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Current Affairs Assam – March 22 - 28, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 22 – 28, 2020 )

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MARCH 22, 2020

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Assam cabinet approve Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers (Regulations of Posting and Transfer) Bill, 2020

• The Assam state cabinet approved the Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers (Regulations of Posting and Transfer) Bill, 2020.

• The bill seeks to fix posting tenures of teachers in a bid to rationalise their deployment in schools.
• As per the bill, there will be an online system, in which a teacher will apply for transfer after completion of 10 years of service and it will be considered on merit.
• A Teachers Accountability Commission will be setup. Anyone violating this act will be punished with three years of imprisonment.
• The cabinet also approved The Assamese Language Learning Bill, 2020, which aims to make Assamese a compulsory subject in all schools — government and non-government — across Assam. However, the schools in the Barak Valley, BTAD and also the two Hill districts where Assamese will not be a compulsory subject.
• The cabinet further gave its nod to the Guwahati Building Byelaws, which will enable construction of ground-plus-two-storey houses under Chief Minister’s housing scheme.
• The cabinet also gave its nod to the bills to create four autonomous councils – Kamatapur, Motock, Moran and Bodo-Kachari.
• To ensure VAT exemption to BCPL for fifteen years, the State government will spend Rs 1,714 crore, the cabinet further decided.

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Union Cabinet approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices

• Union Cabinet has approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices, with financial implications of Rs 3,420 crore.
• The Cabinet also approved another promotion of medical device parks scheme worth Rs 400 crore for financing common infrastructure facilities in four medical device parks.
• The expenditure to be incurred for the said schemes will be for the next five years i.e. from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
• Under the sub-scheme for promotion of medical device parks, common infrastructure facilities would be created in four medical device parks, which is expected to reduce manufacturing cost of medical devices in the country.
• The PLI scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices would boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the medical device sector, particularly in the identified target segments.
• It will lead to expected incremental production of Rs 68,437 crore over a period of five years.

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Cabinet approved signing of an extradition treaty between India and Belgium

• The Cabinet approved signing of an extradition treaty between India and Belgium. The treaty would provide a legal framework for seeking extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from and to Belgium.
• The new treaty will replace the pre-Independence extradition treaty between Great Britain and Belgium that was made applicable to India through the exchange of letters in 1958 and is currently in force between India and Belgium.
• Under the new treaty, each party will agree to extradite any person found in its territory accused or convicted of an extraditable offence in the territory of the other party.
• An extraditable offence means an offence punishable under the laws of both the parties with imprisonment for a period of one year or more severe punishment.
• Under the treaty, when extradition of a convicted person is sought, the duration of the sentence remaining to be served must be at least six months at the time of making the request.
• Offences relating to taxation or revenue or one of a fiscal character also fall within the scope of this treaty.
• The extradition can be refused if the offence is a political or military offence. It, however, specifies certain offences which will not be considered as political offences.
• The request will not be entertained if it is for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing the person on account of his race, sex, religion, nationality or political opinion.
• Extradition of nationals is discretionary. The nationality will be determined at the time the offence was committed.

FACTFILE – Belgium

• The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest.
• It is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system.
• It covers an area of 30,689 km² and has a population of more than 1.15 crore, making it the 6th most densely populated country in Europe.
• The capital and largest city is Brussels.

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AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre (HWCs) component of Ayushman Bharat to be included in National AYUSH Mission (NAM)

• The proposal entails an expenditure of Rs 3399.35 crore for operationalization of AYUSH HWCs within a period of five years, from financial years 2019-20 to 2023-24.
• The operationalization of HWCs component under NAM will achieve objectives such as establishment of a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices focusing on preventive promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative healthcare by integration with the existing public health care system.
• It will also provide informed choice to the public by making the AYUSH services available.
• The services include community awareness about lifestyle, diet, Yoga, medicinal plants and provision of medicines for selected conditions as per the strength of AYUSH systems.
• The Ministry of AYUSH, in consultation with States and Union Territories, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other line Ministries has also proposed models for operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
• Approximately 10,000 dispensaries and 2,500 sub-health centres (SHCs) will be upgraded.
• It will enhance accessibility to achieve universal health coverage for affordable treatment, reduce the burden on secondary and tertiary health care facilities.

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Union Cabinet cleared incentive schemes of Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing

• The Union Cabinet has cleared three schemes involving a total incentive of around Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing in the country.
• Government is expecting to generate manufacturing revenue potential of Rs 10 lakh crore and create direct and indirect jobs for 20 lakh people by 2025 through these schemes.
• The Cabinet also approved incentives for medical devices to reduce dependency on import of electronic products for medical care in the country.
• Under the scheme, electronic manufacturing companies will get an incentive of 4 to 6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies over a period of next 5 years.
• The Cabinet approved scheme for promotion of manufacturing of electronics components and semiconductors with a budget outlay of Rs 3,285 crore spread over a period of 8 years.
• It also approved revised version for electronics manufacturing clusters with a total incentive outlay of Rs 3,762.25 crore spread over a period of 8 years with an objective to create 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs under the scheme.

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MARCH 23, 2020

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Union Cabinet cleared incentive schemes of Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing

• The Union Cabinet has cleared three schemes involving a total incentive of around Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing in the country.
• Government is expecting to generate manufacturing revenue potential of Rs 10 lakh crore and create direct and indirect jobs for 20 lakh people by 2025 through these schemes.
• The Cabinet also approved incentives for medical devices to reduce dependency on import of electronic products for medical care in the country.
• Under the scheme, electronic manufacturing companies will get an incentive of 4 to 6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies over a period of next 5 years.
• The Cabinet approved scheme for promotion of manufacturing of electronics components and semiconductors with a budget outlay of Rs 3,285 crore spread over a period of 8 years.
• It also approved revised version for electronics manufacturing clusters with a total incentive outlay of Rs 3,762.25 crore spread over a period of 8 years with an objective to create 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs under the scheme.

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Bengaluru Salem students create apps to help tackle COVID-19

• Engineering students of Sona College of Technology, Salem and engineers from Vee Technologies, Bengaluru on Saturday announced they have created two apps to help the country tackle the growing new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• One app called ‘Corona-Scan’ proactively allows public health officials to map individuals who were in close proximity with a possibly infected or active coronavirus patient.
• The second is a corresponding user app, ‘Corona-Support,’ that asks the public for their voluntary registration.
• If an individual tests positive a voluntary status update can be entered in the app, helping health authorities and experts tracking the spread of the virus get accurate information.
• By tracking and recording people within 3 to 5 metres every two minutes, the ‘Carona-Scan’ app generates live data of people in close proximity to one another.
• By mapping people who may have been infected and risk infecting others, public health officials can identify and take appropriate action to connect with them over the phone and keep them under observation, isolation or recommend testing.

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Tamil Nadu to reserve medical college seats for govt school students

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said the government will reserve certain percentage of medical college seats for students from government schools who clear the entrance exams.
• A special law will be brought by the government to reserve seats for students who had cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after studying in government schools from 1st to 12th standard.
• TN CM Palaniswami also said the government will appoint Commission headed by a retired High Court judge to gather data and statistics for bringing in the law and make necessary recommendations in this connection.
• The Commission will also study the reasons for government school students for joining medical college in low numbers and recommend the action to be taken.

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MARCH 24, 2020

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Assam making 20,000 isolation beds available

• Assam State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the State, in its effort to prepare for COVID 19 outbreak, is trying to make 20,000 isolation beds available.
• Addressing the State Legislative Assembly, Sarma said that the month of April and May would be a challenging one for the State since it is also the time when cases of Japanese Encephalitis, which has higher mortality rate.
• He further informed that along with the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur civil hospital, the State Government has also decided to turn Singimari hospital into a set-up dedicated to Corona.
• The Health Minister while laying special onus on a private-public partnership to deal with the health emergency, informed that the Government’s flagship scheme – Atal-Amrit Health Card – which earlier covered five major ailments, will now cover all the diseases.
• As far as providing financial assistance to the low income groups or daily wage earners is concerned, we do not have an extensive mechanism in place. The State Government could access bank accounts of around 40 lakh people including daily wage earners and members of the low income groups who have been covered under schemes like Ujala which could be used for the it.

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Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2020

• The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2020 by voice vote, The Bill gives effect to the financial proposals of the Central government for the financial year 2020-21.
• In the Union Budget 2020-2021, the government proposed to spend Rs 30,42,230 crore in 2020-21, which is 12.7 per cent higher than the revised estimate of 2019-20.
• The receipts are expected to increase by 16.3 per cent to Rs 22,45,893 crore, owing to higher estimated revenue from disinvestments.
• The government has assumed a nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 10 per cent in 2020-21. The nominal growth estimate for 2019-20 was 12 per cent.

FACTFILE – Finance Bill

• As per Article 110 of the Constitution of India, the Finance Bill is a Money Bill. The Finance Bill is a part of the Union Budget, stipulating all the legal amendments required for the changes in taxation proposed by the Finance Minister.
• It is an umbrella legislation which encompasses all amendments required in various laws pertaining to tax, in accordance with the tax proposals made in the Union Budget.
• The Finance Bill, as a Money Bill, needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha — the lower house of the Parliament. Post the Lok Sabha’s approval, the Finance Bill becomes Finance Act.

Point2Remeber – Difference between Money Bill and Finance Bill

• A Money Bill has to be introduced in the Lok Sabha as per Section 110 of the Constitution.
• It is sent to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations. The Rajya Sabha has to return the Bill with recommendations in 14 days.
• Article 117 of the Constitution categorically lays down that a Bill pertaining to sub-clauses (a) to (f) of clause (1) shall not be introduced or moved except with the President’s recommendation.
• The bill that makes such provisions shall not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

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National Supercomputing Mission to develop more computing power

• The National Supercomputing Mission was set up to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to meet the increasing computational demands of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups by creating the capability design, manufacturing, of supercomputers indigenously in India.
• A first of its kind attempt to boost the country’s computing power, the National Super Computing Mission is steered jointly by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. 
• The target of the mission was set to establish a network of supercomputers ranging from a few Tera Flops (TF) to Hundreds of Tera Flops (TF) and three systems with greater than or equal to 3 Peta Flops (PF) in academic and research institutions of National importance across the country by 2022.
• This network of Supercomputers envisaging a total of 15-20 PF was approved in 2015 and was later revised to a total of 45 PF (45000 TFs), a jump of 6 times more compute power within the same cost and capable of solving large and complex computational problems. 
• 11 new systems are likely to be set up in different IITs, NITs, National Labs, and IISERs across India by December this year, which will have many sub-systems manufactured and microprocessors designed in India which will bring in a cumulative capacity of 10.4 petaflops.

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MARCH 25, 2020

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NE’s first COVID-19 case reported in Manipur

• The first COVID-19 case was reported in Manipur today, official sources said. It is also the first positive case of novel coronavirus in the Northeast.
• Director of Health Services, Manipur, Dr K Rajo Singh in a press release said one 23-year-old Manipuri person returning from the United Kingdom has tested positive

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Complete Nationwide Lockdown for 21 Days to combat coronavirus outbreak

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days from 24^th March midnight, asserting that social distancing is the only way out for the country to fight a decisive battle against coronavirus outbreak.
• Modi made a fervent appeal to the countrymen not to cross the ‘lakshman rekha’ of their homes in the next three weeks.
• He said, if the situation is not handled in these 21 days, the country and your family could go back by 21 years. If situation is not handled in these 21 days, several families will get devastated forever
• The Centre and state governments have taken measures to ensure that the supply of all essential items continue smoothly.
• Separately, the government issued detailed guidelines about the restrictions, along with certain exemptions.

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Vivaad Se Vishwas direct tax scheme extended till June 30

• The government has extended durations of the dispute settlement schemes for direct taxes (Vivaad Se Vishwas) and indirect taxes (Sabka Vishwas) till June 30.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said under the ”Vivaad Se Vishwas” scheme, 10 per cent additional charge would not be levied till June 30.
• The scheme in its earlier version provided complete waiver of interest and penalty for payments made by March 31 and involved settlement with additional payment of 10 per cent between April 1 and June 30.

• The Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill 2020 intends to resolve direct tax disputes and offers a waiver of interest, penalty and prosecution for settlement of these disputes.

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MARCH 26, 2020

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SEBA online classes for Class X students

• In an attempt to compensate for the losses of academic days of students who would sit for their HSLC exams next year, SEBA has launched online classes through YouTube for students of Class X standard.

• Lectures of subjects English, Mathematics and Science would be uploaded through YouTube videos every day in Assamese, English and Bodo languages so that maximum number of students can keep themselves updated during the lockdown period.

• Students would get intimated about the video upload through SMSes on their mobile numbers registered in the Board database.

• The digital materials of the current curriculum are being uploaded in YouTube by SIQUES EDUAID LLP in association with the SEBA.

• Approximately 4.5 lakh students would sit for their Board examination next year. Initially the curriculum of February and March would be covered through the videos.

• As in case of any YouTube video, the SEBA video contents would be available for repeat playing. In the comment section, the students can ask their questions and get their queries answered by the teachers.

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Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and Germany for technological cooperation in railway

• Union Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding signed between India and Germany for technological cooperation in the railway sector.
• The Cabinet was apprised of a MoU signed between Ministry of Railways with DB Engineering and Consulting GMBH of Germany for technological cooperation in railways.
• India and Germany had signed the MoU in February this year for technological cooperation in railway sector that will enable cooperation in freight operations, passenger operations, infrastructure building and management.
• The MoU will also help the Indian Railways in development of a modern, competitive railway organisation, IT solutions for railway operations, marketing and sales as well as administrative purposes, predictive maintenance, private train operations and any other areas which may be mutually agreed in writing between the two sides.

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved recapitalisation of RRBs with Rs 1,340 crore

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the recapitalisation of regional rural banks with total outlay of Rs 1,340 crore, to improve their capital adequacy during the coronavirus crisis.
• Out of the total approved Rs 1,340 crore, the Central government will infuse Rs 670 crore and the rest would be put in by the state government and other sponsoring banks.
• The government has off late announced a slew of measures to provide relief to the general public and businesses in terms of regulatory compliances, including deferment of deadlines for IT and GST return filings.

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WHO partners Microsoft, Facebook for global coronavirus hackathon

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has partnered with tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft for a global hackathon, asking developers to build software solutions that drive social impact, with the aim of tackling some of the challenges related to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• Along with Facebook and Microsoft, tech companies Twitter, WeChat, TikTok, Pinterest and Slack are also participating in the hackathon.
• The #BuildforCOVID19 hackathon would begin accepting project submissions.
• Given the isolation currently being experienced within communities right now, we want to create an online space where developers could ideate, experiment and build software solutions to help address this crisis.

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MARCH 27, 2020

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Installation of supercomputing facility at IIT Guwahati got approved

• The Technical Advisory Committee of National Supercomputing Mission (MSM-TAC) has approved the installation of a supercomputing facility of the compute power of 650 TF (approximately 838 TF peak, 70:30 CPU and GPU Hybrid Supercomputing System) at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG).

• The Department of Science and Technology (DST), along with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), is coordinating the mission and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, are the implementing agencies of the mission.
• This new hybrid supercomputing system will not only boost the HPC usages and research environment in the institute but also enhance the research capability of the North East, since around 40 per cent of the compute power will be allocated to the external users as per the guidelines approved by the NSM-TAC.
• This also aligns with the policy of IIT Guwahati to build a ‘Network of Excellence’ among the institutes of Northeastern region.

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Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus to help poor hit by lockdown

• Central government announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus that included free foodgrain and cooking gas to poor for three months, and cash doles to women and poor senior citizens as it looked to ease the economic impact of the nationwide lockdown.
• While over 80 crore poor ration card holders will each get 5 kg of wheat or rice, and 1 kg of preferred pulses free of cost every month for the next three months, 20.4 crore women having Jan Dhan bank accounts would get one-time cash help of Rs 1,500 spread over three months.
• Over 8.3 crore poor women, who were handed out free cooking gas connections since 2016, will get free LPG refills for the next three months, while poor senior citizens, widows and disabled will get an ex gratia cash of Rs 1,000.
• The package included advancing the payment of one-third of the Rs 6,000 a year pre-2019 general election cash dole scheme for farmers, government contributions to retirement funds for the next three months of small companies with 90 per cent of staff earning less than Rs 15,000, and a Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to healthcare workers.
• For rural workers, the daily wage under the MNREGA employment guarantee programme has been increased to Rs 202 from Rs 182, benefiting five crore workers of about Rs 2,000 in all.
• Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for healthcare workers fighting COVID-19; 22 lakh people to be covered under the scheme
• 80 crore poor people to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month over the next three months
• 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for next three months
• Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182; to benefit 13.62 crore families
• An ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled
• To front-load Rs 2,000 payment to farmers in first week of April under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8.7 crore farmers
• Free gas cylinders will be provided under PM Ujjwala Yojana to 8 crore poor families for the next three months
• PF contribution to be paid for next three months for workers earning below Rs 15,000 per month in units having less than 100 workers.

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Apollo Hospitals launches ”Project Kavach” to fight pandemic

• Apollo Hospitals Group announced a new initiative called ”Project Kavach (shield), a comprehensive and integrated response plan to fight the COVID-19 disease.
• Apollo Hospitals Group, they have specially designed an AI-based Coronavirus Risk Assessment scan for screening and initial assessment, which is available in the form of an app and on the website (https://covid.apollo247.com/).
• The Risk assessment scan, which is available in 6 regional languages, will guide individuals about the potential risk of having the Virus through simple interactive questions.
• According to the hospital, the digital app also offers virtual and telephony consultation with facility to tele-connect with all doctors at Apollo Hospitals enabling patients to seek healthcare while staying at home.

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MARCH 28, 2020

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Home delivery of essential items through online service in Meghalaya

• • Amid the ongoing lockdown across the country to check spread of COVID-19, the Meghalaya Government launched an online platform, store.meghamart.com, for home delivery of essential commodities.

  • People in Tura, Garo Hills, Jowai and Jaintia Hills will be able to access the service of the online delivery platform from March 28.
  • esides, meghabazzar.com, IEW (app on Google Play Store), narifresh.com and syllad.com are additional digital platforms to buy essentials.
  • Big retail stores like Vishal Mega Mart and some local entrepreneurs have also been roped in to deliver essential commodities at people’s doorsteps.

  • Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has cautioned the people against overcrowding during the curfew relaxation hours.

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Union Govt approves Rs 5,751 crore for 8 disaster-hit states

• • • The Centre decided to provide additional assistance of Rs 5,751.27 crore to eight states who faced disasters such as landslides, floods, drought and cyclone during 2019.
    • The decision was taken in a High Level Committee (HLC) under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
    • The committee approved additional Central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Bihar, Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka, which were affected by floods, landslides, cyclone and drought during 2019.
    • The HLC approved additional Central assistance of Rs 5751.27 crore to eight States from NDRF subject to the adjustment of 50 per cent of balances available in the SDRF account as on April 1 of the financial year.
      • Of the Rs 5,751.27 crore, a total of Rs 953.17 crore has been allocated to Bihar
      • Rs 460.77 crore to Kerala
      • Rs 177.37 crore to Nagaland
      • Rs 179.64 crore to Odisha
      • Rs 1,758.18 crore to Maharashtra
      • Rs 1,119.98 crore to Rajasthan
      • Rs 1,090.68 crore to West Bengal
      • Rs 11.48 crore to Karnataka

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RBI cuts repo rate to 4.40%, maintains accommodative stance

• • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) massively reduced the key lending rates in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
  • The Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank in an unscheduled meet reduced the repo rate, the key interest rate at which the RBI lends short term funds to commercial banks, by 75 basis points to 4.40 per cent from 5.15 per cent. The reverse repo rate was also reduced by 90 basis points to 4 per cent.
  • The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate stand reduced to 4.65 per cent from 5.40 per cent.
  • The Apex bank instituted a moratorium on interest payments on term loans for three months. This move is expected to benefit corporates and MSMEs. Even interest on working capital loans have been deferred for three months.
  • The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of all banks have been reduced by 100 basis points to 3 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) with effect from the reporting fortnight beginning March 28, 2020 for a period of one year.
  • Lending institutions are being permitted to allow a deferment of three months on payment of interest in respect of all such facilities outstanding as on March 1, 2020.
  • The moratorium on term loans and the deferring of interest payments on working capital will not result in asset classification downgrade.

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Abbott’s portable test ”ID NOW COVID-19” can detect COVID-19 in 5 minutes

• • US-based healthcare technology maker Abbott has unveiled a test that can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes. The test can also be used outside the four walls of a traditional hospital such as in the physicians.
  • Testing remains a crucial step in controlling the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Continuing to supply healthcare providers with new technologies to help curb the spread of infection is a top priority for public health officials and healthcare providers.
  • The new Abbott ”ID NOW COVID-19” test runs on Abbott”s ID NOWTM platform — a lightweight box (6.6 pounds and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations.
  • Because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in a matter of minutes, bringing an alternate testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses C-40 leaders, commits to contain COVID-19

• • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal represented India and the national capital in a global meet organised by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, to discuss strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Kejriwal was joined by top leaders of several megacities from around the world, such as mayors of Los Angeles (Eric Garcetti), Seoul (Won-soon Park), Paris (Anne Hidalgo), Milan (Guiseppa Sala), Istanbul (Ekrem Imamoglu) and Rome (Virginia Raggi), Johannesburg (Geoff Makhubo), London (Sadiq Khan) and Madrid (Jos Luis MartAnez-Almeida), amongst 45 mayors who were present in the meet.
  • He said that Delhi aggressively pursued the policy of identifying contacts and isolating them through learning from the experiences of other countries.
  • Counting the steps taken by the Delhi government towards the welfare of all sections of the society, the Chief Minister said that the government has already released a two months advance social security pension for widows, senior citizens and the specially-abled.

FACTFILE – The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)

• • The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a group of 96 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world’s population and one quarter of the global economy.
  • C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.
  • C40 started in October 2005 when London Mayor Ken Livingstone convened representatives from 18 megacities to forge an agreement on cooperatively reducing climate pollution and created the ‘C20’.
  • The rotating Steering Committee of C40 mayors provides strategic direction and governance.
  • Steering Committee members include: Amman, Boston, Copenhagen, Durban, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo.
  • Working across multiple sectors and initiative areas, C40 convenes networks of cities providing a suite of services in support of their efforts, including: direct technical assistance; facilitation of peer-to-peer exchange; and research, knowledge management & communications.
  • C40 is also positioning cities as a leading force for climate action around the world, defining and amplifying their call to national governments for greater support and autonomy in creating a sustainable future.
  • C40’s work is made possible by three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania.
  • Indian member cities are Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi

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