Daily GK Update - 5th April, 2021

 NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launches new cruise service connecting Hazira port in Surat and Diu Island: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Independent charge) Mansukh Mandaviya today launched a new cruise service connecting Hazira port in Surat and Diu Island. He flagged off this service virtually via video conference. A cruise ship will leave Hazira every Monday and Wednesday and reach Diu -next day in the morning. Return journey will take place on the same day in the evening from Diu and end at Hazira- next day in the morning. One side journey will take 13 to 14 hours’ time. A 300 passenger capacity cruise ship will have 16 cabins. It will make two round trips during the week. AIR correspondent reports that a cruise ship has latested facilities including gaming lounge, VIP lounge, entertainment on deck etc.

2. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurates Tulip Festival: In the Kashmir Valley, Tulip Festival in Srinagar was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Over 15 lakh flowers of more than 64 varieties are in full bloom on the foothills of the Zabarwan Mountains. The five-day-long Tulip Festival in Asia’s largest tulip garden at the foothills of Zabarwan hills on the banks of world-famous Dal Lake in Srinagar.

About the festival: The Tulip Garden was opened for tourists and the general public on the 25th of March. Last year the Tulip Festival could not be held because of the unprecedented situation of COVID-19. However, this time, the Tulip Festival is being organized on a large scale to attract more and more tourists. The Tulip Festival, to be held from 3rd to 7th of April, will showcase Kashmiri folk music apart from a painting competition.

3. Urjit Patel appointed as additional director of Britannia: Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Dr Urjit Patel has been appointed as Additional Director of Britannia Industries with effect from 31st March 2021 for the tenure of 5 years. The company has announced that its board of directors has approved the appointment. The Board of Directors of the company at their meeting held 31 March 2021, approved the appointment of Dr Urjit Patel, as an additional director of the company in the category of non-executive and independent director with effect from 31 March 2021 for a term of 5 years i.e., up to 30th March 2026, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the company.

Note: Britannia CEO: Varun Berry; Britannia Headquarters: Bengaluru; Britannia Founded: 1892.

4. Adil Zainulbhai appointed chairman of Capacity Building Commission: Former Quality Council of India (QCI) chief Adil Zainulbhai has appointed chairman of Capacity Building Commission. The government has approved a commission under National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), also known as ‘Mission Karmayogi’, to train civil servants at all levels. The approved Capacity Building Commission will coordinate with and supervise all the government offices, training institutes to monitor and evaluate the implementation of plans and create shared resources. The Commission will comprise of a Chairperson and two Members.

5. National Maritime Day: 5th April: National Maritime Day in India is observed on 5 April every year. This year is the 58th edition of the National Maritime Day. The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year day to illustrate the awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one corner to another corner of the world.

History of National Maritime Day of India: The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964. The saga of India shipping first started on April 5, 1919, when the SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd travelled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom (London). On this day an award called “Varuna” is conferred to those who made an outstanding contribution to the Indian maritime sector.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Russia registers world’s 1st Covid vaccine Carnivac-Cov for animals: The world’s first animal vaccine against the novel coronavirus has been registered in Russia, the country’s agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor. The vaccine for animals, developed by a unit of Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance), was named Carnivac-Cov. The immunity lasts for six months after the vaccination, but the dose’s developers are continuing to analyse this. The use of this vaccine, as per Russian scientists, can prevent the development of virus mutations. The use of this vaccine, as per Russian scientists, can prevent the development of virus mutations. It is the world’s first and only product for preventing Covid-19 in animals.

2. International Day of Conscience: 5th April: The United Nations declares April 5 as International Day of Conscience. This day serves to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and do the right things. This Day is observed every year on 5th April and the first International Conscience Day was observed in 2020. So in the current year 2021, the second United Nations (UN) International Day of Conscience celebrations are being held across the world. This day is celebrated to highlight the importance of conscience and the role of conscience in stopping people from harming others orally, physically, sexually, or mentally. International Conscience Day is celebrated to highlight that everyone has self-respect and the right to live with peace and security.

 OTHER UPDATES:

 SPORTS

1. Tashkent to host 2023 AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships: President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Umar Kremlev during his visit to Uzbekistan officially announced that AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships will take place in Tashkent in 2023. The city of Tashkent is awarded the 2023 AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships after the successful bid presentation by the Boxing Federation of Uzbekistan. The AIBA Board of Directors voted in favour of the major event candidate city.

Note: Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent; Uzbekistan President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev; Uzbekistan Currency: Uzbekistani soʻm.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI Fixes Centre's WMA Limit at Rs 1.2 Lakh Cr for First Half of Next Fiscal: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limit at Rs 1.2 lakh crore for the central government for the first half of the financial year beginning April 1. WMAs are temporary advances given by the RBI to the government to tide over any mismatch in receipts and payments. Further, the RBI said it may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the government utilises 75 per cent of the WMA limit. The interest rate on WMA is equal to the repo rate and on overdraft, it is two per cent above the repo rate. The current repo rate is 4 per cent.

2. ICICI Bank, Axis Bank to co-lead NUE with Amazon, Visa as partners: Leading private sector lenders ICICI Bank and Axis Bank have tied up with global e-commerce major Amazon and cards major Visa to launch a retail payments entity, which will be a rival to state-owned NPCI. Concerns over concentration risk and a need to fast-track cashless payments had led the RBI to invite applications for a New Umbrella Entity (NUE) to rival the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which currently delivers services like UPI- based payments.

ICICI Bank and Axis Bank will be co-leading the consortium with a 20 per cent stake each. Other partners, including Amazon, Billdesk, Pine Labs and Visa will be holding a stake of 15 per cent each. The scope of activities for the NUE as mandated by RBI includes payment systems in the retail space like ATMs, white label point of sale terminals, Aadhar-based payment systems and remittance services, operation of clearing and settlement systems for participating banks and non-banks, be interoperable with NPCI, and participate in the Reserve Bank's payment and settlement systems.

3. RBL Bank and Tide, collaborate to serve Indian SMEs: Private lender, RBL Bank has tied-up with Tide India, a UK-based banking fintech, to provide banking infrastructure for Tide’s India platform focused on the SME segment. This collaboration will enable Tide to bring its platform to the Indian markets with a full-fledged launch. Under the tie-up, businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises have an option to open current and savings accounts at RBL Bank through Tide’s business platform. Depending on customer requirements, the Bank can also integrate its payment APIs. Tide plans to acquire 25,000 customers in the next financial year and scale up to two million customers in the next five years. Apart from supporting the organised SME sector, Tide will also focus on serving the unregistered and unorganised sector, helping bring these SMEs into the mainstream by providing them access to RBL Bank’s plethora of business banking products and services.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan Receives Kalinga Ratna Samman: Odisha-born Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan received the Kalinga Ratna Samman for 2021. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred Biswabhusan with the prestigious award in Cuttack on the occasion of the 40th annual day of the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at the Sarala Bhawan. The Kalinga Ratna Samman carries a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati, a copper plaque and a shawl.

 OBITUARIES

1. Japanese Nobel laureate Isamu Akasaki passes away: Japanese Physicist Isamu Akasaki, a co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, has passed away. Akasaki, a professor at the university, had been recognized for the invention which has contributed to bright and energy-saving white light sources, widely known as LED lamps. He was honoured in 1997 by the Japanese government with the Medal with Purple Ribbon, an honour bestowed on those who have made contributions to academic and artistic developments. In 2014, Akasaki, a professor at Meijo University, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with physicist Hiroshi Amano, a professor at the University of Nagoya, and Japan-born American Shuji Nakamura, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He worked with Amano to produce gallium nitride crystals and succeeded in 1989 in creating the world’s first blue LED.

2. Veteran film and TV actress Shashikala passes away: Veteran film and TV actress Shashikala Om Prakash Saigal passed away. She was more popularly known by her first name, Shashikala has famously appeared as various supporting characters in over 100 films. Shashikala was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri by the Indian government for her unparalleled contribution to the world of cinema and arts in 2007. She was also conferred with the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the V. Shantaram Awards in 2009. Apart from this, Shashikala bagged two Filmfare awards for her work in Aarti and Gumrah.