DAILY GK: 22,23 APRIL 2021
1.INSURANCE
SCHEME UNDER PMGKP EXTENDED FOR 1 MORE YEAR
• The
Central Government has extended the Insurance scheme under the Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) for Health workers fighting COVID-19 for a period
of one year.
• It
was announced by the Government as part of its INR 1.7 Lakh Crore COVID-19
relief package.
• The
insurance scheme provides an insurance cover of INR 50 Lakh to health workers
fighting COVID-19 & for those who lost their lives on account of COVID-19
duty, it lapsed on March 24, 2021.
• The
scheme is implemented by New India Assurance (NIA) Company Limited.
2.GENDER
SAMVAAD LAUNCHED
• The
event Gender Samvaad was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural
Livelihood Mission(DAY-NRLM) to create
awareness about gender related interventions.
• The
Event was launched as a part of the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav.
3.1ST
COUNTRY TO RATIFY FREE TRADE AGREEMENT RCEP
• Singapore
ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with this it
became the 1st Participating country to ratify the RCEP, which is the World’s
Largest Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• RCEP
is an initiative led by China, India had pulled out of the pact in 2019.
• In
November 2020, 15 Asia -Pacific countries including 10 members of the ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and their 5 Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
partners China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia signed the RCEP.
4.INDIA
ELECTED TO 3 BODIES OF UN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
• India
has been elected by acclamation (a form of election that does not use a ballot)
to 3 bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• It
has been elected to the 3 bodies for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2022.
• Commission
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)
• Executive
Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
• Executive
Board of the World Food Programme (WFP)
5.BITE
FIRST CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGE TO PROVIDE INVESTMENT DECLARATION
• Bitex,
the UAE based Cryptocurrency exchange, has announced its issuing of investment
declaration reports for all its retail and institutional investors in
compliance with the amendments made to the Companies Act 2013, by which it
became the first Cryptocurrency exchange in India to provide such reports.
• The
report will contain information about what the investors have sold or bought,
hence, it will act as proof of the exact money the investors made or lost while
trading in cryptocurrencies to tax authorities.
6.NEOBANK
FI FOR MILLENNIALS
• Sujith
Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani , co-creators of Google Pay have announced the
launch of Fi,a NeoBank for salaried millennials in partnership with Federal
Bank.
• Fi’s
android app will start operation from 21st April 2021 and its iOS app is still
in processing and will be launched soon.
7.ICC
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS FOR 2020
• The
International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and
Vanuatu as the global winners of the ICC Development Awards for 2020 for their
contribution to cricket through different exceptional programmes in 2020.
• ICC
Development Award 2020:
|
Award
Category |
Awardee |
Awardee’s
Contribution to the game |
|
ICC Development
Initiative of the Year |
Cricket Argentina |
Attracted local audiences
in South America to cricket |
|
100% Cricket Female
Cricket Initiative of the Year |
Cricket Brazil |
Developed women’s
game in South America |
|
ICC Digital Fan
Engagement of the Year Association |
Vanuatu Cricket |
Provided cricket to
fans during the pandemic |
|
Cricket 4 Good Social
Impact Initiative of the Year |
Uganda Cricket
Association |
Supported their
players, volunteers and their families through a COVID-19 relief programme |
8.EX
RBI GOVERNOR M NARASIMHAM PASSES AWAY
• 13th
Reserve Bank of India(RBI) Governor Maidavolu Narasimham passed away at
Hyderabad due to Covid-19.
• He
was born on 3rd June 1927 in Guntur,Andhra Pradesh.
• M
Narasimham was popularly known as The Father of
Banking sector reforms in India for his contribution to the Indian
banking and financial sector.
• He
also served as the Executive director in World Bank and in International
Monetary Fund.
• He
also served as the Vice President of Asian Development Bank(ADB).
9.WORLD
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION DAY 2021
• The
United Nations(UN)’s World Creativity and Innovation Day is annually observed
across the globe on 21st April to create awareness about the role of creativity
and innovation in all the aspects of human development.
10.NATIONAL
CIVIL SERVICES DAY 2021
• The
National Civil Services Day is annually observed across India on 21st April to
acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of the civil servants towards
ensuring the seamless functioning of the public administration.
11. INDIA’S DEMOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE TO OVERTAKE
CHINA’S BY 2035
• China’s
demographic transition owing particularly to its stricter birth policies has
grappled it with the problem of ageing population and dwindling work-force.
• A
report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank,
said that China should immediately liberalize its birth policies to tackle the
problems of an ageing population and plan to compete economically with a
demographically young India and an immigration-friendly US.
12.
RAILWAY AWARDED FOR MAYUR SHELKE FOR EXEMPLARY ACT OF BRAVERY
• Railway
Minister Piyush Goyal has announced a 50 thousand rupees award for Mayur Shelke
for exemplary acts of bravery.
• Mayur
showed exceptional courage in saving a precious life by rescuing a child who
had slipped and fallen on the tracks from the platform.
13.
5TH GLOBAL FORUM ON TB VACCINE VIRTUALLY
• Dr
Harsh Vardhan addressed the 5th Global Forum on TB Vaccines virtually from 20th
April to 22nd April 2021.
• The
forum is convened by Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Vaccines in
association with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) &
TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI).
• Union
Minister Harsh Vardhan called upon the global community to ensure fundings to
develop the TB vaccine by 2023 and to eradicate TB in India by 2025 and
globally before 2030.
• Lakshadweep
became the 1st TB Free Union Territory in India.Budgam district of Jammu and
Kashmir(J&K) 1st TB Free District of India.
14.‘FORM-BASED
CODES’ FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAY LAND
• The
Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) has developed 1st of
its kind ‘Form-based codes’ for commercial development of railway lands.
• The
initiative aims to transform railway lands or railway station areas into
Railopolis.
15.WORLD
CITIES CULTURAL FORUM 2021
• Arvind
Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi will be representing Delhi and India at the
World Cities Cultural Forum (WCCF) 2021.
• The
Forum comprises 40 world cities including London, Tokyo and New York.
• The
WCCF 2021 Forum was hosted by London.
• The
theme of WCCF 2021 is “The Future of Culture”.
16.WORLD
PRESS FREEDOM INDEX 2021
• India
with a score of 46.56 retained 142nd Rank (out of 180 countries) in the World
Press Freedom Index 2021 released by international journalism not-for-profit
body, Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) (also known as Reporters Without Borders).
• The
index was topped by Norway (for the 5th time), followed by Finland &
Sweden.
• India
has been classified as a country with a ‘bad’ environment for Press Freedom, it
shared the classification with Brazil, Mexico & Russia.
17.GLOBAL
ENERGY TRANSITION INDEX 2021
• India
with a score of 53 has been ranked 87th (out of 115 countries) in the Global
Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2021 released by World Economic Forum (WEF) in
its report ‘Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2021’ edition.
• The
index was topped by Sweden, Norway & Denmark.
• The
report has been prepared by WEF in partnership with Accenture.
18.FIRSTRAND
BANK TO EXIT INDIA
• FirstRand
Bank , the second largest bank in South Africa has decided to withdraw its
banking services from India just within a week of Citi banks exit.
medium
enterprises only in 2012.
19.LG
ELECTRONICS CLOSES DOWN MOBILE PHONE BUSINESS
• South
Korea’s LG Electronics has announced that it is closing down its mobile phone
business unit worldwide after nearly six years of losses totalling $4.5
billion. The decision was approved by its board of directors April 2021.
20.INDIA’S
CAG G C MURMU APPOINTED EXTERNAL AUDITOR
OF OPCW
• India’s
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed
as External Auditor of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) for a three-year term starting 2021.
• India
was also selected as a member of the Executive council of the OPCW representing
the Asia group for another 2-year term.
21.4TH
KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2021
• Haryana
is set to host the 4th edition of theKhelo India Youth Games 2021, which will
be held from 21st November 2021 to 5th December 2021 at Panchkula, Ambala,
Shahabad, Delhi and Chandigarh.
• This
will be the first time that the Khelo India Youth games are held away from the
January window and in multiple cities.
• Some
of the (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – BRICS) BRICS Games 2021
will also be organised during Khelo India Games.
22.INTERNATIONAL
MOTHER EARTH DAY 2021
• The
United Nations(UN)’s International Mother Earth Day has been observed annually
across the globe on 22nd April since 2009.
• The
day aims to create awareness about the deteriorating environment,to protect the
people’s livelihood and to stop the biodiversity decline.
• The
theme of the Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth”.
23.COVISHIELD
TO COST RS 400 FOR STATE GOVT HOSPITALS
• Serum
Institute of India has announced the price for its COVISHIELD vaccine for State
governments and Private Hospitals in the country.
• The
Vaccine will cost 400 rupees per dose for the state governments whereas Private
Hospitals will have to pay 600 rupees for each dose.
24.HERO
JOINS HANDS WITH TAIWAN’S GOGORO
• Hero
MotoCorp has formed a partnership with Taiwan’s Gogoro Inc to develop electric
vehicles for the Indian market.
• The
two companies will establish a battery swapping joint venture to bring Gogoro’s
battery swapping platform to India and will collaborate on EV development to
bring Hero-branded, powered-by-Gogoro Network vehicles to the domestic auto
market.
