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.12.2018 NATIONAL Android version of Aarogya .2018Setu App Become Open Source The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made the Android version of the Aarogya Setu app as.11.2018 an open source. Opening the source to the developer community means that the developers and privacy & security experts will now be able to inspect the source code of the app and modify for changes. With this, Aarogya Setu becomes the first government product in the world to be made open source, as no other government product anywhere in the world has been open sourced at this scale. As per the Government data, 11.5 crore people have downloaded the app so far and 8 lakh people have done their self-assessment. The process of supporting the open-source development will be managed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). The source code of Aarogya Setu’sAndroid app has been published on GitHub. All developers and researchers can visit the following link to participate in review and collaboration programme: https://github.com/nic-delhi/AarogyaSetu_Android.git. ‘HunarHaat’ to make a comeback in September 2020 after a gap of over -months due to COVID-19 ‘HunarHaat’, the flagship initiative by the Minority Affairs Ministry, will make a comeback in September 2020 with a ‘Local to Global’ theme. The skill fare will resume to operate after an over five-month gap due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last HunarHaat was held in end of February to March 8 in Ranchi. It is organised in various different cities of the country. ‘HunarHaat’ is a platform to provide market, employment and employment opportunities to artisans, craftspeople, culinary experts from remote areas of the country to showcase their rare exquisite indigenous handmade products So far more than five lakh Indian have been benefited in the last five years. The HunarHaat in Sept 2020 will also have a special ‘jaanbhi, jahaanbhi’ pavilion to create health awareness among the people with the theme of “Say no to panic, yes to precautions“. Also, this time, people will be able to buy ‘HunarHaat’ products online too. Centre Renamed CIPET as Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology The government has recently renamed Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) as Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET). CIPET is a premier national institution under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt. of India. The new name has been registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act 1975 (Tamil Nadu Act 27 of 1975). NPCI Launched AI virtual assistant ‘PAi’ to create product awareness The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot called PAi, to create awareness around its products like FASTag, RuPay, UPI, AePS on a real time basis. PAi is developed by Bengaluru based startup CoRover Private Limited. The AI virtual assistant, PAi will be available round the clock to provide accurate information on NPCI products. Customers can ask queries in English and Hindi, via text or voice on the websites of NPCI, RuPay, and UPI Chalega. IIT Madras developed light-weight Magnesium Alloy to replace steel & aluminium in Automobile Industry A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), along with the University of North Texas and US Army Research Laboratory, have developed a magnesium alloy with significantly improved properties that can replace steel and aluminum in automotive and aerospace components to make vehicles more fuel efficient.
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.12.2018 This Magnesium alloy is lightweight, which helps lower the carbon footprint of vehicles. Lightweight vehicles need lesser.2018 fuel to run and are therefore more fuel-efficient. Foundation Stone for Missile Park ‘Agneeprastha’ Laid at INS Kalinga, Visakhapatnam The foundation stone.11.2018 for setting up a Missile Park named ‘Agneeprastha’ was laid at INS Kalinga, Naval base in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, by Commodore Rajesh Debnath, Commanding Officer Eastern Naval Command (ENC). Once completed, the Missile Park will be dedicated to all the officers, sailors and support staff of the INS Kalinga, who have served in this premier naval base of the ENC since its establishment in 1981.. ‘AGNEEPRASTHA’ will have glimpses of Missile History of INS Kalinga since 1981 till date. A 2 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant was also commissioned at INS Kalinga by Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain. It is the largest plant in the Eastern Naval Command, and has an estimated life of 25 years. INS Kalinga is an Indian Navy establishment reporting to the Eastern Naval Command. It is responsible for preparing, storing and delivering advanced missiles to ships of the Eastern Fleet. FM Sitharaman formally launched scheme for instant allotment of online PAN In order to ease the process of allotment of PAN number, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, officially launched the facility for instant online PAN allotment on furnishing Aadhaar details. Under this system, Permanent Account Number (PAN) shall be instantly allotted online on the basis of Aadhaar without filling up the detailed application form. The ‘beta version’ for instant allotment of PAN on trial basis was started on February 12, 2020 on the e-filing website of the Income-Tax Department. Only those applicants who have a valid Aadhaar number and a mobile number registered with Aadhaar can use this facility. The electronic PAN (e-PAN) will be issued to applicants free-of-cost.
INTERNATIONAL WFIRST Telescope of NASA renamed after ‘Mother of Hubble’ Nancy Grace Roman US Space agency NASA has announced to name its next-generation space telescope, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), currently under development, in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who paved the way for space telescopes focused on the broader universe. The WFIRST Telescope will now be called Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (or Roman Space Telescope, for short). It is set to be launched in the mid-2020s. Dr. Nancy Roman is considered as the Mother of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched 30 years ago. It was because of Nancy Grace Roman’s leadership and vision that NASA became a pioneer in astrophysics and launched Hubble, the world’s most powerful and productive space telescope The Roman Space Telescope will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe’s expansion, and search for distant planets beyond our solar system. It will be the successor to NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes. 672 million children will be trapped in to poverty by the end of 2020 due to COVID-19 Impact: UNICEF report According to the report “Children in monetary poor households and COVID-19: Technical Note” released jointly by the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) & Save the Children, the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic may increase the number of children living in poor households in low- and middle-income countries by 86 million (or an increase of 15%) to reach 672 million by the end of 2020. According to the report, 2/3 of these children falling in the poverty line live in all of Sahara Africa and South Asia.
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.12.2018 BANKING AND ECONOMY Airtel Payments Bank signed.2018 agreement with Mastercard to develop customised payment solutions for farmers, SMEs Airtel Payments Bank.11.2018 (APBL) has joined hands with Mastercard to develop a special type of payment solutions such as contact less payments via NFC (Near Field Communication), credit facility and other neighborhood banking services for Indian farmers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This will enable Airtel Payments Bank’s 4 crore customers to access a larger market base, receive payments easily into their bank accounts and get easy access to credit. IIT Madras developed magnesium alloy to replace steel, aluminium in cars The research team of Dr. Sushanta Kumar Panigrahi, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, Professor Rajiv Mishra, University of North Texas and K.Cho, the United States (US) Army Research Laboratory has engineered a magnesium alloy to replace the steel and aluminium in the automobile industry to reduce the carbon footprint and increase fuel efficiency. Government withdrew 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds scheme due to declining interest rates These bonds offered higher interest rate as compared to bank fixed deposits and other financial investment instruments offering equal degree of safety. 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds scheme was popular among retail investors for safety of principal and a regular income. NRIs were not eligible for making investments in these bonds. However, Interest on the Bonds is taxable. It should be noted that these bonds offered a higher interest rate as compared to bank fixed deposits and other financial investment instruments offering equal degree of safety. ADB & India signed USD 177 million loan for road improvements in Maharashtra The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 177 million loan to upgrade 11 state highways & 2 major district roads with a combined length of 450 km to a 2-lane standard across seven districts of Maharashtra. Annual listing fee reduced by 25% for SMEs: BSE & NSE BSE (formerly known as The Bombay Stock Exchange) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced that they will reduce the annual listing fee by 25% for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) companies, it is as a part of their attempts to lower the compliance costs for companies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NSE will provide the rebate to all its existing listed companies currently listed on its EMERGE platform. BSE will provide the rebate to its currently-listed companies & for all the firms waiting to be listed on the exchange Fitch Ratings Projected India’s GDP at -5% in FY21 American credit rating agency Fitch ratings has drastically projects India’s economic growth forecast to contract 5 percent in the current fiscal year 2020-21 due to a prolonged lockdown. This means India’s GDP is estimated to be -5% in FY21. Earlier it had predicted the same at 0.8% SBI Research Downgraded India’s GDP at -6.8% for FY21 SBI Research has slashed India’s economic growth forecast in the current fiscal year 2020-21 to contract to 6.8 percent from earlier 4.7 percent. This means, as per SBI Research Report, India’s GDP is estimated at -6.8% in FY21. PERSON IN NEWS Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen re-elected for second term. Brazil’s Marcos Prado Troyjo elected as new President of NDB and SBI’s Anil Kishora vice-president. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President DrNarinderDhruvBatra, 63 years old, was appointed as a member of the Olympic Channel Commission. Batra also heads the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
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.12.2018 Leo Puri, the former Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UTI Mutual Fund, will take charge as the.2018 chairman of JP Morgan. Deepinder Goyal, Founder and (CEO) Chief Executive Officer of food ordering platform Zomato has virtually- appointed.11.2018 Mohit Gupta, the CEO- of its food delivery business as one of its co-founder. Wipro appointed Thierry Delaporte, COO of Capgemini, as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD). SandipMukund Pradhan, the Director-General (DG) of Sports Authority of India (SAI) was given an extension for a period of 2 years. OBITUARY Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM) AjitPramod Kumar Jogi, passed away. M.P. Veerendra Kumar, Rajya Sabha (RS) MP from Kerala and Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) Leader, writer and journalist, passed away. Famous Urdu author, humorist and satirist Mujtaba Hussain, who returned his Padma Shri passed away. Former Tamil Nadu Footballer and coach R.Shanmugam passed away. Stanley Ho, one of the richest men in Asia, the head of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) holdings and famously known as the Casino kingpin of Gambling Capital Macau passed away. Important Day & Date Every year on May 28, The Hunger Project celebrates the World Hunger Day. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed on May 29 annually. Every year, the World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) is observed on 29 May. International Everest Day is observed on 29 May every year. ONELINERS The “Harry Potter” author, J.K. Rowling has released her new children’s story “The Ickabog” which will be published online for free, for the children during this lockdown period. Major Suman Gawani, an Indian Army officer and woman peacekeeper who has served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has been selected for the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019). Sri Lanka’s cricket board has suspended pace bowler ShehanMadushanka from all forms of the game on 26 May 2020, for alleged possession of illegal drugs. The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has selected SN Rajeswari as the new Chairman and MD of the Delhi- based Oriental Insurance Company (OIC), after an online video interview process in the wake of the lockdown. India’s leading E-commerce marketplace Flipkart has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Karnataka State Mango Department and Marketing Corporation, to enable mango farmers to sell their produce online through the Flipkart platform. A South African based researcher, QuarraishaAbdool Karim has been awarded one of France’s top science prizes, Christophe Merieux Prize for the year 2020.
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