Daily GK Update- 1st Sep, 2021

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Maharashtra govt launches “Mission Vatsalya” for women’s: Maharashtra government launched a special mission called “Mission Vatsalya” in order to help women who lost their husbands to COVID-19. Mission Vatsalya will provide several services and some 18 benefits under one roof to those women. It been designed for widows, with a special focus on widows coming from rural areas, poor backgrounds and deprived sections. Under this mission, schemes like Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Gharkul Yojana will benefit those for women.

About the scheme:

(1) Under this scheme, 8,661 women have applied for the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Anudan Yojana, 405 for the Shravanbal Seva State Pension Scheme and 71 for the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.

(2) Applications have been received from 1,209 women for the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme.

(3) The Department has received three applications for the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme. So far10349 applications have been received from the women contacted by the department of women and child development.

Note: Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai; Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.

 

2. Govt recognises NBF-PNBSA as self-regulatory body for news media: Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has officially recognized NBF’s Professional News Broadcasters Standards Authority (‘PNBSA’). Professional News Broadcasters Standards Authority (‘PNBSA’) is a self-regulatory body of the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) for news media. Now it has been officially recognized by the government. News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) is the largest association of news broadcasters across India representing combined interests and perspectives on the crucial matters related to the news broadcasting industry. Arnab Goswami is the current president of the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF).

 

3. Union Minister Anurag Thakur launches e-Photo Exhibition “Making of the Constitution” and Virtual Film Poster Exhibition “Chitranjali@75” to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region of India, Shri G. Kishan Reddy jointly inaugurated an e-Photo exhibition titled “Making of the Constitution” and Virtual Film Poster Exhibition named “Chitranjali@75”. The event was organized by Ministry of I&B to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The e-photo exhibition aimed to inform people on the making of the Constitution, and encourage the youth of the country to learn about the Constitution, educate them on their rights as well as their duties towards the nation. The “Chitranjali@75 represents 75 years of Indian cinema, with focus on the sacred memories of our freedom fighters, our social reformers and the valour of our soldiers. It comprise of 75 film posters and photographs from different language cinemas.

 

4. Meity Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar launches India’s first Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) toolkit: The Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) Rajeev Chandrasekhar, launched India’s first indigenously developed Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit. The first-of-its-kind QSim toolkit has been developed jointly by IISc (Indian Institute of Science) Bangalore, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Roorkee and C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing). The vital tool will enable learning and understanding the practical aspects of Quantum Computing in a cost-effective manner.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. India extends up to a million USD for climate resilient agriculture in Zimbabwe: The Government of India has contributed almost USD one million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe to help affected populations tackle climate shocks. The contribution, provided through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, will be used to assist more than 5200 smallholder farmers in Chiredzi and Mangwe districts. Working alongside partners, WFP Zimbabwe will provide expertise through its Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) programme, to strengthen the resilience and capacity of selected smallholder farmers. The project will promote the cultivation of drought-tolerant small grains and legumes – reducing the negative effects of recurring droughts in Zimbabwe.

 

2. Amul ranks 18th in Rabobank 2021 Global Dairy Top 20 Report: Amul, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has dropped two places to rank 18th in Rabobank’s 2021 Global Top 20 Dairy Companies list. Amul was placed at 16th spot in 2020. Amul has achieved an annual turnover of $5.3 billion.

French-based dairy company Lactalis has topped the list as the world’s largest dairy company with a turnover of US $23.0 billion. It has unseated Switzerland-based global behemoth Nestle, which dominated the list for decades.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Paralympics 2020: Javelin Thrower Sumit Antil wins gold for India: India’s Sumit Antil has won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw F64 final event at the Tokyo Paralympics, and in the process set a new world record throw of 68.55m. The 23-year-old Sumit hails from Sonepat in Haryana. Michal Burian of Australia won the silver medal (66.29m), while Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku won the bronze medal. This is the second gold medal for India at the ongoing Tokyo Games and now the total medal tally of India has reached 7. Earlier, the bronze medal won by Vinod Kumar in the discus throw F56 final was declared as ineligible by the classification panel.

 

2. Paralympics 2020: Devendra Jhajharia Wins silver in Javelin throw: At the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020, India’s greatest paralympian, Devendra Jhajharia won the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw – F46 final event on August 30, 2021. The 40-year-old Devendra performed his best throw of 64.35, for the silver. In the same event, Sundar Singh Gurjar won the bronze medal, with his best throw of 64.01. With this, the total medal tally of India at the Paralympics 2020 Games reaches to seven.

 

3. Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur launches Fit India Mobile App : The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Fit India Mobile Application on the occasion of National Sports Day, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi, and also as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration. The launch of app also marks the second anniversary of Fit India Movement, which was launched on August 29, 2019. The Fit India App aims to empower every Indian to check their fitness level based on a set of age specific fitness tests and get specific recommendations on how to improve their fitness level through physical activities including yoga protocols.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI enhances the incentive for distribution of coins over the counter by banks to Rs 65: The Reserve Bank of India has increased the incentive that it gives to the banks for the distribution of coins over the counter from Rs 25/bag to Rs 65/bag of coin. This will be effective from September 01, 2021. The RBI provides incentives to banks and currency chests under the “Currency Distribution & Exchange Scheme (CDES)” for the distribution of coins over the counter. This is done to promote the circulation of coins. An additional incentive of Rs. 10/- per bag would be paid for coin distribution in rural and semi-urban areas on the submission of a CA / Auditor certificate to this effect. (.i.e Rs 75/bag)

 

2. Government Extends ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme Deadline till September 30, 2021: The government has announced extension in the deadline for making payment under the direct tax dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by one months till September 30, 2021. In June, the Ministry of Finance had extended the deadline for making payments under the scheme till August 31. The decision for further extension in deadline was taken considering the difficulties being faced in issuing and amending Form no 3, which is essential for making payment by the declarant under Vivad se Vishwas Act. This is the fifth time that the deadline is being extended by the Ministry of Finance.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. PFRDA increases the entry age in National Pension System (NPS) to 70 years: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has increased the entry age for the National Pension System (NPS) from 65 years to 70 years. Earlier the eligible age to invest in NPS was 18-65 years which has now been revised to 18-70 years. As per the revised norms, any Indian Citizen, resident or non-resident and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) between the age of 65-70 years can join NPS and continue or defer their NPS Account up to the age of 75 years. If a person joins NPS after 65 years, then the Normal Exit shall be after 3 years. Exit before 3 years will be considered premature exit. There is also a limit on the amount that can be exposed to equity in case the NPS is open after 65 years. The maximum equity exposure is 15% and 50% under Auto and Active Choice respectively.

 

2. RuPay launches #FollowPaymentDistancing campaign: RuPay has launched a strategic campaign titled – #FollowPaymentDistancing to promote and encourage contactless payments among customers. Due to COVID-19, customers have been following several norms and measures to stay safe by following healthy habits, self-care routines, and social distancing. RuPay’s #FollowPaymentDistancing campaign encourages consumers to start ‘payment distancing’ and switch to contactless digital payments with RuPay Contactless Cards which is safe as well as time-conserving.

About Contactless payments: Contactless payments allow merchants to offer their consumers a safer, cleaner way to pay, reduce long queues at checkout counters, and more control over physical space during these tough times. The campaign aims to educate both the merchants and consumers about the benefits of using contactless payments during these unprecedented situations.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Noted Bengali Writer Buddhadeb Guha passes away: Eminent Bengali writer Buddhadeb Guha, has passed away. He was the author of many notable works such as “Madhukari” (Honey Gatherer), “Koeler Kachhe” (Near the Koel bird) and “Sobinoy Nibedon” (Humble Offering). He also won several awards including Ananda Purashkar in 1976, Shiroman Purashkar and Sharat Puraskar.

 

2. Renowned cricket coach Vasoo Paranjape passes away: Former India cricketer and coach, Vasoo Paranjape has passed away. He was considered a mentor of stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma to name a few. He also gave Gavaskar the nickname ‘Sunny’. Paranjape was born on November 21, 1938, in Gujarat, Paranjape was a former Ranji Trophy player and a coach at the National Cricket Academy. He was the father of former India and Mumbai cricketer Jatin Paranjape.