Current Affairs - Update of 19.04.2020

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1. MHA issued advisory on secure use of ZOOM

  • The Cyber Coordination Centre, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has issued an advisory on secure use of ZOOM Meeting Platform by private individuals
  • The advisory states that the platform is not for use by Government officers/ officials for official purposes
  • The guidelines have been issued to safeguard private individuals who would still like to use the platform for private purposes.

2. India's GDP growth may fall to 1.1% in FY21

  • India's GDP growth may fall to 1.1% in FY 21 owing to coronavirus crisis, as per a report
  • The nominal GDP for FY21 could be around 4.2% as there is a possibility of subsidies outstripping tax collection, the SBI Ecowrap report said
  • Similarly, the rate of growth in FY20 is expected to fall 4.1% from 5% estimated by several agencies before the COVID-19 outbreak.

3. RBI launched latest round of quarterly survey

  • The Reserve Bank of India on 16 April 2020 launched latest round of quarterly Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey (OBICUS) of manufacturing sector
  • The survey provides valuable input for monetary policy formulation
  • RBI launched the 49th round of survey for the reference period January-March 2020. The RBI has been conducting the survey on a quarterly basis since 2008.

4. India: World's most digitally dexterous nation

  • The Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey found that India is the most digitally dexterous country in the world
  • It is followed by the UK and the US
  • India has the largest Gen Z workforce along with the desire to learn new skills using digital technologies in the workplace
  • 27% of the digital workers in India are skilled experts in digital technology for work purposes.

5. Renewable energy subsidies fell 35%

  • India's renewable energy subsidies fell 35% from 2017-18 to 2018-19, while its oil & gas subsidies increased by 65%
  • This was revealed in a study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
  • The study is titled mapping India's Energy Subsidies 2020.

6. Aarogya Setu: World's highest downloaded app

  • Aaroyga Setu app has reached 50 million downloads just 13 days, making it the world's fastest downloaded app
  • This was announced by NITI Aayog CVEO, Amitabh Kant
  • The app tracks COVID-19 cases around and helps in fighting the virus on an individual level
  • The app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre.

7. ORIX acquire IL&FS's stake in IWPSL

  • Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) has self its 100% stake in IL&FS Wind Power Services Limited (IWPSL) to ORIX Corporation, Japan, for Rs. 6.05 crore
  • IWPSL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IL&FS Energy Development Company (IEDSL), is engaged in providing supervisory and management support services to seven operating wind power generating Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)

8. NASA discovered hidden 'Earth-like' planet

  • Astronomers have found an Earth-size planet in its star's habitable zone
  • A team of transatlantic scientist discovered this exoplanet while they were scanning through old observations data from NASA's Kepler space telescopes which the space agency retired in 2018
  • the planet called Kepler-1649c, located 300 light-years from Earth, is most similar to Earth in size and estimated temperature.

9. ITTF world ranking 2020

  • Achanta Sharath Kamal surpassed compatriot Gnanasekaran Sathiyan to become the highest-ranked Indian men table tennis player
  • He grabbed 31st position in the latest senior men's ranking released by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
  • Sharath has taken a leap of seven spots to claim the 31st position. Meanwhile, in the senior women's ranking, Manika Batra is at the 63rd spot.

10. TVS Motor Company acquired Britain's 'Norton'

  • TVS Motor Company has acquired Britain's iconic sporting motorcycle, 'Norton', in an all-cash deal
  • The brand is renowned for its classic models and eclectic range of luxury motorcycles
  • The brand, which was founded by James Lansdowne Norton, in Birmingham, in 1898 will retain its distinctive identity with dedicated and specific business plans.