1.Economy
India’s first ‘Kisan Rail’ begins services
India’s first ‘Kisan Rail’ will run between Devlali, Maharashtra to Danapur, Bihar.
It will cover 1,519 kilometres in over 31 hours
It will be used to transport perishable goods.
2.Person in News
Pradeep Kumar Joshi becomes new chairman of UPSC
Pradeep Kumar Joshi has served as the chairman of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commissions, as well as a member of the UPSC
He will succeed Arvind Saxena as the Chairman of UPSC
His tenure will be till May 12, 2021
Quick Fact: The headquarters of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is in New Delhi
3.Person in News
G.C. Murmu becomes new Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed as the 14th Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India
He was previously serving as the Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor
He will be replacing Rajiv Mehrishi as the CAG
Quick Fact: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is an authority established by Article 148 of the Constitution of India
4.Miscellaneous
Karnataka launches India’s First Mobile COVID-19 testing lab
Karnataka has launched India’s first Mobile COVID-19 testing lab of India in Bengaluru
It has been developed by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and approved by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
The Mobile Infection Testing and Reporting (MITR) lab can conduct 9,000 RT-PCR tests per month with 100% accuracy within 4 hours
5.Environment
Mauritius declares emergency over oil spill
Mauritius has declared an environmental emergency due to an oil spill caused by a stranded Japanese owned ship
The oil spill has put around 1 to 3 million lives at risk
The nation has asked France for help, since the French Island of Reunion, the largest military base of France, is the closest to Mauritius
Quick Fact: Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius
