Daily Current Affairs, 01st April 2020

1) Utkal Divas or Odisha Day is celebrated on 1 April

•Utkal Divas (Odisha Day) is celebrated every year on 1st April all over Odisha. Odisha Day is celebrated in the memory of the formation of the state as a separate province on 1 April 1936. This year marks the 83rd Utkal Divas or the foundation day of Odisha. Odisha was born as a separate state on April 1, 1936, on a linguistic basis. The state was carved out of the combined Bengal-Bihar-Orissa province.

2) International Transgender Day of Visibility: March 31

•International Transgender Day of Visibility observed globally on 31st March every year. The day is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

History of the Day:

•The day was founded by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall of Michigan in 2009. As a reaction to the lack of LGBT recognition of transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centred day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which mourned the murders of transgender people but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. It has since been spearheaded by the U.S.-based youth advocacy organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

3) Ministry of Tourism launches ‘Stranded in India’ portal

•The Ministry of Tourism has launched a portal ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists who are stuck in various parts of the country. Its web address is strandedinindia.com.

•The portal consists of information around COVID-19 helpline numbers and call centres that foreign tourists can reach out for help, information around Ministry of External Affairs control centres along with their contact information and information around state-based/regional tourism support infrastructure. The COVID-19 helpline number for foreign tourists stuck in India is +91-11-23978046 or 1075.

4) Validity extension of expired Driving Licences and Vehicle Registration

•In an advisory to all states and Union Territories, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has extended the validity of documents that expired since 1st February 2020. The validity of these documents has been extended till 30th June 2020. The documents include fitness, driving licence, permits (all types), registration or any other concerned document under the Motor Vehicle Rules.

Why was validity extended?

•The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has requested all states and UTs to implement the advisory to treat such documents as valid till 30th June 2020. The Ministry has issued the advisory to provide relief to people from facing difficulties in renewing the validity of various motor vehicle documents due to nationwide lockdown in the country as well as the closure of government transport offices. The decision has been taken so that the people, transporters and organisations providing essential services do not get harassed and face difficulties amid the nationwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of validity extension?

•The decision taken by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will ensure the hassle-free transportation of cargo while India during the state mandated lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

5) Karnataka government launches ‘Corona Watch’ app

•The state government of Karnataka has launched a mobile application ‘Corona Watch’. The mobile application aims to track the movement history of persons tested positive, before their detection in order to take precautions and to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The app will also provide the date and time of visit to spots by the patients. ‘Corona Watch’ app also comprises a list of government designated first response hospitals for COVID-19 where citizen with symptoms can visit.

•In addition to ‘Corona Watch’ app, the Karnataka government has also constituted a ten member Task Force on COVID-19. The task force is utilizing IT applications & GPS to track individuals who are suspected of novel Corona Virus infection. The quarantined persons have been ordered to declare their location every day during the 14 day quarantine period.

6) NATO chief appoints experts for reflection process

•The NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has announced the appointment of a group of experts on 31 March 2020. This group to support his work in a reflection process to further strengthen NATO’s political dimension.

The following people have been appointed to the group:

•Greta Bossenmaier (Canada)
•Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen (Denmark)
•Hubert Védrine (France)
•Thomas de Maiziere (Germany)
•Marta Dassu (Italy)
•Herna Verhagen (The Netherlands)
•Anna Fotyga (Poland)
•Tacan Ildem (Turkey)
•John Bew (United Kingdom)
•Wess Mitchell (United States)

The group of five men and five women will be co-chaired by former German defence minister Thomas de Maziere and Washington’s former top diplomat for Europe, Wess Mitchell and will report to the Secretary-General. The panel will offer recommendations to reinforce alliance unity, increase political consultation and coordination between allies, and strengthen NATO’s political role.

7) BhartPe & ICICI lombard tie up to launch COVID-19 insurance

•BharatPe inks partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited to introduce ‘COVID-19 Protection Insurance Cover’. This Insurance cover for shopkeepers, who are most affected financially due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Benefits of the Policy:

•According to this policy, 100% of the sum assured will be paid to the policyholder for the diagnosis of Coronavirus. This includes expenses incurred after hospitalization.

•The ICICI Lombard Health Cover, available on the BharatPe app, provided at a reasonable cost & offers a premium starting from Rs 199 and a sum assured of Rs 25,000 and value-added benefits.

•Along with health assistance, teleconsultation, ambulance assistance and many attractive offers have been made. It will cover everyone in the age group of 18 to 65 years.

8) RBI Deputy Governor BP Kanungo gets one-year extension

•The Centre has extended the tenure of Reserve Bank Deputy Governor BP Kanungo by a year with effect from April 3, 2020. Kanungo, whose term was to end on April 2, had taken charge as a deputy governor in April 2017.

•Kanungo has under him at the RBI the Department of Currency Management, Department of External Investments & Operations, Department of Government & Bank Accounts, Department of Information Technology and Department of Payment & Settlement System. Other departments are Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), Foreign Exchange Department, Internal Debt Management Department, Legal Department and Right to Information departments. The apex bank has four deputy governors. Other three are S Vishwanathan, M K Jain and Michael Debabrata Patra.