Important Daily Current Affairs of 21st May 2021
National
1. Six new UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been added to India’s Tentative List.
- Around six cultural heritage sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
- The total number of sites on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List now stands at 48
2. A Legislative Council will be formed by the West Bengal government
- During a video conferencing cabinet meeting with several Departmental Secretaries, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee approved the formation of the Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad in the state. This was one of the Trinamool Congress’ election promises (TMC).
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Bihar are among the six states that have Legislative Councils. Bicameral legislatures were formed prior to Independence in 1935, with West Bengal having the first-ever Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad in 1937.
3. Karnataka is the leading state in the establishment of health and wellness centres, according to the state’s health department.
- When it comes to developing health and wellness centres (HWC) under the Ayushman Bharat programme to provide comprehensive primary health care in rural areas, Karnataka takes the lead. According to the health and family welfare department, the state ranks first in the implementation of the project for the year 2020-21, with a ranking of 90 out of 95.
- In addition, the state has already upgraded 364 PHCs, despite having set a target of upgrading 294 urban PHCs. This is a 124 per cent increase over the original target.
4. At a hospital in the Vikarabad district, a ‘medicine from the sky’ pilot is underway.
- The state government has chosen 16 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the Vikarabad area hospital to pilot test the ambitious ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project, a first-of-its-kind project that involves multiple drones delivering medicines.
- Because of the availability of cold chain facilities, the area hospital was chosen as the central point, and the selected PHCs are both within the Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) range.
International
5. Kenya’s first female Chief Justice, Martha Koome, has been named.
- Kenya’s first female Chief Justice is Martha Karambu Koome. She is the first woman to lead any of the government’s three branches.
- Koome, 61, a cool but adamant proponent of women’s rights, takes over the judiciary ahead of next year’s general elections and is expected to play a key role in resolving any future election conflicts.
Banking & Finance
6. In the first quarter of 2021, India, China, and South Africa performed “relatively better” than other major economies, according to the United Nations
- According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s Global Trade Update, India, China, and South Africa performed “relatively better” than other major economies in terms of imports and exports in the first quarter of 2021. (UNCTAD).
- In India, the first quarter of this year saw a 45 per cent rise in goods imports compared to the same period last year. According to UN results, the import of services increased by 14%. According to the report, goods exports increased by 26% during the period under consideration. India’s services exports increased by 2%.
7. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty on City Union Bank and three other lenders
- The Reserve Bank of India has fined City Union Bank, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, and two other lenders for failing to follow the central bank’s instructions.
- In a separate release, the RBI said it has fined Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Rs 1 crore for failing to comply with some provisions of its Cyber Security Framework in Banks directions.
8. In India, Google launches News Showcase with top publishers
- Google unveiled its global licencing scheme, News Showcase, in India, amid mounting pressure from media houses urging technology platforms to pay a reasonable price and share a portion of the advertisement revenue for featured posts.
- Showcase is part of Google’s $1 billion investment in supporting professional journalism. It pays publishers for news coverage and enables them to have selective access to pay-walled articles for users.
9. India has climbed to third place on the EY index, thanks to a strong showing by the solar PV sector
- Due to strong output in the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector, India has risen to the third position on EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index.
- In addition, India’s solar sector is expected to expand dramatically following the pandemic, with solar PV generation expected to surpass coal before 2040.
Appointments
10. President of the Central Tibetan Administration, Penpa Tsering, has been named
- Penpa Tsering, the former speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, has been elected President of the Central Tibetan Administration, which also declares the 45 members of the 17th Tibetan parliament.
- During an online press conference, the Tibetan government-in-Chief exile’s Election Commissioner, Wangdu Tsering Pesur, reported that Penpa Tsering received 34,324 votes for the post of “Sikyong” (President) of the 17th Parliament-in-Exile of the Central Tibetan Administration. On the other hand, Kalsang Dorjee Aukatsang received 28,907 votes.
Awards & Honours
11. Professors Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman are the recipients of the Millennium Technology Prize.
- Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman of Cambridge University were named winners of the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize, a prestigious global science and technology prize, for developing novel sequencing techniques that enable DNA to be read in record time. One million euros is awarded as the prize.
- DNA can now be read in record time thanks to the duo’s Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology.
12. Tashi Yangjom of Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first Indian woman to summit Everest in 2021.
- This year, Tashi Yangjom of Arunachal Pradesh became the first Indian woman to summit Mt Everest, becoming the first Indian woman to do so.
- She received her training at the village’s National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS). The 37-year-old was the institute’s ninth climber to cross the summit of Mt Everest on May 11, demonstrating to the world what human ambition can do even in the face of a pandemic.
13. Suresh Mukund is the first Indian to receive the prestigious ‘World Choreography Award 2020
- Suresh Mukund, an Emmy Award-nominated Indian choreographer, has received the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020′ (also known as Choreo Awards), making him the first Indian to do so.
- For his work on the hit American TV reality show ‘World of Dance,’ he received the award in the ‘TV REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION’ category.
Science & Technology
14. Simorgh, Iran’s First Fully Self-Developed Supercomputer, is Unveiled
- According to the state-run news website IRNA, Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) has unveiled a supercomputer, the country’s most powerful to date.
- Simorgh, named after a legendary Persian bird, currently has an output potential of 0.56 petaflops and will achieve one petaflop in two months.
15. China has successfully launched the Haiyang-2D ocean observation satellite
- China has successfully launched a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit as part of its ongoing initiative to develop an all-weather, round-the-clock complex ocean climate monitoring system that will provide early warning of marine disasters.
- The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China by a Long March-4B rocket carrying the Haiyang-2D (HY-2D) satellite.
16. The SBIRS Geo-5 missile warning satellite is launched by an Atlas V rocket for the US Space Force
- The Atlas V rocket was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida by United Launch Alliance. SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite was launched on an Atlas V rocket.
- SBRIS stands for Space-Based Infrared System in its full form. It’s for missile warning, missile battlespace characterization, and defence characterization.
Obituary
17. Jagannath Pahadia, the former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, has died
- COVID-19 claimed the life of senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Jagannath Pahadia.
- From June 6, 1980, to July 14, 1981, he was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He was also the former Governor of Haryana and Bihar, among other things.
18. Sundarlal Bahuguna, a well-known environmentalist, has died
- After fighting COVID-19 for several days, environmentalist and Chipko movement pioneer Sunderlal Bahuguna died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was 94 years old at the time.
- Bahuguna is credited with establishing the Chipko movement in the 1970s, which he co-founded with committed environmentalists such as Gaura Devi to save forests.
19. Former National Security Adviser JK Dutt, who led the counter-terrorist operations on September 11th, has died.
- J.K. Dutt, the former Director-General of the National Security Guards (NSG), died of COVID-19-related complications. He led the force during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
- During the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, JK Dutt witnessed counter-terrorism and rescue operations.
Important Days
20. World Day for Dialogue and Development on Cultural Diversity: 20th May
- The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed every year on May 21.
- This day serves to raise public consciousness about the diversity of the world’s cultures and to emphasise the importance of cultural diversity.
21. Anti-Terrorism Day in the United States: 20th May
- In India, the National Anti-Terrorism Day is observed on May 21 to commemorate the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India.
- The day is also observed to foster unity among people and to spread the message of tolerance, harmony, and humanity.
22. International Tea Day: 20th May
- The 21st of May is International Tea Day, which is observed all over the world.
- The United Nations has designated May 21 as International Tea Day since the tea harvesting season starts in May in most tea-producing countries.
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