DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : May 5 & 6, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (May 5 & 6, 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 : May 5, 2020 & Daily Current Affairs Quiz : May 6, 2020   now @ our Bankersdaily Tests.

Current Affairs Quiz – May 5, 2020

Current Affairs Quiz – May 6, 2020

Important Days

International Firefighters’ Day 2020: May 4

  • International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed every year on May 4th to recognize and honor the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that their communities and environment are as safe as possible.

National News

‘The Saras Collection’ launched on government e-marketplace portal to showcase daily utility products by rural SHGs:

  • The Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj & Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, launched ‘The Saras Collection’ on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal portal to showcase daily utility products by rural SHGs.
  • It is a unique initiative of GeM and DAY-NRLM.

Bamboo Conclave held through video Conference:

  • Minister of State for North East Development Jitendra Singh attended the Bamboo Conclave held through video conference to boost the economy of the country with the help of Bamboo resources. The making of Agarbatti was one of the key discussions of the conclave.
  • The restructured National Bamboo mission was approved in 2018.

Himachal Pradesh govt to launch employment scheme for urban areas:

  • Looking to revive the coronavirus-hit economy of the state, the Himachal Pradesh government decided to launch a programme- Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna – guaranteeing at least 120 days employment to the those living in urban areas.

Himachal Pradesh

  • Capital:Shimla
  • Chief Minister:Jai Ram Thakur
  • Governor:BandaruDattatreya

Indian Railways starts Shramik Special Trains:

  • As per the guideline issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has decided to run “Shramik Special” trains from “Labour Day” (May 1,2020), to move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places due to lock down. Indian railways has already run the first such train with 1,200 passengers from Hyderabad to Jharkhand.

Ministry of Tourism holds its 14th webinar ‘Bengal by the Himalayas’ under Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series:

  • The 14th session of Ministry of Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel has named a titled, ‘Bengal by the Himalayas’ under Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series was a presentation by Shri Supratim (Raj) Basu, Help Tourism Pvt. Ltd which took the participants to the attractions of Darjeeling.

Health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launches multimedia guide ‘COVID Katha’:

  • Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched “COVID Katha”, a multimedia guide on the Covid-19 disease. ‘COVID Katha’ provides consolidated and authentic information on the global crisis to the masses in an interesting and interactive mode.

Banking and Economy

Private equity firm Silver Lake to invest Rs 5,655.75 Cr in Reliance Jio Platforms:

  • US private equity firm Silver Lake will invest Rs 5,655.75 Cr in Jio Platforms for a 1.15% stake, the 2nd deal after Facebook’s share acquisition plan less than two weeks ago. Silver Lake has $40-b in combined assets under management and committed capital.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Polycab India acquired 50% stake in Ryker from Singapore-based Trafigura:

  • Polycab India has acquired 2,60,10,000 (i.e. balance 50% equity shares) of face value of Rs.10/- each held by Trafigura, Singapore (‘Trafigura’) in Ryker Base. The purchase consideration is likely to be around US $ 4 Million (Rs 300 million).
  • Located in Hansapura, Gujarat, Ryker is involved in manufacturing of copper wire rods with a total annual capacity of 225,000 MT and commenced its commercial production in FY20.

Science and Technology

IIT Hyderabad to collaborate with Hong Kong firm to create venture ecosystem:

  • IIT-Hyderabad has planned to collaborate with a Hong Kong-based financial firm New Frontier Capital Management, to establish a global network for ventures as well as to create a venture ecosystem. Objective is to promote innovation, research & incubation.
  • Firm has a worldwide presence including in Tokyo and Singapore.

Russia to launch its 1st satellite ‘Arktika-M’ to monitor Arctic climate & environment:

  • Russia will be launching its 1st Arktika-M satellite (Remote-sensing & emergency communications satellite)  to monitor the Arctic climate & environment on 2020. 
  • The second Arktika-M satellite is also under development and its launch is scheduled for 2023. Satellite will be launched using a Soyuz-2.1b carrier.

Russia:

  • Capital– Moscow
  • Currency– Russian Rouble
  • President– Vladimir Putin
  • Prime Minister– Andrey Belousov (Temporary)

NIAB develops portable ‘ECovSens’ tool for diagnosis of COVID-19 antigens from saliva:

  • Leading scientists from the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) have developed a portable device called ‘eCovSens’ that can be used for detecting COVID-19 antigens from saliva samples of suspected coronavirus patients.
  • ‘ECovSens’ can detect the corona infection in just 30 seconds.

UV Blaster: DRDO develops WiFi-enabled UV disinfection tower:

  • DRDO has developed an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection tower that can be used for rapid and chemical-free disinfection of infection-prone areas. It is likely to prove useful at a time when the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted normal life across India.

BharatPe launches two apps to limit the need to touch handsets for checking transactions:

  • BharatPe announced 2 additional features on its app for the merchants- “Paisa Bolega & BharatPe Balance”. With Paisa Bolega, shopkeepers can hear aloud instant confirmation of all payments received through their BharatPe QR, without touching the phone.

BharatPe:

  • CEO & Co-Founder– Ashneer Grover
  • Co-founder & Board Member– ShashvatNakrani
  • Headquarters– New Delhi

Appointments

Sanjay Kumar Jha assumes charge as CMD, Midhani:

  • Sanjay Kumar Jha, Director (Production & Marketing) of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI), assumed charge as its Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) in Hyderabad. Jha served in Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for more than 27 years.

Flipkart appoints Sriram Venkataraman as CFO Flipkart Commerce:

  • Flipkart has appointed Sriram Venkataraman as Chief Financial Officer for Flipkart Commerce (Flipkart and Myntra), effective immediately. 
  • Sriram will be responsible for key finance operations and functions at Flipkart and Myntra, including Tax & Treasury.

Trump nominates Indian American as US representative to IBRD:

  • U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Indian American Ashok Michael Pinto as a representative to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 
  • Pinto was nominated as US Alternate Executive Director of IBRD for a term of two years. He is the Counselor at the US Department of the Treasury.

Awards and Recognitions

J&K photojournalists secure Pulitzer 2020 for ‘striking images of life’:

  • Associated Press news agency’s photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand secured the 2020 Pulitzer Prize (Honour for US-based journalists & organisations)  in feature photography for ‘striking images of life’ by covering the crackdown in Kashmir post the revocation of Article 370.

Sports News

FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022:

  • The 2021 World Aquatics Championships in Japan will now be held in 2022, the sport’s governing body FINA (International Swimming Federation) said. 
  • It was initially scheduled for the summer of 2021 from July 16 to August 1 in the Japanese city of Fukuoka.

FINA (International Swimming Federation):

  • Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland
  • President– Julio C.Maglione
  • First Vice President– Husain Al Musallam

Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari banned for 4 years by WADA after testing positive for methenolone:

  • Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari has been slapped with a four-year ban by WADA’s (World Anti-Doping Agency) Athletics Integrity Unit for flunking a dope test, nearly two years after her sample was deemed clean by the NDTL (National Dope Testing Laboratory).
  • Jhuma Khatun was also handed a four-year ban.

WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency):

  • Headquarters– Montreal, Canada.
  • President– WitoldBańka.

Important Days

World Asthma Day 2020- May 5:

  • World Asthma Day is observed annually on the first Tuesday of May and this year it was celebrated on May 5, 2020.
  • The day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.
  • Theme for the year 2020: “Enough Asthma Deaths”.

International Day of the Midwife 2020- May 5:

  • The International Day of the Midwife is globally observed on 5th May of every year since 1992 to acknowledge the works of midwives and to raise awareness about their status. The First International Midwives Day was celebrated in 1991. 
  • The theme of this year is “Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is now”.

National News

Indian Navy launches operation ‘Samudra Setu’ to return Indians stranded abroad:

  • Indian Navy announced Operation ‘Samudra Setu’ to repatriate Indian citizens who were stranded overseas because of the global grounding of airlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. INS Jalashwa and INS Magar are currently enroute to the port of Male.
  • Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

Jharkhand launches three schemes for rural job creation:

  • Chief Minister, HemantSoren launches three schemes, BirsaHarit Gram Yojana(BHGY), NeelambarPitambar JAL SammridhiYojana(NPJSY) and Veer SahidPotoHoKhelVikas Scheme (VSPHKVS).
  • To prove wage employment for the workers in the rural area devised in convergence with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MNREGA).

Jharkhand

  • Capital: Ranchi
  • Chief Minister: Hemant Soren
  • Governor: Draupadi Murmu

India rolls out ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ to bring back Indians stranded abroad:

  • Air India will operate 64 repatriation flights for a week from May 7 while the Navy deployed two ships as India rolled out a massive evacuation plan  ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ to bring back thousands of its nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
  • Civil Aviation Minister-  Hardeep Singh Puri.

West Bengal govt launches exit app for stranded people of other states:

  • West Bengal state Home Secretary, Alapan Bandopadhyay announced that the WB Government (govt) launched an “exit app” for people of other states who are stranded in the state due to the lockdown and want to return to their native place.

West Bengal

  • Capital:Kolkata
  • Chief Minister:Mamata Banerjee
  • Governor:Jagdeep Dhankhar

Himachal Pradesh to launch Nigah Scheme:

  • Himachal Pradesh State Government is to launch the “Nigah” Scheme to properly sensitize and educate family members of people coming from other states so that social distancing is effectively maintained. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. 
  • Under Nigah Scheme scheme, a team of ASHA workers, health workers, and Anganwadi workers would visit the family members of persons arriving from other states.

Himachal Pradesh

  • Capital:Shimla
  • Chief Minister:Jai Ram Thakur
  • Governor:BandaruDattatreya

Uttar Pradesh launched Ayush Kavach app to boost immunity through Ayurveda:

  • Uttar Pradesh state government unveiled the Ayush Kavach app that will provide health-related tips and information about ayurvedic medicines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Ayush Kavach mobile app will help people access prescriptions to strengthen their resistance through the ancient mode of Yoga and Ayurveda of India.

Uttar Pradesh

  • Capital:Lucknow
  • Chief Minister:Yogi Adityanath
  • Governor:Anandiben Patel

IIT Launches India’s first COVID-19 test bus in Mumbai:

  • The Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Alumni Council launched a “COVID-19 test bus”  in Mumbai, Maharashtra and inaugurated by Chief Minister UddhavThackery, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and Praveen Pardeshi.

India launches GARUD portal for fast-track approval to COVID-19 related drone operations:

  • The union civil aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have launched GARUD (Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones) portal for fast-track approval to government agencies for COVID-19-related drone operations.

Banking and Economy

Whatsapp payments to roll out with ICICI, HDFC and Axis Bank UPI handles by May end:

  • Whatsapp is set to roll out its Payment facility in India in loop with three private sector lenders, namely ICICI, HDFC and Axis Bank. Whatsapp currently has a user base of 400 million customers whereas UPI has above 100 million users under it.

SIDBI Launches SME Service Platform To Boost Digitisation, Credit Access:

  • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is launching an SME service platform to facilitate the digitisation of small businesses and make access to credit easier for those caught in a cash crunch owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. 
  • The platform would also include several features to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) resume their operations remotely.

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):

  • Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • Chairman & Managing Director (MD): Mohammad Mustafa.

India’s unemployment rate climbs to 27.1%, 121.5mn out of work: CMIE

  • According to Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy (CMIE), 91.3 million including daily wagers and those working with small traders were out of jobs in April followed by 18.2 million employment loss of entrepreneurs, and 17.8 million among salaried class.
  • CMIE, Headquarters location: Mumbai

DBS Bank slashes India’s FY21 GDP forecast to 1% from 1.5%:

  • The general government (the Centre and States) deficit is likely to rise to 10-10.5% of GDP in FY21 vs around 6% of GDP earlier. Public debt level to rise from 70% of GDP to 75-80%.
  • Creation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is required to directly purchase corporate bonds (to arrest widening spreads vs government securities and temper volatility)

Development Bank of Singapore:

  • Headquarters: Singapore
  • Former Name: Development Bank of Singapore (DBS)
  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Piyush Gupta

NABARD disburses Rs 12,767cr to state cooperative banks, RRBs for onlending:

  • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has disbursed Rs 12,767 crore to state cooperative banks and regional rural banks for onlending to famers.The loans are being offered for one year at an interest rate of 4.8 per cent.

NABARD: 

  • Chairman: Harsh K Bhanwala.
  • Headquarters: Mumbai.

Acquisition and Mergers

BDL partners with IIT-Kanpur to manufacture ventilators for COVID-19 treatment:

  • Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), has signed a MoU NOCCA Robotics, an incubated start-up of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur for the large-scale manufacturing of ventilators.

Appointments

Max Bupa Health Insurance appoints Krishnan Ramachandran as MD & CEO:

  • Max Bupa Health Insurance has appointed Krishnan Ramachandran as MD & CEO. Krishnan has 23 years of experience across health insurance, healthcare & life sciences industry. Last he served as CEO of Apollo Munich Health Insurance. He succeed Ashish Mehrotra.

National Fertilizer appoints new Non-official Independent Director:

  • State-run National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) announced the appointment of Pandya Ashwinkumar Balvantray as Non-official Independent Director on the Board of the Company. His appointment will be for three years.
  • Chairman & Managing Director of NFL is Manoj Mishra

Standard Chartered Bank appoints Kusal Roy as head of retail banking:

  • Standard Chartered Bank India has appointed Kusal Roy as its head of retail banking.Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, he was the managing director and chief executive at Tata Capital Financial Services Ltd.

Awards and Recognitions

Vladimir Putin awards commemorative World War II medal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

  • Russian embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea announced that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un a commemorative war medal marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

North Korea:

  • Capital: Pyongyang.
  • Currency: North Korean won.
  • President: Kim Jong-un.

Professor Saurabh Lodha received 2020 Young Career Award in Nano Science and Technology:

  • Professor Saurabh Lodha from Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay, received the Young Career Award in Nano Science & Technology for the year 2020.  The award is instituted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. 
  • The award recognized his contributions in the development of logic transistor technologies beyond silicon and nanoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional Van der Waals materials.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz : May 5, 2020

Daily Current Affairs Quiz : May 6, 2020

Current Affairs Quiz – May 5, 2020

Current Affairs Quiz – May 6, 2020

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