Here is the GK update of 08th April 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.
1. Dr Harsh Vardhan and Arjun Munda launches Tribal Health Collaborative ‘Anamaya’
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan and the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda jointly launched ‘Anamaya’, the Tribal Health Collaborative on April 07, 2021, through video conference. The initiative is supported by Piramal Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Anamaya is a multi-stakeholder initiative to enhance the health and nutrition status of the tribal communities of India by converging efforts of various Government agencies and organisations.
As part of this Collaborative, the Ministry will undertake several activities such as setting up the National Council on Tribal Health to drive policy initiatives in tribal health, the establishment of a Health Cell to closely monitor healthcare delivery in the tribal areas and devising mechanisms to implement the Tribal Health Action Plan.
2. CJI launches top court’s AI-driven research portal ‘SUPACE’
The Supreme Court of India has launched it’s Artificial Intelligence portal “SUPACE” (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency). Through this portal, the SC intends to leverage machine learning to deal with the vast amounts of data received at the time of filing of cases.
Justice L Nageshwara Rao, who is also the chairman of the SC’s Artificial Intelligence Committee, delivered the opening address during the virtual launch of SUPACE.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde was the first-ever chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Committee.
CJI Bobde first spoke of the use of AI to assist the Supreme Court soon after he took oath as the Chief Justice in 2019.
3. Vietnam National Assembly selects PM & President
Vietnam’s legislature voted to make Pham Minh Chinh, a member of the Communist party with a history as a security official, the country’s next Prime Minister. Outgoing Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was appointed the new President.
The votes of the nearly 500 members of the National Assembly rubber-stamped the leadership picks the Communist party made during its national congress in January.
4. Kosovo’s parliament elects Vjosa Osmani as president
Kosovo’s parliament elected Vjosa Osmani as the country’s new president. Osmani received 71 votes from the lawmakers at the third round of voting in the Assembly of Kosovo.
While 82 deputies participated in the vote in the 120-member parliament, 11 votes were declared invalid. The 38-year-old politician studied law at the University of Pristina in Kosovo and earned a doctorate from Pittsburgh University in the US.
5. Govt Appoints S Ramann as SIDBI CMD
The government has appointed S Ramann as Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Ramann, a 1991-batch Indian Audit & Accounts Service officer, is currently the CEO of National E-Governance Services Ltd, India’s first Information Utility.
The appointment is for a period of three years from the date of his assuming the charge or until further orders. Banks Board Bureau, the headhunter for state-owned banks and financial institutions, had recommended his name for the post.
6. RBI to release Financial Inclusion Index (FI Index) annually
The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will periodically publish a “Financial Inclusion Index” (FI Index) annually in July for the financial year ending previous March.
The FI Index would be based on multiple parameters and shall reflect the broadening and deepening of financial inclusion in the country, a statement on regulatory and developmental policies of RBI.
Financial Inclusion has been a thrust area for the government, the Reserve Bank and other regulators, with significant progress made over the years. To measure the extent of financial inclusion in the country, the Reserve Bank proposes to construct and publish a Financial Inclusion Index (FI Index) based on multiple parameters.
7. RBI increases WMA limits for the State Governments/UTs
The Reserve Bank of India has increased the limit for Way and Means Advances (WMA) for the State Governments/UTs from Rs. 32,225 crore (fixed in February 2016) to Rs. 47,010 crore based on the recommendation of a committee headed by Shri Sudhir Shrivastava. This represents an increase of about 46%.
RBI has extended the enhanced interim WMA limit of ₹ 51,560 crores (a 60 per cent increase in the current limits allowed by the Reserve Bank during the last fiscal to help states/UTs to tide over the difficulties faced by them during the pandemic) for a further period of six months i.e., from April 1, 2021, up to September 30, 2021.
8. RBI enhances maximum balance limit per account in Payments Banks
The Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the limit of maximum balance at end of the day maintained in Payments Bank from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per individual customer.
The step has been taken to encourage the efforts of Payments Bank for financial inclusion and to expand their ability to cater to the needs of their customers, including MSMEs, small traders and merchants.
The extant “Guidelines for Licensing of Payments Banks” issued on November 27, 2014, allow payments banks to hold a maximum balance of ₹ 1 lakh per individual customer.
Based on a review of the performance of payments banks and with a view to encouraging their efforts for financial inclusion and to expand their ability to cater to the needs of their customers, including MSMEs, small traders and merchants.
9. RBI enhances Loan limit under Priority Sector Lending against eNWR/NWR
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 Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs)/electronic-NWRs(e-NWRs) issued by the warehouses registered and regulated by Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA).
The Priority Sector loan limit backed by other Warehouse Receipts will continue to be ₹50 lakh per borrower. The circular in this regard will be issued separately.
With a view to encourage farm credit to individual farmers against pledge/hypothecation of agricultural produce and leverage the inherent safety of NWRs/(e-NWRs) issued by warehouses registered and regulated by WDRA.
10. Bharti Airtel sells 800 MHz spectrum in three circles to Reliance Jio
Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement with Reliance Jio Infocomm to transfer ‘Right to Use’ for some of its 800 MHz spectrum in three circles to the Mukesh Ambani-led firm.
Following this agreement, Bharti Airtel will receive a consideration of ₹1,037.6 crores from Reliance Jio for the proposed transfer. In addition, Reliance Jio will assume future liabilities of ₹459 crores relating to the spectrum.
As per the agreement, which is subject to statutory approvals, Reliance Jio will acquire the right to use spectrum in the 800MHz band in Andhra Pradesh (3.75 MHz), Delhi (1.25 MHz) and Mumbai (2.50 MHz) circles through spectrum trading.
11. PM Modi to release Hindi version of ‘Odisha Itihaas’ by Dr Harekrushna Mahtab
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the Hindi translation of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’, written by Utkal Keshari Harekrushna Mahtab, on 9th April at the Ambedkar International Center.
The event marking the release of the Hindi version has been organised by the Harekrushna Mahtab Foundation.
12. FIFA suspends Pakistan and Chad football federations
FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to claims of outside interference. The suspension will be lifted once the relevant government decisions have been repealed.
A group of football officials led by Ashfaq Hussain, which was elected by the Supreme Court in 2018 to run the PFF but was not recognised by FIFA, took over the headquarters recently and seized control from the FIFA Normalisation Committee headed by Haroon Malik.
The Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports had stripped the country’s FA of its powers on March 10 following concerns over the way it was being run and a breakdown in communication.
13. India’s first female cricket commentator Chandra Naidu passes away
India’s first female cricket commentator Chandra Naidu passed away. She was the daughter of the country’s first Test captain CK Naidu.
She had done her first commentary during a match between national champions Bombay (now Mumbai) and MCC in Indore in 1977. She had also penned a book titled ‘CK Nayudu: A Daughter Remembers’ on her late father, who was a distinguished cricketer.
14. Renowned journalist, Padma awardee Fatima Rafiq Zakaria passes away
Fatima Rafiq Zakaria, a Padma Shri awardee, renowned journalist, academician and chairman of Maulana Azad Educational Trust and Khairul Islam Trust Mumbai, passed away. She was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition of her work in education in 2006.
Ms Zakaria, who had played an eminent role in the field of education, was also honoured with the Sarojini Naidu Integration Award for Journalism in 1983.
