Top GKToday’s News Headlines-23 May 2020

UMANG

• 7 services hosted on http://mausam.imd.gov.in web site of IMD onboarded to government’s UMANG Application
• 7 services are: Current Weather, Nowcast, City Forecast, Rainfall Information, Tourism Forecast, Warnings & Cyclone

INDIA

• Over 2 lakhs medical, engineering aspirants downloaded National Test Abyaas App within 72 hours of launch by HRD Ministry’s National Testing Agency (NTA)

MPC

• Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das cuts benchmark lending rate by 40 basis points
• Following the 0.4% reduction, the repo rate has come down to 4% and the reverse repo rate has been cut to 3.35% from 3.75%
• Six-member MPC voted 5:1 in favour of 40 bps cut in interest rate
• Moratorium on loan repayments extended by three more months to August 31, 2020.
• GDP growth in 2020-21 is estimated to remain in the negative territory
• RBI to roll over Rs 15,000-crore refinance facility for SIDBI for 90 days
• Pre and post-shipment of credits for exports increased from 1 year to 15 months
• RBI to extend Rs 15,000-cr line of credit to EXIM Bank

FOREX RESERVES

• Country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 1.73 billion to USD 487.04 billion in the week to May 15
• Foreign currency assets rose by USD 1.12 billion to USD 448.67 billion
• Gold reserves rose USD 616 million to USD 32.91 billion
• Special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was up by USD 2 million to USD 1.42 billion
• The country’s reserve position with the IMF dipped by USD 13 million to USD 4.04 billion

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

• ONGC, NTPC sign MOU to set up joint venture for renewable energy business
• US private equity giant KKR & Co. Inc. picks 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore

WORLD

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan takes charge as the Chairman of the 34-member WHO Executive Board
• Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A320 plane coming from Lahore with 107 people on board crashes near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi
• International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated on May 22; theme: ‘Our solutions are in nature’

SPORTS

• Former Australian tennis player Ashley Cooper died aged 83; had won 4 Grand Slams singles titles & 4 in doubles in 1950s