National
1. The smart city, Agartala has implemented a mobile kiosk for sample collection. The kiosk makes sure there are no wastages in Personal Protective Equipment and also ensures protection to sample collecting medical professionals.
2. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has released 169 new names for the tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region.
3. The Lock Down imposed in the country on March 22, 2020 has improved air quality and water quality. According to CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), 40 million litres of waste water enters water bodies.
4. On April 28, 2020, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Shri Prakash Javadekar attended the 11th session of “Petersberg Climate Dialogue” representing India.
5. On April 29, 2020, the task force on National Infrastructure Pipeline has submitted its final report to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman. The report has been prepared for the year 2019-25.
6. The scientists of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) operating under Department of Science and Technology has invented a natural product for Alzheimer disease.
7. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Scientific Instrument Organization (CSIR-CSIO) has developed a technology for sanitization and effective disinfection. The CSIR-CSIO has transferred the technology to a Nagpur based company Rite Water Solutions Private Limited.
8. On April 29, 2020, the Government of India announced that the Common Service Centres will now take over village level online retail chain. The step is expected to reach more than 60 crores of people in rural region.
9. On April 29, 2020, the National Technical Research Organization has reported that the number of cyber attacks in the country has increased due to the work from home scenario. According to the report, the critical sectors may fall prey to inimical forces to relax geofencing restrictions that are granted to employees.
10. The Global Report on Internal Displacement, GRID 2020 released by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, IDMC said that over 5 million people have displaced in India in 2019. According to the report, this is the highest in the world.
11. The Government of India has established International Financial Services Centre Authority. The headquarters of the authority is to be established in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
12. The Central Public Works Department has issued guidelines to use air conditioners during COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines have been issued as Air conditioner usages are to increase with the arrival of Summer in the country.
13. Every year the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on April 28. With COVID-19 pandemic creating great challenges for governments, workers and employers, this year the day is to focus on addressing outbreak of infectious diseases at work. This year, the day is marked under the Theme: Stop the Pandemic.
14. On April 27, 2020, five of the eight north east states namely Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have become COVID-19 free. The other three states namely Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram have not reported new cases. This was announced by the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
15. The Government of India has approached multilateral organizations such as World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to find out methods that will help in preparing economic indicators such as retail inflation, industrial production and economic growth.
16. On April 27, 2020, the King George Medical University in Uttar Pradesh became the first government hospital to launch plasma therapy to treat COVID-19. The first dose of plasma therapy was given to a 58-year old patient.
17. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI) has developed herbal decongestant spray. The spray is used to prevent COVID-19 infection and to ease wearing masks.
18. The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has collaborated with LAXAI Life Sciences to produce Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients inside India. This will help to reduce dependence of pharmaceutical sector on Chinese imports.
19. Every year, the World Intellectual Property Day is marked on April 26 to encourage creativity and innovation. The day was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000. This year, the World Intellectual Property Day is being marked under the Theme: Innovate for Green Future.
20. The C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service) and CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) confirmed that the hole in the Ozone layer has healed itself.
21. On April 27, 2020, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its report on military spending of different countries in the world. According to the report, US, China and India are the three top most military spenders in 2019.
22. Every year on April 26, the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is being observed. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations and was first observed in 2016.
23. On April 25, 2020, retired IAS officer Sanjay Kothari was sworn in as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind.
24. The National Green Tribunal has directed the states and the union territories to closely monitor the transport, handling, storage and disposal of COVID-19 waste.
25. Every year, last week of April is marked as the World Immunization Week. The Week is celebrated to increase awareness of immunization. This year, the week is being marked under the Theme: Vaccines work for All.
26. On April 25, 2020, for the first time, the United Nations marked the International Delegate’s Day. The Day is being marked to celebrate the 75th anniversary of San Francisco Conference.
27. Every year, on April 25, the World Malaria Day is being marked by several international organizations including World Health Organization. This year, the day is being marked under the Theme: Zero Malaria Starts with me.
28. On April 24, 2020, the Finance Commission has advised the state governments to use the clauses of FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility) act in order to raise additional resources to fight against COVID-19.
29. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has announced that it is to cancel over 1 trillion USD of debt owed by developing countries.
30. On April 24, 2020, the Government of India constituted Inter-Ministerial Committee to assess violations of lock down in the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana.
31. On April 24, 2020, PM Narendra Modi launched E-Gram Swaraj application and 2 portals to accelerate pace of development in villages.
32. Every year, Indian Government celebrates April 24 as National Panchayati Raj Day. The day is also called National Local Self Government Day.
33. Every year April 24 is marked as the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. It was first observed on April 24, 2019.
34. The Government of India on April 23, 2020, put on hold to the hike in dearness allowance. This is being done by the union government to save Rs 1 lakh crore.
35. The Indian Institute of Food Processing Industry (IIFPT) operating under Ministry of Food Processing Industry has been manufacturing nutrient rich food for COVID-19 patients.
36. On April 23, 2020, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development has released an alternative academic calendar for the primary and upper primary classes, that is till Class VIII.
37. On April 23, 2020, the state of Manipur commemorated Khongjom Day. The day is marked to pay tribute to the warriors who fought in the 1891 Anglo-Manipur war.
38. Every year, April 23 is celebrated as English Language Day. The Spanish Language Day is celebrated on the same day as well. English is one of the two working languages of the United Nations. The Day is also celebrated as World Book Day.
39. On April 22, 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research announced that pooled testing can be done only in areas where the COVID-19 prevalence is less than 5%. Also, the ICMR has instructed that not more than 5 samples shall be pooled. This is done to improve the efficacy of pooled testing
40. The State Government of Karnataka has launched “Apthamitra” mobile application and helpline to fight COVID-19. The application was launched by the Chief Minister of the state B S Yediyurappa.
41. On April 22, 2020, the Union Ministry of HRD launched VidyaDaan 2.0 on DIKSHA. The main aim of the platform is to contribute e-learning content and help children continue their learning anywhere and anytime in the country.
42. On April 22, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved Rs 15,000 crores towards “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Challenge”. The funds are to be utilised in 3 phases.
43. Every year, World Book Day or International Day of Book or World Book and Copyrights Day is organised by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
44. Every year World Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. The day is celebrated to demonstrate environmental protection. It is being celebrated since 1970. This year the World Earth Day is celebrated under the Theme: Climate Action.
45. On April 22, 2020, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced that Air Pollution in India has reached 20 year low.
46. The Indian Herpetologists discovered new species of viper family in the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. It has been named after a fictional character, Salazar Slytherin.
47. The World Food Programme of the United Nations recently released its fourth annual report on Food Crisis. According to the report, the food crisis has grown by 10%.
48. On April 22, 2020, the Global Press freedom Index was launched. India ranked 142nd in the index and had dropped two places.
49. On April 22, 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research announced that it is to go for clinical trials on critically ill COVID-19 patients.
50. On April 22, 2020, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan launched “COVID India Seva” platform. The platform is an interactive medium established to provide a channel of communication between the citizens and the Government.
51. On April 21, 2020, Government of India announced that food processing industries, caregivers of senior citizens and prepaid mobile charging units are to remain open during extended lock down.
52. On April 21, 2020, Pune Municipal Corporation launched “Saiyam” mobile application. The application has been developed to monitor home quarantine citizens
53. On April 21, the Indian Council of Medical Research directed the states to stop using rapid test kits for 2 days. The order comes after several states started complaining about faulty kits.
54. On April 21, 2020, the Government of India announced that the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in the country is 17.47%. There are more than 61 districts in 23 states and union territories where no fresh cases have been reported in 14 days.
55. On April 21, 2020, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched a dashboard in its website www.morth.nic.in The dashboard will provide information about dhabas and trucks.
56. Every year on April 21, the World Creativity and Innovation Day is celebrated by the United Nations. The day creates awareness about the importance of innovation and creativity to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They are also called the Global goals.
57. Every year, India celebrates Civil Service Day on April 21. The main aim of celebrating the day is to motivate the efforts and works of civil servants.
58. On April 21, 2020, Goa became the first state in the country to become free of COVID-19. After Goa, Manipur becomes COVID-19 free.
59. The largest number of nests of the rare Leather back sea turtles were found in Thailand. This was mainly because, the beaches in Thailand were deserted due to COVID-19 lock down.
60. On April 20, 2020, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu inaugurated a bridge across the Subansiri river. The bridge was constructed by the BRO (Border Roads Organization).
61. On April 20, 2020, the Central Pollution Control Board has issued guidelines to manage waste generated during treatment of COVID-19 patients. The guidelines are to be followed by sample collection centres, isolation wards, quarantine centres and also by all biomedical waste treatment facilities and disposal facilities. These guidelines have been issued to supplement Bio Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
62. On April 20, 2020, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare announced that the sown crop area of summer crops has increased by 36%. Farming had been completely exempted from lock down.
63. On April 20, 2020, the Minister of Petroleum Shri Dharmendra Pradhan held National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) meeting. Under the meeting, it was decided that surplus rice that is available with Food Corporation of India is to be used in manufacturing ethanol that is used in hand sanitizers.
64. The Central Board of Direct Taxes recently clarified that the employers shall seek clarification and detect tax at source.
65. On April 20, 2020, six inter-ministerial teams were formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, violations of lock down were reported in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
66. The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) has released its data on Electric Vehicles sales. According to its report, the sales of Electric Vehicles have increased by 20% in the Fiscal Year 2019-20.
67. On April 20, 2020, the Government of India has laid down procedure to allocate quota for the import of calcined pet coke in the financial year 2020-21.
68. Every year, on April 20, the United Nations Chinese Language Day is observed. The day is observed to pay tribute to Cangjie. Cangjie is a mythical figure who invented Chinese Characters. The first UN Chinese Language Day was observed in 2010.
69. On April 20, 2020, the Former IAS officer Kapil Dev Tripathi was appointed as the new secretary to the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment for a term co-terminus with the tenure of the President.
70. On April 19, 2020, the Government of India launched Online Data Pool of Human Resources to combat COVID-19. The GoI launched online data pool at https://covidwarriors.gov.in It includes AYUSH doctors, health care professionals, volunteers from NSS, NCC, ex-servicemen, etc. The platform consists of district wise and state wise pool of human resources.
71. On April 19, 2020, the Government of India ordered that supply of non-essential commodities will remain prohibited during lock down. The order comes when E-Commerce industry geared up to deliver products such as refrigerators and mobile phones to areas that do not fall under COVID-19 hotspots.
72. On April 19, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Standard of Operating Procedure for movement of stranded migrant labourers.
73. The Government of India has set up a high-level work force to test vaccines and drugs. The task force consists of members from NITI Aayog, DRDO (Defence Research Development Organization), ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research).
74. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CCEW) and International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) recently released a report called “Mapping India’s Energy Subsidies, 2020”.
75. The Government of India has procured oil seeds and pulses from farmers directly at Minimum Support Prices. Currently, the Price Support Scheme for the Rabi season has been launched in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra.
76. On April 19, 2020, Uttar Pradesh became the first state to geotag community kitchens. Around 7,368 community kitchens located in 75 districts were geo tagged.
77. On April 18, 2020, the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with King George Medical University to sequence the strains of COVID-19 virus samples obtained from different patients.
78. Every year April 18 is observed as the World Heritage Day. The day is also celebrated as the International Day of Monuments and sites.
79. On April 18, 2020, the Union Minister of culture Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The list is to include 13 elements that are already included in UNESCO Representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
80. On April 18, 2020, the Ministry of Health released “Updated Containment plan for large outbreaks COVID-19”. According to the plan, containment operations are to be scaled down when there are no new positive cases in the quarantined zone for at least 4 weeks.
81. On April 17, 2020, the Chess legend Viswanathan Anand was named the ambassador of World Wide Fund India. He has joined the organization for its environment education programme.
82. On April 17, 2020 India announced that the growth in COVID-19 cases has decreased by 40%. The Government also says that before lock down, the number of cases doubled in 3 days. However, now it takes 6.2 days for the number of cases to double.
83. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Aide Abba Kyari died of COVID-19 on April 17, 2020. He had tested positive for the disease and had been receiving treatment for the disease.
84. On April 17, 2020, the Union Health Minister Shri Harsh Vardhan chaired the 12th Group of Minister meeting on COVID-19. The meeting was attended by External Affairs minister, home minister for state, shipping and chemical and fertilizer minister for state, member of NITI Aayog, etc.
85. Every year April 17 is celebrated as World Hemophilia Day. The day is observed by the World Federation of Hemophilia. Apart from the organization, several other international organizations mark the World Hemophilia Day. This year the World Hemophilia Day is marked under the theme
86. On April 16, 2020, the Government of India announced that the Rapid Antibody tests will strictly be used as surveillance test.
87. On April 16, 2020, the Cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord) operating under Ministry of Home Affairs red flagged Zoom application. The Home Ministry has issued guidelines to use the Zoom platform.
88. On April 16, 2020 the Union Agricultural Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar chaired the National Conference on Kharif crops. The conference discussed measures to achieve doubling of farmers’ income and to achieve Kharif target.
89. The Ministry of Environment has recategorized all the bulk drugs manufacturers under category ‘A’ to category ‘B2’. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006 was amended in order to achieve this.
90. On April 15, 2020, the Government of India announced 170 hotspots and 207 non hotspots in the country.
91. On April 15, 2020 NITI Aayog announced that Arogya Setu became the first mobile application in the world to reach more than 50 million downloads in short span of time.
92. On April 15, 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare launched All India Agri Transport Call Centre facility. The facility will avail inter-state movement of perishables.
93. On April 15, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs launched revised guidelines for lock down 2.0. The second lock down, also called the smart lock down aims to consolidate the gains achieved by the first lock down. It is to be extended till May 3, 2020
94. Several states in India such as Kerala, Goa and Haryana have started to use ayurvedic medicines to save asymptomatic patients. In order to achieve this, the Ayush Ministry has sought suggestions from homeopathy and Ayurvedic practitioners in the country.
95. Every year, wheat procurement begins by April first week and mustard procurement by last week of March. However, this year, due to lock down and COVID-19 crisis, the procurement process has been delayed by 15 days.
96. The Central Government is to pass an ordinance that will allow state governments to increase the flexibility of work hours of employees.
97. On April 14, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Saptapdi” to fight against COVID-19. Saptapadi is seven mantras to fight against the virus.
98. The Ministry of Labour has set up 20 control rooms to address wage related issues. They can be accessed by the workers through phone numbers, emails and WhatsApp.
99. On April 14, 2020, India celebrated the 129th birth anniversary of Bhimarao Ramji Ambedkar. Amidst the lock down, his birth anniversary is being celebrated digitally by the whole of India. The Indian Constitution was prepared under the leadership of Ambedkar.
100. Following the World that set India’s Growth rate between 1.5% and 2.8%, the International Monetary Fund has set growth rate of India at 1.9%. On April 14, 2020, the IMF released its report predicting growth rate of the country at 5.8%.
101. On April 14, 2020, the Ministry of Tourism launched “Dekho Apna Desh”. It is a webinar that caters in-depth information about tourist destinations in the country. It also provides details about culture and heritage of India.
102. On April 14, 2020, the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) gave permission for the state of Uttar Pradesh to start pool testing of COVID-19. With this, UP has become the first state to start pool testing.
103. On April 14, 2020, the Electronic-National Agricultural Market completed four years of implementation. It was developed under the concept of “One Nation One Market”.
104. On April 14, 2020, the world community is to celebrate World Chagas Disease Day for the first time. The main aim of marking the day is to increase awareness of Chagas disease. Also, it focuses on the resources needed to prevent, control and eliminate the disease.
105. On April 13, 2020, a core strategy group was formed in CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research). The group will work towards rapid and economical diagnostics, digital and molecular surveillance and repurposing of drugs.
106. On April 13, 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research announced that the antiviral drug Remdesvir is highly effective in stopping the replication of COVID-19.
107. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh along with BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited) has set up India’s first remote health monitoring system. The system is to be widely used in the state of Uttarakhand to monitor COVID-19 patients
108. On April 13, 2020, the NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and National Informatics Centre jointly launched CollabCAD initiative. The initiative aims to provide a platform to find solutions in terms of 2D drafting and 3D product design.
109. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has launched several initiatives to promote farming during lock down.
110. The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the states and union territories to take welfare measures for migrants in the country based on directions of Supreme court.
111. On April 13, 2020, the Indian Army commemorated Siachen Day. The day is observed to commemorate the courage of Indian Army under “Operation Meghdoot”. The Day also honours Siachen Warriors serving motherland successfully from the enemy.
112. On April 13, 2020, India tightened its curbs on imports of palm oil. Under the new conditions, the authorisation for imports of palm oil should be accompanied with pre-purchase agreement.
113. The Government of India marked the anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on April 13, 2020. The martyrs killed on the day mercilessly are remembered. PM Modi and other leaders paid tribute to such great martyrs
114. On April 13, 2020, the World Bank released its report “South Asia Economic Focus”. According to the report, the Indian Economy is expected to grow at 1.5% to 2.8%.
115. The Confederation of Indian Industries recently published its report “Exit from Lock Down”. Under the report, the confederation suggests slow and staggered approach of reopening of industrial sectors.
116. On April 13, 2020, the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) released its report on survey conducted in National Capital Region (NCR).
117. On April 12, 2020, the University Grants Commission has constituted an expert committee to recommend the use of e-resources and enhance online education system in the country.
118. The Indian Council of Medical Research on April 12, 2020 announced that there are more than 40 vaccines that are under trial currently in India.
119. The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has launched the YUKTI portal to monitor initiatives. YUKTI is Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation. The portal will record, cover and monitor initiatives of Ministry of HRD and other educational institutes in the country.
120. Every year, International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on April 12. The day commemorates the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight in 1961
121. On April 11, 2020, PM Modi interacted with the Chief Ministers of the states through video conferencing. During the meet, most of them favoured extending the lock down.
122. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission has developed double layered Khadi masks. The orders for these masks have been procured in large quantities.
123. The Government of India has set up 586 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The hospitals have capacity to accommodate more than 1 lakh isolation beds.
124. The National Innovation foundation India has developed an indigenous herbal medicine called Wormivet. It is an alternative to chemical methods that are currently being used to treat worms.
125. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recently approved plasma therapy as potential treatment for COVID-19. However, the protocol to conduct the therapy is yet to be finalized.
126. On April 9, 2020, the Government of India sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore that was earlier announced for the Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness package. The main objective of the package is to contain the spread of COVID-19.
127. The Indian Railways is launching several initiatives and is on the forefront in the fight against the COVID-19.
128. Every year, April 9 is being marked as CRPF Valour Day all over India. The day is also called “CRPF Shaurya Diwas”.
129. On April 9, 2020, the United Nations released a report on Economic and Social Survey of Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), 2020.
130. On April 9, 2020, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced Operation Shield in the containment zones of National Capital Region. SHIELD stands for Sealing, Home quarantine, isolation and tracing, essential supply, local sanitation and door-to-door checks.
131. On April 8, 2020, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances distributed the essential kits to the needy families. The kits were produced by the Kendriya Bhandar.
132. On April 8, 2020, the Government of India allowed the Non-Governmental Organizations that are involved in providing food to the needy during the COVID-19 outbreak to get food grains from FCI (Food Corporation of India) directly.
133. On April 8, 2020, the Supreme Court of India ordered the private labs to make COVID-19 testing in private labs free of cost. The GoI had earlier allowed the private labs to test COVID-19 after being approved by ICMR. The prices of the test were capped at Rs 4,500.
134. The Government of India has launched an online training module called “iGOT” portal. iGOT is Integrated Government Online Training portal. It has been launched on DIKSHA platform of Ministry of Human Resources Development.
135. The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India in collaboration with UNICEF has launched Digital Communication Strategy for the Tribal Gatherers to work safely. The programme highlights the importance of social distancing.
136. On April 8, 2020, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with political leaders discussing the extension of lock down. Prime Minister has indicated that most of the suggestions he received was to extend the lock down.
137. On April 8, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced that the hospitals and health facilities have been classified to deal with COVID-19 cases in the country. There are three types of COVID-19 health centres to be set up in the country.
138. The CSIR-CERCRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute) has come out with scientific services to mitigate COVID-19. The Centre has made series of lab made PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment).
139. The Solvent Extractors Association of India reported that edible oil imports in India has declined by 32.44% in March 2020. This is because, India, the largest importer if vegetable oil in the world has reduced its imports due to the threats of COVID-19.
140. The Department of Science and Technology recently approved anti-microbial coating developed by Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).
141. On April 8, 2020, the International Labour Organization released its report, “COVID-19 and world of work”. According to the report, around 400 million people are to enter poverty in India.
142. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) recently released a survey on the current unemployment situation in India. According to the survey, more than 20% of Indian Economy has lost their jobs since the lock down.
143. On April 7, 2020, the Ministry of Human Resource Development launched “Samadhan”, a challenge to address COVID-19 in the country. The mega online challenge was launched by the Innovative Cell of Ministry of Human Resources Development and AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) along with Forge and Innovation Curis.
144. The Ministry of Commerce recently launched an online platform to issue Certificate of Origin to the exporters and other guidelines. The move is being taken to facilitate shipments during lock down.
145. On April 7, 2020, the Government of India allowed the export of 12 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). GoI had earlier banned the export of these APIs and their formulations to prevent their shortages in India.
146. On April 7, India announced restrictions on export of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) drug.
147. With the lock down period nearing its closure, the Govenremnt of India has begun its preliminary preparations to pull the economy back to its bloom. Several strategies are being adopted by the Government in order to achieve this.
148. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra operating under Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has launched a door delivery scheme in Kerala. Under the scheme, it is providing door delivery of fishes to several households in Kochi city.
149. On April 7, 2020, the Government of Delhi announced 5T plan to tackle the spread of Corona Virus in the Union Territory. The 5T plan includes Testing, Tracing, Teamwork, Treatment and Tracking
150. On April 6, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved to cut the salary of Prime Minister and other MPs by 30%. Apart from them, the salaries of president, governor and vice president are also to be cut.
151. On April 5, 2020, the Government of India constituted an empowered group under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. The group will coordinate with NGOs, private sector and international organizations for COVID-19 related response activities.
152. On April 5, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued guidelines for quarantine. According to the guidelines, the quarantine is separation and restriction of movement. It shall be applied to an individual or a group of persons.
153. On April 4, 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research approved the use of Tuberculosis machine for conducting COVID-19 tests.
154. On April 3, 2020, the Government of India launched 5 research projects in order to control the spread of COVID-19. The projects neither focus on vaccines nor on medicines. GoI has been very clear and has also announced earlier that it is currently not into developing medicine for COVID-19. Rather the first priority is to mitigate the spread. The research projects were selected based on this plan.
155. On April 3, 2020, PM Modi addressed India to switch off their lights at 9 PM for nine minutes and light lamps or candle. This is being done to show the united strength of the country against the virus.
156. The Food Corporation has made sure that there is no disruption in the supply of essential goods to the citizens since the lock down. Abiding to its determined goal of serving the citizens, the FCI has set a new record. It has moved about 1.93 lakh tonnes of food grains in a single day on April 3, 2020
157. The Central Government has asked the states to maintain the supply of medical oxygen smooth and hassle-free. Medical Oxygen included in national list of essential medicines and also in the WHO list of essential medicines.
158. The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has launched “MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal”. The portal aims to support students facing difficulties due to closure of hostel and colleges.
159. The Government of India has traced 1,023 cases of COVID-19 to Tablighi Jamaat congregation. The Contact Tracing across 17 states have led to Tablighi Jamaat Congregation.
160. The Indian Government is taking precautionary steps after it was learnt that COVID-19 infects animals as well. Recently a Malayan tiger in the zoo of New York was reported to have infected with COVID-19.
161. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has identified 20 Covid-19 hotspots in the country. Though there are no community transmission in the country, ministry is take these hotspots strictly. Also, 22 potential hotspots have been identified.
162. Researchers of biomedical sciences of New York Institute of Technology say that the countries such as Netherlands, Italy and United States are more severely affected than countries with BCG policies. The Bacilus Calmette-Guerin vaccine that had been administered in India to protect the children against Tuberculosis, according to the study might be a game changer.
163. The Minister of electronics and IT & HRD Shri Sanjay Dhotre launched “Hack the Crisis- India”. It is an online hackathon that aims to work on solutions for COVID-19.
164. On April 2, 2020, the Government of India launched Corona Kavach application to map the location of a COVID-19 positive patient through GPS.
165. On April 2, 2020, the Government of India has launched the “COVID-19 Fact Check Unit” under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
166. On April 2, 2020, the Union Minister Jitendra Sigh released National Preparedness Survey on COVID-19. The survey was conducted in 410 districts in 3 working days.
167. On April 2, 2020, the Union Ministry of Agriculture launched new features of National Agriculture Market. This aims to strengthen agricultural marketing of farmers. The main objective of the features are to reduce the congestion at mandis that will help fight against COVID-19.
168. On April 2, 2020, National Informatics Center operating under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has developed an application “Arogya Sethu”. The app alerts the person whenever he comes in contact within six feet of COVID-19 infected person.
169. On April 2, 2020, PM Modi interacted with the chief ministers of the states through video conferencing. He discussed COVID-19 measures being taken at central and state level.
170. On April 1, 2020, the United Nations announced that the Conference of Parties (COP 26) that was to be held in Glasgow in November 2020 has been pushed to 2021. This is being done over the threat of COVID-19 virus and its impact on the world.
171. The Andhra Pradesh Government is to buy Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold developed by Indian Navy, Vishkhapatnam to meet the requirement of oxygen supply to COVID-19 patients. Initially the Indian Navy provided the equipment free-of-cost to the Andhra Pradesh Government.
International
1. On April 30, 2020, G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting was convened. A ministerial statement was issued by the G20 Digital Economy Task Force at the meet. India was represented by the Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
2. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation has stated that the APEC region is to face an economic decline of 2.7% in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Also, the region is to face near growth rate. This will be the highest decline for the region since the 2008 financial crisis.
3. The foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping are to discuss on measures to combat COVID-19. External Affairs Minister Shri S Jaishankar is to represent India at the meet.
4. On April 28, 2020, the Asian Development Bank approved 1.5 billion USD loan to support the Indian Government in its actions against the spread of COVID-19 crisis. The fund is to be used in disease containments, social protection and disease prevention.
5. The biennial warfare exercise hosted by Royal Australian Air Force was cancelled due to COVID-19 threats.
6. The World Health Organization has recently showed the parts of Ladakh as Chinese territory in its map. The region has been shown as dotted line and colour code. Also, the regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir has been shown as dotted line. Dotted line suggest that the region is a disputed territory.
7. The United Nations recently has warned of “hunger pandemic” due to COVId-19. Apart from COVID-19, the other factors that are to contribute to the crisis include wars in Syria, crisis in Lebanon and desert locusts destroying crops in East Africa.
8. The World Health Organization along with the other international leading organizations such as Global Fund, UNTAID, CEPI, etc. has launched the COVID-19 Tools (Act) Accelerator. The collaboration helps to speed up the development, production and access to therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines of COVID-19.
9. The Pakistan Navy on April 25, 2020, had successfully test fired anti-ship missiles in the North Arabian sea.
10. On April 27, 2020, India sent 1 lakh Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets, 50,000 sterile surgical gloves and other emergency medical supplies to Bangladesh.
11. The World Health Organization has recently warned against issuance of immunity passports. The organization is against the concept as there is no evidence till now that people who have recovered from COVID-19 or developed antibodies will not get infected again.
12. Iran recently launched its first military satellite. The satellite is to orbit at 425 km. This has increased tensions between US and Iran amidst COVID-19 crisis.
13. On April 24, 2020, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) named its first Mars Exploration mission as Tianwen 1. The CNSA also announced that henceforth all the planetary missions are to be named as Tianwen series.
14. On April 23, 2020, Lebanon became the first Arab country to legalize marijuana cultivation. This has been done by the Lebanese Parliament in order to boost the export of marijuana.
15. The Border Roads Organization has completed the construction of permanent bridge across Ravi river. The Kasowal bridge will help Punjab farmers to transport their harvest comfortably.
16. On April 22, 2020, the World Bank announced that the amount of money sent back by the migrant workers to their home countries is to decrease by 110 billion USD.
17. On April 22, 2020, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes launched online dialogues with students and educators on COVID-19.
18. On April 21, 2020, the Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar attended the G20 Agriculture Ministers Meet through video conferencing. The meet was chaired by Saudi Arabia.
19. On April 21, 2020, the United Nations adopted a consensus resolution. The resolution called for equitable, efficient and timey access to future vaccines developed to fight against COVID-19.
20. On April 20, 2020, Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman attended the fifth annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the National Development Bank through a video conference.
21. On April 18, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that many countries are to follow China in updating their death tolls due to COVID-19. This will happen after they bring the spread of the virus under control.
22. On April 17, 2020, India attended the Development Committee meeting of World Bank-International Monetary Fund. India was represented by the Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman.
23. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is to finance 500 million USD projects in India to help the country improve its health care systems. AIIB is currently doubling its funds under COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility.
24. India is to attend BRICS foreign ministers meet by the end of April 2020. The members will discuss economic fallout due to the spread of COVID-19.
25. The first lot of 3 lakh COVID-19 testing kits are to arrive from China on April 16, 2020. In another 2 weeks India will receive 2 to 3 million kits from China.
26. On April 16, 2020, the ruling democratic party of President Moon Jae won the election taking 180 seats. The opposition United Future Party took 103 seats. There are 300 seats in the South Korea National Assembly.
27. On April 16, 2020, India joined hands with World Health Organization to implement National Polio Surveillance Network to contain COVID-19. Along with COVID-19, the team will also be involved to support elimination of tuberculosis and other diseases.
28. On April 15, 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman attended G20 Finance Minister meet. The Minister shared the policy measures being implemented by the Government of India and RBI.
29. On April 14, 2020, North Korea test fired anti-ship cruise missiles as a part of military exercises. The missiles were of short range and test fired into the sea.
30. On April 15, 2020, the United States stopped its funding towards World Health Organization (WHO). The United States provides 400-500 million USD to the organization annually.
31. The COVID-19 has killed thousands and has indented a bad and deep history of economic crisis. It has locked down almost every super economic power in the world and has left permanent damages to developing countries. There were several other Pandemics in the history that created equal impacts. They are Justinian Plague, Black Death and Spanish Flu.
32. On April 13, 2020, the first crude oil of 1 million barrels from UAE have reached India. The oil prices have declined by 60% since January, 2020. The prices are expected to rise with OPEC and Russia have come to terms to cut their production by 10%. Hence, this is the right time to fill in oil storages.
33. The IUSSTF, Indo-US Science and Technology Forum has invited proposals from Indian and American scientists. The proposals will demonstrate value and benefits of Indo-US partnership in COVID-19 research.
34. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia have come together to cut oil output by 10%. This is being done to control the falling oil prices amidst lock down all over the world due to COVID-19.
35. The doctors of Indian origin spread all over the world have come together under an initiative called “Global Indian Physician COVID-19”. The initiative aims to foster cross system learning.
36. On April 10, 2020, the G20 Energy ministers held virtual meeting on ways to ensure stable energy markets. The energy markets are greatly affected by demand reduction due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
37. On April 9, 2020, the Saudi Arabia led coalition declares cease fire in Yemen. The cease fire has been declared for a two-week period.
38. On April 8, 2020, the United Nations announced that the organization is suspending tis peace keeping forces till June 30. This is being done to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 virus.
39. On April 7, 2020, the world’s third largest economy, Japan declared emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The State of Emergency is to last till May 6, 2020.
40. The United States has announced 2.9 million USD aid for India to fight against COVID-19. Apart from the US, China is to donate more than 1,70,000 Personal Protective Equipment to India.
41. The Indian Air Force recently delivered 6.2 million tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives under Operation Sanjeevani.
42. On April 3, 2020, the United Nations approved the resolution that called upon international cooperation to fight against COVID-19. The resolution also calls for its member nations to adopt multilateralism.
43. On April 2, 2020, the current president of United Nations Security Council, Dominican Republic announced that the world body is to meet over COVID-19 next week. The rotating presidency of the 15-member council was taken by the Caribbean country from the previous president China. China is a permanent member and has veto powers in the council.
44. The International Atomic Energy Agency, an autonomous wing of the United Nations has sent COVID-19 testing gears to around 40 countries.
45. India and China postponed all the events planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the leaders exchanged congratulatory messages.
46. On March 31, 2020, Nirmala Sitaraman represented India to attend the second G20 Finance Minister Meet. The virtual meet was chaired by Saudi Arabia.
47. On April 1, 2020, the World Bank announced that it is to offer 1 billion USD to Government of India to implement Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems preparedness project.
48. On March 31, 2020, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2518 to ensure safety and security of peacekeepers. This is the first time, a resolution is being passed for the safety of the peacekeepers.
Business, Economy & Banking
1. On April 27, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India announced the special liquidity facility for mutual funds of Rs 50,000 crores. The Reserve Bank of India is increasing liquidity flow in capital markets as COVID-19 has imposed liquidity strains on mutual funds.
2. The Government of India has declared banking industry as public utility service till October 21. The order has been issued under provisions of Industrial Disputes Act.
3. The Economic Advisory Council of the Fifteenth Finance Commission is to meet on April 23 and 24, 2020. The council is to discuss the impacts of COVID-19.
4. On April 18, 2020, the Government of India amended the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. This has been done to prevent opportunistic acquisitions of Indian companies due to COVID-19 economic crisis. The amendments has been made to the Consolidated FDI policy, 2017.
5. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued Rs 5,204 cores as relief funds to MSME (Micro Medium and Small Enterprises) sector. Around 8.2 lakh small businesses have received Income Tax Refunds so far.
6. On April 18, 2020, the Ministry of Renewable Energy has initiated big action to set up Renewable Manufacturing parks in India.
7. On April 17, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India announced a slew of measures after GoI extended the lock down till May 3, 3030. The Apex bank cut the reverse repo rate to 3.75%. It cut the repo rate to 4.4% from 5.15%. Also, the central bank has announced Rs 50,000 crore for Long Term Repo Operation (LTRO).
8. On April 16, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India launched OBICUS. This is the 49th round of survey by the apex bank for the period January to March.
9. With the increasing economic crisis, Helicopter Money is a solution being suggested by economic specialists all over the world.
10. India had earlier approached Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for loans to fight against COVID-19. With India’s request, the ADB has assured a loan of 2.2 billion USD.
11. On April 11, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs, exempted fishing and aquaculture industries from Lock Down. Earlier, the agricultural activities were exempted.
12. On April 9, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India projected that the consumer Price Index is to ease from 4.8% in Q1 to 4.4% in Q2 of the financial year 2020-21.
13. On April 6, 2020, the Life Insurance council announced that the “Force Majeure” clause will apply to COVID-19 deaths. Apart from the council, Kolkata Port Trust has also invoked force majeure.
14. The World Bank has funded 1 billion USD to India to fight against COVID-19. With the COVID-19 cases increasing further, India seeks 6 billion USD from ADB and AIIB.
15. On March 31, 2020, the Government of India passed an ordinance to allow 100% exemption on donations made on PM Cares Funds. The ordinance has also extended the time limit of direct and indirect tax filings to June 30, 2020.
Science & Technology
1. On April 29, 2020, the robotic device HCARD, Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device was launched to help frontline health care workers. The robot will help them in maintaining physical distance from the COVID-19 infected persons.
2. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has started the trials of anti-leprosy drug trials against COVID-19. The drug trial is to be conducted with the help of Mycobacterium MW.
3. The COVID Action Collab is an initiative by group of experts. The main aim of the initiative is to address issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It especially focuses on the poor and the vulnerable. The organization is now to test sewage for the presence of COVId-19 virus. Over 150 organizations have come together to make the initiative a success.
4. Students from IIT Bombay, Islamic University of Science and Technology, NIT Srinagar have come together to invent a low-cost ventilator called “Ruhdaar”.
5. The National Thermal Power Corporation recently launched ten Hydrogen Fuel Cell based buses and 10 similar electric cars.
6. The scientists of Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Laboratory (LIGO) have recently recorded the first merger of black holes that were of unequal masses.
7. On April 24, 2020, NASA celebrated its 30 years of launch of Hubble Space Telescope. It is one of the longest living Space Telescopes in the world.
8. Researchers from IIT Delhi have developed web-based dashboard to predict the spread of COVID-19 in India. The dashboard has been named PRACRITI-Prediction and Assessment of Corona Infections and Transmissions in India.
9. The Brazilian Astronomers have discovered 19 new asteroids between the Jupiter and the Neptune. The astronomers believe that they joined the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
10. A woman innovator from Kerala, Vasini Bai has developed 10 varieties of Anthurium flower. The flower has high market value for its major usage as an indoor decorative. As the innovator was unable to meet high demand of highly time-consuming technique, the National Innovation Foundation has stepped in.
11. The Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials operating under Department of Science and Technology has developed Nano Blitz 3D.
12. On April 24, 2020, Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh inaugurated mobile COVID-19 testing laboratory facility. The facility is capable of testing 1000 samples in a day.
13. The IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) operating under CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) have come up with a COVID-19 test called “Feluda”.
14. A team of scientists from Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) is to prepare a revival strategy to help in the growth of Indian Economy post COVID-19 lock down.
15. On April 20, 2020, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved trial of a drug to reduce mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.
16. The Institute of Nano Science and Technology operating under Department of Science and Technology has launched an environment friendly catalyst for rechargeable metal battery.
17. The Indian Institute of Geomagnetism researchers have developed a model that will predict electronic density of ionosphere. This is highly important for the communication and navigation on the earth.
18. The Researchers in the Indian Institute of Astrophysics frame a connection between Lithium in interstellar space and lithium in red giants. The Lithium rich Helium burning stars also have connections with red giant stars.
19. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR-CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) has made protein rich biscuits for COVID-19 patients. The biscuits have been sent to the COVID-19 patients in AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Science).
20. On April 18, 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) developed Personal Protective Cover all suit. The suit has been produced with polypropylene spun multilayered non-woven fabric.
21. On April 18, 2020, NASA announced that it will launch its flight of astronauts on May 27, 2020. This is the first flight of NASA in 9 years.
22. On April 17, 2020, the scientists at Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) have found three new mutations of COVID-19 virus. With this, GBRC becomes the first government laboratory in the country to sequence whole genome of COVID-19.
23. The unit has been developed by Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety by using its expertise in mist technology used to suppress fire. The unit uses water mist aerator technology to spray sanitizer while entering public places. There are no contacts between the user and the unit throughout its operation.
24. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute has developed PUSA decontamination tunnel. It was inaugurated on April 16, 2020 by the Union Minister Shri Kailash Choudhary.
25. The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science (SCTIMST), an institute of national importance developed a diagnostic kit. The kit reduces test time by two hours.
26. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has developed COVSACK to receive samples from COVID-19 infected patients. The COVSACK is COVID-19 Sample Collection Kiosk.
27. The Department of Science and Technology operating under Ministry of Science and Technology is to fund Seagull Biosolutions to develop Active Virosome vaccines and immunodiagnostic kits for COVID-19. The kits are expected to reach the market by August 2020.
28. On April 9, 2020, the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) tied up with Bharat Electronics Limited to develop mass manufacturing technologies (hardware and software). The technologies are to focus on production of medical devices. These technologies after creation are to be transferred to companies free of cost.
29. The Department of Science and Technology has funded a health care start up called the “Module Innovations” in order to develop COVID-19 testing kit. The purpose of the kit is to make the testing quicker within 10 to 15 minutes.
30. A farmer scientist of Junagadh district, Gujarat Shri Vallabhai Vastambhai Marvaniya developed biofortified carrots. The carrots are locally called “Madhuban Gajar”. It is rich in β-carotene and iron.
31. The Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering and IIT Madras have developed a nasal passage gel that will inactivate COVID1-9. The funding to support the technology is to be provided by SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board), a statutory body operating under Department of Science and Technology.
32. The CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology), CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) are working on genome sequencing of COVID-19.
33. On April 6, 2020, the Central Zoo Authority of the United States asked all the zoos to stay on high alert after a tiger tested positive of COVID-19. This is the first time COVID-19 infections are reported on an animal.
34. With only 40,000 ventilators in India, the demand for ventilators are increasing day by day as the number of cases of COVID-19 are increasing day by day. In order to fulfil the demands, IIT Roorkee has developed low cost portable ventilator called “Prana Vayu”.
35. The Indian Council of Medical Research recently approved the home testing COVID-19 kit that was designed by a startup called Bione.
36. The NASA project Artemis aims at placing first woman and next man on the moon. The project aims to build a base camp on the moon’s south pole.
37. JEEVAN, is a low-cost energy efficient ventilator made by the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. The cost of the machine is fraction of what the original designs cost.
38. The Government of India has constituted a Science and Technology Empowered Committee to make speedy decisions on research and development of COVID-19.
39. The Department of Telecommunications has issued Standard Operating Procedure for the use of COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS). The CAQS is an application used to track COVID-19 patients who have violated quarantine.
40. Bharat Biotech along with virologists of University of Wisconsin and Madison have begun development and testing of a new vaccine called CoroFlu for COVID-19.
41. On April 2, 2020 the Department of Science and Technology toed up with the Wipro 3D to jointly build proto type of automated ventilators.
42. The Mumbai Naval Dockyard has designed a low-cost IR based temperature sensor. The sensor is to be used to check the personnel entering at the gates of the yard.
43. A Bio Suit has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to keep the medical professionals working with COVID-19 safe. The Organization has used its expertise in textiles, nanotechnology and coating to bring out the product.
44. The students and scientists of IISc Bengaluru have developed indigenous ventilators under “Project Prana”.
45. On April 1, 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research reported that three quasi sub species of COVID-19 virus are in circulation in the country. According to the council, they were imported variants.
Government Schemes
1. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan has taken all measures to boost the rural economy and combat present health crisis created by COVID-19. Also, the scheme is to use large availability of rural labour forces (due to lock down).
2. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) is to distribute 6 lakh metric tonnes of pulses to around 20 crore house holds under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. The work is to be undertaken by the scheme for 3 months.
3. On April 24, 2020, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Family Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar held video conference with State rural development ministers. During the meet, the minister shared plan of GoI to boost rural development scheme.
4. On April 22, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved to fix Nutrient Based Subsidies for Phosphatic Potassic fertilizers.
5. The “Team Mask Force” was created by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). It features India’s most revered cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
6. The Gujarat state government has launched the 3rd edition of the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan to prepare the water bodies before the monsoon.
7. On April 20, 2020, the Government of India released 17,793 crores of rupees to 8.89 crores of farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme.
8. The State Government of Madhya Pradesh recently launched the Chief Minister COVID-19 Yoddha Kalyan Yojana. Under the scheme, around 1 lakh Anganwadi workers are to be benefitted.
9. On April 17, 2020, the Delhi Government launched “Assess Koro Na” application to conduct door to door survey. The application has been launched in COVID-19 containment zones.
10. On April 17, 2020 the Government of India launched the “Krishi Rath” application to help farmers to transport their agriculture produce to the mandis.
11. On April 15, 2020, the Department of Science and Technology launched Integrated Geospatial Platform to complement Arogya Setu and integrate data from several other initiatives. The platform will help in planning area-specific strategies to handle socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. The platform aims to provide map based data about the COVID-19 affected region in the country.
12. The Survey of India has launched a mobile application called “Sahyog” to collect information about COVID-19 specific data sets through community engagement.
13. On April 15, 2020 the Government of India issued guidelines for the extended lock down. Under the guidelines, the Government allows industrial works, road construction works and MGNREGA to begin in the rural areas.
14. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) on April 14, 2020 announced a training programme for the health care professionals from SAARC countries.
15. On April 14, 2020, Government of India launched Fit India Active Day Programme. The programme was launched under the flagship initiative of GoI called “Fit India”.
16. Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, more than 32 crore have received financial assistance so far.
17. The GoI has so far transferred Rs 5,000 crores to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). This has been done to provide free LPG cylinders to PMUY beneficiaries.
18. The Government of India is currently making sure that there are enough medicines available at Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendras.
19. The COVID-19 outbreak has brought in unprecedented health emergency worldwide. This has created huge demand for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and face shields. In order to fulfil these needs, the Self-Help Groups spread all over India have now stepped into the production of PPEs and other medical essentials.
20. The Ministry of Human Resources Development has launched a week long campaign called “Bharat Padhe Online Campaign”. The campaign aims to improve online education in India.
21. The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) that operates under Ministry of Tribal Affairs is now providing marketing support to NGOs and Van Dhan beneficiaries. The support is being offered to handicrafts, handlooms and natural products.
22. The Government of India has undertaken a mass programme to disinfect cities under the Smart Cities Mission. Under this programme, the public places such as markets, streets, parks, playgrounds and shopping precincts are being disinfected under smart city programme.
23. On April 9, 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a revised version of Swachhata application. The application was launched at a video conferencing held with states and union territories.
24. On April 8, 2020, the Small Industries Development Bank of India announced that it will provide emergency working capital of Rs 1 crore to small and medium enterprises.
25. The National Highway Authority of India recently completed the construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial year 2019-20. This is the highest ever target achieved by the authority in a financial year since its establishment. The Government of India envisaged construction of national highway under Bharatmala Pariyojana.
26. The Pharmacists of the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra established under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJAP) are delivering essential medicines at the doorsteps of elderly and other patients.
27. The Municipalities are now using the Integrated Command and Control Centres built under “Smart Cities” mission as war rooms of COVID-19.
28. The Lifeline UDAN was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to help India fight against COVID-19. Under this initiative, flights were operated in transporting essential equipment and medicines all over the country.
29. The Department of Science and Technology has set up a Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health crisis. The centre is to be established at Rs. 56 crores.
30. On April 5, 2020, Union Health Minister Harsha Vardhan announced that over 50 crore vulnerable and poor citizens are eligible under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat).
31. The Odisha Government recently launched “Mo Prativa” programme in collaboration with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Funds).
32. On April 4, 2020, the associations of civil servants formed an initiative called CARUNA. CARUNA is Civil Services Associations Reach to Support Natural Disasters.
33. The National Health Authority has partnered with Uber India to provide dedicated transport services to the health care workers that are involved in treating COVID-19 patients.
34. The Government of India has launched three incentive schemes to boost electronics manufacturing in the country. The scheme will provide incentives of 4% to 6% when a company shows increased sales on electronic products.
35. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has provided guidelines for the health insurance providers to implement Arogya Sanjeevani Insurance Policy. The regulator had earlier made it mandatory for the insurance providers to frame a policy to provide basic coverage to at least 55% of Indian population.
36. On April 1, 2020, the National Mineral Development Corporation operating under the Government of India announced that it has saved Rs 888.09 crores by adopting Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme.
37. On April 1, 2020, the Government of India notified that the export schemes such as Export Promotion Capital Goods and Duty-Free Import authorization are to be extended by one year. Also, GoI has planned to extend Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 by another one year till 2021.
38. On March 31, 2020, the Government of India lowered interest rates of several small savings scheme facing Economic challenges created by the threat of COVID-19 virus.
Defence
1. The Indian Army is to extend its support to the Narela Quarantine Centre. It is the largest quarantine centre in the country and was established by the Delhi Government.
2. On April 16, 2020, the Indian Army chief Lt General Manoj Naravane issued directives to all the military cantonments, headquarters, establishments to strictly ensure no movement of forces till April 19, 2020. This is being done to fight COVID-19 during extended lock down.
3. On April 14, 2020, the United States approved missiles sales to India. They are the Torpedoes lightweight missiles and Harpoon air-launched missiles. The missiles are being sold at 155 million USD.
4. The Ordnance Factory Board that governs the defence manufacturing unit spread across India is to introduce “modified tents” to set up isolation units.
5. The Indian Army serves under the motto “Service Before Self”. Continuing to live with the motto even after retirement, the department of Ex-service men operating under Ministry of Defence took the initiative to mobilize ex-servicemen to assist state and district administration.
6. On April 2, 2020, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) launched “Exercise NCC Yogdan” to offer a helping hand to the authorities fighting against COVID-19.
Constitution & Law
1. On April 23, 2020, the Supreme Court of India pronounced that it is the quantity of the banned drug mixture that will decide the punishment of the offender and not the purity. The clarification was given by the apex court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
2. On April 22, 2020, the Government of India brought in ordinance to end violence against doctors and health care workers.
3. The Ministry of Power has made changes to the Electricity (Amendment) bill, 2020. This is being done to promote electricity generation from renewable sources.
4. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for Lock Down 2.0 that was extended till May 3, 2020. According to the new guidelines, spitting in the public was made offensive under National Disaster Management Act.
Sports
1. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering to legalize ball tampering. The ICC is considering to use an artificial substance under the supervision of umpires to polish cricket balls as applying saliva risks the spread of COVID-19. The use of artificial substance has been banned in cricket.
2. On April 22, 2020, the World champion P V Sindhu was named the ambassador of the campaign “I am Badminton”. The campaign was launched by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
3. On April 15, 2020, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the Indian Premier League, 2020 indefinitely. The decision was made after the lock down in India was extended till May 3, 2020.
4. The National Sports Federation of India recently announced that it is host the Asian Boxing Championship by November-December 2020. The federation is positive about the virus to be wiped out by then.
5. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) or the International Federation of Association Football has postponed the Under-17 Women’s world cup to November 2020.
6. The Olympic Council of Asia announced that the third Asian Youth Games is to be held in China in November 2021. Around 18 Olympic games such as rock climbing, athletics, gymnastics, aquatics, boat racing are to be included.
7. The 2021 World Games that was scheduled to be held in Birmingham, Alabama was postponed to 2022. This is being done to avoid the clash with Tokyo Olympics.
8. On April 1, 2020, Wimbledon was cancelled due to the threats of Corona Virus. This is the first time the tournament is being cancelled since the World War II.
References:
business-standard.com
gktoday.in
jagranjosh.com
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