1. North Macedonia joins NATO as 30th Ally
- NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- North Macedonia became NATO’s newest & 30th member,
- NATO Allies signed North Macedonia’s Accession Protocol in February 2019.
- North Macedonia Capital- Skopje,
- Currency- Macedonian denar.
2. National Book Trust to launch Corona Studies Series books
- To provide relevant reading materials for all age-groups for the post-Corona readership needs.
- It will also provide suitable platform to authors and researchers willing to contribute in this genre
- NBT functions under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
3. Govt approves Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting to contain COVID-19
- Insurance Scheme under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for health workers.
- Who are fighting to contain COVID-19.
- The scheme will provide an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for 90 days to around 22.12 lakh public healthcare providers.
- Accidental loss of life due to contracting COVID-19 is added.
4. TRIFED Van Dhan India unleash power of Webinars to Work from Home
- TRIFED = The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India
- Around 500 officials of TRIFED unleashed the power of ‘Webinars’.
- Through ‘Tech for Tribals’ scheme.
- Scheme was launched in March 2020.
- Van Dhan GIS-based website gathered more than 50 lakh people.
5. Covid-19: FDA approves use of convalescent plasma to treat critically ill patients
- The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of plasma from recovered patients to treat people who are critically ill with coronavirus.
- That plasma may contain antibodies to the virus.
- Plasma makes up more than 55% of blood in the human body.
6. Ministry of Defence: One Day Salary to PM-CARES Fund under The Army Act, 1950
- Defence ministry approved the proposal to contribute 1-day salary of the employees to the PM-CARES fund amounting to Rs 500 Cr.
- The Army Act, 1950 allows making such deductions from the salary of the army personnel.
- Only authorized deductions are allowed.
- Defence Personnel are paid under the 7th Central Pay Commission.
7. Covid-19 impact: Govt relaxes rules for withdrawal from EPFO accounts
- Subscribers can withdraw 75% of their savings or up to a maximum of 3 months’ basic pay and dearness allowance from their PF account- whichever is lower.
- Once subscriber withdraws the amount, it cannot be replenished.
8. Coronavirus pandemic: IIT Bombay launches ‘CORONTINE’ to track people escaping quarantine
- These individuals could positive asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19.
- CORONTINE allows to geo-fence and automatically generate alerts.
- It sends text messages and emails if users move out of the zone.
9. Uttar Pradesh: Rs 611 Cr to be transferred in MNREGA labourers accounts
- UP CM : Yogi Adityanath.
- Rs 611 Cr in the accounts of 27.15 lakh MNREGA labourers.
- MGNREGA = Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act)
- MGNREGA was initially implemented as NREGA on 2 February 2006.
10. West Bengal govt launches app to sell fish online
- Name of the app is State Fisheries Development Corporation app.
- App is available in Google Play Store.
- There was a sudden rise in prices of fish due to the lockdown.
11. Rajasthan Foundation Day – March 30 every year
- The ‘Land of Kings’ celebrates Rajasthan Day with radiant and invigorating events.
- The state was earlier known as Rajputana and got its recognition on March 30, 1949.
- Rajasthan comprises the Thar Desert or the Great Indian Desert.
12. Bank of India reduces lending rate by 75 bps
- Bank of India reduced the lending rate linked to external benchmark by 75 basis points, to 7.25%, effective April 1.
- Bank of India Headquarters : Mumbai,
- Chairman : G. Padmanabhan.
13. State Bank of India raises $100 million in green bonds
- Green bonds through private placement.
- This is the bank’s third iteration of green bonds and already has raised such bonds of $700 million.
- RBI releases report on ‘Trend and Progress of Banking in India’.
14. IAAF suspends Indian shot putter Navin Chikara for four years for failing dope test
- IAAF = International Association of Athletics Federations
- Shot putter Navin Chikara was suspended for 4 years by global athletics body’s Athletics Integrity Unit.
- For failing an out-of-competition dope test in 2018.
- Chikara won the silver medal in the 2018 Federation Cup.
15. Samajwadi Party Founding Member Beni Prasad Verma Dies at 79
- Beni Prasad Verma, former Union minister who was considered close to party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav died at the age of 79.
- He was the telecom minister between 1996-98 in the then PM HD Deve Gowda’s cabinet.
- He was the steel minister in the Congress-led UPA government.
16. America’s civil rights leader Joseph Lowery passed away at 98
- Rev. Joseph Lowery, a leader in America’s civil rights movement, died at the age of 98.
- He served nearly half a century as a pastor.
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