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Saturday, April 04, 2020

Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs March 2020 PDF

16:11

Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs March 2020 PDF





VISION IAS NEWS TODAY Jan 2020: Daily Current Affairs Compilation
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Daily Current Affairs, 04th April 2020

16:00





1) International Mine Awareness Day observed globally on 4 April
•International Mine Awareness Day observed globally on 4 April every year. On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It was first observed on 4 April 2006.

 •The day aims to raise awareness about landmines and progress toward their eradication. “Mine action” refers to a range of efforts to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war and to mark and fence off dangerous areas. It also includes assisting victims, teaching people how to remain safe in a mine-affected environment, advocating for universal participation in international treaties related to landmines, explosive remnants of war and their victims, and destroying landmines stockpiled by governments and non-state armed groups.

2) Odisha launches online cultural competition “Mo Prativa”
•The Odisha government has launched an online cultural competition “Mo Prativa” in collaboration with the UNICEF. The cultural competition “Mo Prativa” has been launched in order to keep children engaged at home during the lockdown period. The competition will enable childern to participate in various activies such as painting, writing of slogans, short stories, poems etc.

 The entries for cultural competition “Mo Prativa” are being invited on following themes:

 •Being at home during lockdown.

 •My responsibility as a young citizen during COVID-19.

3) Online Hackathon “Hack the Crisis-India” launched
•Online Hackathon “Hack the Crisis-India” has been launched to find the working solutions to overcome the COVID 19 pandemic. The hackathon is a part of a global initiative and was launched by Minister of State Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Human Resource Development, Sanjay Dhotre.




 •The hackathon will be organised by ‘Hack A Cause-India’ and ‘Ficci Ladies Organization Pune’ along with the support of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India (MEITY).

4) AICTE launches “MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal”
•All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has launched “MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal“. This portal has been launched to address the issues faced by students due to closure of colleges and hostels amid national lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak. The portal aims to provide help and support by connecting those who are willing to provide help with those who need help.

 •The MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal will provide support in various aspects such as Food, on line Classes, Attendance, Accommodation, Transport, Harassment, Health, Examinations, Scholarships etc. More than 6500 colleges have agreed to provide support to students through this portal.

5) Asian Development Bank releases Asian Development Outlook 2020
•The Asian Development Bank has released its annual economic publication “Asian Development Outlook 2020”. In its annual flagship economic publication “Asian Development Outlook 2020”, the Asian Development Bank has projected India’s growth to slow down to 4% in the current fiscal year i.e. 2020-2021. The ADB has cited weak global demand and the government’s novel coronavirus containment efforts for the slow down in Indian economy.

 •While for fiscal year 2021-2022, the Asian Development Bank has projected India’s growth to strengthen to 6.2%, boosted by government reforms. The Asian Development Bank has also estimated the growth in South Asia to decelerate to 4.1% in the fiscal year 2020-2021, hence will face a milder slowdown. Although, the bank expects the growth in South Asia to recover to 6% in the fiscal year 2021-2022.

6) “The Smart Triplets” to be the mascot 19th Asian Games
•The Olympic Council of Asia has announced the official mascots of the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou in 2022. The three robots namely Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen which are collectively known as “The Smart Triplets” will be the official mascots of the 19th Asian Games. The mascot was unveiled by Olympic Council of Asia at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China. The ceremony was held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the whole world to a stand still.
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The HINDU Notes – 04th April 2020

15:45




📰 Life turns turtle for MSMEs as lockdown chokes

Transporting men, machines and materials under strict curbs tests the sinews of enterprises located in smaller cities

•The lockdown ordered to stem the spread of COVID-19 has swept over millions of small and medium enterprises in tier-2 and -3 cities and across India like a tsunami.

•Moving people and machines to facilitate work- from-home (WFH) options became a daunting task for many, as per industry executives of some mid-tier firms who narrate their harrowing experience.

•In some cases, attempts to prove something as ‘essential’ turned into debates between business owners and local administrators. Consequently, many enterprises and their employees, across places such as Mysore, Hassan, Udupi, Kochi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nagpur, Goa, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Salem suffered in terms of lack of businesses continuity and clarity, physical hardship and mental stress.

•“It was nightmarish for many companies operating in Coimbatore and Salem. We were running [around] for permissions to move people and computers. We could easily move people and systems between Bengaluru and Chennai, but in Salem, the rules were different. And eventually, we lost several days of productivity and our employees suffered a lot,” explained Chocko Valliappa, CEO of IT services firm, Vee Technologies that employs 5,000 people across Bengaluru, Chennai and Salem.

•The situation was in stark contrast with the promises of many State governments that vie with each other to attract investments to small cities in their regions.

Not enough time

•Certain mid-tier firms are of the opinion that the lockdown came upon them all of a sudden though the government would have been contemplating it at least a few days before it’s introduction.

•“Over 300 of our employees in Bengaluru and Chennai were thrown out of their respective hostels soon after the lockdown. We arranged some stay for them in Salem and tried to bring them to Chennai. But authorities made us send them back,” said Mr. Valliappa, whose company supports hospitals in the U.S. and in India by providing clinical documentation services.

•Udupi-based Robosoft Technologies, a UX and UI application development and digital advisory firm, too, said small firms had suffered huge disruptions after the lockdown.

•Robosoft and its arm, 99Games, together employ 600 people across Mangaluru, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

•Rohith Bhat, founder- CEO at the company said, “Fortunately, we anticipated the trouble slightly in advance. Some of our customers in Japan [gently] alerted us; therefore, three days before the first lockdown call, we started moving our men and machines. But we went through a very tough time.

•“Had we waited until the complete lockdown announcement, we surely would have faced huge downtime issues like many others.’’

CII acts

•Realising the gravity of the situation, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) sprang into action. It met the respective State governments and industries departments to chalk out ways to ensure business continuity for the entire MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) community in the country.

•”We discussed a wide array of key topics with the Karnataka government and movement of people, material and machines was one of them,’’ said Ramesh Ramadurai, vice chairman, CII-Karnataka.

•The CII has urged all enterprises, which are still suffering connectivity or business continuity issues, to reach out to the industry association for assistance.

•Pradeep Bhargava, president of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) said most IT/ITeS firms in Pune were able to shift to WFH mode with relative ease; however, other firms, including manufacturing companies, big and small, struggled as the task involved touchpoints with facilities, staff, vendors and customers.

📰 The spectre of a post-COVID-19 world
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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 04.04.2020

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Government Schemes 2020 Ready Reckoner 2020 PDF Download

06:25
Government Schemes 2020 Ready Reckoner 2020 PDF Download



Government Schemes 2020: LA EX IAS Handout




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Insights IAS ECONOMIC SURVEY 2019-20 Summary (Volume 1 & 2) PDF

06:15
Insights IAS ECONOMIC SURVEY 2019-20 Summary (Volume 1 & 2) PDF



Insights IAS ECONOMIC SURVEY 2019-20 Summary : INSTA PT 2020 EXCLUSIVE
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Friday, April 03, 2020

Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs February 2020 PDF

18:12

Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs February 2020 PDF





VISION IAS NEWS TODAY Jan 2020: Daily Current Affairs Compilation
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Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs January 2020 PDF

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Vision IAS Daily Current Affairs January 2020 PDF





VISION IAS NEWS TODAY Jan 2020: Daily Current Affairs Compilation
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Daily Current Affairs, 03rd April 2020

17:42





1) NCC offers its cadets to fight COVID-19 under ‘Ex NCC Yogdan’
•National Cadet Corps (NCC) has offered its volunteer cadets for national duty to fight COVID-19 under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’. It has issued guidelines for temporary employment of its cadets to augment relief efforts and functioning of various agencies involved in battling the pandemic. Only Senior Division volunteer cadets above 18 years of age will be employed. The tasks envisaged for NCC cadets include, manning of helpline/call centres; distribution of relief materials/medicines/food/essential commodities; community assistance; data management and queue & traffic management.

 What is NCC?

 •The NCC, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is the largest uniformed youth organisation of the country and has been engaged in conducting various social service and community development activities.

 •The NCC cadets have been contributing to the national cause during natural calamities like floods, cyclone, etc since its inception.

2) Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam designs multi-feed oxygen manifold
•The Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh has designed ‘Portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold (MOM)’. This oxygen manifold is designed to supply oxygen to multiple patients at a time, which could prove helpful in a contingency created by COVID-19 spread. The preliminary trials were conducted at MI Room at NDV, followed by rapid trials at the Naval Hospital INHS Kalyani, where it was successfully installed within 30 minutes.

 •The Navy personnel from the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) have developed a ‘Portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold (MOM)’ using a six-way radial header fitted to a single cylinder. This innovative system would enable one oxygen bottle supply to six patients at the same time, thereby enabling critical care management of a larger number of COVID-19 patients using the existing limited resources.

3) Andhra govt starts doorstep delivery of pensions
•The Andhra Pradesh government has started distributing pensions at the doorstep to 58,44,240 beneficiaries. They using its 2.5 lakh volunteer eliminating the need for pensioners to step out of their homes.  The aim is to encourage beneficiaries to stay at home and avoid stepping out.

 •The beneficiaries have been receiving different amounts as per the defined categories. From old age persons to fishermen and folk artists, the pension will help every section amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown.

 Pensioners Amount

 •For old-age persons, widows, weavers, single women, fishermen, folk artists and traditional cobblers who will receive an amount of Rs 2,250 each.

 •People with disabilities, transgenders and Dappu artists will receive an amount of Rs 3,000 each.

 •Those who suffer from a chronic disease and are undergoing kidney dialysis at government and network hospitals will receive an amount of Rs 10,000 each.

 After the completion of the distribution of pensions, the government will give financial relief to the poor and needy delivered at the doorstep on the 4th of April using the same network of volunteers.

4) ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ to address COVID-19 queries
•IBM has introduced ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ in India free of cost to address COVID-19 queries. ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ is an Artificial Intelligence platform which provides reliable information on COVID-19 related queries. ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ unites Watson Assistant, Natural Language Processing as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) search capabilities that helps in understanding and responding to common queries about COVID-19.




 •‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ uses the currently available data from external sources. These sources includes the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other government sources, citizen welfare schemes in India along with global resources such as World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

 •The AI-powered virtual agent ‘Watson Assistant for Citizens’ will be very useful for the governments in delivering accurate information to their citizens without overwhelming contact centres. To achieve this objective, the IBM Research has trained Watson Assistant in order to respond to queries in English as well as Hindi to enable various government agencies and departments to provide this service to its constituents.

5) NTPC appoints Dilip Kumar Patel as director HR
•National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited appointed Dilip Kumar Patel as its Director Human resources on 1 April. Patel has been the HR Head in various NTPC projects like NSPCL Bhilai, Sipat, and Tanda for around 12 years. He was also the Regional Head of HR in the Eastern Region-2 before he was appointed as the Director (HR).

6) SBI lists USD 100 million green bonds on India INX
•State Bank of India has listed green bonds of $100 million (about Rs 750 crore) on  BSE’s India International Exchange (India INX). The bank has listed green bonds under its USD 10 billion global medium-term note programme on India INX’s Global Securities Market Green Platform (GSM).

 •SBI has adopted the green bond framework with the objective of creating a positive impact on the environment & this transaction is considered as part of the sustainability journey. The funds raised by green bonds are used to finance green projects that do not discharge toxic elements.

 What is Green Bond?

 •Green Bond is a type of fixed income instrument that is specifically reserved for raising money to climate & environmental projects so as to encourage sustainability. It is comparatively an attractive investment than a comparable taxable bond, as it provides tax incentives such as tax exemption and tax credits.

7) DRDO develops bio suit “Personal Protective Equipment”
•A bio suit named as “Personal Protective Equipment” has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The bio suit has been fabricated by DRDO to keep the medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the deadly virus. The DRDO is also trying to ensure the production of bio suits in large numbers. DRDO is seeking biosuits to serve as robust line of defence for the medics, paramedics and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19.

 About “Personal Protective Equipment”:

 •The “Personal Protective Equipment” has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). To fabricate the bio suit, the scientists at various DRDO laboratories have applied their technical knowledge and expertise in various areas such as textile, coating and nanotechnology. This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is having specific type of fabric with coating. The bio suit is subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood as per the criteria defined for body suits by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

8) India’s Naval Dockyard designs low-cost temperature sensor gun
•Indian Navy’s Naval Dockyard in Mumbai has designed and developed its own handheld infrared-based temperature sensor gun for the screening of personnel in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the virus, temperature guns and non-contact thermometers have become scarce in the country.

 •The sensor gun is to be used to check the personnel entering at the gates of the yard. They will help fight against virus more efficiently. The instrument was manufactured at less than Rs 1000. The manufacturing cost is a fraction of the instruments used in the market. The accuracy of the temperature gun is 0.2 degree Celsius. The temperature gun has a LED display and an infrared sensor.

 What is Infrared Thermometer?

 •The IR thermometer like the one made by the dockyard uses the lens to focus infrared light. It works on a principle called Black body radiation. The IR thermometer has a detector that concentrates these IR rays from the hot body. If the rays are more, the detector generates a higher current. Higher the current means the temperature of the body is high.
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