Current Affairs 20th April 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

UN Chinese Language Day – Observed on Apr 20

• UN Chinese Language Dayis observed on April 20
• The event was established by The UN Department of Public Information established the day in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.
• April 20 has also been chosen to pay tribute to Cangjie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Centre launches Startup India Seed Fund Scheme 

• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS). 
• The Fund aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization. 
• An amount of 945 crore rupees corpus will be divided over the next 4 years for providing seed funding to eligible startups through eligible incubators across India.
• The scheme is expected to support an estimated 3,600 startups through 300 incubators.
• Mr Goyal said that the SISFS will Secure seed funding, Inspire innovation, Support transformative ideas, Facilitate implementation, and Start startup revolution.
• He said that this Scheme will create a robust startup ecosystem, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns of India, which are often deprived of adequate funding.
• The Minister said that he would like to especially encourage innovators from rural areas to come forward and benefit from this scheme.

About Startup India:

• Startup India is an initiative of the Government of India.
• The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his speech on 15 August 2015.
• Address from the Red Fort, in New Delhi.
• The action plan of this initiative is focusing on three areas: Simplification and Handholding.
• Official website:gov.in
• Launch year: 2016
• Launched by (prime minister): Narendra Modi
• Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Eligibility for Startup India:

• Being incorporated or registered in India for less than seven years and for biotechnology startups up to 10 years from its date of incorporation.
• Annual turnover not exceeding Rs 25 crores in any of the preceding financial years.

Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria on a five day visit to France for defence cooperation

• Marking the continuity of growing bilateral defence cooperation with the French Air and Space Force, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria left for France on a five day official visit.
• The visit will enhance potential avenues for strengthening the level of interaction between the Indian and French Air Forces.
• During his visit, the Chief of Air Staff will hold meetings and discussions with senior military leadership of France and visit operational facilities and air bases.
• The two Air Forces have seen significant operational interaction in the recent past.

About France:

• President: Emmanuel Macron
• Capital: Paris
• Currency: Euro

Indian Oil starts to supply of no cost oxygen at to hospitals in Delhi, Haryana & Punjab

• Indian Oil has begun the supply of 150 Metric Tonnes of Oxygen at no cost to various hospitals in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
• The first batch of the lifesaver medical grade Oxygen was dispatched to Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital, New Delhi. 
• Delhi is already facing an oxygen emergency situation.
• In the face of a massive surge in demand for medical oxygen during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian Oil has diverted the high-purity oxygen used in its Mono Ethylene Glycol (MEG) Unit to produce medical-grade liquid oxygen at its Panipat Refinery and Petrochemical Complex.

Indian Oil:

• Chairperson: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 30 June 1959

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australia opens travel bubble with New Zealand – first time in more than a year. 

• Tearful reunions filled Auckland airport as Australia opened the travel bubble with New Zealand for the first time in more than a year.
• The long-awaited Australia-New Zealand travel bubble means visitors no longer need to quarantine on arrival.
• Thousands of passengers were booked to fly between the two nations.
• Both countries have contained COVID outbreaks and kept infection rates low, largely due to tight restrictions.

About Australia:

• Prime minister: Scott Morrison
• Capital: Canberra
• Currency: Australian dollar

About New Zealand:

• Prime minister: Jacinda Ardern
• Capital: Wellington
• Currency: New Zealand dollar

Italy initiates First ever mega Food Park & Food processing unit in India

• Italyhas launched its first ever mega food park project in India, comprising of food processing facilities, in a bid to further strengthen ties between the two nations.
• The pilot project named “The Mega Food Park” was launched virtually on April 17, 2021 at Fanidhar Mega Food Park, in Gujarat. 
• The project will develop a synergy between agriculture and industry of both countries, besides focusing on the research and development of newer, efficient technologies in the sector.

About Italy:

• Capital: Rome
• Currency: Euro
• President: Sergio Mattarella

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

IFFCO’s new oxygen plant in Gujarat: Sadananda Gowda

• Union Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Sadananda Gowda has said that cooperative fertilizer company IFFCO’s new oxygen plant at Kalol in Gujarat will enhance the daily production capacity of medical grade Oxygen by 33 thousand litres per day.
• The Minister informed that the company has also agreed to set up 3 more Oxygen plants each at Aonla & Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh and Paradeep in Odisha.
• Gowda also urged other urea companies to explore possibilities of setting up of oxygen plants in their existing manufacturing units.
• He said the current COVID situation demands a united fight against it.

About Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC raise DRHP for IPO

• Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd has filed a draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to raise funds via initial public offering.
• Aditya Birla Capital Ltd and Sun Life (India) AMC said that they will together sell a 13.5% stake in their asset management joint venture – Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd.
• Aditya Birla Capital will sell up to 2.88 million shares held by it in the asset management business, while Sun Life (India) AMC will sell up to 36.03 million shares.
• Aditya Birla Capital holds 51% stake in the AMC, and the remaining 49% is held by Sun Life.

About Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC:

• Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd. formerly known as Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited is an investment managing company registered under the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
• It is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group of India and the Sun Life Financial Inc. of Canada.
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1994

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Sivasubramanian Ramann appointed as SIDBI Chairman and Managing Director

• SIDBI informed Sivasubramanian Ramann has taken charge as Chairman and Managing Director of the bank.
• The appointment is for a period of three years from April 19, 2021, SIDBI said in a release.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing, and development of micro, small & medium enterprises.
• Prior to this appointment, Ramann was serving as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), India’s first information utility.
• Ramann is an Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of 1991 batch.

About SIDBI:

• Headquarters: Lucknow
• Tagline: “Aaayiye Ganga Nahaaiye Aur Udyami Banker Jaayiye” (take a dip in Ganga and become entrepreneur)

Tata Consumer appointed Deepika Bhan as President, Packaged Foods

• Tata Consumer Products (TCP), the consumer products company uniting the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one umbrella, announced the appointment of Deepika Bhan as the Company’s new President – Packaged Foods, India, effective April 27, 2021.
• Deepika joined TCP from Hindustan Unilever where she was Global Brand Director, Haircare for South Asia. 
• She has had varied stints in Sales, Customer Marketing, Media, Brand and Category/ P&L roles in her career during which she has led large teams across brands and portfolios.
• She has also worked with PepsiCo and Tata Motors.
• On this appointment, Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products, said “We are delighted to welcome Deepika on board to lead our Foods portfolio.
• We aspire to build this business through agility, innovation and strengthening our brands, and Deepika will lead us in this exciting growth phase.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Bizwoman Rumana Sinha Sehgal won humanitarian award

• Software-engineer turned social entrepreneur, Rumana Sinha Sehgal has been awarded the prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela World Humanitarian Award 2021’ by the Diplomatic Mission Global Peace earlier this month.
• The proud Hyderabadi is also the recipient of the Nationwide Award -under 50- Business Leader 2021 for social entrepreneurship by Business Mint.
• At the Influencer Summit in January this year, she also received the ‘International Influencer of the year 2021’.
• The ceremonies were held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Rumana says: “My work has been recognized in the fields of developing innovative and functional ‘green’ products by recycling varied materials and creative use of non-biodegradable materials, thus enhancing their useful life.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Quess Corporation to acquire 30% stake in Conneqt from Tata Sons for Rs.208 crore

• On April 16, 2021, Quess Corp, a business services platform, will acquire the remaining 30% equity stake in Conneqt Business Solutions from Tata Sons for 208 crore.
• Conneqt will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quess.
• Quess had acquired 51% of Conneqt in November 2017 and further increased its stake in Conneqt from 51% to 70% in May 2019 via infusion of primary capital.
• Conneqt is a customer lifecycle management (CLM) and BPM services firm that runs 21 delivery centers and employs over 29,000 people.

About Quess Corp :

• CEO and Managing Director: Suraj Moraje
• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founded: September 2007

About Conneqt Business Solutions :

• Headquarters : Hyderabad, Telangana
• CEO : Arjun Ramaraju

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Education Minister launches “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series

• Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series Virtually.
• It was developed by IIT Hyderabad researchers.
• IIT Hyderabad has developed innovative DuroKea long-lasting technologies to combat COVID-19 virus spreading.

Research Team : 

• This is a highly effective and affordable research innovation from IIT Hyderabad.
• It was developed by a team led by Dr. Jyotsnendu Giri, Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad. Dr. Sunil Kumar Yadava, Dr. Qasim M, Ms. Meenakshi Chauhan, and Ms. Ruby Singh, Ms. SuparnaBasu, Ms. Uzma Hasan, Mr. Jayakkumar and Dr. PurandhiRoopmani has a common vision with this innovation.
• DuroKea antimicrobial technology starts at Rs. 189, kills 99.99% of germs instantly and leaves behind the long-lasting protective nanoscale coating up to 35 days till next wash.
• The unique property of DuroKea range is to ensure instant killing (within 60 sec) and prolonged protection which is an immense necessity during this current pandemic situation.

Iran launches advanced IR-6 uranium enrichment centrifuges       

• On April 10, 2021, Iran celebrated its National Day of Nuclear Technology, with an event held simultaneously in Tehran and in nuclear sites in different Iranian cities, in which advanced IR-6 centrifuges started operating.
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the 164 IR-6 semi-industrial centrifuges were injected with gas and became fully operational at Iran’s uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, and 30 IR-6S centrifuges entered the first phase of gas injection at the same plant.
• The manufacturing and assembly of the first prototype of IR-9S and IR-9-1B centrifuges, currently under mechanical testing,.
• Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is restricted to use only a number of uranium enrichment centrifuges of first generation (IR-1) until year 2025.

About Iran :

• Capital: Tehran
• Currency: Iranian rial
• President: Hassan Rouhani

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

In F1 Grand Prix 2021, Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna 

• On April 18, 2021, Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021.
• It was held in Imola, Italy.
• This win is his first victory of the season.
• The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton finished second, following the crash and sustaining damage involving Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
• Lando Norris (McLaren – Great Britain) took third place.
• The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

Senior Asian Wrestling Championship – India Clinches 14 medal including 5 Gold, 3 Silver and Six Bronze at 2021

• The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held from April 13 to 18, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhsta
• India won 14 medals to stand at third spot in the medal table.
• The medals include 5 Gold, 3 Silver & 6 Bronze Medals.
• Iran and Kazakhstan topped the medal tally with 17 medals each.
• The event was the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships.

List of GOLD MEDAL Winners :

1. Ravi Kumar Dahiya – 57 kg Men’s freestyle
2. Vinesh Phogat –  53 kg Women’s freestyle
3. Anshu Malik – 57 kg Women’s freestyle
4. Sarita Mor – 59 kg Women’s freestyle
5. Divya Kakran – 72 kg Women’s freestyle

List of SILVER MEDAL Winners :

1. Bajrang Punia – 65 kg Men’s freestyle
2. Deepak Punia – 86 kg Men’s freestyle
3. Sakshi Malik – 65 kg Women’s freestyle

List of BRONZE MEDAL Winners :

1. Karan Mor – 70 kg Men’s freestyle
2. Narsingh Yadav – 79 kg Men’s freestyle
3. Sanjeet – 92 kg Men’s freestyle
4. Satyawart Kadian – 97 kg Men’s freestyle
5. Seema Bisla – 50 kg Women’s freestyle
6. Pooja Sihag – 76 kg Women’s freestyle

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Well-Known Kannada Lexicographer, G Venkatasubbaiah, Passes away

• On April 19, 2021, G Venkatasubbaish, well-known Kannada lexicographer, passed away.
• He was 107.

About G Venkatasubbaiah :

• He had compiled 12 dictionaries.
• He also authored around 60 books.
• Professor G Venkatasubbaiah was also proficient in Kannada literature, poetry, essays and translations.
• He was commonly known as a walking encyclopedia of Kannada language and culture, in his literary circles.
• He took up the task of working on Kannada-to-Kannada dictionary as its chief editor after retiring from Vijaya College in 1973.

Achievements :

• For His literary works  he got various awards, including the Padma Shri in 2007, Pampa Award, Bhasha Samman by the Sahitya Akademi, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award.

Former Union Minister Bachi Singh Rawat Passes away

• On April 18, 2021, Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Bachi Singh Rawat Passed away.
• He was 71.

About Bachi Singh Rawat :

• Bachi Singh Rawat was a four-time MP from the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency in Uttarakhand
• He had defeated former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat thrice in consecutive elections.
• Rawat Served as the Union minister of state for science and technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

National Award-winning film-makerSumitra Bhave passes away

• On April 19, 2021, Renowned 7-time National Award winner Marathi film-maker and writer Sumitra Bhave passed away.
• She was 78.
• Sumitra Bhave was popular as a duo with filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. 
• The duo of Sumitra and Sunil together directed several popular films like Doghi, Dahavi Fa, Vastupurush, Devrai, Badha, Ek Cup Chya, Samhita, Astu, Kaasav, among others.

Achievements :

• She made her first short film “Bai ” in 1985 for Stress Vani.
• This film made her the first National Award for Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare (1986), followed by another short film “Paani” that got the National Award in 1988.
• Sumitra Bhave & Sunil Sukthankar both  have won National Film Awards in Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare, Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film, Best Film on Other Social Issues, Best Feature Film categories.
• Among their other prominent films were “Kaasav” (2016) which bagged the National Award in 2017, “Aastu” (2013) which got a National Award.

Charles Geschke, Adobe co-founder and PDF developer , Passes away         

• On April 16, 2021, Adobe founder who helped develop Portable Document Format (PDF) document & publishing software company Adobe Inc Charles Geschke passed away.
• He was 81.

About Charles Geschke :

• He founded Adobe in 1982 with colleague John Warnock from Xerox.
• He also helped in developing the popular Portable Document Format (PDF).
• He was widely known as Chuck.
• In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Geschke and Warnock the National Medal of Technology.

About Adobe :

• Founders: Charles Geschke, John Warnock 
• Founded: December 1982, Mountain View, California, United States
• CEO: Shantanu Narayen
• Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States

Daily CA on 18 & 19:

• The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences, round tables and newspaper articles. 
• Tourism and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has inaugurated the first-ever online exhibition on Ramayana.
• The dedicated Covid hospital re-established by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will become operational.
• The Health Ministry said that 162 Pressure Swing Adsorption, PSA oxygen plants have been sanctioned by Government of India for installation in public health facilities in all States and these will augment medical oxygen capacity by over 154 Metric Tonnes.
• The Gallantry Awards portal has organized Innovative Tributes to Bravehearts competition wherein it is inviting participants from all over India to recommend unique and innovative tributes to salute the Bravehearts of the nation.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will share his thoughts through the first episode of the monthly Radio Broadcast titled “Awaam Ki Awaaz”.
• It will be carried by all the AIR stations of Jammu and Kashmir apart from Doordarshan channels of DD-Kashir and DDK Jammu.
• India’s pharma exports jumped over 18 percent to 24.4 billion dollars during the last financial year in comparison to the 2020 fiscal year.
• The Department of Telecom successfully completed the assignment of frequencies to successful bidders of the Spectrum Auction, 2021.
• NASA awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company SpaceXa $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024, the agency said, picking it over Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics Inc.
• Six firms for investment deals selects by Indywood Startup Awards 2021
• FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council in association with IIM-Trichy hosted the first-ever Awards ceremony which felicitated the HR Managers and the team who had excelled in their fields.
• The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) launched the sale of a free trade licence (FTL) 5-kg LPG cylinders at the M/s Pilot Service Station (IOCL petrol bunk) on the Bandar Road.
• On April 16, 2021, The 8th India-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘Khanjar’ was inaugurated at the Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek.
• On April 15, RBL Bank and Mastercard revealed their partnership to introduce the Pay by Bank App, a mobile-based consumer-friendly payment solution that will be the first of its kind in India.
• The autobiography of Suresh Raina, titled ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’, is set to hit the bookstands in May 2021.
• On April 14, 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the Association of Indian Universities’ 95th Annual Meet and National Seminar of Vice-Chancellors through video conferencing.
• On April 17, 2021, Vinay Agrawal, the Chief Executive Officer of Angel Broking, passed away.
• Famous Tamil film actor and Padma Shri awardee Vivek passed away.
• On April 16, 2021, Former India international footballer Ahmed Hussain Passed
• On April 17, 2021, Renowned Bangladeshi actor Sara Begum Kabori passed away.
• On April 16, 2021, Former India international footballer Ahmed Hussain Passed away

Daily CA On April 20 :

• UN Chinese Language Dayis observed on April 20 The event was established by The UN Department of Public Information.
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS). 
• Marking the continuity of growing bilateral defence cooperation with the French Air and Space Force, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria left for France on a five day official visit.
• Indian Oil has begun the supply of 150 Metric Tonnes of Oxygen at no cost to various hospitals in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
• Tearful reunions filled Auckland airport as Australia opened the travel bubble with New Zealand for the first time in more than a year.
• Italyhas launched its first ever mega food park project in India, comprising of food processing facilities, in a bid to further strengthen ties between the two nations.
• Union Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Sadananda Gowda has said that cooperative fertilizer company IFFCO’s new oxygen plant at Kalol in Gujarat will enhance the daily production capacity of medical grade Oxygen by 33 thousand litres per day.
• Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd has filed a draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to raise funds via initial public offering.
• SIDBI informed Sivasubramanian Ramann has taken charge as Chairman and Managing Director of the bank.
• Tata Consumer Products (TCP), the consumer products company uniting the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one umbrella, announced the appointment of Deepika Bhan as the Company’s new President – Packaged Foods, India, effective April 27, 2021.
• Software-engineer turned social entrepreneur, Rumana Sinha Sehgal has been awarded the prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela World Humanitarian Award 2021’ by the Diplomatic Mission Global Peace earlier this month.
• On April 16, 2021, Quess Corp, a business services platform, will acquire the remaining 30% equity stake in Conneqt Business Solutions from Tata Sons for 208 crore.
• Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series Virtually. It was developed by IIT Hyderabad researchers.
• On April 10, 2021, Iran celebrated its National Day of Nuclear Technology, with an event held simultaneously in Tehran and in nuclear sites in different Iranian cities, in which advanced IR-6 centrifuges started operating.
• On April 18, 2021, Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021. It was held in Imola, Italy.
• The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held from April 13 to 18, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhsta India won 14 medals to stand at third spot in the medal table.
• On April 19, 2021, G Venkatasubbaish, well-known Kannada lexicographer, passed away.
• On April 18, 2021, Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Bachi Singh Rawat Passed away.
• On April 19, 2021, Renowned 7-time National Award winner Marathi film-maker and writer Sumitra Bhave passed away.
• On April 16, 2021, Adobe founder who helped develop Portable Document Format (PDF) document & publishing software company Adobe Inc Charles Geschke passed away.