Title Capsule & Quiz

Monthly Current Affairs

Title
April 2020
  Autism is a developmental disorder and
people with ASD are characterised by
difficulties with social interaction and by
restricted and repetitive behaviour.
 The problem is associated with a combination
of environmental and genetic factors.
International Transgender Day of Visibility: 31
 2020 theme: “The Transition to Adulthood."
March
United Nation's COP 26 climate change summit
postponed till next year

International Trans Day of Visibility is observed

annually on March 31.

 The day celebrates transgender and non-

binary people around the globe and The United Nation's COP 26 climate change summit
acknowledge the courage it takes to live due to take place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in
openly and authentically. November has been postponed due to the
 The day is also use the day to raise awareness coronavirus pandemic.
around discrimination and violence that trans
people still face.  British government said that dates for a
rescheduled conference in 2021 would be
World Autism Awareness Day: 02 April announced later.
 Some 30,000 people, including 200 world
leaders, had been due to attend the 10-day
conference for crucial talks to halt rising
global temperatures.
 A UN panel in 2018 concluded that avoiding
global climate chaos needed a major shift in
society and the world economy.

Global Coronavirus Cases surpass One Million

World Autism Awareness Day is observed by the

Member States of the United Nations on April 2 to
raise public awareness of autism.

 Several organisations across the world

contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of
people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD).
As of 03 April 2020, Global coronavirus cases have
surpassed one million figures.

 According to the World Health Organization,

over ten lakh cases have been recorded across
188 countries, including 51,718 deaths.
 Of these fatalities, nearly three-quarters of
the deaths are in Europe.
 A total of 37,709 deaths have been recorded
in Europe, with Italy registering 13,915, International Day for Mine Awareness and
followed by Spain with ten thousand deaths, Assistance in Mine Action is observed on April 4
France with 5,387 and the United States with each year.
5,316.
 This day aims to raise awareness about
 The United States and Canada have 235,900
cases and 5,427 deaths and Asia has 112,061 landmines and progress toward their
cases with 3,998 deaths. eradication.
 Mine Awareness Day aims to raise awareness
Saudi Arabia imposes 24 hour curfew in holy about the dangers of landmines.
cities of Makkah and Madina until further notice
Beijing ramps up public transport service amid
tomb-sweeping festival

Saudi Arabia has announced imposing of 24 hour

curfew in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina until Beijing has ramped up subway and bus services to
further notice. meet the needs of the people who commute to various
places to pay tribute to the deceased as per the tomb-
 The decision was taken to supplement the sweeping traditions.
Kingdom’s efforts to confront Coronavirus
pandemic and in the interest of public health.  Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as
 The Royal order also prohibited the practice Qingming Festival, falls on Saturday (April
of any commercial activities within the 4).
residential neighborhoods of the cities of  During the period leading to and after the
Makkah and Madinah, except for pharmacies day, people pay tribute to the deceased and
and food supply stores, gas stations and worship their ancestors by visiting tombs and
banking services. making offerings.
 Beijing has strengthened service for 101
International Mine Awareness Day: 04 April regular bus lines surrounding 18 public
cemeteries.
28 ferry passengers get swept overboard in a supported by the International Olympic
powerful storm off Solomon Islands Committee since 6 April 2014.
 This date commemorates the inauguration, in
1896, of the first Olympic games of the
modern era, in Athens, (Greece).

South Sudan announces its 1st case of COVID-19

At least 28 ferry passengers were swept overboard in

a powerful storm off the Solomon Islands.

 The passengers were heading from the capital

Honiara to West Are'are, more than 120
kilometres away, under a government South Sudan has announced its first case of COVID-
programme to evacuate people to their home 19, making it the 51st of Africa's 54 countries to
villages during the global Coronavirus report the disease.
epidemic.
 The island nation, with a population of just  A UN worker who arrived in the country
over 600,000, is one of a dwindling number from the Netherlands on February 28 is ill
of countries where there have been no with the disease.
reported Coronavirus cases so far.  The patient, a 29-year-old woman, first
 Capital of Solomon Islands: Honiara showed signs of the disease on April 2 and is
 Currency: Solomon Islands dollar recovering.
 Continent: Oceania  Capital: Juba
 Currency: South Sudanese pound
International Day of Sport for Development and  President: Salva Kiir Mayardit
Peace:06 April
World Health Day: 07 April

The International Day of Sport for Development and

Peace (IDSDP) is an annual observed every year on
06 April.
The World Health Day is a global health awareness
 The day observes the power of sport to drive day celebrated every year on 7 April.
social change, community development and
to foster peace and understanding.  The day is observed to raise global awareness
 The day. created by the United Nations on specific themes related to health in order
General Assembly on 23 August 2013,
 to highlight an area of importance for the In the US second clinical human testing for COVID-
WHO. 19 vaccines, a new vaccine candidate entered Phase
 Now at a time when the whole world is facing 1 clinical human testing after the US Food and Drug
a health crisis as we fight the coronavirus Administration (FDA) accepted Inovio
pandemic, healthcare professionals are the Pharmaceuticals’ Investigational New Drug (IND)
frontline soldiers in this war and the World application for INO-4800 vaccine candidate.
Health Day 2020 carries more importance
than ever.  The company, backed by collaborators that
 2020 Theme: Support Nurses And Midwives. include the Bill and Melinda Gates
foundation is testing its DNA vaccine
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 candidate designed to prevent COVID-19
Rwandan genocide: 07 April infection with clinical testing in healthy
volunteers beginning this week.
 It will enrol up to 40 candidates in its Phase 1
study of the vaccines INO-4800 will enrol up
to 40 people.

US President Trump says he would put on hold

the WHO funding

April 7, 2004 was recognized as an international

observance the International Day of Reflection on
the 1994 Rwandan genocide by the United Nations.

 It was established to remember members of

the Tutsi community, an African ethnic
group, who were targeted at the end of the
20th century.
 In 1994, 800,000 Tutsis were killed in United States President Donald Trump has said that
Rwanda in the space of just 100 days. he would put on hold funding to the World Health
 The speed of the killings (approximately Organization, WHO.
8,000 per day) confirms that the atrocities
were planned.  He accused the global organization of
becoming China-centric during the ongoing
US begins trial for a second potential COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
vaccine candidate  Geneva-headquartered World Health
Organization, receives vast amounts of
money from the United States.
 He alleged that the organization has become
a political puppet of the Chinese
Government.
 The United States' intelligence community
has reported that the Chinese Government hid
the threat of COVID-19 and, as a result, made
it difficult for the rest of the world to respond
early, appropriately and aggressively.
Brazilian Prez Bolsonaro thanks PM Modi, economic impact of the COVID-19
people of India for helping Brazil tackle COVID- pandemic.
19 outbreak  The SAARC Development Fund is mandated
to build regional integration and economic
cooperation through project funding in all the
member countries through its economic,
infrastructure and social windows.

World Homoeopathy Day: 10 April

Brazil President Bolsonaro in his address to the

nation thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
the people of India for helping Brazil tackle the
COVID-19 outbreak by providing raw materials for
Hydroxychloroquine production.

 Mr. Bolsonaro said that Brazil would receive

the raw materials following his direct
conversation with Prime Minister Modi. The world homeopathy day is celebrated each year
 He expressed gratitude towards the Prime on April 10.
Minister and the people of India.
 This day is celebrated to honor the birth of the
SAARC Development Fund allocates $5 million father of the Homoeopathic system of
for Covid-19 projects medicines Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
 Born in Paris, France, he was a German
physician, who was an acclaimed scientist, a
great scholar, and linguist.
 He discovered the way to heal through the use
of homeopathy.
 2020 theme: “Linking research with
education and clinical practice: Advancing
scientific collaborations”.

The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) has allocated Global coronavirus death toll crosses 100,000;
USD 5 million (about Rs 38 crore) for COVID-19 WHO warns against lifting of restrictions
projects in eight member countries as the virus
pandemic threatens economic activities across the
globe.

 This COVID-19 project shall be funded by

SDF under its social window thematic areas.
 The objective of the USD 5 million allocation
is to provide fund support to the member
states in their efforts and to protect the people
of the SAARC member states by mitigating
the financial losses and severe socio-
The global coronavirus death toll crossed 100,000 as 1963, and is still observed in Russia and some
Easter celebrations around the world began in near- former Soviet states.
empty churches with billions of people stuck indoors
to halt the pandemic's worldwide march. Famed Anak Krakatau Volcano is erupting once
again
 The grim milestone came as the World
Health Organization issued a dire warning
that prematurely lifting lockdown restrictions
could spark a deadly resurgence of the
disease.
 The International Monetary Fund said the
world now faces the worst downturn since the
Great Depression of the 1930s.
 This week, China started to ease months-old
lockdown orders in Wuhan, where the virus
first emerged in December. Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano spewed a column
 WHO Director-General: Tedros Adhanom of ash 500 meters into the sky in the longest eruption
 Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland since its explosive collapse in 2018.
 Founded: 7 April 1948
 Anak Krakatau, which means child of
International Day of Human Space Flight: 12 Kratakau, is the offspring of the famous
April Krakatau volcano, whose monumental
eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global
cooling.
 Anak Krakatau volcano is located in the
Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands
of Java and Sumatra.
 In 2018, the volcano’s eruption induced an
underwater landslide leading to a massive
tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java,
and killed 430 people.

The International Day of Human Space Flight is the Major Oil producers except Mexico agree to
annual celebration, held on April 12, of the output cuts: OPEC
anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri
Gagarin.

 It was proclaimed at the 65th session of the

United Nations General Assembly on April 7,
2011.
 Yuri Gagarin crewed the Vostok 1 space
flight in 1961, making one orbit around the
Earth over 108 minutes in the Vostok 3KA
spacecraft launched by Vostok-K launch
vehicle. OPEC said that the major oil producers except
 In the Soviet Union, April 12 was Mexico have agreed to cut output in May and June
commemorated as Cosmonautics Day since by 10 million barrels per day, after marathon talks to
counter collapse in prices.
  The agreement, which reduces production to  The government is also planning to seek
eight million barrels per day from July to more support from the World Bank and Asian
December, depends on Mexico's support for Development Bank in the future to save its
it to take effect. economy from the dire economic fallout.
 Global fuel demand has plunged by around
30 million barrels per day, or 30 percent of India sends 5,022 metric tonnes of wheat to
global supplies, as steps to fight the virus Afghanistan
have grounded planes, cut vehicle usage and
curbed economic activity.
 OPEC Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
 Members: 13
 Secretary General: Mohammed Barkindo

IMF to consider $1.4 bn loan to Pakistan after

Imran Khan seeks help to tackle COVID-19
economic fallout
India has shipped the first consignment of 5,022
metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan to ensure food
security during difficult times of COVID-19
pandemic.

 Indian Embassy in Afghanistan has

announced that 251 containers carrying the
first consignment of 5,022 metric tonnes of
wheat out of the total gift of 75,000 metric
tonnes from India to Afghanistan set sail
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called
from Kandla port to Chabahar port.
its executive board meeting on April 16 to consider
 Last year, India Ambassador to Afghanistan
disbursement of an extra loan worth $1.4 billion to
Vinay Kumar had said that India would give
Pakistan after prime minister Imran Khan’s request.
75,000 metric tonnes of wheat to
Afghanistan.
 Khan said that in developing countries, apart
 Indian embassy in Afghanistan has also
from containing the virus and dealing with
announced that New Delhi will send 5 lakh
the economic crisis, the biggest worry is
hydroxychloroquine tablets soon.
people dying of hunger as a result of the
lockdown.
World Chagas Disease Day: April 14
 The Pakistan government had also requested
the IMF last month for a low-cost, fast-
disbursing loan under the fund's Rapid
Financing Instrument (RFI) to deal with the
adverse economic impact of COVID-19.
 The RFI is used to provide financial
assistance to IMF member countries facing
an urgent balance of payments need.
 The $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan is additional
to the country's $6 billion bailout package For the first time, the global community is observing
that it signed with the IMF in July last year to World Chagas Disease Day, on April 14.
stave off a balance of payments crisis.
  The aim is to raise visibility and public IMF proposes to deploy its full 1 trillion US Dollar
awareness in people about the disease and lending capacity to support countries
help raise the resources needed for its
prevention, control or elimination.
 Chagas disease, also called American
trypanosomiasis, has been termed as a “silent
and silenced disease”, because of its slow
progress.
 Once endemic in Latin American countries,
Chagas disease is now present in many
others, making it a global health problem.
 It was on this date in 1909 that the first The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
patient, a Brazilian girl named Berenice proposed to deploy its full 1 trillion US Dollar
Soares de Moura, was diagnosed with this lending capacity to support countries battling
disease by Dr Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano COVID-19 outbreak.
Chagas.
 Chagas disease is prevalent mainly among  Describing the COVID-19 pandemic as a
poor populations of continental Latin crisis like no other, International Monetary
America and affects 6–7 million people. Fund head Kristalina Georgieva said, the
world is now in the worst recession since the
Emirates claims to be first airline to conduct on- Great Depression.
site rapid COVID-19 tests for passengers  The IMF Board has already approved debt
relief for 25 of its poorest members.
 The IMF chief expressed satisfaction that
during the G20 Finance ministers discussion,
there was unanimous support for the Fund to
raise more capacity for concessional funding
poor countries.

44th session of World Heritage Committee of

UNESCO scheduled in Fuzhou, China postponed
The Emirates Airline claimed to have become the
first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests
for its passengers.

 Emirates in coordination with Dubai Health

Authority (DHA) will be introducing
additional precautions.
 The quick blood test, according to the
statement, was conducted by the Dubai
Health Authority (DHA) and results were
available "within 10 minutes." China's Ministry of Education announced that the
 This test was conveniently done at the Group 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of
Check-in area of Dubai International Airport UNESCO, initially scheduled from 29th of June to
Terminal 3. 9th of July, in Fuzhou of eastern China's Fujian
 The airline said its check-in and boarding Province, has been postponed.
formalities have also been adapted with
social distancing in mind.
  The decision to host the 44th session in China Parliamentary elections in South Korea have resulted
took place at the 43rd session of the World in a big win for the governing Democratic Party.
Heritage Committee in Baku.
 Also at the meeting, Chinese Vice Minister of  Moon's Democratic party and its allies took
Education Tian Xuejun was elected as 180 seats in the 300-member National
chairman of the 44th session of the Assembly, while the opposition United
committee. Future Party (UFP) won 103.
 The World Heritage Committee selects the  South Korea was among the first countries to
sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage hold a national election during the pandemic.
Sites. The citizens are still being asked to maintain
social distancing, wear protective masks,
World Haemophilia Day: 17 April clean their hands with sanitiser and don
plastic gloves.
 At each of the 14,000 polling stations, voters
had their temperature checked before they
were allowed to enter. Those found to have
fevers cast their ballots in separate booths
that were disinfected after each user.
 S Korea Capital: Seoul
 President: Moon Jae-in
 Currency: South Korean won
 Prime minister: Chung Sye-kyun

World Heritage Day: 18 April

World Haemophilia Day is observed every year on
17 April.

 The day is observed 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).
 Haemophilia is a mostly inherited genetic World Heritage Day is observed every year on April
disorder that impairs the body's ability to 18.
make blood clots.
 2020 Theme: ‘Get + involved’  The aim of celebrating this day is to promote
cultural heritage through activities which are
S Korea governing party sees big gains in undertaken by the International Council on
parliamentary election Monuments and Sites.
 The International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 announced 18th
April as the World Heritage Day.
 It aims to conserve and enhance awareness
about the importance of cultural heritage and
monuments.
  The World Heritage Day Theme 2020 is  As its name implies, Demo-2 will be the
‘Shared Culture, Shared Heritage and Shared second time SpaceX launches its Crew
Responsibility’. Dragon capsule to the International Space
Station. But, unlike Demo-1 last year, this
Indian Tricolour projected onto Switzerland's time two astronauts will be on board.
Matterhorn mountain to send a message of hope  NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug
Hurley will be strapped into a SpaceX Crew
Dragon capsule that is sitting on top of a
Falcon 9 rocket.
 The Demo-2 mission will represent a major
milestone for Musk’s SpaceX in its goal to
begin regularly flying people to space. The
company has been launching spacecraft,
satellites and cargo since its founding in 2002
but never humans.
The Indian flag has been projected onto the
UN Chinese Language Day: 20 April
Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps as part of a
breathtaking light illumination series as part of an
effort to spread hope amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 Renowned Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter

has been lighting up the 14,690 feet mountain
with spectacular displays of country flags and
messages of hope to inspire solidarity as
people face up to the alarming spread of the
deadly pandemic.
 The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, The UN Chinese Language Day is observed annually
straddling the main watershed and border on April 20.
between Switzerland and Italy.
 This event is celebrated every year by
NASA will launch astronauts from US soil for the UNESCO.
first time in nearly a decade, with help from  It was first observed in 2010 by the
SpaceX organisation to celebrate multilingualism and
cultural diversity as well as to promote equal
use of all six of its official working languages
(Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish) through the organisation.
 The first UN Chinese Language Day was
held on November 12, 2010. In 2011, the date
 was moved to April 20.

World liver day: 19 April

NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for the World liver day is observed on every 19 April, to
launch of Demo-2, the first launch of NASA spread awareness about liver related disease.
astronauts from the U.S. since 2011 and the first
crewed launch for Elon Musk’s space company.
  The liver is the second largest and the most  The day was proposed at the UNESCO
complex organ in the body, with the conference in 1969 and the first Earth Day
exception of the brain. celebrations took place in 1970.
 It is a key player in your body's digestive  World Earth Day 2020 will mark the 50th
system. Anniversary of the day since it started being
 It is also responsible for detoxification of observed in 1970.
drugs, alcohol and control of infections.  The theme of Earth Day 2020: ‘Climate
Action’.
World Creativity and Innovation Day: 21 April
Spain's bull running festival cancelled due to
coronavirus pandemic

World Creativity and Innovation Day is a global UN

day celebrated on April 21.
Spain's best-known bull running festival in the
 The day is observed to raise awareness northern town of Pamplona has been cancelled
around the importance of creativity and because of the coronavirus pandemic.
innovation in problem solving with respect to
advancing the United Nations sustainable  Hundreds of thousands of people typically
development goals, also known as the "global attend the centuries-old San Fermin
goals". celebration, which sees half-a tonne fighting
 The founder of the day was the Canadian bulls chase hundreds of daredevils, many
Marci Segal. wearing traditional white shirts and scarves,
through the narrow streets of the city each
Earth Day: 22 April morning.
 Pamplona's municipal council decided to call
off the event, held each year between July 6
and 14, because of the fight against COVID-
19.

Donald Trump to temporarily suspend

immigration to US

Earth Day is observed every year on 22 April.

 The day is celebrated worldwide to

demonstrate support for environmental
protection.
President Donald Trump said he will suspend all Israel’s Netanyahu and rival Gantz agree to form
immigration into the United States temporarily ‘emergency’ coalition government
through an executive order.

 He has said his forthcoming executive order

barring new immigration will apply only to
people seeking green cards, will last 60 days.
 It won't affect workers entering the country
on a temporary basis.
 Instead, President Trump said the provision
would amount to a 60-day pause only on
people seeking permanent resident status in
the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his
 He would review the executive order at the chief rival signed an agreement to form an
end of that period and decide if it should be “emergency” coalition government.
renewed.
 The deal between Netanyahu’s Likud Party
Britain's Parliament prepares for virtual debates and former military chief Benny Gantz’s
amid COVID-19 lockdown Blue and White ends months of political
paralysis and averts what would have been a
fourth consecutive election in just over a
year.
 After the last vote on March 2 ended in a
stalemate, Netanyahu and former military
chief Benny Gantz agreed late last month to
try to form a unity government because of the
burgeoning coronavirus crisis.
 The power-sharing agreement means that
Netanyahu will almost certainly remain in
office for the duration of his upcoming trial
Britain's Parliament is preparing for MPs to return to on corruption charges.
the House of Commons to hold virtual debates and
pave the way for a historic hybrid parliamentary International Day of Multilateralism and
setting amid the coronavirus lockdown. Diplomacy for Peace: 24 April

 Unprecedented changes to the main House of

Commons chamber will be rolled out to let
politicians tune into statements and question
sessions via video link.
 Screens have been installed in the chamber to
allow MPs to speak remotely while the
limited number attending in person will be
signposted where to sit.
 The new practices will initially operate until
May 12, although could remain in place for
The International Day of Multilateralism and
longer.
Diplomacy for Peace is observed every year on 24
April.
  The UN Assembly proclaimed the day while Pakistan has received an emergency loan of 1.39
considering that preserving the values of billion US Dollars from the International Monetary
multilateralism and international cooperation Fund to boost its foreign exchange reserves in the
is fundamental to promote and support the wake of the further economic downturn due to the
three pillars of the UN - Peace and Security, Corona virus crisis.
Development and Human Rights.
 The day was first observed by the United  Earlier, Pakistan requested the global money
Nations (UN) on April 24, 2019. lender for a low-cost, fast-disbursing loan
under its Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI)
World Immunization Week: 24 April to 30 April. to deal with the adverse economic impact of
COVID-19.
 The RFI is used to provide financial
assistance to IMF member countries facing
an urgent balance of payments need without
requiring them to put a full-fledged
programme in place.
 The 1.39 billion US Dollar loan is in addition
to the six billion US Dollar bailout package
that Pakistan has signed with the IMF in July
last year to stave off a balance of payment
crisis.
World Immunization Week is a global public health  The World Bank has earlier approved one
campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of billion US Dollars and the Asian
immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases Development Bank (ADB) 1.5 billion US
around the world. Dollars for Pakistan to keep its economy
afloat.
 It takes place each year during the last week
of April i.e 24 April to 30 April. World Malaria Day: 25 April
 This week tries to inform individuals about
the use of vaccines and their importance to
fight against diseases at different ages.
Vaccination protects a person's body and
helps fight against deadly diseases.
 The theme for World Immunisation Week
2020 is ‘VaccinesWork for All’.

Pakistan receives USD 1.39 billion emergency

loan from IMF to deal with Coronavirus crisis
World Malaria Day is observed every year on April
25 to raise awareness of the global effort to control
and ultimately eradicate malaria.

 World Malaria Day, which was first held in

2008, developed from Africa Malaria Day, an
event that had been observed since 2001 by
African governments.
 Malaria is a life-threatening disease which is
caused by the bites of infected mosquitoes. It
is the Female Anopheles mosquitoes who
 spread the Plasmodium parasite through their  The event was established by the World
saliva, which causes malaria. Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in
 The theme of World Malaria Day 2020 is 2000 to "raise awareness of how patents,
"Zero malaria starts with me”. copyright, trademarks and designs impact on
daily life" and "to celebrate creativity, and the
The International Delegate’s Day: 25 April contribution made by creators and innovators
to the development of societies across the
globe".
 26 April was chosen as the date for World
Intellectual Property Day because it
coincides with the date on which the
Convention Establishing the World
Intellectual Property Organization entered
into force in 1970.
 The theme for World Intellectual Property
Day 2020 is 'Innovation for Green Future.'

Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as punishment

The International Delegate’s Day is observed every
year on 25 April.

 This day is observed to raise awareness of the

role of the representatives and delegates of
the Member States to the United Nations.
 International Delegate's Day marks the
anniversary of the first day of the San
Francisco Conference, also known as the
United Nations Conference on International
Organization. Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a form of
 On 25 April 1945, delegates from fifty punishment.
countries came together for the first time in
San Francisco.  Court-ordered floggings in Saudi Arabia,
sometimes extending to hundreds of lashes,
World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April have long drawn condemnation from human
rights groups.
 Previously the courts could order the flogging
of convicts found guilty of offences ranging
from extramarital sex and breach of the peace
to murder.
 In future, judges will have to choose between
fines and/or jail sentences, or non-custodial
alternatives like community service.

Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for crimes

committed by minors

World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually

on 26 April.
  The day which is being observed on April 28,
2020, aims at promoting the prevention of
occupational accidents and diseases at the
workplace.
 2020 Theme: ‘Safety and health at work can
save lives’

UK Finance Minister unveils 100% state-backed

After ending the practice of flogging, Saudi Arabia 'Bounce Back Loan Scheme' for small businesses
has now ended the death penalty for crimes
committed by minors.

 The death penalty was abolished for those

convicted of crimes committed while they
were minors.
 Instead, the individual will receive a prison
sentence of no longer than 10 years in a
juvenile detention facility.
 Observers are of the opinion that these steps United Kingdom's Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has
are being taken to blunt the human rights unveiled a 100 per cent state-backed 'Bounce Back
criticism faced by Saudi Arabia at the Loan Scheme' for the small businesses to help them
international level and also an attempt by the tide through the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Kingdom to carry out reforms as per the
vision 2030 projected by the Saudi Crown  The Indian-origin UK Chancellor told the
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. House of Commons that the new fast-track
finance scheme would help bolster the
World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 existing package of support available to
April crisis-hit UK businesses.
 Under the scheme, qualifying small
businesses can apply online to borrow
between 2,000 pounds and 50,000 pounds as
interest-free loans for the first 12 months.

Australia cancels ‘Pitch Black’ 2020 air combat

exercise

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work was

first observed by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) in the year 2003 and laid
importance on the prevention of accidents and
diseases at the workplace.

 The day is celebrated every year on April 28

and is important since a person spends most
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has
of his time at his workplace and so a secure
cancelled this year's iteration of the large-scale
workplace environment is something which
multinational 'Pitch Black' air combat exercise.
everyone can expect.
  The exercise was set to be hosted by the  The event takes place every year on 29th
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for three April, the anniversary of the birth of Jean-
weeks starting on 24 July. Georges Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of
 The exercise is an opportunity to interact with modern ballet.
forces from across the globe.  Every year a message from an outstanding
 The next edition of Pitch Black is scheduled choreographer or dancer is circulated
in 2022. throughout the world.
 For 2020 the Executive Council of ITI in
India third largest military spender in world, alignment with the Dance Committee of ITI
after US and China and World Dance Alliance selected Gregory
Vuyani Maqoma, the eminent dancer,
choreographer, and dance educator from
South Africa.

Pakistan's southern Sindh province Governor

tests positive for COVID-19

India has become the third largest military spender in

the world, after the US and China, according to a
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) report.

 This is the first time that India and China are

among the top three military spenders. Pakistan's southern Sindh province Governor Imran
 India’s military spending grew by 6.8 percent Ismail, a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan,
to $71.1 billion in 2019, according to the has been tested positive for COVID-19.
SIPRO report on “Trends in World Military
Expenditure, 2019”.  Mr. Ismail is the highest official in the
 This was the highest military spending in country to test positive so far. Earlier, Sindh
South Asia. minister for education, Saeed Ghani, tested
 Total global military expenditure rose to positive but recovered.
$1,917 billion in 2019.  Before he was tested COVID-19 positive, the
governor spent 10 very busy days where he
International Dance Day: 29 April met a host of people and attended important
meetings.

US Navy to host world's largest maritime

exercises ‘Rim of the Pacific’ in Hawaii again this
year

The United States Navy has said that it will host the
International Dance Day is a global celebration of world's largest maritime exercises ‘Rim of the
dance, created by the Dance Committee of the Pacific’ in Hawaii again this year, but the drills will
International Theatre Institute (ITI), the main partner only be held at sea because of the Coronavirus.
for the performing arts of UNESCO.
  The Navy has held the Rim of the Pacific Utkal Dibasa: 01 April
exercises in Hawaii every two years since the
early 1970s.
 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam will host a
minimal footprint of staff for logistics and
support functions.
 The drills will also be held over two weeks,
from 17th to 31st August , instead of the usual
five weeks of events from late June to early
August.

Every year on April 1, Odisha celebrates Utkal

Dibasa to mark the day the state was born as a
separate entity on linguistic basis.

World Bank offers $1bn for proposed India  This year marks the 83rd Utkal Dibasa, or the
project foundation day of Odisha.
 Odisha was born as a separate state on April
1, 1936, on linguistic basis.
 The state was carved out of the combined
Bengal-Bihar-Orissa province.
 Odisha Capital: Bhubaneswar
 Number of District : 30
 Governor: Ganeshi Lal
 Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
 Members of the Legislative Assembly: 147
 Lok Sabha Seats : 21
 Rajya Sabha Seats : 10

The World Bank has offered $1 billion to the Indian Government sanctions Rs 10-crore special funds
government for a proposed India Covid-19 for CRPF; 'madadgaar' helpline expanded
emergency response and health systems
preparedness project.

 This four-year project aims to develop the

preparedness of India’s health care systems in
the time of the pandemic.
 The idea of the project will be to respond and
mitigate the Covid-19 threat and strengthen
national systems for public health
preparedness in India.
 The World Bank funding is from its Covid- The Union Home Ministry has granted a special Rs
19 fast-track facility where both the entities 10-crore fund to the Central Reserve Police Force
(World Bank and the government of India) (CRPF), enabling it to undertake relief works for
will work on following the best international those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
practice.
  The sanction for financial year 2019-20 has
been made under the 'civic action
programme' head to the country's largest
CAPF that has about 3.25 lakh personnel in
its ranks.
 The 'madadgaar' helpline number of CRPF,
‘14411’ has received about 2,500 calls and
got over 2.5 lakh impressions on its various
social media platforms where people sought Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in
help in the wake of the viral disease outbreak the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and
and the subsequent lockdown imposed in the Central Bank Governors meeting under the Saudi
country from March 25. Arabian Presidency.
 The helpline will now work in close
coordination with other CAPFs and state  The meeting was called to discuss the impact
authorities to help the needy. of COVID-19 pandemic on the global
 Launched in July, 2017, the helpline has economy and coordinate efforts in response
recently floated a new WhatsApp number to this global challenge.
7082814411- for the public.  Ms Sitharaman appreciated the Saudi
Presidency for organizing these meetings
IIT Kanpur to develop prototype of portable which provide opportunity to all G20
ventilator to support medical infrastructure members to not only share their individual
experiences but also to work in better
coordination.
 G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors during the 1st Extraordinary
Virtual G20 FMCBG Meeting held on March
23 had decided to meet virtually on a regular
basis to continue discussions on the evolution
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 This includes its impact on markets and
Amidst the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country,
economic conditions and take further actions
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur is working on
to support the economy during and after this
portable ventilators.
phase.
 The prototype of this ventilator will be ready
Himachal Pradesh govt launches ‘Active Case
very soon and just after assembling, it can be
Finding Campaign’ for COVID 19 patients
used as a life support system.
 Ventilator is a very important medical
equipment for COVID-19 Patients,
especially those who are old and the virus can
prove fatal to them.
 Keeping this in mind BioScience and
BioEngineering department of IIT Kanpur
has prepared a design of lifesaver portable
ventilator.

Nirmala Sitharaman participates in 2nd G20 The Himachal Pradesh government has launched an
meeting of Finance Ministers Active Case Finding Campaign for COVID 19
patients from1 April.
  Under this campaign, health workers would
provide information regarding symptoms of
Covid-19 to the people at their doorsteps.
 Under the campaign, every ASHA worker
with two people's team will visit every house
in the village and gather health information of
every person and would share it with the
department through Google form.
 The timing for gathering information would
start from 9 AM to 4 PM every day and the
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) has offered a
suspected persons would be investigated
helping hand to civilian authorities in the country’s
accordingly.
fight against COVID-19 by extending the services of
cadets under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’.
BharatPe, ICICI Lombard launch COVID-19
insurance product for shopkeepers
 It has issued guidelines for temporary
employment of its cadets to augment relief
efforts and functioning of various agencies
involved in battling the pandemic.
 The tasks envisaged for NCC cadets include,
manning of helpline/call centres; distribution
of relief materials/medicines/ food/essential
commodities; community assistance; data
management and queue & traffic
management.
 According to the guidelines, cadets should
Amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic BharatPe not be employed in handling law and order
has partnered with ICICI Lombard to roll out situations or for active military duties or at
'COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover' for hot spots.
shopkeepers.  Only Senior Division volunteer cadets above
18 years of age will be employed.
 On diagnosis of COVID-19 (positive) this  The NCC, which operates under the Ministry
policy will pay 100 per cent of the sum of Defence, is the largest uniformed youth
insured, irrespective of hospitalisation organisation of the country and has been
expenses. engaged in conducting various social service
 It is also a ‘first of its kind’ sachet product by and community development activities.
ICICI Lombard that will cover merchants.  The NCC cadets have been contributing to
 The health cover is priced at a premium the national cause during natural calamities
starting at a nominal amount of Rs 199 and like floods, cyclone, etc since its inception.
provides a sum insured for Rs 25,000 and
value-added benefits. Delhi government to provide Rs 1 Cr to families
 The benefit of the COVID-19 Insurance of healthcare personnel if they die handling
Protection Cover is the coverage across the Corona cases
age group of 18 to 65 years.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced
NCC offers its volunteer cadets for national duty one crore rupees for the families of healthcare
to fight COVID-19 under ‘Ex NCC Yogdan’ personnel if they lose their lives while dealing with
COVID-19 cases.
  The personnel include all sanitation workers,  This means that your existing policies which
doctors and nurses from the private or are falling due for renewal from March 25,
government sector, be it temporary or 2020, to April 14, 2020, can be renewed uptill
permanent. April 21, 2020.
 The Chief Minister said COVID-19 has not  If your current compulsory third-party
reached the stage of community transmission insurance policy is expiring between March
in Delhi and the situation is under control. 25, 2020, and April 14, 2020, and you are not
able to renew your policy because of country-
CBSE introduces ‘Applied Mathematics’ as new wide lockdown then you can renew such
academic elective from 2020-21 motor insurance policy by April 21, 2020.
 Similarly, if your health insurance policy is
expiring and is due for renewal in the period
from March 25, 2020, to April 14, 2020, you
can renew your policy by April 21, 2020.

HUL says GlaxoSmithKline merger is complete

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

has introduced ‘Applied Mathematics’ as a new
academic elective from the current academic year
(2020-2021) for class XI.

 The Applied Mathematics course is designed FMCG major Hindustan Unilever announced
to enhance the knowledge and skills of completion of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Mathematics that are required to be Healthcare Ltd merger (GSKCH) with itself.
successful in different fields of their future
career.  The company has received all the necessary
 The approach of Applied Mathematics regulator approvals along with the National
subject will be practical, and the students are Company Law Tribunal for the merger of
expected to learn through practical GSKCH into the company.
applications of Mathematics in different  In addition, the board of HUL also approved
disciplines. acquisition of popular health drink brand
 Those students who have passed Basic Horlicks from GSK for a consideration of
Mathematics in class X are now allowed to Euro 375.6 million (Rs 3,045 crore),
offer the new academic elective Applied exercising the option available in the original
Mathematics at Senior Secondary Level. agreement between its parent firm Unilever
and GSK.
Date for renewal of health, motor insurance  On December 3, 2018 HUL had announced
policies extended to April 21 merger of GSKCH, which was subject to
obtaining necessary approvals.
The ministry of finance issued notifications on April  This is one of the largest deals in the FMCG
1, 2020, stating that the renewal dates of health and sector in recent times and will lead to
motor insurance policies which fall in the period significant value creation for all stakeholders.
from March 25, 2020, to April 14, 2020, are extended
till April 21, 2020 due to coronavirus lockdown.
Englishman Bob Weighton confirmed as the  The App will enable people to assess
world’s oldest man living at 112 themselves the risk of catching the
Coronavirus infection.
 It will calculate this based on their interaction
with others, using cutting edge Bluetooth
technology, algorithms and artificial
intelligence.
 Once installed in a smartphone through an
easy and user-friendly process, the app
detects other devices with Aarogya Setu
installed that come in the proximity of that
Bob Weighton, from the UK, has been officially phone.
confirmed as the oldest person living (male) at 112  The app can then calculate the risk of
Years and 1 day as of 30 March 2020. infection based on sophisticated parameters if
any of these contacts is tested positive.
 Bob Weighton received the record title after  The App will help the Government take
Mr. Chitetsu Watanabe (Japan) passed away necessary timely steps for assessing risk of
on February 23rd 2020 at 112 years and 355 spread of COVID-19 infection, and ensuring
days. isolation where required.
 Bob was born on March 29th 1908, in
Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire and was one DRDO develops bio suit to keep health
of seven children. professionals fighting COVID-19 safe
 Bob has 10 grandchildren and 25 great-
grandchildren.
 Kane Tanaka from Japan is currently the
oldest person living (female) and celebrated
her 117th birthday in January.

Govt launches 'AarogyaSetu' mobile app to asses

people on COVID-19

Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) has developed a bio suit to keep the
medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in
combating COVID-19 safe from the deadly virus.

 Scientists at various DRDO laboratories have

applied their technical know-how and
expertise in textile, coating and
nanotechnology to develop the Personal
The Government launched a mobile app developed Protective Equipment (PPE) having specific
in public-private partnership to bring the people of types of fabric with coating.
India together in a resolute fight against COVID-19.  The suit has been prepared with the help of
the industry and subjected to rigorous testing
 The App, called ‘AarogyaSetu’ joins Digital for textile parameters as well as protection
India for the health and well-being of every against synthetic blood.
Indian.  The DRDO is making all efforts to ensure
that these suits are produced in large numbers
 and serve as a robust line of defence for the come to wholesale mandis for selling their
medics, paramedics and other personnel in harvested produce, at a time when there is a
the front line combating COVID-19. critical need to decongest mandis to
effectively fight against COVID-19.
Indian Railways Chittaranjan Locomotive Works  e-NAM was launched in 2016 as a pan-India
creates world record; produces highest number of electronic trade portal linking Agricultural
locos Produce Market Committee - APMCs across
the States.

Naval Dockyard Mumbai designs low cost

temperature gun

Indian Railways’ Chittaranjan Locomotive Works

sets new world record amidst nationwide
Coronavirus lockdown.

 Despite COVID-19 restrictions coming in

force on 21 March 2020 across the country, Naval Dockyard Mumbai has designed and
the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) developed its own handheld IR based temperature
has created another record in making the sensor for undertaking screening of large number of
highest number of locomotives. personnel at the entry gates of the yard.
 In the financial year 2019-20, the CLW
produced a total of 431 locomotives.  The instrument has been manufactured under
 The locomotive factory, located in Asansol, Rs 1,000 through in-house resources (which
West Bengal, surpassed its own record of is fraction of the cost of the Temperature
manufacturing a number of 402 locomotives Guns in the market).
in the financial year 2018-19, which has been  Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the non-
recognized by Limca Book of Records as a contact thermometers or temperature guns
World Record. have become scarce in the market and are
 The production of locomotives by CLW has being sold at a very high cost.
witnessed a jump of 75 per cent over the last  To overcome the scarcity and requirement of
six years from 250 locomotives in 2014-15 to large numbers, ND (Mumbai) has designed
431 locomotives in 2019-20, under the ‘Make and developed its own handheld IR based
in India’ initiative, states Indian Railways. temperature sensor with accuracy of 0.02 deg
Celsius.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar
launches new features of e-NAM Platform SBI lists $100 million green bond issue on India
INX
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar
launched new features of National Agriculture India’s biggest lender State Bank of India listed
Market (e-NAM) Platform. Green Bonds of $100 million under its $10 billion
Global Medium Term Note Programme on India
 It will help strengthen agriculture marketing INX’s Global Securities Market Green Platform
by farmers which will reduce their need to (GSM).
  Since the launch of global securities market,  The Indian Council of Medical Research
it has been the leading listing platform for (ICMR) in its interim advisory has
bonds at GIFT IFSC. recommended the use of the rapid antibody
 SBI had earlier also listed its maiden Green test in the country's coronavirus hotspots.
Bond issuance of $650 million on India INX.  The Health Ministry has identified 20
 A green bond is a type of fixed-income existing and 22 potential COVID-19 hotspots
instrument that is specifically earmarked to across the country.
raise money for climate and environmental  The results of the antibody tests, similar to
projects. other blood tests, are available in 15-30
minutes.
UNGA adopts resolution calling for global
solidarity in fight against COVID-19 Govt orders about 10 crore hydroxychloroquine
tablets for healthcare workers

The United Nations General Assembly has

unanimously adopted a resolution on COVID-19, In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Union
calling for intensified international cooperation to Health Ministry has placed an order of about 10 crore
defeat the pandemic. hydroxychloroquine tablets from various
pharmaceutical companies for health care workers.
 Co-sponsored by 188 nations including India,
the resolution titled ‘Global solidarity’ to  The Indian Council of Medical Research
fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- (ICMR) has suggested the use of
19) is the first such document on the global hydroxychloroquine tablets only for health
pandemic to be adopted by the world care workers and caregivers involved in the
organization. treatment and direct contact with the
 The resolution called for intensified suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.
international cooperation in exchanging  For those COVID-19 patients, who require
information, scientific knowledge and best Intensive Care Unit care, the Health Ministry
practices and applying guidelines has suggested the use of hydroxychloroquine
recommended by the World Health tablets in combination with Azithromycin.
Organization.  Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a medication
used to prevent and treat malaria in areas
ICMR recommends antibody test for speedy where malaria remains sensitive to
detection of COVID-19 cases chloroquine.

To ensure speedy detection of coronavirus cases, Minister of State Human Resource Development
those residing in Covid-19 hotspots or areas which launches 'Hack the Crisis-India' hackathon
have reported large numbers of cases may have to
undergo a rapid antibody blood test for the viral
infection.
  The spectacle-type design of the protection
shield provides the ease of replacement as the
transparent sheet is not bound to a reusable
frame.
 The cost of the sheet is as low as Rs 5.
 The manufacturing cost per shield is
approximately Rs 45. Mass manufacturing
cost will be less than Rs. 25.

Minister of State Human Resource Development and CCI nod for acquisition of stakes in Religare
IT Sanjay Dhotre launched ‘Hack the Crisis - India’, Health Insurance by Trishikhar Ventures
an Online Hackathon to find working solutions for
overcoming COVID-19 pandemic.

 This hackathon is part of a global initiative

and is being organised by ‘Hack A Cause -
India’ and ‘FICCI Ladies Organization Pune’
and supported by the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology.
 The aim of this hackathon is to strengthen the
fight against COVID-19. The Competition Commission of India has approved
 Over 2,000 teams and over 15,000 acquisition of 18.95 percent stake in Religare Health
participants will be enhancing their working Insurance by Trishikhar Ventures under the green
prototypes in a 48 hour hackathon. channel route.

IIT Roorkee develops low-cost face shields for  Trishikhar Ventures is a part of Kedaara
protection of first line healthcare professionals Group, which invests in a variety of
fighting COVID-19 companies through acquisitions and
corporate restructurings.
 Religare Health Insurance provides general
insurance products in the health segment.

ational Maritime Day: 05 April

IIT Roorkee has developed low-cost face shields for

first line healthcare professionals at AIIMS
Rishikesh for protection from COVID-19.
April 5 is celebrated as the National Maritime Day in
 The frame of the face shield is 3D printed. India every year.
 The shield can be used along with the
protective gear by healthcare personnel while  It was on this day 99 years ago in 1919 when
entering the wards housing COVID-19 the country's navigation history set sail with
patients. SS Loyalty, the first ship of the Scindia
 Steam Navigation Company Ltd started for 1.25 lakh AYUSH doctors in the state throughout the
the United Kingdom from Mumbai. week.
 It marked a red letter day in the maritime
history of India, a country known for its  Necessary equipments, including about 1.5
seafaring abilities since ancient days. thousand ventilators and 2.5 lakh N95 masks
 The day has been observed since 1964. are available so far.
 2020 theme: "Sustainable shipping for a  Health teams are conducting tracing work
sustainable planet" along with surveys through cluster
containment activities.
DRDO Laboratory designs full body disinfection
chamber Mizoram government launches 'mCOVID-19'
App for all COVID-19 related information

Vehicle Research Development Establishment, Mizoram government has launched 'mCOVID-19'

VRDE Ahmednagar which is a DRDO Laboratory mobile application to provide its users all necessary
has designed a full body disinfection chamber called and correct information in the fight against COVID-
as PSE. 19.

 This is a portable system equipped with a  The app will give a big help to the State Level
sanitiser and soap dispenser. Task Force, Departments of Health & Family
 The decontamination starts using a foot pedal Welfare, Disaster, Management &
at the entry. Rehabilitation and also the general public to
 On entering the chamber, an electrically contain the spread of the coronavirus.
operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of  The initiative was taken by the ICT
hypo sodium chloride for disinfecting. Department engineers, who have developed
 The mist spray is calibrated for an operation the ‘mCOVID-19 mobile app without asking
of 25 seconds and stops automatically for any funds from the government.
indicating completion of operation.
 Approximately 650 personnel can pass PM pays tribute to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his
through the chamber for disinfection until the birth anniversary
refill is required.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to
Maharashtra govt to provide online training to freedom fighter Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth
about 1.25 lakh AYUSH doctors anniversary.

In order to provide necessary trained manpower to  Babu Jagjivan Ram struggled for the rights of
prevent Coronavirus spread, Maharashtra the poor, the underprivileged and the victims.
government will provide online training to about
  Jagjivan Ram, born in 1908, passed away on The National Health Authority (NHA) has inked a
July 6, 1986. pact with ride hailing app Uber to provide transport
 He was known popularly as Babuji, and services for frontline healthcare workers involved in
politician from Bihar. treatment of COVID-19 patients.
 His daughter and Congress leader Meira
Kumar was the 15th Speaker of Lok Sabha  Uber will initially facilitate the provision of
from 2009 to 2014. 150 cars free of cost to support medical
facilities in certain cities- New Delhi, Noida,
Odisha launches “Mo Prativa” cultural Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj and
competition to engage children during lockdown Patna through its UberMedic service.
 The development comes in the backdrop of a
21-day nationwide lockdown that had also
led to restrictions on all forms of public and
private transportation, limiting movement
options for healthcare workers in particular
cities.
 Every UberMedic car will be disinfected after
every ride to ensure adequate safety and
hygiene.

The Odisha government in collaboration with the NASA unveils plan to setup 'Artemis', the first
Unicef has launched “Mo Prativa” online cultural human base camp on Moon's south pole by 2024
competition among children to keep them engaged at
home during the lockdown period.

 Children can participate in competitions of

painting, writing of slogans, short stories and
poems and poster making, winning entries
will get certificates.
 The “Mo Prativa” (My talent) programme is
for children in the age group of 5 to 18 years.
 The entries are being invited on two themes:
Being at home during lockdown” and “My
responsibility as a young citizen during NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims
COVID-19”. to land humans on the moon by 2024.

NHA inks pact with Uber for transportation  The space agency has put forward a plan
service for public healthcare workers showing what a US lunar presence may look
like after the milestone.
 NASA submitted a 13-page report to the
National Space Council on 2 April.
 NASA unveils plan to setup Artemis, the first
human base camp on Moon's south pole by
2024
 The report titled NASA’s Plan for Sustained
Lunar Exploration and Development offers a
summary of how the space agency will
accomplish the 2024 moon landing mission.
  The initial plan is to move to one to two-  Mahavir Jayanti 2020 marks the 2,618th birth
month stays to learn more about the moon anniversary of the teacher.
and the universe.  This year the auspicious occasion will be
observed amid a global health crisis triggered
FCI sets new record in single day transportation by the coronavirus outbreak.
of food grains
Points to Remember

 First tirthankara of Jainism: Rishabhanatha;

Symbol: Bull
 Last tirthankara of Jainism: Mahavira;
Symbol: Lion

IAS, IPS officers' associations form 'Caruna', an

initiative to fight Coronavirus

Food Corporation of India (FCI) has set a new record

in single day movement by moving 70 rakes carrying
one lakh 93 thousand Metric Tonnes food grains
continuously for two days.

 FCI is ensuring that enough food grain stocks

are made available in every part of the
country during countrywide lockdown.
 During the 12 days since the start of
lockdown on 25th of last month, FCI has
done an average movement of one lakh 41
thousand tonnes of food grain per day as
against the pre-lockdown daily average of Associations representing officers of Central Civil
about 80 thousand tonnes. Services, including the Indian Administrative
 Punjab accounted for about 46 per cent of Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS),
total food grain movement followed by have formed an initiative called 'Caruna' to support
Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. and supplement the government's efforts in fighting
 Food Corporation of India Headquarters coronavirus.
:New Delhi
 Founded: 1965  The acronym 'Caruna' stands for Civil
 Chairman & Managing Director: D. V. Services Associations Reach to Support in
Prasad Natural Disasters and represents a
collaborative platform.
Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of 24th  In this initiative civil servants, industry
and last Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir is leaders, NGO professionals and IT
being celebrated across the country professionals among others have come
together to contribute their time and abilities.
People belonging to the Jain community celebrate
Mahavir Jayanti to commemorate the birth IIT-Roorkee, AIIMS-Rishikesh develop low-cost
anniversary of Jain spiritual leader Mahavir, who portable ventilator ‘Prana Vayu’
was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.
 concept by focussing on water-saving
technologies.

NHAI achieves highest ever construction of

National Highways in FY 2019-20

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Roorkee, in

collaboration with All India Institute of Medical
Science (AIIMS), Rishikesh, has developed a low-
cost ventilator.

 A presentation was made before 450 industry

representatives for early mass production.
 The ventilator, Prana Vayu, will cost ₹25,000 National Highway Authority of India, NHAI has
per unit, much less than the products achieved the highest ever construction of National
available in the market. Highways in financial year 2019-20.
 Prana Vayu was presented to more than 450
industry representatives in a webinar  It has accomplished construction of 3979
organized by Confederation of Indian kilometre of national highways and this is the
Industries (CII) for its mass production. highest ever highway construction achieved
in a financial year by NHAI.
Tamil Nadu finishes on top in micro-irrigation  The authority said, in 2018-19, NHAI had
coverage constructed 3380 Kilometre.
 NHAI Headquarters: New Delhi
 Founded: 1988
 Chairman: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

Indian Railways develops low-cost ventilator

'Jeevan'

At a time when every segment of society is reeling

under the impact of COVID-19, farmers have
brought some cheer to Tamil Nadu.

 In the just-concluded financial year 2019-20,

the State finished on top at the all-India level
for micro-irrigation coverage.
 This has been achieved as part of The Indian Railways has developed a low-cost
implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi ventilator, ‘Jeevan’, at its Kapurthala Rail Coach
Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), a programme Factory.
aimed at promoting the “more crop per drop”
  This device could save thousands of lives at a  Kejriwal said it was important for the city to
time the country is grappling with a shortage come together to fight COVID-19.
of the medical equipment in its fight against Teamwork, he said, was important.
coronavirus.  Last, Kejriwal took it upon himself to ensure
 The prototype is now awaiting ICMR all parts of the plan were conducted
clearance to go into production. efficiently.
 It will cost around Rs 10,000 without the
compressor. IWF bans Thailand, Malaysia from weightlifting
 A ventilator is a device used to pump air and at Tokyo Olympics
oxygen into the lungs, and it can be critical
for a patient with severe COVID-19 infection
which can lead to lung failure.
 India might need anywhere between 110,000-
220,000 ventilators by May 15 in the worst-
case scenario.
 The number of ventilators today available in
the country is a maximum of 57,000 and
come with a cost of Rs 5-Rs 15 lakh.

Arvind Kejriwal unveils ‘5T’ plan for Delhi to The Independent Member Federation Sanctions
fight COVID-19 Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting
Federation (IWF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions
on Thailand and Malaysia and banned both the
countries from participating in weightlifting events at
the Tokyo Olympics.

 The IMFPS also suspended the Thai Amateur

Weightlifting Association (TAWA) for three
years, while the Malaysian Weightlifting
Federation (MWF) has been given a one-year
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unveiled a ban.
 The Thailand federation had already
five-point plan to tackle the coronavirus outbreak
after speaking to experts and doctors. withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics
voluntarily after nine of its weightlifters were
 The “5Ts”includes testing, tracing, treatment, caught for doping violations at the 2018
teamwork and tracking and monitoring of the World Championships.
 The Tokyo Olympics 2020 will now
virus.
 Taking from South Korea’s strategy, commence from July 23 to August 8 next
Kejriwal said that the government would year while the Paralympics Games will be
conduct at least one lakh random “rapid tests” held from August 24 to September 5, 2021.
 The Tokyo Olympic Games were originally
in hotspots across the city.
 Secondly, the government will continue slated to be held from July 24 to August 9,
tracing contacts of those who have tested while the Paralympic Games were scheduled
positive for coronavirus. to be held from August 25 to September 6.
 Third, would be regarding the treatment of
patients who have contracted the disease. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to contribute 1
billion US dollars to Coronavirus relief fund
  It is being planted in an area of over 200
hectares in Junagadh, and the average yield,
which is 40-50 t/ha, has become the main
source of income to the local farmers.
 The variety is being cultivated in more than
1000 hectares of land in Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar
Pradesh during the last three years.
Twitter co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey  Shri Vallabhai Vashrambhai Marvaniyawas
has made a commitment of one billion US dollars out conferred with a National Award by the
of his personal fortune to coronavirus relief through President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan,
his philanthropic fund. New Delhi during Festival of Innovation
(FOIN)- 2017.
 He would transfer his equity in his digital  He was conferred with Padma Shri in the year
payments group Square to his limited liability 2019 for his extraordinary work.
corporation Start Small, contributing around
28 per cent of his overall wealth. MHRD launches 'Samadhan' challenge to invite
 It could be the largest amount from a single ideas to fight COVID-19
individual for coronavirus relief at a time
when the pandemic is inflicting a heavy toll
on lives and causing economic disruption
across the globe.
 Earlier, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had
pledged 100 million Dollars to help food
relief efforts during the pandemic while
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had
offered more than 25 million Dollars to help
The Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Human
research through the Bill & Melinda Gates
Resources Development and All India Council for
Foundation.
Technical Education have launched a mega online
challenge - Samadhan - to test the ability of students
Biofortified carrot variety developed by farmer
to innovate and offer a quick solution to the
scientist benefits local farmers
Coronavirus pandemic and other such calamities.

 Students participating in this challenge will

search and develop measures that can be
made available to the government agencies,
health services, hospitals and other services
for quick solutions to the Coronavirus
pandemic and other such calamities.
 Apart from this, through this challenge, work
will be done to motivate citizens to face any
challenge, prevent any crisis and to help
people get livelihood.
Madhuban Gajar, a biofortified carrot variety with  Under the "Samadhan" challenge, the
high β-carotene and iron content developed by Shri students and faculty will be motivated for
Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer doing new experiments and new discoveries
scientist from Junagadh district, Gujarat is and provide them with a strong base leading
benefitting more than 150 local farmers in the area.
 to the spirit of experimentation and festival after the High Court directed it not to
discovery. assemble for any religious activity.
 Earlier, the Karnataka government had
UP govt to establish COVID-19 testing labs in granted permission for the celebrations of the
headquarter of each and every division annual Karaga festival with certain
restrictions.
 Karaga is one of the oldest and widely
celebrated festivals of Karnataka.
 It is celebrated in honour of the Goddess
Shakti. The festival is held at the famous
Dharmarayaswamy temple in Bangalore.

Chhattisgarh Police create app 'Rakhsa Sarv' to

keep an eye on home quarantined patients

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said

that his government will establish Corona testing
labs in the Headquarter of each and every division in
the state.

 His government has managed to start

collection centres in all 75 districts of the
state.
 He said 308 Covid-19 cases have been found In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, police
in the state as of now, of which 168 are linked in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district have
to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi last created a mobile application 'Rakhsa Sarv' to keep
month. tabs on those violating the home quarantine order, an
official said.
Annual Karaga festival celebrations prohibited
 Nearly 6,200 people, most of them with a
history of travel to foreign nations or other
affected states in India, are being kept under
home quarantine in Janjgir-Champa district.
 The app enables people to track the
quarantined people through Google Map.
 Police teams have started installing the
application in the phones of those kept under
home quarantine and so far, over 50 per cent
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central of such people have been covered.
Karnataka said it is prohibited to celebrate Bangalore
Karaga Shakthyothsava. ‘Lifeline Udaan’ flights transported 39.3 tons
medical supplies in one single day
 There should be no public celebration,
procession and no other public program can Lifeline Udaan flights transported 39.3 tons of
be done. medical supplies across the country on April 7, 2020.
 Meanwhile, Dharmaraya Swamy Temple has
agreed to cancel the celebration of Karaga  'Lifeline Udaan' is the central government's
arrangement for operating medical cargo
 lifelines for countries facing a coronavirus workers to equip them with the training and in coping
crisis. with Pandemic.
 The total cargo transported by these flights is
around 240 tons during COVID-19  The target groups for the platform, ‘iGOT’
lockdown. are Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Hygiene
 161 flights have been operated under Lifeline Workers, Technicians, Auxiliary Nursing
UDAN to date covering 1,41,080 Kms. Midwives, ANMs, Central & State Govt.
 Out of these, 99 flights were operated by Air Officers, Civil Defence Officials, various
India and Alliance Air while 54 were Police Organisations, National Cadet Corpz,
operated by IAF. NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan,
NYKS, National Service Scheme, NSS,
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust manages to Indian Red Cross Society, Bharat Scouts and
continue its operations smoothly Guides and other volunteers.
 Appropriate training will also prepare them
for the subsequent stages of the pandemic.
 The platform delivers curated, role-specific
content, to each learner at his place of work
or home and to any device of his choice.
 iGOT platform is designed to population
scale, and will provide training to around
1.50 crore workers and volunteers in the
coming weeks.
In Maharashtra, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT)
in Raigad district near Mumbai which is considered Odisha first Indian state to extend COVID-19
to be the busiest container port in the country has lockdown till April 30
managed to continue its operations smoothly even
during the nationwide lockdown.

 After the announcement of lockdown to

contain the spread of COVID-19, JNPT faced
several difficulties to continue the regular
operation as there was shortage of contract
employees, shortage of truck drivers, sealing
of state and district borders and difficulty in
the movement of the staff.
 But, the container port facilitated smooth Odisha has become the first Indian state to extend the
operations bringing together all stakeholders ongoing lockdown.
including 33 CFS and more than 15 empty
containers yard operators.  In a video statement Chief Minister Naveen
 It provided PPE’s to all personnel entering Patnaik said that his government has decided
Port premises. to extend the lockdown period in Odisha till
April 30.
Center launches ‘iGOT’ learning platform to  According to the Ministry of Health and
combat COVID-19 Family Welfare's official figures on April 9,
Odisha has 42 confirmed cases of the novel
The Center has announced the launch of a learning coronavirus.
platform to combat COVID-19 for all front-line  This number includes one patient who
succumbed to the infection and two
individuals who recovered.
  The Odisha government will also take special  The campaign brings together the marketing
measures for various sectors. expertise and scale of HUL and the technical
 Activities related to agriculture, animal knowledge of UNICEF to create engaging
husbandry and MGNREGS will be facilitated communication tools that can help people
during the lockdown period following social change behaviours and stay safe during the
distancing norms. pandemic.
 Meanwhile, educational institutions in the  HUL had recently committed Rs 100 crore in
state will remain closed till June 17. donations to help India fight the coronavirus
crisis.
SIDBI offers emergency credit facility of up to Rs  In addition to the campaign, it is rolling out
1 crore to SMEs many initiatives to ensure citizens across the
country have access to essential products
such as soaps, sanitisers and other products.

ADB assures India of 2.2 bn US dollar support to

fight against COVID-19 pandemic

The Small Industries Development Bank of India

(SIDBI) said it will provide emergency working
capital of up to Rs 1 crore to small and medium
enterprises against their confirmed government
orders.

 The new loan product, SIDBI Assistance to Asian Development Bank assured India of 2.2 billion
Facilitate Emergency response against US dollar support to fight against the COVID-19
coronavirus (SAFE) plus will be offered pandemic.
collateral free and disbursed within 48 hours.
 The loans will be offered at an interest rate of  ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa assured
5 per cent. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of
 SIDBI further said it has enhanced the loan financial support of about 16,500 crore
limit for MSMEs to Rs 2 crore under its rupees.
SAFE initiative.  The ADB President also appreciated the 1.7
 The scheme was launched to provide lakh crore rupees economic relief package to
financial assistance to MSMEs engaged in provide immediate income and consumption
manufacturing of hand sanitizers, masks, support to the poor, women, and workers
gloves, head gear, bodysuits, shoe-covers, affected by the nationwide lockdown.
ventilators and goggles used in dealing with  On 18th of March, ADB announced an initial
COVID-19. package of approximately 6.5 billion US
Dollars to address the immediate needs of its
Hindustan Unilever partners with UNICEF to developing member countries, including
support India's fight against COVID-19 India, as they respond to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Hindustan Unilever has collaborated with the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a mass Doordarshan emerges among highest watched
communication campaign to inform and empower channel in India
the general public against the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Nurses, Paramedical staff, Class IV staff,
Ambulance staff, Testing Lab staff will be
doubled.
 He said this will be applicable till the
Coronavirus period ends.
 He had earlier announced that these
professionals will get an ex-gratia benefits
between 50 Lakh rupees and 10 Lakh rupees,
Doordarshan has emerged among the highest if they are not covered under the new
watched channels in India for the week ending 3rd insurance cover announced by the Centre.
April.
Manipur govt announces cash reward to medical
 According to Broadcast Audience Research team which treated COVID-19 patient
Council, telecast of Ramayan and successfully
Mahabharat was the key attribute.
 This was despite a surge reported by the
private broadcasters who are also
experiencing higher viewership.
 The overall TV viewership grew 4 per cent as
compared to the previous week and was 43
percent higher than the pre-COVID-19
outbreak period.
 Interestingly, despite the absence of any new
sporting event, the viewership for sports
channels grew 21 percent as they beamed In Manipur, the state government has announced a
India's cricket wins from the past and also old cash reward of Rs. 35 lakh to the medical team which
WWE matches. treated the first COVID-19 patient successfully.
Haryana govt doubles salary of Doctors, Nurses,  So far Manipur has recorded only two
medical professionals dealing with Coronavirus positive cases of COVID-19 and out of them,
cases the first patient has been confirmed negative
of the virus three times.
 Announcing the cash reward, Manipur Chief
Minister Shri N. Biren Singh said that the
state is able to contain further spread of the
virus with the support of the public.
 He also announced that the State government
will also give rewards to frontline workers
including health workers, police personnel
and other stakeholders who are actively
participating in combating the spread of virus
The Haryana government has decided to double the in Manipur.
salary of Doctors, Nurses and other Medical
professionals dealing with Coronavirus patients. National Safe Motherhood Day: 11 April

 Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal

Khattar said that salaries of all those engaged
in fight against COVID-19 be it Doctors,
  The G20 Energy Ministers’ focused on ways
and means to ensure stable energy markets,
which are affected due to demand reduction
as result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu pays homage to

Jyotiba Phule
National Safe Motherhood Day is observed every
year on April 11.

 Every year the day is celebrated to create

awareness about the day that is dedicated to
enhancing healthcare and maternal facilities
for pregnant women and her postnatal needs.
 The Government of India had declared 11
April as National Safe Motherhood Day in
the year 2013 and it coincides with the
anniversary day of Kasturba Gandhi's birth,
wife of Mohan das Karam Chand Gandhi, the Vice President Venkaiah Naidu paid homage to
father of the nation. Jyotiba Phule on the occasion of Phule’s Jayanti.

 Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist,

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer
participates in G20 Extraordinary Energy
from Maharashtra.
Ministers’ virtual meeting
 His work extended to many fields including
eradication of untouchability and the caste
system, and women's emancipation.
 He is mostly known for his efforts in
educating women and lower caste people.
 On 24 September 1873, he, along with his
followers, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj
(Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal
rights for people from lower castes.

NCW launches WhatsApp number to report

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, domestic violence during COVID-19 lockdown
Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the G20
Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual Meeting.

 The meeting was called by Saudi Arabia, in

its capacity as the G20 Presidency, and
chaired by Saudi Arabia Energy Minister
Prince Abdulaziz.
 The meeting was attended by Energy
Ministers of G20 countries, guest countries
and heads of international organizations
including OPEC, IEA and IEF.
The National Commission for Women (NCW)  Senior Scientist at ICMR Dr Raman
launched a WhatsApp number to report cases of Gangakhedkar told the media in New Delhi
domestic violence, which have seen a rise during the that the use of Hydroxychloroquine is as
coronavirus lockdown period. Preventive healthcare and not as treatment.

 The NCW said the WhatsApp number, Maharashtra, Telangana & West Bengal
‘7217735372’, is in addition to the online announce extension of lockdown till April 30
complaint links and emails which are already
operational.
 The NCW urged people to report such cases
through WhatsApp on the number so that the
agency can provide support and assistance to
the women in distress or experiencing
domestic violence.
 The number has only been launched for the
period of lockdown till normal offices
resume.
 National Commission of Women
Chairperson Rekha Sharma had recently said
that domestic violence complaints were
increasing by the day since the nationwide The Telangana government has extended the
lockdown was imposed on March 25, with 69 lockdown till 30th of April.
complaints received just through email.
 Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the
With 70% annual global production share, India state border with Maharashtra will be
tops Hydroxychloroquine producer, exporter completely sealed.
chart  The West Bengal government has also
announced extension of ongoing lockdown
till 30th of this month.
 State government has also announced
suspension of classes in Schools, Colleges
and Universities till 10th of June.
 Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray has said that the
lockdown will be extended in the state till
30th of April.
 He said he had expressed the willingness to
India is the largest producer and exporter of extend the lockdown during video
Hydroxychloroquine with 70 per cent of annual conferencing with Prime Minister Narendra
global production. Modi.
 Previously, Odisha also has become the first
 The Department of Pharmaceuticals has said Indian state to extend the ongoing lockdown.
that there is enough stock of API and
manufacturing capacity of Kerala to become the first state to commence
Hydroxychloroquine formulations to meet convalescent plasma therapy to treat critically ill
the country's requirement as well as export COVID-19 cases
obligations.
  Cheiraoba is one of the major festivals of
Manipur celebrated mainly by the Meitei
community of the State marking the
beginning of a new year.
 Meanwhile, Manipur Governor Dr. Najma
Heptulla has congratulated the medical team
of JNIMS hospital for treating the first
COVID-19 patient successfully.

Kerala is set to become the first state in the country Finance Ministry extends deadline for mandatory
to commence convalescent plasma therapy, to treat minimum deposit in PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi
critically ill COVID-19 cases on a trial basis. Account till June 30

 The Indian Council of Medical Research has

given its nod to Kerala for the first of its kind
project.
 In this therapy the blood plasma from
individuals who have recovered from
COVID-19, i.e. their immune system that has
developed antibodies in the blood plasma, to
beat the disease, is transfused into a person
critically ill with the disease.
The Finance Ministry has extended the deadline for
 The project is initiated by the Sree Chithira
mandatory minimum deposit in Public Provident
Thirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and
Fund (PPF) and Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA)
Technology in Thiruvananthapuram.
for 2019-20 by three months up to June 30 in view of
 At present Convalescent plasma therapy is
the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
not new and has been used by doctors to treat
critically ill patients during earlier epidemics
 The relaxation will be applicable for account
like H1N1, SARS and Ebola.
holders of PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi Account
(SSA) and Recurring Deposits (RDs).
Manipur markets will be opened for sale of
 The Government has taken the decision to
essential commodities to public in view of Easter,
safeguard the interests of small savings
Cheiraoba festival
depositors in view of the lockdown.
 The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was
launched by the Prime Minister of India on
January 22, 2015.
 It encourages parents of a girl-child to stock
a fund for their education and marriage.

LIC allows 30-Day extension for premiums due in

March, April

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has announced an

In Manipur, the State government has announced that extension of 30 days for payment of premium due in
all markets/shops in the State will be opened for sale March and April 2020 to mitigate the hardships being
of essential commodities to the public in view of faced by policyholders in the wake of COVID-19.
Easter and Cheiraoba festival.
  LIC said that relaxation is allowed up to April  The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on
15 for February premiums, where grace 13 April 1919.
period was expiring after March 22.  Troops of the British Indian Army, under the
 It also said that policyholders can pay command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, fired
premiums through LIC's digital payment machine guns into a crowd of unarmed
options without any service charge. protesters and pilgrims who had gathered in
 Premiums can also be paid by downloading Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar on the
mobile app LIC Pay Direct. occasion of Baisakhi.
 LIC Headquarters: Mumbai  The crowd had assembled peacefully at the
 Founded: 1 September 1956 venue to condemn the arrest of two national
leaders, Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew,
PM Modi greets citizens on Baisakhi, Odia New when they were fired indiscriminately by
Year General Dyer and his men.
 According to British government records,
379 people including men, women, and
children were killed while 1,200 were
wounded in the firing.
 Other sources place the number of dead at
well over 1,000.

Prasar Bharti launches ‘DD Retro’ to invoke

nostalgia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the people on
the occasion of Baisakhi and the Odia New Year,
also known as Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti.

 Baisakhi marks the Sikh New Year and is a

spring harvest festival celebrated in Punjab
and other parts of north India.
 On Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti, people
consume ‘pana’, a traditional sweet and sour
drink made with raw mango and sugar. Public service broadcaster Prasar Bharti has
launched a new channel specifically dedicated to old
PM Modi Pays Tribute To Martyrs Of classics called DD Retro.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
 For now, DD Retro is airing the same shows
that DD National had brought back in the
wake of the covid-19 outbreak to keep
viewers engaged.
 Apart from mythological epics Ramayana
and Mahabharat, the classics revived on the
network are historical dramas Chanakya
directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi,
superhero series Shaktimaan, detective show
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Byomkesh Bakshi and many more.
"martyrs" who lost their lives in the Jallianwala Bagh  Last week, following the return of these
massacre. classics, Doordarshan emerged as the most
watched channel in India, with its viewership
 surpassing any other genre in the Hindi-
speaking markets when the mythological
epic, Ramayana was aired.
 In the last two weeks when the Ramanand
Sagar show, a favourite from the 1980s, was
telecast on DD, the 9am and 9pm slot
viewership grew 60 times.

HRD Minister launches web portal 'YUKTI'

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, Khadi and

Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has
successfully developed a double layered Khadi mask
and has procured orders for supplying it in large
quantities.

 KVIC Chairman V.K. Saxena said the

Commission is specifically using double
twisted Khadi fabric for manufacturing of
Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh these masks as it helps retain 70 per cent of
Pokhriyal Nishank has launched a web-portal the moisture content inside, while providing
YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with an easy passage for the air to pass through.
Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) in New  Mr Saxena added that these masks are special
Delhi. because they are made of hand-spun, hand-
woven khadi fabric which is breathable, easy
 The portal and dashboard will monitor and to reuse, washable and biodegradable.
record the efforts and initiatives of the  In order to make 7.5 lakh masks, around 75
Ministry of HRD. thousand meters of Khadi fabric will be used,
 It intends to cover different dimensions of which will further enhance livelihoods
COVID-19 challenges in a holistic and opportunities to the Khadi artisans.
comprehensive way.
 The Minister informed that it will cover the ‘Food Bank’ to help the poor and needy
various initiatives and efforts of the introduced in Manipur
institutions in academics, research especially
related to COVID, social initiatives and
measures taken for the betterment of the total
well being of the students.
 The portal will cover both qualitative and
quantitative parameters for effective delivery
of services to the academic community at
large.

KVIC successfully develops double layered Khadi

mask
In Manipur, a new initiative titled ‘Food Bank’ has
been introduced by the Imphal East District
Administration to provide immediate aid in the form
of free food to the poor and needy.
  These banks will provide food to the the Tamil calendar and traditionally
people who are facing scarcity of essential celebrated as a festival.
commodities due to the long statewide  Rongali or Bhoga Bihu is an important
lockdown in view of the threat of Assamese festival celebrating spring festival.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
 Distribution of food items, hand sanitisers Indian Army observes 36th Siachen Day on 13th
and face masks has already started to Drug April
Rehabilitation Centres and people living with
HIV located in Imphal East District.
 On the other hand, many donors from various
sections of society have responded positively
to the initiative.
 Officials, who will be managing the ‘Food
Bank’ have announced to the public that they
will distribute the items after proper
verification of the beneficiaries.

Vice President greets the nation on the occasion of The Indian Army observed the 36th Siachen Day on
Vaisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, Masadi, Vaishkhadi 13 April, remembering the gallant martyrs of
and Bhoga Bihu Siachen.

 Siachen Day commemorates the courage and

fortitude displayed by troops of the Indian
Army in securing the highest and coldest
battlefield in the world.
 On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army launched
''Operation Meghdoot'' to secure Bilafond La
and other passes on the Saltoro Ridgeline
from Pakistani aggression.
 Siachen lies in the Karakoram Range in
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu North-West India.
has wished the people on the occasion of Vaisakhi,  Siachen Glacier is 76.4 km long and covers
Vishu, Puthandu, Masadi, Vaishkhadi and Bhoga about 10,000 sq km of uninhabited terrain.
Bihu which are being celebrated in different parts of  It was in 1974 that Pakistan started permitting
the country on 13th and 14th April, 2020. mountaineering expeditions in the Siachen
Glacier.
 Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi is a
historical and religious festival in Sikhism Lockdown in the country is to be extended till 3rd
and Hinduism. It is usually celebrated on 13 May
or 14 April every year, which commemorates
the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors
under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
 Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated in the
South Indian state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu
region in Karnataka, bordering areas of Tamil
Nadu and their diaspora communities.
 Puthandu, also known as Puthuvarusham or
Tamil New Year, is the first day of year on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation IIT Bombay researchers get patent for smart
and announced that after considering all aspects the stethoscope "AyuDevice"
lockdown in the country is to be extended till 3rd
May.

 The Prime Minister lauds the patience and

discipline observed by citizens in making
lockdown successful.
 The Prime Minister said that tight Vigil has
to be kept on all hotspots and containment
zones.
 Every district will be analysed over the
number of hotspots till 20th April. A team at the Indian Institute of Technology of
 From 20th April, the restricted relaxations in Bombay (IIT-B) has developed a "digital
few districts will be allowed. stethoscope" "AyuDevice", that can listen to heart
beats from a distance and record them, minimising
Nation remembers Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar on the risk of healthcare professionals contracting the
his 129th birth anniversary novel coronavirus from patients.

 The data or the auscultated sound from a

patient's chest is wirelessly sent to the doctor
using Bluetooth, doing away with the need to
go near to take readings.
 The IIT-B team has received a patent for the
device that records the auscultated sound and
stores it as part of a patient's health record.
 The team has sent 1,000 stethoscopes to
different hospitals and healthcare centres
Nation remembers Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his across the country.
129th birth anniversary.
e-NAM completes four years of implementation
 Dr. Ambedkar is known as the chief architect
of the Indian Constitution and has been
bestowed with the country’s highest civilian
honor, Bharat Ratna in 1990 posthumously.
 Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar was born on
14th April, 1891 at Mhow, now known as Dr.
Ambedkar Nagar in Madhya Pradesh.
 Dr. Ambedkar was a known jurist,
economist, politician and social reformer
who worked hard throughout his life to end The pan-India Agriculture trading portal e-NAM
social discrimination against weaker sections completed four years of implementation on 14 April.
of the society.
 He became the first Law and Justice Minister  e-NAM helped in realising the vision of One
after the independence and played an Nation One Market for agri produce.
important role in drafting the Indian  e-NAM was launched by Prime Minister
Constitution and made provisions for Narendra Modi in 21 mandis on 14th April in
abolition of all forms of discrimination. 2016.
  More than 1.66 crore farmers and 1.28 Lakh  These computer enabled software systems
traders are registered on e-NAM platform. provide a total engineering solution from 2D
 Farmers are free to register on e-NAM portal drafting & detailing to 3D product design.
and they are uploading their produce for sale  The aim of this initiative is to provide a great
online to the traders across all e-NAM platform to students of Atal Tinkering Labs
mandis. (ATLs) across the country to create and
modify 3D designs with free flow of
Pohela Boishakh 2020: Bengali New Year creativity and imagination.
 This software would also enable students to
create data across the network and
concurrently access the same design data for
storage and visualization.
 CollabCAD is a great platform for students to
utilize indigenous, state-of-the-art made-in-
India software for 3D modeling/slicing to use
3D Printing.

Gregorian calendar, the Bengali New Year usually Ministry of Tourism launches its
falls around April 14 or April 15. "DekhoApnaDesh" webinar series

 This year Pohela Boishakh is celebrated on

April 14.

 On this day, Bengali traders community

opens new books of accounts named as 'Hal
Khata'.
 But due to ongoing lockdown, New Years
celebrations have been drastically curtailed
this year.
The Ministry of Tourism has launched its
"DekhoApnaDesh" webinar series.
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & National
Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launches
 The series have been started to provide
CollabCAD in ATL schools
information on the many destinations and the
sheer depth and expanse of the culture and
heritage of our Incredible India.
 The first webinar which is a part of this series
that shall unfold, touched upon the long
history of Delhi.
 The webinar was titled " City of Cities-
Delhi's Personal Diary'.
 The webinar shall be available in public
domain soon on the Ministry’s social media
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National handles- IncredibleIndia on Instagram and
Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launched a Facebook.
collaborative network, CollabCAD.  The next webinar is on the 16th of April from
11 am to 12 noon and shall take visitors to the
amazing City of Kolkata.
DRDO develops ‘COVSACK’ kiosk for COVID- Fit India and CBSE will organise first-ever live
19 sample collection fitness sessions for school students in the second
phase of lockdown.

 Live sessions will commence from 9:30 in

morning and students can get access to these
live sessions on Facebook and Instagram
handles of Fit India Movement and CBSE.
 During the programme guidelines of the
Ministry of AYUSH to stay healthy will be
shared with students.
 The live sessions will cover all aspects of
children’s fitness from daily workouts to
Defence Research & Development Laboratory yoga, nutrition to emotional well-being.
(DRDL), Hyderabad of Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO), has added Robots to serve food, medicine to COVID-19
another product to the portfolio to combat patients in Jharkhand
Coronavirus (COVID-19) by developing COVID
Sample Collection Kiosk (COVSACK).

 The COVSACK is a kiosk for use by

healthcare workers for taking COVID-19
samples from suspected infected patients.
 Patient under test walks into the Kiosk and a
nasal or oral swab is taken by a healthcare
professional from outside through the built in
gloves.
 The Kiosk is automatically disinfected
without the need for human involvement, ‘COBOT-Robotics’ Robots are serving food and
making the process free of infection spread. medicine to COVID-19 patients in two hospitals in
 The shielding screen of the kiosk cabin Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district.
protects the health care worker from the
aerosols/droplet transmission while taking  It is a step to protect doctors and health
the sample. workers from getting infected with
 The DRDO has designed and developed two coronavirus.
units and handed over these to ESIC Hospital,  Developed by District Deputy Development
Hyderabad after successful testing. Commissioner (DDC) Aditya Ranjan, the
remote-controlled ‘COBOT-Robotics’ will
Fit India, CBSE to organise 1st-ever live fitness provide food and medicine to patients
sessions for School students without human intervention.

e-comic Textbooks launched in Manipur

After releasing the country's first comic textbooks

primary classes, the electronic format of comic
textbooks for Class III, IV and V respectively was
formally launched in Manipur.
  The electronic format comic textbook for
each class comprises three subjects namely
Mathematics, Environmental Studies and
English Language in a single electronic
comic textbook format.
 Manipur had topped the list of the best
performing smaller states in NITI Aayog’s
school education quality Index.

UP to become first state to start pool testing of The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said
COVID-19 samples India and China are the only two major countries,
which will register a positive growth rate despite the
Coronavirus pandemic.

 In its latest edition of the World Economy

report, IMF has projected India's GDP
growth to be 1.9 per cent in 2020 from 5.8 per
cent in January.
 For China, it has projected a growth rate of
1.2 per cent.
 The IMF said, despite the global economy
hitting the worst recession since the Great
Depression of 1930s, India and China are
As the number of Covid-19 positive patients in Uttar likely to bounce back strongly in 2021 with
Pradesh increased, the state government decided to India expected to grow at 7.4 per cent and
start pool testing of the coronavirus samples. China at 9.2 per cent.
 Most countries in the advanced economy
 The Indian Council of Medical Research group are forecast to contract this year,
(ICMR) gave permission for pool testing to including the US, Japan, the United
the state in order to help maximise the testing Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
of samples on a daily basis.
 During pool testing, if 10 samples are mixed HDFC Chairman pushes for restructuring of
and tested for Covid-19 and if they test NPA norms
negative, then it will be an indicator that all
samples are negative.
 But if the test is not negative, then individual
testing will be done. This will increase the
testing capacity as well as accelerate the
process.
 The health department at the moment is
testing around 2000 samples per day in the
state.
HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh pushed for a one-
India, China will register positive growth rate time restructuring of stressed real estate accounts and
despite Coronavirus pandemic: IMF relaxation in classification of NPA norms to 180 days
from 90 days to help the sector.
  Unless the stressed accounts are restructured,
financial institutions will find it difficult to
provide additional liquidity to the sector.
 Most of the developers are in a stressful
situation and many of them are NPAs or will
become NPAs.
 Recommendation has already been made to
the RBI for the restructuring following which
real estate developers can be given additional
money. A consignment of 550,000 antibody testing kits and
 Under the RBI norms, an account is classified 100,000 RNA extraction kits was dispatched by
as a NPA if it is not serviced for 90 days. Chinese firms to India.

Air India flight carrying four tonnes of medical  They will be used in the country’s efforts to
items arrives in Seychelles prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.
 The consignment includes part of the large
orders placed by India for medical supplies
and equipment with Chinese firms.
 Chinese companies have been contracted for
nearly 15 million personal protective
equipment (PPE) kits comprising gowns,
gloves, masks and goggles, and 1.5 million
rapid testing kits for Covid-19 by the Indian
government and private companies

Spitting in public now an offence under Disaster

An Air India flight carrying four tonnes of medical
Management Act
items including essential lifesaving medicines being
gifted to Seychelles arrived at Victoria airport.

 The flight carried 4 tonnes of medical items

being gifted to Seychelle.
 It said the medicines have been requested by
the Seychelles government.
 India has reached out to countries in its
neighbourhood and beyond with help in the
form of medicines and other things as they
battle with the coronavirus pandemic.
 The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115
Union Home Ministry has made spitting in public
islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa.
without caring as a punishable offence under the
 Seychelles Capital: Victoria
strict Disaster Management Act in its revised
 Currency: Seychellois rupee
guidelines for lockdown.
China dispatched total of 650,000 kits to India
 The guidelines issued by the ministry also
make wearing of face masks in public places
mandatory.
  The Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation Tata AIA becomes the first Life Insurance
has imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 if anyone is company to announce Additional Benefits
caught spitting in public. Related to COVID-19
 Similar measures are also in place in
municipal corporations of Delhi, and several
other states.

IMD announces that it expects monsoon rainfall

to be normal this year

Tata AIA Life Insurance announced additional

benefits for its Policyholders and Agents.

 As part of Tata AIA Life's initiative, its

individual policyholders will get COVID-19
related additional benefits up to Rs 500,000
at no additional cost.
 Further, to extend the Circle of Protection to
The India Meteorological Department (IMD)
its own Agents, all 'active' Agents of Tata
announced that it expects monsoon rainfall to be
AIA Life Insurance along with their spouse
normal this year.
and children will be reimbursed up to Rs
25,000 in case of hospitalisation due to
 Southwest monsoon seasonal (June to
COVID-19.
September) rainfall over the country as a
 This is a first of its kind initiative in India.
whole is likely to be normal (96-104%).
 All policyholders of Tata AIA will get an
 It said that quantitatively, the monsoon
additional benefit equal to the base sum
seasonal (June to September) rainfall is likely
assured or Rs 500,000 whichever is lower for
to be 100% of the Long Period Average
valid death claims due to COVID-19.
(LPA) with a model error of 5%.
 This benefit is applicable for all valid death
 The LPA of the season rainfall over the
claims with a date of death on or before June
country as a whole for the period 1961-2010
30 2020.
is 88 cm.
 Monsoons are expected to hit Kerala's
Centre unveils PUSA decontamination, sanitizing
Thiruvananthapuram on June 1.
tunnel
 Monsoons are expected to withdraw in south
India on October 15.
 Neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation
(ENSO) conditions are prevailing over the
Pacific Ocean and Neutral Indian Ocean
Dipole (IOD) conditions are prevailing over
the Indian Ocean.
 IMD will issue the updated forecasts in the
last week of May/ first week of June as a part
of the second stage forecast.
Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary detoxified by any chemical or biological
inaugurated a 'PUSA decontamination and sanitizing processes.
tunnel' developed by the government research body  The health hazards associated with heavy
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in the metal ions in water demands the development
national capital. of efficient and portable sensors for rapid
onsite detection of these ions.
 The sanitization protocol includes hand  A team of researchers led by Dr. Pralay K.
washing with foot operated soap and water Santra have developed a compact solid-state
dispenser and fogging in a sanitizing tunnel sensor to detect the heavy metal ions, e.g.,
for 20 seconds. lead ions (Pb2) down to 0.4 parts per billion
 In this tunnel, Quaternary Ammonium (ppb) for efficient onsite detection.
Compounds (QAC) are used at
concentrations of 0.045 per cent, which is Bihar Reports 3 Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
recommended by the health department. Cases
 The Indian Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI), commonly known as the Pusa
Institute, is India's national Institute for
agricultural research, education and
extension.
 The name Pusa Institute is derived from the
fact that the institute was originally located in
Pusa Bihar as the Imperial Institute of
Agricultural Research in 1911.
 Indian Agricultural Research Institute HQ:
New Delhi Amid coronavirus outbreak, Bihar has now reported
9 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome cases, also
CeNS develops a compact solid-state sensor to known as brain fever.
detect the heavy metal ions in water
 Last month, a three-year-old boy died due to
acute encephalitis syndrome at ICU of state-
run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital
(SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur around 48 hours
after his admission.
 Last year over 140 children had died due to
AES in the district.
 As per official data, 121 deaths were reported
at the government-run SKMCH, which
handled the largest number of patients in the
The Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences
district.
(CeNS) has developed a compact solid-state sensor
 AES is a viral disease that causes flu-like
to detect the heavy metal ions in water.
symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and
in extreme cases, brain dysfunction, seizure,
 It is a portable device which can help onsite
and inflammation of the heart and kidney.
detection in remote areas.
 Heavy metal ions such as lead, mercury and
Viswanathan Anand joins WWF India as
cadmium pose severe potential threats to
ambassador for environment education
living beings as they can easily be
accumulated in the body and cannot be
  CSIR along with Gujarat-based pharma-giant
Cadila Healthcare Ltd would be working on
Mw vaccine for Covid-19.
 Three hospitals will also be involved in this
clinical trial which includes AIIMS Delhi,
AIIMS Bhopal and PGI Chandigarh.
 The objective of the study is to carry out
controlled clinical trials to compare the
efficacy and safety in Covid-19 positive
patients but not the ones who are critical.
 The immune-boosting drug which was
developed in 1966 by Indians as an anti-
Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan leprosy drug has found some success in the
Anand has joined WWF (World Wide Fund) India as cure for TB, cancer, and warts.
its ambassador for the environment education
programme. DRDO innovates automatic sanitiser and
ultraviolet devices to fight coronavirus
 WWF India is celebrating its 50 years of
conservation in India.
 In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,
governments, development organisations,
corporates and individuals around the world
are doing their bit to prevent the spread of the
disease.
 The environment education programme
currently reaches out to over 5,00,000
children across 2000 schools in the country.
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation introduced two new technologies that
CSIR to begin trial on anti-leprosy drug are aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

 These two are Automatic Mist Based

Sanitiser Dispensing Unit and UV
Sanitisation Box and Hand-held UV device.
 Ultraviolet device, which is hand held, can
disinfect office and house objects like chairs,
files and food packets.
 It also comes as a box, which has been
designed to disinfect personal belongings
Council Of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) such as mobile phones, files and wallet.
 Automatic mist based sanitiser dispensing
is slated to begin clinical trials on the anti-leprosy
vaccine called Mw (Mycobacterium w) to see if it unit is a contactless sanitiser dispenser, which
can be used as a vaccine against coronavirus. sprays alcohol based hand sanitiser, for use at
the entry of buildings and office complexes.
 Mw is a cousin of BCG and it has been used
as a vaccine for leprosy. IIT -Ropar designs ‘WardBot’ to deliver food,
medicines to COVID-19 patients
 Rapid Response Teams of doctors, specialists
and testing equipment, medical supplies as
well as capacity building and exchange of
best practices amongst health care
professionals.
 A series of such free and interactive training
programmes have been made available for
SAARC countries.
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of  These will help exchange best practices and
Technology (IIT), Ropar in Punjab’s Rupnagar connect healthcare professionals and
district has come up with a design of an autonomous providers across the SAARC region.
‘WardBot’ which can deliver medicines and food to
COVID-19 patients in isolation wards without Rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases improves to
human intervention. 6.2 days from three days due to Lockdown

 Its deployment in hospitals will help in

minimising the risk of the frontline health
staff getting infected with the deadly virus.
 Based on the smart line following, WardBot,
fitted with sensors, can work on a known path
and can carry food items and medicines for
delivery at different beds to patients in a
ward.
 WardBot also has a feature of self-sanitising India has been doing better than many other countries
on the return path and could be used for on outcome ratio- the ratio of number of COVID-19
sanitising walls of the hospitals. recoveries Vs number of deaths.

MEA announces COVID-19 training programme  India’s doubling rate was about 3 days,
for SAARC countries, first session held by before the lockdown.
AIIMS-Raipur  For the past 7 days, the doubling rate is 6.2
Days.
 19 states have shown a higher doubling rate
better than the national average.
 Indian government has set up 1,919 dedicated
COVID Hospitals and COVID Health
Centres have been set up in the country, with
capacity of 1.73 lakh isolation beds and
21,800 ICU beds.

India has announced a capacity building programme Rajasthan claims to be first State in country to
for healthcare professionals in SAARC countries to carry out Rapid Testing for COVID-19
assist them in their fight against coronavirus and an
e-ITEC short training live webinar was held by In Rajasthan, Health minister Raghu Sharma claimed
AIIMS-Raipur. that it became the first state in the country to carry
out Rapid Testing for COVID-19.
 India is assisting SAARC countries in their
fight against COVID-19 by having set up a  Beginning, 52 persons were tested and all the
USD 10 million fund, helping them with 52 persons tested negative.
  Health minister Raghu Sharma told that this  Air India has said that in the light of the
test will be done at a large scale to assess the ongoing global health concerns, it has
prevalence of COVID-19 in hotspots - both currently stopped accepting bookings on all
in the containment and the buffer zones domestic flights for travel till 3rd of May and
around the clusters. on all international flights for travel till 31st
 In addition to rapid testing, PCR based testing of May.
will continue to be done in an aggressive  This means the national carrier's domestic
manner in the containment zones all over and international flights will remain
Rajasthan. suspended during this period.

Delhi government launched 'Assess Koro Na' app Postal employees to get Rs 10 lakh compensation
for door-to-door survey in containment zones in case they succumb to COVID-19

The Delhi government has asked officials to use the All postal employees, including Gramin Dak Sevaks,
new 'Assess Koro Na' app for door-to-door survey in will get Rs 10 lakh compensation in case they
COVID-19 containment zones. succumb to COVID-19.

 Officials say the delay in collecting and  The postal services come under essential
analysing the data of a person in a physical services and apart from regular services, the
form is a major challenge. post offices are also delivering food packets,
 With this app, the data collected can be rations and essential medicines, among
uploaded on the servers in real-time and others, across the country by liasioning with
immediately analyse. local administration and police.
 This will help the control centres in making a  The above guidelines have been implemented
quick decision on the requirement of immediately and continues for the entire
ambulances and other medical equipment and period till the crises of COVID-19 is over.
personnel in the area.  COVID-19 के मामले में डाक कममचारियों को 10
 During the process, surveyors ask questions लाख रुपये का मुआवजा ममलना
like travel history, contact history, flu-like
symptoms and shortness of breath. CSIR-CFTRI’s protein-enriched biscuits reach
COVID-19 patients
Air India announces opening of bookings for
select Domestic flights for travel from 4th May; The Mysuru-based CSIR-Central Food
International Flights to start from 1st June Technological Research Institute (CRTRI) has made
available high-protein biscuits to the COVID-19
Air India has announced that it has opened bookings patients undergoing treatment in the All India
for select Domestic flights for travel from 4th of May Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi.
and for International Flights from 1st of June this
year.
  CFTRI supplied 500 kg of high-protein
biscuits and 500 kg of high-protein rusks to
the Dietetics department of AIIMS to supply
to the patients.
 The biscuits contain 14% of protein while
usual biscuits contain around 8-9% protein.
 A 100-g packet of biscuits clearly pack a
punch with its energy quotient of 400 kcal
and its nutritional value: carbohydrate (63.2
g), protein (14 g), fat (17.1 g) and minerals CSIR constituent Lab in Bengaluru, CSIR-National
(1.2 g). Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), along with
 The biscuits are being manufactured in MAF Clothing Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru has developed
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, by Seven Seas Private and certified the overall protective coverall suit.
Limited based on the formulation developed
by CSIR-CFTRI.  The polyproplylene spun laminated multi-
layered non-woven fabric based coverall can
Union Minister for Culture launches the National be used to ensure the safety of Doctors,
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Nurses, Paramedical staff and Health Care
workers working round the clock on COVID-
19 mitigation.
 The Coveralls have gone through stringent
testing at SITRA, Coimbatore and have been
qualified for use.
 CSIR-NAL and MAF have plans to augment
the production capacity to about 30,000 units
per day within four weeks’ time.

Union Minister for Culture Prahlad Singh Patel Odisha to re-telecast videos of online EDUSAT
launched the National List of Intangible Cultural classes for Class X Students
Heritage (ICH) of India in New DelhI.

 India houses a repository of unique Intangible

Cultural Heritage(ICH) traditions, 13 of
which have also been recognized by
UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity.
 The National ICH List is an attempt to
recognize the diversity of Indian culture
embedded in its intangible heritage.
 This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 In Odisha, the government has decided to re-telecast
of the Ministry of Culture. the recorded videos of online EDUSAT classes for
Class X students on Doordarshan in view of
CSIR-NAL develop Personal Protective Coverall lockdown situation due to the COVID-19.
Suit to Combat COVID-19
 The recorded videos of online EDUSAT
classes are available with Odisha Space
Applications Centre (ORSAC).
  A total of 34 videos will be telecast on Featuring India's most revered cricketers such as
Doordarshan Odia channel till 12 May. Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, the BCCI has
 The subjects that will be taught include created a new video to promote wearing masks in
Mathematics, science, social science, English public places and help the country battle the COVID-
and Geography. 19 pandemic.

Punjab develops Chatbot with Facebook to  The 'Team Mask Force' has been created to
answer queries on COVID-19 spread awareness about wearing masks in
public places.
 The video has messages from BCCI President
Sourav Ganguly, Smriti Mandhana, Rohit
Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Harmanpreet
Kaur, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and
Mithali Raj, all of them speaking about the
importance of wearing masks and following
the directives of the government in this fight.

Facebook launches third party fact checking in

Bangladesh

A Chatbot has been developed by the Punjab

government in collaboration with Facebook to keep
the people of the state updated about information
regarding the COVID-19.

 This Chatbot is based on an advanced

artificial intelligence language system to give
an immediate reply to frequently raised
queries regarding COVID-19.
 This Chatbot is available on the Facebook Facebook announced the launch of its third party fact
page of Punjab government. checking system in Bangladesh to discourage the
 The state government has also launched a spread of fake news in the country.
special helpline for citizens to connect with a
 Facebook in partnership with Boom Fact
network of senior doctors over
teleconference and get medical advice on check will review and rate the stories.
 It will debunk misinformation on topics from
coronavirus and other related concerns.
health and medicine to current affairs so that
BCCI Creates 'Team Mask Force' Facebook users in Bangladesh are able to
identify factual information and news online.
 When third party fact-Checkers rate a post as
false or fake, it will appear less or at the
bottom of the news feed. This will reduce the
spread of the post.
 Boom is an Indian fact checking website
which is available in English, Hindi and
Bengali.
  Facebook started its fact-checking  Under it, they have been allowed to go to
programme in 2016 and now it covers 60 places of work within a state with certain
partners in 50 languages. conditions.
 The SOP said, in the event that a group of
ARI researchers develop bug sniffer for efficient migrants wish to return to their places of
detection of pathogens work within the state where they are
presently located, they will be screened and
those who are asymptomatic will be
transported to their respective places of work.
 During the journey by bus, it will be ensured
that safe social-distancing norms are
followed and the buses are sanitized as per
guidelines of the health authorities.

IIA scientists connect Lithium abundance in

interstellar space to new Lithium rich red giants

Researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute

(ARI), Pune have developed a sensitive and low-cost
sensor to rapidly detect bacteria.

 The device has been called as ‘bug sniffer,’.

 The portable device can detect as low as ten
bacterial cells from a sample size of one
milliliter in just 30 minutes.
 The bug sniffer is affordable, and the raw Researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
materials required for making it are readily (IIA) have discovered hundreds of Li-rich giant stars
available. indicating that Li is being produced in the stars and
accounts for its abundance in the interstellar medium.
Home Ministry issues guidelines for movement of
stranded migrant labourers for their work  They have also associated such Li
engagement within States and Uts enhancement with central He-burning stars,
also known as red clump giants, thereby
opening up new vistas in the evolution of the
red giant stars.
 Lithium (Li), is one of the three primordial
elements, apart from Hydrogen and Helium
(He), produced in the big bang
nucleosynthesis (BBN).
 However, the present measurement of Li in
the interstellar medium and very young stars
is about 4 times more than the primordial
value.
The Home Ministry issued Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP) for the movement of stranded Telangana extends lockdown period till May 7
migrant labourers for their engagement in industrial,
manufacturing, construction, farming and MNREGA
works within States and Union Territories where
they are currently located.
 Civil Services Day: 21 April

The Telangana government has decided to extend

lock down till 7th of May.
The National civil services day is observed on April
 The state cabinet also decided not to give any 21.
exemption to any sector as suggested by the
Central Government.  The civil service system is the backbone of
 Night curfew and all other restrictions under the administrative machinery of the country.
implementation in the state will continue till  The civil servants are responsible for
7th of May. implementing all the government policies
 CM also asked air travellers not to come to and schemes successfully up to the root level.
Telangana till 7th May as lock down will  April 21 was chosen to be celebrated as Civil
continue. Service Day to commemorate the day when
the first Home Minister of Independent India,
Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to geotag Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the
community kitchens probationers of Administrative Services
Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi.
 In his address, he called Civil Servants, the
'steel frame of India'.

Sown area of summer crops registers 36% rise

over previous year

Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in the

country to geotag its 7,368 community kitchens and
community shelters across 75 districts which
produce 12 lakh food packets a day.

 The state government has also tied up with

Google to 'Geo-map' the locations of all these
The government said that the sown area of summer
establishments on the Google Maps app for
crops has registered an increase of 36 per cent over
ease of beneficiaries.
the previous year.
 Out of these 7,368 community kitchens, 668
are being run by NGOs and religious
 The rise has been mainly observed in rice
institutions.
 More than two crore food packets have been cultivation.
 Farming operations have been exempted
distributed in Uttar Pradesh since March 25.
from lockdown, but social distancing
 measures have to be maintained while doing Madhya Pradesh Anganwadi workers, Assistants
farming related work. to get benefit of Chief Minister COVID-19
 The “Krishi Rath App” was launched to help Yoddha Kalyan Yojana
farmers find the right transport services for
their harvested food grains.
 The food grain production has been fixed at
an ambitious 298 million tonnes at the
recently held Kharif Conference 2020.

HRD Minister reviews National online education

platform 'SWAYAM'

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.
 It is noteworthy that a special insurance
scheme has been launched by the Central
Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Government for health workers who are
'Nishank' held a detailed review of the National fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic.
online education platform SWAYAM and the 32  Anganwadi workers are taking risks by
DTH Television Education Channels SWAYAM conducting door-to-door surveys in every
PRABHA in New Delhi. district. Besides, they are also visiting from
house to house for provide nutritional food to
 In the lockdown condition there has been a the children.
tremendous increase in demand and the usage  In such a situation, they have contact with
of SWAYAM Courses and SWAYAM many people, which pose a risk of corona
PRABHA videos. infection. Therefore, they should be given the
 The Ministry in a statement said that 1902 benefit of this insurance scheme.
courses are available currently in SWAYAM,
which have been offered to 1.56 crore Himachal Pradesh to provide free online medical
students since launch. consultation to sick people through e-sanjeevani-
 It was decided that all the 1900 SWAYAM opd
Courses and 60 thousand SWAYAM
PRABHA videos would be translated into ten
regional languages and made available to the
students so that more benefits can be derived
from the same.
 On SWAYAM PRABHA, the Ministry said
that it is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted
to telecasting high-quality educational
programmes on 24X7 basis using the GSAT-
15 satellite. In order to provide health services in the wake of
COVID-19 Pandemic, the Himachal Pradesh Health
Department has come up with a unique idea of  The G-20 nations resolved to have
providing free online medical consultation to sick international cooperation in the backdrop of
people at their residence through e-sanjeevani-opd. the Covid-19 pandemic, to avoid food
wastage and losses, and maintain the
 This free online health service has been continuity of the food supply value chain
started throughout the state and now people across borders.
can consult to take health advice from the
doctors of different medical colleges from Dr Harsh Vardhan launches COVID INDIA
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM on all working days. SEVA to provide solutions to coronavirus queries
 In view of COVID-19 pandemic sick people
were feeling uncomfortable to visit hospitals,
hence for this, the state government with the
health department has come up with an idea
of 'esanjeevaniopd' through which general
health advice will be provided to the people
at their residence throughout the state.
 To take advantage of this facility one should
have a computer, laptop, tablet with webcam
mike, speaker and internet connection.
The Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh
Agriculture minister joins G-20 meet over Covid- Vardhan has launched an interactive platform,
19 impact on food safety ‘COVID INDIA SEVA’ aimed at providing real time
solutions to Covid-19 related queries.

 People can post their queries to the COVID

INDIA SEVA twitter handle for getting swift
replies from the team of trained experts.
 This initiative is aimed at enabling
transparent e-governance delivery at large
scales especially in crisis situations like the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
 The responses by the experts will be available
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar for everyone and users will not be required to
participated in a virtual meeting of G-20 Agriculture share any personal details or health records
Ministers to address the issue of Covid-19 impacts on this account.
on food security, safety and nutrition.
Third edition of Gujarat’s ''Sujalam Sufalam Jal
 The G-20 Agriculture Ministers virtual Sanchay Abhiyan'' begins
meeting was organized through video
conferencing by the Saudi Presidency to
deliberate on the ways and means of ensuring
continuity of the food supply value chain
including livelihood of farmers.
 Agriculture Ministers of all G-20 members
and the representatives of some guest
countries and International organizations
attended the meeting.
Amid the lockdown for the coronavirus outbreak, Pune's mobile App 'Saiyam' tracks home
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani gave the green quarantined citizens
signal for the third edition of his government''s
''Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan''.

 This is a conservation plan to deepen water

bodies in the state before monsoon.
 The scheme, which will continue till June 10,
will see the deepening of lakes, check dams
and rivers by removing silt, and it will be
done with people''s participation as well as
under MGNREGA. A mobile application named Saiyam has been
 Apart from maintaining social distancing, developed by the Pune Municipal Corporation under
local authorities need to provide masks and Smart Cities Mission to effectively track the home-
sanitizers to the workers. quarantined citizens and ensure that they are staying
 The scheme was started in 2018 after a weak in the home.
monsoon, and till date, the state''s water
storage capacity has increased by 23,000 lakh  The city administration has appointed
cubic feet due to deepening of lakes, check- dedicated teams for five zones to conduct a
dams, rivers and reservoirs. follow-up with people under home
quarantine on a daily basis.
Manipur becomes second state after Goa to be  The teams will also check if those under
Corona free home quarantine have downloaded the
Saiyam Mobile Application.
 The Mobile Application has GPS tracking so
that whenever quarantined citizens leave
their homes, City Administration gets ed and
the local ward or the local police station gets
informed.
 All the Home Quarantined citizens are given
the mandate to download the app and install
it.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has declared
the state now has no COVID-19 active case as the Remittances likely to plunge 20 % amid Covid-19
second coronavirus patient was discharged from pandemic: World Bank
hospital after he tested negative for the deadly virus.

 Though the State has no COVID-19 active

case now but people should keep vigil all the
time.
 Manipur had two confirmed COVID-19
cases but both the patients, a 23-year-old
woman and a 65-year-old man have
recovered and have been discharged from
hospital.
 Goa was declared a Corona free State a few
days back. The World Bank said that the remittances are
expected to plunge by about 20 percent globally this
year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
  In its report, the Bank said the biggest decline  In case of grievous injuries, the accused can
in recent history, as closures cause a global be sentenced from 6 months to 7 years and
recession and job losses that prevent workers they can also be penalized from one lakh to 5
from sending money to their families back lakh rupees.
home.  If damage is done to the vehicles or clinics of
 Developing countries are losing a key source healthcare workers, then a compensation
of revenue as the coronavirus pandemic amounting to twice the market value of the
causes worldwide shutdowns, sharply damaged property will be taken from the
reducing payments from workers living accused.
abroad.
 The report mentioned that total remittances, HRD Minister launches ‘VidyaDaan 2.0’ for
which comprise up to one-third of the inviting e-learning content contributions
economies of some poor countries, are
expected to fall to 445 billion dollar from 554
billion dollar in 2019.

Cabinet approves ordinance making acts of

violence against health care workers as
cognizable, non-bailable offences

Human Resources and Development Minister

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched the national
program VidyaDaan 2.0 for inviting e-learning
Content contributions in New Delhi.

 The programme has been launched due to the

increasing requirement for e-learning content
for students in both school and higher
education especially in the backdrop of the
situation arising out of COVID-19.
The Union Cabinet has approved promulgation of  VidyaDaan is a common national programme
Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, to develop and contribute e-learning content
1897 in the light of COVID-19 pandemic situation and a chance to be recognized nationally.
making acts of violence against the healthcare  VidyaDaan is conceptualised as a common
workers as cognizable and non-bailable offences. national program for individuals and
organizations across the country to contribute
 Under it , there is a provision to provide e-learning resources for both school and
compensation for injury to healthcare service higher education to ensure continuity of
personnel or for causing damage or loss to the quality learning.
property.  He said that the content will be used on the
 In the cases of attack on healthcare workers DIKSHA app to help millions of children
will be completed within 30 days and across the country to continue their learning
judgment will be pronounced within anytime and anywhere.
one year.  The DIKSHA Platform of the Ministry has
 The accused of the attack can attract a been operating since 2017 with more than 30
punishment ranging from 3 months to 5 years States and Union Territories leveraging
and a fine from 50 thousand rupees to 2 lakh DIKSHA for augmenting teaching and
rupees. learning processes.
Govt sanctions Rs15000 cr investment for 'India  The report states that the test, named Feluda
COVID-19 Emergency Response & Health after a fictional sleuth created by filmmaker
System Preparedness Package' and writer Satyajit Ray, was developed by
two scientists - Dr Souvik Maiti and Dr
Debojyoti Chakraborty.
 It is expected to cost around Rs 500 against
the usual RT-PCR test that costs Rs 4,500 in
private labs.

BRO constructs permanent bridge on Ravi

connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to rest of
country

The Union Cabinet gave its post facto approval for

significant investments to the tune of 15 thousand
crore rupees for 'India COVID-19 Emergency
Response and Health System Preparedness Package'.

 The funds sanctioned will be utilized in 3

Phases.
 Out of the total amount, seven thousand 774
crore rupees has been provisioned for
immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has
and rest for medium-term support of one to constructed and opened a new permanent bridge on
four years to be provided under mission mode the river Ravi connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab
approach. to the rest of the country.
 Three thousand crore rupees has been
released under the Package to States for  The 484-meter bridge was built by 141 Drain
strengthening of existing health facilities as Maintenance Coy of 49 Border Roads Task
COVID Dedicated Hospitals, Dedicated Force (BRTF) of Project Chetak.
COVID Health Center and Dedicated  The bridge costing Rs 17.89 crore excluding
COVID Care Centers. the approaches, consist of 16 cells of 30.25-
 Orders for procurement of 13 lakhs metre length each.
diagnostic kits have been placed to augment  The BRO had planned to open the Kasowal
COVID 19 testing. bridge in time for Vaisakhi so that the farmers
 All health workers have been covered with could transport their harvest to the market
insurance under the “Pradhan Mantri Garib comfortably.
Kalyan Package.
JKSLSA launches helpline under 'Serve-the-
IGIB scientists develop low cost COVID-19 test Seniors Initiative' for senior citizens
'Feluda'
While the entire world is facing the threat of COVID-
Scientists working at the Council of Scientific & 19, the senior citizens have been identified as the
Industrial Research, Institute of Genomics and most vulnerable segment of the society.
Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) have developed a
low-cost test which can detect the coronavirus within  In this context, Jammu and Kashmir State
an hour. legal Services Authority (JKSLSA) has
 launched a helpline under 'Serve-the-Seniors
Initiative'.
 The objective of starting this helpline is to
help and facilitate the senior citizens who live
alone and are unable to step out to get
medicines, groceries and other essentials in
this hour of crisis.
 The initiative has been taken realizing the
fact that the elderly are doubly affected by the
COVID lockdown and are not only
vulnerable to contracting the virus in view of The Supreme Court held that 100 per cent reservation
their old age but are in tremendous difficulty of teachers belonging to the Scheduled Tribe
to manage their day to day needs like category at schools situated in "Scheduled Areas" is
groceries and medicines. constitutionally invalid.

Karnataka govt launches "Apthamitra" helpline  A 5 judge Constitution bench led by Justice
and app to fight COVID-19 Arun Mishra quashed the Government order
issued under the hand of Governor of State of
Andhra Pradesh which had affirmed absolute
reservation for ST teachers and imposed costs
on both Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
Government's, seeking reasons from the
Government for breaching the 50% ceiling in
reservations.
 The Court has also reiterated the Indira
Sawhney Judgement, according to which
Reservations are constitutionally valid if they
do not go beyond 50%.
The Karnataka government launched "Apthamitra"
helpline with an exclusive toll free number and a
National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April
mobile app, aimed at providing required medical
advice and guidance for those in need.

 If anyone has symptoms of coronavirus, they

can call the helpline from their home, get
medical advice or assistance and get their
doubts cleared.
 Based on the symptoms, an expert team of
doctors will advice on what to do next.
 The 'Apthamitra' helpline will work from 8
In India, April 24 is considered historic as it is
AM to 8 PM, with helpline Centers at six
observed as National Panchayati Raj Day.
locations in Bengaluru (four centers), Mysore
and Mangalore (Bantwal).
 Every year the day is celebrated since the
passing of the Constitution Act (73rd
SC quashes order providing 100% reservation to
Amendment), 1992 came into force from 24
ST candidates in scheduled areas of Andhra
April, 1993.
Pradesh
  Each year to celebrate the inception of Unique and first of its kind facility in the country, a
decentralised power, National Panchayati Raj Mobile Virology Diagnostics and Research
Day is celebrated. Laboratory has been inaugurated in Hyderabad at the
 Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is ESI medical college.
credited with laying the foundation of
Panchayati Raj institutions in order to take  Developed by the DRDO, the Biosafety
democracy to the grassroots level. level-3 laboratory can test thousand samples
for Coronavirus daily and can scale up to
CSIR's IMMT develops foot-operated wash 2000 in future.
basins  The laboratory also has a facility to trial drugs
and conduct research on Coronavirus.
 The laboratory has been developed in less
than two weeks.

Manipur govt commemorates ‘Khongjom Day’

In the time of the coronavirus crisis, CSIR's Institute

of Minerals and Materials Technology has come up
with foot-operated wash basins.

 These basins will be installed in Mumbai's

Dharavi, a densely-populated slum area
which has so far reported 189 cases of the
infection. The Manipur state government commemorated
 These wash basins are such that users do not ‘Khongjom Day’ at Khongjom War Memorial
have to use their hands to get water or soap, Complex, on 23rd April.
thus helping in minimising the chance of
coronavirus spread.  The Khongjom Day is celebrated every year
 Designed by IMMT scientist P C Deuria and on April 23 by the State government to pay
technical officer R K Mondal the foot- tribute to the war heroes of Anglo-Manipuri
operated machine has pedals. War 1891 who had sacrificed their lives
 Pressing one will dispense soap, while fighting against the British to protect freedom
another will release water. of Manipur.
 The site is about 35 KM south of Imphal in
India's first Mobile Virology Diagnostics and Thoubal district where the battle was fight
Research Laboratory inaugurated in Hyderabad between Manipuri and British.

UP becomes first state with in-house facility of

virtual courts

Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to have the

requisite infrastructure in all its courts for hearing
cases through video conferencing.
  The Allahabad High Court took a number of
initiatives to facilitate court proceedings
through video conferencing.
 Recently a software has been installed in the
high court and district courts of the state.
 The Allahabad High Court and all district
courts of Uttar Pradesh can now conduct
multiple court proceedings through virtual
courts within the court premises without any
internet connectivity.
The government has decided to amend the
World Bank approves Rs 585 cr for Himachal insolvency law to suspend up to one year provisions
Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project that trigger insolvency proceedings against
defaulters.

 The amendments to the IBC (Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Code) would pave the way for
banks to restructure loans.
 The coronavirus outbreak and the nationwide
lockdown to curb spreading of infections
have significantly impacted economic
activities and the latest decision in a way
provides more leeway for corporate
borrowers in repaying their loans.
 As per existing norms, if a payment default
The World Bank has approved 82 million US dollars exceeds 90 days then the lender concerned
(585 crore rupees) for the Himachal Pradesh State has to refer the account for resolution under
Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) for IBC or any other mechanism permitted by the
upgradation of major roads and modernization of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The lender does
Public Works Department in the state. not have the option to restructure the loan.
 Currently, RBI norms prohibit restructuring
 The work of construction and maintenance of of loans and resolution has to be done under
road projects in the State has been adversely IBC.
affected due to the lockdown in the wake of
the COVID-19 pandemic. NASA develops ‘VITAL’ ventilator specifically to
 The target of construction of 900 kilometres treat COVID-19 patients
road length was fixed for the year 2019-20
but 800 kilometres roads could be
constructed during the outbreak of
coronavirus.
 On the other hand 1666 crore rupees had been
allocated for target construction of 4960
kilometres of roads under Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) for the year
2020-21.

Govt to suspend IBC provisions up to 1-year

NASA engineers have developed a new, easy-to-  Also, it will enable officials to work from
build high-pressure ventilator tailored specifically to home.
treat COVID-19 patients.
IIT Delhi develops COVID-19 dashboard
 The device called VITAL (Ventilator ‘PRACRITI’ that accounts for the basic
Intervention Technology Accessible Locally) reproduction number
passed a critical test this week at the Icahn
School of Medicine in New York.
 NASA added that VITAL is designed to treat
patients with milder symptoms, thereby
keeping the country's limited supply of
traditional ventilators available for patients
with more severe COVID-19 symptoms.
 NASA is now seeking FDA approval for the
device via an emergency use authorization.
 VITAL can be built faster and maintained
more easily than a traditional ventilator, and
IIT Delhi researchers have developed a web-based
is composed of far fewer parts, many of
dashboard for predicting the spread of COVID-19 in
which are currently available to potential
India.
manufacturers through existing supply
chains.
 The mobile-friendly dashboard, named as
PRACRITI (PRediction and Assessment of
CISF launches ''e-karyalay'' app for movement of
CoRona Infections and Transmission in
files
India), gives detailed state-wise and district-
wise predictions of COVID-19 cases in India.
 The projections are given for a three-week
period, which is updated on a weekly basis.
 The researchers believe that such a platform
will be highly useful for healthcare bodies,
local and central authorities, to efficiently
plan for different future scenarios and
resource allocation.
 A key parameter of interest on COVID-19 is
the basic reproduction number R0 and its
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has countrywide variability.
launched an e-office application, that enables  R0 refers to the number of people to whom
movement of files and documents without physical the disease spreads from a single infected
touch. person.
 PRACRITI provides the R0 values of each
 The app has been launched for usage in the district and state in India based on the data
1.62 lakh personnel-strong force to prevent available from sources such as the Ministry
coronavirus infection. of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),
 The application called ''e-karyalay'' Govt. of India; National Disaster
(electronic office) has been designed by the Management Authority (NDMA), and World
in-house technical team of the force. Health Organisation (WHO).
 This application has been hosted at CISF
cloud with all security arrangements in place Andhra govt revives ‘zero interest’ loan scheme
to safeguard the data. for women self-help groups
 starting cultivation and movement of
essential supplies and to bring relief materials
to Lahaul Valley in wake of COVID-19.
 Rohtang Pass is a high mountain pass on the
eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas
around 51 km from Manali. It connects the
Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti
Valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh government revived the ''zero
interest'' loan scheme for women self-help groups Montek Ahluwalia to head expert group for post-
(SHGs) in the state. COVID-19 revival in Punjab
 Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy re-
launched the scheme by releasing a sum of Rs
1,400 crore for the SHGs.
 The decision is expected to benefit over 8.78
lakh SHGs in the state involving over 93.80
lakh women.
 Under the scheme, each SHG will receive
sums ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000
towards the interest component on their
loans.
 The zero interest scheme was first launched
by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in The Punjab government has constituted an expert
united Andhra Pradesh in 2011, under which group, headed by former deputy chairman of the
the state government bore the interest burden Planning Commission and economist, Montek Singh
on loans extended to the women SHGs. Ahluwalia, to form a post-COVID-19 revival
strategy for the state.
BRO opens Rohtang Pass after clearing snow
 The group, which includes economy and
industry experts, shall recommend to the
Punjab government a short-term (one year) as
well as a medium-term action plan, including
a fiscal management strategy, along with
other policy measures to revive the state's
economy in the aftermath of the COVID-19
crisis, as per an official release.
 The 20-member group has been mandated to
submit its initial set of recommendations by
Border Roads Organization (BRO) has opened July 31.
Rohtang Pass, more than three weeks in advance  Montek Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian
after clearing snow. economist and civil servant who was the
Deputy Chairman of the Planning
 It is the arterial road connecting Lahaul and Commission of India
Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh from rest
of the country. Celebrations of Madurai Chithirai festival of
 Himachal Pradesh Government had Kallalagar temple cancelled
approached BRO to expedite the snow
clearance to facilitate return of farmers for
 welcomed by the general public,
industrialists and the commercial circles.

CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan launches Jeevan

Shakti Yojana in Madhya Pradesh

The Kallalagar temple management said that all

functions pertaining to the Madurai Chithirai festival
in Tamil Nadu, have been cancelled in view of the
coronavirus pandemic.

 In Madurai, the two-week-long Chithirai In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
festival is among the biggest celebrations. Chauhan launched the Jeevan Shakti Yojana.
 The occasion re-enacts the wedding of
Goddess Meenakshi (Lord Vishu’s sister) Under this scheme, women in urban areas can earn
and Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) by making masks at home.

Thuthukudi airport in Tamilnadu upgraded to  The government will pay them Rs 11 per
level 3 mask.
 The Chief Minister said that women wishing
to make masks will have to register
themselves by calling on the Call Centre
number through their telephone or mobile.
 After registration, they will get an order to
make masks on their mobiles.
 They will get orders to make at least 200
masks at a time. The mask should be made of
cotton cloth.
 After making the mask, they will submit their
masks to the nodal officer appointed by the
The Thuthukudi airport in Tamilnadu, near the
government.
strategically important Bay of Bengal coast, has been
 Its payment will be credited to their account
upgraded to level 3 by the Airport Authority of India.
on the same day or the next day.
 This signifies a rise in the operational
Assam govt deposited Rs 2000 to 1.6 lakh people
potentials of the airport and increases the
who stranded outside the state
scope of getting more funds for expansion
activities.
The Assam government has deposited 2000 rupees to
 The airport runway is at present being
1.6 lakh people who are stranded outside the state
extended to 3115 metres to enable bigger
under Assam Cares initiative.
planes to use it.
 With the work of setting up a 720 acre
 5 lakh 90 thousand people have responded to
industrial park in Ththukudi well underway,
the Assam Cares initiative.
the upgrading of Thuthukudi airport has been
  Out of these, 1.6 lakh people after The King George Medical University in Uttar
verification received the incentive so far. Pradesh has become the first government hospital in
 Apart from that, 758 cancer, heart, the country to successfully launch the plasma therapy
kidney patients who are stranded outside the treatment for the COVID-19 patients.
state due to lock down have also been given
25 thousand rupees each.  The first dose of the plasma therapy was
given to a 58-year old patient.
Andhra Pradesh launches 'Covid Pharma' app to  The plasma was already secured from the
keep track of people buying medicines for cough, three recovered COVID-19 patients who
cold and fever from pharmacies were treated at KGMU itself.
 The 58-year old COVID-19 patient who was
on ventilator has shown signs of recovery and
a second dose of the plasma transfusion
therapy can be given.
 If this patient recovers successfully then it
will be a great step in treating the serious
patients with the help of plasma transfusion
therapy.

Uttar Pradesh government bans all public

functions till 30th June

The Medical and Health Department of Andhra

Pradesh launched 'Covid Pharma', a mobile
application to keep a track of people purchasing
medicines over-the-counter (OTC) for cough, cold
and fever from medical stores across the state.

 Using the App, the respective pharmacies

will have to take down details of persons,
including their mobile number, making OTC Uttar Pradesh government has banned all public
purchase of medicines for such common functions till the 30th of June.
ailments and report to the government.
 This will help the government in easily  Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed
tracing persons with any likely symptoms of officers that no public gathering should be
coronavirus. allowed in the state till June 30 amid the
coronavirus outbreak.
King George Medical University in Lucknow  The move comes after the Chief Minister
becomes 1st govt hospital in country to held a meeting with chairpersons of 11
successfully launch Plasma Therapy Treatment committees of the state over the COVID-19
for COVID-19 situation.
 The restriction will have a direct impact on
Eid festivities, apart from other religious
gatherings.

Kerala govt hospital deploys robot to serve food,

medicines to COVID-19 patients
  ASHA workers and multi-purpose workers
will collect the medicines and deliver them to
the patients’ families.

Narendra Singh Tomar releases SOP for e-Gram

Swaraj Yojana platform and mobile App

A government hospital in Ernakulam, Kerala has

deployed a robot to serve food and medicines to
coronavirus patients.

 Malayalam star Mohanlal's Viswasanthi

Foundation donated the autonomous robot to
the COVID-19 ward of the Ernakulam Union Minister of Rural Development and
government medical college hospital. Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar issued a
 The robot named 'KARMI-Bot' will be used detailed guideline of the SVAMITVA Scheme aimed
to assist patients at the medical college's at providing people residing in Rural parts with the
COVID-19 isolation ward. right to document their residential properties.
 The robot is developed by ASIMOV robotics,
a company working under maker village of  Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Kerala start-up mission. regarding the e-Gram Swaraj Yojana
 The purpose of this project is to limit the platform and mobile App, was launched on
interaction between COVID-19 patients and this occasion.
health workers as well as to address the  This would also help in resolving property
shortage of PPE kits by minimizing its use. related disputes and would also enable
creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat
Assam govt launches Dhanwantari scheme for Development Plans.
home delivery of medicines  The pilot phase of the scheme will extend to
six states namely Haryana, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh
and Uttarakhand covering approximately one
lakh villages.
 Mr. Tomar informed that it will ensure that
the funds given to the panchayats are not
misused and transparency can be established.

ADB approves USD 1.5 bn loan to India to help

The Assam government has launched a new scheme
fight coronavirus
Dhanwantari under which locally unavailable
medicines are provided to the patients at home.

 Medicines below 200 rupees will be provided

free of cost to patients.
 Under the scheme, locally unavailable
medicines due to the lockdown shall be
delivered to patients at home.
Asian Development Bank has approved a 1.5 billion
dollars loan to India to help fund its fight against the
coronavirus pandemic.

 The loan has been sanctioned with a view to

support immediate priorities such as disease
containment and prevention, as well as social
protection for the poor and economically
vulnerable sections. Government has announced around 11 per cent
 The quick-disbursing fund is part of a larger increase in annual central allocation of cooking cost
package of support that ADB will provide in under Mid-day meal scheme to 8 thousand 100 crore
close coordination with the government and rupees in view of the situation arising out of COVID-
other development partners. 19.
Govt allows employees of IT companies to work  The annual central allocation of cooking cost
from home till July 31 for procurement of pulses, vegetable, oil,
spices and fuel under Mid Day Meal Scheme
was 7 thousand 300 crore rupees.
 Considering the health of the students, during
the lockdown, ration is being provided under
mid-day meal for the children to get adequate
and nutritious food.
 The scheme covers more than 12 crore
children studying in over 11 lakh schools
Employees of Information Technology (IT)
across the country.
companies can work from home till July 31 as the
 The Midday Meal Scheme comes under the
government has extended the relaxation of VPN
HRD Ministry’s Department of School
norms till the end of July.
Education and Literacy.
 It was launched in the year 1995 as a centrally
 Information Technology Minister Ravi
sponsored scheme.
Shankar Prasad held a meeting with IT
ministers from all states in which he
Portal of Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand
communicated the decision.
opened
 Companies were earlier not allowed to
connect the office VPN to home
infrastructure.
 Other exemptions include the requirement of
security deposit and agreement for WFH
facility for IT and IT-enabled services.
 Whether employees are allowed to work from
home or when they will be asked to return to
office will be at the discretion of the
company.
The portal of the central Himalayan shrine of
Govt decides to provide Mid-day meals to Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand opened after the
students during summer vacation in wake of winter break.
situation arising out of COVID 19
  The portals were thrown open amid chanting  The projects worth 2 thousand crore rupees
of Vedic Mantras and performance of have started in the state.
necessary rituals.  2 thousand people are working at Guwahati
 Chardham Yatra is suspended due to and Numaligarh offices of the NRL.
nationwide lockdown following the Covid 19  NRL initially adopted the work from home
pandemic. method during lock down period.
 Kedarnath Mandir is a Hindu temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva. MP CM launches 'Jeevan Amrit Yojana' scheme
 Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range to boost immunity system of citizens
near the Mandakini river, Kedarnath is
located in the state of Uttarakhand.
 Due to extreme weather conditions, the
temple is open to the general public only
between the months of April and November.

NLC India commences coal production at

Talabira-II & III Opencast Coal Mine

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh

Chouhan launched Jeevan Amrit Yojana, a unique
scheme to boost the immunity system of citizens of
the state.

 Under this scheme, the State Government

will distribute a packet of special Trikatu
Churna prepared by the AYUSH Department
NLC India has commenced coal production at its free of cost to the citizens.
Talabira-II and III Opencast Coal Mine in Odisha.  In this time of Corona crisis it is necessary
that every person has good immunity power,
 Tamil Nadu-based Navaratna company said so that this virus does not affect us.
its production marked the entry of NLC India  Under Jeevan Amrit yojna, packets of 50
into the coal mining sector in the state. grams each of the kadha have been prepared
 The Talabira II and III coal mines were by Madhya Pradesh Laghu Vanopaj Sangh in
allotted to this Navratna firm in 2016 to meet collaboration with the Department of
the requirement of its existing and future AYUSH.
coal-fired power plants.  This kadha made of peepal, ginger and black
 The company had said that the production of pepper is being distributed free of cost to one
20 million tonnes of coal per annum from crore people in rural and urban areas of the
these two coal blocks would fuel its 4,200 state.
MW thermal power projects in that state.
Andhra Pradesh CM launches 'Jagananna Vidya
Numaligarh Refinery Ltd begins operations with Deevena' Scheme
precautions
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S.Jaganmohan
In Assam, the Numaligarh Refinery Limited, NRL Reddy has launched the 'Jagananna Vidya Deevena'
has started economic activities with all proper Scheme at Tedepalli, in Guntur District in AP.
precautions.
 Under this scheme over Rs 4 Thousand
Crores of funds have been released along
 with Rs 1880 crore towards the pending HVDS through the installation of about
amount left by the earlier government. 46,800 kilometers of 11 kilovolt (kV) grid
 Under this scheme, fee reimbursement will extension lines, construction and upgrading
be credited directly to mothers’ accounts of 121 33/11 kV distribution substations.
instead of college accounts in the coming
academic year 2020-21. Cauvery Water Management Authority brought
 An amount of INR 15,000 To INR 20,000 under Jal Shakti Ministry
will be offered for the eligible candidates
through the Jagananna Vidya Deevena
Scheme.
 Orders have been issued to the colleges to
reimburse the entire fee amount paid by all
the parents during the year 2018-19 and
2019-20.

ADB gives $ 346 mn loan for power sector in

rural Maharashtra

The Centre has officially brought the Cauvery Water

Management Authority under the Jal Shakti
Ministry.

 The officials said the CWMA was earlier

under the Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
 However, with the Modi government forming
the Jal Shakti Ministry to deal with water-
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved related issues, the Water Resources, River
a USD 346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has
Indian government to provide reliable power taken the form of a department under it.
connection in rural areas of Maharashtra.  Water management authorities of other rivers
too have been brought under the Jal Shakti
 Maharashtra is the second-most populous Ministry as they were also under the
state in India, and about half of the state’s erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources, River
labour force is engaged in agriculture and Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
related activities in the rural areas.  In 2018, the Centre constituted the Cauvery
 The loan will support the state government’s Water Management Authority (CWMA) to
high voltage distribution system (HVDS) address the dispute over sharing of river
program for new grid-connected rural water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
agricultural customers across the state. and Puducherry.
 The loan will be under ADB’s results-based
lending (RBL) modality, where fund Amur Falcon tagging mission a success
disbursements are linked to the achievement
of agreed programme results rather than to The GPS Satellite Radio transmitters tagging on
upfront expenditures. Amur Falcons which were released from Manipur in
 This first ADB-financed RBL program in the first week of November last year have succeeded
South Asia’s energy sector will help in the and one falcon returned back to Manipur after
early construction and installation of metered
covering around 20,000 km up to Somalia of South SAMAGRA SHIKSHA Abhiyan among
Africa. students of schools and Madrassas.

 Manipur Forest Department in collaboration Chhattisgarh tops among other states in

with scientists from Wildlife Institute of India providing employment to workers under
(WII), Dehradun and local people had MGNREGS
released five satellite tagged Amur Falcons
from Tamenglong district of Manipur.
 One falcon named Chinwal has returned back
from Somalia after staying there for three
months and reached Myanmar.
 The bird will further fly around 5,000 km
towards their breeding ground -Northern
China –Mongolia border area.
 The mission has succeeded this time and
some roosting sites in Manipur have also
been identified through tagging this time. Chhattisgarh has topped the list of states in providing
 The bird reached the jungles of some part of employment to over 18 lakh unskilled labourers
Nagaland state and Tamenglong district of under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Manipur in mid October every year to build Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
fate reserves.
 Around 77.85 lakh people are engaged in
Tripura cabinet to start ‘neighborhood classes’ different work under the scheme across the
besides tele-classes for students amid lockdown country.
 The national participation of the workers
working in the state is 24 per cent, which is
the highest in the country.
 Chhattisgarh has topped the country in
providing employment to 18.51 lakh workers
under MGNREGS.
 Rajasthan has provided employment to 10.79
lakh workers under the rural employment
guarantee scheme and Uttar Pradesh is at
third position with around 9.06 lakh workers
In Tripura, the state cabinet has decided to start engaged by it.
‘neighborhood classes’ in addition to the ongoing
online and televised/aired classes to ensure every Assam SDMA engages 14,000 citizens as
student gets an education during the lockdown 'Pratirodhi Bondhu' to fight against COVID-19
period.

 In these neighborhood classes, one teacher

will be teaching a maximum of five students
until school classes resume.
 Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the
state education department has appealed to
school teachers to take part in the new
initiative.
 The state Education Department has started
distribution of free textbooks under
Assam State Disaster Management Authority  Exports during April-February this fiscal
(ASDMA) has come up with a novel idea to create a dipped by 1.5 per cent to 292.91 billion
cadre of volunteers under the name and style of dollars.
‘Pratirodhi Bondhu’ using the existing volunteers  Imports during the period declined by 7.30
from ASLRM, NULM, Aapada Mitra, Indian Red per cent to 436 billion dollars, leaving a trade
Cross Society, Nehru Yuvak Kendra, NCC and NSS. deficit of 143.12 billion dollars.

 Pratirodhi Bondhu are working as volunteers India’s foreign exchange reserves rise by 5.65
in creating awareness including social billion after falling for 2 weeks
distancing across Assam.
 One such volunteer has been assigned to
reach out to 100 families in his or her locality.
 The volunteers are also extending online
support to the people.
 Official sources said that citizen between 18
to 50 years have been deployed as Pratirodhi
Bondhu.

After falling for two weeks in a row, India’s foreign

exchange reserves have surged by $5.65 billion to
$475.56 billion in the week ended on 27th of March.
Govt extends existing foreign trade policy (2015-
20) for one year till March 2021  Foreign currency assets, a major part of the
overall reserves, increased by $2.56 billion to
$439.66 billion.
 In the previous week, the reserves had
declined by $11.98 billion to $469.91 billion
as the RBI was supplying dollars to contain
fall in the rupee, which has breached the 76
mark against the US Dollar.
 Gold reserves also increased by $3.03 billion
to $30.89 billion.
 India's special drawing rights with the
International Monetary Fund went up by $14
million to $1.42 billion, while the country's
The Government extended the existing foreign trade reserve position also increased by $44 million
policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021 amid to $3.58 billion.
coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown.
ADB expects India GDP to slip to 4 pc in 2020-21
 The existing foreign trade policy 2015-20
which is valid up to March 31 this year is The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected
extended up to March 31, 2021. India’ growth to slow down to 4% in the current
 Various other changes are also made fiscal year, citing weak global demand and the
extending the date of exemptions by one year government’s COVID-19 containment efforts.
and extending validity of DFIA and EPCG
authorisations for import purposes.  The outlook for India remains subdued, with
growth slowing from 5.0% last fiscal year to
 4.0% this year, it said in the Asian
Development Outlook (ADO) 2020 released.
 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.
 The forecast assumes that the Covid-19
pandemic dissipates and full economic The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
activity resumes from the second quarter of approves the proposed acquisition of 80.1% stake by
this fiscal year. Hitachi in the power grid business of ABB Limited.

Airtel Payments Bank partners with Bharti AXA  The proposed combination envisages
General to offer coronavirus insurance policy acquisition of 80.1% share capital of ABB
Management Holding AG (ABB
Management) by Hitachi Limited (Hitachi)
from ABB Limited (ABB).
 ABB Management will hold the entire power
grid business of ABB (Target Business).
 Hitachi, headquartered in Japan, is the parent
company of the Hitachi group of companies.
 It is active in a variety of business segments
including IT Solution, Energy Solution,
Airtel Payments Bank has tied up with Bharti AXA Industry Solution, Mobility Solution, and
General Insurance to launch a coronavirus insurance Smart Life Solution.
policy.
Global trade will plunge by up to a third in 2020:
 The Bharti AXA Group Health Assure Policy WTO
comes with a fixed cover offering 100 per
cent sum insured as a lump sum, if the policy
holder is diagnosed positive or gets
quarantined in a government hospital or
military facility/establishment.
 The policy can be purchased at a price of Rs
499 (including GST) for fixed sum insured of
Rs 25,000.
 The insurance policy can be purchased
directly from the banking section of the
'Airtel Thanks App' or by visiting the nearest
active banking point-of-sales (POS) of Airtel The World Trade Organization (WTO) said that the
Payments Bank. Global trade could drop by a third this year due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
CCI approves Hitachi's proposed acquisition of
 COVID-19 has completely upended the
80.1% in power grid business of ABB Limited
global economy and with it international
trade.
 The global trade body was projecting that
"trade in 2020 will fall steeply in every region
 of the world, and basically across all sectors  The report noted that these are very
of the economy”. preliminary forecasts based on the data and
 North America and Asia would be hardest-hit information available up to March 10.
and could see their exports plunge by 40 and
36 percent respectively, while Europe and Jana Small Finance Bank Launches DIGIGEN -
South America could see declines of more Simple Digital Banking for Savings Account &
than 30 percent. Fixed Deposits
 In its main annual forecast, the 164-member
WTO pointed out that trade had already been
slowing in 2019, before the emergence of the
novel coronavirus.
 WTO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
 Membership: 164 member states
 Founded: 1 January 1995
 Director-General: Roberto Azevêdo

India's GDP projected at 4.8%: UN report

Jana Small Finance Bank, a scheduled commercial

bank, launched DIGIGEN platform.

 DIGIGEN is a digital banking platform

where customers can digitally open a Savings
Account and Fixed Deposit instantly;
anytime, anywhere.
 DIGIGEN onboarding is a hassle-free, three-
According to a UN report, India's GDP growth for step process to open an account.
the current fiscal is expected to slow down to 4.8 per  True to its brand promise 'paise ki kadar',
cent. customers are eligible for an attractive 4.5%
p.a. interest rates on Savings Account with no
 It warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is minimum balance and up to 7.50%* p.a.
expected to result in significant adverse interest on Fixed Deposits.
economic impacts globally.
 The UN 'Economic and Social Survey of Asia RBI urges bank customers to adopt digital
and the Pacific (ESCAP) 2020: Towards payment modes, launches Twitter campaign
sustainable economies' said that COVID-19
is having far-reaching economic and social
consequences for the region, with strong
cross-border spillover effects through trade,
tourism and financial linkages.
 India's GDP growth for the fiscal year 2019-
2020 was estimated at 5 percent and is
forecast to slow down to 4.8 per cent for the
current fiscal 2020-21.
 Economic growth for the country could stand
at 5.1 per cent for fiscal year 2021-22.
Reserve Bank of India urged bank customers to adopt plan paid to the customer on positive
digital modes of payment that are convenient and diagnosis of COVID-19.
safe.  It is priced at an annual premium of ₹159.
 Additionally, the policy provides health
 The usage of digital modes to make assistance benefit, virtual and
transactions has become all the more teleconsultation benefit, and ambulance
important as the ongoing 21-day nationwide assistance.
lockdown, imposed to maintain social  It allows Flipkart's customers to submit
distancing to contain the spread of the digital copies of the claim document to the
coronavirus, has restricted the movement of insurer for processing.
people.
 In a Twitter campaign launched in public People's Bank of China now owns 1.01% stake in
interest, the RBI emphasised on transacting HDFC
digitally as it gives the convenience of
making payments anytime and anywhere.
 The face of the campaign is Bollywood actor
Amitabh Bachchan.
 The RBI, through the campaign, reiterated
the multiple digital payment options such as
NEFT, IMPS, UPI and BBPS that are
available 24*7.

Flipkart, ICICI Lombard, Go Digit to offer

COVID-19 focused health insurance
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has bought 1.01
per cent stake in the Housing Development Finance
Corporation (HDFC).

 PBOC held 1.75 crore shares of HDFC

during the quarter that ended in March.
 HDFC Vice Chairman and CEO Keki Mistry
said the PBOC has been an existing
shareholder and had owned 0.8 per cent in the
company as of March 2019.
 Due to the coronavirus crisis, HDFC shares
fell nearly 39.87 per cent this year from a
E-commerce marketplace Flipkart, in partnership high of Rs 2,493 to a low of Rs 1,499 last
with ICICI Lombard and Go Digit General week.
Insurance, has launched health insurance policies on
its platform that distinctly cover COVID-19. Apple books coronavirus domain name after
Google collaboration
 Enabling health cover for consumers
combating the global pandemic, the two Apple has booked a domain name called
health insurance policies come with instant AppleCoronavirus.com, after the iPhone maker and
claim benefits and do not require any medical Google last week announced a joint effort to enable
tests at the time of purchase. the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments
 The COVID-19 Protection Cover by ICICI and health agencies reduce the spread of the new
Lombard provides an instant ₹25,000 benefit coronavirus.
  Apple and Google are launching a Google has launched 'Nearby Spot' under Google
comprehensive solution that includes Pay using which users in Bengaluru can see local
application programming interfaces (APIs) stores selling essentials like groceries that are open,
and operating system-level technology to amid the lockdown.
assist in enabling contact tracing.
 The Nearby Spot will be launched in
Retail inflation eases to 5.91 percent in March Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and
Delhi soon.
 The company has also launched the COVID-
19 Spot on Google Pay that aggregates all
pertinent information on the topic, sourced
directly from the Health Ministry.
 This Spot also helps users donate to the PM-
CARES Fund or to NGOs such as SEEDS,
Give India, United Way and Charities Aid
Foundation that are working towards
procurement of protective equipment for
Retail inflation slowed to 5.91 per cent in March over medical workers and relief for lockdown-
the previous month, mainly due to easing food prices impacted daily wagers.
as per the government data released.
Hindalco closes $2.8-billion acquisition of US-
 The retail inflation based on Consumer Price based Aleris Corp
Index (CPI) was 6.58 per cent in February
2020 and 2.86 per cent in March 2019.
 The inflation in the food basket was 8.76 per
cent in March 2020, lower from 10.81 per
cent in the previous month, as per the CPI
data released by the National Statistical
Office (NSO).
 The Reserve Bank of India mainly factors in
the retail inflation while deciding its bi-
monthly monetary policy.
 The government has mandated the central
bank to keep inflation at around 4 per cent. Nearly two years after signing a deal to take over
Ohio-based aluminium rolled products maker Aleris
Google Pay launches 'Nearby Spot' to help users Corp, Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Hindalco Industries
find local stores selling essentials finally completed the acquisition through its
subsidiary Novelis Inc.

 The enterprise value of the deal, at $2.8

billion, is slightly higher than the initial
estimate of $2.58 billion.
 With the deal closure, Hindalco is now one of
the world’s largest aluminium makers.
 Aleris has long-term supply contracts with
aircraft makers Boeing, Airbus and
Bombardier.
  The acquisition will also give Hindalco The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a
access to the aluminium supply market for reduction in reverse repo rate by 25 basis points from
the building and construction segments. 4 percent to 3.75 per cent.

Asia expected to witness zero % growth in 2020 :  This announcement has been made to
IMF facilitate bank credit flows amid the
coronavirus crisis and subsequent
countrywide lockdown which has brought
economic activity to a virtual halt.
 However, it kept the repo rate unchanged.
 Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank
lends money to commercial banks, and
reverse repo rate is the rate at which it
borrows from them.

RBI launches latest round of quarterly survey on

manufacturing sector
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that
Asia is expected to witness zero percent growth in
2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 It will be its worst growth performance in

almost 60 years
 The IMF in a blog titled 'COVID-19
Pandemic and the Asia-Pacific Region:
Lowest Growth Since the 1960s' further said
the impact of the coronavirus on the region
will be "severe and unprecedented".
 This is the worst growth performance in The Reserve Bank of India launched the latest round
almost 60 years, including during the Global of quarterly order books, inventories and capacity
Financial Crisis, when the growth stood at 4.7 utilisation survey (OBICUS) of manufacturing
percent; and the Asian Financial Crisis when sector.
it stood at 1.3 percent."
 It further noted that "Asia still looks to fare  The RBI has been conducting the OBICUS of
better than other regions in terms of activity". the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis
since 2008.
RBI slashes reverse repo rate by 25 bps to 3.75 per  The information collected in the survey
cent to inject liquidity includes quantitative data on new orders
received during the reference quarter,
backlog of orders, pending orders, total
inventories with a breakup between work-in-
progress (WiP) and finished goods (FG)
inventories and item-wise production.

TVS Motor Company completes acquisition of

Norton for Rs 153 crore
  It has now been decided to increase the WMA
limit of states by 60% over and above the
level as on March 31, 2020.
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gives
temporary loan facilities to the central and
state governments. This loan facility is called
Ways and Means Advances (WMA).
 Also, The central bank has reduced the
liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) requirement
for banks to 80 per cent from 100 per cent
TVS Motor Company has announced the acquisition with immediate effect as a relief to these
of Britain's iconic sporting motorcycle Norton in an lenders.
all-cash deal for 16 million pounds (about Rs 153
crore). New Development Bank's to provide 1 billion
dollar emergency assistance to India
 TVS Motor will acquire certain assets of
Norton Motorcycles UK Ltd through one of
its overseas subsidiaries.
 Norton Motorcycles is among the most
popular British motorcycle brands of all time
and is considered one of the most emotive
marques.
 Since the 20th century, Norton Motorcycles
is renowned for its classic models and
eclectic range of luxury motorcycles.

RBI increases WMA limit for states by another Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appreciated
30% efforts of New Development Bank on fast tracking of
financial assistance of about five billion dollars to
BRICS countries including Emergency Assistance of
one billion dollar to India to combat COVID-19
pandemic.

 The NDB was established by the BRICS

countries -Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa in 2014.
 NDB has so far approved 14 indian projects
for an amount of 4,183 million dollar.
 The purpose of the Bank is to mobilise
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has provided relief resources for infrastructure and sustainable
to state governments by raising their short-term development projects in BRICS and other
borrowing limit by an additional 30%. emerging market economies.

 This is estimated to create a space for Rs Facebook acquires 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio
12,000 crore for the state governments for Rs 43,574 crore
looking to raise money.
 The central bank had on April 1 announced
raising the Ways and Means Advances
(WMA) limit of states by 30%.
  The RBI data showed that gold reserves
increased USD 1.54 billion to USD 32.68
billion in the reporting week.

Vodafone Idea ties up with Paytm to launch

‘Recharge Saathi’

Reliance Jio, the telecom unit of Reliance Industries

Ltd (RIL), has sold a 9.99 per cent stake to US tech
giant Facebook for $5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crore.

 The multibillion-dollar deal will make

Facebook the largest minority shareholder in
Jio Platforms Limited.
 This is the largest investment for a minority Vodafone Idea and Paytm, a digital payments and
stake by a technology company anywhere in financial services platform, have launched ‘Recharge
the world and the largest FDI in the Saathi’ programme which helps individuals and
technology sector in India. small businesses to earn an additional income.
 Facebook would focus on collaborating its
messaging platform WhatsApp with  The programme will enable any Paytm
Reliance's e-commerce venture JioMart to customers (following a registration) to start
enable people to connect with small selling Vodafone and Idea recharges on
businesses. Paytm app.
 They can start selling mobile recharges by
Country's foreign exchange reserves surge by downloading and registering on the Paytm
over 3 billion dollars app.
 Vodafone Idea will also give an assured
cashback to merchant partners for multiple
recharges.
 Individuals and small businesses, such as
pharmacists, milk booth operators,
newspaper vendors and individuals, would be
able to earn up to ₹5,000 every month under
the programme.

RBI announces Special Liquidity Facility for

Country's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD Mutual Funds of Rs 50,000 crore
3.09 billion to USD 479.57 billion in the week to
April 17 due to an increase in foreign currency assets.

 According to the latest data from the Reserve

Bank of India, in the reporting week ended
April 17, foreign currency assets (FCA), a
major component of the overall reserves, rose
USD 1.55 billion to USD 441.88 billion.
The Reserve Bank of India announced a Special Airtel Inks $1 Billion Multi-year Deal With Nokia
Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds (SLF-MF) of to Enhance 5G Network Capacity in India
50,000 crore rupees with a view to easing liquidity
pressures on MFs.

 The RBI has stated that it remains vigilant

and will take whatever steps are necessary to
mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19
and preserve financial stability.
 The heightened volatility in capital markets
in reaction to COVID-19 has imposed
liquidity strains on Mutual Funds, which Bharti Airtel has inked a $1 billion (nearly Rs 7,636
have intensified in the wake of redemption crore), multi-year deal with Nokia to deploy the 5G-
pressures related to closure of some debt MFs ready solutions across nine circles in the country.
and potential contagious effects therefrom.
 The Apex bank has said that under the  Nokia, which is the largest 4G vendor in the
Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds Airtel network, will help lay the foundation
(SLF-MF), the RBI shall conduct repo for providing 5G connectivity in the future by
operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo deploying 300,000 radio units across several
rate. spectrum bands in those circles expected to
be completed by 2022.
India Ratings lowers GDP growth rate further to  Nokia's SRAN solution helps operators
1.9% manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from
one platform reducing network complexity,
increasing cost efficiencies and future-
proofing investment.

Axis Bank to acquire 29% stake in Max Life

Insurance

India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra), a Fitch group

company, has further slashed its estimate for India’s
Gross Domestic Product (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 board of Axis Bank has approved purchase of an
 The agency revised its estimate from the additional 29% stake in Max Life Insurance which
March 30 announcement of 3.6 per cent GDP will take the private lender's total stake in the insurer
growth to 1.9 per cent. to 30%.
 The agency’s estimate is at par with IMF (1.9
per cent) and close to the World Bank (1.5-  Max Financial Services presently holds a
2.8 per cent), but lower than ADB (4 72.5% stake in Max Life and Mitsui
percent). Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) owns 25.5%
stake.
  Axis Bank also has a minor stake in the life
insurer. Axis Bank is the third largest private
bank and Max Life is the fourth largest
private life insurer in India.
 Post completion of the series of transactions,
Max Life will become a 70:30 joint-venture
between Max Financial Services and Axis
Bank.
Sundaram Finance has announced the appointment
of D Lakshminarayanan as the Managing Director of
its wholly owned subsidiary, Sundaram Home
Finance, effective April 1, 2020.

 In May 2019, Sundaram Home had inducted

RBI asks banks to inform about re-appointment
Lakshminarayanan, from within the
cases of MD, CEOs six months in advance
Sundaram Finance group, as Executive
Director.
 In October, he was appointed as a Whole-
time Director on the board of Sundaram
Home Finance.

Justice Rajnesh Oswal sworn in as permanent

Judge of High Court of J&K, Ladakh under
Indian Constitution

The Reserve Bank asked the private sector and

foreign banks to intimate it six months in advance in
cases of re-appointment of managing director and
chief executives as against the present practice of
four months.

 The RBI said proposals for appointment of a

new MD and CEO or CEO should contain a
panel of at least two names in order of
preference and the same should be submitted Justice Rajnesh Oswal was sworn in as a permanent
at least four months before the expiry of the Judge of the common High Court of Jammu &
term of office of the incumbent. Kashmir and Ladakh.
 The revised forms aim to enhance disclosure
and improve transparency, get more clarity in  He was administered the oath of office by
the information being sought and is aligned Chief Justice Jammu and Kashmir High
to the requirements of the Companies Act, Court, Justice Gita Mittal in a simple but
2013. impressive ceremony in Jammu.
 He is the first Judge of the High Court to take
D Lakshminarayanan named MD of Sundaram oath under the Indian Constitution.
Home Finance  All previous Judges of the High Court had
taken oath under the constitution of Jammu
 and Kashmir, which ceased to have effect  He was the NBA Most Valuable Player in
from August 5, 2019. 2008, was Finals MVP twice and earned 18
 With the appointment of Justice Oswal, the All-Star selections.
strength of Justices of J&K High Court  He was in the United States team that won
increased from eight to nine. Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012.
 Tim Duncan, a five-time NBA champion
Paytm Money founder MD Pravin Jadhav quits with the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin
Garnett, who helped the Boston Celtics win
the championship in 2008, were also inducted
into the Hall of Fame.
 The Hall of Fame is named after Dr James
Naismith, the Canadian physician who
invented basketball.

Three HC judges in Jammu & Kashmir High

Court administered oath by Chief Justice
Founder MD and CEO of Paytm Money Pravin
Jadhav has resigned from his post due to growing
differences with the company board.

 Jadhav, who built Paytm’s wealth

management arm into India’s leading mutual
fund platform, reportedly quit over issues
related to employee stock options (ESOPs) Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul, Justice Sanjay Dhar
and remuneration. and Justice Puneet Gupta were sworn in as
 Paytm Money is part of Paytm parent One97 permanent Judges of the common High Court for the
Communications’ growing consumer Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
ecosystem, alongside Paytm, Paytm Mall and
Paytm Payments Bank.  The newly appointed Judges were
administered the oath of office by Chief
Kobe Bryant, eight others selected for Basketball Justice J&K High Court, Justice Gita Mittal
Hall of Fame in a simple but impressive ceremony in the
Jammu wing of the High Court.
 The sitting Judges of the High Court of J&K
joined the oath ceremony through Video
Conference while sitting in their respective
residences.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance appoints Parag Raja

as MD & CEO

Kobe Bryant will be posthumously inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

 The five-time NBA champion died, aged 41,

in a helicopter crash in January alongside his
13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven
others.
Bharti AXA Life Insurance announced the
appointment of Parag Raja as managing director and
chief executive officer of the company.

 The appointment will be subject to the

requisite approval from the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of
India (IRDAI).
 Raja will succeed Vikas Seth, who led Bharti
AXA Life Insurance for the past two-and-a-
half years, after April 30, 2020.
IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva named former RBI
 Prior to joining Bharti AXA Life Insurance,
governor Raghuram Rajan and 11 others to her
Raja was the Chief Distribution Officer at
external advisory group.
Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI) and
responsible for planning and executing the
 The group will provide perspectives from
strategic direction for expanding the
around the globe on key developments and
company’s footprint across India.
policy issues, including responses to the
exceptional challenges the world now faces
Anamika Roy Rashtrawar appointed MD & CEO due to the coronavirus pandemic.
of IFFCO Tokio  Rajan, 57, who was the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) governor for three years until
September 2016, is currently working as a
professor at the prestigious University of
Chicago.

Karnataka Bank gets RBI nod to reappoint

Mahabaleshwara M S as MD and CEO for 3 yrs

Anamika Roy Rashtrawar has taken charge as MD

and CEO of General Insurance with effect from
March 27.

 Prior to this elevation, Rashtrawar was

whole-time director with the private general
insurer, which she had joined in June 2018.
 IFFCO Tokio General Insurance is a 51:49
joint venture between IFFCO and Tokio Private sector lender Karnataka Bank has received
Marine Group. RBI nod for reappointment of Mahabaleshwara M S
 Rashtrawar replaces Warendra Sinha, who as MD and CEO for next three years.
retired from the company after leading it for
three years.  The regulator has also approved for
reappointment of P Jayarama Bhat as part
IMF MD ropes in Raghuram Rajan, 11 others to time (non executive) chairman.
key external advisory group  The Board of Directors of the Bank have
reappointed P Jayarama Bhat as Part Time
(Non Executive) Chairman to hold office
upto November 13, 2021 (i.e. upto the upper
age limit of 70 years) and Mahabaleshwara M
 S as Managing Director & CEO of the Bank MD and Country Head of Global Markets
for a further period of three years with effect Group.
from April 15, 2020.  CARE Ratings Limited is a credit rating
agency.
Birupaksha Mishra took charge as the Executive  The Company is engaged in providing
Director of Union Bank of India financial services other than securities
dealing activities.

Vineet Arora appointed MD, CEO of Paytm

General Insurance

Birupaksha Mishra has taken over the charge as the

executive director of Union Bank of India.

 Prior to this, Mishra was executive director at

erstwhile Corporation Bank, which along
with Andhra Bank got amalgamated with Digital payments major Paytm has named Vineet
Union Bank from April 1. Arora as the managing director and chief executive
 Mishra has more than 35 years of experience officer of Paytm General Insurance Ltd.
in various administrative and functional
capacities at branches, regional offices and  The appointment, which is subject to
also at the corporate office of Corporation regulatory approvals, is a step for Paytm to
Bank. further its journey into the insurance sector
with an immediate focus on General
Ajay Mahajan appointed MD & CEO of CARE Insurance.
Ratings  Arora will lead the efforts to provide
industry-leading solutions in the general
insurance space, where Paytm continues to
explore options to enter the sector.
 Previously, Arora served as the managing
director and chief executive officer of Aegon
Life Insurance Company and was part of the
India Leadership team.

IWF President Tamas Ajan resigns during

corruption investigation
CARE Ratings has appointed Ajay Mahajan as the
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer for a Tamas Ajan has resigned as president of the
period of 5 years commencing from 15 April 2020 up International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) while
to 14 April 2025. an investigation into alleged corruption is ongoing.

 Mahajan started his career with Bank of  Ajan, from Hungary, had been at the IWF
America in 1990 and went on to become the since 1976, serving 24 years as general
secretary and 20 as president.
  American Ursula Papandrea will continue to appointed as a member of the National
lead the sport’s governing body as Acting Science Board for a six-year term.
President.  Babu would be the third Indian American in
this prestigious board.
BSNL CMD P K Purwar takes charge of MTNL  The other two being Sethuraman
Panchanathan from Arizona State University
and Suresh V Garimella from University of
Vermont.

Former IAS officer Kapil Dev Tripathi to be new

Secretary to President

BSNL chairman and managing director 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. Former IAS officer Kapil Dev Tripathi has been
 The appointment of Purwar comes at a time appointed as the Secretary to President Ram Nath
when both the PSU are reeling under heavy Kovind.
debt despite the government offering them a
relief package.  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
 While MTNL has been able to resolve salary approved the appointment of Mr Tripathi for
related issues and has only debt of around Rs a term co-terminus with the tenure of the
20,000 crore, BSNL is yet to clear dues of President.
employees and vendors.  Mr Tripathi, a 1980 batch IAS officer (
Retired) of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is at
US President Trump appoints Indian-American present the Chairman of Public Enterprises
to country's top science board Selection Board (PESB).

Bombay, Orissa, Meghalaya high courts to get

new chief justices

US President Donald Trump appointed Indian-

American Sudarsanam Babu to the country's top
science board.

 Babu, who is from the prestigious Oak Ridge

National Laboratory (ORNL), has been
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the
appointment of new Chief Justices for Bombay,
Orissa and Meghalaya High Courts.

 The top court panel decided to recommend

the elevation of Calcutta High Court judge
Dipankar Datta as Chief Justice of Bombay
High Court.
 The collegium, headed by Chief Justice SA
Bobde, also decided to recommend elevation
The Reserve Bank of India has given its approval for
of Allahabad High Court judge Biswanath
the re-appointment of N Kamakodi as MD & CEO of
Somadder as Chief Justice of Meghalaya
City Union Bank (CUB).
High Court.
 The collegium also recommended the
 He has been appointed for three years with
transfer of Meghalaya High Court Chief
effect from May 1.
Justice Mohammad Rafiq to Orissa High
 Kamakodi has been associated with the
Court.
Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu)-headquartered
CUB since 2003. He was elevated as MD and
Huawei India appoints David Li as CEO
CEO in 2011.

Bajaj Auto''s Rakesh Sharma takes over as

IMMA President

Huawei Telecommunications India has appointed

David Li as its Chief Executive Officer.
The International Motorcycle Manufacturers
 He replaces Jay Chen who has been promoted Association (IMMA) has appointed Bajaj Auto
to handle Asia Pacific level business roles. Executive Director (ED) Rakesh Sharma as its
 Li joined Huawei in 2002 and has experience president.
of working in the India market, including in
roles like vice president sales and vice  Sharma had been previously holding office as
president HR during different phases of his vice-president in IMMA, elected in May
career. 2019.
 He was serving as CEO of Huawei Cambodia  The election of the new president took place
before returning to India to take on his new through a General Assembly by
role. correspondence on April 21, 2020 due to the
COVID-19 crisis.
RBI gives nod to Kamakodi’s reappointment as  Sharma joined Bajaj Auto in October 2007 as
MD & CEO of City Union Bank President (International Business) and is
currently the executive director.
BWF Names Sindhu As An Ambassador For Its 'i  Mr Kothari was reportedly shortlisted as the
Am Badminton' Campaign Central Vigilance Commissioner in February
this year by a high-powered panel headed by
the prime minister.

Govt appoints new Secretaries in different

Ministries and Departments

World Champion P V Sindhu was unveiled as one of

the ambassadors for Badminton World Federation
(BWF)'s 'i am badminton' awareness campaign.

 The campaign provides a platform for players

to express their love and respect for
The Union Government appointed new Secretaries,
badminton by advocating and committing to
Special Secretaries and Additional Secretaries in
clean and honest play.
different Ministries and Departments.
 Besides Sindhu, other ambassadors include
Canada's Michelle Li, Chinese duo of Zheng
 Information and Broadcasting Secretary Ravi
Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, England's Jack
Mittal has been appointed as the Sports
Shephard, Germany's Valeska Knoblauch,
Secretary.
Hong Kong's Chan Ho Yuen and Germany's
 Secretary, Higher Education Amit Khare will
Marc Zwiebler, who is Athletes' Commission
hold additional charge of Ministry of
Chair.
Information and Broadcasting.
 CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal has been
Sanjay Kothari takes oath as Chief Vigilance
appointed as Secretary School Education and
Commissioner
Literacy.
 Health Secretary Preeti Sudan, who was to
retire this month, has been given a three
month extension.
 Vice Chairman of Delhi Development
Authority Tarun Kapoor will be Secretary in
the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas .
 Tarun Bajaj will be Secretary Department of
Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance.

Justice Mohammad Rafiq takes oath as Chief

President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of Justice of Orissa High Court
office to Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)-
designate IAS Sanjay Kothari at the Rashtrapati Odisha Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal
Bhavan. administered the oath to Justice Mohammad Rafiq as
the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
 Sanjay Kothari was secretary to the president
 Justice Rafiq will serve as the 31st Chief
before being nominated to the new role.
Justice of Orissa High Court.
  Justice Rafiq was previously serving as the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the
Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court. oath of office to him at Raj Bhavan.
 Meanwhile, Justice Biswanath Somadder
took oath as the Chief Justice of the  In view of the coronavirus pandemic, a
Meghalaya High Court. limited number of guests including Chief
Minister Uddhav Thackeray and a few judges
US President Donald Trump nominates Indian- of the high court attended the ceremony.
American as US envoy to OECD  Datta succeeds Justice Bhushan
Dhamadhikari who retired as chief justice.

T. S. Tirumurti appointed as
Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India
to UN

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. T. S. Tirumurti has been appointed as the next
 Headquartered in Paris, France, the OECD is Ambassador or Permanent Representative of India to
an intergovernmental economic organisation the United Nations.
with 36 member countries to stimulate
economic progress and world trade.  Tirumurti is an IFS officer of 1985 batch.
 She previously served as the Acting Under  He is currently the Secretary in the Ministry
Secretary of Economic Growth, Energy and of External Affairs.
the Environment, and as a Deputy Assistant  He replaces Sayyad Akbaruddin.
Secretary in the Bureau of Economic, Energy
and Business Affairs at the State Department. Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar appointed
PESB chairman
Justice Dipankar Datta takes oath as new Chief
Justice of Bombay High Court

Justice Dipankar Datta took oath as the new Chief

Justice of the Bombay High Court. Maharashtra
Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar was
appointed Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection
Board (PESB) for a period of three years.

 Kumar, 60 and a 1984 batch Jharkhand cadre

IAS official, was in July 2019 designated as
the Finance Secretary and retired in February
this year.
 He will succeed the incumbent Kapil Dev
Tripathi, a 1980 batch retired Assam-
Meghalaya cadre IAS official. Former Karnataka batsman J Arun Kumar was
 He took over as the financial services appointed coach of the USA cricket team.
secretary in September 2017 and initiated
several reforms in the country's banking  Jak, as he is known in the cricketing circles,
sector, to clean up the bad loan mess and to has worked with the Karnataka team for
make public sector banks (PSBs) stronger. several years and as batting coach with IPL
franchise Kings XI Punjab.
Deepak Mittal is India's new Ambassador to  Arun Kumar was also in charge of a fledgling
Qatar, Piyush Srivastava to Bahrain Puducherry team before quitting in February
owing to differences with the association
officials.
 Arun Kumar, who scored over 7,200 runs in
first-class cricket and over 3,000 runs in List
'A' games, had guided Karnataka to a treble
for two successive seasons Ranji Trophy,
Vijay Hazare Trophy and Irani Cup, in 2013-
14 and 2014-15.

Deepak Mittal has been appointed India's next

Ambassador to Qatar, while Piyush Srivastava goes
to Bahrain in the same capacity. Algerian author wins top Arab fiction prize for
'Spartan Court'
 Deepak Mittal is a Joint Secretary in the
Ministry of External Affairs.
 Mittal has served as a Joint Secretary in
Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
 The new appointees are of the 1998 batch of
Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and both of
them are expected to take up their
assignments shortly.

Former Karnataka batsman J Arun Kumar

named as USA national team coach
Algerian author Abdelouahab Aissaoui won a
prestigious prize for Arabic fiction with his novel
"The Spartan Court".

 Backed by the UK's Booker Prize

Foundation, the International Prize for Arabic Wimbledon Tennis tournament canceled for the
Fiction (IPAF) is financed by Abu Dhabi's first time since World War-II
Department of Culture and Tourism.
 Aissaoui will receive $50,000 and funds will
be provided to translate the book into
English.
 Published by Dar Mim, "The Spartan Court"
is a historical novel that relates the power
struggle between Ottoman and French
colonial powers in Algeria at the start of the
19th century.

Adam Higginbotham wins William E. Colby

Award Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis
tournament, has been cancelled for the first time
since World War-II because of the Coronavirus
pandemic.

 Tournament organizer, All England Club

(AELTC) after an emergency meeting
announced that the Championships 2020 will
be cancelled due to public health concerns
linked to the Novel Coronavirus epidemic.
 The tournament was due to be played
between 29 June and 12 July.
 The entire grass-court season has been
Adam Higginbotham's "Midnight in Chernobyl: The abandoned, and there will be no professional
Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear tennis anywhere in the world until at least 13
Disaster" has won a $5,000 prize. July.

 Higginbotham has received the William E. China to host Asian Youth Games in 2021
Colby Award, given for an outstanding book
on military or intelligence history.
 The award is named for the late CIA director.
 The Colby award was established in 1999.
Previous winners include Karl Marlantes'
novel "Matterhorn" and Dexter Filkins' "The
Forever War." Colby was CIA director
during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

Epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic before it

gripped Europe and the USA, China will host the
third edition of the Asian Youth Games in Shantou  The three robots, which are going to be the
in November next year. mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games
are collectively known as the smart triplets.
 The Chinese city of Wuhan was the epicentre  The Mascots - Congcong, Lianlian and
of the pandemic that is still sweeping across Chenchen, which reflect the internet prowess
the world with Western Europe and USA of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province,
being the worst hit currently. were unveiled at a digital ceremony in the
 The pandemic has led to the postponement of wake of the COVID-19.
the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 and brought  The Olympic Council of Asia's 19th Asian
sports events to a halt. Games will be held in Hangzhou from
 The OCA has decided to hold the Asian September 10 to 25, 2022.
Youth Games from November 20 to 28.
2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama
FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, scheduled postponed to 2022
in November postponed

The 2021 World Games have been pushed back by a

year to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics
which were rescheduled due to the coronavirus
The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which
pandemic.
was scheduled to be played in India between
November 2nd and 21st, has been postponed due to
 The World Games, which are held every four
the Coronavirus pandemic.
years and feature 32 sports that are not part of
the Olympic program, were scheduled to take
 The new dates for the tournament will be
place in Birmingham, Alabama, from 15–25
identified later.
July next year but have now been postponed
 The working group also postponed FIFA
to 7-17 July, 2022.
Under-20 Women’s World Cup which was
 The international event was set to host 3,600
scheduled between August and September in
athletes from over 100 countries to take part
Panama and Costa Rica.
in a variety of sports such as martial arts,
 The Under-17 Women's World Cup was
bowling, squash, billiards and even
scheduled to be played in India across five
wheelchair rugby.
host cities - Navi Mumbai, Guwahati,
Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.
Former Australia Test spinner Stephen O'Keefe
retires from 1st class cricket
Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled in
Hangzhou, China
Former Australia Test spinner Stephen O'Keefe has
retired from first class cricket after being omitted
The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were
from New South Wales' list of contracted players for
unveiled at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou,
the next domestic season.
China.
  The 35-year-old left-armer took 35 wickets in England all-rounder Ben Stokes ended Virat Kohli's
nine tests - including 12 in a match against 3-year reign to be named Wisden's leading cricketer
India at Pune in 2017. in the world.
 O'Keefe took 16 wickets at 22.25 as New
South Wales won the Sheffield Shield four-  Stokes was later named both BBC Sports
day title last season, the most by any spinner Personality of the Year and received an OBE
in the competition. in the New Year's Honours List before
claiming ICC Men's Player of the Year
High jumper Zhang Guowei retires at 28 honours.
 Andrew Flintoff was the last English player
to win the award in 2005.
 Before Stokes, India captain Virat Kohli had
won the award three straight times.

India retains 108th slot at FIFA's latest ranking

China's world silver-medallist high jumper Zhang

Guowei, renowned for his flamboyant twerking
celebrations, has announced his retirement aged 28.

 Zhang won silver at the Beijing 2015 World

Championships and also competed at the India football team retained its 108th spot in the latest
London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics. FIFA rankings issued in the latest rankings.
 However, his form and fitness tailed off after
his 2015 triumph and his season's best  In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
performance of 2.28m, set in Italy's Siena in whole raft of international fixtures including
February, was some way short of the Tokyo qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup and other
2020 Olympics qualifying standard of 2.33m. major tournaments has been postponed.
 Belgium and France retained their first and
England's Ben Stokes named as leading cricketer second positions respectively in the latest
in the world by Wisden rankings. Brazil is in third place followed by
England.

World's most famous cycling race Tour de France

postponed in wake of Coronavirus pandemic
The world's most famous cycling race Tour de
France has been postponed in the wake of the
Coronavirus pandemic.

 The French newspapers reported that the

three-week race that was set to start on 27th
of June in the Riviera city of Nice has been
set for August.
 This year's event has 21 stages, with the
longest of them stretching 218 kilometres
The mascot for the 4th Asian Para Games scheduled
(135 miles).
to be held from October 9 in 2022 in Hangzhou,
 The last time the Tour was not held was in
China was unveiled.
1946, with the nation still emerging from
World War-II. It was also stopped during
 The design of 'Fei Fei' is inspired by the motif
World War-I.
of the 'Divine Bird' in the Liangzhu Culture.
 The mascot is the fusion of Hangzhou's
BCCI suspends IPL 2020 indefinitely due to
heritage and its drive for technological
Covid-19 pandemic
innovation, carrying the longing for
harmonious coexistence between humans
and nature.
 The 4th Asian Para Games will be held from
October 9-15, 2022, featuring 22 sports with
Taekwondo and Para-Canoe to make their
Games debuts.

Mohun Bagan declared I-League champions as

season gets called off
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
decided to postpone the IPL 2020 tournament
indefinitely owing to the global coronavirus
pandemic.

 All the eight franchises were informed of the

decision by IPL COO Hemang Amin.
 The tournament’s stakeholders including
franchises and the players will now be facing
a financial setback due to the event’s Mohun Bagan were officially crowned as the
suspension. winners after the remaining 28 matches of the I-
 According to the report, eight franchises League were cancelled as coronavirus continues to
bought a total of 62 players spending ₹140.30 rage.
crore overall.
 The 2020 Indian Premier League was  The committee recommended that the 2019-
scheduled to be the thirteenth season of the 20 season be deemed to be concluded.
IPL.  Mohun Bagan declared as the I-League
champion for the 2019-20 season as they
Mascot for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games stand atop current standings in the Hero I-
unveiled League until the point of suspension.
Bhaichung Bhutia among 50 footballers to take  With the F1 season halted by the coronavirus
part in FIFA's initiative to applaud 'humanity's pandemic, the sport launched a virtual series
heroes' to keep fans entertained.
 The F1 world championship has yet to get
underway this season due to the spread of the
coronavirus.
 Nine of the scheduled 22 races have either
been cancelled or postponed.

World Games unveil new logo, title for 2022

edition

Former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia was among

the 50 footballers to take part in the FIFA's initiative
to pay tribute to 'humanity's heroes' amid the
coronavirus pandemic.

 FIFA expressed gratitude towards all the

healthcare workers and other professionals
who are giving their all to ensure society The World Games to be held in Birmingham,
continues to function in the face of the Alabama, which have been delayed due to the
coronavirus. coronavirus outbreak, have unveiled a new logo and
 FIFA shared a video on their official Twitter a new title.
handle where footballers from present and
past came been seen applauding the frontline  With the announcement of The Games shift
workers. to July 7-17, 2022, organisers have decided
that the international multi-sport event will
Leclerc wins F1 virtual Chinese Grand Prix officially become ‘The World Games 2022'.
 While the International Olympic Committee
postponed the Summer Olympics until 2021,
it agreed to retain the name "Tokyo 2020".

FIH Pro League Season 2 extended by one year

Charles Leclerc has claimed his second straight

Formula One Virtual Grand Prix on the Shanghai
track.

 The Ferrari driver started the Chinese GP in

pole position and finished ahead of Red Bull's
Alex Albon and Zhou Guanyu. The International Hockey Federation (FIH)
 The actual Chinese GP, originally scheduled announced that the second edition of the FIH Hockey
for April 19, was postponed in February. Pro League is being extended through to June 2021
due to ongoing uncertainties surrounding the
COVID-19 global health pandemic.

 The second edition of the Pro League was

initially set to run from January to June 2020.
 Around one-third of the planned matches
were completed between January and early
March.
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal was banned for three
 India are currently fourth on the table with 10
years by the PCB for failing to report corrupt
points from two wins and as many number of
approaches ahead of the country's premier T20
losses and draws behind Belgium, Australia
league this year.
and the Netherlands.
 The ban was imposed by its Disciplinary
Former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir announces
Panel chairman Justice (retired) Fazal-e-
retirement from international cricket
Miran Chauhan, who held a hearing.
 The 29-year-old appeared before the panel at
the National Cricket Academy in Lahore after
not challenging a show cause notice issued to
him by the PCB Anti-Corruption for not
reporting an alleged offer to spot-fix in the
2020 Pakistan Super League.

Indian Distance Runner Jhuma Khatun Gets 4-

year Ban For Doping

Former Pakistan women's skipper Sana Mir

announced her retirement from international cricket,
ending a 15 year long illustrious career.

 Mir featured in 226 international matches for

Pakistan, including 137 as captain from 2009
to 2017.
 The right-handed batter made her ODI debut Middle distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been
against Sri Lanka in Karachi in December banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit
2005, while her last ODI was against of the world governing body.
Bangladesh in Lahore in November 2019.
 Mir rose to number-one on ICC Women's  He was banned for testing positive for a
Rankings for ODI bowlers in October 2018. banned substance, steroid, in a nearly two-
 She is one of the nine women cricketers to year-old doping case which the NDTL had
have taken 100 wickets and scored 1,000 runs failed to detect.
in ODIs.  The 31-year-old Khatun's dope sample
collected during the National Inter-State
PCB bans Umar Akmal for three years Championships in June 2018 in Guwahati
returned negative when it was tested by the
National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL)
in Delhi.
  Khatun had won a bronze each in 1500m and  The three-time Grammy Award-winning
5000m in that Guwahati meet. artist enjoyed an active music career that
lasted from 1970 to 1985.

Former Libya interim prime minister Mahmoud

Jibril dies

Princess Maria Teresa of Spain becomes first

royal person to die from COVID-19

Mahmoud Jibril, the former leader of the opposition

Libyan government during the civil war that toppled
Muammar Gaddafi after 40 years of rule, has died in
Cairo after being hospitalised with the coronavirus.

 The 67-year-old had been quarantined at a

Spanish Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma
hospital in the city since late last month.
has become the first royal to pass away due to Covid-
 He was an economic advisor to the Gaddafi
19 complications.
government in its final years, before joining
the revolution in 2011.
 The 86-year-old was a cousin of Spain's King
 Jibril had been interim prime minister for
Felipe VI.
about seven months in 2011 and resigned
 Princess Teresa's death comes weeks after
after Gaddafi was captured and killed in the
King Felipe VI of Spain tested negative for
city of Sirte.
the virus.
 She was known for her outspoken views and
activist work, which led to her nickname the Former New Zealand cricketer Jock Edwards
"Red Princess." passes away
 Meanwhile, Prince Charles became the first
British royal to be tested positive for the
coronavirus, earlier this week.

3 times Grammy Award winner Bill Withers

passes away

American singer and songwriter Bill Withers, whose

songs from the 1970s have provided immeasurable
inspiration in the decades, die at the age of 81. Big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Jock Edwards,
who represented New Zealand in six Tests and eight
 Withers earned international acclaim for ODIs, has passed away.
songs like “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No
Sunshine”, both are on Rolling Stone’s list of
the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
  He was also a member of the Nelson side that Honor Blackman, one of the most memorable co-
held on to the Hawke Cup for 14 matches stars of the early James Bond films, has died at the
between February 1979 and February 1983. age of 94.
 In his international career, Jock scored 377
runs in Tests and 138 runs in ODIs which he  The actress shot to fame in her late 30s after
played against Australia, England and India. playing legendary Bond girl Pussy Galore in
the 1964 movie "Goldfinger".
Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla  Blackman also became well-known in Britain
dies of COVID-19 in New York for playing the character Cathy Gale in the
popular 1960s TV spy series 'The Avengers'
alongside Patrick Macnee as the bowler-
hatted John Steed.

American folk songwriter, John Prine, passes

away due to coronavirus complications

Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla has

died of COVID-19 that is ravaging New York, the
epicentre of the pandemic in the US.

 The journalist died in after nine days in a

hospital.
 Brahm Kanchibotla, 66, was a correspondent John Prine, an American folk legend widely
for United News of India. considered one of his generation's most influential
 During his 28-year career in the US, he had songwriters, died following complications of
worked for 11 years as a content editor for coronavirus.
Merger Markets, a financial publication, and
also did a stint with News India-Times  He won two Grammy awards for best
weekly newspaper. contemporary folk albums “The Missing
 He had emigrated to the US in 1992 after Years (1991)” and “Fair & Square (2005)”.
having worked for several publications in  He was bestowed with Grammy Lifetime
India. Achievement Award and was also inducted
into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
'Goldfinger' Bond girl Honor Blackman passes  Bob Dylan has named Prine among his
away favorite songwriters.

Senior Congress leader Hazarilal Raghuwanshi

passes away

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh

minister Hazarilal Raghuwanshi passed away.

 A native of Seoni Malwa town in

Hoshangabad district, Raghuwanshi was a
five-time MLA from the Assembly
 constituency and also served as a minister in performances, which she staged all across the
various Congress-led governments in the world, including Lahore, Islamabad,
state. Toronto, Boston, New York, and
 The senior leader was elected as an MLA for Washington.
the first time in 1977 and he also served as a  During her illustrious career, she has received
deputy speaker in the state Assembly from numerous accolades, including the Padma
2003-2008. Shri, which was awarded to her in 2007.
 Currently he was a member of the party
disciplinary committee. Father of Modern Iraqi Architecture Rifat
Chadirji Dies of COVID-19
Former cricketer Jackie du Preez passes away

Rifat Chadirji, known as the father of modern Iraqi

architecture, died in the United Kingdom after
contracting the novel coronavirus.
The former Zimbabwean cricketer Jackie du Preez
passed away.  The 93-year-old architect and photographer
is credited with designing some of Iraq's most
 The leg-spinner played for South Africa in well-known structures, including the iconic
Zimbabwe's pre-independence days. "Freedom Monument" in the now protest hub
 He played two Tests for South Africa in of Baghdad's Tahrir Square.
1967.  Born in Baghdad in 1926, Chadirji studied in
 Du Preez didn't represent South Africa London and returned to Iraq in the 1950s to
thereafter but enjoyed a long and successful design his magnum opus, an elegant arch
first-class career. entitled "The Unknown Soldier" as well as
 He also enjoyed enough success with the bat the capital's post office and other public
so as to be labelled an all-rounder, scoring buildings.
4,063 runs in first-class cricket at an average  Chadirji had been a longtime advocate of
of 23.76, including one century and 19 fifties. preservation, working even under Saddam to
halt the demolition of traditional Iraqi
Hindustani classical singer and Padma Shri architecture in Baghdad.
awardee, Shanti Hiranand, passes away
Legendary Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti
Renowned Hindustani classical singer and Padma passes away
Shri awardee Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away.
Peter Bonetti, the former Chelsea and England
 The singer was trained in thumri, dadra and goalkeeper nicknamed “The Cat” for his outstanding
ghazal singing by Begum Akhtar, and was reflexes and agility, has died.
world renowned for keeping the legendary
ghazal singer's style alive in her
  Bonetti died after suffering from long-term  A Padma Bhushan awardee, Desai held office
illness. as the Attorney General of India from July 9,
 He appeared in 729 appearances for the 1996 to May 6, 1998.
London club over two spells from 1960-75  Earlier, he was the Solicitor General of India
and 1977-79. from 18 December, 1989 to December 2,
 Only Ron Harris, with 795, has made more 1990.
appearances for the club.  Desai took up several landmark cases,
 Bonetti made seven appearances for England, including decriminalisation of
including in the 1970 World Cup finals. homosexuality, Vineet Narain case relating to
 He was in the 1966 World Cup-winning investigation into allegations of corruption
squad but did not play, belatedly receiving a against high-ranking public officials in the
winner’s medal in June 2009. country, Narmada Dam case and Illegal
Migrants (Determination by Tribunal)
British F1 racer Stirling Moss dies (IMDT) Act in Assam, among others.

Veteran Army officer KP Dhal Samata dies

Stirling Moss, the British racer widely regarded as Veteran Army officer Lt Gen (retd) K P Dhal
the greatest Formula One driver ever to win the world Samanta, who had played a valiant role in 1971 and
championship, has died at the age of 90. Kargil wars, died.

 He made 67 starts in the F1 World  A product of the first batch of Sainik School
Championship, winning 16 races and Bhubaneswar, Lt Gen Samanta had retired as
claiming 16 pole positions and 24 podium Director General of the Rashtriya Rifles,
positions. India's premier counter insurgency force
 He retired from top-level competition after a deployed in Kashmir.
crash in 1962 but continued in historic racing  Gen Samanta fought in the 1971 war on the
and was highly active within motor racing for eastern front and was awarded the Poorvi
the rest of his life. Star.
 In 1961 he was named the BBC’s sports  He was among the veterans invited regularly
personality of the year. to Bangladesh as a mark of honour for their
valiant efforts in the liberation of
Former Attorney General of India Ashok Desai Bangladesh.
passes away  Later in his career, he participated in
Operation Blue Star and the larger fight
Former Attorney General of India and senior against terrorism in Punjab.
advocate Ashok Desai passed away.  During the 1999 Kargil war, Samanta was
instrumental in helping deploy the 155 mm
Bofors guns in difficult conditions.
 Former Pakistani cricketer Zafar Sarfraz passes  Ranjit found fame overseas starring in
away crossover films like Lonely in America,
Mississippi Masala, Bollywood/Hollywood,
Fire and Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. He also
featured in US shows like The Office and
Prison Break.

Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute dies

Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz

became the first professional player in the country to
die after contracting the novel coronavirus.

 Sarfraz, a middle-order batsman, played 15

first-class games in Peshawar and retired in
1994.
 Pakistan has recorded more than 5,000
coronavirus cases to date and nearly 100
Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute, who had participated
deaths.
in the Quit India Movement, died of prolonged
 Lack of testing and an underfunded health
illness in Maharashtra's Raigadh district.
care sector, however, has raised fears the
country is ill-equipped to handle a spike in
 Bhuskute, who had participated in the Quit
cases.
India Movement, wrote several books on land
laws and worked for the release and
Actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away
rehabilitation of bonded labourers in tribal
areas of the state.
 The Quit India Movement also known as
India August Movement or Bharat Chodo
Andolan was launched at the Bombay session
of the All India Congress Committee (AICC)
by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942.

Nigeria President Buhari's chief of staff Abba

Kyari dies of COVID-19

Actor Ranjit Chowdhry, best known for his roles in

Baton Baton Mein, Mississippi Masala and
Bollywood/Hollywood among more, passed away.

 Son of renowned theatre actor Pearl

Padamsee, Ranjit Chowdhry made his silver
screen debut with Khatta Meetha in 1978.
 He went on to star in Hindi films like Baton
Baton Mein, Khubsoorat, Bandit Queen and
Kaante among more.
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.

Tribal leader and former Odisha minister Gene Deitch, an American Oscar-winning illustrator,
Saharai Oram dies animator, film director and producer has died.

 Deitch's movie Munro won the Academy

Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1960.
 Earlier, he had created the Tom Terrific
series, while Sidney's Family Tree, which he
co-produced, was nominated for an Academy
Award in 1958.
 Working from behind the Iron Curtain, he
directed 13 episodes of Tom and Jerry and
also some of the Popeye the Sailor series.

Veteran Kolkata based sports journalist Samir

Goswami passes away
Veteran tribal leader and former Odisha Minister
Saharai Oram died following a prolonged illness.

 Saharai Oram was a long associate of Biju

babu and had contributed immensely for the
development and welfare of tribal people.
 Oram was first elected to the Odisha
Assembly from Champua constituency in
1971 as an Utkal Congress candidate.
 In 1977, he was elected from the same
constituency as a Janata Party candidate, in
1980 as Janata-S candidate, 1990 as Janata Veteran journalist Samir Goswami, a much-liked
Dal candidate and in 2000 as an Independent. figure in Kolkata sports journalism fraternity passed
 Popular for his versatility, Oram not only away.
worked for the welfare of the poor, orphans
and destitute but also contributed towards  Goswami worked for more than two decades
promoting tribal and folk culture. in the popular Bengali newspaper 'Bartaman'.
 Goswami was one of the few journalists, who
Tom and Jerry director Gene Deitch dies would devotedly cover first division cricket
league games and unfailingly updated the
scores of hockey league matches as well
results of lower division (second to fifth
division) football leagues.
  He also diligently covered senior and junior Former Australian cricketer Graeme Watson dies
level swimming competitions as well as table at 75
tennis events.

BMW India CEO Rudratej Singh passes away

Former Australian cricketer Graeme Watson who

Rudratej Singh, the President and CEO of BMW was fighting cancer, has died at the age of 75.
Group India, passed away. He was 46.
 Primarily a middle-order batsman and a
 Rudratej Singh joined BMW Group India on medium-pace bowler, he featured in five
August 1, 2019. Prior to that, he was serving Tests from 1967 to 1972 and two ODIs in
as the Global President at Royal Enfield. 1972.
 The 46-year-old had also worked with  The all-rounder earned the national call
Unilever in India and international markets during the 1966-67 tour of Rhodesia and
for more than 16 years. South Africa.

Thespian Usha Ganguly dies at 75 Senior Congress leader Badruddin Sheikh passes
away following COVID19 infection

Eminent theatre personality Usha Ganguly died. Senior Congress leader and councillor in Amdavad
Municipal Corporation Badruddin Sheikh passed
 She founded the Rangakarmee group in 1976, away following COVID19 infection.
which is known for non-conformist
productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court  He was 68 and active in politics and public
Martial and Antaryatra. life.
 Ganguly is credited for introducing a new  He had also served as State Congress
form of alternative Hindi theatre in Bengal. spokesperson and Leader of opposition in
 Her Bengali productions include Mukti and AMC in the past.
Manasi.  He was under treatment at AMC run SVP -
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hospital since the
 third week of April after he detected COVID-  Popularly known as 'Ronny', he was
19 positive. associated with Bengali daily Aajkaal since
1990s and covered the ICC World Cup in
Former governor, veteran Congress leader England last year.
Devanand Konwar dies at 86  Having started from the entertainment
section, Roy switched to sports and became a
well-known face in the Maidan establishing a
good rapport with both players and officials
of all disciplines.

Noted playwright Bijay Mishra passes away

Former Governor of Bihar and Tripura and veteran

Congress leader Devanand Konwar died of old age
ailments

 He was governor of Bihar from July 24, 2009

to March 8, 2013 and of Tripura between Noted playwright and lyricist of Odisha Bijay Mishra
March 25, 2013 and June 29, 2014. passed away.
 He had also served as governor (additional
charge) of West Bengal from December 2009  He was a pioneer of the modern theatre
to January 2010. movement in Odisha, Mishra was recipient of
 Konwar had joined the Congress in 1955 as a many awards at the State as well as national
student leader. level.
 He became a Cabinet minister in the  He won the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi
governments of Assam headed by Hiteswar award for his play ‘Vanaprastha’.
Saikia and later by Tarun Gogoi.  He won Odisha Sahitya Akademi and other
State-level awards.
Veteran sports photographer Ronny Roy passes  He also received the prestigious Jayadev
away Award for his lifetime contribution to Odia
film industry at the 30th Odisha State Film
Awards last year.

Renowned actor Irrfan Khan passes away in

Mumbai hospital

Veteran sports photojournalist Ronojoy 'Ronny' Roy

died following a cardiac arrest.

 There is a lot of speculation that Roy could

have died to COVID-19.
Renowned actor Irrfan Khan passed away in a  Rishi Kapoor was honoured with the Filmfare
Mumbai hospital, losing his battle with a rare form Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
of cancer.

 The Maqbool actor, who was diagnosed with

neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his
mother in Jaipur just four days ago.
 Irfan Khan made his Bollywood debut with
Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay in 1988. Prize-winning reporter writes book on Melania
 Later, he did many films but was noticed with Trump called ‘The Art of Her Deal’
films like Maqbool, Life In A Metro, Paan
Singh Tomar and Piku.
 He has also been associated with many
international films like Slumdog Millionaire,
A Mighty Heart, Jurassic World and The
Amazing Spider-Man.
 His best though is Ang Lee's Life Of Pi which
was a huge commercial success.

Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passes A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The
away Washington Post has written an unauthorized
biography of first lady Melania Trump.

 Mary Jordan’s “The Art of Her Deal,” which

draws upon more than 100 interviews.
 Jordan began working on the book in 2015,
well before Donald Trump’s surprise victory
in the presidential election.
 She investigated everything from Melania
Knauss’ childhood in Slovenia to her years as
a model to her relationship with her husband.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai.
Quiz April 2020 (English)
 Rishi Kapoor received the National Film
Award for his debut role as a child artist in Q. International Transgender Day of Visibility is
his father Raj Kapoor's 1970 film ‘Mera observed every year on ________.
Naam Joker’.
 He had his first lead role as an adult opposite
29 March
Dimple Kapadia in 1973 with the film
‘Bobby’ and received the Filmfare Best Actor
30 March
Award in 1974.
 He played leading roles as the romantic lead
in many films between 1973 and 2000. 31 March
 He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best
Actor in 2011 for his performance in ‘Do 01 April
Dooni Chaar’ and for his role in ‘Kapoor &
Sons’. He also won the Filmfare Award for 02 April
Best Supporting Actor in 2017.
Q. The World Bank has offered a ________ project IIT Kanpur
for the Indian government for emergency response
IIT Delhi
and health systems preparedness in India.
IISC Bengaluru
$50 million
IIT Madras
$1 billion
None of these
$1.5 billion
Q. Recently, 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance
$2 billion
Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting
$5 billion concluded. The meeting was held under the
presidency of ________.
Q. Utkal Dibasa is observed every year on
_________. USA

29 March France

30 March UAE

31 March India

01 April Saudi Arabia

02 April Q. Which of the following state government has

launched an ‘Active Case Finding Campaign’ for
Q. 'Madadgaar' helpline was recently in the news.
COVID 19 patients?
The 'Madadgaar' helpline works under _________.
Uttar Pradesh
Indian Army
Rajasthan
Delhi Police
Himachal Pradesh
Central Reserve Police Force
Madhya Pradesh
Central Industrial Security Force
Sikkim
U.P. Police
Q. Which of the following company has partnered
Q. Which of the following institute is working to
with ICICI Lombard to launch COVID-19 insurance
develop portable ventilators to support medical
products for shopkeepers?
infrastructure?
PhonePe 02 April

PayTm 03 April

Amazon India 04 April

BharatPe Q. The United Nation's COP 26 climate change

summit has been postponed till next year. COP 26
None of these
was scheduled to take place in ________.
Q. Recently, Indian government has extended its
Glasgow
existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) till
_________. Paris

July 2020 New York

September 2020 Rome

December 2020 Berlin

January 2021 Q. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is offered a

helping hand to fight against COVID-19 by
March 2021
extending the services of cadets under Exercise
Q. Princess Maria Teresa became the first royal _________.
person to die from COVID-19. She was from
Karmath
________.
Desh
UK
Yogdan
Spain
Shakti
France
Sangathan
Italy
Q. Which of the following state/UT Chief Minister
Germany
has announced one crore rupees for the families of
Q. World Autism Awareness Day is observed every healthcare personnel if they lose their lives while
year on _________. dealing with COVID-19 cases?

31 March Uttar Pradesh

01 April Jammu and Kashmir

Delhi Nestlé

Maharashtra Parle Agro

Rajasthan Britannia Industries Limited

Q. Which of the following subject has been Q. According to the new notification by RBI, All
introduced by The Central Board of Secondary private and foreign banks have to intimate about the
Education (CBSE) as a new academic elective re-appointment of managing director and chief
subject for class XI? executives _________ in advance.

Mechanics 3 months

Applied Mathematics 6 months

Thermodynamics 7 months

Neuroscience 9 months

None of these 1 year

Q. According to a new notification, the date for Q. Who among the following has been named as the
renewal of health and motor insurance policies has Managing Director of Sundaram Home Finance?
been extended to __________.
Ajay Soni
21 April
Mohit Prajapati
1 May
Ajeet Pal
11 May
D Lakshminarayanan
01 June
Vikrant Dubey
15 June
Q. Which of the following country will host Asian
Q. Which of the following company has completed Youth Games in 2021?
the merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
India
Healthcare Ltd merger (GSKCH)?
Bangladesh
ITC Limited
China
Hindustan Unilever
Indonesia
Thailand Q. To assess people on COVID-19, the Government
of India has launched a mobile app named as
Q. As of 03 April 2020, Global Coronavirus Cases
_________.
have surpassed ________.
AarogyaMantra
0.5 million
Swasth
1 million
AarogyaSetu
2 million
Sajeev
3 million
AarogyaSeva
5 million
Q. Which of the following has developed bio suits to
Q. Recently, Bob Weighton has been confirmed as
keep health professionals fighting COVID-19 safe?
the world’s oldest man living at 112. He is from
________. IISc Bengaluru

China Defence Research and Development Organisation

Japan IIT Madras

Russia Indian Council of Medical Research

UK All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

USA Q. Indian Railways Chittaranjan Locomotive Works

has created a world record in producing the highest
Q. A 24 hour curfew has been imposed in the holy
number of locos. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works is
cities of Makkah and Madina. These cities are in
in ________.
________.
Telangana
Oman
West Bengal
UAE
Odisha
Saudi Arabia
Andhra Pradesh
Qatar
Assam
Bahrain
Q. e-NAM Platform was recently in the news. e- Q. Recently, State Bank of India has listed Green
NAM Platform is related to ________. Bonds worth________ on India INX’s Global
Securities Market Green Platform (GSM).
Pension
$50 million
Agriculture
$100 million
Student scholarship
$150 million
LPG distribution
$200 million
None of these
$400 million
Q. Which of the following has designed and
developed its own low cost handheld IR based Q. International Mine Awareness Day is observed
temperature sensor that is priced under Rs 1000? every year on ________.

Naval Dockyard Mumbai 01 April

INS Vikrant 02 April

IGI Airport New Delhi 03 April

Air Force Station Ambala 04 April

None of these 05 April

Q. Who among the following has become the first Q. Which of the following UN organisations has
Judge to take oath under the Indian Constitution as a adopted ‘Global solidarity’ to fight against COVID-
permanent Judge of the common High Court of 19?
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh?
United Nations General Assembly
Manoj Suri
World Bank Group
Rajnesh Oswal
World Health Organization
Ajeet Shrivastav
Food and Agriculture Organization
Rohit Dhankar
United Nations World Food Program
Sandeep Tyagi
Q. Which of the following organization has Q. Which of the following institute has developed
recommended antibody tests for speedy detection of low-cost face shields for protection of first line
COVID-19 cases in India? healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19?

All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi IIT Madras

Indian Council of Medical Research IIT Delhi

Central Drugs Standard Control Organization IISc Bengaluru

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research IIT Roorkee

None of these IIT Kanpur

Q. Government has ordered about 10 crore Q. Recently, The Competition Commission of India
hydroxychloroquine tablets for healthcare workers. gave its nods for acquisition of stakes in Religare
hydroxychloroquine is normally used to Health Insurance by ________.
treat________.
HDFC Ergo
HIV
Trishikhar Ventures
Tuberculosis
ICICI Lombard
Dengue
Mahalaxmi Insurance
Malaria
None of these
Smallpox
Q. At the end of last week of March 2020, India’s
Q. Minister of State Human Resource Development Gold reserves stood at _________.
launched a Hackathon named as _________ to find
$73.83 billion
working solutions for overcoming COVID-19
pandemic. $18.93 billion

Hack the Crisis - India $26.48 billion

Be the solution $30.89 billion

Work from home-India $25.94 billion

No boundaries-India Q. The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup that

was scheduled in November Has been postponed.
None of these
Which of the following country is the host for FIFA France
Under-17 Women's World Cup?
Germany
China
USA
India
Q. Recently, 28 ferry passengers got swept
France overboard in a powerful storm off the Solomon
Islands. What is the capital of Solomon Islands?
Russia
Maseru
USA
Honiara
Q. What is/are the Official mascots of 19th Asian
Games? Gaborone

Congcong Harare

Lianlian None of these

Chenchen Q. Which of the following has recently designed a

full body disinfection chamber?
1 and 2
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
1, 2 and 3
All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Q. National Maritime Day is observed every year on
________. Defence Research and Development Organisation

01 April Indian Space Research Organisation

02 April None of these

03 April Q. Which of the following state has decided to

provide online training to about 1.25 lakh AYUSH
04 April
doctors to prevent Coronavirus spread?
05 April
Madhya Pradesh
Q. Tomb-sweeping Day/Qingming Festival is
Haryana
mainly observed in ______.
Rajasthan
China
Maharashtra
Russia
Uttar Pradesh Q. The National Health Authority (NHA) has inked
a pact with which of the following company to
Q. Which of the following state government has
provide transport services for frontline healthcare
launched the 'mCOVID-19' App for all COVID-19
workers involved in treatment of COVID-19
related information?
patients?
Assam
Ola
Nagaland
Meru
Mizoram
Uber
Telangana
Savaari Car
Bihar
Fasttrack Taxi App
Q. PM paid tribute to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth
Q. According to the Asian Development Outlook
anniversary. Jagjivan Ram was also known as
(ADO) 2020, Indian economy is expected to grow at
_________.
________ in FY 2020-21.
Kisan Mitra
3.5%
Babuji
3.8%
Mamaji
4%
Babulal
4.2%
Bihar Kesri
5%
Q. The Odisha government has launched a cultural
Q. International Day of Sport for Development and
competition named as ________, to engage children
Peace is observed every year on ________.
during lockdown.
02 April
Biju Desh
03 April
Mo Biju
04 April
Mo Prativa
05 April
Mo Mamata
06 April
None of these
Q. Recently, South Sudan has announced its 1st case last Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir. What was the
of COVID-19. What is the capital of South Sudan? symbol of Bhagwan Mahavir?

Kampala Snake

Lusaka Lion

Juba Bull

Nairobi Elephant

Maputo Horse

Q. NASA has unveiled a plan named as_________ Q. IAS and IPS officers' associations have launched
to establish the first human base camp on the Moon's a campaign named _________ to fight Coronavirus.
south pole by 2024?
Korna
Dawn
Rakshak
MAVEN
Caruna
Phoenix
Sangathit
Artemis
Arogya
Rosetta
Q. Which of the following institute has developed a
Q. Food Corporation of India (FCI) has set a new low-cost portable ventilator named as ‘Prana Vayu’?
record in single day transportation of food grains.
IIT Roorkee
FCI is headquartered in ________.
IIT Delhi
Mumbai
IIT Madras
Kolkata
IIT Kanpur
New Delhi
IIT Mumbai
Agra
Q. Kobe Bryant will be posthumously inducted into
Chennai
the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Kobe Bryant
Q. Mahavir Jayanti was celebrated all over the was related to _________.
country to observe the birth anniversary of 24th and
Hockey
Football 08 April

Cricket Q. International Day of Reflection on the 1994

Rwandan genocide is observed every year on 07
Basketball
April to remember the members which of the
Tennis following community?

Q. 2021 World Games has been postponed due to Tutsi

clashes with Tokyo olympics. 2021 World Games
Brahui
were scheduled to take place in _________.
Tajik
Shanghai, China
Hutu
Birmingham, Alabama
Hausa
Moscow, Russia
Q. Which of the following Indian state has topped in
Dubai, UAE
micro-irrigation coverage in the financial year 2019-
None of these 20?

Q. Recently, Bill Withers passed away.He was a Andhra Pradesh

famous ________.
Assam
Singer
Tamil Nadu
Painter
Telangana
Actor
Madhya Pradesh
Director
Q. National Highway Authority of India, NHAI has
Journalist achieved the highest ever construction of National

Q. World Health Day is observed every year on Highways in financial year 2019-20. It has

_________. accomplished construction of _________ of national

highways in FY 2019-20.
03 April
4878 kilometre
07 April
2565 kilometre
04 April
1989 kilometre
09 April
3979 kilometre Q. Recently, Stephen O'Keefe retired from 1st class
cricket. He played international cricket for
9828 kilometre
________.
Q. Which of the following organisation has
New Zealand
developed a low-cost ventilator named as 'Jeevan'?
West Indies
Defence Research and Development Organisation
Australia
Indian Railways
Bangladesh
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
South Africa
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Q. Recently, China's world silver-medallist Zhang
Ordnance Factory Board
Guowei retired at a young age of 28. He was
Q. Which of the following state/UT has unveiled a associated with which of the following sports?
‘5T’ plan to fight COVID-19?
Shot Put
Maharashtra
Long jump
Mizoram
High Jump
Telangana
Weightlifting
Delhi
Fencing
Jammu and Kashmir
Q. Recently, Mahmoud Jibril died due to COVID-
Q. Which of the following country has been banned 19. He served as the Prime Minister of _________.
by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF)
Sudan
to take part in weightlifting at Tokyo Olympics
2020? Algeria

Thailand Ethiopia

Malaysia Libya

Mexico Egypt

1 and 2

1,2 and 3
Q. Which of the following country has begun trial for Q. Biofortified ‘Madhuban’ variety developed by
a second potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate farmer scientist Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya
‘INO-4800’? is benefitting local farmers. ‘Madhuban’ is the
biofortified variety of ________.
China
Cotton
USA
Wheat
Spain
Brinjal
Italy
Carrot
Iran
Pumkin
Q. Which of the following country has recently
decided to put on hold its funding to the World Q. The Ministry of Human Resources Development
Health Organization, WHO? has launched a challenge named as ________ to
invite ideas to fight COVID-19.
China
Samadhan
USA
Sangarsh
Spain
Swasth
Italy
Nirog
Iran
Abhay
Q. Recently, Jack Dorsey has decided to contribute 1
billion US dollars to the Coronavirus relief fund. Q. The UP government has managed to start
Dorsey is the cofounder of ________. COVID-19 sample collection centres in all districts
of the state. There are a total of ________ districts in
Twitter
Uttar Pradesh.
Instagram
81
Microsoft
79
IBM
75
Intel
72

68
Q. Annual Karaga festival celebrations have been Q. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has
prohibited. Karaga festival is mainly celebrated in approved the proposal of which of the following
the state of _______. company to acquire 80.1% share capital in power
grid business of ABB Limited?
Rajasthan
Panasonic
Assam
Hitachi
Karnataka
Godrej
Madhya Pradesh
Toshiba
Uttarakhand
None of these
Q. Which of the following state’s police has created
the 'Rakhsa Sarv' app to keep an eye on home Q. Recently, Bolsonaro thanks PM Modi, people of
quarantined patients? India, for helping tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. He
is the president of ________.
Rajasthan
South Africa
Jharkhand
Peru
Chhattisgarh
Brazil
Assam
Belgium
Manipur
Indonesia
Q. Which of the following payments bank has
partnered with Bharti AXA General to offer Q. Recently, The SAARC Development Fund has
coronavirus insurance policy? allocated ________ for COVID-19 projects.

Airtel Payments Bank $2 million

Paytm Payments Bank $4 million

India Post Payments Bank · $5 million

Jio Payments Bank $7 million

None of these $10 million

Q. ________ is the Indian government's Telangana
arrangement for operating medical cargo lifelines for
Odisha
countries facing a coronavirus crisis.
Maharashtra
Lifeline Udaan
Andhra Pradesh
Udaan Pehal
Uttar Pradesh
Jeevan Udaan
Q. The Small Industries Development Bank of India
Aashrit Udaan
(SIDBI) will provide emergency working capital of
None of these up to_________ to small and medium enterprises
against their confirmed government orders.
Q. Recently, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust was in
the news. JNPT is in ________. Rs 1 crore

Karnataka Rs 2 crore

Kerala Rs 3 crore

Maharashtra Rs 4 crore

Andhra Pradesh Rs 5 crore

Tamil Nadu Q. The World Trade Organization (WTO) said that

the Global trade could drop by a third this year due
Q. Indian government has launched ________
to the coronavirus pandemic. WTO is headquartered
learning platform to combat COVID-19.
in ________.
iGOT
Rome
iVID
New York
iLearn
Ottawa
iSkill
Geneva
None of these
None of these
Q. Which of the following has become the first
Q. According to ‘Economic and Social Survey of
Indian state to extend COVID-19 lockdown till April
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) 2020: Towards
30?
Sustainable economies’ report, Indian economy is
expected to grow at ________ in the current financial TCS
year.
Pepsico
3.3%
HCL Technologies
4.8%
None of these
5.0%
Q. Asian Development Bank has assured India of
4.5% ________US dollar support to fight against COVID-
19 pandemic.
4.2%
1.0 billion
Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
the MD & CEO of Bharti AXA Life Insurance? 1.6 billion

Ajay Pratap 2.2 billion

Mohan Singh 2.4 billion

Shivani Mukharjee 2.8 billion

Parag Raja Q. Which of the following TV channel has emerged

as the highest watched channel in India?
Pankaj Jha
Aaj Tak
Q. World Homoeopathy Day is observed every year
on ________. Doordarshan

08 April Colors TV

09 April Sony Entertainment Television

10 April None of these

11 April Q. Which of the following state government has

doubled the salary of Doctors, Nurses, medical
12 April
professionals dealing with Coronavirus cases?
Q. Which of the following company has partnered
Uttar Pradesh
with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
to support India's fight against COVID-19? Andhra Pradesh

Hindustan Unilever Haryana

Rajasthan Q. Recently, Hazarilal Raghuwanshi passed away.
He was a famous ________.
None of these
Journalist
Q. Which of the following state government has
announced a cash reward to the medical team which Director
treated COVID-19 patients successfully?
Flute Player
Tamil Nadu
Politician
Maharashtra
Army Officer
Manipur
Q. Recently, Mary Jordan has written “The Art of
Telangana Her Deal,” which is an unauthorized biography of
_________.
None of these
Melania Trump
Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
the MD and CEO of General Insurance? Elizabeth I

Prachi Rawat Simona Halep

Pradeep Tyagi Rebecca Wilson

Anamika Roy Katy Perry

Shubham Gill Q. The World Health Organization issued a dire

warning that prematurely lifting lockdown
None of these
restrictions could spark a deadly resurgence of the
Q. Recently, John Prine passed away due to disease. Who among the following is the Director-
coronavirus complications. He was a famous General of WHO?
________.
Henrietta H. Fore
Actor
David Malpass
Scientist
Tedros Adhanom
Journalist
Kristalina Georgieva
Singer
None of these
Painter
Q. National Safe Motherhood Day is observed every Delhi Police
year on ________.
Central Information Commission
07 April
Law Commission of India
11 April
National Commission for Women
09 April
NITI Aayog
10 April
Q. Which of the following bank has launched,
12 April DIGIGEN portal for Simple Digital Banking for
Savings Account & Fixed Deposits?
Q. Who among the following participated in G20
Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual meeting? Jana Small Finance Bank

Dharmendra Pradhan DBS Bank

Rajnath Singh Ujjivan Small Finance Bank

Nirmala Sitharaman Kotak Mahindra Bank

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar AU Small Finance Bank

None of these Q. Who among the following is the face of RBI’s

twitter campaign that urges bank customers to adopt
Q. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu paid homage to
digital modes of payment?
Jyotiba Phule. Which of the following was founded
by Jyotiba Phule? Virat Kohli

Ramakrishna Mission Salman Khan

Prarthana Samaj Akshay Kumar

Satyashodhak Samaj P. V. Sindhu

Brahmo Samaj Amitabh Bachchan

None of these Q. Which of the following company has partnered

with ICICI Lombard and Go Digit to offer COVID-
Q. Which of the following has launched a WhatsApp
19 focused health insurance?
number ‘7217735372’ to report cases of domestic
violence during the coronavirus lockdown period? Paytm
Amazon India 13 April

Flipkart Q. Recently, Anak Krakatau Volcano erupted. Anak

Krakatau Volcano is in ________.
State Bank of India
Japan
Bajaj Finserv
Chile
Q. Who among the following Indian has been named
by International Monetary Fund MD Kristalina Indonesia
Georgieva to her external advisory group?
Argentina
Arvind Subramanian
Madagascar
Urjit Patel
Q. OPEC said that the major oil producers have
Raghuram Rajan agreed to cut output in May and June by 10 million
barrels per day. OPEC is headquartered in ________.
Bimal Jalan
Berlin
None of these
Vienna
Q. Recently, Jackie du Preez passed away. He was a
famous _______. Geneva

Journalist New York

Cricketer Riyadh

Astronaut Q. Which of the following country is the largest

largest producer and exporter of
Scientist
Hydroxychloroquine?
Boxer
Bangladesh
Q. International Day of Human Space Flight is
India
observed every year on ________.
Brazil
09 April
USA
10 April
China
11 April

12 April
Q. Which of the following state/UT has become the Q. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has announced
first to commence convalescent plasma therapy to an extension of 30 days for payment of premium due
treat critically ill COVID-19 cases? in March and April 2020. LIC is headquartered in
_______.
Maharashtra
Chennai
Kerala
Hyderabad
Delhi
New Delhi
Telangana
Mumbai
Assam
None of these
Q. Which of the following Indian state recently
observed the Cheiraoba festival? Q. Which of the following bank got the RBI nod to
reappoint Mahabaleshwara M S as MD and CEO for
Assam
3 yrs?
Sikkim
Karur Vysya Bank
Himachal Pradesh
IndusInd Bank
Nagaland
Karnataka Bank
Manipur
Bandhan Bank
Q. The Finance Ministry has extended the deadline
Citibank
for mandatory minimum deposit in Sukanya
Samriddhi Account till June 30. The Sukanya Q. Recently, Rifat Chadirji died due to COVID-19.
Samriddhi scheme was launched in the year He was known as the Father of Modern Architecture
_______. of which of the following countries?

2014 Spain

2015 Iraq

2016 Iran

2017 France

2018 Russia
Q. The Pakistan government requested the $1.4 bn Q. Prasar Bharti has launched a new channel
loan, a fast-disbursing loan under the RFI fund to specifically dedicated to old classics named
deal with the adverse economic impact of COVID- as________.
19. R in RFI stands for ________.
DD Retro
Rapid
DD Classic
Reliable
DD Bharat
Rarid
DD S amay
Renewed
None of these
None of these
Q. Which of the following ministry has launched a
Q. Which of the following day is also known as web-portal YUKTI (Young India Combating
Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti? COVID?

Pahela Baishakh Ministry of Home Affairs

Yawm Ashura Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Odia New Year Ministry of External Affairs

Puthandu Ministry of Human Resource Development

Masadi None of these

Q. PM Modi pays tribute to martyrs of Jallianwala Q. Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Bagh Massacre. Jallianwala Bagh massacre took (KVIC) has recently launched a double layered
place on 13 April ________. Khadi mask. Who among the following is the current
chairman of KVIC?
1918
Ajay Mohan
1916
Rajesh Pandey
1917
V.K. Saxena
1919
Amitabh Chaudhary
1920
Prakash Jha
Q. Which of the following state government has IBM
launched a ‘Food Bank’ to help the poor and needy?
Microsoft
Rajasthan
Facebook
Uttar Pradesh
Apple
Jharkhand
None of these
Manipur
Q. World Chagas Disease Day is observed every year
Tamil Nadu on ________.

Q. The Vice President greets the nation on the 11 April

occasion of Puthandu. Puthandu is mainly observed
12 April
in the state of ________.
13 April
Rajasthan
14 April
Haryana
15 April
Tamil Nadu
Q. Indian Army observes Siachen Day every year on
Manipur
________.
Assam
11 April
Q. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has bought
12 April
1.01 per cent stake in which of the following bank?
13 April
IndusInd Bank
14 April
Yes Bank
15 April
ICICI Bank
Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the
HDFC Bank
extension of lockdown till ________.
None of these
30 April
Q. After collaboration with Google, Which of the
01 May
following company has booked domain name after
coronavirus? 02 May
03 May Q. In March 2020. Retail inflation stood at
_________.
05 May
5.67%
Q. Nation remembers Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar on
his 129th birth anniversary. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar 6.76%
received Bharat Ratna in the year ________.
4.65%
1953
5.91%
1962
7.87%
1975
Q. Which of the following has launched 'Nearby
1990 Spot' to help users find local stores selling essentials?

2004 Flipkart

Q. Which of the following institute got a patent for Phone Pe

the smart stethoscope "AyuDevice"?
Paytm
IIT Delhi
Google Pay
IIT Roorkee
Amazon India
IIT Bombay
Q. Recently, Ashok Desai passed away. He served as
IIT Madras the ________.

IIT Kanpur Chief Justice of India

Q. Recently, e-NAM portal completed four years of Governor of RBI

implementation. e-NAM is related to ________.
Attorney General of India
Pension distribution
Chairman of UPSC
Agriculture
Finance Secretary of India
Student scholarship
Q. Recently, KP Dhal Samata passed away. He was
LPG distribution a/an ________.

None of these Classical Singer

Army Officer
Journalist Q. Which of the following state is using ‘COBOT-
Robotics’ to serve food, medicine to COVID-19
Painter
patients?
Industrialist
Assam
Q. Recently, The Ministry of Tourism has launched
Telangana
a webinar series titled as ________.
Andhra Pradesh
BharatDarshan
Jharkhand
DekhoApnaDesh
Uttar Pradesh
IncredibleDesh
Q. Which of the following state government has
MeraBharat
launched the electronic format of comic textbooks
None of these for Class III, IV and V?

Q. Recently, DRDO has developed a kiosk for Telangana

COVID-19 sample collection named as ________.
Assam
COVTEST
Telangana
COVKIT
Manipur
COVSACK
None of these
DRDOKIT
Q. Which of the following state has become the first
None of these state to start pool testing of COVID-19 samples?

Q. _______ has partnered with CBSE to organise Maharashtra

1st-ever live fitness sessions for School students.
Uttar Pradesh
Mission Indhradhanush
Kerala
Fit India
Andhra Pradesh
Skill India
Gujarat
Janani Suraksha Yojana
Q. Who among the following took charge as the
None of these Executive Director of Union Bank of India?
Prashant Dubey Tata Steel

Rajat Tyagi Bharat Aluminium Company

Birupaksha Mishra Jindal Steel

Manohar Desh Pandey None of these

None of these Q. Which of the following airlines have become the

first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests
Q. In its latest edition of the World Economy report,
for its passengers?
IMF has projected India's GDP growth to be
________ in 2020. Flydubai

1.4% Emirates

1.9% Singapore Airlines

2.2% Etihad Airways

2.6% Lufthansa

None of these Q. The International Monetary Fund has proposed to

deploy its full lending capacity of ________ to
Q. HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh suggested
support countries.
increasing NPA norms to ________ from 90 days in
the real estate accounts. 1 trillion US Dollar

100 days 1.5 trillion US Dollar

120 days 2 trillion US Dollar

150 days 2.5 trillion US Dollar

180 days 5 trillion US Dollar

200 days Q. The 44th session of the World Heritage

Committee of UNESCO has been postponed. This
Q. Which of the following company has completed
session was scheduled to take place in ________.
the acquisition of US-based Aleris Corp for $2.8-
billion? USA

Hindalco China
India Public Safety Act

France None of these

Italy Q. The India Meteorological Department has

announced that it expects monsoon rainfall to be
Q. Recently, Air India flight carrying four tonnes of
normal this year. According to its prediction,
medical items arrived in Seychelles. What is the
monsoon will hit Thiruvananthapuram cost on
capital of Seychelles?
________.
Maputo
01 June
Victoria
20 May
Morondava
05 June
Antananarivo
25 May
Windhoek
08 June
Q. Which of the following country has recently
Q. Which of the following has become the first Life
dispatched a total of 650,000 antibody testing and
Insurance company to announce Additional Benefits
RNA extraction kits to India?
Related to COVID-19?
Japan
Max Life Insurance
USA
Tata AIA Life Insurance
Russia
HDFC Life
China
ICICI Prudential
UAE
None of these
Q. Recently, The Union Home Ministry has made
Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
spitting in public without caring as a punishable
the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of
offence under ________.
CARE Ratings?
Disaster Management Act
Mohit Prajapati
Resource Management Act
Rakesh Deshwal
Indian criminal law
Som Prabhu
Ajay Mahajan Q. Recently, a decontamination, sanitizing tunnel
has been launched at PUSA Institute New Delhi.
Anant Pandey
Which of the following institutes is also known as
Q. Vineet Arora has been appointed as the MD and PUSA Institute?
CEO of which of the following General Insurance
Indian Agricultural Research Institute
company?
Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural Institute
Aditya Birla General Insurance
Central Arid Zone Research Institute
Paytm General Insurance
Central Institute for Arid Horticulture
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
None of these
Bharti AXA General Insurance
Q. Which of the following has developed a compact
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance
solid-state sensor to detect the heavy metal ions in
Q. World Haemophilia Day is observed every year water?
on _________.
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
13 April
Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences
14 April
Raman Research Institute
15 April
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
16 April
Agharkar Research Institute
17 April
Q. Recently, which of the following Indian state has
Q. Which of the following country is the first country observed new cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
to hold a national election during the pandemic? also known as brain fever?

Vietnam Rajasthan

France Uttar Pradesh

South Korea Bihar

Laos Assam
None of these Maharashtra
Q. According to the International Monetary Fund, Q. Recently, Tamas Ajan resigned. He was serving
Asia is expected to witness a growth rate of as the president of which of the following
________in 2020. organisations?

0.6% World Athletics

0.8% International Boxing Association

0% International Gymnastics Federation

1.2% International Weightlifting Federation

1.4% International Tennis Federation

Q. After the new reduction in reverse repo rate by the Q. Recently, Who among the following has taken
Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the new reverse repo over additional charge of Mahanagar Telephone
rate is ________. Nigam Limited?

4.25% Mohit Nagarjun

3.95% P K Purwar

3.75% R Dhanush Pandey

3.55% Ratnesh Kumar

3.50% None of these

Q. Which of the following has recently launched the Q. World Heritage Day is observed every year on
latest round of quarterly order books, inventories and ________.
capacity utilisation survey (OBICUS) of the
14 April
manufacturing sector?
15 April
Securities and Exchange Board of India
16 April
Reserve Bank of India
17 April
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development 18 April

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

Confederation of Indian Industry

Q. Indian Tricolour projected onto Matterhorn Q. Which of the following institute has designed
mountain to send a message of hope. Matterhorn ‘WardBot’ to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19
mountain is in ________. patients?

France IIT-Kharagpur

Canada IIT-Delhi

Switzerland IIT-Ropar

Germany IIT-Madras

Australia None of these

Q. Council Of Science and Industrial Research Q. According to a recent announcement, The rate of
(CSIR) will begin clinical trials of Mw doubling of COVID-19 in India has been improved
(Mycobacterium w) vaccine against coronavirus. It is to _________.
normally used to treat _________
4.3 days
Leprosy
5.4 days
HIV
6.2 days
Cancer
7.1 days
Malaria
7.8 days
None of these
Q. Which of the following became the first state in
Q. Which of the following organisation has launched the country to carry out Rapid Testing for COVID-
automatic sanitiser and ultraviolet devices to fight 19?
coronavirus?
Uttar Pradesh
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
Kerala
Indian Army
Rajasthan
Defence Research and Development Organisation
Andhra Pradesh
Indian Council of Medical Research
Gujarat
None of these
Q. Which of the following state/UT governments has Q. Which of the following space agency is planning
launched the 'Assess Koro Na' app for door-to-door to launch a ‘Demo-2’ mission with two astronauts on
survey in containment zones? board to the International Space Station?

Delhi CNES

Assam JAXA

Manipur NASA

Andaman and Nicobar Indian Space Research Organisation

Jammu and Kashmir None of these

Q. Which of the following company has completed Q. Recently, Air India has announced the opening of
the acquisition of Norton motorcycle company for bookings for select Domestic flights for travel from
Rs 153 crore? _______.

Hero MotoCorp 30th March

TVS Motor 4th May

Bajaj Auto 15th May

Honda 18th May

Royal Enfield 01 June

Q. Recently, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has Q. All of the postal employees will get a
raised its short-term borrowing limit Ways and compensation of ________ in case they succumb to
Means Advances (WMA) by an additional COVID-19.
________.
Rs 01 lakh
10%
Rs 05 lakh
15%
Rs 10 lakh
20%
Rs 15 lakh
30%
Rs 20 lakh
40%
Q. Recently, CSIR-CFTRI’s protein-enriched Q. Which of the following state government has
biscuits reached COVID-19 patients. These biscuits approved the re-telecast videos of online EDUSAT
have protein content of ________ as compared to 8- classes for Class X Students?
9% of normal biscuits?
Jharkhand
12%
Maharashtra
14%
Rajasthan
18%
Odisha
20%
Uttar Pradesh
24%
Q. Which of the following state government has
Q. Who among the following has recently launched developed a Chatbot with Facebook to answer
the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage queries on COVID-19?
(ICH) of India?
Maharashtra
Narendra Singh Tomar
Punjab
Dharmendra Pradhan
Rajasthan
Prakash Javadekar
Telangana
Prahlad Singh Patel
Andhra Pradesh
Smriti Irani
Q. Which of the following organisation has launched
Q. Which of the following organisation has recently 'Team Mask Force' to spread awareness about
developed polypropylene spun Personal Protective wearing masks in public places?
Coverall Suit to Combat COVID-19?
Reserve Bank of India
CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories
Life Insurance Corporation
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Board of Control for Cricket in India
National Institute of Virology
National Council of Educational Research and
Defence Research and Development Organisation Training

None of these None of these

Q. Recently, Saharai Oram passed away. He was a/an Boom Fact check
_______.
Insta Fact check
Journalist
Indiatoday Fact check
Cricketer
None of these
Politician
Q. Which of the following has developed a sensitive
Painter and low-cost sensor to rapidly detect ‘bug sniffer’
bacteria?
Freedom Fighter
Agharkar Research Institute
Q. United Nation Chinese Language Day is observed
every year on ________. Indian Institute of Science Education and Research

17 April Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

18 April Savitribai Phule Pune University

19 April None of these

20 April Q. Recently, Researchers at the Indian Institute of

Astrophysics (IIA) have discovered giant stars
21 April
containing ________.
Q. World liver day is observed every year on
Potassium
________.
Lithium
17 April
Iridium
18 April
Platinum
19 April
None of these
20 April
Q. Recently, The Telangana has decided to extend
21 April
lock down till _________.
Q. Recently, Facebook has launched a third party
5 May
fact checking in Bangladesh in partnership with
_________. 7 May

Bill Fact check 9 May

11 May Q. Recently, Gene Deitch passed away. He was a
famous ________.
15 May
Actor
Q. Which of the following state government has
become the first state to geotag community kitchens? Scientist

Rajasthan Director

Maharashtra Politician

Uttar Pradesh Astronaut

Jharkhand Q. World Creativity and Innovation Day is observed

every year on ________.
Telangana
18 April
Q. Which of the following football club has been
declared as the I-League champions after the season 19 April
gets called off?
20 April
Bengaluru FC
21 April
Gokulam Kerala
22 April
Mohun Bagan
Q. National Civil Services Day is observed every
Sporting Goa year on ________.

Pune FC 18 April

Q. Who among the following Indian has been 19 April

nominated among 50 footballers to take part in
20 April
FIFA's initiative to applaud 'humanity's heroes'?
21 April
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
22 April
Sunil Chhetri
Q. According to a recent report, the sown area of
Bhaichung Bhutia
summer crops has increased by ________ as
Anirudh Thapa compared to previous year?

Pronay Halder 42%

22% 2.5 billion dollar

36% 5 billion dollar

49% Q. Who among the following Indian has been

appointed as a member of the USA’s top science
14%
board, National Science Board.
Q. Which of the following state government will
Radheyshyam Banarjee
cover Anganwadi workers, assistants under Chief
Minister COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana? Sudarsanam Babu

Rajasthan Ajeet Tyagi

Madhya Pradesh Puneet Mehta

Jharkhand None of these

Tamil Nadu Q. Who among the following has been appointed as

the new Secretary to President of India?
Maharashtra
Raghav Krishna
Q. Which of the following state government will
provide free online medical consultation to sick Kapil Dev Tripathi
people through e-sanjeevani-opd?
Rajneesh Kumar
Haryana
Mahesh Dubey
Himachal Pradesh
None of these
Assam
Q. Recently, Biswanath Somadder has been
Odisha appointed as the Chief Justice of _________.

Telangana Orissa High Court

Q. Recently, New Development Bank has decided to Meghalaya High Court

provide ________ emergency assistance to India.
Assam High Court
1 billion dollar
Bihar High Court
1.5 billion dollar
None of these
2 billion dollar
Q. Who among the following has recently won the United States
F1 virtual Chinese Grand Prix?
Canada
Pierre Gasly
New Zealand
Alexander Albon
Q. Which of the following country’s parliament has
Lance Stroll prepared for virtual debates amid the COVID-19
lockdown?
Charles Leclerc
Britain
None of these
Australia
Q. Earth Day is observed every year on _________.
Iran
19 April
Italy
20 April
None of these
21 April
Q. Recently, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin
22 April
Netanyahu has signed an agreement with ________
23 April to form an “emergency” coalition government.

Q. Which of the following country has recently Yair Lapid

cancelled bull running festivals due to the
Benny Gantz
coronavirus pandemic?
Naftali Bennett
Italy
Amit Segal
Spain
None of these
Germany
Q. Who among the following participated in a virtual
France
meeting of G-20 Agriculture Ministers over COVID-
None of these 19 impact on food safety?

Q. Which of the following country has suspended all Thawar Chand Gehlot
immigration temporarily through an executive order?
Narendra Singh Tomar
UAE
Dharmendra Pradhan
Italy
Radha Mohan Singh Sehat

None of these None of these

Q. Recently the Health and Family Welfare Minister Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
launched an interactive platform _________ which is the Chief Executive Officer of Huawei India?
aimed at providing real time solutions to COVID-19
Sanjay Gupta
related queries.
Raheel Khursheed
COVID SAHAYTA
David Li
COVID INDIA SEVA
Ajit Mohan
COVID POLL
Tony Pidgley
COVID SAATHI
Q. According to a recent report by the World Bank,
None of these
Remittances are likely to fall by ________ amid
Q. Which of the following state government has COVID-19 pandemic.
launched the third edition of ''Sujalam Sufalam Jal
10%
Sanchay Abhiyan''?
15%
Gujarat
20%
Maharashtra
25%
Telangana
30%
Andhra Pradesh
Q. After the recent amendment in the Epidemic
None of these
Diseases Act, 1897, Causing grievous injuries to
Q. Pune Municipal Corporation has launched a healthcare workers can lead to a jail of maximum of
________ application to track home quarantined ________ years.
citizens?
2 years
Saathi
3 years
Aarogya
4 years
Saiyam
6 years
7 years Byomkesh

Q. Recently, the HRD ministry has launched a portal None of these

named as ________ for inviting e-learning content
Q. Which of the following State/UT govt launches
contributions.
"Apthamitra" helpline and app to fight COVID-19
Unnati 2.0
Delhi
VidyaDaan 2.0
Madhya Pradesh
Saharah 2.0
Andaman and Nicobar
Sajag 2.0
Telangana
None of these
Karnataka
Q. Recently, The government has sanctioned
Q. Recently, The Supreme Court rejected an order
_________ investment for 'India COVID-19
allowing ________ reservation of teachers belonging
Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness
to the Scheduled Tribe category at schools situated in
Package'.
"Scheduled Areas".
Rs 5000 crore
50%
Rs 10000 crore
70%
Rs 15000 crore
80%
Rs 20000 crore
90%
Rs 30000 crore
100%
Q. Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial
Q. Which of the following company has acquired a
Research, Institute of Genomics and Integrative
9.99% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore?
Biology (CSIR-IGIB) have developed a low-cost test
which can detect the coronavirus within an hour Google

named as _______. Facebook

Kella IBM

Feluda Alibaba Group

Jishu Microsoft
Q. Who among the following took over as the Q. What is the theme of World Immunization Week
chairman of International Motorcycle Manufacturers 2020?
Association (IMMA)?
Protected Together
Venu Srinivasan
Close the immunization gap
Amit Nandi
Are you up-to-date?
Gaku Nakanishi
Vaccines Work for All
Rakesh Sharma
None of these
None of these
Q. Recently, Pakistan received ________ emergency
Q. Who among the following Indian has been named loan from IMF to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.
as the ambassador for Badminton World Federation
USD 1.94 billion
(BWF)'s 'i am badminton' awareness campaign?
USD 1.22 billion
P V Sindhu
USD 1.39 billion
Parupalli Kashyap
USD 2.11 billion
Saina Nehwal
USD 2.34 billion
Srikanth Kidambi
Q. National Panchayati Raj Day is observed every
Pullela Gopichand
year on ________.
Q. International Day of Multilateralism and
25 April
Diplomacy for Peace is observed every year on
________. 24 April

25 April 23 April

24 April 22 April
21 April
23 April
Q. Which of the following institute has recently
22 April
developed foot-operated wash basins for Mumbai’s
21 April Dharavi?

IIT Kharagpur
DRDO Jharkhand

IIT Madras Assam ‘

CSIR Q. World Games has unveiled a new logo and title

for 2022 edition. The 2022 edition will take place in
None of these
_________.
Q. India's first Mobile Virology Diagnostics and
Tokyo
Research Laboratory has been inaugurated in
________. Shanghai

New Delhi Birmingham

Hyderabad Rio de Janeiro

Chennai Cape Town

Pune Q. Recently, Usha Ganguly passed away. She was a

famous ________.
Indore
Journalist
Q. Which of the following northeastern state
observed ‘Khongjom Day’ on 23 April? Painter

Nagaland Theatre Personality

Assam Politician

Tripura None of these

Manipur Q. World Malaria Day is observed every year on

_________.
Meghalaya
23 April
Q. Recently, the World Bank has approved Rs 585
crore for State Roads Transformation Project of 25 April
________.
27 April
Himachal Pradesh
24 April
Uttarakhand
26 April
West Bengal
Q. The International Delegate’s Day is observed Q. Which of the following institute has developed
every year on _________. COVID-19 dashboard ‘PRACRITI’ that accounts for
the basic reproduction number?
22 April
IIT Delhi
23 April
IIT Ropar
24 April
IIT Kharagpur
25 April
IIT Madras
26 April
None of these
Q. Which of the following organisation has
developed ‘VITAL’ ventilator specifically to treat Q. Which of the following state government has
COVID-19 patients? revived ‘zero interest’ loan schemes for women self-
help groups?
ISRO
Uttar Pradesh
World Bank
Madhya Pradesh
NASA
Jharkhand
WHO
Andhra Pradesh
Asian Development Bank
Assam
Q. Which of the following organisation has launched
''e-karyalay'' app for movement of files without Q. Vodafone Idea has tied up with which of the
physical touch? following company to launch ‘Recharge Saathi’?

Central Industrial Security Force Flipkart

Indian Air Force Google Pay

Defence Research and Development Organisation Paytm

National Investigation Agency Amazon India

Indian Army Facebook

Q. Who among the following took oath as the Chief

Vigilance Commissioner of India?
Sachin Shah 26 April

Sanjay Kothari 27 April

Rajesh Jha Q. Which of the following country has recently

abolished flogging as a form of punishment?
Mukesh Sharma
Oman
None of these
Qatar
Q. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has
postponed the ongoing second edition of the FIH Saudi Arabia
Hockey Pro League to _________.
UAE
October 2020
None of these
December 2020
Q. Recently, the Border Roads Organization (BRO)
March 2021 has opened Rohtang Pass after clearing snow.
Rohatang pass lies in ________ range.
June 2021
Pir Panjal Range
September 2021
Karakoram
Q. Recently, Graeme Watson passed away.. He was
associated with which of the following sports? Sivalik

Football Dhauladhar

Hockey None of these

Basketball Q. Who among the following will head the expert

group for post-COVID-19 revival in Punjab?
Golf
C. Rangarajan
Cricket
Kaushik Basu
Q. World Intellectual Property Day is observed every
year on _________. Bimal Jalan

23 April Montek Singh Ahluwalia

24 April Bibek Debroy

25 April
Q. Recently, Chithirai festival celebrations in Q. Recently, The Assam government has deposited
Kallalagar temple has been cancelled. The Chithirai ________ to the state people who are stranded
festival is observed in ________. outside the state.

Kerala Rs 1000

Tamil Nadu Rs 1500

Andhra Pradesh Rs 2000

Telangana Rs 2500

Karnataka Rs 4000

Q. Recently, Thuthukudi airport has been upgraded Q. Which of the following state government has
to level 3. Thuthukudi airport is in _______. launched a 'Covid Pharma' app to keep track of
people buying medicines for cough, cold and fever
Andhra Pradesh
from pharmacies?
Tamil Nadu
Uttar Pradesh
Telangana
Andhra Pradesh
Karnataka
Telangana
Kerala
Assam
Q. According to the Jeevan Shakti Yojana in Madhya
Bihar
Pradesh, The government will pay ________ per
mask to the women for making masks at home. Q. Recently, Sana Mir announced her retirement
from international cricket. She played international
Rs 8
cricket from ________.
Rs 10
Pakistan
Rs 11
Bangladesh
Rs 15
India
Rs 17
Australia

South Africa
Q. Which of the following country has recently Q. Which of the following state has deployed
ended death penalty for crimes committed by 'KARMI-Bot' to serve food, medicines to COVID-19
minors? patients?

UAE Assam

Kuwait Madhya Pradesh

Saudi Arabia Telangana

Qatar Maharashtra

Bahrain Kerala

Q. Which of the following hospital became the 1st Q. Which of the following state government has
govt hospital in the country to successfully launch launched Dhanwantari scheme for home delivery of
Plasma Therapy Treatment for COVID-19? medicines?

King George Medical University Lucknow Assam

Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi Gujarat

Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi Uttar Pradesh

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Madhya Pradesh

Sciences and Research, Gandhinagar
Karnataka
AIIMS Rishikesh
Q. Recently, The Reserve Bank of India has
Q. The Uttar Pradesh government has banned all announced a Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual
public functions till ________. Funds (SLF-MF) of _________.

30 May 10,000 crore rupees

05 June 50,000 crore rupees

15 June 100,000 crore rupees

30 June 150,000 crore rupees

15 July 500,000 crore rupees

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as Painter

the economic secretary of India? Theater artist

Amit Khare Sitar player

Tarun Bajaj Photojournalist

Ravi Mittal None of these

Anita Karwal
Q. World Day for Safety and Health at Work is
None of these observed every year on _________.

Q. Recently, Justice Mohammad Rafiq took oath as 25 April

the Chief Justice ________. 26 April

Orissa High Court 27 April

Andhra Pradesh High Court 28 April

Assam Gauhati High Court 29 April

Bihar Patna High Court

Q. Which of the following country’s Finance
Punjab and Haryana High Court Minister has unveiled 100% state-backed 'Bounce
Back Loan Scheme' for small businesses?
Q. Recently, Badruddin Sheikh passed away
following COVID19 infection. He was a famous China

_________. USA

Politician UAE

Journalist United Kingdom

Cricketer France

Painter
Q. Which of the following country has recently
Theater artist canceled ‘Pitch Black’ 2020 air combat exercise?

Q. Recently, Ronojoy 'Ronny' Roy passed away. He Australia

was a famous _________. France
Spain None of these

Germany Q. Which of the following bank has acquired 29%

None of these stake in Max Life Insurance?

State Bank of India

Q. According to the “Trends in World Military
Expenditure, 2019”, India is the __________largest ICICI Bank
military spender in the world.
Axis Bank
Second
IndusInd Bank
Third
HDFC Bank
Fourth
Q. Who among the following has been nominated as
Fifth America's next envoy to the Organisation for

Sixth Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD?

Rashmi Desai
Q. India Ratings has lowered GDP growth rate to
________ for FY 2020-21. Ankit Jain

1.1% Manisha Singh

1.4% Pradeep Navroj

1.9% None of these

2.2% Q. Recently, Which of the following Pakistani

2.7% batsmen has been banned for three years by the PCB
for failing to report corruption?
Q. Which of the following telecom company has
Kamran Akmal
inked a $1 billion multi-year deal with Nokia to
enhance 5G network capacity in India? Abdur Rehman

BSNL Imran Nazir

Airtel Umar Akmal

Jio Sarfaraz Ahmed

Vodafone Idea
Q. Recently, Jhuma Khatun was banned for 4 years 2 billion dollars

for doping. She was associated with which of the 2.5 billion dollars
following sports?
5 billion dollars
Weightlifting
10 billion dollars

Running Q. Government has allowed employees of IT companies

Long Jump to work from home till ________.

Swimming 31 May

30 June
None of these
31 July
Q. International Dance Day is observed every year on
_________. 15 October

27 April 30 November

28 April Q. The Mid Day meal scheme was launched in the year
________.
29 April
1991
30 April
1995
Q. Recently, Imran Ismail has been tested positive for
COVID-19. He was the governor of a province of 1999
_________.
2001
Bangladesh
2005
Bhutan
Q. Portal of Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand opened.
Pakistan Kedarnath Dham is near the bank of ________ river.

Sri Lanka Mandakini

Afghanistan Nandakini

Q. Recently, Asian Development Bank has approved Pindar

__________ loan to India to help fund its fight against the
Alaknanda
coronavirus pandemic.
Bhagirathi
1.5 billion dollars
Q. NLC India has commenced coal production at its J. K. Maheshwari
Talabira-II and III Opencast Coal Mine. Talabira-II and
Ravi Ranjan
III mines are in _______.
None of these
Jharkhand
Q. Which of the following country’s Navy will host
Bihar
the world's largest maritime exercises ‘Rim of the
Assam Pacific’?

Odisha USA
Chhattisgarh
Japan
Q. Numaligarh Refinery Ltd begins operations with
Australia
precautions. Numaligarh Refinery is in ________.
France
Nagaland
None of these
Assam
Q. The Asian Development Bank gave $ 346 mn loan
Karnataka
for the power sector in __________.
Maharashtra
Uttar Pradesh
None of these
Telangana
Q. Which of the following state has launched the
'Jagananna Vidya Deevena'? Himachal Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra

Rajasthan None of these

Gujarat Q. Which of the following Water Management

Andhra Pradesh Authorities has been recently brought under Jal

Shakti Ministry?
Bihar
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board
Q. Who among the following took oath as new Chief
Justice of Bombay High Court? Delhi Jal Board

Govind Mathur Cauvery Water Management Authority

Dipankar Datta Yamuna Water Management Authority

Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Bihar
Sewerage Board
Maharashtra
Q. After the GPS Satellite Radio transmitters tagging
Q. Which of the following state has engaged 14,000
last year, Which of the following bird has returned citizens as 'Pratirodhi Bondhu' to fight against
back to Manipur after covering around 20,000 km up COVID-19?

to Somalia and South Africa? Andhra Pradesh

Odisha
Amur Falcon
Assam
Siberian crane Bihar

Bar-headed goose Rajasthan

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
Great white pelican the next Ambassador or Permanent Representative of
India to the United Nations?
None of these
Ajay Bhushan Pratap
Q. Which of the following state cabinet will start Mohit Vashisth
‘neighborhood classes’ besides tele-classes for T. S. Tirumurti
students amid lockdown? A.N Iyer
Assam None of these
Q. Who among the following has been appointed as
Madhya Pradesh the Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board
(PESB)?
Meghalaya
Mohit Nagpal
Nagaland Pankaj Singh
Tripura Rajiv Kumar
Manoj Kumar
Q. Which of the following state government has
None of these
topped in providing employment to workers under
Q. Deepak Mittal has been appointed as the India's
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
new Ambassador to ________.
Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?
Qatar
Uttar Pradesh Oman

Chhattisgarh Croatia
UAE
Madhya Pradesh
Denmark