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Current Affairs Today – 20th April 2021

NEWS AT A GLANCE

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

UN Chinese Language Day – Observed on Apr 20

UN Chinese Language Dayis observed on April 20
The event was established by The UN Department of Public Information established the day in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.
April 20 has also been chosen to pay tribute to Cangjie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Centre launches Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS).
The Fund aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization.
An amount of 945 crore rupees corpus will be divided over the next 4 years for providing seed funding to eligible startups through eligible incubators across India.
The scheme is expected to support an estimated 3,600 startups through 300 incubators.
Mr Goyal said that the SISFS will Secure seed funding, Inspire innovation, Support transformative ideas, Facilitate implementation, and Start startup revolution.
He said that this Scheme will create a robust startup ecosystem, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns of India, which are often deprived of adequate funding.
The Minister said that he would like to especially encourage innovators from rural areas to come forward and benefit from this scheme.

About Startup India:

Startup India is an initiative of the Government of India.
The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his speech on 15 August 2015.
Address from the Red Fort, in New Delhi.
The action plan of this initiative is focusing on three areas: Simplification and Handholding.
Official website:gov.in
Launch year: 2016
Launched by (prime minister): Narendra Modi
Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Eligibility for Startup India:

Being incorporated or registered in India for less than seven years and for biotechnology startups up to 10 years from its date of incorporation.
Annual turnover not exceeding Rs 25 crores in any of the preceding financial years.

Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria on a five day visit to France for defence cooperation

Marking the continuity of growing bilateral defence cooperation with the French Air and Space Force, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria left for France on a five day official visit.
The visit will enhance potential avenues for strengthening the level of interaction between the Indian and French Air Forces.
During his visit, the Chief of Air Staff will hold meetings and discussions with senior military leadership of France and visit operational facilities and air bases.
The two Air Forces have seen significant operational interaction in the recent past.

About France:

President: Emmanuel Macron
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro

Indian Oil starts to supply of no cost oxygen at to hospitals in Delhi, Haryana & Punjab

Indian Oil has begun the supply of 150 Metric Tonnes of Oxygen at no cost to various hospitals in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
The first batch of the lifesaver medical grade Oxygen was dispatched to Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital, New Delhi.
Delhi is already facing an oxygen emergency situation.
In the face of a massive surge in demand for medical oxygen during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian Oil has diverted the high-purity oxygen used in its Mono Ethylene Glycol (MEG) Unit to produce medical-grade liquid oxygen at its Panipat Refinery and Petrochemical Complex.

Indian Oil:

Chairperson: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founded: 30 June 1959

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australia opens travel bubble with New Zealand – first time in more than a year.

Tearful reunions filled Auckland airport as Australia opened the travel bubble with New Zealand for the first time in more than a year.
The long-awaited Australia-New Zealand travel bubble means visitors no longer need to quarantine on arrival.
Thousands of passengers were booked to fly between the two nations.
Both countries have contained COVID outbreaks and kept infection rates low, largely due to tight restrictions.

About Australia:

Prime minister: Scott Morrison
Capital: Canberra
Currency: Australian dollar

About New Zealand:

Prime minister: Jacinda Ardern
Capital: Wellington
Currency: New Zealand dollar

Italy initiates First ever mega Food Park & Food processing unit in India

Italyhas launched its first ever mega food park project in India, comprising of food processing facilities, in a bid to further strengthen ties between the two nations.
The pilot project named “The Mega Food Park” was launched virtually on April 17, 2021 at Fanidhar Mega Food Park, in Gujarat.
The project will develop a synergy between agriculture and industry of both countries, besides focusing on the research and development of newer, efficient technologies in the sector.

About Italy:

Capital: Rome
Currency: Euro
President: Sergio Mattarella

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

IFFCO’s new oxygen plant in Gujarat: Sadananda Gowda

Union Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Sadananda Gowda has said that cooperative fertilizer company IFFCO’s new oxygen plant at Kalol in Gujarat will enhance the daily production capacity of medical grade Oxygen by 33 thousand litres per day.
The Minister informed that the company has also agreed to set up 3 more Oxygen plants each at Aonla & Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh and Paradeep in Odisha.
Gowda also urged other urea companies to explore possibilities of setting up of oxygen plants in their existing manufacturing units.
He said the current COVID situation demands a united fight against it.

About Gujarat:

Capital: Gandhinagar
Governor: Acharya Devvrat
Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC raise DRHP for IPO

Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd has filed a draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to raise funds via initial public offering.
Aditya Birla Capital Ltd and Sun Life (India) AMC said that they will together sell a 5% stake in their asset management joint venture – Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd.
Aditya Birla Capital will sell up to 2.88 million shares held by it in the asset management business, while Sun Life (India) AMC will sell up to 36.03 million shares.
Aditya Birla Capital holds 51% stake in the AMC, and the remaining 49% is held by Sun Life.

About Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC:

Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd. formerly known as Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited is an investment managing company registered under the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
It is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group of India and the Sun Life Financial Inc. of Canada.
Headquarters: Mumbai
Founded: 1994

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Sivasubramanian Ramann appointed as SIDBI Chairman and Managing Director

SIDBI informed Sivasubramanian Ramann has taken charge as Chairman and Managing Director of the bank.
The appointment is for a period of three years from April 19, 2021, SIDBI said in a release.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing, and development of micro, small & medium enterprises.
Prior to this appointment, Ramann was serving as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), India’s first information utility.
Ramann is an Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of 1991 batch.

About SIDBI:

Headquarters: Lucknow
Tagline: “Aaayiye Ganga Nahaaiye Aur Udyami Banker Jaayiye” (take a dip in Ganga and become entrepreneur)

Tata Consumer appointed Deepika Bhan as President, Packaged Foods

Tata Consumer Products (TCP), the consumer products company uniting the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one umbrella, announced the appointment of Deepika Bhan as the Company’s new President – Packaged Foods, India, effective April 27, 2021.
Deepika joined TCP from Hindustan Unilever where she was Global Brand Director, Haircare for South Asia.
She has had varied stints in Sales, Customer Marketing, Media, Brand and Category/ P&L roles in her career during which she has led large teams across brands and portfolios.
She has also worked with PepsiCo and Tata Motors.
On this appointment, Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products, said “We are delighted to welcome Deepika on board to lead our Foods portfolio.
We aspire to build this business through agility, innovation and strengthening our brands, and Deepika will lead us in this exciting growth phase.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Bizwoman Rumana Sinha Sehgal won humanitarian award

Software-engineer turned social entrepreneur, Rumana Sinha Sehgal has been awarded the prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela World Humanitarian Award 2021’ by the Diplomatic Mission Global Peace earlier this month.
The proud Hyderabadi is also the recipient of the Nationwide Award -under 50- Business Leader 2021 for social entrepreneurship by Business Mint.
At the Influencer Summit in January this year, she also received the ‘International Influencer of the year 2021’.
The ceremonies were held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rumana says: “My work has been recognized in the fields of developing innovative and functional ‘green’ products by recycling varied materials and creative use of non-biodegradable materials, thus enhancing their useful life.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Quess Corporation to acquire 30% stake in Conneqt from Tata Sons for Rs.208 crore

On April 16, 2021, Quess Corp, a business services platform, will acquire the remaining 30% equity stake in Conneqt Business Solutions from Tata Sons for Rs.208 crore.
Conneqt will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quess.
Quess had acquired 51% of Conneqt in November 2017 and further increased its stake in Conneqt from 51% to 70% in May 2019 via infusion of primary capital.
Conneqt is a customer lifecycle management (CLM) and BPM services firm that runs 21 delivery centers and employs over 29,000 people.

About Quess Corp :

CEO and Managing Director: Suraj Moraje
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Founded: September 2007

About Conneqt Business Solutions :

Headquarters : Hyderabad, Telangana
CEO : Arjun Ramaraju

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Education Minister launches “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series

Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series Virtually.
It was developed by IIT Hyderabad researchers.
IIT Hyderabad has developed innovative DuroKea long-lasting technologies to combat COVID-19 virus spreading.

Research Team :

This is a highly effective and affordable research innovation from IIT Hyderabad.
It was developed by a team led by Dr. Jyotsnendu Giri, Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad. Dr. Sunil Kumar Yadava, Dr. Qasim M, Ms. Meenakshi Chauhan, and Ms. Ruby Singh, Ms. SuparnaBasu, Ms. Uzma Hasan, Mr. Jayakkumar and Dr. PurandhiRoopmani has a common vision with this innovation.
DuroKea antimicrobial technology starts at Rs. 189, kills 99.99% of germs instantly and leaves behind the long-lasting protective nanoscale coating up to 35 days till next wash.
The unique property of DuroKea range is to ensure instant killing (within 60 sec) and prolonged protection which is an immense necessity during this current pandemic situation.

Iran launches advanced IR-6 uranium enrichment centrifuges

On April 10, 2021, Iran celebrated its National Day of Nuclear Technology, with an event held simultaneously in Tehran and in nuclear sites in different Iranian cities, in which advanced IR-6 centrifuges started operating.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the 164 IR-6 semi-industrial centrifuges were injected with gas and became fully operational at Iran’s uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, and 30 IR-6S centrifuges entered the first phase of gas injection at the same plant.
The manufacturing and assembly of the first prototype of IR-9S and IR-9-1B centrifuges, currently under mechanical testing,.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is restricted to use only a number of uranium enrichment centrifuges of first generation (IR-1) until year 2025.

About Iran :

Capital: Tehran
Currency: Iranian rial
President: Hassan Rouhani

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

In F1 Grand Prix 2021, Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna

On April 18, 2021, Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021.
It was held in Imola, Italy.
This win is his first victory of the season.
The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton finished second, following the crash and sustaining damage involving Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Lando Norris (McLaren – Great Britain) took third place.
The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

Senior Asian Wrestling Championship – India Clinches 14 medal including 5 Gold, 3 Silver and Six Bronze at 2021

The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held from April 13 to 18, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhsta
India won 14 medals to stand at third spot in the medal table.
The medals include 5 Gold, 3 Silver & 6 Bronze Medals.
Iran and Kazakhstan topped the medal tally with 17 medals each.
The event was the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships.

List of GOLD MEDAL Winners :

Ravi Kumar Dahiya – 57 kg Men’s freestyle
Vinesh Phogat – 53 kg Women’s freestyle
Anshu Malik – 57 kg Women’s freestyle
Sarita Mor – 59 kg Women’s freestyle
Divya Kakran – 72 kg Women’s freestyle

List of SILVER MEDAL Winners :

Bajrang Punia – 65 kg Men’s freestyle
Deepak Punia – 86 kg Men’s freestyle
Sakshi Malik – 65 kg Women’s freestyle

List of BRONZE MEDAL Winners :

Karan Mor – 70 kg Men’s freestyle
Narsingh Yadav – 79 kg Men’s freestyle
Sanjeet – 92 kg Men’s freestyle
Satyawart Kadian – 97 kg Men’s freestyle
Seema Bisla – 50 kg Women’s freestyle
Pooja Sihag – 76 kg Women’s freestyle

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Well-Known Kannada Lexicographer, G Venkatasubbaiah, Passes away

On April 19, 2021, G Venkatasubbaish, well-known Kannada lexicographer, passed away.
He was 107.

About G Venkatasubbaiah :

He had compiled 12 dictionaries.
He also authored around 60 books.
Professor G Venkatasubbaiah was also proficient in Kannada literature, poetry, essays and translations.
He was commonly known as a walking encyclopedia of Kannada language and culture, in his literary circles.
He took up the task of working on Kannada-to-Kannada dictionary as its chief editor after retiring from Vijaya College in 1973.

Achievements :

For His literary works he got various awards, including the Padma Shri in 2007, Pampa Award, Bhasha Samman by the Sahitya Akademi, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award.

Former Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawat Passes away

On April 18, 2021, Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Bachi Singh Rawat Passed away.
He was 71.

About Bachi Singh Rawat :

Bachi Singh Rawat was a four-time MP from the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency in Uttarakhand
He had defeated former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat thrice in consecutive elections.
Rawat Served as the Union minister of state for science and technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

National Award-winning film-makerSumitra Bhave passes away

On April 19, 2021, Renowned 7-time National Award winner Marathi film-maker and writer Sumitra Bhave passed away.
She was 78.
Sumitra Bhave was popular as a duo with filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre.
The duo of Sumitra and Sunil together directed several popular films like Doghi, Dahavi Fa, Vastupurush, Devrai, Badha, Ek Cup Chya, Samhita, Astu, Kaasav, among others.