Current Affairs 09th April 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

CRPF Valour Day: Observed on Apr 09

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas)is observed on 9 April every year, as a tribute to the brave men of the Force.
• 2021 marks 56th CRPF Valour Day.
• It was on this day in 1965, a small contingent of CRPF created history by defeating an invading Pakistani army, several times larger, at the Sardar Post located in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.
• The CRPF men eliminated 34 Pakistani soldiers and captured four alive.
• In the conflict, CRPF lost six personnel who had attained martyrdom.
• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has saluted CRPF personnel, on its Valour Day .
• Prime Minister said, “The courage of CRPF is widely known. On CRPF Valour Day, I salute this brave force and remember the bravery of our CRPF personnel in Gujarat’s Sardar Patel Post in 1965.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Over Rs. 250 crore sanctioned for augmenting healthcare facilities in North East States

• Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, DoNER Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that more than Rs. 250 crore had been sanctioned for augmenting healthcare facilities in the North-Eastern States for effective management of COVID-19.
• Chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of DoNER in New Delhi, Dr Singh said that the fund has greatly helped in developing infrastructure for management of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

India Russia Friendship Car Rally: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh flags off 

• Minister of State in PMO Dr. Jitendra Singh flagged off India Russia Friendship Car Rally 2021.
• The event was organized by International Friendship Car Rally Association, IFCRA in New Delhi.
• The Car rally will take place in Russia from 18th to 20th April. 
• This is the 5th IFCRA edition and there are 14 participants from IFCRA India representing the North East.
• Dr Singh said that Russia has been a reliable partner of India and joint sporting events will further strengthen the bonds of friendship.
• He said that diplomatic, social and cultural ties with Russia scaled new heights under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The Minister hoped that participants from the North East region in this event will further add to growing bilateral ties.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank inaugurates SARTHAQ initiative 

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched an initiative SARTHAQ which will help in the implementation of National Education Policy in the country.
• The students and teachers’ holistic advancement through quality education, SARTHAQ has been initiated as a part of the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
• The Education Minister said it will pave the way for the children and youths to meet the diverse national and global challenges.
• He said it will also help them to imbibe 21st century skills, indian tradition, culture and value system as envisioned in National Education Policy.
• He said, the implementation of SARTHAQ would benefit all stakeholders including 25 crore students, 15 lakh schools, 94 lakh teachers.
• He urged all the stakeholders to use this plan as a guiding light to undertake transformational reforms in the school education sector.
• The Minister chaired a high level meeting on implementation of National Education Policy.
• Secretary, Higher Education, Amit Khare and other officials were present in the meeting.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi holds Virtual Summit with his Netherlands counterpart 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a Virtual Summit with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte. 
• During the Summit, the two leaders will discuss in detail the bilateral cooperation and look at new ways of strengthening the relationship.
• They will also exchange views on the regional and global issues of mutual interest.
• The Summit follows the recent victory of Prime Minister Rutte in the parliamentary elections and will sustain the momentum in the bilateral relationship provided by regular high-level interactions.
• India and the Netherlands share cordial and friendly relations underpinned by shared values of democracy, rule of law and freedom.
• The Netherlands is home to the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana completes six years

• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana has completed six years.
• It is a scheme under which loans of upto 10 Lakh rupees are provided to the non-corporate, non-farm, small and micro enterprises. 
• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana was launched on 8th April 2015.
• In these years, More than 28 crore 68 lakh loans have been sanctioned.
• The amount of these loans is around 15 lakh crore rupees with about 52,000 rupees being the average ticket size of the loans.
• Finance Ministry has said that under this scheme almost 24percent of loans have been given to new entrepreneurs; about 68 percent of loans have been given to women entrepreneurs and about 51percent of loans have been given to SC, ST and OBC borrowers.
• Ministry of Labour and Employment has said that this yojana has helped in generation of 1 crore 12 lakh net additional employment from 2015 to 2018.
• Women have accounted for 62 percent of this estimated increase in employment.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Vjosa Osmani elected as new President of Kosovo

• The S. educated female law professor Vjosa Osmanihas been elected as the new President of Kosovo.
• The 38-year-old candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party has been sworn in as the seventh president of the country for a period of five-year-term.
• She is the second female leader, in the post-war period of Kosovo.
• Previously, Osmani was acting president of the country between November 2020 and March 2021 and the speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo from February 2020 to March 2021.

About Kosovo:

• Capital: Pristina
• Currency: Euro

SsangYong Motor CEO Byung Tae Yea quits 

• Mahindra & Mahindra is expecting interest from other investors for SsangYong MotorCo (SYMC) even as SYMC’s CEO, Byung Tae Yea, quit after failing to find a strategic investor for the ailing company.
• “We can confirm that Byung Tae Yea, SYMCs current CEO, has tendered his resignation.

About Ssangyong Motor:

• SsangYong Motor Company is the fourth largest South Korea-based automobile manufacturer, which is owned by Indian multinational automotive company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Ramnad forest ranger honoured with international ranger award

• Ramanathapuram Forest Range Officer S Sathish was honoured with the International Ranger Award.
• The award was jointly announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), International Ranger Federation (IRF), Global Wildlife Conservation and Conservation Allies. 
• He is one of the 10 recipients of the first edition of the award.
• Sathish was nominated for the award by a senior scientist from Wildlife Institute of India K Siva Kumar, for his efforts in conserving the Gulf of Mannar National Park.
• The IUCN, during a virtual event, announced the list of 10 awardees under the category ‘International Ranger Award’ from across the globe.
• The winners were chosen among 600 entries received from forest rangers in various countries.
• Satish is one among the two Indians to be conferred the honour.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar assumed for ICC monthly award 

• Experienced India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was among the cricketers nominated for the ICC ‘Player of the Month’ award for March following his standout performances in the limited overs matches against England.
• The ICC announced the nominees to recognize the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.
• Besides Bhuvneshwar, the others in the men’s category included ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams.
• The nominees among the women’s comprised Rajeshwari Gayakwad of India, South Africa’s Lizelle Lee and India’s Punam Raut.
• Last month, Bhuvneshwar played three ODIs against England where he took 6 wickets with an economy rate of 4.65.
• He also went on to play five T20Is against them where he took 4 wickets with a fantastic economy rate of 6.38.
• He was the standout bowler on either side in the white ball series between India and England.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Byju’s to acquire Aakash Educational Services for $1 billion

• On April 05,2021, The country’s most valued online education firm, Byju’s, acquired Blackstone Group-backed Aakash Educational Services (AESL) for an estimated $1 billion cash and stock deal.
• Byju’s aims to grow aggressively and bolster its presence across new edtech categories in India.
• Byju’s had acquired Aakash Educational Services Ltd (AESL) for about $1 billion, to enter the competitive test preparation market, where it competed with Unacademy and Amazon India.
• Unacademy had acquired six test prep platforms, while Amazon India forayed into the segment with Amazon Academy.

About Byju’s :

• Founder & CEO : Byju Raveendran
• Headquarters : Bangalore
• Establishment : 2011.

About AESL :

• Founder: C. Chaudhry
• Founded: 1988
• Headquarters : New Delhi

CCI approves proposed combination relating to acquisition of PAMPL, PTCPL & PRAPL by SAMC

• On April 06, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed combination relating to acquisition of Principal Asset Management Private Limited, Principal Trustee Company Private Limited and Principal Retirement Advisors Private Limited by Sundaram Asset Management Company Limited.
• It relates to the acquisition of 100% of the issued and paid- up equity share capital.

About the proposed combination :

• The schemes of the Principal Mutual Fund (PMF) shall be transferred to Sundaram Mutual Fund (SMF) and the trusteeship and management of the PMF schemes shall be transferred to Sundaram Trustee Company Limited (STCL) and SAMC.
• PAMPL is engaged in the business of providing asset management services to the PMF and operating/ managing the PMF schemes.
• PTCPL is engaged in the business of providing trusteeship services to the PMF.

About SAMC :

• SAMC is a public limited company incorporated in India.
• It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sundaram Finance Limited (SFL).
• SAMC is the investment manager for SMF and manages funds that cater to the investment needs of investors with different risk, reward and liquidity preferences.
• Establishment : 1996
• Managing Director : Sunil Subramanium
• Headquarters : Chennai, Tamil Nadu

About Competition Commission of India :

• Founded: 14 October 2003
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• First executive: Dhanendra Kumar
• Objectives: Enforce The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

Narendra Singh Tomar launches Madhukranti portal and Honey Corners of NAFED in New Delhi

• On April 07, 2021, The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar launched Madhukranti portal and Honey Corners of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, NAFED in New Delhi. 
• Madhukranti portal is an initiative of National Bee Board
• It is under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.
• MoU between the National Bee Board and Indian Bank was signed for this project.
• Indian Bank is the technical and banking partner for the development of the digital platform.
• Honey Corner is a specially designed space in National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) stores dedicated to sale of honey.

Aim :

• To bring an increase in income of farmers, employment generation and increase in exports.
• To bring transparency by introducing a traceability system in sourcing of honey.

About the Portal :

• This portal is being developed for online registration to achieve a traceability source of Honey and other beehive products on a digital platform.
• This will also help in checking the quality and source of adulteration of honey.

About NAFED :

• Founded: 2 October 1958
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman : Bijendra Singh

About Indian Bank :

• Headquarters: Chennai
• CEO: Padmaja Chunduru 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Ramesh Pokhriyal launches ‘MyNEP2020’ Platform for Digital Consultation

• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
• MyNEP 2020 Web Portal  of the NCTE will be operational from April 1 to May 15, 2021.

About the Platform :

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing a draft for the development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).
• This exercise of digital consultation envisages the participation of teachers, education professionals, academicians, and other stakeholders in preparing the documents on teacher policy for sustainable and positive change in the Teacher’s Education Sector.

About NCTE :

• NCTE is a statutory physique that’s accountable to cowl all of the facets of trainer schooling programmes together with analysis and coaching of individuals for equipping them to show at pre-primary, main, secondary and senior secondary levels in colleges, and non-formal schooling, part-time schooling, grownup schooling and distance (correspondence) schooling programs.
• Its most important goal is to realize deliberate and coordinated improvement of the trainer schooling system all through the nation.
• Founded: 1995
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Vineet Joshi, IAS

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

WWE Hall of Fame 2021 The Great Khali formally inducted 

• On April 07, 2021, The Great Khali was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

About Great Khali :

• He is India’s one-time World Heavyweight Champion.
• The official name of “The Great Khali” is Dalip Singh Rana.
• He is arguably the biggest Indian wrestling star.
• He is 7’1″ tall.
• Khali is the first Indian world champion in WWE. 
• He made his professional wrestling debut in 2000.

About WWE :

• Founded: 21 February 1980, Massachusetts, United States
• CEO: Vince McMahon 
• Headquarters: Stamford, Connecticut, United States
• Founders: Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES 

India’s first female commentator Chandra Nayudu passed away 

• India’s first female Cricket commentator Chandra Nayudu has passed away.
• She was 88.

About Chandra Nayudu :

• She was the daughter of former cricketer CK Nayudu.
• She was a professor of English at the local Govt Degree College, Indore.
• She took an active interest in the game and was the first lady commentator of an international match.
• Chandra was an active member of the MPCA and took part in many of its activities.
• Chandra was a very good Hindi commentator and first commentated in the MCC v Bombay game in the 1976-77 season.
• She wrote a book titled, “CK Nayudu: A Daughter Remembers”, in 1995.

About MPCA :

• It Stands – Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association
• President: Abhilash Khandekar
• Headquarters : Indore
• Founded: 1956
• Secretary: Sanjeev Rao

Veteran Renowned Journalist-author Fatima R Zakaria passes away 

• On April 06, 2021, Veteran Renowned Journalist-author Fatima R Zakaria passed away.
• She was 85.

About Fatima R Zakaria :

• She is the former Editor of the Sunday Times, Mumbai.
• She is the mother of a renowned global media personality.
• She was the chairman of Maulana Azad Educational Trust and Khairul Islam Trust Mumbai.
• Fatima R Zakaria was also the executive vice-chairman of the Board of Governors of the Trust’s Institute of Hotel Management
• It is run in collaboration with the Taj Group of Hotels.

 Achievements :

• In 1983, Fatima Zakaria was awarded the Sarojini Naidu Award for unity in journalism.
• She was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 by the Government of India for his remarkable work in the field of literature and education.

Daily CA on April 08 :

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the High-Level Committee to commemorate the 400th Birth Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur through video conferencing.
• Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched ‘Anamaya’– the Tribal Health Collaborative through video conference
• The Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme– ‘National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Giga Watt with an outlay of Rs 4,500 crore.
• The first online Pre-Departure Orientation Training, PDOT Programme for migrant workers was launched today to supplement physical training being held in PDOT Centres.
• More than 28 crore 68 lakh loans for an amount of nearly 15 lakh crore rupees have been sanctioned since launch of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan will jointly inaugurate a range of Indian projects in Seychelles
• Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship or MSDE will organize the first regional workshop to understand provisions of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0 or PMKVY 3.0 and to effectively implement the scheme in the NorthEast Region (NER) at Gangtok, Sikkim.
• The International Monetary Fund has projected a 5 percent growth rate for Bangladesh for the year 2021.
• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to publish the Financial Inclusion Index. To begin with, The FI index will be published annually in July for the previous financial year.
• TanlaPlatforms Limited, a Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CpaaS) player, has roped in Aravind Viswanathan, who was with Wipro as its Senior Vice-President and CFO – iDEAS Global Business Line, as its Chief Financial Officer.
• The government has appointed S Ramann as Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• Chinese smartphone major Vivo mentioned it has appointed cricketer Virat Kohlias its brand ambassador. 
• Tamil Nadu Governor and Chancellor Banwarilal Purohit appointed KN Selvakumar as the new Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS).
• On April 05, 2021, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union health minister virtually launched the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP).
• On April 06, 2021, The Supreme Court unveiled its Artificial Intelligence (AI) portal SUPACE, designed to make research easier for judges, thereby easing their workload.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will release the Hindi translation of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’.
• On March 29, 2021, The updated version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book named ‘Exam Warriors’ was launched.
• The president of Gita Press, Radheshyam Khemka, passed away. He was 87. Radheshyam Khemka, was editor of Kalyan, a famous magazine of Sanatan Dharma for nearly 40 years

Daily CA On Apr 09 :

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas)is observed on 9 April every year, as a tribute to the brave men of the Force. 2021 marks 56th CRPF Valour Day.
• Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, DoNER Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that more than Rs. 250 crore had been sanctioned for augmenting healthcare facilities in the North-Eastern States for effective management of COVID-19.
• Minister of State in PMO Dr. Jitendra Singh flagged off India Russia Friendship Car Rally 2021. The event was organized by International Friendship Car Rally Association, IFCRA in New Delhi.
• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched an initiative SARTHAQ which will help in the implementation of National Education Policy in the country.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a Virtual Summit with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte. 
• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana has completed six years. It is a scheme under which loans of upto 10 Lakh rupees are provided to the non-corporate, non-farm, small and micro enterprises.
• The S. educated female law professor Vjosa Osmanihas been elected as the new President of Kosovo.
• Mahindra & Mahindra is expecting interest from other investors for SsangYong MotorCo (SYMC) even as SYMC’s CEO, Byung Tae Yea, quit after failing to find a strategic investor for the ailing company.
• Ramanathapuram Forest Range Officer S Sathish was honoured with the International Ranger Award.
• Experienced India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was among the cricketers nominated for the ICC ‘Player of the Month’ award for March following his standout performances in the limited overs matches against England.
• On April 05,2021, The country’s most valued online education firm, Byju’s, acquired Blackstone Group-backed Aakash Educational Services (AESL) for an estimated $1 billion cash and stock deal.
• On April 06, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed combination relating to acquisition of Principal Asset Management Private Limited, Principal Trustee Company Private Limited and Principal Retirement Advisors Private Limited by Sundaram Asset Management Company Limited.
• On April 07, 2021, The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar launched Madhukranti portal and Honey Corners of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, NAFED in New Delhi. 
• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
• On April 07, 2021, The Great Khali was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
• India’s first female Cricket commentator Chandra Nayudu has passed away.
• On April 06, 2021, Veteran Renowned Journalist-author Fatima R Zakaria passed away.