Daily GK Updates – 31st Jan, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India’s “Vaccine Maitri” Initiative begins: Vaccine Maitri Initiative is an initiative launched by India to gift COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries. Recently, Sri Lanka and Bahrain have received the COVID-19 vaccines from India under the initiative. The Vaccine Maitri initiative was launched by India on January 20 to gift COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries.

About the initiative: Sri Lanka has received 5 lakh Covid-19 vaccines from India as a part of the “Vaccine Maitri” initiative. Consignment of vaccines has also been sent to Bahrain. The country will receive 10,800 vaccines under the initiative. India has already delivered over 5 million doses to seven countries in the neighbourhood under the initiative before Sri Lanka and Bahrain. The 7 countries are- the Maldives (100,000 vaccines), Bhutan (150,000 vaccines), Nepal (1 million vaccines), Bangladesh (2 million vaccines), Myanmar (1.5 million vaccines), Mauritius (100,000 vaccines), and Seychelles (50,000 vaccines). Commercial supplies of Covishield have also been sent to Morocco, Brazil, (2 million doses each), and Bangladesh (5 million doses).

COVID-19 Vaccination in India: The COVID-19 vaccination programme started in India on January 16, 2021, with the two approved vaccines (Emergency-use) – Covishield and Covaxin. In phase 1, health workers are being vaccinated followed by people above the age of 50 years.

 

2. PM Modi Chairs 35th PRAGATI Meet: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the 35th PRAGATI meeting to review multiple projects, grievances and programmes. In the meeting, ten agenda items were taken for review worth Rs. 54,675 crore, related to 15 states. These included nine projects and one programme. Prime Minister also reviewed the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana.

About the meeting: PRAGATI stands for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. Of the total 9 projects, 3 projects were from the Ministry of Railways, 3 from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and 1 project each from Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Power Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs. The States are Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigns: Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte resigned after losing his Senate majority, plunging the country into political uncertainty just as it’s battling the pandemic and a recession. He tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, the ultimate arbiter of Italian political crises, who invited him to stay on in a caretaker capacity pending discussions on what happens next. Italy was the first European country to face the full force of the Covid-19 pandemic and has since suffered badly, with the economy plunged into recession and deaths still rising by around 400 a day. Parts of the country remain under partial lockdown, the vaccination programme has slowed and a deadline is looming to agree on plans to spend billions of euros in European Union recovery funds.

Note: President of Italy: Sergio Mattarella; Capital of Italy: Rome; Currency of Italy: Euro.

 

2. India Ranks 86 among 98 Countries in Lowy Institute’s Covid-19 Response Index: India has been ranked at 86th position among 98 countries in the new Coronavirus Performance Index released by Australia-based Lowy Institute. Countries were ranked based on the publicly available and comparable data on Covid-19 response. The Lowy Institute is an independent international policy think tank, located in Sydney. New Zealand, Vietnam and Taiwan are the top three countries respectively in the index. Brazil was ranked at the bottom of the list for worst handling of the pandemic than any other country. China was excluded from the list due to lack of publicly available data.

 

3. India Secures 86th Rank in Corruption Perception Index 2020: India has been ranked 86th among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2020, released by Transparency International. This year, India’s rank has slipped six places compared to 2019, when it was ranked at 80th spot. The CPI score for India in 2020 is 40. India is sharing its position jointly with Burkina Faso, Morocco, East Timor, Trinidad and Tobago and Turkey.

Top Country: New Zealand and Denmark have jointly secured the first position with scores of 88.

Lowest Country: Somalia and South Sudan rank lowest at 179th position with scores of 12.

CPI Index: The CPI index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

Note: Transparency International Headquarters location: Berlin, Germany; Transparency International Chairperson: Delia Ferreira Rubio; Transparency International Founded: 4 May 1993.

 

4. World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: 30th January: The second World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day (World NTD Day) is being observed on January 30, 2021 to celebrate the achievements made towards control of the world’s NTDs. 2021 theme is Face NTDs: “End the Neglect”. The first World NTD Day was held on 30 January 2020. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) include a range of conditions that can blind, disfigure, or even disable people. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies 20 major conditions as NTDs

 

5. World Leprosy Day: 31st January: World Leprosy Day is observed around the world on the last Sunday of January every year. This year World Leprosy Day held on 31 January. The day is celebrated to raise global awareness of this deadly ancient disease and call attention to the fact that it can be prevented, treated and cured. This year theme of World Leprosy Day 2021 is “Beat Leprosy, End Stigma and advocate for Mental Wellbeing.” The day was initiated in 1954 by French philanthropist and writer, Raoul Follereau, as a tribute to the life of the Mahatma Gandhi who had compassion for people afflicted with leprosy.

Note: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae (M. laprae). The symptoms of the disease occur generally after a long period of getting an infection on average 5 years, as M. leprae multiplies very slowly. The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Bharti AXA General Insurance launches ‘Krishi Sakha’ App for farmers: Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched Krishi Sakha App, a one-stop-shop for Indian farmers that offers them relevant information to cater to their daily farming needs. It also provides guidance to farmers to adopt best farming practices and enhance their productivity. The farmers through this app will also have access to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) portal for crop insurance-related information.

About the Bharti AXA ‘Krishi Sakha’: Bharti AXA ‘Krishi Sakha’ aims at helping Indian farmers make informed decisions through customized information related to their farming requirements. It shares relevant information about the scientific way of farming, crop cultivation, sowing, or harvesting of major crops. It guides the farmers about weather forecasting, market and crop prices and government schemes related to insurance and agriculture.

Note: Bharti AXA General Insurance Established: 2008; Bharti AXA General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Bharti AXA General Insurance MD and CEO: Sanjeev Srinivasan; Bharti AXA General Insurance Tagline: Suraksha ka Naya Nazariya.

 

2. Swaminathan Janakiraman and Aswini Kumar Tewari appointed as MDs of SBI: The appointments committee (ACC) of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Swaminathan Janakiraman and Ashwini Kumar Tewari as new Managing Directors (MDs) of State Bank of India (SBI) for a period of three years. Prior to this, Swaminathan Janakiraman was the deputy managing director (Finance) at SBI and Ashwini Kumar Tewari was serving as MD & CEO of SBI Card, a subsidiary of SBI. SBI is headed by a Chairman and four managing directors. Dinesh Kumar Khara is the current Chairman of the bank. The other two MDs of the bank are C.S. Setty and Ashwani Bhatia. The two posts were vacant since October 2020.

Note: State Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 July 1955.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Economic Survey 2021: Key highlights of Economic Survey: Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has presented Economic Survey 2020-21 in the Parliament on 29 January 2021. The major focus of this year’s economic survey is the losses and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey will provide an assessment of how the Indian economy has been impacted by the deadly COVID-19 virus and how it is improving. It will also project India’s gross domestic product growth for 2021-22. The Economic Survey document is prepared by the Economics Division of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the guidance of the Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian. The Economic Survey 2020-21 will be followed by the Union Budget 2020-21 which will be tabled on February 1. The theme of Economic Survey, 2020-21:

·         #SavingLives&Livelihoods

·         #VshapedRecovery

 

Here are the key highlights from the Economic Survey 2020-21: According to the survey, India’s economy could contract 7.7 per cent in the financial year that ends on March 31, pulled down mainly by the coronavirus pandemic and the weeks-long nationwide lockdown to contain the disease. Real GDP growth could be 11 per cent in the next financial year.

(1) India focused on saving lives and livelihoods by its willingness to take short-term pain for long-term gain, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Response stemmed from the humane principle that: Human lives lost cannot be brought back

(2) An early, intense lockdown provided a win-win strategy to save lives, and preserve livelihoods via economic recovery in the medium to long-term

(3) India was the only country to announce structural reforms to expand supply in the medium-long term and avoid long-term damage to productive capacities Calibrated demand-side policies to ensure that the accelerator is slowly pushed down only when the brakes on economic activities are being removed A public investment programme centred around the National Infrastructure Pipeline to accelerate the demand push and further the recovery

 

State of the Economy in 2020-21: A Macro View

(1) COVID-19 pandemic ensued global economic downturn, the most severe one since the Global Financial Crisis. The lockdowns and social distancing norms brought the already slowing global economy to a standstill.

(2) Global economic output estimated to fall by 3.5% in 2020 (IMF January 2021 estimates)

(3) India adopted a four-pillar strategy of containment, fiscal, financial, and long-term structural reforms.

(4) As per the advance estimates by NSO, India’s GDP is estimated to grow by (-) 7.7% in FY21 – a robust sequential growth of 23.9% in H2: FY21 over H1: FY2

(5) India’s real GDP to record an 11.0% growth in FY2021-22 and nominal GDP to grow by 15.4% – the highest since independence.

(6) The recovery in the second half of FY2020-21 is expected to be powered by government consumption, estimated to grow at 17% YoY.

(7) Exports expected to decline by 5.8% and imports by 11.3% in the second half of the FY21.

(8) India expected to have a Current Account Surplus of 2% of GDP in FY21, a historic high after 17 years.

 

2. Reliance Jio ranked 5th strongest brand globally: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s four-year-old telecom venture Reliance Jio has been ranked the fifth strongest brand globally behind the likes of Ferrari and Coca-Cola. As per the ranking, Reliance Jio has emerged as the 5th strongest brand in the world. Reliance Jio has made its entry to the world’s strongest brands. Reliance has been ranked as the 5th strongest brand in the world. It has a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.7 out of 100.

About the Brand Finance Global 2021: The Brand Finance’s Global 500 ranking of the strongest brands globally, which determined the relative strength of brands, is topped by WeChat, according to its annual report on most valuable and strongest global brands.

According to the Report: As per the Brand Finance Global 500 2021 ranking, Apple has been named as the most valuable brand in the world. The brand value of the company is US$263.4 billion. Amazon is the second most valuable brand followed by Google. TATA has retained its spot as the most valuable brand of India. It has been placed at the 77th position globally and has a brand value of US$21.3 billion. WeChat is the strongest brand in the world with a BSI score of 95.4. WeChat has surpassed Ferrari to rank as the strongest brand. Ferrari is the 2nd strongest brand in the world. Russian bank Sber and Coca-Cola are the 3rd and 4th strongest brands respectively.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Ram Temple tableau of Uttar Pradesh on Republic Day wins 1st prize: The Ram Temple tableau of Uttar Pradesh that was on display during the Republic Day 2021 has bagged the first prize among all tableaux. The theme of Uttar Pradesh’s tableau was ‘Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh’. The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, a replica of a Ram temple, a glimpse of ‘Deepotsav’ and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.

The Tripura tableau won the second prize for the Republic Day parade. Uttarakhand’s tableau on the theme ‘Dev Bhoomi — The Land of the Gods’ was adjudged third among the states and union territories. The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Amar Jawan’, bagged a special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the armed forces.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Lt Gen Chandi Prasad Mohanty appointed as new Army Vice-Chief: Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty has been appointed as the new Vice-chief of Army staff. He would assume the office on February 1, 2021, from Lt General SK Saini, who is superannuating on 31 January 2021. Lt General CP Mohanty is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, and National Defence Academy. He is a June 1982 batch Infantry Officer from the Rajput Regiment.

About the Vice-Chief of Army Staff: Vice-Chief of Army Staff is the deputy head and the second-highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is held by the senior officer in the rank of Lt-General, of the Commander in Chief grade.

Note: 28th Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Mukund Naravane; The motto of Indian Army: “Service Before Self”; Headquarters of Indian Army: New Delhi.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Oscar and Emmy Award winning actress Cloris Leachman passes away: Academy Award winning American actor Cloris Leachman, one of the most decorated actors in American television history, has passed away. She was 94. Leachman died in her sleep of natural causes. She won eight Emmy Awards in her storied television career. She also won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award for her film career.