Daily GK Update- 29th, May 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Cabinet approves Opening of a new Consulate General of India in Maldives: Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the opening of a new Consulate General of India in Addu City, the Maldives in 2021. India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity. Maldives occupies an important place in the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and the ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision of the Government of India.

About the Consulate General:

(1) The opening of a Consulate General in Addu City will help augment India’s diplomatic presence in the Maldives and make it commensurate with the existing and aspired level of engagement.

(2) The momentum and energy in the bilateral relationship have reached unprecedented levels under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Solih. This is also a forward-looking step in pursuit of our national priority of growth and development or ‘SabkaSaathSabkaVikas’.

(3) Augmentation of India’s diplomatic presence will, inter-alia, provide market access for Indian companies and bolster Indian exports of goods and services. This would have a direct impact in augmenting domestic production and employment in line with our goal of a self-reliant India or ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

Note: President of the Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih; Capital of Maldives: Male; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian Rufiyaa.

 

2. Mohali international hockey stadium renamed after Balbir Singh Senior: The Punjab Government finally announced to rename the Mohali International Hockey Stadium, after triple Olympian and Padma Shri Balbir Singh Sr. the stadium will now be known as Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium. The government also announced to start a scholarship scheme in the legend’s name for meritorious hockey players of the state.

Balbir Singh Sr played an important role in making the Indian hockey team a three-time Olympics champion. No one has been able to break his Olympics final record till date. He scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the final of the 1952 Olympic Games. He also was the manager of the 1975 World Cup-winning Indian team. The Punjab Government had honoured the legendary player with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award in 2019.

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

 

3. IPS Subodh Kumar Jaiswal appointed new CBI director: IPS officer, Subodh Jaiswal has been appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He was the most senior officer among the three shortlisted for the post of CBI Director. Jaiswal, along with KR Chandra and VS Kaumudi, was short-listed out of 109 officers for the top post by the high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other members of the committee include Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, AdhirRanjan Chowdhury.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has based on the panel recommended by the Committee, approved the appointment of Shri Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS (MH: 1985) as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the office or until further orders whichever is earlier.

Note: Central Bureau of Investigation Headquarters: New Delhi; Central Bureau of Investigation Founded: 1 April 1963.

 

4. Neena Gupta announces autobiography “SachKahunToh”: Bollywood actor Neena Gupta is all set to launch her autobiography “SachKahunToh”, publisher Penguin Random House India. she wrote the book in 2020 during the lockdown. The book addresses issues like casting couch, film industry politics, and also talks about what it takes for a young actor to survive without a godfather or guide. From her time at the National School of Drama (NSD) to moving to Bombay (Mumbai) in the 80s and her single parenthood, the book will share Gupta’s life story in the most “unapologetically honest” manner. “She details the big milestones in her life, her unconventional pregnancy and single parenthood, and successful second innings in Bollywood.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. India-Israel signs 3-year program for Cooperation in Agriculture: India and Israel have inked a three-year joint work programme which will continue till 2023. A joint work programme was initiated with the aim of enhancing cooperation in agriculture. Under the new work programme, 13 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) were set up to make Indian farmers aware of Israeli farm and water technologies. A model ecosystem in agriculture called Villages of Excellence (VoE) will also be created across eight states within 75 villages. The new programme will promote the increase in net income and enhance the livelihood of the individual farmer. India and Israel have completed four similar joint work programmes successfully.

 

2. Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 74th World Health Assembly: Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chairman of WHO Executive Board, Dr Harsh Vardhan, chaired the 74th World Health Assembly in virtual mode. According to Dr Harsh Vardhan, the executive board has asked for further efforts which can ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines under COVAX Facility. Director-General of World Health Organisation, DrTedros, also participated in the event.Board recommended 74th World Health Assembly to consider the report on mental health preparedness and response for the Covid-19 pandemic. It further recommended endorsing updated comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013 to 2030 and encouraged WHO to work in collaboration with World Organisation for Animal Health and Food & Agriculture Organisation so that source of zoonotic virus can be identified.

 

3. Amnesty International Day: 28th May: Amnesty International Day is observed every year on May 28, because it was on this day in 1961 that this non-governmental organization was founded in London. The Amnesty International was founded on 28 May 1961 in London, following the publication of the article “The Forgotten Prisoners” in The Observer, a British newspaper, by the lawyer Peter Benenson.

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization that focuses on the protection of human rights, by working to prevent abuses to human rights, fight for justice for those whose rights have been violated, expand and enforce human rights protections in international law, by lobbying governments and other powerful groups and publicizing their violations. The organisation has won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize for its “defence of human dignity against torture,” and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978.

 

4. International Everest Day: 29th May: International Everest Day is being observed on 29th May. Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary had climbed Mt. Everest on this day in 1953, as the first humans to achieve the feat. Nepal decided to observe the day as International Everest Day in 2008 when the legendary climber Hillary passed away. Everest Day on May 29 every year in memory of the first summit of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on the day in 1953. The day is celebrated with memorial events, processions, and special events in Kathmandu and the Everest region.

Note: Nepali name of Mt. Everest: Sagarmatha; Tibetan name: Chomolungma.

Prime minister of Nepal: KP Sharma Oli; President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari; Capital of Nepal: Kathmandu; Currency: Nepalese rupee.

 

5. World Digestive Health Day: 29 May: Every year, World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) is observed on 29 May. It is organised by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) in collaboration with the WGO Foundation (WGOF). Each year the day focuses upon a particular digestive disease and/or disorder in order to increase general public awareness of prevention, prevalence, diagnosis, management and treatment of the disease and/or disorder. The theme of WDHD 2021 is “Obesity: An Ongoing Pandemic.”

About World Digestive Health Day: World Digestive Health Day was launched in 2004 to mark the 45th anniversary of the creation of the World Gastroenterology Organisation. The organisation has over 100 member societies and 50,000 individual members all over the world.

Note: WGO Headquarters: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; WGO Founded: 1958.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Lyon Open: StefanosTsitsipas beats Cameron Norrie to claim 2nd title of 2021: In Lyon Open tennis, StefanosTsitsipas teed himself up for the French Open in dominant fashion as he claimed his second title of 2021 with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Cameron Norrie. Tsitsipas, who dropped only one set in the entire tournament, wrapped up the match in 69 minutes to add a second title in the claycourt swing after winning last month’s Monte Carlo Masters.

 

2. Casper Ruud wins Men’s Singles title at Geneva Open tennis: In Geneva Open tennis, world No. 21 Casper Ruud of Norway was rock-solid in the final as he took down 15th-ranked Denis Shapovalov of Canada 7-6 (6), 6-4 for his second ATP Tour title. Ruud improved to an ATP Tour-leading 32 clay-court wins in 2020-21, ahead of Greece’s StefanosTsitsipas (26) and Chile’s Cristian Garin (25).

 

3. Former top-ranked doubles player BarboraStrycova retires at age 35:BarboraStrycova, a former top-ranked doubles player and Wimbledon singles semifinalist, has announced her retirement. The 35-year-old Czech player has won two WTA singles titles and 31 in doubles. She was at her best at Wimbledon in 2019, when she won the women’s doubles with Hsieh Su-wei to become No. 1 and reached the singles semifinals, losing to Serena Williams. Her career-high in singles was No. 16. In 2016, she teamed up with Lucie Safarova to win the bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. NPCI partners PayCore to help merchants accept contactless payments: The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) has partnered with Turkey’s global payment solutions company PayCore as one of the certified partners for RuPaySoftPOS to drive cashless payments across the country. RuPaySoftPOS enables merchants to accept payments securely from contactless cards, mobile wallets, and wearables just with their mobile phones.

Under this association: NPCI has authorized the SoftPOS solution developed by PayCore for RuPay. This solution can be integrated into bank or aggregator acquiring systems to enable acquiring of RuPay using mobile phones enabled with NFC capability or add-ons. Millions of merchants now can convert their near field communication-enabled (NFC) smartphones into a POS machine to accept contactless payments through RuPaySoftPOS.

Note: National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: DilipAsbe; National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai; National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. PayPoint, Digit General Insurance Tie Up to Grant Health Cover in Rural India:PayPoint India has partnered with Digit General Insurance to bring affordable health insurance for its customers in the under-served regions of India, enhancing access to insurance, and helping rural masses cushion themselves against any major financial losses due to the surging Covid-19. The partnership is being flagged off with the launch of a Coronavirus hospitalisation insurance policy that covers treatments up to Rs 2 lakh at a premium of Rs 799. With premium rates starting at Rs 487, the Covid-19 insurance policy offers the benefit of a minimum of Rs 1 Lakh, post 24-hour ICU or HDU hospitalisation. The insurance covers pre-hospitalisation expenses for up to 30 days, post-hospitalisation expenses up to 60 days, road ambulance charges (1 per cent of your chosen sum insured up to Rs 5,000). It has a waiting period of only 15 days from the payment of the premium and does not have any cap on room rent or ICU charges. The claim covers the customer’s spouse and family too.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. DrNageshwar Reddy becomes first Indian to win Rudolf V Schindler award: Padma Bhushan awardee and noted gastroenterologist Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, who is also the chairman of AIG Hospitals, has won the Rudolf V Schindler Award from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). Rudolf V Schindler Award is the highest category in the prestigious Crystal Awards named after Dr Schindler who is considered as “the father of gastroscopy.” With this, Dr Reddy becomes the first Indian medical practitioner to win this award. Dr Reddy is one of the first to promote endoscopy in India and has led the charge of educating numerous endoscopists all over the world.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley passes away: Max Mosley, the former head of Formula One’s governing body, has died at the age of 81 after suffering from cancer. The youngest son of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British fascist movement in the 1930s. Mosley was a racing driver, team owner and lawyer before becoming president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in 1993.