DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : April 26 & 27, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (April 26 & 27, 2020) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

Also, Don’t forget to attend the Daily Current Affairs Quiz : April 26 & 27, 2020  now @ our Bankersdaily Tests.

Important Days

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day: April 26

• The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1977 to provide electricity for the Soviet Union. On 26 April 1986, it exploded and released harmful levels of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
• The day was first observed in 2016.

World Intellectual Property Day: April 26

• World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated to learn about the role that Intellectual Property (IP) rights play in promoting creativity and Innovation. World IP Day 2020 places creativity at the centre of attempts to build a green world.
• 2020 Theme: “Innovate for a Green Future”.

World Immunization Week- celebrated in the last week of April:

• World Immunization Week– celebrated from 24 to 30 April– aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful & cost-effective health interventions.
• The theme this year is “Vaccines Work for All”

National News

CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan launches Jeevan Shakti Yojana in MP:

• CM Shivraj Chauhan launched the Jeevan Shakti Yojana.
• Under this scheme, women in urban areas can earn by making masks at home. The government will pay Rs 11 per mask.

Assam govt launches new medicine delivery scheme called ‘Dhanwantari’:

• The Assam state government has launched a special scheme called ‘Dhanwantari’, under which locally unavailable medicines will be delivered to patients at home by MPWs (Multipurpose Health Workers), ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers.
• This medicine is free up to 200 rupees & can be availed by calling 104.

Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launches zero interest loan scheme for Women SHGs:

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy re-launched zero interest loan scheme for Women Self-Help Groups(SHGs) by releasing a sum of Rs 1,400 crore to 8.78 lakh SHGs.
• Each SHG will receive a sum ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 towards the interest component on their loans.

COVID-19: CISF launches ‘e-office’ app for movement of files:

• Central Industrial Security Force(CISF) launched ‘e-karyalay’ an electronic office application to enable the movement of files and documents without physical touch so as to prevent coronavirus infection.
• An e-office application, that enables movement of files and documents without physical touch, has been launched for usage in the 1.62 lakh personnel-strong CISF to prevent coronavirus infection. It will enable officials to work from home.

NAFED to distribute about 6 lakh metric tonne pulses to 20 Cr households for 3 months under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana:

• NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation) will distribute 5.88 lakh metric tonnes pulses to 20 Crore  households under National Food Security Act through ration shops for 3 months. 
• Most of the beneficiaries will receive the quota for the 1st month within April or latest by the 1st week of May.

NTPC launches Hydrogen Fuel bus and car project for Leh and New Delhi:

• NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer & a central PSU under Ministry of Power, has invited Global Expression of Interest to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric buses & an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars in Leh and Delhi.
• The EoI has been issued by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam.

Banking and Technology

Remittances to India likely to drop by 23% this year: World Bank

The World Bank has said that remittances to India are likely to drop by 23 per cent from 83 billion US Dollars last year to 64 billion US Dollars this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in a global recession.

Transcorp becomes the 1st non-bank company to receive RBI nod to enter into co-branding arrangements

The Leading forex and payment solutions provider Transcorp International Ltd(TIL) becomes the 1st non-bank company to receive Reserve Bank of India(RBI) nod to enter into co-branding arrangements for prepaid Instruments.

It has also launched its multi-wallet RuPay-powered prepaid cards which allow corporate houses to pay wages, incentives, reimbursements & recurring payments to their employees or beneficiaries.

CARE Ratings projected 1.1%-1.2% GDP growth in FY21; declined for FY20 to 4.7% from 5%

• CARE Ratings has projected 1.1%-1.2% GDP growth in FY21 and reduced forecast for FY20 to 4.7% from 5%. Gross Value Added (GVA) has been estimated to grow at 1.4% for FY21. Overall growth is expected to be driven only by the government expenditure.
• CARE has assessed 8 sectors for GDP projection of FY21.

World Bank in collab with AIMA organises virtual workshop on ‘Contract Management during Emergency Situations’:

• Workshop on Contract Management during Emergency situations organized by World Bank & All India Management Association for Project Management Unit of Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project which is implementing USD 250 Million Flood Recovery in J&K.

HDFC buys 6.43% stake in Reliance Capital:

• Mortgage Firm HDFC acquired 6.43% stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares. These shares were acquired pursuant to invocation of a pledge by a security trustee on behalf of the corporation.
• HDFC Bank CEO: Aditya Puri.

Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund winds up 6 debt mutual fund:

• Investors in these six schemes will not be able to buy or sell the schemes anymore. NO SIP/STP/SWP will work on these schemes anymore. Since there are no takers in the market the company is not able to sell its investments.
• Franklin Templeton HQ: San Mateo, CA, USA.
• Lieutenant Governor of J & K: Girish Chandra Murmu.

Acquisitions and Mergers

IIFL Wealth Finance buys L&T Capital Markets for Rs 230 crore

• L&T Finance Holdings has sold its wholly-owned subsidiary L&T Capital Markets (LTCM) to IIFL Wealth Finance for Rs 230 crore. As at end-March 2019, LTCM had total income of Rs 124.81 crore while the net worth stood at Rs 82.45 crore.

LTCM:

Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

IIFL Wealth Management:

Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Founder, MD & CEO– Karan Bhagat

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF picks shares worth Rs.59 crore in NALCO

• ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund Bharat-22 ETF picked up shares worth nearly Rs 59 Cr in National Aluminium Company through an open market transaction. As per the data on NSE, over 1.71 Cr shares were purchased at an average price of Rs 34.43 apiece.

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund:

• MD & CEO– Nimesh Shah
• Headquarters– Mumbai
• Founded– 1993

NALCO:

• Headquarters– Bhubaneswar, Odisha,India 
• Chairman– Sridhar Patra

Science and Technology

IIT-Delhi develops web dashboard to predict coronavirus spread in country:

• IIT Delhi developed a web-based dashboard for tracking & predicting the spread of COVID-19 in India. PRACRITI (Prediction & Assessment of Corona Infections & Transmission in India) dashboard will provide the R0 (Number of people to whom virus spreads from a single person) values of each district & state in India.

R0- IICT to collaborate LAXAI Life Sciences to reduce dependency on China for active pharma ingredients:

• Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, has collaborated with Hyderabad-based integrated pharmaceutical company, LAXAI Life Sciences, to develop and manufacture Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug intermediates.

CSIR-NBRI scientist develops herbal decongestant spray on mask to protect from suffocation:

• Scientists at the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, have developed an herbal decongestant spray that helps in clearing the windpipe and congestion by removing the mucus or cough leading to ease of breathing.
• Reason- Collection of CO2 & humidity in the mask’s inner cavity.

SCTIMST develops Chitra Magna, an innovative RNA extraction kit:

• Chitra Magna, an innovative RNA extraction kit, has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, an Institution under the Department of S&T, as an innovative technology for isolating RNA from swabs for COVID 19 tests.
• SARS-COV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19, is an RNA virus.

IIITM-K developed an AI-based search engine for COVID-19 research:

• Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala has developed an AI Semantic search engine to enable researchers to get deeper insights into scientific studies, especially when they need to find an early solution to the COVID-19.
• Named ‘www.vilokana.in’, which in Sanskrit means ‘finding out’.

Team led by IIT Bombay student develops low-cost mechanical ventilator Ruhdaar:

• Team led by IIT Bombay student has developed low-cost mechanical ventilator Ruhdaar. Design has been incubated at Design Innovation Centre, IUST, Pulwama. The project head Zulqarnain, a first-year student of Industrial Design Centre of IIT Bombay.

Ranking

IIT Kharagpur ranked 57th in THE’s 2nd edition of Impact Rankings 2020:

• IIT Kharagpur has been ranked 57th in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) global list that ranks institutes of higher education in terms of their social and political impact framed around the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals (SDG).
• The list includes 766 universities across 89 countries.

Obituary News

Senior Congress leader Badruddin Sheikh passes away following COVID19 infection:

• Senior Congress leader and councillor in Amdavad Municipal Corporation Badruddin Sheikh passed away late last night following COVID19 infection. He had also served as State Congress spokesperson and Leader of opposition in AMC in past.

Sports News

Former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir announces retirement from international cricket:

• Former Pakistan women’s skipper Sana Mir announced her retirement from international cricket, ending a 15 year long illustrious career. Mir featured in 226 international matches for Pakistan, including 137 as captain from 2009 to 2017.
• Her last ODI was against Bangladesh in Lahore in November 2019.

Olympic doubles silver medallist Boe announces retirement from badminton:

• Former doubles world number one Mathias Boe of Denmark has announced his retirement from badminton at the age of 39.
• Boe, silver medallist in the men’s doubles at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, had been the oldest active player at elite level.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – April 26 & 27, 2020

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