1.Economy
South Asia Economic Focus 2020 released by World Bank
The report is a twice a year regional update
The current report anticipates a sharp economic slump in each of the region’s eight countries
The lowest regional growth in 40 years is expected due to COVID-19 and its spillover effects.
Quick facts : Hans Timmer is the World Bank Chief Economist for the South Asia Region
2.National Affairs
SWAYAM MOOC portal for NIOS live sessions
National Institute for Open Learning will be using government’s MOOC portal, SWAYAM, for live Skype sessions
These sessions will be held jointly with KVS, NVS, CBSE and NCERT.
3.Science and Technology
CovidGyan: Science-based website on COVID 19 launched
CovidGyan is a multi-institutional, multi-lingual science communication initiative.
It will bring factual information about the disease into public domain
It is a joint initiative of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC).
4.Miscellaneous
AIIMS-Rishikesh sets up India’s 1st remote health monitoring system
AIIMS-Rishikesh, in partner with BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) has set up India’s first remote health monitoring system
It will be used to monitor COVID-19 patients in Uttarakhand
Quick facts : Headquarters of BEL is in Bengaluru
5.Economy
Birupaksha Mishra appointed Executive Director of Union Bank of India
Birupaksha Mishra has been appointed as Executive Director of Union Bank of India
Prior to this, he was executive director of Corporation Bank.
Quick facts : Union Bank of India has been amalgamated with Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank
6.Economy
YES Bank extends bancassurance partnership with Max Life Insurance
YES Bank has extended its strategic bancassurance partnership with Max Life Insurance.
The tie-up has been extended for 5 more years.
Quick facts : Bancassurance is partnership aimed at offering insurance products or insurance benefits to the bank’s customers
7.Science and Technology
Indo-US S&T forum for collaborative research on COVID-19
IUSSTF, an Indo-US science forum has invited proposals for research on the pandemic
Proposals will be accepted from scientists and engineers from India and US
The initiative is called COVID-19 Indo-US Virtual Networks
Quick facts : IUSSTF stands for Indo-US Science and Technology Forum
8.Science and Technology
AIM’s, NITI Aayog & NIC jointly launches “CollabCAD”
CollabCAD stands for Collaborative CAD Software.
It is a collaborative network, computer-enabled software system.
It will provide Indian students and youth a total engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D product design.
Quick facts : Neeta Verma is the Director-General of NIC
