Daily Current Affairs 8 May 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
IMD Forecast Now Includes PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan in Jammu and Kashmir
After the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu Kashmir and turning it into two separate Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has included regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, territories currently under Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK), in its daily weather bulletin.
- The IMD has now included this addition in the Jammu and Kashmir meteorological subdivisions. The news of adding regions of POK into the Indian weather forecast came after Pakistan Supreme court’s decision to allow Islamabad to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
MP becomes first state in country to provide mid-day meal ration
Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to provide mid-day meal ration.
- To provide mid-day meal to school children in the corona outbreak an amount of Rs 117 crore has been transferred online in the bank account of the parents of 66 lakh 27 thousand students of primary and secondary school by the state government.
Unique vehicle developed at local level in Madhya Pradesh
In Madhya Pradesh, in a first of its kind initiative, a unique vehicle has been developed at the local level. With the help of this vehicle, health workers can investigate any suspected patients without coming in to the contact of him. This vehicle has been named Sanjeevani.
- This unique vehicle designed at the initiative of Rajnagar administration of Chhatarpur district, is highly useful for health workers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Iran approves plan to cut four zeros from falling currency
Iran’s parliament has passed a bill allowing the government to slash four zeros from the rial,, after a sharp fall in the value of the currency as a result of crippling U.S. sanctions.
- Iran’s national currency will be changed from the rial to the Toman, which is equal to 10,000 rials, under the bill.
- The Iranian currency was trading at about 156,000 rials per dollar on the unofficial market on Monday, according to foreign exchange websites.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India’s unemployment rate soars to 27.11% amid Covid-19 crisis: CMIE
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the Covid-19 crisis has led to a spike in the country’s unemployment rate to 27.11 per cent for the week ended May 3, up from the under 7 per cent level before the start of the pandemic in mid-March.
- The rate of unemployment was the highest in the urban areas, which constitute the most number of the red zones due to the Covid-19 cases, at 29.22 per cent, as against 26.69 per cent for the rural areas.
- As per CMIE’s data, the monthly unemployment rate in April stood at 23.52 per cent, up from March’s 8.74 per cent.
APPOINTMENTS
UNEP extends Dia Mirza’s term as Goodwill Ambassador till 2022
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) extended environmentalist and actor-producer Dia Mirza’s term as its National Goodwill Ambassador for another two years till the end of 2022.
- Dia, who is also a United Nations Sustainability Development Goals Advocate, said she views the extension as an opportunity to work towards championing nature.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
India has more internet users in rural areas than urban: IAMAI report
For the first time, India has more internet users in rural areas than in urban cities. The latest report by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Nielsen showed rural India had 227 million active internet users, 10% more than urban India’s about 205 million, as of November 2019.
- The report showed that in rural India, the number of people actively accessing the internet on a daily basis increased by 30 million since March last year
- However, the time spent on the internet is higher in urban India compared to the rural areas. Almost 70% of the active internet users in India are daily users where nine out of 10 in urban India access it at least once a week.
Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ‘AYUSH Sanjivani’ App
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health & Family Welfare Minister launched the ‘AYUSH Sanjivani’ App and two AYUSH-based studies related to COVID-19 situation, in New Delhi.
- The ‘AYUSH Sanjivani ’ mobile app, which has been launched will help to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact in prevention of COVID 19.
- It is developed by the Ministry of AYUSH and MEITY and shall reach out to a target of 50 lakh people.
China launches new rocket “Long March 5B” successfully
China successfully launched its most powerful rocket, the hulking Long March-5B, on its maiden voyage into orbit.
- The 176-foot-long rocket designed to shuttle astronauts to low-Earth orbit or even around the moon blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan.
- China hopes that the craft will one day transport astronauts to a space station that it plans to complete by 2022 – and eventually to the Moon. It will have capacity for a crew of six.