? Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman represented India in the virtual session of the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting.
? The Reserve Bank of India has reduced the fixed Reverse Repo Rate by 25 basis points from 4 percent to 3.75 percent with immediate effect, Policy Repo rate is however unchanged.
? Africa could see 300,000 deaths from the COVID-19 virus this year even in the best-case scenario, according to a new UN report that was released on April 17, 2020. The report states that in the worst-case scenario with no interventions, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections and in the best-case scenario, the continent will see more than 122 million infections.
? The Department of Science and Technology has rolled out an Integrated Geospatial Platform known as “SAHYOG” to help in decision making during the present COVID-19 outbreak.
? The Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched Kisan Rath Mobile App to facilitate transportation of foodgrains and perishables during lockdown. This mobile application is developed by the National Informatics Centre to facilitate farmers and traders in searching transport vehicles for movement of Agriculture and Horticulture produce.
? The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has been postponed. It was scheduled to be held in Fuzhou, China.
? World Hemophilia Day is celebrated every year on April 17, 2020. The day’s theme this year is “Get + Involved virtually and stay safe”.
? Algerian writer Abdelouahab Aissaoui has won the 13th International Arab fiction prize 2020 for his novel ‘The Spartan Court’.
? The Delhi Government launched “Assess Koro Na” application on April 17, 2020 to conduct door to door survey. The application has been launched in all COVID-19 containment zones in the national capital.
? State Bank of India has made an announcement that the bank will waive service charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs and on the other bank ATMs on account of exceeding the free number of transactions up to 30th June 2020.
? Chess Legend and five-time World champion, Viswanathan Anand has been appointed as the new Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India’s Environment Education programme. He will support wildlife conservation and educate children across the country on issues related to the environment.
? The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has developed a low-cost diagnostic test kit to detect COVID-19 virus called ‘Chitra Gene LAMP-N’. The innovative test kit is cheaper and faster and could be a major breakthrough.
? RBI launches latest round of quarterly order books, inventories and capacity utilisation survey (OBICUS) of manufacturing sector.
? Mobile phones, televisions, refrigerators, laptops and stationary items will be allowed to be sold through e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart.
? India on April 17, 2020 lifted the restriction imposed on the export of formulations made from Paracetamol. The government had imposed a ban on March 3rd. The export of 26 pharma ingredients and medicines were restricted then.
? Chess player Viswanathan Anand joins World Wide Fund India as its ambassador for environment education programme.