Daily GK Updates - 19th April, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Gender Samvaad event launched by Ministry of Rural Development: The Ministry of Rural Development recently launched the Gender Samvaad Event. It is a joint initiative between DAY-NRLM and IWWAGE. The main objective of the Gender Samvaad event was to create awareness of gender-related interventions under the DAY-NRLM. DAY-NRLM is DeendayalAntyodayaYojana National Rural Livelihood Mission. IWWAGE is Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy. About Gender Samvaad:

(1) It provides opportunities to understand the best practices of other states to improve women agencies.

(2) For instance, facilitating women’s access to land rights and their engagement in Farmer Producer Organisations, establishing strong institutions for public service delivery, best practices around food, nutrition, health and water and sanitation.

(3) It helps to understand Gender Interventions globally.

(4) Also, the event provides opportunities to engage with experts on suggestions to handle implementation barriers.

(5) It aims to promote the need to focus on gender issues.

Note: Union Minister of Rural Development: Narendra Singh Tomar.

 

2. Italy launches first ever mega food park in India: Italy has launched its first-ever mega food park project in India, at Fanidhar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. The project aims to create synergy between agriculture and industry of the two countries and focuses on the research and development of new and more efficient technologies in the sector. With this Italy also aims to explore the great opportunities offered by the Indian market. This is the first Italian-Indian food park project, an initiative in the food-processing field, which serves as a pillar of the partnership between India and Italy.

Note: Italy Capital: Rome; Italy Currency: Euro; Italy President: Sergio Mattarella.

 

3. Railways to run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains via green corridors: Following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Indian Railways will run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains transporting liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country via green corridors to meet growing demand from states. Green corridors are being created to ensure fast movement of these trains. Empty tankers will begin their journey from Kalamboli and Boisar railway stations in and near Mumbai to load liquid medical oxygen from Vizag, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro, the national transporter.

Note: Union Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal; Indian Railways Founded: 16 April 1853, India; Indian Railways Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

4. Secretary MeitY inaugurates three new initiatives of NIXI: Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Ajay Prakash Sawhney inaugurated three path breaking initiatives for National Internet Exchange of India, NIXI. These initiatives are IP Guru, NIXI Academy and NIXI-IP-INDEX.

(1) The IP Guru is a group to extend support to all the Indian entities who are finding it technically challenging to migrate and adopt Internet Protocol version, IPv6.

(2) The NIXI Academy has been created to educate technical and non-technical people in India about technologies like IPv6 which will lead to better management of Internet resources in the country.

(3) The NIXI-IP-INDEX portal has been launched to showcase IPv6 adoption rate in India and across the world.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Indian expedition to Antarctica returns to Cape Town: The 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (40-ISEA) hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences successfully returned to Cape Town after completing a journey of about 12,000 nautical miles in 94 days, including stopovers. This achievement concludes four successful decades of India’s scientific endeavour in the continent of peace and cooperation. The team reached its destination Bharati station on February 27 and Maitri station on March 8 in Antarctica. Bharati and Maitri are India’s permanent research base stations in Antarctica.

Note: Minister of Earth Sciences:  Dr Harsh Vardhan.

 

2. NASA Awards $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX: The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Artemis programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon. The total value of this contract is $2.89 billion.

Under this contract: SpaceX will develop a spacecraft ‘SpaceX Starship’ to land next to two US astronauts, including a women astronaut at the lunar south pole region, by 2024. NASA also aims to bring the first person of colour to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis programme. Between 1969 and 1972, the US brought 12 astronauts to the moon.

 

3. World Liver Day: 19th April: World Liver day is observed on the 19 April every year to spread awareness about the second largest organ in the body. The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the body, with the exception of the brain. Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol and drugs. Viral Hepatitis occurs due to consumption of contaminated food and water, unsafe sexual practices and drug abuse.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021: Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021, in Imola, Italy. This win is his first victory of the season. The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) finished second, following a crash and sustaining damage involving Mercedes team-mate ValtteriBottas. Lando Norris (McLaren – Great Britain) took third place.

 

2. India’s MirabaiChanu creates a new Clean and Jerk world record in Tashkent:MirabaiChanu set a new World Record in the women’s 49kg Clean and Jerk with a massive 119 kg lift at Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent. The 26-year-old Indian won the bronze medal at the event. The gold medal went to HouZhihui of China who created a new world record in snatch. Asian Games, held once every 4yrs, is the 2nd largest multi-sport event after Olympics.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI approves re-appointment of Murali Natarajan as DCB Bank MD and CEO: Private sector lender, DCB Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India for the re-appointment of Murali M. Natrajan as the Managing Director & CEO, for a further period of one year from April 29, 2021. He was appointed as MD and CEO of DCB Bank in May 2009. Prior to joining DCB, Natrajan has worked with foreign banks Standard Chartered & Citibank.

Note: DCB Bank Headquarters: Maharashtra; DCB Bank Founded: 1930.

 

2. Yes Bank executes its first trade borrowing transaction linked to SOFR: Private sector lender Yes Bank has executed its first Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) linked transaction. The transaction was a trade borrowing availed from Wells Fargo Bank and will provide further impetus to the bank’s export finance business. It is part of its benchmark transition management plan and is the first step towards a smooth transition to the new Alternative Reference Rates (ARR).

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Rating Agencies downgrade India’s GDP forecasts for FY22: With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases posing risks to economic recovery, the leading brokerages have downgraded India’s GDP growth projections for the current fiscal year 2021-22. Current fiscal year to as low as 10 per cent on local lockdowns threatening fragile recovery.

Given below in the GDP growth forecast by several rating agencies for FY22:

 

Agencies	FY22 (revised estimate)	FY22 (previous estimate)
Nomura	12.60%	13.50%
JP Morgan	11%	13%
UBS	10%	11.50%
Citi Research	12%	12.50%

 

In the Covid-ravaged 2020-21 fiscal (April 2020 to March 2021), the economy is projected to have contracted by up to 8 per cent. The low base of FY’21 was seen aiding a double-digit growth rate in the current fiscal before moderating to 6.8 per cent in FY’23.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Lifetime Achievement Award received by Roberto Benigni: Director Roberto Benigni will be receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which runs from September 1 to 11. The organisers confirmed the news about the two-time Oscar-winning actor-director. The filmmaker had starred in and directed the holocaust comedy-drama film Life Is Beautiful (1997), for which he received the Academy Awards for Best Actor (the first for a non-English speaking male performance) and Best International Feature Film. He was last seen in Matteo Garrone’s live-action Pinocchio, for which he won a David di Donatello Award.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Adobe co-founder and PDF developer Charles Geschke passes away: American computer scientist Charles Geschke, best known as the co-founder of graphics and publishing software company Adobe Inc, has passed away. Geschke co-founded Adobe company in 1982 with fellow mate John Warnock. Geschke, who was widely known as Chuck, also helped in developing the popular Portable Document Format (PDF).

 

2. Veteran Tamil actor and comedian Vivek passes away: Renowned Tamil actor and comedian Vivek has passed away. He was launched by legendary filmmaker K Balachander in the late 1980s. He went on to become one of the most sought after comedy actors of Tamil cinema in the 1990s and retained a stronghold in the industry. The actor was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009 for his excellent work in Tamil cinema. He acted in over 200 movies. He was last seen in DharalaPrabhu, which was the Tamil remake of the Hindi film Vicky Donor. 

Daily GK Updates - 18th April, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NITI Aayog launches ‘PoshanGyan’, a digital repository on health, nutrition: NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched called “PoshanGyan”, a national digital repository on health and nutrition. The website can be accessed through thr following link: https://poshangyan.niti.gov.in/. Key Features of PoshanGyan:

(1) The unique feature of the repository is that it has a crowdsourcing feature that allows anyone to submit communication material for inclusion on the website, followed by a review by a designated committee.

(2) PoshanGyan repository enables the search of communication materials on 14 thematic areas of health and nutrition across diverse languages, media types, target audiences and sources.

(3) Content for the repository has been sourced from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development and developmental organizations.

(4) The website provides an intuitive interface that means multi-parametric search, multiple downloads at a point in time, easy sharing of materials via social media and easy viewing on any type of smartphone.

(5) The portal will have a dedicated “Theme of the Month” in line with MoHFW and MoWCD guidelines to promote key topics.

 

2. Piyush Goyal Launches “e-SANTA”, an Electronic Marketplace for Aqua Farmers: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated e-SANTA, an electronic marketplace, to provide a platform for connecting aqua farmers and buyers. e-SANTA aims to raise income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, of aqua farmers.

About the “e-SANTA”:

(1) e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade-in Aquaculture.

(2) Here, the term National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of the Marine Products Export Development Authority.

(3) It will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen.

(4) The platform will help the farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from the farmers and enhancing traceability.

(5) e-SANTA Portal can be accessed through the following link: https://esanta.gov.in/

 

3. “Online Grievance Management Portal” launched: Union Minister for Communication & IT and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the “Online Grievance Management Portal of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)”. About the Portal:

(1) NCSC Grievance Management portal would make it easier for Scheduled Castes population of our country to register their complaint from any part of the country.

(2) The portal shall enable them to file their application and other atrocity and services related grievances online and to get them addressed in a time bound manner.

(3) NCSC aims to streamline the grievance redressal especially of the Scheduled Caste population through this portal.

(4) The portal designed in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India will facilitate an end-to-end e-filing of complaints and grievances and their tracking.

(5) Finally, it is intended to make the hearing process work on similar lines as e-courts.

 

4. HGCO19 an mRNA Vaccine Candidate: An additional government funding has been received by India’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate-HGCO19 for its clinical studies. This funding has been awarded under the ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’. About HGCO19:

(1) HGCO19, the novel mRNA Vaccine candidate has been developed by Pune-based biotechnology company Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, USA.

(2) It has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models.

(3) For Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its vaccine candidate HGCO19, Gennova has initiated the enrolment of volunteers.

(4) One of the advantage of mRNA vaccine is that they are considered safe due to non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.

(5) They are also highly efficacious and mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. US President Biden announces complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: US President Joe Biden has announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bringing to end the country’s longest war. US troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11 (2001).

Why the US withdraw their troops from Afghanistan: Biden and his team are refining national strategy to monitor and disrupt significant terrorist threats not only in Afghanistan, but anywhere they may arise — Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Before making the announcement, Biden had spoken with former US presidents Barack Obama and George Bush. The US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020, to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America’s longest war.

 

2. Prime Minister of Haiti Joseph Jouthe Resigns: Prime Minister of Haiti, Joseph Jouthe has resigned following a situation of unrest in the country due to an increase in killing and kidnapping cases over the past few days. Joseph Jouthe served as the Prime Minister of Haiti from March 4, 2020, until April 14, 2021. President JovenelMoise has nominated Claude Joseph as the new prime minister of Haiti.

Note: Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince; Currency: Haitian gourde.

 

3. India sign MoU with France for cooperation on Gaganyaan Mission: The Indian space agency, ISRO has signed an agreement with the space agency of France CNES for cooperation in its first human space mission, Gaganyaan. CNES will train Indian flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams at French facilities. The Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft project was kicked off in August 2018. It originally intended to send astronauts from Indian soil to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022.

Under the agreement: CNES will provide equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to Indian crews. It will also supply fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation. The agreement provides for the CNES to support the implementation of a scientific experiment plan on validation missions, exchange information on food packaging and the nutrition programme, and above all the use by Indian astronauts of French equipment, consumables and medical instruments.

Note: ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan; ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka; ISRO established: 15 August 1969.

 

4. World Hemophilia Day: 17th April: World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday. This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day. The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”. The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.

What is Hemophilia: It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Note: World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel; World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963; World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Punjab National Bank launches digital initiative PNB@Ease: Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched a digital initiative “PNB@Ease” under which every transaction undertaken by a bank branch will be initiated and authorised by customers themselves. This facility will enable the customers to avail all banking services under one roof. On its 127th foundation day, PNB announced other digital initiatives such as the instant opening of online saving accounts via video-KYC, insta pre-approved loan, instaDemat account and insurance facility through internet and mobile banking services. PNB’s 127th Foundation Day celebrated on Apr 12, 2021.

About the “PNB@Ease”: This facility will enable the customers to avail all banking services under one roof, he said, adding, PNB@Ease outlets would boost the bank’s distribution capability and lower the cost of customer acquisition. The service can range from savings accounts opening to availing various loans and more, without visiting a branch or help from the bank employees.

Note: Punjab National Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Punjab National Bank MD and CEO: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao; Punjab National Bank Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Bharat Petroleum partners Accenture for digital transformation of sales, distribution network: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), India’s second-largest oil marketing company, has collaborated with Irish multinational company Accenture to transform its sales and distribution network. Through artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies to build, design and implement a digital platform called Iris, Accenture will integrate real-time data from across BPCL’s countrywide network, including more than 18,000 fuel retail outlets, 25,000 tank trucks, 75 oil installations, and depots, 52 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants and 250 additional industrial and commercial locations, to provide a consolidated view of BPCL’s sales and distribution network.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Marathi film Puglya wins Best Foreign Feature at Moscow Film Fest: The Marathi film “Puglya” has won the Best Foreign Language Feature award at Moscow International Film Festival, 2021. The film Puglya has been directed and produced by Vinod Sam Peter under the banner Abraham Films. So far, this film has won over 45 awards and recognitions at various international film festivals. The film is yet to be released in India. The film revolves around a pug and two boys, who are around 10 years old.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former CBI Chief Ranjit Sinha passes away: Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ranjit Sinha has passed away. He was a 1974-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, who served as CBI Director from 3 December 2012 to 2 December 2014. Prior to being appointed as CBI Director, Sinha had headed Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, the Railway Protection Force and several other senior positions in the CBI in Patna and Delhi. 

Daily GK Updates - 17th April, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NITI Aayog launches ‘PoshanGyan’, a digital repository on health, nutrition: NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched called “PoshanGyan”, a national digital repository on health and nutrition. The website can be accessed through thr following link: https://poshangyan.niti.gov.in/. Key Features of PoshanGyan:

(1) The unique feature of the repository is that it has a crowdsourcing feature that allows anyone to submit communication material for inclusion on the website, followed by a review by a designated committee.

(2) PoshanGyan repository enables the search of communication materials on 14 thematic areas of health and nutrition across diverse languages, media types, target audiences and sources.

(3) Content for the repository has been sourced from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development and developmental organizations.

(4) The website provides an intuitive interface that means multi-parametric search, multiple downloads at a point in time, easy sharing of materials via social media and easy viewing on any type of smartphone.

(5) The portal will have a dedicated “Theme of the Month” in line with MoHFW and MoWCD guidelines to promote key topics.

 

2. Piyush Goyal Launches “e-SANTA”, an Electronic Marketplace for Aqua Farmers: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated e-SANTA, an electronic marketplace, to provide a platform for connecting aqua farmers and buyers. e-SANTA aims to raise income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, of aqua farmers.

About the “e-SANTA”:

(1) e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade-in Aquaculture.

(2) Here, the term National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of the Marine Products Export Development Authority.

(3) It will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen.

(4) The platform will help the farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from the farmers and enhancing traceability.

(5) e-SANTA Portal can be accessed through the following link: https://esanta.gov.in/

 

3. “Online Grievance Management Portal” launched: Union Minister for Communication & IT and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the “Online Grievance Management Portal of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)”. About the Portal:

(1) NCSC Grievance Management portal would make it easier for Scheduled Castes population of our country to register their complaint from any part of the country.

(2) The portal shall enable them to file their application and other atrocity and services related grievances online and to get them addressed in a time bound manner.

(3) NCSC aims to streamline the grievance redressal especially of the Scheduled Caste population through this portal.

(4) The portal designed in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India will facilitate an end-to-end e-filing of complaints and grievances and their tracking.

(5) Finally, it is intended to make the hearing process work on similar lines as e-courts.

 

4. HGCO19 an mRNA Vaccine Candidate: An additional government funding has been received by India’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate-HGCO19 for its clinical studies. This funding has been awarded under the ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’. About HGCO19:

(1) HGCO19, the novel mRNA Vaccine candidate has been developed by Pune-based biotechnology company Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, USA.

(2) It has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models.

(3) For Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its vaccine candidate HGCO19, Gennova has initiated the enrolment of volunteers.

(4) One of the advantage of mRNA vaccine is that they are considered safe due to non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.

(5) They are also highly efficacious and mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. US President Biden announces complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: US President Joe Biden has announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bringing to end the country’s longest war. US troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11 (2001).

Why the US withdraw their troops from Afghanistan: Biden and his team are refining national strategy to monitor and disrupt significant terrorist threats not only in Afghanistan, but anywhere they may arise — Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Before making the announcement, Biden had spoken with former US presidents Barack Obama and George Bush. The US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020, to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America’s longest war.

 

2. Prime Minister of Haiti Joseph Jouthe Resigns: Prime Minister of Haiti, Joseph Jouthe has resigned following a situation of unrest in the country due to an increase in killing and kidnapping cases over the past few days. Joseph Jouthe served as the Prime Minister of Haiti from March 4, 2020, until April 14, 2021. President JovenelMoise has nominated Claude Joseph as the new prime minister of Haiti.

Note: Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince; Currency: Haitian gourde.

 

3. India sign MoU with France for cooperation on Gaganyaan Mission: The Indian space agency, ISRO has signed an agreement with the space agency of France CNES for cooperation in its first human space mission, Gaganyaan. CNES will train Indian flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams at French facilities. The Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft project was kicked off in August 2018. It originally intended to send astronauts from Indian soil to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022.

Under the agreement: CNES will provide equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to Indian crews. It will also supply fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation. The agreement provides for the CNES to support the implementation of a scientific experiment plan on validation missions, exchange information on food packaging and the nutrition programme, and above all the use by Indian astronauts of French equipment, consumables and medical instruments.

Note: ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan; ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka; ISRO established: 15 August 1969.

 

4. World Hemophilia Day: 17th April: World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday. This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day. The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”. The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.

What is Hemophilia: It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Note: World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel; World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963; World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Punjab National Bank launches digital initiative PNB@Ease: Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched a digital initiative “PNB@Ease” under which every transaction undertaken by a bank branch will be initiated and authorised by customers themselves. This facility will enable the customers to avail all banking services under one roof. On its 127th foundation day, PNB announced other digital initiatives such as the instant opening of online saving accounts via video-KYC, insta pre-approved loan, instaDemat account and insurance facility through internet and mobile banking services. PNB’s 127th Foundation Day celebrated on Apr 12, 2021.

About the “PNB@Ease”: This facility will enable the customers to avail all banking services under one roof, he said, adding, PNB@Ease outlets would boost the bank’s distribution capability and lower the cost of customer acquisition. The service can range from savings accounts opening to availing various loans and more, without visiting a branch or help from the bank employees.

Note: Punjab National Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Punjab National Bank MD and CEO: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao; Punjab National Bank Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Bharat Petroleum partners Accenture for digital transformation of sales, distribution network: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), India’s second-largest oil marketing company, has collaborated with Irish multinational company Accenture to transform its sales and distribution network. Through artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies to build, design and implement a digital platform called Iris, Accenture will integrate real-time data from across BPCL’s countrywide network, including more than 18,000 fuel retail outlets, 25,000 tank trucks, 75 oil installations, and depots, 52 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants and 250 additional industrial and commercial locations, to provide a consolidated view of BPCL’s sales and distribution network.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Marathi film Puglya wins Best Foreign Feature at Moscow Film Fest: The Marathi film “Puglya” has won the Best Foreign Language Feature award at Moscow International Film Festival, 2021. The film Puglya has been directed and produced by Vinod Sam Peter under the banner Abraham Films. So far, this film has won over 45 awards and recognitions at various international film festivals. The film is yet to be released in India. The film revolves around a pug and two boys, who are around 10 years old.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former CBI Chief Ranjit Sinha passes away: Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ranjit Sinha has passed away. He was a 1974-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, who served as CBI Director from 3 December 2012 to 2 December 2014. Prior to being appointed as CBI Director, Sinha had headed Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, the Railway Protection Force and several other senior positions in the CBI in Patna and Delhi. 

Daily GK Updates - 16th April, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Mental-Health Digital Platform MANAS Launched: The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India virtually launched the “MANAS” App to promote wellbeing across age groups. About MANAS:

(1) MANAS stands for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System.

(2) MANAS is a comprehensive, scalable, and national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment mental well-being of Indian citizens.

(3) The App integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed/researched by various national bodies and research institutions.

(4) It was initiated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

(5) It was jointly executed by NIMHANS Bengaluru, AFMC Pune and C-DAC Bengaluru.

(6) The app must be integrated with the public health schemes like the National Health Mission, PoshanAbhiyan, e-Sanjeevani and others so that it is used widely.

(7) Catering to the overall wellbeing of people of all age groups, the initial version of MANAS focuses on promoting positive mental health in the age group of 15-35 years.

Note: The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India is Prof. K Vijay Raghavan.

 

2. ‘AahaarKranti’ mission launched by Health Ministry: Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched AahaarKranti, a mission dedicated to spreading awareness about nutrition. It is designed to address the peculiar problem of hunger and diseases in abundance, being faced by India and the world. Studies show that India produces as much as two times the amount of calories it consumes. However, many in the country are still malnourished. The root cause of this strange phenomenon is a lack of nutritional awareness. Keeping this in mind, AahaarKranti has been launched with the motto of UttamAahaar- UttamVichaar or Good Diet-Good Cognition.The movement proposes to address the problem by working to rouse the people to the values and richness of India’s traditional diet, to the healing powers of local fruits and vegetables and to the miracles of a balanced diet. VijnanaBharati, Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats Forum, VigyanPrasar, and PravasiBharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark have come together to launch this mission.

 

3. PohelaBoishakh (SubhoNoboborsho) 2021: It marks the new Year for Bengal Community. Across the world, Bengali’s celebrate this day. Usually, the Bengali New Year falls around 14 April or 15 April. This year it is celebrated on 15 April in India.

About celebration and festival: The day is marked by cleaning and decorating the houses with beautiful rangolis or alpona outside homes. Some people visit temples and pray for prosperity in the coming year. The day also signals the beginning of the financial year for the Bengali business class. On this day, shopkeepers invite customers and even distribute sweets and calendars. The traces of celebration of the festival roots back to Mughal rule and also the proclamation of tax collection reforms of Akbar.

 

4. PM Modi released 4 books related to BabasahebAmbedkar: PM Narendra Modi has paid tribute to India’s first law minister and the architect of the Indian Constitution BabasahebBhimraoAmbedkar on his birth anniversary and released four books based on his life. PM Modi has addressed the 95th Annual Meet and National Seminar of Vice-Chancellors of the Association of Indian Universities via video conferencing and launched four books related to Dr BR Ambedkar, written by KishorMakwana.

The four books to be released by the prime minister are: (1) DrAmbedkarJivanDarshan; (2) DrAmbedkarVyaktiDarshan; (3) DrAmbedkarRashtraDarshan, and (4) DrAmbedkarAayamDarshan.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. “To Honour” BR Ambedkar, Indian-American Congressman Introduces Resolution: On 14th April India celebrated the 130th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. In the US House of Representatives, an Indian-American Congressman has introduced a resolution for a second consecutive year to honourBhimraoAmbedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution on his 130th birth anniversary. About the resolution:

(1) Indian-American Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said “Today, I’m reintroducing my resolution to honour B R Ambedkar, in the hopes that young leaders around the world will read his work and be inspired by his vision for equalitu.”

(2) The resolution acknowledges the profound impact of America’s discriminatory practices, specifically the systematic discrimination of African-Americans and women in the United States, as influential in his pursuit to guarantee equal rights for every human being in the Indian Constitution.

(3) The resolution affirms the prohibition of untouchability and caste discrimination in all forms, as enshrined in the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

(4) The resolution states that DrAmbedkar’s contributions to economics, political science, civil rights, religious harmony, and jurisprudence have had a profound impact around the world, promoting democratic values, unfettered equality, and justice for peoples of all castes, races, genders, religions, and backgrounds.

(5) It has also stated that DR Ambedkar led one of the largest civil rights movements in history, working to establish basic rights for hundreds of millions of Dalits, and succeeded in including Article 17 in the Constitution of India which abolishes untouchability and its practice in any form.

Note: (1) DR. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on 14 April, 1891 was a leader of Dalits (Scheduled Castes, formerly called untouchables and law minister of the Government of India.

(2) Dr. B. R Ambedkar’s Awards / Honours: Bodhisattva (1956), Bharat Ratna (1990), First Colombian Ahead of Their Time (2004), The Greatest Indian (2012)

 

2. China Opens 5G Signal Station at World’s Highest Radar Location near Tibet Border: China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world’s highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters. The mountain is located in Nagarze County in Tibet which is in the vicinity of borders with India and Bhutan. The stable and high-speed 5G signal enables the soldiers in the deep mountains to keep up with the information society, leaving the monotonous and boring life on the border.

 

3. World Voice Day: 16th April: The World Voice Day (WVD) is celebrated globally on April 16 every year to demonstrate the enormous importance of the voice in the daily lives of all people. The Day is a global annual event dedicated to recognizing the boundless limits of the human voice. The mission is to share the excitement of the voice phenomenon with people, scientists, and other funding bodies. The theme of 2021 is ONE WORLD|MANY VOICES.

History: World Voice Day found its beginnings in 1999 as Brazilian National Voice Day. It became a rallying cause for speech-language pathologists, singing teachers and medical physicians who were a part of the Brazilian Society of Laryngology and Voice. The day soon began to spread to Argentina and Portugal making it International Voice Day. By 2002, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery officially recognized the celebration which earned it the title of World Voice Day.

 

4. Save the Elephant Day: 16th April: Save the Elephant Day is celebrated on April 16 every year to raise awareness about the dangers elephants face and various difficulties they have to overcome to live. The Day is established by Thailand-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, to spread awareness among the general people about the significance and consequences of their actions, or inactions on the future of elephants. According to WWF data, at present the population of Pachyderms in India is around 20,000 to 25,000.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Pakistan Skipper Babar Azam replaces Indian Captain ViratKohli as World No-1 batsman in ICC Men’s ODI Rankings: In the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rankings for ODI batsmen, Pakistan Captain Babar Azam has climbed to the No.1 spot. Azam replaced his Indian counterpart ViratKohli, who was occupying the top position for nearly three and a half years. He is the fourth player from Pakistan to top the ODI batting rankings after Zaheer Abbas, JavedMiandad, and Mohammad Yousuf. Rohit Sharma with 825 points is the only other Indian player who has featured in the latest top 10 batting chart. Among bowlers, Indian pacer JaspritBumrah has held on to his fourth position behind top-ranked Trent Boult of New Zealand, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and another Kiwi pacer Matt Henry. R Ashwin is the lone Indian to find a place in the top 10 all-rounders’ list at the No. 9 spot.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI to set up Regulations Review Authority for one year: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be set up a new Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0) from May 1, 2021, to review the regulations, circulars, reporting systems and compliance procedures of the central bank for streamlining them and making them more effective. The RRA will be set up for a period of one year unless the timeline is extended by the RBI.

About the Regulations Review Authority: M Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, RBI will be the head of the Regulations Review Authority. RRA will be tasked with making regulatory and supervisory instructions more effective by removing redundancies and duplications if any.

It must be noted that prior to this, a similar RRA was set up by RBI on April 1, 1999, for a period of one year to review the regulations, circulars, reporting systems, based on the feedback from the public, banks, and financial institutions.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Amazon launches $250-million Venture Fund for Digitizing SMEs in India: The e-commerce giant Amazon has launched a $250 million (Rs 1,873 crore) venture fund called “Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund”, to invest in Indian startups and entrepreneurs, with a focus on digitizing SMEs. The launch of the Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund aims to attract the best ideas and empower entrepreneurs in the country to partner in this vision. As a part of its first investment through the ‘Smbhav’ fund, Amazon invested in Gurugram-based M1xchange which connects SMEs with banks and financiers.

The Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund will focus on three key priorities: (1)Digitisation of small and medium businesses (SME) in India; (2) Drive innovation in Agri-tech innovations to empower farmer productivity and reach; (3) Drive innovation in Health-tech to provide universal and quality health care

Note: Amazon.com Inc founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos; Amazon.com Inc Founded: 5 July 1994; Amazon.com Inc Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Lilavati Awards 2020 announced: The Union Education Minister, Ramesh PokhriyalNishank recently presented the AICTE Lilavati Awards, 2020 in New Delhi. The awards were presented based on the theme “Women Empowerment”. The winners were selected by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) in six sub-themes. List of winners:

(1) SWEAT (Sona Women Entrepreneurship and Training) from Sona College of Technology, Tamil Nadu won the award under the ‘Women Entrepreneurship’ sub theme.

(2) Another college from Tamil Nadu, Paritrana from St. Joseph’s College of Engineering won the award for the ‘Self Defense’ sub theme.

(3) Under the ‘Literacy’ sub theme, BharatiyaVidyapeeth of the Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development Pune won the award.

(4) The Lilavati Award under the “Women’s Health” sub theme was won by the WIT Women Health Coalition from Walchand Institute of Technology, Maharashtra.

(5) Radiant Seetha from Thiagarajar Polytechnic College won the contest in the ‘Legal Awareness’ sub theme.

(6) Under the ‘Sanitation & Hygiene’ sub-theme, Smt. KishoritaiBhoyar College of Pharmacy, Nagpur, Maharashtra won the award.

Note: AICTE Chairman: Professor Anil DattatrayaSahasrabudhe; AICTE  Headquarters: New Delhi; AICTE  Established: 1945.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former election commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy passes away: Former election commissioner, GVG Krishnamurty passed away due to age-related ailments. An Indian Legal Service officer, Krishnamurty became the election commissioner in October 1993 to September 1996