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SUMMIT/EVENTS/CONFRENCES ETC DELHI  Nirmala Sitharaman – chaired = 22nd Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) via video conferencing

 TRIFED + Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of Rajasthan - organized a webinar under Know Your Scheme-Lecture Series on “Van Dhan Yojana - to help the tribal people.

 Piyush Goyal participated in the Digital Summit on Exports organized by CII - The institutional partner for the summit is Export-Import (EXIM) Bank.

 Hunar Haat - to restart from September 2020 by the Minority Affairs Ministry – theme = “Local to Global”

 IDEAthon webinar organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) – theme = “The future of River Management”

 ASSOCHAM - organized - Indo-Bangladesh “Virtual Conference” - Dr Jitendra Singh addressed

 Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - organized the digital conference, RE-START – ‘Reboot the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations is association with Technology Development Board (TDB)

- Union Minister of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan addressed

INTERNATIONAL

CENTRAL AND MIDDLE EAST ASIA  Prime Minister – Participated for the first time since 2014 - online summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group on the theme “United against COVID-19” hosted by President of Republic of Azerbaijan

 Ravi Shankar Prasad - attended the Extraordinary Virtual G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting - to discuss the challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

 Piyush Goyal - represented India at the second G20 Virtual Trade and Investment Ministers Meeting through video conferencing

OTHER ASIA

 Russia - hosted the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting via video conferencing on COVID-19 - attended by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar - India and Pakistan became the members of the SCO in 2017

STATE/NATIONAL NEWS Andhra Pradesh  AP – launched - Rs 1,110 crores ‘ReStart’ to revive MSME sector - to support & boost the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector in the State

 Andhra Pradesh - launched - mobile application ‘CMAPP (Comprehensive Monitoring of Agriculture, Price, and Procurement)’ - aim - to monitor the agriculture needs of the farmers in the state

 Andhra Pradesh - launched - mobile application CMAPP (Comprehensive Monitoring of Agriculture, Price, and Procurement)

Karnataka  Flipkart - MoU - Karnataka State Mango Department - to support mango farmers to sell their produce through Flipkart

 Karnataka - launched - first cyber security-specific accelerator programme 'H.A.C.K' for start-ups.

 Karnataka - to launch State Health Register of all 6.5 crore citizens of the state - pilot project will be implemented in Chikkaballapur district, and Dakshina Kannada or Mangalore districts

 Bengaluru based Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - launched an initiative called “Pranavayu” - This initiative helps each individual to monitor blood oxygen levels and heart rates of patients showing influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in fever clinics.

 Karnataka Chess Association hosted an online chess tournament to raise funds for CM Covid-19 relief fund

Tamilnadu  Tamil Nadu started Implementation of Solar Fence Farmland Protection Programme - is to protect agricultural lands

 Tamil Nadu govt - 17 investment MoUs worth ₹15,128 cr with various companies - aim to provide employment opportunities to 47,150 people

 Tamil Nadu - increased the retirement age of government employees to 59

 Tamil Nadu - constituted - 24 member high-level committee headed by C Rangarajan - to assess the immediate and medium-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various sectors of the State’s economy ➢ To examine fiscal challenge & suggest ways to improve its fiscal position ➢ State Finance Secretary S Krishnan - coordinator of the committee. ➢ the committee will submit its final reports to the Government within 3 months

 Arumbavur wood carvings and Thanjavur Netti Works of Tamil Nadu - received the Geographical Indications tag

Maharashtra  Maharashtra government - announced a free and cashless health insurance scheme to all its citizens - Under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana - At present, the scheme covers 85% of the population; but benefits are now extended to the remaining 15%.

 Maharashtra - allowed 12-hour work shifts until June 30 in factories across the state

 Mee Annapurna initiative - launched by insurance intermediary - Integrated Risk Insurance Brokers Limited (IRIBL) in Maharshtra - This initiative is based on three commandments namely: Expertise, Engagement and Entitlement.

Madhya pradesh  Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh - launched - ‘Rozgar Setu’ Yojana - to support and provide employment to the migrant workers - also Shram Siddhi Abhiyan was launched to support the unskilled labourers to find employment

 Madhya Pradesh - inaugurated 'Shram Siddhi Abhiyan’ - to provide jobs to labourers

 MP - to inaugurate - ‘Everybody will get employment’ (Sabko Milega Rozgar) scheme - Under this scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MNREGA) job cards will be distributed to the laborers

 Madhya Pradesh - launched Charan Paduka campaign - migrant workers will be provided with shoes and slippers to reduce their pain.

 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan - re-launched the Sambal Yojana Objective of Sambal Yojana- To provide social security to the poor and the beneficiaries of SC and ST from birth to death The scheme was originally launched in April 2018 & Rs 703 crore was spent in 2018-19 for its implementation.

 Madhya Pradsh - launched country's first ever ‘FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana’ to lodge FIR

➢ Pilot project in 23 Police Stations including one urban and one rural Police Station at 11 Divisional Headquarters. ➢ “Dial 100” vehicle would have trained Head Constables to lodge FIR.

 Madhya Pradesh - Sanjeevani, the first of its kind unique vehicle - to help the healthcare workers - was developed at the local level in the initiative of Rajnagar administration of Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh

 Madhya Pradesh - 1st state in the country to provide mid-day meal ration - Distribution with the help of Anganwadi workers, Panchayat representatives and local teachers ➢ Rs 117 crore has been transferred online in the bank account of the parents of 66 lakh 27 thousand students of primary and secondary school - To provide mid-day meal to school children in the corona outbreak an amount of by the state government. ➢ Under door-to-door mid-day meal scheme, ration has also been provided to 56 lakhs 87 thousand children

 Madhya Pradesh - made amendments in the Mandi Act with a view to provide farmers with the maximum value of their crops

Rajasthan  Rajasthan - levied 2% Krishak Kalyan fees on agricultural produce brought or bought or sold in mandis

Uttar Pradesh  Uttar Pradesh Government – will develop - 800 Km Herbal roads

 Uttar Pradesh - form a migration commission to identify the skills of returning migrant workers and provide employment to them

 Uttar Pradesh - to give a 50 percent subsidy on PPE kits to hospitals

 Uttar Pradesh - ban on all transfers of Government employees for the current session 2020-21 till further orders

 Other States will now have to take the permission from which state before engaging workers of Uttar Pradesh

 UP govt - to create migration commission to provide employment to over 23 lakh migrant workers

 Uttar Pradesh - launched the Ayush Kavach app that will provide health-related tips and information about ayurvedic medicines amid the COVID-19 pandemic - developed by the Ayush Department of Uttar Pradesh

 Uttar Pradesh - launched - ‘Pravasi Raahat Mitra’ - To provide support to the migrant workers ➢ developed by the state revenue department and United Nation Development Program (UNDP) ➢ to monitor their health and provide the requirements like job and livelihood related to their skills. ➢ the app will also record the status of distribution of ration kits to migrant citizens.

 Uttar Pradesh - an ordinance 'Uttar Pradesh Temporary Exemption from Certain Labour Laws Ordinance, 2020' - to suspend labour laws - for the next three years - to boost industrial investment and employ the large number of migrant workers that have come back to their native villages in the state

 Uttar Pradesh - first state in the country to provide the facility of beds with ventilators in hospitals of each and every district of the state

Bihar  Bihar - India’s first dolphin observatory

Jharkhand  Jharkhand - banned - 11 brands of Pan Masala for one year

 Jharkhand + Doordarshan – online classes for students of government schools

Chattisgarh  Chhattisgarh - to launch ' Rajiv Gandhi Kisaan Nyay Yojana ”

WB  West Bengal - launched “Exit App” for stranded people of other states

 West Bengal - launched two schemes ''Sneher Porosh'' for migrant labourers, and ''Prochesta'' for workers in the unorganised sector

 West Bengal - launched ‘Matir Smristi’ scheme to utilise 50,000 acres of barren land in 6 districts - will benefit around 2.5 lakh people in rural Bengal

Assam

 Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented Rs 1,03,762 crores Budget for Assam for the financial year 2020-21

Mizoram  Mizoram - 1st state to give industry status to sports - to attract private companies to invest in sports which will benefit in terms of subsidy, loans and concessions

Meghalaya  Meghalaya - will host the 39th edition of the National Games in 2022

Sikkim  Sikkim Assembly passes a budget of Rs 9,100 crores for FY21

Tripura

 Tripura government - launched an “Agro-Entrepreneur Facilitation Desk” – to help the entrepreneurs from Tripura to get subsidies and incentives from NABARD  Tripura - launched ‘Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana’ - Will provide Rs 5000 or cost of the phone whichever is lower to around 14,608 students from 38 educational institutions - Through the implementation of the scheme, the student will be able to get employment through internet platforms

Nagaland  Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio presented Rs. 21049.87 crore state budget for FY 20-21

Jammu and Kashmir  J&K Lieutenant Governor’s adviser Baseer Ahmad Khan - inaugurated - first Infectious Disease Block (IDB) facility at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura in Srinagar

 Jammu and Kashmir - issued new rules to provide domicile certificates to its residents through an amendment of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act, 2010 - extraordinary penalty of Rs 50,000 to the competitive authority in case the issuing of domicile certificate is delayed

 Jammu & Kashmir’s Department of Information and Public Relations - started an initiative SUKOON – COVID-19 Beat the Stress” programme ladakh  Ladakh - 1st Solar Lift Irrigation Plant with 5-kilowatt (KW) Solar Plant and 3 HP Submersible Pump of Kargil

HP  Himachal Pradesh government - will launch ‘Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna - to provide 120 days of employment to those living in urban areas.

 Himachal Pradesh - launch the "Nigah" Scheme to properly sensitize and educate family members of people coming from other states so that social distancing is effectively maintain

UK  Uttarakhand - 1st state - to release report on conservation of endemic, threatened floras  Uttarakhand - launched “HOPE” (Helping Out People Everywhere) portal to help unemployed youth to get jobs opportunities  Uttarakhand - launched - Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana - To retain the migrants who have returned to the state - margin money will be provided as a grant by the MSME department

GOVT SCHEMES+OTHERS NATIONAL NEWS INCLUDING

 Union Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar - launched - five key initiatives towards conservation of biodiversity during the virtual celebration of “International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB)” on the theme “Our solutions are in nature” - Samrakshan Internship Programme - UNEP Campaign on Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Species - WWF Model Conference of Parties (MCoP) - Launch of awareness campaign - Launch of webinar initiatives

 A K Sikri, International Judge, Singapore International Commercial Court inaugurates Indian Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC), first of its kind Institutional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to provide Offline and e- ADR facility through e-Arbitration, e-Mediation and e-Conciliation software portal.

 BRO constructed 440-meter long tunnel below Chamba town in Uttarakhand on NH 94 under Chardham Project

 Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy - Giriraj Singh detailed - Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana(PMMSY) - for a period of 5 years FY21 to FY25 - a part of the Rs 20 Lakh crore Centre’s economic stimulus package in response to COVID-19 - The outlay of the scheme is Rs. 20,050 crores - Swath Sagar plan - modernizing of the fisheries sector

 Government withdrew 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds scheme due to declining interest rates as RBI has lowered the short-term lending (repo) rate which is currently at 4%

 The foundation stone of a Missile Park named ‘Agneeprastha’ & 2 Mega Watt (MW) solar photovoltaic plants was commissioned at INS Kalinga, Visakhapatnam.

 The Union Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE) - proposed the ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ (OSOWOG) to interconnect renewable energy by sharing solar resources with more than 140 countries of West Asia and South East Asia. The grid will be interconnected with African power pools later - India has already initiated the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which aims to deploy over 1,000 GW of solar generation capacity globally and mobilise investment of over $1 trillion towards by 2030.

 Ayushman Bharat Scheme - crossed - 1 crore beneficiaries

 All people who have resided in Jammu & Kashmir for 15 years are eligible for getting a domicile certificate

 The Union Cabinet has given its approval for "Scheme for Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)" for the Unorganized Sector with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore

 Oil India - given permission to drill hydrocarbons in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park area in Assam

 Government - allocated 500 crore rupees towards beekeeping under the Atma Nirbhar Abhiyan

 The government has notified amendments to General Financial Rules (GFR) to ensure that goods and services valued less than Rs 200 crore are being procured from domestic firms

 Sports Authority of India (SAI) - deposited Rs 30,000 - out of pocket allowance in accounts of 2749 Khelo India athletes

 Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh - approved Rs 400 crores for Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme - scheme will run for a period of 5 years & envisages to set up 6 to 8 new test facilities in partnership with private industry.

 Government of India - set up a Rice Export Promotion Forum - to give impetus to rice exports under the aegis of Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Promotion Development Authority (APEDA)

 Rs 40,000 crores additional amount - allocated under MGNREGS which will help in generating total work of nearly 300 crore person days. - About MGNREGA - The Indian government passed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005 to enhance the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment each financial year to every rural household whose adult members demand work under the scheme

 PM e-VIDYA programme - launched - for multi-mode access to digital/online education. Under the programme the DIKSHA programme will provide “one nation, one digital platform” for school education - also include the launch of Energized Textbooks for all grades - One TV channel per class from 1 to 12 - concept of “one class, one

channel” - Manodarpan intiative will be launched to provide psychosocial support to students, teachers and families for their mental health and emotional well being under the PM-eVIDYA Programme

 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)- developed “National Migrant Information System (NMIS)” to secure information regarding the movement of migrants worker

 National Test Abhyas - mobile application - developed by the National Testing Agency which will help the candidates to take mock tests for exams such as JEE Mains, NEET, etc - About National Testing Agency (NTA) – It is an Indian government agency that has been approved by the Union Council of Ministers and established in November 2017 to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions. The government appointed Vineet Joshi as the first Director-General of the agency.

 The Indian Railways - First 12,000 HP electric locomotives built

- under the Make in India initiative in Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura - capable of hauling 6000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 km/hr

 South Central Railway - developed a robotic device, “RAIL-BOT” (R-BOT) to supply medicines, medical accessories and to serve food to the patients – will be operated through a singular mobile application developed as a part of the Innovation, supported by Wi-FI- facility - HQ of South central railway - Secunderabad

 The Union Cabinet has extended Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) till 2023 - annual rate of return at 7.4% for financial year 2020-21. - Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana - Government of India in the Budget Speech of 2018-19 has announced the enhancement of maximum limit under Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana to Rs. 15 lakhs per senior citizen - Eligibility Conditions and Other Restrictions: Minimum Entry Age: 60 years (completed)

Maximum Entry Age: No limit Policy Term: 10 years Minimum Pension: Rs. 1,000/- per month Maximum Pension: Rs. 10,000/-per month

 PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund Trust has allocated Rs 3100 crores to fight against COVID-19 pandemic - Out of the total amount Rs 2000 crores will be allocated for the purchase of ventilators, Rs 1000 crores to care migrant labourers and Rs 100 crores to support vaccine development.

 The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) - United We Fight song - to strengthen India's fight against covid-19

 Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) have been reduced from 10 to 7.5% till 31st March 2021

 According to CERT-In, Android users who use mobile banking might be vulnerable to a new malware called EventBot

 Under Atmanirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana - loans up to Rs 1 lakh will be given to small traders

 The government will launch a 20,000 crore rupees Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for the development of marine and inland fisheries

 India Post, Mumbai - released a Special Postal Cover dedicated to Migrant Workers

 Ministry of Human Resource Development - launched a new mobile app named - ‘National Test Abhyas‘

 India has given USD 2 million to the United Nations agency working for the welfare of refugees of Palestine

 Geographical Indication (GI) tag - Black Rice of Manipur, Gorakhpur Terracotta & Kovilpatti ‘Kadalai Mittai’

 Geographical Indication (GI) tag - Kashmiri Saffron

 National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science & Technology (DST) - launched a programme “Year of Awareness on Science & Health (YASH)” - aim - make people aware to contain the spread of COVID-19

 Cauvery Water Management Authority - brought under Jal Shakti Ministry

 Indian Navy - launched - Operation “Samudra Setu” = to bring back 1000 Indians from Maldives

 The Saras Collection is an initiative of GeM and the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) – launched by Narendra Singh Tomar (Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj) - to showcase daily utility products made by Rural Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

 Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Private Limited (NLCIL) - ‘Navaratna’ public sector Company started the production of Coal for the first time

 National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) - permitted the use of 98.59 hectares of an 111.19 sq km area of land for opencast coal mining project in Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve in Assam - project will be done by North-Easter Coal Field (NECF), a unit of Coal India Limited.

 Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ - launched = “Bharosa” helpline for Central University of Odisha.

 Rajnath Singh - inaugurated = 80km strategically crucial road constructed by BRO - constructed along the banks of river Kali between India and Nepal - link connecting Lipulekh pass (China Border) with Dharchula in Uttarakhand through video conferencing - will help pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet as it is around 90 kms from the Lipulekh pass

 HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ - modifications in Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme to boost research in the country & to enable more students to avail the benefit under the scheme

 Tata Steel - withdrawn its membership from the Indian Steel Association (ISA)

 International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has launched its chatbot on Whatsapp to check the fake news

 Styrene leaked from LG Polymers industry in Visakhapatnam in which over 10 people died and many were hospitalized

 The government is planning to build highways worth Rs 15 lakh crore in the next two years, as per Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

 The government has increased its market borrowing estimate by staggering Rs 4.2 lakh crore to Rs 12 lakh crore for the current fiscal

 According to the West Bengal Forest Department , the tiger count for the year 2019-20 rose to 96 in Indian Sundarbans

 National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), has developed a non-invasive BiPAP Ventilator SwasthVayu

 Directorate General of Civil Aviation has extended the validity of flying license of pilots by 90 days

INTERNATIONAL

 Russia - started building its first stealth bomber under its Perspective Aviation Complex for Long Range Aviation (PAKDA) programme

 India sets up military war game centre called ‘INDIA’ for Ugandan Defense forces The Indian Association Uganda (IAU) + Indian Military Advisory and Training Team for Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) - set up military war game centre called ‘INDIA’ at the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College in Jinja District of Uganda - cost of over 1 billion Ugandan shillings or $2,65,000 - Capital = Kampala and currency = Ugandan Shilling

 According to monthly crude steel report of World Steel Association for April 2020, India’s crude steel output declined by 65.2% to 3.137 million tonnes (MT) during April, 2020 - The report included 64 steel production nations reporting to the worldsteel. - World Steel Association HQ = Brussels, Belgium

 The World Health Organization (WHO) + International Olympic Committee (IOC) - to promote health through sport and physical activity - WHO estimated that 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and more than 80% of the world’s adolescent population come under this category.

 U.S joined G7 artificial intelligence group after a virtual meet of technology ministers of member nations to counter China

 Italy - Genoa-based Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) - developed ‘iFeel-You’ - This bracelet will help users respect social distancing rules.

 India along with 61 other countries moved a proposal in the World Health Organization to identify the source of COVID-19

 The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) - downgraded the India status by mentioning it into the list of “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”

 Iran - decided to change its currency from Rial to Toman by slashing four zeros from the rial - Toman, which is equal to 10,000 rials

 China - launched - rocket “Long March 5B” into space - launched in Wenchang launch site located on the island of Hainan, china.

 WHO + UN postal agency - released a commemorative postage stamp on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox

 Israel named ‘Tagore Street’ after Rabindranath Tagore on his 159th anniversary

 India - to hold the chair of the World Health Organization in May 2020 after Japan completes its tenure - India will continue to hold the chair for the next three years

 Saudi Arabia - to raise value added tax (VAT) from 5 % to 15 % starting from 1st July

BANKING, FINANCE AND ECONOMY RBI IN NEWS

 Reserve Bank of India - imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on UCO Bank for bouncing of SGL (Subsidiary General Ledger) forms

 RBI - extended the interest subsidy period under the ‘Interest Equalisation Scheme for pre and post shipment Rupee Export Credit’ for exporters till 31 March 2021 which was ended on March 31, 2020 - About Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES) - It was implemented on 1st April 2015 to provide pre- and post- shipment export credit to exporters in rupees. At the time, exporters were facing increasing credit costs in their export cycles due to the stagnation of global demand and extended credit periods. - By introducing this scheme, the government expected that the exporters would be able to correct their pricing and improve the competitiveness of their products. - Under the IES, the government identifies eligible exporters and passes on the interest equalization amount they are entitled to directly to them. This scheme, which is also referred to as interest subvention, was designed to benefit the MSME segment in particular. It was originally implemented for five years.

 Reserve Bank of India – increased - Ways Means Advance limits of States by 60% - the number of days state can be in continuous overdraft has been increased from 14 days to 21 days. And number of days state can be in overdraft in a quarter has been increased from 32 to 50 days.

 Rs 20,500 crores - part of the Rs 25,000 crores of special refinance facility provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to NABARD for refinancing RRBs, cooperative banks and Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) by NABARD to co-operative banks and Regional Rural Banks

 RBI - extended the regulatory benefits under the special liquidity facility for mutual funds (SLF-MF) to All banks - on April 27, 2020, RBI has initiated a special liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 crore for MFs under which RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate

 RBI - cancelled - license of CKP Co-operative Bank Ltd - came into effect after 30 April, 2020 - The reason behind this is the financial position of the bank is highly unfavorable & there is no concrete revival plan or any proposal for merger with any other bank

OTHER BANK NEWS

 ICICI bank - introduced - special fixed deposit (FD) scheme for senior citizens called ‘ICICI Bank Golden Years FD’ - interest rate of 6.55% per annum (p.a) - deposits up to Rs. 2 crores - Tenure of 5 years and 1 day to 10 years

 SBI - launched ‘SBI Wecare Deposit’ scheme - additional 30 bps interest to senior citizens on their term deposits

 HDFC - launched ‘Senior Citizen Care FD’ - additional 75bps for deposits with more than 5-year tenor with investments up to Rs 5 crore

 Maruti Suzuki + ICICI Bank - to provide retail financing schemes to customers

 Mastercard + Airtel Payments Bank = to develop customized payment solutions for farmers, SMEs - Airtel Payments Bank HQ – Delhi

 Kotak Mahindra Bank - first bank in India to introduce video-KYC facility for saving account customers. Under the video conferencing KYC system, customers have to provide Aadhaar and PAN to open Kotak 811 savings account’

 ICICI Bank - launched Golden Years FD’ scheme for senior citizens to help the get higher interest rate of 6.55% for deposits up to ₹2 crore with a tenure of more than five years to 10 years

 MoneyGram Payment Systems - partnered - with Federal Bank - to offer a cost-effective direct to bank account credit option for customers in India - Federal Bank has a 15% share of the country’s remittance market and expects that the tie-up with MoneyGram will give the business a further boost.

 Canara Bank – launched a special business vertical dedicated for gold loans till 30th June 2020 with an interest rate of 7.85% per annum to meet the financial needs of its customers

 HDFC Bank - released a song titled #HumHaarNahiMaanenge to keep hopes up amidst the ongoing national lockdown and Covid-19 - lyrics penned by Prasoon Joshi and music by AR Rahman - HDFC Bank announced that it will contribute Rs 500 each time the song is shared via social media towards the PM-CARES Fund

 Vikas Abhaya - a loan scheme by Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) – launched in dharwad - loan will be for the existing MSME customers who have been regular as on February 29, a maximum loan of up to Rs 1 lakh will be provided and no collateral security is emphasized & is repayable within 36 months

ECONOMY ETC

 Nirmala Sitharaman - launched - Instant allotment Aadhaar based e-KYC facility of PAN

 IRDAI - formulated 9-member expert panel headed by Atul Sahai - recommended an increase in indemnity being provided to the policyholders under Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) from existing 85% of the trade receivables from each buyer to 90%. For Micro and small enterprises (MSEs), 95% indemnity is proposed to provide relief in the event of loss which is beyond their control

 Salman Khan - launched - new Grooming & Personal Care Brand FRSH

 Zaggle + Visa - to launch innovative payments solutions for SMEs & start-ups

- Zaggle plans to launch FoundersCard, a credit card for founders and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of SMEs and start-ups in the next 45-60 days.

 Tech firm Vakrangee joins + LIC = to distribute micro insurance products

 HIL (India) Limited - to supply 25 tones Malathion Technical to Iran for the Locust Control Program

 Infosys + Zurich-based Avaloq = for digital wealth management services

 As per NSO, India’s GDP growth – lowest of 11-year low to 3.1 in Q4, 2019-20%

 FDI raised 18% to $73.46 billion in FY20: DPIIT - According to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI increased by 18% to $73.46 billion in the FY 2019-20. Singapore - largest equity FDI source, contributing to $14.67

 BSE & NSE announced that Annual listing fee reduced by 25% for SMEs

 NABARD - Rs 1,050 crores to West Bengal during FY 21 for the benefit of farmers & poor people - Rs 300 crores disbursed for MFIs (micro-finance institutions), - Rs 700 crores sanctioned for state cooperative banks and - Rs 50 crorse for regional rural banks (RRBs).

 LIC - launched - modified PM Vaya Vandana Yojana pension scheme - for those over and above 60 years

 Maruti Suzuki India Limited - partnered with - Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited (CIFCL) - to launch ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ financing scheme

 Edelweiss General Insurance - launched ‘Edelweiss SWITCH’, an app-based motor insurance own damage (OD) floater policy

 IRDAI - approved Union Bank of India’s proposal to continue with its 30% holding in IndiaFirst Life Insurance

 Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company + Flipkart - digital motor insurance policy to Flipkart’s customers.

 Reliance Jio has sold its 1.34 % to New-York headquartered General Atlantic

 OPPO + Vodafone - to boost 5G adoption in the world

 The government - decided to increase the borrowing limits of states to 5% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the year 2020-21

 The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) - decided to reduce the listing fee for their SME platforms by 25 per cent

 Ameyo – launched - video KYC engagement platform for the banking and finance sector

 Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd - launch of ‘Own-Online’ - one-stop available 24X7 where customers can finance, insure, exchange, accessories and own a Mahindra vehicle in four steps

 Rs 12,767 crore - NABARD to State Co-operative Banks and Regional Rural Banks across the country for extending credit to farmers during the lockdown - for one year at an interest rate of 4.8 per cent.

 SBI General Insurance - launched - “Aarogya Sanjeevani Health Insurance Policy” - Hospitalization cover anywhere in India with sums insured ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakhs + covid – 19

 Smt Nirmala Sitaraman - launched - INR-USD Futures and Options contracts in the BSE and NSE platforms - at the

GIFT International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat through video conference

SOME SPECIFIC GROUPS/CHANNELS FOR SEBI, RBI, IBPS&RRB, FCI, RBI ASSISTANT AND QUIZ GROUP -

AWARDS, PERSONS IN NEWS Appointments

 New Chief Secretary of Kerala - Senior IAS officer Vishwas Mehta  Taiwan President - Tsai Ing-wen re-elected - capital = Taipei and currency = New Taiwan dollar  Carmen Reinhart - World Bank chief economist and vice president

 Jahnabi Phookan - National President of FICCI FLO  Abhas Jha - appointed - Key position on Climate change and disaster management in South Asia by World Bank  Brazil’s Marcos Prado Troyjo - new President of NDB, SBI’s Anil Kishora - vice-president  IOC - appointed - Narinder Batra - as member of Olympic Channel Commission  Jack Ma - resigned from SoftBank’s Board - effective from June 25, 2020 - HQ of The SoftBank - Minato city, Tokyo, Japan  Jahnabi Phookan - National President of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO)  Prem K. Nair - next Ambassador of India to Niger  Earlier Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj – now director on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) - replaces Atanu Chakraborty, who retired on April 30  D P S Negi - Director General of Labour Bureau - replacing B N Nanda  T S Tirumurti - permanent representative of India to the United Nations (UN), succeeding Syed Akbaruddin  Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury - reappointed as Chairperson of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

 Giridhar Aramane - Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways  Arvind Kumar Sharma - Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises  Ashok Michael Pinto - US representative to World Bank’s lending arm International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)  Dia Mirza - Goodwill Ambassador of India by UNEP  Manisha Singh - envoy to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by US President Donald Trump  Mustafa al-Kadhimi - Iraq’s 6th Prime Minister  Narinder Batra - term has been extended as President of FIH until May 2021 by the International Hockey Federation (FIH)  Kumar Sangakkara - president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for a second term  Akhil Kumar - re-inducted into the Disciplinary Panel of National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA)  V. Vidyavathi - Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

 Manoj Ahuja - new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) - will replace Anita Karwal as the chairman of the CBSE.  Rahul Dev - first Hindu person to be appointed as a pilot in Pakistan Air Force  Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi - new Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy  Roberto Azevedo - resigned a year before his term expires as head of World Trade Organisation  Benjamin Netanyahu - Prime Minister of Israel for the 5th time  Govinda Rajulu Chintala - chairman of NABARD - will replace Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.  Carmen Reinhart - Chief Economist and Vice President of the World Bank  Dilip Oommen - President of Indian Steel Association (ISA)  Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma will resign from the board of SoftBank

BRAND AMBASSADORS AND CEO, MD ETC

 CEO and MD of Wipro - Thierry Delaporte – Earlier COO of Capgemini

 Sandip Mukund Pradhan - two-year extension as Director General of SAI  RS Dhillon - Navratna Power Finance Corporation (PFC) CMD  SN Rajeshwari - new CMD of Oriental Insurance - successor of AV Girija Kumar  Kevin Mayer - become - Chief Executive Officer of TikTok  Shikha Sharma - advisor to Google Pay India  Krishnan Ramachandran - Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Max Bupa Health Insurance  Neeraj Dhawan - Chief Risk Officer of Yes Bank for a period of three years  Ajinkya Rahane - brand ambassador of Edu-tech firm ELSA Corp for India, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and SAARC  Kevin Mayer - appointed as the chief executive officer of TikTok

AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS

 UN declares Khudol initiative of Manipur as one of the top 10 global initiatives to fight against COVID-19 - Khudol aims to provide food, health and hygiene of the LGBTQI+ community

 Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka (22) - become - highest paid female athlete in the world as per Forbes

 Indian Army officer and woman peacekeeper Suman Gawani who has served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan - selected for the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019)

 Dr. Rajiv Joshi won the Inventor of the year Award, NYIPLA 2020 - The New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA) 2020 Inventor of the Year Award - won by IBM Academy of Technology Member Dr. Rajiv Joshi

 Rajiv Joshi - Indian American bagged the prestigious Inventor of the Year award 2020

 Young Career Award 2020 - Professor Saurabh Lodha of IIT Bombay - in Nano Science and Technology by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) - to recognize his contribution for the development of two- dimensional Van der Waals material based logic transistor technologies beyond silicon and nano electronics.

 Manipuri doctor - Thangjam Dhabali Singh - conferred with “Order of Rising Sun- Gold and Silver Rays” by the Japan government for promoting a better understanding of Japan in India.

 25th Nikkei Asia Prizes (2020) in Science and Technology - Thalappil Pradeep, Padma Shri awardee Professor at IIT Madras - pioneering work in nanotechnology-based water purification.

 2020 Pulitzer Prize under feature photography - three Indian photojournalists: Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand from Jammu and Kashmir who work for Associated Press (AP)

 Shobhana Narasimhan - elected as an International Honorary Member to the American Academy of Arts and Science

 Sania Mirza - first Indian to be nominated for the Fed Cup Heart Award from the Asia/Oceania zone

 Kim Jong Un - honoured with a commemorative World War II medal to mark the 75th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany by Russian President Vladimir Putin

 Siddharth Varadarajan - Indian journalist of non-profit online newspage, The Wire named for Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award 2020

 Sania Mirza - 1st Indian to win Fed Cup Heart Award 2020 for Asia/Oceania zone

 Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru - won this year’s SKYTRAX Award for Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia

 Akshay Kumar - Vice Admiral G.M. Hiranandani Memorial Rolling Trophy for the year 2020

 Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar - awarded the Alexander Dalrymple Award 2019 - for his outstanding contribution to Indian hydrography and across the broader Indian Ocean region - presented by the UK Ministry of Defence

ACQUISITIONS/MERGERS/MOUS

 Ola Electric acquired AppScooter maker Etergo

 NCLT gives nod to sell IL&FS’s 50% stake in GIFTCL to Gujarat government

 ITC to acquire Sunrise Foods by share purchase agreement  HQ of ITC - Kolkata

 RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) - to acquire 24% stake for Rs 48 crore in Indian Railway Station Development Corporation

 Private equity firm KKR is set to invest Rs 11367 crore in Jio Platforms for  2.32 % stake

 PNB Housing Finance – MoU - IIT Delhi - to develop washable and reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits

 Accenture - acquisition of Ahmedabad-based Byte Prophecy

 Facebook acquired Giphy — a popular website for making and sharing animated images or GIF

 IBM + Intellect Design Arena Ltd - collaborated to launch the Intellect iTurmeric FinCloud

MOU's with Other Country  India – MOU - Russia - on Coking coal

MOU’s Between Organizations  National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) - partnered with - DotPe start-up = to build its own tech platform

 Power Finance Corporation (PFC) – MoU - Narmada Basin Projects Company limited (NBPCL) - to fund Rs. 22,000 crores with of Government of Madhya Pradesh for the 225 MW hydro-electric projects and 12 multipurpose projects

 Vista Equity Partners (Vista) will invest ₹11,367 crore to buy 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms Limited

 Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India , TRIFED - MoU - Art of Living = to promote the Tribal Enterprises

 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has sold its 5.7% per cent stake in Hindustan Unilever (HUL) for $3.35 billion

SPORTS NEWS

CRICKET  India - lost its top spot - to 3rd position for the first time since 2016 in ICC test rankings - Australia topped

TENNIS

 Egyptian Youssef Hossam - tennis player - life time ban by the Tennis Integrity Unit following his conviction on multiple match fixing and associated corruption charges

FOOTBALL  FIFA - launched the campaign “#WeWillWin” - to pay a special tribute to health workers and other professionals - former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia also featured among 50 past and present football stars.  India - will host - FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2021  Bundesliga of Germany - first major sports event to resume after COVID-19 lock down

CHESS  China - won - 1st edition of FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup - India finished at 5th

OTHERS  Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari banned for 4 years by WADA

 Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) - postponed - 2021 aquatics world championships, Fukuoka, Japan to May 12 to May 29 of 2022

 French Cyclist - Remy Di Gregorio - banned for 4 years

 Shot-put - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee Deepa Malik announced her retirement

 The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) - suspended Savita Kumari and Ankit Shisodia for violating antidoping rules - associated with Powerlifting

OBITUARIES ENTERTAINMENT

 Shyamala Bhave - vocalist - honoured with the title of ‘Ubhayagaana Vidushi’  Padma Shri awardee, Noted Urdu satirist - Mujtaba Hussain  Famous Lyricist - Yogesh Gaur  Famous actor - Rishi Kapoor  Grammy-winning Singer - Betty Wright  Actor - Jerry Stiller - nominated for Emmy Awards in 1997  Actor - Shafique Ansari  Veteran Actor - Sai Gundewar - also acted in PK, and Rock on

POLITICS/POSITIONS ETC

 Chhattisgarh’s First CM - Ajit Jogi  Rajya Sabha M.P - Veerendra Kumar  Freedom fighter Padma Shri Gandhian - Hema Bharali - Born in Assam

 Judicial Member (Lokpal of India) - Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi  Former Union Minister - Dalit Ezhilmalai - Born in Tamil Nadu  Raja Rangappa Nayak - Former JDS MP - represented the Raichur constituency, Karnataka

POET/ARTIST/JOURNALIST ETC

 Historian - RV Smith - Born in Agra  Poet, Padma Shri - K. S. Nissar Ahmed - Born in Mysuru  Renowned Historian - Hari Shankar Vasudevan  Ratnakar Matkari - veteran Writer - born on 17th November 1938 in Mumbai  Debesh Roy - veteran Bengali author - won the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel ‘Tista Parer Brittanto’ in 1990  Anisuzzaman - Padma Bhushan recipient Bangladeshi professor

SPORTS

 Ashley Cooper - Former Australian tennis player & 4-times Grand Slam champion  Balbir Singh Dosanjh - Padma Shri three-time hockey Olympic gold medalist  India’s football legend & Padma Shri awardee - Chuni Goswami  Table Tennis sportsperson - Manmeet Singh Walia - national champion in 1989

IMPORTANT DAYS

 May 1 - International Labour Day 2020  May 2 - World Tuna Day - Since 2017  May 3 - World Press Freedom Day 2020 by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO - theme - Journalism without Fear or Favor  May 4 - International Firefighters’ Day - celebrated since 1999, to recognise and honour the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that their communities and environment are as safe as possible 65 Copyright © 2020 BANKERSHALA (spread the knowledge) - All Rights Reserved– DEEPAK BHARDWAJ = CLEARED 6 GOVERNMENT JOBS

 May 4 - International Day of the Midwife - to recognize the work of midwives and raise awareness about the status of midwives for the essential care they provide to mothers and their newborns - Them - Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW! - The World Health Organization (WHO) has designed the year 2020 as ‘Year of Nurse and Midwife’ to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.  May 5 - 1st Tuesday of May - World Asthma Day - Theme – Enough Asthma Deaths  May 5 - World Hand Hygiene Day by WHO - theme - “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands”.  May 7 - World Athletics Day - first World Athletics Day was observed in 1996  7th May - World Athletics Day - To increase awareness about athletics and to encourage youth to take up sports  8th May - World Red Cross Day - dedicated to the people who suffer from shortage of food, several natural calamities, war as well as from an epidemic disease  8th May - World Thalassaemia Day - Theme - The dawning of a new era for thalassaemia: Time for a global effort to make novel therapies accessible and affordable to patients

 9th May - World Migratory Bird Day - to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them - theme - “Birds Connect Our World”  Second Sunday of May (9th May 2020) - Mother’s day  11th May - National Technology Day - This day marks the successfully tested Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan  12th May - International Nurse Day - This day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.  16th May - International Day of Light  17th May - World Hypertension Day - celebrated for the 1st time in May 2005 - initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL)  18th May - International Museum Day - theme - “Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion”  20th May - World Bee Day  20th May - World Metrology Day - to create awareness about metrology and its advancement in the respective field

 21st May - International Tea Day  21st May - Anti Terrorism Day 2020  May 23 - World Turtle Day 2020 - since 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a Non-Profit Organisation  May 25 - World Thyroid Day 2020 - established in 2008 by European Thyroid Association (ETA) and the American Thyroid Association (ATA)  May 25 - International Missing Children’s Day 2020  May 28 - World Hunger Day 2020 - an initiative by The Hunger Project, first started in the year 2011.  May 29 - International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2020 - theme = “Women in Peacekeeping – A key to Peace”  May 28 - World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2020 - Theme - ‘’Periods in Pandemic – it is time to take action!” - United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a week-long campaign #RedDotChallenge  May 29 - World Digestive Health Day 2020 - theme = “Gut Microbiome – A Global Perspective”  May 30 - World Vape Day 2020

 According to the report “Children in monetary poor households and COVID-19: Technical Note” released jointly by the UNICEF & Save the Children, 672 million (Increase of 86 million) children will be trapped in to poverty by the end of 2020 due to COVID-19 Impact

 According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2020 - the forest loss rate in 2015-2020 has declined to an estimated 10 million hectares (mha), down from 12 mha in 2010-2015 - lost 178 mha of forest since 1990

 India has installed 7.3 Giga Watt (GW) of solar power in year 2019 as per Mercom India Research’s report titled ‘India Solar Market Leaderboard 2020’ - 3rd largest solar market in the world

 Report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), titled ‘The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID 2020)’ - nearly 5 million people were displaced in India in 2019 due to natural disasters, conflict, and violence - highest in the world

 UNICEF report - “Lost at Home: The risks and challenges for internally displaced children and the urgent actions needed to protect them” - 46 million people were internally displaced around the world by conflict and violence in 2019 - 19 million were children

 IRDAI - set up a panel headed by Yegnapriya Bharat (CGM, NON LIFE) = to frame standard professional indemnity policy for insurance intermediaries that can be issued by all the insurers.

 Task force on National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) - headed by Atanu Chakraborty - submitted - Final Report for FY 2019-25 - projecting total infrastructure investment of Rs 111 lakh crore for 5-year.

 As per the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Report, 2020 India is one among the 88 countries that are to miss global nutrition targets set for the year 2025

 World Health Organization (WHO) + Nursing now and International Council of Nurses (ICN) - released the first “The State of the World’s Nursing 2020” report ➢ there are 28 million nurses worldwide but still, there is a global shortfall of 5.9 million

 Raj Kumar Singh - unveiled e-book titled “A Report on Impact of Energy Efficiency Measures” for the year 2018- 19 ➢ India reduced energy intensity in 2018-19 by 20% as compared to the 2005 level. ➢ India’s target - 33-35% by 2030 compared to 2005 level.

 According to Mumbai-based think tank the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy(CMIE) the country’s unemployment rate rose to 27.11%.

 As per International Energy Agency (IEA) “Global Energy Review 2020 due to COVID 19 India’s energy demand falls by 30% - The report is based on an analysis of around 100 days of real-data of 2020

 Two scientific papers on child survival published by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative stated that the under-5 Mortality Rate in India has dropped by 49 per cent since 2000 - 1.04 million under-5 deaths in 2017, down from 2.24 million deaths in 2000

INDEX

 India’s rank in the in scientific publication in 2018 – Third – R&D expenditure have tripled from 2008 to 2018 - survey included more than 6800 S&T Institutions spread across varied sectors like central government, state governments, higher education, public sector industry, and private sector industry in the country

 7th edition of ‘Open Budget Survey 2019’ conducted by International Budget Partnership (IBP) - India ranked at 53rd position among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability. New Zealand - topped the list

 74th - India’s rank in Global Energy Transition Index (GET Index) 2020 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) - ranked 115 countries - Sweden has topped the ranking for the third consecutive year

STATE WISE RANKING

 Chhattisgarh - 1st - in providing employment under MGNREGS as per data provided by Rural Development ministry  Six cities - Ambikapur, Rajkot, Surat, Mysuru, Indore and Navi Mumbai - rated 5 star in Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities, for the assessment year 2019-2020

DEFENCE/EXERCISES

 US Navy successfully tests 1st solid state laser weapon system from transport dock ship, USS Portland (LPD-27) to destroy aircraft mid-flight

 Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad of DRDO’s RCI develops ‘AINA’ AI-based Attendance Application

 Indian Navy made “NavRakshak” (Naval Protector) PPE kit made with innovative breathable fabric material, to provide comfort to healthcare

 The Indian Air Force (IAF) will operationalise its No.18 Squadron equipped with LCA Tejas aircraft in Coimbatore

 The Defence Ministry - contract - Tata Power - for Phase-II of Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure of 37 airfields for Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard - project will give a boost to over 250 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) - Rs 1,200 crore

 Mission Sagar - by the Government of India - to provide assistance to Eastern Indian Ocean Region Nations - Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari has been deployed, carrying on board two medical assistance teams, essential Food Items and COVID related Medicines and Special Ayurvedic Medicines five to Island countries Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros in the Indian Ocean.

 Union Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh - approved - abolition of 9,304 posts in the military engineering services with an aim to increase “teeth to tail ratio” on the recommendation of Shekatkar Committee - committee had submitted around 99 recommendations - If all the recommendations are implemented according to the committee, India can save Rs 25,000 crores

 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has dedicated to the nation a new route for Kailash Mansarovar yatra via Lipulekh Pass

 Landing Craft Utility Ship ‘INLCU L57’ commissioned into Indian Navy in Port Blair

 Army plans to take civilians on a 3 year ‘Tour of Duty’ (ToD) or ‘short service’ on a trial basis to serve in the force

BOOKS

 JK Rowling – released = children’s book ‘The Ickabog’ online for free

 Neha Dwivedi - author of the book Vijayant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil War Hero

 Bommadevara Chandravadhan - author of the book Fear of God

SCIENCE/TECH

 NASA renamed - WFIRST Telescope after ‘Mother of Hubble’ Nancy Grace Roman

 Devaditek Innovations, Kochi Startup – developed - decontamination device ‘Lumos’ = to check COVID-19 spread - can sanitize items ranging from N95 masks to vegetables by using UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) technology

 India Observatory + Forest Ecological Security(FES) - launched - GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India (Collaboration / Covid Action Support Group)

 MeitY - launched seven weather services of IMD in UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app - UMANG was launched in 2017 by PM Modi - to make the government accessible on the mobile phone of citizens.

 Mumbai based VAMS Global - developed - world’s 1st contactless Visitor Management Software named ‘VAMS SafeGuard’ - checks body temperature, scan faces with mask compliance & monitors social distancing on the premise

 The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu + Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) - to develop and increase a new Reverse Transcriptase-Loop Mediated Isothermal

 ISRO - received - patent for highland soil stimulant for future lunar missions - prepared to create an artificial moon surface as a part of 2019’s Moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2

 National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) - launched an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot - ‘PAi’ - to create awareness around its products

 A 17-year old Indian-origin girl Vaneeza Rupani - won the contest to name the 1st helicopter to be built for NASA Mars Rover as ‘Ingenuity’

 The geological survey of USA - released the first ever digital, unified, global, geological map of the moon namely “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon”

 Russia - will launch - first Arktika-M satellite for monitoring the Arctic climate and environment by December 9, 2020

 Research Centre Imarat (RCI) based in Hyderabad of DRDO - developed Defence Research Ultraviolet Sanitizer (DHRUVS) - to sanitize mobile phones, laptops, iPads, passbooks, challans, currency notes and papers

GOOGLE/FB/MICROSOFT/APPLE/IBM IN NEWS

 Tata Capital - launched a voicebot “TIA” on WhatsApp

IITs in news

 IIT Madras - developed - magnesium alloy to replace steel, aluminum in cars  IIT Madras - designed and developed = a personal protective equipment (PPE) doffing unit for Government Chengalpattu Medical College - Koshy Varghese and Anil Jayachandran, professors in the civil engineering department, fabricated the unit in collaboration with a team of public works department officials at the hospital, complying with the safety norms required for COVID-19 pandemic.  IIT Madras + Coir Board - MoU = to establish a Centre of Excellence for Coir Applications  IIT Madras + TVS group, Sundaram Medical Foundation - developed an automated respiratory assist device Sundaram Ventago 80 Copyright © 2020 BANKERSHALA (spread the knowledge) - All Rights Reserved– DEEPAK BHARDWAJ = CLEARED 6 GOVERNMENT JOBS

 IIT-Delhi + Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology - Ashwagandha can be effective against Covid 19  IIT Delhi – Nanosafe Solutions’ has launched a Reusable Antimicrobial Mask named NSafe

 India’s first “COVID-19 test bus” - launched by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Alumni Council in Mumbai - will reduce 80% of the testing cost without compromising on the testing capacity.

 IIT Kanpur + Bharat Dynamics Ltd - for development of affordable ventilators for Covid-19 treatment

 Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru - developed a low-cost device to detect the presence of melamine (adulterate) in milk and dairy products - Researchers were able to detect up to 0.1 parts per million (ppm) of melamine in water and milk

 IIT Gandhinagar - launched a "MIR AHD Covid-19 Dashboard“

 IIT Tirupati - developed an interactive web portal moodofindia

LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS

 ADB - USD 177 million loan - to upgrade 11 state highways & 2 major district roads in Maharashtra - ADB HQ – Manila  ADB - USD 346 million loan to Indian government to provide reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra

 New Development Bank (NDB) - Loan - USD 1 billion - For India Emergency Assistance Program

 The United Nations and partner agencies have launched a 6.7 billion US dollar global appeal to fight the COVID- 19 pandemic

 World Bank - approved 1 billion USD - to increase India’s COVID-19 Social Protection response Program  Rs. 4100 crore (USD 550) of the approved Rs.7500 crore will be credited from the International Development Association(IDA)  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will loan 1500 crore (USD 200) with maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of five years. The balance Rs.1900 crore (USD 250) will be available after the 30th June, 2020.

 USD 400 million financial support - by the World Bank for India - The 1st phase covers 8 coastal States and 3 coastal Union Territories, with USD 180 million in funding, for Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Resource Efficiency (ENCORE) - The loan from the international bank for Reconstruction and Development(IBRD) has a final maturity of 14.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.

 China has announced USD 2 billion support to WHO over two years to fight the coronavirus pandemic at WHO assembly

 $500 million Loan - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) - For India’s ‘COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project  Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) = $145 million = Government of India + West Bengal Government - to improve irrigation services and flood management in the Damodar Valley Command Area (DVCA) of West Bengal  The loan has a 6-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years  About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

 Headquarters  Beijing, China

 Region served  Asia and Oceania

 Membership  102 Members

COVID NEWS

 Glenmark Pharmaceuticals - first pharma company - to receive approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct clinical trials of Favipiravir antiviral tablets for the treatment of COVID-19 patients  Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad + Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) tied up - to develop indigenous COVID- 19 vaccine

 Dr. Harsh Vardhan - launched - mobile application 'AYUSH Sanjivani' and two AYUSH based studies related to COVID-19 situation - will help to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact on the prevention of COVID-19 - developed by the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) - target of 50 lakh people.

 National Institute of Virology, Pune – developed - first indigenous antibody-based ELISA test kit - COVID KAVACH for diagnosis of novel Corona Virus - It can test around 90 samples in approximately two and half hours

 National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore - developed a Non Invasive BiPAP Ventilator “SwasthVayu” - to treat COVID-19 patients - microcontroller-based precise closed-loop adaptive control system - helps to alleviate the fear of the virus spread.

 Bengaluru - launched “Pranavayu Programme” - to create awareness about the respiratory health of the residents - to help people in increasing oxygen level of the people by themselves.  Ruskin Bond - author of - Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes

 Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare - dedicated COBAS-6800 testing machine to the nation for COVID-19 cases

 Slovenia - first coronavirus-free country in Europe  Researchers of Australia - developed ‘heat resistant’ corals to fight bleaching

APPS & WEB PORTALS

 Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises - launched ‘MSME Bank of Ideas, Innovation and Research’ portal (http://ideas.msme.gov.in/)

 Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) - launched - app Kisan Sabha

 Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) + DPIIT under Ministry of Commerce and Industry - launch - national e- commerce marketplace ‘bharatmarket’ - (www.bharatemarket.in) for all retail traders in India - will connect 95% of India’s retail business

 Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) - will launch a digital platform ‘India SME Services Platform’ - to educate stakeholders from the small and medium enterprises.

 NITI Aayog + Piramal Foundation - launched - virtual ‘Surakshit Dada-Dadi & Nana-Nani Abhiyan’ to ensure well being of senior citizens during the COVID-19

 Janaushadhi Sugam app - by the Bureau of Pharma - helped 325000 users to access generic medicine benefits

 Ministry of MSME - launched the CHAMPIONS portal www.Champions.gov.in

 Ministry of Civil Aviation - launched a GARUD (Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones) portal

 The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched AYUSH Sanjivani app to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies

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