Daily GK Updates - 30th April, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates India’s first 3D printed house at IIT-M: The Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman virtually inaugurated the first 3D printed house in India at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). The concept of this 3D printed house was conceived by former IIT-M alumni. The single-storey home has been built in just five days over an area of about 600 sq. ft using ‘Concrete 3D Printing” technology.The house is by IIT-Madras based start-up ‘TVASTA Manufacturing Solutions’, within the campus, in association with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter. The 3D Printed House would help to meet the deadline of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the ‘housing for all’ scheme by 2022.

 

2. TV Somanathan named finance secretary by ACC: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of T V Somanathan as the new Finance Secretary. He will replace Ajay Bhushan Pandey who superannuated in February 2021. Somanathan, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was currently serving as the Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Earlier, he has served as a joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. Somanathan was awarded the Gold Medal for the Best IAS trainee of his cohort. He holds a PhD in Economics from Calcutta University and is a chartered accountant, chartered management accountant and chartered secretary.

 

3. Cricketer RavindraJadeja becomes ASICS brand ambassador: Japanese Sportswear brand ASICS announced that it has appointed RavindraJadeja, the all-rounder of the Indian cricket team and Chennai Super Kings as its brand ambassador. The company, which focuses on sporting gear for the running category. ASICS has been working with young and fresh athletic talent across various genres of sports. In India, ASICS is promoted by actor Tiger Shroff. In Asia, ASICS currently has over 55 stores across India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

 

4. Ayushman Bharat Diwas: 30th April: Every year, the Ayushman Bharat Diwas is celebrated on April 30 in India. The Ayushman Bharat Diwas is celebrated to achieve twin missions. They are to promote health and wellness to the poor and also to provide insurance benefits to them. The day aims to promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas of the country based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census database. It will also promote health and wellness and provide insurance benefits to the poor.Ayushman Bharat Scheme:

(1) The Scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2018.

(2) According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme has so far operationalised 75,532 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre. It has fixed a target of 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centre by 2022.

(3) The beneficiaries are chosen from the Socio-Economic Census Database.

(4) It is the largest health cover in the world.

(5) It aims to provide five lakh rupees of health cover per family per year.

(6) The scheme also covers fifteen days of pre-hospitalisation and fifteen days of post-hospitalisation. This includes the expenses of medicines and tests.

(7) The scheme subsumed the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme and RashtriyaSwasthyaBimaYojana.

(8) The scheme has packages that include knee replacement, bypass and other treatments provided at 15% cheaper than the Central Government Health Schemes.

Note: Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH): Shripad Yesso Naik.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. China Launches Robot Prototype ‘NEO-01’ Clear Space Debris: The Chinese government has launched a robot prototype named as ‘NEO-01’, in the Earth’s low orbit, on its Long March 6 rocket. The 30kg robot prototype has been developed by Shenzhen-based space mining start-up ‘Origin Space’.

Main Purpose: To observe small celestial bodies in deep space and to experiment with space debris removal techniques. NEO-01 will use a large net to capture debris left behind by other spacecraft and then burn it using its electric propulsion system.

 

2. India Ranks 49th in Chandler Good Government Index 2021: India has been placed at 49th position among 104 nations in the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) 2021. Finland has topped the CGGI Index 2021 and Venezuela is the last ranked country at 104.

Index: Rank 1: Finland

Rank 2: Switzerland

Rank 3: Singapore

Rank 4: Netherlands

Rank 5: Demark

About the Chandler Good Governance Index: The Chandler Good Governance Index is released by the Chandler Institute of Governance headquartered in Singapore. The index is prepared based on seven pillars namely leadership and foresight, strong institutions, robust laws and policies, attractive market place, financial stewardship, helping people rise, global influence and reputation.

 

3. International Jazz Day: 30th April: The International Jazz Day is celebrated on 30 April every year to highlight the importance of jazz and its diplomatic role in uniting people in all corners of the globe. The 2021 celebration marks the 10th Anniversary of International Jazz Day. The day was created on the idea of jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock.

History of International Jazz Day: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed 30 April as International Jazz Day on November 2011. The day was designated to bring together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts from across the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz and its impact.

Note: Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey Azoulay; UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI joins network for greening financial system: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) as a member. The central bank joined the NGFS on April 23, 2021. Green finance assumed significance in the context of climate change. The RBI expects to benefit from the membership of NGFS by learning from and contributing to global efforts on green finance, which has assumed significance in the context of climate change. Launched at the Paris One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017, the NGFS is a group of central banks and supervisors willing to share best practices and contribute to the development of environment and climate risk management in the financial sector, while mobilising mainstream finance to support the transition towards a sustainable economy.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. ADB Projects India’s GDP to grow 11% in FY22: The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected the growth rate of India’s economy, in its latest flagship Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021, as follows:

FY22 (2021-22): 11%

FY23 (2022-23): 7%

ADB has based the rate on the “strong” vaccine drive being undertaken across the country, however, it has also cautioned that the recent surge in COVID cases may put the country’s economic recovery at “risk”.

Note: President of ADB: MasatsuguAsakawa; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines; ADB Established: 9 December 1966.

 

2. IHS Markit Estimates GDP Growth Rate of India at 9.6% for FY22: London-based financial services company IHS Markit has projected the GDP growth rate of the Indian economy to grow at 9.6 per cent in FY22 (2021-22). The revision is based on factors like ongoing lockdown and mobility curbs coupled with fears of an extension, time-wise and across more Indian cities.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. KrithiKaranth becomes 1st Indian woman to get ‘Wild Innovator Award’: Dr. Krithi K Karanth, Chief Conservation Scientist at Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), has been chosen as the first Indian and Asian woman for the 2021 ‘WILD Innovator Award’. This award given by the ‘‘WILD ELEMENTS Foundation” brings together a coalition of innovators, advocates and partners to “disrupt the status quo and identify solutions to global sustainability and conservation,”. The Foundation’s distinctive approach to addressing climate change is the “Power of Three,” recognising the interconnectedness of animal-kind, humankind, and plantkind for the future planetary wellness of our shared home.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. DRDO Conducts Maiden Trial of Python-5 Air to Air Missile Using LCA Tejas: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), successfully test-fired the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) from Tejas aircraft, at Goa. This adds the Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) in the air-to-air weapons package of India’s indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas. The trials also aimed to validate the enhanced capability of the already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas. Python-5 air-to-air missile (AAM) has been manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel and is one of the most sophisticated guided missiles in the world.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Noted Odia and English Author Manoj Das Passes Away: Eminent Indian educationist, popular columnist and prolific author, who wrote in Odia and English, Manoj Das has passed away. The first book of Das was of poetry called ‘SatavdiraArtanada’, in Odia, which was published when he was in high school. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2020 for his contributions in the field of literature and education.