Daily Current Affairs for MP State Exams: 12.04.2021

1. 'Tika Utsav'; aim to vaccinate maximum eligible people

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi announced a special initiative vaccination festival, 'Tika Utsav' with an aim to vaccinate maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus.
The Utsav started on 11 April, 2021, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and will continue till the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on 14 April, 2021 to ensure the maximum vaccination coverage of people aged above 45.
Modi urged citizens to imbibe these four principles which include 'Each One, Vaccinate One', 'Each One, Treat One', 'Each One, Save One', and ‘Micro Containment Zones’.
Note: Recently, Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has given approval to use vaccines- Covishield from Serum Institute of India (SII) based on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech.

2. India-Netherlands Virtual Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands held a Virtual Summit on 9 April 2021.
The two Prime Ministers agreed on instituting a ‘Strategic Partnership on Water’ to further deepen the Indo-Dutch cooperation in the water related sector, and upgrading the Joint Working Group on water to Ministerial-level.

The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global challenges such as climate change, terrorism and Covid-19 pandemic and agreed to leverage the emerging convergences in new areas like Indo-Pacific Supply Chains and Global Digital Governance.

Facts about Netherlands:

Capital: Amsterdam

Currency: Euro

Prime Minister: Mark Rutte

3. India-Seychelles high level virtual event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a high level virtual event with the President of the Republic of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan on April 8, 2021 to inaugurate a range of Indian projects in Seychelles.
Indian projects in Seychelles:
A) Joint e-inauguration of the new Magistrates’ Court Building in Seychelles;
B) Handing over of a Fast Patrol Vessel to Seychelles Coast Guard;
C) Handing over of a 1 MW Solar Power Plant;
D) Inauguration of 10 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs).
Note: Seychelles occupies a central place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ - ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’.
Seychelles was the First African country to receive the Made in India COVID-19 vaccines.
Facts about Seychelles:

Capital: Victoria

President: Wavel Ramkalawan

Currency: Seychellois rupee

4. Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attends 2nd virtual G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated virtually in the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Italian Presidency on 07 April, 2021.
The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed Updates of the G20 Action Plan in response to COVID-19.
They also discussed supporting the financing needs of the most vulnerable economies, the progress on the international taxation agenda, promoting greener transitions and the pandemic related financial regulation issues.
For boosting support to the most vulnerable economies, the Finance Minister supported extending the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, by six months, till December 2021.
Facts about G20:

Formation: 26 September 1999

Members: 20 (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,

Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and European Union)

Note: The G20 Summit is set to be hosted by Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.

5. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launches ‘SARTHAQ’: the NEP Implementation Plan for School Education

The Department of School Education and Literacy has developed an indicative and suggestive Implementation Plan for School Education, called ‘Students’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement through Quality Education (SARTHAQ)’.
This implementation plan delineates the roadmap and way forward for implementation of NEP, 2020 for the next 10 years.
SARTHAQ has also been prepared as an evolving and working document and is broadly suggestive/indicative in nature and will be updated from time to time based on the inputs/feedback received from the stakeholders.
About National Education Policy 2020: The NEP 2020, which was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 29 July 2020, outlines the vision of India's new education system. The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986.

6. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal launched NanoSniffer, the world’s first Microsensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD)

The Nanosniffer has been developed by NanoSniff Technologies which is an IIT Bombay incubated startup.
It is being marketed by Vehant Technologies, IIT Delhi incubated startup.
The core technology of NanoSniffer is protected by patents in the U.S. & Europe.
About NanoSniffer: The completely indigenous device ETD - NanoSniffer can detect explosives in less than 10 seconds and it also identifies and categorizes explosives into different classes.
It detects all classes of military, conventional and homemade explosives.

7. Prime Minister releases hindi version of Odisha Itihaas by Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi released the hindi translation of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’ written by ‘Utkal Keshari’ Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab.
The book, available in Odia and English so far, has been translated into Hindi by Shri. Shankarlal Purohit.
About the Author: Harekrushna Mahtab was a notable figure in the Indian Independence Movement. He also served as Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and from 1956 to 1961.

8. Government of India to soon roll out Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) system in country

Government of India will soon roll out a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) system in the country allotting distinct IDs for each land parcel.
Pilot testing has been successfully carried out in 11 States namely Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) - 14 digits Alpha–numeric unique ID for each land parcel based on Geo reference coordinate of vertices of international standard and compliance of Electronic Commerce Code Management Association standard and Open Geospatial Consortium standards.
Note: Government of India, in 2008-09, had launched Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) - erstwhile National Land Records Modernization Programme to digitize and modernize land records and develop a transparent and Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS) in the country.

9. Dutee Chand to receive Chhattisgarh Veerni Award

Dutee Chand, the Jakarta Asian Games silver-medalist in 100 and 200 metres, will receive Chhattisgarh Veerni Award.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural edition of the awards ceremony will be held virtually on April 14, 2021.
In 2019, the Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the World University Games held in Italy.
Chhattisgarh Veerni Award, instituted by the Chhattisgarh state government, recognises contribution of Indian women in different fields, including sports.

10. April 10, World Homeopathy Day

The day is observed on the occasion of the birth anniversary of German physician Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homoeopathy. He was born in Paris on April 10, 1755.
Note: A two-day Scientific Convention on ‘Homoeopathy - Roadmap for Integrative Medicine’ was organized from 10-11, April 2021 by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, an autonomous apex research organization under the Ministry of AYUSH on the World Homoeopathy Day.

11. Prince Philip, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, passes away at 99

Philip Philip was also known as the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Prince married Britain's Princess Elizabeth in 1947, the longest reigning woman in British history.