? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the complete lockdown of the entire nation, as part of government’s stringent efforts to tackle coronavirus disease Covid-19. The entire country will be under lockdown from 25 March 2020. This lockdown will be in place for 21 days.
? The International Monetary Fund has launched a policy tracker to keep a track of policies responses by different governments to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
? The ‘International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members’ was observed on March 25, 2020. This is observed to express solidarity with hundreds of men and women who have lost their lives while working for the UN since its inception in 1945.
? International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed annually on 24th March every year. This day is observed on 24th March every year to pay tribute to “Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero” as he was murdered on 24 March 1980.
? The Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the MoU signed between India and Germany in February 2020 for technological cooperation in railway sector.
? The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo Olympic organizers agreed to move the Tokyo Games to 2021. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the head of the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a year in an extraordinary move, unprecedented in peacetime, as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.
? Sameer Aggarwal has been elevated as the CEO of Walmart India, succeeding Krish Iyer who is set to retire on March 31.
? The Election Commission of India has deferred the Rajya Sabha elections amid rising risk of rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic. Elections to 18 seats of Rajya Sabha were scheduled to be held on 26 March 2020.
? Four asteroids are headed towards Earth, as per NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). They include 2020 FV4, 2020 FP, 2012 XA133 and 2020 FV3. Among them, 2012 XA133 is 1,280-foot wide, even bigger than Paris’s Eiffel Tower, and can reportedly destroy an entire city if it hits the Earth.
? Headquarters of International Olympic Committee is in Lausanne, Switzerland.
? HRD Ministry’s National Book Trust has launched a new initiative called #StayHomeIndiaWithBooks initiative to encourage people to read books while staying at home.
? The Election Commission has allowed health officials to use indelible ink to identify people who have been home quarantined.
? Haryana government is planning to take help of mothers of children to encourage their children towards sports. Seven departments including sports, women and child development are working to give a new direction to this social innovation.
? Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced insurance cover worth Rs. 50 lakh per person for all employees working in the medical field for next three months.
? Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana on March 26, 2020. Under the scheme, 80 crore poor people will be given 5 kg wheat or 5 kg rice for 3 months. Apart from this, one kg of pulses will also be given.