Current Affairs Today 05th & 06th April 2020 | Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

National Maritime Day

  • National Maritime Day in India is observed on 5 April every year. First time it was celebrated on 5 April, 1964.
  • This day is to illustrate the awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one corner to another corner of the world.

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

  • The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding.
  • On 6 April 2020, the IDSDP will be a moment when the IOC and the whole Olympic Movement join the global effort to encourage everyone to be active and stay healthy at a time when the world is fighting an unprecedented health crisis, and when populations are being asked to stay at home to contain the spread of COVID-19.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Indian Railways develops low-cost ventilator

  • The Indian Railways has developed a low-cost ventilator, Jeevan, at its Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory, Punjab.
  • The prototype is awaiting clearance from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). This Ventilator will cost Rs 10,00-15,000 only. Once it gets clearance from ICMR, Railways is ready for its mass production.
  • The Indian Railways has transformed its coaches into isolation wards to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Indian Railways
  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Union Minister of Railways– Piyush Goyal
  • Chairman- Vinod Kumar Yadav

Govt constitutes Empowered Group for coordinating COVID-19 related Response Activities

  • Government has constituted an Empowered Group chaired by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant for coordinating with Private Sector, NGOs and International Organisations for COVID-19-related Response Activities. It will address the issues pertaining to identification of problems, effective solutions and formulation of plans with three groups of stakeholders.
  • First group is the UN agencies, World Bank and Asian Development Bank, second is Civil Society Organisations and development partners and the third group is of Industry associations – CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, NASSCOM.
  • Six meetings were conducted between 30th March and 3rd April with industry associations, International Organisations and Civil Society Organisations about their contribution to the response, their plans for the coming weeks, and the issues they are facing, and their expectations from the government.
  • All 3 groups have proactively pointed out the areas where they need support which the government is following up. They have also been put in touch with other Empowered Groups for faster and more effective response and coordination.
  • The Empowered Group had detailed meetings with UN Resident Coordinator for India, and country heads of WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, ILO, UN Women, UN-Habitat, FAO, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.
  • Following the discussions on these International Organisation’s providing technical support in monitoring and surveillance systems, strengthening health and nutritional services, capacity building, financial resources and critical equipment support, etc, the UN in India has built a Joint Programme Response Plan and submitted to NITI Aayog, defining their clear activities and deliverable in different sectors and States, where they are partnering with Union Ministries and State Governments.
About NITI Aayog:      
  • Narendra Modi, (Chairperson)
  • Rajiv Kumar, (Vice Chairperson)
  • Amitabh Kant, (CEO)
  • Head Quarters : New Delhi

Google maps partners with government, highlights public food, night shelters across 31 Indian cities

  • Google maps will now display public food shelters and public night shelters to users across 31 cities in India.
  • Public Food Shelters and Public Night Shelters can now be found on Google Maps, for 31 cities (more Shelters, Cities being added). Search on Google or Google Maps for “Food Shelter Near Me” or “Night Shelter Near Me” to find the closest shelter,” the centre tweeted from its citizen engagement platform MyGov’s account.
  • The feature was built by Google India in association with the government and the smart cities The feature is meant to help users locate shelters assisting labourers and workers stranded amid the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, with food and shelter.
  • The search giant has introduced multiple features to assist citizens and authorities for assistance during COVID-19.
  • The Delhi government had announced that it will provide free lunch and dinner to people who do not have access to food during the lockdown. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had released a similar custom Google map highlighting relief centres and night shelters in the capital city.

IAS, IPS officers’ associations form ‘Caruna’, an initiative to fight Coronavirus

  • Associations representing officers of Central Civil Services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), have formed an initiative called ‘Caruna’ to support and supplement the government’s efforts in fighting coronavirus, an official stated.
  • The acronym ‘Caruna’ stands for Civil Services Associations Reach to Support in Natural Disasters and represents a collaborative platform, on which civil servants, industry leaders, NGO professionals and IT professionals among others have come together to contribute their time and abilities.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

UAE officially asks to postpone Expo 2020 Dubai, likely to be held in October 2021

  • The United Arab Emirates has officially requested to postpone the start of the Expo 2020 Dubai until October next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the body that oversees the world fair stated.
  • Dubai, the glitzy city-state which is part of the UAE, had hoped to attract some 25 million visits to the multi-billion-dollar, six-month event, which was scheduled to launch October 20 this year.
  • The government of the United Arab Emirates has formally requested the postponement of World Expo 2020 Dubai,” the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions stated in a statement.
  • Following consultations with the BIE, participating countries and key stakeholders, the UAE has proposed 1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022 as the new opening dates of Expo 2020 Dubai.
  • The UAE government also requested approval to continue using Expo 2020 Dubai as the event’s official name.
 About United Arab Emirates:
  • Capital: Abu Dhabi
  • Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
  • President : Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

IMF to open USD 1 trillion war chest to aid fight against the coronavirus

  • More than 90 countries have sought emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, according its MD Kristalina Georgieva. The 189-member-nation multilateral agency has indicated that it will put to use its $1 trillion war chest to help countries cope up with the ensuing crisis.
  • Stating that emerging markets and developing economies have been hit hard by Covid-19, Georgieva stated that about $90 billion investments have already flowed out of these markets, far more than during the financial crisis. The IMF has begun disbursing funds to requesting countries, including Rwanda, with requests from two additional African nations to be reviewed, she added.
  • The IMF and the World Health Organisation called for an emergency aid to strengthen health systems, pay doctors and nurses, and buy protective gear.
  • They urged advanced economies to step up their efforts to help emerging markets and developing countries survive the economic and health impact. Over 1 million have been infected with Covid-19 globally, and more than 53,000 have died as per latest estimates.
  • Even though central banks and finance ministers have taken bold steps to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and stabilise markets, more work is needed to keep liquidity flowing among emerging markets and outside.
About International Monetary Fund (IMF):
  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C. U.S.
  • Managing Director : Kristalina Georgieva
  • Chief Economist : Gita Gopinath

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Bione launches India’s first COVID-19 home screening test kit

  • Bione has recently launched a rapid COVID-19 at-home Screening test kit and has established itself as the first healthcare company in India to achieve the feat. The easy-to-use kit displays accurate results within minutes, instrumental in the timely screening of the deadly virus.
  • The at-home screening kit is available for sale on their platform bione in after approval from the requisite medical regulatory authorities.
  • The Biotech company has devised the screening kit for coronavirus which can provide respite from the impending fear of the contagion. The simple point-of-care home screening kit renders quick results, without having to step out in the wake of lockdown.
  • It will foster timely detection of the disease while acting as a preventive tool for others in proximity to the user, by isolating the carrier immediately. The kit is priced between INR 2000-3000/- depending upon the global supply, to increase its affordability for the masses.
  • COVID-19 Screening test kit is an IgG & IgM based tool which takes 5-10 minutes to deliver the results. Upon receiving the kit, the user is required to clean their finger with an alcohol swab and use the lancet provided to finger-prick. The cartridge provided reads the results from the blood sample thus obtained, within 5-10 minutes.

Uber partners NHA to provide dedicated transport service to COVID-19 healthcare workers

  • Ride-hailing platform Uber stated it has partnered with the National Health Authority (NHA) to provide transport service to frontline healthcare workers in the country, who are engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
  • Uber will initially facilitate the provision of 150 cars free of cost to support medical facilities in New Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Patna through its recently launched UberMedic service, according to a statement.
  • All UberMedic cars supplied to NHA will be equipped with roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver’s seat, thereby acting as a protective barrier between the rider and driver, it added.
  • Additionally, each UberMedic car will be disinfected after every ride to ensure the highest possible safety and hygiene standards in line with government guidelines, the statement stated.
About National Health Authority (NHA):
  • The National Health Authority or the NHA is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship public health insurance/assurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’. NHA has been set-up to implement the PM-JAY at the national level.
  • Indu Bhushan serves as the CEO of Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB – PMJAY) and the National Health Authority (NHA), Government of India.
About Uber:
  • CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

SEBI whole-time member Madhabi Puri Buch gets six-month extension

  • Madhabi Puri Buch, Whole Time Member (WTM) at SEBI, has been given a six months extension by the government. Buch was appointed in April 2017 and her three-year tenure ends in March.
  • Earlier in February, the government had given a six months extension to SEBI chairman Ajay Tyagi.
  • While other WTMs of SEBI were appointed for five years, Buch had been given three years. Buch is SEBI’s first woman WTM and the first from the private sector to be appointed a SEBI board member.
About SEBI:
  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Chairman– Ajay Tyagi.

Indian-origin Lisa Nandy appointed UK shadow foreign minister

  • The Labour Party’s newly-elected Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, named Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy as his shadow foreign secretary.
  • Nandy, his contender in the leadership race for Opposition Leader, thanked Starmer for the “opportunity to serve”.
  • Starmer’s top team will form a new shadow committee, which will be responsible for coordinating Labour’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nandy, the 40-year-old MP for Wigan in Greater Manchester came in third in the three-way Labour postal ballot.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Indian NGO ARMMAN wins prestigious USD 1.5 million Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

  • ARMMAN, an India-based non-profit organization, has been awarded the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship 2020 for its exceptional work in the maternal and child health space in India.
  • The Skoll Awards are presented annually to select organizations with the ability to drive sustained change on the world’s most pressing problems and carries a monetary investment of USD 1.5 million, along with other support.
  • ARMMAN is one of five organisations to win this year, and the only one from Asia and Africa, selected from an initial shortlist of 700 organizations.
  • ARMMAN works towards empowering mothers and enabling healthy children in India.
  • MoHFW, GoI has partnered with ARMMAN for implementation of Kilkari and Mobile Academy initiatives for strengthening Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) services, especially in rural areas.

Each of the 2020 Awardees leads an organization that shows great promise of outsized impact:

  • ARMMAN: Dr.Aparna Hegde
  • Center for Tech and Civic Life:Tiana Epps-Johnson, Donny Bridges, and Whitney May
  • Glasswing International:Celina de Sola and Ken Baker
  • The International Council on Clean Transportation:Drew Kodjak
  • Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project:Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik gets PETA award for allocating funds to feed community animals

  • Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been conferred with an award by animal rights body PETA India for allocating funds to feed community animals in Odisha during the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  • It comes after the state government sanctioned Rs 54 lakh to feed stray animals in five municipal corporations and all 48 municipalities as they are struggling to find food during the lockdown.
  • The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India announced the ‘Hero to Animals Award’ for He received a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation.
About Odisha
  • Capital- Bhubaneshwar
  • CM- Naveen Patnaik
  • Governor- S C Jamir

Kobe Bryant inducted into NBA Hall of Fame

  • Kobe Bryant will be posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • The other members of the Hall’s Class of 2020 will be Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens and Patrick Baumann.
  • Kobe Bryant, 41 was killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Operation Sanjeevani: IAF airlifts medical and hospital consumables for the Maldives

  • India has supplied 2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives as  assistance in fight against COVID 19 under ‘Operation Sanjeevani’. The medicines were procured from various cities and delivered by an Hercules aircraft of Indian Air Force.
  • India has also supplied essential food grains and edibles despite logistical challenges in wake of lockdown. The neighboring country is mostly dependent on imports from India for such supplies.
About Indian Air Force (IAF)
  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Chief of the Air Staff -Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria,
About Maldives
  • Capital– Male
  • Currency– Maldivian rufiyaa
  • President– Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Army Medical Corps celebrates its 256th Raising Day
  • The Army Medical Corps (AMC) on April 3rd celebrated its 256th Raising Day. It was raised based on the Royal Medical Corps.
  • The 256th Raising Day was held with the motto ‘Survey Santu Nirmaya’, meaning ‘Let all humans be free from disease and disability’.
  • The AMC has excellence centres across the country with state-of-the-art equipment providing quality patient care.
  • In the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Army Medical Corps is actively involved and has established screening, isolation and treatment facilities for Armed Forces personnel.
About AMC
  • DirectorGeneral of Army’s Medical Services – Manoj Kumar Unni

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

All India Football Federation submits bid to host AFC Asian Cup 2027

  • India has submitted its bid documents for hosting the AFC Asian Cupin 2027, a top official of the national federation confirmed.
  • If India wins the bid, it will be the first time the country will host the continental showpiece event.
  • Recently, the AFC had extended the deadline to lodge expression of interest by three months from March 31 to June 30 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The AFC is expected to announce the host country early next year.
  • Other than India, Saudi Arabia, which has won the continental title three times but never hosted the tournament, is only nation to have publicly announced their intention to launch a bid for 2027 Asian Cup.
  • India had joined the race for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, alongside Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea, but pulled out early in October 2018.
  • Later, Thailand and South Korea also pulled out leaving China the sole country to host the 2023
List of venues of AFC Asian Cup:
  • 2015 : Australia
  • 2019 : United Arab Emirates
  • 2023 : China

World Games in Birmingham, Alabama postponed until 2022

  • The World Games is a showcase for athletes who compete in eclectic array of sports that have one thing in common: They are not part of the regular Olympic program.
  • Now, they’ll have to wait an extra year to take part in their Olympic-style competition because of the Tokyo Summer Games being pushed back to
  • Joining the parade of postponed events in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced the 11th edition of the World Games in Birmingham, Alabamawill now be held in the summer of 2022.
  • The new dates are July 7-17 for a sprawling competition that will feature disciplines such as tug of war, orienteering, korfball, billiards, sumo, lifesaving and dance.
  • The World Games were initially set for July 15-25, 2021, but a change was hastily arranged after the International Olympic Committee approved new dates for Tokyo.
  • The Summer Games will now be held July 23-Aug. 8, 2021, which would have overlapped with the last three days of the World Games.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Bill Withers, Grammy-winning writer and singer passes away

  • Bill Withers, a three-time Grammy Award winner who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s passed away. He was 81.
  • He was awarded Grammys as a songwriter for “Ain’t No Sunshine” in 1971 and for “Just The Two of Us” in 1981. He received another Grammy in 1987 as a songwriter for the rerecording of the 1972 hit “ Lean On Me” by Club Nouveau.

Ex-Honduras President Disgraced By FIFAgate passes away

  • Honduran ex-president Rafael Callejas, who pleaded guilty in the United States for his part in the sweeping FIFAgate football corruption scandal, passed away.
  • He was also head of the country’s football federation from 2002 to 2015, and is also a former member of FIFA’s Television and Marketing Committee.

Veteran Malayalam music director MK Arjunan Master passes away

  • Renowned Malayalam music composer MK Arjunan, who has composed music for over 700 songs in 200 films and regarded as the original master of melody in Malayalam films, passed away at his home in Palluruthy. He was 85.
  • He began his career by composing music for the small-time amateur play and soon he was a sought-after name among the amateur troupes in Kerala. Later, he began to associate himself with top names like Changanassery Geedha, People’s Theatre, Kalidasa Kalakendram, Desabhimani Theatres, Alleppey Theatres and KPAC. He would go on to compose around 800 songs for 300 plays.

DAILY CA 4th   Apr

  • International Day of Mine awareness- 4th april
  • MoS HRD and IT, Sanjay Dhotre launches ‘Hack the Crisis-India’ hackathon
  • Home Minister Amit Shah approves release of Rs 11,092 Cr under SDRMF to all States
  • DST sets up rapid response centre at SINE, IIT Bombay to combat COVID-19
  • Finance ministry releases 17,287 crore to states to fight Covid-19 outbreak
  • World Bank to roll out USD 160 billion emergency aid to help nations deal with Covid-19
  • UNGA adopts resolution calling for global solidarity in fight against COVID-19
  • RBI reduces trading timings of currency and debt markets
  • Fitch slashes India growth forecast to 30-year low of 2 per cent for FY21
  • India seeks $6 billion loans from AIIB, ADB to combat COVID-19: Report
  • Odisha government, UNICEF launch ‘Mo Prativa’ to engage young minds amid COVID-19 lockdown
  • Geo-Fencing App To Locate Quarantine Violators
  • IBM offers ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ to quickly address covid-19 queries
  • AICTE comes out with unique helpline portal to support students during lockdown
  • Govt extends tenure of NCLT acting President BSV Prakash Kumar
  • China to launch communications satellite named after Wuhan
  • IIT Roorkee develops low-cost face shields for protection of first line healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19
  • FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled in November postponed
  • Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled in Hangzhou, China
  • Former Arunachal minister Passang Wangchuk Sona passes away

DAILY CA 5th and 6th  Apr

  • National Maritime Day- 5th april
  • International Day of Sport for Development and Peace- 6th april
  • Indian Railways develops low-cost ventilator
  • Govt constitutes Empowered Group for coordinating COVID-19 related Response Activities
  • Google maps partners with government, highlights public food, night shelters across 31 Indian cities
  • IAS, IPS officers’ associations form ‘Caruna‘, an initiative to fight Coronavirus
  • UAE officially asks to postpone Expo 2020 Dubai, likely to be held in October 2021
  • IMF to open USD 1 trillion war chest to aid fight against the coronavirus
  • Bione launches India’s first COVID-19 home screening test kit
  • Uber partners NHA to provide dedicated transport service to COVID-19 healthcare workers
  • SEBI whole-time member Madhabi Puri Buch gets six-month extension
  • Indian-origin Lisa Nandy appointed UK shadow foreign minister
  • Indian NGO ARMMAN wins prestigious USD 1.5 million Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
  • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik gets PETA award for allocating funds to feed community animals
  • Kobe Bryant inducted into NBA Hall of Fame
  • Operation Sanjeevani: IAF airlifts medical and hospital consumables for the Maldives
  • Army Medical Corps celebrates its 256th Raising Day
  • All India Football Federation submits bid to host AFC Asian Cup 2027
  • World Games in Birmingham, Alabama postponed until 2022
  • Bill Withers, Grammy-winning writer and singer passes away
  • Ex-Honduras President Disgraced By FIFAgate passes away
  • Veteran Malayalam music director MK Arjunan Master passes away
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