Current Affairs in short : 28 April 2020

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on 28 April every  year.

Scientists from Copernicus European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reported that the largest hole in the Ozone layer spreading over 1 million square kilometers above the Arctic has closed due to Polar vortex (unusual atmospheric conditions).

United Kingdom's Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled a 100 per cent state-backed 'Bounce Back Loan Scheme' for the small businesses to help them tide through the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

President of the United States Donald Trump nominated senior Indian-American diplomat Manisha Singh as America's next envoy to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Australia has informed India that their premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.

Paytm said it has developed a ‘contactless in-store ordering’ solution to help restaurants and eateries minimise physical contacts for menu, billing and cash transactions after these businesses open after the lockdown.

The board of Axis Bank has approved purchase of an additional 29% stake in Max Life Insurance which will take the private lender's total stake in the insurer to 30%.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has introduced a special borrowing programme for self-help groups (SHG) to help them tide over the challenges inflicted by COVID-19.

Bharti Airtel (Airtel) and Nokia announced a multi-year agreement to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India, helping Airtel to enhance the network capacity of its networks, in particular 4G, and improve customer experience.

The National Skill Development Corporation has partnered with Amazon India to launch a digital campaign to drive awareness on the importance of precautionary measures in combating COVID 19 such as physical distancing and maintaining hygiene.

Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar issued guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme, a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

IIT-Bhubaneswar has designed a safe and multi-surface sanitizer using UV light for the disinfection of devices in the combat against COVID-19.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has allowed the Common Service Centre (CSCs), an SPV under the Ministry of IT and Electronics, to begin the Aadhaar updation facility at its CSCs facility which operates as Banking Correspondents (BCs).

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $1.5 billion loan that will support the government's response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has taken over the administration of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) after its term expired.

Varanasi Smart City used drones for spraying of sanitizer in the selected areas of Varanasi City under Smart Cities Mission to contain COVID-19 spread.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S.Jaganmohan Reddy launched the Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme.

Assam State government has announced an insurance cover of Rs.50 lakh for the frontline journalists who are covering COVID-19. The announcement was passed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Middle distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit of the world governing body for testing positive for a banned substance in a nearly two-year-old doping case which the NDTL had failed to detect.

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal was banned for three years by the PCB for failing to report corrupt approaches ahead of the country's premier T20 league this year.

CSB Bank said the Reserve Bank of India has extended the term of appointment of Madhavan Menon as the part-time Chairman of the Bank till July 21, 2020.

French Grand Prix becomes 10th race to get cancelled over coronavirus.

Eminent Odia dramatist,lyricist and screenwriter Bijay Mishra died at a hospital following a prolonged illness.He was 83.

Former NASA administrator James M. Beggs (94 years) passes away.