22nd May Most Important News

PM Modi to undertake aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake an aerial survey of "cyclone-hit" areas on Friday, official sources said.A powerful cyclone Amphan tore into West Bengal, leaving 72 people dead and thousands homeless, battering several parts of the state and washing away bridges and swamping low-lying areas.No stone will be left unturned in helping those affected by cyclone 'Amphan', PM Narendra Modi said on Thursday. The cyclone has left at least 12 people dead. "In this challenging hour, the entire nation stands in solidarity with West Bengal. Praying for the well-being of the people of the state. Efforts are on to ensure normalcy," he tweeted.

Ticket reservation counters to open at select railway stations from May 22

The railways will open its reservation counters at select stations for booking of only reserved tickets from May 22, the Railway Board said in an order on Thursday. It said it will also allow reservation of reserved tickets from common service centres and through ticketing agents with effect from Friday. The zonal railways will open centres as per local needs.

India rejects China's allegations that troops trespassed across LAC

India on Thursday rejected China's allegations that Indian troops crossed over to the Chinese side of the frontier in Ladakh and Sikkim, asserting that New Delhi has been taking responsible approach towards border management. External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said it was the Chinese side that recently undertakook activities hindering India's normal patrols in the border management.

India becomes world's second largest manufacturer of PPE coveralls

India has become the world's second largest manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) body coveralls within a short time span of two months, the government said on Thursday. China is the world's leading producer of PPE body coveralls, crucial to safeguard against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fare control to 1 check-in bag: Govt issues SOPs for domestic flights

A day after announcing resumption of domestic commercial passenger flights from May 25, the civil aviation ministry on Thursday issued detailed guidelines for airlines, airports, passengers and other stakeholders. The ministry said it will prescribe lower and upper limit on air fares and airlines will have to adhere to it "during the period of Covid-19 pandemic".Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that a minimum and maximum fare for three months has been set for the domestic flight services, which resume from May 25."We have set a minimum and a maximum fare. In the case of Delhi and Mumbai the minimum fare would be Rs 3,500 for a journey between 90-120 minutes. The maximum fare would be Rs 10,000.

Policeman killed, another injured in terror attack in J&K's Pulwama

A policeman was killed and another injured when terrorists opened fire at a security forces' patrol party in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Thursday, officials said. The incident took place in the afternoon near Perchoo bridge where a joint patrol of the CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir police was ensuring law and order situation, they said.

12 killed as cyclone Amphan batters Bengal at 165kmph

Barrelling in from the Bay of Bengal with wind speeds of up to 185kmph, severe cyclonic storm Amphan on Wednesday cut a swathe through northern Odisha before bearing down on West Bengal, where it claimed 10 to 12 lives, flattened houses and cast aside trees and electricity poles like matchsticks in six-and-a-half hours of monstrous fury that left Kolkata and most of south Bengal pulverised. Bang in the middle of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, Kolkata was left battered and bruised when Cyclone Amphan — the strongest storm in recent memory — passed through it like a rampaging T-Rex, snapping power lines, shattering windowpanes, uprooting trees and iron gates and making high-rises shake.

Other News

• Zubair Iqbal who is a senior vice president of HDFC, has been appointed as the managing director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the period of three-year. Also, R K Chibber has been reappointed as the chairman of J&K Bank, who is currently the MD & CEO of J&K Bank.’

• International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences (SCTIMST) have developed next-generation Iron-Manganese (Fe-Mn) based alloys for biodegradable metal implants.

• Madhya Pradesh launches "Charan Paduka" campaign for the migrant labourers passing through the state. The campaign was started from the Rau Police Station of Indore and has spread in many cities like Damoh, Umaria and Sagar.

• 'Jayatu Jayatu Bharatam - Vasudev Kutumbakkam' song has been composed by 211 singers to increase the nations will power and evoke the spirit of self-reliance in the current pandemic.

• Rajesh Goel has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO). Headquarter of NAREDCO: New Delhi.

• Canara Bank has launched special gold loans business vertical to help customers. The loan will be facilitated at 7.85% interest rate per annum and are payable for a period of 1 to 3 years with flexible repayment options.

• Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare attended the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) through Video Conference.73rd WHA was based on the information, measures and future health concern related to COVID-19.

• National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has released a report showing the 42,259 Undertrial prisoners release during the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the report, highest number of undertrial prisoners released were 9,977 in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 5,460 in Rajasthan, 4,547 in Tamil Nadu, 3,698 in Punjab and 3,400 in Maharashtra.

• Kotak Mahindra Bank is all set to allow video Know your customer (KYC) facility for all the customers opening savings accounts on the banks digital banking platform ‘Kotak 811’. After this, it becomes 1st bank in India to provide such feature. KMB Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar has been conferred with the 2019 Alexander Dalrymple Award for his outstanding contribution to Indian hydrography and across Indian Ocean region.

• World Bee Day was observed on 20th May every year to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem.

• Govinda Rajulu Chintala has been appointed as the chairman of NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). Headquarter of NABARD: Mumbai.

• Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' (HRD Minister) has launched IGNOU's Online MA Hindi Programme through Facebook Live session strengthening ‘Padhe India’ initiative. It will go live on IGNOU’s Gyan Darshan TV Channel, Gyan Dhara, and Facebook page.

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) has been approved by the cabinet with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore. Central share will be 9,407 crore rupees, State share of Rs. 4,880 crore and bene_ciaries' share of Rs 5,763 crore.

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