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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 05 May 2020

::NATIONAL::

Government to bring in Indian nationals stranded abroad

Government of India will facilitate the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad on compelling grounds in a phased manner. Indian Embassies and High Commissions are preparing a list of distressed Indian citizens and the travel will begin in a phased manner from 7th of this month. The travel will be arranged by aircraft and naval ships.
In a statement, Home Ministry said, this facility will be made available on payment-basis and non-scheduled commercial flights will be arranged for air travel. Medical screening of passengers will be done before taking the flight and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to travel.
During the journey, all these passengers will have to follow the protocols of Health and Civil Aviation Ministries.
On reaching the destination, everyone will have to register on the ArogyaSetu app. The Indian nationals will also be medically screened and after that they will be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned State government.
Their COVID test will be done after 14 days and further action will be taken according to health protocols. The Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation will soon share detailed information about it. State Governments are being advised to make arrangements, including for testing, quarantine and onward movement of the returning Indians in their respective areas.

Government set to mobilize NGO’s to combat COVID and help migrant workers

During the briefing, Chairman of the Empowered Group 6 presented how the Group has been engaging with Civil Society Organizations, NGOs, Industry and International Organisations to combat COVID-19 and galvanize action on various fronts.
He said,the group has mobilized more than 92 thousand NGOs and civil society organizations, appealing them to assist states and districts in identifying hotspots, helping migrant workers and other needy people.
He said, Aspirational Districts Programme piloted by NITI Aayog has been a big success in uplifting lives of millions in 112 most backward districts. He informed that there are 610 cases in these districts which is fairly low and it is less than 2 per cent of the national level.
He also said, tele-medicine feature has been incorporated in the AarogyaSetu App and about 19 millions installations have been made so far.

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::ECONOMY::.

Centre to focus on MSME agro policy

Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises-MSME NitinGadkari today informed that his Ministry is working on bringing out an Agro MSME Policy. He said, it will focus on entrepreneurship development in rural, tribal, agricultural and forest areas for manufacturing of products using local raw material.
Mr Gadkariwas speaking during meetings held via video conferencing with the representatives of SME Chamber of India, SME Export Promotion Council and representatives of beauty and wellness industry on impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs.
During the meeting, the Minister called upon the industry to ensure that necessary preventive measures are taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He also mentioned that there is a need to focus on export enhancement as well as import substitution to replace foreign imports with domestic production.
He added that industry should focus more on innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology, research skill and experiences to convert the knowledge into wealth.
The Minister recalled that Government of Japan has offered special package to its industries for taking out Japanese investments from China and move elsewhere. He opined that it is an opportunity for India which should be grabbed.

Saras collection platform launched in GeMprtal

Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar launched “The Saras Collection” on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal in New Delhi today.
The Saras Collection showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups (SHGs) and aims to provide SHGs in rural areas with market access to Central and State Government buyers. It is a unique initiative of GeM and the DeenDayalAntyodayaYojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
Under this initiative, the SHG sellers will be able to list their products in 5 product categories, namely handicrafts, handloom and textiles, office accessories, grocery and pantry and personal care and hygiene.
The Rural Development Ministry said that in the first phase, 913 SHGs from 11 States have already registered as sellers and 442 products have been on-boarded.
GeM will provide dashboards for functionaries at the national, state, district and block level to provide them real time information about the number of products uploaded by SHGs, and value and volume of orders received and fulfilled.
In addition, Government buyers shall be sensitized through system generated messages and in the Marketplace about availability of SHG products on the portal. Potential buyers will be able to search, view, cart and procure such products through the stipulated modes of procurement.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

PM addresses NAM summit via videoconferencing

Prime Minister NarendraModi today said the Non Aligned Movement can help promote global solidarity and it must remain inclusive. He said the humanity is facing a major crisis in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and NAM can contribute in dealing with it.
Speaking at virtual Non-Aligned Movement Summit through Video Conferencing this evening, Mr Modi said, the world needs a new template of globalisation post COVID-19 based on fairness, equality and humanity.
He said, during this crisis India has shown how democracy, discipline and decisiveness can come together to create a genuine people's movement.
He added that Indian civilization sees whole world as one family and while caring for its own citizens, New Delhi is also extending help to other countries.
Mr Modi said, India is regarded as pharmacy of the world especially for affordable medicines and despite own needs during COVID 19 pandemic, it has ensured supply of medicines to 123 partner countries including 59 NAM members. He also said the county is active in global efforts to develop remedies and vaccines for COVID-19.

Chinese province launches anti-discrimination policies

China’s southern Guangdong province has launched a raft of anti-discrimination policies targeting businesses and venues after a heavy-handed crackdown on the African community sparked international outrage last month.
Authorities in the provincial capital Guangzhou had started mass testing its African community shortly after a cluster of COVID-19 cases was found in a neighbourhood with a large migrant population, and a wave of reports about discrimination and xenophobia followed.
The new anti-racism rules came after many Africans in Guangzhou said they had been forcibly evicted by police from their accommodation, refused service at shops and restaurants, and were subject to mass coronavirus testing and arbitrary quarantines.
Now, businesses and residential compounds “must implement non-discriminatory service, treat all Chinese and foreigners in Guangdong equally, and firmly oppose any racist or discriminatory speech and behaviour,” according to a media report.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

DRDO develops disinfection tower

Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO has developed an Ultra Violet Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical free disinfection of high infection prone areas.
Defence Ministry said, the equipment named UV blaster is an Ultra violet based area sanitiser designed and developed by Laser Science and Technology Centre.
The UV Blaster is useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.
The product is also effective for areas with large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories and offices.
The equipment has six lamps each with 43 watts of UV-C power. For a room of about 12 x 12 feet dimension, the disinfection time is about 10 minutes and 30 minutes for 400 square feet area by positioning the equipment at different places within the room.

::SPORTS::

Carlsen wins online chess tournament

Living up to his reputation, World champion Magnus Carlsen produced two flawless displays over four games and defeated Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5 to win the $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Sunday.
The triumph was worth $70,000 for Carlsen in the richest online event. Nakamura received $45,000 for his performance in the 16-day competition.The result (final): Magnus Carlsen (Nor) btHikaru Nakamura (USA) 2.5-1.5.

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