Daily GK Updates – 1st Mar, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India, AIIB sign agreement to improve Assam power transmission: The Government of India and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has signed a $304 million loan agreement on February 23, 2021, for the Assam Intra-State Transmission System Enhancement Project. The project aims to improve the reliability, capacity and security of the power transmission network in the northeastern state of Assam.

About the project: It includes constructing 10 transmission substations and laying transmission lines with the associated infrastructure, upgrade 15 existing substations, and transmission lines and existing ground wire to optical power ground wire and provide technical assistance to support project implementation. The total estimated cost of the project is $365 million. AIIB will finance $304 million while the remaining funding of $61 million will be done by the state government.

Note: President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: JinLiqun; Headquarters of AIIB: Beijing, China; AIIB established: 16 January 2016.

 

2. Vijay Sampla takes charge as Chairman of National Commission for SC: Former Union Minister Vijay Sampla has assumed the charge of Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). He has been the former Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment from 2014 to 2019. NCSC is an Indian constitutional body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that works for the socio-economic development of the scheduled castes and to prevent atrocities against them.

Note: NCSC Founded: 19 February 2004; NCSC Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

3. Punjab Cabinet approves mission ‘Lal Lakir’ in all villages: The Punjab Cabinet has approved the implementation of the mission ‘Lal Lakir’ aimed at facilitating villagers to monetise property rights and availing benefits provided by government departments, institutions and banks in all villages across the state. As no record of rights is available for such properties within the ‘Lal Lakir’, the same cannot currently be monetised as per the real value of the property and no mortgages can be created on such properties. Under the mission:

(1) The right of record of properties within ‘Lal Lakir’ in the villages of the state will be prepared with the cooperation of the government of India under the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme.

(2) This will enable mapping the land, households, habitation and all other areas falling within ‘Lal Lakir’. It will go a long way in improving the living standard of villagers and boosting their self-esteem.

(3) There are households within the ‘Lal Lakir’, which do not own property other than the areas within the ‘Lal Lakir’, and are thus at a disadvantage when it comes to monetising or realising the real value of the property, according to a government statement.

(4) ‘Lal Lakir’ refers to land that is part of the village ‘abaadi’ (habitation) and is used for non-agriculture purposes only.

Note: Punjab CM: Captain Amarinder Singh; Punjab Governor: V.P.SinghBadnore.

 

4. Chandigarh became the first Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch: Chandigarh became the first state or Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch, a mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual. Although the app can be accessed by everyone, it has specific options for the residents of Chandigarh to compile a detailed study. The application can be downloaded through a QR code in Android supported smart cell phones.

What is the Carbon Footprint: Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases-especially carbon dioxide-released into the atmosphere by particular human activity.

About the Carbon Watch Mobile app: As a person downloads the application, they will need to fill details in four parts Water, Energy, Waste Generation and Transport (Vehicular movement). In the category of Water, the person will be required to inform about the consumption of water.

In the Energy category, the details regarding the electricity units consumed every month at the house, monthly bill etc and usage of solar energy will have to be furnished. In the Waste category, the individual will need to inform about the waste generated on their part and their family. In the transport section, the individual will have to inform them about the mode of transport used by the- four-wheeler, two-wheeler or bicycle.

Note: Chandigarh Administrator: V.P. Singh Badnore.

 

5. Piyush Goyal addresses 6th International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices: The 6th edition of the International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Device sector was inaugurated by Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, and Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Piyush Goyal. The conference which includes INDIA PHARMA 2021 & INDIA MEDICAL DEVICE 2021 is scheduled to take place from February 25-26, 2021 & March 1-2, 2021.

Objectives of the Conference: To encourage and bring forward the best technology solutions and manufacturing, for the overall growth of the Pharma & Medical Device sector. The theme of India Pharma 2021: ‘Indian Pharma Industry: “Future is Now”. The theme of India Medical Device 2021 is “India MedTech Future: Innovate & Make in India through Global Alliance”.

About the conference: The conference is organised every year by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, along with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

 

6. Civil Accounts Day: 01st March: The Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) observes the “Civil Accounts Day” every year on March 01, 2021, since its inception in 1976. The year 2021 marks the 45th Civil Accounts Day celebrations. ICAS is one of the Civil Services of India, under the Department of Expenditure, Union Ministry of Finance.

About the Indian Civil Accounts Service: Initially, the ICAS was carved out from the Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA & AS), through the promulgation of an Ordinance amending the C & AG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1976. Later, the Departmentalisation of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted and came into force on 01 March 1976, following which the ICAS celebrates March 1 every year as the “Civil Accounts Day”.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. IrakliGaribashvili as New Prime Minister of Georgia: The Parliament of Georgia confirmed IrakliGaribashvili as Prime Minister along with a vote of confidence in the cabinet Garibashvili put forward. Garibashvili pledged to create a long-term development strategy for Georgia in his first one hundred days in office. First, on the agenda, Garibashvili will continue the essential work of the government to ably manage the pandemic and accelerate the focus on rebuilding the economy while continuing to strengthen Georgia’s security and democratic institutions.

Note: Georgia Capital: Tbilisi; Currency: Georgian lari.

 

2. India, Australia and France hold trilateral dialogue with focus on Indo-Pacific: A trilateral dialogue was held among India, France, and Australia, at the senior officials’ level, with a focus on further enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The aim of this trilateral dialogue is to build strong bilateral relation among the three countries and synergies their respective strength to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. It must be remembered that the first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually on September 9, 2020, at Foreign Secretary-level, for better coordination in the region.At the senior official level, the Indian side was led by Joint Secretary (Europe West) in MEA, Sandeep Chakravorty, while the French side was led by Bertrand Lortholary, Director (Asia and Oceania), and the Australian side was led by Mr Gary Cowan, First Assistant Secretary (North and South Asia Division) and Mr John Geering, First Assistant Secretary (Europe and Latin America Division).

 

3. Zero Discrimination Day: 01st March: Zero Discrimination Day is an annual day celebrated on 1 March each year by the United Nations and other international organisations. Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated to promote and celebrate everyone’s right, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin colour, etc. Zero Discrimination Day aims to raise the voice for the right to live life with dignity, despite one’s choices, beliefs, profession, education, disability or even illness. The theme of Zero Discrimination Day 2021: “End Inequalities”.A butterfly is the symbol of Zero Discrimination Day and it is widely used by people to share their stories and photos as a way to end discrimination and work towards positive transformation. Zero Discrimination Day was first celebrated on March 1, 2014, and was launched by UNAIDS Executive Director at Beijing after UNAIDS launched its Zero Discrimination Campaign on World AIDS Day in December 2013.

Note: United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; UNAIDS Executive Director: Winnie Byanyima; UNAIDS Founded: 26 July 1994.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. R. Vinay Kumar announces retirement from all forms of cricket: Former India international and Karnataka captain, R Vinay Kumar has announced retirement from all forms of cricket. The “Davangere Express” after running for 25 years and passing so many stations of cricketing life, has finally arrived at the station called retirement. Vinay, a medium-pacer, represented India in one Test, 31 ODIs and 9 T20Is between 2010 and 2013. Vinay retires as a domestic giant of Indian cricket having taken 504 first-class wickets in 139 matches that included 26 five-wicket hauls and five 10-wicket hauls in a match.With the bat, he scored 3311 runs including two centuries and 17 half-centuries. In 141 List A matches, the 37-year-old took 225 wickets at 24.39 and scored 1198 runs including four half-centuries.

 

2. Yusuf Pathan announces retirement from all forms of cricket: Former India all-rounder, Yusuf Pathan has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. He played 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India since making his international debut in 2007. He was part of the Indian team that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He scored 810 ODI runs and 236 T20I runs for India. He also picked up 46 wickets in limited-overs international cricket. Yusuf played 100 first-class matches, scoring 4825 runs and picking up 201 wickets. In List A cricket, the right-handed batsman accumulated 4797 runs and got 124 wickets from 199 matches. He last played for India in an ODI against South Africa at Johannesburg in March 2012.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. AU Small Finance Bank has named Sharad Goklani as President & CTO: AU Small Finance Bank has named Sharad Goklani as its new President & CTO. He was earlier associated with Equitas Small Finance Bank as its EVP & Chief Technology Officer.  As a part of his new appointment, Goklani will be based in Jaipur Rajasthan. Prior to Equitas, he was associated with Bharti Airtel and Bharti Telesoft. He holds a Master degree in computer application from Jaipur University.

About the Bank: AU was started 25 years ago by Sanjay Agarwal, a merit holder Chartered Accountant and a first-generation entrepreneur. As per the official website, it was founded in Jaipur in 1996 as Au Financiers, a non-deposit taking Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC), it effectively worked on funding economic growth, especially for the under-served and un-served low & middle-class individuals. Au Financiers converted into AU Small Finance Bank in April 2017 after receiving the license from RBI.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Moody’s projects India’s GDP to contract 7% in FY21: The US-based rating agency Moody’s has revised its growth projection for India, and now expects the economy to contract 7 per cent in fiscal 2020-21 (FY21). This is lower than its previous estimate of 10.6 per cent contraction. For the next financial year, FY22, beginning April 1, Moody’s has projected the economy to grow to 13.7 per cent, as compared to 10.8 per cent estimated earlier.

Note: Headquarters of Moody’s: NewYork, United States; President & CEO of Moody’s: Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.

 

2. GautamThakar made global CEO of OLX Autos:OLXGroup appoints GautamThakar as global CEO of OLX Autos. He will lead a worldwide organisation with a workforce of more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Africa, Latam, and the United States. OLXGroup announced the appointment of GautamThakar as global CEO of OLX Autos effective March 15, 2021.

Note: OLXGroup Founded: 2006; OLXGroup Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Padma Shri Malayalam Poet VishnunarayananNamboothiri passes away: Renowned Malayalam poet, the priest and academician Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri, has passed away. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014, for his contribution to the world of Malayalam literature for decades. He also won the Kerala SahityaAkademi Award, Kendra SahityaAkademi Fellowship, Vallathol Award, Odakkuzhal Award and the Mathrubhumi Literary Award, among others. He was also a noted scholar of language and the Vedas, as well as an orator.