Daily GK Update- 2nd Jun, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Rajnath Singh launches SeHAT OPD portal: RakshaMantri Shri Rajnath Singh has launched the ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation (SeHAT) OPD portal, through video conferencing. The main motive of the portal is to provide telemedicine services to the serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families.

About the Portal: The portal can be accessed at https://sehatopd.in/, to avail the telemedicine services. SeHAT OPD portal is the final version with advanced safety features. The trial version was launched in August 2020 and more than 6,500 medical consultations have already been carried on the beta version.

 

2. Assam CM HimantaBiswaSarma Appoints ‘Guardian Ministers’: Assam Chief Minister HimantaBiswaSarma has appointed ‘Guardian Ministers’ to oversee the implementation of government policy decisions, administrative reforms, and other welfare schemes in all the 34 districts of the state. 13 ‘Guardian Ministers’ have been appointed for all 34 districts in Assam, for balanced, speedy and sustainable developments of these districts. The assigned ministers will be responsible for the implementation of all centrally-sponsored schemes as well as the state’s own priority programmes.

Note: Assam Governor: JagdishMukhi.

 

3. One-year extension for RAW chief SamantGoel, IB head Arvind Kumar: Research and Analysis Wing chief, Samant Kumar Goel and Intelligence Bureau head Arvind Kumar were given a one-year extension in their services. Goel, a 1984-batch IPS officer from Punjab cadre, would continue to be the Secretary of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for a period one year beyond the presence tenure which ends on June 30. Similarly, Kumar, an IPS officer of Assam and Meghalaya cadre, will continue to head the Intelligence Bureau for a period of one year after June 30.

 

4. IBF to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the apex body of broadcasters, is being renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), as it expands its purview to cover digital platforms to bring all digital (OTT) players under one roof. IBDF is in the process of forming a new wholly-owned subsidiary to handle all matters pertaining to digital media. IBDF will also form a Self-Regulatory Body (SRB), as per the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 as notified by the Government of India on 25th February 2021.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. US Senate confirms Christine Wormuth as first female Army secretary: Christine Wormuth was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be the first female secretary of the Army. Wormuth, who led President Joe Biden’s transition team at the Pentagon, got an overwhelmingly warm reception from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing this month. Her confirmation sets her up as one of the more powerful officials in a defence establishment long dominated by men. She is the second woman named to a top Pentagon role by Biden. The deputy secretary of defence is Kathleen Hicks.

Note: President of United States: Joe Biden; Capital: Washington, D.C.

 

2. Bashar Al-Assad Re-Elected as Syrian President for 4th Term: Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad has been re-elected for the fourth straight 7-year term in a landslide victory, winning 95.1 per cent of the total votes cast. The 55-year-old Assad is serving as the 19th President of Syria since 17 July 2000. On the eve of the election, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said the poll was “neither free nor fair”, and Syria’s fragmented opposition has called it a “farce”.

Note: Syria Capital: Damascus; Currency: Syrian pound.

 

3. Hong Kong woman breaks record for fastest ascent of Everest: Tsang Yin-hung, a Hong Kong-based mountaineer, has created the record of the world’s fastest ascent of Everest by a woman, within the time of just under 26 hours. The 44-year-old Tsang, scaled the 8,848.86-metre (29,031 feet) Everest mountain in a record time of 25 hours and 50 minutes on May 23. It was her third attempt of scaling the Himalayan peak. In 2017, Tsang became the first Hong Kong woman to reach the top of the mountain peak. Before this, the record of fastest woman to conquer Everest was held by Nepali PhunjoJhangmu Lama, who had completed the climb in 39 hours 6 minutes in 2018.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner Sami Khedira announces retirement: Germany’s World Cup-winning midfielder Sami Khedira said he will retire following his club Hertha Berlin’s final match of the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim. Khedira, 34, began his career at VfB Stuttgart and helped them win the league title in the 2006-07 season before moving to Real Madrid, where he won the league and Champions League in a trophy-laden spell. Khedira went on to win five Serie A titles at Juventus after joining them in 2015 and he played 77 games for Germany scoring seven goals and helped them win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI Annual Report 2021: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has published its annual report and highlights “asset quality of banks and their preparedness requires close monitoring for higher provisioning for upcoming quarters”. In its annual report, the central bank said the country’s growth prospects now essentially depend on how fast India can arrest the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

RBI Annual Report 2021:

(1) RBI in its semi-annual financial stability report earlier highlighted bad loan ratio of banks could rise to 13.5% under the baseline stress scenario by September 2021.

(2) The Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) of banks improved from 66.6% in March 2020 to 75.5 % by December 2020, because of prudent provisioning by banks above regulatory prescriptions on accounts availing moratorium and undergoing restructuring.

(3) The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of banks increased to 15.9% by December 2020, in March it was 14.8%.

(4) In its report, RBI cautioned “banks being lenders will have to provide a true picture of bad loans after Supreme Court lifted the interim stay on classifying non-performing assets (NPA) in March 2021.

(5) According to it, waiver of compound interest on all loan accounts opted for a moratorium during March-August 2020 would put stress on the financial health of banks.

(6) The Gross NPA ratio of banks decreased from 8.2% in March 2020 to 6.8% in December 2020.

(7) The Gross NPA ratio for non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs) increased from 6.8% in March to 5.7% in December 2020.

(8) The capital adequacy ratio of NBFCs increased from 24.8% in December 2020 to 23.7% in March.

(9) Frauds reported by banks fell by 25% in value terms in just one year to Rs 1.38 lakh crore at the end of fiscal year ended March 2021, data released by the RBI as part of it annual report showed.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. IFSCA constitutes an expert committee on Investment Funds: The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted an expert committee on Investment Funds. The Committee has been formed under the Chairmanship of Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd. It will holistically review the global best practices and make recommendations to IFSCA on the roadmap for the fund’s industry in the International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs). The other members of the Committee comprises of leaders from the entire Fund Management ecosystem including from areas such as technology, distribution, legal, compliance, and operations.

About the IFSCA: The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) is based in GIFT City, Gandhinagar in Gujarat. It is a unified regulator to develop and regulate financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs) in India.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Veteran Indian Chemist C.N.R. Rao Receives 2020 International ENI Award: Noted Indian scientist and Bharat Ratna Professor, C.N.R. Rao has been felicitated with the International Eni Award 2020 (also called the Energy Frontier award). The International Eni Award is considered to be the Nobel Prize in Energy Research. He has been conferred the prize for his work on metal oxides, carbon nanotubes and other materials and two-dimensional systems. Professor Rao will be presented the Eni Awards 2020 on 14 October 2021, during an official ceremony held at the Quirinal Palace in Rome. The Eni Award is awarded annually by the Italian oil and gas company Eni to encourage better use of energy sources and increased environmental research.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Aashritha V Olety is India’s 1st woman flight test engineer: Squadron Leader, Aashritha V Olety is the first and only woman in the IAF qualified for the role, and as a flight test engineer, she will be responsible for evaluating aircraft and airborne systems before their induction into the armed forces. Aashritha V Olety, a native of Karnataka, has graduated as part of the 43rd Flight Test Course.

Note: Air Chief Marshal: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria; Indian Airforce founded: 8 October 1932; Indian Airforce Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former Union Minister BabagoudaPatil passes away: BabagoudaRudragoudaPatil, farmers leader and former union minister, died in Belagavi. He was 80. He had represented the BelagaviLok Sabha constituency in 1998 as a BJP nominee and served as the rural development minister in Atal Behari Vajpayee’s cabinet. Mr. Patil was at the forefront of the farmers agitation against the new farm laws. He gave a call to farmers to defeat the BJP that had passed `anti farmer laws’.