Daily GK Updates - 14th April, 2021

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Russian Vaccine Sputnik V gets emergency use authorisation in India: The Central drug regulator, DCGA has approved emergency use authorisation of the Russian Vaccine, Sputnik V. It has now become the third vaccine to get emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator after Covishield and Covaxin. The Vaccine was developed by Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology last year in Russia.

About Sputnik V clinical trial:

(1) The clinical trials of SPUTNIK V in India is being done by Dr Reddy’s Lab. The Hyderabad based, multinational Indian pharma company, Dr Reddy’s Lab has also inked an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund, RDIF for the supply of the Russian vaccine in India.

(2) The Subject Expert Committee of the Indian drug regulator had yesterday recommended SPUTNIK V for emergency use authorisation.

(3) The vaccine has displayed robust results in its clinical trials in the country.

(4) RDIF has claimed effectiveness of 91.6 per cent for the Sputnik V vaccine. Dr Reddy’s had applied for emergency use of Sputnik-V in February this year.

Note: Russia President: Vladimir Putin; Russia Capital: Moscow; Russia Currency: Russian Ruble.

 

2. Ghaziabad issues India’s first municipal green bonds: Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) has announced successfully raising and listing India’s first Green Municipal bond issue. GNN raised ₹150 crores at a cost of 8.1 per cent. Money will be used to clean up dirty water by setting up a tertiary water treatment plant and supply piped water through water meters to places like Sahibabad. Ghaziabad is debt-free and has maintained a revenue surplus position in the last few years, according to India Ratings.

 

3. Poonam Gupta to head NCAER as its first woman DG: Poonam Gupta will be the new director-general of the policy think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). Gupta will succeed the current head of the think tank, Shekhar Shah, to become the first woman to hold the post. Currently, Gupta is the lead economist at the World Bank in Washington DC. Prior to joining the World Bank in 2013, she was the Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) and a professor of macroeconomics at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

Note: NCAER Headquarters: New Delhi; NCAER Founded: 1956.

 

4. Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra named as next Chief Election Commissioner: The incumbent Election Commissioner (EC) Sushil Chandra has been named to become the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He will assume charge with effect from April 13, 2021. He will replace incumbent CEC, Sunil Arora, who will retire on April 12, 2021. The Election Commission of India consists of three members, namely Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The two ECs are Rajiv Kumar and Sushil Chandra.

Note: Election Commission Formed: 25 January 1950; Election Commission Headquarters: New Delhi; First executive of Election Commission: Sukumar Sen.

 

5. Ambedkar Jayanti: 14th April:Ambedkar Jayanti (also known as Bhim Jayanti) is an annual festival observed on 14 April to commemorate the birth anniversary of BabasahebDrBhim Rao Ambedkar who was born on 14 April 1891. The Day has been observed as an official public holiday throughout India since 2015. In 2021, we are marking the 130th birth anniversary of Babasaheb.

About the BabasahebDrBhim Rao Ambedkar: DrAmbedkar is known as the Father (chief architect) of the Indian Constitution. He was the first Law and Justice Minister of the country after the independence. DrBhim has been bestowed with the country’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 1990 posthumously.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar participates in Climate and Development Ministerial meet in run up to COP26: Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar participated in the virtual Climate and Development Ministerial meet in the run up to COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference 2021. The meeting was hosted by United Kingdom. The ministerial meet, hosted by COP26 president Alok Sharma and UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, focussed on how to set international agenda in the run-up to COP26 which is to take place in Glasgow in November. The summit will seek to galvanizing efforts by the world’s major economies to reduce emissions during this critical decade to keep a limit to warming of 1.5 degree Celsius within reach and mobilize public and private sector finance to drive the net-zero transition.

 

2. United Arab Emirates names its first female astronaut: The United Arab Emirates named the next two astronauts in its space programme on 10th April, including the country’s first female astronaut. Noura al-Matroushi is the UAE’s first female astronaut. The announcement gave no biographical information about her or her male counterpart, Mohammed al-Mulla. Al-Matroushi works as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co. Al-Mulla serves as a pilot with Dubai police and heads their training division. The two are set to head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for training. In 2019, Hazzaa Al-Mansoori became the UAE’s first astronaut. He spent a week on the International Space Station.

Note: President of UAE: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham.

 

3. Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020 published: The 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore) has secured the top position among the best higher education institutes in India, while Calcutta University became the best varsity in the country, as per the published Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU 2020). The Indian institutes are not even in the top 100 list, the best higher education institute, (IISc Bangalore) is in the category of 501- 600.

Best Institute Ranking Index:

Rank 1: Harvard University

Rank 2: Stanford University

Rank 3: University of Cambridge

Category of 501- 600- IISc Bangalore

Regional Best Institute Ranking Index:

Rank 1: IISc Bangalore

Category 2-4: IIT Madras

Category 2-4: University of Calcutta

 

4. World Chagas Disease Day: 14th April: The World Chagas Disease Day is observed on 14 April to raise public awareness and visibility among people about Chagas Disease (also called American trypanosomiasis or silent or silenced disease) and the resources needed for the prevention, control or elimination of the disease. The WHO approved the designation of Chagas Disease Day on May 24, 2019, at the 72nd World Health Assembly. It is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by WHO.

History of the day: The first World Chagas Disease Day was observed on 14 April 2020. The day has been named after Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, the Brazilian doctor who diagnosed the first case on 14 April 1909.

Note: Headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland; Director general of WHO: TedrosAdhanom; WHO founded: 7 April 1948.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. SiddharthLongjam appointed new NADA DG: IAS officer, Siddharth Singh Longjam will take over as the National Anti-Doping Agency’s Director-General. Longjam is currently serving as joint secretary in the sports ministry and is also the CEO of the currently suspended National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL). He will replace Navin Agarwal who listed the creation of Athletes Biological Passport (ABP) for around 60 elite Indian sportspersons as one of the highlights of his tenure.

Note: NADA Headquarters location: New Delhi; NADA Founded: 24 November 2005.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Bharti AXA Life and Fincare SFB join hands for bancassurance partnership: Bharti Axa Life and Fincare Small Finance Bank have joined hands for a bancassurance partnership under which the bank will sell insurance policies to its customers. This alliance will make life insurance solutions reachable to over 26.5 lakhs customers of Fincare Small Finance Bank and provide financial security to them. Under the partnership, Bharti AXA Life Insurance will offer its comprehensive suite of life insurance products, including protection, savings and investment plans, to the customers of Fincare Small Finance Bank across its 747 branches and digital network presence across the country.

Note: MD and CEO of Bharti AXA Life Insurance: Parag Raja; MD & CEO Fincare Small Finance Bank: Rajeev Yadav.

 

2. Axis Bank becomes co-promoter of Max Life Insurance: Axis Bank Ltd informed it has become co-promoters of Max Life Insurance Company Limited, after completion of the acquisition of 12.99% stake collectively by the Axis Entities in the company. Axis Bank and its two subsidiaries Axis Capital Limited and Axis Securities Limited will collectively own a 12.99% stake in Max Life after the consummation of the deal. The Axis Entities have a right to acquire an additional stake of up to 7% in Max Life, in one or more tranches, subject to regulatory approvals. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) gave its formal approval in February of 2021.

Note: Max Life Insurance CEO: Prashant Tripathy; Max Life Insurance Founded: 2001; Max Life Insurance Headquarters: New Delhi.

Axis Bank CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry; Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai; Axis Bank Founded: 1993.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Byju’s acquires Aakash Educational Services for about $1 billion: Byju’s has acquired test-prep leader Aakash Educational Services for nearly USD 1 billion (about ₹7,300 crore) as India’s biggest online education startup looks to build its position in the brick and mortar segment. The acquisition is Byju’s biggest and one of the largest ed-tech deals in the world. Post the transaction, Blackstone Group and Aakash Educational Services Ltd (AESL) founders will hold a minority stake in Byju’s, which is valued at about USD 13 billion.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 74th Edition of BAFTA Awards 2021 announced: The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) for the year 2021, has been announced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. BAFTA 2021 is the 74th edition of the annual award to honour the best national and foreign films of 2020 and early 2021.

Most Nominations: American drama “Nomadland” (7)

British coming-of-age drama “Rocks” (7)

Most Awards: Nomadland (4)

Some of the Winners of BAFTA 2021

Best Film: Nomadland

Best Director: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Anthony Hopkins (The Father as Anthony)

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand (Nomadland as Fern)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah as Fred Hampton)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: YounYuh-Jung (Minari as Soon-JA)

Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)

Best Short Animation: The Owl and the Pussycat (Mole Hill and Laura Duncalf)

Best Short Film: The Present (Farah Nabulsi)

Best Animated Film: Soul (Pete Docter and Dana Murray)

Best Documentary: My Octopus Teacher (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster)

Best Film Not in the English Language (Another Round)

Best Original Music: Soul (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Outstanding British Film: Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox and Josey McNamara)

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: His House (Remi Weekes (Writer/Director))

 

2. Seville to be host city for Laureus World Sports Awards 2021: The Spanish city of Seville will host the 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards in a virtual ceremony owing to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The awards show, featuring presentations and related news stories will be available to the world’s media and broadcast extensively on Laureus social media platforms. The winners of Laureus World Sports Awards are selected by a jury comprising 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. The last was in Barcelona in 2007, which is a long time. Among the many big names who have had a year to remember and who will be in contention for the awards are Rafael Nadal, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James, Robert Lewandowski (Sportsman), Naomi Osaka, Federica Brignone (Sportswoman).

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Hockey Player Balbir Singh Junior passed away: Balbir Singh Junior, who was a member of the silver medal-winning 1958 Asian Games Indian hockey team passed away. In 1962, he joined the Army as an emergency commissioned officer. He played for the Services hockey team in the national tournaments at Delhi. Singh retired as a Major in 1984 and later settled in Chandigarh.