The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday issued a new list of activities which have been exempted from the nationwide lockdown.

The activities that have been exempted include activities regarding timber/non-timber forest produce, bamboo, coconut, areca nut, cocoa, spices plantations, non-banking financial institutions (NBFC) and cooperative credit societies and construction in rural areas.

As per a notification issued by the chairperson of the National Executive Committee, these activities have been included in the consolidated revised guidelines on lockdown measures.

Collection, harvesting, and processing of minor forest produce (MFP)/ non-timber forest produce (NTFP) by scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers have been exempted from lockdown restrictions.

Harvesting, processing, packaging, sale and marketing activities of bamboo, coconut, areca nut, cocoa, spices plantations have also been spared from lockdown restrictions.

Cooperative credit societies and NBFCs including housing finance companies (HFCs) and micro-finance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) with bare minimum staff will be allowed to function amid the nationwide lockdown.

The constructional activities in rural areas that have been exempted from lockdown include water supply and sanitation, laying/erection of power transmission lines and laying of telecom optical fiber and cable with related activities.

MHA had recently issued a set of guidelines for strict implementation during the extended country-wide lockdown till May 3.

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the online delivery website 'Cghaat' on 16 April. Cghaat will facilitate doorstep delivery of fruits and vegetables during the extended lockdown phase due to contain COVID-19 spread.

Cghaat:
♦ The web portal, cghaat.in, has been developed by Chhattisgarh government's agency Chips. 
♦ The fruit and vegetable vendors who are interested to provide services can register online through this portal.
♦ After registering, they can provide home delivery against online orders placed as soon as they receive Collector's permission. 
♦ Cghaat service is available free of charge to vendors. 
♦ Customers interested in purchasing from the portal can also register free of charge and choose the vendor of their choice. 
♦ Other essential items such as milk, groceries, forest-produce, etc is set to be delivered soon through the portal. 
♦ The portal will come in handy for people who practice physical distancing and will also minimize the chances of crowding at the shops. 

RBI cancels banking license of Mapusa Urban Co-op Bank

Panjim: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, vide order dated April 16, 2020, cancelled the licence of The Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of Goa Ltd, Goa, to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on April 16, 2020. The Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Government of India has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.

The Reserve Bank cancelled the licence of the bank as:
i The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. As such, it does not comply with the provisions of section 11 (1) and section 22 (3) (d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
ii The bank has failed to comply with the requirements of section 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b), 22 (3) (c), 22 (3) (d) and 22 (3) (e) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949;
iii The continuance of the bank is prejudicial to the interests of its depositors;
iv The bank with its present financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full; and
v Public interest would be adversely affected if the bank is allowed to carry on its banking business any further.

The mascot for the 4th Asian Para Games scheduled to be held here from October 9 in 2022 was unveiled on Thursday. The design of ‘Feifei’ is inspired by the motif of the ‘Divine Bird’ in the Liangzhu Culture.

The mascot is the fusion of Hangzhou’s heritage and its drive for technological innovation, carrying the longing for harmonious co-existence between humans and nature. “We are very pleased that the Mascot has been launched so far ahead of the Games in order to start building excitement right across Asia,” Asian Paralympic Committee President Majid Rashed said.

“The mascot helps to bring the Games to life for everyone, from the athletes to the spectators. It’s important therefore that the mascot is attractive and appealing – and ‘Feifei’ is certainly both of those! It is the messenger of sportsmanship, an envoy of culture and a symbol of friendship. These are all very important aspects of the Asian Para Games and we are pleased that they have been incorporated into the mascot’s design.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone the tournament indefinitely owing to the global coronavirus pandemic, as per media reports.

The BCCI made the announcement on Wednesday following a conference call with stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss the same according to a respot by ESPNCricInfo.

The conference call was attended by BCCI's top officials including Sourav Ganguly (President), Jay Shah (Secretary), Brijesh Patel (IPL chairman), Arun Dhumal (BCCI Treasurer) and Hemang Amin (IPL COO).

16 April 2020 Current Affairs:Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the virtual session of the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting on 15 April. The meeting was held under the Saudi Arabian Presidency. The Ministers discussed the global economic outlook amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Highlights:
♦ Saudi Arabia was appreciated for its tireless efforts in delivering on the outcomes as mandated by the G20 Leaders during the Extraordinary Leaders' Summit.
♦ As per the direction, Saudi prepared the G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19.
♦ The Action Plan was prepared with an aim to protect lives, safeguard jobs and incomes. It also included measures to restore confidence, preserve financial stability, revive growth and recover stronger.
♦ The plan included providing help to countries that need assistance, coordinate on public health and financial measures and minimize disruption to the global supply chain.
India:
♦ Finance Minister highlighted the role of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in safeguarding the lives and livelihood of people while maintaining macroeconomic stability in a sustainable manner. 

It has been decided that the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, initially scheduled for June 29 to July 9, 2020, in Fuzhou of eastern China’s Fujian Province, will be postponed to a later date due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s Ministry of Education announced Wednesday.

The decision was made unanimously by the committee’s bureau members, the ministry said in a press release.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the organizing committee of the 44th session, which will be hosted by the Chinese government, has maintained close communication with UNESCO and paid close attention to the impact of the pandemic on the event, it read.

New Delhi: State Bank of India has waived service charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs as well as other bank ATMs. This will be applicable till June 30. The announcement made on the SBI's official website said, "In view of the announcement made by Finance Minister on 24th March, State Bank of India has decided to waive ATM charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs and other bank ATMs on account of exceeding the free number of transactions up to 30th June."

It is worth mentioning that on March 24, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that no charges will be levied on bank customers on cash withdrawal made from any other bank's ATMs for three months i.e. up to June 30. Debit cardholders can withdraw cash from any other banks for free. The decision was taken by the Finance Minister in view of the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The country's largest lender SBI offers eight free transactions to regular savings bank account holders, including five transactions at SBI ATMs and three at other bank ATMs.

In non-metros, such account holders get 10 free transactions, including five at SBI ATMs and five at others. Thereafter, it charges Rs 20 plus GST per financial transaction and Rs 8 plus GST for the non-financial transactions as mentioned on the bank's website.

Tata Power bags Edison Award for social innovation. The company bags the awards for its 'Club Enerji #Switchoff2SwitchOn' campaign. It has brought about 533 participating schools across India, saving over 29.8 million units of power since its inception in 2007.

Tata Power is India's largest integrated power company and has an installed capacity of 10,763 megawatts together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities.

What is Edison Award?

The Edison Awards honours the world's best innovations and innovators. It is to honour excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. The award winners represent products and services, leadership and excellence in innovation around four criteria: Concept, Value, Delivery, and Impact. It is established in 1987 in the memory of Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Digital payments major Paytm on Wednesday said it has named Vineet Arora as the managing director and chief executive officer of Paytm General Insurance Ltd.

The appointment, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is a step for Paytm to further its journey into the insurance sector with an immediate focus on General Insurance, the company said in a statement.

Arora will lead the efforts to provide industry-leading solutions in the general insurance space, where Paytm continues to explore options to enter the sector, it added.

"The financial service solutions that Paytm is building for millions in India are relevant globally as well. With Paytm leading the way I believe just like payments, the general insurance industry would also go through a major transformation going forward," Arora said.