Top Best Current Affairs 29 March 2020

Japanese government funding agency JICA signed Rs.15, 295 crore agreement with the Indian government for three mega rail infrastructure projects.The agreement aims to cope up with the increase in freight transport demand in India by constructing new dedicated freight railway system between Delhi and Mumbai.

Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has developed a health app named "COVID-19", after the virus itself, under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe. The app is aimed to help the citizens who are under isolation and experiencing symptoms like dry cough, respiratory disorders, and fever. The app was launched with the support of HLL Life Care GOL.

Earth Hour observed on March 28: People around the world switched off lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.

Noted fisheries scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) A Ramachandran died of cardiac arrest. He was 61.Ramachandran, 61, had been the Fisheries Advisor to Sultanate of Oman and expert member in many a national and international fisheries councils and organizations.

Former Union Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma passed away. He was 79. He was a founding member of the Samajwadi Party. For a long time, he served as the Minister of Public Works Department in the Uttar Pradesh government.

Sikkim Chief Minister P S Tamang announced an economic package to provide immediate relief to economically weaker sections (EWS) of society following a meeting of the State Task Force for COVID-19 prevention in Gangtok on 27 March.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a directive that restricts the sale and distribution of hydroxychloroquine. The drug has been declared an essential drug to treat the COVID-19 patients. The Central government has specified the sale of the drug in "Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945."

Abbott Laboratories, United States is unveiling a coronavirus test which will tell if someone is infected within 5 minutes. This test is so small and portable it is often utilized in almost any health-care setting. The test starts with taking a swab from the nose or the rear of the throat, then mixing it with a chemical solution that breaks open the virus and releases its RNA. The mixture is inserted into an ID Now system, a small box weighing slightly below 7 pounds that has the technology to spot and amplify select sequences of the coronavirus genome and ignore contamination from other viruses.