https://telegram.

me/pdf4exams

Current Affairs [PDF] - March 16-31, 2020

Sumitro Bhattacharya | katu
Asian Development Bank to inv
On March 30, 2020, the Asian Development Bank announced that it is to invest 100 million USD in National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). The investment during an economic slow down is a great boost
for the Indian Economy.
NIIF
The National Investment and Infrastructure Funds were set up in 2015. The main purpose of the fund is to
aid Greenfield and brownfield projects in the country. When an entity is to use the benefits of the funds, the
Indian Government invests 49% and the rest has to be raised from third party investors.
The NIIF makes it mandatory that the funds shall be invested in the areas such as transportation, energy,
water, housing, waste management.
Major funds of NIIF
There are three major funds under NIIF. IT includes Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Investment
Fund
Master Fund
This is an infrastructure fund. These funds shall be used in core infrastructure sectors such as ports, road,
power, etc.
Fund of funds
The fund of funds shall be used on affordable housing, green infrastructure and infrastructure services.
These funds are availed only to fund managers who have good track on infrastructure projects
Strategic Investment Fund
This fund is registered under SEBI. These funds focus on green field and brown field investments.
Baltic Sea: Seal Pups face tough winter due to reduced ice levels
The Seals need ice to keep themselves safe from predators such as wolves and foxes. However, the
declining ice in the Baltic sea has disrupted their survivals
Highlights
With depleting ice levels, the seals are forced to inhabit the islets (small islands) that they normally hesitate
to inhabit. This has caused overcrowding and is disrupting the survival rates of their pups. Around 3,000
Seal pups are born on the Baltic Sea Coats every year.
The Grey Seals are the most common seals in these seas and have been categorized as “Least Concern”
under IUCN Red List. However, experts believe that the depleting ice levels has raised concerns and it is
time to change their conservation status.
Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea is a Mediterranean Sea. It is enclosed by Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, Poland,
Germany, Russia. The group of countries that are currently referred to Baltic states are Latvia, Estonia and
Lithuania.
Helsinki Convention
The Helsinki Convention that was signed in 1992 is on the protection of the marine environment of Baltic
Sea. It was signed by Russia, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Poland, USSR, Germany, Sweden, Latvia,
Lithuania, Denmark and Finland.
Tamil Nadu Governor allocates 1 Crore to PM-CARES Fund
On March 30, 2020, the Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit allocated 1 crore rupees to PM Cares
Fund and another 1 crore towards the Tamil Nadu CM Public Relief Fund (CMPRF). The funds were released
from the Governor’s Discretionary Grant.
Highlights
In Tamil Nadu, the number of COVID-19 infected cases suddenly increased by 17 in a single day. This was

© 2020 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | https://www.gktoday.in 79

https://telegram.me/pdf4exams