Daily GK Updates – 3rd Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Smriti Irani inaugurates 8th India International Silk Fair: The Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the 8th India International Silk Fair on Virtual Portal on 31st January 2021. The five days event is being held on the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council’s virtual platform due to COVID-19 pandemic. The fair is considered to be India’s biggest silk fair.

About the Fair: More than 200 overseas buyers and an equal number of their representatives in India are participating to interact with more than 100 renowned and big Indian companies manufacturing and trading silk and silk blended products. India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk, which are Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga.

 

2. Finance Ministry releases over Rs 12,000 crore to 18 States for providing grants to Rural Local Bodies: The Department of Expenditure of Ministry of Finance has released an amount of over Rs 12,351 crore to 18 States for providing grants to the Rural Local Bodies. This amount is the 2nd instalment of basic grants released in this financial year. The grant has been released to 18 States which have provided the Utilisation Certificate for the first instalment and on the recommendation of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The States are required to transfer the grants to the Rural Local Bodies within 10 working days of receipt from the Central Government. So far a total grant of Rs 45,738 crore has been released to Rural Local bodies in 2020-21.

 

3. CSIR Signs an MoU for S&T-led Development of Union Territory of Ladakh: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the union territory of Ladakh recently signed an agreement for the development of the Union Territory through Science and Technology (S&T) interventions. The MoU was signed with the aim of establishing a knowledge partnership between CSIR and the Ladakh UT. It seeks to develop the areas like exploration of natural resources, introduction of cash crops in the region and bioresource utilization which is endemic to Ladakh.

 

4. R S Sharma appointed as new CEO of Ayushman Bharat Scheme: The National Health Authority (NHA) has appointed RS Sharma as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of country’s flagship public health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, also called Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. He would replace Indu Bhushan, who is serving as the Chief Executive of the Ayushman scheme since its inception in 2018. RS Sharma, a former chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), who would take charge of the NHA from February 1.

About the Ayushman Bharat: Ayushman Bharat, a flagship scheme of Government of India, was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This initiative has been designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its underlining commitment, which is to “leave no one behind.”

Ayushman Bharat is an attempt to move from sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service. This scheme aims to undertake path-breaking interventions to holistically address the healthcare system (covering prevention, promotion and ambulatory care) at the primary, secondary and tertiary level. Ayushman Bharat adopts a continuum of care approach.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. The Netherlands hosted Climate Adaptation Summit 2021: The online two days international Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) 2021 hosted by the Netherlands, The summit was called as “CAS Online”. The summit was organized with the aim of realizing the transitions which is required for a climate-resilient world. The summit was built on the advances of the UN Climate Action Summit.The summit also showcased the pioneering solutions of the climate emergency and sustaining momentum through UNFCCC’s COP26 which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from November 1 to 12, 2021. The United Kingdom will chair the summit. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his addressed to the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 said that by the year 2030, India will target 450 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity. He also said that India is promoting the LED lights and is also saving 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. He also highlighted that, by 2030 India will restore 26 million hectares of degraded land.

 

2. UNGA adopts resolution to safeguard religious sites across the world: The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to promote a culture of peace and tolerance to safeguard religious sites all across the world. The resolution adopted calls for strengthened international efforts to foster a global dialogue on the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and for the diversity of religions and beliefs. It condemns all acts or threats of violence, destruction, damage or endangerment, directed against religious sites and denounces any moves to obliterate or forcibly convert any religious sites.

 

3. Jayati Ghosh named by U.N. to high-level advisory board on economic, social affairs: Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh is among 20 prominent personalities appointed by the United Nations to a high-level advisory board that will provide recommendations for the U.N. Secretary-General to respond to the current and future socio-economic challenges in the post-COVID-19 world. Ms. Ghosh, 65, is a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has taught economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University for nearly 35 years and has authored several books.

 

4. 17th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue hosted by Turkey virtually: The 17th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) was held virtually. The meeting was hosted by the Republic of Turkey, the current chair of the ACD, under the theme “The New Normal and Safe and Healthy Tourism”. The meeting was hosted virtually by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.Ms. Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs represented India at the meeting. The Ankara Declaration was adopted at the end of the 17th Ministerial Meeting. The Meeting also delegated the Senior Officials to finalize the Guiding Principles for the Functioning of the ACD Secretariat; initiate discussions on the ACD’s General Rules of Procedure and prepare the ACD Blueprint 2021-2030.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah takes over as President of ACC: Jay Shah, the incumbent Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been appointed as the new President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). He is the youngest person ever to be appointed to the office. He replaces Nazmul Hussain, Chief of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) who was the previous chief of the ACC.

About the Asian Cricket Council: The ACC is Asia’s regional administrative body and it currently consists of 24 member associations. ACC is responsible for organizing the Asia Cup tournaments. The 2020 edition of the Asia Cup was postponed to June this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan was to originally host the tournament but the tournament is now expected to be held in either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

Note: Asian Cricket Council Headquarters: Colombo, Sri Lanka; Asian Cricket Council Chairman: Amitabh Choudhary; Asian Cricket Council Founded: 19 September 1983.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. PNB Restricts Withdraw of Money from non-EMV ATMs: Punjab National Bank (PNB) has decided to restrict its customers from withdrawing money from non-EMV automated teller machines (ATMs) with effect from 01 February 2021, in an attempt to check frauds, related to money transactions. This restriction will apply to both, financial and non-financial transactions. To overcome this, PNB will introduce OTP based systems for withdrawing cash.

What are non-EMV ATMs: Non-EMV ATMs are those which reads data through magnetic strips and do not hold the ATM card during the transaction.

Other major decision: PNB has also decided to replace the old IFSC and MICR codes. This means that the old codes will not work after March 31, 2021. Customers will have to get a new code from the bank. This decision has been taken due to merger of Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India on 1st April 2020.

Note: Punjab National Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Punjab National Bank CEO: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao (1 Oct 2019–); Punjab National Bank Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan; Punjab National Bank Founders: Lala Lajpat Rai, Dyal Singh Majithia.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Wealth of Indian billionaires increased by 35% during lockdown: Oxfam: Indian billionaires increased their wealth by 35% during the lockdown to ₹ 3 trillion, ranking India after U.S., China, Germany, Russia and France. Out of these, the rise in fortunes for the top 100 billionaires since the lockdown in March is enough to give every one of the 138 million poorest Indian people a cheque for ₹94,045 each, according to Oxfam’s ‘Inequality Virus Report’ released on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Mukesh Ambani, who emerged as the richest man in India and Asia, earned ₹90 crore an hour during the pandemic when around 24% of the people in the country were earning under ₹ 3,000 a month during the lockdown.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Pioneering US actress Cicely Tyson passes away: Pioneering US actress Cicely Tyson has passed away. Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in ‘Sounder’ & won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88. She touched TV viewers’ hearts in ”The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” & won 2 Emmys for playing the 110-year-old former slave.