Current Affairs 25 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 25 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

Supreme Court’s e-Committee releases Manual for its ‘e-Courts Services Mobile App’The Supreme Court’s e-Committee released the manual for its free e-Courts Services Mobile App in 14 regional languages. The manual provides explanations about the features of the app, for the easy understanding of the common man.

• Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge, Supreme Court of India and the Chairperson of e-Committee has written the foreword of the manual.

e-Courts Services Mobile App
i.The e-Courts Services Mobile App is an Electronic Case Management  Tool (ECMT) launched in 2017. All e-Courts services are interlinked with the app.

• It serves as a source of information for the judicial delivery system, lawyers, litigants, police, government agencies and common citizens.
• Using the app, the stakeholders can get access to complete case details such as case number, filing numbers, party names, FIR number, advocate details, Case Status and Cause List.

e-Committee

• It is the governing body which is charged with overseeing the e-courts Projects conceptualized under the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005”.

About e-Committee of Supreme Court
Patron-in-Chief –  Justice N.V. Ramana, Chief Justice of India
Chairperson – Dr Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge, Supreme Court of India
>>Read Full News

Social Justice Ministry Launched 1st of its Kind CBID Program on RehabilitationUnion Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Dr Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched a first of its kind 6- month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan.

• This program will create trained manpower in identifying risk cases, apprising the parents/guardians about the nearest early intervention centres, and guiding them for availing Government benefits for Divyangjan.
• This course has been co-designed by Rehabilitation Council of India and University of Melbourne as a joint initiative under the MoU signed between the Governments of Australia and India in 2018.

Aim:
The program aims to create a pool of rehabilitation workers at community level who can work alongside ASHA and Anganwadi workers.
About CBID Program on rehabilitation:
i.Initially the programme will be available in English, Hindi and 7 regional languages, namely, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Garo.
ii.The classes for the first batch of about 600 students are expected to commence by August,2021.
iii.Mode of training for this course would be both offline/online taking into account the prevailing COVID scenario.
iv.The National Board of Examination in Rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Council of India will conduct examinations and award certificates to pass-out candidates.

51st Edition of Virtual IHGF of Delhi Fair 2021 

The 51st Edition of virtual Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair (IHGF) 2021 organized by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) took place from May 19-23, 2021. It is India’s largest Virtual Fair in the Home, Fashion, Lifestyle, Textiles and Furniture sector.

• It was inaugurated by Ravi K. Passi, Chairman of EPCH.
• IHGF is an exclusive Business-2-Business (B2B) online platform developed to assist buyers from all across the globe to source from India.
• Around 1500 manufacturers and overseas buyers from 85 countries participated in the Fair.
• The estimated figures for exports of handicrafts for April-March 2020-21 stand at INR 25, 558.94 Crore, which is a growth of 1.14% (Rupee terms) & decline (-) 3.39% (dollar terms) over the same period in 2020.EPCH has its Headquarters in New Delhi.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Over 21 Million sq kms placed within Protected and Conserved Areas since 2010: UNEP, IUCN ReportAccording to the ‘Protected Planet Report 2020’ released by United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) & Supported by National Geographic Society, around 21 million square kms (which is 7 times the size of India) have been added within the Protected & Conserved Areas of the world  since 2010.

• It brings the total percentage of earth’s land which is protected/conserved to 64%, which is just a fraction short of the Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 (Protecting/Conserving 17% of Earth’s land and 10% of its marine environments by 2020).
• Around 82% of countries and territories have increased their share of protected area and coverage of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM).
• The addition of 21 million square kilometres indicates that 42% of the world’s protected and  conserved areas were added during 2010-20.

Protected Planet Report

• It is a biennial report which assesses the state of protected and conserved areas around the world. For the 1st time, the report includes data on OECMs.
• The 2020 edition provides the final report on the status of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which was set during the 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity conference held in Japan’s Aichi prefecture.

About UNEP-WCMC
UNEP-WCMC stands for United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Director – Neville Ash
Headquarters – Cambridge, UK
About International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
President – Zhang Xinsheng
Headquarters – Gland, Switzerland
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

MRHFL, IPPB tie-up for Cash Management SolutionOn May 24, 2021, Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Limited(MRHFL), a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Ltd, and India Post Payments Bank(IPPB) entered into a partnership for cash management solution.
Benefits under the collaboration:
i.Under the partnership, IPPB will be offering cash management and collection services to MRHFL through its access points and postal service providers.
ii.Using the cash management service, MRHFL customers could able to repay their monthly or quarterly loan instalments at over 1.36 lakh post offices.
iii.IPPB’s large national network has facilitated the deployment of cash management solutions to meet the requirements of MRHFL.

About Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Limited(MRHFL):
Establishment – 2007
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director – Anuj Mehra
>>Read Full News

Biocon & Its Ex-Official was Fined Rs.14 Lakh for Violating Market Norms by SEBI

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) imposed a total fine of Rs.14 lakh on Biopharmaceutical company Biocon and its former Senior Vice President (R&D) Narendra Chirmule for violation of market norms.

• Narendra Chirmule is facing the fine of Rs 5 lakh for trading in the company’s securities when the trading window was closed and violated provisions of Prohibition of Insider Trading (PIT) norms.
• Biocon is facing a total penalty of 9 lakh for violating various provisions of PIT norms as it failed to prescribe any deadline within which it is required to inform SEBI of the violation of Code of conduct (CoC).

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

India Biodiversity Awards 2021 – Shergaon BMC, Arunachal Pradesh Awarded with Best BMCThe Shergaon Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) of Arunachal Pradesh has won the best ‘BMC’ award in the India Biodiversity Awards(IBA) 2021. The 5th edition of the IBA was held virtually on May 22, 2021, and the awards were given by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC), Babul Supriyo.

• The award programme marked the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) 2021.
• The IBA is a joint initiative by MoEFCC, National Biodiversity Authority, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Note – The winners of the IBA carry a Memento, a Certificate and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs each for individuals and Rs 5 lakhs each for institutions.

Awards under different categories:

About National Biodiversity Authority:
Establishment – 2003 by Government to implement India’s Biological Diversity Act (2002)
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chairman – V. B. Mathur
>>Read Full News

Gautam Adani become Asia’s 2nd Richest Man: Bloomberg Billionaire Index

Based on the data compiled by Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Adani Group’s founder and chairman Gautam Adani became Asia’s 2nd richest man.Reliance Industries’ chairman and India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani topped in the Asia’s Richest Man-Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
Ranking of Asia’s Richest Person:

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Rajesh Bansal Appointed as CEO of Reserve Bank Innovation HubThe Board of Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) has appointed Rajesh Bansal as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the RBIH with effect from May 17, 2021.
About Rajesh Bansal:
i.Rajesh Bansal was a member of the founding team of Aadhaar who played a key role in designing India’s Direct Benefit transfer system, particularly for cooking fuel and electronic KYC(e KYC).
ii.He is an expert in electronic cash transfers and digital financial services and earlier he has also served  in the areas of technology, financial inclusion and payment systems in RBI.
About Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH):
The board of the RBIH which is headed by Infosys co-founder S (Kris) Gopalakrishnan.
Aim:
Leveraging technology to drive innovation across the financial sector.
Key Points:

• The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub would develop internal infrastructure to promote fintech research and facilitate engagement with innovators and start-ups.
• The Hub works on developing core capabilities in the fields like information security,analytics and electronic payments.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
>>Read Full News

Anatole Collinet Makosso Appointed as the Prime Minister of Republic of CongoAnatole Collinet Makosso of Congolese Labour Party, former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, was appointed as the New Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo. He was appointed by Denis Sassou Nguesso, the President of Congo.
He replaced the former Prime Minister Clement Mouamba, who has been in office since 2016.
About Anatole Collinet Makosso:
i.Anatole Collinet Makosso was born in 1965 in Pointe Noire, Congo.
ii.He started his political career in 1990 and joined the government as the Minister of Youth and Civil Instruction in 2011.
iii.He has served as the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education since 2016.
iv.In 2021 Denis Sassou Nguesso was re-elected as a President for a fifth five-year term and has occupied office for 37 years.
About Republic of the Congo:
President– Denis Sassou Nguesso
Prime Minister– Anatole Collinet Makosso
Capital– Brazzaville
Currency– Central African CFA franc

Narinder Batra Re-elected as FIH President for a 2nd TermNarinder Batra, Indian Olympic Association president was re-elected as president of the International Hockey Federation(FIH) for a 2^nd term at the virtual 47th Congress of the FHI held on May22,2021.

• Narinder Batra is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Key points:
i.In the virtual presidential election at the FIH Congress, Narinder Batra secured 63 votes and emerged as the winner in the online voting process, in which 124 member associations participated. His rival Marc Coudron, chief of Belgium Hockey Federation obtained 61 votes.
ii.Till 2024, Narider Batra will be the president of FIH, as the FIH has reduced the term from 4 years to 3 years in 2020 due to the postponement of the Congress.
iii.Batra was the first non-European who had been appointed as the president of the FIH in 2016 at the 45th congress, and also became the first Indian to head the international federation of an Olympic sport.
About International Hockey Federation(FIH):
FIH is the international governing body of field and indoor field hockey.
Establishment – 1924
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
Chief Executive Officer – Thierry Weil

  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO develops ‘DIPCOVAN’ – COVID-19 Antibody Detection KitThe Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), a unit under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed DIPCOVAN  (DIPAS-VDx COVID-19 lgG Antibody Microwell ELISA), an Indigenous COVID-19 Antibody detection-based kit.

• It is set to be used for Sero-surveillance. Sero surveillance is conducted to ascertain the spread of COVID-19 in an area & also gauging a person’s previous exposure to the virus.
• The kit has been developed in association with Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, a New Delhi based development and manufacturing diagnostics company.

Key Points
i.The kit can detect the spike as well as nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97% & specificity of 99%.
ii.The regulatory approval for the kit was given by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

• It will be launched during June, 2021.
• The kit can give results in 75 minutes and has a shelf life of 18 months.

About Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
Chairman– Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
Headquarters – New Delhi

Microsoft Announced the retirement of Internet Explorer in 2022

Microsoft has announced that its Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will retire and go out of support on 15th June 2022 for certain versions of Windows 10.
At present, Internet Explorer, which was launched in 1995, holds only a 3.8% share of the desktop browser space which is dominated by Google’s Chrome with 70% share.

• Microsoft has suggested that users can use the Internet Explorer(IE) mode found on Edge, that will be supported till at least 2029.
• Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported for Microsoft’s online services like Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook and more.

ENVIRONMENT

Platyceps josephi: New Species of Racer Snake Discovered from Tuticorin, Tamil NaduAn international team of researchers has discovered a new species of raver snake from Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. The new species Platyceps josephi is named after late Herpetologist Naveen Joseph.

• The team has also saved the naming confusion that existed for around 200 years.
• The discovery of the new species is published in Vertebrate Zoology.
• The team stated that the new species should be considered a species in the Vulnerable category according to the IUCN criteria.

About Platyceps josephi:
i.The  Platyceps josephi has distinct white bands on its body and irregular white spots on its head.
ii.The length of the species is less than a metre.
iii.It is a non-venomous terrestrial snake endemic to Tamil Nadu.
Naming Confusion:
i.The team discovered that another snake species named Banded racer had an unstable taxonomic history.
ii.The taxonomic history was conducted based on the studies kept in the Zoological Library of the Natural History Museum, London and the Bodlein Library, Oxford.
iii.The species was first described by English Zoologist George Kearsley Shaw in 1802.
Herpetologist Albert Gunther misidentified the species in 1858.
iv.The team has corrected the scientific names of both the snakes, the banded racer has been named Platyceps plinii and the Wolf snake as Lycodon Fasciolatus.

SPORTS

Max Verstappen wins F1 Monaco GP; Jack Miller wins French MotoGPRed Bull Racing Honda’s Max Verstappen from Netherlands won the 2021 F1 Monaco Grand Prix held at Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo.

• Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz from Spain finished 2nd and Mclaren Mercedes’ driver Lando Norris of Great Britain finished 3rd.
• The F1 Championships are organised by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

i.In MotoGP, Ducati’s Jack Miller from Australia won the 2021 French MotoGP (2021 SHARK Helmets Grand Prix de) held at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit, Le Mans, France.

• Pramac Racing’s Johan Zarco from France finished 2nd, while Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo from France finished 3rd in the race.
• The MotoGP championships are organized by Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

About Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM)
President – Jorge Viegas
Headquarters – Mies, Switzerland
About Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA):
President – Jean Todt
Headquarters – Paris, France
>>Read Full News

OBITUARY

Ex Atomic Energy Commission Chairman and Padma Shri Awardee Srikumar Banerjee Passed AwayOn 23^rd May,Former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)and Padma Shri Awardee Srikumar Banerjee passed away following a heart attack in Mumbai.
About Srikumar Banerjee:
i.Srikumar Banerjee was awarded Padma Shri in 2005 for his service in the field of science.
ii.He also won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1989.
iii.He served as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) and the secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in  2012.
iv.He had also served as the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Indian Olympian Boxer Sakti Mazumdar Passed AwayFormer Indian Olympian Boxer Sakti Mazumdar Passed Away after suffering a heart attack in West Bengal.He was born on 13^th  November 1931 in Kolkata,West Bengal.
About Sakti Mazumdar:
i.Sakti Mazumdar had represented India in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in the men’s flyweight event.
ii.He won national champion in the flyweight category for 2 times. Mazumdar had a record of KO wins.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘Sach Kahun Toh’- Autobiography of Neena Gupta To Be ReleasedIndian actress and television director, Neena Gupta’s autobiography ‘Sach Kahun Toh’, is set to be published by Penguin Random House India on June 14, 2021.
i.The book was written by Neena Gupta in 2020 during the lockdown, and now it is available for pre-order.
ii.In the book, she shares her life story, details the life’s many choices, big milestones in her life, and her battles against stereotypes, then and now.
iii.About Neena Gupta: She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in Woh Chokri (1994).

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Turtle Day 2021 – May 23World Turtle Day is annually observed across the globe on 23rd May to support the people to celebrate and protect the tortoise and turtles and their habitats across the globe.
23rd May 2021 marks the observance of the 21st World Turtle Day.

• The theme of World Turtle Day 2021 is “Turtle Rocks!”.

Background:
i.World Turtle Day was launched by The American Tortoise Rescue(ATR), a non-profit organisation committed to protect all the turtles and tortoises in 2000.
ii.In 2002 the ATR announced that 23rd May will be annually observed across the globe as World Turtle Day.
About  American Tortoise Rescue(ATR):
The  American Tortoise Rescue(ATR) was founded in 1990 by Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson.
Headquarters– Malibu, California
>>Read Full News

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula 2021 – May 23The United Nations (UN)’s International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is annually observed across the globe on 23 May to create awareness and intensify the actions towards ending obstetric fistula.

• Obstetric Fistula is one of the most serious and tragic childbirth injuries caused by prolonged obstructed labour without access to timely medical treatment.
• The theme of International Day to End Obstetric Fistula 2021 is “Women’s rights are human rights! End fistula now!”.

Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/67/147 on 20th December 2012 and proclaimed the 23rd May of every year as the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.
ii.The first International Day to End Obstetric Fistula was observed on 23rd May 2013.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat Announced Vatsalya Yojana for Children Orphaned due to Covid-19Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced a scheme named Chief Minister Vatsalya Yojana for orphaned children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19.

• The scheme is scheduled to be implemented by May 30, 2021.

Benefits under the Scheme:
i.The State Government proposed to make arrangements for their maintenance, education and training for employment for those orphaned children up to the age of 21 years.
ii.The state’s orphaned children will be provided with a maintenance allowance of Rs 3000 per month.
iii.Laws were made for the paternal property of those orphans that no one will have the right to sell their paternal property until they are adults. The responsibility regarding this was vested with the District Magistrate of the concerned district.
iv.5 percent horizontal reservation in the state’s government jobs was given under the scheme for the children whose parents have died due to Covid-19.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital – Dehradun
Governor – Baby Rani Maurya

Haryana launches ‘Sanjeevani Pariyojana’ Home Care Initiative to treat COVID-19Haryana Chief Minister launched ‘Sanjeevani Pariyojana’ to provide for supervised and quick medical care at home for people in rural areas with mild to moderate symptoms of  COVID-19.

• The pilot project is supported by Deloitte, and the implementation of the initiative will begin from Karnal district.
• The initiative will raise awareness about the second wave of COVID-19 and ways to treat it.
• The initiative will help in transforming the healthcare services provided to the people of Haryana.

Key Points
As part of the initiative,

• An integrated command and control center for managing critical resources like availability of hospital beds, oxygen supply will be set up.
• A COVID-19 hotline to support basic training and guidance for COVID-19 patients will be set up.
• Around 200 medical final year and pre-final year students, and interns will be mobilized for expanding the scope of medical advice.

About Haryana
Airport – Ambala Air Force Station, Hisar Airport, Sirsa Air Force Station
Bird Sanctuary – Khaparwas Wildlife bird Sanctuary, Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary
>>Read Full News

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