Daily Current Affairs 16 April 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
Secretary MeitY inaugurates three new initiatives of NIXI
Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Ajay Prakash Sawhney inaugurated three path breaking initiatives for National Internet Exchange of India, NIXI. These initiatives are IP Guru, NIXI Academy and NIXI-IP-INDEX.
- The IP Guru is a group to extend support to all the Indian entities who are finding it technically challenging to migrate and adopt Internet Protocol version, IPv6.
- The NIXI Academy has been created to educate technical and non-technical people in India about technologies like IPv6 which will lead to better management of Internet resources in the country.
- The NIXI-IP-INDEX portal has been launched to showcase IPv6 adoption rate in India and across the world.
India-France Sign Agreement for Cooperation on Gaganyaan Mission
Space agencies of India and France signed an agreement for cooperation for the country’s first human space mission Gaganyaan.
- The agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) headquarters.
- Under the terms of the agreement, CNES will train India’s flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
New Zealand introduces climate change law for financial firms in world first
New Zealand becomes the first country to introduce a law that will require financial firms to explain how they would manage climate-related risks and opportunities.
- This law will bring climate risks and resilience into the heart of financial and business decision-making.
- All banks with total assets of more than NZ$1 billion ($703 million), insurers with more than NZ$1 billion in total assets under management, and all equity and debt issuers listed on the country’s stock exchange will have to make disclosures.
BANKING & FINANCE
Yes Bank executes its first trade borrowing transaction linked to SOFR
Private sector lender Yes Bank has executed its first Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) linked transaction.
- The transaction was a trade borrowing availed from Wells Fargo Bank and will provide further impetus to the bank’s export finance business.
- It is part of its benchmark transition management plan and is the first step towards a smooth transition to the new Alternative Reference Rates (ARR).
PNB signs MOU with SwitchON for Solar Pump Financing
The sun shines brighter for small and marginal farmers in India as SwitchON Foundation has partnered with Punjab National Bank for the promotion of solar pumps.
- A First Loss Default Guarantee Fund will be set up by SwitchON Foundation through which Punjab National Bank will be financing solar pumps.
- This partnership is extremely important in creating an ecosystem for encouraging large scale deployment of solar pumps.
NHB launches ₹10,000-crore Special Refinance Facility-SRF 2021
National Housing Bank (NHB) has rolled out a ₹10,000-crore ‘Special Refinance Facility-2021’ (SRF-2021) to provide short term refinance support to housing finance companies (HFCs) and other eligible Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs).
- This facility is expected to meet the short-term liquidity requirements of the PLIs and will also support them for onward lending to individuals to maintain steady growth in the housing finance sector.
Irdai notifies extending validity of sandbox regulations by another 2 years
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) notified the extension of its sandbox regulations by another two years to enable the completion of the experiment of the existing sandbox proposals and also to allow new sandbox proposals for the experiment.
- This amendment will help drive innovation in the insurance sector as insurance companies will now be able to experiment considerably without taking approvals to launch a new product.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Atal Innovation Mission, Danish embassy ink pact to promote innovation, entrepreneurship
Government think-tank Niti Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Embassy of Denmark in India signed an agreement to jointly work towards promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among aspiring entrepreneurs.
- According to the agreement, Innovation Center Denmark in India will collaborate with AIM to support various current and future initiatives of AIM and its beneficiaries in India as well as develop global innovation green economy partnerships addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
RXIL becomes first TReDS platform to cross monthly throughput of Rs 1,000 cr
Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL), leading invoice discounting platform for MSMEs, said it has crossed monthly transaction volumes of Rs 1,000 crore in the month of March.
- The growth of transaction volumes from Rs 69 crore in April 2020, to Rs 1,105 crore in March 2021 indicates the revival and resumption of the economic activity.
- In 2020-21, RXIL has also emerged as the leading platform with more than Rs 6,500 crore of throughput.
ReNew Power pledges to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
ReNew Power, India’s leading renewable energy company, announced its commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,’.
- The ReNew’s pledge aligns with the ‘Race To Zero’ campaign – the largest ever global alliance committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
- At the same time, ReNew Power stands committed to its long-standing programme of research and collaboration with businesses, policymakers and non-governmental organisations to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy.
SPORTS
Asian Wrestling Championship: Sarita Mor wins gold; Seema and Pooja settle for bronze
Sarita Mor became the first Indian woman to win two consecutive gold medals in the Asian championships as she defended her women’s 59kg title in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
- Sarita, who had claimed the top honour in the 2020 Asian championships in New Delhi, defeated two-time World championships bronze medallist Shoovdor Baatarjav of Mongolia 10-7 in the final to retain her crown.
- Seema Bisla (50kg) and Pooja (76kg) settled for bronze medals at the continental Championship.
Praggnanandhaa Wins Polgar Challenge 2021
Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa booked himself a chance to take on the very best in chess with a stunning victory in the Polgar Challenge.
- The 15-year-old from Chennai secured the first online title in the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour and a $3,000 top prize with a round to spare.
APPOINTMENTS
Elista announced ace cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador
Elista, a brand backed by the prestigious TeknoDome Group has announced the ace cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador.
- The cricketer will be seen endorsing the brand’s LED TVs and Coolers for all its campaigns.
AWARDS
BAFTA Awards 2021 announced
The 74th British Academy Film Awards is being held over two nights for the first time. The opening night ceremony was held virtually from London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Most Nominations
American drama “Nomadland” (7)
British coming-of-age drama “Rocks” (7)
Most Awards
Nomadland (4)
List of Winners of BAFTA 2021
- Best Film: Nomadland
- Best Director: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Anthony Hopkins (The Father as Anthony)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand (Nomadland as Fern)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah as Fred Hampton)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Youn Yuh-Jung (Minari as Soon-JA)
- Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father (Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller)
- Best Short Animation: The Owl and the Pussycat (Mole Hill and Laura Duncalf)
- Best Short Film: The Present (Farah Nabulsi)
- Best Animated Film: Soul (Pete Docter and Dana Murray)
- Best Documentary: My Octopus Teacher (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster)
- Best Film Not in the English Language (Another Round)
- Best Casting: Rocks (Lucy Pardee)
- Best Cinematography: Nomadland (Joshua James Richards)
- Best Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ann Roth)
- Best Editing: Sound of Metal (Mikkel E.G. Nielsen)
- Best Makeup and Hair: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Mia Neal)
- Best Original Music: Soul (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
- Best Production Design: Mank (Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale)
- Best Sound: Sound of Metal (Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés and Michelle Couttolenc)
- Best Special Visual Effects: Tenet (Scott R. Fisher, Andrew Jackson and Andrew Lockley)
- Outstanding British Film: Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox and Josey McNamara)
- Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: His House (Remi Weekes (Writer/Director))
- Rising Star Award: Bukky Bakray
J&K: Udhampur bags top position at National level for successfully implementing PMGSY during 2020-21
Udhampur district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has bagged top position at National level for successfully implementing Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during 2020-21.
- The district has received top position for constructing roads of 560.49 km in 2020-21.
- However, four more districts from the Union Territory have also figured in the list of PMGSY top performing 30 districts in the country. It includes Rajouri, Doda, Kathua and Reasi districts of Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Piyush Goyal launches DGFT ‘Trade Facilitation’ app to promote ease of doing business
Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal launched the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) India’s ‘Trade Facilitation’ mobile app to promote ease of doing business and provide quick access to information to importers/exporters.
- The Trade Facilitation app was ready for ‘Industry 4.0’, as it provided real-time trade policy updates, notifications, applications, status alert and tracking help requests.
- It explored item-wise export-import policy and statistics and tracked IEC portfolio. It also provided AI-based round-the-clock assistance for trade queries.
Agri minister launches national nursery portal
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched a ‘National Nursery Portal’ to connect nursery operators with consumers.
- The National Nursery Portal, developed by the National Horticulture Board, will help consumers to connect with nurseries and get information about the availability and prices of quality planting material.
- It will also help nursery operators in assessing market demand for their products.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Sanjaya Baru’s new book ‘India’s Power Elite: Class, Caste and a Cultural Revolution’
Sanjaya Baru, former advisor to Manmohan Singh,has released his new book titled ‘India’s Power Elite: Class, Caste and a Cultural Revolution’.
- The book is published by Penguin Random House India under its Viking imprint.
IMPORTANT DAYS
National Fire Service Day
The National Fire Service Day is observed every year on April 14, in remembrance of the 71 brave fire personnel who lost their lives fighting the fire that broke out on the Freighter SS Fort Stikine at the Victoria Dock in the then Bombay Port on April 14, 1944.
- The theme of National Fire Service Day 2021 is “ Maintenance of Fire Safety Equipment Is Key To Mitigate Fire”.