Current Affairs 9 & 10 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 9 & 10 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

MoSJE mandates States/UTs to issue Disability Certificates through UDID PortalThe Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) has issued a notification mandating all State/UT Governments to issue a certificate of disability through online mode only using Unique Disability ID Portal (UDID Portal) – (www.swavlambancard.gov.in)  from June 1, 2021.

• The requirement of a Certificate of disability is mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act, 2016).
• Using the certificate, people with disabilities can avail benefits of different government schemes.
• The sector has been demanding online issuance of certificates, as people with disabilities were unable to get certificates due to prevalent restrictions in Pandemic times.
• Department of Health, and Department which deals with disability matters in States/UTs will ensure the compliance of the notification.

Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities Project
i.It has been under implementation since 2016 and aims to create a National Database for Persons with Disabilities

• The Universal ID & Disability Certificates for Persons with Disabilities issued under the project will have identification and disability details.
• It is an initiative of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India.
• All the disabilities listed under Disabilities Act, 1995 are included in the project.
• Disabilities included in the project are, Cerebral Palsy, Blindness, Low Vision, Locomotor Disability, Leprosy-cured, Mental retardation, Mental Illness, Hearing Impairment.

About Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE)
Union Minister – Thaawar Chand Gehlot (Rajya Sabha, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Rattan Lal Kataria (Ambala, Haryana), Krishan Pal Gurjar (Faridabad, Haryana), and Ramdas Athawale (Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)

Armed Forces Launched Operation ‘CO-JEET’ to Fight Covid-19 in IndiaThe Indian Armed Forces has launched operation “CO-JEET” to support anti-COVID-19 efforts of the country.

• Lieutenant General Dr.Madhuri Kanitkar is monitoring the steps & working on strategies to provide relief to Covid-19 Patients.She is the 3^rd woman to become a three-star general in the armed forces behind Punita Arora(1^st) & Padmavathy Bandopadhyay(2^nd).
• “CO-JEET stands for co-workers of all of the three Forces who will lastly obtain ‘Jeet’ (victory) over COVID.

About Op CO-JEET:
i.It aims to strengthen medical infrastructure and oxygen supply chains and to ensure mental wellbeing of people.
ii.The personnel of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy have been engaged to help restore oxygen supply chains, set up COVID beds and provide help to the civilian administration in its fight to control the pandemic.
About Indian Armed Forces:
Minister of Defence: Rajnath Singh
Defence Secretary:Ajay Kumar, IAS
Chief of Defence Staff:General Bipin Rawat

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India-Top Exporter of Passenger Car & LCV to South Africa in 2020: AIEC ReportAccording to the ‘Automotive Export Manual 2021-South Africa’ report released by Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC), India was the top country of origin in Volume terms for passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imports into South Africa in 2020, despite COVID-19 lockdowns & global decline in vehicle sales.

• India accounted for 43.2% (87, 953 units )of total passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imported by South Africa in 2020.
• But on the other side due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South African vehicle exports declined by a massive 115, 804 units to 271, 288 units in 2020 (from 387, 092 vehicles exported in 2019).
• Most of the vehicles imported from India fell into the Entry-level and small vehicle category.
• In a recently released report, International Energy Agency (IEA) had stated that global car sales fell by 16% in 2020 due to COVID-19.

About Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC)
Chairman of the Board – Renai Moothilal
Headquarters – Pretoria, South Africa
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI set up Advisory Group Under S Janakiraman to Assist RRA 2.0The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) second Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0) has constituted a 6-member Advisory Group headed by S Janakiraman, Managing Director of State Bank of India to support in reviewing the RBI’s regulations and compliance procedures to streamline/ rationalise them to make them more effective.
About the Advisory Group in Brief:
Other members of the Advisory Group:
i.TT Srinivasaraghavan –  Former MD and Non-Executive Director, Sundaram Finance
ii.Gautam Thakur -Chairman, Saraswat Co-operative Bank
iii.Subir Saha – Group Chief Compliance Officer, ICICI Bank
iv.Ravi Duvvuru, President and CCO, Jana Small Finance Bank
v.Abadaan Viccaji, Chief Compliance Officer, HSBC India.
Background:
On April 15, 2021, RBI formed the RRA 2.0 for a period of 1 year from May 01, 2021 to Streamline RBI’s Regulations and Reduce Compliance. M. Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, RBI was the RRA (head). Click here to know more
RBI conducted the simultaneous sale, purchase of G-Secs of FY22:
RBI conducted the Simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities(G-Sec) (Operation Twist) each worth Rs 10,000 crore under open market operations (OMOs) in May 2021.
About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):

• • It was established on the recommendation of the Hilton Young Commission
  • The First Governor of RBI was Sir Osborne Smith (1935 – 1937)
  • The First Indian Governor of RBI was CD Deshmukh (1943 – 1949)
  • Dr. Manmohan Singh is the only Prime Minister to have also served as the Governor of RBI ((1982 – 1985)
  • The First women deputy Governor of RBI was KJ Udeshi

>>Read Full News

EPFO can Invest up to 5% in AIFsThe Labour Ministry has notified the changes in the investment pattern of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation(EPFO), which allowed it to make an investment of up to 5 percent of its investible surplus in Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).

• This change came after the Government’s recent modification over the investment pattern of Non-Government Provident Funds, Superannuation Funds, and Gratuity Funds to invest in AIFs.

Background:
i.In March 2021, the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services, made changes over the investment pattern of the above-mentioned funds with certain conditions.
ii.The changes allowed the funds to invest up to 5 percent in the units of Category I and Category II of AIFs that support infrastructure, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and social venture capital funds and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI).
Conditions for investment in AIFs:
i.Investments could be made only in AIFs with a corpus equal to or more than Rs 100 crore.
ii.Exposure to a single AIF shall not exceed 10 percent of the AIF size (this limit would not apply to a government-sponsored AIF)
iii.Category II AIF – For Category II AIFs, at least 51 percent of the funds should be invested in either of the SME, infrastructure, VC or social welfare entities.
About Alternative Investment Fund (AIF):
AIF is a privately pooled investment vehicle that collects funds from sophisticated investors, whether Indian or foreign, for investing it by a defined investment policy for the benefit of its investors.
Categories of AIFs:

• Category I AIFs – Venture capital funds (Including angel funds), SME Funds, social venture funds, infrastructure funds (Investment for start-up SMEs, infrastructure)
• Category II AIFs – Real estate funds, Private Equity funds (PE funds), funds for distressed assets
• Category III AIFs – Hedge funds, Private Investment in Public Equity Funds (PIPE) Funds

>>Read Full News

SEBI Amended the Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements’ Regulations to Support Start-ups

Under section 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) Act, 1992 (15 of 1992), SEBI amended the SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018, called SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2021.

• In order to boost the listing of start-ups renamed Institutional Trading Platform (ITP) (formed in 2015) as Innovators Growth Platform.
• The term ‘Accredited Investor’ for the purpose of IGP is renamed as ‘Innovators Growth Platform Investors’.
• Delisting price is provided based on a floor price determined in terms of regulation 8 of SEBI Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers (SAST) Regulations, 2011. Click here to know more

”Savdhan Rahein, Safe Rahein” public awareness campaign launched by Bajaj FinservBajaj Finserv launched ‘Savdhan Rahein, Safe Rahein’, a public awareness campaign on financial fraud risks to educate customers and public at large on financial fraud risks and how to stay protected across digital and social media platforms.
About ”Savdhan Rahein, Safe Rahein”
i.This campaign highlights

• how and what customers need to verify the policy authenticity;
• differentiating between a genuine and fake policy
• where the customers can go for reporting these incidents

ii.The campaign also alerts the customers to be mindful of the various signs and means to differentiate between the genuine Bajaj Finserv entity and a fake one, whether on web or social media platforms.
iii.The brand has also gone live with the campaign on other infotainment and entertainment apps like Chingari, Josh and Jio Saavn, to effectively reach out to the regional audiences, present on these platforms.
iv.The campaign has a catchy jingle ‘Na Ji Na Ji’ with an endearing character named ‘Gupta Ji’ who goes around spreading these awareness messages in his own unique style.
About Bajaj Finserv:
Chairman and Managing Director(CMD): Sanjiv Bajaj
Headquarters: Pune,Maharashtra
Chatbot: Blu

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Winners of 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards – 2021The 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards 2021 were unveiled at a Digital Awards Ceremony from Sevilla, Spain. Spanish Tennis Player Rafael Nadal won the Sportsman of the year title, while Japanese Tennis player Naomi Osaka won the Sportswomen of the year title.

• This is Nadal’s 4th Laureus Title (2014, 2011, 2006), and the 2nd Laureus Title for Naomi Osaka (previous one coming in 2019).
• The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
• First held in 2000, the awards honour the greatest and inspirational sporting triumphs of the year.
• The awards are given across 6 Categories. Apart from the 6 categories, awards are also given for Lifetime Achievement, Athlete Advocate of the year, Sporting Inspiration & Sporting Moment of the Year award.

Complete List of Winners

About Laureus Sport for Good Foundation:
Chairman of Trustees – Edwin Moses
It is a Charitable Company based in London, UK
>>Read Full News

        APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS 

Ujjwala Singhania appointed as 38th National President  2021-22 of FICCI FLOUjjwala Singhania was appointed as the 38th National President 2021-22 of FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation). She succeeds Jahnabi Phookan who served as the 37th National President for the year 2020-21.

• Ujjwala Singhania took over as President of FLO at the FLO’s 37th Annual Session in the presence of Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Narendra Singh Tomar & Dr Jitendra Singh.
• She is the Director of JK International, a firm that invests through private equity and venture capital.
• She is also a Director at General Data Private Limited.

FLO
FLO is the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

• It was established in 1983 to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women.
• Its Head Office is situated in New Delhi.

About Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)
President – Uday Shankar
Head Office – New Delhi

        ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

Carlyle Sells 4% Stake in SBI Life for Rs 3,900 crore

On May 7, 2021, Carlyle Group, a private equity firm through its entity CA Emerald Investment, sold a 4 percent stake (amounting to 4.1 crore shares) in SBI Life Insurance for over Rs 3,900 crore through an open market transaction.
Key points:
i.After the transaction, SBI Life’s shares rose 3.22 percent to settle at Rs 1,000.50 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
ii.By the end of FY21, Carlyle Group held a 6 percent stake in SBI Life through its investment arm CA Emerald Investments.
iii.Vanguard, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Kuwait Investment Authority and Norges Bank were among the global institutional investors who bought shares.
iv.SBI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund Franklin Templeton were among the domestic investors
About SBI Life Insurance:
It is a joint venture between the State Bank of India (SBI) and BNP Paribas Cardif. At the end of FY21, SBI held a 55.2 percent stake in the SBI Life Insurance, while BNP Paribas held 0.2 percent.
Establishment – October 2000
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
MD & CEO – Mahesh Kumar Sharma
Tagline – With us, You’re sure
About Carlyle Group:
Establishment –  1987
Headquarters –  Washington, D.C., United States
Chief Executive Officer – Kewsong Lee

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Interpol Launches ‘ID-Art’ Mobile App to protect Cultural Heritage PropertiesInternational Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has launched a Mobile Application (app) – ‘ID-Art’ which will help to identify the stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling and increase the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts.
i.Using the app,

• Search Database – users (law enforcement agencies to the General Public) can instantly check if an object is among the thousands of items registered as stolen in Interpol’s ‘Stolen Works of Art’ database.
• Create an inventory of private art collections (using Object ID), which can be shared with law enforcement agencies in case of theft.
• Report cultural sites which are potentially at risk (through recording of geographical location).

ii.During the pilot phase, the app was successfully used in Italy & Netherlands.
About International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
Secretary-General – Jurgen Stock
Headquarters – Lyon, France

CBSE Launched App for Students’ Psycho-Social Well-being – ‘Dost For Life’

The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) has launched an app called ‘Dost For Life’ to maintain psycho-social wellness during Covid-19. The app will be available for students from classes 9 to 12 and will conduct live counselling sessions by the trained counsellors/principals (app available on Google Play Store).The live counselling sessions will be conducted free of cost & 3 times a week.

‘VINCOV-19’ antibody engineered product to treat COVID-19 cleared for clinical trials

The Drugs Controller General of India, the apex body for clinical trials in India, has given approval to Hyderabad-based immunological company VINS Bioproducts to test its Covid-19 antibody product VINCOV-19

• This product is a collaborative effort of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and Vins Bioproducts Ltd,Hyderabad.
• VINCOV-19 is an antibody product obtained after immunisation of horses with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus in combination with adjuvants.

OBITUARY

Olympic Gold Medallist Hockey Player Ravinder Pal Singh Passed Away On 8^th May 2021, Former India hockey player and a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics-winning side, Ravinder Pal Singh passed away in Lucknow due to COVID-19.He was born on 6^th September 1960 in Sitapur,Uttar Pradesh.
About Ravinder Pal Singh:
i.Ravinder Pal Singh was the member of the Indian Hockey team that won the gold medal in 1980 Olympics held in Moscow,Russia.
ii.He had also worked in State Bank of India.
iii.He also played in the 1979 Junior World Cup and  at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
iv.He had also represented India in the Champions Trophy in Karachi (1980, 1983), Silver Jubilee 10-nation Cup in Hong Kong in 1983, 1982 World Cup in Mumbai and 1982 Asia Cup in Karachi, among other tournaments.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2021- May 8 The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th May to celebrate and acknowledge the volunteers, members and staff who support the people in need. The day also commemorates the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC). He was born on 8th May 1828.

• The theme of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2021 is ‘Together we are #unstoppable!’.
  

Background:
i.The annual celebration of World Red Cross day was proposed by the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
ii.The first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8th May 1948.
i.The World Red Cross Day was renamed as the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.
About International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC):
President– Peter Maurer
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
>>Read Full News

World Thalassemia Day 2021:May 8Every year the World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8. The day is celebrated to encourage the patients suffering from Thalassemia, to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about thalassaemia.
Theme :“Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia Community”.

• In the year 1994, the Thalassemia International Federation established May 8 as International Thalassemia Day.

About Thalassaemia International Federation(TIF):
The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1986 by a small group of patients and parents representing mainly National Thalassaemia Associations in Cyprus, Greece, UK, USA and Italy.
TIF has evolved into an umbrella federation, with 232 member associations, in 62 countries of the world
President: Panos Englezos
>>Read Full News

World Migratory Bird Day 2021 – May 8 i.World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is bi-annually observed across the world on the 2nd Saturday in May and in October. The day aims to create awareness about the importance of the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
ii.The WMBD 2021 falls on the 8th May 2021. The day will also be observed on 9th October 2021.
iii.The first World Migratory Bird Day was launched by AEWA and CMS on the weekend of 8-9 April 2006.
>>Read Full News

World Portuguese Language Day 2021- May 5World Portuguese Language Day is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures.
The first World Portuguese Language Day was observed on 5th May 2020. 
Background:
The 40th Session of  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s General Conference held in 2019 proclaimed the 5th May of Every year as the “World Portuguese Language Day”.
>>Read Full News

Coal Miners Day 2021:May 4The Coal Miners Day is annually observed across the globe on 4th May to recognise the hard work of the professionals and the Miners working in the coalfields. The day is observed to remember and appreciate the workers who have sacrificed their lives and to remember the tragic events experienced by the coal miners.
Coal miners in India:
i.Mining has constituted a big part of India’s economy.
ii.The coal mining in India started in 1774 by the East India Company in Raniganj coalfield along the western bank of River Damodar.
iii.The coal rich regions in India are Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and some central and southern parts of the country.
iv.India has become one of the top reserves of coal, oil, natural gas, and metallic and non-metallic minerals like Bauxite, Dolomite, Fluorspar, Gypsum, Iron Ore, Limestone, Copper, Asbestos and Zinc.

STATE NEWS

Madhya Pradesh Launches ‘Mukhyamantri COVID Upchar Yojana’The State Government of Madhya Pradesh has launched a new scheme ‘Mukhyamantri COVID Upchar Yojana’ (Chief Minister’s COVID Treatment Programme). It aims to provide free treatment for COVID-19 to all Economically Weaker Families of the state.

• The scheme also aims to ensure steps for free COVID-19 treatment of families possessing Ayushman cards.

i.The scheme has 3 sections

• Section 1 – Under this section, hospitals run by state medical colleges, district & civil hospitals & community health centres will give free treatment to COVID-19 patients.
• Section 2 -20% of ICU/HDU (Intensive Care Unit/High Dependency Unit) & isolation beds will be reserved in hospitals run by private medical colleges to give free treatment.
• Section 3 – 20% of beds will be reserved for free treatment in hospitals accredited under the Ayushman scheme for Economically Weaker Sections of the society who hold Ayushman cards.

About Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Governor – Anandiben Patel
Capital – Bhopal
>>Read Full News

Irai Anbu Appointed as Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu; 4 Secretaries to assist CMOn May 07, 2021, The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) government appointed senior IAS officer V. Irai Anbu as the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu(TN) by replacing Rajeev Ranjan.

• Before becoming the Chief Secretary, he was an additional chief secretary/director of Anna Institute of Management and director-general of Training.
• In 2017, Irai Anbu received the S.P. Adithanar Literary Award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Rajeev Ranjan is transferred and posted as Chairman and Managing Director of TN Newsprint and Papers Limited.

Four Secretaries to assist CM:
T Udhayachandran, commissioner of archaeology, P Umanath, M S Shanmugam, and Anu George were appointed as Secretaries I, II, III, and IV to assist CM of TN.
About Tamil Nadu:
Tiger Reserves – Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Nuclear & Atomic Power Plant– Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant & Madras Atomic Power Station

Odisha announces Manoj Das International Literary Award

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced ‘Manoj Das International Literary Award’ in memory of eminent litterateur, Padma awardee Manoj Das, who died on April 27.This  award will be conferred on litterateurs from Odisha for their creative contribution to English literature with a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh every year and also announced a memorial ‘Manmath-Manoj Memorial’ at Sankhari village in Balasore district.

• The ‘Manoj-Kishore Literary Talent Award’ will be presented to high school students for their creative works in both Odia and English literature with a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh.

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