DAILY GK: 11,12 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 11,12 MAY 2021

1.‘PASSEX’ EXCERCISE IN THE ARABIAN SEA

•        The Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Southern Arabian sea.

•        The main aim of the exercise was to improve interoperability and understanding between the Navy units of two countries.

•        ‘Garuda Shakti’ is a bilateral exercise between the Special forces of armies of India & Indonesia.

 

2.3RD ARCTIC SCIENCE MINISTERIAL 2021

•        Union Minister for Earth Science Dr Harsh Vardhan virtually represented India in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) 2021 held in Tokyo, Japan, it was jointly organized by Iceland & Japan. 

•        The ASM3 2021 is the 1st meeting to be held in Asia.

•        The theme for 2021 is ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.

•        India’s vision & long-term plans for the Arctic region

•        India is set to launch ‘NISAR’ (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) in collaboration with the US for conducting global measurements of the cause and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.

•        India’s research activities in the Arctic region are coordinated & conducted by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

•        It has a permanent research station in the Arctic called ‘Himadri’ in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.

 

3.WORLD’S LONGEST PEDESTRIAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE

•        Portugal opened the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge named ‘516 Arouca’ in Northern Portugal.

•        The 516-meter long bridge is built in the AroucaGeopark, which is suspended at 175 metres above the Paiva River.

 

4.WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING RETAILER

•        In the “2021 Ranking of Global retail powerhouses” by Deloitte, millionaire MukeshAmbani’s Reliance Retail Ltd has been ranked the 2nd fastest-growing retailer in the world, which is 1 rank down from its 2020 rank (In 2020 it was ranked 1st).

•        Note – South Korea’s Coupang is the World’s 1st Fastest-Growing Retailers.

•        In the report of the list of Global Powers, Retailing Reliance Retail Ltd was ranked 53rd (ranked 56th in 2020’s list) and it was the only Indian entry in the global list of 250 retailers.

 

5.HIMANTABISWASARMA BECOMES CHIEF MINISTER OF ASSAM

•        HimantaBiswaSarma was sworn in as the 15th  Chief Minister of Assam.

•        He has replaced SarbanandaSonowal.

•        Both the candidates are from BJP(Bharatiya Janata Party).

•        He was administered the oath by Governor JagdishMukhi.

•        It has to be noted that he was appointed based on Article 164 by which the Governor appoints the Chief Minister.

•        The Governor then appoints the ministers based on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.

 

6.SPANISH GRAND PRIX 2021

•        Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (Britain) won the Spanish Grand Prix 2021 for the 6th time (5th consecutive victory).

•        The Spanish GP was held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmela, Spain.

•        The victory is also his 98th F1 Race Win (highest-ever in F1).

 

7.MK KAUSHIK PASSES AWAY

•        Former India hockey player and coach Maharaj Krishan Kaushik(M K Kaushik) passed away at the age of 66 after battling COVID-19 in New Delhi.

•        He was born on 2nd May 1955.He was the member of the Indian Hockey team that won the Gold medal in 1980 Olympics held in Moscow,Russia

 

8.1ST INDIAN STATE TO ADOPT AN ONLINE FLOOD REPORTING SYSTEM

•        Assam launched a real-time Digital – Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FRIMS).

•        With this launch, Assam became the 1st state in India to adopt an online flood reporting system.

•        FRIMS was developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency(ASDMA) and United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF).

•        Objective: To capture critical impact indicators during floods as the state is facing a deluge (severe flood) every year.

 

9.ANTI-COVID ORAL DRUG DEVELOPED BY DRDO

•        A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO got the approval for emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India, DCGI.

•        The oral drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad.

•        Phase III clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.

•        The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (Inmas) in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad, developed an anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG).

 

10.NITI AAYOG&MASTERCARD RELEASE REPORT ON DIGITALLY INCLUSIVE BHARAT

•        NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) &Mastercard released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat’.

•        FTI Consulting was the Research and Curation Partner of the report.

•        It identifies the challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to 1.3 Billion citizens of India.

•        Enabling Agricultural NBFCs to deploy a ‘phygital’ model (physical+digital) to achieve better long-term digital outcomes.

•        Digitizing land records also was recommended.

 

11.THANE CREEK FLAMINGO SANCTUARY AS ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE (ESZ)

•        The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified 48.32 Square Kilometres area around the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), Thane, Maharashtra as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).

•        It is the 2nd marine sanctuary of Maharashtra after Malvan Sanctuary, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.

 

12.BOOST OXYGEN SUPPLY IN INDIA’S NE REGION

•        The Government of Japan & United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India have partnered to provide oxygen generation plants to the North Eastern (NE) Region in India.

•        The entities will procure and install 8 Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants in the states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

 

13.SHEIKH ZAYED BOOK AWARD IN 2021

•        Mumbai born TaheraQutbuddin, Professor of Arabic Literature, Department of NELC, University of Chicago, won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2021 for her book titled “Arabic Oration: Art and Function”.

•        She became the first person from India to win the award.

•        She won the award under the Arab Culture in Other Languages category.

 

14.ARLINE PACHT GLOBAL VISION AWARD FOR 2021 BY IAWJ

•        Justice Gita Mittal, Former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) received the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award for 2021 by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ).

•        She became the first India Judge to receive the honour.

•        She was declared as one of the recipients of the award.

•        She shared the award with Justice Margarita Luna Ramos of Mexico.

•        Gita Mittal is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), a self-regulatory body for general entertainment channels established by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).

•        She is the first woman to hold this post.

 

15.INDIAN PEACEKEEPING OFFICER HONORED BY UN

•        UN Secretary General Antonio Guterreshonored Indian UN Peacekeeping officer Yuvraj Singh, who died in line of duty in 2020, during the UN annual Memorial Service 2021.

•        Permanent Representative of India to UN, T S Tirumurti saluted Yuvraj Singh’s valour and contribution, and conveyed condolences to the family.

•        Corporal Yuvraj Singh was among the 336 UN personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty due to the COVID-19 and related circumstances between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

 

16.SpaceX to launch DOGE-1 Satellite

•        SpaceX is set to launch the ‘DOGE-1’ Satellite to the Moon in 2022.

•        It will accept the cryptocurrency ‘Dogecoin’ as full payment for the mission.

•        It will be the 1st ever commercial lunar payload in history to be paid entirely with a Cryptocurrency.

•        The Satellite is being developed by Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC), and will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket.

 

17.World’s First AI Ship to Navigate across The Atlantic

•        World’s First Unmanned Vessel named “Mayflower 400” is set to Navigate Across Atlantic.

•        It has been built by the marine research organization ProMare in collaboration with IBM.

•        It will begin its transatlantic voyage to track aquatic mammals, analyze plastic in the water, and study marine pollution.

 

18.National Technology Day – 11th May 2021

•        The National Technology Day is annually observed across India on 11th May to celebrate India’s major advancement in the field of Science and Technology.

•        The day marks the anniversary of the 1998 Pokhran Nuclear tests, a series of 5 nuclear tests conducted by India.

•        The theme of National Technology Day 2021 is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.

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DAILY GK: 9,10 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 9,10 MAY 2021

1.ARMED FORCES LAUNCHED OPERATION ‘CO-JEET’

•        The Indian Armed Forces has launched operation “CO-JEET” to support anti-COVID-19 efforts of the country.

•        Lieutenant General Dr.MadhuriKanitkar is monitoring the steps & working on strategies to provide relief to Covid-19 Patients.She is the 3rd woman to become a three-star general in the armed forces behind Punita Arora(1st) &Padmavathy Bandopadhyay(2nd).

•        It aims to strengthen medical infrastructure and oxygen supply chains and to ensure mental wellbeing of people.

 

2.INDIA TOPPED VEHICLE IMPORTS INTO SOUTH AFRICA

•        According to the ‘Automotive Export Manual 2021-South Africa’ report released by Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC), India was the top country of origin in Volume terms for passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imports into South Africa in 2020, despite COVID-19 lockdowns & global decline in vehicle sales.

•        India accounted for 43.2% (87, 953 units )of total passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imported by South Africa in 2020.

 

3.RBI SET UP ADVISORY GROUP  TO ASSIST RRA 2.0

•        The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0) has constituted a 6-member Advisory Group headed by S Janakiraman, Managing Director of State Bank of India to support in reviewing the RBI’s regulations and compliance procedures to streamline/ rationalise them to make them more effective.

 

4.LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS – 2021

•        The 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards 2021 were unveiled at a Digital Awards Ceremony from Sevilla, Spain.

•        Spanish Tennis Player Rafael Nadal won the Sportsman of the year title, while Japanese Tennis player Naomi Osaka won the Sportswomen of the year title.

•        The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

 

5.INTERPOL LAUNCHES ‘ID-ART’ MOBILE APP

•        International Crime Police Organization (INTERPOL) has launched a Mobile Application (app) – ‘ID-Art’ which will help to identify the stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling and increase the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts.

•        During the pilot phase, the app was successfully used in Italy & Netherlands.

 

6.CBSE LAUNCHED APP– ‘DOST FOR LIFE’

•        The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) has launched an app called ‘Dost For Life’ to maintain psycho-social wellness during Covid-19.

•        The app will be available for students from classes 9 to 12 and will conduct live counselling sessions by the trained counsellors/principals (app available on Google Play Store).

 

7.WORLD RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT DAY 2021

•        The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th May to celebrate and acknowledge the volunteers, members and staff who support the people in need.

•        The day also commemorates the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC).

•        He was born on 8th May 1828.

 

8.WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY 2021

•        Every year the World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8.

•        The day is celebrated to encourage the patients suffering from Thalassemia, to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about thalassaemia.

•        Theme :“Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia Community”.

 

9.WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2021

•        World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is bi-annually observed across the world on the 2nd Saturday in May and in October.

•        The day aims to create awareness about the importance of the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.

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DAILY GK: 8 MAY 2021

DAILY GK: 8 MAY 2021 

1.GLOBAL METHANE ASSESSMENT 2021

•        The ‘2021 Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions’ report released by Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) & United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) state that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by 45% in this decade (2020-30), these reductions would avoid 0.3°C of Global Warming by 2045.

•        It will also help countries to keep close with the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

•        Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is responsible for around 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial era.

 

2.KVG BANK BAGS TOP 5 PFRDA AWARDS

•        Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB), has bagged top 5 awards from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) due to the various campaigns held under KVGB for enrollment of Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

•        The 5 awards include – Lead to Leap, APY Makers of Excellence, Game Changers, Leadership Capital and Amazing Achievers

 

3.MK STALIN BECOMES TAMIL NADU CM

•        M K Stalin who belongs to the party of DravidaMunnetraKazhagam took oath as the 23rd Chief Minister (CM)  of Tamil Nadu (TN).

•        This is  M K Stalin’s 1st Term as  CM of TN.

•        He was administered the oath of Office & Secrecy by TN Governor BanwarilalPurohit at Raj Bhavan, Chennai.

 

4.WORLD’S FIRST 2 NANOMETER CHIP TECHNOLOGY UNVEILED

•        International Business Machines(IBM) unveils the world’s first 2 nanometer chip technology that promises to speed up access to the Internet, longer battery life and faster processing time in applications.

•        It is projected to achieve 45 percent higher performance, or 75 percent lower energy use, than today’s most advanced 7 nm node chip

 

5.      CONGRESS LEADER MATANGSINH PASSES AWAY

•        Former union minister and Congress leader, MatangSinh passed away in New Delhi  following COVID-19 related complications.

•        He was elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam in 1992 and served as union minister of state in parliamentary affairs from 1994 to 1998.

•        He was well known in Assam as a TV tycoon.

•        He launched the first satellite news channel of Assam and the Northeast  region, “Northeast Television” (popularly known as NETV) in 2003.

 

6. WORLD ATHLETICS DAY 2021

•        The day is annually observed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), formerly (1912–2001) International Amateur Athletic Federation.

•        The IAAF marks the WAD 2021 on 7th May 2021. 

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DAILY GK: 7 MAY 2021

DAILY GK: 7 MAY 2021

 1.NOTIFICATION OF SECTION 142 OF SOCIAL SECURITY CODE, 2020

•     Ministry of Labour & Employment has notified Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020 which covers the applicability of Aadhar.

•     It will enable the Labour Ministry to collect Aadhar data of workers in the Unorganized Sector.

•     The Aadhar details will be uploaded in the National Database for Unorganised Workers (NDUW) which is being developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).

 

2.CABINET APPROVED STRATEGIC DISINVESTMENT IN IDBI BANK

•     The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave approval for strategic disinvestment and transfer of management control in Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank).

•     More than 94 percent of the equity of IDBI Bank was owned by the Government of India (GoI) and Life Insurance Corporation(LIC) of which GoI holds 45.48 percent and LIC holds 49.24 percent.

 

3.ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL FOODGRAIN UNDER PM-GKAY

The cabinet has accorded approval to the allocation of additional foodgrain under Phase-III of PM-GKAY for another period of 2 months – May to June 2021.

•     Each beneficiary will get 5 Kg of rice per month for free of cost.

•     It is set to benefit around 79.88 Crore people covered under NFSA (National Food Security Act)

•     The Allocations are aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruption caused by Covid-19.

 

4.G20 TOURISM MINISTERS’ MEETING

•     Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel virtually participated in 2021 G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held in Italy.

•     Mr Massimo Garavaglia, Minister of Tourism,Government of Italy Chaired the meeting.

•     India in Tourism development

•     India will support the Principles for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy submitted by United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

•     Note – Indonesia will hold G20 Presidency in the year 2022.

 

5.IRDAI INTRODUCED STANDARD TRAVEL INSURANCE

•     Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), has issued guidelines on Bharat Yatra Suraksha, the Standard Domestic Travel Insurance Product (SDTIP) of india.

•     The standard product consists of five different plans under the standard travel insurance product and the coverage is both benefit and indemnity-based.

 

6.THE JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD

•     American Actor Tyler Perry received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar statue, at the 93rd Academy Awards(Oscar 2021) Ceremony.

•     He was honoured for his contribution towards the recovery of the entertainment industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

•     The  JeanHersholt Humanitarian Award is presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

 

7.PARKER SOLAR PROBE DETECTED RADIO SIGNAL FROM VENUS

•     The NASA Spacecraft Parker Solar Probe has discovered a natural radio signal from Venus.

•     These signals were detected when the space probe flew over the upper atmosphere of Venus.

•     According to the findings of Parker Solar Probe, just like the earth, planet Venus also has an electrically charged layer of gas in its upper atmosphere called the ionosphere.

 

8.INDIA’S 1ST VACCINE FOR VNN DISEASES IN FISH

•     Chennai-based Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) has developed India’s first vaccine for the viral nervous necrosis (VNN) disease, caused by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV), which affects various species of fish.

 

9.FORMER UNION MINISTER CHAUDHARY AJIT SINGH PASSES AWAY

•     Former Union Minister and the Chief of RashtriyaLok Dal (RLD), Chaudhary Ajit Singh passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana.

•     He passed away due to COVID-19 complications.

•     Ajit Singh, the son of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh was one of the first IITians in Indian Politics.

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DAILY GK: 5,6 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 5,6 MAY 2021

1.JSW ENERGY SIGNS PPA WITH SECI

•        JSW Renew Energy, the renewable energy wing of JSW Energy has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for supplying  540 MegaWatt (MW) out of the total awarded capacity of 810 MW of blended wind power capacity.

•        It is the single largest PPA for wind/blended wind power capacity awarded to a company.

 

2.UNCTAD REPORT ON ONLINE SALES

•        According to Estimates released by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), the Online Sales accounted for 19% (from 16% in 2019)  of Overall Retail Sales in 2020.

•        The increase in online sales has been due to the pandemic.

•        Countries which reported the highest online share of retail trade in 2020 are

South Korea – 25.9%,  China – 24.9%, Britain 23.3% and the United States – 14.0%.

 

3.SAUDI ARABIA JOINS ‘NET ZERO PRODUCERS FORUM’

•        The five countries which are responsible for 40% of oil and gas production – Saudi Arabia (the world’s biggest crude exporter), Qatar, the United States, Canada and Norway have launched a cooperative forum on climate called “Net Zero Producers Forum”.

•        By 2030, Soudi Arabia aims to reduce its carbon emissions by generating 50% of the country’s energy from renewables and United Sates plans to achieve net-zero emission by 2050.

 

4.RBI IMPOSED MONETARY PENALTY OF RS 3 CRORE ON ICICI BANK

•        The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a Rs 3 crore monetary penalty on ICICI Bank for contravention of certain directions issued by the RBI on ‘Prudential Norms for Classification, Valuation and Operation of Investment Portfolio by Banks in July 2015.

•        Under the provisions of section 47 A (1) (c) read with section 46 (4) (i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act), RBI was vested with the power to impose penalty.

 

5.IOC’S ‘BELIEVE IN SPORTS’ CAMPAIGN

•        Badminton World Federation(BWF) World Champion and Olympic medal winner PusarlaVenkata Sindhu(PV Sindhu) and Michelle Li, a Canadian badminton player have been named the athlete ambassador for International Olympic Committee(IOC)’s “Believe in Sports” Campaign.

•        Both the badminton players(shuttlers) will work towards creating awareness about competition manipulation among the athletes.

 

6.2021 WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

•        Mark Selby, an English professional Snooker Player won the 2021 World Snooker Championship by defeating Shaun Murphy(English professional snooker player).This is his 4th World Championship. The Championship held in Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England.

•        The Championship was organized by the World Snooker Tour, a subsidiary of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

 

7.WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021

•        World Asthma Day is observed every year on the first Tuesday of May.

•        This year it falls on May 4.

•        The day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators, to spread awareness and care around the world.

•        Theme for the year 2021: “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”.

 

8.INDIA-UK VIRTUAL SUMMIT

•        The India-UK Virtual Summit 2021 between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Prime Minister of United Kingdom Boris Johnson took place on 4th May 2021.

•        During the summit, the two leaders adopted ‘Roadmap 2030’ which aims to elevate bilateral ties to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.The UK finalised new  deals/trade worth 1 Billion British Pound Sterling (GBP) to create 6,500 jobs in the UK.

•        Serum Institute of India (SII) is set to invest 240 Million Pounds in the UK to expand its business & set up a new sales office.

•        It is expected to generate a large number of jobs.

 

9.581 SITES IDENTIFIED FOR MEDICAL OXYGEN PLANT INSTALLATION

•        Due to the shortage of medical oxygen in many state hospitals, Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the installation of Pressure Swing Adsorption(PSA) medical oxygen plants in various states.

•        The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will act as the nodal agency for executing civil and electrical work of the medical oxygen plants.

 

10.FIRST ELECTRIC TRACTOR IN INDIA TESTED

•        Recently, the first-ever electric tractor in India has been tested at the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute.

•        This new electric tractor will be more environmentally friendly than other types of tractors.

•        The Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute at Budni is a premier institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

•        It is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

 

11.OECD DATA ON FDI

•        According to a new set of data released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development  (OECD), the global FDI (Foreign Direct Investments)  dropped by 38% in 2020 (compared to 2019) to USD 846 Billion, which is a 15-year low (lowest  since 2005).

•        India became the 3rd Largest Recipient of FDI inflows in 2020 with an inflow of USD 64 Billion.

•        China became the largest Recipient of FDI (USD 212 Billion) overtaking the United States (USD 177 Billion) for the 2nd time in six years, while Luxembourg finished 4th.

 

12.RBI’S COMPREHENSIVE CREDIT SUPPORT MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19

•        Reserve Bank of India(RBI) announced a series of measures and Comprehensive strategies to support all stakeholders from the second wave of COVID-19 led economic difficulties.

Measures undertaken by RBI against the pandemic:

i.Term Liquidity Facility of ₹50,000 crores to Ease Access to Emergency Health Services

RBI announced an on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 crore with 3 years of maturity and at repo rate till March 31, 2022(End of FY22) under the priority sector classification lending and allowed banks to lend under this scheme.

ii.Classification of SFB loan to MFIs for on-lending as PSL

RBI permitted the Small Finance Banks’ (SFBs) lending to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) for on-lending to individuals under the classification of priority sector lending (PSL) for which the MFIs need to have Rs 500 crore asset size (Currently, the SFB’s PSL is not permitted for MFIs for on-lending). (Availability – till March 31, 2022)

iii.Special Long-Term Repo Operations (SLTRO) for SFBs

To support small business, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), and unorganised sectors RBI introduced special three-year long-term repo operations (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore at a repo rate for the SFBs. (SFBs could lend of up to Rs 10 lakh per borrower till October 31, 2021)

iv.RBI allowed the utilisation of 100% floating provisions for non-performing assets

Banks are allowed by RBI to utilise 100 percent floating provisions/counter-cyclical provisioning buffer held by them as of December 31, 2020, for making specific provisions for non-performing assets.

v.RBI Increased State Governments’ OD Facility Tenor to 50 days

To support State Governments to manage their fiscal situation, RBI has increased the maximum number of days of the OverDraft (OD) facility in a quarter from 36 to 50 days and the number of consecutive days of OD from 14 to 21 days.

 

13.LIC BECAME 3RD STRONGEST INSURANCE BRAND GLOBALLY

•        Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy firm in its annual report on the most valuable and strongest insurance brands – “Insurance 100 2021”, reported the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) as the 3rd strongest and the 10th most valuable insurance brand globally.

•        LIC’s brand value increased by almost 7 percent to $8.65 billion from 2020 to 2021.

Top Valuable Insurance Brands in the world:

Position                                                 Insurer                                                  Country

1                                                              Ping An Insurance                               China

2                                                              China Life Insurance                          China

3                                                              Allianz                                                   Germany

Top Strongest Insurance Brands in the world:

Position                                                 Insurer                                                  Country

1                                                              Poste Italiane                                       Italy

2                                                              Mapfre                                                  Spain

3                                                              Life Insurance Corporation               India

 

14.DADASAHEBPHALKE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021

•        “Jungle Cry” directed by SagarBallary won the Best Film (Jury) award at the 11th DadasahebPhalke International Film Festival 2021.

•        The DadasahebPhalke International Film Festival Awards is annually presented to appreciate the talents and skills of the film industry.

 

15.FACEBOOK LAUNCHED IN APP VACCINE FINDER TOOL IN INDIA

•        Facebook partnered with the Government of India to launch the Vaccine Finder Tool on the mobile application – Facebook – in India.

•        The app available in 17 languages, will enable the public to locate the nearby place to get vaccinated.

•        Facebook has also announced a 10 million USD grant to India for its emergency response against the COVID-19 situation.

 

16.URANIUM-214 WAS CREATED

•        Scientists have created the new uranium isotope called Uranium-214 at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, China and this is the lightest ever known.

•        This discovery helps to reveal more about an alpha particle that gets ejected from certain radioactive elements as they decay.

 

17.DR PHILIPOSE MAR CHRYSOSTOM PASSES AWAY

•        Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom , a well-known religious leader and India’s longest serving Bishop passed away at the age of 103 in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.

•        He was born on 27th April 1918 in Travancore, British India.

 

18.BOOK - “THE BENCH”

•        MeghanMarkle, The Duchess of Sussex, is set to release her debut book, titled “The Bench”.

•        It is a children book that narrates the bond between a father and son through the mothers perspective.

•        The book was inspired by the relationship between fathers and sons.

 

19.WORLD HAND HYGIENE DAY 2021

•        World Hand Hygiene Day is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to create awareness about the importance of hand hygiene towards health care.

•        The World Hand Hygiene Day is annually organised by the World Health Organisation(WHO).

•        The 2021 theme of the campaign is “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care”.

•        The 2021 slogan of the campaign is “Seconds save lives – clean your hands!”

 

20.DAVID BECKHAM LEADS GLOBAL VACCINATION DRIVE

•        Former England Footballer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the 7 Fund for UNICEF, David Beckham released a video ahead of World Immunization Week 2021 (April 24th-30th) for creating awareness among the parents around the world to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases.

 

21.NATION’S FIRST ‘DRIVE IN VACCINATION CENTER’ UNVEILED IN MUMBAI

•        The Nation’s first ‘Drive in Vaccination Center’ was inaugurated by MP Rahul Shewale in Mumbai.

•        This first of its kind ‘Drive in Vaccination Center’ facility has been made available to the citizens at a time when people with disabilities are facing difficulties in getting to the vaccination center.

 

22.DELHI CM DECLARED FREE RATIONS FOR TAXI DRIVERS

•        The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that all ration card holders in the National Capital will be given free ration for the next 2 months.

•        This scheme by the government will benefit nearly 72 lakh ration card holders in Delhi.

•        Kejriwal also announced that all autorickshaw drivers and taxi drivers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi will be given 5000 rupees each to provide them the much needed financial assistance during the time of the pandemic.

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