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Current Affairs Today – 2nd July 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. As per the data by the Ministry of Finance on 30 June 2020, banks from public and private sectors have sanctioned over Rs 1 lakh crore loans under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector as of June 26, 2020.
  2. Fitch Ratings has cut India’s growth forecast for the fiscal year 2021-22 to 8 percent from its earlier projection of 9.5 percent, in its June update of Global Economic Outlook released on 30 June 2020.
  3. The World Bank has approved loan worth $750 million to address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
  4. The World Bank said it has enhanced its support for Government of India’s program to rejuvenate Ganga river with a USD 400 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) assistance that will help stem pollution in the river.
  5. India figures among the top-three countries getting detailed information from Switzerland about bank accounts and beneficiary ownership of entities established by their residents in the Alpine nation, according to the latest study by OECD”s Global Forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.
  6. The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of all states is likely to contract up to 14.3 per cent in the current financial year due to the impact of Covid-19-induced lockdown on economic activities, says a report.The contraction will be in the range of 1.4 per cent-14.3 per cent.
  7. Rs 90,917 crore is the gross GST (Goods and Services Tax) revenue collected in the month of June 2020.
  8. The Union Minister of Steel Dharmendra Pradhan virtually inaugurated Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility at Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab on 29 June 2020.
  9. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 909.85 crore for the construction of permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology in Pauri district of Uttarakhand.
  10. The Kerala government has announced “Dream Kerala Project” to tap the potential and experience of those returning from abroad and other states after losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  11. The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to establish piped oxygen supply to the beds in 59 state-run hospitals.
  12. A mega tree plantation drive has been announced by the Delhi Government on 2nd July 2020.
  13. Pakistan Army has appointed Major General Nigar Johar as 1st female lieutenant general. She is the 1st female officer to be promoted as Lieutenant General.
  14. The UK India Business Council announced that Jayant Krishna will take over as its new Group Chief Executive Officer from August 3.
  15. A new free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada comes into effect from 1st July 2020 onwards.
  16. As per the data for the month of June 2020 released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in June 2020 was 10.9 percent in India (Urban-12.02 % and Rural- 10.52%).
  17. 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee and Harvard University Economics Professor Raj Chetty were listed among the 38 immigrants to be honoured as the ‘2020 Great Immigrants’ by the Carnegie Corporation.
  18. Shri Ravinder Bhakar, a 1999 batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS), has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC) on 30 June 2020.
  19. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Professor Sanjay Dwivedi as the Director General of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
  20. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya took charge as the new chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
  21. Nuka Srinivasulu on Wednesday assumed charge as the Director (Finance) of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, a Miniratna Category-1 Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
  22. Government extends the term of Rajkiran Rai G as the Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Union Bank of India(UBI) by 2 years till May 31, 2022.
  23. International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, Shashank Manohar has stepped down as the head of the cricket body after two-year tenures.
  24. India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named as the country’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) of the 21st century by Wisden.
  25. GoI launched Accelerate Vigyan to strengthen the scientific research mechanism.
  26. Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) located in Lahowal in Dibrugarh district of Assam has successfully isolated the SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, virus becoming the fourth such facility in the country to achieve the feat.
  27. HDFC Bank has launched ‘e-Kisaan Dhan’ App for Farmers in India.
  28. Hindi literature writer Priyamvad to release his new book, ‘Bharatiya Loktanktra Ka Koras: Kuch Bisari Bikhari Dhwaniyan’ in 2021.
  29. Senior advocate and former president of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Bhupinder Singh Slathia passed away after a brief illnees at PGIMER Chandigarh. He was 70.
  30. In Mizoram, former speaker of the state legislative assembly Upa Rokamlova died at a hospital in Aizawl last night.

NEWS AT A GLANCE

BANKING & FINANCE 

Banks sanction over Rs 1 lakh cr loans to 30 lakh MSMEs under ECLGS

  • As per the data by the Ministry of Finance on 30 June 2020, banks from public and private sectors have sanctioned over Rs 1 lakh crore loans under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector as of June 26, 2020.
  • Out of this, more than Rs 45,860 crore has already been disbursed under the 100 percent ECLGS for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
  • This would help more than 30 lakh units of MSMEs and other businesses restart their businesses post the lockdown.
  • The top lenders under the scheme are State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank and HDFC Bank.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Fitch slashes India’s GDP Growth Projection to 8% from 9.5% for FY22

  • Fitch Ratings has cut India’s growth forecast for the fiscal year 2021-22 to 8 percent from its earlier projection of 9.5 percent, in its June update of Global Economic Outlook released on 30 June 2020.
  • However, the rating agency has retained its projection for the current fiscal which is expected to contract by 5 percent in the 2020-21.
  • Meanwhile, Fitch projected Indian economy to grow 5.5 percent in 2022-23.

Extra Shots:

Fitch

  • Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
  • CEO: Paul Taylor
  • Founder: John Knowles Fitch
  • Founded: 1914, New York, New York, United States

World Bank approves $750 mn emergency response fund for India’s COVID-hit MSME sector

  • The World Bank has approved loan worth $750 million to address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
  • The World Bank’s MSME Emergency Response program will provide financial support to some 1.5 million viable MSMEs.
  • With this, the World Bank’s total commitment has reached to $2.75 billion to support India’s emergency Covid-19 response.

Extra Shots:

World Bank

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • Parent organization: World Bank Group
  • Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
  • Founded: July 1944
  • Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White

World Bank enhances support for rejuvenating Ganga, sanctions USD 400 mn

  • The World Bank said it has enhanced its support for Government of India’s program to rejuvenate Ganga river with a USD 400 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) assistance that will help stem pollution in the river.
  • The assistance will help strengthen the management of the river basin which is home to more than 500 million people.
  • Back in 2015, the World Bank Group has approved USD 1 billion for the First National River Ganga Basin Project.
  • The loan approved for USD 400 million is for the Second National River Ganga Basin Project (SNGRBP).

Objectives of SNGRBP

  • Expand the sewage treatment infrastructure to more cities in the Ganga Basin
  • In the long term, the assets related to sewage treatment is operated and maintained effectively
  • Help develop State-of-the-art tools for National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for effective management of the riverfront
  • To help control pollution discharge, sewage networks and treatment plants will be set up in select cities across the Ganga Basin
  • New infrastructure projects will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) to ensure long term effectiveness and are well maintained

Extra Shots:

World Bank

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • Parent organization: World Bank Group
  • Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
  • Founded: July 1944
  • Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White

India among Switzerland’s top-3 partners for info exchange on tax matters: Global Forum

  • India figures among the top-three countries getting detailed information from Switzerland about bank accounts and beneficiary ownership of entities established by their residents in the Alpine nation, according to the latest study by OECD”s Global Forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.
  • The latest peer review by the Global Forum, referring to the period from July 2015 to June 2018, named India among the top-three jurisdictions to which Switzerland provided information on request.
  • The other two countries were France and Germany.
  • India is also rated as”largely compliant” by this OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) body.

States GSDP may contract by up to 14.3% in FY21 on Covid-19: Ind-Ra report

  • The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of all states is likely to contract up to 14.3 per cent in the current financial year due to the impact of Covid-19-induced lockdown on economic activities, says a report. The contraction will be in the range of 1.4 per cent-14.3 per cent.
  • States such as Assam, Goa, Gujarat and Sikkim are likely to witness a double-digit contraction in FY2021.
  • The top five major states where the impact of lockdown was the most pronounced are Karnataka, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha.
  • The five major states where the impact of lockdown was the least pronounced are Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

GST Revenue Collection Improves significantly in the month of June 2020

  • Rs 90,917 crore is the gross GST (Goods and Services Tax) revenue collected in the month of June 2020.
  • The amount Rs 90,917 crores is 91 percent of GST revenue collected in the month of June in 2019.

Breakdown of GST Revenue Collection for June 2020

  • Central GST (CGST): Rs 18,980 crore
  • State GST (SGST): Rs 23,970 crore
  • Integrated GST (IGST): Rs 40,302 crore (includes-on import of Goods Rs 15,709 crore Collected)
  • Cess: Rs 7,665 crore (includes-on import of goods Rs 607 crores collected)

Month-wise GST Revenue Collection in First Quarter of FY 2020-21

  • The GST revenue collected in the first quarter of the Financial Year (FY) 2020-21 is 59 percent of the GST revenue collected during the first quarterof the 2019-20 financial year.
  • In April 2019 GST Revenue Collection was of Rs 113, 866 crore while in April 2020 it was 32,294 crore
  • In May 2019 GST Revenue Collection was Rs 100,289 crore while in May 2020 it was Rs 62,009 crore
  • In June 2019 GST Revenue Collection was Rs 99,940 crore while in June 2020 it was Rs 90,917 crore

Extra Shots:

GST: Goods and Services Tax is an indirect tax used in India on the supply of goods and services. It is a comprehensive, multistage, destination-based tax: comprehensive because it has subsumed almost all the indirect taxes except a few state taxes.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurates Asia’s first-ever Continuous Galvanized Rebar manufacturing facility launched in Punjab

  • The Union Minister of Steel Dharmendra Pradhan virtually inaugurated Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility at Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab on 29 June 2020.
  • The new plant is a first-of-its-kind facility in Asia to apply CGR technology that will increase life span of these rebars thereby reducing the overall maintenance cost.
  • The facility has been developed by International Zinc Association (IZA), in collaboration with Madhav KRG Group. The project will be supported by Hindustan Zinc Limited.
  • The Continuously Galvanized Rebar (CGR), are value added rebars for higher life and low maintenance of infrastructure to provide significant cost savings compared to other corrosion resistant rebar systems.
  • It is estimated that the plant will produce an annual capacity of over 30,000 tonne of ZnCoat TempCore TMT bars, under the brand name ‘Jyoti’.

Extra Shots:

The Ministry of Steel is an executive branch agency of the Government of India that is responsible for formulating all policies regarding steel production, distribution and pricing in India.

  • Departments: Kudremukh Iron Ore Company
  • Founded: 2017
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Jurisdiction: India
  • Annual budget: 47.9 crores INR (2018-19 est., US$6.7 million)
  • Officeholders: Birender Singh (Minister), Vishnu Deo Sai (Minister of State)

Centre sanctions Rs 909 crore for permanent NIT campus in Uttarakhand

  • The Centre has sanctioned Rs 909.85 crore for the construction of permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology in Pauri district of Uttarakhand.
  • Rs 831.04 crore out of the total amount sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development will be spent on building a permanent campus at Sumari village in the district and Rs 78.81 crore on upgrading facilities, including hostels and laboratories, at its present temporary campus in Srinagar, Pauri.
  • The state government will bear the cost of building a road near the institute and facilitate power and water supply

Extra Shots:

Uttarkhand

  • Capital- Dehradun
  • Governor- Baby Rani maurya
  • CM-Trivendra Singh Rawat
  • National Park -Jim Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Kerala announces ‘Dream Kerala Project’ aimed at aiding returning expats

  • The Kerala government has announced “Dream Kerala Project” to tap the potential and experience of those returning from abroad and other states after losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The project aims at the rehabilitation of returning expatriates and the state’s overall development.
  • Among the returnees, there are a large number of professionals from overseas and other parts of the country.
  • The project also aims to harness their potential for the future of the state.
  • The project, to be jointly implemented by various departments of the state government, will provide the public with an opportunity to give suggestions and ideas on the future of Kerala.

Extra Shots:

Kerala:

  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
  • Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
  • Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
  • Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
  • National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc

Tamil Nadu govt decides to establish piped oxygen supply to beds in 59 state-run hospitals

  • The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to establish piped oxygen supply to the beds in 59 state-run hospitals.
  • It has allocated over 75 crore rupees for the project.

Extra Shots:

Tamilnadu

  • Capital: Chennai
  • Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
  • Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
  • Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
  • National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,             Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

17 days ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’ Campaign in New Delhi from 10th July

  • A mega tree plantation drive has been announced by the Delhi Government on 2nd July 2020.
  • The name of the campaign is ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’ meaning ‘Plant Trees, Save Environment’.
  • The campaign will begin on 10th July 2020 and will continue until 26th July 2020.

Objective of the Campaign

  • In the last few years, the National Capital has recorded a high level of air pollution.
  • The campaign is to reduce air pollution by increasing the green cover in and across New Delhi.
  • In 2017, green cover in New Delhi was 299 square kilometers, this was increased to 325 in 2019.
  • The Delhi Government’s Environment Ministry has set a target of 350 square kilometers of green cover by 2021.

All About the Campaign

  • In 17 days, 31 lakh (3.1 million) saplings will be planted under the campaign. Near ITO in National Highway 20 (NH 20) the campaign will be launched.
  • Out of the 31 lakh saplings, Delhi Government’s various departments will be planting 18 lakh, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will be planting 9 lakh 40 thousand saplings, 2 lakh by Delhi Municipal Corporation and another 2 lakh will be planted in combine by Delhi Metro, Northern Railways and another 2 lakh will be planted in combine by Delhi Metro, Northern Railways and BSEB.
  • Out of the 31 lakh saplings, 20 lakh saplings will be of big trees while the remaining 11 lakh saplings will be of shrubs that will be planted on both sides of the roads.

Extra Shots:

New Delhi:

  • Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
  • Governor: Anil Baijal

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Pakistan Army appoints Nigar Johar as 1st female Lt. General

  • Pakistan Army has appointed Major General Nigar Johar as 1st female lieutenant general. She is the 1st female officer to be promoted as Lieutenant General.
  • The officer has been appointed as 1st female Surgeon General of Pak Army.
  • Johar graduated from the Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, in 1985 and joined the army’s Medical Corps.
  • In 2017, she became the third woman officer in the Pakistan Army to attain the rank of major general.
  • The other two women major generals were Shahida Badsha and Shahida

Extra Shots:

Pakistan (Capital/Currency): Islamabad/Pakistani Rupee

  • Prime Minister: Imran Khan
  • President: Arif Alvi
  • Official Languages: Urdu,English

Jayant Krishna to take over as first Indian CEO of UK India Business Council from August 3

  • The UK India Business Council announced that Jayant Krishna will take over as its new Group Chief Executive Officer from August 3.
  • Krishna has previously led key initiatives of the Prime Minister’s Skill India mission as CEO, and Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of the National Skill Development Corporation.
  • He will be the first Indian CEO of UKIBC and the first CEO of the Council who shall be based in India.

Extra Shots:

The UK India Business Council is a membership-based, non-profit organisation founded in 2007 to foster trade and business relations between the United Kingdom and India. The organisation works with businesses in both countries, as well as the UK and Indian governments, to promote and increase bilateral trade.

  • Founder: Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria
  • Founded: 1993
  • Key person: Patricia Hewitt
  • Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
  • Type of business: Non-profit organisation

NAFTA 2.0 comes into effect from 1st July 2020

  • A new free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada comes into effect from 1st July 2020 onwards.
  • It replaced the earlier 26 years old free trade agreement between the three countries- North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new free trade agreement has been ratified by all three countries.
  • All three signatories of the new trade agreement have referred it by different names, United States called it USMCA- the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, while the Canadian Government has referred to as CUSMA, in Mexico by T-MEC.
  • NAFTA 2.0 is not a wholly new agreement, it is a renegotiated version of the earlier NAFTA agreement with certain changes,hence it has been referred to as NAFTA 2.0.

RANKS AND INDICES

Unemployment Rate fell to 10.9 % in June from 23.5 % in May 2020

  • As per the data for the month of June 2020 released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in June 2020 was 10.9 percent in India (Urban-12.02 % and Rural- 10.52%).
  • The unemployment rate reached an all-time high of 23.52 percent in the country in the month of April due to the nationwide lockdown. It remained similar in May 2020 with 23.48 percent.
  • But with the significant fall in June 2020 and the GST collection for June 2020 reaching 91 percent of the GST collection in June 2019, it can be suggested that the worst for the Indian economy has passed for now.
  • With Unlock 2 beginning on 1st July 2020, it can be expected that the Unemployment Rate can further normalize during the month.

Unemployment Rate in India has continuously declined

  • As per data by CMIE, the unemployment rate in India on 8th June was 21.33 percent. Since then, this rate has declined every day.

State-wise Unemployment Rate in June 2020

  • Assam with 0.6 percent unemployment had the lowest unemployment rate in the country in the month of June 2020, while Haryana with 33.6 percent had the highest unemployment rate in June 2020 among all the states in the country.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

Siddhartha Mukherjee and Raj Chetty honoured as ‘2020 Great Immigrants

  • 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee and Harvard University Economics Professor Raj Chetty were listed among the 38 immigrants to be honoured as the ‘2020 Great Immigrants’ by the Carnegie Corporation.
  • Every year since 2006, ahead of the Independence Day of the United States on 4th July, Carnegie Corporations of New York honors the legacy of its ounder Andrew Carnegie- who being an immigrant from Scotland to the United States rose from poverty to become a leading industrialist and further went on to established a philanthropic fund to support education programs across the United States.
  • The awards are also to remind how immigrants have contributed to the greatness of the United States.

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee

  • Recipient of Padma Shri award in 2014, Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee has served at New York-Presbyterian Hospital as a physician and as the Associate Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University.7
  • The noted biologist, oncologist and the author was awarded Pulitzer Prize in 2011 for his book: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

Raj Chetty

  • He was chosen as the recipient for the award for his efforts in launching a real-time economic impact monitor of COVID-19.

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Shri Ravinder Bhakar takes charge as CEO of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC)

  • Shri Ravinder Bhakar, a 1999 batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS), has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC) on 30 June 2020.
  • Prior to this, Mr. Bhakar was posted as the Secretary & Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railways.
  • He succeeds Anurag Srivastava.

Extra Shots:

CBFC

  • Chairperson: Shri Prasoon Joshi
  • Founded: 1951
  • Sector: Film rating system
  • Jurisdiction: India
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Parent agency: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Sanjay Dwivedi appointed as Director General of IIMC

  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Professor Sanjay Dwivedi as the Director General of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
  • He is presently serving as the Registrar of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal.
  • S. Dhatwalia, Principal Director General in the Press Information Bureau, is presently holding the additional charge of the post of Director General of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
  • IIMC established in 1965, is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya becomes new chairman of IOC

  • Shrikant Madhav Vaidya took charge as the new chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
  • Prior to this, he was the Director (Refineries) on the IOC Board, since October 2019.
  • He will replace Sanjiv Singh, who retired on June 30.
  • Vaidya will also be the chairman of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, a stand-alone refining subsidiary of IOC, and Indian Oiltanking Ltd, a joint venture providing terminalling services.
  • He will also take over as the head of Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd and also be a director on the board of Petronet LNG Ltd.
  • He has had a decade-long association with India’s largest cracker plant—the Panipat Naphtha Cracker Complex.

Extra Shots:

  • Chairperson: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

Nuka Srinivasulu takes charge as Director (Finance) of Bharat Dynamics Limited

  • Nuka Srinivasulu on Wednesday assumed charge as the Director (Finance) of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, a Miniratna Category-1 Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
  • A Bachelor in Commerce and an MBA in Finance from Osmania University, Hyderabad, Srinivasulu has a rich experience in various areas of finance spanning over 30 years, which includes 24 years in BDL

Extra Shots:

BDL

  • Headquarters: India
  • Founder: India
  • Founded: 1970, Hyderabad

Rajkiran Rai G, Union Bank of India MD & CEO Term Extended for 2 years

  • Government extends the term of Rajkiran Rai G as the Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Union Bank of India(UBI) by 2 years till May 31, 2022.

Rajkiran Rai G

  • The 3 year term of Rajkiran Rai G as MD & CEO of UBI was to end on June 30, 2020. He took charge of UBI on July 1, 2017.
  • Prior to the appointment in UBI, he was an executive director at Oriental Bank of Commerce.
  • He has over 3 decades of experience in the banking field.

Extra Shots:

UBI:

  • Headquarters:Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Chairman & Part-Time Non-Official Director: Kewal Handa

Shashank Manohar quits as ICC Chairman

  • International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, Shashank Manohar has stepped down as the head of the cricket body after two-year tenures.
  • ICC Board has decided that Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja will take the charge until Manohar’s successor is elected.
  • The process for the Chairperson election is likely to be approved by the ICC Board within the next week.
  • As per the ICC rules, Manohar could have stayed for another two-year-term as a maximum of three terms is allowed.
  • But, he decided not to continue ahead of the all-important ICC meeting.
  • As per reports, England’s Colin Graves is the frontrunner to succeed Manohar but recently, former Cricket West Indies chief Dave Cameron has also joined the race recently.

Extra Shots:

ICC:

  • Chairperson: Shashank Manohar Trending
  • Membership: 104 members
  • CEO: Manu Sawhney
  • Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Founded: 15 June 1909

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Ravindra Jadeja named India’s ‘most valuable player’ by Wisden

  • India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named as the country’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) of the 21st century by Wisden.
  • He made his debut in 2009 and represented India in 49 test matches, 165 ODIs and 49 T20Is as of 2020.
  • Jadeja’s MVP rating is around 97.3 which is second only to Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka making him the second most Valuable Test Player of the 21st Century.
  • Wisden used CricViz, a detailed analysis tool in cricket to analyse his performance.

Extra Shots:

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, or simply Wisden, colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description “bible of cricket” was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a review for the London Mercury.

  • Editor: Lawrence Booth
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • First issue date: 1864
  • Total circulation: 50,000 (2006)
  • Category: Cricket
  • Based in: London, England

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CURRENT AFFAIRS

GoI launched Accelerate Vigyan to strengthen scientific research mechanism

  • GoI launched Accelerate Vigyan to strengthen the scientific research mechanism.
  • The new scheme was launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).
  • The scheme aims to provide a single platform for research internships, capacity building programs, and workshops across the country.

Accelerate Vigyan:

  • The main objective of the Accelerate Vigyan scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.
  • It aims to recognize that all research has its base as the development of quality and well-trained researchers.
  • AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms to identify research potential, training, mentoring, and hands-on workshop on a national scale.
  • It aims to expand the research base, with three broad goals, namely,
  1. consolidation/aggregation of all scientific programs
  2. initiating high-end orientation workshops
  3. creating opportunities for research internships for those who do not have access to such resources/facilities
  • The AV plans to work on a mission mode with respect to its component dealing with consolidation/aggregation of all major scientific events in the country.
  • Also, an Inter-Ministerial Overseeing Committee (IMOC) that involves all the scientific ministries/departments and a few others has been constituted for the purpose of supporting SERB in implementing the AV scheme in a successful manner.

Extra Shots:

SERB

  • Secretary: Prof Sandeep Verma
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Affiliation: Department of Science and Technology

RMRC lab, Assam becomes 4th to isolate COVID-19 virus strain in India

  • Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) located in Lahowal in Dibrugarh district of Assam has successfully isolated the SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, virus becoming the fourth such facility in the country to achieve the feat.
  • The other 3 hospitals that isolated the virus were:
  1. National Institute of Virology, Pune
  2. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad
  3. Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad

Highlights:

  • The significance of isolation of the COVID-19 virus by RMRC is live and viable SARS-CoV-2 virus can now be produced in abundance in the lab as and when required.
  • Isolation of the COVID-19 virus is important to develop inactivated COVID-19 vaccine where virus grown in laboratory are inactivated by heat or chemical and purified for use as vaccines after pre-clinical and clinical trials.
  • Some other uses of the SARS-CoV-2 virus culture are that it can be used for drug screening for potential drugs or drug candidates against the virus, testing the effectiveness of disinfectants, use in the development of therapeutic antibodies, etc.
  • Scientists at RMRC stated that all strains of SARS-CoV-2 were L-type and not S-type, which is slowly disappearing across the world.

WEBPORTALS & APP  IN NEWS

HDFC Bank Launches ‘e-Kisaan Dhan’ App for Farmers

  • HDFC Bank has launched ‘e-Kisaan Dhan’ App for Farmers in India.

Highlights:

  • This app provides information and knowledge to farmers which will help them to meet the needs of the rural ecosystem.
  • With this app, farmers can access a bouquet of services in banking and agriculture, through their mobile phones.
  • It will provide users information in regard to new government schemes and ways to access them.
  • The app can be downloaded from Google Play. It is now available in English only & will be soon available in other Indian languages.
  • This app is part of the bank’s ‘Har Gaon Hamara’ initiative to reach rural and under-served area customers.

Services

Value Added Service

  • The e-Kisaan Dhan app provides value added services like mandi prices, latest farming news, weather forecast, and information on seed varieties, SMS advisory, e-pashuhaat and Kisan TV among others.

Multiple Banking Services

  • Users can avail banking services, such as buying loans, opening bank accounts, availing insurance facilities, calculate KCC loan eligibility online and acquiring Government social security schemes.

Traditional banking services

  • The app will help the farmers with the traditional banking services like applying for loans, Fixed Deposits, Recurring Deposits, and Savings Accounts.

Extra Shots:

HDFC Bank

  • CEO: Aditya Puri
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: August 1994, India
  • Parent organization: Housing Development Finance Corporation

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Hindi Literature Writer Priyamvad’s New Book, ‘Bharatiya Loktanktra Ka Koras: Kuch Bisari Bikhari Dhwaniyan’ to Release in 2021

  • Hindi literature writer Priyamvad to release his new book, ‘Bharatiya Loktanktra Ka Koras: Kuch Bisari Bikhari Dhwaniyan’ in 2021.
  • The book is published by Penguin Random House India’s Indian language publishing division, Hind Pocket Books.7
  • The book focuses on post-independence India & traces the country’s political disruption at the time.
  • The book covers the events in 2 parts as follows, 1st part-  from January 26, 1950 to June 12, 1975;  2nd part-  from June 12, 1975 to January 14, 1980.
  • It tries to portray the voices, events and persons, through which the present democratic scenario is reached.

OBITUARY

Renowned Jammu advocate Bhupinder Slathia passes away

  • Senior advocate and former president of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Bhupinder Singh Slathia passed away after a brief illnees at PGIMER Chandigarh. He was 70.
  • Slathia was known for voicing the region-centric issues and remained at the forefront of several pro-Jammu agitations.
  • He was one of the prominent faces leading the 2008 Amarnath land row agitation in Jammu and at times had differed with Azad on issues pertaining to the region.

Former speaker of Mizoram legislative assembly Upa Rokamlova dies at 79

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