CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
International Day of Mine awareness
- Every year, April 4 is celebrated as the International Day for Mine Awareness in order to spread awareness about the dangers and threats caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian population.
- The day also encourages all governments to develop mine clearing programmes.
- On December 8, 2005, the UN General Assembly declared April 4 as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It was first observed on April 4, 2006.
- This year’s theme “together for mine action”
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
MoS HRD and IT, Sanjay Dhotre launches ‘Hack the Crisis-India’ hackathon
- Minister of State Human Resource Development and IT Sanjay Dhotre launched Hack the Crisis – India, an Online Hackathon to find working solutions for overcoming COVID-19 pandemic.
- This hackathon is part of a global initiative and is being organised by ‘Hack A Cause – India’ and ‘FICCI Ladies Organization Pune’ and supported by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- The aim of this hackathon is to strengthen fight against COVID-19.
- Mr Dhotre stated that over 2,000 teams and over 15,000 participants will be enhancing their working prototypes in 48 hour hackathon.
Home Minister Amit Shah approves release of Rs 11,092 Cr under SDRMF to all States
- Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the release of Rs 11,092 crore under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund, SDRMF to all States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his video conference meeting with the Chief Ministers had assured about it.
- The Centre has released in advance its share of first installment of State Disaster Risk Management Fund for the year 2020-21 with a view to augment funds available with the State Governments.
- With a view to make additional funds available to the State Governments for taking preventive and mitigation measures for containment of COVID-19, Centre on 14th March has already made a special dispensation for utilization of State Disaster Response Fund, SDRF.
- This Fund was allowed to be utilized for setting up quarantine facilities, sample collection and screening, setting up additional testing laboratories, cost of consumables, purchase of personal protection equipment for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities, purchase of thermal scanners, ventilators, air purifiers, and consumables for Government hospitals.
- Central Government is sensitive to the need for providing food and shelter to homeless people including migrant labourers, who are stranded due to lockdown measures.
About Home Ministry
- The Ministry of Home Affairs or Home Ministry is a ministry of the Government of India. As the interior ministry of India, it is mainly responsible for the maintenance of internal security and domestic policy.
- Union Minister of Home Affairs : Amit Shah.
- Ministry executive: Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS, Home Secretary
Headquarters: New Delhi
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
International Children’s Book Day
- International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is annually celebrated on April 2, Danish author and poet Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday.
- The ICBD has been organized every year since 1967 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), which is a non-profit organization that promotes children’s literature and encourages young people to read.
- This year, IBBY Slovenia is hosting ICBD and chose the theme, “A Hunger for Words.”
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches new features of e-NAM Platform
- Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched new features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) It will help strengthen agriculture marketing by farmers which will reduce their need to come to wholesale mandis for selling their harvested produce, at a time when there is critical need to decongest mandis to effectively fight against COVID-19.
- These software modules are warehouse based trading module in e-NAM software and Farmer Producer Organisation trading module in e-NAM.
- Mr Tomar reiterated that e-NAM was launched in 2016 as a pan-India electronic trade portal linking Agricultural Produce Market Committee – APMCs across the States. He stated, already 585 mandis in 16 States and two Union Territories have been integrated on e-NAM portal.
- He also stated that e-NAM will be soon expanded to cover additional 415 mandis, which will take the total number of e-NAM mandis to 1,000. The Agriculture Minister stated, e-NAM provides for contactless remote bidding and mobile-based any time payment for which traders do not need to either visit mandis or banks for the same.
C-DOT and Telecom Service Providers develop COVID Quarantine Alert System
- The Department of Telecommunication and C-DOT in coordination with Telecom Service Providers have developed and tested an application which automatically triggers an email or SMS if any identified corona positive person moves away from their quarantine location.
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has encouraged state government agencies to use the COVID Quarantine Alert system.
- A Standard Operating Procedure for location based monitoring of potential cases from the telecom network data has been established. Large number of requests from state agencies are already coming in from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, and Bihar.
- The system would send triggers to the identified monitoring agencies for any potential violations from the quarantined location subject to network availability and triangulation limitations.
About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Cabinet Minister
- Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State
- Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Autism Awareness Day
- World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on 2 April every year, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world.
- World Autism Awareness Day 2020 Theme ‘The Transition to Adulthood’ draws attention to the adulthood of the people with autism.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
DARPG’s National Monitoring Dashboard launched for COVID-19 Grievances
- Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh launched DARPG’s National Monitoring Dashboard on COVID-19 Grievances. The National Monitoring Dashboard was developed and implemented at https://darpg.gov.in where COVID-19 related grievances are monitored on priority basis by a technical team of DARPG.
- Jitendra Singh stated that he had personally reviewed the status of 262 grievances of Central Government and 83 grievances of State Governments received on Day 1 and directed officers in the DARPG to pursue with line of Ministries and State Governments.
- The portal will be monitored at senior levels in Government on a daily basis.
About Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions:
- The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is a ministry of the Government of India in personnel matters specially issues concerning recruitment, training, career development, staff welfare as well as the post-retirement dispensation.
- Founded: 1 August 1970
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Officeholders: Narendra Modi (Minister), Jitendra Singh (Minister of State)
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Foreign trade policy extended for one year till March 2021
- The government extended the existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021 amid coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown to contain the virus spread.
- The existing foreign trade policy 2015-20 which is valid up to March 31 this year is extended up to March 31, 2021. Various other changes are also made extending the date of exemptions by one year and extending validity of DFIA and EPCG authorisations for import purposes. The directorate general of foreign trade stated in a notification.
- Exports during April-February this fiscal dipped by 1.5 per cent to USD 292.91 billion.
- Imports during the period declined by 7.30 per cent to USD 436 billion, leaving a trade deficit of USD 143.12 billion.
- Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) is an export promotion scheme under which an exporter can import certain amount of capital goods at zero duty for upgrading technology related with exports.
- On the other hand, advance authorisation is issued to allow duty free import of inputs, which is physically incorporated in export product.
- Under the Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) scheme, exporters are allowed to import certain goods like sugar at zero duty.
Tourism Ministry launches ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists
- The Ministry of Tourism has launched a portal ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists who are stuck in various parts of the country.
- With an aim to extend support to the foreign tourists who are stranded in India, the Ministry of Tourism has come up with a portal to disseminate information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who are stuck far away from their home land, stated the official release.
- The portal strandedinindia.com consists of information around Covid-19 helpline numbers and call centres that foreign tourists can reach out for help, information around Ministry of External Affairs control centers along with their contact information and information around state-based, regional tourism support infrastructure.
About Ministry of Tourism:
- The Ministry of Tourism, a branch of the Government of India, is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to the development and promotion of tourism in India.
- Officeholder: Prahlad Singh Patel (MOS independent charge)
- Headquarters: New Delhi
Govt extends crop loan interest benefits till May 31
- Farmers who have taken short-term crop loans will get time till May 31 to repay the loan without losing the benefit of interest subvention and other additional incentives offered by the government on timely repayment, an official statement stated.
- Taking into consideration the problems faced by farmers because of the nation-wide lockdown, the government has decided to extend the benefit of 2 per cent interest subvention to banks and 3 per cent incentive on prompt repayment to all farmers up to May 31 for all crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh given by banks which have become due or are becoming due between March 1 and May 31 this year, the statement stated.
- Farmers are facing difficulty in going to bank branches due to the lockdown and because of timely sale and receipt of payment of their produce.
- The decision would make it possible for farmers to enjoy the effective interest rate of 4 per cent on crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh for an extended period without attracting any penalty, it stated.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
