India permits import of Oxygen concentrators for personal use

•The Indian government on April 30, has provided relief to the people by permitting import of Oxygen concentrators for personal use through post, courier or e-commerce portals under gifts category.
•The permission has been given till July 31, 2021.
•A notification in this regard was issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

NCW launches WhatsApp helpline number for pregnant women

•The National Commission for Women has launched a WhatsApp helpline number to provide emergency medical assistance to pregnant women.
•The emergency number is 9354954224. The move was undertaken after the commission noticed that pregnant women are facing difficulty in accessing medical aid.
•All expectant mothers across the country can reach out to the Commission through this number. It will be functional round the clock.
•The commission has set up a dedicated team to ensure speedy redressal of the grievances. Help can also be sought through the the email id- helpatncw@gmail.com

IRDAI directs insurers to settle Covid-related cashless claims within 60 mins

•Insurance regulator IRDAI has directed insurers to approve Covid-related cashless claims within 60 minutes of receiving appropriate documents from the claimant.
•The IRDAI announced its new rules after Delhi High Court directed it to inform insurers to speed up the process of cashless claims so that hospital beds can be freed quickly for new patients.
•IRDAI stated that the decision on authorization for cashless treatment for COVID-19 claims will be communicated to hospitals within 60 minutes from the time of receipt of authorization request.
•The decision on the final discharge of patients covered in COVID-19 claims will be communicated to the network provider within a period of one hour from the time of receipt of the final bill along with all necessary requirements from the hospital.

Covaxin neutralises 617 variant of Coronavirus: Dr. Fauci

•India’s home-grown COVID-19 vaccine, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin reportedly neutralises Double Mutant or 617 variant of the Corona virus. 
•This was stated by White House chief medical adviser and America’s top pandemic expert Dr Anthony Fauci.
•The statement comes days after Indian Council of Medical Research announced that Covaxin is very effective against the Double Mutant variant of COVID-19.
•Dr Fauci stated that despite the current difficulty that we are seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this.
•Covaxin’s trial results showed an efficacy of 78 percent.

World gives back to India: First US emergency relief shipment lands in India, Romania, UAE, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong also send in supplies

•The flight carrying first of several emergency COVID-19 relief shipments from the United States landed in Delhi on April 30, 2021.
•More of such flights are expected in the next week. The United States is shipping over emergency medical supplies including Oxygen support, Oxygen Concentrators, Oxygen Generation Units, PPE, Vaccine-Manufacturing Supplies, Rapid Diagnostic Tests, Therapeutics & Public Health Assistance.
•A second US Air Force carrier, US Air Force aircraft C-17 Globemaster III, has been loaded with COVID-19 relief supplies and is en route to India. The aircraft has left Travis Air Force Base in California for New Delhi.
•The MEA informed that a shipment containing 700 units of oxygen concentrators & 365 ventilators has also arrived from Ireland.
•Besides this, 300 oxygen concentrators & other medical equipment landed in Delhi from Hong Kong.
•The Indian Air Force’s C-17 aircraft had also earlier airlifted 3 cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore to Panagarh in West Bengal and 6 cryogenic oxygen containers from Dubai to Panagarh.
•The IAF aircraft is also presently airlifting 3 containers from Bangkok to Panagarh Airbase.
•India has also received 80 oxygen concentrators and 75 oxygen cylinders from Romania, while it received 280 oxygen concentrators from the UK.

NATO Military Exercises launched

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation recently launched the joint military exercises in Albania called the “DEFENDER-Europe 21”. Thousands of military forces from the US are participating in the exercise. About DEFENDER-Europe The exercise is an annual US-led multinational exercise. It is defensive in nature. It focuses on deterring aggression. DEFENDER Europe 21 In 2021, the ..

RBI joins Network for Greening the Financial System- NGFS

The Reserve Bank of India recently joined the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). By joining the system, RBI is to learn from and contribute to the Global Climate risk management in the financial sector. Ultimately, the apex bank will work with its global partners to support the transition towards a sustainable economy. Greening ..

Net Zero Producer Forum

Saudi Arabia recently announced that it is to join Canada, US, Qatar and Norway in forming the Net Zero Producers Forum. Net Zero Producers Forum The forum has been formed for the oil and gas producers to discuss how to support the implementation of Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It aims to develop pragmatic net ..

Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun honour to Bengaluru Teacher

The Japanese Government recently awarded the “Order of Rising Sun” to a Bengaluru based Japanese teacher, Shyamala Ganesh. About Shyamala Ganesh Shyamala is a Japanese teacher at the Septuagenarian institution and also at the Ohara School of Ikebana in RT Nagar, Bengaluru. She has tutored more than hundreds of students since its inception 38 years ..