The Government of India, Government of Himachal Pradesh and the World Bank signed a $80 million loan agreement to improve water management practices and increase agricultural productivity in selected Gram Panchayats (Village Councils) in Himachal Pradesh.
It will be implemented in 428 Gram Panchayats in 10 districts.
World Health Organization has characterised the new coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged world governments to urgently scale up their response to the novel coronavirus if they are to stand a chance of stemming its spread.
WHO Director-General: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Japan unveiled 2nd package of measures worth $4-b in spending to cope with the result of the coronavirus outbreak, focussing on support to small & mid-sized firms, as concerns mount about risks to the fragile economy. Japan’s central bank is Bank of Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister- Shinzo Abe.
US will give individuals, and small and mid-sized businesses a three-month tax holiday to try to fight the economic impact of the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump said. It will also give affected companies $50 billion more in low-interest loans.
Deferring taxes could put another $200-b into the U.S. economy.
Amidst rising coronavirus cases in India, Barclays warned that preventive measures like mass quarantines can dent the already sagging economic growth by as much as 2% points. Barclays estimates that low crude prices will aid growth by as much as 0.5%.
Barclays is a British brokerage company.
Britain launched a 30 billion-pound economic stimulus plan just hours after the Bank of England slashed interest rates, a double-barrelled package aimed at warding off the risk of a coronavirus recession. Boris Johnson is the British Prime Minister.
Capital of United Kingdom- London.
HSBC has appointed a new chief executive for China, a major focus for the bank, the latest in a series of senior management changes. Mark Wang, head of HSBC's China investment banking business, will become China CEO. HSBC interim group CEO is Noel Quinn.
HSBC was formed on 3 March 1865.
The main national event for the International Day of Yoga will be held at Leh this year. The event, which is held on the 21st of June every year, will be led by PM Narendra Modi. A 45-minute yoga drill based on Common Yoga Protocol is the highlight.
International Day of Yoga- June 21.
To celebrate the second anniversary of POSHAN Abhiyaan, 2020 Poshan Pakhwada is being celebrated in Nagaland. The focus area of Poshan Pakhwada 2020 is “Men for Nutrition - Increasing Male Engagement in POSHAN Abhiyaan to Improve Nutritional Indicators”.
POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8 March 2018.
Ministry of Railways have entrusted the work of redevelopment of New Delhi Railway station to Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) under Public Private Partnership mode. Station redevelopment projects at this scale in PPP mode are first of its kind.
Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry- Piyush Goyal.
Supreme Court instructed to provide a Medical Box containing lifesaving medicines, equipment’s, oxygen cylinder etc. at all Railway stations & passenger carrying trains. Mission Zero Accident was one of the Missions announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17.
UMLC and TCAS are the two sub-missions of Mission Zero Accident.
Amul has extended support to dairy cooperatives in Jammu and Kashmir to help the region achieve self-sufficiency in dairy products. J&K Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu has signed 35 MoUs worth Rs 2,641 crore with Gujarat-based companies and organisations.
Amul partnered with J&K Milk Producers Cooperative Ltd (JKMPCL).
The CCI approves the acquisition by Greenko Mauritius in Teesta Urja Limited, under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. Approval relates to the acquisition by Greenko of approximately 35% equity stake in the paid-up equity share capital of TUL.
Greenko Mauritius is an investment holding company.
National Institute of Technology, Warangal, and Pre-engineered Structures Society have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to work together for research & knowledge sharing. They will work together and promote new technologies and skill upgradation.
PSI is fast adopting itself into the construction sector.
An amount of Rs 5,275.24 Cr remained unspent under MPLAD scheme as on March 4, 2020. Under the MPLAD scheme, each MP has the choice to suggest to the District Collector for development works to the tune of Rs 5 Cr/ annum to be taken up in his constituency.
MPLAD- Members of Parliament Local Area Development.
CCI approves acquisition of additional equity shares in Hero FinCorp Ltd by Otter Limited & Link Investment Trust. Otter is an investment company registered in Mauritius. Link is a private trust registered in India and is engaged in making investments.
Hero FinCorp- Consumer Finance and commercial lending company.
SBI has waived off the maintenance of Average Monthly Balance for all Savings Bank Accounts. At present, savings account holders with SBI are required to maintain an AMB of Rs 3,000, Rs 2,000 & Rs 1,000 in Metro, Semi-Urban and Rural areas, respectively.
SBI also cuts interest rate on savings accounts to 3%.
Gram panchayats in Maharashtra will now allow its members to submit their caste validity certificates within a year of winning elections. At present, a candidate will have to submit his/her caste validity certificate at the time of filing of nominations.
A bill in this regard is passed by the state assembly.
Maharashtra government has approved the implementation of "happy hour" for autorickshaws. A government resolution states that fares will be slashed by 15% between 12 noon and 4 pm. The decision will not be applicable to local taxis & app-based taxis.
Khatua panel recommended the "happy hour".
Large ecosystems, such as Amazon rain forest, may disappear alarmingly quickly, once a critical point in their destruction is reached, according to a study, published in the journal Nature Communications that calls for efforts to protect these habitats.
Amazon spans across eight rapidly developing countries.
World bronze-medallist Manish Kaushik in 63kg category became the ninth Indian boxer to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a win at the Asian Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan. Kaushik beat Commonwealth Games champion, Harrison Garside of Australia for 4-1.
Vikas Krishan signed off with a silver medal in 69 kg category.
World Kidney Day is observed on 2nd Thursday of March and is a joint initiative of the ISN and International Federation of Kidney Foundations. 2020 Theme: "Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere-from Prevention to Detection an Equitable Access to Care".
ISN- International Society of Nephrology.
IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the signing of India's most iconic personality, Amitabh Bachchan, as its 1st ever brand ambassador. His personality resonates IDFC FIRST's brand persona & values pillars,that of Sincerity, Humility & Contemporariness.
Mr. V Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank,
Star Health and Allied Insurance has launched Young Star Insurance policy people aged between 18 and 40 years for their specific healthcare requirements. The policy is available on an individual basis and as a floater plan.
Anand Roy, managing director, Star Health and Allied Insurance.
EIU released the 4th iteration of the Inclusive Internet Index for 100 countries where India overall ranked in 46th place & Sweden in 1st. Index aims to measure the extent to which the Internet is not only accessible & affordable, but also relevant to all.
EIU- Economist Intelligence Unit.
New India Assurance Company(NIACL) announced that Padmaja Chunduru, MD & CEO, Indian Bank, Chennai, has been appointed as Non- Executive, Independent Women Director on the Board of the Company.
NIACL Headquarters: Mumbai
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation stated that the all India Consumer Price Index (CPI), slipped to 6.58% in February following easing food prices, according to data released by the National Statistics Office.
The retail inflation was 7.59% in January 2020.
Facebook India called for applications for its CSR initiative, Facebook Pragati, powered by N/Core (The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation). Facebook Pragati will award four grants of up to ₹50 lakh for each non-profit to scale their work.
Ajit Mohan, Vice-President & Managing Director, Facebook India.
Infosys is partnering with US-based chip maker Qualcomm to offer smart cities solutions through the latter's accelerator programme.The programme connects cities, municipalities, state-run agencies and enterprise with Qualcomm Technologies' ecosysystem.
Salil Parekh CEO and managing director of Infosys.
