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HCARD:
The robotic device HCARD, in short for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by a coronavirus.
HCARD is developed by the Durgapur-based CSIR lab, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation.
Kerala govt brings new ordinance to enforce a salary cut:
The Kerala government will bring an ordinance to defer up to 25 percent salaries of its employees after the High Court order barring it from taking a tougher cost-cutting measure during the coronavirus outbreak.
The government has decided to come out with Disaster and Public Emergency Special Provisions Act which will give it the power to defer payment of salaries, up to 25 percent of all state government employees.
The provision in the Act says this can be done when a health emergency or a disaster strikes.
India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations:
India has appointed diplomat T S Tirumurti, currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, as its Permanent Representative to the United Nations. According to Article 1 (7) of the Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in their Relations with International Organizations of a Universal Character, a “Permanent Mission” is a: “ mission of permanent character, representing the State, sent by a State member of an international organization to the Organization”. The Permanent Mission is the diplomatic mission that every member state deputes to the United Nations. It is headed by a Permanent Representative, who is also referred to as the “UN ambassador”.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC):
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region is expected to post a 2.7 percent economic decline in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19. This will be the most significant fall since the near-zero growth rate logged in 2009 during the global financial crisis.
The region’s unemployment rate is projected to rise to 5.4 percent in 2020 from 3.8 percent in 2019, or an additional 23.5 million workers being unemployed in 2020.