Current Affairs Daily Digest – April 08 2020
1. National Maritime Day is celebrated on 5 April in India
National Maritime Day is celebrated on 5 April in India. The day creates awareness to support intercontinental commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one place to another of the world.
Theme:
The theme for the 57th National Maritime Day is “Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet.”
2. Jan Aushadhi Sugam App launched: Essential Medicines home delivered by “Swasth Ke Sipahi”
The Pharmacists of the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra established under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJAP) are delivering essential medicines at the doorsteps of elderly and other patients.
3. China and US bring in aid for India
The United States has announced 2.9 million USD aid for India to fight against COVID-19. Apart from the US, China is to donate more than 1,70,000 Personal Protective Equipment to India.
India-China Currently, there are 3,87,000 PPE kits in the country. The domestic supply of the PPE kits will increase after the kits from China arrive in India. India is also negotiating with Singapore to import around 8 million PPE kits.
4. Krishi Vigyan Kendra: Door Delivery of fish Scheme
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra operating under Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has launched a door delivery scheme in Kerala. Under the scheme, it is providing door delivery of fishes to several households in Kochi city.
The Door Delivery scheme has gained a good response in the Kochi city with average daily supply hitting 510 kg. Under the scheme, the KVK is catering 350 homes. Through this, the institute if earning around Rs 1.6 lakh rupees every day.
5. Damani, Poonawalla only Indian billionaires on Bloomberg list to get richer in 2020
DMart Founder Radhakishan Damani’s net worth has surged 11% this year to $10.7 billion, making him the biggest gainer among the 12 richest Indians whose wealth is tracked by Bloomberg. Serum Institute of India’s Cyrus Poonawalla was the only other Indian tycoon among the 12 whose wealth rose in 2020. Poonawalla’s wealth rose by 2.6% to $8.9 billion this year.
6. Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla dies of coronavirus at 66
The Indian-American community is mourning the death of veteran journalist Brahm Kanchibotla, who died of coronavirus in the US. Kanchibotla, 66, was admitted to a hospital in Long Island on March 28, some five days after he showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus. He died on April 6.
7. SIDBI to provide emergency working capital of up to Rs 1 crore to MSMEs
The Small Industries Development Bank of India – SIDBI has said that it will provide emergency working capital of up to one crore rupees to small and medium enterprises(MSMEs) against their confirmed government orders. The SIDBI Assistance to Facilitate Emergency response against Corona virus – SAFE PLUS will be offered collateral free and disbursed within 48 hours.
8. Jobless rate amid Covid-19 lockdown period hits 23.4%: CMIE
Unemployment rate during March 30-April 5 rose to 23.4 per cent and the labour participation rate fell to 36 per cent, reflecting the impact of lockdown to tackle COVID-19 outbreak, data released by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Tuesday showed. For full month of March, unemployment rose to a 43-month high of 8.7 per cent, while the labour participation rate dropped to 41.9 per cent.
9. James Bond actress Honor Blackman dies at 94 in England
Honor Blackman, the potent British actress who took James Bond’s breath away as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger and who starred as the leather-clad, judo-flipping Cathy Gale in The Avengers, has died. She was 94.
Blackman’s family said in a statement on Monday that she died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, in southeastern England.
10. Kerala sets up kiosks to collect samples
Kerala has developed its own inexpensive kiosks for mass collection of samples from people with symptoms for Covid-19. The kiosk, called walk-in sample kiosk (Wisk), is the first of its kind in India, inspired by similar models deployed in South Korea. Two such kiosks were set up at the government medical college premises in Ernakulam on Monday.
