Daily GK Updates – 28th Jan, 2021

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Madhya Pradesh becomes first State to give power subsidy to farmers through DBT: Madhya Pradesh has become the first State to give electricity subsidy through Direct Benefit Transfer. With this, it has fulfilled a power reform condition as proposed by the Centre and thus eligible for additional borrowing. The scheme has been implemented in Vidisha district of the State, where electricity is bring supplied through the MP Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Co Ltd with effect from December 2020. Under the scheme, an amount of ₹32.07 crore was transferred to the bank accounts of 60,081 beneficiaries in December. At the same time, the State has also initiated a process to implement the DBT scheme in Jhabua and Seoni districts as well.

 

2. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani announces ‘Horticulture Development Mission’: In Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced the ‘Horticulture Development Mission’ (Bagayat Vikas Mission). The aim of this mission is to double the income of farmers involved in medicinal and horticulture farming. Under this mission, the waste land of the government will be given on 30-year lease for farming of horticulture and medicinal crops. As per an estimate, the government has about 50,000 non-cultivated land waste lands. The government intends to convert this land into cultivation. A list of land blocks for land allotment in transparent manner will be released on I-Khedut portal. Lease amount applicable will be Rs 100 to Rs 500 per year per acre during 6th to 30th year. Lease holders will be able to set up solar panel, windmills to generate energy for their own use, but will not be allowed to sell it.

 

3. 3-day Ports Review Meeting named ‘Chintan Baithak’ held in Gujarat: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Ports,Shipping and Waterways (I/C) chaired three-day Ports Review Meeting named ‘Chintan Baithak’ at Dhordo, Kutch, Gujarat. The Chairpersons of all Major Ports of India and Senior Officials of the ministry participated in the extensive brainstorming conference to finalise the roadmap of Maritime Vision-2030. The Chintan Baithak includes sessions on exploring new vistas of urban transportation, effective implementation of SAROD-Ports, issues related to International Arbitrations etc.

 

4. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma inaugurates India’s longest road arch bridge at Sohbar: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurated India’s longest road arch bridge, the Wahrew Bridge at Sohbar in East Khasi Hills district. The bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 49.395 crore under Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) of the DoNER ministry. The bridge connects Bholaganj and Sohbar to Nongjri in East Khasi Hills, bordering Bangladesh.

 

5. WIPRO group to act as knowledge partner of Madhya Pradesh govt: In Madhya Pradesh, WIPRO group is all set to act as knowledge partner of the State Government. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, informed that the company has taken initiative for establishment of a university in the State. For this purpose, the State Government will extend all possible support to the Foundation. The Wipro Group will also set up a Software Development Centre in Bhopal. The Chief Minister said, such centres will go a long way in providing more opportunities to the youth in the Information Technology sector.

 

6. Power Grid Corporation signs agreement with Himachal Electricity Board for telecom network: State-owned Power Grid Corporation has signed an agreement with Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd. (HPSEBL) in Shimla (H.P.) to improve telecom connectivity in hilly areas. The deal comprises the utilization of 500 Kms of OPGW Telecom network. This is in addition to the existing 350 Kms of OPGW laid on HPSEBL Extra High Voltage (EHV) lines already being used in the state to boost its connectivity. This total 850 Kms long telecom network will enable POWERGRID Telecom to reach remote areas of Kangra, Una, Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur, Sirmour, Palampur, Sundernagar, Banikhet, Amb, Paonta Sahib, Nahan etc.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India comes fourth in the Global Firepower defense review: For 2021, India is ranked 4 of 138 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. With 904 attack helicopters and 11 aircraft carriers, the US ranks at the top of the list. Russia is ranked 2nd and China ranked 3rd. The finalized Global Firepower ranking utilizes over 50 individual factors to determine a given nation’s PowerIndex score with categories ranging from military might and financials to logistical capability and geography.

 

2. SpaceX breaks ISRO’s Record by launching 143 Satellites: SpaceX successfully launched its ambitious rideshare mission called Transporter-1, carrying 143 small satellites, and created a new record of launching many satellites from a single rocket. With this launch, SpaceX broke the record set by ISRO in February 2017 for deploying 104 satellites onboard PSLV in a single mission. The SpaceX used two-stage Falcon 9 rocket for the mission, from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 143 satellites included 133 commercial and government satellites and 10 Starlink satellites of SpaceX.

Note: SpaceX founder & CEO: Elon Musk; SpaceX president & COO: Gwynne Shotwell; SpaceX Founded: 2002; SpaceX Headquarters: California, United States of America.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. YES BANK partners with Aditya Birla wellness themed credit card: Private sector lender YES Bank has teamed up with Aditya Birla Wellness Private Limited to launch ‘YES BANK Wellness’ and ‘YES BANK Wellness Plus’ credit cards, which aimed at the holistic health, self-care and wellness of consumers. With Wellness Card, YES Bank customers can avail complimentary health checkups or lifestyle benefits or consultations with doctors. This card has been designed keeping the holistic wellness needs of consumers. This credit card comes with first year membership fee of Rs 1,999 plus taxes and renewal fee of Rs 1,999 and taxes.

 

2. YES BANK launches YES MSME initiative to enable access to funding: YES Bank has launched the YES MSME initiative aimed at providing speedy and easy access to funds to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector of India. The YES Bank launched this programme during the SME Carnival across the private lender’s MSME focused branches across India. The disbursal of funds will be facilitated to address both business and individual requirements of MSMEs, encourage new age entrepreneurs and maximising their potential.

 

3. Mastercard launches resource site to support digital transformation of SMEs in Asia Pacific: To assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) get well from the pandemic and put together for the long run, Mastercard has launched the Digital Acceleration for Small Businesses microsite throughout most of its Asia Pacific web sites with data and assets on digitalize and run companies extra effectively. The one-stop centre features guides on digital transformation, e-learning courses, information about Mastercard products and services for SMEs, cybersecurity insights and tools to reduce vulnerabilities and access discounts on business software solutions, e-commerce platforms and digital marketing services. The Digital Acceleration for Small Businesses centre is available across Mastercard’s English-language websites for Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, India and Southeast Asia. It will be rolled out selectively on non-English sites in the future.

 

4. IIFL Home Finance ties up with Standard Chartered Bank for co-lending: Fairfax-backed IIFL Finance said its home loan subsidiary IIFL Home Finance and Standard Chartered Bank entered into a co-lending arrangement for extending credit to MSME loans (loan against property). This is one of the first co-lending arrangements in the industry after Reserve Bank India’s co-lending guidelines were issued. Under this partnership, IIFL Home Finance Ltd and the Standard Chartered Bank will co-originate these loans and the IIFL Home Finance Ltd will service the customers through the entire loan life-cycle including sourcing, documentation, collection and loan servicing.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Govt to set up faceless digital mechanism to levy income tax penalties: After implementing faceless assessment and faceless appeal systems on income tax matters, the government has decided to set up a National Faceless Penalty Centre to have an unbiased and transparent digital faceless mechanism for imposing penalties on tax defaulters. The government notified the faceless penalty scheme, which will have a National Faceless Penalty Centre at the apex level. It will be assisted by regional centres, local penalty units and penalty review units, two officials with direct knowledge of the matter said requesting anonymity.

 

2. Future Group-Reliance Industries Deal Gets SEBI Approval: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has given its approval for the takeover deal between Kishore Biyani’s Future Group and Reliance Retail, part of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). Future had entered into a Rs 24,713 crore agreement with Reliance Retail in August 2020. As part of the deal, the Future group was to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehouse businesses to Reliance Retail.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 51st International Film Festival of India Concludes: The 51st edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held from 16 January to 24 January 2021 at Shyamaprasad Stadium near Panaji in Goa. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held in hybrid mode, there was the physical and virtual screening of 50 films out of 224 films across various categories. Bangladesh was a country of focus at the festival. Four films of Bangladesh was included in ‘country of focus’ section. The winners of the IFFI awards are listed below:

Golden Peacock Award for Best Film: Into the Darkness

Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (Male): Tzu-Chuan Liu, The Silent Forest

Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (Female):  Zofia Stafiej, I Never Cry

Silver Peacock Award for Best Director: Chen-Nien Ko, The Silent Forest

Best Debut Director Award: Cássio Pereira dos Santos, Valentina

Special Mention Award: Kripal Kalita, Bridge

Special Jury Award: Kamin Kalev, February

ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Award: Ameen Nayfeh’s 200 Meters

Indian Personality of the Year Award: Biswajit Chatterjee

Lifetime Achievement: Vittorio Storaro (Italian cinematographer).

 

2. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari wins Subhash Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2021: The Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2021 has been conferred upon Dr Rajendra Kumar Bhandari in the Individual category and Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) in Institutional category. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh and a certificate for an institution and Rs 5 lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.

About the award: The Government of India announces the award every year on January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, to recognise and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organisations in India in the field of disaster management.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Eminent Odiya Actor Rabi Mishra passes away: Veteran Odia actor Rabi Mishra passed away at a private hospital in the Capital City following a cardiac arrest. He was 64. Mishra, who performed in many popular movies, television serials and over hundred plays, was the main character in the popular television serial-‘Gopala Rahasya’. He became a household name because of the lively character of Gopala Bhanda he played in the series. The eminent actor ruled the Ollywood and television industries for over two decades. He is known for his performance in super hit movies such as ‘Bhai Hela Bhagari’, ‘Sakala Tirtha’, ‘Soubhagyabati’, ‘Maa Pari Kie Haba’, “Rakhi Bhijigala Aakhi Luhare’, ‘Mana Rahiagal Tumari Thare’, ‘Mukhyamantri’ and many others.