Current Affairs 20 April 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 20 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

8 Eastern States Highly Vulnerable to Climate Change : National Climate Vulnerability assessmentAccording to the National Climate Vulnerability Assessment report titled ‘Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework’ released by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), 8 Eastern States of India have been identified as Highly Vulnerable to Climate Change.

• The 8 states are – Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal.
• Among all states, Assam, Bihar, and Jharkhand have over 60% districts in the category of highly vulnerable districts.
• The report has been prepared by DST in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc Bengaluru), Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC), Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) and Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG).
• The report was released by DST Secretary Professor Ashutosh Sharma.

Other Categories

• Lower-Middle Vulnerable States – Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim and Punjab.
• Lower Vulnerability states – Uttarakhand, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Goa and Maharashtra.

Key Points

• The report identifies states/districts of India which are highly vulnerable to Climate Change and will help in initiating climate actions at the ground level.
• The key drivers of vulnerability in the 8 eastern states (Highly vulnerable states) were Lack of Forest area per 100 rural population, Poor health infrastructure, lack of implementation of rural employment Scheme MGNREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005) and lack of crop insurance and rainfed agriculture.

About Department of Science & Technology (DST)
It is an department within the Ministry of Science & Technology
Secretary – Professor Ashutosh Sharma
Headquarters – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

India, Germany Signed Agreement on “Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment”i.On 19th April 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA), Government of India and German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed an agreement titled “Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment” on Technical cooperation over a virtual event in New Delhi.
ii.DeutscheGesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India signed the agreement on behalf of the government of Germany.
iii.The project is expected to be a collaborative effort under the Indo-German bilateral development corporation on sustainable urban transformation.
iv.This project will be undertaken at national level in selected states (Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and in the cities of Kanpur, Kochi, Port Blair.
v.Project period: three and half years.
About Germany:
President– Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Capital– Berlin
Currency– Euro 
>>Read Full News

Income-tax Settlement Commission to be replaced with the new dispute resolution system

In April 2021, the finance ministry notified the rules for winding up of the Settlement Commission which handled income tax and wealth tax disputes, effective 1 February 2021. It will be replaced by a new dispute resolution system with assessing taxable income up to Rs 50 lakh and disputed income of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Powers of Settlement Commission – It can grant immunity from prosecution from any income tax or wealth tax related offence and also from imposition of penalty under any central law.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India ranked 49th in Inclusive Internet Index 2021, Sweden tops : EIU, Facebook  ReportIndia has been ranked 49th out of 120 countries in the ‘Inclusive Internet Index 2021’ released by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in partnership with Facebook. India shares its rank with Thailand.

• The Top 3 countries are – Sweden, United States, Spain.
• The 120 countries which have been covered in the report represent 98% of Global GDP & 96% of Global Population.
• The report is commissioned by Facebook and conducted by EIU ranks countries based on Internet availability, affordability, relevance and readiness of people to use it.

>>Read Full News

8th Edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Special Force Exercise ‘Khanjar’ begins in BishkekThe 8th Edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Force Military Exercise, ‘Khanjar’ was inaugurated on April 16, 2021. The exercise is taking place at the Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, Capital of Kyrgyzstan.

• The 2-week Long exercise will focus on aspects like high-altitude, mountains and counter-extremism.
• ‘Khanjar’ exercise has been held annually between the two countries since 2011, it intends to boost the strategic partnership between India & Kyrgyz Republic.

About Kyrgyzstan
President – Sadyr Japarov
Capital – Bishkek
Currency – Kyrgyzstani Som (KGS)
>>Read Full News

Indian Army Chief General M M Naranvane attends ‘Army Chiefs’ Conclave’ in Bangladesh

Indian Army Chief General M M Naravane attended the Army Chiefs’ Conclave during his visit to Bangladesh. The Conclave was held on the sidelines of Multinational Military Exercise ‘Shantir Ogroshena 2021’ (Front Runner of Peace) held at Bangabandhu Senanibas (BBS), Bangladesh from April 4-12, 2021.

• During the conclave, Naravane delivered a keynote address on ‘Changing Nature of Global Conflicts: Role of UN Peacekeepers’.
• He visited Bangladesh from April 8-12 on the invitation of Bangladesh Army General Aziz Ahmed.

BANKING & FINANCE

Market Share in IHLs Remains Higher in Banks than HFCs: NHB As per the National Housing Bank’s (NHB) report “The Trend and Progress of Housing in India” April 2021.The market share of banks in individual housing loans(IHLs) has gone up to 67% in 2019-20 from 62% in 2017-18 and housing finance companies (HFCs) has come down to 33%( 2019-20) from 38% (2017-18).
Analysis of IHLs market share: 

Outstanding IHLs: The total outstanding IHLs of HFCs and banks combined was around Rs 20-lakh crore at the end of March 2019-20 compared to around Rs 18-lakh crore in 2018-19 and it has a year-on-year growth of 8.5 per cent.
About National Housing Bank(NHB):
Establishment –  July 9, 1988 under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
Headquarters– New Delhi
Managing Director – Sarada Kumar Hota
>>Read Full News

LIC Partners with Paytm for handling e-paymentsIndia’s Largest Insurer, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India has appointed Paytm to carry out its digital transactions.The partnership aims to hope with the increasing demand of digital payment.
Objective – To provide an easy payment process, a broader range of payment options, and more players (wallets, banks, etc) in payment channels to the customers of LIC.
Note – LIC collects premiums worth Rs 60,000 crore via digital mode, (exclusion of  Bank Payments) & there are ~ 8 crore digital transactions.
About Life Insurance Corporation:
Establishment:1^st September 1956
Chairman: M.R.Kumar
Headquarters:Mumbai,Maharashtra.
About Paytm:
Chief Executive Officer: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Headquarters: Noida,Uttar Pradesh

Gramcover partners with AICIL to enhance insurance penetration in rural IndiaA rural insurtech startup Gramcovers and the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited(AICIL) have partnered to develop the insurance penetration in rural India.
Objective:
i.The main objective of this partnership is to identify and develop useful rural insurance products that could help farmers.
ii.It  also aims to increase the insurance coverage in rural parts of India.
Note:
Under this partnership they have planned to reach around 25 million farmers.
About Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AICIL):
Establishment: 20^th December 2002 under the Indian Companies Act 1956
Chairman and Managing Director: Malay Kumar Poddar
Headquarters: New Delhi
About Gramcover:
Chief Executive Officer: Dhyanesh Bhatt
Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
>>Read Full News

Currency Chest Theft From Axis Bank in Chandigarh’s Sector 34

Rs 4.04 crore has been stolen by a private security guard from the Currency chest of Axis Bank in Chandigarh’s Sector 34. It is the first time in Chandigarh where such a huge amount was stolen from inside a bank.
What is a Currency chest?
It is a depositary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in which it stocks the money meant for banks and ATMs. Whenever, RBI prints new currency notes, first it delivers to currency chests and then currency chests deliver these new currency notes to banks. They are usually situated on the premises of different banks but administered by the RBI.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

JNPT Hired ‘SBI Caps’ as a Transaction Advisor for Privatization of JNPCTJawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has hired SBI Capital Markets Ltd. (SBI Caps), subsidiary of State Bank of India (SBI) to act as transaction advisor for the privatization of the J N Port Container Terminal (JNPCT).
Background:
JNPT has planned to privatize the JNPCT through the public-private-partnership (PPP) route in December 2020, and it was evaluated by the standing finance committee(SFC) in the ministry of ports, shipping, and waterways(MoPSW).
SBI Caps as the transaction advisor:

• JNPT has appointed SBI Caps as the transaction advisor for the PPP project which is estimated to cost Rs 863.31 crores.

About J N Port Container Terminal (JNPCT):

• It is one of the five container terminals at JNPT and it has handled 1.35 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year (544,027 TEUs in FY21 from 718,863 TEUs in FY20).

About SBI Capital Markets Ltd. (SBI Caps)
Establishment – August 1986
Headquarters –  Mumbai,Maharashtra
MD & CEO -Shri Arun Mehta
>>Read Full News

Amazon Sambhav Summit 2021 : Amazon India Launched $250 Million Venture Fund’ Amazon India has organized the second edition of its annual summit called ‘Amazon Smbhav Summit 2021’ virtually from April 15 to 18, 2021. In which Amazon has launched a $250million Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund to support the digitization of small and medium businesses (SMBs), Agriculture, and Healthcare in India.

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh addressed the Summit online on the theme of ‘Unlocking Infinite Possibilities for Digital India’.
• Union minister Nitin Gadkari also has addressed the summit virtually and stated that India will become the number one electric vehicle (EV) maker in the world.

i.Three important initiatives under Smbhav 2021:

• Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund: The $250 million Venture Fund will be invested in startups and entrepreneurs focusing on technology innovations in SMB digitization, Agriculture and Healthcare.
• Local Shops on Amazon program: Through this, Amazon planned to onboard 1 million offline retailers and local neighborhood shops on Amazon.in by 2025.
• Tribal empowerment: It also launched ‘Spotlight North East’, to bring 50,000 artisans, weavers, and small businesses, online from the 8 states in the NorthEast region of India by 2025.

ii.Amazon Pay launched a new app – ‘Amazon Pay for Business’:
Amazon Pay, the fintech subsidiary of Amazon India, launched the ‘Amazon Pay for Business’ app to simplify the payment needs of SMEs.
iii.AWS launched a set of software solutions ‘Amazon Digital Suite’, to support SMBs:
Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a set of software solutions ‘Amazon Digital Suite’, to support small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India
About Amazon India:
Establishment – June 2013
Manager (Country Head of India) – Amit Agarwal
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
>>Read Full News

Adani Group Became 3rd Indian Conglomerate To Cross 100 Billion USD mcap

Adani Group became the 3rd indian conglomerate to cross 100 billion USD in market capitalization(mcap). On 6th April the total mcap of the 6 listed companies of Adani Group at the close of trading was Rs.7.84 lakh crore(106.8 billion USD).
The other 2 indian conglomerates to cross 100 billion mcap are Tata Group and Reliance Industries limited.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Alfred VainoAho, Jeffrey David Ullman Bagged 2020 ACM A.M. Turing AwardThe Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named  Alfred VainoAho and Jeffrey David Ullman as the recipients of the 2020 ACM A.M. Turing Award. The award was presented to them for fundamental algorithms and theory on programming language implementation.The award is also referred to as the Nobel Prize of Computing.

Note – To commemorate the birth anniversary of Alan Turing on June 23, 2021, the Government of England will release 50-pound (£50) note with Alan Turing Face.

About the 2020 Laureates: 
i.Alfred VainoAho is the Lawrence Gussman Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Columbia University
ii.Jeffrey David Ullman is the Stanford W. Ascherman Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Stanford University.
Collaboration of Aho and Ullman:
i.Aho and Ullman worked at the Bell Labs from 1967 to 1969 and collaborated in the initial ideas on algorithms design and analysis, formal languages, compilers and databases which contributed to the development of the current programming and software landscape.
ii.Alfred VainoAho and Jeffrey David Ullman have co-authored 9 influential books.
iii.The most popular books include, The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms (1974)(co-authored by Aho, Ullman, and John Hopcroft) and Principles of Compiler Design (1977).
About ACM A.M. Turing Awards:
i.The A.M. Turing Award, named in honour of Alan Mathison Turing, a British mathematician and computer scientist, is the most prestigious technical award instituted by ACM in 1966.
ii.The award recognises the major contributions of lasting importance to computing.
iii.The award carries a prize money of USD 1 million with financial support provided by Google, Inc.
Note:
The first recipient of the AM Turing Award in 1966 was Alan J Perlis (American) who wrote the compiler for ALGOL computer programming language.

    ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS         

Quess Corporation acquires 30% stake in Conneqt for INR 208 CroreBangalore based Business Services Provider Quess Corporation is set to acquire the remaining 30% equity stake in Conneqt Business Solutions Ltd from Tata Sons Pvt Ltd for INR 208 Crore. With this transaction, Conneqt will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quess Corporation.
i.Quess had acquired 51% of Conneqt in 2017, and further increased its stake in Conneqt from 51% to 70% in May 2019 (through infusion of primary capital).

• Conneqt is a Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) and Business Process Management (BPM) firm.
• The acquisition is expected to strengthen Quess’ position to accelerate growth in the IT/ITES space (Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled /services).

About Quess Corporation
MD & Group CEO – Suraj Moraje
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
About Conneqt Business Solutions Ltd
Formerly known as Tata BSS
CEO – Arjun Ramaraju
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Iran Launched Advanced IR-6 Uranium Enrichment Centrifuges

Iran launched IR-6 Uranium Enrichment centrifuges in Natanz as a part of its National Day of Nuclear Technology (10th April 2021) event held in Tehran and other nuclear sites of Iran. Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran inaugurated the 3 cascades of 164 IR-6 semi industrial centrifuges, 30 IR-6S centrifuges and 30 IR-6 devices at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, Iran.

• The manufacturing and assembly of the first prototype of IR-9S and IR-9-1B centrifuges were unveiled during the exhibition.
• Under the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) – 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran is restricted to enriching uranium with 5060 IR-1 centrifuges till 2025.

SPORTS

Wrestling : India bags 14 Medals in Asian Wrestling Champions 2021 at Almaty, KazakhstanIndia bagged 14 Medals (5 Gold, 3 Silver, 6 Bronze) in the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships held at Almaty, Kazakhstan from April 13-18, 2021. It is the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships.

• Iran & Kazakhstan both finished at the Top Position with 17 Medals each.
• The championships took place across 3 disciplines of wrestling – Men’s Freestyle, Men’s Greco-Roman & Women’s Wrestling (Freestyle).
• It is organized by the United World Wrestling (UWW).

India’s Medal Winners

About  United World Wrestling  (UWW)
President– Nenad Lalovic
Headquarters– Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
>>Read Full News

Formula One : Max Verstappen wins Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2021On April 18, 2021, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) won the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola, Italy.

• Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton (Britain) finished in Second Place while Mclaren’s  Lando Norris finished Third Place.
• This is Max Verstappen’s 1st race victory of the Formula One 2021 season.
• It is the 2nd race of the 2021 Formula One Championships.
• The F1 Championships are organised by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

About Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA):
President – Jean Todt
Headquarters – Paris, France

OBITUARY

Former Assam CM Bhumidhar Barman passed away at 91On 18^th April 2021,the former Chief Minister(CM) of Assam Bhumidhar Barman passed away in Guwahati,Assam due to prolonged illness.He was 91.He was born on 12^th October 1931 in Nalbari,Assam.
About Bhumidhar Barman:
i.Bhumidhar Barman had served as CM of Assam twice.His first term was between April 22, 1996 to May 14,1996 and second term was during 2010.During both periods he acted as an interim CM
ii.He belonged to Indian National Congress(INC) and had also represented the Barkhetry Constituency.
iii.He served as the Member of Legislative assembly for a period of 7 years and had also held important portfolios like health,education and revenue.

Ex Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawat passed away at 71On 18th April 2021,former Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawat passed away at All India Institute of Medical Science(AIIMS),Rishikesh after suffering breathing problem.He was 71.He was born on 1st August 1949 at Almora,Uttarakhand.
About Bachi Singh:
i.Bachi Singh served as the Union Minister of state for science and technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government between 1999-2004.
ii.He belong to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) from the Almora for four times.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

New Book: “Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through its Languages” by  Peggy MohanNoted Linguist Peggy Mohan has authored a new book titled “Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through its Languages”. The book explores the impacts of migration on Indians and Indian languages from ancient times through the early history of South Asia.
The book was published by Penguin Random House India.
About the book:
i.The book argues that all Indians are of Mixed origins, through the inclusive study of languages like the story of early Sanskrit, the rise of Urdu, language formation in the North east.
ii.The book connects linguistics and history to explore the migration impacts on communication language.
About Peggy Mohan:
i.Peggy Mohan has taught linguistics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and JamiaMilliaIslamia, among other centres.
ii.She has authored 3 novels: ‘Jahajin’, ‘Walk in C-Minor’ and ‘The Youngest Suspect’.

New Book: The Cursed Inheritance authored by Sutapa BasuSutapa Basu the winner of JK Papers AutHer Awards 2020 has authored a new mystery novel titled “The Cursed Inheritance”. The book contributes toward the importance of the conservation of heritage through the stories.
The book is published by Readomania Publishing.

• The book provides an overall view of the heritage of Kolkata through architecture, social customs, modes of transportation and food.

About Sutapa Basu:
Sutapa Basu is the director of Learning Solutions at Eupheus Learning.
She won the AutHER award for Best Fiction 2020 instituted by Times of India and JK Papers for her book “The Curse of Nader Shah”.
Other books:

• Padmavati: The Queen Tells Her Own Story
• The Legend of Genghis Khan: Untold Story of the Conqueror
• Dangle
• Out of the Blue: Stories with a Twist

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Monuments and Sites 2021 – April 18i.International Day for Monuments and Sites is annually observed across the globe on 18th April to preserve human heritage which has ancient importance and to recognise the endeavours of the organisations which are working for it. In many countries the day is celebrated as – World Heritage Day.
ii.The world heritage day is an effort of the communities across the globe to do the necessities to preserve the ancient buildings and monuments.
iii.The International Day for Monuments and Sites is globally promoted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS).
iv.The Theme of the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2021 is ‘Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures’.
v.On 18th April 2021, Prahlad Singh Patel,  Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (independent Charge) inaugurated the first ever online exhibition on Ramayana.
About International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS):
ICOMOS is a non governmental international organisation which is dedicated to conserving the monuments and sites across the globe.
Director General- Marie-Laure Lavenir
Headquarters– Paris, France
>>Read Full News

World Liver Day 2021 – April 19i.World Liver Day is annually observed across the globe on 19th April to create awareness about the importance of liver and liver related diseases. The day aims to inform the general public about liver infections and to provide timely treatment for the preventable illness.
ii.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program in July 2018.
iii.According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), Liver Diseases are the 10th most common cause of death in India.
>>Read Full News

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