Weekly Current Affairs for Bihar State exams

 Weekly Current Affairs in English- 05/04/2021 to 10/04/2021

 Important News: State

1. Maharashtra government declares Amboli as biodiversity heritage site

• The Maharashtra government declared an area at Amboli in Western ghats in Sindhudurg district, where a rare freshwater fish species was discovered, as a biodiversity heritage site.
• Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's son Tejas Thackeray, who is a wildlife researcher, and his team had discovered the new freshwater fish species - Schistura Hiranyakeshi near Amboli in Sawantwadi tehsil of Sindhudurg district.
• The discoveries of the freshwater fish species were published in the International Journal of Ichthyology in the October 2020 edition by Tejas Thackeray and co-authors.
• Other Biodiversity Heritage Site in Maharashtra:
• Glory of Allapalli in Gadchiroli district, Landor Khori Park in Jalgaon, Ganesh Khind in Pune, Myristica Swamp Vegetation in Sindhudurg district

2. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan receives ‘Kalinga Ratna’ award 2021

• Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India presented the ‘Kalinga Ratna’ award for the year 2021 to Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan for literary works.
• The award was presented during the 600th Birth Anniversary of Adikabi Sarala Das and 40th Annual Celebrations of Sarala Sahitya Sansad during the programme held at Sarala Bhawan in Cuttack.
• The Kalinga Ratna award carried a silver statue of Goddess Saraswati and a copper plaque.

3. Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation in Uttar Pradesh lists at BSE

• Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation in Uttar Pradesh listed itself at BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and successfully raised Rs. 150 Crores by issuing Municipal Bond on Private Placement Basis using BSEBOND. 
• This is the first ever green bond issuance by any Municipal Corporation in the country.
• Note:Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation is the second Municipal Corporation to raise funds in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• Earlier, Lucknow Municipal Corporation had listed itself at BSE.
• About BSE Limited: It, formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd., is an Indian stock exchange located at Dalal Street, Mumbai. Established in 1875, it is Asia's oldest stock exchange.

4. Rajasthan becomes first state to provide health insurance for all its residents

• The state began the registration for Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, announced by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the state budget 2021-22.
• Rajasthan has become the first state in the country, where each family will get health insurance of Rs 5 lakh each year.
• Facts about Rajasthan:
  Governor: Kalraj Mishra

Capital: Jaipur

Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot

5. India’s first farm-based solar power plant comes up in Rajasthan

• The first farm-based solar power plant under the Prime Minister’s Kisan Urja Suraksha Evum Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme has come up in Jaipur district’s Kotputli tehsil with a provision for production of 17 lakh units of electricity every.
• Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) commissioned the first of India’s farm based solar power projects under the KUSUM Scheme.
• A 1 MW project established on 3.5 acres of farmland in Bhaloji village, Kotputli tehsil in Jaipur, it is also the first of 623 farm based solar projects selected by RRECL for generating 722 MW capacity in Rajasthan under the first phase of Kusum scheme.
• About Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Yojana: It was launched by the Government of India to increase the income of farmers and provide sources for irrigation and de-dieselising the agricultural sector.
• The scheme was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRI) in 2019 for setting up solar pumps and other new power plants across the country.

Important News: India

1. Ministry of Labour & Employment set up Expert Committees for suggesting standards under the OSH & WC Code, 2020

• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH & WC) Code, 2020 has been enacted after amalgamating thirteen different labour legislations and to simplify the laws regulating the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions in establishments.
• The Expert Committees for Factories and Dock Works are constituted under Chairmanship of Dr. R. K. Elangovan, DG, DGFASLI, Mumbai.
• The other two Expert Committees for the Building & Other Construction Works and the Fire Safety are constituted under Chairmanship of Shri P.L.N. Murthy, VP & Head Domestic Operations, L&T Hydrocarbon, Chennai and Shri D. K. Shami, Fire Advisor to the Government of India, MHA respectively.

2. Labour Bureau launches two of the five All-India Surveys

• The five surveys are the All-India Survey of Migrant Workers, All-India Survey on Domestic Workers, All-India Survey on Employment generated in Transport Sector, All-India Survey of Employment Generated by Professionals and All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES).
• These surveys have been developed and designed by the Labour Bureau under the technical guidance of an expert group chaired by Prof S. P. Mukherjee and co-chaired by Dr Amitabh Kundu.
• The first surveys to be launched are the All-India Survey of Migrant Workers and All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES).
• Note: The Labour Bureau is being aided by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited, a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to provide the IT support.

3. Jal Jeevan Mission deploys first-of-its-kind sensor-based IoT devices to monitor rural drinking water supply systems

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has decided to take the digital route to use sensor-based IoT devices to effectively monitor the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in more than six lakh villages.
• For this, National Jal Jeevan Mission in collaboration with Tata Community Initiatives Trust (TCIT) and Tata Trusts recently completed pilot projects in several remote villages of five States i.e. Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) based remote monitoring provides near real-time information without any manual intervention by using sensors.
• Note: The aim of Jal Jeevan Mission is to provide piped water to all the rural households by 2024. It was launched on 15 August 2019. It comes under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.

4. Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launches the “MyNEP2020” Platform of NCTE Web Portal

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing draft for development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).
• The “MyNEP2020” platform will be operational from 1^stApril 2021 to 15th May 2021.
• For preparing the documents on above two major recommendations of NEP 2020, NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations.

5. TRIFED launches “Sankalp se Siddhi”- Village and Digital Connect Drive

• It is a 100 day drive which was started from 1st April, 2021.
• The main aim of this drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in villages.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs in a statement said that 100 villages in each region and 1500 villages in the country will be covered in the next 100 days.
• The visiting teams will also identify locations and potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for TRIFOOD and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI).
• Facts about Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED):

Founded: 1987

Headquarters: New Delhi

Parent agency: Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Managing Director: Pravir Krishna

6. Harsh Vardhan, Union Health & Family Welfare Minister approves the “National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021”

• The Rare Diseases Policy aims to lower the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with increased focus on indigenous research with the help of a National Consortium to be set up with the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare as convenor.  
• The policy also envisages creation of a national hospital based registry of rare diseases.
• A provision for financial support up to 20 lakhs under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi is proposed for treatment of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment (diseases listed under Group 1 in the rare disease policy).
• Beneficiaries for such financial assistance would not be limited to BPL families, but the benefit will be extended to about 40% of the population, who are eligible under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.  

7. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan launches the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP)

• The Integrated Health Information Platform is the next generation highly refined version of the presently used Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
• In addition to tracking 33 diseases now as compared to the earlier 18 diseases, it shall ensure near-real-time data in digital mode.
• This is the world's biggest online disease surveillance platform. It is in sync with the National Digital Health Mission and fully compatible with the other digital information systems presently being used in India.

8. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launches “Madhukranti portal”and Honey Corners of NAFED

• “Madhukranti portal”is an initiative of National Bee Board (NBB), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM).
• This portal is being developed for online registration to achieve a traceability source of Honey and other beehive products on a digital platform.
• The technical and banking partner for development of this digital platform is Indian Bank.
• Note: 70 FPOs of Beekeeper/honey producers, including 65 by NABARD & others and 5 by NAFED in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & West Bengal, have been formed.
• Honey production has increased from 76,150 MTs (2013-14) to 1,20,000 MTs (2019-20).
• Export of honeyhas increased from 28378.42 MTs (2013-14) to 59536.74 MTs (2019-20). 
• About NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.): It is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India. It was established on the auspicious day of Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October 1958.

9. Minister of State for Education addresses at consultation meeting of Education Ministers of E9 countries

• Minister of State for Education, Shri Sanjay Dhotre addressed at the consultation meeting of Education Ministers of E9 countries on E9 initiative: Scaling up digital learning to accelerate progress towards SDG4 on 6^thApril, 2021. 
• The initiative aims to accelerate recovery and advance the SDG4 (Sustainable Development Goal 4) agenda by driving rapid change in education systems in three of the 2020 Global Education Meeting priorities: (i) support to teachers; (ii) investment in skills; and (iii) narrowing of the digital divide.
• About E9: The E9 is a forum of nine countries, which was formed to achieve the goals of UNESCO's Education for All (EFA)
• The “E” stands for education and the “9” represents the following nine countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.
• The E9 Initiative was launched in 1993 at the EFA Summit in New Delhi, India.

10. Harsh Vardhan launches Tribal Health Collaborative ‘Anamaya’

• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare along with Shri Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs launched ‘Anamaya’, the Tribal Health Collaborative.
• A multi-stakeholder initiative supported by Piramal Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), ‘Anameya’ will converge efforts of various Government agencies and organisations to enhance the health and nutrition status of the tribal communities of India.
• The Ministry will undertake several activities such as: setting up of the National Council on Tribal Health, establishment of a Health Cell and Tribal Health Action Plan and so on.
• Note: Recently, the ‘Tribal TB Initiative’ was launched by both the Ministries to fulfil the Prime Minister’s goal of ‘TB MuktBharat’ by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline.

11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the meeting of the High Level Committee to commemorate 400th Birth Anniversary (Prakash Purab) of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur

• The High Level Committee was constituted by the Union Government earlier on October 24, 2020, to approve policies, plans and programs related to the commemoration of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur along with supervision of the events.
• The High Level Committee has 70 members including the Prime Minister as Chairman. 
• About Guru Tegh Bahadur: Guru Tegh Bahadur is the ninth of the ten Gurus who founded the Sikh religion. He was the head of the followers of Sikhism. He was born on 1 April 1621.
• Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with students, teachers and parents during 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2021' via video conferencing on 7th April 2021.

12. Supreme Court-appointed committee submits report on farm laws

• The three-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court has submitted its report on farm laws.
• Note: On January 12, 2021, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three farm laws and formed a four-member committee of experts to listen to the grievances of the farmers on the farm laws and the views of the government and make recommendations.
• The members of the committee: Noted agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, Anil Ghanwat of the Shetkari Sanghatana, Pramod Kumar Joshi of the International Food Policy Research Institute and former Rajya Sabha member Bhupinder Singh Mann.
• Note: The 4^th member, Bhupinder Singh Mann who is also the national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, stepped down from the committee.
• 3 Farm laws are:
• The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020
• Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020
• Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

 
Important News: World

1. Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC grouping finalised a major Master plan for transport connectivity for the Bay of Bengal region

• On 1^st April 2021, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar virtually addressed the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting held from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• The meeting also endorsed three MoUs/agreements relating to convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal matters, cooperation between diplomatic and training academies and establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Colombo.

Note: The study conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2007 and 2014, identified 166 connectivity projects at an estimated cost of USD 50 billion out of which 65 projects were identified as priority projects.

• About BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation):

Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Founded: 6 June 1997

Member: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

2. India hosts first meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

• This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India Chairship on April 6, 2021.
• The meeting was jointly chaired by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shri. Shaktikanta Das.
• The Finance Minister talked about thematic priorities for New Development Bank for discussion during 2021 and the issues of membership expansion.
• Note: The theme of BRICS this year is -"BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus”.
• The 13th BRICS Summit will be held under India’s Chairship in 2021, and it will be the third time India will host the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016.
• Facts about BRICS:

Formation: 2009

Countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

3. Russia registers World's first COVID-19 vaccine ‘Carnivac-Cov’ for animals

• According to agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia has registered the world's first vaccine for animals ‘Carnivac-Cov’ against COVID-19, after tests showed it generated antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink.
• Note: Russia already has three coronavirus vaccines for humans: Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.

Economy

1. Jeff Bezos tops Forbes' billionaire list; Mukesh Ambani is no. 10

• Forbes has released its 35th annual World’s Billionaires List 2021.
• Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person for the fourth year running, worth $177 billion.
• Mukesh Ambani of India has become the richest person in Asia, ranked No. 10.
• The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest has increased to 2755. Altogether they are worth $13.1 trillion.
• India has the third highest number of billionaires with 140 in the world after the U.S. (724) and China (698).

2. Stand-Up India Scheme: More than Rs 25,586 crore sanctioned by the Banks in 5 years

• 25,586 crore has been sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme to over 1,14,322 accounts upto 23.03.2021 since inception of the Scheme.
• About Stand up India Scheme: Itwas launched on 5^th April 2016.
• This scheme has been extended up to the year 2025.
• Theobjective of Stand-Up India is to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.
• Stand Up India Scheme facilitates bank loans between 10 lakh and 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise. This enterprise may be in manufacturing, services or the trading sector.

3. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin: 92% target achieved in the 1st phase

• A target of 1 crore houses was set for completion in the 1^stphase of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme i.e. from 2016-17 to 2018-19, against which 92% target of completion has been achieved.
• The government is confident that all the houses in the Permanent Wait List would be completed by the end of Amrut Mahtosava.
• About Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G): It is one of the flagship programmes of the Government of India which is driven by the noble objective of providing “Housing for All” by the year 2022.
• It was launched in November 2016 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

4. More than 28.68 crore loans for an amount of Rs 14.96 lakh crore sanctioned since launch of the PMMY

• More than 68 croreloans for an amount of Rs 14.96 lakh crore have been sanctioned since launch of the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) scheme (as on 19.03.2021).
• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana has completed six years.
• PMMY helped in generation of 1.12 crore net additional employment from 2015 to 2018.
• Note: About 68% of the loans have been given to women entrepreneurs.
• About Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY): Itwas launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on April 8, 2015 for providing loans upto Rs.10 Lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.

Defense

1. Indian Army formally closes down Military Farms

• Military Farms were set up with the sole requirement of supplying hygienic cow's milk to troops billeted in various garrisons across British India.
• After 132 years of glorious service to the nation, curtains were drawn on this organisation.
• After independence Military Farms flourished with 30,000 heads of cattle in 130 Military Farms all over India in varied Agro-climatic conditions.
• Note: First Military farm was raised on 01 Feb 1889 at Allahabad.
• Military Farms were even established in Leh and Kargil in the late 1990s.

2. DRDO lab develops light weight Bullet Proof Jacket

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur has developed light weight Bullet Proof Jacket (BPJ) weighing 9.0 kilogrammes, meeting the qualitative requirements of Indian Army. 
• The Front Hard Armour Panel (FHAP) jacket was tested at Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh and met relevant BIS standards.

3. Indian Army joins Multinational Military Exercise ‘SHANTIR OGROSHENA’ 2021 in Bangladesh

• Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021 (Front Runner of Peace) commenced on 04 April 2021 at Bangabandhu Senanibas, Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh's ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmanand mark glorious 50 years of liberation.
• Indian Army contingent of 30 personnel are participating along with contingent of the Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army from 04 Apr to 12 Apr 2021. 
• Military observers from the USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.
• The theme of the exercise is “Robust Peace Keeping Operations”.

4. India joins Multi-Lateral Maritime Exercise ‘La Perouse’

• India and three other Quad member nations joined France in a three-day (05 to 07 Apr 2021) mega naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean.
• Indian Navy Ships INS Satpura and INS Kiltanalongwith P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated, for the first time; in multi-lateral maritime exercise La Pérouse.
• The Indian Navy ships and aircraft participated with ships and aircraft of French Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and United States Navy. 
• Note: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

5. DRDO develops Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard naval ships from missile attack

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard the naval ships against enemy missile attack.
• Defence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ), a DRDO laboratory, has indigenously developed three variants of this critical technology namely Short Range Chaff Rocket (SRCR), Medium Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR) and Long Range Chaff Rocket (LRCR) meeting Indian Navy’s qualitative requirements.
• Chaff is a passive expendable electronic countermeasure technology used worldwide to protect naval ships from enemy’s radar and Radio Frequency missile seekers.

New Appointment

1. Mukhmeet S Bhatia takes over the charge of Director General of ESIC

• Shri Bhatia is an IAS Officer of 1990 batch of Jharkhand cadre.
• Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is a statutory and autonomous Body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.

Industry: Insurance

Founded: 24 February 1952

Headquarters: New Delhi

2. Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel appointed Additional Director of Britannia

• The Board of Britannia Industries has appointed former Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel as the company's Additional Director in the category of Non-Executive and Independent Director.
• Note: He was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during September 2016-December 2018.
• About Britannia Industries Limited: It is an Indian food and beverage company.

CEO: Varun Berry

Headquarters: Bengaluru

Founded: 1892

3. TAFE chief Mallika Srinivasan named chairperson of PESB

• Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) Ltd, has been named chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).
• This is for the first time a private sector specialist has been appointed the head of the PESB, which is responsible for making appointments to top posts in Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).

4. Justice N V Ramana appointed as 48th Chief Justice of India

• President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice N V Ramana as the 48th Chief Justice of India, accepting the recommendation made by the outgoing CJI S A Bobde.
• Justice Ramana will take oath on April 24, 2021.
• Ramana will serve as the 48th Chief Justice of India till August 26, 2022.
• Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on February 17th, 2014, Justice Ramana was the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

5. QCI chief Adil Zainulbhai appointed chairman of Capacity Building Commission

• According to a Personnel Ministry order issued, former Quality Council of India (QCI) Chief Adil Zainulbhai has been appointed as the chairperson of Capacity Building Commission, while Ramaswami Balasubramaniam has been appointed as member (HR) and Praveen Pardeshi as a member (administration).
• Note: The government approved Capacity Building Commission under the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), also known as ‘Mission Karmayogi’, to train civil servants at all levels.

6. Chintan Vaishnav appointed as new Mission Director for Atal Innovation Mission

• Acclaimed socio-technologist Dr Chintan Vaishnav has been appointed as the new Mission Director for Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• He will replace Ramanathan Ramanan, who had been leading AIM as its first Mission Director since June 2017.
• Dr Vaishnav is moving from his present assignment at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, to head AIM.  
• About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): It is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country and was set up in 2016.

7. Nguyen Xuan Phuc sworn in as Vietnam’s president: Pham Minh Chinh as Prime Minister

• Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been formally sworn in as president in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.
• Nguyen Xuan Phuc, of Communist Party of Vietnam, was Vietnam’s prime minister for the last five years.
• Vietnam’s National Assembly confirmed Pham Minh Chinh of Communist Party of Vietnam, a career security official, as the Southeast Asian country’s next Prime Minister.
• Facts about Vietnam:

Capital: Hanoi

Currency: Vietnamese dong

8. S Ramann appointed as SIDBI Chairman & MD

• The government has appointed S Ramann as Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• The appointment is for a period of three years from the date of his assuming the charge or until further orders.
• Ramann, a 1991 batch Indian Audit & Accounts Service officer, is currently the CEO of National E-Governance Services Ltd, India's first Information Utility.
• Facts about SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India): It is the apex regulatory agency in India for Microfinance Institutions and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Founded: 2 April 1990

Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Science & Technology

1. Novel technique for tracking solar eruptions that disrupt space weather to be used in India’s first solar mission

• Research led by Mr. Ritesh Patel, Dr. Vaibhav Pant, and Prof. Dipankar Banerjee from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, an autonomous institute under DST, Government of India, along with their collaborators from Royal Observatory of Belgium, have led to the development of an algorithm, CMEs Identification in Inner Solar Corona (CIISCO) to detect and track the accelerating solar eruption in the lower corona.
• CIISCO has been successfully tested on several eruptions observed by space observatories, including Solar Dynamics Observatory and Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory, PROBA2/SWAP launched by NASA and ESA, respectively.
• Note: Software named Computer Aided CME Tracking Software (CACTus) based on a computer vision algorithm was so far used to detect and characterise such eruptions automatically in the outer corona.
• As India’s first solar mission, Aditya-L1, will be observing this region of the solar corona, implementation of CIISCO on the Aditya-L1 data will provide new insight into the CME properties in this less explored region.

2. Supreme Court's first AI-driven research portal 'SUPACE' launched by CJI Bobde

• Chief Justice of India S A Bobde launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) portal, Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court's Efficiency (SUPACE).
• It is a tool that collects relevant facts and laws and makes them available to a judge. SUPACE, designed to make research easier for judges, thereby easing their workload.
• Note: Justice L Nageshwara Rao is the current chairman of the Supreme Court's Artificial Intelligence Committee.
• Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde was the first-ever chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Committee.

Ranking & Index

1. India ranked 140 among 156 countries in WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021

• India’s ranking on the 15th edition, WEF (World Economic Forum)’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 dropped 28 places to 140, amongst 156 nations, making it the third-worst performer in South Asia, way behind Bangladesh and Nepal.

1 rank: Iceland

2 rank: Finland

3 rank: Norway

140 rank: India

• Afghanistan was at the last position of 156.
• In South Asia, Bangladesh was the top performer with a global ranking of 65, followed by Nepal at 106.
• Note: India has been ranked 112 in WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020.
• The Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks the evolution of gender-based gaps among four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment).

2. Global Wind Report 2021 by GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council)

• In this special edition of GWEC’s 16^thannual flagship report ahead of the crucial COP26 conference in November 2021, the Global Wind Report 2021 highlights wind power’s role.
• 2020 was the best year in history for the global wind industry with 93 GW of new capacity installed.  
• Today, there is now 743 GW of wind power capacity worldwide, helping to avoid over 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 globally.
• India is the world’s fourth-largest onshore wind market by cumulative installations with nearly 38 GW of capacity.
• The government has set an ambitious target of 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022,which calls for current wind capacity to nearly double within the next two years, totaling 60 GW of onshore wind and 5 GW of offshore wind. 
• Facts about Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC): 
• The Global Wind Energy Council provides a credible and representative forum for the entire wind energy sector at an international level.

Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium

CEO: Ben Backwell

Founded: 2005

Important Days

1. April 05, National Maritime Day

• The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.
• The history of India shipping first started on April 5, 1919, when the SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd travelled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom (London).
• Note: World Maritime Day is observed on the last week of September on Thursday annually.

2. April 07, World Health Day

• The theme for 2021 is ‘Building a Fairer and Healthier World for Everyone’.
• In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day.
• The World Health Day is held to mark WHO's founding and is seen as an opportunity by the organization to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year.
• Facts about WHO (World Health Organization):

Headquarters:        Geneva, Switzerland

Founded:      7 April 1948

Director-General: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Books and Authors

1. Vice President releases book ‘Suparipalana’ by retired civil servant Dr Shailendra Joshi

• The Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book ‘Suparipalana’, the Telugu translation of “Echo T Calling: Towards People-Centric Governance”, written by former Telangana Chief Secretary, Dr Shailendra Joshi.

The translator of the book is Annavarapu Brahmaiah and the publisher is Maruthi

2. A book titled ‘Manohar Parrikar: Brilliant Mind, Simple Life’ by Nitin Gokhale

• This book is as much a personal tribute by the author to Manohar Parrikar, as an honest attempt to capture the persona of Parrikar the man, the politician and patriot.
• Manohar Parrikar was India's first IIT-qualified Chief Minister. He served as the Chief Minister of Goa and Defence Minister of India.
• Nitin Gokhale, one of South Asia's leading Strategic Analysts, is a renowned author, media trainer and founder of a specialised defence related website BharatShakti.in and Strategic News International.
• The book is published by Bloomsbury.

Obituaries

1. Veteran actress Shashikala passes away

• More popularly known by her first name, Shashikala Om Prakash Saigal had acted in over 100 movies.
• Shashikala was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2007. Shashikala bagged two Filmfare awards for her work in Aarti and Gumrah.

2. Gita Press president Radheshyam Khemka passes away

• Khemka took Sanatan literature to the masses.
• Gita Press is the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts. It is located in Gorakhpur city of India's Uttar Pradesh state. It was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Sanatana Dharma.

Sports

1. Hubert Hurkacz wins Men's singles title in Miami Open Tennis Championships 2021; Ashleigh Barty wins Women's singles title

• Poland's Hubert Hurkacz has won the men's singles title as he defeated Italy's Jannik Sinner at Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. 
• Australia's Ashleigh Barty has won the women’s singles title in the finals as she defeated Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. 

2. 2023 Men's Boxing World Championships to be held in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent

• The city of Tashkent is awarded the 2023 AIBA Men's boxing World Boxing Championships after the successful bid presentation by the Boxing Federation of Uzbekistan.
• Note: International Boxing Association announced that Asian Boxing Championships 2021 will be hosted by New Delhi, India from May 21-31.
• Facts about the International Boxing Association (AIBA):

Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland

President: Umar Kremlev

3. FIFA suspends Pakistan, Chad football associations

• FIFA Council suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect due to third-party interference, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes.
• FIFA Council decided to suspend the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to government interference.
• Note: Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• Facts about FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association):

Founded:     21 May 1904

Headquarters:     Zürich, Switzerland

Membership:         211 national associations

President:    Gianni Infantino

Founded: 1946

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