Current Affairs - May 1, 2020 Current Affairs

ADB approves USD 346 million loan for enabling reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra.

IFS Officer T. S. Tirumurti appointed as India's next Permanent Representative to the UN.

Amazon India sets up 'Partner Support Fund for small and medium businesses in logistics'.

International Jazz Day is celebrated on 30 April. The day aims to create awareness around the world of the virtues of jazz as a force of peace, unity, dialogue, and enhanced cooperation among people, and an educational tool. International Jazz Day 2020 is the ninth year celebration of International Jazz Day.

Maharashtra's Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has recently launched a dashboard about the COVID-19 situation in the KDMC area. It is now available in the public domain. The page has been linked with the website of the municipal corporation, and other social media handles of city government including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and is open for viewing by the public. Bhagat Singh Koshyari is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from Uttarakhand serving as the Governor of Maharashtra.

Ayushman Bharat Diwas is celebrated on 30 April. The day aims to promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas of the country based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census database. It will also promote health and wellness and provide insurance benefits to the poor.

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said that Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App is helping people to locate their nearest Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra (PMJAK) amid nationwide lockdown. Over 3,25,000 people are using Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App to avail of the host of benefits provided by it. The app also provides information for the availability of affordable generic medicine with its price.

Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have modified the structure of Berberine into Ber-D to use as an Alzheimer's inhibitor. Berberine is a natural and cheap product similar to curcumin, available commercially.

CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) has developed HCARD (Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device). The device can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by a coronavirus.

The Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) submitted its Final Report on the NIP for 2019-25 to the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman. The report holds several recommendations on general and sectoral reforms relating to Infrastructure for implementation by Centre and States in India. The main objective is to improve the project preparation, attract investments both domestic and foreign into infrastructure which will be crucial for the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy by FY 2025.

UGC releases guidelines for examinations and academic calendar for universities in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. New academic session for freshers may begin in universities from September and for already enrolled students in August. The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Government of India in accordance to the UGC Act 1956.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai on 30 April. He died at the age of 67. He died due to ill health. The actor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. Rishi was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. He received Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Bobby in 1974.

Chhattisgarh tops the list of states in providing employment to over 18 lakh unskilled labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) brought under Jal Shakti Ministry. CWMA was set up in 2018 by the Centre to address the dispute over sharing of river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO), Chandigarh, has designed and developed Electrostatic Disinfection Machine, an innovative technology for effective disinfection and sanitization to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

USCIRF (US Commission for International Religious Freedom) names India among 'countries of particular concern' over condition of religious minorities.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) released a new list with the names of 169 tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The India Meteorology Department was established in 1875.

Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) released its Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2020 on 29 April. The reports stated that 5 million people were displaced in India in 2019, the highest in the world, due to disasters, including cyclones and monsoon floods.

Tata Technologies to set up two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIITs) at Baramulla and Jammu.

International Guide Dog Day is celebrated on 29 April 2020. The day is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of April. This day aims to honour the importance of a guide dog that is in the life of a person who is blind or visually impaired. The dog enables people with impaired vision to get around safely by being independent.