Daily GK Update- 27th Nov, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Cabinet approves extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana: Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) for another four months. The Phase V of the PMGKAY scheme will be operational from December 2021 till March 2022. Under the scheme, all the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) receives food grains @ 5 kg per person per month.

About the schemes: The estimated additional food subsidy for Phase V of the scheme is of Rs. 53344.52 Crore. The total food-grains outgo for PMGKAY Phase V will be about 163 LMT.

 

2. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi inaugurates E-portal of accreditation scheme for minerals exploration: The Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the E-portal of accreditation scheme for Mineral exploration. The portal was inaugurated at the 5th National conclave on Mines and Minerals in New Delhi. The first ever national conclave on Mines and Minerals was held at Raipur in 2016. The minister presented awards to 149 five-star rated mines for sustainable mining practices and all round performance. He also handed over of 52 Geological Survey of India (GSI) approved mine blocks to 15 State Government.

 

3. India and ADB sign USD 300 million loan agreement to improve primary health care in India: The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed loan agreement worth $300 million to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas. The programme will be implemented in urban areas across 13 states. Over 256 million urban dwellers including 51 million from slum areas will benefit from the project.

 

4. Shimla tops NITI Aayog’s inaugural SDG Urban Index: NITI Aayog launched the inaugural SDG Urban Index & Dashboard 2021-22, to further strengthen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) localization and institute robust SDG monitoring at the city level. The index is an SDG progress monitoring tool at the ULB level to highlight the strengths and gaps of ULB-level data, monitoring, and reporting systems. Shimla has topped among the 56 urban areas while Dhanbad in Jharkhand is at the bottom.

Top 5 Urban Areas with the score:

Shimla: 75.50

Coimbatore: 73.29

Chandigarh: 72.36

Thiruvananthapuram: 72.36

Kochi: 72.29

Bottom 5 Urban Areas with the score:

Dhanbad: 52.43

Meerut: 54.64

Itanagar: 55.29

Guwahati: 55.79

Patna: 57.29

 

About the SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22: The SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 ranks 56 urban areas on 77 SDG indicators across 46 targets of the SDG framework. These include 44 cities with a population above one million and 12 State capitals with a population of less than a million. The Index has been developed by Niti Aayog in collaboration with GIZ and BMZ under the umbrella of Indo-German Development Cooperation.

 

5. A book titled “Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute” by Maroof Raza: Former Army Officer Maroof Raza has authored a new book titled “Contested Lands: India, China, and the Boundary Dispute”. The book features the history of India’s boundary making with Tibet and China and analyses the current India-China boundary contestation stemming from interpretations of history in the post-colonial period. Maroof Raza’s other books: Kashmir’s Untold Story (co-authored with Iqbal Chand Malhotra), Shourya Gatha: Bharat Ke Veer Senani (co-authored with Lt. Col. Sheodan Singh),War Despatches 1971 (co-authored with Brig B.S. Mehta).

 

6. National Organ Donation Day: 27th November: In India, the ‘National Organ Donation Day’ is observed every year on 27 November since past 10 years. The day aims to promote awareness and recognize the selfless contribution made by deceased donors to healthcare and mankind re-instill our faith in humanity. 2021 marks the 12th National Organ Donation Day. It is organised by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

About Organ Donation: Organ donation is retrieving a donor’s organ like heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and pancreas after the donor is deceased and then transplanting into another person who is in need of an organ.

Note: National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Vice President represents India at 13th ASEM Summit Virtually: The 13th edition of the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Summit has been organised on November 25 and 26, 2021. The Summit is being hosted by Cambodia as ASEM Chair. The theme of the two-day ASEM Summit is Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth. The Indian delegation is being led by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu through the virtual platform.

About the Summit: The ASEM Summit will bring together countries in Asia and Europe to exchange views on regional and global issues and strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas. ASEM grouping have 51 member countries and two regional organisations — the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The 2021 summit marks the 25th anniversary of the ASEM process.

 

2. Magdalena Andersson elected as first female Prime Minister of Sweden: Social Democratic party leader Magdalena Andersson has been elected as the first woman prime minister of Sweden during Parliamentary election on November 24, 2021. She will replace incumbent Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. Magdalena Andersson is the current Finance Minister of the country. She will assume the charge of Prime Minister on November 26, 2021.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Equitas SFB partnered with HDFC Bank to offer co-branded credit cards: Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) partnered with HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited) Bank to launch its new co-branded credit cards. Through this partnership, Equitas SFB will utilize the HDFC bank’s reach in the credit card market and also to provide its customers a better banking ecosystem.

About the credit card: The credit card can be availed in two categories. The first category is the ‘Excite Credit Card’ which offers a credit limit from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh and the second category is the ‘Elegance Credit Card’ which offers a credit of over Rs 2 lakh.

Note: Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd Founded: 2016; Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd MD & CEO: Vasudevan Pathangi Narasimhan.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI signed an MoU with Pondicherry Co-op Milk Producers’ Union Ltd: The State bank of India (SBI) has signed an MoU with Pondicherry Co-op. Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (PONLAIT) for financing individual dairy farmers up to Rs 3 Lakh. The Loan will be made available through YONO application of the SBI Bank. SBI has introduced a technology product, named ‘SAFAL- Simple And Fast Agriculture Loan’ for financing individual Dairy farmers, who are supplying milk to commercial dairies on a regular basis.

About the agreement: Around 3,500 dairy farmers supplying milk to 98 primary milk societies of PONLAIT would be benefited by the arrangement. This was the first MoU signed in the Chennai circle of the bank which plans to enter into such agreements with commercial dairies throughout the country to finance farmers supplying milk to the dairies. The present arrangement to boost milk production with the help of bank loans would help the administration of the union territory to meet the daily requirement of milk.

Note: SBI Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara; SBI Headquarters: Mumbai; SBI Founded: 1 July 1955.

 

2. Moody’s Projects India’s GDP growth forecast in FY22 at 9.3%: Moody’s Investors Service in its latest report has projected that the economic growth in India will rebound strongly. It has pegged GDP growth for the nation at 9.3% and 7.9% in FY22 and FY23, respectively. India recently hit record Covid-19 vaccination rates. Moody’s notes that the vaccination drive in India has gathered pace after the second wave. Around 30% of the population of India is now fully vaccinated with two doses while around 55% of the population has received at least one dose. Improved vaccination coverage has led to stabilisation in consumer confidence.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. S K Sohan Roy 1st Indian to be honoured with Knighthood of Parte Guelfa: Dr S K Sohan Roy from Kerala, CEO, and founder of Aries Group of Companies has become the first Indian to be honoured with the Knighthood of Parte Guelfa for his humanitarian and Environmental protection efforts in business and movies. The honorary title of “Knight of Parte Guelfa” has been conferred upon him during the conferring ceremony organized during the Investitures of Parte Guelfa of Annus Domini 2021 and was held at the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Palagio di Parte Guelfa in Florence, Italy.

Order of the Guelph Part: Order of the Guelph Part or Ordo Parte Guelfae which was initially known as Societas Partis Ecclesiae is an order of pontifical foundation established by Pope Clement IV in 1266. The Guelph part is concerned with environmental protection and the knighthood is recognised as the protector of the World Environment.

Dr Sohan Roy: Dr Sohan Roy, an Indian entrepreneur based in Sharjah, is a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer, an award-winning director and a poet. Forbes listed him among the top Indian leaders of the Arab World four times in a row between 2015 and 2019. Aries Punnamada Urukku Chundan, a steel snake boat developed by Sohan Roy’s Aries Marine, has been certified as the world’s largest canoe crew by Guinness World Records.