Daily Current Affairs 28th March, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 28 March 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

IIT-Gandhinagar launches “Project Isaac” for students during Corona lockdown
Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGN) has launched Project Isaac to engage its students in creative projects to enhance their critical skills while they are confined to their homes because of Corona virus.

• As a  part of the project, four different competitions are being organized by IIT, Gandhinagar to cultivate new skills among students regarding writing, painting, coding, music, creative expression, and so on

Army chief launches Operation Namaste, says duty to help govt fight against COVID-19
Launching Operation Namaste to combat the spread of COVID-19, Army Chief General MM Naravane said it was his force’s duty to help the government in its fight against the pandemic.

• He asked his troops, deployed on the Line of Control or Line of Actual Control, to not worry about their near and dear ones and cancellation of leaves as a similar situation had been observed during Operation Parakram and the force had come out successfully from it and will execute Operation Namaste too successfully.

Railways make functional 2 helplines during COVID-19 lockdown
The Indian Railways has made functional two 24 hour helplines — 138 and 139 — to answer inquiries, provide assistance and also take suggestions during the 21-day lockdown due to COVID-19.

• The idea of using the number 138 is to use, in addition to the call-centre based agent and IVRS services provided through 139, the wide reach of Indian Railways to service the large number of its patrons across the country.

Odisha to set up the largest COVID-19 hospital in the country
Odisha Govt to setup largest COVID-19 hospital in the country that has a 1000 bed capacity. The Odisha govt also planning to set up a Covid-19 testing laboratory at a hospital here to ease the burden on the states only other facility at Bhubaneswar.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and France conduct joint patrols for the first time
India and France, For the first time, have conducted joint patrols from the Reunion Island, signalling New Delhi’s intent to engage with friendly foreign partners in expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean, focusing on the stretch between the East African coastline and the Malacca straits. 

• The Indian Navy conducted a joint patrol with with the French Navy last month from the Reunion Island. The patrol was conducted by a P-8I aircraft with French Navy personnel onboard,”

India to join WHO’s COVID-19 trials
India is all set to join World Health Organisation’s “Solidarity trial” aimed at rapid global search for drugs to treat COVID-19. The country has stayed away so far from this multi-country trial “due to its small sample size and because our contribution would have looked minuscule.

• The Solidarity Trial will test four different drugs or combinations — remdesivir, a combination of two drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, the two drugs plus interferon beta, and chloroquine — and will compare their effectiveness to what is called standard of care, the regular support hospitals treating COVID-19 patients use now.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

GDP likely to grow just 2 per cent in 2020-21: Icra
Despite the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) massive actions to spur the economy, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to contract by 4.5 per cent in the April-June 2020 quarter and will rise by only 2 per cent in 2020-21 on the coronavirus impact, according to domestic rating agency Icra.

• While announcing a number of measures in the policy review, the RBI refrained from giving its estimate on both growth and inflation, saying things are fluid and rapidly changing.

India’s GDP growth rate may fall sharply to 2.6 % in 2020-21: SBI’s Ecowrap
The country’s economic growth is likely to fall sharply to 2.6 per cent in 2020-21 due to lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

• According to a report by SBI Research’s Ecowrap, GDP growth for 2019-20 could also see a downward revision from 5 per cent to 4.5 per cent, with growth in the fourth quarter of the current financial year at 2.5 per cent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Abbott Labs launches 5-minute coronavirus test
Abbott Laboratories is unveiling a coronavirus test that can tell if someone is infected in as little as 5 minutes, and is so small and portable, it can be used in almost any health-care setting.

• The medical-device maker plans to supply 50,000 tests a day starting April 1.

APPOINTMENTS

Shilpa Shetty partners with “Fit India Movement”
In a first-of-its-kind step, the government’s flagship fitness movement, Fit India, has partnered with Bollywood actor and fitness icon Shilpa Shetty Kundra to provide her premium 21-Day Weight Loss Programme, including diet tips, free of cost on the Shilpa Shetty App (SS App), during the 21-day lockdown owing to Covid 19.

• The decision taken by Shilpa Shetty to allow the Indian and global audience to access her fitness programme for free, is commendable.

BP Kanungo reappointed as RBI’s deputy governor
BP Kaunungo was reappointed as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor. 

• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the extension of Kanungo’s term as RBI deputy Governor by one year with effect from 3 April, when his three year tenure comes to an end. 

AQUISITIONS & MERGERS

NTPC concludes acquisition of govt’s stake in THDC & NEEPCO
Power generating firm NTPC concluded the acquisition of Centre’s entire stake in two hydropower generating firms, THDC India and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), at Rs 11,500 crore.

• NTPC signed share purchase agreement on Wednesday to buy the government’s entire 74.49 per cent stake of THDC for an aggregate consideration of Rs 7,500 crore

OBITUARIES

Noted fisheries scientist A Ramachandran passes away
Noted fisheries scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) A Ramachandran died of cardiac arrest. He was 61.

• Ramachandran, 61, had been the Fisheries Advisor to Sultanate of Oman and expert member in many a national and international fisheries councils and organisations.
• While being the Director of the School of Industrial Fisheries of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Ramachandran was elevated to the position of Vice Chancellor of KUFOS in June 2016. It was under his leadership that the first ever International Blue Economy Congress in the country was held here in November last year. Shilpa Shetty partners with “Fit India Movement”

Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz passes away due to coronavirus
Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz, who ran the successful ‘Bombay Canteen’, ‘O Pedro’ and ‘Bombay Sweet Shop’ in Mumbai and was the magician behind New York’s ‘Tabla’, passed away due to complications from the coronavirus.

• The culinary star, committed to making the food industry more sustainable, began his hospitality training in his native Mumbai. He later moved to Switzerland, where he honed his skills in French, Italian and Indian cuisine before moving on to the kitchens of New York City.

Ex-Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma passes away
Former Union Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma passed away. He was 79.

• He was a founding member of the Samajwadi Party. For a long time, he served as the Minister of Public Works Department in the Uttar Pradesh government.
• In 1996, Verma became the Independent Minister of State for Communications. He was also given the charge of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. He was the Union Steel Minister in the UPA-2 government.

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