Current Affairs 28 April 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 28 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.

Our Current Affairs April 2021 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2021 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name –  Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP

We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Government targets 17 Million Tonnes of Mustard Production by 2025-26Indian Government is planning to bring around 9 million hectares of land under Mustard Cultivation & raise Mustard production capacity to around 17 Million Tonnes  (mt) by 2025-26 in India.

• For 2021-22, the government has set a target of covering an area of 7.58 million hectares with a production of 12.24 mt.
• The area under mustard cultivation will be increased by growing mustard in rice fallow areas, intercropping them with major crops & promoting mustard cultivation in non-traditional areas.
• To achieve the target, High-Quality Seeds will also be provided to farmers.

Key Points
i.Target areas in 2021 – 368 districts in 13 states (same areas as in 2020).
ii.Through Interventions like identification of Rice fallow areas & Intercropping, the area under mustard cultivation will be increased to an additional 4 lakh hectares.
Self-Sufficiency in Oil Seeds
India is one of the major oilseeds growers and importer of edible oils. It is aiming to become self-sufficient in the case of oilseeds as it imports around 70% of its edible oil needs.

• Rajasthan alone produces 40.82% of total mustard in India, It is the highest Mustard seed producing state in India followed by  Haryana & Madhya Pradesh.

About  Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Union Minister – Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Parshottam Rupala – Rajya Sabha (Gujarat), Kailash Choudhary – Barmer, Rajasthan
>>Read Full News

IIT Guwahati Signed MoU With NFR for Better Operation & Expansion of Railway NetworkIndian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, (IIT-G) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) to collaborate on research projects aiming at improving maintenance and operations of train running in the region and other fields.
Highlights:
i.To make stations plastic-free IIT-G will be providing alternate biodegradable polymer-based technologies to NFR.
ii.It also aims to develop world class railway stations in the areas under the NFR.
iii.Apart from this IIT-G will also provide cutting edge technical know-how and training support in multi-facet areas to fulfil the requirements of theNFR.
About North East Frontier Railway (NFR):
The NFR is one of the 17 railway zones of the Indian Railways and is responsible for the operation and expansion of railway networks across Northeastern states and some districts of Bihar and West Bengal.
About IIT Guwahati:
Director:T.G.Sitharam
Location:Assam
>>Read Full News

Indian Army initiated the Ladakh Ignited Minds Project: A Centre of Excellence and Wellness in Ladakhi.The Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army initiated the“Ladakh Ignited Minds Project: A Centre of Excellence and Wellness” in Ladakh, in association with the partner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and executing agency National Integrity and Educational Development Organization (NIEDO), a Kanpur based NGO.
ii.Objective: To provide better training facilities to disadvantaged Ladakhi students and provide them with the opportunity to study in better educational institutes.
iii.Under this initiative, the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army will provide complete training for the youths in Ladakh with the support of HPCL and NIEDO.
iv.On 26th April 2021, The Fire and Fury Corps on behalf of Indian Army signed a number of Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the HPCL and NIEDO in Leh.
About Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL):
About Chairman & Managing Director– Mukesh Kumar Surana
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

WHO Unveiled Global Immunization Strategy To Save 50 Million Lives By 2030The World Health Organisation(WHO) unveiled the Global Immunization Strategy led by the United Nations(UN) to reach around 50 million children who missed their vaccination against measles, yellow fever and diphtheria.

• WHO along with the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) and the vaccine alliance Gavi states that the global immunization strategy has the potential to save around 50 million lives in less than 10 years.

Aim:
To achieve 90% coverage for essential vaccines given in childhood and adolescence by 2030.
Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on Vaccination:
i.According to the WHO’s survey around one-third of the countries experience disruption in their routine immunisation services.
ii.More than 60 mass vaccination campaigns across 50 counties were postponed which puts around 228 million people at the risk of diseases like measles and polio.

India 3rd Highest Military Spender in 2020, US Tops: SIPRI Report According to the report ‘Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020’ released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India with a Military Expenditure of  USD 72.9 Billion in 2020 (3.7% of Global Share) was ranked as the 3rd Highest Military Spender in 2020.

• The United States (US) was the World’s Highest Military Spender in 2020 with a spending of USD 778 Billion (39% of Global Share) followed by China which spent around USD 252 Billion (13% of Global Share).
• The Total Global Military Expenditure rose to USD 1981 Billion in 2020 (2.4% of Global GDP), which is an increase of 2.6% compared to 2019.
• SIPRI had ranked India as the 3rd Highest Military Spender of 2019 in its 2020 report.

About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Director – Dan Smith
Headquarters – Stockholm, Sweden
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

Paytm Launched India’s 1st Video-based Wealth CommunityOn April 26, 2021, Paytm, the digital financial service company introduced India’s first video-based wealth community for the users to interact with subject-matter experts in live sessions on different wealth topics such as Initial public offering(IPO), Futures and Options(F&O), Exchange-traded funds(ETFs), mutual funds, stocks, gold, fixed income, and personal finance.

• The Paytm wealth community will be owned and operated by One97 Communications Limited (OCL Ltd) and the beta mode of the community was launched on the Paytm Money platform.

Feature of the Wealth community:

• The community provides 30-60 minute sessions conducted by creators along with live video content on an interactive chat platform in different languages such as Hindi, English, Gujarati and others.
• Through the platform, the users could clarify their doubts and learn by interacting with experts and also can discuss with other users on the platform.
• In the beta phase, only a minimal number of creators were onboarded with KYC norms and recorded/checked all their contents.

About Paytm:
Establishment – August 2010
Headquarters – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Founder & CEO -Vijay Shekhar Sharma

SBI Mutual Fund Launched its Second Index Fund – SBI Nifty Next 50 Index FundOn April 26, 2021, SBI Mutual Fund launched SBI Nifty Next 50 Index Fund an open-ended index scheme. It is the second index fund of SBI Mutual Fund as it already has the SBI Nifty Index Fund under the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) category.
Objective: To enable the investors to invest in all securities under Nifty Next 50 Index with lower costs.

• The scheme would allow for the investment in all the securities (around 95% to 100%) covered by the Nifty Next 50 Index.
• It also would lead to around 5% investments in units of liquid mutual fund and Money Market instruments.
• The investment could be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual SIP and the amount required for application is about Rs 5,000.

About NIFTY Next 50:

• NIFTY Next 50, the flagship index of the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) has completed its 25 years of journey on April 22, 2021, as it was launched on April 22, 1996.

About SBI Mutual Fund:
It is a joint venture between the State Bank of India, and Amundi, a European asset management company.
Establishment – 1987
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD&CEO -Mr. Vinay M. Tonse
Tagline – A Partner for Life
>>Read Full News

RBI Fixed the Bank’s MD&CEOs Tenure at 15 years; Upper age limit at 70 years 

On April 26, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through its circular – “Corporate Governance in Banks – Appointment of Directors and Constitution of Committees of the Board”, has fixed 15 years as the tenure for the Managing Director and Chief executive officers (MD & CEOs) or whole-time directors(WTDs) to hold their post in a bank.

• RBI’s instructions are meant for private sector banks, small finance banks (SFBs) and wholly-owned subsidiaries of foreign banks.
• Note – The instructions are not applicable for foreign banks operating as branches in India.

RBI’s Regulations over the MD&CEO or WTDs with conditions:

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael DebabrataPatra, and M Rajeshwar Rao
>>Read Full News

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS 

93rd Academy Awards – Oscar 2021: Chloé Zhao, Frances McDormand and Anthony Hopkins Won Top Awardsi.The 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscar 2021 was presented at the ceremony held at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The hostless ceremony was opened by Regina King.
ii.The nominations of the Oscar 2021 were announced by Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas in March 2021.
iii.The Academy Awards is annually presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 
iv.Chloé Zhao is the 2nd woman to win the award Best Director since the award was instituted.
v.Welsh actor, director and film producer Sir Anthony Hopkins (83 years old) won the award for the Best Actor for his performance in the film “The Father”. The award was presented by Joaquin Phoenix.
vi.American actress and producer Frances McDormandwon the Best Actress award for her performance in the film “Nomadland”.
About Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
President– David Rubin
CEO– Dawn Hudson
Headquarters– California, United States
Founded in 1927
>>Read Full News

Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul awarded Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize by PACE

Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul was awarded a top European rights prize, the prestigious 8^th Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe(PACE).

• She was awarded the 60,000-euro (~Rs.53.87lakh) prize in an online ceremony for “outstanding civil society action in defense of human rights.”
• This award was given in recognition of her fight for women’s rights in the kingdom, including her efforts to end a ban on women driving.
• Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, was named after the former Czech dissident and later President, Vaclav Havel.

      APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS 

Govt Appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth as a Director on the Central Board of RBIThe government of India has appointed Ajay Seth, the Economic Affairs Secretary in the Ministry of Finance as the non-official director of the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India(RBI).He succeeds Tarun Bajaj, who was appointed as revenue secretary.

• Ajay Seth has assumed the charge of the Department of Economic Affairs in April 16,2021.

About the Central Board of Directors:

• It is the apex authority of RBI as it takes the important decisions of the RBI.
• The directors will be appointed by the Government under the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 for a period of 4 years.

Classification over the directors:

• Official Directors: It include the Governor and Deputy Governors (not more than four) of RBI.
• Non-official Directors: Government will nominate the directors on the Central Board in which 10 directors represents different sectors of the economy, such as, agriculture, industry, trade, and two secritaries from the finance ministry along with 4 directors from four Local Boards (one Director from each) of RBI.

About the Central Board of Directors of RBI:
Official Directors:
Shaktikanta Das (Governor of RBI), Mahesh Kumar Jain, M.D. Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao (3 Deputy Governors of RBI)
Non-official directors:
Shri Debasish Panda, Ajay Seth, (Government officials) and other include Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Satish Kashinath Marathe, Shri Swaminathan Gurumurthy, Revathy Iyer and Sachin Chaturvedi

Indian Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja appointed as brand ambassador of ASICSThe Japanese sports brand ASICS has appointed Indian cricketer RavindraJadeja as its brand ambassador. He is the all-rounder of the Indian cricket team and Chennai Super Kings(CSK). ASICS focuses on the sporting gear for the running category.

• The partnership with RavindraJadeja and ASICS will strengthen its commitment and spread awareness about its wide range of offerings.
• This will also increase the reach of the brand during the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Note:
Bollywood Actor Tiger Shroff is also the brand ambassador of the japan based ASICS.
About Ravindra Jadeja:
i.RavindraJadeja (32 years old) took more than 425 wickets and score around 4000 runs during the International Cricket matches.
ii.He led the Indian cricket team as the Vice-Captain during the 2008 Under 19 Cricket World Cup.
About ASICS:
Chairman and CEO– Motoi Oyama
Headquarters– Kobe, Japan
Founded in– 1949

                          SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO develops Single Crystal Blades Technology for helicopter engine applicationDefence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed Single Crystal blades technology for helicopter engine application. Using this technology, it has produced 60 blades and supplied them to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

• The technology will help in the production of blades that are capable of withstanding high temperatures of operation, which are vital for helicopters for their performance in extreme conditions.
• HAL will use the technology for its indigenous helicopter development program.
• Very few countries in the world such as the USA, UK, France and Russia have the capacity to design and manufacture such Single Crystal (SX) components.

Key Points

• The blades will be developed using a nickel-based superalloy, which is capable of withstanding high temperatures.
• The technology has been developed by DRDO as part of a program taken by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a laboratory of DRDO

About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) 
Chairman – Dr G Satheesh Reddy
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
CMD – R Madhavan
Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
>>Read Full News

OneWeb launches 36 LEO satellites from RussiaThe 36 satellites of OneWeb, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications operator were launched into orbit by a Arianespace Soyuz Rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.

• The launch of the 36 LEO satellites will enable OneWeb to offer Broadband services across the UK, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic seas and Canada.
• It will take OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 182 satellites, which would form part of OneWeb’s 648 LEO satellite fleet for  providing high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.
• OneWeb is aiming to launch fast broadband services in India by June 2022.
• Recently, Nettle Infrastructure Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel acquired 100% stake (10, 000 shares) in OneWeb India Communications Pvt Ltd.

About One Web
CEO – Neil Masterson
Executive Chairman – Sunil Bharti Mittal
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom

ULA Delta IV Henry launched Spy Satellite NROL-82 into space from CaliforniaThe United States (US) spy satellite, NROL-82 launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The United Launch Alliance(ULA) Delta IV Heavy carried the NROL-82 satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office(NRO).

• This launch of NROL-82, a classified national security mission, marks the first launch of 2021 for ULA.
• Delta IV Heavy is the most powerful rocket in the ULA fleet.
• This launch also marks the 13th flight of the Delta IV Henry rocket since its debut in 2004.

Additional info:
i.ULA is planning to retire the launcher – Delta IV Heavy before the launch of the next-generation vehicle – The Vulcan Centaur in 2021.
ii.ULA launched 6 times in 2020 which includes the launch of the Mars Perseverance rover.
About ULA:
United Launch Alliance(ULA) is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Corporation and Boeing Company that provides launch vehicles to NASA.
President & CEO– Salvatore T. “Tory” Bruno
Headquarters– Denver, Colorado

ENVIRONMENT

‘Blue Nature Alliance’ Launched to protect 18 Million Square Kilometres of the World’s OceanA New Global Partnership called ‘Blue Nature Alliance’ has been launched jointly by several Philanthropic Organizations across the world to protect 18 Million Square kilometres of the ocean (5% of the World’s Ocean) over the next 5 years.

•  The  Alliance is founded & led by 5 partners –   Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation.

Target Areas

• The alliance will start conservation works by targeting 7 ocean locations around Antarctica, Fiji, Canada, Seychelles, Palau, the Western Indian Ocean and Tristan da Cunha, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• These areas will cover 2.5 Square miles.

Conservation Efforts

• The alliance will work with national governments, local communities, Indigenous peoples, scientists and academics for the conservation work.
• It aims to achieve a global target of conserving at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.

About Conservation International
Headquarters (HQ) – Virginia, US
About Pew Charitable Trusts
HQ – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
About Global Environment Facility (GEF)
HQ – Washington DC, USA
About Minderoo Foundation
HQ – Perth, Australia

SPORTS

India’s Mirabai Chanu, Jhilli Dalabehera win Medals in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships India won 2 medals (1 Gold, 1 Bronze) in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 16-25, 2021. The two medallists are – Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (Manipur) – Bronze Medal in Women’s 49 Kg weightlifting & Jhilli Dalabehera (Odisha) – Gold Medal in Women’s 45 Kg weightlifting.

• The Asian Weightlifting Championships are hosted by Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF).
• Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (from Manipur) lifted 119kg in Clean & Jerk which is a new World Record.

>>Read Full News

OBITUARY

Noted Hindi writer and Padma Shri awardee Manzoor Ahthesham passed away at 73On 26^th April 2021,noted Hindi writer and Padma Shri awardee Manzoor Ahthesham passed away at the age of 73.He was born on 3^rd April 1948 in Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh.
About Manzoor Ahthesham:
i.Manzoor Ahthesham was honoured by the Government of India in 2003 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
ii.He has also won many awards including,

• Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Puruskar
• Shrikant Verma Smriti Samman
• Bir Singh Deo Award
• Vageshwari Award
• Shikhar Samman
• Pahal Samman

Note:
It has to be noted that his first story was “Ramzan Mein Ek Maut” since he died in the month of Ramadan

Australian Swimmer & Olympian John Konrads Passed Away at 78Australian Swimmer and Olympic gold medalist John Konrads passed away at the age of 78 in Sydney, Australia. He was born in Riga, Latvia in 1942.
About John Konards:
i.JohnKonard was selected to the Australian swim team during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, he attended the game as a reserve.
ii.He won the 1500 meter freestyle gold and 2 bronze medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome.
iii.He won 3 gold medals for Australia at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales in 1958.
Record and Honours:
i.Before the age of 15, he set the world record in 26 individual freestyle swimming events between 200m and 1500m events.
ii.He won all the Australian freestyle titles in 1959.
iii.He was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.

Mewalal Chaudhry Former Education minister of Bihar passed away at 68

Mewalal Chaudhry, Member of Legislative assembly(MLA) and the former Education Minister of Bihar passed away at the age of 68 due to COVID-19 in Patna, Bihar.
He is a member of the Janata Dal (United) Party.  He was born on 4th January 1953 in Munger, Bihar.

• He was elected as the MLA from the Tarapur (Munger) constituency and later removed from the post of the State’s Education Minister due to corruption charges.

STATE NEWS

Justice Rajesh Bindal appointed Calcutta HC Chief JusticeOn 27^th April 2021, President Ram Nath Govind appointed Justice Rajesh Bindal as Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court(HC).He will succeed Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan.

• He was appointed by the President of India under the powers conferred by Article223 of the Constitution of India.

About Justice Rajesh Bindal:                               
i.Justice Rajesh Bindal enrolled as an Advocate on September 14, 1985 and practised in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Central Administrative Tribunal, in Taxation, Constitutional, Civil and Service cases.
ii.He was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 22, 2006.
iii.Then he was appointed as Acting Chief Justice of the Common High Court for Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh on 09.12.2020.
iv.Later he was transferred to Calcutta High Court on 05.01.2021.

*******

Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2021

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)