Current Affairs Today

1.CISF launches ‘e-karyalay’ app 

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched an app named ‘e-karyalay’ that enables the movement of files and documents without physical touch.

This has been done to prevent coronavirus infection due to frequent touching of files by many persons.

2. AP govt relaunches ‘YSR Zero Interest Loan’ Scheme for SHG women

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy relaunched the ‘YSR Zero Interest Loan’ Scheme for women self-help groups (SHGs) in the state. He released a sum of Rs 1,400 crore to 8.78 lakh SHGs.Under this, each SHG will receive an amount between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 towards the interest component on their loans. The zero interest scheme was first launched in 2011 by the then Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in Andhra Pradesh. The scheme was disbanded in 2016-17.

3. Uttar Pradesh becomes the 1st state with a software-based in house facility of virtual 

On April 23, 2020, Uttar Pradesh (UP) becomes the 1st state with a software-based in-house facility of virtual courts, where a requisite infrastructure in Allahabad High Court and all district courts of Uttar Pradesh to hear cases through video conferencing as there is lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

4. Government freezes DA & DR for 1.1 crore employees & pensioners: 

On April 23, 2020, The Department of Expenditure, under the finance ministry has stated that the central government has frozen the Dearness Allowance (DA) & Dearness Relief (DR), an inflation-linked allowance to its 1.1 crore employees & pensioners respectively due from January 1, 2020, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

5. FDI policy, 2017 amended under FEMA, 1999

As we have notified earlier that the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the Ministry of Finance has made changes in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, 2017, which made prior approval of the government mandates for foreign investments from countries that share a border with India, to prevent an opportunistic takeover of domestic firms amid COVID-19 pandemic under the under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.

6. Govt reconstituted National Shipping Board; to be headed by ex DG Shipping Malini Shankar

The Ministry of Shipping has given its consent for the reconstitution of the 16-member National Shipping Board (NSB), the highest advisory body on matters related to Indian shipping and its development or other matters arising out of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.

7. India Participated in SAARC health ministers conference hosted by Pakistan

On April 23, 2020, India participated in The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) health ministers conference hosted by Pakistan to promote great regional cooperation to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. India was represented by Rajiv Garg, the Director-General of Health Services who was assisted by experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Most SAARC countries were represented at the official level.

8. World Bank approved Rs. 585 cr for Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation project

The Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project (HPSRTP) will receive a funding of US$82 million (Rs 585 crore) from World Bank (WB) for the up-gradation of major roads and modernization of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Himachal Pradesh (HP).

Under tranche-I of HPSRTP, Road construction work of Barotiwala-Baddi-Sain-Ramshehar with a length of 45 km, Dadol-Ladraurr Road with a length of 14.5 km, Mandi- Riwalsar-Kalkhar of length 28 km and Raghunathpura-Mandi- Harpura-Bharari road with a length of 3.5 km would be undertaken.

9. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance in partnership with GOQii launches ‘BAGIC GOQii Co-pay Option’ 

On April 23, 2020, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched a preventive healthcare platform ‘BAGIC GOQii Co-pay Option’ in partnership with a smart health company GOQii under the regulatory sandbox approval from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).  

The objective of the product– to reward the customers with a healthy lifestyle in the form of co-pay deduction in their health insurance policy named  Health Ensure policy.

10. Scientists to develop virucidal coating 

A team of researchers at the regional centre for Biotechnology has initiated a study to engineer virucidal coatings to prevent the COVID-19 Transmission. The team is led by Dr Avinash Bajaj. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Dr Milan Surjit from Translational Health Science and Technology Insitute and Dr Smrat Mukhopadhay form Department of Textile Technology IIT, Delhi.