NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi launches crash course to train one lakh ‘Covid warriors’: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has launched a crash course to train more than one lakh “Covid
warriors” as he called on the country to be prepared for challenges the
coronavirus pandemic may pose in the future. The programme will be to be
carried out from 111 training centres spread across 26 states. Amid all these
efforts, skilled manpower is critical. For this and to support the current
force of coronavirus warriors, one lakh youths are being trained. This training
should be over in 2-3 months. The training will be imparted to Covid warriors
in six customised job roles — Home Care Support, Basic Care Support, Advanced
Care Support, Emergency Care Support, Sample Collection Support, and Medical
Equipment Support. This will include fresh skilling as well as upskilling of
those who have some training in this type of work.
2.
Ease of Living Index: Bengaluru ‘most liveable’ city: Bengaluru has been
named as the most liveable city of India, in the Ease of Living Index 2020,
released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The Ease of Living
Index 2020 is part of the report titled State of India’s Environment 2021.
Bengaluru is followed by Chennai, Shimla, Bhubaneshwar, and Mumbai, as the top
five best cities respectively.
3.
Naveen Patnaik releases BishnupadaSethi’s ‘Beyond Here and Other Poems’: Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik released a book of poems ‘Beyond Here and Other Poems’ written
by senior bureaucrat BishnupadaSethi. It is a collection of 61 poems that are a
reflection of a spectrum of experiences of life, perception of death and
philosophical contemplation. Noted writer Haraprasad Das has written the
preface. The cover design of the 161-page book has been made by eminent artist
GajendraSahu. Sethi, Principal Secretary in the Information and Public
Relations department has written several poetry and other books including ‘My
World of Words’ and ‘Beyond Feelings’.
4.
India’s Rank 120th in Sustainable Development Report 2021: According to the
6th Edition of ‘Sustainable Development Report 2021 (SDR 2021)’ released by
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), India with a score of 60.1
has been placed at 120th rank out of 165 countries. Finland topped the Index
followed by Sweden & Denmark.
SDR Report: SDR is an annual
report which ranks the 193 UN member countries based on their performance
against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It has been released since
2015 and is based on official data sources (UN, World Bank, etc.) and
non-official data sources (research institutions and non-governmental
organizations).
Note: Sustainable Development Solutions
Network President: Jeffrey Sachs; Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Headquarters: Paris, France & New York, USA.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
EbrahimRaisi wins Iran’s 2021 Presidential Election: EbrahimRaisi has
won the 2021 Iranian presidential election, winning 62 per cent of the vote
with about 90 per cent of ballots counted. The 60-year-old Raisi will succeed
Hassan Rouhani in August 2021, to begin his four-year term. He is also the
Chief Justice of Iran since March 2019.
Note: Iran Capital: Tehran; Iran Currency:
Iranian Toman.
2.
European Space Agency (ESA) will launch world’s first wooden satellite: The European Space
Agency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden satellite. It is
going to be launched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab
Electron rocket by the end of 2021. The satellite is the brainchild of
JariMakinen.
About the Satellite: The satellite,
WISA Woodsat, is a nanosatellite. It is 10cm on each side, length, height, and
width. The sensors of the satellite have been developed by the European Space
Agency (ESA) and designers have placed the wood in a thermal vacuum chamber to
keep it dry. A very thin aluminium oxide layer has been used to minimize the
vapour coming from the wood and to protect it from the erosive effects of
atomic oxygen. The non-wooden external parts are made up of aluminium rails.
Note: European Space Agency Headquarters:
Paris, France; European Space Agency Founded: 30 May 1975, Europe; European
Space Agency CEO: Johann-Dietrich Worner.
3.
India maintains 43rd rank on IMD’s World Competitiveness Index 2021: India maintained
43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by the Institute
for Management Development (IMD) that examined the impact of COVID-19 on
economies around the world this year. The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking
ranks 64 economies and assesses the extent to which a country promotes the
prosperity of its people by measuring economic well-being through hard data and
survey responses from executives.
Index:
Rank 1: Switzerland
Rank 2: Sweden
Rank 3: Denmark
4.
World’s Third-Largest Diamond Unearthed in Botswana: A 1,098-carat
diamond has been discovered in Botswana, by Debswana Diamond Company, a joint
venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond
company De Beers. The newly discovered diamond is believed to be the third-largest
gem-quality stone ever to be mined in the world. The stone has been presented
by Debswana Diamond Company to the President of Botswana, MokgweetsiMasisi. The
largest diamond to be recovered to date is 3,106 carat Cullinan stone in South
Africa in 1905, followed by the 1,109 carats Lesedi La Rona unearthed by Lucara
Diamonds in Botswana in 2015.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be first trans athlete to compete at Olympics:
The
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is poised to make history and
headlines, as well as significant controversy, after being confirmed as the
first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games. The 43-year-old, who
will be the fourth oldest weightlifter at an Olympics, is regarded as a genuine
medal contender in the women’s super-heavyweight 87kg-plus category in Tokyo.
But while her inclusion has been welcomed by trans groups, it has also been
questioned by those who believe she has unfair advantages in strength and
power, having gone through male puberty before transitioning in 2012.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
SEBI reconstitutes Four-member Takeover Panel: Markets regulator
Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reconstituted its four-member
Takeover Panel. The Takeover Panel looks into the applications that seek
exemption from the mandatory open offer that an acquirer needs to make to
minority shareholders. SEBI has appointed N Venkatram MD and CEO, Deloitte
India as the new member of this Takeover Panel. SEBI had first constituted this
Takeover Panel in November 2007, under the chairmanship of former Bank of
Baroda chairman K Kannan.
The Members of the Panel are:
(1) Chairman: Justice N. K. Sodhi (Former
Chief Justice of High Courts of Karnataka & Kerala and Former Presiding
Officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal);
(2) Member: Darius Khambata (Former
Advocate General, Maharashtra);
(3) Member: Thomas Mathew T (Former
chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India);
(4) Member: N Venkatram (MD and CEO,
Deloitte India).
Note: Securities and Exchange Board of
India Founded: 12 April 1992; Securities and Exchange Board of India
Headquarters: Mumbai; Securities and Exchange Board of India Agency executive:
Ajay Tyagi.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
PAN to be declared ‘INOPERATIVE’ if not linked before June 30, 2021: The Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had recently extended the deadline to link Permanent
Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar number to June 30, 2021, due to the
difficulties posed by the ongoing Covid pandemic. As per the new Section 234H
of the Income-tax Act 1961, which has been recently introduced during Budget
2021, the PAN cards which are not linked to Aadhaar after June 30, 2021, would
be declared “inoperative”, as well as a penalty of Rs 1,000 may also be
imposed. On the other hand, the person will be considered as an individual
without a PAN card.
Difficulties to be faced by not
linking PAN and Aadhaar
(1) The KYC status will become invalid
since PAN is a must for one’s KYC.
(2) An inoperative PAN card will have an
effect on one’s bank account because that account will become an account
without a PAN card.
(3) And in that case, if the bank account
holder gets interested on savings above Rs. 10,000 then the TDS (Tax Deduction
at Source) rate levied will be double i.e. 20 per cent. The TDS levied on bank
account with PAN card is 10 per cent.
2.
India ranked 51st in terms of Money Deposited in Swiss Banks: According to ‘Annual
Bank Statistics of 2020’ released by Swiss National Bank (SNB), the Central
Bank of Switzerland. India with Swiss Francs (CHF) 2.55 billion (INR 20,706
Crore) has been placed at 51st place in the list of foreign clients’ money in
Swiss Banks during 2020. The United Kingdom (UK) topped the list with CHF 377
billion, followed by the US (152 billion). India was ahead of countries like
New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Mauritius, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka in terms of foreign clients’ money in Swiss banks.
Funds held by Indian individuals and firms
in Swiss banks rose over 2.55 billion Swiss francs (over Rs 20,700 crore) in
2020 marking the highest level in 13 years. The figures stood at a record high
of nearly CHF 6.5 billion in 2006, after which it has been mostly on a downward
path, except for a few years including in 2011, 2013, and 2017, as per the
Swiss National Bank (SNB) data.
Note: Swiss National Bank Chairman of the
Governing Board: Thomas J. Jordan; Swiss National Bank Head Offices: Berne,
Zurich.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
SumitaMitrahonoured with prestigious European Inventor Award: Indian-American
chemist SumitaMitra has been honoured with the European Inventor Award 2021 in
the ‘Non-European Patent Office countries’ category. She was the first to have
successfully integrated nanotechnology into dental materials to produce
stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings. The award, one of Europe’s
most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the European
Patent Office (EPO) to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond.
OBITUARIES
1.
DPIIT Secretary GuruprasadMohapatra Passes Away: GuruprasadMohapatra,
the Secretary in the Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has
passed away due to COVID-19 related complications. Before being appointed as
DPIIT secretary in August 2019, Mohapatra served as Chairman of the Airports
Authority of India (AAI). He was a Gujarat cadre 1986 batch IAS officer, who
had earlier served as joint secretary in the Department of Commerce.
2.
Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, who first translated Quran into Gojri language, passes
away: Renowned
Jammu-based Islamic scholar Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, who first translated Quran
into Gojri language, has passed away in a Jammu. The scholar had also authored
several booklets including ‘Siraj-um-Muneera’, ‘Ahkam-e-Mayyat’ and
‘NamazKaeMasayil Quran-o-Hadees Ki Roshni Mei’.
About the Gojri language:Gurjari – also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri – is a variety of Indo-Aryan spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi and other parts of India.
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