Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 August 2020

::NATIONAL::

Central government plans to launch national clinical registry for COVID-19

The Government is set to launch a National Clinical Registry for COVID-19. The main objective of this registry is to collect real time clinical data which will help in evidence based clinical practice, research, formulation of guidelines and policy making.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences have proposed to establish a COVID-19 clinical registry for data collection from 100 hospitals across the country.
The duration of the study will be one year and any COVID-19 lab confirmed and hospitalized patient will be enrolled.
ICMR invited a letter of intent from institutions, hospitals identified as dedicated COVID Hospitals and COVID Health Centres to establish this registry.This study is aimed at collecting data regarding clinical and laboratory features, treatments and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India.

Government to bring in newsletter showcasing all policy as well as political moves

The information & broadcasting ministry is working on bringing out a fortnightly newsletter to showcase all policy and political moves of the government.A draft of the ‘New India Samachar’ has almost finalised the stories that the inaugural issue could feature.
These include the National Education Policy as a step to make India a knowledge society on the cover, the Bhumipujan for the Ram Temple as "a dream of billions and a glorious chapter for the country", Prime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Ladakh to meet soldiers injured in the combat with Chinese soldiers in June, the arrival of the multi-role combat jet Rafale giving India's air power a strategic edge and a report on the government's battle against Covid-19.
The newsletter would be distributed at many levels, including in rural India, district-level bodies, government libraries and among lawmakers. A team at the ministry is already working on the dry runs of the publication and getting launch processes done with the Registrar of Newspapers.
The government is restructuring its media strategy to focus more on digital communication and a direct outreach with the people, an official said, adding that the newsletter "will keep people connected with the government and whatever it does".

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::ECONOMY::

RBI decides to leave policy rates unchanged at 4%

RBI governor Dr.Shaktikanta Das today said that the apex bank's monetary policy committee has decided to unanimously leave the policy repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent. He added that RBI will continue with the accommodative stance of monetary policy as long as necessary to revive growth, mitigate the impact of COVID-19, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward.
In an address after the conclusion of the three day MPC meeting today via video conferencing, Dr.Das said the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate remain unchanged at 4.25 per cent.
He said, the reverse repo rate stands unchanged at 3.35 per cent. He said the MPC’s assessment is that the global economic activity has remained fragile and in retrenchment in the first half of 2020.
The RBI Governor said the headline CPI inflation, which was at 5.8 per cent in March 2020, was placed at 6.1 per cent in the provisional estimates for June 2020.
He said given the uncertainty surrounding the inflation outlook and extremely weak state of the economy in the midst of an unprecedented shock from the ongoing pandemic, the MPC decided to keep the policy rate on hold, while remaining watchful for a durable reduction in inflation to use available space to support the revival of the economy.

RBI to broaden scope of priority sector lending

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday decided to broaden the scope of priority sector lending (PSL) by including start-ups and enhancing borrowing limits for renewable energy sectors.
The central bank would also increase the targets for lending to ‘small and marginal farmers’ and ‘weaker sections’ under the PSL. Eligible entities get access to credit on easier terms from banks under the PSL.
Banks are required to assign 40% of adjusted net bank credit or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure, whichever is higher, to priority sector, including agriculture and micro-enterprises, it said.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India rejects Chinese move on Kashmir at UNSC

A day after China prompted the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the Kashmir issue in a closed-door meeting, India “firmly” rejected the Chinese initiative and reiterated that Kashmir is a domestic issue. Veteran diplomats demanded that South Block launch a campaign to remove Kashmir from the agenda of the council.
The Chinese move came on the first anniversary of the dilution of Article 370, which led to the creation of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and ended the special status for the region.
China attempted a similar move in January this year as well, but it did not attract sufficient support from the UNSC members. The frequency of such attempts by China has prompted diplomats to highlight the unequal nature of the UN organ, where the agenda is set by the permanent members (P5) of the UNSC.
Following Wednesday’s development at the UNSC, India’s Permanent Representative at the U.N., T.S. Tirumurti, described the move as an “attempt by Pakistan” that failed.
“In today’s meeting of U.N. Security Council, which was closed, informal, not recorded and without any outcome, almost all countries underlined that Jammu and Kashmir was bilateral issue and did not deserve the time and attention of the council,” he said.

U.S urges UN members not to support Cuba’s bid to UNHRC

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged UN members not to support Cuba’s bid to join the organisation’s Human Rights Council.
Mr.Pompeo has described Cuba’s sale of medical services, Havana’s main source of foreign exchange, as a form of human trafficking. “No country should vote Cuba onto the council,” he said.
Under President Donald Trump, Washington has reversed an opening with Cuba initiated by former president Barack Obama, hardening a trade embargo in effect since 1962.
Cuba, which sat on the UNHRC in 2014-2016 and 2017-2019, has applied to fill one of the regional vacancies for 2021-2023.
The seats are distributed geographically and are awarded for a period of three years. Members are not eligible for immediate reelection after serving two consecutive terms.
Washington withdrew from the council in 2018, with Ambassador Nikki Haley calling it a “cesspool of political bias” and a “hypocritical and self-serving organisation that makes a mockery of human rights.”

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Centre observes national handloom day today

National Handloom Day is being organised today by the Ministry of Textiles on a virtual platform. Textiles Minister SmritiIrani will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. During the function, handloom clusters across India, NIFT campuses, all the 28 Weaver Service Centres, National Handloom Development Corporation and others will be connected online.
7th August was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on the same date in the year 1905. The objective is to generate awareness about the Handloom Industry among the public and its contribution to socio-economic development.
To mark the occasion and to instil pride in the workmanship of handloom weaving amongst citizens, a social media campaign is planned for the handloom weaving community.
Prime Minister NarendraModi has said, the Handloom and Handicrafts of India encompass a glorious history of hundreds of years.
In his Mann Ki Baat address on All India Radio last month, the Prime Minister urged everyone to use Indian Handloom and Handicrafts as much as possible, and also communicate to more and more people about them. He said, local artisans and weavers will benefit from conversations about the richness and diversity of Indian handloom and handicrafts.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the correct and positive approach always goes a long way in transforming distressing times into opportunities, adversities into triggers of development and progress.

::SPORTS::

ViVo moves out of IPL official sponsorship

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Vivo announced on Thursday that the Chinese firm’s Indian arm will not be the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League’s 2020 edition, set to be played in the United Arab Emirates from September 19 to November 10.
Vivo, which replaced Pepsi as the title sponsor in 2016, had signed a five-season deal from 2018 to 2022 worth a whopping ₹440 crore per edition.

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