Daily GK Updates – 23rd Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. CSIR inks MoU with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote health research: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the development, conduct and promotion of health research in India. Gates Foundation and CSIR will work together to identify opportunities to initiate scientific and technological collaborations. These will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major health concerns that affect India and other developing countries.

Areas of research collaboration: (1) Genetic diseases that impact infant and neonatal mortality;

(2) New diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental surveillance; (3) Development of cost-effective processes for drug, vaccines, biologics, and diagnostics manufacturing; (4) Novel microbiome-directed foods; (5) Socio-economic impact of science and technological tools; (6) Other areas of health and development.

Note: CSIR Head: Shekhar C. Mande; CSIR Founded: 26 September 1942; CSIR HQ: New Delhi.

 

2. Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Atal ParyavaranBhavan in Lakshadweep: The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, inaugurated the Atal ParyavaranBhavan at Lakshadweep. Prakash Javadekar is on a four-day official visit to Lakshadweep from February 19 to 22, 2021. During the visit, the minister attended high-level meetings with the Secretaries of various departments in the Lakshadweep administration, participated in various official programmes at Suheli, Kadmat and Bangaram islands. The minister will also evaluate the major innovative initiatives of the Union Territory’s Forest and Environment Department, so that Lakshadweep undergoes comprehensive development, without compromising it’s commitment to nature.

Note: Lakshadweep Capital: Kavaratti; Lakshadweep Administrator: Praful Patel.

 

3. Kerala Government sanctions Rs. 9 crore to build 48 ‘Smart’ Anganwadis: The state government of Kerala has sanctioned Rs. 9 crores to build ‘smart anganwadis’, by converting the conventional anganwadis into “smart” structures with better amenities. The state Department of Women and Child Development has given permission for 48 anganwadis in the state to construct new buildings under the Smart Anganwadi scheme.

About the smart anganwadis: These smart anganwadis are being designed and constructed as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). These ‘smart anganwadis’ will provide early childhood care by making the facility more child-friendly to nurture the mental and physical development of children. It is expected to have various amenities, ranging from study hall, kitchen, dining area, storeroom, creative zone, garden to swimming pool and outdoor play area as per the availability of land.

Note: Kerala CM: PinarayiVijayan; Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

 

4. Family pensions upper ceiling raised from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1,25,000 per month: In a bid to bring ‘ease of living’ to the family members of deceased government employees, the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has decided to raise the upper ceiling of family pensions from ₹45,000 to ₹1.25 lakh per month. The amount of both the family pensions will now be restricted to ₹1,25,000 per month, which is over two and half times higher than the earlier limit. In accordance with sub-rule (11) of rule 54 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules 1972, in case both wife and husband are government servants and are governed by the provisions of that rule, on their death, the surviving child is eligible for two family pensions in respect of the deceased parents.

 

5. Assam CM lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India: The Chief Minister of Assam, SarbanandaSonowal has laid the foundation of the first Skill University of Eastern India in Darrang district in Assam. The state-of-the-art skill university would be built with a financial outlay of Rs 1,000 crore. It will impart training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines. The university is expected to be completed by 2026. It will have “understandings” with countries like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Japan, and England.

Note: Assam CM: SarbanandaSonowal; Assam Governor: JagdishMukhi.

 

6. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath launches Abhyudaya scheme: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Abhyudaya scheme via video conferencing. Under the Abhyudaya scheme, free of cost coaching centres for the preparation of competitive government exams will be provided by the UP government. The coaching institutions are especially aimed at providing assistance to those candidates who are not able to take coaching for the exams due to their financial problems.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. United States officially re-joins Paris Climate Agreement: The United States has officially rejoined the Paris Agreement, under the Presidency of US President Joe Biden. Earlier, in November 2020, the US had officially exited the agreement on the order of then-President Donald Trump. The landmark Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015, as per which countries are expected to enhance their commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions every five years. The goals of the global pact are to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

 

2. India signs trade deal, $100 million defence agreement with Mauritius: The Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar was on an official visit to two key Indian Ocean region countries- Maldives and Mauritius. The External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar visited the Island nation Mauritius to review the comprehensive and important bilateral relationship between the two nations. India signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement-(CECPA)) with Mauritius. About the agreement:

(1) The FTA or CECPA is the first such pact with any African country, and will help Mauritius to emerge as a “hub of Africa”.

(2) India has also offered a USD 100 million Line of Credit (LoC) to Mauritius to facilitate the procurement of defence assets.

(3) Apart from this, an agreement has also been signed between the two countries to provide a Dornier aircraft and an Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv on lease to Mauritius on a gratis basis for 2 years, so that the country can carry out patrolling activities and monitor its vast maritime domain more effectively.

(4) India delivered 100,000 doses of Made in India COVID-19 vaccines to the country. It had supplied 100,000 doses earlier. Both the countries also signed MoU on Consumer Protection and a Contract for an 8 MW solar plant.

Note: Prime Minister of Mauritius: PravindJugnauth; President: PrithvirajsingRoopun; Mauritius Currency: Mauritian rupee; Mauritius Capital: Port Louis.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Ravichandran Ashwin becomes first bowler to dismiss left-handers 200 times in Tests: In Cricket, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has become the first player in the 143-year history of Test cricket to take 200 wickets against left-handed batsmen. He achieved the feat during the second day of India’s second Test against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, his home ground. Fast bowler Stuart Broad was the 200th left-hander to be dismissed by Ashwin. Ashwin has picked 391 wickets in his career so far and 51.2 per cent of his scalps have come against left-handers.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches Kotak Remit on mobile to send money abroad directly from phone: Kotak Mahindra Bank launched its outward forex remittance service, Kotak Remit, hence allowing its users to directly send money abroad from their phones. The feature is already live on the Kotak Mobile Banking App. For the first time, Kotak customers can conveniently transfer money internationally to their beneficiaries straight from their mobile. It is an industry-first move, and customers will not have to furnish any physical documents for transactions up to $25,000 or equivalent seamlessly to permissible geographies across the world.

 

2. Mastercard Launches Priceless India to Showcase Rich Heritage to Domestic, Global Travellers: Mastercard announced the launch of its flagship Priceless program in India. The program – known as Priceless India – will enable domestic and global travellers who are Mastercard cardholders to attain unique insights and exclusive access to several unparalleled experiences in the country. The program will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, Mastercard will launch 16 short films that will introduce several unique aspects of India’s most iconic cities and destinations for tourists. In the second phase Mastercard cardholders will get a chance to partake in these experiences in real-time through curated packages that can be purchased online. The multi-phase campaign aims to rekindle Indian consumers’ desire for the most unique travel and entertainment experiences

 

3. ESIC join hands with the National Health Authority: In a big leap taken by Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to ensure better accessibility of medical facilities for its beneficiaries, the corporation has joined hands with the National Health Authority (NHA) to leverage the medical infrastructure available under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB PM-JAY) in the state of Maharashtra. The tie-up with PM-JAY was initially implemented on a pilot basis in Maharashtra in the district of Ahmednagar and now has been extended to the entire state sans the south Mumbai region, Pune and Kolhapur districts. With hassle-free procedures, this convergence is expected to provide doorstep access of medical facilities to the beneficiaries.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Amazon to start device manufacturing line in India: Amazon is setting up its first device manufacturing line in India to make Fire TV sticks locally and has partnered with Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn, to begin producing the device at its Chennai plant later this year. The e-commerce giant claimed that the production line will have an annual capacity of “hundreds of thousands” of units, and will also continuously evaluate manufacturing capacity based on domestic demand for its devices. It reiterated its commitment to invest $1 billion into the country to digitise 10 million small and medium businesses by 2025 and create 1 million additional jobs by then.

 

AWARDS

 

1. Bhim Army’s Chandra Shekhar Azad named in TIME’s list:Bhim Army Chief Chandra ShekharAazad and five Indian-origin personalities have been featured in the 2021 TIME100 Next. TIME100 Next 2021 is the second edition of the annual list of Time magazine’s 100 ‘emerging leaders who are shaping the future.’

About Bhim Army: Bhim Army is a Dalit rights organisation based in Uttar Pradesh to help Dalits escape poverty through education. It was founded by Satish Kumar, Vijay Ratan Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad in 2015.

The five Indian-origin persons in Time100 Next list are:

(1) Twitter lawyer: VijayaGadde

(2) UK’s Finance Minister: Rishi Sunak

(3) Instacart founder and CEO: Apoorva Mehta

(4) Get Us PPE executive director and doctor: Shikha Gupta

(5) Founder of nonprofit Upsolve’s: Rohan Pavuluri

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India successfully test fires Helina, Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missiles:Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully carried out joint user trials of indigenously developed Helina and Dhruvastra Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from the Advanced Light Helicopter at the Pokhran deserts in Rajasthan. Helena is the Army version and Dhruvastra is the Air Force version of the ALH. The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Key Features: The Helina and Dhruvastra are the third generation, “Lock-on-Before-Launch (LOBL)” fire and forget ATGMs that can engage targets both indirect hit mode as well as top attack mode. The missile systems have all-weather day-and-night capability. They can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour.

It is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.

Note: Defence Research and Development & Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Carlos Menem, former President of Argentina, passed away: Argentina’s former President Carlos Menem has died at age 90 in Buenos Aires. Menem, who served two terms as president from 1989 to 1999 during which he pursued an aggressive privatisation policy. He served as governor of La Rioja from 1973 to 1976 before being arrested following a 1976 military coup and imprisoned for five years.