Daily Current Affairs 18th May, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 18 May 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Centre has released over Rs 5950 Crore to 15 States in current FY for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission
Centre has released over Rs 5950 Crore to 15 States in the current financial year for the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission. It is being implemented in partnership with States and  Union Territories.

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has said that this is the first tranche of the four to be released in this financial year. Other 17 States and Union Territories have been asked to send their proposals to National Jal Jeevan Mission for release of funds.

Black fungus declared notified disease in Haryana
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that black fungus has been declared a notified disease in the state.

• Now, if any cases of this disease are found, the doctors will have to report them to the concerned chief medical officer (CMO).
• The black fungus infection, also known as mucormycosis, is caused by a fungus called mucor.

NABARD provided Rs 1,236 crore from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund for Assam in FY21
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has provided an all-time high amount of Rs 1,236 crore from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during the financial year 2020-21 with Rural Connectivity Projects (Roads & Bridges) as the focus area in the state of Assam.

• NABARD has also sanctioned Rs 1150 crore to Government of Assam during 2020-21 under RIDF XXVI for creation of new infrastructure projects.
• On implementation, these projects will lead to creation of 610 kms length of rural roads benefitting 1255 villages and favourably impacting about 16 lakh people of rural areas of Assam, besides benefiting 2472 hectare under irrigation, augmentation of infrastructure development of 2437 elementary schools and 23,397 ha under flood protection.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Google partners with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to provide Starlink internet service
Google said it has partnered with SpaceX to provide cloud services to help deliver internet through the latter’s Starlink satellites.

• Under the deal, Elon Musk’s space development company will install Starlink ground stations at Google data centres that connect to Starlink satellites, with an aim to enable high-speed broadband internet via Google Cloud.
• The tech giant said the service is expected to be available to enterprise customers in the second half of 2021.

Tribal Affairs Ministry & Microsoft sign MoU for digital transformation of Tribal Schools
Tribal Affairs Ministry and Microsoft have signed an MoU for digital transformation of Tribal Schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools and Ashram Schools.

• The collaboration seeks to skill educators and students in next-generation digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence.
• Under the program, 250 Eklavya Model Residential school, EMRS have been adopted by Microsoft out of which 50 EMRS schools will be given intensive training. In the first phase, 500 master trainers will be trained.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Piramal receives nod from CCI for DHFL acquisition
Piramal Enterprises (PEL) said its subsidiary Piramal Capital and Housing Finance (PCHFL) has received an approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to take over Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL).

• The approval brings Piramal a step closer to acquire DHFL, as PCHFL’s Rs 34,250-crore bid has already been approved by the Reserve Bank of India in February 2021.

SPORTS

India’s Tejaswini Shankar Wins Consecutive High Jump Titles In USA
Representing Kansas State University, India’s Tejaswini Shankar won back-to-back men’s high jump titles in the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, USA.

• Shankar, 22, cleared the bar to win high jump gold, but his efforts fell short of Tokyo Olympic Games qualification standard of 2.33m.
• Shankar is the third Indian to compete in the highly competitive USA circuit, the breeding ground for many US track and field Olympians.

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win Italian Open title 
In tennis, Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title. Second seed Spaniard Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 against the defending champion. Nadal also equalled Djokovic’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles in his 12th Rome final.

• The Women’s Singles title has been won by Polish teenager Iga Swiatek. 15th seed Swiatek defeated ninth seed Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0.
• In the men’s doubles, the second-seeded Croats Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic powered their way to their sixth Italian Open trophy, beating fifth-seeded Rajeev Ram of the USA and Briton Joe Salisbury the final 6-4, 7-6.
• Women’s Doubles title has been clinched by Sharon Fichman and Giuliana Olmos after defeating Kristina Mladenovic and Markéta Vondroušová in the final, 4-6, 7-5, 10-5.

British Masters golf: Shubhankar ends tied 34th, Bland wins title
Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma ended tied 34th after returning his best card of the week at 3-under 69, even as England’s Richard Bland won the Betfred British Masters 

• Bland, meanwhile, claimed an emotional maiden European Tour victory on his 478th appearance after the veteran overcame young Italian Guido Migliozzi in a play-off to win the title.
• The only Indian to make the cut among four participants, Sharma had five birdies but also gave away two bogeys and finished the week at 4-under. Earlier in the week, India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, SSP Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar had missed the cut.

APPOINTMENTS

Shiv Sunder Das named batting coach of Indian women’s cricket team
Former Test opener Shiv Sunder Das has been named batting coach of the Indian women’s cricket team only for the upcoming seven-match tour of England.

• Former Indian Railways player Abhay Sharma has been named the fielding coach, part of a nine-member support staff headed by chief coach Ramesh Powar.

AWARDS

Kobe Bryant inducted posthumously into Basketball Hall of Fame
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was inducted posthumously to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as the class of 2020 was enshrined after months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The five-time NBA champion died last year aged 41 in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others.
• Bryant’s widow Vanessa offered an acceptance speech on his behalf as presenter Michael Jordan stood nearby.

NBA creates social justice award, named for legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The NBA announced, the creation of a new award — the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award — to recognise players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.

• Each NBA team will nominate one player for consideration; from there, five finalists will be selected and ultimately one winner.
• The winning player will receive $100,000 for the charity of his choice; the other four finalists will receive $25,000 apiece, also for charity.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank receives ‘International Invincible Gold Medal’
International Invincible Gold Medal of this year has been conferred on Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

• Maharshi Organisation’s worldwide president Dr Tony Nader, said, Dr. Nishank has been recognised for his extraordinary commitment and outstanding service to humanity through his writings, social and illustrious public life.
• The honour was announced at a two-day virtual session which was attended by representatives from over 110 countries. The award will be formally presented to the union minister on Guru Purnima this year.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Bihar govt launches ‘HIT Covid App’ to ensure regular monitoring, tracking of home isolated patients
Bihar government launched ‘HIT Covid App’ to ensure regular monitoring and tracking of those Civid-19 patients, who are in home isolation across the state. 

• HIT stands for home isolation tracking. Health workers will visit the patients at home every day and feed data in the app after measuring their temperature and oxygen level.
• These data will be monitored at the district level. If the oxygen level is below 94, the patient will be shifted to the nearby dedicated Covid health centres for proper treatment.

OBITUARIES

Former cricketer and BCCI referee Rajendrasinh Jadeja passes away
Former Saurashtra pacer and BCCI match referee Rajendrasinh Jadeja has died due to COVID-19. Jadeja was 66 years old.

• Rajendrasinh was one of the finest right-arm medium pacers and a remarkable all-rounder. He played 50 first-class matches and 11 List A games, taking 134 and 14 wickets respectively in a 12-year period between 1975-1987.He scored 1,536 runs in first-class matches and 104 runs in List A cricket.
• Jadeja served as the BCCI’s official referee in 53 first-class matches, 18 List A games and 34 T20s. He also served as selector, coach and team manager of SCA.

Padma Shri awardee Dr KK Aggarwal passes away 
Padma Shree awardee and former national president of the Indian Medical Association Dr KK Aggarwal has passed away after battling Covid-19 for several days at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was 62.

• A cardiologist by profession, he was also the head of the Heart Care Foundation of India.
• He also received the Dr BC Roy Award in 2005 and Padma Shree in 2010.

Former diplomat Aravinda Deo passes away
Aravinda Deo, a retired Indian Foreign Service offer and former Ambassador to Nepal and Hungary was passed away.

• Deo was the Ambassador to Nepal and Hungary in the 1980s.

Television Journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyay passes away 
Eminent journalist and popular TV anchor Anjan Bandyopadhyay, who tested positive for Covid-19 around a month ago, died at a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 56.

• Bandyopadhyay was with ETV Bangla, 24 Ghanta and then with Anandabazar Patrika’s digital unit before moving to TV9 Bangla as the channel’s first Editor. He returned to Zee 24 Ghanta as its editor just before this year’s assembly elections in West Bengal.

Veteran actor KD Chandran passes away 
Veteran actor KD Chandran, known for his role as Juhi Chawla’s father in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, passed away in Mumbai, died due to a heart attack.He was 84.

• KD Chandran has acted in films such as Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Tere Mere Sapne, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, China Gate, Pukar, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Shararat, Koi Mil Gaya and TV series Gulmohar.

Noted Tamil writer Ki Rajanarayanan passes away in Puducherry
Noted Tamil writer Ki. Rajanarayanan died in Puducherry after a brief illness. He was 98.

• Fondly called as KiRa,  he was admired as a folklorist and father of Karisal (black soil land) Literature. He was a recipient of Sahitya Academy award for his novel ‘Gopalapurathu Makkal’ in the year 1991.
• He also served as a member of Sahitya Akademi General Council and advisory board from 1998 to 2002.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

“Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance” book released 
A book titled  “Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance”, written by former diplomat Preet Mohan Singh Malik, released on May 16, 2021.The book has been published by HarperCollins India.

• In the book, Malik has narrated the unique history of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim with the intriguing story of how it became India’s 22nd state in his new book.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Museum Day
International Museum Day is globally observed on May 18, annually. 2021 marks this international event’s 44th year.

• International Museum Day draws focus on the fact that museums are an indispensable part in propelling cultural experiences, exchanges.
• The theme of International Museum Day 2021 is “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”.

World AIDS Vaccine Day
World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is observed annually on May 18 to promote the continued and urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.

• The theme for World AIDS Vaccine Day 2021 is ‘Global solidarity, shared responsibility’

6th UN Global Road Safety Week 2021
The 6th UN Global Traffic Safety Week, which this year is celebrated between 17 and 23 May, call for 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits to be the norm for cities, towns and villages worldwide.

• UN Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by WHO.
• The theme for the 6th UNGRSW is Streets for Life, under the tagline #Love30. It brings together individuals, governments, NGOs, corporations, and other organizations from around the world to raise awareness of road safety and make changes that will reduce the number of road deaths.

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