Title Daily Current Affairs Capsule 17th May 2020

Title
Daily Current Affairs Capsule
            Title2020
       17th May

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day: 17 May

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is observed to raise awareness about the use of
technology and the importance it plays in the current scenario.

      The world is connected despite being geographically distant because today we can connect to each other
       at any time using the technology.
      The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2020 is “Connect 2030: ICTs for
       the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
      May 17 is celebrated as the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, as it marks the
       anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the
       International Telecommunication Union.

International Day of Living Together in Peace: 17 May

International Day of Living Together in Peace is observed every year on 17 May.

      In 2017, the United Nations declared this Day to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and
       solidarity across the world.
      The Day aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to
       build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.

Germany outlaws flag burning as a form of protest

Germany has banned flag burning as a manner of protest; designating this as an act to "stir up hatred, anger and
aggression."

      The Bundestag (German parliament) passed a law making burning of flags of foreign countries a
       punishable offense, as per this law violators can receive up to three years imprisonment.
      Incidents of Israeli national flag being burnt on the streets of Berlin, and the European Union flag being
       publically set ablaze by Euro-sceptics spurred lawmakers to pass this legislation.
      They claimed that the legislation interfered with the citizen's freedom of expression and artistic creativity.

Government allocates Rs 40,000 crore more for MGNREGS

The government announced an additional Rs 40,000 crore allocation for the rural employment guarantee scheme
to help provide jobs to migrant workers returning home.

      Announcing the fifth and final tranche of the economic stimulus package, Finance Minister Nirmala
       Sitharaman said the allocation for MGNREGS is being increased by Rs 40,000 crore over and above the
       Rs 61,000 cr budgeted earlier.

   Also, borrowing limit of states has been raised from 3 percent of Gross State Domestic Product to 5 percent
       in 2020-21.

Cyclone Amphane to intensify into severe cyclonic storm

The India Meteorological Department has warned that the cyclonic storm Amphan is likely to intensify into a
severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours and into a very severe cyclonic storm.

      Weathermen have warned of heavy rain in Odisha and West Bengal under its impact.
      The coastal districts of Gangetic West Bengal, including North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, East and
       West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly will experience heavy rain.
      The fishermen in Odisha have been asked not to venture into the deep sea in view of the impending
       cyclone.

President Ram Nath Kovind decides to forego 30% of his salary for a year

In a bid to make more resources available for coronavirus COVID-19 relief measures, President Ram Nath Kovind
has decided to forego 30 percent of his salary for a year.

      The President took the step after contributing one month’s salary to the PM-CARES Fund in March.
      President Kovind has given instructions to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to set an example by economising the
       expenditure, making optimal usage of resources, and dovetailing the saved money to combat COVID-19
       and mitigate the people’s economic plight.

Kerala brings Mission Grand Care to spread message of elderly safety

In Kerala, as the COVID-19 preventive measures enter the next stage, a new Mission Grand Care is being
launched, spreading the message of elderly safety across the state.

      The Kudumbasree Mission, had launched the scheme of Grand Care a massive awareness programme,
       prioritizing the safety and care of the elderly in the state and those arriving from abroad and other places.
      Kudumbasree, the women Self-Help Group is the pillar of COVID-19 awareness activities in the state
       from the beginning.
      This special campaign aims at a social change that prioritizes the well being of self and others, which is
       the need of the hour.

Operation Greens to be extended to all fruits, vegetables

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that Operation Green will be expanded with an additional
fund of Rs 500 crore and extended from tomatoes, onions and potatoes to all fruits and vegetables.

      The scheme will feature a 50% subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets and 50%
       subsidy on storage, including cold storage.
      It will be piloted for six months and expanded and extended thereafter.
      It looks at bringing better price realisation to farmers, reducing wastage and affordability of products for
       consumers.

NDMA launches online dashboard for tracking migrants’ movements

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed an online dashboard - National Migrant
Information System (NMIS) on the existing NDMA-GIS portal.

      The portal will maintain a central repository and help the sending as well as receiving State/district to ask
       for and give their acceptance in an online format seamlessly.
      It has been launched to capture the information regarding movement of migrants and facilitate their
       smooth movement across States.
      This system will help in speedy communication between States without creating additional work at the
       level of the field officers.
      This system will allow States to upload a batch file of individual data on the portal.
      As many States have already collected migrant data, this can be integrated through Application
       Programming Interface (API).

FDI limit in defence sector raised to 74%

In a major step towards opening the Indian defence manufacturing sector, the government permitted foreign
companies to have a majority stake in Indian defence companies through the automatic route.

      It also announced that the government-owned Ordnance Factory Board would be corporatized.
      Defence FDI cap through the automatic route is being raised from 49 per cent to 74 percent subject to
       security clearances.

Rajesh Goel appointed as director general of NAREDCO

Realtors body National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) has appointed Rajesh Goel as director
general (DG) of the association.

      Earlier, Goel was serving as the chairman and managing director, Hindustan Prefab Ltd.
      Rajesh Goel is a professional with over 37 years of experience in leading PSUs under the Ministry of
       Housing and Urban Affairs, superannuated in November 2019 as the chairman and managing director of
       Hindustan Prefab Ltd.
      NAREDCO and CREDAI are the two major associations of real estate developers across the country.

Zubair Iqbal appointed MD J-K Bank

The Jammu and Kashmir administration approved the appointment of senior vice president of HDFC Bank Zubair
Iqbal as the new managing director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

      R K Chibber will continue as the bank''s chairman for the next three years.
      Iqbal will have a three-year tenure.
      In another order, Chibber, who is currently MD and Chairman of J&K bank, has been reappointed as the
       chairman for the period of three years.
      Both of them were appointed as director and nominee of the government in the J&K Bank Board.
      The RBI had extended the tenure of Chibber as MD of the bank for a period of three months in April.