Daily Current Affairs, 27th March 2020

1) World Theatre Day observed globally on 27 March

•World Theatre Day is observed globally on 27th March every year. World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), France. It is celebrated annually on the 27th March by ITI Centres and the international theatre community. The first World Theatre Day Message was written by Jean Cocteau in 1962.

•This day is a celebration for those who can see the value and importance of the art form “theatre”, and acts as a wake-up-call for governments, politicians and institutions which have not yet recognised its value to the people and to the individual and have not yet realised its potential for economic growth.

The goals of World Theatre Day are:

•To promote theatre in all its forms across the world.

•To make people aware of the value of theatre in all its forms.

•To enable theatre communities to promote their work on a broad scale so that governments and opinion leaders are aware of the value and importance of dance in all its forms and support it.

•To enjoy theatre in all its forms for its own sake.

•To share the joy for theatre with others.

2) Indore deploy drones to sanitize city against COVID-19 scare

•India’s cleanest city, Indore has deployed drones to sanitize city areas against the coronavirus scare. Indore becomes the 1st city in India to use drones to sanitize the city. The Indore Municipal Corporation has hired two drones for that purpose.

•It is a first-of-its-kind attempt by which crowded areas are sanitizing with the help of drones. Vegetables markets and streets of the Indore are being sprayed with sodium hypochlorite and bio-clean. These drones take off with 16 litres of chemicals in each flight and return after 30 minutes having sprayed chemicals in an area spanning 8-10km. Special care is also being taken to ensure that the spray does not harm citizens.

3) DST sets up COVID-19 task force for mapping of technologies

•Department of Science and Technology (DST) has set up a COVID-19 Task Force for mapping of technologies from Research and Development labs, academic institutions, start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The Department of Science & Technology plays a pivotal role in the promotion of science & technology in the country.

•It aims to fund nearly market-ready solutions in the area of diagnostics, testing, health care delivery solutions, equipment supplies. These solutions include masks and other protective gear, sanitizers, affordable kits for screening, ventilators and oxygenators among others. The Task Force is to identify the most promising start-ups that are close to scale up, who may need financial or other help or connects or projected demand to rapidly scale up.

4) India’s largest COVID-19 hospitals to be set up in Odisha

•Odisha government has planned to set up two of the largest Covid-19 hospitals which will have a combined capacity of 1,000 beds and will be functional within a fortnight. With this, Odisha will be the first state in the country to set up such a large-scale hospital exclusively to treat Covid-19 patients. The state government signed two tripartite agreements with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital to set up the state-level hospitals in Bhubaneswar for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

•The state government is also planning to set up a Covid-19 testing laboratory at this hospital to ease the burden on the only other facility located at Bhubaneswar. The Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) will provide the CSR fundings for the project.




5) CII sets up “CII COVID Rehabilitation and Relief Fund”

•The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has set up a CII COVID Rehabilitation and Relief Fund (CRR) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to tackle Covid-19. The CII COVID Rehabilitation and Relief Fund (CRR) will assist small enterprises or MSME in rehabilitation. The setting up of Relief Fund is expected to curtail the impact of Coronavirus on the MSME sector.

•The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will also request to all its members to contribute an amount from their Corporate social responsibility (CSR) allocation for the CII COVID Rehabilitation and Relief Fund (CRR).

6) MHA issues SOPs to maintain supply of Essential Goods

•The Union Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA) has issued the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to maintain the supply of essential goods. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) have been issued by the MHA in order to relieve the difficulties faced by people during the 21-day nationwide lockdown to fight against the Coronavirus outbreak.

Some key points related to Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs):

•The SOPs proposes to let e-commerce remain operational during the 21-day nationwide lockdown and to encourage the home delivery of essential goods while keeping in mind the practice of social distancing.

•The SOPs aims to allow the employees or persons engaged in the supply chain to commute on the basis of e-pass or any other certification issued by the concerned local authorities. This will be acheived on production of a valid photo identity card.

•In case of unorganized sector, the employees or persons who are engaged in the supply of essential goods may be allowed on the basis of approval/authorization of the local authorities.

•The SOPs also prescribe the regular health and sanitation check-up of employees who are engaged in supply of essential goods. It also recommends the provision of proper protective gear to employees engaged in supply of essential goods.

7) US launches advanced high frequency satellite for military communication

•The United States Space Force has launched an Advanced Extremely High-Frequency satellite (AEHF-6) for its military communications. With the launch of the satellite, the United States has begun its first National Security Mission.

•The Lock Heed Martin AEHF-6 (Advanced Extremely High Frequency) satellite was launched on the Atlas V551 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite is to provide global protected communications. This will enhance tactical operating warfare skills of the US on ground, aerial and maritime platform.

•The US Space Force is the sixth service of the country. The first five major services of Defence includes Army, Air Force, Navy, Naval Corps and Coast Guard. The Space Force was recently set up by President Trump to identify and develop new space defence technologies. The Space Force is to prove US dominance in the Space among other force that is quietly establishing their powers in Space. This includes China and Russia.

8) Zoya Akhtar honoured with IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020

•Indian filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has been honoured with IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020 for her outstanding contribution to world tourism through her cinema. She has promoted tourism through her films like 2011 ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ which was shot in Spain, and 2015 comedy-drama ‘DilDhadakne Do’ shot in Turkey.

•Asia’s largest film tourism event, 8th India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. IIFTC is Asia’s largest locations to presenting a credible platform for film commissions, tourism offices and production service companies from around the world to showcase their locations, incentives and services to the Indian film industry.

9) Shilpa Shetty partners with “Fit India Movement”

•The Government of India’s flagship fitness movement “Fit India” has teamed up with Bollywood actress and fitness icon Shilpa Shetty Kundra. The tie-up will provide free access of the Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s premium 21-Day Weight Loss Programme during the 21-day lockdown owing to Covid-19 pandemic. The free of cost access of the 21-Day Weight Loss Programme will be available for the Indian as well as global audience via Shilpa Shetty App (SS App).