🇮🇳 India
– COVID 19: Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, develops ‘Contactless Soap cum Water Dispensing Unit’
– COVID-19: Govt starts Aarogya Setu IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) services to cater to people having feature phone or landline
– CSIR’s IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology), Tata Sons sign agreement for licensing of KNOW-HOW for rapid, accurate diagnosis of COVID-19
– IGIB developed a testing kit for COVID-19 named FELUDA (FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay).
– IIT Alumni council launches “COVID-19 test bus”
📈 ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India saved Rs 89,122 crore through energy efficiency initiatives by BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) in 2018-19: Power Minister R K Singh
– Govt. bans exports of alcohol-based hand sanitizers amid coronavirus pandemic
– Govt. to run awareness campaign in 1 lakh villages to promote use of bio/organic fertilisers and reducing consumption of chemical nutrients
– Govt. to run awareness campaign for promoting use of bio/organic fertilisers and reducing consumption of chemical soil nutrients
✔ PETROL, DIESEL DUTY HIKE
– Centre hikes duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 and Rs 13 per litre respectively.
– Retail prices will see no change as the price hike will be absorbed by oil marketing companies against the fall in crude prices
– Road & Infrastructure Cess was hiked by Rs 8 for both petrol and diesel
– Special additional excise duty (SAED) was hiked by Rs 2 per litre and Rs 5 per litre for petrol and diesel respectively
🗾 State
– West Bengal government allows home delivery of liquor, launches website for ordering
– Haryana levying “COVID Cess” on all types of liquor from May 6
– Govt appoints Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj as Director on Reserve Bank Central Board
– Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury reappointed PAC chairperson