Daily GK Update- 18th Jun, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Madhya Pradesh govt to launch ‘Yuva Shakti Corona MuktiAbhiyan’: The Government of Madhya Pradesh has launched ‘Yuva Shakti Corona MuktiAbhiyan’ to make the people of the state aware of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It translates to free from Corona with the help of the youth power campaign. The campaign has been launched by the higher education and the technical education department of the state in collaboration with the public healthcare and family welfare department. Under the launched campaign, students in colleges in small groups will be given information and details about the significance of COVID-friendly behaviour and vaccination. These trained students will further disseminate the information to their families and the people in the surrounding areas about the benefits of vaccination and the prevention of Corona.

 

2. National Institute of Immunology receives trademark for India’s first indigenous tumor antigen: The SPAG9 antigen developed by the National Institute of Immunology (NII) has received the ASPAGNIITM trademark, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said. India’s first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered in 1998 by Dr Anil Suri who heads the Cancer Research Programme at the NII, a DBT institute. Currently, ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in cervical, ovarian cancer and will also be used in breast cancer.

 

3. Biotechnology Company MyLab appoints Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador: Bollywood superstar, Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of biotechnology company Mylab Discovery Solutions. This announcement comes days after the Pune-based firm launched the country’s first COVID-19 self-test kit “CoviSelf”. The partnership with Akshay is aimed at creating awareness for Mylab’s products and kits such as CoviSelf.

 

4. Raja Parba- Odisha’s Famous Festival celebrated: Raja Parba festival celebrated in Odisha. It is a 3-days unique festival in which the onset of monsoon and the earth’s womanhood is celebrated by the state. It is believed that during this time the Mother Earth or Bhudevi undergoes menstruation. The fourth day is the day of the ‘purification bath’. During 3 days, women don’t work. This festival is synonymous with varieties of cakes (pithas). Thus, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has also launched a special programme named ‘Pitha on Wheels’. Different kinds of pithas such as ‘PodaPitha’, ‘Manda’, ‘Kakara’, ‘Arisha’, ‘Chakuli’ and ‘Chandrakala’ have been made available on ‘Pitha on Wheels’ (kiosks on wheels). These vehicles selling traditional cakes have been stationed in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur.

             

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Ex-Mongolian prime Minister Khurelsukh won presidential election: Former Mongolian Prime Minister, UkhnaaKhurelsukh became the country’s sixth democratically elected president, further consolidating the power of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) with a landslide victory. With 99.7% of votes counted overnight, Khurelsukh’s tally had reached 821,136, or 68% of the total, the largest share of the vote since the democratic era began in 1990. Khurelsukh will replace incumbent KhaltmaaBattulga, who was denied an opportunity to seek re-election following controversial changes to Mongolia’s constitution that restricted presidents to one term in office.

Note: Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar; Mongolia Currency: Mongolian Togrog.

 

2. India’s NagrajAdiga elected in International Association of Ultrarunners Council: India’s NagrajAdiga has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at the recently concluded 2021 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congress at which the IAU council elections were held. Adiga works closely with the Athletics Federation of India and with various Government bodies to promote health, fitness, and encourage budding sportspersons.

 

3. Israel will become the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15: Israel will become the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. Here the rule of applying masks in closed places will end from June 15. This was announced by Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. The rule of applying masks outside has already been abolished in the country. However, most restrictions related to foreign travel have not yet been lifted. For example, travel to nine countries is still banned. There is a rule of quarantine for travellers coming from these countries. His corona test is also being done.

Note: Israel Prime minister: Naftali Bennett; Israel Capital: Jerusalem; Currency: Israeli Shekel.

 

4. Sustainable Gastronomy Day: 18th June: Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed on 18 June globally to focus the attention of the world on the role that sustainable gastronomy plays in our lives. The day was designated by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2016. Gastronomy means the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. In other words, Sustainable gastronomy takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates. The day reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development.

 

5. Autistic Pride Day: 18th June: Every year, Autistic Pride Day is observed on June 18 globally to create awareness about autism among people and recognise the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society. The day is represented by a rainbow infinity symbol which denotes the infinite possibilities that autistic people have. Autistic Pride Day was first celebrated in Brazil in 2005, at the initiative of an organisation named Aspies for Freedom.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Kathryn Bryce, Mushfiqur Rahim named ICC Players of the month for May: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce and Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim as the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for May.  ICC Player of the Month Awards aims to recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.

About the Kathryn Bryce: All-rounder Kathryn Bryce from Scotland was deservingly voted the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for May 2021 as she is the first player from Scotland, male, or female, to make it to the top 10 of the batting or bowling lists in the ICC Player Rankings released recently. Kathryn played four T20Is against Ireland where she scored 96 runs and took 5 wickets with an economy rate of 4.76 in the month of May.

About the Mushfiqur Rahim: From the Bangladesh camp, Mushfiqur Rahim was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for May 2021. He played one Test and three ODIs against Sri Lanka in the month of May where he helped Bangladesh win their first ODI series against Sri Lanka by scoring 125 in the second ODI.

 

2. D. Gukesh wins Gelfand Challenge chess title: D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title and with it, a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour. He won all four rounds, including the key battle against Praggnanandhaa, and emerged on top after a series of favourable results from the games involving other title-contenders.

 

3. ArunaTanwar set to be India’s first ever taekwondo entry at Tokyo Paralympics: ArunaTanwar has been awarded a wild card entry for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympic Games, which will make her the first Indian to compete in the global multi-para sport event, the national federation said. A five time national champion, she has finished on podium in the last four years at both Asian Para Taekwondo Championships and World Para Taekwondo Championships.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Reserve Bank extends risk-based internal audit system to HFCs: The Reserve Bank extended the risk-based internal audit (RBIA) system to select housing finance companies to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their internal audit system. In February this year, the RBI had issued a circular mandating the RBIA framework for select non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and urban co-operative banks by March 31, 2022. The provisions will apply to all deposit-taking HFCs, irrespective of their size, as well as non-deposit-taking HFCs with asset size of Rs 5,000 crore and above, the central bank said.

 

2. Bank of Maharashtra tops PSU banks in terms of loan, deposit growth: State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms of loan and deposit growth during financial year 2020-21. The lender recorded 13.45 per cent increase in gross advances at ₹1.07 lakh crore in 2020-21, as per the published data of BoM. It was followed by Punjab & Sind Bank which posted 8.39 per cent growth in advances with aggregate loans at ₹67,811 crore at the end of March 2021.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. India ties with Russia as 4th largest forex reserves holder: As per Reserve Bank of India’s data, the foreign exchange reserves of India has crossed  $600 billion marks for the first time. The Forex reserve of India increased by USD 6.842 billion to $605.008 billion in the week ended June 04, 2021. This is the lifetime high of India’s foreign asset. With this, India has tied with Russia as the fourth largest reserve holder in the world. The forex reserve of Russia is calculated to be $605.2 billion.

 

2. BharatPe acquires loyalty platform PAYBACK India: Merchant payments and financial services provider, BharatPe has acquired a multi-brand loyalty platform, PAYBACK India, to help its 6 million offline merchants roll out rewards and loyalty programmes for customers. The acquisition is expected to give an exit to American Express and ICICI Investments Strategic Fund, which hold 90% and 10% stake respectively in the entity. PAYBACK India will continue to function independently, after the acquisition. The deal is expected to be worth $30 million, an individual aware of the discussions told Mint on condition of anonymity.

With this deal:

(1) BharatPe, which has traditionally been powering payments and providing credit and other financial services to offline merchants, enters a consumer-facing business.

(2) BharatPe will now also provide digital credit to customers and launch ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (BNPL) services on the PAYBACK platform.

(3) PAYBACK India’s customers can also redeem their loyalty points and BNPL services at offline stores through the BharatPe quick response (QR) code.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of BharatPe: Ashneer Grover; Headoffice of BharatPe: New Delhi; BharatPe Founded: 2018.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. DBS tops Forbes ‘World’s Best Banks’ list in India: DBS Bank has been named by Forbes in their list of World’s Best Banks 2021. DBS was ranked #1 out of 30 domestic and international banks in India for the second consecutive year. This is the third edition of the ‘World’s Best Banks’ list by Forbes, conducted in partnership with market research firm Statista. Over 43,000 banking customers across the globe were surveyed on their current and former banking relationships. The customer survey rated banks on general satisfaction and key attributes like trust, digital services, financial advice, and fees.

Awards:

(1) Recently, DBS Bank India was recognised as ‘India’s Best International Bank 2021’ by Asiamoney.

(2) DBS was named ‘Safest Bank in Asia’ for the 12th consecutive year by New York-based trade publication Global Finance in 2020.

(3) The bank was also Global Finance’s pick for ‘Best Bank in the World’ in the same year, making it the third consecutive global Best Bank accolade received by DBS.

(4) Previously, DBS was named ‘World’s Best Bank’ by leading financial publication Euromoney in 2019.

Note: Managing Director and CEO, DBS Bank India: SurojitShome; DBS Bank CEO: Piyush Gupta; DBS Bank Headquarters: Singapore; DBS Bank Tag Line: “Make Banking Joyful”.

 

2. IIT Roorkee prof bags NSG award for ‘blast-resistant’ helmet: ShaileshGovindGanpule, an assistant professor at the mechanical and industrial engineering department (MIED), was conferred the award with the ‘NSG Counter-IED and Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021′ for developing a “blast-resistant” helmet. This was the second edition of the annual award by NSG. Ceremony held at the National Security Guard (NSG) campus in Maneswar, near Gurgaon. The ‘Blast-Resistant Helmet’ designed by Prof. ShaileshGanpule is an advanced version of conventional helmets to protect military personnel from IED-induced blast waves with a technology readiness of 4.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Mahavir Chakra recipient Brigadier Raghubir Singh passes away: Mahavir Chakra recipient legendary veteran, Brigadier Raghubir Singh has passed away. He was commissioned on 18 Apr 1943 into the Sawaiman Guards as a Second Lieutenant and fought a number of wars including the second world war. For this gallant act, the then President of India, Dr S Radhakrishnan, honoured Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Raghubir Singh with MahaVir Chakra, the second-highest gallantry award in the country.

 

2. Olympian Surat Singh Mathur passes away: Olympian Surat Singh Mathur, the first from independent India to complete a marathon at the Olympics, passed away. Running with the legendary Emil Zatopek in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Mathur completed the marathon in the 52nd place in 2:58.92s. A bronze medallist at the first Asian Games in 1951, Mathur, who was born in MohammadpurMajri village (Karala) in Delhi, was a two-time National champion.