Current Affairs - April 16, 2020 Current Affairs

Rongali Bihu is the Harvest Festival of Assam. It is celebrated on 14 April.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has taken several initiatives to ensure that the education of learners should not get affected due to the nationwide lockdown because of COVID-19. The Ministry of HRD has directed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to initiate a unique method to ensure effective schooling to reach the unreached directly at doorstep.NIOS has initiated the 'SWAYAM' MOOC platform of MHRD for various subjects from class 9th to 12th.

PM Modi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discuss COVID-19 pandemic challenges.

Government of India has initiated a dialogue with the exporters of Agri and Allied commodities. The aim is to address issues affecting the Agri sector issues raised due to the lockdown initiated to contain the spread of COVID-19 disease.The representatives of industries including food processing, spices, cashew nuts, and machine & equipment (M&E) sectors requested permission to open/operate at least 25-30% strength. They also offered to commit their industries to proper health advisory in their functioning.

:Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has announced that India will be hosting the 2020 Asian Boxing Championship. The championship is expected to be held during November-December. The host city is yet to be announced later. The announcement was made by the National Federation President Ajay Singh.

The Ministry of Tourism has launched its "DekhoApnaDesh" webinar series to provide information on the many destinations and details and expanse of the culture and heritage of our Incredible India. The move comes as tourism is hugely impacted with no movement happening either domestically or from across the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government of India launched the All India Agri Transport Call Centre at a function in New Delhi on 15 April. The center was launched by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. The initiative was introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), GoI.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued Consolidated Revised Guidelines for the Containment of COVID-19 epidemic in the Country. The lockdown measures will remain in force up to 3rd May 2020. MHA guidelines directed the Ministries and Departments of Government of India, State/UT Governments to follow the guidelines for the containment of the COVID-19 epidemic in the country.

The US reaffirmed its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million to India. The aim is to enhance India's deterrent capabilities against regional threats and to strengthen its homeland.

IMF projects India's growth rate at 1.9% in 2020, 7.4% in 2021

The Government has started procurement of pulses and oilseeds from states during the nationwide lockdown. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed), the central procurement agency, has purchased over 1.21 lakh tonnes of pulses and oilseeds costing around Rs.595.52 crore. It has benefitted around 90,000 farmers. GoI had recently released Rs.1,250 crore for procurement of 1.71 lakh tonnes of chana and 0.87 lakh tonne of Masur. The Ministry has bought these pulses at minimum support price (MSP) in 13 states. Nafed was Founded on 2 October 1958.

Uttar Pradesh became the first state to start the Pool Testing of the coronavirus samples as the number of COVID-19 positive patients reached 558. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) gave permission for pool testing to the state in order to help maximize the testing of samples on a daily basis. Pool testing is expected to boost the daily testing capacity of the state health department.

:Researchers from IIT-Guwahati have developed an affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 3D printed Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers. The antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE kits can kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface.

Poila Boishakh (Naba Barsha) is the Bengali New Year. This year it falls on 14th of April 2020. It usually falls in the 2nd week of April, historically signifying the time of harvest

Government of India has decided to exempt Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) for the imported personal protection equipment (PPE), ventilators, sanitizers, masks, and other medical equipment. Currently, GoI levies 12% IGST on most of these products. Upon considering COVID-19 pandemic, the input tax credit can be availed for the PPEs, sanitizers

:Fit India, the Government of India's flagship fitness movement, has launched the Fit India Active Day program. The new series of fitness sessions will be organized in partnership with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for school children from across the country. Live sessions of the program will commence from 15 April 2020 at 9:30 am. The students can get access to these live sessions on Facebook and Instagram handles of Fit India Movement and CBSE.

Researchers of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found the presence of a different kind of coronavirus, bat coronavirus (BtCoV), in two bat species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu. It claimed that there is no evidence or research to claim that these bat coronaviruses can cause disease in humans. BtCoV was found positive in 25 bats of Rousettus and Pteropus species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allow more digital kiosks to function in rural areas during the nationwide lockdown. Digital kiosks are commonly known as the Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the country. The information was passed by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad. The MeitY suggested that the strong network of the CSCs can be helpful in times of difficulty, like the COVID-19 lockdown, especially in rural areas.

Donation platform GiveIndia launches 'India COVID Response Fund' (ICRF) with initial donations worth Rs 75 crore.

Smart cities in India including Vadodara, Bengaluru, Kalyan Dombivali, Agra, Kakinada, Chandigarh, are using the latest technology to create awareness about COVID-19 and the safety of people in the society.The Vadodara district administration has installed a helium balloon attached with two cameras for surveillance on lockdown violators. The balloon has a public address system attached to it. Model COVID-19 War Room at the Bengaluru-COVID-19 data dashboard of Karnataka acts as the single source of all COVID-related data.