Current Affairs Today 05th May 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Asthma Day

• World Asthma Day is observed every year on the first Tuesday of May to spread awareness and care about asthma in the world. This year it falls on 5th May.
• An annual event is organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma.
• Asthma, a chronic disease of the lungs causing breathing problems affects about 1.5 to 2 crore people around the world.
• The World Asthma Day 2020 theme is ‘Enough Asthma Death’ 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

DBS Bank slashes India’s FY21 GDP forecast to 1%

• Singapore-based DBS Bank has cut India’s FY21 GDP forecast to 1 per cent vis-a-vis 5 per cent projected on April 9.
• This forecast is based on its assumption of an end in the lockdown in the June quarter, reopening of all sectors by third quarter (October-December) and catch-up production, normal monsoon, fiscal support measures of at least 3 per cent of GDP and direct lending support by the authorities.
• Risk scenarios point to a possible decline in the headline GDP if the extension prolongs or partial restart is rolled back, DBS Bank stated in a report.
• The report cautioned that the general government (the Centre and States) deficit is likely to rise to 10-10.5 per cent of GDP in FY21 vs around 6 per cent of GDP earlier. This would entail the public debt level to rise from 70 per cent of GDP to 75-80 per cent, with the shrinking GDP (denominator effect) also ballooning the debt burden, it added.

About DBS bank:

• CEO: Piyush Gupta
• Headquarters: Singapore

Silver Lake to buy stake in Jio Platforms: What you need to know about the US firm

• Silver Lake, American private equity firm, has stated it will buy about 15% stake in Jio Platforms, weeks after Facebook invested $5.7 billion in the digital arm of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd.
• Silver Lake announced it will be investing Rs 5,655.75 crore (about $746.8 million) in Jio Platforms, giving it a valuation of $65 billion, a 12.5% premium to the value implied by the Facebook investment.
• Silver Lake, which has approximately $40 billion in combined assets and committed capital, was launched in 1999 as a specialist firm focused on technology company investments.
• The portfolio of investments of the Menlo Park-headquartered PE firm collectively generates revenues of more than $204 billion annually.
• For Silver Lake, this is the second investment in an Indian firm. It had invested in Bengaluru-based commodity trading and risk management software firm Eka Software in 2013.
• It has invested in dozens of tech firms over the years. They include video game engine maker Unity, Skype, consultancy firm Gartner, Alibaba’s Ant Financial, and Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, several of it in recent weeks.

About Silver Lake partners:

• Headquarters– California, United States
• Co-CEO and Managing Partner– Egon Durban

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

HP govt to launch employment scheme for urban areas

• The Himachal Pradesh government decided to launch a programme “Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna” guaranteeing at least 120 days’ employment to the those living in urban areas.
• They have vast experience and expertise in various fields. They will be identified and trained accordingly to provide them employment and self-employment avenues.
• The cabinet also decided to provide an assistance of Rs 2,000 to each of the one lakh workers registered under the Building and Other Construction Workers Board.
• It was also decided to waive electricity demand charges of the tourism industry for six months, thereby providing them a relief of about Rs 15 crore.
• Similarly, excise and taxation licence fee will be waived and the lifting quota of bars will be on a pro-rata basis.
• It was also decided to help Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) in paying salaries of its employees.

About Himachal Pradesh

• Capital– Shimla
• Chief Minister(CM) -Jai Ram Thakur.
• Governor– Bandaru Dattatreya

Chandigarh launches mobile app for COVID-19 “CHDCOVID”

• To spread awareness about COVID-19 in the city, the Chandigarh Administration launched a newly developed android base mobile app “CHDCOVID”.
• This will be a single point platform which will provide all information related to COVD-19 in Chandigarh.  The residents of Chandigarh can access all the guidelines, orders and notifications issued by Administration and Government of India on the mobile app.
• The app has been developed in-house by the Society for Promotion of IT in Chandigarh (SPIC).

About Chandigarh

• Governor & Administrator- Shri.V.P. Singh Badnore

West Bengal govt launches exit app for stranded people of other states

• The West Bengal government launched an app for people from other states who are stranded in the state due to the lockdown and want to return to their native place, state Home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay stated.
• He stated that since a large number of people from other states are stuck in West Bengal due to the lockdown, they can access the app for online permission to leave the state.
• Bandopadhyay stated that the app can be downloaded from the state government’s ‘Egiye Bangla’ website.
• Persons willing to go back to their native states can apply online through this ‘Exit app’ and permission for the same will be practically automatic and extremely easy,” the Home secretary stated.
• He also requested the nodal officers of all neighbouring states to ease the exit of such people for reaching their native places.

About West Bengal:

• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

BharatPe launches two apps to curb need to touch handsets for checking transactions

• Merchant payment and lending network provider BharatPe launched two voice-based applications that will help accountholders access transactions and balance without having to touch their phones amid COVID-19 outbreak.
• Paisa Bolega – voice alerts of transactions – shopkeepers will be able to hear aloud instant confirmation of all payments received through their BharatPe QR, without touching the phone.
• BharatPe Balance will give information about the total money available to the shopkeeper across deposits, loans and daily collections through quick response (QR).
• Further, BharatPe Balance provides a single snapshot of the shopkeeper’s daily QR collections, balance in 12 per cent interest a/c and the loan limit.
• Paisa Bolega is a button introduced in BharatPe App. This converts the shopkeeper’s smartphone into a loud speaker, announcing the value of transaction received.
• Average ticket size has gone up 70 per cent from Rs 300 to Rs 500 as customers shop more for essentials.

About BharatPe

• CEO & Co-Founder– Ashneer Grover
• Headquarters– New Delhi

Aarogya Setu Launches Mitr Telemedicine Portal For Consultations

• Arogya Setu a one-stop solution for all healthcare and Covid-19 prevention needs, the Indian government has launched a new Mitr portal to offer free telemedicine and consultation services for coronavirus-related inquiries.
• Aarogya Setu Mitr would also allow the users to book doorstep lab tests.
• The Aarogya Setu app has partnered with Swasth Foundation, Project StepOne, Tata Bridgital Health and Tech Mahindra’s healthcare initiative Connectsense Telehealth to offer teleconsultation service from verified doctors.
• The Aarogya Setu Mitr portal has been developed in a public-private partnership (PPP) through a high-powered committee involving departments and business leaders.
• The committee aimed to revamp the Aarogya Setu app to create a one-stop solution equipped with healthcare facilities, remote healthcare, and medical staff support.
• The government believes that this would reduce the burden on the Indian healthcare system by providing remote healthcare support.
• Aarogya Setu assures users that the data collected is encrypted and the portal is equipped with standard security features to protect the confidentiality and security of the information.

Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launches “The Saras Collection” on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal

• The Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, launched “The Saras Collection” on the Government e Marketplace (GeM).
• A unique initiative of GeM and the DeenDayalAntyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, the Saras Collection showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups (SHGs) and aims to provide SHGs in rural areas with market access to Central and State Government buyers.
• Under this initiative, the SHG sellers will be able to list their products in 5 product categories, namely (i) handicrafts, (ii) handloom and textiles, (iii) office accessories, (iv) grocery and pantry, and (v) personal care and hygiene. In the first phase, 913 SHGs from 11 States have already registered as sellers and 442 products have been on-boarded. In order to develop a scalable model capable of onboarding a large number of SHGs across the country in a short time frame, GeM has developed an API based integration mechanism with the NRLM database.
• The on-boarding of the SHGs under the initiative has been initially piloted in the States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The coverage shall be rapidly extended to enable a large number of SHGs from all the states/ Union Territories to sell their products to Government buyers.

About DAY-NRLM

• DAY-NLRM aims to reduce poverty through promotion of diversified and gainful self-employment while creating skilled wage employment opportunities. The scheme supports building social capital and ensuring financial linkages to alleviate poverty and enhance the quality of the life of rural poor women.

About GeM

• Government e Marketplace (GeM) is a 100 percent Government owned Section 8 Company set up as the National Public Procurement Portal for procurement of goods and services required by Central and State Government organizations.

About Ministry of Rural Development :

• Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency : Morena, Madhya Pradesh
• Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State

Swachhata -MOHUA app -A citizen’s tool to better city management 

• Swachhata MOHUA app is a highly popular grievance redressal tool for citizens and under the ambit of the Swachh Bharat mission (Urban) , already it has has over 1.7 crore urban users across the country.
• This app has now been modified and strengthened further in order to enable citizens to get their COVID 19  related complaints also redressed by their respective Urban Local Bodies(ULBs).
• The pilot version of the revised App has been shared with select states and citizens earlier. Based on the feedback, the same is being launched across India.
• All complaints can be monitored at the Swachh city dash board, in the same manner as the ULBs monitor other complaints on Swachhata App on Swachh city.
• The revised version  of the Swachhata App essentially leverage the popularity and huge userbase of the app to better  support citizens during the COVID Pandemic. However the addition of these new categories has no impact on the  existing categories of the App and citizens may continue to either of the categories. Under Swachh Bharat mission  (URBAN) all are collectively working to ensure the safety and well being of citizens during the CoVID crisis.
• MOHUA has introduced these  nine additional Categories of Complaints specific  of COVID 19 on the Swachhata App to make it more responsive to the  needs of the Present times. The ministry’s move is a major boost to states and UTs as it helps in better  management of cities in every aspect in the pandemic situation.

About MOHUA

• Hardeep Singh Puri- Civil Aviation Minister and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in India.
• Constituency-Lost in Lok sabha ( Amristar)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

IIT Hyderabad Partners With Hong Kong Financial Capital Firm To Create Venture Ecosystem

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad has planned to collaborate with a Hong Kong-based financial firm New Frontier Capital Management, to establish a global network for ventures as well as to create a venture ecosystem.
• The objective of the collaboration is to promote innovation, research and incubation. The firm has offices in Tokyo and Singapore as well.
• An MoU was signed by Prof B.S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad and Shigeki Usuki, Chief Executive Officer, New Frontier Capital Management, which will also enable New Frontier Capital Management to establish an office at the IIT Hyderabad campus.
• IIT Hyderabad encourages the entrepreneurship ecosystem with its unique BTech minor in entrepreneurship and it’s tech incubators like i-TIC and CfHE.
• The MoU also mentions the establishment of “Joint Innovation Centres” in Tokyo, Japan, as well as in Telangana and will help create an ecosystem that is connected to global research institutions.

Facebook and Bollywood collaborate on ‘I FOR INDIA’ concert

• Social media networking site Facebook has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Indian entertainment to put together a home-to-home fundraiser concert, ‘I For India’.
• GiveIndia (www.giveindia.org) is India’s largest giving platform with reach across 23 states. It is associated with over 100 NGOs, working on-ground to support the required interventions with the prevention, healthcare infrastructure, livelihood support, and essentials for people in need.
• The four-hour-long concert will be live globally on Facebook on Sunday, 3rd May 2020 at 7:30 pm IST and will feature performances and personal messages from 85+ Indian and global stars including A R Rahman, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt, Javed Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra, Lilly Singh, Virat Kohli, Ustad Zakhir Hussain, among others.

Recent News

• Facebook announced Messenger Rooms that will allow group video calls of up to 50 people.
• Facebook Inc has bought 10 per cent stake in Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore, making it the largest minority shareholder in Jio Platforms Limited.
• Facebook Inc, in partnership with National Commission for Women (NCW) and Cyber Peace Foundation, has launched its ‘We Think Digital’ program to provide digital literacy to women.
• Facebook in partnership with Boom Fact check will review and rate the stories, including photos and videos.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

President Trump nominates Indian-American as US representative to IBRD

• US President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Ashok Michael Pinto as a representative to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Pinto was nominated as US Alternate Executive Director of IBRD for a term of two years.
• If confirmed by the Senate, Pinto would replace Erik Bethel, who has resigned from the post. Pinto currently serves as Counselor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the United States Department of the Treasury.
• Pinto was Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President George W Bush during private practice at two international law firms. Trump had announced his intent to nominate Pinto for this position on April 9.

Sriram Venkataraman will be new Flipkart Commerce CFO

• Walmart-owned Flipkart has appointed Sriram Venkataraman as chief financial officer (CFO) for the commerce division (Flipkart and Myntra) of India’s homegrown company.
• The announcement comes after Emily McNeal, who held the role of Flipkart Group CFO since September 2018, quit to return to the US to pursue a career opportunity outside the Walmart Group.
• Prior to assuming the role of Flipkart Group CFO, McNeal was the Global Head of M&A and Corporate Development at Walmart.
• In his new role, Sriram will be responsible for key finance operations and functions at Flipkart and Myntra, including tax, risk management and treasury.
• He will also look at corporate development, and procurement, planning and analytics and decision sciences will continue to report to him, the company stated.

About Flipkart:

• Founded: October 2007
• CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy
• Head quarters: Bengaluru

Senior diplomat Rahul Chhabra appointed economic relations secretary in MEA

• Senior diplomat Rahul Chhabra has been appointed as the economic relations secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, according to an official order issued.
• Chhabra, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently the High Commissioner of India to Kenya.
• He has been appointed as the secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs in place of T S Tirumurti, who has been appointed as the next permanent representative of India to the United Nations in New York, the Personnel Ministry stated in the order.

About Ministry of External Affairs:

• Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (Minister)
• Constituency : Gujarat , Rajya Sabha
• Muraleedharan (Minister of State),

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

J&K photojournalists secure Pulitzer 2020 for ‘striking images of life’

• Associated Press news agency’s photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand secured the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in feature photography for covering the crackdown in Kashmir post the revocation of Article 370, as per media reports.
• The announcement was made virtually due to the coronavirus outbreak. Pulitzer board administrator Dana Canedy declared the winners from her living room via a live stream on YouTube rather than at a ceremony at New York’s Columbia University.
• Pulitzer stated the Kashmiri photographers were honored for their “striking images of life” in the Valley.
• The Pulitzers are generally regarded as the highest honor that United States-based journalists and organisations can receive.
• The three photographers extensively covered images of protests, police and paramilitary action, and daily life post lockdown on August 5.
• Yasin and Khan are based in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, while Anand is based in the Jammu district.

About Pulitzer prize:

• The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.
• It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher, and is administered by Columbia University.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DRDO develops Ultra Violet Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection

• Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO has developed an Ultra Violet Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection of high infection prone areas. Defence Ministry stated, the equipment named UV blaster is an Ultra violet based area sanitiser designed and developed by Laser Science and Technology Centre.
• The UV Blaster is useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods. The product is also effective for areas with large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories and offices.
• The equipment has six lamps each with 43 watts of UV-C power. For a room of about 12 x 12 feet dimension, the disinfection time is about 10 minutes and 30 minutes for 400 square feet area by positioning the equipment at different places within the room.

About DRDO:

• Minister responsible : Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
• Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, DRDO
• Headquarters : New Delhi

ICMR to leverage IBM’s virtual agent Watson to enable rapid response to Covid-19 testing facilities

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, have collaborated with tech giant IBM on a virtual assistant to bolster Rapid Response to India’s Frontline Testing Facilities on Covid-19.
• The government agencies will leverage IBM’s AI-enabled Watson virtual agent (called Watson Assistant) on its portal. The bot will respond to specific queries of front line staff and data entry operators from various testing and diagnostic facilities across the country on Covid-19.
• The AI assistant has been deployed on protected pages of the ICMR website. These pages can only be accessed by authorized personnel who are involved with sample collection and testing in hospitals and diagnostic labs, the company stated.
• The AI-enabled virtual agent will be able to comprehend and respond to common queries from approved testing facilities for Covid-19 across India in English and Hindi.
• Watson is also likely to help in on-boarding new data entry operators and staff of diagnostic centres, as authorities expand the Covid-19 test network across the country.

About ICMR:

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Secretary & Director General: Dr. Balram Bhargava
• Founded: 1911

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

India is placed 3rd among countries in scientific publication

• India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 driven mainly by Govt sector and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few.
• This is as per the R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 based on the national S&T survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS), Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The report shows that with the rise in publication, the country is globally at the 3rd  position on this score as per the NSF database, 3rd in the number of Ph.D. in science & engineering. The number of researchers per million population has doubled since 2000.
• The survey included more than 6800 S&T Institutions spread across varied sectors like central government, state governments, higher education, public sector industry, and private sector industry in the country, and a response rate of more than 90% was achieved.

India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018

• The Gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) in the country has been consistently increasing over the years and has nearly tripled from Rs. 39,437.77 crore in 2007- 08 to Rs. 1,13,825.03 crore in 2017-18.
• India’s per capita R&D expenditure has increased to PPP $ 47.2 in 2017-18 from PPP $ 29.2 in 2007-08.
• India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, while the same among other developing BRICS countries was Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%.

Extramural R&D support by central S&T agencies has increased significantly

• DST and DBT were the two major players contributing 63% and 14%, respectively of the total extramural R&D support in the country during 2016-17.
• Women participation in extramural R&D projects has increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01 due to various initiatives undertaken by the Government in S&T sector
• As on 1st April 2018, nearly 5.52 lakh personnel were employed in the R&D establishments in the country

The number of researchers per mn populations has doubled since 2000

• Number of researchers per million population in India has increased to 255 in 2017 from 218 in 2015 and 110 in 2000.
• India’s R&D expenditure per researcher was 185 (‘000 PPP$) during 2017-18 and was ahead of Russian Federation, Israel, Hungary, Spain and UK.
• India occupies 3rd rank in terms of number of Ph. D.’s awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) after USA (39,710 in 2016) and China (34,440 in 2015).

India is placed 3rd among countries in scientific publication as per NSF database

• During 2018, India was ranked at 3rd, 5th and 9th  in scientific publication output as per the NSF, SCOPUS and SCI database respectively
• During 2011-2016, India’s growth rate of scientific publication as per the SCOPUS and SCI database was 8.4% and 6.4% as against the world average of 1.9% and 3.7%, respectively.
• India’s share in global research publication output has increased over the years as reflected in publication databases.

India is ranked at 9th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world

• During 2017-18 a total of 47,854 patents were filed in India. Out of which, 15,550 (32%) patents were filed by Indian residents
• Patent applications filed in India are dominated by disciplines like Mechanical, Chemical, Computer/Electronics, and Communication.
• According to WIPO, India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari gets 4-year ban for dope flunk

• Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari has been slapped with a four-year ban by WADA’s Athletics Integrity Unit for flunking a dope test , nearly two years after her sample was deemed clean by the NDTL.
• The National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) had failed to detect the banned substancea steroid which was present in her blood sample, collected by NADA officials during the National Inter-State Championships in June 2018 in Guwahati.
• Kumari had won the gold with a throw of 58.41m.
• Not only Kumari’s but samples of four other Indians, including 2017 Asian champion quarter-miler Nirmala Sheoran’s had returned negative at NDTL but were found positive when tested in Montreal. Jhuma Khatun, one of them, was also handed a four-year ban, last month.

About WADA

• Headquarters– Montreal, Canada.
• President– WitoldBańka.

FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022

• The 2021 World Aquatics Championships in Japan will now be held in 2022, the sport’s governing body FINA stated in a statement.
• The event was initially scheduled for the summer of 2021 from July 16 to August 1 in the Japanese city of Fukuoka to May 12 to May 29 of 2022 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
• The postponement was done after the discussion with the broadcasters, athletes and national federations following the similar moves of the athletics and soccer for the world championships in Oregon and women’s European soccer championship.
• However, the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in March caused FINA to reconsider its own dates so there won’t be any clash and eventually make the adjustment to postpone the event to May 13-29.

About FINA:

• President– Julio C. Maglione
• Founded– July 29, 1908
• Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland

Egyptian tennis player Youssef Hossam follows brother in receiving life ban for match-fixing

• Egyptian player Youssef Hossam has been banned from professional tennis for life for match-fixing, two years after his brother was also permanently excluded from the sport on corruption charges.
• A statement from the Tennis Integrity Unit stated the 21-year-old Youssef Hassam, provisionally suspended since May 2019, had been banned for life following his conviction on multiple match-fixing and associated corruption charges.
• These involved 21 breaches of tennis’ anti-corruption programme, including eight cases of match-fixing, six of facilitating gambling, two of soliciting other players not to use best efforts, three failures to report corrupt approaches and two failures to co-operate with a TIU investigation.
• Hossam, currently a lowly 810 in the ATP singles rankings, having reached a career high of 291 in December 2017, is now “permanently excluded from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis event organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport, the TIU statement stated.

About Egypt :

• President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
• Capital: Cairo
• Currency: Egyptian pound

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Veteran Kannada poet, writer Nissar Ahmed passes away

• Eminent poet and Kannada writer Padma Shri K S Nissar Ahmed passed away.
• His notable works are ‘Nityotsava’, ‘Manasu Gandhi Bazaru’, ‘Sanje Aidara Male’ and ‘Manadondige Mathukathe’.
• He has been the recipient of several notable awards prominently, Padma Shri (2008), Rajyostava (1981) and Pampa Award (2017). He was also awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for poetry in 1982 for ‘Anaamika Aanglaru’.
• Ahmed was the 73rd president for Kannada Sahitya Sammalenna held at Shivamogga in the year 2007. He was awarded honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University in 2010.
• He served as a lecturer in geology at Central College, Bengaluru and then in Chitradurga. Later, he also taught in Sahyadri First Grade College in Shivamogga for two terms during 1967–72 and 1975–78.

DAILY CA 3rd and 4th MAY

• World Tuna Day-2nd may
• International Spring Astronomy Day – 2nd may
• World Press Freedom Day– 3rd may
• International Dawn Chorus Day-3rd may
• World Laughter Day– 3rd may
• Coal Miners Day– 4th may
• International Firefighter’s Day– 4th may
• IDEAthon launched by Jal Shakti ministry
• PM Narendra Modi to participate in NAM virtual summit on coronavirus
• Health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launches multimedia guide ‘COVID Katha’
• Russia to Launch First Satellite For Monitoring Arctic Climate This Year
• HDFC Bank releases song to keep up hopes up amidst Covid-19 pandemic
• RBI cancels licence of Mumbai-based CKP Cooperative Bank
• UP govt makes Arogya Setu app must for those in hotspot areas
• Yes Bank Appoints Neeraj Dhawan As Chief Risk Officer
• Ramesh Babu appointed as NTPC Director (Operations)
• Ministry of Tourism hosts 13th webinar titled  ‘Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve’ of “Dekho Apna Desh” series
• CSIR’s Kisan Sabha App to connect farmers to supply chain
• Prahlad Singh Patel releases e-book “Prof. B. B. Lal -India Rediscovered”
• Former world snooker champion Peter Ebdon retires to avoid spinal surgery
• Australia bans use of saliva as sports activities set to return
• Commonwealth Youth Games 2021 rescheduled to 2023
• World Championships 2021 postponed to November-December, to be held in Carolina Marin Stadium
• Judicial Member, Lokpal of India, Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi passes away

DAILY CA 5th MAY

• World Asthma Day – 5th may
• DBS Bank slashes India’s FY21 GDP forecast to 1%
• Silver Lake to buy stake in Jio Platforms
• HP govt to launch employment scheme for urban areas
• Chandigarh launches mobile app for COVID-19 “CHDCOVID”
• West Bengal govt launches exit app for stranded people of other states
• BharatPe launches two apps to curb need to touch handsets for checking transactions
• Aarogya Setu Launches Mitr Telemedicine Portal For Consultations
• Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launches “The Saras Collection” on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
• Swachhata -MOHUA app -A citizen’s tool to better city management
• IIT Hyderabad Partners With Hong Kong Financial Capital Firm To Create Venture Ecosystem
• Facebook and Bollywood collaborate on ‘I FOR INDIA’ concert
• President Trump nominates Indian-American as US representative to IBRD
• Sriram Venkataraman will be new Flipkart Commerce CFO
• Senior diplomat Rahul Chhabra appointed economic relations secretary in MEA
• J&K photojournalists secure Pulitzer 2020 for ‘striking images of life’
• DRDO develops Ultra Violet Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection
• ICMR to leverage IBM’s virtual agent Watson to enable rapid response to Covid-19 testing facilities
• India is placed 3rd among countries in scientific publication
• Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari gets 4-year ban for dope flunk
• FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022
• Egyptian tennis player Youssef Hossamfollows brother in receiving life ban for match-fixing
• Veteran Kannada poet, writer Nissar Ahmed passes away