Weekly CA Quiz: April 2021 2nd week

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched Madhukranti portal and Honey Corners of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, NAFED in New Delhi.

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.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched ‘Anamaya’- the Tribal Health Collaborative through video conference.

The Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the loan limit from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 75 lakh per borrower against the pledge/hypothecation of agricultural produce backed by NWRs/(e-NWRs) issued by warehouses registered and regulated by WDRA.

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.

The Finance Ministry said banks and financial institutions have sanctioned ₹14.96 lakh crore to over 28.68 crore beneficiaries in the last six years.

The Reserve Bank has made it clear that it will now make it mandatory for prepaid payments instruments issuers (such as mobile wallets) to adopt interoperability, a move that will let their customers transact with others after doing a full-KYC (know your customer).

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel announced an integrated platform that enables enterprises to leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and gear up for the emerging era of ‘connected things’.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), appointed Carl Bildt as WHO Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator(ACT-Accelerator).

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the union government approved the appointment of Tarun Bajaj as new revenue secretary under the Ministry of Finance.Bajaj was serving as secretary to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) since April 30, 2020.

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.

The government is planning to invest over one lakh crore rupees this fiscal year to ensure tap water supply to every rural household in the country.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched an initiative SARTHAQ which will help in the implementation of National Education Policy in the country.

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) have collaborated to reinforce the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in India by developing a database of innovations in public systems for improving public service.

Byju’s has acquired test-prep leader Aakash Educational Services for nearly USD 1 billion (about ₹7,300 crore) as India’s biggest online education startup looks to build its position in the brick and mortar segment.

The government has appointed S Ramann as Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

Dutee Chand, the Jakarta Asian Games silver-medalist in 100 and 200 metres, will receive Chhattisgarh Veerni Award.

The Supreme Court of India launched its Artificial Intelligence portal: SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the Hindi translation of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’. The book is written by ‘Utkal Keshari’ Dr Harekrushna Mahtab.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised the key role the BRICS group was playing in responding to the current global crisis through policy support and by enhancing international policy coordination.

India has contributed an additional $500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism, taking the country’s donation to the UN office set up to combat terrorism to over $1 million.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) facilities to non-bank payment system operators.

The Reserve Financial institution of India has enhanced the momentary liquidity restrict for states and union territories by about 46% to assist them tide over their money movement mismatches.

The net direct tax collection for the fiscal ended March 31 stood at Rs 9.45 lakh crore, an increase of 5 per cent over the revised estimates in the Union Budget.

The famous Devishankar Awasthi Award has been awarded to the prolific Hindi prose, journalist, and critic Ashutosh Bhardwaj.

The Great Khali has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched NanoSniffer, the world’s first Microsensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD).

NITI Aayog launched the first-of-its kind Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) handbook in India.ODR is the resolution of disputes outside courts, particularly of small and medium-value cases, using digital technology and techniques of alternate dispute resolution such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

India formally handed over Rs 100 crore patrol vessel “PS Zoroaster” to Seychelles during the virtual summit between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan. The PS Zoroaster is the fourth made-in-India patrol boat developed for Seychelles since 2005. The other vessels gifted by India include PS Topaz (2005), PS Constant (2014), Patrol Boat Hermes (2016).

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) celebrated its 71st Foundation Day on 10th April. On the occasion, the ICCR has unveiled ‘Little Guru’ app, world’s first Gamified Sanskrit learning App which was jointly launched in Beijing by Ambassador Vikram Misri and renowned Chinese scholar on Sanskrit and India studies, Professor Wang Bangwei.

 SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd has become the first mutual fund house in India to cross theRs5 lakh crore average assets under management (AAUM) mark. In the last one year, SBI MF’s average AUM has grown to ₹5.04 lakh crore from ₹3.73 lakh crore, recording a growth of 35 % during the financial year 2020-21.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for rowing at the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council Water Sports Academy in Srinagar.

World Homeopathy Day is celebrated on April 10. The day is observed to mark the importance of homoeopathy and its contribution to the world of medicine. The date is the birth anniversary of Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, who was a German physician and the founder of homoeopathy.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has approved a USD 484-million loan to improve transport connectivity and road maintenance in the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.

Fintech platform U Gro Capital has partnered with SBM Bank India to launch credit cards for small businesses. The ‘GRO Smart Business’ credit cars is powered by RuPay along with EnKash.

Bharti Axa Life and Fincare Small Finance Bank have joined hands for a bancassurance partnership under which the bank will sell insurance policies to its customers.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it has revised its inflation-forecasting model to better capture how fiscal and monetary policy interact with real-economy elements.

Homegrown e-commerce platform Flipkart announced a strategic and commercial partnership with the Adani Group.

Actor Sonu Sood has been made the brand ambassador for Punjab’s anti-coronavirus vaccination programme.

Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ presented the AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 on women empowerment to the winners in New Delhi.

Tropical cyclone Seroja has ripped across a 1,000km stretch of Western Australia, leaving a trail of damage.

National Safe Motherhood Day is celebrated on April 11 each year to raise awareness to achieve the target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100000 live births.

Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh launched 75 series Pension awareness to mark 75 years of India’s independence.

China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world’s highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters.

The United Arab Emirates named the next two astronauts in the country’s space program. It also includes the country’s first female astronaut, Noura al-Matroushi.

The International Monetary Fund has authorised a USD 650 billion expansion of the 190-nation lending institution’s resources with the aim of providing more support for vulnerable countries as they battle the coronavirus pandemic.

 Several banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), have been imposing excessive charges on certain services provided to poor persons having zero-balance or Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), a study by the IIT-Bombay has revealed.

State-run banks will focus on co-lending with non-banking firms, digital agriculture financing, synergies and technological resilience for 24×7 banking as part of their reforms agenda for this fiscal, Ease 4.0.

Bank credit grew 5.56 per cent to Rs 109.51 lakh crore, while deposits rose 11.4 per cent toRs 151.13 lakh crore in the financial year ended March 31, 2021, data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed.

Global brokerage company Nomura has cut India’s GDP forecast to 12.6 per cent from 13.5 per cent forecast earlier as the country faces a consistent rise in coronavirus cases and higher inflation. Nomura has pegged the calendar year GDP growth at 11.5 per cent, a decline from 12.4 per cent estimated earlier.

President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Sushil Chandra, the senior-most Election Commissioner, as the Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Acclaimed filmmaker Guneet Monga will be conferred with the honour of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres), the second highest civilian French honour.

India’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) has arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh Terminal in Maharashtra. The FSRU Höegh Giant, which sailed from Keppel Shipyard, Singapore, was berthed at Jaigarh terminal in Maharashtra.

Union Agriculture Ministry has signed an MoU with Microsoft for a pilot project in 100 villages of six states.

 Government has launched Aahaar Kranti, a mission dedicated to spread awareness about nutrition. Aahaar Kranti has been launched with the motto of Uttam Aahaar- Uttam Vichaar or Good Diet-Good Cognition.

 In the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rankings for ODI batsmen, Pakistan Captain Babar Azam has climbed to the No.1 spot. Azam replaced his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli, who was occupying the top position for nearly three and a half years.

IAS officer Siddharth Singh Longjam will take over as the National Anti-Doping Agency’s Director General, succeeding Navin Agarwal who listed the creation of Athletes Biological Passport (ABP) for around 60 elite Indian sportspersons as one of the highlights of his tenure.

The Spanish city of Seville will host the 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards on May 6 in a virtual ceremony owing to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who scalped 10 wickets in the the white-ball matches against England, has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2021.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee medal for the fourth time in six years, while women’s allrounder Amelia Kerr and rising star Devon Conway also claimed top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards for the 2020-21 season

 Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government, Prof. K Vijay Raghavan has launched the MANAS App to promote wellbeing across age groups.

Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated e-SANTA. e-SANTA is an electronic marketplace providing a platform to connect aqua farmers and buyers.

NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched Poshan Gyan, a national digital repository on health and nutrition.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Google, in association with MyGov India, the Government of India’s citizen engagement program, announced a hackathon with the aim to encourage and find innovative solutions for conserving freshwater usage, and to address water scarcity problems in India.

For the first time, Canada takes the top spot overall in the 2021 Best Countries Report, a ranking and analysis project by US News & World Report; BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company VMLY&R; and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Now, a beneficiary of the Government welfare scheme can open a basic savings bank account with a post office.

State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched a digitial initiative PNB@Ease under which every transaction undertaken by a bank branch will be initiated and authorised by customers themselves.

Goldman Sachs, Wall Street brokerage has reportedly lowered India’s GDP forecast for the full year from 10.9% to 10.5% coupled with pegging down of the stock indices valuation and earnings.

Ethanol blending in India has reached more than 7.2 per cent — the first time it has reached this level — in the first four months of the ethanol supply year 2020-21 (December to November), putting the country on course to meet the target of 10 per cent blending by 2022.

The World Table Tennis Championships will be held as per schedule from November 23 to 29 in Houston, USA, the game’s governing body ITTF has said.