Current Affairs Daily Digest – May 06 2020
1. Operation “Samudra Setu” launched by Indian Navy
The Indian Navy launched Operation “Samudra Setu” to bring back the Indians that are stranded in Maldives. They are stranded in the foreign land due to the grounding of airlines. Samudra Sethu means Sea Bridge.
2. Himachal Pradesh to launch Nigah Scheme
Himachal Pradesh State Government is to launch the “Nigah” Scheme to properly sensitize and educate family members of people coming from other states so that social distancing is effectively maintained. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
3. Kim Jong Un awarded with commemorative WWII medal by Russia
The Russian embassy in North Korea on May 5 announced that Kim Jong Un has been awarded commemorative World War II medal by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The North Korean leader was awarded the medal for preserving the memories of Soviet Union soldiers who died in North Korean territory during the war.
The event marked the 75th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany during World War II which took place from 1939 to 1945.
4. Unemployment rate in India reaches 27.11% amid COVID-19 pandemic: CMIE
Centre for Monitoring India Economy (CMIE) has shown data that reports the unemployment rate in India has reached 27.11% for the week ending on May 3 from the level of 6.74% in the week that ended on March 15, 2020.
Since the government has suspended all the economic activities to combat the spread of COVID-19, the unemployment rate in India has spiked tremendously.
5. Pulitzer Prize 2020: Three photojournalists from J&K win the prize
Three photojournalists from Jammu & Kashmir have won Pulitzer Prize 2020 in feature photography. Yasin Dar, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand who won the top honours have been working with Associated Press (AP).
The awards were announced virtually on May 5. Their coverage in the J&K region during government-imposed restrictions as a move to end Jammu & Kashmir’s special status was recognized through this prestigious award.
6. Standard Chartered Bank appoints Kusal Roy as head of retail banking
Standard Chartered Bank India said it has appointed Kusal Roy as its head of retail banking. Roy has over 25 years of experience in retail banking, payments industry and the non-banking financial company (NBFC) sector.
Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, he was the managing director and chief executive at Tata Capital Financial Services Ltd. During his career, Roy has held various senior roles in ICICI Bank, Barclays Bank and Citibank India.
7. Sanjay Kumar Jha to assume charge as Midhani CMD
Ministry of Defence, through a Presidential Order, has appointed Dr Sanjay Kumar Jha, Director (Production and Marketing) of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (Midhani) as its Chairman and Managing Director.
Jha has served in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for more than 27 years. In the field of atomic energy, he has been credited with several technological innovations like processing of nuclear materials of different grades such as alloy.
8. Krishnan Ramachandran becomes new MD & CEO of Max Bupa
Max Bupa Health Insurance has appointed Krishnan Ramachandran as its new managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO). He will replace Ashish Mehrotra. Prior to this, he served as the CEO of Apollo Munich Health Insurance. He has over 23 years of experience in health insurance, healthcare and life sciences segments.
9. WhatsApp Pay to Launch in India by May-End With 3 Banks on Board: Report
WhatsApp Pay is set to go live as early as by the end of the month, according to a report. The payments service by the instant messaging app, which is currently under beta testing, is said to be launched initially in partnership with three private banks, namely Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank, while public sector State Bank of India (SBI) will join at a later stage. At present, WhatsApp Pay allows transactions based on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) via ICICI Bank.
10. Nabard disburses Rs 12,767cr to state coop banks, RRBs
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) said it has disbursed Rs 12,767 crore to state cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs) for onlending to famers.
The loans are being offered for a year at 4.8% interest, it said. The loan has been disbursed under a refinance scheme by Nabard from its own resources and was given this week, it said. — PTI
