Today Current Affairs - 23rd May 2020

by - May 23, 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 23rd May 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.


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Today Current Affairs - 23rd May 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

1 crore treatments provided under AB-PMJAY, created webinar, launched Ask Ayushman & Hospital Ranking Dashboard: Harsh Vardhan

 i.Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare(HFW), Harsh Vardhan to mark 1 crore treatments(milestone) of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY) since September 2018 has inaugurated the 1st edition of Arogya Dhara, a series of webinars titled “Ayushman Bharat: 1 crore treatments and beyond” ii.Launched ‘Ask Ayushman’ a chatbot on Whatsapp & “Hospital Ranking Dashboard”. Minister of State(HFW), Ashwini Kumar Choubey was present during the webinar.
Constituency:
Harsh Vardhan– Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
Ashwini Kumar Choubey– Buxar, Bihar

Textiles Committee named as 9th approved laboratory to test and certify PPE body coveralls; developed fully indigenous Design PPE Testing Equipment

i.The Textiles Committee has worked hard to develop the testing equipment namely “Synthetic Blood Penetration Testing equipment” for Determination of the resistance of Protective Clothing materials to penetration by blood and body fluids.
ii.India has become the world’s second largest manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) body coveralls within two months, following China.
iii.The laboratory set up to test the PPEs has to be accredited by the NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories).
About Textile Committee:
The Textiles Committee is a statutory body established in 1963 through an Act of Parliament and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
Textile Committee Secretary– Ajit Chavan
Union Textile Minister– Smriti Zubin Irani

Rajnath Singh participates in  MSMEs E-conclave “SIDM MSME Conclave 2020”

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participates in  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) E-conclave, “Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) MSME Conclave 2020“, jointly organised by SIDM, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Department of Defence Production.
The Theme of the E-conclave is ‘Business Continuity for MSMEs in Defence & Aerospace Sector’ in which more than 800 Defence MSMEs participated.
About CII:
Corporate Office– New Delhi, India
President– Vikram S. Kirloskar
Static:
Constituency of Nirmala Sitharaman– Rajya Sabha (Karnataka)
Headquarters of SIDM– New Delhi, India

Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan participates in NAM health ministers meeting through video conference

On 20th May 2020, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan participated in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Health Ministers meeting through video conference. The NAM Summit is organised in a time when international community faces a pandemic and the meeting was chaired by Minister of Health, Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ogtay Shiraliyev
About NAM:
The Non-Aligned Movement was originated in the Bandung Conference of April 1945 inspired by Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt to promote and reinforce multilateralism and established in 1961 with 25 members
Currently NAM has 120 members and 17 observer states.
Source:
Newsonair.com – Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan participates in NAM health ministers meeting
Expresshealthcare.in – Dr.Harsh Vardhan participates in NAM Health Ministers meeting through VC
Pib.gov.in – Dr. Harsh Vardhan participated in NAM Health Ministers meeting through VC
nti.org

Govt amends rules to ban global tender for procurement up to Rs 200 crores to benefit MSMEs

Government has notified the amendments to the General Financial Rules(GFR) 2017 to ensure that goods and services valued less than Rs 200 crores are procured from domestic firms
Which states that the global tenders will be banned for government procurement upto 200 crores as announced in the AatmanirbharBharat Package. This move will boost domestic suppliers, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs).
About GFR:
It is a compilation of rules and orders of the Government of India to be followed by all while dealing with matters involving public finances. It was issued for the 1st time in 1947 bringing together in one place all existing orders and instructions pertaining to financial matters.

Local to Global: Khadi Masks to export in Foreign Markets

 i.Ministry of Commerce and Industries lifted the ban on export of non-medical/ non-surgical masks of all types.
ii.KVIC has already developed double layered cotton masks and triple-layered silk face masks.
iii.Cotton acts as a mechanical barrier while silk is an electrostatic barrier.
About KVIC:
Chairman– Vinai Kumar Saxena
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Cabinet approvals on May 20, 2020

 The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the following on May 20, 2020:
  • Cabinet relaxes the existing “Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS)”; timeline extended till March 31, 2020
  • Cabinet approves Rs 10,000 cr “Scheme for formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)”
  • Cabinet approves extension of ‘Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana till 2023
  • Cabinet approves Rs 20,050 cr Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
  • Cabinet approves Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package for allocation of foodgrains to the migrants / stranded migrants
  • Cabinet approves Rs 30,000 cr Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs/HFCs to address their Liquidity Stress
  • Cabinet approves additional funding of up to Rupees 3 lakh crore through introduction of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
  • Cabinet approves issuance of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Second Order, 2020 in relation of Jammu & Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act
  • Cabinet approves waiver of interest of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited
  • Cabinet approves adoption of methodology for auction of coal and lignite mines/blocks for sale of coal / lignite on revenue sharing basis and tenure of coking coal linkage

BANKING & FINANCE

Overview of Monetary Policy Statement 2020-21 released by RBI

On May 22, 2020, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released its Monetary Policy Statement 2020-21 in Mumbai , Maharashtra. The three-day (May 20 to 22,2020) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) virtual meeting by the 6 members was headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
Highlights of the meet:
–All members of the MPC unanimously voted to reduce the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) to 4.0 % from 4.40%.
– RBI extends moratorium on loans for another 3 months till August 2020
– India’s 2020-21 GDP growth rate expected to be negative
– Reserve Bank infuses Rs 15,000-crore line of credit to EXIM Bank
– RBI increases export credit period to 15 months from 12 months
– Reserve bank grants Rs 15,000-crore refinance facility for SIDBI
– RBI eases CSF withdrawal rules ; arranges additional Rs 13,300 crore for states
– Industrial production decrease by 17 % in March with manufacturing activity down by 21 % : RBI
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be appointed)

World Bank announces $160 billion assistance to 100 countries

On May 20, 2020, The World Bank announced emergency operations worth USD (United States Dollar) 160 billion to 100 developing countries over a 15-month period to fight the deadly Coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic and shutdown is expected to put over 60 million into extreme poverty globally.
About World Bank:
Headquarters– Washington D.C., United States (US).
Motto– Working for a World Free of Poverty.
President– David Malpass.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

ONGC, NTPC signs MoU to start joint venture for renewable energy business

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and NTPC have signed a preliminary agreement to set up a joint venture for a renewable energy project and entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 21st May 2020 in New Delhi to formalize the agreement. The joint venture will gain significant growth in the renewable power sector.
About ONGC:
Chairman & Managing Director – Sashi Shanker
Directors – Subash Kumar (Finance) , Rajesh Kakkar(Offshore), Sanjay Kumar Moitra(Onshore), Alka Mittal (HR) , Rajesh Kumar Srivastava (Exploration), Om Prakash Singh(T&FS)
Headquarters – New Delhi
About NTPC:
Chairman & Managing Director – Gurdeep Singh
Directors –AK Gupta(Commercial), AK Gautam(Finance), Dillip Kumar Patel(HR), Ramesh Babu V(Operations) 
Established in – 1975
Source:
Economictimes.indiatimes.com – ONGC, NTPC sign NoU to set up joint venture for renewable energy business
Thehindubusinessline.com – ONGC, NTPC to set up joint venture for renewable energy business
Ongcindia.com – ONGC and NTPC sign MoU to set up joint venture for renewable energy business
Devdiscourse.com – ONGC, NTPC sign MoU to set up joint venture for renewable energy business

Ircon signs MoU with RZD International for joint development of railways

State-owned Ircon International Limited (IRCON) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RZD International L.L.C. (Limited Liability Company), a subsidiary of government-owned Russian Railways Company, to explore opportunities for joint development of railways and other infrastructure projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
About Ircon:
Headquarters– New Delhi.
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)– S.K. Chaudhary.
About RZD International LLC:
Headquarters– Moscow, Russia.
Director-General– Sergey Stolyarov.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS 

IRDAI approves Union Bank to continue with its 30% holding in IndiaFirst Life Insurance

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India(IRDAI) has approved the proposal of the state owned lender Union Bank of India-UBI(which holds 25.1% stake in Star Union Dai-Chi Life) to continue with its 30% holding in IndiaFirst Life Insurance.
About UBI:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman & Part time Non-Official Director- Kewal Handa
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Rajkiran Rai G.
About IndiaFirst Life Insurance:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO– RM Vishakha
About IRDAI:
Headquarters–  Hyderabad, Telangana
Chairman– Subhash C. Khuntia

KKR buys 2.32% in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crores

Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) announced the sale of a 2.32 % stake in its digital unit, Jio Platforms to US private equity giant KKR for Rs 11,367 crores, which is the 5th deal of Jio since 22 April that will inject Rs 78,562 crores in RIL to cut debt.
About RIL:
Corporate Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman & MD– Mukesh D. Ambani
About KKR: 
Managing Director(MD), Private Equity, Mumbai- Rupen Jhaveri
Co-Chairman and Co-CEO–  George Roberts

Airtel acquires 10% stakes in conversational AI startup Voicezen

On 21st May 2020, Bharti Airtel acquired a10% strategic stake in Voicezen, a Gurgaon based startup in early stage focused on conversational AI technologies under the fast expanding Airtel Startup Accelerator Program as a part of its strategy to deliver highly differentiated service experience.
About Bharti Airtel Limited:
CEO & MD – Gopal Vittal(India and South Asia)
COO – Ajay Puri
Global CIO – Harmeen Mehta (Head of Digital)
Headquarters – New Delhi
Source:
Airtel.in – To offer the best in class service experience to its customers, airtel acquires strategic stake in conversational AI focused startup Voicezen
Businessinsider.in – Airtel acquires 10% stake in AI startup Voicezen
Outlookindia.com – Airtel acquires 10% stake in AI startup voicezen

CCI approves 100% acquisition of Emami Cement by Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited

The Competition Commission of India(CCI) has approved 100% acquisition of the total issued and paid up share capital of Emami Cement Limited(ECL)on a fully diluted basis, by Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited(NVCL) for an enterprise value of Rs 5,500 crore.
About NVCL:
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– Hiren Patel
About ECL:
Registered Office–  Kolkata, West Bengal
Whole-time Director and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Vivek Chawla

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Guwahati discovers methods to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer

The research team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati headed by Professor Vibin Ramakrishnan, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering and Professor Harsha Nemade, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, IIT Guwahati with research scholars Dr. Gaurav Pandey and Jahnu Daikia worked on a new idea to help in preventing or reducing the short-term memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
About IITG:
Director – Professor T G Sitharam
Deputy Director – Professor P S Robi
Established in – 1994
Source:
Pib.gov.in – IIT Guwahati discovers new ways to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer
Timesofindia.indiatimes.com – IIT Guwahati researchers discover new ways to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease
Hindustantimes.com – IIT Guwahati finds new ways to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer’s
Pharmabiz.com – IIT Guwahati discovers new ways to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer

Scientists at Pune based ARI maps 2 alternative dwarfing genes in wheat that can eliminate rice crop residue burning

According to the research published in The Crop Journal and Molecular Breeding, a team of Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) based in Pune (Maharashtra) have mapped two alternative dwarf genes – Rht14 and Rht18– in wheat that can eliminate rice crop residue burning.
i.The team, led by Dr. Ravindra Patil, has mapped chromosome 6a dwarfing genes in durum wheat and developed DNA based markers for better selection of these genes.

SCTIMST commercially launched RNA extraction Kit ‘Agappe Chitra Magna’ for detection of COVID-19

On May 21, 2020 Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum with Agappe Diagnostics Ltd, Cochin, a vitro diagnostics manufacturing company organised the commercial launch of The Agappe Chitra Manga, a magnetic nanoparticle-based RNA extraction Kit for the detection of COVID-19 at the Biomedical Technology Wing of SCTIMST.
About SCTIMST:
President – Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat(Member-NITI Aayog)
Director – Prof Asha Kishore
Inaugurated in  – 1976
Source:
Pib.gov.in – RNA extraction kit Agappe Chitra Manga launched commercially for detection of COVID-19
News.career360.com – Low-cost COVID-19 test developed by SCTIMST launched commercially
Aninews.in – RNA extraction kit Agappe Chitra Magna launched commercially for detection of COVID-19
Dst.gov.in 0 SCTIMST to organise commercial launch of Agappe Chitra Magna for detection of COVID-19

Researchers at IIT-M develop solar parabolic trough collector

On May 21, 2020, Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (ITT-M), developed a solar ‘parabolic trough collector’ (PTC) system for concentrating solar energy for industrial applications like desalination, space heating and space cooling.
About IIT-Madras:
Motto– Success is born out of action.
Chairman– Dr Pawan Goenka.
Director-Bhaskar Ramamurthi.

A rare palm from Andamans ‘Pinanga andamanensis’ replanted at Kerala’s JNTBGRI

A rare palm of South Andaman Island ‘Pinanga andamanensis’ will be grown in Palode (Kerala) with the help of  Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI).
i.Pinanga ,recorded as a time-extinct species, is related to Areca Palm. Around  600 plants are found in a small area of ‘​​Mount Harriet National Park’ in South Andaman.
About JNTBGRI:
Location– Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala
Director– R. Prakashkumar

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Ruskin Bond’s new book ‘Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes’ released on his 86th birthday

On May 19, 2020, Popular author Ruskin Bond has authored a book titled ‘Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes. The e-book format was released on the occasion of his 86th birthday. The illustration of the new book has been done by Samrat Halder and published by Speaking Tiger’s children’s imprint Talking Cub.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Biological Diversity 2020: May 22

International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) is celebrated every year May 22 globally. The day was declared by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness and increase understanding of biodiversity issues. Biological Diversity is not limited to nature alone, but also plants, animals, microorganisms and different ecosystems.
Theme for the year 2020: Our solutions are in nature.
About United Nations (UN):
Headquarters– New York City, United States (US).
Secretary-general– António Guterres.



 
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