as per global benchmarks. A National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission will be launched, for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy in Grade 3. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriya Nishank stated that remaining exams of CBSE X and XII will be conducted between July 1-15, 2020. 83. First 12000 HP made in India Locomotive, manufactured by Madhepura Electric Loco Factory situated in Bihar, has been operationalized by Indian Railways. It has been developed Under Make in India Initiative, Assisted by French Firm Alstom. Loco is named WAG12 with Number 60027. Train departed from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Station. India became 6th country in to join elite club of producing high horse power locomotive indegenously. It is the first time, high horse power locomotive has been operationalised on broad gauge track in the world. These locomotives are IGBT based, 3 phase drive, 9000 KW (12000 horse power) electric locomotive. The locomotive is capable of maximum tractive effort of 706 kN, capable of running a 6000 T train in gradient of 1 in 150. Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL) will manufacture 800 State of the Art 12000 HP Electric Freight Locomotives in 11 years. 84. First instance of African swine fever has been reported in India, with over 2500 Pigs killed by it in Assam. This does not pose a public health threat, as the disease does not spread to humans. 85. Five more states (Bihar, UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Daman and Diu) integrated with 'one nation, one ration card' scheme. On 1st January 2020, 12 States were integrated amongst eachother and now 17 States are on Integrated Management of PDS. Under 'one nation, one ration card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any fair-price shop in the country. Ration card will be issued by states with 10-digit standard ration card number, with First two digits depicting state. 86. Flying car-maker PAL-V of The Netherlands will set up a manufacturing plant in Gujarat, aiming to commence production by 2021. PAL-V stands for Personal Air Land Vehicle. PAL-V can run at a speed of 160 kilometres on road and can fly at a speed of 180 kms. The car can turn into a flying vehicle in just three minutes and cover a distance of 500 km on a full tank. 87. GMR Airports Limited received Letter of Award for development and operations of Bhogapuram Greenfield International Airport in Andhra Pradesh. It involves building and maintenaning Bhogapuram International Airport for 40 years, extendable by 20 years. 88. General Conferences (Mar 1-10, 2020) Week-long festival called EKAM FEST was organized by NHFDC (National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation) in New Delhi, to promote products of Divyang artisans and entrepreneurs. Kerala government will offer safe abodes for couples who married across religion and castes, named ‘Safe Homes’. Google announced to open its next cloud region of India at Delhi by 2021, as 2nd second cloud region of Google after Mumbai. Google has 22 cloud regions in Asia Pacific. 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 based on theme Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming, held in New delhi. Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2020 also held in New Delhi. Competition Commission of India organised the Fifth National Conference on Economics of Competition Law in New Delhi. Home minister Amit Shah inaugurated National Security Guard (NSG) Regional Hub campus at Kolkata (West Bengal). Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment, Santosh Gangwar launched a mobile application named ‘Fuel Humsafar’ for delivery of diesel at doorsteps of Housing societies, hotels and hospitals in national capital region. Student Health Card scheme has been launched in UT of Jammu and Kashmir, to check malnutrition in school going children and to ensure good health of every school going children. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over security of Jammu airport, after Srinagar Airport recently. It will now take ovewr Leh airport soon. These three airports have been under J&K Police and CRPF so far. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched 1000 Spring Initiatives and Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe Representatives in Local Self Governments in Bhubhaneswar. Indian Army's PRAGYAN CONCLAVE 2020 Seminar organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) in New Delhi. Punjab government prohibited online supply of food from Food Business Operators (FBOs) not possessing hygiene rating. IIT Mandi along with Enabling Women of Kamand (EWOK) Society signed a tripartite agreement with National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD), for collaboration on setting up 3 Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) in Himachal Pradesh’s (HP) Mandi district. India Pharma 2020 & India Medical Device 2020 Conference & Exhibition held at Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat). Namaste Orchha festival held in Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), to create new opportunities to promote rich cultural heritage of state. New Delhi hosted 35th edition of AAHAR - Food and Hospitality fair organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). 10 day Attaukal Ponkala festival held in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) , considered as one of world's largest religious gathering of women. Historic City Chowk in old Jammu renamed as ‘Bharat Mata Chowk’. 2 day Nimad Chilli Festival 2020 held at Kasrawad in Khargone district (Madhya Pradesh). Major national event for 6th International Day of Yoga is will be held at Leh (capital of UT of Ladakh), on June 21. 89. General Conferences (Mar 11-20, 2020) - Hola Mohalla festival celebrated at Anandpur Sahib (Punjab), a Sikh festival celebrated in month of Phalguna, a day after Holi. Uttar Pradesh Government passed ordinance Recovery of Damages to public and private property ordinance 2020, to deal with violent acts and control its persistence. It will also provide recovery of public and private property damages. Governor of a state can pass ordinance under Article 213, and promulgate the ordinance without permission of President. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) inaugurated ROPAX service from Bhaucha Dhakka (Mumbai) to Mandwa, Alibag in Maharashtra. ROPAX service is a ‘Water Transport Service Project’, under Eastern Waterfront Development. Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) entered Limca Book of Records (LBR) for establishing India’s First Living Culinary Arts Museum at WGSHA, Manipal, Karnataka. Renovated Animal Memorial for mules and horses of Indian Army unveiled in Bengaluru. It was Erected in 2006, as first of its kind animal memorial in Asia. Kerala will launch a digital literacy drive I am also digital, to create public-awareness about e-governance and use of various digital platforms through which wide ranges of services are delivered. On 35th Inception Day of National Crime Records Bureau, Crime Multi-Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) and National Cybercrime Training Center (NCTC) were launched in New Delhi. 6th edition of Economic Times Global business summit held in New Delhi. UNGCNI (United Nations Global Compact Network India) organized 3rd edition of its Gender Equality Summit 2020 with theme “India Inc. For Generation Equality: Decade of Action, in New Delhi. An exhibition titled “Jallianwala Bagh” held in New Delhi, on occasion of 130th Foundation Day of National Archives of India (NAI). Government approved renaming Amin village as Abhimanyupur in Kurukshetra district of Haryana as per request of State government. Department of Posts(DoP) launched free digital parcel locker service in 2 post offices in Kolkata Circle, as First such event. Under this, customers will be able to collect their parcel from post office according to their convenience. Maharashtra Government approved implementation of happy hours for auto rickshaws, reducing 15% of fare prices from 12 pm to 4 pm, as recommended by Khatua panel. Tamil Nadu government hosted first-ever regional event Divya Kala Shakti: Witnessing the abilities in disabilities a unique cultural in Chennai. 11th Bengaluru India Nano conference and exhibition Held in Bangalore, showcasing technologies / products developed in nanotechnology. 90. General Conferences (Mar 21 - 31, 2020) - Gujarat Police became first in India, to procure taser guns as a part of their modernization drive to ensure public safety and security. Taser guns (electrical weapon) use compressed nitrogen to fire, by sending electricity through attached wires, which disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Himachal Pradesh government launched Police Station Visitor Survey System and e-Night Beat Checking System for Himachal police. These would help Police in doing self-evaluation and improve working. India and France, For the first time, conducted joint patrols from Reunion Island, onboard a P-8I aircraft. 91. General Conferences (May 11-20, 2020) - Ministry of Human Resources Development launched a new mobile application called “National Test Abhyas”, developed by National Testing Agency. It aims to help candidates to take mock tests for exams such as JEE Mains, NEET, etc. Ministry of Defence approved procurement of 26 defence items to boost “Make in India” initiative, done through amendment of Public Procurement Order 2017. Number of beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat Yojana crossed 1 crore. Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY) was launched in 2018. It provides an insurance cover of Ts 5 lakh per annum per family. Lieutenant Commander Akshay Kumar of Southern Naval Command has been awarded Vice Admiral G.M. Hiranandani Memorial Rolling Trophy for 2020. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced that MHRD regularized retrospectively certain Teacher Education Programmes being conducted by some Central and State Govt Institutions. These programmes were being conducted without any formal recognition from National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Computer Emergency Response of Team (CERT) issued warning against a new malware called “EventBot”, which steals personal financial information from Android phone users. NIT Kurukshetra implemented SAMARTH scheme of Ministry of Human Resources and Development, developed under National Mission in Education through ICT. Platform will provide information to strengthen the productivity through better information management. 92. General Conferences (May 21 - 31, 2020) - In Ladakh, first Solar Lift Irrigation Plant of Kargil has been launched, with 5 KW Solar Plant and three HP Submersible Pump at Yak Breeding Farm. It ains to solve shortage of water to irrigate and drinking water. Ministry of Labour and Employment under its National Career Service (NCS) project started offering free online “Career Skills Training” in partnership with TCS ION for its registered job-seekers. Flagship programme of Ministry of Minority Affairs ‘Hunar Haat’ will restart with theme of “Local to Global” from September 2020. It is a platform for artisans and craftsmen from various parts of the country to showcase their art and craft. Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari made certain modifications in Section 6 of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006. Aim to provide justice to tribals whose b Forest rights have been rejected by District Level Committee(DLC) constituted under FRA. Provision has been incorporated to enable rightful claimants of forest rights to appeal against Order of the DLC. National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) organised a virtual tour to commemorate the 115th Birth Anniversary of iconic artist Ramkinkar Baij. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan Award by Government in 1970. Song titled ‘Jayatu Jayatu Bharatam – Vasudev Kutumbakkam’ has been released, penned by Prasoon Joshi and composed by Shankar Mahadevan. It includes 211 singers incuding legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. Uttar Pradesh Government will implement Herbal Roads Project in a stretch of 800 km in state. State government is to plant trees that have medicinal values on either sides of the roads. Department of Posts, Department of Horticulture, Government of Bihar partnered to supply ''Shahi Lichi'' & "Zardalu Mango" to people at doorstep. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman attended Special Board of Governors meet of BRICS New Development bank through video conference. Heads of Tax authorities of BRICS Nations also met through video conference. 6 States that form western ghats (Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu) urged central govt to expedite notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) pertaining to Western Ghats. Government had formed a high-level working group under Dr. Kasturirangan to converse and protect the bio diversity of Western Ghats. Committee recommended declaring identified geographical areas falling under six states as Ecologically Sensitive Areas. An accelerator programme H.A.C.K has been launched by Karnataka’s Centre of Excellence in cyber security (CySecK), comprising of 21 start-ups on board across three cohorts - 10x cohort, 0-1 cohort and virtual cohort. 93. General News / Events / Conferences (Apr 1-10, 2020) - Online delivery platform Dunzo tied up with packaged foods company Britannia to deliver range of products to its customers, during CCOVID-19 Lockdown and further. MHRD, AICTE and Forge and InnovatioCuris launched online challenge - SAMADHAN - to test the ability of students to innovate, enabling students to suggest measures for tackling COVID-19. Jan Aushadhi Sugam App has been launched, that can be used to locate nearest Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra, established under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJAP). These kendras provide essential medicines at affordable prices. Indian Railways ' West Bengal Based Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has set Limca Book of Records for producing record 431 locomotives in FY 2019-20 (FY20) in 292 working days. It is 2.15 times its installed capacity of 200 locomotives per year. 94. General News / Events / Conferences (Apr 11-20, 2020) Government launched Fit India Active Day Programme, under Fit India Initiative. It aims to make sure children practice fitness even when they stay home. Ministry of Tourism launched Dekho Apna Desh webinar, to cater in-depth information about tourist destinations in country. Ahmedabad railway station at Kalupur (Western Railway) became 1st station of Indian Railways to install a “Walk Through Mass Sanitizing Tunnel”, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched a week-long ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign, for crowd sourcing of ideas to improve online education ecosystem of India. Food Bank initiative is introduced by Imphal East District Administration in Manipur, to provide immediate aid in the form of free food to poor and needy who are facing scarcity of essential commodities due to lockdown. Google launched a virtual Braille keyboard for Android users with low vision or blindness, to enable these people to type on their phones without additional hardware. To overcome delays and swift delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and masks, DRDO shifted its testing facility from Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE) Gwalior to Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS) Delhi. National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Hyderabad field office is training over 28 lakh community leaders through online programs to practice social behaviours required to control transmission of COVID-19 cases in villages. 95. General News / Events / Conferences (Apr 21 - 30, 2020)- All India Institute of Ayurveda and Delhi Police organised AYURAKSHA programme for Delhi Police personal, to fight against coronavirus. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) launched an e-office application named ‘e-karyalay’, to enable movement of files without physical touch. Paistan Hosted video conference of SAARC Health Ministers, on COVID-19. Health and Family welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan participated in Virtual interactive session with Health Ministers of member countries of World Health Organization (WHO), on measures being taken against COVID-19. Uttar Pradesh became 1st state with a software-based in-house facility of virtual courts, for hearing cases through video conferencing. Madhya Pradesh government launched Jivan Shakti Yojana for women. Under this, women in urban areas can earn by making masks at home. The government will pay them Rs 11 per mask. Madhya Pradesh government als launched ‘Jeevan Amrit Yojana’, to boost immune system of people to fight (COVID-19) disease. Under this, state government will freely distribute an ayurvedic product called ‘Trikut Churna’, prepared by AYUSH Department of state. Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority (JKSLSA) launched helpline under Serve-the-Seniors Initiative, to help senior citizens who live alone. Supreme Court held that it is quantity of the entire banned drug mixture and not its purity which will determine the punishment for an offender under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Making the law more stringent. Indian IT Company NIIT (National Institute of Information Technology)'s US subsidiary signed a managed service agreement with a US-based education technology (EdTech) company. Rajasthan Govt launched a project ‘SMILE’ in order to ensure that continuity of learning amid Covid-9 lockdown. Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano had longest eruption, since its explosive collapse in 2018. Haryana Govt launched ‘Sampark Baithak’ app for primary students. 96. General News / Events / Conferences (May 1-10, 2020) - Government will implement a new Agro MSME policy, to focus entrepreneurship in rural, tribal, forest and agricultural areas. NITI Aayog launched a campaign in association with Piramal Foundation to protect senior citizens during COVID-19, titled Surakshit Dada-Dadi & Nani-Nani Abhiyan. PM Narendra Modi participated in online Summit of Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group, under theme United against COVID-19. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide Ministry for Road Transport & Highways has set a target of constructing roads worth Rs 15 lakh crore in next two years. Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh presented awards to winners of Startup India-Animal Husbandry Grand Challenge, felicitating 12 startups with 1.02 Crores. TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Art Of Living Foundation (AOL) have signed MoU to collaborate in respective programmes of each organisation for promoting Tribal Enterprises. Ministry of Agriculture will launch farmers’ movement to integrate soil nutrient management. It will include soil testing and campaigns addressing the importance of application of fertilizers based on reports of soil testing, covering over 1 lakh villages. Madhya Pradesh became 1st state to provide mid-day meal ration. To provide mid-day meal to school children in corona outbreak, 117 crores are transferred to bank account of parents. Also, under door-to-door mid-day meal scheme, ration has also been provided to over 55 lakh children. Jharkhand government banned 11 brands of Pan Masala (containing Magnesium Carbonate) for 1 year in state. Germany classified organization Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under Ministry of Jal Shakti and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) organized an IDEAthon on “The future of River Management’, to explore how the COVID-19 crisis can shape River Management strategies. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched integration of 177 mandis with National Agriculture Market (eNAM), taking number of eNAM mandis across country to 962. 97. Ghojadanga (West Bengal) and Agartala (Tripura) are designated as land immigration check posts, under Passport rules 1950, on Indo- Bangladesh border. 98. Google introduced DigiPivot, a skilling programme designed for women looking to return to their corporate careers after a break or simply planning to make mid career shifts to digital marketing. 99. Government Invoked Disaster Management Act 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, to control and mitigate coronavirus outbreak. Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 was first enacted to tackle bubonic plague in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in former British-occupied India. The law is meant for containment of epidemics by providing special powers that are required for the implementation of containment measures to control the spread of the disease. Disaster Management Act aims ensure prices regulation and availability of Surgical and protective mask, Hand sanitizer and Gloves. Govt also brought masks and hand sanitizers under Essential Commodities Act. 100. Government approved airlines companies operating in India to provide in-flight wi-fi services to its passengers upon permission from pilot. However, while using Wi-Fi, passengers’ gadgets must be on flight mode. Vistara will be first airline to use the same. 101. Government began Vandhe Bharat Mission, considered as one of biggest evacuation exercises. It aims to bring over 15000 stranded Indians back to Home. Evacuees are to compulsorily download Aarogya Setu application and will be kept under quarantine for 14 days. Vandhe Bharat Mission is to be led by Air India. Earlierm in 1990, Air India had conducted similar mission. Around 111711 Indians were air lifted from Gulf after Iraq invaded Kuwait. 102. Government brought Cauvery Water Management Authority(CWMA) under Jal Shakti Ministry, which was earlier under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. 103. Government brought in ordinance to end violence against doctors and health care workers, provisioning jail for 6 months to 7 years for the same and fine up to 5 lakhs. Ordinance will make amendment to Epidemic Disease Act 1897, for this to take effect. Also, Govt made Epidemic Act a concurrent act, allowing state governments to take actions as well. 104. Government declared National Chambal Sanctuary as Eco-Sensitive Zone, which is home to Gangetic Dolphins and critically endangered Gharials. As an Eco Sensitive Zone, construction of resorts, hotels or other residential and industrial activities are prohibited. 105. Government extended lockdown for another two weeks, from May 4 till May 17, under Disaster Management Act 2005. It has been decided amid rising spread of Coronavirus across country. As per revised lockdown guidelines, several activities have been earmarked as prohibited / allowed, depending on zone they fall under (Red/Orange/Green). Red Zones are districts which are reporting considerable number of COVID-19 Infections. Most Activities are not allowed, except delivery of key items and essential services. Orange Zones are districts which reported considerable number of COVID-19 Infections in past. Allowed Activities - Taxi Services will be allowed to operate in Orange Zone with condition of only 1 drive and 1 passenger per car. Inter-district Movement of vehicles and individuals will be allowed, for permitted activities only. 4-wheelers can have 2 passengers, while 2-wheelers may carry 1 passenger per vehicle. Delivery of non-essential goods by e-commerce companies. Green Zones are districts which have not yet reported any COVID-19 Infections, so far. All activities will be permitted except for limited activities that have been prohibited across nation, irrespective of the zone. Buses will be allowed to operate with upto 50 % seating capacity. To fight virus more efficiently, control rooms have been set up in smart cities, designed by private firm Honeywell. It uses artificial intelligence and camera feeds to monitor the city. Liquor shops have been opened in all Zones. Delhi Govt imposed Special Corona Fee of 70%, on Liquor. Also, Telangana Govt Extended Lockdown in the state till May 29. 106. Government launched Krishi Rath application, to help farmers to transport their agriculture produce to mandis. Farmer has to post quantity of agricultural produce he wishes to transport, to get availability of truck and price quote for load, from transport aggregators. 107. Government launched National Migration Information System to facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workers traveling across country, developed by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on existing NDMA-GIS portal. States will upload Migrants data on the dashboard, enabling tracking of Migrant movements during COVID-19. 108. Govt approved 365 crores for constructing a new Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sabroom (South Tripura district). This will be second ICP along the Indo-Bangla border in state after Akhaura ICP. Also, Recently in Dec 2019, Government had approved first SEZ (Special Economic Zone) of Tripura at Sabroom, with primary focus on agro-based food processing. As per rules, minimum of 25 hectares of land is required to set up a new SEZ in the North Eastern States. The SEZ is expected to generate 12,000 skiled jobs. 109. Govt approved updated Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Ujh multipurpose Project (MPP) on river Ujh, main tributary of river Ravi in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, at estimated cost of 9167 crores. Proposal is modified, with inclusion of additional culturable command area (CCA) of 23973 hectares beyond scope of already approved project. Earlier, CCA to be irrigated was proposed as 16743 Ha, with proposed irrigation intensity of 187 %. DPR of Ujh project was declared as a national project in 2008 and was prepared by Indus Basin Organisation of Central Water Commission in 2013. 116 metre high dam is proposed at river with full reservoir level (FRL) at 608 metre. Proposed dam site is Barbari village about 1.6 km downstream of Panchtirthi. 110. Govt initiated Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship programme (MGNF) in Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bengaluru, as part of SANKALP (Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) programme, to boost skill development at district level. IIMB will train 75 graduates for two years in preparing District skill plan. Candidate will receive stipend of 50,000 - 60000 per month during 2 Year program. 111. Govt. allowed conversion of surplus rice available with Food Corporation of India (FCI), to be converted to ethanol for utilization in making alcohol-based hand-sanitizers and in blending for Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, under National Policy on Biofuels, 2018. 112. Govt. approved proposals of Information technology (IT) major TCS and Real Estate Major DLF Limited, to establish a special economic zones (SEZs) for IT sector in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana respectively. TCS proposed to establish an IT/ITeS SEZ in Noida (Uttar Pradesh), over 19.9 hectare at a cost of 2433 crores. DLF proposed to establish 2 SEZs in Haryana with investments of 794 crores and 761 crores. Government has so far cleared 417 such zones in India, with 238 active as of now. 113. Govt. released code for Android version of contact tracing app Aarogya Setu, on open-source code repository Github. Government also rolled out a bug bounty programme, promising a reward of 1 lakh for those who discover bugs or loopholes in app. Aarogya setu has appprox 11.5 Crore users, most for any contact tracing app anywhere in world. 114. Gujarat government launched 3rd edition of the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan to prepare water bodies before monsoon. Since Its launch in 2018, Water storage capacity has increased by 2.3 billion cubic feet . It works on a PPP model,with government contributing 60% and remaining by people. 115. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced various amendments in Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme, to boost research in country. For students (other than IISc/ IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIEST/CF IIITs), requirement of GATE Score is reduced to 650 from 750 apart from minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent. Now there will be two channels of entries - direct / lateral. In lateral entry, students, who are pursuing PhD in PMRF granting institutions (completed 12 months or 24 months as per certain requirements) can also apply to become fellow under scheme. NITs, which appear in top 25 institutions as per NIRF Ranking, can also become PMRF Granting institution. To boost research, a dedicated Division is being created in ministry with name Research and Innovation Division. 116. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched Central University of Odisha Helpline Bharosa and Helpline Number 08046801010, To relieve distress of student community during COVID-19 pandemic. It aims at providing Cognitive Emotional Rehabilitation Services to all University Students of Odisha. 117. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” launched a web-portal YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation), as a unique portal and dashboard to monitor efforts and initiatives of MHRD. 118. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal'Nishank' e-launched VidyaDaan 2.0 program, for inviting e-learning content contributions, due to increasing requirement for e-learning content for students. It is specially significant amid Covid- 19 outbreak. 119. Health & Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan dedicated COBAS 6800 testing machine to nation, at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). It is first such testing machine that has been procured by Government for testing of COVID-19 cases. NCDC has been equipped with COBAS 6800, a fully automated, high end machine for performing real time PCR testing COVID-19. COBAS 6800 can test around 1200 samples in 24 hours. 120. Health & Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan launched AYUSH Sanjivani App and two AYUSH based studies related to COVID-19 situation. AYUSH Sanjivani app will help generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among population and its impact in prevention of COVID 19. It will aim to reach out to a 50 lakh people. 2 Studies were also launched - Clinical research studies on Ayurveda interventions as prophylaxis and as an add-on to standard care to COVID 19. Population based interventional studies on impact of AYUSH based prophylactic interventions. 121. Himachal Pradesh Cabinet will start Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna. Under it, 120 days assured employment will be provided to people in urban areas. Cabinet also decided to provide assistance of 2,000 to 1 lakh workers registered under Building and Other Construction Workers Board. 122. Himachal Pradesh Government launched new programme called Nigah, which aims at educating family members that are coming from other parts of country. Under Nigah Programme, ASHA, anganwadi and health workers will be deployed to create awareness about maintaining social distancing during home quarantine. Health workers will sensitize members of families that are arriving from other states. 123. Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry informed that for Assessment year 2019-20, 6 cities are certified as 5-Star (Ambikapur, Rajkot, Surat, Mysuru, Indore and Navi Mumbai), 65 cities as 3-Star and 70 cities as 1-Star, under results of Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities. Star Rating Protocol was launched by Ministry in January 2018 to institutionalize a mechanism for cities to achieve Garbage Free status, and to motivate cities to achieve higher degrees of cleanliness. 124. IIT Hyderabad collaborated with Hong Kong based New Frontier Capital Management, to establish a global network for ventures as well as to create a venture ecosystem. Aim is to promote innovation, research and incubation. 125. IIT Kanpur and L&T Technology Services collaborated to carry out joint research in industrial and infrastructure cybersecurity, by setting up a Center of Excellence (CoE) at IIT Kanpur campus. 126. IIT Madras will organize India’s first Global Hyperloop Pod Competition in July 2020, to increase awareness and enthusiasm about Hyperloop in India. Hyperloop is 5th mode of transportation, a high-speed train that travels in a near-vacuum tube. The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach speeds of more than 1000 km/h. 127. IIT Mandi will establish a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM- ICPS), costing 7.25 crores. 128. India Observatory launched a GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India (Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group) in collaboration with Anand-based Forest Ecological Security(FES), to help plan urgent steps to get stranded migrant population to safety & care. 129. India tightened curbs on import of refined palm oil by putting more conditions for inbound shipments. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGTF) imposed restrictions on imports of refined palm oil, as per which - Import authorisation - Importer have to seek a license or permission or no-objection certificate for imports. Applications for import authorisation should be accompanied with pre-purchase agreement and details of import for past 3 years. Validity period of import licenses/authorizations for refined palm oil will be 6 months, in place of usual 18 months. Rules of origin criteria - Customs will enforce rules of origin criteria for import of these items originating from Nepal and Bangladesh. Rules of origin certificate is a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements. An exporter has to submit a 'certificate of origin' at the landing port of the importing country (in case of refined palm oil it will be Indian ports). This certificate is essential to prove where the goods come from. Facts - India is world's largest importer of vegetable oils, buying 15 million tonne annually. Of this, palm oil comprises 9 million tonne and the rest 6 million tonne is soybean and sunflower oil. Indonesia and Malaysia are the two countries which supply palm oil. 130. Indian Air Force and Savitribai Phule Pune University signed academic collaboration by signing a MOU to establish a 'Chair of Excellence' at Department of Defence & Strategic Studies of University, named Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Chair of Excellence. 131. Indian Council of Agricultural Research signed MOU with Patanjali Bio Research Institute (Haridwar). Under this, specific work plans will be developed to work on collaborative research programmes in areas sustainable agriculture development. 132. Indian Meteorological Department began to include Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh and Muzaffarabad into its meteorological sub-division of Jammu and Kashmir. Change came after Pakistan Government decided to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan. On April 30, Supreme court of Pakistan allowed to set up a caretaker government in Gilgit-Baltistan region and conduct provincial assembly elections. 133. Indian Oil Corporation will be first company to start supplying BS-VI fuel across India through its over 28000 fuel pumps. Government has set 01st April 2020 as deadline to start supply of BS-VI emission compliant fuels. BS (Bharat Stage)-VI grade fuel is world’s cleanest fuel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur. 134. Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) with support from Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation is developing a 1st of its kind “Form Based Codes” for development of railway land. It will enable the desired kind of development around station areas. 135. Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced to run a special train ‘Shri Ramayana Express’, which will cover all pilgrimage sites associated with Lord Rama, under a 17 days tour. 136. Indian Science Congress association announced that Pune will host annual session of 108th Indian Science Congress in January 2021,with theme Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment. Vijay Laxmi Saxena is elected general president of Indian Science Congress 2020-21. 137. Indian airline SpiceJet signed pact with GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Limited (GHUSL), enabling SpiceJet to set up warehousing, distribution and trading facility in aerospace and industrial park of GMR Hyderabad International Airport. 138. India’s Public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati rolled out a new channel called DD Retro, specifically dedicated to old classics of Doordarshan. It has been launched by Prasar Bharti in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. 139. India’s epic mythological saga of 1980s, ‘Ramayan’ created the world record of Highest Viewed Entertainment Programme Globally. On 16th April, 2020, it was watched by 7.7 crore viewers globally. 140. Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala developed an AI Semantic search engine to enable researchers to get deeper insights into scientific studies, especially when they need to find an early solution to COVID-19 crisis. URL is vilokana.in, which in Sanskrit means 'finding out'. 141. J&K administration notified J&K grant of domicile certificate procedure rules 2020 and set a fast track process in motion to issue certificates within 15 days. Eligible non-locals can also apply for the certificate. Domicile certificates have now been made basic eligibility condition, for appointment to any post under UT of J&K. Any officer not able to issue the certificate would be pensalised INR 50,000. Kashmiri migrants living outside J&K can get domicile certificates by producing their Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC), ration card copy, voter card or any other valid document. New process will allow West Pakistan refugees, safai karamcharis and children of women who married non-locals to apply for jobs. Government Employees who served in UT of Jammu and Kashmir for 10 years, are eligible for the certificate. 142. Jammu & Kashmir UT became 12th State / UT to have Price Monitoring & Resource Unit (PMRU) set up by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). PMRU shall function under State Drug Controller, helping ensure availability of medicines at affordable prices. 143. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration signed MoU with Tata Technologies limited to set up 2 Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIITs), to promote skill development. Centres will be at Government Polytechnic Colleges at Jammu and Baramulla. 144. Jammu and Kashmir Govt approved adoption of J-K IT/ITeS policy, to develop a modern IT ecosystem in UT. J&K Govt also approved implementation of Dairy cooperative scheme for dairy cooperative society with support of National Cooperative Development Corporation. 145. Jharkhand Government launched 3 schemes to increase working hours of MNREGA workers, by generating over 25 crore man days. Birsa Harit Gram Yojana - Fruit bearing plantations are to be planted on either side of the roads. Nilamber-Pitamber Jal Samridhi Yojana - Increase ground water by creating 5 lakh crore litres of ground water reserve. Veer Shahid Poto Ho Khel Vikas Yojana - Playgorunds at panchayat levels to be constructed to promote sports and reserve jobs under sports quota. 146. Karnataka Government will launch a “State Health Register” to collect data of all its citizens, as first of its kind in India. The project is to be launched from Chikkaballapur district. 147. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla launched Suposhit Maa Abhiyan in Kota (Rajasthan), aiming to create malnutrition-free India. Under it, over 1000 women are to be given food for 1 month, applicable to one pregnant woman per family. 148. MP Rakesh Sinha issued asked for permit to move a resolution in Rajya Sabha, wich aims to drop word “Socialist” in the Constitution, claiming that it is redundant in current scenario and must be dropped to create space for economic thinking. Preamble of Constitution declares India to be sovereign, secular, socialist and democratic republic. Resolution claims that word was included without enough debate in Parliament as it was introduced during emergency. Words “Socialist” and “Secular” were included in the 42nd amendment of the Constitution, attempted to reduce powers of Supreme Court. It laid down fundamental duties of Indian Citizens. Amendment gave Parliament the powers to amend the constitution without judicial review. Till 1973, Supreme Court held that Preamble shall not be amended as it is not a part of Constitution. In 1973, in Keshvananda Bharti Case, Supreme Court pronounced that Preamble is a part of Constitution and Parliament has full rights to amend the Preamble. 149. MSME Ministry launched CHAMPIONS portal (URL - Champions.gov.in), as a Technology driven Control Room-Cum-Management Information System. CHAMPIONS here is acronym for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. It aims to help units upscale themselves by solving their grievances, encouraging, supporting, helping and handholding. 150. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan started Shram Siddhi campaign in every Panchayat of State. Under this, labourers of rural areas will be provided job cards, who do not have them. Madhya Pradesh Government also launched Rojgar Setu Yojana to help migrant workers. 151. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan re-launched Sambal Yojana to strengthen lives of the poor and SC / ST communities by providing them social security cover. 42 Crores were transferred to beneficiaries. Sambal Yojana was started in April 2018. Cover is 2 lakh to beneficiaries mainly on general and untimely death, 4 lakh on accidental death, 2 lakh on permanent disability and 1 lakh on partial permanent disability. After death, 50000 will be provided for last rites and also assistance to upgrade small businesses to the family. 152. Madhya Pradesh Government launched FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana, as first such Initiative in India. It has been launched in 23 police stations as a pilot project. Under this, a person need not go to the police station to dodge a complaint. The scheme has deployed the head constables to register the complaints from the people. State also launched a helpline, “Dial 112”. This will provide in instant ambulance services, fire fighting services and also will enable to contact the police within a short period of time. 153. Madhya Pradesh Govt approved forming trust under Chairmanship of CM Kamal Nath for project of constructing Ram Van Gaman Path project, a route taken by Lord Ram during his 14-years of life in forest (Chitrakoot to Amarkantak). 154. Madhya Pradesh Govt inaugurated Everybody will get employment scheme. Under this, MNREGA job cards will be distributed to labourers. 155. Maharashtra Assembly approved a bill that exempts gram panchayat members from submitting their caste validity certificates at time of filing of the nominations, allowing candidates to submit their caste validity certificates within a year of winning elections. Maharashtra Cabinet also approved renaming Mumbai Central Station to commemorate Nana Shankarseth. Jagannath Shankarseth was a philanthropist and educationalist who lived between 1803 and 1865. 156. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has been inducted as a member of Legislative Council, Along with eight others. This marks debut of Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra State Legislature. He never personally contested in elections. He became state's Chief Minister after he was unanimously chosen as head of Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. Maharashtra has bicameral legislature, which consists of Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) and Vidhan Parishad (legislative council). Legislative assembly members are elected by Citizens and Legislative council members are elected by members of legislative assembly. Six Indian states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, have bicameral Legislatures. 157. Maharashtra Government renamed Aurangabad Airport as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport,to honour Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was son of Maratha warrior King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Earlier, Mumbai airport was named as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport (Aug 2018) and Kolhapur airport was renamed after Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj (Feb 2019). 158. Maharashtra Govt announced that all citizens will be covered under state government's health scheme Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), making Maharashtra first state to provide free and cashless insurance protection to people. 159. Manikaran Power Ltd became first member of India’s first gas trading platform, called Indian Gas Exchange (IGX). IGX is India’s first automated national level trading platform to promote and foster gas trading in country. 160. Manipur CM N. Biren Singh has announced scheme for welfare of sports persons and artists of State, named Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST) and Chief Minister Artist Sing gi Tengbang (CMAT). Under CMAST, a suitable employment in government services will be provided to designated medalists. Cash awards for Olympic participants enhanced to 1 crore, 75 lakh, 50 lakh and 10 lakh rupees for different categories. CMAT will encourage artists in different fields and targeted to cover 4000 artistes annually. Pension will be given to selected artists who are over 60 years age. 161. Minister for Electronics and IT, Law and Justice and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad launched India’s national Artificial Intelligence Portal at URL www.ai.gov.in. It portal shall work as a one stop digital platform for AI related developments in India. A National Program for the youth, Responsible AI for Youth was also launched, to equip young students with appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make them digitally ready for the future. It is open to students of classes 8 - 12 from Central and State government-run schools from across country. 162. Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh Launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), which aims to enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25 from 137.58 lakh metric tons in 2018-19 at an average annual growth rate of about 9%. It will result in doubling export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore and generate about 55 lakhs direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries sector over 5 years. Earlier on May 20, Cabinet Approved implementation of PMMSY, aimed at bringing about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector Components Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) have estimated investment of 20050 crores, with Central share of 9407 crores. It will be implemented for 5 years (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25). Central Sector Scheme - Entire cost will be borne by Central government. Wherever direct beneficiary oriented activities are undertaken by entities of central government, central assistance will be up to 40% of project cost for General and 60% for SC/ST/Women category. For Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), Project/unit cost will be shared between Centre and State as - North Eastern & Himalayan States - 90% Central share and 10% State share. Other States - 60% Central share and 40% State share. Union Territories - 100% Central share. Benefits Include - Address critical gaps in the fisheries sector and realize its potential. Augmenting fish production and productivity at a sustained average annual growth rate of about 9% to achieve a target of 22 million metric tons by 2024-25. Creation of critical infrastructure including modernisation and strengthening of value chain. Doubling of fishers, fish farmers and fish workers incomes by 2024 163. Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).. Earlier in Feb 2020, Cabinet Approved Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM (G)] till 2024-25, which will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). It will be implemented in a mission mode with a total outlay of 1,40,881 crores. Under This, incentive of 12000 for construction of Individual Household Toilet (IHHL) to newly emerging eligible households as per existing norms will continue. Additionally, assistance to Gram Panchayats for construction of Community Managed Sanitary Complex (CMSC) at village level has been increased from 2 to 3 lakh per CMSC. Fund sharing between Centre and States will be 90:10 for North-Eastern States and Himalayan States and UT of J&K; 60:40 for other States; and 100:0 for other Union Territories. Background - Rural sanitation coverage at the time of launch of SBM (G) on 02-10-2014 was 38.7%. More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission. 164. Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Chamba Tunnel under Chardham Pariyojana through video conference, built by Border Roads Organisation. Its a 440 m long Tunnel below busy Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway (NH 94). Tunnel will ease out congestion though Chamba town and reduce distance by 1 kilometer and journey through town will take 10 minutes, compared to 30 minutes earlier. Tunnel is Horse shoe type, with 10 mtr carriage way width and 5.5 mtr vertical clearance. Sanctioned cost is 107 Crores. Under Chardham Project costing around Rs 12,000 Crore with approximate length of 889 Km, BRO is constructing 250 Km of National Highways leading to holy shrine Gangotri and Badrinath. 165. Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launched The Saras Collection, on Government e Marketplace (GeM). As a unique initiative of GeM and Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Saras Collection showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups (SHGs) and aims to provide SHGs in rural areas with market access to Government buyers. Under this, SHG sellers will be able to list their products in 5 product categories, namely (i) handicrafts, (ii) handloom and textiles, (iii) office accessories, (iv) grocery and pantry, and (v) personal care and hygiene. 166. Minister of Road transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari launched Bank of Schemes, Ideas, Innovation and Research portal (http://ideas.msme.gov.in/). It gives access to all Schemes of Union, State and UT Governments, with provision for uploading Ideas, Innovations & Researches. Apart from crowd sourcing of Ideas, it also enables evaluation and rating of crowd sourced ideas. It can also facilitate inflow of venture capital, foreign collaboration etc. 167. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare added 200 new mandis from 7 States to e-NAM platform, bringing total e-NAM mandis in country to 785. It is for first time that Karnataka State has been added to e-NAM. e-NAM is now also integrated with Unified Market Platform (UMP) of Karnataka’s Rashtriya e-Market Services (ReMS). This is for the first time in India that two different e-trading platforms for Agri commodities of this scale will be made interoperable. e-NAM has over 1.66 Crore Farmers & 1.28 lakh traders registered. Ministry recently launched 2 major modules in e-NAM, to deal with COVID-19. These modules are - Warehouse based trading module in e-NAM software to facilitate trade from warehouses based on e-NWR (Negotiable Warehouse Receipt). FPO trading module in e-NAM whereby FPOs can trade their produce from their collection center without bringing produce to APMC (Agricultural produce market committee). 168. Ministry of Coal (MoC) launched a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for facilitation of early operationalisation of coal mines allocated by Government. It will support Coal mines allocatees in obtaining timely approval to operationalise mines, with KPMG as Consultant. 169. Ministry of Defence signed contract for Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) of 37 airfields for Indian Air Force(IAF), Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) with Tata Power SED (TPSED) at a cost of nearly Rs 1,200 crores. MAFI Phase-II is a follow-on programme based on MAFI Phase-I that included upgradation of 30 airfields of IAF. 170. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region directed Arunachal Pradesh Government to include members of Hajong and Chakma communities in COVID-19 relief programme. These communities are migrants from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and are still living in relief camps. They came to India in 1964. Chakmas were predominantly Buddhists and Hajongs were Hindus. They inhabited Chittagong hills in East Pakistan, and migrated to India due to construction of Kaptai dam across Karnaphuli river in 1960s. Currently, they do not have citizenship or land rights. 171. Ministry of Environment recategorized all bulk drugs manufacturers under category ‘A’ to category ‘B2’, amending An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006. Projects under Category A require mandatory EIA. On the other hand, projects under Category B2 are exempted from EIA. This recategorization will fasten the process. EIA is process to evaluate environmental impacts caused due a proposed project, backed by Environment Protection Act 1986. There are four stages in EIA cycle - screening, scoping, public hearing and appraisal. Categories - Categories A and B have only one difference. Category A projects require mandatory environmental clearance and does not undergo screening. Category B projects undergoes screening process. Under Category B, there are two types - Category B1 and Category B2. Category B1 are those projects that require EIA for appraisal and also has to undergo public consultation and category B2 are those that do not require EIA. 172. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued new guidelines to fight COVID-19 and for phased re-opening of areas outside the Containment Zones, effective from June 1, 2020. Current phase of re-opening, Unlock 1, will have an economic focus. Major parts of economy will be opened for trade activities. Lockdown measures would continue to be implemented strictly in the containment zones. Phase I (permitted to open from June 8, 2020) Religious places and places of worship for public; Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services; and Shopping malls. Phase II - Schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc., will be opened after consultations with States and UTs. Activities to remain prohibited throughout the country - International air travel of passengers; Operation of Metro Rail; Cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places; and, Social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions/ and other large congregations. Dates for the opening of above activities would be decided in Phase III, based on assessment of the situation. No restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods. Night curfew would continue to remain in force, on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities. However, the revised timings of the curfew will be from 9 pm to 5 am. States and UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain activities outside the Containment zones or impose such restrictions, as deemed necessary. 173. Ministry of Home Affairs ordered adaptation of Jammu and Kashmir state laws to be called as Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020. Out of 138 state laws, 25 have been repealed as whole while other laws have been adopted with substitutes. MHA has added "domicile" clause in Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment Act). Jobs will be reserved under domicile for only who fulfill the requirements of"Domicile". 174. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) designated DigiLocker as the sole National Academic Depository (NAD) and also directed University Grants Commission (UGC) to implement NAD as a permanent scheme within DigiLocker. UGC also constituted an expert committee to recommend use of e-resources and enhance online education system in country. 175. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued draft guidelines for satellite TV channels - Ministry listed 11 violation under the guidelines, violation of any of which would cause penalty or prohibition of broadcast for up to 10 days. No need for Channels to get clearance ever year. Also, Permits will be provided to Indian teleports for up linking foreign channels to increase their business. Channels registered under ‘news’ category are allowed to make live telecasts. Rest channels have to get permission, to telecast live events. Non-news channels can live telecast an event (other than in news / current affairs) after registering itself online on Broadcast Seva portal, at least five days before event. Since 1997, giving preference to Indian satellite was always an integral part of Govt policies. However, this time, guidelines say that only criteria to use a satellite channel is that it should be uplinked on C band or Ku band. Ku band uses frequencies between 12 GHz and 19 GHz. The C band uses radio frequency between 4 GHz and 8 GHz. Ministry rejected recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, which regulates TV broadcasting as well, for a 50% increase in uplinking and downlinking fee. 176. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) done away with role of District Level Task Force Committee (DLTFC), headed by Distt. Collectors, in recommending proposals under Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), thereby simplifying entire procedure. As per amended guidelines, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), nodal agency for implementing PMEGP scheme, will directly clear proposals of prospective entrepreneurs and will forward it to Banks for taking credit decisions. As of now, proposals were scrutinized by DLTFC, that often led to inordinate delays in sanctioning of projects. Under PMEGP, loans up to 25 lakhs are given for manufacturing and service industries, in which 15 to 35% subsidy is provided by KVIC. Since its launch in 2008, PMEGP scheme has been receiving over 35000 applications per year. 177. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) asked states to set up renewable energy (RE) equipment manufacturing parks, offering several incentives. MNRE asked state governments / port authorities to identify land parcels of 50-500 acre for setting up such parks. Presently, India has around 10 GW of wind equipment manufacturing capacity. In case of solar cells and modules, India imports about 85 % of its requirement. 178. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has taken up Complete Solarisation of Konark sun temple and Konark town in Odisha. Scheme envisages setting up of 10 MW grid connected solar project and various solar off-grid applications,. with Central Assistance of approx 25 Crores. 179. Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE) proposed One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) to interconnect renewable energy by sharing solar resources with more than 140 countries of West Asia and SouthEast Asia. Its aim is to provide solar power to nations which lack sunlight, by building a common transmission system. 180. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified emission norms for L7 category for BS VI. These emission norms will encourage the production of quadricycles. Quadricycle segment in India was introduced in less than 2 years, with full-fledged production yet to begin. Quadricycle are of size of a three wheeler but runs with four wheels. The Quadricycle was inserted as “Non-Transport” under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Vehicles with four wheels with mass more than 400 kg are placed under L7 category. 181. Ministry of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj issued guidelines regarding recently launched SVAMITVA scheme, aiming to provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes. It will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights. This will also help in resolving property related disputes and will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), leveraging maps created under this programme. It is currently being implemented in six states - Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 182. Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) brought back Model Guidelines for Conservation, Management and sustainable use of Community Forest Resources (CFR Guideline) under Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA), four years after it was freezed. Ministry created a committee headed by NC Saxena. CFR right under FRA empowers Gram Sabhas to conserve and manage their forest. In 2016, CFR guidelines were prepared by MoTA. However, guidelines faced criticism from various tribal organisations for being too technical. 183. Ministry of Tribal Affairs Included 23 additional Minor Forest Produce (MFP) items and stipulation of their Minimum Support Price (MSP) under Centrally Sponsored Scheme titled "Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of value chain of MFP". It enhances coverage from 50 to 73 items. Earlier on May 1, 2020, MSP revisions for existing 50 MFPs were announced, with increase in range 16% to 66%. 184. Ministry of Women and Child Development notified new Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Rules 2020, by replacing earlier 2012 rules. Under new amendments, punishment for sexual exploitation of children have been further made stringent. 185. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change accorded environment clearance for Oil India Limited's extension of drilling for hydrocarbon exploration inside Dibru Saikhowa National Park in eastern Assam. Concerns were that this project would affect flora and fauna in the region. The park is the only region in India that supports feral horses and several other species. 186. Mizoram festival Chapchar Kut celebrated across state, regarded as most popular spring festival to state. 187. NHAI accomplished construction of 3,979 km of national highways in FY 2019-20, as highest ever highway construction achieved in a financial year by NHAI. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways's highway development programme Bharatmala Pariyojana includes development of about 65,000 km national highways. Under Phase-1, Ministry approved implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crores. NHAI has been mandated development of about 27,500 km of national highways under Bharatmal Pariyojna Phase-I. 188. NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and National Informatics Centre jointly launched CollabCAD initiative, aiming to provide a platform to find solutions in terms of 2D drafting and 3D product design. This will act as a platform for children to improve their innovative ideas. 189. NTPC invited Global Expression of Interest (EoI) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars in Leh and Delhi. This is first such procurement of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based vehicles in India, wherein a complete solution from green energy to the fuel cell vehicle would be developed. 190. National Board for WildLife (NBWL) permitted use of 98 hectares of land at Saleki, a part of Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve in Assam for opencast coal mining project done by Coal India Limited's North-Easter Coal Field (NECF). Rest of area may be used for underground coal mining. 191. National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) and Department of Science & Technology (DST) launched a programme on health and risk communication ‘Year of Awareness on Science & Health (YASH)’ with focus on COVID-19. Aim is to encourage public engagement and enable communities to increase their sense of awareness against COVID-19. 192. National Green Tribunal (NGT) Order related to recent Styrene Gas leakage from LG Polymers Plant in Vishakhapatnam - NGT stated that LG Polymers was liable according to the Principle of Strict Liability, related to a 19th century British era law. According to Strict Liability, a company or a party is not liable and does not require to pay compensation in case hazardous substance leaks out from its premises. The leakage is considered accident. Strict liability evolved in 1868 and provides exemptions from assuming liability. Legal experts claim that term “absolute liability” should have been used in NGT Order, and not srict liability. NGT has ruled to deposit an initial amount of Rs 50 crores. However, usage of term srict liability itself exempts LG Polymers from paying the compensation. In 1986, Supreme Court while ruling Oluem Gas leak held that strict liability was inadequate to protect the citizens. Hence, it replaced with absolute liability. According to this, supreme court held that a company operating a hazardous industry cannot claim any exemption. 193. National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited & i-TIC foundation (Technology Business Incubator of IIT Hyderabad), signed an agreement to support start-ups through a joint incubation program through NMDC Innovation & Incubation Centre (NICE), to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in country. 194. Navratna PSU NLC India commenced production of Coal for the First Time. Coal was produced from Talabira II and III Mines in Odisha, allotted to NLCIL in 2016 with a capacity of 20 Million Tonne per annum. 195. New National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s bench has been established in Chennai, amid requirement being felt in South India. Chennai bench will hear petitions filed against orders of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLAT) of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. New Delhi Bench of NCLAT will be known as Pradhan Peeth. 196. Odisha government launched a star-rating program for industries in a bid to cut air pollution, which will rate industries from 1-star to 5- stars, depdnding of level of pollution they emit. Maharashtra had launch a similar program in 2019. 197. Oil India Limited (OIL) signed 5 - year Crude Oil Sales Agreement (COSA) with Numaligarh Refinery, expected to streamline sale and purchase transactions of crude oil which will be produced from fields in North East India. 198. On May 09, 2020; Flagship social security scheme Atal Pension Yojana completed five years of implementation. It promises Pension ranging 1000 - 5000 upon attaining age of 60 years. So far, APY has 2.23 crore subscribers. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has proposed hike in Maximum pension under APY to 10000, which might boost its popolarity further. 199. Power Ministry PSU Power Finance Corporation (PFC) signed agreement with Madhya Pradesh Govt. PSU Narmada Basin Projects Company Ltd. (NBPCL), to fund projects worth Rs.22,000 crore for 225 MW hydro-electric projects & multipurpose projects in Madhya Pradesh. 200. President Ram Nath Kovind approved resuming delimitation exercise in northeastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland, after improvement in security situation in these states and reduction in insurgency incidents. Delimitation Commission was set up under Delimitation Act 2002,to readjust division of each state / UT into territorial constituencies for purpose of elections on basis of census figures of 2001. Delimitation Commission completed exercise on November 26, 2008 for all states, except in these four northeastern states due to threat to peace and public order. Now, The same has been approved for 4 mentioned NE states. 201. Project Tech for Tribal, aimed at transforming 5 crore Tribal Entrepreneurs has been launched by TRIFED, in association with various reputed Higher education Institutes. Tech for Tribals aims at imparting entrepreneurship skills to tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under Pradhan Mantri VanDhan Yojana(PMVDY). TRIFED is establishing 1,200 Van Dhan Vikas Kendra across Nation. 202. Punjab Government promulgated Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Amendment Ordinance 2020. Under it, temporary release of the prisoners has been allowed beyond the maximum period of 16 weeks in a calendar year. 203. Rajya Sabha approved some minor changes made by Lok Sabha in Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order Amendment Bill 2019 - Amendments replaced word 'seventieth' to 'seventy-first' and figure '2019' to '2020' at line one in first page. Bill seeks to include Parivara and Talawara tribal communities of Karnataka in ST category. 204. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated road link from Dharchula (Uttarakhand) to Lipulekh (China Border), as a long time demamd of Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrims. It will enable yatra to be completed in one week, compared to 2-3 weeks it took earlier, through Sikkim or Nepal routes. This 80 KM road originates from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, gateway to Kailash-Mansarovar. Earlier, Yatra entailed approximately 20 % land journeys on Indian roads and 80 % land journeys in China. With opening of Ghatiabgarh-Lipulekh road, this ratio has been reversed (84 % land journeys on Indian Roads and only 16 % land Journeys in China). 205. Registrar General of India released data on national birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate for 2018. National birth rate stood at 20, death rate at 6.2 and infant mortality rate at 32. Madhya Pradesh worst performer with highest IMR, with Nagaland as best performer. Andaman and Nicobar Islands had least birth rates, while Bihar had highest. Delhi had lowest death rates and Chhattisgarh had highest. Infant Mortality Rate has declined about one-fourth as compared to 1971 census. Definitions - Birth Rate - total number of live births per 1,000 population. Death Rate - total number of deaths per 1,000 population. IMR - Number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age. 206. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) announced Swavalamban Express, which will visit 11 entrepreneurial cities, including Delhi, Jammu, Mumbai. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolakata, Bhubaneswar and Varanasi. Any person between 20 and 35 years age can participate. 207. Styrene Gas leaked from LG Polymers Plant in Vishakhapatnam, claiming several lives. Styrene is a chemical compound identified as neuro-toxins. It is also known as Vinyl Benzene, Ethyl Benzene and Phenyl Benzene. Styrene gas affects respiratory system. It causes chest congestion, gasping, air hunger and wheezing. 208. Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan struck India's Andaman Islands, Odisha, West Bengal. It also affected Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan. It was strongest tropical cyclone to strike Ganges Delta since Sidr of 2007 season and the first super cyclonic storm to occur in the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. Causing over US$13 billion of damage, Amphan is also the costliest cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean, surpassing record held by Cyclone Nargis of 2008. It has wind speed upto 260 KM/H. 209. Supreme Court asked Govt to consider adoption of one nation, one ration card scheme, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. It will be beneficial for migrant workers and economically weaker sections to get benefit of subsidized food. 210. Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of migrant workers issue and noted that there have been “inadequacies and certain lapses” on the part of the Central and State governments in dealing with the migrant workers crisis during lockdown. Suo motu is a latin phrase which means “on its own”. This means that the court has taken the matter into cognisance on its own and without any plaintiff. A plaintiff is a person or entity which files a case or petition in the court. SC seeks response by May 28, 2020 on this matter. 211. TRIFED collaborated with UNICEF for developing a digital communication strategy for promoting a digital campaign for Self Help Groups (SHGs), To ensure tribal gatherers carry on their work safely by highlighting importance of Social Distancing. TRIFED also asked State Nodal Departments / Implementing Agencies to initiate procurement of Minor Forest Produces (MFPs) at Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the available funds under MSP for MFP Scheme. 212. TVS group, Sundaram Medical Foundation and IIT-Madras jointly developed a low-cost, automated respiratory assist device called Sundaram Ventago. It provides respiratory support to patients via controlled squeezing of a self-inflating or AMBU bag and includes functionalities to control respiratory rate (breaths per minute), tidal volume, pressure parameters and I:E ratios. 213. Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami launched 5 year Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme (TNHSRP), with cost 2857 crores. It will be implemented with World Bank fund, as first Program-for-Results (PforR) project for World Bank in India. Aim is To strengthen management of non-communicable diseases (NCD) & injuries, improve quality of care & reduce inequities in reproductive and child health services in State. 214. Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration asked administrators of temples to obtain BHOG certificate from FSSAI, which was launched in 2018. BHOG (Blissful Hygiene Offering to God), certificates, issued by FSSAI, ensure quality of food offered to devotees and deities as well. 215. Tamil Nadu Government started works on Solar Fence Farmland Protection Programme, under Central Agriculture Improvement Scheme. It aims to protect agricultural lands of districts which have western ghats as their boundaries and are at risk of animal(Elephant) attacks. 50% of construction cost of the electric fence and setting up the solar panels for power generation will be provided under the Central Agriculture Improvement Scheme as a subsidy to farmers,up to INR 2.18 Lakhs. 216. Tamil Nadu government increased retirement age of its employees from 58 years to 59 years. 217. Tamil Nadu govt announced bifurcation of Nagapattinam district to create a new district Mayiladuthurai, as 38th district in state. 218. Tamil Nadu topped states in terms of number of participants in Poshan Abhiyan of Govt. Government's flagship programme Poshan Abhiyan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) works for improving nutritional status of Indian citizens. 219. Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline in its recently submitted report, has recommended setting up National Land Management Corporation. It will help monetize state-owned surplus lands in a systematic way. It will also manage lands that owned by Government of India. 220. Telangana became first state to regulate cultivation of crops by telling farmers what to grow, as a part of its pilot project. State will limit growing of paddy to 50 lakh acres, red gram to 10 lakh acres. Several other crops have also been limited. State will soon announce what crop will be cultivated in which areas. State will not extend benefitS of Minimum Support Price (MSP)and Rythu Bandhu scheme to the farmers who violate directives. Telangana government will also be setting up a seed regulatory authority to check spurious seeds in the state. 221. Traditional Fagli’ festival celebrated in Yangpa village of Kinnaur district (Himachal Pradesh), to observe victory of good over evil. 222. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched GOAL Programme (Going Online As Leaders), in partnership with Facebook. It will provide mentorship to tribal youth digitally. It will focus on three areas such as Life skills, digital literacy and Leadership and Entrepreneurship. 223. Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb launched an online portal under Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana. Under it, government will provide 5,000 to over 14000 youths who are in final year in colleges or Universities as a grant for Smart Phones. 224. Tripura Government and Airport Authority of India signed MOU for construction of 6 equipment hiring centers in Manu Block under Dhalai District of Tripura, as as part of AAI's Corporate Social Responsibility scheme. 225. Tripura government launched an Agro-Entrepreneur Facilitation Desk to help entrepreneurs to get subsidies and incentives from government agencies such as National Horticulture Board or NABARD. 226. Under UDAN scheme, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) flagged off first-ever flight from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) to Kishangarh (Ajmer, Rajasthan). With commencement of this route, Ministry of Civil Aviation has operationalised 268 routes under UDAN scheme. 227. United Nation Human Rights Commission moved to Supreme Court on matter of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), filing a case challenging CAA. CAA was passed in 2019 and amended Citizenship Act 1955. It seeks to give nationality to 6 religious communities (Hindus, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Sikhs) if they entered India before 31 December 2014. It does not include Muslims. 228. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) rolled out a ‘Lockdown Learners’ series in India under its flagship “Education for Justice” initiative. It emphasizes on COVID-19 and its impact on Sustainable Development Goals, peace and rule of law. 229. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide 3 million USD for India’s PAHAL project (Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity). USAID will also help National Health Authority to establish financial facility to mobilize resources from private sector. USAID provides funds for poverty relief, disaster relief, technical cooperation and socioeconomic development. PAHAL is a joint initiative of USAID and IPE, aiming to provide quality and affordable health care solutions to urban poor. 230. Uttar Pradesh Government announced to set up a Migration Commission for welfare of migrants, to ensure job and social security of the migrant workers through skill mapping. 231. Uttar Pradesh Government passed Temporary Exemption from Certain Labour Laws Ordinance 2020, to suspend labour laws in state for 3 years, to boost industrial investment and help migrants who have returned back to state amid COVID-19 Pandemic. It will allow industries to freely employ large number of migrant workers. Ordinance does not include Building and other Construction Workers Act, Bonded Labour Act, Workmen Compensation Act and Section 5 of Payment Wages Act. Ordinance will suspend laws that related to occupational safety, industrial disputes, contract workers, trade union related laws and laws related to migrant labourers. UP Government has sent the ordinance for approval of central government. Uttar Pradesh Govt also launched Pravasi Rahat Mitra app for migrant workers of state who have been returning from other states amid lockdown.Also, Madhya Pradesh Government had exempted manufacturing units from Factories Act, 1948. Maharashtra Govt also exempted industries registered under Factories Act 1948, from four sections related to working hours of staff, till June 30. With exemption from Sections 51,52, 54 and 56, employers can allow labourers to work in two shifts of 12 hours each. 232. Uttar Pradesh government announced paying INR 900 per month to farmers willing to keep stray cattle. Population of stray cattle had increased as state Government had banned illegal animal slaughtering in state. Farmers began protesting this as stray cattle were destroying their fields. 233. Uttar Pradesh government has set up ‘UP Start-up Fund’ under UP Information Technology and Start-up Policy 2017, signing an MOU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for the same, with Initial contribution of 15 crore. 234. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat announced Gairsain as summer capital of Uttarakhand. Dehradun will remain Winter Capital. 235. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched “HOPE” (Helping Out People Everywhere) portal to help unemployed youth to get jobs opportunities. 236. Uttarakhand Govt inaugurated Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana for returnee migrants, to give self-employment opportunities to youth and a boost to reverse migration, especially entrepreneurs returning to Uttarakhand and encourage skilled and unskilled artisans. 237. Uttarakhand celebrated traditional harvest festival Phool Dei, observed on first day of Chaitra or in mid-March (according to Gregorian calendar). 238. Uttarakhand government cancelled reservation in promotion for state government employees, implementing government order datng back to 2012. 239. Uttarakhand became 1st state to release a report highlighting its conservation efforts to save 1145 rare plants from extinction - Project aims at Germplasm conservation so that species remain conserved and also to promote conservation of plant species among general public so as to end plant blindness. According to the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), under this project, 46 species are endemic to Uttarakhand and 68 species are rare, endangered or threatened. 240. West Bengal Government launched Matir Smristi scheme to utilise 50000 acres of barren land in 6 districts, and will benefit approx 25 lakh people. It will help generate income activities in horticulture and pisciculture involving locals. Districts are Birbhum, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, West Burdwan and West Midnapore. 241. Wings India 2020, biennial civil aviation and aerospace event held at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad (Telangana). 242. World’s first Digital Solutions Exchange, GOKADDAL has been launched in India. This cloud-based platform is created to help customers realize their digital transformation vision by bringing them solutions with tools and right providers. 243. Zoological Survey of India updated list of Indian amphibians, listing 20 species as critically endangered and 35 species as endangered. Number of amphibian species recorded in checklist of ZSI has increased from 284 (2009) to 447(2020). Top

Persons 1. Obituaries (May 2020) - K S Nisar Ahmed - Noted Kannada poet and Padma Shri awardee. RV Smith - Noted historian & author. Chuni Goswami - Former India football captain. Hema Bharali - Freedom fighter & Padma Shri awardee. Denis Goldberg - Noted South African Activist, who was active in struggle against Apartheid (रंगभेद). Dalit Ezhilmalai - Former union minister. He served as State, Health and Family Welfare (IC) during BJP government in 1998–99. Gerald Isaac Stiller - Noted American comedian. Richard Wayne Penniman (Little Richard) - Noted American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was Known as Founding Father of Rock 'n' Roll. Bessie Regina Norris (Known as Betty Wright) - Noted American singer, and a grammy awardee. Manmeet Singh - Former TT national champion. Notable Deaths due to COVID-19 - Hari Shankar Vasudevan - Noted historian. Noted Musician Wajid passed away. He was part of noted Musician-duo Brothers Sajid–Wajid. Anisuzzaman - Noted Bangladeshi Activist, literary personality. He was called national Professor of Bangladesh. He was honored by Padma Bhushan award by India. Debesh Roy - Noted Sahitya Akademi winning Bengali author. Sai Gundewar - Bollywood actor. Basu Chatterjee - Noted film director and screenwriter. Ratnakar Matkari - Noted Marathi writer and playwright. Ashley Cooper - Noted Australian tennis Player. He had won 4 Grand Slam Titles. Balbir Singh Dosanjh - Noted Indian hockey player. He was a three-time Olympic gold medallist, having played a key role in India's wins in London, Helsinki, and Melbourne Olympics. Shyamala G Bhave - Noted classical vocalist and Musician. Luigi "Gigi" Simoni - Italian footballer and manager. Mohit Baghel - Bollywood Actor. Hana Kimura - Noted Japanese female professional wrestler. Ajit Jogi - First chief minister of Chhattisgarh. Bejan Daruwala - Noted Astrologer. Yogesh Gaur - Noted lyricist. M. P. Veerendra Kumar - Politician, writer and journalist. He was incumbent member of Lok Sabha, from Kerala. R. Shanmugam -Former Tamil Nadu footballer. Mujtaba Hussain -Noted Urdu author and Padma Shri Awardee. 2. 19th century Sikh Empire ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been named Greatest Leader of All Time, in a poll conducted by BBC World Histories Magazine. 3. Madhuban Gajar, a biofortified carrot variety with high β-carotene and iron content developed by Shri Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer scientist from Junagadh (Gujarat), benefitting local farmers. Madhuvan Gajar is a highly nutritious carrot variety developed through selection methodwith higher β-carotene content (277.75 mg/kg) and iron content (276.7 mg/kg) dry basis and is used for various value-added products. Vallabhai Vasrambhai Marvaniyawas has been conferred with several notable awards, including Padma Shri in 2019. 4. As per Medicine Maker Power List 2020, Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is named among world's top 20 inspirational leaders in field of biopharmaceuticals. 5. Former CM of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah released from detention after 7 months. He was booked under Public Safety Act and was kept under detention since August 2020, after Govt abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. 6. India's Nita Ambani (owner of Mumbai Indians cricket team franchise) is named in list of 10 most influential women in sports for 2020, by iSportconnect. 7. Indian Mountaineer Bhawna Dehariya scaled Mount Kosciuszko (2, 228 meters), which is highest peak in Australia. 8. Indian Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta entered ‘Limca Book of Records’, becoming first Indian to climb highest volcanoes in world of all 7 continents. He has conquered - Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa (5,895 m) Mount Elbrus, Europe (5,642 m) Mt Pico de Orizaba, North America (5,636 m) Mt Giluwe, Australia (4,367 m) Mt Sidley, Antarctica (4,285 m) Mt Ojos del Salado, South America (6,893 m) Mt Damavand, Asia (5,610 m) 9. Indian-origin girl Vaneeza Rupani has been honoured by NASA for naming its 1st Mars helicopter ‘Ingenuity’. She submitted her essay in “Name the Rover” contest held by NASA, suggesting name ‘INGENUITY’ for the helicopter. NASA's Mars Rover Perseverance and Helicopter Ingenuity are scheduled to launch in July 2020 and land in February 2021 at Mars. 10. Obituaries (April 2020) - Notable deaths due to complications arising due to COVID-19 infection - Gita Ramjee - Noted Indian-origin virologist from South Africa. Spain Princess Maria Teresa became 1st royal to die from complications arised due to COVID-19 infection. Adam Lyons Schlesinger - Noted Emmy and and Grammy Award American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. Brahm Kanchibotla - Noted Indian-American journalist. Mahmoud Jibril - Former Prime Minister of Libya. Rifat Chadirji - Father of modern Iraqi architecture. Roger Chappot -Noted Swiss ice hockey player. Zafar Sarfraz - Former Pakistani first-class Cricketer. Eddie Large - Noted British comedian. Luis Sepúlveda Calfucura - Noted Chilean writer and journalist. Ajay Kumar Tripathi - Former Judicial Member of Lokpal. Troy Sneed -Grammy Nominated American Singer and Musician. Tony Lewis - Former British Cricketer and co-inventor of Duckworth- Lewis Method. Philip W. Anderson - Noted American physicist and Nobel laureate. He won Nobel Prize in Physics in 1977. Arjun Dev - Noted historian. Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa - Padma Shri Awardee Sikh Hazoori Ragi of Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. Bill Withers - American songwriter & 3 time Grammy award winner. MK Arjunan - Noted Malayalam music composer. Honor Blackman - Noted British Actress. Bullet Prakash - Noted Kannada Actor. Kalinga Sasi - Noted Malayalam actor. Jock Edwards - New Zealand Cricketer. Jackie du Preez - Zimbabwe Cricketer. John Prine - Noted American folk singer-songwriter. Shanti Hiranand Chawla - Padma Shri Awardee classical singer. Peter Bonetti - England Footballer (goalkeeper). Stirling Moss - Noted British Formula One racing driver. Tim Brooke Taylor - Noted British Comedian-actor. Donato Sabia - Noted Italian distance runner who specialized in 800 metres. M.V. Rajasekharan - Noted Congree politician, also served as Union Minister of State for Planning. Ashok Desai - Former Attorney General of India. George Douglas Sanders - Noted American golfer. Walter D’Souza - Former Noted Gujarati first-class cricketer. Nobuhiko Obayashi -Noted Japanese filmmaker, who devoted his works to depicting war’s horrors. Ranjit Chowdhry - Noted Hindi Actor. Saharai Oram - Noted tribal leader and Odisha Minister. R V Bhuskute - Freedom fighter, who participated in Quit India movement. Willie Davis - Noted Former American football player. Rudratej Singh - BMW India Serving CEO. Gene Deitch - Tom and Jerry and Popeye Director and Oscar-winning illustrator and animator. Ratnakar Chaini - Noted Odia litterateur. Basanta Das - Former Member of Parliament from Odisha. Usha Ganguly - Noted theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata. Devanand Konwar - Former governor of Bihar, Tripura and West Bengal. Ronny Roy - Noted Photojournalist. Graeme Watson - Former Australian Cricketer. Ravi Vallathol - Noted Malayalam mjkactor. Irrfan Khan - Noted Bollywood Actor. He was honored with Padma Shri Honour in 2011. Rishi Kapoor - Noted Bollywood Actor. Michael Robinson - Foemer British footballer. He had settled in spain, post retirement. Bijay Mishra - Noted Odia dramatist and lyricist. James M. Beggs - Former (6th) NASA administrator, who led the NASA during early years of space shuttle program and resigned after Challenger disaster killed seven astronauts in 1986. 11. Obituaries (Mar 2020) - Joginder Singh Saini - Noted athletics coach and Dronacharya awardee. Balbir Singh Kullar - Noted hockey player and Olympic Bronze medalist. Shadakshari Settar - Noted Indian professor and scholar who conducted research in Indian archaeology, art-history and related fields. Javier Perez de Cuellar (Peru) - Former UN Chief. He served as president of UN Security Council (1973 to 1974) and UN Secretary General (1981 to 1991). Hans Raj Bhardwaj - Former Union Law Minister and Congress Leader. He also served as Governor of Kerala and Karnataka. Santu Mukhopadhyay - Noted Bengali actor. Max von Sydow -Noted Swedish actor. He was nominated twice for Oscars. Dana Zátopková - NotedCzech javelin thrower. She won Olympic javelin gold in Helsinki Olympics in 1952 and silver in Rome in 1960. Patil Puttappa - Noted Kannada writer, journalist and Rajya Sabha Member. Jairam Kulkarni - Noted Marathi actor. Imtiaz Khan - Noted Bollywood actor. Puthussery Ramachandran -Noted poet and Malayalam scholar. Roger Mayweather - Former world boxing champion (US). Pradip Kumar Banerjee - Indian footballer. Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanthan- Noted Tamil director. Kenny Rogers - Noted American singer and Grammy Winner. Satish Gujral - Noted Indian painter, sculptor, writer and recepient of Padma Vibhushan, second-highest civilian award. He was brother of Inder Kumar Gujral, former Prime Minister of India (1997 - 1998). Rajyogini Dadi Janki Ji - Chief of Spiritual Movment Brahma Kumaris. Nemai Ghosh - Noted photographer & Padma Shri awardee. Albert Uderzo - Noted French Comic Artist and Co-creator of characters Asterix and Obelix. Nimmi - Noted Former Bollywood Actress. Abdul Latif - Former India footballer. Floyd Cardoz - Noted Indian-born American chef. Chandan Singh Rathore - Mahavir Chakra recipient Air Force Officer Air, whose services in 1962 war and 1971 war were impeccable. Paravai Muniyamma - Noted Tamil folk singer and actress. Joseph Lowery - Noted US civil rights leader. 12. Persons Resigned / Retired (April 2020) - Noted Chinese world silver- medallist high jumper Zhang Guowei announced his retirement. Australian Cricketer Stephen O’Keefe retired from 1st class cricket. Tamas Ajan - International Weightlifting Federation President. He resigned amid allegations of corruption and doping violations. Sana Mir - Pakistani Female Cricketer. Denmark's Olympic silver Medalist Badminton Player Mathias Boe announced retirement. 13. Persons Resigned / Retired (Mar 2020) - RBI Deputy Governor N S Vishwanathan resigned, before completion of his term. Other 3 RBI Deputy Governors are M. D. Patra, M. K. Jain and B.P. Kanungo. Indian Cricketer Wasim Jaffer announced retirement from all formats of cricket. He has over 19000 Runs in First Class Cricket. Maltese Footballer Andre Schembri, who plays for Chennaiyin FC in Indian Super League, announced his retirement. Microsoft founder Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft board of directors., to dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath resigned, ahead of the floor test which was scheduled after several MLAs withdrew their support, led by Jyotiraditya Scindia. New Zealand Cricketer Andrew Malcolm Ellis announced his retirement. 14. Persons Resigned / Retired (May 2020) - Noted English snooker player Peter Ebdon announced his retirement. Noted Indian Para-athlete Deepa Malik announced her retirement. She is the first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Paralympic Games. She won Silver medal at 2016 Summer Paralympics in shot put. World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo announced to step down on August 31, a year before his term ends, amid COVID-19 pandemic ravaging global economy. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma stepped down from Softbank Group’s board of directors, after serving for 13 years. Spanish Footballer Aritz Aduriz announced his retirement from football. Noted American tennis player Jamie Lee Hampton announced her retirement. 15. Visits to India (Mar 1-10, 2020) - Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former President of Iceland Visited India. Top

Science 1. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research along with National Physical Laboratory recently discovered a bi-luminescent security ink, to be used to counterfeit currency notes. It shows two colours when exposed to light. Ink is produced by mixing two different colours namely green and red in the ratio 3:1. This mixture was hated to 400-degree Celsius. 2. Scientists from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) developed a pH-responsive smart bandage that can deliver medicine applied in wound at pH that is suitable for the wound. It is developed by fabricating a nanotechnology-based cotton patch that uses cheap and sustainable materials like cotton and jute. Jute has been used for first time as a precursor in synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots, and water was used as dispersion medium. Stimuli-responsive nature of fabricated hybrid cotton patch acts as an advantage as in case of growth of bacterial infections in a wound, and this induces release of drug at lower pH which is favourable under these conditions. This pH-responsive behaviour of the fabricated cotton patch lies in the unique behaviour of the jute carbon dots incorporated in the system because of the different molecular linkages formed during the carbon dot preparation. Use of cheap and sustainable material like cotton and jute to fabricate patch makes whole process biocompatible, non-toxic, low cost and sustainable. 3. Scientists at Hyderabad-based DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics Center have discovered a new mechanism that prevents cancer when an anti-cancer protein is converted. CDFD scientists have identified a rare p53 form of tongue cancer in Indians, which causes these mutant p53 cancers. Scientists identified genes of mutant p53 protein. One of these genes, called SMARCD1, is the most important. SMARCD1 converts a protein into symbolic words. It goes with other proteins and forms a multi-protein complex. Scientists have found that SMARCD-1 is seen in tongue cancer in Indians. 4. IIT BHU Researchers made significant achievements in developing nanomaterials based supercapacitors to achieve high energy density and power density of supercapacitors. High energy density of supercapacitors suggests that constant current can be withdrawn for longer duration without recharging. Hence automobiles can run longer distances without charging. Researchers developed a cost-effective process of producing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) at a moderate temperature of 100°C, with high capacitance performance. Researchers also developed a novel green approach for synthesis of Iron-based nanocatalyst, which can be used for large scale production of Cabon Nanotubes. Additionally, Group is working on optoelectronic applications of nanomaterials, for developing novel nanostructures of carbon and metal dichalcogenides semiconductors for photodetection and Surface-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS can help detect harmful molecules present in water at ultra-low concentrations. They demonstrated detection of Rhodamine 6G (R6G), an organic laser dye up to lowest limit of sub-nano-molar concentration using rGO and MoS2 nanomaterials. 5. Scientists at Agharkar Research Institute Pune come up with plant data of the Northern Western Ghats, which indicates that plateaus, in addition to forests, should be prioritized for conservation of Northern Western Ghats. They found that majority of endemic species are therophytes, which complete their life cycle in a short period during monsoon. Northern Western Ghats have plateaus and cliffs that display maximum endemic species, unlike forests. Forests of Northern Western Ghats harbour many species which are not endemic. 6. Scientists at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) developed a highly efficient superabsorbent material for liquid respiratory and other body fluid solidification and disinfection for the safe management of infected respiratory secretion, titled Chitra Acrylosorb Secretion Solidification System. AcryloSorb can absorb liquids at least 20 times more than its dry weight and also contains a decontaminant for in situ disinfection. 7. Scientists at Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali (INST) found a low-cost metal-free nanomaterial for visible light microbial disinfection which can be an alternative to silver and other metal-based materials - Researchers tested carbon nitride quantum dots (g-CNQDs) for visible-light-driven antibacterial activity and found it to be efficient, apart from being biocompatible with mammalian cells. It is a suggested anti bacterial alternative to metal/non-metal semiconductors and expensive silver, thus making it cost-effective 8. Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Dehradun found a seasonal advancement in 220 surge-type glaciers in the Karakoram Range of Ladakh. ‘Surging’ glaciers are those that have shown advancement in volume and length over time. Behaviour of these glaciers, which are 40% of glaciated area of Karakoram, goes against normal trend of considerable reduction in volume and length of most glaciers in the Himalaya in recent decades. Surging of glaciers is potentially catastrophic as it can lead to destruction of villages, roads and bridges. It can also advance across a river valley and form ice-dammed lake. Scientists focused on Shispare and Muchuhar glaciers, former tributaries of once larger Hasanabad Glacier situated in Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Surge-type glaciers oscillate between brief (months to years) rapid flow and lengthy (tens to hundreds of years) slow flow or stagnation, which are called ‘active’ (or ‘surge’) and ‘quiescent’ phases, respectively. The study will help to understand diversity of glacial behaviour and help make accurate assessments of individual glacier mass balances for disaster planning and management. 9. Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) fabricated an economical and energy-efficient wafer-scale photodetector (thin slice-based) using gold – silicon interface, for security applications. It could help detect weak scattered light as an indication of unwanted activity. Photodetectors are utmost important in ay optoelectronic circuit, used in wide variety of applications. However, material cost and intricate fabrication processes involved in realizing high-performance detectors make them unaffordable for day to day applications. The current invention provides a cost-effective solution-based fabrication method for high-performance photodetector. Detector exhibits a rapid response of 40 microseconds and can detect low light intensities. It operates in self-powered mode, wich high precision. 10. SpaceX became first private rocket company to send astronauts to space, launching NASA Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. It will end reliance of NASA on Russian space rockets for sending NASA astronauts to space. As part of mission, Astronauts in SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule entered International Space Station (ISS). 11. A new parasitic fungus has been discovered by a University of Copenhagen (Denmark) biologist, termed as Troglomyces twitteri. It is named after Twitter as it was discovered in Twitter. The image was posted in Twitter by an entomologist 1n 2018. The Fungi belongs to the order called Laboulbeniales. These are fungi that attack millipedes and insects. They look like larvae. 12. A new trough collector equipped with enhanced energy to serve industries has been developed by IIT Madras. The Parabolic Trough Collector is a lightweight and low-cost system with high energy efficiency and can operate under the country's varied climatic conditions. It can pave way for sustainable energy solutions in agriculture and industrial process heat sectors. Trough Collector focuses sunlight on a small area where it is absorbed and then utilised for heating and subsequently into energy generation. 13. A tiny near-Earth asteroid and temporary satellite of Earth named 2020 CD3, has been discovered, as part of the Mount Lemmon Survey or Catalina Sky Survey. It is the second temporary satellite of Earth discovered, after 2006 RH120, which was discovered in 2006. 2020 CD3 may have been captured by Earth around 2016–2017, and is expected to remain in a geocentric orbit around Earth until April 2020. Also, Astronomy student from University of British Columbia, Michelle Kunimoto discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable Earth-sized rocky body that may have liquid water, by combing data collected by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. Finding also includes planet named ‘KIC-7340288 b’ which is 1000 light years away from eart and is one and a half times size of Earth and is in habitable zone of its star. 14. An analysis of 369 solar-like stars shows that brightness variations of our Sun are extremely weak by cosmic standards, making Sun extraordinarily monotonous. Study is led by Germany's Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. For the first time, scientists compared Sun with hundreds of other stars with similar rotation periods and other fundamental properties. Study found that on average, other stars had five times more brightness variability than our sun. Sun is made up mainly of hydrogen and helium, formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. It stretches about 1.4 million kilometers across and has a surface temperature of 5,500 degrees Celsius. Records included about 400 years of observational data on sunspots, showing that sun has not been much more active than it is now. his The discovery that sun does not experience as many changes as other stars, may be good news for life on Earth. 15. An earth size exoplanet Kepler-1649c has been found by researchers, while looking through old observations from Kepler Telescope. The planet orbits in its star’s habitable zone, which supports liquid water. Of all exoplanets found by Kepler, this one is most similar to Earth’s temperature and size. It is 1.06 times larger from Earth. It receives from its host star the 75 % of light that Earth receives from sun, making its temparature similar to earth. A year on Kepler-1649c is equivalent to only 19.5 days on Earth, as it orbits its red dwarf star very closely. 16. As per C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service) and CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) - The 1 Million Square Kilometer Hole in Ozone layer Over North Pole, has healed itself. It was formed due to unusual climatic conditions and was discovered recently. It has reportedly healed due to Polar Vortex, a winter phenomenon. Polar Vortex is cyclonic circular winds that blow in stratosphere from west to east. Polar Vortex extends from tropopause through stratosphere and into mesosphere. When vorticity is high, values of ozone is minimum and temperature is at its highest cold. Thus, the hole has closed as the vorticity has decreased. 17. As per a study by Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Black carbon concentration in North and Himalayan region increases by 400 times during summer, mainly due to agricultural burning and forest fire. This triggers speedier glacial melt because of light- absorbing nature of black carbon. 18. Asteroid 1998 OR2 (Asteroid 52768) safely passed by Earth, at distance of 62 Lakh kilometres. It had diameter of approx 1.2 Miles (2 KM) and travelled at approx 20000 miles per hour. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, had categorized asteroid 1998 OR2 as ‘a potentially hazardous object’, because it flies past Earth’s earth at regular intervals. 19. Astronomers at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) found a rare new Super-Earth planet towards the centre of the galaxy. Its host star is about 10% mass of our Sun. Planet would have a 'year' of approximately 617 days. Discovery was made using a technique called gravitational microlensing. Microlensing is a rare effect, with one in a million stars in the galaxy are affected at a given time. Planet named OGLE-2018-BLG-0677 was discovered in 2018 observation during the microlensing event by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment(OGLE). 20. Astronomers developed a model that can predict which of many types of clouds, from smoggy methane haze to sapphire, can be expected on hot Planets of different temperatures (Jupiter like Exoplanets), which can be up to thousands of degrees kelvin. This will help astronomers in studying gases in atmospheres of distant worlds as clouds interfere in getting measurement of atmospheric composition. It will also be helpful in understanding atmospheres of cooler giant planets and their moons, such as Saturn and Jupiter’s moon Titan. Most common type of cloud that can be expected over a large range of temperatures must consist of solid or liquid droplets of Oxygen and Silicon, like melted quartz or molten sand. Skies on cooler hot Jupiters that (950 kelvin) are dominated by a hydrocarbon haze, essentially smog. 21. Astronomers discovered biggest explosion seen in universe since Big Bang in Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, 390 million light-years from Earth by using X-Ray and radio telescopes. The Explosion is 5 times bigger than any explosion known so far. Explosive force caused a huge gap in plasma containing hot gases in galaxy cluster, located around Black Hole. 22. Astronomers discovered that closest known brown dwarf, Luhman 16A (6.5 light years awsy), shows signs of cloud bands similar to those seen on Jupiter and Saturn. This is the first time scientists have used the technique of polarimetry to determine the properties of atmospheric clouds outside of the solar system or exoclouds. 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. Both brown dwarfs weigh about 30 times as much as Jupiter. Researchers used an instrument on Very Large Telescope in Chile to study polarised light from the Luhman 16 system. NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will study systems like Luhman 16 to look for signs of brightness variations in infrared light that are indicative of cloud features. NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will be equipped with a coronagraph instrument that can conduct polarimetry and may be able to detect giant exoplanets in reflected light and eventual signs of clouds in their atmospheres. 23. Astronomers from Cornell University (US) developed a practical model- an environmental colour ‘decoder’- to get the climate clues of potentially habitable exoplanets in faraway galaxies. As per research, Light reflected on the surface of planets plays a crucial role not only on overall planet but also on detectable spectra of Earth-like planets. For example, a rocky, black, basalt planet will absorb light well and will be very hot but if there is an addition of sand and clouds, the planet will cool. 24. Brazilian Astronomers discovered 19 new asteroids between Jupiter and the Neptune, believed to hae joined solar system 4.5 billion years ago. These asteroids once belonged to another star and are now orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. They are now a part of “Centaurs” orbiting the sun. 25. CSIR - Central Scientific Instruments Organisation Chandigarh (CSIO) developed an innovative technology for effective disinfection and sanitization to fight with corona pandemic, transferring this technology to Nagpur-based Rite Water Solutions. Electrostatic Disinfection Machine is developed based on electrostatic principle. It produces uniform and fine spray droplets of disinfectants in size range of 10-20 micrometre to kill microorganisms and viruses. 26. CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (Bhopal) Researchers developed porous carbon materials which can replace lead grid in lead-acid batteries. It can also be useful for heat sinks in power electronics, electromagnetic interference shielding in aerospace, hydrogen storage and electrode for lead-acid batteries and water purification systems. Present grid-scale energy-storage sector is dominated by lithium-ion batteries. However, there are some serious concerns regarding Li-ion batteries, such as safety risk, limited resource supply, high cost, and lack of recycling infrastructure. Therefore, lead-acid batteries are among best options. However, electrodes in lead-acid batteries suffer from problem of heavyweight, corrosion, poor thermal stability, and diffusion of electrolytes in one dimension. AMPRI Researchers have developed lightweight carbon foam with a density of less than 0.3g/cc, high porosity of over 85%, good mechanical strength. 27. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) established stable cultures of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) from patients’ samples. It enables CCMB to work towards vaccine development and testing of potential drugs to fight COVID-19. Novel coronavirus enters human cell by binding with the ACE-2 receptor on the cell surface. Not all cells have ACE-2 receptors. Human epithelial cells in the respiratory tract copiously express ACE-2 receptors, causing respiratory disease in the infected patient. However, epithelial cells ca not be grown in lab. Researchers use Vero cells (kidney epithelial cell lines from green African monkey), which express ACE-2 proteins. Culturing a large amount of virus and inactivating it can be used as inactivated virus vaccine. 28. Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a compact solid-state sensor to detect heavy metal ions in water, which can help onsite detection in remote areas. Heavy metal ions such as lead, mercury and cadmium pose severe potential threats to living beings as they can easily be accumulated in body and cannot be detoxified easily. Researchers have developed a compact solid-state sensor to detect heavy metal ions, down to 0.4 parts per billion (ppb) for efficient onsite detection. If water containing heavy metal ions are added to composite film, emission of the film quenches within seconds. 29. Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered that red panda species are two separate species. Earlier, both Himalayan and Chinese red Pandas were considered as red panda species. Yalu Zangbu river marks geographical boundary between the two species. Red Pandas are called “Living Fossils” as they are the only living member of the Ailuridae mammalian family. Yalu Zangbu river is upper stream of Brahmaputra river. It is longest river in Tibet. 30. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) approved use of medicine Sepsivac for testing on COVID-19 Patients, developed through its New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) program. CSIR has been supporting Cadila Pharmaceuticals since 2007, for developing a drug to save lives of critically ill patients suffering from Gram-negative sepsis. The drug has been shown to reduce the mortality of critically ill patients by more than half. Similarity of symptoms under Gram-negative sepsis and COVID-19 has enforced CSIR to take this step. 31. DRDO's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), in collaboration with IIT Delhi has developed a female-specific Full Body Protector named Prabala, to safeguard Female troops deployed in riot control actions. 32. For the first time, NASA scientists measured wind speed on a brown dwarf (located 32 light-years from Earth), an object larger than Jupiter, but not quite massive enough to become a star. It uses findings from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Researchers detected winds moving around planet at 1,425 mph (2,293 kph). Comparing to Neptune's atmosphere which features fastest winds in our solar system, at 1,200 mph (about 2,000 kph). 33. For the first time, gravitational wave observatories at LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) scientific collaboration detected a merger of two unequal-mass black holes. The event, dubbed GW190412, was detected nearly a year ago. One of black holes was 30 times mass of Sun and other which had 8 times mass of sun. Merger took place approx 2.5 billion light years away. 34. Gene Editing Tool CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) used for first time to treat blindness, at Oregon University (USA). CRISPR-Cas is used to edit genes in an organism. It is an enzyme. Cas is CRISPR Associated protein. CRISPR based tool allows to target genomic location. After identifying the target, it adds, removes or alters that particular DNA sequence. 35. Hyderabad based International Advanced Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) has developed a technology to improve fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines, by reducing friction in the engines. This has been achieved through Laser surface micro-texturing. In this technology, the friction is controlled by controlling the size, density and shape of the micro-surface texture features. Such a texture is created by using a pulsating laser beam. 36. IIT Madras Researchers developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drone that can counter Rogue Drones (Spy Drones), helping law enforcement agencies secure airspace over critical civilian and military installations from surveillance by rogue drones. 37. IIT Madras and University of North Texas and United States Army lab, have developed a magnesium alloy to replace steel and aluminium in the automobile industry to reduce carbon footprint and increase fuel efficiency. 38. IIT Mandi developed a high-speed magnetic Random Access Memory (RAM), which is faster, energy-efficient and stores more data in a smaller volume as compared to existing data storage technologies. In Spin-Transfer Torque-Magnetic Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM), data is represented as a spin of electrons, utilizing spinning electrons to transmit and process information. It is Unlike normal electronic devices that are driven by electron charges. This cutting-edge technology promises better storage capabilities than conventional electric charge-based RAM. 39. In India, Approx 23 million tonnes of leftover rice residues are annually burnt by farmers to get rid of straw and prepare their fields for sowing wheat, which is next crop, resulting in air pollution. To overcome this, Scientists at Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) mapped 2 alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 on chromosome 6A in durum wheat, and DNA-based markers were developed for better selection of these genes in wheat breeding lines. Wheat lines with these alternative dwarfing genes, apart from reducing crop residue burning, can allow deeper sowing of wheat seeds to avail advantage of residual moisture in the soil under dry environments. Presently available semi-dwarf wheat varieties, carry conventional Rht1 dwarfing alleles and produce optimum yields under high- fertility irrigated conditions. However, they are not well adapted for deeper sowing conditions in dry environments. 40. In order to meet demand of growing Demand of rice, its production needs to increase by about 50% of current productivity. In this direction, Under a Joint study by National Institute of Plant Genome Research, National Rice Research Institute and University of Delhi, Researchers identified a region in genome of rice, which seems to have potential for improving productivity. Scientists sequenced genomes of four Indian genotypes (LGR, PB 1121, Sonasal & Bindli), and found that Indian rice germplasms had much more genomic diversity than that estimated so far. They studied DNA from 3000 rice accessions from across world, identifying a long (~6 Mb) genomic region, which had an unusually suppressed nucleotide diversity region across centromere of chromosome 5. They named it as `low diversity region’. This region played important role during domestication of rice varieties, as it was present in most cultivated rice genotypes and absent in wild varieties. Most of modern cultivated rice varieties belong to japonica and indica genotypes. They had this region prominently. The study assumes importance as in addition to genome-wide exploration, it has highlighted an important and a long domestication- related genomic region, which was found to be evolutionarily crafted to carry multiple agronomic traits associations. 41. Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) Hyderabad collaborated with Hyderabad-based integrated pharmaceutical company LAXAI Life Sciences, to develop and manufacture APIs and drug intermediates. APIs and intermediates are key components of any drug that produces intended effects. Current initiative is aimed at reducing India's dependance on China for supply of APIs and drug intermediates. The collaboration will primarily focus on Umifenovir, Remdesivir and a key intermediate of Hydroxy Chloroquine (HCQ). 42. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) received patent for its method of manufacturing highland lunar soil simulant or moon soil which was prepared to create an artificial moon surface as a part of 2019’s Moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2 so that Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover could be tested. This soil simulant represents the regolith (loose unconsolidated rock and dust that sits atop a layer of bedrock) of lunar highland region. It is made in bulk from anorthosite rocks, a sample similar to regolith identified and picked out from Sittampundi Anorthosite Complex, almost 67 km from Salem, in Tamil Nadu. 43. Indian Space Research Organization identified 17 technologies at lower costs from Indian start ups to use in Gaganyaan mission. Technologies identified includes food and medicine for astronauts, life support systems, inflatable habitats, thermal protection technologies and anti-radiation technologies. Under Gaganyaan, 3 air force pilots will be carried to space, to be launched in December 2021. A female looking robot Vyommitra is to accompany the astronauts. Flight will be for 7 days. Cost of mission is 12400 Crores. Russia is Training 4 Indian pilots for the same. 44. Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology Guwahati (IASST) developed an electrochemical sensing platform for detecting carcinogenic or mutagenic compound N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) sometimes found in food items like cured meat, bacon, some cheese, and low-fat milk. It was achieved by developing a modified electrode by immobilizing carbon nanomaterials (carbon dots) in DNA. Electrochemical biosensor platform was developed using ability of NDMA and NDEA, to alter the DNA. Electrode was developed by depositing carbon dots (carbon nanoparticles) and then immobilizing bacterial DNA on them. 45. JNCASR (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research) developed injectable silk-fibroin based injectable SF hydrogel (iSFH) to deliver sustained insulin to diabetic patients, developed using biocompatible additives. It will ease insulin delivery in diabetic patients. The gel was first tested in rats and was successful. Researchers found that subcutaneous injection of insulin with fibroid based hydrogel formed an active depot under skin. This helped to leach out insulin, restore physiological glucose for a longer period of time. Microstructures provide mechanical strength (to support injectability), and porous morphology of iSFH allowed the encapsulation of human recombinant insulin in its active form in diabetic rats. Diabetes results from inadequate production of insulin due to loss of beta cells or insulin resistance within the body, which imbalances the glucose homeostasis is leading to an abrupt increase of blood glucose level. Last resort of treatment involves repeated subcutaneous insulin injections to maintain the physiological glucose homeostasis. 46. Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) has developed a one-step curable anti-microbial coating which, when coated on different surfaces such as textile, plastic and so on could kill a range of virus types including COVID 19. Corona virus, like influenza, is also an enveloped virus. Therefore it is anticipated that the coating may inactivate SARS-CoV-2 upon contact and can help prevent contamination if coated on various surfaces. 47. Kerala Innovator D Vasini Bai developed ten varieties of Anthurium, a flower with high market value, by cross-pollination. Anthurium is a vast group of beautiful blooming plants available in a wide range of colors, having high demands due to its use as indoor decorative plants and natural air purifiers. National Innovation Foundation facilitated mass multiplication and large scale production of four highly demanded varieties through tissue culture technique at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) Bangalore. 48. Many galaxies far more active than Milky Way have enormous twin jets of radio waves extending far into space. Normally these go in opposite directions, coming from a massive black hole at centre of galaxy. However, a few are more complicated and appear to have four jets forming an 'X' on sky. Several possible explanations have been proposed to understand this phenomenon. New MeerKAT Telescope (South African Radio Astronomy Observatory) observations of one such galaxy, PKS 2014-55, favors the phenomenon - Material falling back into the galaxy being deflected into different directions forming the other two arms of the ‘X.’ Radio band images described as a ‘double boomerang’, sent by telescope, showed 2 powerful jets of radio waves of blue colour, that can be seen extending up to 2.5 million light-years into space (the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy). Significantly, due to the pressure of tenuous intergalactic gas, both of them are ‘turned back’. 49. NASA announced Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SUNRISE) mission, to study about how sun creates Giant Solar Particle Storms. Mission is to deploy 6 CubeSats in Geosynchronous-orbit. Cubesats will use radio telescope to capture radio images of low- frequency emission that are emitted from sun. 50. NASA announced to launch its flight of astronauts on May 27, under Demo-2 Mission. It is first flight of NASA in 9 years. Mission is to use SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket. Mission of NASA sending astronauts to International Space Station has been named “Commercial Crew Programme”. 51. NASA issued plans for its project Artemis, which aims at placing first woman and next man on moon by 2024. The project aims to build a base camp on moon’s south pole, aiming to make a month long stay on moon. 52. NASA renamed its next-generation space telescope Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), after NASAs' first chief astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, set for launch in 2025. She paved the way for space telescopes focused on broader universe. She is considered as mother of Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched 30 years ago. Roman Space Telescope is expected to help NASA better understand space and help unravel long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as force behind the universe’s expansion and also boost its search for distant planets beyond our solar system. 53. NASA researchers found high energy particles erupting from ice in Antarctic region. Researchers believe that these particles are proof to parallel universe. ANTIA is high-energy cosmic neutrino that detect radio pulses that are being emitted by Antarctic ice sheet. The neutrinos in the ice produce radio pulses due to Askaryan effect. ANTIA succeeded in detecting 'fountain' of high-energy particles in 2006 and 2014 but the researchers initially thought them as background noise or glitches. Neutrinos are only particle that reach earth unattenuated. Askaryan Effect is the phenomenon where a particle travelling at a velocity faster than light in a dense electric medium, produces shower of secondary charged particles. 54. NASA selected Space Firms SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics, to build new lunar landing systems that will carry astronauts to moon by 2024. 3 companies will share amount of $967 million from NASA. 55. NASA stated that Asteroid ‘1998 OR 2’ will safely flyby earth, about 64 lakh km away from earth. This asteroid was first seen by NASA in 1998. It will pass by the Earth on April 29, 2020. As per NASA, 4 other asteroids heading towards Earth - 2020 FV4, 2020 FP, 2012 XA133 and 2020 FV3. One among the four asteroids is a 1,280-foot wide asteroid. 56. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) named its Mars rover Perseverance, scheduled in July 2020. Alexander Mather , a seventh-grade student, had recommended this name. NASA’s Mars Rover ‘Perseverance’ will look for signs of past microbial life on Mars. It weighs about 2300 pounds (approx 1043 kg). 57. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) Lucknow has developed a pest-resistant variety of cotton, due for field trials during April - October 2020, in Faridkot Center of Punjab Agriculture University (Ludhiana). This is expected to protect against whiteflies that are one of top devastator pests in world and vectors for some 200-plant viruses. 58. National Innovation foundation developed an indigenous herbal medicine called Wormivet, as an alternative to chemical methods that are currently being used to treat worms. Wormivet is used to treat endoparasite worms in livestock. 59. National Institute of Biomedical Genomics Kalyani (West Bengal) released a study stating that novel coronavirus has mutated into 10 different types. A2a mutation has been highly efficient in entering human lungs in large numbers because of which COVID-19 became prevalent globally. At present, 11 types have been identified. Type O was the ancestral type that originated in Wuhan. 60. New astronomical transient that is faster, brighter, and heavier at radio wavelengths than its predecessors has been identified by astrophysicists. After a bright burst was captured in 2016, in a tiny galaxy 500 million lightyears away, Researchers determined that anomaly is third fast blue optical transient (FBOT) ever captured in X-ray and radio wavelengths. FBOTs are highly luminous cosmic explosions. The most famous FBOT is AT2018COW (“The Cow”)- a rare event that appeared to be birth of a neutron star or black hole. Newly identified FBOT, called CSS161010 in short has vastly overshadowed the previously discovered FBOT “The Cow” with the heaviness and sheer speed of its material outflows. It produced some kind of fastest outflows in nature launching particles and gas at more than 55% speed of the light. CSS161010 launched 1 to 10 percent mass of sun, at more than half the speed of light which shows that this is a new class of transient. 61. New fresh water fish called Punitus Sanctus found in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu. Punitus is a species of fish that are commonly found in drains of western and eastern ghats and also in Eastern Himalayas. 62. New species of green pit viper discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, named Salazar’s pit viper after Salazar Slytherin, a fictional character in J.K Rowling’s book series “Harry Potter”. 63. Newly discovered species of treehopper in US, has been named Kaikaia Gaga after American singer Lady Gaga. Earlier, A deep-sea crustacean was named from American heavy metal band Metallica and is now known as Macrostylis metallicola. Synalpheus pinkfloydi shrimp was named after the English rock band Pink Floyd. 64. On Apr 24, 2020, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope completed 30 Years. Named After Noted astronomer Edwin Hubble, Hubble Space Observatory is run in partnership with European Space Agency. It has played crucial role in several discoveries, including evidence of existence of black holes in centre of galaxy. On its 30th anniversary, Hubble captured a Cosmic Reef, a group of stars that has an appearance of a coral reef undersea. Some Notable Observations by Hubble Space Telescope - Age and Expansion of Universe - It has measured distances to Cepheid variable stars more accurately than ever before, constraining value of Hubble constant, the measure of the rate at which the universe is expanding, which is also related to its age. Universe estimated age is now about 13.7 billion years. Before Hubble Telescope, it was predicted between 10- 20billion years. Hubble data helped discover farthest known galaxy so far - GN-z11, 32 Billion Light Years Away. Images provided by HST have been especially well-suited to establishing prevalence of black holes in center of galaxies. In March 2019, observations from Hubble were used to determine that Milky Way Galaxy weighs approximately 1.5 trillion solar units and has a radius of 129,000 light years. It is more than double of earlier estimated Radius of Milky way. 65. Paleontologists of Canada linked human hands to fins of fish, as First such event time in study of Human Evolution, by examining a fossil of “Elpistostege”. Elpistostege represents pivotal stage of transition of fish into land vertebrates, supported by front fins of fish called pectoral fins. Paleontologists believe that during its era, Elpistostege was the top predator in brackish estuary ecosystem. Elpistostege lived during Devonian period, that spanned 60 million years and is around 419 million years ago. It is named after place Devon (England), where rocks of this era were first found. 66. Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative diseasem with no cure so far. It is believed that an aggregation of a protein called alpha synuclein (ASyn) plays a crucial role in its pathology. Researchers are studying mechanism of how protein forms the aggregates, and how the aggregation results in the death of neuronal cells observed in Parkinson’s disease. It could help find a cure for the same. Aggregation of ASyn is not easy to understand. End point of the aggregation is the formation of small slender fibres or `fibrils’, in which the protein has a structure type, what is called a cross beta fold. Scientists have solved 3D structures of fibrils and have learnt how to develop drugs to target them. However, these drugs do not work. These failures have made the scientists to think that perhaps they need to understand not only the fibrilsbut also the variety of intermediates that form early in the aggregation process. Scientists from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology Kolkata teamed up to find a solution to this issue, finding Z-scan method useful. It could help in monitoring both the early and late stages of aggregation of ASyn nicely. Thus, this method can be really useful for both pharmaceutical and clinical research. 67. Pune based clean weather Technology private limited (Scitech Park) has developed a technology- “ScitechAiron negative ion generator” to control viral, bacterial and fungal infections in closed environments can clean the air & disinfect areas caused by COVID-19 positive cases & suspects. 68. Researchers at Agharkar Research Institute Pune developed a sensitive and low-cost sensor to rapidly detect bacteria, which can detect as low as ten bacterial cells from a sample size of one milliliter in under 30 minutes. Called ‘bug sniffer,’ this biosensor uses synthetic peptides, magnetic nanoparticles, and quantum dots to detect the presence of bacteria, providing a cost- and time-effective way of screening water and foodborne pathogens. 69. Researchers at IIT Guwahati explored new ways to prevent accumulation of neurotoxic molecules in brain, that are associated with short- term memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Team has reported interesting methods such as application of low-voltage electric field, and the use of ‘trojan peptides’ to arrest aggregation of neurotoxic molecules in brain. India has 3rd highest number of Alzheimer’s patients in world, after China and US. There is no therapeutic approach yet that can treat the underlying causes of Alzheimer’s. 70. Researchers at Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) discovered several Lithium-rich giant stars, indicating that Lithium is being produced in stars and accounts for its abundance in interstellar medium. They also associated such Lithium enhancement with central Helium-burning stars, also known as red clump giants, opening up new vistas in evolution of red giant stars. Present measurement of Lithium in interstellar medium and very young stars is about 4 times more than primordial value. Thus, identifying sources of Lithium enrichment in our Galaxy has been a great interest to researchers to validate Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as well as a stellar mixing process. 71. Researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) developed a new method to rapidly identify whether a disease-causing bacteria is alive or dead. It uses Raman spectroscopy, a technique usually used to identify chemical bonds in materials – to recognize bacteria and check for their viability. 72. Researchers at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in collaboration with Nanomechanics Inc (USA) have jointly developed an advanced tool for mapping nano-mechanical properties of materials like multi-phase alloys, composites, and multi-layered coatings, called NanoBlitz 3D. It has high-throughput and enables performance of a large array, typically consisting of 1000s high-speed nano-indentation tests, wherein each indentation tests takes less than one second to measure hardness and elastic modulus of a given material. 73. Researchers at Nainital-based Arayabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) found that SN 2010kd, a super- luminous supernova (Stars Collision) stands out with amount of mass as well as Nickel ejected during explosion, which is much more than normal core-collapse supernova. Scientists said that larger ejected mass of Super-luminous supernovae SN 2010kd, located 1.5 Giga light-years away, indicates that related star evolution might be different from other possible progenitors of normal core-collapse supernovae. Also, It exploded with a larger velocity but decayed slower than other similar supernovae. It was discovered by Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE-IIIb) telescope as a part of ROTSE supernova verification project in USA. in November 2010. 74. Researchers at Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) Guwahati have developed a solution to reduce use of chemicals in tea plantations. Researchers have found significant plant-growth-promoting and antifungal activities of endophyticactino bacteria associated with Tea plant and related genera, Eurya to find potent plant growth-promoting strains. Application of endophytic Actinobacteria could reduce chemical inputs in Tea plantation. 75. Researchers at Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali found a unique route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry and location on 2D materials, through a rapid one-step low power laser writing process. Approaches used so far to achieve controllability over hotspots distribution, limits their potential to be used for large area substrates. To overcome this, INST developed a hybrid Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanostructure decorated with gold nanoparticles, where direct laser writing is used to engineer artificial edges on surface of MoS2. This created localized hotspots with remarkable precision and control. SERS is a technique for molecular detection and characterization that relies on enhanced Raman scattering of molecules that are adsorbed on SERS-active surfaces, such as nanostructured gold or silver. 76. Researchers confirmed existence of Proxima b, an Earth-like planet that's orbiting the closest star to our Solar System, Proxima Centauri. Proxima b is 1.17 times the mass of Earth, smaller than older estimate of 1.3 times. It orbits its star in just 11.2 days. Proxima b was first discovered in 2016 using HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher) planet-hunting spectrograph at European Southern Observatory in Chile. Now, ESPRESSO spectrograph on Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile has provided detailed confirmation. It is apporx 4.24 Light years away from earth, making it the nearest exoplanet. 77. Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism Mumbai (IIG) found that Himalayas subside and move up depending on seasonal changes in groundwater. As Himalayas are crucial in influencing climate in Indian subcontinent, this study will help in understanding how hydrology affects climate. Water acts as a lubricating agent, and hence when there is water in dry season, the rate of slip of fault in this region is reduced. Researchers used Global Positioning System(GPS) and Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, which has made it possible for them to quantify variations of hydrologic mass. 78. Researchers from National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) Pune found a way to speed up Process of generating RBCs outside the body (in vitro) from haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). They found that adding a very low concentrationof a small protein molecule called `transforming growth factor β1’ (TGF-β1), along with a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), can cut down process time by three days (18 days from 21 earlier). Issue is that blood banks often face a severe shortage of whole blood as well as components of blood like red blood cells. Generating RBCs outside the body (in vitro) from haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is en expensive and lenghty process (21 days). The new finding can help speed it up. 79. Researchers from National Centre for Cell Science Pune found that the pathogenic protein called the Huntingtin Protein causes decrease in overall protein production. Huntington Disease is a genetic disorder that declines cognitive abilities, impairs coordination of balance and movement, memory lapses, mood swings and personality changes. The disease is caused due to the mutation of the gene called HTT. The major function of these genes is to produce protein called Huntingtin. 80. Researchers from Raman Research Institute (under Department of Science & Technology) have devised a new test for fairness of quantum coin or ‘qubit’ (the basic unit of information in a quantum computer) using entanglement theory. This is a significant contribution to quantum state discrimination, an essential aspect of quantum information science which is expected to influence quantum sensing. The new test uses entanglement to test the fairness of the quantum coin. Entanglement is a special type of correlation that exists in quantum world with no classical counterpart. 81. Researchers from Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (Thiruvanthapuram) developed an innovative intracranial flow diverter stent for treatment of aneurysms of blood vessels of brain. Intracranial aneurysm is a localized ballooning, bulging or dilation of arteries in the brain caused by progressive weakening of the inner muscles of the wall of blood vessels. Chitra flow diverter is designed to have better grip on walls of arteries of complex shapes in order to reduce risk of migration of device. It is also a low cost solution as compared to existing ones. 82. Researchers from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) brought out 35000 year history of river erosion and identified hotspots of erosion and wide valleys that act a buffer zones, after studying rivers in Ladakh Himalaya. Study showed how rivers in drier Ladakh Himalaya operated in longer time scales and how they responded to varying climate. Ladakh Himalaya forms a high altitude desert between Greater Himalayan ranges and Karakoram Ranges. Indus and its tributaries are major rivers flowing through the terrain. Research suggested that wide valley of Padam, with an area of 48 square km, in upper Zanskar, has stored a vast amount of sediments in these landforms, making Padam valley a hotspot of sediment buffering in Zanskar. This Study will help understand river-borne erosion and sedimentation, which are main drivers that make large riverine plains, terraces, and deltas that eventually become cradle to evolving civilizations. 83. Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism Mumbai developed a new Artificial Neural Networks based global Ionospheric Model (ANNIM), to predict ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage - a crucial need for communication and navigation. ANNs replicate processes in human brain to solve problems such as pattern recognition, classification, clustering, generalization, linear and nonlinear data fitting, and time series prediction. Ionospheric variability is greatly influenced by both solar originated processes and neutral atmosphere origin, making it difficult to model. Accurate prediction of electron density is still a challenging task. The model developed by IIG researchers may be utilized as a reference model in ionospheric predictions and has potential applications in calculating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning errors. 84. Researchers from Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) Mohali made computer based designs of nano-materials with superhigh piezoelectricity which can be building blocks of futuristic nano-electronics for applications like ultrathin, next-generation nano- transistors. Piezoelectricity is generation of electricity in certain materials upon application of pressure. Applications include lighters, pressure gauge, sensors and so on. Piezoelectricity in 2D materials was first confirmed in monolayer in 2014. However, most of 2D materials reported till date mainly show in-plane piezoelectricity. Therefore, out-of-plane piezoelectricity is very much desired and sought after. INST Mohali research has demonstrated induction of superhigh out-of-plane piezoelectricity via stacking one monolayer over the other in 2D nanostructure, based on 2 dimensional van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) comprising of 2D monolayers. This is a significant step towards meeting growing demand for superfast ultrathin nanodevices and nanotransistors. 85. Russia will launch its first Arktika-M satellite to monitor Arctic climate and environment, later in 2020. 2nd Arktika-M satellite will be launched in 2023. Arktika-M is a remote-sensing and emergency communications satellite. It will help collect meteorological data from polar regions of Earth. Data will help improve weather forecasts and enable scientists to better study climate change. 86. SPHERE instrument of Very Large Telescope in Chile has captured birth of new planet in the AB Aurigae star system, as first time in human history the birth of a star is being witnessed. The image depicts orange mass of gas. The mass showing the cosmic matter of the universe at gravitational tipping point is exactly the sign for a star system to be born. 87. Scientists at Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) Pune isolated 45 different strains of methanotrophic bacteria which have been found to be capable of reducing methane emissions from rice plants, crearting first indigenous methanotroph culture. Methanotrophs metabolise and convert methane into carbon-di-oxide, effectively reducing emission of methane, which is second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) and 26 times more potent as compared to CO2. Team found decrease in methane emissions in inoculated plants with a positive or neutral effect on growth of rice. This could lead to the development of microbial inoculants for methane mitigation in rice. 88. Scientists at Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) developed generalized one dimensional fluid simulation code capable of studying a wide spectrum of coherent electric field structures in near-earth plasma environment / magnetosphere, which can help in planning future space missions. Team developed a generalized 1D fluid code which modelled coherent electric field structures in space plasmas. Results obtained were found well in agreement with spacecraft observations of coherent electric field structures. Almost 99% of matter in universe is in form of plasma. Earth’s magnetosphere, too, contains this plasma processes that can hamper working of satellites. Apart from well being of these expensive satellites, academic understanding of this region is quite essential to comprehend cosmos. Sun is major source of plasma deposition in space around Earth. 89. Scientists at Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali developed an efficient, low-cost electro-catalyst from fish gills that can help develop environmentally friendly energy conversion devices. This bio-inspired carbon nanostructure can help overcome bottleneck in realization of several renewable energy conversion and storage technologies such as fuel cell, biofuel cell, and metal−air battery. Present strategy enriches a route to synthesize low-cost, highly efficient bioinspired electrocatalyst that is better than commercial Platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst and could be utilized as next-generation nonprecious carbon-based electrocatalyst for energy conversion and storage applications. 90. Scientists at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI) have developed a process for size- selective deposition of nanocomposite coatings which can reduce friction in Several aerospace, defence, automobile, space devices need to reduce friction, wear, and tear to enhance the life of components. Coatings developed by ARCI group reduced friction more and could withstand corrosion due to salt spray better than many similar wear-resistant coatings available in the market. 91. Scientists at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences Thiruvananthapuram developed new generation Iron-Manganese based alloys for biodegradable metal implants for use in humans. Biodegradable materials (Fe, Mg, Zn, and polymer), which can participate in healing and then degrade gradually by maintaining mechanical integrity without leaving any implant residues in human body, are better alternatives to currently used metallic implants which remain permanently in human body and can cause long-term side effects. Iron-Manganese based alloy Fe-Mn (having Mn composition of more than 29% by weight) is a promising biodegradable metallic implant which exhibits single austenitic phase (non-magnetic form of iron) with MRI compatibility. Fe-Mn alloy produced at ARCI exhibited 99% density with impressive mechanical properties, comparable to presently used permanent Titanium (Ti) and stainless-steel metallic implants. 92. Scientists at International Advanced Research for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI) Hyderabad developed Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), in power range of 1 to 20 kiloWatt (kW). PEMFC have better operational capability at low-temperatures with applications in decentralised power generation systems. ARCI will now set up a PEMFC system up to 10 kW capacity at Tamil Nadu State Emergency Operation Centre (TN SEOC) to operate disaster management systems. 93. Scientists at Kolkata based Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered 3 new plant species namely- Eugenia sphaerocarpa, Goniothalamus sericeus and Memecylon nervosum at the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu (TN). Eugenia sphaenrocarpa is Found primarily in the Kakkayam area of the Malabar wildlife sanctuary in Kerala at an altitude of 800 m, it belongs to the Myrtaceae or Rose apple family. Goniothalamus sericeus was Discovered in Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (TN) at an altitude of 1400m, this species belongs to the Annonaceae family of custard apple. Memecylon nervosum is Found at an altitude between 700-900m at the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (TN), this species belongs to the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family. 94. Scientists at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences Kolkata (SNBNCBS) developed a safe nanomedicine that can treat several diseases by altering oxidative stress in body, as a hope in India’s fight against COVID-19. Animal trial for Reduction & Oxidation processes (Redox) healing of several diseases is completed, and now institute is looking human Trials. Medicine combines nanoparticles extracted from manganese salt with citrus extract, like from lemon. A crucial combination of manganese and citrate employing tricks of nanotechnology produces the nanomedicine. 95. Scientists at University of Cambridge (UK) discovered fossil of world’s oldest known modern bird skull dating to about 66.8m – 66.7m years ago, naming it ‘Wonderchicken‘, which is thought to be a common ancestor of modern chickens and ducks. It was a small-bodied, ground-dwelling bird which fed along land near the seashore, with scientific name Asteriornis maastrichtensis. 96. Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) Pune have developed a biofortified durum wheat variety MACS 4028, which shows high protein content of about 14.7%, better nutritional quality having zinc 40.3 ppm, and iron content of 40.3ppm and 46.1ppm respectively, good milling quality and overall acceptability. MACS 4028 variety is also included by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) programme for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to alleviate malnutrition in a sustainable way and can boost the Vision 2022 “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat”, the National Nutrition Strategy. 97. Scientists from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER), jointly discovered three new fish species under genus ‘Dawkinsia’ namely Dawkinsia apsara, Dawkinsia austellus, Dawkinsia crassa 1st species Dawkinsia apsara, found in Karnataka’s Sita and Sowparnika rivers, has been christened after the beautiful celestial nymphs in Hindu mythology. 2nd species Dawkinsia austellus, found from Muvattupuzha river in Kerala, has been named referring to Latin word for ‘South’ and refers to distribution range of species in Southern Kerala. 3rd species Dawkinsia crassa, found in Netravati river of Coastal Karnataka, has been named after the Latin word for ‘round/thick’ referring to the rounded appearance of the fish. 98. Scientists from Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) developed a starch-based ‘hemostat’ material that concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood by physically absorbing excess fluid. The biodegradable microparticles that combine to form a gel on a wound offer significant improvements over existing alternatives. Hemostat materials absorb excel fluid by concentrating the natural clotting factors in the blood that are critical for stopping the blood flow. 99. Scientists from International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) Hyderabad have developed a cost-effective solar receiver tube technology for industrial process heat applications. It efficiently absorbs solar radiation and converts it into heat for targeted applications, specially in industries. It exhibits high corrosion resistance suitable for Indian weather. 100. Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) modified structure of Berberine, a natural and cheap product similar to curcumin, available commercially, into Ber-D to use as a Alzheimer’s inhibitor. Researchers selected isoquinoline natural product berberine found in India and China and used in traditional medicine and other applications. As berberine is poorly soluble and toxic to cells. So, Researchers modified berberine to Ber-D, which is a soluble (aqueous), antioxidant. They found it to be a multifunctional inhibitor of multifaceted amyloid toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease. 101. Scientists from Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) developed a microreactor that can produce large quantities of uniform size of nanoparticles, serving a major requirement in biomedical technology. Device could synthesize metal, semiconductor, and polymer nanoparticles by continuous flow active microreactor. Nanoparticles possess unique size-dependent properties, which make them useful in biomedical technology but difference in their sizes reduces their efficiency. Maintaining a uniform size of the nanoparticles is a challenge faced by biomedical industry. New approach in resolving monodispersity paradox could be of immense value to researchers working in nanotechnology. 102. Scientists from Pune’s Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) have developed a hybrid variety of grapes named ARI-516, which is resistant to fungal diseases, high yielding and has excellent juice quality. It is also suitable for preparation of juice, raisin, jam and red wine. India ranks 12th in terms of grape production. Maharashtra leads in the production of grapes in India with a share of 81.22 %. 103. Scientists from Raman Research Institute along with IISER Pune and Paris Diderot University (France), have found out that spectrin, which are flexible rod-shaped molecules present in axons, act as ‘shock absorbers’ to protect axons from stretch-induced damage. Axons are long tubular extensions of nerve cells that transmit electrical signals across long distances and can be up to a meter long in case of humans. At such lengths, they are subjected to large stretch deformations during limb or other bodily movements. Axons undergo significant deformations even during normal activities like jumping. Probing into what strategies axons adopt to protect themselves from damage during deformations, scientists showed that neuronal cells may have evolved a clever strategy using an etched optical fiber attached to a piezo drive as a force-sensing cantilever to stretch live axons and to measure resultant tension. Brain undergoes significant deformations (up to 5% of strain) even under normal activities such as jumping. In contact sports, brain concussion occurs and is a leading cause of injuries. 104. Scientists from S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences Kolkata (SNBNCBS) developed a novel protocol to find out whether a pair of electrons is in an entangled state so that they can be safely used as resources for facilitating quantum information processing tasks. Quantum entanglement makes phenomena such as quantum teleportation and super-dense coding possible. It occurs when particles interact in a way such that quantum state particles cannot be described independently of state of others. However, entanglement is fragile and is easily lost during transit of photons. Hence, it is extremely important to know whether a pair of hotons is entangled, in order to use them as resource. Devices measuring entanglement may be hacked by eavesdroppers. Device-independent self-testing (DIST) is a method that can be used in order to overcome such a possibility. This enables verification of entanglement in an unknown quantum state of two photons without having direct access to state, based on quantum uncertainty principle. Idea has been implemented experimentally in collaboration with Beijing Computational Science Research Centre. In Experimental optical set-up, entangled pairs of photons are created by laser light on Beta barium borate (BBO) crystals, used as laser crystal. Bob is used as trusted party and Alice as untrusted, to verify that pair of photons they share is entangled. 105. Scientists from University of Geneva (Switzerland) detected liquid iron rain on highly heated exoplanet WASP-76b, which revolves around its star ‘WASP-76’ so closely that temperature reaches 1000 ° C. Observations made by Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations (Espresso), fitted to Very Large Telescope (VLT) based at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile’s the Atacama Desert. 106. Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) found that glaciers in Sikkim are melting at a higher magnitude as compared to other Himalayan regions. Small glaciers in Sikkim are retreating while larger glaciers are thinning due to climate change. 107. Scientists witnessed biggest star explosion (called supernovas) observed till now, called SN2016aps. This supernova was up to 100 times larger than our sun and happened in a galaxy far away (3.6 billion light years from Earth). The stars had been part of a binary system, two stars pulled toward each other through gravity. The joined star exploded in a supernova, in Feb 2016. 108. Space authorities reported that sun has gone into ‘Solar Minimum’ state and is about to enter the deepest period of sunshine recession. It has almost been 100 days of 2020 when sun has shown zero sunspots. Sun goes through regular cycles of high & low activity. This affects frequency of space weather events, but it doesn't have a major effect on Earth's climate. It causes Earth’s atmosphere to shrink slightly which reduces drag on satellites. During Solar Minimum, sun’s magnetic field weakens and it provides less shielding from cosmic rays. This cycle usually lasts on average of 11 years. 109. Study at US' Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggested new paths to catch signals of dark matter particles whose energy is absorbed by the nuclei. Several experiments have been searching for dark matter particles by knocking into atomic nuclei, known as scattering. It produces tiny flashlights and other forms of signals in these interactions. Still, Dark matter has been able to defy every form of detector that has been designed to find it. It has been clearly known that dark matter makes up 85 % of total mass of the universe, but what it is made of, is still unknown. The absorption process can give an affected atom a kick which will cause it to eject a lighter and an energized particle such as an electron. The study mainly focuses on those cases where a neutrino or an electron has been ejected as the dark particle strikes an atom’s nucleus. Study proposes that some existing experiments can be broadened to also look for these absorption-related types of telltale dark matter signals. Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), are among well-motivated candidates to look for Dark Matter. Researchers are considering other places where dark matter particles might be hiding. For example, sterile neutrinos. It can also be bought in the family of particles known as fermions, which includes protons, neutrinos, and electrons. 110. Swiss Scientists discovered a six-planet system, orbiting the star HD 158259 in Draco constellation. It has a super-Earth & 5 mini-Neptunes. Discovery was done by SOPHIE spectrograph at Haute-Provence Observatory in South of France and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) exoplanet-hunting space telescope. The solar system is 88 light-years away from Earth. Every planet in HD 158259 star has same orbital resonance from its later planet, which is 3:2. Orbital Resonance is a term used to understand how orbits of the two planets are connected. Best example of this is Pluto and Neptune in our solar system. These two bodies have 2:3 orbital resonance, that means for every 2 laps of Pluto around the Sun, Neptune makes three. 111. US Scientists discovered a carnivorous (meat eating) swimming dinosaur named “Spinosaurus aegyptiacus”, at Kem Kem region of Moroccan Sahara in North Africa. Lived about 95 million years ago (Cretaceous period), spinosaurus was even longer than an adult Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex). 112. US Space Firm SpaceX successfully launched a new batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit, as 84th Falcon 9 flight. Starlink is a satellite constellation being constructed by SpaceX, to provide satellite Internet access. Constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), working in combination with ground transceivers. 113. USGS (United States Geological Survey) Astrogeology Science Center, NASA and Lunar Planetary Institute released first ever digital, unified, global, geological map of moon named Unified Geologic Map of the Moon, with shaded topography from NASA’s LOLA mission (Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter). It will serve as a blueprint for future human missions and a source of research and analysis for the educators and the general public interested in lunar geology. Top

Sports 1. 1st Khelo India University Games held at KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University) in Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Official mascots were ‘Jay and Bijay’ - Panjab University named winner of with 45 medals, followed by Savitribai Phule Pune University and Punjabi University. 2. 2019–20 Indian Super League season (sixth season) won by ATK (previously known as Atlético de Kolkata) FC, as their 3rd Title. They defeated Chennaiyin FC in Final. 3. 2020 All England Badminton Open (112th Edition) - Men's Singles - Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) Women's Singles - Tai Tzu-ying (Chinese Taipei) Men's Doubles - Japan's Hiroyuki Endo AND Yuta Watanabe Women's Doubles - Japan's Yuki Fukushima AND Sayaka Hirota Mixed Doubles - Indonesia's Praveen Jordan AND Melati Daeva Oktavianti 4. 2020 Mexico Open (Abierto Mexicano Telcel) - Men's Singles - Rafael Nadal (Spain). He defeated Taylor Fritz (United States) Women's Singles - Heather Watson (United Kingdom). She defeated Leylah Annie Fernandez (Canada) Men's Doubles - Łukasz Kubot (Poland) AND Marcelo Melo (Brazil) Women's Doubles - Desirae Krawczyk (United States) AND Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) 5. 2nd leg of 1st Khelo India Winter Games 2020 concluded in Gulmarg (J & K). Around 900 players participated in the event which comprised of skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, ice hockey, snowshoeing, ice stock, snow rugby and snow baseball. 1st Leg of 1st Khelo India Winter Games 2020 was held in Ladakh at Leh. 6. Feifei has been named as mascot for 4th Asian Para Games to be held in Hangzhou (China) in 2022. It will feature 22 sports with Taekwondo and Para-Canoe as debutant games. 7. Asian/Oceanian Boxing Olympic Qualifiers event 2020 held in Amman (Jordan) - 9 Indian boxers qualified in this event for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. India ranked 9th with 8 medals (2 Silver, 6 Bronze). China topped at top with 6 medals (4 gold,2 bronze). 8. England’s Ben Stokes is named as leading cricketer in world in 2020 by Cricket Magazine Wisden. In Women’s category, Australia’s Ellyse Perry is named Wisden’s Leading Female Cricketer in World. 9. FIFA Under 17 women’s world cup has been rescheduled from February 17 to March 7, 2021. It will be hosted by India. 10. ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup (Australia) - Australia won its 5th Women's T20 World cup title, defeating India in Final. 10 Teams had participated. Australia's Beth Mooney named player of the tournament, who also scored most runs. 11. Indian Badminton Player P V Sindhu has been named ambassador of campaign “I am Badminton”, launched by Badminton World Federation (BWF). 12. Indian Table Tennis Player Achanta Sharath Kamal won ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open, defeating Marcos Freitas of Portugal. His last title was Egypt Open in 2010. 13. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka became highest-paid female athlete in sporting history, raking in $37.4 million in prize money and endorsements in past 12 months, according to Forbes. However, Osaka ranks only 29th overall among sports stars in terms of total earnings in past year. Swiss Tennis Star Roger Federer is top earner athelete (106 Million USD), Followed by Portugese Footballer Cristianpo Ronaldo (105 Million USD). Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli is top ranked Cricketer in List (66th), with earnings of 26 Million USD. 14. Misc. Sports Events (April 2020) - China will host third edition of Asian Youth Games in November 2021, as announced by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). 2021 World Games that were to be held in Birmingham in Alabama (US), are postponed to 2022. This is being done to avoid clash with Tokyo Olympics that have been postponed to 2021 amid COVID-19 Outbreak. 2021 World Athletics Championships are also pushed to 2022 for the same reason. Noted American Basketballer Kobe Bryant, who passed away recently, has been named into this year’s list of inductees into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. International Weightlifting Federation suspended Malaysia & Thailand weightlifters from competing in Tokyo Olympics (Shifted to 2021). India will host Asian Boxing Championships for men and women in November-December 2020, assuming coronavirus pandemic to ve wiped out by then. BCCI suspended Indian Premier League 2020 indefinitely, amid COVID-19 Outbreak. BCCI also created a campaign named Team Mask Force, to spread awareness about wearing masks amid Pandemic. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won Formula One Esports Chinese Virtual Grand Prix championship. Due to Coronavirus pandemic, actual F1 races are not being held. The virtual races will run instead of each delayed Grand Prix, using official F1 2019 PC video game. Iran's Alireza Firouzja beaten World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in Banter Blitz Cup 2020, to claim $14,000 prize. T10 League Sindhi Franchise Owner Deepak Agarwal has been banned for 2 years for breaching ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal has been banned from all forms of cricket for a 3 years, on corruption charges. Indian Middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for 4 years by World Athletics, for doping Violation. India lost hosting rights of 2021 Men’s World Boxing Championship, after Boxing Federation of India (BFI) failed to pay host fee to International Boxing Association (AIBA), amounting approx 30 Crores INR. Now hosting rights of the same are given to Serbia. 15. Misc. Sports Events (Mar 2020) - Indian Badminton Players Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh won a bronze each in girls' singles Badminton event at Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020 in Haarlem (Netherlands). Indian Men's Hockey Team ranked 4th in International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Rankings 2020, as India's best ranking ever. Sports Authority of India and Hockey India announced first edition of Khelo India Women's Hockey League Under-21, to be held in 3 phases between March to November 2020, In New Delhi, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar. Badminton Asia Championships will be held in Manila (capital of Philippines), which were earlier scheduled to be held in Wuhan (China). It has been done Due to Novel Coronavirus outbreak in China. India Cricketer Shafali Verma became world number one batsman in Women’s T20I cricket. Shafali is 2nd Indian batswoman after Mithali Raj to top Women’s T20I rankings. West Indies' Cricketer Kieron Pollard became 1st player to play 500 T20 matches. Indian Sprinter Prachi choudhary suspended by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), for a doping violation. Hockey India joined 38 other national associations as a member of the World Masters Hockey (WMH). Hockey India appointed R.P. Singh as convener of Hockey India Masters Committee and Harbinder Singh as chairman of committee. American Golfer Tiger Woods elected to World Golf Hall of Fame as first member of Class of 2021. World Athletics Council fined Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) USD 10 million for breaching sport's anti-doping rules. Also, maximum 10 Russian track and field athletes will be allowed to compete at Tokyo Olympics as neutrals. Indian Female Umpires Janani Narayanan and Vrinda Rathi named in ICC's International Panel of Development Umpires. Indian shot-putter Navin Chikara has been suspended by World athletics body’s (formerly known as International Association of Athletics Federations-IAAF) for 4 years,for using a prohibited substance. 16. Misc. Sports News (May 2020) - India lost its top spot to Australia in ICC test rankings, dropping to third. Sania Mirza became first Indian to win Fed Cup Heart Award for her successful return to court post motherhood. Sania won the award for Asia/Oceania zone. Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) postponed 7th season of Commonwealth Youth Games from 2021 to 2023, following a clash with Tokyo Olympics, which were earlier postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic. Other major events postponed - Badminton World Championships (2020 to November 2021). Swimming world governing body Federation Internationale de Natation(FINA) rescheduled 2021 Fukuoka aquatics world championships to May 2022. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned Indian discus thrower Sandeep Kumari for 4 years after failing a drug test. Tennis Integrity Unit banned Egypt’s tennis player Youssef Hossam from professional tennis for life. China won inaugural $180,000 FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup, following a 2-2 draw against USA. French cyclist Remy Di Gregorio has been banned for 4 years by International Cycling Union (UCI). All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) nominated N Bala Devi and Sandesh Jhingan for Arjuna Award 2020. Germany’s Football league Bundesliga became world’s first major sports competition to resume, post nationwide lockdown imposed to contain coronavirus pandemic. ICC Cricket Committee (Headed by Anil Kumble) banned use of saliva to shine the ball. The practice meant for swing bowling is now primarily held as health risk due to threats of COVID-19. Powerlifters Savita Kumari & Ankit Shishodia have been provisionally suspended by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), for violating anti-doping rules. World Health Organization (WHO) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed an agreement to work together to promote health through sport and physical activity. India’s long-distance runner Kiranjeet Kaur has been handed a four-year ban by World Athletics’ anti-doping body for testing positive for a banned substance (Enobosarm). 36th National Games, planned for October-November in Goa, have been deferred indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sri Lankan Cricketer Shehan Madushanka has been suspended from all forms of cricket, for alleged possession of heroin. Sports Authority of India (SAI) deposited NR 30,000 each to 2,749 Khelo India athletes as out of pocket allowance (OPA) amid COVID-19 lockdown. Cricketer Rohit Sharma has been nominated by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for Top sports Honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020. BCCI Also nominated Shikhar Dhawan, Deepti Sharma and Ishant Sharma for Arjuna Awards. 17. Mumbai will host International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) session in 2023, to encourage and support National Olympic Committee of India and all National Federations to promote and strengthen Olympic sport in India. 18. New Zealand Cricketer Ross Taylor won Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for his 3rd time, given to player of the year in New Zealand. Ross became first player from any nation to play 100 international matches in all three formats. Other Winners - ANZ International Women’s ODI Player of the Year - Suzie Bates ANZ International Men’s ODI Player of the Year - Kane Williamson ANZ International Women’s T20 Player of the Year - Sophie Devine ANZ International Men’s T20 Player of the Year - Ross Taylor 19. Olympic Council of Asia announced Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen which are collectively known as “The Smart Triplets”, as official mascots of 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou in 2022. 20. Saurashtra won Ranji Trophy Cricket title for first time in 70 years, beating Bengal. Top

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