Current Affairs 01st April 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : DAYS

Rajasthan Diwas 2021 : Observed On 30th March

• Rajasthan Diwas is observed on March 30^th every year to commemorate the formation of the state. 
• Rajasthan Diwas 2021 is being celebrated as the 72nd foundation day of the state.

History : 

• The state was formed on March 30^th, 1949 when Rajputana was merged into the Dominion of India. 
• Jaipur being the largest city was declared as the capital of the state.

About Rajasthan :

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Capital: Jaipur 
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Rajasthan is known as the ‘Land of Kings’ or ‘Land of Kingdom’ as it is the largest state by area.
• Located in the northwest part of the country, it is home to a rich cultural diversity.
• Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, known for its birdlife is a world heritage site situated in Rajasthan. 
• The state has two national tiger reserves- Ranthambore National Park at Sawai Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

First half of FY22 – Government pegs market borrowing at Rs 7.24 lakh crore

• On March 31, 2021, The government announced it will borrow Rs 7.24 lakh crore in the first half of 2021-22 fiscal to meet resources to perk up the economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
• According to the Budget 2021-22, the government’s gross borrowing was estimated at Rs 12.05 lakh crore in the financial year beginning April 1.
• In the first half of 2021-22, borrowing Rs 7.24 lakh crore, which is 60.06 per cent of the gross issuances
• The government raises money from the market to fund its fiscal deficit through dated securities and treasury bills.

Note :

• Economic Affairs Secretary :  Tarun Bajaj

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & ECONOMY

Government announces Rs 14,500-crore capital infusion in 4 Public Sector Banks

• On March 31, 2021, The government announced capital infusion totalling Rs 14,500 crore in four public sector banks (PSBs) through zero-coupon bonds.
• The four public sector banks (PSBs) namely Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and UCO Bank in 2020-21, by issuing non-interest bearing bonds to these banks.
• The government will charge Rs 4,800 crore in Central Bank of India, Rs 4,100 crore in Indian Overseas Bank, Rs 3,000 crore in Bank of India and Rs 2,600 crore in UCO Bank.
• These securities will be issued in six different maturities and will be issued at par for the amount as per the application made by the eligible banks.
• Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 announced a capital infusion of Rs 20,000 public sector banks for the current financial year 2021-2022.

Note : 

• Previously in December, the government infused Rs 5,500 crore in Punjab and Sind Bank.

About Central Bank of India :

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 21 December 1911
• Founders: Sorabji Pochkhanawala, Pherozeshah Mehta

About Indian Overseas Bank :

• CEO: Partha Pratim Sengupta (24 Jul 2020)
• Headquarters: Chennai
• Founder: Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar
• Founded: 10 February 1937, Chennai

About Bank of India :

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founder: Ramnarain Ruia
• Founded: 7 September 1906, Mumbai

About UCO Bank :

• Headquarters: Kolkata
• CEO: Atul Kumar Goel
• Founder: Ghanshyam Das Birla
• Founded: 6 January 1943

Government extends Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme to June 30, 2021

• On March 31, 2021, The government extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) till June 30 2021, or till such time that an amount of 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under the Scheme.
• Also it expanded its scope to cover enterprises in hospitality, travel and tourism, leisure and sporting sectors.

About Modified Rules :

• The limit of credit has been enhanced 40 percent of outstanding loans as on Feb 29, 2020 as against 20 per cent earlier.
• The collateral free loan guarantee scheme, announced as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, would now also cover borrowers with total credit outstanding up to Rs 500 crore, with overdues for 60 days or less on February 29 as compared to 30 days overdue earlier.
• The tenor of loans granted under ECLGS 3.0 will be 6 years including a moratorium period of 2 years. The tenor of loans under the previous version, ECLGS 2.0, was five years with a 12-month moratorium
• This modification provides an incentive to MLIs (member lending institutions) to enable availability of additional funding facilities to the eligible beneficiaries.
• The revised operational guidelines would be issued by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).

About ECLGS :

• ECLGS was launched as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May.
• It is for to mitigate the distress caused by coronavirus-induced lockdown, by providing credit to different sectors, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

Union Bank Of India launches “Uni-Carbon Card”

• On March 26, 2021, Union Bank of India launched “UNI – CARBON CARD”, an HPCL co-branded credit card on the Rupay platform of NPCI.
• It is a unique HPCL co-branded credit card on the Rupay platform of NPCI.
• It will play a role in creating an opportunity to create value for the customers.
• The card has been designed in joint association with Union Bank of India and HPCL and Rupay. 
• The Union Bank HPCL Co-branded credit card is first of its kind with HPCL, a major player in fuel retail.

About Union Bank of India :

• MD & CEO : Rajkiran Rai G
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 11 November 1919

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AGREEMENTS

SBI inks $1-billion loan agreement with Japan Bank for International Cooperation

• Country’s largest lender, State Bank of India, has raised $1 billion from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to extend loans to the supply chain of Japanese automobile industry in India.
• The virtual signing ceremony event was held in the presence of Dinesh Khara, Chairman, SBI along with senior executives of SBI, Hayashi Nobumitsu, Deputy Governor (JBIC) and Ayukawa Kenichi, CEO & MD of Maruti Suzuki.
• The loan is in the form of refinance against the funding support provided to the manufacturers, suppliers and dealers of Japanese automobiles in India.
• This collaboration (between SBI and JBIC) will help the bank in extending loan facility to the entire supply chain at a time when people are preferring personal mode of transport.
• Now the total loan facility between SBI and JBIC has become $2 billion.
• Earlier in October 2020, SBI inked a similar agreement for $1 billion with JBIC.

About JBIC :

• JBIC is a policy-based financial institution, wholly owned by the Japanese government, with the objective of contributing to the sound development of Japan, the international economy and society.

About SBI :

• Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1 July 1955

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

India and US carry out military drill Vajra Prahar 2021 in Himachal Pradesh

• Special forces of India and the US carried out a joint military exercise at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh in March 2021.
• It was the 11th edition of the exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ which is aimed at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.

Aim :

• Enhancing interoperability between the two sides and sharing the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.
• It is a bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important facet of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between friendly countries.
• India and the US carried out a two-day naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean Region on March 28 and 29.
• The Indian Navy deployed its warship Shivalik and long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I in the ‘PASSEX’ exercise 
• Meanwhile the US Navy was represented by USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.

Note :

• Earlier, In February, the Indian and US Armies carried out ‘Exercise Yudh Abhyas’ at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, to focus on counter terrorism operations under the mandate of the United Nations.

About Indian Navy :

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS): Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS): Vice Admiral M. S. Pawar
• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

About US :

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• President: Joe Biden

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DPIIT upgrades of Industrial Entrepreneurs Memorandum made online

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has revamped its Industrial Entrepreneurs Memorandum (IEM) portal.
• This has been done with a view to enhancing ease of doing business and transparency
• The upgraded portal offers a single IEM for one company to capture details of all its locations and sectors.
• This Single form will facilitate the filling of investment intentions (IEM-Part A) and reporting of commencement of production (IEM-Part B) in a seamless manner
• The G2B portal can be accessed at http://services.dipp.gov.in for the purpose of submitting applications and obtaining the IEM certificate.

About DPIIT :

• DPIIT operates the G2B Portal for receiving the application of Industrial Entrepreneurs to file an Industrial Entrepreneurs Memorandum (IEM) under Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951.
• Comes under Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Secretary : Guruprasad Mohapatra
• Founded : 1995

CBIC notifies ICEGATE as a common portal for bills of entry, registration

• On march 29, 2021, The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) notified ICEGATE or Indian Customs and Central Excise Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) Gateway as the common customs electronic portal
• It is for all customs related documentation and duty payments.
• The changes form part of the move to making the customs processing of bills of entry and declarations more electronic, paperless and seamless, so as to facilitate trade.

About CBIC  :

• Chairperson: Ajit Kumar
• Elected officer responsible: Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister of India
• Founded: 1 January 1964
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• CBIC has also amended the bill of entry forms for goods arriving via land, sea or air prescribing the use of the common portal for submitting bills of entry.

Women-led startup develops product for reliable low-cost internet in rural areas

• Astrome, Bangalore based a women-led startup, has developed an innovative wireless product that gives fibre-like bandwidth at fraction of cost of fibre to help telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas.
• It is a wireless backhaul product that can deliver low-cost, high data capacity, and wide reach.
• The wireless product, called GigaMesh, could enable telecom operators to deploy quality, high-speed rural telecom infrastructure at five times lower cost.

About Astrome :

• Co-Founder & CEO : Neha Satak
• Astrome is the deep tech startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and supported by DST-ABI women startup programme of the department of science and technology (DST)
• Astrome received the ITU SME Award for the Most Promising Innovative Solution in Connectivity, a major recognition for this product from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• They also got selected by a prestigious 5G accelerator programe called EvoNexus (sponsored by Qualcomm) which will help them launch their product in the global market.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT

new species of butterfly discovered Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii sadasivan 

• The discovery of the species six line blue butterfly Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii Sadasivan, 2021 in the Agasthyamalais in the Western Ghats.
• It is the first time that a butterfly species was discovered by an all-Indian research team from the Western Ghats.
• It has now found a place in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
• The new taxon of Lycaenid butterflies belonging to the genus  Nacaduba

About Researchers Team :

• Team comprises Kalesh Sadasivan and Baiju K. representing the Travancore Nature History Society, Rahul Khot of the Bombay Natural History Society, and Ramasamy Naicker from Theni.

About the Butterfly :

• Line Blues are small butterflies belonging to the subfamily Lycaenidae 
• Their distribution ranges from India and Sri Lanka to the whole of southeastern Asia, Australia and Samoa.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

In ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League standings India move to 7th position

• India has been moved up to seventh position on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League standings after their seven-run win over England in the third ODI.
• Despite the loss, England remained the top-ranked team in the standings with 40 points.
• India has scored 29 points.
• The Super League started on July 30, 2020 with England’s three-match series against Ireland.
• It includes the 12 full members of the ICC along with the Netherlands.
• Teams that finish within the top eight will gain automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup which is scheduled to be held in India

About ICC :

• Chairperson: Greg Barclay
• Deputy Chairman: Imran Khwaja
• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary passes away

• The renowned American writer , Beverly Cleary, children’s and young adult fiction has passed away. 
• She was 104.

About Beverly Cleary :

• Cleary was born April 12, 1916 in McMinnville, Oregon, andgrew up in Portland and Yamhill, titling her autobiography, “A Girl from Yamhill.
• Cleary published more than 40 books, with more than 85 million copies
• They were translated into 29 languages.
• Her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950.
• Cleary was one of America’s most successful authors.
• Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse all have Some of her best known characters.
• Cleary won the National Book Award in 1981 for “Ramona and Her Mother,” and “Dear Mr. Henshaw” won the John Newbery Medal in 1984.

Former President of Madagascar Didier Ratsiraka Passes away

• On March 28th 2021, Madagascar’s former President Didier Ratsiraka was Passed away.
• He was 84.

About Didier Ratsiraka :

• Didier Ratsiraka, a naval officer nicknamed the “Red Admiral” for his socialist policies
• He was appointed as the Minister of foreign affairs in 1972
• Ratsiraka was the president of the Indian Ocean Island from 1975 to 1993 and 1997-2002.
• He had visited India in 1980 on a bilateral state visit and in 1983 to participate in the NAM Summit. 

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto Passes away

• On March 25th, 2021, Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army, passed away.
• He was 97.

About Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto :

• Gen Pinto was born on July 1, 1924, in Poona, Bombay Presidency.
• Gen Pinto last served as the 8th General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command.
• As Major General, he had led the 54th Infantry Division on the western front in the Indo-Pak War of 1971, 
• He was awarded the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).
• He had penned a book ‘Bash on Regardless’, in which he described the Battle of Basantar.

Daily CA On Mar 31 :

• The International Day of Drug Checkingtakes place on March 31 every year since 2017 to ensure people are educated on drugs and aware of their effects.
• International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.
• World Backup Dayis marked every year on March 31 the day aims to reminds us to protect our precious digital documents as we’ve become more reliant on technology.
• Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’inaugurated “Ānandam: The Center for Happiness” virtually on March 30, 2021 at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu.
• Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off DEMU train from Phaltan to Pune via Lonand through video conferencing.
• Government has operationalised 22 new routes in the last three days under the UDAN scheme. 
• The New Zealand Parliamenthas recently passed legislation to provide leave for miscarriage and for stillbirth
• In Maharashtra, cyber criminals attacked Maharashtra’s Industrial Development Corporation’s (MIDC) computer systems last week.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, as part of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations, a one-day awareness programme for farmers was organized by the Revenue Department at Revenue Training Complex, Jammu.
• India’s economy has bounced back amazingly from the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown over the last one year, but it is not out of the woods yet, according to the World Bank, which in its latest report has predicted that the country’s real GDP growth for fiscal year 21/22 could range from 7.5 to 12.5 per cent.
• Various loans offered by Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) and Micro Finance institutes (MFI) are expected to be cheaper from April 1.
• The Boardof Directors of P. Moller – Maersk has decided to appoint Chief Technology & Information Officer (CTIO) Navneet Kapoor to the Executive Board with effect from 1 April 2021.
• Low-cost carrier and country’s largest regional player, homegrown carrier SpiceJetsaid it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with New York-based Avenue Capital Group, for financing, acquisition and sale and lease-back of 50 new planes.
• India is to participate in France-led naval xdrill La Perouse for the first time in the Bay of Bengal.
• On March 26, 2021, The BPCL sold its entire 5% stake in Numaligarh Refinery (NRL) in Assam to a consortium of Oil India and Engineers India and government of Assam for Rs 9,876 crore.
• ITI Limited, India’s telecom products manufacturing arm, and Thalamus Irwine, a local startup have come together to develop a technology for storing medical data on blockchain.
• Cochin Shipyard Ltd. delivers MV ‘Sindhu’ A 500 pax passengers cum 150 MT Cargo Vessel built indigenously for Andaman and Nicobar Island.
• The book of Daribha lyndem titled NAME PLACE ANIMAL THING .
• On March 28, 2021, All-rounder Thisara Perera became the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes from one over.
• India finished at the top of the medals table at the 2021 ISSF World Cup New Delhi.
• On March 28, 2021, Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix.It was held at Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.

Daily CA On Apr 01 :

• Rajasthan Diwas is observed on March 30^th every year to commemorate the formation of the state. 
• On March 31, 2021, The government announced it will borrow Rs 7.24 lakh crore in the first half of 2021-22 fiscal to meet resources to perk up the economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
• On March 31, 2021, The government announced capital infusion totalling Rs 14,500 crore in four public sector banks (PSBs) through zero-coupon bonds.
• On March 31, 2021, The government extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) till June 30 2021, or till such time that an amount of 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under the Scheme.
• On March 26, 2021, Union Bank of India launched “UNI – CARBON CARD”, an HPCL co-branded credit card on the Rupay platform of NPCI.
• Country’s largest lender, State Bank of India, has raised $1 billion from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to extend loans to the supply chain of Japanese automobile industry in India.
• Special forces of India and the US carried out a joint military exercise at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh in March 2021.
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has revamped its Industrial Entrepreneurs Memorandum (IEM) portal.
• On march 29, 2021, The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) notified ICEGATE or Indian Customs and Central Excise Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) Gateway as the common customs electronic portal
• Astrome, Bangalore based a women-led startup, has developed an innovative wireless product that gives fibre-like bandwidth at fraction of cost of fibre to help telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas.
• The discovery of the species six line blue butterfly Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii Sadasivan, 2021 in the Agasthyamalais in the Western Ghats.
• India has been moved up to seventh position on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League standings after their seven-run win over England in the third ODI.
• The renowned American writer , Beverly Cleary, children’s and young adult fiction has passed away. 
• On March 28th 2021, Madagascar’s former President Didier Ratsiraka was Passed away.
• On March 25th, 2021, Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army, passed away.