NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
India’s First Agriculture Export Facilitation Centre Launched in Pune: The Mahratta
Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (MCCIA) has launched India’s
first agro-export facilitation centre in Pune, in collaboration with National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The new Facilitation
Centre will work as a one-stop-centre for the exporters in the agricultural
sector as well as boost agricultural exports from the region, as per global
standards.
The Center would guide the prospective
exporters on various relevant aspects of the ‘farm-to-fork chain of agro-exports
through its experts. It would organize awareness programs, training programs
and workshops on the related aspects, organise visits to export houses for
getting practical guidance, organise buyer-seller meetings etc.
Note: NABARD Founded: 12 July 1982; NABARD
Headquarters: Mumbai; NABARD Chairman: G R Chintala.
2.
India-Microsoft MoU on Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools: The Ministry of
Tribal Affairs and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the joint
initiative for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools. This includes the
introduction of Ashram Schools and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in
tribal areas. About the project:
(1) Microsoft will make an Artificial
Intelligence curriculum available for the tribal students in Hindi and English.
(2) In the first phase of the programme,
250 EMRS are to be established. Out of these 250 schools, 50 schools will be
given intensive training. And five hundred master trainers will be trained in
the first phase.
(3) The teachers are to be trained in a
phased manner to use Artificial Intelligence application and production
technologies such as Office 365. This will introduce the teachers to the world
of collaboration and help them understand how teaching shall be increased with virtual
field trips.
(4) The teachers will also be provided with
E-Certificates and E-badges from the Microsoft Education centres at the end of
the programme.
Note: Minister of Tribal Affairs: Arjun
Munda; Microsoft CEO: Satya Nadella; Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond,
Washington, United States.
3.
26th Meeting of Group of Ministers on COVID-19: The Union Minister
of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired the 26th meeting of the
Group of Ministers on COVID-19. CoWIN platform-the government developed a
website for the registration and booking of vaccine appointment- will be soon
accessible in Hindi and 14 other regional languages, informed in the 26th GOM
meeting.
Key Outcomes of the meet:
(1) Around seventeen more laboratories will
be added to the INSACOG (Indian SARS CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) network.
(2) These laboratories are being added to
monitor COVID-19 variants. Currently, there are ten laboratories in the
network.
(3) The manufacturing of Amphotericin-B is
to be increased to treat COVID-19 black fungal infections called Mucormycosis.
4.
Centre has released over Rs 5950 Crore to 15 States in current FY for
implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission: Centre has released over Rs 5950 Crore to
15 States in the current financial year for the implementation of Jal Jeevan
Mission. It is being implemented in partnership with States and Union
Territories. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has said that this is the first tranche
of the four to be released in this financial year. Other 17 States and Union
Territories have been asked to send their proposals to National Jal Jeevan
Mission for release of funds.
5.
National Anti-Terrorism Day: 21st May: In India, the National Anti-Terrorism Day
is observed on May 21 to commemorate the death anniversary of former Prime
Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. The day is also observed to spread the message
of peace, harmony, and humankind and to promote unity among the people. Rajiv
Gandhi was India’s youngest Prime Minister. He was appointed as the sixth Prime
Minister of the country and served the nation from 1984 to 1989. Mr Gandhi was
assassinated on May 21, 1991, by a human bomb. He was killed in Tamil Nadu in a
campaign by a terrorist. Then, under the V.P. Singh government, the centre has
decided to observe 21st May as Anti-Terrorism Day.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
PenpaTsering elected president of Tibetan exile government: The former speaker
of Tibet’s parliament-in-exile, PenpaTsering, has been elected the new
president of the exile government. Nearly 64,000 Tibetans living in exile in
India, Nepal, North America, Europe, Australia and elsewhere voted in the
election, which was held in two rounds in January and April. It was 3rd direct
election of leadership after the withdrawal of Dalai lama from politics.
Note: Tibet Capital: Lhasa; Tibet Currency:
Renminbi.
2.
Atlas V rocket launches SBIRS Geo-5 missile warning satellite for US Space
Force:
The United Launch Alliance launched the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral
Space Force Station, Florida. The Atlas V rocket carried SBRIS Geo-5 Missile
Warning Satellite. The full form of SBRIS is the Space-Based Infrared System.
It is designed for missile warning, missile battlespace and defence
characterization. SBRIS is basically a Space Tracking and Surveillance System.
SBRIS was designed to meet the Infrared Space Surveillance of the United States
Space Force System. In 2020 alone, the SBRIS satellites detected more than a
thousand missiles.
About the satellite: The satellite will
provide key capabilities in missile warning, battlespace, missile defence. It
weighs 4,850 kilograms. As of 2018, ten SBRIS satellites were launched. Atlas V
is a two-stage rocket. It is fueled with rocket grade kerosene and liquid
oxygen in its first stage and hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the second stage.
The rocket put SBRIS at a height of 35,753-kilo metres.
Note: United Launch Alliance CEO: Tory
Bruno; United Launch AllianceFounded: 1 December 2006; United Launch Alliance
Headquarters: Centennial, Colorado, United States.
3.
International Tea Day: 21st May: International Tea Day is observed globally
on May 21 on the recommendation of India. The purpose of International Tea Day
is to try to improve the condition of tea producers and tea workers. The United
Nations recognised International Tea Day by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) to raise awareness of the deep cultural and economic
significance of tea around the world and promote its importance in fighting
hunger and poverty.
History of International Tea Day: The United Nations
General Assembly has designated May 21 as International Tea Day based on a
proposal moved by India at the FAO Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea in
October 2015. Before 2019, December 15 is celebrated as International Tea Day
in tea producing nations such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam,
Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India and Tanzania.
4.
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development:21st May: World Day for
Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed globally on 21 May
every year. The day aims to celebrate the richness of the world’s cultures and
highlight the significance of its diversity as an agent of inclusion and positive
change for achieving peace and sustainable development.
History of World Day for Cultural
Diversity for Dialogue and Development: In the year 2001,
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
adopted the ‘Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ as a result of the
destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001. Then in
December 2002, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in its resolution 57/249,
declared 21 May to be World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
Development.
Note: Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey
Azoulay; UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Arjan Bhullar becomes first Indian-origin fighter to win MMA title: Arjan Bhullar
became the first Indian-origin fighter to win a world title in a top-level MMA
promotion when he beat Brandon Vera to become the heavyweight world champion at
the Singapore-based One Championship. By defeating Vera, Bhullar ended the
Filipino-American’s five-year championship-winning run. Bhullar had won the
commonwealth games gold medals in 2010 and 2012. He became the first
Indian-origin freestyle wrestler to represent Canada at the Olympics.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Bajaj Finserv launches assistance programme for families of its deceased
employees: Bajaj
Finserv, the holding company for the financial services business of Bajaj
Group, announced a new comprehensive family assistance programme to extend
support and financial assistance to families of employees who have passed away
due to the COVID pandemic. This programme ‘Together as One’ aims to support
their children’s education till graduation, provide financial assistance to
such families as well as extended medical insurance coverage. The initiative is
being rolled out across Bajaj Finserv and its companies — Bajaj Finance, Bajaj
Allianz Life Insurance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Bajaj Housing Finance,
Bajaj Finserv Health, Bajaj Financial Securities, Bajaj Finserv Markets and
Bajaj Holdings & Investment. It will be effective retrospectively from
April 1, 2020.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Reliance Jio joins global consortium to build undersea cable network: Telecom operator
Reliance Jio is constructing the largest international submarine cable system
centred on India with global partners and submarine cable supplier Subcom to
cater to increased data demand. The two submarine cable systems which the
company plans to deploy will connect India with Asia Pacific markets
(Singapore, Thailand & Malaysia) and others with Italy & Africa.
About the Submarine cable networks:
(1) Submarine cable networks connect
several nations for the flow of internet & telecom services. This high
capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200 Tbps (terabits per
second) of capacity spanning over 16,000 kilometres.
(2) The IAX system that will connect India
from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and is expected to be ready for
service by mid-2023 and the IEX system that will extend India’s connectivity to
Italy, landing in Savona and additional landings in the Middle East and North
Africa is expected to be ready for service in early 2024.
Note: Reliance Jio President Infocomm:
Mathew Oommen; Reliance Jio Founder: MukeshAmbani; Reliance Jio Founded: 2007;
Reliance Jio Headquarters: Mumbai.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
DNA sequencing pioneers from Cambridge win 1 million euro tech Nobel prize: Two British
chemists who developed a super-fast DNA sequencing technique that paved the way
for revolutionary healthcare advances were awarded Finland’s version of the
Nobel science prizes. Cambridge University professors Shankar Balasubramanian
and David Klenerman took home the 1 million euro ($1.22 million) Millennium
Technology Prize for their work over 27 years creating ever faster and cheaper
ways to sequence the human genome. The pair’s Next-Generation DNA Sequencing
technology (NGS) “means huge benefits to society, from helping the fight
against killer diseases such as Covid-19 or cancer to better understanding crop
diseases and enhancing food production,” the Technology Academy Finland, which
awards the biennial prize.
About the award: The Finnish Millennium
Technology Prize, founded in 2004, singles out innovations that have practical
applications and which “enhance the quality of people’s lives.” It aims to be a
technology equivalent of the Nobel science prizes, which have been criticised
by some for focusing too much on traditional, decades-old scientific research.
OBITUARIES
1. Former President of Indian Medical Association Dr. KK Aggarwal Passes Away: Renowned cardiologist and former national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr KK Aggarwal, has passed away battling with Covid. He was an eminent physician and cardiologist, who also has served as the head of the Heart Care Foundation of India. He was honoured with the Dr BC Roy Award in 2005 and the Padma Shri in 2010, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of medicine.
