Daily GK Update - 8th March, 2021

 NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. India downgraded from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’ in democracy report: India’s status as a democracy and free society has been downgraded to “partly free” in the latest annual report on global political rights and liberties by Freedom House, a US government-funded NGO that studies political freedom around the world. The report titled “Freedom in the World 2021 – Democracy under Siege”. India’s fall “from the upper ranks of free nations could have a particularly damaging impact on global democratic standards”. India had been rated as “free” in Freedom House’s reports for 2018, 2019 and 2020, though its scores on a scale of 100 had declined during this period from 77 to 71. In the latest report, India had a score of 67 out of 100.

 2. Digital platform ‘Jagrut Tripura’ launched by CM to boost e- governance: The Tripura government has come up with a digital platform ‘Jagrut Tripura’ to help people get benefits from various schemes of the Centre and the state government. At least 102 schemes of various departments of both governments are available on the platform. The ‘Jagrut Tripura’ will empower citizens of the northeastern state. The digital platform is one of the many proactive initiatives undertaken by the state government to spur a technology-led innovation ecosystem to make ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) Tripura. The project was developed by EasyGov, a Jio Group company, and it will be available to all the residents of Tripura. “With ‘Jagrut’, we want to empower people to get the benefits they deserve, and the focus is on building a family-centric, progressive model having ‘one data one source’ and privacy at the core.

Note: Chief Minister of Tripura: Biplab Kumar Deb; Governor: Ramesh Bais.

 3. GoI Sets up 259-Member panel to Commemorate 75 Years of India’s Independence: The Government of India has set up a 259-member high-level national committee, to be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence. The committee will provide policy direction and guidelines for the formulation of programmes for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, at the national and international levels. The celebrations are proposed to be launched 75 weeks prior to August 15, 2022, on March 12, 2021, which is the 91st anniversary of the historic Salt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi. The celebrations will be held at the national and international level in the form of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The high-level committee will hold its first meeting on March 8, 2021. Members include:

(1) The members of the panel include former president Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, NSA Ajit Doval, 28 chief ministers, artistes like Lata Mangeshkar, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, senior BJP leader LK Advani, almost all Union ministers and several governors.

(2) Opposition leaders like Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati are also part of the committee.

 4. Delhi govt approves formation of separate board in city: Delhi government has approved the formation of a separate school board for nearly 2,700 schools in the city. There are around 1,000 Delhi government schools and about 1,700 private schools, most of them affiliated to the CBSE, in the city. The new Board will have a governing body headed by the Education Minister of the Delhi government and an executive body headed by a chief executive officer. The DBSE will be aimed at imparting such education that prepares “fiercely patriotic” and self-dependent students who serve the society and the country in a selfless manner. The Board will bring in best international practices and high-end techniques in school education. It will impart education as per the aptitude of the students.

Note: Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal; Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. India-Sweden Virtual Summit 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has participated in the virtual India-Sweden summit, with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven. The virtual summit was organised to exchange views on regional and global issues and to discuss the bilateral relations between the two countries. This was the fifth interaction between the two leaders since 2015.

About the Summit: Both the leaders underlined that the longstanding close relations between India and Sweden were based on shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights. Prime Minister Modi welcomed Sweden’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The leaders also noted the growing member-ship of the India-Sweden joint initiative – the Leadership Group on Indus-try Transition (LeadIT) that was launched during the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 in New York. The two leaders also discussed the Covid-19 situation including the vaccination drive and stressed the need for vaccine equity by providing urgent and affordable access to vaccines across all nations.

Note: Sweden capital: Stockholm; Currency: krona; PM of Sweden: Stefan Lofven.

 2. International Women’s Day: 8th March: International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. This day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. This year’s theme for International Women Day, “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.

Note: Secretary-General of United Nations: Antonio Guterres; United Nations founded: 24 October 1945; Headquarters of United Nations: New York, United States.

 OTHER UPDATES:

 SPORTS

 1. J&K tops medals tally at Khelo India Winter National Games: Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir topped the medals tally in the second edition of the Khelo India Winter National Games.  J&K won 11 gold, 18 silver and 5 bronze medals. The five-day mega sports event which began on the 26th of February concluded in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The event was e-inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

About the Khelo India Winter National Games: The second edition of the Khelo India winter games is a major step towards making Jammu and Kashmir a hub of the winter games. In the event, more than 1,000 athletes from 27 states and union territories took part. The event was organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir.

Note: Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir: Manoj Sinha.

 2. Indian Women’s Trap Team wins silver at ISSF Shotgun World Cup, taking country’s final medal tally to 2: The Indian Women’s Trap team trio of Kirti Gupta, Manisha Keer and Rajeshwari Kumari won a silver medal in International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun 2021, in Cairo, Egypt. The trio lost to Russia’s Ekaterina Subbotina, Dana Semianova, Luliia Saveleva, 4-6 in the finals. With this, the Indian team managed to collect two medals at the tournament. Earlier, Men’s Skeet team bagged a bronze medal.

 BANKING AND FINANCE

 1. Axis Securities’ new platform to make investment in bond: Axis Securities has announced the launch of ‘YIELD’ – an online platform to buy and sell bonds as well as debentures in the secondary market. By offering competitive rates and technical know-how, YIELD would empower the investors to make the right investment decision. The trades and settlement of transactions executed will be reported on the BSE NDS (new debt segment) platform.

About the YIELD: “YIELD is the first-of-its-kind initiative that allows retail investors direct access to the debt instruments,” the brokerage house said in a statement. This new tool will remove the hassle of filling up physical forms or the need for separate KYC with the bond institutions, it added. To facilitate transactions only insecure options, it aggregates only ‘AAA’ to ‘A’ rated quality debt instruments available for investment in the secondary market.

Note: Axis Bank Commenced operations: 1994; Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Axis Bank Tagline: Dil Se Open; Axis Bank MD and CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry.

 BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 1. Kotak Mahindra Bank tie-up with Indian army to handle salary accounts: Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank will handle the salary account of the Indian army personnel. The bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army here for a salary account. The MoU enables Kotak to offer its salary account proposition, combined with exclusive benefits for the Indian Army, to all army personnel – both active and retired. Through the Kotak salary account, all personnel of the Indian army will get access to the full range of Kotak’s products and services including a zero-balance salary account that earns up to 4 per cent interest per annum with free unlimited ATM transactions on all VISA ATMs and anywhere banking across the bank’s network of 1,603 branches and 2,573 ATMs across India. Benefits of Kotak salary account:

(1) The salary account will cover other benefits such as a bespoke salary account for the army personnel, enhanced complimentary personal accident insurance cover – for both on-duty and off-duty incidents.

(2) It covers accidental death for total or partial permanent disability. It will also offer special education benefit for children and additional girl child benefit by covering dependent children of up to 22 years in the event of an accident claim by the salary account holder.

(3) Among others, the account will also offer exclusive benefits on loans and credit cards by way of attractive rates and zero processing fees on personal, home and car loans and waiver on joining fees on credit cards.

(4) Zero-balance; family banking accounts, free online payment transactions, unlimited cheque books, best-in-class rates for dematerialised accounts (Demat) and best-in-class brokerage rates on trading accounts are the other benefits.

Note: Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO: Uday Kotak; Kotak Mahindra Bank Establishment: 2003; Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Kotak Mahindra Bank Tagline: Lets make money simple.

 AWARDS AND HONOURS

 1. Bihari Puraskar 2020 to be awarded to Mohankrishna Bohara: The 30th Bihari Puraskar for 2020 will be given to Mohankrishna Bohara for his Hindi book of Criticism, titled Taslima: Sangharsh aur Sahitya. The K.K. Birla Foundation announced this in New Delhi. The book was published in 2016.

About the Bihari Puraskar: Bihari Puraskar carries award money of two lakh 50 thousand rupees, a Citation and a Plaque. The award is one of the three literary awards instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991. Named after famous Hindi poet Bihari, the award is given every year for an outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the last 10 years by a Rajasthani writer.

 OBITUARIES

 1. Renowned Kannada poet Lakshminarayana Bhatta passes away: Noted Kannada poet, critic and translator NS Lakshminarayana Bhatta has passed away. Popularly known as ‘NSL’ in the Kannada literary world, he was born in 1936 in the Shivamogga district. A was recipient of the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi award and Kannada Rajyotsava Award among others, his popular works include Thaye Ninna madilali. Bhatta had translated about 50 famous sonnets of William Shakespeare (Suneeta), the poetry of TS Elliot and works of the noted poet William Butler Yeats (Chinnada Hakki) into Kannada. He had also translated several other prominent English literary works into Kannada. He served as a Professor at Bengaluru University, working in the Kannada Literature department, and is revered for popularizing the works of saint-poet Shishunala Sharif.