Current Affairs in short : 21 April 22020

China has accused India of violating the World Trade Organization WTO’s “principle of non-discrimination” after the India tweaked its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy to make its approval mandatory for firms in neighbouring countries to invest in Indian companies.

Every year, 21st April is celebrated as the Civil Services Day by the Government of India. It is celebrated as an occasion for the civil servants to rededicate themselves to the causes of citizens and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work.

World Creativity and Innovation Day is observed on 21 April. The day aims to encourage people to generate new ideas to make the world a better place to live in. The day aims to inspire people to live a more creative life.

Secretary's day or Administrative Professionals Day is observed on 21 April in India. The day aims to celebrate the administrative professionals who work as the glue in keeping a business together. The Secretary's week is observed on the last full week in April of each year.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed the Daporijo bridge over Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh in a record span of just 27 days.

Chandigarh city uses Vehicle tracking applications and GPS (Global Positioning System) enabled smartwatches for waste collection drivers in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Waste Collection.

A high-speed magnetic Random Access Memory (RAM) has been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh government has rolled out “e-sanjeevani-opd” for free online medical consultation to sick people who were feeling uncomfortable to visit hospitals in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

ICICI bank has rolled out a new feature of voice banking services on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for its customers. It will enable customers to BankWithTheirVoice and get answers to banking queries, check account balance & transactions, credit card due date and more.

Due to Covid-19 lockdown hospitals across India are facing acute shortage of blood and have started contacting individual blood donors to meet the demand.

According to a report by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the quality of water in the river Yamuna has improved along the Delhi stretch, compared to April 2019. DPCC, along with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) carried out the study after being asked by a National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed monitoring committee.

The Union Health Minister has recently asserted that lockdowns and social distancing are the most effective “social vaccines” available to fight the pandemic (Covid-19).

The Union Minister of Finance attended the 5th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of New Development Bank (NDB) through video-conference in New Delhi.

Veteran author Sudha Murty’s first book in an audio format titled “How the Onion Got Its Layers” is released.This is the second book of the chapter series by Murty, the first being “How the Sea Became Salty”.

Kapil Dev Tripathi was appointed as the Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind on 20 April. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Private sector lender City Union Bank reappointed N Kamakodi as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bank. The appointment was approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Former Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has passed away. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji and served from 2000 to 2006.

BMW Group President and CEO Rudratej Singh has passed away. He was the first Indian to lead the BMW India operations and was appointed as the head of India operations from August 1, 2019.

Current Affairs in short : 20 April 2020

Chinese Language Day is observed on 20 April. The day highlights the contribution of Chinese literature, poetry, and language in world culture.

Facebook announced the launch of its third party fact checking system in Bangladesh to discourage the spread of fake news in the country.

India has asked Pakistan to attend to repair and reconstruction of parts of Kararpur Sahib gurudwara that were damaged in a storm on April 18, 2020.

The Government of India has made its approval for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by neighbouring countries mandatory.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore have conducted the first systematic study on the gamma-ray flux variability nature of different types of blazars.

The Pune Zilla Parishad has decided to provide temporary ‘ration cards’ to more than 80,000 undocumented people in the district.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) launched a dashboard link on its website on 20 April to aid drivers and cargos during lockdown.

Government of India formed a high-level task force to research on coronavirus and develop a vaccine.

Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, have developed an efficient, low-cost electro-catalyst from fish gills.

Researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune have developed a sensitive and low-cost sensor to rapidly detect bacteria. 

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) researchers have discovered hundreds of Lithium (Li)-rich giant stars.

Uttar Pradesh became the first state in India to geotag its 7,368 community kitchens and community shelters across 75 districts which produce 12 lakh food packets a day.

The Telangana government has decided to extend lock down till 7th of May.

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.

BMW Group President and CEO Rudratej Singh passed away on 20 April due to cardiac arrest.

Gene Deitch, an American Oscar-winning illustrator, animator, film director and producer has died.

Veteran journalist Samir Goswami, a much-liked figure in Kolkata sports journalism fraternity passed away.

Current Affairs in short : 19 April 2020

NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for the launch of Demo-2, the first launch of NASA astronauts from the U.S. since 2011 and the first crewed launch for Elon Musk’s space company.

Astronomers have spotted a record-breaking supernova, the largest ever observed.

Union Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment Shri Santosh Gangwar requested various State/UT Governments to designate a nodal officer from Labour Department.

Around 43 lakh quintals of food grains distributed to the poor in Maharashtra.

CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) with MAF Clothing, Bengaluru developed the protective coverall suit.

All postal employees, including Gramin Dak Sevaks, will get Rs 10 lakh compensation in case they succumb to COVID-19.

Air India has announced that it has opened bookings for select Domestic flights for travel from 4th of May and for International Flights from 1st of June this year.

Union Minister for Culture Prahlad Singh Patel launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India in New DelhI.

In Odisha, the government has decided to re-telecast the recorded videos of online EDUSAT classes for Class X students on Doordarshan in view of lockdown situation due to the COVID-19.

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.

Featuring India's most revered cricketers such as Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, the BCCI has created a new video to promote wearing masks in public places and help the country battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

MP govt has decided that the health workers who are directly engaged in the treatment of Corona patients will be given a service amount of Rs 10 thousand every month as honorarium.

A book titled “Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P V Sindhu” authored by Krishnaswamy V has been published by HarperCollins on Amazon digital platform.

Achanta Sharath Kamal surpassed compatriot Gnanasekaran Sathiyan to become the highest-ranked Indian men table tennis player.

A group of researchers have recorded a new serpent and named it Salazar’s pit viper.

Current Affairs in short : 18 April 2020

Every year 18^th April is celebrated as the International Day for Monuments and Sites or the World Heritage Day.

In accordance with the Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey, India has become the world’s most digitally dexterous (skilful) country in the world.

TVS Motor Company announced the acquisition of the UK’s most iconic sporting motorcycle Norton for £16 million, by acquiring certain assets of Norton Motorcycles (U.K.).

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for directing the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct Covid-19 tests among the tribal population living along the Godavari river valley area.

The Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs attended the plenary meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) through video-conferencing.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched ‘Kisan Rath’ mobile application (app) to facilitate transportation of foodgrains and perishable during lockdown.

Home Ministry extended regular and e-visas of all foreigners who are stranded in India due to the coronavirus lockdown till May 3 on a gratis basis.

US President Donald Trump unveiled a three-phase plan to reopen the country's economy following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Indian Tricolour projected onto Switzerland's Matterhorn mountain to send a message of hope.

In Rajasthan, Health minister Raghu Sharma claimed that it became the first state in the country to carry out Rapid Testing for COVID-19.

The Delhi government launched the new 'Assess Koro Na' mobile application and advised the officials to use it for door-to-door survey in COVID-19 containment zones.

Nigeria President Buhari's chief of staff Abba Kyari dies of COVID-19.

Veteran tribal leader and former Odisha Minister Saharai Oram passed away.

Current Affairs in short : 17 April 2020

World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. 

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the National Conference on Kharif Crops 2020 through a video conference.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a reduction in reverse repo rate by 25 basis points from 4 percent to 3.75 per cent.

 Government of India (GoI), in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) in six installments, from April 2020 to September 2020.

Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a compact solid-state sensor to detect the heavy metal ions in water.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory that Zoom video conference is not a safe platform.

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

CM of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, has recently launched a website ‘Cghaat’ to provide home delivery of fruits and vegetables during the lockdown.

The licence of the Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of Goa Ltd. has been cancelled by the Reserve Bank of India.

The Reserve Bank of India has announced a set of measures to mitigate the effect of COVID-19.

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BSNL, P. K. Purwar have been given the additional charge as CMD of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

Bihar has now reported 9 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome cases, also known as brain fever.

WWF (World Wide Fund) India has appointed World chess champion Viswanathan Anand as its ambassador for the environmental education programme.

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) President Tamas Ajan resigned within the wake of allegations of corruption and doping violations.

“Feifei” to be the mascot for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games, China. 

India’s Limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma becomes brand ambassador for “CricKingdom”.

Freedom fighter R V Bhuskute, who had participated in the Quit India Movement passed away.

Former American football player Willie Davis passed away. 

Current Affairs in short : 16 April 2020

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed to release its full $1 trillion lending capacity to support countries that battle the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jim Corbett National Park , the India’s oldest forested wildlife sanctuary located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, has become the India’s 1^st quarantine centre for animals with symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19).

External affairs ministry announced COVID-19 training program for healthcare professionals from SAARC countries.

The United States (US) has decided to cut off US payments to the World Health Organisation (WHO) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Centre to issue an advisory to all States and Union Territories to implement the ongoing lockdown without violating the human rights of the public.

The Emirates Airline claimed to have become the first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests for its passengers.

China's Ministry of Education announced that the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, initially scheduled from 29th of June to 9th of July, in Fuzhou of eastern China's Fujian Province, has been postponed.

Union Home Ministry has made spitting in public without caring as a punishable offence under the strict Disaster Management Act in its revised guidelines for lockdown.

Narendra Singh Tomar addressed the "National Conference on Kharif crops 2020" through a video conference.

The Central Government's mobile app, Aarogya Setu, has become the world's fastest app to reach 50 million downloads in just 13 days.

The Government of India decided to divide all districts across the country into hotspots, non-hotspots and green zones.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in partnership with the State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based payment platform, Bharat InstaPay.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that it expects monsoon rainfall to be normal this year.

Tata AIA becomes the first Life Insurance company to announce Additional Benefits Related to COVID-19.

CARE Ratings has appointed Ajay Mahajan as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer for a period of 5 years commencing from 15 April 2020 up to 14 April 2025.

Digital payments major Paytm has named Vineet Arora as the managing director and chief executive officer of Paytm General Insurance Ltd.

Algerian author Abdelouahab Aissaoui won a prestigious prize for Arabic fiction with his novel "The Spartan Court".

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

Actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away.

Current Affairs in short : 15 April 2020

The U.S. State Department has approved two potential missile deals with India, for an estimated $92 million and $63 million. 

The India Child Protection Fund (ICPF) said that millions of pedophiles had migrated online, making the Internet extremely unsafe for children.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued Consolidated Revised Guidelines for the Containment of COVID-19 epidemic in the Country. The lockdown measures will remain in force up to 3rd May 2020.

The government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds.

The Union government is exploring raising a loan to pay the shortfall of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation amount to the States as the latter have had to ramp up spending to combat the outbreak of COVID-19.

Ministry of Tourism has launched its "DekhoApnaDesh" webinar series to provide information on the many destinations and the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of our Incredible India.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has taken several initiatives to ensure that the education of learners should not get affected due to the nationwide lockdown because of COVID-19.

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has added another product to the portfolio to combat Coronavirus (COVID-19) by developing COVID Sample Collection Kiosk (COVSACK).

Fit India and CBSE will organise first-ever live 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.

‘COBOT-Robotics’ Robots are serving food and medicine to COVID-19 patients in two hospitals in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district.

HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh pushed for a one-time restructuring of stressed real estate accounts and relaxation in classification of NPA norms to 180 days from 90 days to help the sector.

World Art Day is celebrated globally on 15 April every year to promote the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art.

Researchers from IIT-Guwahati have developed an affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 3D printed Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers.

Researchers of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found the presence of a different kind of coronavirus, bat coronavirus (BtCoV), in two bat species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu.

The Government has started procurement of pulses and oilseeds from states during the nationwide lockdown.

Smart cities in India including Vadodara, Bengaluru, Kalyan Dombivali, Agra, Kakinada, Chandigarh, are using the latest technology to create awareness about COVID-19 and the safety of people in the society.

Uttar Pradesh became the first state to start the Pool Testing of the coronavirus samples as the number of COVID-19 positive patients reached 558.

The National Sports Federation of India has announced that it will host the Asian Boxing Championships for men and women in November-December this year. The host city of the competition is not yet decided.

Goa Chief Minister (CM) Pramod Sawant announced that Goa becomes the first state to integrate allopathy and Ayurveda to treat COVID-19 patients and those who have been quarantined.

Nearly two years after signing a deal to take over Ohio-based aluminium rolled products maker Aleris Corp, Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Hindalco Industries finally completed the acquisition through its subsidiary Novelis Inc.

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

Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz became the first professional player in the country to die after contracting the novel coronavirus.

Former Switzerland's Ice hockey player Roger Chappot passed away due to Coronavirus.

Current Affairs in short : 14 April 2020

The birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar is celebrated on 14 April.

The National Agriculture Market portal, e-NAM completed four years of implementation on 14 April 2020.

World Chagas Disease Day is observed on 14 April every year.

Birupaksha Mishra becomes new Executive Director of Union Bank of India.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) set up India’s 1st remote health monitoring system in Rishikesh.

The Government of India aims to inject Rs.1 lakh crore into villages. The move is to boost the rural economy.

Google has launched 'Nearby Spot' under Google Pay using which users in Bengaluru can see local stores.

Vaisakhi, Vishu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi, Puthandu, Pirappu,  are celebrated in different parts of the country on 14 April.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) announced that the antiviral drug Remdesivir can be used against COVID-19.

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launched a collaborative network, CollabCAD.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding that the government pay full wages to all active job card holders of MGNREGA during lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown till 3 May 2020.

Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up 20 control rooms under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) across India.

Former Attorney General of India and senior advocate Ashok Desai passed away.

Current Affairs in short : 13 April, 2020

13 April 2020 marked the 101st anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to "martyrs" who lost their lives in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. 

Department of Science and Technology (DST) has initiated the Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) programme.

Odisha’s Ganjam district administration banned the Meru Jatra festival and congregations related to it at temples on the occasion of Mahavishub Sankranti (13^th April, 2020), due to Covid-19.

Ahmedabad railway station becomes first station of IR to install sanitizing tunnel.

India sends 5,022 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan during difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic.

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

India’s largest mobile gaming platform, Mobile Premier League (MPL) has brought Tamannaah Bhatia of Baahubali fame, as its brand ambassador, to endorse their gaming platform.

The government of India plans to set up a chain of 20 lakh retail shops called ‘Suraksha Stores’ across India.

Government of Manipur starts a new initiative titled ‘Food Bank’ in view of the threat of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Prasar Bharti has launched a new channel specifically dedicated to old classics called DD Retro.

HRD Minister launches web portal 'YUKTI' (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) .

Former England and Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti passed away.

The legendary motor-racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss has passed away.

British Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor has passed away due to novel coronavirus.