Assam Current Affairs – May 08 – 14, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – May 8 – 14, 2020

( Covers all important Assam & North-East Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of May 8 – 14, 2020 )

May 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | May 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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May 08, 2020

Assam starts community surveillance for SARI, ILI to curb Covid-19

  • The Assam government started community-based surveillance for Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) across the state to contain the possible spread of Covid-19.
  • Under the Assam Community Surveillance Plan (ACSP), health workers including doctors would go to the 25,000 villages to identify the ILI and SARI cases in the villages and as and when required, samples would be collected for testing.
  • The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and MPW (Multi-Purpose Workers) along with other health staffers will be involved in this task.
  • A State Level Task Force headed by the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare and a State Level Coordination Committee led by Commissioner and Secretary of the Department have been formed.
  • The ACSP would ensure that all SARI and ILI cases are tested for Covid-19, and then map and link the places and accordingly, plan for adequate beds and ICU facilities.

India ranks 53rd in Budget Transparency and Accountability survey

  • India has been placed at 53rd position among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability, according to the Open Budget conducted by International Budget Partnership (IBP).
  • It has provided India’s Union Budget process a transparency score of 49 out of 100, which is higher than the global average of 45.
  • New Zealand tops the chart with a score 87. South Africa (87), Mexico (82) and Brazil (81) are among the top countries providing extensive information to public for scrutiny.
  • India performs well in publishing timely and relevant information in the audit reports and in-year reports and has scored well and above many other countries. But the absence of a published Pre-Budget Statement and not bringing out a Mid-Year Review pulled down the transparency score for the Union Budget of India.
  • The survey, covering 117 countries, rates the level of budget transparency across countries on a scale of 0-100, based on several normative, internationally comparable indicators.
  • It evaluates for each country, the availability of eight key budget documents of the Central or Federal Government, and assesses whether these are made public, in a timely manner, and provide comprehensive information.
  • The Open Budget Survey is part of the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Initiative, a global research and advocacy program to promote public access to budget information and the adoption of accountable budget systems.

Air India operated its first evacuation flights under Vande Bharat Mission

  • National passenger carrier Air India operated its first evacuation flights under India’s “Vande Bharat Mission” from New Delhi to Singapore, to ferry 14 passengers to Singapore.
  • Besides Air India, its subsidiary Air India Express operated two flights from Kerala to Gulf. Air India Express operated the Cochin-Abu Dhabi-Cochin and Kozhikode-Dubai-Kozhikode service.
  • Besides the one-way ferry service, Air India has also invited passengers, who qualify under the government’s new international travel norms to apply for passage from India to various destinations the airline will send its aircraft to conduct evacuation flights.
  • As per plans, these two airlines will operate 64 flights in seven days to bring back 14,800 stranded Indians from 12 countries. Overall, more than 190,000 Indian nationals, who would have to pay a one-way ferry service charge, are expected to be brought back in the airlift operation.

Major labour laws suspended in Uttar Pradesh for 3 years

  • The Uttar Pradeshgovernment has finalised an ordinance suspending a majority of labour laws in the state for three years. This is an attempt to help both existing and new industrial units in the state.
  • The recommendations regarding the labour laws were finalised by a group of ministers comprising labour minister Swami Prasad Maurya and MSME Minister Sidharth Nath Singh.
  • The state cabinet has cleared the Uttar Pradesh Temporary Exemption from Labour Laws Ordinance, suspending more than 30 labour laws in the state.
  • Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said recently that Uttar Pradesh would amend labour laws to attract new investments, especially from China.
  • About eight of them are being retained under the ordinance.There are more than 40 labour laws, some of which are now redundant.
  • These include the Bonded Labour Act of 1976, Employee Compensation Act of 1923 and Building and Other Construction Workers’ Act of 1996, Provisions of laws pertaining to women and children, like the Maternity Act, Equal Remuneration Act, Child Labour Act and section 5 of the Payment of Wages Act which states that wages of a person earning less than Rs 15,000 a month cannot be deducted are also being retained.
  • Other labour laws like those related to settling industrial disputes, health and working conditions of workers and trade unions, contract workers and migrant workers will be frozen for three years. Factory Owners have been given more powers to hire and fire without attracting punitive measures from the labour department up to a certain limit.

May 09, 2020

Bamboo Conclave for North-East held via Video Conferencing

  • A Bamboo Conclave was held through Video Conference and featured the participation of representatives of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the Union Ministry of Agriculture and various other stakeholders from different sectors.
  • The conclave was addressed by Union Minister of State (I/C) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh. The minister emphasized on the importance of Bamboo to India’s Post- COVID economy.
  • He stated that Bamboo will provide India an opportunity to evolve as an economic power with the support of its Bamboo resources.
  • Bamboo is vital to India’s Post- COVID economy and will provide an opportunity for India to emerge as an economic power with the support of its Bamboo resources.
  • The amendment in the Indian Forest Act brought about by the govt in 2017, as a result of which, home grown bamboo has been exempted from it in order to enhance livelihood opportunities through bamboo.
  • The total requirement of “Agarbatti” in India is about 2,30,000 per annum and the market value of it is up to Rs 5000 crore. But India has been importing a large bulk of it from countries like China and Vietnam.
  • It is an opportunity for the North Eastern region to help India become world competitive and self-sufficient in the changed scenario, as Northeast consists 60% of India’s reserve of Bamboo.
  • In future, Ministry of North East will try to work out a time bound plan for promotion of bamboo manufacturing and trade, and also work out feasibility of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this sector.
  • Bamboo can be processed into multiple products, including bio-diesel and green fuel, wooden lumbers and plywood, which can change the entire face of the economy and create employment opportunities in multiple sectors.

Assam CM invites companies to set up ventures in State

  • Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal made an open invitation to companies to set up their business ventures in Assam as the State has a power surplus of 350 MW to cater to their electricity need.
  • CM Sonowal said that though the State has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the unrelenting endeavour of the government’s power companies has yielded into a power surplus of 350 MW.
  • The Chief Minister invited companies to invest in Assam and set up their units to explore the business-friendly ambience including availability of energy.
  • Chief Minister also hailed the role of every personnel of power department and the power companies in maintaining their high standard of professionalism and providing uninterrupted supply to the State.

PM Modi, Italy PM discuss health, economic impact of COVID-19

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the measures required to address the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte over a phone call.
  • PM Modi also conveyed his condolences for the loss of lives in Italy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He commended the fortitude shown by citizens of Italy during the crisis.
  • Both the leaders expressed solidarity with each other and appreciated the mutual cooperation extended towards each other’s stranded nationals.
  • The leaders agreed to continue active consultation and cooperation between India and Italy, to further strengthen bilateral relations.
  • PM also assured Conte of India’s unstinted support to Italy in provision of essential medicines and other items.

Defence Ministry and Tata Power ink to modernise 37 airfields

  • Union Ministry of Defence inked a deal with Tata Power SED worth Rs 1,200 crore to modernise the infrastructure of 37 airfields for the Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
  • Modernisation of 37 airfield infrastructure is happening under Phase II of the programme. Under Phase I, 30 airfields were upgraded.
  • The project is a turnkey project that includes installation and commissioning of modern airfield equipment’s like Cat-II Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Cat II Air Field Lightning System (AFLS) etc.
  • The modern equipment around the airfield will also be directly connected to Air Traffic Control (ATC), thereby providing excellent control of the airfield systems to the air traffic controllers.
  • The up-gradation of navigational aids and infrastructure under this project would enhance the operational capability by facilitating air operations of military and civil aircraft even in poor visibility and adverse weather conditions while enhancing aerospace safety.

UP CM Yogi launches ‘Pravasi Raahat Mitra’ App

  • 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. It will also help to monitor their health besides providing jobs and livelihood information, suitable to their skills.
  • The data collection of these migrant citizens will be done through the app that has been developed by the state revenue department in collaboration with United Nation Development Program.
  • The app will have full details of the persons staying in the shelter center and the migrants who have reached their homes directly from other states. The status of distribution of ration kits to migrant citizens will also be recorded in the app.
  • The data collected through the app will be installed on the state-based Integrated Information Management System.

AIIB extends $500 million loan for India’s Covid fight

  • Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) has approved a loan of $500 million to support India’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic by strengthening health care system.
  • It will be co-financed by the World Bank and would support India in addressing significant challenges posed to the public health system.
  • The financing will enable the Government of India to scale up efforts to limit the transmission of cases, strengthen the health system to expand its response capacity and enhance preparedness to manage future outbreaks.
  • The project also supports the purchase of medical equipment, enhanced disease detection capabilities and strengthened research and is expected to address the needs of infected people, at-risk populations, medical and emergency personnel and service providers at medical and testing facilities as well as national and animal health agencies.

FACTFILE – Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) loans to India

  • India is the top borrower from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
  • Next to India, Indonesia has emerged as the second largest borrower with about USD 600 million loans.
  • Significantly in the pipeline for lending for India by the 84-member bank this year included any projects worth billions of dollars.
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has an authorised capital of USD 100 billion.
  • China is the largest shareholder with 26.06 per cent voting shares in the bank. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.
  • Borrowing from AIIB is preferred by a number of countries as it charges about one to 1.5 per cent interest with long term repayment including five-year grace period.
  • The AIIB board viewed Indian projects favourably due to India’s economic credentials as well as well-prepared project reports.

Rice research station recommended 10 new varieties for Assam farmers

  • Gerua-based Regional Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Station (RRLRRS) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Rice Research Institute (ICAR-NRRI) has recommended 10 new rice varieties for farmers of Assam.
  • These varieties have been found suitable for lowland rice ecology and for the climatic condition of Assam after tests and field trials.
  •  High protein varieties – CR Dhan 310, CR Dhan 309, CR Dhan 311
  • Climate smart varieties – CR Dhan 801, CR Dhan 802
  • Aromatic high yielding variety – CR Dhan 909
  • Four high yielding varieties suitable for lowland situation –  CR Dhan 307, CR Dhan 506, CR Dhan 601 and Chandrama
  • While CR Dhan 601 and Chandrama are suitable for cultivation in all seasons, the other eight varieties are basically for planting only in the kharif season.

FACTFILE – ICAR-NRRI-Regional Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Station (RRLRRS) Gerua, Assam

  • The Regional Rain-fed Lowland Rice Research Station (RRLRRS) as a sub-station under ICAR-NRRI was established on September 15, 1997 at Gerua in the Hajo circle of the Kamrup district of Assam, upon request of the Assma Govt to consider establishing a sub-station of National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in the state to assist it’s efforts on rice research, as NRRI plays a pivotal role in rice research of the country.

Main mandates of the ICAR-RRLRRS are

  • To conduct basic, strategic, applied and adaptive research on crop improvement, production and protection for increasing and stabilizing rice productivity in rainfed lowland ecosystem.
  • To explore, evaluate, conserve and exchange rice germplasm.
  • To develop high yielding and input responsive rice varieties resistant/tolerant to different biotic and abiotic stresses under rainfed lowland ecosystem.
  • To generate appropriate agronomic and protection technologies for increasing and sustaining the productivity of rice-based production systems under rainfed lowland ecosystem.
  • To import training to the farmers, field functionaries, extension specialists and research workers on improved rice production cropping and farming systems.

Trust Area of Research

  • Strengthening the breeding strategy to evolve suitable Sali varieties with tolerant to flood.
  • Development of short duration varieties with blast resistance and cold tolerance for Boro season.
  • Development of flood resistant rice varieties for lowland, semi-deep and deep water conditions.
  • Development of appropriate integrated insect pest and disease management strategies.

Salient Achievements

  • Released rice variety ‘Chandrama’ as Boro and Sali for Assam.
  • Released aromatic high yielding rice variety ‘CR Dhan 909’ as Sali crop for Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra and UP for irrigated and rainfed lowland ecology.
  • Rice varieties ‘Naveen’ have been identified suitable as pre-flood Ahu crop and ‘Abhishek’ as post-flood Sali rice crop.
  • Continual maintenance of over 830 Eastern Indian rice germplasm.
  • Use of pheromone traps @ 20/ha recorded the lowest incidence of dead heart (3.45%) and white ear head (2.01%).

May 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | May 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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May 10, 2020

NIAB Hyderabad develops portable device ‘eCovSens’ to detect Covid

  • Researchers from Hyderabad-based National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) have developed a portable device ‘eCovSens’ that could possibly be used as a diagnostic tool for detection of COVID-19 antigens from saliva samples of suspected coronavirus patients within 30 seconds.
  • Developed by a group of scientists, led by Sonu Gandhi from NIAB, Department of Biotechnology, the device is named as ‘eCovSens’ and is at present in validation stage.
  • The biosensor device has the potential to directly detect a specific protein of the SARS-CoV-2, even when the proteins are present in low concentrations in the human saliva.

FACTFILE – The National Institute of Animal Biotechnology

  • National Institute of Animal Biotechnology is an Indian autonomous research establishment of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
  • The state of the art Animal Biotechnology and Transgenics institute is housed in the Aryabhata Block of the sprawling University of Hyderabad in Gachibowli.
  • The primary mandate of NIAB is towards the development of sustainability and globally competitive livestock (farm animals) for public and industry through innovative and cutting edge technology.

CAIT to launch national e-commerce marketplace ‘Bharatmarket’

  • Traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has announced to launch a national e-commerce marketplace ‘Bharatmarket’ soon for all retail traders in collaboration with several technology partners.
  • The marketplace will integrate capabilities of various technology companies to provide end-to-end services in the logistics and supply chains from manufacturers to end consumers, including deliveries at home.
  • The e-commerce portal will include a nationwide participation by retailers and aims to bring 95 per cent of retail traders onboard the platform, who would exclusively run the portal.
  • The traders body is looking to enrol about one crore retailers on this e-marketplace in 2020 and make it the world’s largest and most-unique e-marketplace ever.

ICMR partners with Bharat Biotech to develop Covid-19 vaccine

  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for coronavirus.
  • The team will use the virus strain isolated at ICMR”s National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
  • The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL).
  • Work on vaccine development has been initiated between the two partners.
  • ICMR-NIV will provide continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development.
  • ICMR and BBIL will seek fast-track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine.

Ex-RBI Governor Rangarajan heads panel to tackle Tamil Nadu’s fiscal challenges

  • The Tamil Nadu government has set up a high-level committee comprising of economists, industrialists, vice chancellors, bankers, government officials, headed by former RBI Governor C. Rangarajan to look at the fiscal challenges being faced by the state and the way forward in the context of Covid-19.
  • The committee’s terms of references are
    • To assess the overall immediate and medium-term impact of Covid-19 on different sectors of the Tamil Nadu economy, including impact of the lockdown, additional costs and implications due to social distancing and other precautionary measures;
    • Assess opportunities and threats in the short and medium term.
    • Measures required to help important sectors of the economy to overcome Covid-19 pandemic.
    • Identify specific reform measures to be taken by the state government to support the growth of important sectors of the economy.
    • Asses the Covid-19 impact on TN’s fiscal situation, the way forward to improve it, including increasing the tax: Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), diversifying revenue source and repriotising expenditure.

Over 60 per cent of styrene vapour leaked from LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam

  • Over 60 per cent of the styrene vapours that leaked from a tank in LG Polymers near Visakhapatnam, killing at least 11 people.
  • Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney issued an order appointing a high-level to probe into the causes behind the gas leak and suggest measures to improve the protocol for industrial safety of similar types of plants.

What is styrene?

  • It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.
  • Styrene is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

Effect on Human

  • Short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.
  • Long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy. It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.

May 11, 2020

USFDA approves emergency use of investigational vaccine, Remdesivir

  • The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed the emergency use of an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
  • The EUA allows for Remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe condition.
  • Remdesivir is authorised for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 disease, the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials.
  • Indian-American Subramanian, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine is one of the lead investigators of the study.

National Institute of Virology develops ‘COVID Kavach’ that tests 90 samples together

  • The National Institute of Virology in Pune has successfully developed the first indigenous anti-SARS-CoV-2A (Covid-19) human IgG ELISA test kit for antibody detection of the deadly virus.
  • This kit was validated at two sites in Mumbai and has high sensitivity & accuracy. Additionally, it also has the advantage of testing 90 samples together in a single run of 2.5 hours.
  • The ICMR technology has been transferred to ZydusCadila for mass-scale production and the Drug Controller General has granted commercial production & marketing permission to Zydus.

FACTFILE – National Institute of Virology, Pune

  • The National Institute of Virology, Pune is an Indian virology research institute, and one of the translational science cells part of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
  • It was founded in 1952 in collaboration of the ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation as a part of the global programme of investigations on the arthropod-borne group of viruses.
  • It was originally known as ‘Virus Research Center’. To expanded scope and activities, it was re-designated as the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in 1978
  • It has been designated as a WHO H5 reference laboratory for SE Asia region. It is identified as the WHO Collaborating Center for arboviruses reference and hemorrhagic fever reference and research.
  • NIV is also the National Monitoring Centre for Influenza, Japanese encephalitis, Rota, Measles, Hepatitis and Coronavirus.

DRDO develops devices to sanitise phones, currency notes

  • The RCI, a premier laboratory of DRDO based at Hyderabad, has developed an automated contactless UVC sanitising cabinet to sanitise mobile phones, iPads, laptops, currency notes, cheque leafs, challans, passbooks, and paper.
  • Research Centre Imarat (RCI), a part of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), developed the Defence Research Ultraviolet Sanitiser (DRUVS).
  • The proximity sensor switches clubbed with drawer opening and closing mechanism makes its operation automatic and contactless. It provides 360 degree exposure of UVC to the objects placed inside the cabinet.

NASSCOM creates end-to-end covid-19 platform for Telangana

  • The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) successful delivered of an end-to-end ‘COVID’ platform to Telangana government.
  • The platform brings together solutions from multiple technology leaders and delivers more than 100 dashboards, from over 30 government and public datasets, with hundreds of thousands of data points, which will help the state combat the pandemic.
  • The NASSCOM taskforce has developed a covid-19 India Vulnerability Map, which will provide real time streaming of data about the coronavirus, across regions and states in the country.
  • The platform will source data from public sources that includes select social channels, websites, blogs, forums and public data sets to create actionable reporting dashboards and will allow the got to project insights sourced from the information with public datasets display.

May 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | May 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF



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May 12, 2020

Centre releases Rs 6000 crore to assist 14 states including 6 NE states

  • The Centre released the second instalment of states’ share of revenue deficit grant amounting to over Rs 6,000 crore, to assist states effectively address the situation arising out of Covid-19.
  • The grant had been released for 14 states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Sikkim and six North Eastern states excluding Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The money has been released ahead of schedule and as a special dispensation to meet immediate funding needs of the state governments looking to restore economic activity and minimise losses to its citizens due to disruptions caused by the lockdown.
  • Much of this money is expected to be used by states towards paying the salaries to their staff as sharp fall in tax collections in April.

Assam CM interacts with PSUs, industry bodies

  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal interacted with representatives of Central and State Government PSUs, industry and tea associations at the Assam Administrative Staff College and solicited their suggestions to arrest the economic slowdown.
  • He also talked to several industry leaders through video conference who joined the interaction from different parts of the State and the country.
  • Industries in Assam contribute 39 per cent to the State GDP and provide direct employment to approximately 4 lakh people and indirect employment to around 20 lakh people and this sector has been severely affected by the lockdown.
  • Stating that due to lockdown big and small tea gardens incurred loss to the tune of around Rs. 500 crores, Sonowal assured the industry leaders that continuous efforts to revive the economy were underway.
  • The State government has taken up steps to facilitate return of migrant workers of the State who are stranded at different places of the country, CM Sonowal stressed on making best use of their skills to boost the industrial sector.

Kashmir Saffron receives Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

  • Kashmir saffron has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
  • The spice is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa highlands and some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
  • The application was filed by the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, and facilitated by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, and Saffron Research Station, Dussu.
  • Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor. With the GI tag, Kashmir saffron would gain more prominence in the export market.
  • Kashmir saffron is renowned globally as a spice and is a very precious and costly product. It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
  • The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin , safranal and picrocrocin.
  • The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types — Lachha Saffron, Mongra Saffron, and Guchhi Saffron.

TS Tirumurti appointed new Permanent Representative of India to UN

  • T. S. Tirumurti, an IFS officer of 1985 batch, has been appointed as the next Ambassador or Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. 
  • At present, he is holding the position of Secretary, Economic Relations, at the MEA headquarters in Delhi.
  • Tirumurti succeeds Syed Akbaruddin who is credited with effectively presenting India’s position on a range of crucial issues at the UN’s headquarters in New York for last several years.

May 13, 2020

African Swine fever outbreak in Assam

  • With the outbreak of the African swine fever, animals especially the pig’s health issue, have become a serious concern for the State as piggery is a lucrative way of livelihood for a large section of Assamese youths.
  • More than 14,000 pigs died of swine fever and new cases have been reported from Nagaon district.
  • According to the Assam Pig Breeding Policy, 2019, the pig farmers of Assam are facing six major challenges including the pig health issue.
  • The policy stated that there is a big gap between the requirement and availability of feed and feed crops in Assam.  This is because cultivation of maize, which is an important feed ingredient for pigs, is not popular in Assam. Because of this its cost is very high in the State and availability is not adequate.
  • Indigenous varieties of pig are very poor performers in terms of body weight and prolificacy and it makes them unsuitable for profitable commercial ventures.
  • Citing the issue of climate change and global warming, the policy stated that both the factors may have serious implications on the pig sector.
  • Most of the pig producers of the State are small and marginal farmers who have limited capacity to adopt the latest technological advancements.

GI Tag to Manipur Black Rice, Gorakhpur Terracotta

  • Chak-Hao, the black rice of Manipur and the Gorakhpur terracotta have bagged the Geogrphical Indication (GI) tag.
  • The application for Chak-Hao was filed by the Consortium of Producers of Chak-Hao (Black Rice), Manipur and was facilitated by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Manipur and the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
  • Chak-Hao, a scented glutinous rice which has been in cultivation in Manipur over centuries, is characterised by its special aroma. It is normally eaten during community feasts and is served as Chak-Hao kheer.
  • Chak-Hao has also been used by traditional medical practitioners as part of traditional medicine. This rice takes the longest cooking time of 40-45 minutes due to the presence of a fibrous bran layer and higher crude fibre content.
  • The terracotta work of Gorakhpur is a centuries-old traditional art form, where the potters make various animal figures like, horses, elephants, camel, goat, ox, etc. with hand-applied ornamentation.

Prime Minister announced package of Rs 20 lakh crore to boost economy

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a massive financial package to revive, reform and make the country self-reliant, while at the same time welcoming foreign capital and strengthening of supply chains.
  • Prime Minister announced stimulus measures which will take the total amount announced by the Ministry of Finance and the RBI to a total of Rs 20 lakh crore which is about 10 per cent of India’s GDP.
  • According to the Prime Minister, it is now the time to make India self-sufficient in every way and every Indian should buy and promote local goods.
  • The package will give emphasis on land, labour, liquidity and laws. The package will also focus on the farmers and the labourers.
  • The package will give rise to a rational tax system, strong financial system besides encouraging businesses and bringing in investments into India. As new infrastructure and rational tax systems are the focus area for a quantum leap of growth.

Tamil Nadu’s Arumbavur wood carvings get GI tag

  • The unique Arumbavur wood carving was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Arumbavur is a Town Panchayat in Perambalur district in the state of Tamil Nadu.
  • The application for GI was made by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (Poompuhar), Arumbavur Wood Carvers’ Handicrafts lndustrial Cooperative Society Ltd, and the Arumbavur Temple Car and Woodcarving Artisans Welfare Society.
  • The Arumbavur wood carvings are primarily making sculptures on the wooden logs of Indian siris (Poo Vaagai, Albizialebbeck), Mango (Mangiferaindica), Lingam tree (Mavilangam), Indian Ash fiee (Othiyan – Odinawodier), Rosewood, Neem tree (Vembu – Azadirachtaindica).
  • The unique aspect of the Arambavur wood carvings is that it is often inspired by architectural details on temple sculptures and carvings indigenous to the region.
  • The art form also draws inspiration from mythology and mythical deities.
  • The Arumbavur wood carvings revolve around idols and deities, temple chariots and temple cars, door panels of houses, pooja rooms and temples, decorative figures, poojamandapam.
  • The artisans used to go to the particular place where the temple car has to be made and stay in that temple for a period of upto four years and complete the work.
  • Sculptures of Lord Vinayaka, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Krishna, Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi can be seen in Arumbavur Wood Carvings, along with motifs such as hamsa/mythical swans, poomakhumbhal cornucopia, kaamadhenu, Temple chariots and temple cars and other floral motifs.

Uttar Pradesh transfers Rs 225 crore to MGNREGA beneficiaries

  • Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transferred Rs 225.39 crores to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) beneficiaries through direct bank transfer.
  • State govt has raised the honorarium of the ‘gram sewaks’ who are beneficiaries under MGNREGA, to Rs 6,000 per month from the earlier Rs 3,630 per month.
  • CM Govt also appealed to the MGNREGA workers to help in generating more employment in their villages and districts and ensure that the needy get employment.

Microsoft launches ‘Back2Business’ solutions for SMBs in India

  • Microsoft announced the launch of new solutions designed to help Indian small and medium businesses (SMBs) maintain business continuity and embark on their Cloud adoption journeys amid the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Curated for specific scenarios in different organisation sizes, these “Back2Business” solution boxes bring together offerings across Azure and Modern Workplace.
  • There are solution packages designed to accelerate the Cloud adoption journeys of SMBs. These are curated to help ramp up legacy systems, migrate workloads to Azure or modernise apps and websites.
  • The Back2Business Solution Boxes offer speed in deployment and usage and flexibility with pay-as-you-go pricing, along with our commitment to privacy and security.

US commit $3.6 Million aid to India for COVID-19 Battle

  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $3.6 million to assist India’s efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • The initial tranche of funding will seek to further strengthen and support the Central government’s efforts to increase laboratory capacity for SARS-COV-2 testing, including molecular diagnostics and serology.
  • The funds will also support the development of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) centers that can improve the ability of hospital networks to detect Covid-19 cases and strengthen local health systems through enhanced surveillance and monitoring systems.
  • The CDC will work with local partners to assist in the development of a strong public health workforce to support India’s capacity to respond not only to this pandemic but also to future threats as well.
  • It will also include planning for health emergency operation centres. The CDC India programme will provide technical assistance for the ongoing crisis emergency and risk communication efforts of the government.

Central relief package of Rs 1.70 lakh crore for poor

  • The Union government recently announced a relief package of Rs 1.70 lakh crore under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) for the poor to help them fight the battle against coronavirus.
  • The Centre proposes to pay 24 per cent of the monthly wages into the EPF account for the three months – March, April and May.
  • The benefits will be available to establishments having up to 100 employees with 90 per cent or more such employees earning monthly wages up to Rs 15,000.
  • The entire employees’ EPF contribution and employer’s EPF and EPS contributions of the monthly wages for the three months shall be paid directly by the Central government in the EPF account of the employees.
  • The employer in relation to any eligible establishment shall disburse wages for the month to all employees of the establishment and file ECR to avail the benefit under the scheme.

Researchers of IIT Guwahati, Singapore institute use data science models

  • Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and the Duke-NUS Medical School of Singapore have used data science models to analyse and carry out a state-wise assessment of the COVID-19 situation in India.
  • The data-driven assessment was carried out by Dr Palash Ghosh, Assistant Professor of IIT Guwahati, in collaboration with Dr Bibhas Chakraborty, Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
  • The assessment can predict the total number of infected people for different states in India in the next 30 days, based on the growth of active cases in recent times, along with the daily infection-rate (DIR) values for each state.
  • The researchers label a state as severe if a non-decreasing trend in DIR values is observed over the last two weeks along with a near exponential growth in active infected cases.

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May 14, 2020

Assam to introduce new inter-district tourism scheme

  • The Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) has decided to introduce an inter-district tourism plan in the State in a bid to encourage the local youths.
  • The ongoing lockdown has made a huge impact on the tourism sector, and, therefore, the ATDC has come forward with a new move of helping the unemployed youths.
  • The chairman of the ATDC, Jayanta Malla Baruah informed that the ‘PunyaDham’ scheme would be implemented within the state this year, which is likely to attract more tourists.
  • It is to be noted that the State Tourism department has incurred a huge loss due to the impact of novel corona virus.

Finance Ministry’s 15 measures to revive economy

  • Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced 15 new and some enhanced measures to revive businesses, and support workers via fiscal incentives and regulatory easing, consist of slew of fiscal and regulatory measures for MSMEs, real estate, NBFCs, power distribution and general businesses.
  • As a major reform measure for the MSME sector, the Centre has decided to give a new definition to MSMEs. Specifications wise, the investment limit for defining MSMEs has been revised upwards. Additional criteria such as turnover have been considered for defining MSMEs.
  • Rs 3 lakh crore “collateral-free automatic loans” for businesses, including MSMEs, will be provided to meet operational liabilities built up, buy raw material and restart business.
  • A Rs 50,000 crore ”Fund of Funds” for MEMEs, which face severe shortage of equity, was also announced. Another scheme worth Rs 20,000 crore for “subordinate debt for stressed MSMEs.
  • The Centre will not to go in for global bidding for government procurement for tenders up to Rs 200 crore, thereby, promoting the participation of MSMEs.
  • e-market linkage for MSMEs will be provided and the CPSEs will pay all receivables to MSMEs within 45 days.
  • Rs 30,000 crore special liquidity scheme for non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), housing finance companies (HFCs) and micro-finance institutions (MFIs) was also announced.
  • A Rs 45,000 crore partial credit guarantee scheme for NBFCs. Under this measure, first 20 per cent loss will be borne by the Centre, and even unrated papers will be eligible for investment, enabling NBFCs to reach out even to MSMEs in far-flung areas.
  • A Rs 90,000 crore liquidity injection plan was announced for the financially stressed power distribution companies, which will allow these entities to clear their dues towards power generation companies.
  • The Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs will issue advisory to states and Union Territories to declare the Covid-19 situation as a ”force majeure” under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act.
  • Centre to reduce the TDS (tax deduction at source) rates for non-salaried specified payments made to residents, and the TCS (tax collection at source) rates by 25 per cent for the specified receipts. This will be applicable to the payment for contract, professional fees, interest, rent, dividend, commission and brokerage.

Tamil Nadu’s Kovilpatti kadalaimittai gets GI tag

  • The famous Kovilpattikadalaimittai has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.  It is manufactured in Kovilpatti and adjacent towns and villages in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu
  • The application was filed by the Kovilpatti Regional Kadalaimittai Manufacturers.
  • Kovilpatti kadalaimittai is a candy made of peanuts held together with glistening syrup, and topped with wisps of grated coconut dyed pink, green and yellow.
  • It is made using all natural ingredients such as the traditional and special ‘vellam’ (jaggery) and groundnuts and water from the river Thamirabarani is used in the production, which enhances the taste naturally.

Govt to use Rs 3,100 crore from PM-CARES for ventilators, migrants’ welfare

  • The Centre allocated Rs 3,100 crore from the PM CARES (Prime Minister”s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund to fight against COVID-19.
  • The bulk of it, Rs 2,000 crore, will be spent to buy ventilators, while a significant Rs 1,000 crore is being earmarked for the migrant labourers. As much as Rs 100 crore is kept for supporting vaccine development.
  • As much as 50,000 ‘Made in India’ ventilators will be purchased from PM CARES Fund at a cost of about Rs 2,000 crore. These ventilators will be provided to government-run COVID hospitals in all states and UTs for better treatment of critical COVID-19 cases.
  • A lump-sum assistance of total Rs 1,000 crore from the Fund is earmarked for the welfare of the migrant labourers. The money will be distributed to states and UTs.
  • The money is meant to strengthen districts’ efforts in providing accommodation facilities, making food arrangements, providing medical treatment and making transportation arrangements of the migrants.
  • State/UT-wise funds will be released on the weightage of (a) population of the state/UT as per 2011 Census – 50% weightage (b) Number of positive COVID-19 cases as on date – 40% weightage and (c) equal share (10% weightage) for all states/UTs to ensure basic minimum sum for all states.
  • Meanwhile, Rs 100 crore is kept for developing a vaccine for COVID-19. Indian academia, start-ups and industry have come together in cutting-edge vaccine design and development on the money is meant to support their research and development.

UN slashes India’s growth rate to 1.2% for 2020-21

  • United Nations has slashed India’s economic growth projection for the current fiscal year to 1.2 per cent, which would still be the second-highest growth rate among major economies trailing China.
  • The mid-year World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) update expects India’s rate of gross domestic growth to increase to 5.5 per cent in the next fiscal year.
  • The growth rate for the world ravaged by Covid-19 is projected to shrink by 3.2 per cent this year, with the developed countries bearing the brunt with their economic growth dropping by 5 per cent.
  • China is expected to grow by 1.7 per cent this year and increase its rate to 7.6 per cent next year. South Asia’s economies overall to shrink by 0.6 per cent during the current year.

Gilead inks pact with 3 Indian drugmakers to produce, sell Remdesivir

  • US drug-maker Gilead Sciences has signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with three Indian pharmaceutical companies Cipla, Hetero Labs and Jubilant Life Sciences, to manufacture and sell the anti-viral drug to treat severe COVID-19 patients. Gilead would provide technology transfers to the drug manufacturers to facilitate the production.
  • Gilead’s Remdesivir has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Hetero which has been working with the ICMR for necessary approvals, said Remdesivir would be manufactured at its formulation facility in Hyderabad.
  • Cipla will be permitted to manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and finished product, and market it in 127 countries, including India and South Africa under Cipla’s own brand name.
  • Remdesivir is given to patients intraveinous one time each day for up to 10 days depending on recommendations of healthcare providers, according to the FDA. The drug may help decrease the amount of the coronavirus in bodies and help patients get better faster.
  • Possible side effects of Remdesivir include infusion-related reactions and increases in levels of liver enzymes. It’s all of the risks are not known yet.

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