Current Affairs 6 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 6 May 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

Dharmendra Pradhan flags off 1st supply of Used Cooking Oil-based BiodieselUnion Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan virtually flagged off the 1st supply of  UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel from IndianOil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi. It is part of the Expression of Interests (EoI) scheme.
i.On Occasion of the World Biofuel Day (10th August) in 2019, various Central Ministries such as Petroleum and Natural Gas, Steel, Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Science  initiated an EoI Scheme for ‘Procurement of Biodiesel produced from UCO’ .
ii.It was aimed at creating an ecosystem for collection and conversion of UCO into Biodiesel and develop entrepreneurship opportunities.
iii.India has set a target to achieve 5% blending of Biodiesel in Diesel by 2030.
Benefits of EoI Initiative

• It will boost Biodiesel supply in India and play a major role in reducing import dependence and generating rural employment.
• It will help in diverting the use of unhealthy used oil from the food chain to a more productive purpose.

About Indian Oil Corporation (IOC):
Chairman– Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarter– New Delhi
>>Read Full News

Overview of India-UK Virtual Summit 2021;9 MoU’s SignedThe India-UK Virtual Summit 2021 between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Prime Minister of United Kingdom Boris Johnson took place on 4th May 2021.
i.During the summit, the two leaders adopted ‘Roadmap 2030’ which aims to elevate bilateral ties to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.
ii.The UK finalised new  deals/trade worth 1 Billion British Pound Sterling (GBP) to create 6,500 jobs in the UK.
iii.They also agreed/announced 9 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)/Declarations during the summit.
iv.Launch of Enhanced Trade Partnership to double Bilateral trade between the 2 countries by 2030 (current level stands at GBP 23 Billion).
Defence
India & UK agreed to expand bilateral defence cooperation through technology collaboration in developing combat aircraft and complex weapons.

• They discussed how the UK can assist India to build their Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk2 Aircrafts.

Global Green Grids Initiative
Both Countries agreed to launch the Green Grids Initiative at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) 2021, which is set to take place from November 1-12, 2021 in Glasgow, UK.
India, UK to enhance Partnership on Vaccines
i.India & UK have agreed to enhance partnership between the 2 countries on Vaccines.
ii.Serum Institute of India (SII) is set to invest 240 Million Pounds in the UK to expand its business & set up a new sales office. It is expected to generate a large number of jobs.
About United Kingdom
Prime Minister – Boris Johnson
Capital – London
Currency –  British Pound Sterling (GBP)
>>Read Full News

India notifies Digital Tax Threshold for Non-Resident Technology FirmsThe Central Board of Direct Taxes  (CBDT) has notified Digital Tax Threshold for Non-Resident Technology firms like Google, Facebook, Netflix to pay tax in India.
i.The Thresholds are

• Transaction Threshold – Any non-resident whose revenue exceeds INR 2 Crore for transactions in respect of goods, services or property with any person in India. It includes transactions on download of data or software.
• User Threshold – Any entity that systematically and continuously does business with more than 3 Lakh users in India.

ii.The thresholds are part of the Significant Economic Presence (SEP) principle, which was introduced in Finance Bill 2018-19.
iii.It is set to come into effect from April 1, 2022.
iv.The proposed changes do not cover the existing double taxation avoidance agreements.

• To tax Tech Companies like Facebook, Google and others, India has to renegotiate/renew tax treaties with the United States and other countries.

About Central Board of Direct Taxes  (CBDT)
Chairperson – Pramod Chandra Mody
Head Office – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

581 Sites Identified for Medical Oxygen Plant Installation; NHAI is the Nodal AgencyDue to the shortage of medical oxygen in many state hospitals, Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced the installation of Pressure Swing Adsorption(PSA) medical oxygen plants in various states.

• Around 581 sites have been identified by the Government for setting up additional PSA medical oxygen plants.
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will act as the nodal agency for executing civil and electrical work of the medical oxygen plants.
• The Infrastructure construction was planned to complete on a war footing.

About Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways:
Union Minister – Nitin Gadkari (Member of Lok Sabha – Constituency – Nagpur, Maharashtra)
Minister of State – V K Singh (Member of Lok Sabha – Constituency – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)

First Electric Tractor in India Tested at CFMTTI, Budni, MP

India’s first-ever electric tractor has been tested at the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute (CFMTTI), Budni, Madhya Pradesh (MP).This new electric tractor will be more environmentally friendly than other types of tractors.
i.The Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
ii.This institute has received NABL Certificate of Accreditation for CMVR Test Laboratory on 30th March, 2021.
iii.Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) is a body that includes Testing including Medical Laboratory, Calibration Laboratory, Proficiency Testing Provider, Certified Reference Material Producer.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Global FDI flows fall by 38% in 2020, India 3rd Largest Recipient : OECD DataAccording to a new set of data released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development  (OECD), the global FDI (Foreign Direct Investments)  dropped by 38% in 2020 (compared to 2019) to USD 846 Billion, which is a 15-year low (lowest  since 2005). India became the 3rd Largest Recipient of FDI inflows in 2020 with an inflow of USD 64 Billion.
i.China became the largest Recipient of FDI (USD 212 Billion) overtaking the United States (USD 177 Billion) for the 2nd time in six years, while Luxembourg finished 4th.
ii.The largest sources of FDI outflows in 2020 were Luxembourg, the United States and Japan.
iii.In 2020, global FDI flows represented only 1% of world GDP, the lowest level since 1999.
Largest Recipients of FDI in 2020

About Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development  (OECD)
Secretary General – Angel Gurria
Headquarters – Paris, France
>>Read Full News

IP Protection:US puts India on Priority Watch list-Special 301 ReportAccording to the Special 301 report, India has been put on the “Priority Watch List” for IP protection and enforcement along with eight other countries by the United States(US). Another twenty-three countries were also put on “Watch List”.

• The Special 301 report was released by the United States Trade Representative

About Special 301 report:
i.The report basically lists the countries that do not provide sufficient Intellectual Property(IP) rights to American companies.
ii.According to the report, India has been inconsistent in the progress of IP protection. Though the enforcement of IP has gradually improved, India lacks in providing benefits for innovators.
iii.The patent issues are of great concern in India. The Indian Patent Law lacks patent validity and holds narrow patentability criteria.
iv.The other countries that have been put on the list are Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Venezuela.
v.The 23 trading partners on the Watch List are Algeria, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI’s Comprehensive Credit Support Measures Against the Second wave of COVID-19On May 05, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) announced a series of measures and Comprehensive strategies to support all stakeholders from the second wave of COVID-19 led economic difficulties.
Measures undertaken by RBI against the pandemic:
i.Term Liquidity Facility of ₹50,000 crores to Ease Access to Emergency Health Services
RBI announced an on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 crore with 3 years of maturity and at repo rate till March 31, 2022(End of FY22) under the priority sector classification lending and allowed banks to lend under this scheme.
ii.Classification of SFB loan to MFIs for on-lending as PSL
RBI permitted the Small Finance Banks’ (SFBs) lending to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) for on-lending to individuals under the classification of priority sector lending (PSL) for which the MFIs need to have Rs 500 crore asset size (Currently, the SFB’s PSL is not permitted for MFIs for on-lending). (Availability – till March 31, 2022)
iii.Special Long-Term Repo Operations (SLTRO) for SFBs
To support small business, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), and unorganised sectors RBI introduced special three-year long-term repo operations (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore at a repo rate for the SFBs. (SFBs could lend of up to Rs 10 lakh per borrower till October 31, 2021)
iv.RBI allowed the utilisation of 100% floating provisions for non-performing assets
Banks are allowed by RBI to utilise 100 percent floating provisions/counter-cyclical provisioning buffer held by them as of December 31, 2020, for making specific provisions for non-performing assets.
v.RBI Increased State Governments’ OD Facility Tenor to 50 days
To support State Governments to manage their fiscal situation, RBI has increased the maximum number of days of the OverDraft (OD) facility in a quarter from 36 to 50 days and the number of consecutive days of OD from 14 to 21 days.
Along with these measures RBI allowed banks and non-banks to extend the restructuring loan benefits to individual customers and small businesses, and MSMEs through Resolution Framework 2.0 and it has rationalised certain components of the extant KYC norms.
About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael DebabrataPatra, M Rajeshwar Rao, and T Rabi Sankar (appointed on May 2021)
>>Read Full News

LIC Became 10th Most valuable & 3rd Strongest Insurance Brand GloballyBrand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy firm in its annual report on the most valuable and strongest insurance brands – “Insurance 100 2021”, reported the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) as the 3rd strongest and the 10th most valuable insurance brand globally.

• LIC’s brand value increased by almost 7 percent to $8.65 billion from 2020 to 2021.
• The report stated a decline in the total value of the world’s top 100 most valuable insurance brands by 6 per cent from $462.4 billion in 2020 to $433.0 billion in 2021.

Top Valuable Insurance Brands in the world:

Top Strongest Insurance Brands in the world:

About Life Insurance Corporation(LIC):
Establishment -1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman -M R Kumar
Managing Director – Siddhartha Mohanty, Vipin Anand, Mukesh Kumar Gupta, Raj Kumar

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

11th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2021: Jungle Cry won Best Film Jury Award“Jungle Cry” directed by Sagar Ballary won the Best Film (Jury) award at the 11th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2021.
The Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival Awards is annually presented to appreciate the talents and skills of the film industry.
Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival:
i.Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival is India’s only independent film festival established in 2011 in Delhi NCR.
ii.The Film Festival is annually organised on 30th April to mark the birth anniversary of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the father of Indian Cinema, who is fondly known as ‘Dada Saheb Phalke’.
>>Read Full News

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Mamata Banerjee becomes West Bengal CM  for 3rd Consecutive TermOn May 5, 2021, Mamata Banerjee who belongs to the party of Trinamool Congress (TMC) took oath as the Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal for 3rd Consecutive Term (2011-2016, 2016-21).
i.She is the 8th Chief Minister of West Bengal (WB).
ii.Mamata Banerjee was administered the oath of office by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
iii.Mamata Banerjee took oath as CM, even though she was defeated  in her constituency of Nandigram.

• Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution, an unelected member can assume office as CM but he or she has to either win a bypoll or get elected to the Legislative Council within 6 months to retain the position.

Article 164
Article 164 of the Indian constitution deals with appointment of Chief Ministers and other ministers. It has 5 sections.
About West Bengal:
Governor – Jagdeep Dhankhar
Chief Minister – Mamata Banerjee
Capital – Kolkata
>>Read Full News

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX Launches another batch of 60 Starlink Satellites into OrbitOn May 4, 2021, SpaceX launched another batch of 60 Starlink Internet satellites into Orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The satellites were launched aboard the Falcon 9 Rocket.
i.It was the 13th Launch of 2021 for SpaceX.

• So far in 2021, SpaceX has launched 610 Starlink Satellites into space.
• Out of 13 Falcon 9 launches in 2021, 10 have been dedicated to Starlink satellites. The 11th mission – Transporter-1 rideshare mission also carried 10 Starlink satellites.
• On April 28, 2021 – SpaceX had launched 60 Starlink Satellites into Orbit from Space Launch Complex 40  at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, US.

Starlink Project
It is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX for providing Satellite Internet access. It is the largest Satellite Constellation in the world.
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
About SpaceX:
Chief Executive Officer – Elon Musk
Headquarters – California, USA
>>Read Full News

Facebook Launched in App Vaccine Finder Tool in India

Facebook partnered with the Government of India to launch the Vaccine Finder Tool on the mobile application – Facebook – in India. The app available in 17 languages, will enable the public to locate the nearby place to get vaccinated.

• The tool will also collect and display the walk-in option for the users of age 45 or above along with a link to register on the Cowin portal and schedule an appointment to get a vaccination.
• Facebook has also announced a 10 million USD grant to India for its emergency response against the COVID-19 situation.
• The company said that it is also will be joining hands with NGOs and agencies namely, United Way, Swasth, Hemkunt Foundation, I Am Gurgaon, Project Mumbai and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) to deploy the funds announced to help build up a stock of critical medical supplies with over 5,000 oxygen concentrators and other life-saving equipment like ventilators, BiPAP machines.

Lightest form of Uranium called Uranium-214 Created 

Scientists have created the new uranium isotope called Uranium-214 at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, China and this is the lightest ever known. This discovery helps to reveal more about an alpha particle that gets ejected from certain radioactive elements as they decay.

• This is much lighter than more common uranium isotopes. It has 30 more neutrons than protons, one fewer neutron than the next-lightest known uranium isotope and neutrons & Protons have mass of ~1.

SPORTS

ICC Men’s Team Ranking 2021 Annual Update: India Ranked 2nd in T20 & 3rd in ODI FormatThe International Cricket Council(ICC) released the men’s team rankings following the annual update carried out on 3rd May 2021. India has retained its 2nd place behind England on the ICC team ranking in the Twenty20(T20) Format. India has dropped to the 3rd position in the ODI Ranking behind New Zealand(1st) and Australia(2nd).

• This annual update excludes the results from 2017-2018 and halves the weighting of matches played in 2019-2020, which includes the World Cup 2019.
• The current update which rates all the matches played since May 2020 at 100 percent and the matches played in the previous 2 years at 50 percent.

ICC team Test ranking 2021:
i.The annual update of the test ranking will be carried out after the conclusion of the ongoing Pakistan-Zimbabwe series.
ii.At present the test ranking is topped by India followed by New Zealand and Australia respectively.
Highlights:
i.5 countries – Gambia, Ghana, Hungary, Sierra Leone and Sweden – have lost their rankings after the update.
ii.To remain in the rankings, 80 countries have played 6 T20Is over the past 3 years despite the global pandemic.
Top 3 of ICC team Ranking 2021:

About International Cricket Council(ICC:
Chairman- Greg Barclay
Chief Executive- Manu Sawhney
Headquarters- Dubai, UAE

OBITUARY

Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ actress Olympia Dukakis passed away at 89Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ actress Olympia Dukakis passed away at the age of 89 in New York due to prolonged illness.She was born on 20^th June 1931 in Massachusetts,USA.
About Olympia Dukakis:
i.Olympia Dukakis was an American actress, director, producer, teacher and activist who performed in over 130 stage productions, over 60 films and in 50 television series.
ii.She won an Oscar award in 1987 and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck.
iii.She has also won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her performance in Bertolt Brecht’s Man Equals Man.
iv.Dukakis’s autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003.
v.In 2020, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States.

Padma Bhushan Rev. Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, India’s longest-serving Bishop Passed Away at 103Padma Bhushan Reverend(Rev) Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, a well-known religious leader and India’s longest serving Bishop passed away at the age of 103 in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. He was born on 27th April 1918 in Travancore, British India.
About Rev. Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom:
i.He was ordained as Deacon of the Church in 1944 and in 1953 he was consecrated as Bishop.
ii.He was exalted as the Suffragan Metropolitan in May 1978, Officiating Metropolitan on 15th March 1999 and Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Syrian Church on 23rd October 1999.
iii.Serampore University honoured him with a Doctorate Degree to recognise his contribution to Theology.
iv.He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2018. 
Note:
Malayalam filmmaker, Blessy made the documentary ‘100 years of Mar Chrysostom’ on the life and vision of Rev. Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom.
The documentary starred Narendra Modi, Mohanlal, Jagathi Sreekumar.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Meghan Markle to Release Her 1st Children’s Book Titled “The Bench”Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, is set to release her debut book, titled “The Bench”. It is a children book that narrates the bond between a father and son through the mothers perspective.

• The book is published by Random House Children’s Books.
• The illustrations of the book are done by award-winning artist Christian Robinson.

About the Book:
i.The book was inspired by the relationship between fathers and sons.
ii.The audiobook edition of the book narrated by Megahan will also be released in June.
About Meghan Markle:
i.Meghan Markle born as Rachel Meghan Markle on 4th August 1981 in Los Angeles, California.
ii.She was an American Actress who has featured in the General Hospital, Cuts, the War at Home, CSI: NY and 90210.
iii.She was well known for her role as Rachel Zane in the 2011 series “Suits”.
iv.She married Prince Harry in 2018. Her official titles are The Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.

New book: Bengal 2021-An Election Diary By Deep HalderA New book titled Bengal 2021-An Election Diary authored by Deep Halder will be published by Harper Collins India

• This book speaks about the electrifying election that took place in West Bengal,amid the times of Covid-19.

About the Author:
i.Deep Halder is the author of Blood Island: An Oral History of the Marichjhapi Massacre.
ii.He has been a journalist for almost two decades, writing on issues of development at the intersection of religion, caste and politics.
iii.Currently, he is executive editor at India Today Group.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Midwife 2021 – May 5International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is annually celebrated across the globe on 5th May to recognise and celebrate the work of midwives across the world. The midwives are the healthcare professionals who provide support and care for the women during pregnancy, labour and birth.
The theme of the IDM 2021 is “Follow the data: Invest in Midwives”. 
Background:
i.The International Day of the Midwife(IDM) has been initiated and annually celebrated by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).
ii.The first International Day of the Midwife was celebrated in 1991.
Report:
i.The IDM 2021 coincides with the launch of the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) Report 2021.
ii.The report was produced by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and Novametrics
About International Confederation of Midwives (ICM):
Chief Executive– Dr Sally Pairman
Headquarters– The Hague, Netherlands
>>Read Full News

World Hand Hygiene Day 2021 – May 5World Hand Hygiene Day is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to create awareness about the importance of hand hygiene towards health care.
The World Hand Hygiene Day is annually organised by the World Health Organisation(WHO).
Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign:
The Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign was launched in 2009 with an aim to maintain the global promotion, visibility and sustainability of Hand Hygiene in Health care.

• The 2021 theme of the campaign is “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care”.
• The 2021 slogan of the campaign is “Seconds save lives – clean your hands!”

About World Health Organisation(WHO):
Director-General– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
>>Read Full News

World Immunization Week: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham leads global vaccination drive

Former England Footballer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the 7 Fund for UNICEF, David Beckham released a video ahead of World Immunization Week 2021 (April 24th-30th) for creating awareness among the parents around the world to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases.

STATE NEWS

AP Partners with Essar Steel to set up Steel Plant in KadapaAndhra Pradesh(AP) selected Essar Steel as Joint Venture(JV) partner to set up a steel plant in Kadapa district.

• The AP government has previously selected Liberty Steel India Limited as the JV partner for construction and development of the YSR Steel Plant.
• But that was cancelled based on the recommendation of SBICAP as Liberty steel India Limited was facing some financial issues.

About the steel plant:
i.The steel plant will be set up with a capacity of 3 million tonne per annum for producing high grade Steel products.
ii.The Capital Expenditure of the Project will be Rs.11,606 crore.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Chief Minister: Jagan Mohan Reddy
Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
Capital:Amaravati

>>Read Full News

Andhra Pradesh Govt Plans to Begin CLAP Scheme by July 8,2021Andhra Pradesh government plans to launch Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP) Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam programme on July 8,2021 to commemorate the birth anniversary of former late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy.

• Under the CLAP program, the Municipal Administration division will work along with the Panchayat Raj division for sanitation in villages and cities and at first, a 100-days State-wide sanitation drive was set to be initiated.

Review over other Schemes of Andhra Pradesh:
i.Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy reviewed the state’s several public welfare schemes such as Swachha Sankalpam, YSR Jala Kala, Jal Jeevan Mission, Jagananna Palle Velugu and construction of roads in villages.
ii.YSR Jala Kala – This scheme plans to dig 2 lakh bore wells and to distribute 1.5 lakh pump sets to benefit 3 lakh small and marginal farmers.
iii.The government sets moto for the cleaning programmes as – “We will make our villages clear”
About Andhra Pradesh:
Note – Andhra Pradesh has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat, of about 974 km, and it is the 1st state to be formed on a linguistic(language) basis in India on 1 October 1953.

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