Current Affairs 6 & 7 April 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 6 & 7 April 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Stand-Up India Scheme: About INR 25, 586 Crore Loans sanctioned by Banks since 2016

The Ministry of Finance has stated that Banks have sanctioned More than INR 25, 586 Crore (25,586.37 Crore) Loans to over 1.14 Lakh Accounts (Till March 23, 2021) under the Stand-Up India Scheme since its launch in 2016.Simultaneously, the government extended the validity of the Stand-Up India Scheme till 2025.

• Around 93, 094 loans worth ~INR 21, 200.77 Crore have been sanctioned to women-led business enterprises under the scheme.
• INR ~3, 335.87 Crore have been sanctioned to over 16, 258 SC entrepreneurs & ~INR 1, 049.72 Crore has been approved for 4, 970 ST entrepreneurs.
• The main aim of the Stand-Up India scheme is to promote Entrepreneurship among Women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.

Stand-Up India Scheme

• It was launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• It is anchored by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, Government of India
• The scheme facilitates bank loans between INR 10 Lakh and INR 1 Crore to at least one SC/ST borrower and at least one-woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks.
• Loans under the scheme are available for only greenfield projects.

About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman (Constituency – Karnataka).
Minister of State – Shri Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency – Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh).
>>Read Full News

Poshan Pakhwada Celebrated from March 16-31, 2021The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) celebrated ‘PoshanPakhwada’ (Nutrition Fortnight) across India under POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) or National Nutrition Mission from March 16-31, 2021.

• It is a mission for creating awareness on nutrition & its importance on Children, Lactating mother and adolescent child.
• Key Focus Areas for PoshanPakhwada 2021 – Addressing Nutritional Challenges through Food Forestry and Organizing Poshan Panchayats.
• MWCD was the nodal ministry for coordinating activities during the PoshanPakhwada. In the State/UT, Department of Women & Child Development/Social Welfare Department will be the nodal department for PoshanPakhwada.

POSHAN Abhiyaan for Elderly

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is aiming to launch POSHAN Abhiyaan for the Elderly.
• It will provide nutrition support to the indigent elders (any elderly who are frail, sickly or with a disability, and without pension or permanent source of income), who are victims of severe malnutrition, by focusing on procuring locally available health food material and serving hot-cooked mid-day meals.
• Implementing Agencies – Gram Panchayats & Urban Municipalities
• Funding – Senior Citizens Welfare Fund

POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th March 2018.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD):
Union Minister – SmritiZubinIrani (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Amethi, UP)
Minister of State – Debasree Chaudhuri (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Raiganj, West Bengal)
>>Read Full News

TRIFED under MoTA launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” a Village & Digital Connect DriveOn April 04, 2021, the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs(MoTA) has launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” a Village & Digital Connect Drive.The main aim of this drive is to transform the tribal ecosystem across the country and activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in all tribal villages.

• Sankalp se Siddhi –  It is a 100-day drive which is starting from April 1, 2021, which aims to cover a total of 1500 villages in the country (around 100 villages in each region) in the next 100 days by making 150 teams (10 in each region from TRIFED & State Implementation Agencies/Mentoring Agencies/Partners).

Key points: 

• Once the VDVKs are activated in the 1500 village through the drive, Rs 200 crore Sales is targeted during the next 12 months
• The visiting teams under the drive will also identify locations and shortlist potential VDVKs for clustering them as TRIFOOD, and SFURTI units.

• Until March 2021, 77 Van DhanKendras have become operational and have launched their products.
• Manipur emerged as the Champion state of the Van Dhanprogramme since its launch.
• The first VDVK was set up in Bijapur District, Chhattisgarh

About Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED):
Establishment – August 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984
Headquarters – New Delhi
Managing Director – Pravir Krishna
>>Read Full News

Harsh Vardhan approves National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021On March 30, 2021, Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare approved the ‘National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021’. The policy aims to address the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with increased focus on indigenous research.

• The problems facing treatment of rare diseases in India are – Lack of awareness among primary care physicians, lack of adequate screening and diagnostic facilities.
• Rare diseases are defined as diseases that occur infrequently in a population.

Highlights
The policy has categorised rare diseases into three groups

• Provision of upto INR 20 Lakhs under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) Scheme for rare diseases which require a one-time treatment.
• Creation of a National Hospital based Registry of rare diseases for better Research and Development.
• Screening of Rare Diseases to be supported by Nidan Kendras set up by the Department of Biotechnology.
• 8 health facilities to be designated as Centre of Excellence (CoE), they will be provided one-time financial support of up to INR 5 Crore for upgradation of diagnostics facilities.

About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister – Harsh Vardhan (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – ChandniChowk, NCT of Delhi)
Minister of State – Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Buxar, Bihar)
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

Govt has infused Rs 14,500 Cr to 4 PSBs under Zero-Coupon Recapitalisation BondsOn March 31, 2021, The Government of India(GOI) has infused Rs 14,500 crore ($1.98 billion) in four weak Public Sector Banks (PSBs) by issuing them non-interest-bearing Zero-Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds with maturities between March 31, 2031, and March 31, 2036.

• Out of the total amount infused the Central Bank of India was provided with Rs 4,800 crore, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) with 4,100 crores, Bank of India with Rs 3,000 crore and UCO Bank with Rs 2,600 crore.
• For FY22, the government had allocated Rs 20,000 crore for capital infusion into the public sector banks for meeting regulatory requirements.
• The government has allocated Rs 5,500 crore to Punjab and Sindh Bank (P&SB) in Q3FY21.

Key points: 

• This infusion is from the remaining budgetary allocation for FY21.
• The date of issuance will be the date on which the subscription amount is received from these PSBs. PSBs would hold these securities in their investment portfolio under the held-to-maturity category.
• GoI had infused Rs 2.5 trillion over FY18-FY20. While before FY18, the government would do a direct infusion of equity in PSBs, from FY18 onwards the government has used recapitalisation bonds.

What are Recapitalisation Bonds?

• These are the bonds issued to banks by GOI in the form of equity capital to increase the bank’s capital reserves.

>>Read Full News

Dutch Development Bank invested $137 million in India’s EverSource Capital’s GGEFOn April 2, 2021, Dutch entrepreneurial development bank (FMO) invested $137 million (~ Rs 1000 crore) in India’s Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), managed by EverSource Capital, to invest in India’ green energy space such as clean energy, transportation, resource efficiency and energy services.

• This fund-raising was approved by South Korea-based Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) board, the world’s largest dedicated climate fund
• This is the largest single country amount approved by GCF ever for a private sector equity fund focused on climate mitigation.
• Earlier this BP Plc, a British multinational oil and gas company announced a $70 million investment in GGEF.

Background:

• India’s GHG emission was the third-largest in the world, which is contributing to 7% of global emissions and temperature rise.
• Hence India needs a total of $2.5 trillion over 2016-2030 to ensure low-carbon and climate-resilient pathways.
• A study by Climate Policy Initiative says that India is mobilising less than 25% of the investment needed to reach its target.

About EverSource Capital

• It is the fund manager of GGEF and it aims to raise a total of $940 million and has the National Investments and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) (£120 million) of India and the UK government’s Department for International Development (£120 million) as anchor investors.

Establishment – 2018
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chief Executive Officer – DhanpalJhaveri
>>Read Full News

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS       

Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu,38 became Kosovo’s 7th PresidentOn April 4, 2021, Kosovo’s Parliament elected the 38 years old VjosaOsmani-Sadriu as its new president for a five-year term. She became the nation’s seventh president and its second female leader in the post-war period by succeeding Hashim Thaci.She is the country’s youngest head of state and one of the youngest in the world.

• She served as an acting President between November 2020 and March 2021 and also served as the speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo from February 2020 until March 2021.
• As president, she will be the head of state and she also has a leading position in foreign policy and is the commander of the armed forces.
• Hashim Thaçi was the President of Kosovo from April 2016 to 5 November 2020. He was the first Prime Minister of Kosovo.
• Acting President, Glauk Konjufca handed over the country’s constitution to Vjosa Osmani.

About the Republic of Kosovo:

• On 17 February 2008, Kosovo became independent from Serbia after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s intervention.

Capital – Pristina
Currency – Euro (€)
Prime Minister – AlbinKurti
Official Languages – Albanian, Serbian

Nguyen Xuan Phuc Sworn In As President of Vietnam; Pham Minh Chinh Elected As Prime Minister On 5th April 2021, Nguyen Xuan Phuc (66 years old) of Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), sworn in as the President of Vietnam at Hanoi, Vietnam. The 14th National Assembly(NA) of Vietnam elected Pham Minh Chinhof CPV as the new Prime Minister(PM) of Vietnam.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc Appointed as President:
i.Nguyen Xuan Phuc replaced Nguyen PhuTrong, who was serving as both the President and General Secretary of Vietnam.
ii.The resolution on electing him as the new president was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5%.
iii.He was the only candidate who was nominated for President, this is the first time where a prime minister was nominated to the post of President.

• He served as the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2016 to 2021.
• He has served as the member of 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th CPV Central Committee.

Pham Minh Chinh Appointed as Prime Minister:
The resolution to elect Pham Minh Chinh as the new PM was adopted by the top legislature with an approval rate of 96.25% at the ongoing 11th session of the 14th NA.

• Pham Minh Chinh has served as the deputy Minister of public security.
• He has been serving as the head of the organization commission under CPV Central Committee since Feb 2016.

Other appointments:
i.The National Party Congress has re-elected Nguyen PhuTrong as the General Secretary for a 3rd term.
ii.VuongDinh Hue, former minister of finance and deputy prime Minister was elected as the Chairman of the National Assembly.
About Vietnam:
Capital– Hanoi
Currency– Vietnamese dong   

Chintan Vaishnav appointed as the new Mission Director of Atal Innovation MissionDr Chintan Vaishnav will replace Ramanathan Ramanan to become the new Mission Director of Niti Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) from mid-April 2021. Ramanathan Ramanan is the 1st mission director of AIM since June 2017.
Dr Vaishnav holds a PhD in technology, management, and policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
About Atal Innovation Mission:
Aim – To create a problem-solving innovative mindset among students by creating an ecosystem of entrepreneurship in universities, research institutions in collaboration with the private & MSME sector.
Launched by NITI Aayog in 2016.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairperson – Prime Minister of India
CEO – Amitabh Kant
Headquarters – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS         

APSEZ acquired the remaining 25% stake in Krishnapatnam Port for Rs 2,800 crOn April 05, 2021, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ) has acquired the outstanding 25% stake in Krishnapatnam Port for Rs 2,800 crore from Vishwasamudra Holdings, making the port a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.

• In October 2020, APSEZ has acquired a 75% stake in the Krishnapatnam port for Rs 13,675 crore.

• The acquisition of Krishnapatnam Port makes Adani Ports, India’s largest port developer and operator representing 24% of the country’s total port capacity.

About Krishnapatnam Port and its acquisition:

• It is located on India’s east coast in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, and it is close to the border between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• It is an all-weather, deep water port and has a multi-cargo facility with a current capacity of 64 million tons a year.
• Its acquisition since last year has resulted in improved EBITDA margins for Adani ports from 57% in FY20 to 72% in FY21.

What is EBITDA Margin?

• The EBITDA margin is a measure of a company’s operating profit as a percentage of its revenue. It stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

About Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ) Ltd:

• APSEZ – India’s largest private Ports & Logistics company
• The current portfolio of Adani Ports includes Mundra, Dahej, Tuna and Hazira in Gujarat, Dhamra in Odisha, Mormugao in Goa, Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Dighi in Maharashtra and Kattupalli and Ennore in Chennai. Further, Adani Ports is also developing a transhipment port at Vizhinjam in Kerala.

Headquarters – Gujarat, India
CEO – Karan Adani
Chairman – Gautam Adani

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO develops Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard Naval Ships from Missile AttackDefence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ), a DRDO Laboratory (Defence Research and Development Organization) has indigenously developed an Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard Indian naval ships from Missile Attack.
3 variants of Chaff technology have been developed. They are

• Short Range Chaff Rocket (SRCR)
• Medium Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR)
• Long Range Chaff Rocket (LRCR)

i.All 3 variants of the Chaff Technology were tested in the Arabian Sea on Indian Naval Ship.
Chaff Technology

• It is an electronic countermeasure technology used by armed forces to protect their naval ships by distracting the enemy’s radar and Radio Frequency (RF) missile seekers.
• Chaffs (thin pieces of aluminium, plastic or glass fiber) are disbursed in air by aircrafts of other targets, which appears as a cluster of primary targets on radar screens or swamps the screen with multiple returns and confuses the adversaries.

About Defence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ):
Director – Ravindra Kumar
Location – Jodhpur, Rajasthan
>>Read Full News

Russia registers world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals: Carnivac-Cov

Russia has registered the world’s first vaccine for animals Carnivac-Cov against COVID-19, by agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor. Russia already has three coronavirus vaccines for humans, Sputnik, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.

SPORTS

Tennis: Overview of 2021 Miami OpenThe 2021 Miami Open (also known as Miami Masters, presented by Itau) took place at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, the USA from 22nd March – 4th April 2021.

• It is part of the Men’s ATP Tour Masters 1000 Circuit & a Premier Mandatory event on the Women’s WTA Tour.
• It is a Hard Court Tournament.

About Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Massimo Calvelli
Headquarter – London, United Kingdom.
>>Read Full News

OBITUARY

Japanese Nobel Laureate Isamu Akasaki Passed Away At 92On 1st April 2021, Isamu Akasaki, one of the winners of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics passed away at the age of 92 in Nagoya, Japan. He won the Nobel prize for the invention of the world’s first efficient blue LED(Light Emitting Diode). He was born on 30 January 1929 in Chiran, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
About Isamu Akasaki:
i.Isamu Akasaki, an electrical Engineer, has worked in various electronic companies like Kobe Kogyo Corporation and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., now Panasonic Corp.
ii.He started to work as a professor at Nagoya University in 1981.
Honours:
i.The Government of Japan honoured him with the Medal with Purple Ribbon, which is presented to honour his contributions to academic and artistic development.
ii.Isamu Akasaki, along with Japanese Physicist and Shuji Nakamura, Japan-born American professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2014.
Importance of the Invention – Blue LED:
i.The invention of the efficient blue LED’s has contributed to the bright and energy-saving white LED light sources, known as LED Lamps.
ii.Isamu Akasaki worked with Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura, and successfully produced the gallium nitride crystals in 1989 and created the world’s first Blue LED.

India’s First Union Environment Minister Digvijaysinh Zala Passed Away At 88
Digvijaysinh Zala, India’s first Union Minister of Environment and Member of the Legislative Assembly(MLA) from Wankaner, Gujarat passed away at the age of 88 in Morbi, Gujarat. He was born on 20th August 1932 in Wankaner, Gujarat.
Digvijaysinh Zala was the head of the erstwhile princely state of Wankaner, Gujarat.
About Digvijaysinh Zala:
i.Digvijaysinh Zala was elected as a member of the Gujarat legislative assembly in 1962 as an independent candidate and later elected as a member of the Swatantra Party in 1967.
ii.As a member of Congress, He became the Member of Parliament from the Surendranagar constituency for two terms from 1979 to 1989.
iii.He served as the first Environment Minister of India from 1982 to 1984 after the Ministry was established under Prime minister Indira Gandhi in November 1980.
iv.He has authored the book titled “The Eco-vote: Peoples’ Representatives and Global Environment” (1985).

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Venkaiah Naidu Released The Book ‘Neelimarani – My Mother, My Hero’ By Dr.Achyuta SamantaOn 2nd April 2021, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India released the book titled “Neelimarani – My Mother, My Hero” authored by Dr.Achyuta Samanta(Achyutananda Samanta), Member of Lok Sabha, at Raj Bhavan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This is a biography of Dr.Achyuta Samanta’s late mother, Neelimarani Samanta.
The book is published by Rupa Publications.
Key People:
Prof.Ganeshi Lal, governor of Odisha and Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda, Secretary to Governor were present during the release.
About Neelimarani Samanta:
NeelimaraniSamanta was a social activist who was instrumental in transforming the remote and backward Kalarabank village of Manpur Panchayat in Cuttack, Odisha into a smart village and model panchayat with all modern amenities.
About Achyuta Samanta:
i.Achyuta Samanta, a member of Biju Janata Dal(BJD) served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 2018 to 2019.
ii.He was elected as a member of 17th Lok Sabha from Kandhamal Constituency(Odisha) in 2019.
iii.He is the founder chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology(KIIT), and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), deemed to be a University. KISS has become the first tribal University in the world.
Honours:
He received various civilian awards from various countries including the Gusi Peace Prize, the highest Civilian Award from Bahrain.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Maritime Day 2021 – April 5i.The National Maritime Day(NMD) is annually observed across India on 5th April, to create awareness about intercontinental commerce and the economy. 2021 marks the celebration of the 58th Edition of the National Maritime Day.The theme of National Maritime Day 2021 is ‘Sustainable Shipping beyond COVID-19’.
ii.The first edition of the National Maritime Day was observed on 5th April 1964. 
iii.The events for the Celebration of the National Maritime Day and Merchant Navy Flag Day are organised and co-coordinated by the National Maritime Day Celebrations (NMDC) (Central) Committee.
iv.On 31st March 2021, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra inaugurated the Merchant Navy Week 31st March 2021 to 5th April 2021 at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
v.Amitabh Kumar,Director General of Shipping and Chairman NMDC (Central) Committee felicitated Bhagat Singh Koshyari with the first miniature flag.
About Directorate General of Shipping:
Director General of Shipping– Amitabh Kumar
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2021 – April 4i.The United Nations(UN)’s International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is annually observed across the globe on 4th April to provide support to the mine action work, raise awareness about landmines and work toward its eradication.
ii.The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action events across the globe are led by the United Nations mine action Service(UNMAS).
iii.The 2021 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action highlights the importance of“Perseverance, Partnership, and Progress” in the mine sector.
iv.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the resolution A/RES/60/97 on 8th December 2005 and proclaimed the 4th April of every year as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
v.Thefirst International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was observed on 4th April 2006. 
>>Read Full News

International Day of Conscience – April 5i.The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Conscience is annually observed across the globe on 5th April to promote peace and love throughout the globe in accordance with the culture and customs of local, national and regional communities through education and awareness-raising activities.
ii.2021 marks the celebration of the 2nd International Day of Conscience.
iii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the resolution A/RES/73/329 on 25th July 2019 and proclaimed the 5th April of every year as theInternational Day of Conscience.
About UNESCO:
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Telangana, Wadhwani AI sign MoU to use Artificial Intelligence for benefit of Cotton FarmersOn April 3, 2021, Department of Agriculture, Government of Telangana & the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI), Mumbai (Maharashtra) signeda Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for deploying AI solutions to assist Cotton farmers in beating pest infestations.

• The AI solution (Mobile App) will help farmers to catch pest infestations early& take corrective measures to avoid significant crop damage.
• It is set to be provided free-of-cost to the Telangana Government and will be delivered using Mobile App.
• The project is supported by Google and partners including IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative) & IGS (Intelligent Growth Solutions).
• The AI solution is capable of predicting pink and American bollworm infestation with an accuracy of over 90%. Pink and American bollworms are the two most devastating pests for the cotton crop.

Benefits

• The app will also be helpful in equipping the cotton farmers with the scientific knowledge of an agriculture expert
• It will help the farmers to improve the quality of cotton and also fetch more revenues to the farmers

Cotton in India

• India is the world’s largest Cotton producer followed by China & USA.
• It is India’s 3rd Largest crop after Rice & Wheat.
• Leading Cotton Growing States in India – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana

About Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence:
CEO – Dr. P. Anandan
Location – Mumbai, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

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