Current Affairs of 21st April 2021 by Bidyasagar Classes,Bhubaneswar

NATIONAL NEWS

1. Punjab All Set to become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State by 2022

Punjab Statereiterated the commitment of the State to achieve the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2022 as planned. Punjab has 73 lakh rural households, out of which 25.88 lakh (74.5%) have a tap water supply. In 2021-22, the State plans to provide 8.87 lakh tap connections, thereby providing tap connection to every rural household. So far, 4-districts, 29 blocks, 5,715 panchayats, and 6,003 villages in Punjab have been declared ‘Har Ghar Jal’, which means every rural household has access to water through the tap.
To ensure transparency and accountability, Punjab has set up a well-equipped digital 24×7 call center with Interactive Voice Responsive System. This analog grievance redressal system was upgraded in December 2020. Last year, the redressal rate was 97.76%. The pending complaints daily monitoring is done by sending reminders to the Executive Engineer via SMS, WhatsApp messages, e-mail, and over the phone.
Important Points all competitive exams:
- Punjab CM: Captain Amarinder Singh.
- Punjab Governor: V.P.Singh Badnore.

2. DRDO develops supplemental oxygen delivery system for soldiers

Defense Research and Development Organisation has developed a SpO2-based supplemental oxygen delivery system for soldiers serving in extremely high altitude areas & COVID-19 patients. This automatic system delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO₂ (blood oxygen saturation) levels & prevents the person from sinking into a state of hypoxia, which is fatal in most cases.
Hypoxia is a condition in which the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues is inadequate to fulfill all the energy requirements of the body. This is exactly the situation that gets replicated in a COVID-19 patient due to the virus infection and has been leading to the current crisis, If a COVID-19 patient’s SpO₂ level goes below 94 percent, he or she is generally advised to contact the doctor immediately as hospitalization may be necessary.
Important Points for all competitive exams:
- Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
- DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.
- DRDO Established: 1958.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3. New Zealand Makes World’s 1st Climate Change Law For Financial Firms

New Zealand is about to become the world’s first country to bring a law into force that demands environmental accountability from financial firms by asking them to report on how their businesses affect climate change. The aim is to bring the financial sector on board with the efforts being made towards achieving the country’s target of becoming carbon neutral by
The New Zealand government first revealed its plans to compel the financial sector to make disclosures in September last year, informing that those unable to disclose would have to give explanations.
Important Points for all competitive exams:
- Prime minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern.
- Capital of New Zealand:
- The currency of New Zealand: New Zealand dollar.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

4. Piyush Goyal launches the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

Union Minister 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
The government has approved Rs. 945 Crore corpus for the fund, which will be divided over the next 4 years beginning April 01, 2021, 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.

BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

5. RBI sets up committee to review the working of ARCs

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)has constituted a six-member panel to carry out a comprehensive review of the working of Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) in the financial sector ecosystem. The panel will be headed by former Executive Director of RBI, Sudarshan Sen.
Other members of the panel include:
Vishakha Mulye – Executive Director, ICICI Bank;
P N Prasad – former Dy. Managing Director, SBI;
Rohit Prasad – Professor of Economics, MDI, Gurgaon;
Abizer Diwanji – Partner, Ernst & Young;
R Anand – Chartered Accountant
Terms of reference for the panel:
Review existing legal and regulatory framework applicable to ARCs
Recommend measures to improve the efficacy of ARCs.
Review business models of ARCs.
Study role of ARCs in the resolution of stressed assets including under Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016.
Suggest ways for improving liquidity in and trading of security receipts.
Recommend suitable measures for enabling ARCs to meet the growing requirements of the financial sector.

6. LIC ties up with Paytm to handle digital payments

State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)has appointed homegrown payments player Paytm to facilitate its digital payments. Following a tie-up with another payment gateway earlier, the country’s largest life insurer has sought a new deal as the majority of its payments have moved to digital modes.
The new agreement requires an easy payment process, a broader range of payment options, and more players (wallets, banks, etc) in payment channels. LIC has witnessed an upsurge in e-payments following the COVID-19 pandemic. The PSU insurer collects premiums worth Rs 60,000 crore via digital mode, which doesn’t comprise payments made through banks.
Important Points for all competitive exams:
- LIC Chairperson: M R Kumar;
- LIC Headquarters: Mumbai;
- LIC Founded: 1 September 1956;
- Paytm HQ: Noida, Uttar Pradesh;
- Paytm Founder & CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma;
- Paytm Founded:2009

SPORTS

7. Stefanos Tsitsipas Wins Monte Carlo 2021 Title

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won his first ATP Masters 1000 series after a flawless performance against Andrey Rublev in Monte Carlo. The Greek star had lost his previous two finals at this level, with Rafael Nadal denying him in Toronto and Novak Djokovic beating him in Madrid.
Rublev beat 11-time Monte Carlo champion Nadal in the quarter-finals. Rublev knocked out Roberto Bautista Agut, Rafael Nadal, and Dan Evans en route to the final but could not find a way past Tsitsipas.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

8. ‘The Christmas Pig’: JK Rowling to release new children’s book in October

JK Rowling has a new book coming this autumn, a festive children’s story with all new characters. The story is about a boy named Jack and his toy Dur Pig, who goes missing on Christmas Eve. The book is set to be released worldwide on Oct. 12. “The Christmas Pig” is Rowling’s first children’s novel since Harry Potter.

INDEX NEWS

9. Henley Passport Index 2021 released

Amid the rising COVID-19 cases and subsequent restrictions on travel overseas, when many countries are banning individuals from worst-hit nations, the Henley Passport Index on April 17 released its list of the most powerful passports. India stands at number 84 on the list, as the Indian citizens can visit Visa-Free or Visa-on-Arrival in over 58 places. Japan, Singapore and Germany, South Korea stand in Top 3 respectively.
The Henley Passport Index releases list which measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports. The index ranks the countries based on how strong their passport is.
Index
- Rank 1:Japan
- Rank 2: Singapore
- Rank 3: Germany, South Korea
- Rank 4:Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain
- Rank 5: Austria, Denmark
- Rank 107:Pakistan
- Rank 110: Afghanistan (Bottom)
Important Points for all competitive exams:
- International Air Transport Association Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
- International Air Transport Association Founded: 19 April 1945.
- International Air Transport Association Leader: William M. Walsh.
- Henley & Partners Headquarters location: London, United Kingdom.
- Henley & Partners Founded:
- Henley & Partners Chairman: Christian Kalin.
- Henley & Partners CEO: Juerg Steffen.

OBITUARIES NEWS

10. Former Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawat Passes Away

The senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawathas passed away. He was a four-time MP from the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency in Uttarakhand. He had served as the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

11. National Award-winning filmmaker Sumitra Bhave passes away

Acclaimed Marathi filmmaker, Sumitra Bhave has passed away. Sumitra Bhave was popular as a duo with filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. She was known for her out-of-the-box content and also for the way she handled social issues in her films.
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. They have won National Film Awards in Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare, Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film, Best Film on Other Social Issues, Best Feature Film categories.

12. Veteran Kannada writer Ganjam Venkatasubbiah passes away

Veteran Kannada writer Ganjam Venkatasubbiah, who also was a grammarian, editor, lexicographer, and literary critic, has passed away. He was 107. He was commonly known as a walking encyclopedia of Kannada language and culture, in his literary circles.
Professor G Venkatasubbaiah had compiled 12 dictionaries and had authored around 60 books. He received the Padma Shri in 2017 for his proficiency in Kannada literature, poetry, essays, and translations. Apart from this, we were also a recipient of the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award and the Pampa Award among others.

IMPORTANT DAYS

13. UN Chinese Language Day observed globally on 20 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 promotes equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.