Daily Current Affairs 27th April , 2021

Daily Current Affairs 27 April 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Haryana launches ‘Covid Emergency Loan Scheme’
To ensure uninterrupted flow of vital medical supplies to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the State, Haryana Government announced “Haryana Covid Emergency Loan Scheme” for new and old entrepreneurs supplying medicines, oxygen and other medical facilities to Covid-19 patients.

• For this, the State Government has set up a fund of Rs 500 crore.
• Under the scheme, Haryana Government will help businessmen, presently working in the state, to increase their current production or to set up new units to meet various requirements to tackle Covid-19 pandemic.

Haryana to provide jobs to abandoned, surrendered children under HARIHAR scheme
The Haryana cabinet approved a policy to provide jobs on compassionate grounds and economically weaker section (EWS) status to children either abandoned or surrendered and turned 18-year-old while living in child-care institutions across state.

• The children abandoned when below 5 years of age and surrendered before turning one-year-old will be eligible for benefits of HARIHAR initiative of the Haryana government. Under the policy, eligible children will get benefits of education, employment, and financial support.
• The policy provides for free schooling, higher education, technical education, skill development and industrial training, apart from financial assistance up to the age of 25 years or marriage, whichever is earlier, and one-time interest-free loan for buying a house in Haryana.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India builds infrastructures for three educational institutions in Nepal’s Palpa
India has built infrastructures three educational institutions in Nepal’s Palpa district and handed it over in the last two days, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu announced.

• Newly constructed buildings of Shree Rambha Higher Secondary School, Shree Laxmi Higher Secondary School and Shree Nava Adarsha Multiple Campus respectively, built with Government of India’s financial assistance of NRs. 98.37 Million, were virtually inaugurated by Shri Karun Bansal, First Secretary (DP&R) of the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, District Coordination Committee, Palpa and School Management Committee and local representatives.

Russia plans its own space station in 2025
Russia’s space agency said it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone and build and manage its own floating laboratory that will be launched into orbit by 2030.

• The project would mark a new chapter for Russian space exploration and an end to more than two decades of close cooperation with the United States aboard the ageing International Space Station (ISS).

India’s demographic advantage to overtake China’s by 2035, says China’s central bank report
China’s demographic transition owing particularly to its stricter birth policies has grappled it with the problem of ageing population and dwindling work-force. A report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, said that China should immediately liberalise its birth policies to tackle the problems of an ageing population and plan to compete economically with a demographically young India and an immigration-friendly US.

• In a detailed section on India, the report said the gap between the two countries is narrowing. As two big countries in Asia, China’s economic growth has been faster than India’s for a long time but in recent years, China’s demographic dividend fading, India’s economic growth has tended to approach China’s, the report said.
• In a rare frank assessment, it added that China’s ageing population and the declining birth rate will become more serious in 10 years while India’s demographic structure will be further optimised.

Arvind Kejriwal to represent Delhi, India at World Cities Cultural Forum
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be representing Delhi and India at the World Cities Cultural Forum (WCCF), according to a statement issued by the city government.

• He has been invited by Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, to participate in the forum that comprises 40 world cities, including London, Tokyo and New York, that recognise the impact and importance of culture and creativity, and seek to inculcate these values in public policy and city planning.

WHO unveils global immunization strategy to save 50 million lives by 2030
A UN-led global immunization strategy was unveiled to reach more than 50 million children who have missed lifesaving jabs against measles and other diseases because of COVID-19 disruption.

• WHO, along with UNICEF and the vaccine alliance Gavi, said their new global strategy has the potential to save 50 million lives within less than a decade.
• A WHO survey showed more than one third of countries were still seeing disruptions to their routine immunisation services. The joint statement said, around 60 mass vaccination campaigns were currently postponed in 50 countries, putting 228 million people, mostly children, at risk of diseases such as measles and polio.

BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Direct Launches a Revolutionary mobile application – Axis Direct RING
Axis Direct – the flagship brand of Axis Securities, a fully-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank, announced the launch of a revolutionary mobile app- ‘Axis Direct RING’ to make investment in stock markets simple, fast, and rewarding.

• RING is built on the latest Technology Stack above a robust Order Management and Risk Management system.
• RING technology scans over 25,000 stock market instruments in real-time and identifies opportunities for you to invest.

RBI Imposes Ceiling of 70 Years for MD, CEO of Private Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fixed the tenure of MD, CEO and whole-time director (WTD) in a private sector bank at 15 years and prescribed the maximum age of 70 years for such functionaries.

• These directives form part of the instructions issued by the RBI with regard to the chair and meetings of the board, composition of certain committees of the board, age, tenure and remuneration of directors, and appointment of the WTDs.
• The maximum age limit for chairman and non-executive directors has been fixed at 75 years.The RBI directives also stipulate that the fixed remuneration for an NED, other than the chair of the board, shall not exceed Rs 20 lakh per annum.
• The total tenure of an NED, continuously or otherwise, on the board of a bank, shall not exceed eight years. After completing eight years on the board, the person may be considered for re-appointment only after a minimum gap of three years.

NDB issues USD 1.5 billion benchmark bond 
The New Development Bank (NDB) priced its 5-year USD 1.5 billion benchmark bond. This transaction is the third USD benchmark bond offering of the Bank in the international markets.

• The net proceeds of the Bond will be used for financing sustainable development activities as well as COVID-19 Emergency Program Loans to the Bank’s member countries.
• This transaction was met with significant support from the global investor community.

Aceware launches first neobank in Kerala
Aceware FinTech Services, a fintech services company based out of Kerala, launched the state’s first neobank, Ace Money Neobank, in partnership with Yes Bank and ICICI Bank.

• In the first phase, startups, traders and business entities can open current accounts with the neobank.
• Neobank is a kind of virtual bank that operates without any physical branches. Neobanks mainly target customers who make financial transactions using mobile applications and other digital media platforms.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

CII IGBC launches ‘Mission on Net Zero’
Coinciding with Earth Day, the CII Indian Green Building Council has launched ‘IGBC Mission on Net Zero’ to facilitate ‘India achieve net zero carbon emission status by 2050’.

• More than 250 leading organisations in building sector have committed to achieve Net Zero status for their new and existing buildings.

AP inks MoU with Microsoft to skill over 1.6L 
In a major initiative, the state government has roped in Microsoft to take up skill development training for college students and unemployed youth in Andhra Pradesh .

• Microsoft has agreed to provide training to about 1.62 lakh students in the coming one year.
• This is considered to be the biggest and first-of-its-kind initiative by a state government to cover its entire cohort of young graduates. The move is aimed at accelerating digital skilling of youth to enable their employability in the industry.

World Trade Center Faridabad signs MoU with HSIIDC to promote trade and investment in Haryana
The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) entered into a MoU with the World Trade Center (WTC) recently to promote and facilitate trade and investment in the state.

• The MoU was signed with the intent of bringing in national and international investment in the state with the help of WTC, especially for the industrial estate at Faridabad.

APPOINTMENTS

Mahamat Idriss Déby emerges as Chad’s new President
A son of the assassinated leader of Chad Idriss Deby Itno is to succeed the presidency in place of his father, according to a charter published by the presidency.

• The charter says that General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, 37, who was appointed head of the transition to the head of a military council following the death of his father, “will serve as president of the republic “and will also serve as the head of the armed forces.

Govt Appoints Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on RBI Board
The Reserve Bank said the government has appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on the central bank’s board. 

• Seth replaces Tarun Bajaj, who was appointed as Revenue Secretary earlier this month.
• The nomination of Seth is effective from April 24, 2021, and until further orders, it said. In addition to the Economic Affairs Secretary, the other government nominee director on the central board is Financial Services Secretary Debasish Panda.

AWARDS

Bengaluru-based lady entrepreneur Vibha Harish makes it to Forbes Asia’s 30 ‘Under-30’ list
Bengaluru-based lady entrepreneur Vibha Harish, CEO and founder of herbal nutrition and plant-based supplement company Cosmix, has made it to the Forbes Asia’s 30 Under- 30 in just one year of opening her venture. At present.

• Her firm Cosmix, a herbal nutrition and plant-based supplement brand offering, is now one of the fastest-growing ventures.
• In just one year of its coming into being, it has a turnover of around ₹two crore, all credit goes to the products, its manufacturing and marketing techniques.

Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and Vanuatu crowned ICC Global Development award winners
Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and Vanuatu were announced as the global winners of the ICC development awards for 2020.The awards are given to members for working to grow cricket in emerging markets in partnership with the ICC.

• The global award for the ICC Development Initiative of the Year has been awarded to Cricket Argentina for producing 17 coaching, umpiring and scoring courses in Spanish to attract local audiences in South America to cricket.
• Cricket Brazil has been awarded the 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year after taking a huge step forward in the development of the women’s game in South America by awarding 14 professional central contracts to the women’s national team.
• The ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year has been awarded to the Vanuatu Cricket Association for providing cricket to fans during the pandemic when the Women’s T20 Grand Final was the only live sporting event available.
• The Uganda Cricket Association has won the Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year for supporting hundreds of their players, volunteers and their families through a COVID-19 relief programme.

OBITUARIES

Agneepath, Ram Lakhan Editor Waman Bhonsle passee away
National-award winning editor Waman Bhonsle passed away at his residence in Mumbai due to age-related issues. He was 87.

• In his four-decade-long career, he worked with several noted filmmakers including Subhash Ghai, Shekar Kapur, Mahesh Bhatt, Gulzaar, Raj Sippy, Anil Ganguly, Sunil Dutt, others.
• He was the man at the editing table for more than 230 films.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘The Living Mountain: A Fable for Our Times’ by Amitav Ghosh
The Living Mountain is a new story by Jnanpith winner and internationally renowned author Amitav Ghosh, written during the course of the pandemic.

• It is a fable for the current times: a cautionary tale of how humans have systematically exploited nature, leading to an environmental collapse.
• HarperCollins Publishers India will publish The Living Mountain as a special standalone edition in January 2022 under its prestigious Fourth Estate imprint.
• The book will also be published simultaneously in Hindi, and as an ebook and an audiobook.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Immunization Week
World Immunization Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It takes place each year during last week of April(24-30).

• The theme of World Immunization Week is ‘Vaccines bring us closer’. 

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