Top Best Current Affairs 12 May 2020 (3)

Data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) stated that April Immediate Payment System (IMPS) numbers have reduced to a two-year low. The dive in the retail interbank transfers is due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Founded in 2008, the NPCI is a not-for-profit organisation registered under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, established by Reserve Bank of India & IBA.

Government of India launched "Mission Sagar" on 10 May. The aim is to provide assistance to Indian Ocean Region Nations amid the coronavirus crisis. The operation is being progressed in coordination with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The mission is in line with the Prime Minister's vision of SAGAR.

Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) had invited applications for COVID-19 Research Consortium to urgently develop safe and effective Biomedical solutions against SARS CoV-2. The move aims to provide an accelerator approach for vaccine development. Under the research consortium, DBT and BIRAC evaluated applications with an intent to support Industry/ Academia and Jointly Academia & Industry for developing Diagnostics, Vaccines, Novel Therapeutics, Repurposing of Drugs or any other intervention for control of COVID-19.

Data released by the Registrar General of India stated that India's infant mortality rate (IMR) has improved very marginally from 33 per 1,000 live births in 2017 to 32 in 2018.The report stated that Madhya Pradesh has the worst IMR in the country at 48 and Nagaland stands the best at 4. In 2017, Madhya Pradesh's IMR stood at 47. Among large states, Kerala has performed best with an IMR in single digits at 7. Also, only Kerala state has now achieved the United Nations' sustainable development goal in this regard.