Daily Current Affairs: April 14 & 15, 2021

Daily Current Affairs (April 14 & 15, 2021) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK, and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness, and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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Important Days

National Fire Service Day – 14 April

• National Fire Service Day is observed to pay homage to the incredible commitment and sacrifice by the 71 Fire Service personnel during an unfortunate mishap in 1944 on this day. This day is the symbol of the discipline, courage, and dedication of the firefighters as their motto is “Serve to save lives and property”.

World Chagas Disease Day – 14 April

• World Chagas Disease Day is celebrated on 14 April to raise awareness around Chagas disease. It was first celebrated on 14 April 2020 and was named after Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, the Brazilian doctor who diagnosed the first case on 14 April 1909.

National News

Union Agriculture Ministry signed an MoU with Microsoft for a pilot project in 100 villages of six states to raise farmers income

• Union Agriculture Ministry had signed an MoU with Microsoft for a pilot project in 100 villages of six states. This project will carry out various tasks for the betterment of farmers in the selected villages, which will enhance their income. This will also reduce the input costs for farmers and make farming easy.
• These states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Microsoft will develop a farmer interface for smart and well-organized agriculture, including post-harvest management and distribution.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the Aahaar Kranti mission to spread awareness about nutrition

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched Aahaar Kranti, a mission dedicated to spread awareness about nutrition. It is designed to address the peculiar problem of hunger and diseases in abundance, being faced by India and the world. Studies show that India produces as much as two times the amount of calories it consumes.
• The movement proposes to address the problem by working to rouse the people to the values and richness of India’s traditional diet, to the healing powers of local fruits and vegetables and the miracles of a balanced diet.

Principal Scientific Adviser K Vijay Raghavan launched MANAS App to promote wellbeing across age groups

• Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government K Vijay Raghavan had launched the MANAS App to promote wellbeing across age groups. MANAS which stands for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System was endorsed as a national program by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council.
• It is a comprehensive, scalable, and national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment the mental well-being of Indian citizens. The application integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed by various national bodies and research institutions.

Atal Innovation Mission partnered with Dassault Systemes Foundation for seeding future innovators and entrepreneurs

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog signed an agreement with Dassault Systemes Foundation to jointly work towards providing a digitally rich ecosystem of Innovation in India and promoting STEM-based innovation and entrepreneurship among aspiring young minds across the country.
• Dassault Systemes Foundation is dedicated to transform the future of education and research in India with 3D technologies. The foundation will contribute to the Atal Tinkering Labs program in three broad areas – project-based, self-paced learning content, hackathons and challenges and inter-country academia collaborations.
• Under this agreement, Dassault Systemes Foundation will design and organise innovative challenges, hackathons for Atal Tinkering Labs, promoting problem solving skills and innovation culture amongst students and teachers.

NCSC Launched “Online Grievance Management Portal” for Persons from Scheduled Castes

• Union Minister for Communication & IT and Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the “Online Grievance Management Portal of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) was set up under Article 338 of the Constitution of India to investigate and monitor all issues about the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under any law for the time being in force or under any order of the Government of India.

Atal Innovation Mission Partnered With AICTE to Adopt Atal Tinkering Labs

• Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell announced their strategic collaboration to empower Atal Tinkering Lab school students for world-class future-ready innovation skills across the country.
• The partnership offers to begin with to connect around 7200 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) established in schools with 2500 Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) functioning in higher educational institutions spread across all the states and UTs.

NITI Aayog launched India Energy Dashboards Version 2.0

• Intending to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country, the government think tank Niti Aayog launched India Energy Dashboards (IED) Version 2.0.
• India Energy Dashboards (IED) is an endeavour to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country. Energy data published/provided by Central Electricity Authority, Coal Controller’s Organisation, and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is compiled in the Dashboards. NITI Aayog launched the first version of this IED in May 2017.
• The new dashboard provides time-series data from FY 2005-06 until FY 2019-20. Further, it enables easy downloading of data into convenient spreadsheet formats in a cleaner, more intuitive way.

Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched national nursery portal

• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched a ‘National Nursery Portal’ to connect nursery operators with consumers. The National Nursery Portal is developed by the National Horticulture Board which will help consumers to connect with nurseries and get information about the availability and prices of quality planting material. It will also help nursery operators in assessing market demand for their products.

International News

United Arab Emirates (UAE) to send rover Rashid to the moon in 2022

• Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) will build the Rashid lunar rover. Rashid’, an Emirati-made lunar rover named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The rover will be transported to the Moon on iSpace’s lunar lander. iSpace “will deliver the Emirates lunar mission’s ‘Rashid’ rover to the Moon, provide wired communication and power during the cruise phase, and engage in wireless communication on the lunar surface”.
• UAE aims to become the first Arab country and only the fourth in the world to land on the moon. The Rashid lunar rover will be designed entirely by Emiratis. The UAE had originally intended to send it into space by 2024. Lunar exploration company ispace will transport a United Arab Emirates rover to the moon in 2022.

Banking and Finance

Punjab National Bank launched a digital initiative called PNB@Ease

• Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched a digital initiative called PNB@Ease under which every transaction undertaken by a bank branch will be initiated and authorised by customers themselves. The service can range from savings accounts opening to availing various loans and more, without visiting a branch or help from the bank employees. PNB@Ease outlets would boost the bank’s distribution capability and lower the cost of customer acquisition.

IDFC First Bank offered special banking solution for Assam Rifles personnel

• IDFC First Bank had signed an MoU with Assam Rifles to offer Honour First, a premium banking solution to serving personnel and veterans of Assam Rifles.
• Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force of India, instituted in 1835. It comprises 60,000 personnel spread across the North Eastern States with 46 battalions. Entrusted with internal security and border management roles, Assam Rifles is referred to as the Sentinels of the North East.

Appointments

Claude Joseph appointed as the new prime minister of Haiti

• Claude Joseph is appointed as the new Prime minister of Haiti after the resignation of former Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe due to the country faces a spike in killings and kidnappings. Jouthe had served as prime minister since March 2020.

Haiti

• Capital: Port-au-Prince
• Currency: Gourde

Central Government appointed Anil Kumar Sharma to the central board of SBI

• The Central government-appointed Anil Kumar Sharma for the post of Director on the central board of State Bank of India (SBI) with immediate effect and until further orders, whichever is earlier. Currently, he is serving as Executive Director in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With his new assignment, Sharma had replaced Chandan Sinha.

Kumar Animesh gets an additional charge as CVO of CMPFO

• Kumar Animesh had been given additional charge as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation (CMPFO).
• As per the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the government had approved the proposal for the entrustment of the additional charge of the post of CVO of CMPFO to Animesh for a period of one year from the date of assumption of charge or till the appointment of a regular CVO, whichever is earlier.
• Kumar Animesh, who is currently serving as CVO of BCCL, had been given additional charge as CVO of CMPFO for a period of one year.

K Madhavan appointed as President of the Walt Disney Company India and Star India

• K Madhavan will now be driving the strategy and growth of the company in India with responsibility for the Disney, Star and Hotstar businesses and operations spanning across entertainment, sports and regional channels, and direct-to-consumer.
• K Madhavan had served as country manager of Star & Disney India since 2019, overseeing the Company’s television and studios business in India.

Siddharth Singh Longjam succeeded Navin Agarwal as National Anti-Doping Agency’s Director-General

• Siddharth Singh Longjam was appointed as the National Anti-Doping Agency’s Director-General succeeding Navin Agarwal who listed the creation of Athletes Biological Passport (ABP) for around 60 elite Indian sportspersons as one of the highlights of his tenure.
• Siddharth Singh Longjam is currently serving as joint secretary in the sports ministry and is also the CEO of the currently suspended National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).
• The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) helps monitor select biological variables over time that can reveal the effects of doping, rather than attempting to detect the doping substance or the method itself.

Suresh Raina appointed as the brand ambassador of Elista

• Elista, a brand backed by the prestigious TeknoDome Group had announced the ace cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador. Elista is a Consumer Electronics brand that aims to be the face of world-class innovation in India. TeknoDome is the parent company of Elista. It has its Global Headquarters in Dubai and Indian Headquarters in Noida.

Awards and Recognition

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited bagged the top award for innovative training practices

• Navratna Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had bagged first place for Innovative Training Practices 2019-20 at the 30th National Award ceremony held recently at New Delhi by the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD).
• Indian Society for Training & Development is a national level professional and non-profit society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It has a large membership of individuals and institutions involved in the area of training and development of Human Resource from Government, Public and Private Sector Organizations & Enterprises, Educational and Training Institutions and other Professional Bodies.

Obituary

Former Election Commissioner GVG Krishnamurty passed away at 86

• Former election commissioner GVG Krishnamurty passed away due to age-related ailments. An Indian Legal Service officer, Krishnamurty became the election commissioner in October 1993.

Eminent Historian Yogesh Praveen Passed Away at 82

• Historian and Padma Shri award winner Yogesh Praveen passed away after a brief illness. Praveen wrote more than 30 books on Awadhi culture and Lucknow and contributed several articles in newspapers and magazines and was given the Padma Shri award. Yogesh was awarded Padma Shri in 2020.

Can you score 20/20 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of  April 14 & 15, 2021, now from the link given below. 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – April 14 & 15, 2021