Current Affairs 18 & 19 April 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 18 & 19 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

Ministry of Tourism signs MoU with Cleartrip, Ease My Trip

The Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 2 Online Travel Companies – Cleartrip and Ease My Trip for boosting the Hospitality & Tourism Industry of India.
i.The MoU aims to

• Provide visibility to Tourist accommodation units which have self-certified themselves on SAATHI App (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA Platform (Online Travel Agency).
• It mandates Cleartrip & Ease My Trip to encourage Units to register on NIDHI (National Integrated Database of Hospital Industry)

ii.Registration of entities on SAATHI & NIDHI platform is to promote safe, honourable and sustainable tourism.

Flipkart acquires Cleartrip
Flipkart is set to acquire 100% stake of Cleartrip’s shareholding (valued at ~ USD 40 Million).

• It is aimed at strengthening Flipkart’s digital commerce offerings for customers.

About Cleartrip
Chairman – Michael Eberhard
Headquarters –  Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Ease My Trip 
CEO – Nishant Pitti
Headquarters – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

MoFPI, DAY-NRLM join hands to implement PM-FME Scheme

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) & Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) of Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) have agreed to work together on implementation of PM-FME Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme).

• Under the PM-FME scheme, the partnership will work particularly on the component of providing seed capital support to Self Help Group (SHG) members.
• An amount of INR 40, 000 per SHG member will be provided as working capital to beneficiaries based on their existing business turnover and requirement.

About PM-FME Scheme
It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2020 under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan initiative.
Objectives

• Promote Formalization of the Food Processing Industry (FPI) sector
• Provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, SHGs &      Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain.

Key Points

• Total Outlay – INR 10, 000 Crore
• Duration – 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25)
• Expenditure to be shared by the Government of India and States at 60:40.

About Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)
Union Minister – Narendra Singh Tomar (Lok Sabha – Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Rameswar Teli (Lok Sabha – Dibrugarh, Assam)
>>Read Full News

Overview of Inaugural Edition of ‘The Hydrogen Economy – New Delhi Dialogue 2021’

The Inauguration Edition of Hydrogen Roundtable titled ‘The Hydrogen Economy-New Delhi Dialogue 2021’ took place virtually on 15th April, 2021.  The Hydrogen Roundtable is the first of its kind conference on Hydrogen Ecosystem.

• Organizers – The Energy Forum (TEF), an Independent Think-Tank and the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Government of India.
• Purpose – To discuss emerging hydrogen ecosystems and explore opportunities for collaboration, cooperation and coalition.
• Around 25 panelists from 15 countries such as UAE, Denmark, US took part in the conference.

Major Events

• India is set to spend USD 200 Million over the next 5-7 years for promoting the use of Hydrogen in India.
• India and the US are set to launch a Hydrogen Task Force under the US-India Strategy Energy Partnership.
• Reliance Industries and many other global energy and industrial firms have come together to form a new energy transition coalition called the ‘India H2 Alliance (IH2A)’ which will work towards commercialising hydrogen technologies to build net-zero carbon energy pathways in India.

About The Energy Forum (TEF)
Chairman – Dr. Anil Kakodkar
Location – New Delhi
About Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) 
Director General – Dr R K Malhotra
Location – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

1st Ever UN Food Systems Summit 2021 to be held in September 2021The United Nations Secretary General has called for the 1st ever United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 to be held in September 2021 in New York, USA. The Summit is a part of the Decade of Action (2020-30) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

• The summit will launch new actions for delivering progress on all 17 SDGs.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to participate in the event along with other global leaders.

Objective- The summit is to strategize actions for positive change in Agri-food systems.

The Summit will be guided by five Action Tracks,

Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all; Action Track 2: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns; Action Track 3: Boost nature-positive production; Action Track 4: Advance equitable livelihoods; Action Track 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.

National Dialogue

• For the Summit 2021, India has volunteered to work on the Action Track 4: Advance Equitable Livelihoods.
• For this purpose, India will conduct National Dialogues with stakeholders of agri-food systems (farmer’s organizations, farmer producer organisations, research institutions & experts) for creating sustainable equitable food systems in India.
• To conduct National Dialogues, a High-level Interdepartmental Group under the Chairmanship of Professor Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog along with representatives from Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW), Rural Development have been constituted.
•  The Group conducted its 1st National Level Dialogue on Agri-Food Systems-Advancing Equitable Livelihoods on 12th April, 2021.

Food System
“food system” refers to the activities involved in producing, processing, transporting and consuming food.
About United Nations (UN):
Secretary-General – António Guterres
Member States – 193
Headquarters – New York, USA

6^th Raisina Dialogue 2021 inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated 6^th edition of the Raisina dialogue 2021 which is India’s annual global conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics was organized from April 13 to 16 ,2021 in a fully digital form for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Theme:
”Viral world:Outbreaks,Outliers and Out of Control”
Key Points:
i.There were 50 sessions with around 150 speakers from 50 countries in this event.
ii.This India’s Premier conference was hosted by the Observer Research Foundation(ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Chief guests:

•         Paul Kagame –President of Rwanda
•         Mette Frederiksen – Prime Minister of Denmark

About Observer Research Foundation(ORF):
Formation:5^th September 1990
Headquarters:New Delhi
Chairman:Sunjoy Joshi
President:Samir Saran
>>Read Full News

Italy Launched the First ever Food Park & Food Processing Unit in India

i.On 17th April 2021, Italy launched the first ever Mega Food Park project, including food processing facilities in India. The pilot project “The Mega Food Park” was launched over a virtual platform in the presence of Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India, and  Neena Malothra, the Ambassador of India to Italy.
ii.A Letter of Intent Between the ICE Office in Mumbai and Fanidhar Mega Food Park, in Gujarat was also signed during the launch event.
iii.The project is promoted by the Italian Embassy, New Delhi and ICE Office, Mumbai.
About Italy:
Prime Minister– Mario Draghi
Capital- Rome
Currency– Italian lira
>>Read Full News

Government Extends Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 till September 30, 2021

Government extended the existing Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 for another six months up to September 30, 2021 from March 31, 2021. Exports during April-February 2020 dipped by 12.23 per cent to $256 billion. Imports during the period too declined by 23.11 per cent to $340.8 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $84.62 billion.
What is FTP 2015-20?

• FTP 2015-20 provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment and increasing value addition in the country.
• Under the FTP 2015-20, the government offers incentives under various import-linked export schemes such as Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG).

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

COVID-19 Pandemic Pushed Half Of India’s Poor Away From Nutrition: 2021 Global Food Policy Report

The ‘2021 Global Food Policy Report: Transforming Food Systems After COVID-19’ of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) stated that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions has affected around half of India’s poor people from being deprived from nutritious food.

• The report has also warned about the severe and long lasting effects due to the contraction in the quality of the diet.
• The report was launched on 13th April 2021.

Gist of the report:
i.The report states that India was one of the first Countries to impose complete lockdown when the COVID-19 cases and death due to pandemic were relatively low.
ii.This lockdown has brought major job loss to the temporary and migrant workers.
iii.Around 50% of the household surveys have reported that women are spending more time cooking or fetching firewood than before.
iv.The Lockdown has changed the means of food purchase, the e-food services has recorded a 66.7 percent year on year growth, the convenience stores experienced a dip of 9.8 percent in their business.
v.The Single unit grocery shops recorded a growth of 1.3 percent in 2020.
vi.The drop in economy has resulted in a shift away from the consumption of fresh and nutritious animal sourced food and fruits and vegetables.

India ranks 84th in Henley Passport Index 2021; Japan tops According to ‘Henley Passport Index : Q2 2021 Global Ranking’ released by Henley & Partners, India has been ranked as 84th Most Powerful Passport (visa-free score – 58). The Index has been topped by Japan, Singapore while Germany & South Korea together took the 3rd spot.

• India shares its ranking with Gabon & Tajikistan. Indian passport holders have access to 58 Visa-Free destinations.
• Around 199 different passports have been compared for the index.
• The index ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa (or most travel friendly passports).
• It is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

About Henley & Partners: 
CEO – Juerg Steffen
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

SEBI Issued Guidelines for Warehousing Norms for Agri and Non-Agri GoodsSEBI has issued guidelines for preparing warehousing norms by Clearing Corporations(CCs) for agricultural/agro-processed goods and non-agricultural goods (base and industrial metals). The guidelines would come into effect from June 1, 2021.
Guidelines by SEBI to CCs:

• The norms set by CCs will be the minimum requirements/standards that its Warehouse Service Providers(WSPs) should comply with.
• A CC cannot stop its WSP from providing service to other CCs as it can be accredited with more than one CC.

Warehousing Norms:

• Capital: An accredited WSP should have a minimum subscribed and paid-up share capital of Rs 10 crore.
• Experience: The promoter or promoter groups of a WSP are required to be in the public warehousing business for at least 3 years and a CC can relax the requirement, based on certain conditions.
• Net worth: The net worth required of a WSP varies for agricultural/agri-processed, base/industrial metals and composite goods and they will get six months to augment the net worth in case there is a reduction of net worth below the stipulated amount.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Establishment – 1992
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
>>Read Full News

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Flipkart Partners With Adani Group to Strengthen its Presence In IndiaFlipkart, an e-commerce marketplace, made a strategic two-prong partnership with Adani Group to strengthen its supply chain and technology infrastructure.

• Under the two-prong partnership one with Adani Logistics Limited for forming fulfilment centre and the other with Adaniconnex Private Limited for data centres creation.

Key points about the Partnership:
Objective: Flipkart aims to support MSMEs & sellers and to accelerate job creation.
i.About Partnership with Adani Logistics Limited:

• As per the partnership, Adani Logistics Limited will be constructing a 534,000 sq. ft. fulfilment centre in its Mumbai logistics hub and lease it to Flipkart. It is expected to be operational in Q3 of FY22.
• Job creation: The fulfilment centre will have the capacity to house 10 million units of sellers’ inventory goods and expected to create 2,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs.

ii.About the Partnership with  Adaniconnex Private Limited:
Flipkart planned to develop its third data centre at the Chennai facility of Adaniconnex Private Limited, to strengthen its e-commerce business in India.
About Flipkart Group:
Establishment – 2007
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
CEO – Kalyan Krishnamurthy
>>Read Full News

LT Foods becomes 1st Company to be certified by UN-backed Sustainable Rice Platform

India-based LT Foods Limited became the 1st company at the global level to be certified with the highest level of verification – L3, by UN-backed Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) ecolabel.  It will enable the company to use the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) verified logo on packs of Rice produced by verified 1, 000+ farmers growing sustainable rice.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Soliha Shabir Named in India’s World Records-Youngest & 1st Author in J&K to Recreate Life of Habba Khatoons poetry

22 year old Soliha Shabir from Dalgate, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) has added her name in India’s World Records, as the youngest and first author from J&K who has recreated the Life of Habba Khatoons poetry.

• She has authored 3 books ‘In the lawn of dark’, ‘Obsolete- The poem Market’ and ‘Zoon – The heart of Habba Khatoon’.
• Her 3rd book titled – Zoon is the first book which recreated the theme of Habba Khatoon’s poetry and essence.

Dutee Chand conferred with Chhattisgarh Veerni Awards

Odisha Sprinter Dutee Chand conferred with Chhattisgarh Veerni Awards. The award, instituted by the Chhattisgarh state government, recognises contribution of Indian women in different fields, including sports. The inaugural edition of the award ceremony was held virtually and presented by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.        

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA Aims to Land 1st Woman, Person of Colour on Moon by 2024 under Artemis Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aims to land the first woman and first person of colour to the surface of the Moon by 2024 as a part of its international spaceflight programme, ‘Artemis’ & it will create sustainable missions to the earth’s natural satellite by 2028.

• NASA will collaborate with its commercial and international partners and establish a sustainable exploration for the first time.
• This is the first time that NASA specified to land a person.

Tie Up with NASA & SpaceX:

• With regard to this, NASA has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon.

• The contract is worth $2.9 billion and is part of NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.

About Artemis:
i.The mission is named after Artemis the Greek goddess of the moon and the twin sister of Apollo, the inspiration of NASA’s first moon landing mission.
ii.The initial group of Artemis astronauts includes Indian American Raja Chari.

OBITUARY

Radiologist Padma Shri Dr.Subba Rao passed away at 96

On 16^th April 2021, one of the most eminent and renowned radiologist, Padma Shri Dr.Kakarla Subba Rao passed away at Krishna Institute of Medical Science (KIMS),Secunderabad.He was 96.He was born on 25^th January 1925 in Krishna, Andhra Pradesh.
About Dr.Subba Rao:
i.Dr.Subba Rao was the first director of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science (NIMS) in Hyderabad.
ii.He was popularly known for his efforts in transforming NIMS into a super speciality hospital.
iii.He was awarded Padma Shri in the year 2000 for his contributions to the field of medicine.
iv.He was also the founder president of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) , an umbrella organization for the people who speak Telugu in the United States of America.

Legendary Tamil comedian Padma Shri Vivekh passed away at 59

On 17^th April 2021,veteran Tamil actor Padma Shri Vivekh passed away in Chennai following a cardiac arrest.He was born on 19^th November 1961 in Thoothukudi,Tamilnadu.
About Vivekh:
i.Padma Shri Vivekh is popularly known as Chinna Kalaivanar in Tamilnadu.
ii.He was awarded  Padma shri  by the Government of India in the year 2009 for his contribution to the film industry.
iii.Apart from being an actor, he was a prominent social activist.He had launched a Project Green Kalam ,under the mentorship of former Indian President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.
iv.Under this project he had planted around 33.23 lakhs plant saplings and have also planned to plant 1 crore plants.
v.He had been awarded honorary doctorate by Sathyabama University and he had also won three film fare awards in the best comedian category.
vi.He had also won the Kalaivanar award for his contribution to Tamil cinema by the Tamilnadu State Government.

India’s first female cricket commentator Chandra Nayudu passed away

India’s first female cricket commentator Chandra Nayudu passed away at the age of  88 years due to prolonged illness, who had done his first commentary during a match between national champions Bombay (now Mumbai) and MCC in Indore in 1977.

• She had penned a book titled ‘CK Nayudu: A Daughter Remembers’ in the memory of his father, legendary cricketer, India’s first Test captain, C K Nayudu.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Harry Potter’s author J.K. Rowling set to release a Children’s novel ‘The Christmas Pig’

• JK Rowling, the British author who is well known for the Harry potter fantasy series set to release her children’s novel called “The Christmas Pig”.
• ‘The Christmas Pig‘ is a standalone book and it is aimed at kids aged 8 years and above. The book is illustrated by Jim Field.
• ‘The Christmas Pig’ will be released on October 12, 2021 by Hachette Children’s Group Imprint Little, Brown Books.

About J.K. Rowling and her books:
She has won many awards and some of them include Legion of Honor in 2009 and Tony Award for Best play in 2008

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hemophilia Day 2021 – April 17

i.World Hemophilia Day is annually observed across the globe on 17th April to create awareness about Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The day is an effort to provide better diagnosis and access to care for the people with Hemophilia.
ii.The April 17th Marks the birth anniversary of Frank Schnabel, the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.
iii.The theme of World Hemophilia Day 2021 is “Adapting to change: sustaining care in a new world”.
iv.In 1989, the World Federation of Haemophilia (WHF) started the World Hemophilia Day.
v.Since 1989, the World Hemophilia Day has been globally observed by the entire bleeding disorders community to celebrate the advances in the treatment.
About World Federation of Hemophilia(WFH):
CEO– Alain Baumann
Headquarters– Montréal, Québec, Canada
Established in 1963
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Centre approved Rs 50.30 cr for RO-PAX Jetty Project on Odisha’s Dhamra riverIn April 2021 The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has approved Rs 50.30 cr (50% of the total cost) for the development of a ROPAX (Roll-on, Roll-off Passenger) jetty project on the Dhamra river in Odisha.

• The Jetty will connect Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapara district, Odisha under the ‘Sagarmala’
• Total capital cost: It was about Rs 110.60 crore in which the centre has sanction Rs 50.30 crore and the Odisha government will fund another 50%cost of the project.
• Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapada district, are located on the northern and southern banks of River Dhamra.

Benefits of the ROPAX jetty project:

• The project will reduce travel time for passengers from 6 hours by road to 1 hour by waterway and it will reduce the road distance of around 200 km from Talachua to Dhamra.
• The existing ghat will be developed with ROPAX jetties to accommodate boats, launches and other vessels.

About Jetty: Jetties are used to protect the shoreline of a body of water by acting as a barrier against erosion from currents, tides, and waves and they can also be used to connect the land with deep water farther away from shore.
About Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways:
Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya (Rajya sabha MP, Constituency – Gujarat)

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