Daily Current Affairs 6th May, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 6 May 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Education Minister of Tripura launches Auro Scholarship Programme of Sri Aurobindo Society
In a virtual event organised by Sri Aurobindo Society, Education Minister of Tripura Ratan Lal Nath launched ‘Auro Scholarship Programme’ of Sri Aurobindo Society for all the students of the state.

• This one of its kind initiative, Auro Scholarship Programme, provides the monthly micro-scholarship to the students in order to motivate them towards achieving better learning outcomes once students achieve benchmark performance in 10-min curriculum aligned Quizzes conducted on Auro Scholar App.

I&B Ministry announces year-long celebrations to mark birth centenary of Satyajit Ray
In a homage to Satyajit Ray, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that it will organise year-long celebrations across India and abroad to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary filmmaker.

• As part of the celebrations, the media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — Directorate of Film Festivals, Films Division, NFDC, NFAI, and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata — are planning a series of activities.
• In recognition of his legacy, ‘Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema’ has been instituted from this year to be given at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) every year starting from this year.

Govt set target of road construction of worth Rs 15 lakh cr in next 2 years: Nitin Gadkari
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said government has set a target of road construction of worth 15 lakh crore rupees in next two years. He said the government is giving utmost priority to the development of infrastructure.

• Addressing the Indo-U.S. Partnership Vision Summit through video conferencing, Mr Gadkari exuded confidence that the Ministry will achieve target of 40 kilometres per day of highways construction in current fiscal. He said that Government is permitting 100 percent FDI in road sector.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Saudi Arabia to join ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on climate change
Saudi Arabia will join the United States, Canada, Norway, and Qatar in forming ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ for oil and gas producers to discuss how they can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

• Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, will be part of the new platform, which will discuss ways to achieve net zero carbon emission targets to limit global warming.

EAM S Jaishankar virtually participates in G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar participated in the G-7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in London through video conference.

• He deliberated on increasing support for the global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX and ensure fair access to vaccine stocks, along with girls’ education, arbitrary detention, and media freedom on the agenda.
• India is not a G-7 member but was invited along with South Korea, Australia and South Africa as a guest for the second day of the meeting.
• The U.K., which holds the G-7 presidency this year, is due to host the group’s leaders at a summit in Cornwall, southwest England, in June.

BANKING & FINANCE

Citi Announces Additional Rs 200 Cr Aid for COVID Relief Efforts in India, Wells Fargo to Donate $3 Mn
American banking major Citibank committed an additional Rs 200 crore to support COVID-19 relief measures in India.

• The Rs 200 crore amount will be spent over the next three financial years, and a sum of Rs 75 crore will be allocated towards immediate medical and humanitarian needs.
• Citi said the immediate support of Rs 75 crore will focus on procurement of oxygen supplies, adding beds to hospitals, diagnostic testing systems, personal protection kits and other supplies for India’s frontline healthcare workers.The funds will also be utilized towards food and hygiene supplies for low-income families.
• Meanwhile, its peer Wells Fargo, which runs an offshore unit in the country to support the global operations, also announced to donate USD 3 million (over Rs 22 crore) to civil society bodies in the country to help the COVID-19 relief efforts.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Online share of retail sales jumps to 19% amid lockdowns: UN study
Online sales accounted for nearly a fifth of total retail turnover last year as lockdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic fuelled a boom in e-commerce, a United Nations study released showed.

• Online sales accounted for 19% of overall retail sales in 2020, up from 16% a year earlier, according to estimates from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) based on national statistical offices in major economies.
• South Korea reported the highest share at 25.9%, up from 20.8% the year before. China had a 24.9% share, Britain 23.3% and the United States 14.0%.
• Global e-commerce sales rose 4% to $26.7 trillion in 2019, according to the latest estimates available, UNCTAD said.

S&P Global Ratings slashes India’s GDP growth forecast to 9.8% for FY22
S&P Global Ratings slashed India’s GDP growth forecast for the current financial year to 9.8 per cent saying the second COVID wave may derail the budding recovery in the economy and credit conditions.

• The US-based rating agency in March had a 11 per cent GDP growth forecast for India for the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal on account of a fast economic reopening and fiscal stimulus.

Facebook launches in-app vaccine finder tool in India
American technology conglomerate Facebook has partnered with the Indian government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India, which will help people identify places nearby to get vaccinated.

• The vaccine tracker tool will allow users to find the nearest vaccine centre locations and their hours of operation as shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The tracker tool will also aggregate and display walk-in options (for 45 years and above) along with a link to register on the Cowin portal and schedule vaccination appointments.

PepsiCo Foundation with SEEDS to set up covid camp for vaccination
PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, said it has partnered with not-for-profit organisation, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) to launch a community COVID-19 vaccination drive and set up COVID care centres.

• Under the partnership, over 1 lakh vaccines doses will be provided to communities, to be administered through the local healthcare system, while five COVID care centres will be set up for three months that will be equipped with beds and medical facilities, including oxygen cylinders.

SPORTS

India’s Jhilli Dalabehera wins her maiden gold medal at Asian Weightlifting Championship
India’s Jhilli Dalabehera clinched the gold medal in the 45kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

• It was only a two-lifter field as Dalabehera made the most of the opportunity to better her record at the continental level.

Mark Selby beats Shaun Murphy to win fourth World Snooker Championship
Mark Selby claimed his fourth World Championship title with an 18-15 victory over Shaun Murphy at a sold-out Crucible Theatre.

• Selby, who led 14-11 prior to the final session, is now three Crucible crowns off Stephen Hendry’s record of seven.
• Selby, 37, collects £500,000 in prize money and moves up to second in the world behind Judd Trump.

APPOINTMENTS

RM Sundaram named Director of Indian Institute of Rice Research
Raman Meenakshi Sundaram has been appointed as Director of Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), an arm of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

• Prior to this elevation, he was working as Principal Scientist (Biotechnology) at the institute’s Crop Improvement Section.

OBITUARIES

Former Union Minister and RLD Chief Ajit Singh passes away
Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal Chief Ajit Singh passed away after battling with corona virus. He was 82.

• Mr. Singh, the son of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, was one of the first IITians in Indian politics, and became Rajya Sabha member in 1986 as his father fell ill and fought and won from the Baghpat seat from 1989 till 2009.

Former Cricket Statistician Dinar Gupte passes away 
One of India’s well-known cricket statistician, Dinar Gupte died after battling COVID-19. He was 76.

• He was official statistician of BCCI for more than 15 years and also had rendered his valued services as official scorer since 1970 to BCCI, Saurashtra Cricket Association, All India Ratio and various other cricket associations.
• Gupte was with Team India as official scorer during the World Cup in 1999.

Former Rajasthan Cricketer And Ranji Trophy Winner Vivek Yadav passes away 
Vivek Yadav, a former Rajasthan leg-spinner and a member of their Ranji Trophy-winning squad, died of coronavirus-related complications.He was 36-years-old.

• Yadav, who played 18 first-class matches and picked up 57 wickets, featured in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy final, his finest hour in a brief domestic career.

‘Shooter Dadi’ Chandro Tomar passes away
Shooter Chandro Tomar, nicknamed ‘Shooter Dadi’, passed away at the age of 89 due to Covid-19.

• A resident of Baghpat’s Jauhari village in Binauli, she was one of the world’s oldest shooters who had won many medals, awards and accolades.
• She shot into worldwide fame after the release of Tushar Hiranandani directed and Tapasee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar starrer ‘Saand Ki Aankh’, based on a real life story of the two oldest shooters.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Satyajit Ray birth centenary: Two new books released
On the occasion of filmmakers and writers Satyajit Ray’s 100 birth anniversary two new books by the author were released.

• ‘Another Dozen Stories’ by Satyajit Ray is translated from Bengali to English by Indrani Majumdar. Aimed for kids aged nine years and above, the book is a collection of 12 magical, bizzare and spooky stories.
• Meanwhile, another book by Satyajit Ray will also be released by Penguin India. Titled ‘3 Rays: Stories from Satyajit Ray’, the book is a collection of Satyajit Ray’s previously unpublished autobiographical writings, stories, poems, illustrations, fiction and non-fiction works.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International No Diet Day
International No Diet Day is observed on May 6, and its symbol is a light blue ribbon.

• It is an annual celebration of body acceptance, including fat acceptance and body shape diversity.

World Asthma Day
May 5 is internationally observed as ‘World Asthma Day.’ Asthma, or ‘wheezy chest’, is a fairly common disease.

• The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the chronic disease and how it can be controlled with proper treatment.
• This year’s theme is ‘Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions’, which aims at clearing misconceptions related to the complications of asthma.

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