Daily GK Update - 28th March, 2021

 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. J&K LG Manoj Sinha e-inaugurates 73 AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres: Jammu and Kashmir, LG Manoj Sinha has e-inaugurated 73 AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat across the UT. These centres aim to promote good health and expanding the outreach of comprehensive primary healthcare services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lt Governor observed that AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres would be a game-changer in the UT of J&K, especially in promoting the AYUSH sector, so that comprehensive primary health care through AYUSH principles and practices is provided to the community for achieving the basic objective of holistic wellness model by advocating self-care and home remedies amongst the community.

Features of Health & Wellness Centres: Some of the features of AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres include medicinal plants garden, yoga space, providing training and suggestions for home treatment, promoting Dincharya (Art of healthy Living), Ritucharya (Wellness calendar) and a personalized healthcare approach.

2. IIT Kharagpur wins CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 6.0: A team of four undergraduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur emerged as winners at the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 6.0, sponsored by Cushman and Wakefield, KI and IA: Interior Architects. The team comprised Siddhant Samarth, Pratim Majumdar, Rishita Raj and Utkarsh Agrawal and were guided by Prof. Jenia Mukherjee (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences). The team from IIT Kharagpur was one of the four teams to progress into the final round out of 1300 teams all over the world and were pitted against the University of Washington, New York University and the University of Denver in the final round hosted online on 18th March 2021. This is the first time that a squad from India has emerged as winners in the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge since the inception of the competition in 2015.

About the CoreNet Global: CoreNet Global is a non-profit association, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (US), representing more than 11,000 executives in 50 countries with strategic responsibility for the real estate assets of large corporations. The organization’s mission is to advance the practice of corporate real estate through professional development opportunities, publications, research, conferences, designations and networking in 46 local chapters and networking groups globally.

3. Nagaland Health Minister launches ‘i-Learn’ for Community Health Officers: Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom launched i-Learn, a capacity building and performance tracking application for Community Health Officers, CHOs in the state at his office chamber in Kohima. The state government launched i-Learn application in partnership with USAID-NISHTHA/Jgpiego which will cater across the 189 Health & Wellness centers in the state. i-Learn is a learning management system for CHOs with self-facilitated learning for improving and learning new skills in clinical and non-clinical areas.

4. Saurabh Garg appointed as new CEO of UIDAI: Senior bureaucrat, Saurabh Garg has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Mr Garg is at present serving in his cadre state Odisha. He is a 1991 batch IAS officer. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Mr Garg as the CEO, UIDAI in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

Note: UIDAI Founded: 28 January 2009; UIDAI Headquarters: New Delhi.

5. Atish Chandra appointed as CMD of Food Corporation of India: Atish Chandra has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. Mr Chandra, a 1994 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, is currently Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.

Note: Food Corporation of India Founded: 14 January 1965; Food Corporation of India Headquarters: New Delhi.

                                   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Republic of Congo President Sassou Nguesso wins election: The longtime president of the Republic of Congo, Sassou Nguesso is set for another five-year term after getting over 88% of the vote. The Election Day was marred by the death of his main opponent, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas. The African leader is one of the world’s longest-serving presidents, earning him the nickname “emperor.” He has led Congo for a total of 36 years. The former paratrooper first became president in 1979 and remained in power for three consecutive terms.

Note: Republic of Congo Capital: Brazzaville; Republic of Congo Currency: franc.

                                            OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. ‘Girl Gang’ Announced Official Song Of ICC Women’s World Cup 2022: Girl Gang, a track by New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore, has been announced as the official song of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup. The tournament is set to be hosted in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, 2022. Originally scheduled to be held from February 6 to March 7, 2021, the World Cup was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Rahi Sarnobat, Chinky Yadav and Manu Bhaker clinch Gold at ISSF Shooting World Cup: In Shooting, India won gold in the women’s 25m Pistol Team event at the ISSF World Cup in Delhi. India beat Poland in the final to win the country’s 10th gold. The Indian women’s team of Rahi Sarnobat, Chinki Yadav and Manu Bhaker beat Poland’s Joanna Iwona Wawrzonowska, Julita Borek and Agnieszka Korejwo 17-7 in the gold medal match. Earlier in the day, the Indian women’s team in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event had to settle for a silver as they lost 43-47 to Poland in the gold medal match. India is dominating the standings with 21 medals, including 10 gold medals.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Banks’ NPAs Declined to Rs 5.70 Lakh Crore at December-End: Non-performing assets of banks declined to Rs 5.70 lakh crore in December 2020 and the recovered amount stood at Rs 2.74 lakh crore following a slew of measures taken by the government, Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur told. The incidents of frauds reduced to 0.23% from 1.01% in 2013-14, the minister added. Under the present regime, banking has vastly improved, from phone banking to digital banking, which has resulted in transparency and accountability.

2. IRDAI increases max cover under Arogya policy to Rs 10 lakh: To bring more people under the ambit of health insurance, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has hiked the maximum cover under the standard health insurance plan — Arogya Sanjeevani Policy — from Rs 5 lakh earlier to Rs 10 lakh. The insurance regulator has made it mandatory for insurers to offer a sum insured between Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh under the Arogya Sanjeevani policy as against the previous range of Rs 1 -5 lakh.

 BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 1. Anish Shah to take over as M&M’s Managing Director, CEO: Anish Shah who is set to take over as the managing director and CEO of Mahindra and Mahindra from 2 April will become the first professional executive to oversee the entire business of the $19.4 billion Mahindra Group. Pawan Goenka will retire as MD and CEO and member of the board effective April 2. Group chairman Anand Mahindra will be taking on a non-executive role. The markets regulator Sebi has mandated that from April 2022 the chairperson of the board of top 500 listed entities must be a non-executive director and not be related to the MD or CEO.

 AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Carmen Maria Machado wins The Rathbones Folio Prize 2021: ‘In The Dream House: A Memoir’ by Carmen Maria Machado Wins The Rathbones Folio Prize 2021. In the 2019 book, the author outlines her experiences in a same-sex relationship with her former partner, and the abuse she was subjected to. It is at once an inventive and radical work, a true testimony to her narrative gift. The prize is open to all genres – fiction, non-fiction, and poetry- from writers from around the world. It is the only prize in which all the books considered for the prize are selected and judged by an academy of peers, though there are three main judges.

 DEFENCE

1. India conducts first-ever joint patrol in Madagascar EEZ: In a first, the navies of India and Madagascar undertook joint patrolling of Madagascar’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and also conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX). The first-ever joint patrol between the navies reflects the growing defence ties between the two Indian Ocean neighbours aimed at the common objective of ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Indian Naval Ship INS Shardul made a port call at Antsiranana, Madagascar as part of the First Training Squadron’s (1TS) Overseas Deployment. INS Shardul and Malagasy Navy ship MNS Trozona carried out a Passage Exercise (PASSEX). The Joint exercise bears testimony to the growing bonds between the maritime forces of both the nations and aimed at common objectives of ensuring maritime security by India and Madagascar and interoperability between the two navies.

Note: Madagascar Capital: Antananarivo; Madagascar President: Andry Rajoelina; Madagascar Currency: Malagasy ariary.

 OBITUARIES

1. Noted Odissi dancer Laxmipriya Mohapatra passes away: Noted Odissi dancer Laxmipriya Mohapatra, the wife of legendary classical dancer Kelucharan Mohapatra, passed away. She started her dancing career at the Annapurna Theatre in Puri in 1947. She has also acted in four Odia movies. Though he was an expert in Odissi and Gotipua dance forms, Kelucharan was then performing as a tabla player in the theatre.