Weekly Current Affairs PDF (9th to 15th May 2020)

Weekly Current Affairs PDF

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 2nd week May 2020. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2020 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Migratory Bird Day

• World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on twice a year, on the Second Saturday in May and in October, WMBD aims to reach out to a broader audience and amplify its message for bird conservation. This year the theme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World”

International Mother’s Day 

• The International Mother’s Day date varies every year and falls on the second Sunday of May. This year, the day will be celebrated on May 10

National Technology Day 

• National Technology Day is observed on May 11, every year, across the country.
• This day marks the anniversary of Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998 and India’s technological advancements in space.

International Nurses Day

• Every year International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May to commemorate the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. This day also celebrates the contribution done by the nurses to society around the world.The theme for 2020, Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health.

International Day of Families

• The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year.
• The  theme is “Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25”

National Endangered Species Day

• National Endangered Species Day is observed every year on the third Friday of May.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates 80 km long road curtailing Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage time

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the road link from Uttarakhand’s Dharchula to Lipulekh at China Border.
• The road originates from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash-Mansarovar. In this 80 kilometre road, the altitude rises from 6,000 to 17,060 feet.

India Post partners ICMR for delivery of COVID-19 testing kits to 200 labs in country

• India Post has entered into a tie up with ICMR for delivery of its Covid-19 testing Kits from its 16 regional depots to the 200 testing labs in the country.
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set a target of carrying out around one lakh tests across the country per day.

India launches Mission Sagar to assist island nations in Eastern Indian Ocean

• India launched Mission Sagar as part of the government’s outreach initiative towards five Island nations in the Indian Ocean amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Centre sets up six-member panel to review production sharing contracts

• The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has set up a six-member expert committee to review the existing production sharing contracts (PSCs) owing to the fall in crude oil prices and the Covid-19 lockdown.

Government Hikes 2020-21 Market Borrowing Limit To Rs 12 Lakh Crore Amid COVID-19

• The government increased its market borrowing estimate by staggering Rs 4.2 lakh crore to Rs 12 lakh crore for the current financial year to deal with the expected shortfall in revenue due to the impact of COVID-19 crisis on the economy.

Centre releases Rs 6,195 crore to 14 states to fight coronavirus crisis

• The government released Rs 6,195.08 crore to 14 states as the second equated monthly instalment of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant as recommended by the Finance Commission.
• This would provide them additional resources during the coronavirus crisis, the Finance Ministry stated.

PM Modi announces special economic package worth Rs 20 lakh crore to kick-start economyScreen Grab

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a special economic package worth 20 lakh crore rupees for an ‘Atma-Nirbhar Bharat’ or self-reliant India, saying that self reliance is the only way to ensure that 21st Century belongs to India.

Govt announces collateral free loan worth 3 lakh crore rupees benefiting 45 lakh MSMEs

• Government has announced the first tranche of stimulus packages, under the Atma-Nirbhar Bharat Yojana. These financial packages equaling to 10 per cent of the national GDP and amounting to 20 lakh crore rupees

25% cut in TDS and TCS rates till 31st of March 2021; Last date for filing of Income Tax return extended till Nov 30

• In a major announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) have been reduced by 25 per cent till 31st March of next year

Tourism Ministry organizes 18th webinar titled ‘Odisha-India’s Best kept secret’

• The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar series, titled, ‘Odisha-India’s Best kept secret’ took the participants on a virtual journey into Odisha. The webinar was 18th webinar under Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series.

ICCR Releases New Song ‘United We Fight’ To Strengthen India’s Fight Against COVID-19

• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has launched a new song to help people stay united and encourage them to think positive amid the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged havoc across the world.

Centre Sets up New Body to Promote Rice Exports

• The agriculture ministry has come up with many new initiatives and step to cope up with the post-COVID-19 crisis. In this series, the center has set up a new body – Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF) to give further impetus to rice exports, under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Promotion Development Authority (Apeda)

ICMR to participate in Global Solidarity Trial by WHO for COVID-19 treatment

• Indian Council for Medical Research, ICMR has fast tracked the roll out of Global Solidarity Trial launched by the World Health Organization, WHO to help in finding an effective treatment for Covid-19.

Be updated with Daily Current affairs News

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Border Roads Organisation(BRO)

• Headquarters– New Delhi
• Founder– Jawaharlal Nehru

India Post:

• Minister :Ravi Shankar Prasad, Cabinet Minister for Communications
• Secretary : Pradipta Kumar Bisoi
• Head Quarters: New Delhi

Ministry  of petroleum and natural gas:

• Dharmendra Pradhan – MOS independent charge
• Constituency: Bihar

Ministry of Tourism:

• Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (Independent charge)
• Constituency: Damoh, Madhya Pradesh

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR):

• Headquarters :New Delhi
• President : Vinay Sahasrabuddhe
• Director General: Akhilesh Mishra

Agriculture Ministry

• Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Minister of Rural Development- Narendra Singh Tomar
• Constituency- Morena, Madhya Pradesh.

 World Health Organization:

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Director-General : Tedros Adhanom
• Deputy  Director-General :  Soumya Swaminathan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

China’s new space capsule lands safely to end 1st uncrewed test flight

• China’s next-generation crew capsule successfully returned to Earth (May 8) after nearly three days in orbit.
• The capsule, which has not yet been named, launched on a Long March 5B rocket on May 5 on an uncrewed test flight that represents an important step toward China’s goal of building a space station in orbit.

World Bank approves USD 400 mn loan to help Afghanistan deal with COVID-19 crisis

• The World Bank approved a USD 400 million grant to help Afghanistan “sustain the pace of key economic and public finance reforms and support the country to manage current risks and uncertainties compounded by the COVID-19 crisis.”

UN Agencies Release Commemorative Stamp On 40th Anniversary Of Smallpox Eradication

• The WHO and the UN’s postal agency have released a commemorative postage stamp on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, with the head of the global health body expressing gratitude to a top Indian-origin UN official Mr Atul Khare.

Israel Names Street After Rabindranath Tagore On The Poet’s 159th Birthday

• Israel has named a street in Tel Aviv after celebrated Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore as a tribute on his 159th birthday.
• On May 7, the Israeli Embassy in India tweeted a photo of a signboard where the street was named Rehov Tagore; ‘rehov’ means street.

CDC of the US commits $3.6 million to India

• To help in fighting the spread of the global pandemic COVID-19, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $6 million to the Indian government.

International tourism may decline by 60-80% in 2020

• International tourism could shrink by 60-80 per cent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in the revenue loss of $910 billion to $1.2 trillion and placing millions of livelihoods at risk, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Deforestation rate globally declined between 2015 and 2020

• The rate of forest loss in 2015-2020 declined to an estimated 10 million hectares (mha), down from 12 million hectares (mha) in 2010-2015, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020). The FRA 2020 was released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

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China:

• Capital: Beijing
• President: Xi Jinping
• Currency: Renminbi

World Bank:

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S.
• President:  David Malpass
• MD and CFO: Anshula Kant

Afghanistan:

• Capital: Kabul
• President: Ashraf Ghani
• Currency: Afghan afghani

United Nations Postal Administration

• Headquarters– Newyork, US.

Israel

• Capital- Jerusalem
• Currency- Israeli Shekel
• Prime minister- Benjamin Netanyahu

United States:

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• President: Donald Trump
• Currency: United States dollar (USD)

UNWTO

• HQ- Madrid,Spain.
• UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili

UNFAO

• HQ- Rome,Italy.
• Head- Qu Dongyu

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

SBI General Insurance Launches Arogya Sanjeevani Health Insurance Policy A Standard Health Insurance Policy

• SBI General Insurance launched the standard health insurance policy – Arogya Sanjeevani Health Insurance Policy SBI General Insurance. The policy provides hospitalisation cover anywhere in India with sums insured ranging from 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakhs.

FM Nirmala Sitaraman launches (INR-USD) F and O contracts on BSE’s India INX & NSE’s NSE-IFSC at GIFT

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman launched INR-USD (Rupee-Dollar) Futures and Options contracts on the two International Exchanges, BSE’s India INX and NSE’s NSE-IFSC, at GIFT International Financial Services Centre in Gandhinagar through video conference.

India gets USD 1 billion loan from BRICS’ New Development Bank to fight COVID-19 

• The New Development Bank of the BRICS countries has fully disbursed USD one billion emergency assistance loan to India to help it contain the spread of COVID-19 and reduce human, social and economic losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Consumer Affairs dept partners with 2 startups to power ‘Suraksha Store initiative’

• The Department of Consumer Affairs has partnered with tech startups Safejob and Seekify to use technology to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at the local Kirana store level. The Suraksha Store initiative is designed for the health and safety of the citizens during and after the lockdown, as per the companies’ joint release.

Finance Minister announces liquidity support for stressed NBFCs

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a booster shot for non-banking financial companies (NBFC), housing finance companies (HFC) and microfinance institutions (MFI). The decisions include a Rs 30,000 crore Special Liquidity Scheme, which will help the needy NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs with capital, in case they fail to raise money through the traditional debt market routes.

PSBs disburse loans worth Rs 5.95 lakh crore in last 2 months

• Public sector banks (PSBs) have sanctioned loans worth Rs 5.95 lakh crore in the last two months to various sectors, including MSMEs, agriculture and corporates, according to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Of this, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have received Rs 1.18 lakh crore from State-run banks between March 1 and May 8 she added.

Federal Bank, MoneyGram tie up for direct-to-bank account credit service

• MoneyGram Payment Systems has tied up with Federal Bank to offer a cost-effective direct-to-bank account credit option for customers in India.

World Bank gives $1 billion as social security fund for India

• The World Bank has approved one billion dollar package for India’s urban poor and migrant workers during the coronavirus crisis.

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SBI General Insurance :

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Pushan Mahapatra, Managing Director & CEO
• C. Kandpal, Deputy CEO

Ministry Of Finance:       

• Nirmala Sitharaman – Cabinet Minister
• Anurag Thakur – Minister of State for Finance
• Ajay Bhushan Pandey – Finance Secretary & Revenue Secretary

New Development Bank :

• Headquarters: Shanghai, China
• President: K. V. Kamath
• Founded: 15 July 2014

Ministry Of Consumer Affairs:

• Ram Vilas Paswan: Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Bihar
• Danve Raosaheb Dadarao :Minister of State

Federal Bank

• MD & CEO- Shyam Srinivasan
• Headquarters- Aluva, Kerala
• Tagline- Your Perfect Banking Partner

Money Gram Payment System

• Chairman & CEO- Alex Holmes

World  bank:

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• President: David Malpass
• MD and CFO : Anshula Kant

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Indian economy may contract 0.4% in FY21 on coronavirus pandemic: Nomura

• Foreign brokerages  predicted a contraction of 4 per cent of India’s GDP in the current financial year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Expected real GDP growth to fall to -0.5 per cent y-o-y in 2020 (vs 5.3 per cent in 2019) and by -0.4 per cent in FY21 (vs. 4.6 per cent expected in FY20), analysts at Nomura stated

Vista Equity Partners to invest Rs 11,367 crore in Jio platforms for 2.32% stake

• Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners will invest Rs11,367 crore in Jio Platforms for a 32% stake, the third deal after Facebook and Silver Lake’s share acquisition plans over the last two weeks.
• Vista will become the largest investor in Jio Platforms after RIL and Facebook. Facebook would invest $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms for a 99% stake

Tata Consumer Products ties up with Domino’s, Zomato to deliver essential goods

• Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) stated it has partnered with food delivery platforms like Domino’s Pizza and Zomato to strengthen its direct distribution model and ensure steady supply of its essential products

GSK Sells $3.35 Billion Stake In Hindustan Unilever

• British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC is selling its 7% stake in Hindustan Unilever Ltd. for about 254.8 billion Indian rupees (US$3.35 billion).

India’s growth rate projected to slow to 1.2% in 2020: UN report

• The UN slashed India’s projected growth rate to 2 per cent in 2020 and forecast that the global economy will contract sharply by 3.2 per cent as the COVID-19 pandemic paralyses the world, sharply restricting economic activities, increasing uncertainties and unleashing a recession unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

IBM ties up with Intellect Design Arena to launch cloud services for banks, financial institutions

• Banking and insurance products company Intellect Design Arena Ltd and IBM have collaborated to launch the Intellect iTurmeric FinCloud on IBM’s public cloud.

Global economy could witness losses worth up to USD 8.8 trillion due to COVID-19: ADB

• The global economy is expected to suffer USD 5.8-8.8 trillion in losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated.
• Of this, the impact on south Asian gross domestic product (GDP) will be to the tune of USD 142-218 billion.

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Nomura:

• Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
• Chairman: Nobuyuki Koga
• President and Group CEO : Kentaro Okuda

Vista

• Founder, Chairman & CEO– Robert F. Smith

Reliance

• Corporate Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman & Managing Director(MD)– Mukesh D. Ambani

Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) :

• CEO: Sunil A. D’Souza
• Headquarters: Kolkata

Zomato:

• Deepinder Goyal : Founder and CEO
• Head Quarters : Gurugram, Haryana

 GlaxoSmithKline plc

• Headquarters– Brentford, United Kingdom
• Chief executive Officer– Emma Walmsley

Hindustan Unilever Limited

• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman & Managing Director– Sanjiv Mehta

United Nations:

• Secretary General :António Guterres
• General Assembly President: Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
• Headquarters: New York City

IBM:

• CEO: Arvind Krishna
• Headquarters: New York, United States

Asian Development Bank:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Tamil Nadu forms panel under ex-RBI Gov Rangarajan to advise measures to bring economy back on track

• The Tamil Nadu government decided to set up high-level committee of economists and experts headed by R Rangarajan, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor and ex-chairman of Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, to advise the state government on the medium-term policy response in the wake serious economic and fiscal challenges triggered by the covid-19 pandemic.

Bengaluru launches Pranavayu programme to create awareness on need to self examine respiratory health

• The city corporation has launched Pranavayu programme to create awareness on the need to self examine the respiratory health for Bengaloreans.

MP Home Minister launches country’s first ever ‘FIR Aapke Dwar’ Yojana

• Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra launched country’s first ever ‘FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana’ in Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to implement such an innovative scheme.

Jharkhand: Education dept with Doordarshan starts online classes for School children

• In Jharkhand, the State Education Department in collaboration with Doordarshan started online classes and educational programs to provide school education to students of the state through video and thematic lectures.

GI tag for Thanjavur Netti and Arumbavur Wood carving

• After a seven-year-long wait, the Thanjavur Netti Works (pith works) and Arambavur Wood Carvings belonging to the central region of Tamil Nadu were awarded the Geographical Indication Tag by the GI registry.

Gujarat-based Macpower unveils indigenous hot air seam sealing machine for PPE kits

• Rajkot-based Macpower CNC has produced the country’s first indigenous hot air seam sealing machine that is used to manufacture PPE kits at half the price of the imported ones. The device is used to seal the seam of the personal protection equipment (PPE) kits so that viruses cannot penetrate from the small pores and infect the person.

J&K Govt has launched portal  for J&K people stranded in other parts of country

• Jammu & Kashmir Government has launched a web portal http://jkmonitoring.nic.in/ to facilitate its residents stranded in other parts of the country.

Maharashtra govt launches online OPD services for people during lockdown

• The state launched online OPD called e-Sanjivani OPD (out patient department) to resolve difficulties faced by citizens in getting health check-ups and counseling as many private clinics are closed due to the lockdown. To avail of e-Sanjivani’s services, patients should visit the website www.esanjeevaniopd.in and seek expert advice.

Uttarakhand CM launches portal HOPE to help unemployed youth get jobs

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a portal aimed at creating employment avenues for the trained youth as well as offering them skill development opportunities to increase their employability.
• The portal, ‘HOPE’ – Helping Out People Everywhere, has already begun collecting data on the youths staying in the state as well as migrant youths who have returned recently from outside.

Madhya Pradesh government to pay for education of poor children from Class 1 to PhD

• Madhya Pradesh government will bear the education expenses of children from poor families under the Sambal scheme. The state will pay for the children’s education from Class 1 to PhD

Haryana gears up to provide tap connections to all rural households by December, 2022

• Haryana is geared to provide tap water connection to all rural households by December, 2022. The State provided 05 lakh tap connections during 2019-20 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

West Bengal govt launches scheme to utilise 50,000-acre barren land in six districts

• The West Bengal government launched a scheme to utilise 50,000 acres of barren land in six districts for income-generating activities like horticulture and pisciculture.
• Government had been working on the ‘Matir Smristi’ scheme, which will benefit around 2.5 lakh people in rural Bengal.

Gujarat CM announces Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojanavijayrupanibjp

• In Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana. The scheme for small shop keepers and self-employed hit by the lockdown.
• Under the scheme, one lakh rupees collateral free loan will be given at two per cent for the beneficiaries for three years.

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TN

• Capital- Chennai
• CM-Edappadi K Palanisamy
• Governor- Banwarilal Prohit

Karnataka:

• Chief minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala

MP

• Capital- Bhopal
• CM- Shivraj singh chauhan
• Governor- Lalji Tandon

 Jharkhand:

• Capital : Ranchi
• Governor: Draupadi Murmu
• Chief Minister: Hemant Soren

Gujarat

• Capital– Gandhinagar
• CM- Vijay Rupani
• Governor– Acharya Devvrat

Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Lieutenant Governor : Girish Chandra Murmu

Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief Minister:Uddhav Thackeray

Uttarakhand

• Capital- Dehradun(Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister- Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Governor- Baby Rani Maurya

Haryana

• Capital- Chandigarh
• CM- Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor- Satyadev Narayan Arya

West Bengal

• Capital– Kolkata.
• CM- Mamta Banerjee
• Governor– Jagdeep Dhankhar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Yogi Adityanath launches ‘Pravasi Raahat Mitra’ App for migrant workers

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ‘Pravasi Rahat Mitra’ App that is aimed at aiding migrant citizens coming to Uttar Pradesh from other states so that they can take advantage of government schemes. The app will also help to monitor their health besides providing jobs and livelihood, related to their skills.

Mahindra Launches Digital Car Buying Platform ‘Own-Online’ To Boost Sales Amid Covid-19 Crisis

• Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has launched an integrated online platform that will provide end-to-end sales experience for prospective buyers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new initiative Own-Online, a customer can finance, insure, exchange, accessories and own a company vehicle, in four simple steps, from the comfort of their homes.

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launches Central University of Odisha helpline ‘Bharosa’ to help students in distress

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the Central University of Odisha’s helpline “Bharosa” and its helpline number 08046801010 through a virtual platform to help student community relieve its distress amid coronavirus COVID-19 crisis.

MSME Ministry launches Champions portal for addressing grievances of small units

• Union Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched CHAMPIONS portal, a technology-driven Control Room-Cum-Management Information System, for addressing the grievances of smaller units in the country.

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Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)

• Headquarters -Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• CEO- Anand Mahindra

HRD ministry

• Union HRD Minister- Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
• Constituency- Haridwar, Uttarkhand.
• Minister of State- Shri Sanjay Dhotre.

MSME

• Union Minister of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)- Nitin Jairam Gadkari
• Constituency- Nagpur, Maharashtra.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

TRIFED & Art of Living Foundation collaboration to provide Free Ration Kits to Needy Tribes India Artisans

• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Art Of Living, AOL Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in programmes of each organisation for promoting Tribal Enterprises

TVS Group, Sundaram Med, IIT-M develop low-cost, automated respiratory assists

• The TVS group, Sundaram Medical Foundation and IIT-Madras have jointly developed a low-cost, automated respiratory assist device called The Sundaram Ventago. This was done in collaboration with hospitals like Kauvery Hospital and the Madras Medical College and with guidance from global educational institutions like MIT-Boston

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TRIFED

• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987. It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India.

TVS Groups:

• Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Chairman & Managing Director (MD)– Venu Srinivasan.
• Director & CEO (Chief Executive Officer)– K N Radhakrishnan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Narinder Batra’s Term As FIH President Extended To May 2021

• Narinder Batra will remain President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) until May 2021.
• The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided to postpone the 47th FIH Congress, initially planned on 28 October-1 November 2020 in New Delhi, to May 2021, in India’s capital city.

Google Cloud appoints Anil Bhansali as VP Engineering in India

• Google Cloud stated it has appointed former Microsoft executive Anil Bhansali as Vice President of Engineering in India.
• He will coordinate all software development support efforts for Google Cloud in the country, according to a company statement.

Shri Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi assumes charge as Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy

• Shri Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi assumed charge as new Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. Succeeded Shri  Anand Kumar in the Ministry who earlier took charge Secretary, Ministry of Culture

Manoj Ahuja appointed new CBSE chief

• Odisha cadre IAS Manoj Ahuja has been appointed the new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
• Ahuja is currently working as Special Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Department of Personnel and Training.

Akhil Kumar re-inducted into NADA disciplinary panel

• Former Commonwealth Games gold-winning boxer Akhil Kumar has been re-inducted into the National Anti-Doping Agency’s Disciplinary Panel.

V Vidyavathi Appointed as Director General of Archaeological Survey of India

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) got a new Director General with the appointment of IAS officer Vidyavathi.
• She will be serving in the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

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FIH

• Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland
• President : Narinder Batra

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy:

• Raj Kumar Singh : Minister of State (Independent Charge)
• Constituency :Arrah

CBSE:

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Chairperson: Shri Manoj ahuja, IAS
• Parent organization : Ministry of Human Resource Development

National Anti-Doping Agency:

• CEO: Navin Agarwal
• Founded: 24 November 2005
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Union Minister Giriraj Singh presents awards to the winners of “Startup India-Animal Husbandry Grand Challenge”

• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh, was the chief guest at the Awards Ceremony for the winners of “Startup India-Animal Husbandry Grand Challenge”. MoS (Fisheries & AHD) Shri Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Secretary (AHD) Shri Atul Chaturvedi were present on the occasion.

Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan among recipients of Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award

• Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan was one of 17 recipients of the Freedom of Speech Award presented by German public news outlet Deutsche Welle, for showing “outstanding commitment to human rights and freedom of expression in the media”. The announcement came on World Press Freedom Day

Sania Mirza wins India’s maiden Fed Cup Heart Award

• Indian tennis player Sania Mirza brought home country’s first-ever Fed Cup Heart Award in Asia/Oceania category after getting more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 votes cast for this year’s three regional Group I nominees.

GI tag for Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting, Telangana’s Telia Rumal

• Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal were given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry headquartered in Chennai

NRAI nominates Anjum Moudgil for Khel Ratna, Jaspal for Dronachary Award

• The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has nominated rifle ace Anjum Moudgil for the Khel Ratna — the country’s highest sporting honour — while recommending Jaspal Rana for the Dronacharya Award for the second year in a row.

Lieutenant Commander Akshay Kumar was awarded the Vice Admiral G.M. Hiranandani Memorial Rolling Trophy for the year 2020

• Lieutenant Commander Akshay Kumar of the Anti-Submarine Warfare School of the Southern Naval Command in Kochi was awarded the Vice Admiral G.M. Hiranandani Memorial Rolling Trophy for the year 2020 by Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the SNC, at a ceremony held at the Maritime Warfare Centre (Kochi).

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NRAI:

• Head Quarters: New Delhi
• President :Sh. Raninder Singh

Indian Navy

• Chief of the Naval Staff -Admiral Karambir Singh.
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff– Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar Chawla.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Digital Conference on RE-START Reboot the Economy through Science, Technology And Research Translations

• TheTechnology Development Board (TDB) a statutory body of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will organise a high-level digital conference on ‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations  (RESTART)’ on May 11, 2020, to celebrate the National Technology Day

India to participate in SCO foreign ministers’ virtual meet on coronavirus

• India will be participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Covid-19. The video conference is being hosted by Russia. The initial remarks will be delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Dr Harsh Vardhan participates in 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ meeting through video conference

• Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan participated in the 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting through Video conference. He highlighted the timely, graded and pro-active measures taken by India towards COVID-19 management.

Piyush Goyal participates in virtual session of G20 trade ministers

• Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal attended a video conference meeting of commerce ministers of G-20 countries.

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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Secretary General :Vladimir Norov

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Bengaluru airport voted as best regional airport in India & Central Asia

• Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport stated it was voted by customers as the best regional airport in India & Central Asia for the third time in four years at the 2020 World Airport Awards.

IIM Bangalore ranked among top 50 global B-schools in executive education

• Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) stated it has been ranked among the Top 50 global schools, for the second year in succession, in the Financial Times Executive Education 2020 Rankings, released.

State brings down infant mortality rate

• Kerala has brought its infant mortality rate (IMR), down from 10 to the single digit of 7 (per 1,000 live births), according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS)

India up at 74th place on WEF’s global energy transition index

• India has moved up two positions to rank 74th with a score of 51.5% on a global ‘Energy Transition Index’ with improvements on all key parameters of economic growth, energy security and environmental sustainability, According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)

Child, maternal malnutrition leads to 68% of under-five deaths: Lancet study

• The government has launched many schemes to improve food and nutrition access, especially for women and children, 68% of the under-five deaths in India are caused due to child and maternal malnutrition, a Lancet paper revealed.
• Low birth weight and short gestation lead to 83% of the neonatal deaths.

STATIC GK

WEF

• Headquarters– Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland
• Founder and Executive Chairman– Klaus Schwab

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Prince Harry-Meghan Markle’s biography ‘Finding Freedom’ to be published in August

• The first biopic on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life, titled ‘Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family’ has been topping the pre-order charts. The book would be published on August 11, 2020.
• ‘Finding Freedom’ is a biopic, written by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand

Vadhan’s new book “Fear of God” deals with corruption vigilantism law

• The story of “Fear of God” weaves law, corruption, vigilantism and courtroom drama to follow the three central characters who are looking to achieve the same thing but through different means.
• It is written by  Vadhan, whose real name is Bommadevara Sai Chandravadhan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Virology develops country’s 1st indigenous antibody-based testing kit COVID KAVACH ELISA@drharshvardhan

• National Institute of Virology, Pune, has developed first indigenous antibody-based ELISA test kit – COaVID KAVACH for diagnosis of novel Corona Virus. This test is expected to change the dynamics of COVID-19 testing in the country.

DRDO lab develops automated UV systems to sanitise electronic gadgets, papers & currency notes

• Hyderabad based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab has developed automated Ultraviolet systems to sanitise electronic gadgets, papers and currency notes

CSIR approves project to develop ‘hmAbs’ that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in patients

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Reseach, CSIR is leading the fight against COVID-19 using multi-pronged approach and multiple models of engagement.

ICMR, Bharat Biotech tie up for Indian COVID-19 vaccine

• The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) announced a research collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.

CSIR-NAL develops Non-Invasive Ventilator to treat COVID-19 patients

• CSIR – National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) Bangalore, a constituent of lab of CSIR has developed a Non Invasive BiPAP Ventilator in a record time of 36 days to treat COVID-19 patients.
• BiPAP Non-Invasive ventilator is a microcontroller-based precise closed-loop adaptive control system with a built-in biocompatible “3D printed manifold & coupler” with HEPA filter (Highly Efficient Particulate Air Filter).

China launches 2 satellites to test space-based communications technology

• China successfully launched two satellites to test the space-based Internet of Things (IoT) communications technology.
• The satellites, Xingyun-2 01 and 02, were launched by a Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.

Researchers at CSIRO develops ‘heat resistant’ corals to fight bleaching

• The team included researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Melbourne has successfully developed a potential agent that could help coral reefs increase their heat tolerance, as per the report by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

STATIC GK

DRDO:

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

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR):

• President: Prime Minister of India
• Head Quarters : New Delhi
• Director General: Shekhar C. Mande

ICMR:

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

National Aerospace Laboratories:

• Director: Jitendra J Jadhav
• Headquarters: Bengaluru

China

• Capital- Beijing
• Currency- Renminbi
• President- Xi Jinping

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

World Rugby launches women coaching Rugby Toolkit

• The World Rugby launched an online Women Coaching Rugby Toolkit aimed at assisting unions in increasing the number of female rugby coaches at every level of the game.

SAI forms 6-member panel to prepare SOP for phased resumption of training

• The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has formed a six-member committee to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for a phased resumption of training across sporting disciplines at all the centres once the coronavirus-forced national lockdown is lifted. The six-member panel will be headed by SAI secretary Rohit Bharadwaj

Para-athlete Deepa Malik retires, to head India’s Paralympic Committee

• Para-athlete Deepa Malik followed the National Sports Code guidelines and announced her retirement to hold her post as the president of the Paralympic Committee of India.

Di Gregorio EPO saga ends with a four-year ban

• Cyclist Rémy di Grégorio’s doping case from the 2018 Paris-Nice has finally been concluded with the UCI imposing a four-year ban until March 7, 2022

China Wins FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup

• China won the inaugural FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup. Their Superfinal with the USA ended 2-2 with China having draw odds for winning the round-robin phase. India finished at 5th rank

FIFA Under-17 women’s world cup in India rescheduled to February 17

• FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which India will be hosting, has been rescheduled to February 17 till March 7, 2021, the football governing body announced.

STATIC GK

 World Rugby:

• Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland
• Chairman: Bill Beaumont

Sports Authority of India (SAI):

• Headquarters: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , Delhi.
• Sandip Pradhan – Sports Secretary-cum-Director General

International Cycling Union (UCI)

• Headquarters– Aigle, Switzerland
• President– David Lappartient

FIFA:

• President: Gianni Infantino
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
• Senior Vice-President: Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (AFC)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Ministry of Defence inks Rs 1,200 cr contract to boost electronics sector

• The ministry of defence signed a Rs 1,200-crore contract with Tata Power (strategic engineering division), or TPSED, for modernising 37 air bases belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF), navy, coast guard and two for the home ministry.

STATIC GK

 Ministry of Defence

• Union Minister- Rajnath Singh
• Constituency- Lucknow, UP
• Minister of State– Subhash Bhamre

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former Greek health minister, cardiologist Kremastinos passes away

• Greece’s former health minister, cardiologist and university professor Dimitris Kremastinos, has passed away because of the new coronavirus. He was 78.

Eminent historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan passes away

• Eminent historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan passed away due to novel coronavirus. He was 68.He was considered one the foremost names in Russian and Central Asian history.

Grammy winning-singer Betty Wright dies at 66

• Iconic soul and R&B singer Betty Wright has died after a battle with cancer. She was 66.
• Wright, whose real name was Bessie Regina Norris, was born in 1953.

Former Minister Ratnakar Rao passes away

• Congress veteran and former minister Juvvadi Ratnakar Rao passed away due to age-related illness.
• Ratnakar Rao was elected to Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly thrice in 1989, 1999 and 2004 from Buggaram assembly constituency and served as a Minister for Endowments between 2006 and 2009.

Former JDS MP MP Raja Rangappa Naik dies at 61

• Former JDS MP Raja Rangappa Naik Naik, 61, who had represented the Raichur constituency in the Lok Sabha,is survived by wife and three children including two daughters.

Crime Patrol fame Shafique Ansari passes away

• Shafique Ansari, who appeared in many episodes of Sony TV’s show Crime Patrol, passed away at the age of 52 after battling cancer.
• He was a part of several popular TV shows and movies. He featured in almost all episodes of Crime Patrol.

Comedian Jerry Stiller passes away

• Comedian Jerry Stiller, best known for his recurring role as George Costanza’s father on TV’s Seinfeld, has passed away. His other roles included Arthur Spooner in TV sitcom The King of Queens.

PK actor Sai Gundewar passes away

• Bollywood actor Sai Gundewar, who has worked in a couple of movies including Aamir Khan-starrer PK, Saif Ali Khan’s Bazaar and Rock On, passed away after a prolonged battle with brain cancer.

National Professor Anisuzzaman passes away in Dhaka

• Noted literary personality, educationist and national Professor Anisuzzaman passed away in Dhaka after a brief illness. He was 83.

Former Astros legend Bob Watson passes away

• Former American baseball player and Houston Astros legend Bob Watson passed away in Houston at the age of 74.

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