Current Affairs June 2020 - National

1 - DST initiated COVID-19 Indian National Supermodel

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has initiated a COVID-19 Indian National Supermodel to help monitor the future transmission of infection, thus aiding decisions involving health system readiness and other mitigation measures. Numerous mathematical models for Covid-19 forecasting and surveillance are being worked out by investigators funded by DST-SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) and other agencies.

The model will entirely rely only on the data that is relevant to COVID-19. It will aggregate successful evidence-based mathematical and statistical forecasting models and include the best predictive analytics for robust forecasting of infectious disease spread.

2 - Union Cabinet approved setting up of an Empowered Group of Secretaries

The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs) in Ministries and Departments to attract investments in the country. The EGoS will be headed by a Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson) and CEO, NitiAayog as member including other 5 members.

This new mechanism will reinforce India’s vision of becoming a five trillion economy by 2024-25. It will bring about synergies between Ministries and Departments and among the Central and State Governments in investment and related incentive policies.

3 - Government launched pan-India Real Time Market in electricity

The Power Ministry has launched pan-India Real Time Market in electricity. The real time market is an organised market platform to enable the buyers and sellers pan-India to meet their energy requirement closer to real time of operation.

Real time market would be operational for every 30 minutes in a day based on double sided closed auction with uniform price. The concept of “Gate Closure” has been introduced for bringing in the desired firmness in schedules during the hours of market operation.

4 - PM SVANIDHI scheme launched to provide affordable loans to street vendors

Union Government launched PM SVANIDHI - Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi - a special micro-credit facility scheme for providing affordable loan to street vendors. The scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh street vendors. The duration of the scheme is till March 2022.

The vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. On timely and early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy of 7% will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on six monthly basis.

5 - PM launched technology-based solution CHAMPIONS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched technology-based solution named as CHAMPIONS for MSME sector. CHAMPIONS stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. It is aimed to provide one stop solution to all the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the country.

The platform will address grievance related to finances, raw material and permissions among others. The system is enabled by Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning for providing quick solutions to the participating members.

6 - Ministry of MSME set to Implement New Norms of MSME Classification

Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has issued Gazette notification to pave the way for implementation of the upward revision in the definition and criteria of MSMEs. It will come into effect from 1^st July, 2020.

The definition of micro manufacturing and services units was increased to Rs. 1 Crore of investment and Rs. 5 Crore of turnover. The limit of small unit was increased to Rs. 10 Crore of investment and Rs. 50 Crore of turnover. For medium enterprises, now it will be Rs. 50 Crore of investment and Rs. 250 Crore of turnover.

7 - Cabinet approved establishment of PCIM&H as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH

The Union Cabinet approved to re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH by merging into it Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL) the two central laboratories established at Ghaziabad since 1975.

The merger is aimed at optimising the use of infrastructural facilities, technical manpower and financial resources of the three organisations for enhancing the standardisation outcomes of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs towards their effective regulation and quality control.

8 - Cabinet approved renaming of Kolkata Port Trust as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Trust

The Union Cabinet approved to rename Kolkata Port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a multifaceted genius, an eminent jurist, academician, thinker and leader of the masses.

The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country. It came to be governed by a Trust on 17^th October, 1870, on appointment of the Commissioners for Improvement of the Port of Calcutta as per Act V of 1870.

9 - Cabinet approved MoU between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment.

The MoU covers the following areas:

Air;
Waste;
Chemical Management;
Climate Change;
Any other areas jointly decided upon.

The Memorandum of Understanding shall facilitate exchange of experiences, best practices and technical knowhow through both public and private sectors and shall contribute to sustainable development.

10 - India launched its first National Artificial Intelligence Portal

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched India’s national Artificial Intelligence Portal called www.ai.gov.in. It is developed jointly by the National e-Governance Division of MeitY and NASSCOM.

This portal shall work as an one stop digital platform for AI related developments in India, sharing of resources such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI, resources, companies and educational institutions related to AI in India. The portal will also share documents, case studies, research reports etc. It has section about learning and new job roles related to AI.

11 - Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched program “Responsible AI for Youth”

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a National Program for the youth, “Responsible AI for Youth”. The aim of this Program is to give the young students of the country a platform and empower them with appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make them digitally ready for the future.

“Responsible AI for Youth” will empower the youth to become AI ready and help reduce the skill gap. It is open to students of classes 8 - 12 from Central and State government-run schools.

12 - PM Modi launched 'My Life, My Yoga' international video-blogging competition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched "My Life, My Yoga" international video-blogging competition. The contest, also called "Jeevan Yoga", is a joint effort by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The competition comes as one of the activities related to the observation of the sixth International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The competition focuses on the transformative impact of yoga on the lives of individuals.

13 - DPIIT revised public procurement order to encourage Make in India initiative

Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has recently revised the public procurement order to encourage Make in India initiative, with an aim to enhance income and employment generation in the country.

According to the order, DPIIT has prescribed minimum of 60% procurement of local content for the year 2020-21, 70% for the years 2021-23 and 80% for the years 2023-25. This is applicable to chemicals and petrochemicals. DPIIT has identified 55 chemicals and petrochemicals that are eligible to bid for more than Rs. 5 lakhs of procurement.

14 - India and Australia sign nine agreements at virtual bilateral meet

India and Australia held their first virtual bilateral summit and concluded following 9 agreements:

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Upgradation of the existing 2+2 dialogue to the Ministerial level.
Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) to facilitate reciprocal access to military logistics facilities and more complex joint military exercise.
Joint declaration on ‘Shared Vision for Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific’.
Recommence suspended talks over the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
Australia-India Strategic Research Fund to promote innovative solutions for responding to and treating Covid-19.
Framework arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-enabled critical technology cooperation.
Agreement on agriculture and related activities.
MoU on mining and processing critical and strategic minerals.
Work together to strengthen international institutions.

15 - GoI to formulate new STIP (Science, Technology and Innovation) policy

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (Office of PSA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have jointly initiated a decentralised, bottom-up, and inclusive process for the formulation of a new and 5^th national Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).

The six-month process involves broad-based consultations with all stakeholders within and beyond the scientific ecosystem of the country. The STIP 2020 formulation process is organised into 4 highly interlinked tracks.

16 - Kisan Credit Cards campaign launched for 1.5 crore dairy farmers

The Government will provide Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to 1.5 crore dairy farmers belonging to Milk Unions and Milk producing Companies within the next two months (1^st June-31^st July 2020). It is part of the Prime Minister’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat package for Farmers.

Although the general limit for KCC credit without collateral remains Rs. 1.6 lakh, but the case of farmers whose milk is directly procured by Milk Unions falls under tie up arrangements between the producers and processing units without any intermediaries, and hence, the credit limits without Collateral can be upto Rs.3 lakh.

17 - Centre launched schemes to boost electronic manufacturing

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched following three incentive schemes with a total outlay of about Rs. 48,000 crore to boost large-scale manufacturing of electronics in the country.

Production Linked Incentive (outlay of nearly Rs. 41,000 crore)
Component Manufacturing Scheme (about Rs. 3,300 crore)
Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (about Rs. 3,800 crore)

With the three new schemes, the government aims to manufacture electronics worth Rs. 8 lakh crore, while generating employment for about 10 lakh people in the next five years.

18 - Government launched TULIP portal to provide internships to graduates

The Union Government launched The Urban Learning Internship Programme (TULIP) aimed at providing internships to the engineering students in the country under the ‘Smart City’ projects. The TULIP portal has been developed by AICTE.

TULIP will provide opportunities to students in various urban local bodies across the country for development of smart cities. The web based platform can also be used by the interns for obtaining certificate of participation after completion of their internship.

19 - CSIR and Atal Innovation Mission sign a Letter of Intent

CSIR has signed a Letter of Intent with Atal Innovation Mission to collaborate in areas of mutual interest.

Major areas of mutual interest, among others include:

Supporting world class start-ups through CSIR Incubators under Atal Innovation mission initiatives and jointly work on new models of innovation, including setting up of CSIR Innovation Parks.
Stimulating innovation and research in the MSME industry by CSIR in collaboration with ARISE.
Creating problem solving mind-set across schools in India, through close cooperation between Atal Tinkering Labs and Jigyasa.

20 - GoI launched SWADES Scheme

The Union Government has launched an initiative 'SWADES - Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support'. It is aimed for skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission and empower the returning citizens with relevant employment opportunities.

SWADES is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs. It aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skill sets and experience.

21 - Government launched Nagar Van Scheme

The Union Government has launched Nagar Van Scheme on the occasion of the World Environment Day. It aims to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in the next five years. Warje Urban Forest in Pune (Maharashtra) will be considered as a role model for the Scheme.

The finances for the scheme will be paid for by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016) funds. The Scheme enforces people’s participation and collaboration between the Forest Department, Municipal bodies, NGOs, Corporates and local citizens.

22 - Fit India to launch special films to promote Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat

Sports Ministry’s flagship programme Fit India united with the Department of School Education and Literacy, to launch a series of special films promoting 10 indigenous sports of India under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat initiative. The series is aimed at creating awareness about not just the indigenous games but also the culture and heritage of the states to which they belong.

The short films will highlight the origin, progress and other key aspects of each sport. The ten sports to be covered in the series are Kho-kho, Gatka, Kalaripayttu, Mallakhamb, Thang-Ta, Sqay, Kabaddi, Roll Ball, Tug of War and Shooting Ball.

23 - ‘#iCommit’ initiative launched on World Environment Day

Shri R. K. Singh, the Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy initiated the ‘#iCommit’ campaign, on the occasion of World Environment Day. The initiative is a clarion call to all stakeholders and individuals to continue moving towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability to create a robust and resilient energy system in the future.

The #iCommit initiative can bring together a diverse spectrum of government and private players to build a new energy future for India.” The pre-requisite for that goal is to create a flexible and agile power system.

24 - Highways Minister launched campaign on Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality

Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launched national awareness campaign on Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways. The campaign aims at generating awareness and education for the masses at large towards reducing or eliminating mortality on the roads. He said, ecology and sustainability are most important for human life.

Ministry has requested all agencies to follow the provisions of the manual titled Eco friendly measures to mitigate impacts of linear infrastructure on wildlife issued by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

25 - India, Denmark signed MoU for developing cooperation in power sector

Ministry of Power, India and Ministry for Energy, Utilities and Climate, Government of Denmark signed MoU for developing cooperation in the power sector. Under the MoU, a Joint Working Group is established. It will be co-chaired by Joint Secretary level officials.

The MoU provides for collaboration in areas like offshore wind, long term energy planning, forecasting, flexibility in the grid, consolidation of grid codes to integrate and operate efficiently variable generation options, flexibility in the power purchase agreements and variability in renewable energy production.

26 - Centre approved inauguration of 820 protected monuments under Archaeological Survey of India

The Ministry of Culture approved opening of 820 centrally protected monuments under the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) which have places of worship. ASI will ensure that preventive measures as stipulated in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to contain the spread of COVID-19 in religious places.

There are 3,691 centrally-protected monuments and archaeological sites maintained by the ASI which were shut from 17^th of March in view of COVID-19. ASI will share the list of these 820 monuments to the concerned States so that any state with regard to containment and prevention of spread of COVID-19.

27 - Highest ever allocation of Rs. 1,01,500 crore made under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS

A provision of 1,01,500 crore rupees has been made under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in 2020-2021. It is the highest ever provision of funds under the programme.

Highlights of the scheme are as follows:

A total of 60.80 crore person days has been generated so far and work has been offered to 6.69 crore persons.
Average number of persons to whom work offered in May 2020 has been 2.51 crore per day.
A total of 10 lakh works have been completed in FY 20-21.
A sustained focus is kept on works related to water conservation, plantation and horticulture.

28 - NCERT, Rotary India inked MoU for providing e-learning telecast content

The National Council of Educational Research and Training-NCERT and Rotary India signed a MoU for providing e-learning telecast content for class one to 12^th class, over all NCERT TV channels.

Under Vidya Daan 2.0, Rotary International will provide the e-content in Hindi language to NCERT for classes I to 12^th for all subjects. It will ensure that e-learning reaches children across the country with approved content. The high class material provided over elearning module will be very beneficial to all the school children.

29 - JNCASR signed MoU with Breathe Applied Sciences for Conversion of Carbon dioxide to clean fuels

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) has entered into a MoU with Breathe Applied Sciences for Conversion of Carbon dioxide to clean fuels such as methanol and other useful chemicals on large scale.

Under the agreed terms 300 kilogram of Carbon dioxide will be converted to useful chemicals per day. This will be scaled up to 500 tons after one year. The transfer of technology from the Institute to Breathe Applied Sciences and it's further application on Industrial level will add to the remedial solutions to address environmental issues due to global warming.

30 - CBIC launched flagship programme “Turant Customs”

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs launched its flagship programme ‘Turant Customs’, at Bengaluru and Chennai. Importers will now get their goods cleared from Customs after a faceless assessment is done remotely by the Customs officers located outside the port of import. Now, the goods imported at Chennai may be assessed by the Customs officers located at Bengaluru and vice versa, as assigned by the Customs’ automated system.

Turant Customs will benefit the importers by eliminating routine interface with the Customs officers across the country. Turant Customs is a mega reform for the ease of doing business.

31 - Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched “COVID BEEP” app for COVID-19

Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched ‘COVID BEEP’ app, India’s first indigenous wireless physiological parameters monitoring system facilitated for COVID-19 affected patients. “COVID BEEP” stands for Continuous Oxygenation & Vital Information Detection Biomed ECIL ESIC Pod.

COVID BEEP will greatly reduce the transmission risk as well as help save resources like personal protective equipment (PPEs). COVID BEEP is developed by Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) medical college, Hyderabad in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and the Department of Atomic Energy.

32 - Government launched 'AarogyaPath' portal

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched a web-based solution for the healthcare supply chain portal ''Aarogyapath''. It will provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies for manufacturers, suppliers and customers.

The vision of this initiative is to set up an information management and forecasting database platform at national level. It will capture demand and supply scenarios for key healthcare needs items. It will also help remove supply chain bottlenecks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

33 - Central Railway launched Robotic ‘CAPTAIN ARJUN’

Indian Railways' Central Railway zone has launched an AI enabled robot 'Captain Arjun': (Always be Responsible and Just Use to be Nice). It will intensify the screening and surveillance of railway passengers and railway staff. This Robot is launched to screen passengers, while they board trains and keep a watch on anti-social elements.

Captain ARJUN is equipped with a motion sensor, one PTZ camera and one Dome Camera. Captain ARJUN does thermal screening and records the temperature in a digital display panel. It also has an inbuilt siren and motion activated spotlight.

34 - NHAI goes digital with cloud based and AI powered Big Data Analytics

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has gone fully digital, with the launch of unique cloud based and Artificial Intelligence powered Big Data Analytics platform. It is first in its league to integrate Data Lake and Project Management Software to ensure transparency, speed and quick decision making in the process.

Under the fully digitalised set up, entire project management work flow of NHAI is transformed from manual to online portal. The complete project execution operations including workflow with time lines and mechanism have been configured digitally.

35 - Union Agriculture Minister launched 'Sahakar Mitra'

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched “Sahakar Mitra” Internship Programme to provide paid internship to youth and ensure availability of assured project loans to young cooperators. The scheme is an initiative by National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC), the co-operative sector development finance organisation.

Sahakar Mitra scheme is expected to assist co-operative institutions access new and innovative ideas of young professionals while the interns gain experience of working in the field. Each intern will get financial support over a 4 months internship period.

36 - Government allocated Rs. 4,000 crore to states under ‘Per Drop More Crop’

The government has allocated Rs. 4,000 crore to states under ‘Per Drop More Crop’ component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY- PDMC) for the year 2020-21. Further, Micro Irrigation Fund corpus of Rs. 5,000 crore has been created with NABARD.

The PMKSY-PDMC focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies viz. Drip and Sprinkler irrigation systems. It is implemented by the Department of Agriculture Co-operation and Farmers’ Welfare.

37 - Customs duty hiked on bamboo imports from 10% to 25%

Union Government has hiked Customs duty on bamboo imports by agarbatti manufacturers from 10% to 25% with immediate effect. The decision has been taken to encourage use of domestic bamboo under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme. The 25% customs duty rate shall now uniformly apply to any import of bamboo, including by traders.

The uniform rate will help in avoiding misuse and rate-related disputes. The measure is seen to benefit farmers and MSME agarbatti manufacturers.

38 - TCS iON united with National Skill Development Corporation

TCS iON^TM, a strategic unit of Tata Consultancy Services partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide its training partners access to the TCS iON Digital Glass Room, enabling them to move classroom vocational skills training to online mode for millions of students across the country.

The new partnership strengthens NSDC’s online content aggregation platform - eSkill India. The TCS iON Digital Glass Room will enable trainers to deliver lectures, create and share content. The TCS iON Digital Glass Room is a web-based digital education platform.

39 - Prime Minister launched Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan in six states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a massive rural public works scheme, the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, worth Rs. 50,000 crore, through video conference from Telihar village in Khagaria district of Bihar. The programme will run for 125 days and will cover 116 districts across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The government has identified 25 different types of works to provide jobs to migrant workers and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country. The scheme will be a coordinated effort between 12 different ministries.

40 - Government signed 750 million US dollar agreement with AIIB

The Union Government and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a 750 million US dollar 'COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Programme” to assist India to strengthen its response to the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on poor and vulnerable households. This is the first ever budgetary support programme from the AIIB to India.

AIIB had earlier approved 500 million dollar loan for the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project. AIIB is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.

41 - Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry signed MoU with SIDBI

Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry signed a MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to engage SIDBI as the implementation agency for PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi). PM SVANidhi aims to provde affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.

This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors. Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly installments in the tenure of one year.

42 - India’s first gas exchange launched

India launched its first gas exchange - the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX). It is the first nationwide online delivery-based gas trading platform. IGX will be a delivery-based trading platform for delivery of natural Gas.

IGX allows buyers and sellers of natural gas to trade both in the spot market and in the forward market for imported natural gas across three hubs - Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat, and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. However, domestically produced natural gas will not be sold on the gas exchange. The price of domestically produced natural gas is decided by the government.

43 - India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

India joined the league of leading economies including USA, UK, EU, Australia, Canada, France and others to launch the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI or Gee-Pay). GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of Artificial Intelligence.

By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of Artificial Intelligence, leveraging its experience around use of digital technologies for inclusive growth.

44 - CBIC launched e-Office application

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Custom (CBIC) launched the e-Office application in over 500 CGST and Customs offices. With this, CBIC aims to improve governance by automating the internal processing and handling files. It provides a ‘Faceless, Contactless and Paperless’ indirect Tax administration.

The e-Office initiative helps online file-related work, starting from receiving and marking dak, operating a file, preparing a draft letter, its approval/signature and dispatch of the signed letter. It was launched by CBIC Chairman M Ajit Kumar and developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

45 - Government launched feedback call centres on Covid public grievances

Union Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the “Feedback Call Centres on Public Grievances”. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, DARPG, has in collaboration with BSNL operationalised Feed Back Call Centers in Bhubaneshwar, Guwhati, Jamshedpur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ajmer, Guntur, Coimbatore and Guntakal with 1406 call centre operators.

Feedback call-centres will operate in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese and Rajasthani.

46 - Trustees of PM CARES fund appoints SARC & Associates as its auditor

Trustees of the Prime Minister’s Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund have appointed SARC & Associates, New Delhi as auditor of the fund for three years. The PM CARES fund is administered on an honorary basis by a joint secretary (administration) in the Prime Minister’s Office who is secretary to the fund.

So far, Rs. 3,100 crore has been allocated from the fund - Rs. 2,000 crore for supply of 50,000 ‘Made in India’ ventilators to government hospitals, Rs. 1,000 crore for the care of migrant labourers and Rs. 100 crore for vaccine development.

47 - KVIC launched project to produce Neera and Palmgur

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has rolled out a unique project to produce Neera and Palmgur. The project that aims at promoting Neera as a substitute to soft drinks, while also creating self-employment to Adivasis and traditional trappers was launched at Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Neera, extracted from the palm trees before sunrise, is a nutrient-rich health drink consumed in many Indian states. KVIC distributed tool kits for extraction of Neera and making palmgur to 200 local artisans.

48 - Union Health Minister launched India’s 1^st Mobile Lab for COVID-19

Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched India’s first mobile lab for COVID-19 testing to promote last mile testing access in rural India. The Infectious Disease Diag Lab (I-LAB) is supported by Department of Biotechnology under the Covid command strategy.

This mobile lab will be deployed in the interior, inaccessible parts of the country. I-LAB has the capability to perform 25 RT-PCR and 300 ELISA test per day. I-Lab is capable of conducting both COVID-19 and non-COVID tests and give results the same day.

49 - ICMR approved user-friendly PPEs ‘NavRakshak’

Indian Council of Medical Research approved user-friendly personal protective equipments (PPEs) named as ‘NavRakshak’. NavRakshak, developed by a naval doctor, meets all COVID protocols. The commercial production of user-friendly PPE named NavRakshak will begin by July 2020.

Personal protective equipment is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. It helps in preventing transmission of the deadly virus.

50 - SATYABHAMA Portal launched for Atma Nirbhar Bharat in mining sector

Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs launched SATYABHAMA (Science and Technology Yojana for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat in Mining Advancement) Portal for mineral and mining sector. The Portal is integrated with NGO Darpan Portal of NITI Aayog.

SATYABHAMA Portal allows online submission of project proposals along with monitoring of the projects and utilisation of funds / grants. The researchers can also submit progress reports and Final Technical Reports of the projects in the electronic format in the portal. The SATYABHAMA Portal can be accessed at research.mines.gov.in.

51 - Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated India's largest & first Virtual Healthcare & Hygiene EXPO 2020

Union State Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated one of India's largest and first Virtual Healthcare and Hygiene EXPO 2020. The unique exhibition which aims to give a boost to such health and hygiene endeavours was organised by FICCI.

Health, Hygiene and Sanitation includes providing toilets for every household, Ayushman Bharat , to cover 10 crore family for healthcare, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Suvidha Sanitary Napkin under which a sanitary napkin is provided for just 1 rupee each.

52 - NITI Aayog and ITF launched Decarbonizing Transport Project in India

NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of OECD jointly launched the ‘Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies’ (DTEE) project in India. The five-year project will help India develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system through the development of modelling tools and policy scenarios.

India’s transport CO2 emissions are likely to increase by almost 6% annually to 2030. Out of the total carbon dioxide emissions in India, 13% come from the transport sector. NITI Aayog has been at the helm for the promotion of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility through its ‘National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage’.

53 - Cabinet approved Extension of tenure of the OBC Sub Categorisation Commission

The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the term of the Commission to examine the issue of Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes, by 6 months i.e. upto 31.1.2021. The Commission, headed by Justice (Retd.) Smt. G. Rohini, commenced functioning on 11^th October, 2017.

The Communities in the existing list of OBCs, which have not been able to get any major benefit of the scheme of reservation for OBCs, for appointment in Central Government posts and for admission in Central Government Educational Institutions, are expected to be benefitted upon implementation of the recommendations of the Commission.

54 - Cabinet approved private sector participation in Space sector

The Union Cabinet announced the formation of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to promote the participation of private industries in space activities, including planetary exploration missions. The 'New Space India Limited (NSIL), a PSU under the Department of Space, will endeavour to re-orient space activities from a 'supply driven' model to a 'demand driven' model.

IN-SPACe will act as an arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Indian industry accounts for a mere 3% in the rising $360-billion global space market. Rockets and satellite launch accounts for just 2% of it.

55 - Cabinet approved establishment of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

The Union Cabinet approved setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs. 15,000 crore. The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), MSMEs and individual entrepreneur with minimum 10% margin money contribution. The balance 90% would be the loan component through scheduled banks.

The government will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries. There will be two years moratorium period for principal loan amount and six years repayment period thereafter. It would also set up Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs. 750 crore to be managed by NABARD.

56 - Cabinet approved additional investment of $121 million by ONGC Videsh Ltd. in Myanmar

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved additional investment of US$ 121.27 million (about Rs.909 crore) by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) towards further development of blocks A-1 and A-3 Blocks of Shwe oil & gas project in Myanmar. ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) has been associated with exploration and development of Shwe project in Myanmar since 2002.

OVL has invested US$ 722 million till 31^st March 2019 in this project. The Project has been generating positive cash flows since FY 2014-15.

57 - France announced to give 200 million euros as aid to India

France and India signed an agreement committing 200 million euros to increase the state and central governments' capacities to support India's most vulnerable people in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The funds are allocated by Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The programme also seeks to protect essential frontline workers of the pandemic, including those in healthcare, sanitation, and security, by providing them with health insurance. The AFD funds and supports projects in 115 countries aimed at creating a fairer and more sustainable world.

58 - EXIM Bank extends USD 20.10 Line of Credit to Nicaragua

Export-Import Bank of India [Exim Bank] has, on behalf of the Government of India, extended Line of Credit [LOC] of USD 20.10 million for reconstruction of Aldo Chavarria Hospital, to the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua. With this, EXIM has extended total of 4 LOC to Nicaragua taking the total value of LOCs to USD 87.63 million.

Exim Bank has now in place 261 LOCs, covering 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the CIS, with credit commitments of around USD 25.70 billion, available for financing exports from India.

59 - India attends 32^nd FATF group meeting online

India attended the virtual 32^nd special Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) plenary meeting. The EAG is a regional body comprising nine countries: India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. It is an associate member of the FATF.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. As at 21 February 2020, only two countries were on the FATF blacklist: North Korea and Iran.

60 - Government launched web portal of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

The government launched the web portal of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan to monitor the implementation of the employment generation scheme and provide scheme-related information to the people. The GKRA is the massive employment generation-cum-rural infrastructure creation programme of the government.

The objective of GKRA is to provide employment to return migrant workers at their native places because of the situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore will be implemented in 116 districts in six states on mission mode for the next four months.

61 - Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched ‘eBloodServices’ mobile App

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘eBloodServices’ mobile App. This application is developed by the E-Raktkosh team of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing under the Digital India scheme in partnership with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS).

Through this App, four units of blood can be requisitioned at a time and the blood bank will wait for as long as 12 hours for the person to collect it. Once the request is placed through the app, the requisite units become visible to IRCS, NHQ blood bank in its E-Raktkosh dashboard.

62 - Best performing states & UTs in National TB Elimination Program 2019

According to the annual TB Report 2020, Nagaland and Tripura have been awarded for being the best performing small states with less than 50 lakh population under National TB elimination programme in the year 2019. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh were awarded as the top-three best performing States with more than 50 lakh population.

Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu were chosen as the best performers in the category of Union Territory. India is committed to eliminating tuberculosis from the country by 2025.

63 - MSDE-IBM jointly launched Free Digital Learning Platform “Skills Build Reignite”

The Directorate General of Training (DGT) of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in partnership with IBM has introduced the SkillsBuild Reignite and the SkillsBuild Innovation Camp.

The SkillsBuild Reignite tends to provide job seekers and entrepreneurs, with access to free online coursework and mentoring support designed to help them reinvent their careers and businesses. The SkillsBuild Innovation camp is a ten week program, which supports 100 hours of structured learning to learners, who are interested in gaining hands-on project experience to enhance learning.

64 - Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated Devika and Puneja Bridges

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated two important Bridges - Devika and Puneja in Udhampur and Doda districts respectively in Jammu and Kashmir. The 10-meter-long Devika Bridge is built at a cost of Rs. 75 lakhs.

The 50-meter-long Puneja Bridge was built at a cost of Rs. 4 Crore on the Bhaderwah-Basholi-Pathankot national highway under construction. Both the bridges were constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

65 - NITI Aayog launched behavior change campaign, ‘Navigating the New Normal’

NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, and the Ministries of Health and WCD, launched a behaviour change campaign called ‘Navigating the New Normal’, and its website.

The campaign focusses on Covid-safe behaviours, especially wearing masks, during the ‘Unlock’ phase of the ongoing pandemic. The campaign has two parts −

a web portal, www.covidthenewnormal.com, containing resources informed by behavioral science
media campaign focussed on the wearing of masks.