Current Affairs - April 18, 2020 Current Affairs

Tour de France cycling race postponed from June 27 to August 29.

Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a compact solid-state sensor that can detect the heavy metal ions in water. It was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr. Pralay K. Santra at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences.

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is currently developing an inactivated virus vaccine for COVID-19. These inactivated vaccines are known for their safety and easy production.

World Haemophilia Day is observed on 17 April. The day aims to increase awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and other inherited bleeding disorders. The increased awareness will increase better diagnosis and access to care for the millions who remain without treatment.

Chess Master Viswanathan Anand has been appointed as the new Ambassador for World Wide Fund (WWF) India's Environment Education program. The Environment Education Program was formed in 1976.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 49th round of quarterly OBICUS (Order books, inventories, and capacity utilization survey) of the manufacturing sector. The survey includes the reference period January-March 2020.The OBICUS survey will provide valuable input for monetary policy formulation.The Central Bank has conducted the OBICUS of the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis since 2008.

President Donald Trump announces halt of USD 500 million annual US funding to WHO.

Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos tops Forbes annual world's billionaires list with a net worth of $113 billion.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) shifted its testing facility from Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior to Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), New Delhi. The move is to overcome the time delays and to speed up delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and masks.

Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Assam is to develop plasmonic semiconductor nanomaterials for the removal of toxic organic compounds from water by harvesting solar light. Plasmonic semiconductor nanomaterials are metal-like materials with free electrons on the surface that oscillate collectively when hit by light.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Doctors will conduct the clinical trial of plasma enrichment technique to treat severely-ill coronavirus patients soon.The method was used in the past to treat diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, 1918 flu epidemic, and in previous outbreaks of respiratory infections namely H1N1 influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved as many as 67 Indian firms for antibody rapid testing kits for testing COVID-19. Out of 67 companies, 5 are using indigenous kits and 62 other companies are importing antibody rapid testing kits from other countries, such as China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, and Israel.

Government-appointed committee of experts, headed by IBBI (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India) Chairperson M S Sahoo, recommends setting up National Institute of Valuers.

Mobile phones, televisions, refrigerators, laptops and stationary items will be allowed to be sold through e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal from April 20.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the second set of measures to preserve financial stability and help put money in the hands of the needy and disadvantaged during the extended lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis. RBI has approved to conduct a second set of targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO 2.0) for an initial aggregate amount of Rs.50,000 crore. Reverse repo rate has been reduced by 25 basis points (bps) from 4.0% to 3.75% with immediate effect. Liquidity Coverage Ratio requirement for scheduled commercial banks has been brought down from 100% to 80% with immediate effect. It aims to improve the liquidity position for individual institutions.

India is the most digitally dexterous country in the world: Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey.

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the online delivery website 'Cghaat' on 16 April. Cghaat will facilitate doorstep delivery of fruits and vegetables during the extended lockdown phase due to contain COVID-19 spread.

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, has developed a diagnostic test kit that can confirm COVID-19 in 2 hours at a low cost. The method is expected to be the world's first few methods.

Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel are developed by the Division of Agricultural Engineering, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), New Delhi. The tunnel was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Kailash Choudhary on 16 April in New Delhi.The sanitization protocol of the tunnel included handwashing with foot-operated soap and water dispenser and fogging in a sanitizing tunnel for 20 seconds.

Algerian author Abdelouahab Aissaoui wins $50,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his novel "The Spartan Court"