Daily Current Affairs April 21 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

UN Chinese Language Day- 20th April:

• UN Chinese Language Day is observed globally on April 20 every year.
• The day has been chosen to pay tribute to Cangjie, who is a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago.
• The 1st Chinese Language Day was celebrated in 2010 on the 12th of November, but since 2011 the date has been on the 20th of April.
• The day celebrates multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi lays the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar:

• Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat in the presence of the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO).
• GCTM will be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine across the world.
• It will emerge as an international hub of global wellness.
• The New Centre will focus on data, innovation and sustainability and will optimize the use of traditional medicine.
• The centres five main areas will be research and leadership, evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability and equity and innovation and technology.

Ayushman Bharat-Health & Wellness Centre Scheme marked its 4th year anniversary:

• Health and Wellness Centres which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14th April 2018 with the objective of providing health for all will complete its 4th year Anniversary on 14th April 2022.
• In this regard the Union Health Ministry will be organising a week-long celebration under ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to create awareness of reading the AB-HWCs, telemedicine/ teleconsultation.
• The events will commence on 16th April and will conclude on 22nd April 2022.
• The Health Ministry in collaboration with all the States/UTs, key ministries such as WCD, I&B, Panchayati Raj, Ayush, Education etc.., will also be organising ‘Block level Health Melas’ at all the 1.17 lakh Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
• These AB-HWCs are also being revolutionized by connecting them with E- sanjeevani Teleconsultation services, which is provides free and affordable health care to all

Supreme Court reconstitutes expert committee for Delhi-Dehradun Corridor project:

• The Supreme Court has reconstituted the expert committee that would be looking into measures to ensure that the construction of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor Expressway project.
• The independent 12-member expert committee was formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to be headed by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand.
• The bench has directed that the chairperson of the expert committee will be CP Goyal, Director-General of Forests in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• The top court also included Anil Prakash Joshi, founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), and environmentalist Vijay Dhasmana as additional members of the oversight committee.

Nation’s first portable solar rooftop system unveiled in Gandhinagar:

• The country’s first portable solar rooftop system was inaugurated at Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The installation of 10 PV Port systems in the temple complex has been supported by the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
• The systems have been installed under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s initiative to develop renewable energy cities across India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Telangana govt launches Telangana’s space-tech framework on metaverse

• The Telangana government launched its SpaceTech Framework, with a vision to establish the state as a globally recognised one-stop destination for space technology.

Aim :

• To encourage private participation in the space industry in line with the recent reforms by the Union government.
• Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, Somanath S, Chairman, ISRO, and Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe participated in the event.
• The space industry is expected to grow to $558 billion by 2026.
• An NFT collection was launched at the end of the event, with the proceeds from its sale earmarked for support of one of the state government’s technology-enabled social impact projects.

About Telangana :

• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Capital: Hyderabad
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

SBI raises USD 500 million through IFSC Gift City branch

• India’s largest public lender State Bank of India (SBI) has raised 3-year funds of $500 million (over Rs 3,800 crore) through its IFSC Gift City branch.
• This is the first offshore USD Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) linked syndicated loan raised by SBI through its Gift City branch.
• The facility is for $400 million, plus $100 million as a green shoe option.
• MUFG, Bank of America and JP Morgan were the joint lenders for this offering whereas Fist Abu Dhabi Bank acted as the facility agent.
• It is another step towards the bank’s commitment to develop IFSC Gift City as an international financial hub.

About SBI :

• Founded: 1 July 1955
• Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

RBI imposes Rs 17.63 lakh monetary penalty on Manappuram Finance for non-compliance of KYC, PPI norms

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of over Rs 17,63,965 on non-banking finance company Manappuram Finance for violating KYC guidelines as well as norms related to prepaid payment instruments.
• The penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• The company has been fined for non-compliance with certain directions on issuance and operation of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) and Know Your Customer (KYC) norms.
• This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entity with its customers.

About RBI :

• Founded: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra,India
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governor : Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar

About Manappuram Finance Limited :

• Founded : 1949
• Headquarters : Valappad, Thrissur, Kerala, India
• MD & CEO : V.P. Nandakumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Digit Insurance appoints Jasleen Kohli as new MD and CEO

• Digit Insurance has appointed Jasleen Kohli as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from April 20.
• She will take over from Vijay Kumar who held the position since the company was founded in 2017 & he will superannuate on April 19, 2022.

About Jasleen Kohli :

• Jasleen Kohli looked into all sales and distribution channels of Digit as Chief Distribution Officer (CDO).
• With 19 years worth of experience in the life and general insurance industry, Kohli last served as the director at Allianz Technology before joining Digit as the CDO in 2017.
• The 42-year-old, Kohli will become one of the youngest CEOs in the insurance industry.
• Additionally, the company has promoted Adarsh Agarwal from the role of Appointed Actuary to Chief Distribution Officer (corporate business).
• Nikhil Kamdar has taken up the former position of Agarwal to become the new Appointed Actuary.

About Digit Insurance :

• Founded : 2016
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka
• Founder & chairman : Kamesh Goyal
• The company received regulatory approval from the Indian government’s Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) in September 2017.
• It focuses on selling insurance online and through partnership channels.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

India’s retail inflation spikes to 6.95% in march 2022

• India’s retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose 16-month high to 6.95 per cent in the month of March, breaching the upper limit of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) target range for the third consecutive time, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
• The surge is partly due to a sustained rise in food prices.
• The RBI has been mandated by the government to keep retail inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.
• The CPI-based inflation stood at 6.07 per cent in February and 6.01 per cent in January.
• The inflation rate in same month last year was 4.3 per cent.
• The inflation in the food basket was 7.68 per cent in March, up from 5.85 per cent in the preceding month.
• The full effect of the spike in crude oil and global energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February is not expected to appear in consumer prices until April as the pass-through to consumers at fuel pumps was delayed.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

India, Maldives ink seven MoUs to implement community development projects

• India and Maldives signed 7 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for projects to be built under the Indian grant assistance scheme for the High Impact Community Development Project through local bodies (HICDP).

Signatories :

• The MoUs were signed by the Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Indian High Commissioner, Munu Mahawar, and the respective implementing agencies.
• The projects launched under the MoUs signed are worth a total grant of 26.8 million Rufiya (equivalent to approximately USD 1.7 million).

The projects include:

1. Establishing a mental health centre at Addu Equatorial Hospital
2. A speech a therapy unit at Kulhudhufushi Regional Hospital,
3. Prosthetics and orthotics manufacturing workshop at Hulhumale’ Hospital
4. Preservation of cultural places in Noonu Landhoo Maabudhuge and Thaa Dhiyamigili Ganduvaru
5. Development of a multi-sports complex in Noonu Manadhoo
6. Developing youth centres in Gaafu Alif Gemanafushi and Alif Dhaalu Dhigurah.

• The overarching Memorandum of Understanding on Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects through local bodies, was initially signed between the Governments of the Maldives and India on March 17, 2019, for a total grant of 85 million Rufiya and renewed with an increment up to 155 million Rufiya (equivalent to approximately 10 million USD), on July 23, 2021.
• Apart from the projects launched, 18 projects are currently underway under this grant scheme.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

IAF Successfully Test-fires BrahMos Missile from Su30-MkI Fighter Jet

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet Su30 MkI, on the Eastern seaboard .
• The missile hit the target with accuracy and precision.
• The test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in close coordination with the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.

About BrahMos supersonic cruise missile :

• BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
• The missile was test-fired from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai.
• The missile flies at a speed of 8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
• The range of the advanced version of the missile is learnt to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km.

About IAF :

• Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee : General Manoj Mukund Naravane
• Chief of the Air Staff : Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari

Defence Secretary inaugurates two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise NATPOLREX-VIII

• Union Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar inaugurated the 8th edition of two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise NATPOLREX-VIII being conducted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off Mormugao harbour in Goa.

Objective :

• To enhance the preparedness and response capability of all the stakeholders in combating marine spills.

Aim :

• To validate the procedures and guidelines as contained in the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) at the national and regional levels under the aegis of SACEP MoU to which India is a member state.
• The event is being attended by more than 85 participants from 50 agencies, including 29 observers from 22 friendly foreign countries and International Organisations, and two Coast Guard ships from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
• More than 30 aircraft and ships of various agencies including the Coast Guard, IAF and the Navy also participated in it.
• During the exercise, 13 ships and 10 aircraft from ICG, one C-131 aircraft from the Indian Air Force, two ships from SACEP member states viz. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and one Offshore Supply vessel (OSV) from Oil and Natural Gas Commission(ONGC).
• The marine spill preparedness exercise was inaugurated by the Defence Secretary in the presence of Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences M Ravichandran, Director General ICG VS Pathania and Director General South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) M Masumur Rahman.

About Ministry of Defence :

• Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & PORTALS

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches 2 new portals for agri sector

• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar lauched two portals, one for the Computerized Registration of pesticide (CROP) and the other for Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS).
• Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DAFW), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, through the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage (DPPQS), Faridabad has been catering to Indian exporters and importers of agriculture commodities and Indian Pesticide Industry, through its two portals namely, Computerized Registration of pesticide (CROP) and Plant Quarantine Information System (PQIS).
• The portal would help in taking forward digital Agriculture and Ease of doing Business.
• The new portals will benefit farmers, exporters as well as industrialists.

About PQMS :

• The PQMS portal will provide a transparent system with no physical touch points for the applicants and ensure convenience to the users, through an online system including e-payments and uploading of documents, online accreditation and renewal of treatment agencies/facilities and downloading of certificates.

About CROP :

• The re-developed CROP portal will immensely help in ease of doing business and provide greater and timely Crop protection solutions to farmers of the country.
• DAFW had engaged CGG, Hyderabad for design, development, technical support maintenance and hosting of seamless integrated e-Governance solution for Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS) on new technology platform and also for hosting of e-Governance solutions of redeveloped Comprehensive Registration of Pesticides (CROP).

Additional Info :

• So far the govt has procured 24 LMT of wheat in nine states in rabi marketing season, benefitting 5.86 lakh farmers.

About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare :

• Cabinet Minister : Narendra Singh Tomar
• Minister of State : Shobha Karandlaje, Kailash Choudhary

Jammu and Kashmir launches jan nigrani app

• The rural development and panchayati raj department of Jammu and Kashmir administration launched a mobile application jan nigrani to help people lodge complaints related to various schemes online

About jan nigrani app :

• The ‘jan nigrani’ app is an internet based solution for reporting and resolving grievances by the residents of Jammu and Kashmir against various schemes of the department.
• The app has been developed as an e-governance initiative to provide a 24×7 platform to the people for redressal of their grievances.
• It would connect the residents and the officials via a single platform, where a grievance once registered against a specific scheme would automatically be mapped to the authority concerned for its redressal.
• The app would also facilitate accurate reporting of grievances using customised scheme-specific input forms to ensure minimal rejections on account of incomplete information.
• It has been set at the block level with a seven-day time slot to redress any particular grievance.
• It will also check bogus or false complaints and can be downloaded from Google play store of android software.

About J&K :

• Capital : Srinagar, Jammu
• Governor : Manoj Sinha

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX launches NROL-85 spy satellite

• A Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched a surveillance satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from the Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US.
• The payload, designated NROL-85, was the agency’s second mission of the year and the second orbital launch of 2022 from the Western Range.
• This was the 114th booster successfully recovered by SpaceX & it was the 148th launch of the Falcon 9 and the rocket’s 14th mission of 2022.
• NROL-85’s first stage previously flew NROL-87 in February.
• NROL-85 is the NRO’s first mission to reuse a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster.
• SpaceX received a contract from the U.S. Air Force in February 2019 to launch NROL-85 and NROL-87.
• It is the 61st mission launched by the agency since its existence was disclosed in 1996.

About SpaceX :

• Founded : 14 March 2002
• Headquarters : Hawthorne, California, United States
• CEO & Chairman : Elon Musk

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Gukesh wins La Roda International Open chess title:

• The country’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh, 15, improved upon his two runner-up finishes in March with a resounding title-triumph in the 48th La Roda International Open chess tournament in Castile-La Mancha, in Spain.
• Gukesh defeated Israel’s Victor Mikhalevski in just 26 moves to finish the final round.
• GM Haik M. Martirosyan from Armenia placed second with 7.5 points.
• Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa finished third followed by Raunak Sadhwani (India), Manuel Lopez Martinez Josep (Spain) and Ramon Martinez (Venezuela).

Daily CA on April 21 :

• UN Chinese Language Day is observed globally on April 20 every year.
• Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat in the presence of the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO).
• Health and Wellness Centres which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14th April 2018 with the objective of providing health for all will complete its 4th year Anniversary on 14th April 2022.
• The Supreme Court has reconstituted the expert committee that would be looking into measures to ensure that the construction of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor Expressway project.
• The country’s first portable solar rooftop system was inaugurated at Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• India’s retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose 16-month high to 6.95 per cent in the month of March, breaching the upper limit of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) target range for the third consecutive time, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
• The Telangana government launched its SpaceTech Framework, with a vision to establish the state as a globally recognised one-stop destination for space technology.

• India’s largest public lender State Bank of India (SBI) has raised 3-year funds of $500 million (over Rs 3,800 crore) through its IFSC Gift City branch.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of over Rs 17,63,965 on non-banking finance company Manappuram Finance for violating KYC guidelines as well as norms related to prepaid payment instruments.
• Digit Insurance has appointed Jasleen Kohli as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from April 20.
• India and Maldives signed 7 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for projects to be built under the Indian grant assistance scheme for the High Impact Community Development Project through local bodies (HICDP).
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet Su30 MkI, on the Eastern seaboard .
• Union Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar inaugurated the 8th edition of two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise NATPOLREX-VIII being conducted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off Mormugao harbour in Goa.
• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar lauched two portals, one for the Computerized Registration of pesticide (CROP) and the other for Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS).
• The rural development and panchayati raj department of Jammu and Kashmir administration launched a mobile application jan nigrani to help people lodge complaints related to various schemes online
• A Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched a surveillance satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from the Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US.
• The country’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh, 15, improved upon his two runner-up finishes in March with a resounding title-triumph in the 48th La Roda International Open chess tournament in Castile-La Mancha, in Spain.