APRIL 2020 Current Affairs Monthly
2020 - 21 CURRENT AFFAIRS STRAIGHTZERO
World Heritage Day: 18 April ...... 9 Contents World Liver Day: 19 April ...... 10 Chinese Language Day: 20 April ...... 10 Awards & Honours 1 World Creativity and Innovation Day: 21 April 10 Algerian novel won a prize ...... 1 Civil Services Day: April 21 ...... 10 Naveen Patnaik honoured by Peta India ...... 1 Administrative Professionals Day: 22 April .... 11 Winners of the Adhunik Gram program ...... 1 Earth Day: 22 April ...... 11 Mergers and Acquisitions 2 English Language Day: 23 April...... 11 Axis Bank to acquire stake in Max Life ...... 2 World Book and Copyright Day: 23 April ...... 11 Ashok Leyland acquired share in Hinduja ...... 2 International Girls in ICT Day: 23 April ...... 12 Facebook buys 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio .... 2 World Day of Laboratory Animals: April 24 .... 12 Hindustan Unilever merged with GSKCH India 2 Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace Days and Events 4 ...... 12 Odisha Day celebrated on 1 April ...... 4 World Immunisation Week 2020 ...... 12 World Autism Awareness Day: 2 April ...... 4 National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April ...... 13 International Mine Awareness Day: 4 April ...... 4 International Delegate’s Day: 25 April ...... 13 National Maritime Day: 5 April ...... 4 World Malaria Day: 25 April ...... 13 Int. Day of Sport for Development and Peace .. 5 Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day: 26 April Mahavir Jayanti celebrated on 6 April ...... 5 ...... 13 Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide ...... 5 World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April ...... 14 World Health Day observed globally on 7 April 5 Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April .. 14 WADA celebrated Play True Day 2020: 9 April 6 International Dance Day: 29 April ...... 14 World Homoeopathy Day: 10 April ...... 6 MOU and Agreements 15 Good Friday being observed on 10 April ...... 6 India signed $1.5 bn loan agreement with ADB ...... 15 National Safe Motherhood Day: 11 April ...... 6 Airtel signed ₹7,636 crore deal with Nokia .... 15 National Pet Day: 11 April ...... 7 Tech Mahindra, IBM tied up ...... 15 International day Day of Human Space Flight .. 7 Gujarat hospital tied up with ICMR ...... 15 Easter festival celebrated on 12 April ...... 7 Rajasthan Government partnered with 'Aayu' ‘101st anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh app ...... 16 Massacre ...... 8 THSTI: 1st testing facility in Faridabad ...... 16 Baisakhi celebrated on 13 April ...... 8 CSIR-NCL Pune tied up with BEL...... 16 World Chagas Disease Day: 14 April ...... 8 Bharat Biotech tied-up with FluGen ...... 16 129th birth anniversary of Dr B.R Ambedkar .... 8 Apple, Google joined hand ...... 17 World Art day celebrated on 15 April ...... 9 Hindustan Unilever partnered with UNICEF .. 17 World Voice Day 2020: April 16...... 9 Indian Immunologicals started a research ..... 17 World Haemophilia Day: 17 April...... 9 IIM-B & ICICI Securities launched a program 17
SCTIMST tied up with Wipro 3D...... 18 Madhabi Puri Buch got extension as WTM at SEBI ...... 24 Appointments 19 Pravin Rao is Nasscom chairman ...... 25 Rajiv Kumar appointed PESB chief ...... 19 Anurag Srivastava: MEA Spokesman ...... 25 Suresh N Patel became Vigilance Commissioner ...... 19 NTPC appoints Dilip Kumar Patel as director HR ...... 25 T. S. Tirumurti: Representative of India to UN ...... 19 Justice Rajnesh Oswal: Judge of HC of J&K . 25 J Arunkumar: USA national team coach ...... 19 L. Duraiswamy: New MD of Sundaram Home Finance ...... 26 Dipankar Datta sworn in as CJ of Bombay HC ...... 20 BP Kaunungo reappointed as RBI deputy governor ...... 26 Shibli Faraz new Information Minister: Pak .... 20 Obituaries 27 Manisha Singh as America's next envoy to OECD ...... 20 Actor Rishi Kapoor passed away ...... 27 Government appointed new Secretaries ...... 20 CRPF man dies due to COVID-19 ...... 27 Sanjay Kothari: Central Vigilance Commissioner Actor Irrfan Khan passed away ...... 27 ...... 21 Michael Robinson passed away ...... 27 Shiv Das Meena took charge as HUDCO's CMD James M. Beggs passed away ...... 28 ...... 21 Noted Odia dramatist Bijay Mishra passed away Rakesh Sharma: New President of IMMA ...... 21 ...... 28 PV Sindhu: Ambassador for awareness Artist Zarina Hashmi passed away ...... 28 campaign ...... 21 Former Rajya Sabha MP Basanta Das passed Uri Levine appointed as Infosys Director ...... 22 away ...... 28 Meghalaya, Orissa HCs to get new CJs Renowned thespian Usha Ganguly passed Bombay, ...... 22 away ...... 29 Sudarsanam Babu appointed to science board: Actress Shirley Knight passed away ...... 29 US ...... 22 Former Fiji Prime Minister Qarase died ...... 29 Kapil Dev Tripathi: New Secretary to President ...... 23 BMW India CEO Rudratej Singh passed away ...... 29 Graeme Smith: Cricket South Africa's Director ...... 23 Oscar-winning animator Gene Deitch passed away ...... 30 Rohit Sharma: CricKingdom's brand ambassador ...... 23 Former Odisha Minister Saharai Oram died .. 30 Viswanathan Anand joined WWF India ...... 23 Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President died ...... 30 BSNL CMD P K Purwar took charge of MTNL NFL Hall of Famer Willie Davis passed away 30 ...... 24 Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute died ...... 31 MS Dhoni: Brand ambassador of PokerStars Zafar Sarfraz passed away due to Coronavirus India ...... 24 ...... 31 3 HC judges administered oath by Chief Justice Roger Chappot passed away ...... 31 ...... 24 Veteran actor Ranjit Chowdhry passed away 31
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Rifat Chadirji passed away ...... 32 China announced USD 30 mn grant for WHO ...... 40 Former pro golfer Doug Sanders passed away ...... 32 Iran put first military satellite into orbit...... 41 Filmmaker Obayashi passed away ...... 32 Microsoft to launch plasmabot ...... 41 Former Union Minister Rajasekharan passed Instagram launched COVID-19 spread tracker away ...... 33 ...... 41 British Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor passed Facebook Gaming app launched ...... 42 away ...... 33 Rare turtle nests spotted in Thailand ...... 42 Ashok Desai passed away ...... 33 WHO released guidelines for Ramadan Legendary driver Stirling Moss passed away . 33 practices ...... 42 Peter Bonetti passed away ...... 34 US-Russian space crew landed safely ...... 42 Donato Sabia passed away ...... 34 Online ASEAN Special Summit held...... 43 Jackie du Preez passed away ...... 34 Krakatau volcano witnessed longest eruption 43 Ramkrishna Dwivedi passed away ...... 34 UNSC to hold its first meeting on COVD-19 .. 43 American folk singer John Prine passed away Tiger at a zoo tested positive for COVID-19 .. 43 ...... 35 UNGA adopted a resolution ...... 44 Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away ...... 35 NASA to launch 'SunRISE' mission ...... 44 Radomir Antic passed away ...... 35 China recommended bear bile to treat COVID- Hazarilal Raghuwanshi passed away ...... 36 19 ...... 44 Kannada actor 'Bullet' Prakash passed away 36 Person In News 45 Former Libya Prime Minister passed away .... 36 PCB banned Umar Akmal ...... 45 Grammy award winner Bill Withers passed away Jhuma Khatun banned for 4 years ...... 45 ...... 36 Arnab Goswami resigned from Editors' Guild 45 Gita Ramjee died from coronavirus ...... 37 Raghuram Rajan in External Advisory Group: Tony Lewis passed away ...... 37 IMF ...... 45 Nobel laureate Phillip Anderson passed away 129th birth anniversary of Dr B.R Ambedkar . 46 ...... 37 Ben Stokes named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer Maria Teresa: 1st royal to die from COVID-19 ...... 46 ...... 37 Bob Weighton confirmed as world’s oldest man International Affairs 39 ...... 46 Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for minors .. 39 Government Policies and Schemes 47 China approved its third coronavirus vaccine . 39 Mid-day meal scheme update ...... 47 Animals tested positive for COVID-19 ...... 39 MP CM launched Jeevan Shakti Yojana ...... 47 SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites ...... 39 CM COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana: MP ... 47 China named its Mars mission Tianwen-1 ..... 40 32 crore people receive benefits under PMGKP ...... 47 NASA developed a new ventilator ...... 40 World Games unveiled new logo for 2022 edition Government notified three schemes ...... 48 ...... 40 Science and Technology 49
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Largest hole in ozone layer is closed now ...... 49 TCS to power Israel’s 1st fully Digital Bank ... 57 Hubble telescope's 30th anniversary ...... 49 Pulses, Oilseeds worth Rs 1,313 cr procured 57 Low-cost mechanical ventilator developed ..... 49 White paper to strategize revival of economy 58 Scientists to develop virucidal coating ...... 49 Fitch slashed India’s GDP growth forecast .... 58 App developed by IIIT-Delhi ...... 50 RBI cuts reverse repo rate by 25 bps ...... 58 Tool for mapping nano-mechanical properties Foodgrains production increased the target .. 58 ...... 50 Centre released Rs 7,300 crore under A woman developed ten varieties of Anthurium MGNREGS ...... 59 ...... 50 India will register positive growth rate: IMF .... 59 Air pollution levels at "20-Year Low": NASA ... 50 India to export wheat to Afghanistan ...... 59 ARI Pune developed “bug sniffer” ...... 51 Jobless rate in India rose to 23.4% ...... 60 Fish gills used to develop electro-catalysts .... 51 Export curbs relaxed on 24 pharma ingredients Lithium abundance in interstellar space ...... 51 ...... 60 Scientists observed biggest star explosion .... 51 India to borrow Rs 4.88 lakh crore ...... 60 New pit viper discovered in Arunachal Pradesh India’s fiscal deficit likely to reach 6.2 % ...... 60 ...... 52 World Bank approved emergency funds for India Coronavirus in 2 Indian Bat species ...... 52 ...... 61 Antimicrobial spray-based coating developed 52 India’s economic growth decelerated to 4% .. 61 Researchers developed a ‘digital stethoscope’ Sports 62 ...... 52 PCB banned Umar Akmal ...... 62 CCMB undertook Genome Sequencing ...... 53 Jhuma Khatun banned for 4 years ...... 62 NASA unveils plan to setup 'Artemis' ...... 53 Sana Mir announced retirement ...... 62 Mass bleaching of Great Barrier Reef ...... 53 Graeme Smith: Cricket South Africa's Director BCG vaccination linked with coronavirus cases ...... 62 ...... 54 Mascot for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games IBM offering its AI platform for free ...... 54 ...... 63 DRDO developed bio suit ...... 54 IPL 2020 suspended indefinitely ...... 63 NASA to launch 'SunRISE' mission ...... 54 Pakistan plans to bid for ICC events ...... 63 Business and Economy 56 SAI's 21-day online workshop for coaches began ...... 63 CRISIL cut India's FY21 economic growth rate ...... 56 Tour de France postponed ...... 64 India Ratings lowered GDP growth rate to 1.9% Hockey India postponed all national c'ships .. 64 ...... 56 India to host Asian Boxing Championship ..... 64 RBI announced special liquidity facility ...... 56 Ben Stokes named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer KKR to buy five solar assets from SP Group . 56 ...... 64 Govt puts on hold DA hike for employees ...... 57 Thailand & Malaysia weightlifters banned ..... 65 India's economic growth projections slashed . 57 Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveile ...... 65
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FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup postponed Central govt to conduct telephonic survey ..... 72 ...... 65 ‘COVID India Seva’ launched ...... 72 China to host 2021 Asian Youth Games ...... 66 Rs. 17,793 crores released under PM-KISAN 72 World Athletics C'ships rescheduled to 2022 . 66 'Mission Anna Seva': Biggest free meal program Wimbledon Tennis tournament cancelled ...... 66 ...... 73 Defence 67 MP govt to give Rs 10,000 to corona patients 73 Australia cancelled “Pitch Black 2020” ...... 67 Postal employees to get Rs10 lakh compensation ...... 73 Books and Authors 68 Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P.V. Sindhu Centre released Rs 7,300 crore under MGNREGS ...... 73 ...... 68 Jim Corbett built isolation wards for animals . 74 Mary Jordan wrote a book on Melania Trump 68 MEA announced Covid-19 Training Program 74 Commitees & Recommendations 69 6 Indian companies working on COVID-19 UGC constituted a committee...... 69 vaccine ...... 74 National Affairs 70 Goa: 1st to use Ayurveda to COVID-19 patients MP govt to set up Deendayal committees ...... 70 ...... 74 Mid-day meal scheme update ...... 70 MP government invoked ESMA ...... 75 An anticancer drug 'DASASHIL' launched ..... 70 MP police starts 'home delivery' of FIRs ...... 75 USDMA launched coronavirus portal 'Drishti' . 70 Measures for smooth harvesting of Rabi Crop Tata Trusts commenced pan India campaign 71 ...... 75 Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 to be amended . 71 Enhanced protective gear to CISF troops ...... 75 Production of COVID-19 Testing kits started . 71 Govt launched app called Aarogya Setu ...... 76 White paper to strategize revival of economy 72 Unique Radio School in Madhya Pradesh ..... 76
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Awards & Honours
Algerian novel won a prize • The Spartan Court by Abdelouahab Aissaoui has won the 13th International Prize for Arabic Fiction. • Aissaoui is the first Algerian to win the prize. • He won USD $50,000 (£39,950), as well as funding for the English translation of the novel. • The prize is sponsored by the Dept of Culture and Tourism for Abu Dhabi and is run with support from the Booker Prize Foundation in London.
Naveen Patnaik honored by Peta India • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has been honored by Peta India for his exemplary nobility in allocating funds to feed animals. • CM Patnaik will be awarded ‘Hero to Animals Award’ for showing compassion towards animals. • He approved of Rs 54 lakhs from a relief fund to feed animals of the community. • The initiative undertaken to feed animals is being conducted in five municipal corporations.
Winners of the Adhunik Gram program • Indigram Labs Foundation has announced the winners of its smart village program - 'Adhunik Gram', an initiative to empower agribusiness in rural India. • The winner, IndusTill FarmeTech Pvt. Ltd., won a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh. • The 1st runner up, Urdhvam Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd., won Rs. 50,000 and the 2nd runner up, Impagro farming solutions Pvt. Ltd. won Rs. 30,000.
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Mergers and Acquisitions
Axis Bank to acquire stake in Max Life • The board of Axis Bank has approved the purchase of an additional 29% stake in Max Life Insurance which will take the private lender's total stake in the insurer to 30%. • Max Financial Services presently holds a 72.5% stake in Max Life and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) owns 25.5% stake. • Axis Bank is the 3rd-largest private bank and Max Life is the 4th-largest private life insurer in India.
Ashok Leyland acquired share in Hinduja • Hinduja Group flagship Ashok Leyland Ltd has acquired 1.57 crore shares of Rs 10 each constituting 3.36 per cent of the equity of its subsidiary Hinduja Leyland Finance Ltd (HLFL). • The cost of acquisition was done at a price of Rs 119 per equity share. • The acquisition is part of the 6.99 per cent acquisition approved by the board of directors at a meeting held on March 21, 2020.
Facebook buys 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio • Facebook will invest Rs 43,574 crore in Jio Platforms, a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), for a 9.99% stake. • It is an all-cash deal that will help Reliance strengthen Facebook's presence in its largest market, especially for its WhatsApp unit. • Facebook will get a seat on the board of Jio Platforms, along with that of an observer.
Hindustan Unilever merged with GSKCH India • Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has completed the merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited (GSKCH) with itself. • The company has additionally paid Rs 3,045 crore to acquire the Horlicks brand for India from GSK after seeking approval from the board of directors of HUL.
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• GSKCH’s brands such as Horlicks will now be part of the company’s food and refreshments business.
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Days and Events
Odisha Day celebrated on 1 April • Odisha Day, also known as Utkala Divas, is celebrated every year on the 1st of April. • The day is remembered for the formation of the state of Odisha as a separate province. • Odisha got its own identity as a separate state in the year 1936, after disassociating itself from Bihar and Bengal. • It is believed that the struggle to regain Odisha’s lost identity was initiated by Utkala Sammilani.
World Autism Awareness Day: 2 April • World Autism Awareness Day is observed globally on 2 April every year. • This day is observed to highlight the need to improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. • The first World Autism Day was observed in 2008 on April 2. • The theme for the year 2020 is ‘The Transition to Adulthood’.
International Mine Awareness Day: 4 April • The United Nations' International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed on April 4 each year. • This day aims to raise awareness about landmines and progress toward their eradication. • The General Assembly on 8 Dec 2005 declared that each year on 4 April would be officially proclaimed and observed as this day. • The day was first observed on 4 April 2006.
National Maritime Day: 5 April • The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year on 5 April. • The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.
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• On this day an award called "Varuna" is conferred to those who made an outstanding contribution to Indian maritime sector. • World Maritime Day is celebrated on 24 September every year.
Int. Day of Sport for Development and Peace • The United Nations celebrates 6th of April every year as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. • The day was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 23 August 2013, and is supported by the International Olympic Committee since 6 April 2014. • This date commemorates the inauguration, in 1896, of the first Olympic games of the modern era, in Athens, (Greece).
Mahavir Jayanti celebrated on 6 April • Mahavir Jayanti is being celebrated across the country on 6 April 2020. • It is the birth anniversary of the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara Lord Mahavir. • Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated annually on the 13th day of the Hindu month of Chaitra. • Born in 599 BC as prince Vardhamana in Bihar, India, Mahavir left his worldly comforts and possessions at the age of 30 and became a monk.
Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide • On 7 April, UNESCO commemorates the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. • The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly (link is external) in 2003. • The date marks the beginning of the genocide perpetrated against members of the Tutsi minority by the Hutu extremist-led government.
World Health Day observed globally on 7 April • World Health Day is celebrated each year on 7th April globally. • The day marks the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and aims to draw attention to important health issues facing the world each year.
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• WHO, or the World Health Organization, is a working body under the UN which aims to address issues and emergencies pertaining to health on a global scale.
WADA celebrated Play True Day 2020: 9 April • The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) celebrated the Play True Day on 9 April 2020. • The day is dedicated to clean sport and is aimed at raising awareness among athletes, the sporting public and others about the importance of protecting it. • Since 2014, WADA and the anti-doping community worldwide have celebrated 'Play True Day'. • The theme for the year 2020 is 'Play Safe on Play True Day 2020'.
World Homoeopathy Day: 10 April • The World Homoeopathy Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 10 to pay tribute to Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, founder and father of Homeopathy system of medicine. • Samuel Hahnemann was a physician, a great researcher, linguist and applauded scientist. • The theme for the year 2020 is “Linking research with education and clinical practice: Advancing scientific collaborations”.
Good Friday being observed on 10 April • Good Friday is being observed on 10 April 2020 by Christians all over the world. • The day marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. • It is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday, that marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. • It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday and Easter Friday.
National Safe Motherhood Day: 11 April • National Safe Motherhood Day (NSMD) is observed annually on 11 April.
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• It is observed to raise awareness about the proper healthcare of women and maternity facilities to pregnant and lactating women. • The Government of India had declared 11 April as National Safe Motherhood Day which is the anniversary day of Kasturba Gandhi's birth. • She was the wife of Gandhi.
National Pet Day: 11 April • National Pet Day is celebrated on April 11 every year in the USA. • The day is dedicated to the pets and people on this day take time off their busy schedules to give love to their pets. • The day was founded by Colleen Paige in 2006. • She is a renowned animal welfare advocate and lifestyle expert. • The day was created to highlight the situation of animals based in shelters all across the globe.
International day of Human Space Flight • The United Nations (UN) celebrates the International Day of Human Space Flight on April 12 each year. • The day remembers the first human space flight on April 12, 1961. • The day celebrates the start of the space era for humankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in today’s world.
Easter festival celebrated on 12 April • According to Christian society, the festival of ‘Easter’ is celebrated on the third Sunday of the Paschal lunar month. • This time i.e. in the year 2020, this Sunday is falling on 12 April 2020 as per the date of Gregorian calendar. • Jesus Christ was crucified on the day of Good Friday, thousands of years ago. • But it is said that on the third day, he was revived.
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‘101st anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre • Jallianwala Bagh Massacre also called the Massacre of Amritsar marked its 101st anniversary on 13 April 2020. • On this day in 1919, the British troops, under General Dyer, fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space - Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in the Punjab region. • This killed most of the people gathered there.
Baisakhi celebrated on 13 April • Baisakhi or Vaisakhi, the harvest festival, is being celebrated on 13 April 2020. • It is celebrated with great enthusiasm to mark the beginning of the new spring and is celebrated in most of India as the new year by Hindus. • It signifies the end of the harvest season in India, marking a time of prosperity for the farmers.
World Chagas Disease Day: 14 April • World Chagas Disease Day is observed every year on 14 April. • The 72nd World Health Assembly approved the designation of a World Chagas Disease Day on 24 May 2019. • The day aims at raising public awareness of this neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects mainly poor people. • It was on this date in 1909 that the first patient, a Brazilian girl, was diagnosed for this disease.
129th birth anniversary of Dr B.R Ambedkar • The nation is remembering Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary on 14 April 2020. • Dr. Ambedkar is known as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. • He was bestowed with the country’s highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna in 1990 posthumously. • He became the 1st Law and Justice Minister after independence and played an important role in drafting the Indian Constitution.
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World Art day celebrated on 15 April • Every year World Art Day is celebrated on April 15. • According to UNESCO, it is celebrated to promote the development, diffusion, and enjoyment of art. • April 15 was marked as a day to celebrate art and performance art since it is also the birthday of the great painter Leonardo Da Vinci. World Art was first celebrated in 2012.
World Voice Day 2020: April 16 • WVD (World Voice Day) is a global annual event held on 16 April dedicated to the phenomenon of voice celebration. • The aim is to show the enormous value of the voice in the people’s daily lives. • The idea to dedicate a special day, annually on 16 April to the voice was first launched in the year 1999 by the Society of Laryngology & Voice in Brazil.
World Haemophilia Day: 17 April • World Haemophilia Day is observed on 17 April to raise awareness regarding the disease and other hereditary bleeding disorders. • 17 April is also the birthday of Frank Schnabel, a businessman born with severe haemophilia who was the founder of the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH). • The theme for World Haemophilia Day 2020 is ‘Get + involved’.
World Heritage Day: 18 April • World Heritage Day also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites is observed annually on April 18. • The significance of the day is to promote cultural heritage through activities undertaken by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). • The first World Heritage Day was organised by the ICOMOS in 1982.
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World Liver Day: 19 April • World liver day is observed every year on 19 April, to spread awareness about liver-related brain disease. • The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the body, with the exception of the. • It is a key player in your body’s digestive system. • Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol and drugs.
Chinese Language Day: 20 April • The United Nations (UN) observes the UN Chinese Language Day every year on or around April 20. • The contribution of Chinese literature, poetry and language in world culture is highlighted on this day. • The first UN Chinese Language Day was observed on November 12, 2010. • In 2011, the date was moved to April 20.
World Creativity and Innovation Day: 21 April • World Creativity and Innovation Day is observed on 21 April to encourage people to generate new ideas to make the world a better place to live in. • The main objective is to encourage people to use new ideas, make new decisions, and do creative thinking. • The day was founded on 25 May 2001 in Toronto, Canada. • The founder of the day was Marci Segal.
Civil Services Day: April 21 • Civil Services Day is observed every year on 21 April. • It was on this day in 1947 that the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi. • He rightly described the civil servants the ‘steel frame of India’.
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Administrative Professionals Day: 22 April • Administrative Professionals Day, also known as secretaries day – is a day that is celebrated on Wednesday in the last week of April. • It is celebrated to recognize the contributions of secretaries and administrative assistants. • The day was created by the president of the National Secretaries Association – Mary Barrett – in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Earth Day: 22 April • Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on 22 April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. • It was proposed at the UNESCO conference in 1969 and the 1st Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970. • The day was proposed to be observed on March 21, as it marked the time of equinox. • The Day was limited to the US until 1990, when Denis Hayes promoted it internationally across 141 nations.
English Language Day: 23 April • English Language Day is a United Nations (UN) observance that people celebrate on April 23 each year. • The day aims to entertain and inform people about the history, culture and achievements associated with the language. • The UN first celebrated English Language Day on April 23, 2010. • English is one of the two working languages of the UN Secretariat.
World Book and Copyright Day: 23 April • The World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated on April 23 every year. • Started by UNESCO in 1995, the day marks the contribution of books, authors, publishers, and libraries across the globe. • Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is chosen to be the World Book Capital for 2020. • The idea to celebrate it was first conceived by Vicente Clavel Andres to pay tribute to renowned author Miguel de Cervantes.
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International Girls in ICT Day: 23 April • April 23, 2020 commemorated the 4th International Girls in ICT Day (Information and Communications Technology). • The day is a global initiative that seeks to inspire, empower and encourage girls to not only take up studies and careers but to take leadership positions in ICT. • The theme for the year 2020 is ‘Expand horizons, change attitudes’.
World Day of Laboratory Animals: April 24 • World Day for Laboratory Animals, also known as World Day for Animals in Laboratories is observed on April 24 every year. • It was established in 1979 by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) based in the United Kingdom. • The date April 24 was chosen because it marked the birthday of Hugh Dowding, British Air Chief Marshal who was an avid anti-vivisectionist.
Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace • On April 24 2020, the second official International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace is being celebrated. • The day was officially approved on 12 December, 2018 by United Nations General Assembly through a resolution. • The day aims at disseminating the advantages of multilateralism and diplomacy for peace through educational and public awareness-raising activities.
World Immunisation Week 2020 • The annual World Immunisation Week launched by the World Health Organisation, WHO is observed in the last week of April, i.e. from 24-30 April. • This is annually observed to help vaccinate approximately 20 million children around the world, who are totally or partially deprived of vaccinations. • The theme for the year 2020 is #Vaccines Work for All.
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National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April • National Panchayati Raj Day is observed on 24 April 2020. • PM Narendra Modi will address village Panchayats across the country to mark the National Panchayati Raj Day. • He will launch a unified e-Gram Swaraj Portal and Mobile App on the occasion. • Through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act-1992, the Panchayati Raj had come into force on 24th April 1993.
International Delegate’s Day: 25 April • International Delegate’s Day is observed on 25 April every year. • It is observed to raise awareness of the role of the representatives and delegates of the Member States to the United Nations. • The day marks the anniversary of the first day of the San Francisco Conference which is also known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
World Malaria Day: 25 April • World Malaria Day is observed every year on April 25 to raise awareness of the global effort to control and ultimately eradicate malaria. • It was first observed in 2008, developed from Africa Malaria Day, an event that had been observed since 2001 by African governments. • Malaria exists in more than 100 countries worldwide, and some 900,000 people die from the disease each year.
Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day: 26 April • The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed April 26 as the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. • The day was first observed in 2016, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the 1986 nuclear disaster. • It is observed every year to raise awareness of the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general.
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World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April • April 26 is observed as World Intellectual Property Day. • This day is celebrated to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in promoting creativity and innovation. • As per reports, World Intellectual Property Day 2020 places creativity at the centre of attempts to build a green world. • The theme for the year 2020 is ‘Innovate for a Green Future.’
Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April • World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on 28 April every year. • The day emphasizes on the prevention of accidents and diseases at the workplace. • It was first observed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2003. • The theme of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2020 is 'stop the pandemic'.
International Dance Day: 29 April • International Dance Day is celebrated every year on 29 April. • It marks the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet. • The day was created in 1982 by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute, partner for the performing arts of UNESCO. • This day also engages in encouraging participation and education in dance.
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MOU and Agreements
India signed $1.5 bn loan agreement with ADB • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to give a $1.5 billion loan to India to support its immediate response to Covid-19 pandemic. • ADB is also in dialogue with the government for further possible support for stimulating the economy, support strong growth recovery, and to build resilience to future shocks.
Airtel signed ₹7,636 crore deal with Nokia • Bharti Airtel has inked a $1 billion (nearly ₹7,636 crore), multi-year deal with Nokia to deploy the Finnish majors 5G-ready solutions across nine circles in the country. • Nokia will help lay the foundation for providing 5G connectivity in the future by deploying 300,000 radio units across several spectrum bands in those circles expected to be completed by 2022.
Tech Mahindra, IBM tied up • Tech Mahindra has decided to set up innovation centres in collaboration with IBM. • This will boost digital transformation and encourage adoption of more cloud- based technologies among its global customers. • The centres will showcase IBM’s digital transformation solutions built with Cloud Paks running on Red Hat OpenShift.
Gujarat hospital tied up with ICMR • The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital has signed an MoU with the Indian Council of Medical Research. • It will carry out study on the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma to limit coronavirus-associated complications in a patient. • Transfusion of plasma collected from a recovered person into a coronavirus patient will be the first subject to be studied at the centre.
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Rajasthan Government partnered with 'Aayu' app • Rajasthan government has partnered with healthcare startup MedCords to provide 24x7 online consultation and medicine delivery to the people of Rajasthan. • Through its integrated solution -Aayu & Sehat Sathi app, MedCords will help over 68 Million of people in Rajasthan through this collaboration. • The app is currently helping 10,000+ patients per day.
THSTI: 1st testing facility in Faridabad • Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, THSTI will now function as an extension of diagnostic facility of ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad for COVID-19 testing. • It will be the first and only COVID-19 testing facility in the Faridabad region. • A MoU was signed between the two institutes in this regard.
CSIR-NCL Pune tied up with BEL • Councils of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) at Pune have tied up with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). • It will produce medical devices in view of COVID19 outbreak. • Under the joint venture, the CSIR-NCL’s Venture Centre’s incubate BMEK has developed hand held digital Infra-Red (IR) thermometer.
Bharat Biotech tied-up with FluGen • Bharat Biotech has partnered with the University of Wisconsin Madison and US-based company FluGen to develop a vaccine, Coro-Flu, against Covid- 19. • The company will manufacture the vaccine and prepare to produce almost 300 million doses of vaccine for global distribution. • Under the collaboration agreement, FluGen will transfer its existing manufacturing processes to Bharat Biotech.
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Apple, Google joined hand • Apple and Google are joining hands to create technology that leverages smartphones for contact tracing activities for Covid-19. • This was announced by Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, CEOs of Apple and Google, respectively via a press release. • The plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.
Hindustan Unilever partnered with UNICEF • Hindustan Unilever has collaborated with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a mass communication campaign to inform and empower the general public against the COVID-19 pandemic. • The campaign brings together the marketing expertise and scale of HUL and the technical knowledge of UNICEF to create engaging communication tools that can help people stay safe during the pandemic.
Indian Immunologicals started a research • Vaccine manufacturer Indian Immunologicals (IIL) has commenced research in partnership with Australia’s • Griffith University to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. • Scientists from India and Australia will develop a ‘live attenuated SARS – CoV-2 vaccine’ using the latest codon deoptimization technology. • The two entities have signed a pact for this.
IIM-B & ICICI Securities launched a program • ICICI Securities (I-Sec) as a part of its CSR initiative is partnering with IIM Bangalore's startup hub N S Raghavan Centre of Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL). • It will support startups in the fintech space through a structured program. • The 15-month program is meant for startups working in the fields of insurance, trading, personal finance, banking, wealth advisory, lending, payments, etc.
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SCTIMST tied up with Wipro 3D • Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology has joined hands with Wipro 3D to build a prototype of an emergency ventilator system. • The ventilator system is going to be based on an artificial manual breathing unit (AMBU), developed by the institute. • AMBU bag is a hand-held device used to provide positive pressure ventilation to a patient who is not breathing.
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Appointments
Rajiv Kumar appointed PESB chief • Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar has been appointed as the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved his appointment to the post for a period of three years. • He has been appointed in place of Kapil Dev Tripathi who has recently taken over as the Secretary to the President.
Suresh N Patel became Vigilance Commissioner • Suresh N. Patel took oath as Vigilance Commissioner on 29 April 2020. • He was administered the oath of office by Shri Sanjay Kothari, Central Vigilance Commissioner on video link. • He was a member of the Advisory Board for Banking and Financial Frauds (ABBFF) prior to his appointment as Vigilance Commissioner.
T. S. Tirumurti: Representative of India to UN • T S Tirumurti has been appointed as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. • The government also appointed Jaideep Mazumdar as India's ambassador to Austria. • Joint Secretary Deepak Mittal was appointed as India's Ambassador to Qatar. • Piyush Srivastava has been named India's next Ambassador to Bahrain.
J Arunkumar: USA national team coach • Former Karnataka batsman J Arun Kumar has been appointed coach of the USA cricket team. • Jak, as he is known in the cricketing circles, has worked with the Karnataka team for several years and as batting coach with IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.
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• Arun Kumar had guided Karnataka to a treble for two successive seasons -- Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Irani Cup -- in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Dipankar Datta sworn in as CJ of Bombay HC • Justice Dipankar Datta was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court by Maharashtra • Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on 28 April 2020. • He was a senior judge in Calcutta High Court, earlier. • Justice Dipankar Datta is succeeding Justice Bhushan Pradyumna Dharmadhikari whose term as Chief Justice ended on April 27, 2020.
Shibli Faraz new Information Minister: Pak • Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has changed his media team for the second time since coming to power in 2018 amid mounting criticism of his government. • He appointed Senator Shibli Faraz as the new information minister of the country. • Former military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa has been appointed Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for information and broadcasting.
Manisha Singh as America's next envoy to OECD • US President Donald Trump has nominated senior Indian-American diplomat Manisha Singh as America's next envoy to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD. • Manisha Singh is currently Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department. • OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 36 member countries.
Government appointed new Secretaries • Union Govt on 26 April 2020 appointed new Secretaries, Special Secretaries and Additional Secretaries in different Ministries and Departments.
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• Information and Broadcasting Secretary Ravi Mittal has been appointed as the Sports Secretary. • Secretary, Higher Education Amit Khare will hold additional charge of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Sanjay Kothari: Central Vigilance Commissioner • Sanjay Kothari has been appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. • He is the secretary to the President, • The post of the chief of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had been lying vacant since June 2019 after completion of K V Chowdary's tenure. • The name of Kothari was recommended by a high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2020.
Shiv Das Meena took charge as HUDCO's CMD • Shiv Das Meena has been appointed as chairman and MD of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). • He has been appointed for a period of 6 months with immediate effect. • He is presently holding the position of additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and simultaneously holding the additional charge of CMD, HUDCO.
Rakesh Sharma: New President of IMMA • The International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA) has appointed Bajaj Auto Executive Director (ED) Rakesh Sharma as its President. • Sharma had been previously holding office as vice-president in IMMA, elected in May 2019. • He succeeds Johannes Loman, Director of PT Astra International Tbk and Executive Vice President Director PT Astra Honda Motor (AHM) Indonesia.
PV Sindhu: Ambassador for awareness campaign • P V Sindhu has been unveiled as one of the ambassadors for Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s 'i am badminton' awareness campaign.
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• The campaign provides a platform for players to express their love and respect for badminton by advocating and committing to clean and honest play. • Besides Sindhu, other ambassadors include Michelle Li, Zheng Si Wei, Huang Ya Qiong, Jack Shephard, to name a few.
Uri Levine appointed as Infosys Director • Infosys has appointed Israeli serial entrepreneur Uri Levine as an independent director. • The board has appointed Uri Levine as additional and independent director, effective from April 20, 2020 for a period of three years. • Levine was one of the co-founders of Waze, a traffic navigation app which was acquired by Google in June 2013 for $1.1 billion.
Meghalaya, Orissa HCs to get new CJs Bombay, • The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the appointment of new chief justices to 3 high courts – Bombay, Orissa and Meghalaya. • Calcutta high court judge, Justice Dipankar Datta was recommended for elevation as chief justice of Bombay high court. • Justice Datta will take over from the current chief justice of Bombay, Justice BP Dharmadhikari who will retire from office on April 27, 2020.
Sudarsanam Babu appointed to science board: US • US President Donald Trump has appointed Indian-American Sudarsanam Babu to country's top science board. • Babu has been appointed as a member of the National Science Board for a six-year term. • He would be the third Indian American in this prestigious board. • The other two being Sethuraman Panchanathan from the Arizona State University and Suresh V Garimella from University of Vermont.
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Kapil Dev Tripathi: New Secretary to President • Former IAS officer Kapil Dev Tripathi has been appointed as the Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment on contract basis, for a term co-terminus with the tenure of the President. • Mr Tripathi, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is at present the Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).
Graeme Smith: Cricket South Africa's Director • Former South African skipper Graeme Smith has been named as Cricket South Africa's permanent director for a two-year period. • He will serve as the director until April 2022. • Earlier, Smith had assumed an interim role following a rejig of the Cricket South Africa administration following which Mark Boucher was roped in as the coach.
Rohit Sharma: CricKingdom's brand ambassador • Rohit Sharma has become brand ambassador of ‘CricKingdom’. • It is a cricket academy based in Dubai which will also facilitate coaching through its online platform after the global COVID-19 pandemic subsides. • CricKingdom’s online platform will connect student, coaches, academies and facilities into an integrated ecosystem.
Viswanathan Anand joined WWF India • Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand has joined WWF (World Wide Fund) India as its ambassador for environment education programme. • WWF India is celebrating its 50 years of conservation in India. • WWF India's environment education programme is as old as the organisation itself, starting way back in 1976 with the Nature Clubs of India (NCI) initiative.
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BSNL CMD P K Purwar took charge of MTNL • BSNL chairman and MD P K Purwar has taken over additional charge of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited. • This is the third time Purwar has been given charge of MTNL CMD in the last six years. • Purwar has taken over charge of CMD MTNL from April 15, 2020. • The appointment comes at a time when both the PSU are reeling under heavy debt despite the government offering them a relief package.
MS Dhoni: Brand ambassador of PokerStars India • PokerStars India has appointed MS Dhoni as its new brand ambassador. • The announcement of the endorsement deal was delayed due to the COVID- 19’s impact on the world and postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other sporting events. • Prior to MS Dhoni's appointment, popular Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was the brand ambassador of the company.
3 HC judges administered oath by Chief Justice • Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul, Justice Sanjay Dhar and Justice Puneet Gupta were sworn in as a permanent Judges of the common High Court for the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on 7 Apr 2020. • The newly appointed Judges were administered oath of office by Chief Justice J&K High Court, Justice Gita Mittal. • The Judges of the High Court of J&K joined the oath ceremony through video Conference.
Madhabi Puri Buch got extension as WTM at SEBI • The government has extended the appointment of Madhabi Puri Buch as a whole-time member (WTM) of SEBI by a period of six months. • With this notification, the sole female member of the board will stay on till October 4, 2020. • She was not only the first woman to be appointed as a WTM of SEBI but also the first person from the private sector to do so.
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Pravin Rao is NASSCOM chairman • Infosys’ chief operating officer, UB Pravin Rao, has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), for 2020-21. • Rekha M Menon, Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Accenture in India, will be the Vice-Chairperson. • The newly appointed leaders will help the industry body achieve its 2025 vision for the industry.
Anurag Srivastava: MEA Spokesman • Anurag Srivastava on 6 April 2020 took charge as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, succeeding Raveesh Kumar. • Srivastava, a 1999-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was serving as India's Ambassador to Ethiopia. • Srivastava served at India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. • He also served in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of the ministry.
NTPC appoints Dilip Kumar Patel as director HR • NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd) has appointed Dilip Kumar Patel as its Director Human resources. • Patel has been the HR Head in various NTPC projects like NSPCL Bhilai, Sipat, and Tanda for around 12 years. • He was also the Regional Head of HR in the Eastern Region-2 before he was appointed as the Director (HR). • NTPC is headquartered in New Delhi.
Justice Rajnesh Oswal: Judge of HC of J&K • Justice Rajnesh Oswal was sworn in as a permanent Judge of the common High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on 2 April 2020. • He was administered oath of office by Chief Justice Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice Gita Mittal.
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• He is the first Judge of the High Court to take oath under the Indian Constitution.
L. Duraiswamy: New MD of Sundaram Home Finance • D. Lakshminarayanan, whole-time director of Sundaram Finance Ltd., has been elevated as the MD of Sundaram Home Finance. • He will take charge on April 1, 2020. • Mr. Lakshminarayanan will replace Srinivas Acharya who retired on Tuesday. • Mr. Acharya had been the company’s MD since 2010 and had been a part of the Sundaram Finance Group for almost four decades.
BP Kaunungo reappointed as RBI deputy governor • BP Kaunungo has been reappointed as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor. • The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the extension of Kanungo's term as RBI deputy Governor by one year with effect from 3 April 2020 when his three-year tenure comes to an end. • Kanungo was executive director of the RBI before being elevated to the post of deputy governor in April 2017.
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Obituaries
Actor Rishi Kapoor passed away • Actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in April 2020. • He made his film debut with Bobby opposite Dimple Kapadia in 1973 and was also seen as a child actor in films such as Shree 420 and Mera Naam Joker. • He was a part of hit films such as Amar Akbar Anthony, Rafoo Chakkar, Sargam, Karz, Bol Radha Bol and others.
CRPF man dies due to COVID-19 • A 55-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel died on 28 April 2020 due to coronavirus infection. • This is the first death due to the pandemic among the about 10 lakh personnel strong Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or the paramilitary forces. • At least 45 other personnel from this battalion have been admitted with coronavirus infection.
Actor Irrfan Khan passed away • Actor Irrfan Khan passed away in April 2020. • Irrfan made his screen debut in the 1988 Mira Nair directorial Salaam Bombay. • In a career spanning over three decades, Irrfan Khan acted in over 50 Indian films and even won a National award and four Filmfare awards. • In 2011, Irrfan was honored with the Padma Shri by the government of India for his significant contribution to arts and cinema.
Michael Robinson passed away • Former Liverpool striker Michael Robinson passed away in April 2020. • He won a league, League Cup and European Cup treble with Liverpool in the 1983-84 season.
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• He also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers before ending his career with Spain's Osasuna. • He later became a respected television commentator, pundit and presenter.
James M. Beggs passed away • Former NASA administrator James M. Beggs passed away in April 2020. • He led the agency during the early years of the space shuttle program and resigned after the Challenger disaster killed seven astronauts in 1986. • President Ronald Reagan nominated Beggs to become the sixth administrator of NASA. • He served in the agency's top position from July 1981 to December 1985.
Noted Odia dramatist Bijay Mishra passed away • Noted playwright and lyricist of Odisha Bijay Mishra passed away in April 2020. • A pioneer of modern theatre movement in Odisha, Mishra was the recipient of many awards at the State as well as national level. • He won the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi award for his play ‘Vanaprastha’. • Besides, he won Odisha Sahitya Akademi and other State-level awards.
Artist Zarina Hashmi passed away • Artist Zarina Hashmi, best known for creating simple, minimalist, yet powerful works, passed away in April 2020. • Zarina was one of the foremost artists of her generation. • She won several accolades including the Residency Award at the New York University’s • Asian/Pacific/American Institute in 2007. • She also received the President’s Award for Printmaking, India in 1969.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Basanta Das passed away • Former Rajya Sabha member from Odisha Basanta Das passed away in April 2020. • Das was Rajya Sabha member from 1990 to 1996 as Janata Dal nominee.
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• He was also chairman of Bhawanipatna Municipality from 1985 to 1990. • He is survived by his wife, two daughters and three sons.
Renowned thespian Usha Ganguly passed away • Renowned South Asian thespian and founder of Rangakarmee, Usha Ganguly passed away in April 2020. • The veteran director was known for her non-conformist productions. • She is credited for developing Hindi plays in Kolkata. • In 1976, she founded the group Rangakarmee, which worked on bold productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial and Antaryatra.
Actress Shirley Knight passed away • Actress Shirley Knight passed away in April 2020. • She appeared in films from a role in 1955's Picnic to playing Kevin James's mother in the two Paul Blart: Mall Cop films. • On stage, she won a Tony Award in 1976 for her role in Kennedy's Children. • On TV, she appeared in episodes of classic early TV series Rawhide, Maverick, The Outer Limits, and many more.
Former Fiji Prime Minister Qarase died • Former Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, passed away in April 2020. • He was the founder of the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua Party, who served as Fiji’s sixth Prime • Minister from 2000 to 2006. • In 2006, he was removed from power in a military coup led by Frank Bainimarama and later imprisoned on corruption charges.
BMW India CEO Rudratej Singh passed away • BMW Group President and CEO Rudratej Singh passed away in April 2020. • He had joined BMW Group in August 2019. • He had more than 25 years of experience and held multiple leadership positions both in the automotive and non-automotive industries.
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• In his last assignment, he was the Global President at Royal Enfield and before that he worked with Unilever in India.
Oscar-winning animator Gene Deitch passed away • Gene Deitch, an American Oscar-winning illustrator, animator, and film director passed away in April 2020. • Deitch’s movie “Munro” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1960. • He was also nominated for the same award twice in 1964 for “Here’s Nudnik” and “How to Avoid Friendship.” • In 2004, he received the Winsor McCay Award for his lifelong contribution to animation.
Former Odisha Minister Saharai Oram died • Veteran tribal leader and former Odisha Minister Saharai Oram passed away in April 2020. • In 1977, he was elected from the same constituency as a Janata Party candidate, in 1980 as Janata-S candidate, 1990 as Janata Dal candidate and in 2000 as an Independent. • Oram was first elected to the Odisha Assembly from Champua constituency in 1971 as an Utkal Congress candidate.
Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President died • Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has died from Covid-19 after a nearly month-long infection. • Kyari was in his 70s and had underlying health problems including diabetes. • He was the top official aide to 77-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari. • The late chief of staff was said to have contracted the coronavirus on an official trip in March 2020.
NFL Hall of Famer Willie Davis passed away • NFL Hall of Famer Willie Davis passed away in April 2020.
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• Davis, who became the first black captain for the Packers in 1965 -- spent 10 years with the Wisconsin team, from 1960 to 1969. • In his 138 games with the Packers, Davis never missed a single one. • Davis was a 5-time Pro Bowl choice and 5-time Associated Press All-Pro. • He also led the Packers to two Super Bowl wins, in 1966 and 1967.
Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute died • Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute, who had participated in the Quit India Movement, died in Maharashtra's Raigadh district in April 2020. • Bhuskute wrote several books on land laws and worked for the release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers in tribal areas of the state. • He is survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters.
Zafar Sarfraz passed away due to Coronavirus • Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz became the first professional player of Pakistan to die after contracting the novel coronavirus. • He passed away in April 2020. • Sarfraz, a middle-order batsman, played 15 first-class games in Peshawar and retired in 1994. • He was the elder brother of Akhtar Sarfaraz who passed away in 2019.
Roger Chappot passed away • Former ice hockey player Roger Chappot, who played more than 100 games for Switzerland's national team including at the 1964 Winter Olympics, died due to COVID-19, in April 2020. • He was the Swiss league's leading scorer in the 1964 season. • Chappot was a legend in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and one of the best centers in the country in the '60s.
Veteran actor Ranjit Chowdhury passed away • Actor Ranjit Chowdhury passed away in April 2020. • He was best known for playing small roles in films such as Khatta Meetha, Baton Baton Mein and Khubsoorat.
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• Ranjit Chowdhury was the son of well-known theatre personality Pearl Padamsee. • He was last seen in 2011 movie Breakaway and has also starred in eighties and nineties movies like Chakra, Kaalia and Bandit Queen.
Rifat Chadirji passed away • The Aga Khan Award-winning architect Rifat Chadirji, who helped shaped Iraq’s contemporary architectural style, has died from COVID-19, in April 2020. • Chadirji was known for mixing traditional forms with contemporary elements. • He completed several iconic projects in Baghdad – including The Tobacco Monopoly Headquarters and the now-demolished Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
Former pro golfer Doug Sanders passed away • Former pro golfer Doug Sanders passed away in April 2020. • He was known as the “Peacock of the Fairways” for his Easter-egg collection of colors he wore on the golf course. • He won 20 titles on the PGA Tour, the last of which was the 1972 Kemper Open. • His best year was in 1961 when he won five PGA Tour events and finished third on the PGA Tour money list.
Filmmaker Obayashi passed away • Nobuhiko Obayashi, one of Japan's most prolific filmmakers who devoted his works to depicting war's horrors, passed away in April 2020. • His popular films include his 1977 “House,” and “Hanagatami,” released in 2017. • The last film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi is “Labyrinth of Cinema”, which had been scheduled to be released in Japan on the day of his death.
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Former Union Minister Rajasekharan passed away • Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister M V Rajasekharan passed away in April 2020. • An agriculturist and rural development consultant, the Congress leader was born on September 12, 1928, at Maralawadi in Ramanagara district. • He represented Kanakapura constituency in Lok Sabha. • He had served as an MLC, MP and Union minister.
British Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor passed away • Tim Brooke-Taylor, famed British comedian and performer, passed away in April 2020 from COVID-19. • Brooke-Taylor was part of Cambridge University’s Footlights revue, the breeding ground of several generations of British comic talent. • For more than 40 years, Brooke-Taylor was also a panelist on BBC radio’s much-loved comic quiz show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.”
Ashok Desai passed away • Former Attorney General and Senior Advocate of Supreme Court of India Ashok Desai passed away in April 2020. • He held office as the Attorney General for India from 9 July 1996 to 6 May 1998. • He was the Solicitor General of India from 18 December 1989 to 2 December 1990. • As a Senior Advocate, he appeared in a large number of cases involving issues of Constitutional Law and Competition Law.
Legendary driver Stirling Moss passed away • Stirling Moss passed away in April 2020. • He is the great motor-racing driver and one of the most lionized figures in the history of British sport. • Moss rose to fame after the Second World War and went on to be acclaimed as the greatest all-round racer ever.
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• Moss' first Grand Prix victory came in the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree as he became the first British driver to win the event.
Peter Bonetti passed away • Peter Bonetti, the former Chelsea and England goalkeeper, passed away in April 2020. • He was nicknamed “The Cat” for his outstanding reflexes and agility. • Bonetti was twice promoted to the First Division with Chelsea and won the 1964-65 League Cup, 1970 FA • Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971.
Donato Sabia passed away • Twice Olympic 800 metres finalist Donato Sabia died from COVID-19 in April 2020. • Sabia finished fifth in the 800 metres at Los Angeles in 1984 and seventh in Seoul four years later. • He won the gold medal in the same event at the European Indoor Championships in 1984. • He is the first Olympic finalist in the world to die from the virus.
Jackie du Preez passed away • Former South Africa spinner and Zimbabwe selector, John Harcourt du Preez passed away in April 2020. • He was fondly known as Jackie. • In a first-class career that lasted nearly 20 years, he made more than 4,000 first-class runs, including a century, and took 296 wickets, including 11 fifers. • He also took 80 catches.
Ramakrishna Dwivedi passed away • Ramakrishna Dwivedi, a veteran leader who fought for the Congress and Congressmen passed away in April 2020. • Ramakrishna was expelled from the Congress for voicing his neglectful treatment of elderly Congressmen in the state.
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• He was the state Home Minister in Pandit Kamalapati Tripathi’s government in Uttar Pradesh. • He was also very close to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
American folk singer John Prine passed away • John Prine, an American folk legend, died following complications of coronavirus in April 2020. • In a career spanning over half a century, he won two Grammy awards for best contemporary folk albums • “The Missing Years (1991)” and “Fair & Square (2005)”. • He was bestowed with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away • Renowned Hindustani classical singer and Padma Shri awardee Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away in April 2020. • The singer was trained in thumri, dadra and ghazal singing by Begum Akhtar, and was world renowned for keeping the legendary ghazal singer’s style alive in her performances. • During her career, she has received numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri in 2007.
Radomir Antic passed away • Former Serbia and Atletico Madrid coach Radomir Antic passed away in April 2020. • Antic had a varied playing career as a defender spanning 17 years in which he played for Partizan Belgrade in his home country, Fenerbahce in Turkey, Real Zaragoza in Spain before ending his career in England with Luton Town. • He coached a host of Spanish sides including Zaragoza, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
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Hazarilal Raghuwanshi passed away • Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Hazarilal Raghuwanshi passed away in April 2020. • Raghuwanshi was a five-time MLA from the Assembly constituency and also served as a minister in various Congress-led governments in the state • The senior leader was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1977 and he also served as a deputy speaker in the state Assembly from 2003-2008.
Kannada actor 'Bullet' Prakash passed away • Kannada actor “Bullet” Prakash passed away in April 2020. • He was known for his comic roles and performances in films like Aithalakkadi and Aryan. • He had been a part of more than 300 films and had recently signed a couple of projects in Kannada. • He was also a member of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015.
Former Libya Prime Minister passed away • Mahmoud Jibril, the former head of the Libyan rebel government that overthrew longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has died from the coronavirus. • He was an economic advisor to the Gaddafi government in its final years, before joining the revolution in 2011. • Jibril headed the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), the interim govt during the NATO-backed rebellion that killed Gaddafi.
Grammy award winner Bill Withers passed away • Bill Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s, including Lean on Me, Lovely Day, passed away in April 2020. • The three-time Grammy Award winner, who withdrew from making music in the mid-1980s, passed away in Los Angeles. • He has produced 9 albums, his debut album being 'Just As I Am' (1971) & the last album 'Watching You Watching Me' (1985).
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Gita Ramjee died from coronavirus • World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19) that has killed five people in the country. • In 2018, Ramjee was presented with the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in Lisbon by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP).
Tony Lewis passed away • Tony Lewis, one of the men behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method used in weather-affected limited overs cricket matches passed away in April 2020. • Tony, alongside fellow mathematician Frank Duckworth, devised the Duckworth-Lewis method. • It was introduced in 1997 and adopted officially by the ICC (International Cricket Council) in 1999.
Nobel laureate Phillip Anderson passed away • Philip Anderson, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who expanded the world's understanding of magnetism and superconductivity passed away in March 2020. • He researched the electronic behaviour of solid materials such as glass and alloys. • Anderson graduated from Harvard in 1949 and then worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories until he began teaching at Princeton and the University of Cambridge.
Maria Teresa: 1st royal to die from COVID-19 • Spanish Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma has become the first royal to pass away due to Covid-19 complications. • She was a cousin of Spain's King Felipe VI. • Her brother Prince Sixto Enrique de Borbon, the Duke of Aranjuez, announced her death.
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• Meanwhile, Prince Charles became the first British royal to be tested positive for the coronavirus in the last week of March 2020.
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International Affairs
Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for minors • Saudi Arabia will no longer impose the death penalty on minors who committed crimes. • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - which Riyadh has signed - says capital punishment should not be used for offences carried out by minors. • A record 184 people were executed in the kingdom in 2019, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
China approved its third coronavirus vaccine • China has approved its third coronavirus vaccine for the second phase of clinical trials. • An inactivated vaccine developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products has started its clinical trials. • An inactivated vaccine consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity.
Animals tested positive for COVID-19 • Animals at two mink farms in the Netherlands have tested positive for COVID-19. • The minks are not the first animals infected with the coronavirus. • The findings come after positive tests in two pet cats in New York state and in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adding to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide.
SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites • SpaceX successfully launched a new batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on 22 April 2020 and nailed a rocket landing at sea to cap the mission. • The launch marked the 84th Falcon 9 flight, making SpaceX's workhorse rocket the most flown U.S. rocket in use.
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• In addition, it is also the 7th Starlink launch for an internet project & aims to put over 420 planned satellites into orbit.
China named its Mars mission Tianwen-1 • China has named its first Mars exploration mission to be launched later in 2020 as Tianwen-1. • Aiming to catch up with India, US, Russia and the European Union to reach the red planet, China's Mars mission plans to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission. • 'Tianwen' means Heavenly Questions or Questions to Heaven, a poem written by China's well-known poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC).
NASA developed a new ventilator • NASA engineers have developed a new, easy-to-build high-pressure ventilator tailored specifically to treat COVID-19 patients. • The device is called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally). • VITAL is designed to treat patients with milder symptoms, thereby keeping country's limited supply of traditional ventilators available for patients with more severe COVID-19 symptoms.
World Games unveiled new logo for 2022 edition • The World Games to be held in Birmingham, Alabama, have unveiled a new logo and a new title. • The event has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. • With the announcement of The Games shift to July 7-17, 2022, organizers have decided that the international multi-sport event will officially become ‘The World Games 2022'.
China announced USD 30 mn grant for WHO • China has announced an additional 30 million US Dollar grant to WHO. • Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang made the announcement at a media briefing in Beijing.
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• The grant will be in addition to the 20 million US Dollars provided by China earlier to the WHO. • US President Donald Trump has decided to freeze the funding for WHO over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Iran put first military satellite into orbit • Iran has successfully launched the country’s first military satellite into orbit. • The satellite “Noor”, or “Light”, was orbiting 425 km (264 miles) above the earth’s surface. • Qased or “Messenger” carrier was used to launch Noor. • The three-stage Qased satellite launcher uses a combination of solid and liquid fuels.
Microsoft to launch plasmabot • Microsoft is launching a plasmabot to explore the possibility of treatment for COVID-19. • It is encouraging patients who were once infected and now have been completely cured to come forward and donate plasma. • A plasmabot is a chatbot that will answer people's queries related to the virus. • Plasma is a component of blood that has been used as a treatment for years.
Instagram launched COVID-19 spread tracker • Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have come together to launch Rt.Live, an up-to-date tracker of how fast the coronavirus is spreading each day. • It will measure the average number of people who become infected by an affected person. • It works using an effective reproduction number, which tracks the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person
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Facebook Gaming app launched • Facebook has finally stepped into the gaming world officially by launching its first game streaming app, Facebook Gaming. • The app has been under development in South American countries since 18 months. • The app is currently available on Android and is in the works for iOS users. • The app is a focused, gaming-only experience where you can watch your favorite streamers, and play instant games.
Rare turtle nests spotted in Thailand • A large number of nests of rare leatherback sea turtles were spotted in the now-empty beaches of Thailand amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. • The number is the highest in two decades. • Leatherbacks, the world's largest sea turtles, are considered endangered in Thailand. • The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed leatherbacks as vulnerable species all across the world.
WHO released guidelines for Ramadan practices • WHO has released guidelines for Ramadan practices in the context of COVID-19 and advised social distancing and virtual prayer meets. • It has advised people to practise physical distancing by maintaining a distance of at least one metre at all times. • Any gathering occurring due to Ramadan mut preferably be held outdoors and the length of such event must be shortened to limit exposure.
US-Russian space crew landed safely • A U.S.-Russian crew landed safely on 17 April 2020 in the steppes of Kazakhstan following a stint on the International Space Station and was greeted with extra precautions due to the coronavirus. • The crew comprised of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka. • Morgan wrapped up a 272-day mission on his first flight into space.
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Online ASEAN Special Summit held • The online ASEAN Special Summit and ASEAN+3 Special Summit on Covid- 19 response took place in Hà Nội on 14 April 2020. • It was chaired by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, chairman of ASEAN and of ASEAN+3. • Leaders of the 10-nation bloc and their partners from three ASEAN partners, discussed measures and initiatives to strengthen co-operation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Krakatau volcano witnessed longest eruption • Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano spewed a column of ash 500 meters into the sky in the longest eruption since its explosive collapse in 2018. • No casualties were reported. • Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau volcano, whose monumental eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.
UNSC to hold its first meeting on COVID-19 • The UN Security Council will hold its first meeting on the coronavirus pandemic on 9 April 2020, after weeks of divisions among its five permanent members. • Nine of the 10 non-permanent members formally requested a meeting featuring a presentation by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. • The meeting will be held through videoconference.
Tiger at a zoo tested positive for COVID-19 • A tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19 and is believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time. • The four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia along with her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all developed dry coughs and are expected to fully recover.
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UNGA adopted a resolution • The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution on COVID-19, calling for intensified international cooperation to defeat the pandemic. • Co-sponsored by 188 nations including India, the resolution is titled 'Global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)'. • It is first such document on the global pandemic to be adopted by the world organization.
NASA to launch 'SunRISE' mission • NASA has selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms. • This mission will further aid scientists to understand how the Solar System works. • It will also help protect future astronauts from Solar Storms while going to the Moon or Mars.
China recommended bear bile to treat COVID-19 • China has recommended bear bile for COVID-19 treatment. • The Chinese authorities reportedly began promoting the use of Tan Re Qing – an injection that contains bear bile - to treat patients infected by the novel coronavirus. • The bile of various species of bears has traditionally been used to make Chinese medicine since the 18th century.
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Person in News
PCB banned Umar Akmal • Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been banned from all forms of cricket for three years for failing to report corrupt approaches. • The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had charged him with two breaches of its anti-corruption code for not reporting two unrelated approaches. • Akmal has played in 16 Tests, 121 one-day internationals and 84 T20 internationals.
Jhuma Khatun banned for 4 years • Middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics. • She was tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl testosterone, a steroid. • Khatun had won a bronze medal each in 1,500m and 5,000m at the Championships in Guwahati. • Khatun’s results from June 29, 2018 to November 21, 2018 will now be annulled.
Arnab Goswami resigned from Editors' Guild • Arnab Goswami has resigned from the Editors' Guild of India. • He accused the organisation of hypocrisy in the aftermath of the Palghar incident, where two Hindu seers were mob lynched. • He is the founder and most popular face of the news channel Republic TV. • He has also been the editor-in-chief and a news anchor of Times Now and ET Now, from 2006 to 2016.
Raghuram Rajan in External Advisory Group: IMF • Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of IMF, has named a group of prominent individuals to serve as her new External Advisory Group which includes Raghuram Rajan. • He is the former RBI governor.
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• The group will provide perspectives from around the globe on key developments and policy issues including policy responses to the exceptional challenges the world is facing due to COVID-19.
129th birth anniversary of Dr B.R Ambedkar • The nation is remembering Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary on 14 April 2020. • Dr. Ambedkar is known as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. • He was bestowed with the country’s highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna in 1990 posthumously. • He became the 1st Law and Justice Minister after independence and played an important role in drafting the Indian Constitution.
Ben Stokes named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer • Ben Stokes has been named as the leading Cricketer in the World in the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. • Stokes succeeds India's Virat Kohli, who had been honored by Wisden for three years running. • He has also become the first English player since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to be considered the best contemporary player in the world.
Bob Weighton confirmed as world’s oldest man • A British pensioner has just been the crowned the world's oldest man after he celebrated his 112th birthday. • Born on March 29, 1908, Robert Weighton has officially been confirmed as the new title holder by Guinness World Records (GWR). • He won the title after Chitetsu Watanabe, from Japan, passed away on February 23, 2020. • Born on March 5, 1907, he was 112 years and 355 days old.
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Government Policies and Schemes
Mid-day meal scheme update • Govt has announced around 11% increase in annual central allocation of cooking cost under Mid-day meal scheme to Rs 8,100 crore in view of the situation arising out of COVID-19. • The mid-day meal Scheme is a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme, aimed at increasing enrolment, retention and attendance of students in schools. • The scheme covers more than 12 crore children studying in over 11 lakh schools.
MP CM launched Jeevan Shakti Yojana • Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan launched the Jeevan Shakti Yojana on 25 April 2020. • Under this scheme, women in urban areas can earn by making masks at home. • The government will pay them Rs 11 per mask. • Women wishing to make masks will have to register themselves by calling on the Call Centre number through their telephone or mobile.
CM COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana: MP • In Madhya Pradesh, around one lakh Anganwadi workers and Assistants of the state will get the benefit of Chief Minister COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana. • Under this initiative, they will also get a special health insurance cover of Rs 50 lakhs. • Meanwhile, the state government has given one-year exemption to the private schools for renewal of accreditation due to COVID-19 infection.
32 crore people receive benefits under PMGKP • Government has provided over Rs 28,000 crore support through Direct Benefit Transfer to around 32 crore beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan relief package announced in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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• Around Rs 14,000 crore have been directly transferred to approximately 7 cr farmers under PM - KISAN scheme and Rs 10,000 crore to over 19 crore PMJDY women account holders till now.
Government notified three schemes • The Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified 3 schemes to boost electronics manufacturing with incentives worth more than Rs 48,000 cr. • The largest scheme, with an outlay of Rs 40,000 cr, will give incentives of 4- 6% on incremental sales on mobile phones and specified electronic components. • The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme will be applicable from August 1, 2020.
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Science and Technology
Largest hole in ozone layer is closed now • The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), confirmed that the largest hole in the Ozone layer above the Arctic has closed. • The ozone layer is a protective layer of gas in the stratosphere. • It shields the planet from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Hubble telescope's 30th anniversary • In 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope achieved its 30th year in orbit. • Hubble’s unique design, allowing it to be repaired and upgraded with advanced technology by astronauts, has made it one of NASA’s longest- living and most valuable observatories. • Throughout the year, NASA will celebrate the many ways that Hubble has brought the universe home to Earth, with special events.
Low-cost mechanical ventilator developed • A team of engineering students from IIT Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir have come up with a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials. • It is named 'Ruhdaar' ventilator. • Ruhdaar provides necessary functionalities which can provide adequate breathing support.
Scientists to develop virucidal coating • A team of researchers at Regional Centre for Biotechnology has initiated a study to engineer virucidal coatings to prevent the COVID-19 Transmission. • The team is led by Dr. Avinash Bajaj.
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• The study is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Milan Surjit from Translational Health Science and Technology Institute and Dr. Samrat Mukhopadhay from Department of Textile Technology, IIT, Delhi.
App developed by IIIT-Delhi • Researchers at IIIT-Delhi have developed an app which warns people about a coronavirus containment zone nearby and helps them check whether a news item about the pandemic is genuine or fake. • The WashKaro app has been developed by professor Ponnurangam Kumaraguru and Dr Tavpritesh Sethi of the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi) along with five students.
Tool for mapping nano-mechanical properties • Scientists from International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in collaboration with Nano mechanics Inc., Oak Ridge, USA have jointly developed an advanced tool. • It can map the nano-mechanical properties of materials like multi-phase alloys, composites, and multi-layered coatings. • The tool is called Nano Blitz 3D.
A woman developed ten varieties of Anthurium • D Vasini Bai, a woman innovator from Thiruvananthapuram, has 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 colours. • Anthurium is one of the best domestic flowering plants in the world. • They also purify the surrounding air and remove harmful airborne chemicals.
Air pollution levels at "20-Year Low": NASA • Air pollution over northern India has plummeted to a 20-year-low for this time of 2020, according to satellite data published by NASA.
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• The data published with maps show aerosol optical depth (AOD) in 2020 compared to the average for 2016-2019. • Aerosol optical depth is a measure of how light is absorbed or reflected by airborne particles as it travels through the atmosphere.
ARI Pune developed “bug sniffer” • Researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, have developed a sensitive and low-cost sensor to rapidly detect bacteria. • The portable device can detect as low as ten bacterial cells from a sample size of one millilitre in just 30 minutes. • At present, they are working on a method for simultaneous separation and detection of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium.
Fish gills used to develop electro-catalysts • Scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, have recently come up with an efficient, low-cost electro-catalyst from fish gills. • It can help develop environmentally friendly energy conversion devices. • It could be utilized as next-generation nonprecious carbon-based electrocatalyst for energy conversion and storage applications.
Lithium abundance in interstellar space • Researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have discovered hundreds of Lithium-rich giant stars indicating that Li is being produced in the stars and accounts for its abundance in the interstellar medium. • They have also associated such Li enhancement with central Helium-burning stars, also known as red clump giants.
Scientists observed biggest star explosion • Astronomers have spotted a record-breaking supernova, the largest ever observed. • The spectacular stellar explosion released enough light to cover its entire galaxy, outshining normal supernovae by 500 times.
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• The supernova was first observed in February 2016 by the Panoramic Survey Telescopes and Rapid Response System observatory in Hawaii.
New pit viper discovered in Arunachal Pradesh • A group of researchers have recorded a new serpent and named it Salazar’s pit viper. • The new species, Trimeresurus Salazar is the fifth variety of reptile to have been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh in a little more than a year. • The name was inspired by Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of J.K. Rowling’s’ fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Coronavirus in 2 Indian Bat species • Researchers have found the presence of a different kind of coronavirus, bat coronavirus (BtCoV) --in two bat species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. • A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found this. • There is no evidence or research to claim that these bat coronaviruses can cause disease in humans.
Antimicrobial spray-based coating developed • A team of researchers of IIT Guwahati has developed an affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 3D printed Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers. • The concepts have been developed by Dr. Biman B. Mandal, along with his PhD scholars, Bibhas K. Bhunia and Ashutosh Bandyopadhyay.
Researchers developed a ‘digital stethoscope’ • A team at the Indian Institute of Technology of Bombay (IIT-B) has developed a "digital stethoscope". • It can listen to heart beats from a distance and record them, minimizing the risk of healthcare professionals contracting the novel coronavirus from patients.
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• This can help doctors and medical professionals practice social distancing with ease.
CCMB undertook Genome Sequencing • Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology of the CSIR has undertaken the Genome Sequencing of Coronavirus jointly with the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB). • In next 3-4 weeks the CCMB will be completing several hundreds of isolates and able to reach at some conclusions which will be relevant in practical applications to tackle Coronavirus.
NASA unveils plan to setup 'Artemis' • NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims to land humans on the moon by 2024. • It has put forward a plan showing what a US lunar presence may look like after the milestone. • NASA submitted a 13-page report to the National Space Council. • The report titled NASA’s Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development offers a summary of NASA will accomplish the 2024 moon landing mission.
Mass bleaching of Great Barrier Reef • Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered its most widespread coral bleaching on record. • A comprehensive survey in March 2020 found record sea temperatures had caused the third mass bleaching of the 2,300-kilometer reef system in just five years. • Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures.
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BCG vaccination linked with coronavirus cases • The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, administered to millions of Indian children soon after birth to protect against tuberculosis, could be a "game-changer" in the fight against the deadly coronavirus. • The severity of coronavirus impact may be linked to national policies on BCG childhood vaccination. • However, this study is yet to be published from the New York Institute of Technology.
IBM offering its AI platform for free • IBM is offering its AI platform ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ free of cost for at least 90 days. • It will provide reliable information on COVID-19 related queries. • The platform brings together Watson Assistant, Natural Language Processing, and AI search capabilities, that help in understanding and responding to common questions about coronavirus.
DRDO developed bio suit • DRDO has developed a bio suit to keep the medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the virus. • The suit is subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood. • The current production capacity is 7,000 suits per day. • However, efforts are on to ramp up the capacity to 15,000 suits per day.
NASA to launch 'SunRISE' mission • NASA has selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms. • This mission will further aid scientists to understand how the Solar System works. • It will also help protect future astronauts from Solar Storms while going to the Moon or Mars.
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Business and Economy
CRISIL cut India's FY21 economic growth rate • CRISIL has cut its projections for India’s economic growth rate to 1.8 per cent, from 3.5 per cent it had earlier predicted for 2020-21. • Its parent Standard & Poor’s has (S&P) forecast the world economy to contract 2.4 per cent, against its earlier estimates of 0.4 per cent growth. • The agency projected total losses of Rs 10 trillion or Rs 7,000 per person due to the lockdowns.
India Ratings lowered GDP growth rate to 1.9% • India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra), a Fitch group company, has further slashed its estimate for India’s • GDP growth rate to 1.9 per cent for 2020-21. • This will be the lowest after India recorded growth rate at 1.1 per cent in 1991-92. • The agency’s estimate suggests that GDP may come back to the 4QFY20 (January-March, 2020) level only by 3QFY21 (October-December, 2020).
RBI announced special liquidity facility • The Reserve Bank of India announced a Rs 50,000 crore special liquidity facility for mutual fund, days after Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund decided to close six debt schemes. • Heightened volatility in capital markets in reaction to COVID-19 has imposed liquidity strains on mutual funds (MFs). • The stress is, however, confined to the high-risk debt MF segment at this stage.
KKR to buy five solar assets from SP Group • KKR has agreed to buy 5 solar assets of 317 MW from the cash strapped Shapoorji Pallonji Group for $200 million. • The divestment will help the group in its deleveraging exercise.
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• The portfolio comprises of assets with a capacity of 169MWp in Maharashtra and assets with a capacity of 148 MWp in Tamil Nadu.
Govt puts on hold DA hike for employees • The Centre on 23 April 2020 froze the dearness allowance (DA) for its 4.8 million employees and 6.5 million pensioners at 17 per cent till July 1, 2021. • This will save the Centre over Rs 37,000 crore, and if states follow suit, the combined savings will be Rs 1.2 trillion. • The move comes after the Union Cabinet approved an increase in DA to 21% in March 2020.
India's economic growth projections slashed • Fitch Ratings on 23 April 2020 has slashed India's economic growth projections to 0.8 per cent in the current fiscal. • In its Global Economic Outlook, Fitch Ratings said India's GDP growth will slip to 0.8 per cent for the year April 2020 to March 2021 as compared to an estimated 4.9 per cent growth in the previous fiscal. • Growth is, however, expected to rebound to 6.7 per cent in 2021-22
TCS to power Israel’s 1st fully Digital Bank • Tata Consultancy Services will launch Israel's first fully digital bank. • TCS was selected by Israel's Ministry of Finance to transform its banking sector by building a banking service bureau that would serve as a shared, plug-and-play, digital banking operations platform. • This initiative is seen as a bid to boost competition in the financial services sector and enhance customer experience.
Pulses, Oilseeds worth Rs 1,313 cr procured • NAFED and Food Corporation of India (FCI) have procured Pulses and Oilseeds worth Rs 1,313 cr benefiting more than 1,74,000 farmers. • The Dept of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level.
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• Procurement of Pulses and Oilseeds on MSP is currently in progress in twenty States during Rabi season 2020.
White paper to strategize revival of economy • The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) is preparing a white paper to strategize revival of post-COVID 19 Indian economy. • This document would mainly focus on strengthening Make in India initiatives, commercialization of Indigenous technology, efficient rural health care delivery, etc. • It will be soon submitted to the decision-making authorities of the Govt.
Fitch slashed India’s GDP growth forecast • Fitch Solutions has cut India's economic growth forecast for the financial year 2020-21 to 1.8 per cent. • For China, it revised downwards its 2020 real GDP forecast to 1.1 per cent from 2.6 per cent previously. • Fitch Solutions also anticipated a deeper contraction in fixed investments as businesses choose to cut back on capital expenditure.
RBI cuts reverse repo rate by 25 bps • The RBI on 17 April 2020 cut the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%. • It announced a fresh Rs 50,000 cr targeted long-term repo operation (LTRO 2.0) • RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das unveiled fresh measures aimed at maintaining adequate liquidity in the system, facilitating and incentivizing banks to ensure better credit flow and enabling normal functioning of the financial markets.
Foodgrains production increased the target • The agriculture ministry aims to increase food grain production by 6.35 million tonnes, to record 298.3 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year.
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• The ministry has set a target of 149.9 million tonnes of food grain production in the kharif or summer season and 148.4 million tonnes in the rabi or winter season. • Rice production target has been fixed at 117.5 million tonnes in 2020-21.
Centre released Rs 7,300 crore under MGNREGS • Centre has released Rs 7,300 cr to the States and Union Territories under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). • It has been done to liquidate pending dues of last financial year but also the wage dues for the first fortnight of 2020-21. • Also, under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), over 800 crore rupees has been released to the States.
India will register positive growth rate: IMF • International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said India and China are the only two major countries, which will register a positive growth rate despite Coronavirus pandemic. • In its latest edition of World Economy report, IMF has projected India's GDP growth to be 1.9 per cent in 2020. • For China, it has projected a growth rate of 1.2 per cent. • India is expected to grow at 7.4 per cent.
India to export wheat to Afghanistan • India will be exporting around 1 lakh tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan and Lebanon under government to government (G2G) arrangement. • NAFED has been asked to export 50,000 tonnes to Afghanistan and 40,000 tonnes to Lebanon through diplomatic route. • India has been producing more than 100 million tonnes for last three years and there is surplus wheat in granaries to feed the country.
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Jobless rate in India rose to 23.4% • Early estimates of jobs data indicate that the coronavirus effect may have left a devastating impact on the economy, sending urban unemployment rate soaring to 30.9%. • Overall unemployment rose to 23.4%. • The figures, based on the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s weekly tracker survey, have held steady for two weeks now.
Export curbs relaxed on 24 pharma ingredients • Government has relaxed export curbs on 24 pharma ingredients and medicines including vitamin B1 and B12. • Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification in this regard on 6 April 2020. • DGFT had imposed export restrictions on 26 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations in March 2020, under which exporter has to obtain a licence or permission from the DGFT.
India to borrow Rs 4.88 lakh crore • The central government plans to borrow Rs 4.88 lakh crore in the first half of the financial year 2020-21 (FY21) to mitigate the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the economy. • This amounts to 62.56 per cent of the total proposed borrowing of Rs 7.8 lakh crore for FY21. • The WMA (Ways and means advances) limit at Rs 1.2 lakh crore would be reviewed on a need basis.
India’s fiscal deficit likely to reach 6.2 % • India's fiscal deficit in 2020-21 may shoot up to 6.2% of the GDP from 3.5 per cent government estimate as a fallout of the Covid-19 economic stimulus package. • This was announced by Fitch Solutions. • It has revised the FY2020/21 real GDP growth forecast to 4.6 per cent, from 5.4 per cent previously.
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World Bank approved emergency funds for India • The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project. • It will help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. • This is the largest ever health sector support from the Bank to India.
India’s economic growth decelerated to 4% • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected India’ growth to slow down to 4% in the current fiscal year. • This was stated in the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020 released on 3 April 2020. • The ADO is its annual flagship economic publication. • The bank expects the country’s gross domestic product growth to strengthen to 6.2% in FY22, boosted by government reforms.
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Sports
PCB banned Umar Akmal • Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been banned from all forms of cricket for three years for failing to report corrupt approaches. • The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had charged him with two breaches of its anti-corruption code for not reporting two unrelated approaches. • Akmal has played in 16 Tests, 121 one-day internationals and 84 T20 internationals.
Jhuma Khatun banned for 4 years • Middle-distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics. • She was tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl testosterone, a steroid. • Khatun had won a bronze medal each in 1,500m and 5,000m at the Championships in Guwahati. • Khatun’s results from June 29, 2018 to November 21, 2018 will now be annulled.
Sana Mir announced retirement • Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has announced her retirement, bringing to an end a 15-year career. • She played 226 internationals, including 137 as captain from 2009 to 2017. • She had announced a break from international cricket in November 2019 to recalibrate her future objectives and targets. • She made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in May 2009.
Graeme Smith: Cricket South Africa's Director • Former South African skipper Graeme Smith has been named as Cricket South Africa's permanent director for a two-year period. • He will serve as the director until April 2022.
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• Earlier, Smith had assumed an interim role following a rejig of the Cricket South Africa administration following which Mark Boucher was roped in as the coach.
Mascot for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games • The mascot for the 4th Asian Para Games was unveiled on 16 April 2020. • The design of ‘Feifei’ is inspired by the motif of the ‘Divine Bird’ in the Liangzhu Culture. • The mascot is the fusion of Hangzhou’s heritage and its drive for technological innovation. • The 4th Asian Para Games will be held from October 9-15, 2022, featuring 22 sports with Taekwondo and Para-Canoe to make their debuts.
IPL 2020 suspended indefinitely • Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the Indian Premier League 2020 indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • The IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended till further notice. • The IPL 2020, was suspended until April 15, 2020 after the country went on a 21-day lockdown.
Pakistan plans to bid for ICC events • The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to launch a joint bid for five to six ICC events along with its counterpart from the UAE. • The PCB is going to bid for events in the cycle that runs from 2023 to 2031. • Since becoming an affiliated member of the ICC in 1952, Pakistan has hosted two global cricket events: the 1987 and 1996 World Cups.
SAI's 21-day online workshop for coaches began • Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on 16 March 2020 attended the first session of the 21-day long online workshop for coaches. • It is being organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in partnership with the National Sports Federations (NSFs).
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• This is the first-ever online initiative by SAI and NSFs to upgrade knowledge of coaches.
Tour de France postponed • The world's most famous cycling race Tour de France has been postponed in the wake of Corona virus pandemic. • The three-week race was set to start on 27 June 2020 in the Riviera city of Nice. • It has now been set for August 2020. • This year's event has 21 stages, with the longest of them stretching 218 kilometres (135 miles).
Hockey India postponed all national c'ships • Hockey India postponed all its rescheduled national championships indefinitely after the national lockdown • was extended till May 3, 2020. • These tournaments were rescheduled to start on April 29 and continue till July 3, 2020 but have been suspended for now. • New dates will be announced based on the evolution of the COVID-19 situation in India.
India to host Asian Boxing Championship • India will host the Asian Boxing Championships for men and women in November-December 2020. • India last hosted the men's Asian meet back in 1980 in Mumbai, while it conducted the women's event in 2003 in Hisar. • The tournament became a combined event for men and women in 2019. • The formal announcement by the Asian Boxing Confederation will be made once the COVID-19 situation improves a bit.
Ben Stokes named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer • Ben Stokes has been named as the leading Cricketer in the World in the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
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• Stokes succeeds India's Virat Kohli, who had been honored by Wisden for three years running. • He has also become the first English player since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to be considered the best contemporary player in the world.
Thailand & Malaysia weightlifters banned • The Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions on Thailand and Malaysia. • It has banned both the countries from participating in weightlifting events at the Tokyo Olympics. • The IMFPS also suspended the Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) for 3 years.
Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled • The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were unveiled at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China on 3 Apr'20. • The 3 robots, which are going to be the mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games are collectively known as the smart triplets. • The 3 Mascots are Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen. • The Olympic Council of Asia's 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from 10-25 Sept 2022.
FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup postponed • The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which was scheduled to be played in India between 2-21 Nov 2020, has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. • The new dates for the tournament will be identified later. • The decision was taken by the FIFA-Confederations working group in its first meeting held 3 April 2020. • The working group also postponed FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
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China to host 2021 Asian Youth Games • The Olympic Council of Asia has announced that China will host the third edition of the Asian Youth Games in Shantou from November 20-28, 2021. • The 2021 Asian Youth Games will have 18 sports including athletics, aquatics, badminton, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, etc. • The Asian Youth Games were first held in Singapore in 2011 and then in Nanjing in China in 2013.
World Athletics C'ships rescheduled to 2022 • The World Athletics Championship of 2021 has now been postponed to 2022 to accommodate the change in the schedule of Tokyo Olympics 2020. • The championship was originally scheduled to held in Eugene, Oregon from August 6-15, 2021. • The decision has come due to the change in Tokyo Olympics dates, which was earlier scheduled to be held from July 24- August 9, 2020.
Wimbledon Tennis tournament cancelled • Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, has been cancelled for the first time since World War-II because of the Coronavirus pandemic. • The tournament was due to be played between 29 June and 12 July 2020. • The entire grass-court season has been abandoned, and there will be no professional tennis anywhere in the world until at least 13 July 2020.
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Defence
Australia cancelled “Pitch Black 2020” • Australia has informed India that the exercise Pitch Black 2020, scheduled to be held from 27th July to 14th August 2020 has been cancelled due to Covid-19. • The next edition will be held in 2022. • Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial three-week multilateral air combat training exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). • Its last edition was held in 2018.
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Books and Authors
Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P.V. Sindhu • A book titled “Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P V Sindhu” authored by Krishnaswamy V has been published by HarperCollins on Amazon digital platform. • It conveys the story of one of the finest badminton players in the world. • It tells her life from the time when, while living in Secunderabad, she travelled over 40 km every day by train to get to P Gopichand’s academy and train.
Mary Jordan wrote a book on Melania Trump • A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Washington Post has written an unauthorized biography of first lady Melania Trump. • Mary Jordan’s “The Art of Her Deal,” will come out on 16 June 2020. • Jordan began working on the book in 2015, well before Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the presidential election.
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Committees & Recommendations
UGC constituted a committee • University Grants Commission (UGC) has constituted a committee to promote online learning. • It has also formed a committee to look after the examinations and academic calendar in the present circumstances. • On the basis of the committee's recommendations, which will be submitted next week, UGC will issue guidelines for universities in consultation with Union HRD Ministry.
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National Affairs
MP govt to set up Deendayal committees • Madhya Pradesh government has decided to set up Deendayal committees at the ward and Panchayat levels. • These will ensure that benefits of welfare schemes reach people during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. • This was announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during an audio conference with state BJP MLAs, district party presidents and mandal chiefs.
Mid-day meal scheme update • Govt has announced around 11% increase in annual central allocation of cooking cost under Mid-day meal scheme to Rs 8,100 crore in view of the situation arising out of COVID-19. • The mid-day meal Scheme is a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme, aimed at increasing enrolment, retention and attendance of students in schools. • The scheme covers more than 12 crore children studying in over 11 lakh schools.
An anticancer drug 'DASASHIL' launched • Shilpa Medicare announced the launch of Indian branded generic of Dasatinib, an anticancer drug with a brand name DASASHIL. • DASASHIL is first branded generic anticancer drug which is used for the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML). • The Drug Substance patent on Dasatinib was owned by Bristol-Myers- Squibb and had expired on 12 April 2020.
USDMA launched coronavirus portal 'Drishti' • The Uttarakhand State District Management Authority (USDMA) has launched COVID-19 Drishti portal. • It has been launched in a bid to provide a common platform to the state administration and the citizens for the accurate information on coronavirus.
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• Under this portal, all the data pertaining to the patients and the suspected cases will be shown.
Tata Trusts commenced pan India campaign • Tata Trusts has started a nationwide community outreach campaign to induce adoption of health practices, as promoted by the government, in rural areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19. • Beginning March 31, 2020, the exercise is expected to have already reached about 1.2 crore people across 21 states. • The campaign is named '5 Kadam, Corona Mukt Jeevan'.
Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 to be amended • President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent for promulgation of the Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 to protect the health care service personnel. • The ordinance provides for making acts of violence cognizable and non- bailable offences and for compensation for injury to health care service personnel. • Violence will include harassment and physical injury and damage to property.
Production of COVID-19 Testing kits started • A South Korean firm has started production of the COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Testing kits in its Indian subsidiary plant. • It will meet the growing demand of the medical equipment in India and other parts of the world. • Its Indian subsidiary is located in Manesar, Gurgaon. • It is producing test kits with a capacity of 5,00,000 tests per week and the first batch was rolled out on April 19, 2020.
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White paper to strategize revival of economy • The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) is preparing a white paper to strategize revival of post-COVID 19 Indian economy. • This document would mainly focus on strengthening Make in India initiatives, commercialization of Indigenous technology, efficient rural health care delivery, etc. • It will be soon submitted to the decision-making authorities of the Govt.
Central govt to conduct telephonic survey • The Central government will conduct a telephonic survey to gather feedback from people on the prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 symptoms. • The Health Ministry has informed the people that it is a genuine survey and requested them to participate to enable proper feedback on COVID-19 symptoms. • Citizens will get calls on their mobile phones by NIC and number 1921.
‘COVID India Seva’ launched • Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan on 21 April 2020 launched the COVID India Seva. • It is an interactive platform to establish a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic. • Through this, people can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva and get them responded to in almost real-time.
Rs. 17,793 crores released under PM-KISAN • Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, about 8.89 cr farmer families have been benefitted and an amount of Rs. 17,793 cr has been released so far, since the lockdown. • In order to provide food security during the prevailing situation, the Government has decided to distribute pulses to the eligible households under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PM-GKY).
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'Mission Anna Seva': Biggest free meal program • Reliance Foundation's 'Mission Anna Seva' is the largest free meal programme by any corporate foundation globally. • It aims to provide over 3 crore meals to marginalised communities and frontline workers facing hardships during the lockdown. • Reliance Foundation has pledged free meals, build country's first COVID-19 hospital and is supplying PPEs and masks.
MP govt to give Rs 10,000 to corona patients • MP govt has decided that the health workers who are directly engaged in the treatment of Corona patients will be given a service amount of Rs 10 thousand every month as honorarium. • If employees of other departments engaged in the service of Corona patients are also be infected then they will also be given Rs 10 thousand as service amount.
Postal employees to get Rs 10 lakh compensation • All postal employees, including Gramin Dak Sevaks, will get Rs 10 lakh compensation in case they succumb to COVID-19. • The guidelines will come into effect immediately and continue for the entire period till the crisis of COVID-19 is over. • The postal services come under essential services and apart from regular services, the post offices are also delivering food packets and medicines.
Centre released Rs 7,300 crore under MGNREGS • Centre has released Rs 7,300 cr to the States and Union Territories under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). • It has been done to liquidate pending dues of last financial year but also the wage dues for the first fortnight of 2020-21. • Also, under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), over 800 crore rupees has been released to the States.
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Jim Corbett built isolation wards for animals • India's oldest National Park Jim Corbett, situated in Uttarakhand, has built isolation wards for animals. • At least 10 quarantine centres are being prepared within the premises to contain animals. • Any animal with symptoms will be quarantined, the cameras installed in the vicinity of the national park will record the cold and cough symptoms of animals.
MEA announced Covid-19 Training Program • The External Affairs Ministry has announced a training programme on Covid- 19 from April 17, 2020 for healthcare professionals from SAARC countries. • It will be carried out by the Central government's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. • India had also proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share their expertise and best practices.
6 Indian companies working on COVID-19 vaccine • Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19. • Nearly 70 ‘vaccine candidates’ are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage. • While Zydus Cadila is working on two vaccines, Serum Institute, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Indian Immunologicals, and Mynvax are developing one vaccine each.
Goa: 1st to use Ayurveda to COVID-19 patients • Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has declared that Goa would be the first state to treat COVID-19 positive patients with allopathy and Ayurveda to boost their immunity. • Goa will be the first state to use both these streams of medicine. • The treatment will be administered in consultation with doctors who are dealing with COVID-19 patients, said the CM, who is also an Ayurveda practitioner.
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MP government invoked ESMA • MP government on 8 April 2020 invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) with immediate effect to tackle the coronavirus spread. • Bhopal and Indore are among the most affected districts in the state. • The state government has constituted a 4-member committee to give suggestions in dealing with the economic crisis arising due to Coronavirus outbreak.
MP police starts 'home delivery' of FIRs • Madhya Pradesh police have started home-delivery of FIRs. • Those booked for violating the lockdown are now getting the challans at their doorstep. • Seoni district, which borders Nagpur, launched this initiative on 6 April 2020. • Police in UP’s Muzaffarnagar were the first to start this ‘doorstep delivery’ in the first week of April 2020.
Measures for smooth harvesting of Rabi Crop • The Dept of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare is taking several measures for smooth harvesting of Rabi Crop and sowing of the summer crop. • This is being done to ensure that farmers do not suffer from any adverse fallout during the lockdown. • A video conference was conducted with all States and Insurance companies to review the status of Conduct of CCEs for Rabi 2019-20 crops.
Enhanced protective gear to CISF troops • The CISF is augmenting COVID-19 protective gear and healthcare paraphernalia for its over 40,000 personnel. • The troops will begin having close physical interaction with lakhs of passengers once airports and the Delhi Metro re-start operations. • The CISF has 63 civil airports of the country under its security cover at present along with the Delhi Metro.
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Govt launched app called Aarogya Setu • Indian government has launched a dedicated coronavirus tracking app called Aarogya Setu. • The app will use the smartphone’s location data and Bluetooth to check if you have been near a COVID-19 infected person or not. • The app determines if you are at risk by looking through a database of known cases across India. • It also suggests tips on how to prevent yourself from getting coronavirus.
Unique Radio School in Madhya Pradesh • In Madhya Pradesh, a unique radio school has been started to mitigate the impact of Coronavirus outbreak. • Under Radio School, all the centers of All India Radio in Madhya Pradesh will be broadcasting programs from Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 12 pm. • The Radio School is being started by the State Education Center with the help of AIR.
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