Top 5 Current Affairs: 23 April 2020

Hydroxychloroquine not effective for Coronavirus treatment

As per a recent study published in medRxiv, anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine is not effective for the Coronavirus treatment. The drug has been defined as game changer in the ongoing crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study now raises concern on the widespread use of Hydroxychloroquine drug by several countries including India.

Government freezes DA Hike for employees & pensioners till 1 July 2021

Government has delayed the Dearness Allowance (DA) hike for Government Employees and Pensioners till July 1, 2021. The Government has put on hold the additional installments of DA and DR from January 1, 2020 till June 30, 2021 due to the current situation of crisis due to COVID-19. The employees and pensioners will continue to get DA at 17 percent date.

National Shipping Board reconstituted by Government

The National Shipping Board (NSB) has been reconstituted by the Central government and  Malini Shankar has been appointed as the head of the board. Malini is the former Director General of Shipping. The National Shipping Board is the premier advisory body for the Indian shipping. The board comprises sixteen members.

PM Modi's third video conference with Chief Ministers on April 27

PM Narendra Modi will be holding the third video conference with the Chief Ministers of states on April 27, 2020. The Prime Minister will be discussing the current situation in all the states due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures. Earlier, the PM held the video conference on April 11, 2020.

Two pet cats catch coronavirus in New York

Two cats have caught coronavirus in New York, United States. These cats are the first COVID-19 confirmed cases of pets in the US. The same was confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture on April 22, 2020. The cats are expected to recover soon.