23 May – 29 May 2021)

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Top Current Affairs of the Week (23 May – 29 May 2021)

Bihar Govt launches ‘HIT COVID’ app to Track Home Isolated Patients

• Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched an innovative mobile application called ‘Home Isolation Tracking (HIT)’ COVID to keep an eye on the condition of COVID-19 patients recovering at their residence • It will ensure regular monitoring and tracking of those COVID-19 patients, who are in home isolation across the state. • It has been developed by Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BELTRON) under the guidance of health department.

RBI increases the limit for Full-KYC PPIs to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1 lakh

• RBI has increased the max amount outstanding in respect of full-KYC PPIs (KYC-compliant PPIs) from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakhs. • Apart from this, RBI has instructed PPI issuers to give the holders of full-KYC PPIs interoperability through authorised networks in the form of cards and UPI for PPIs in the form of electronic wallets. • Interoperability shall be mandatory on the acceptance side as well • PPIs for Mass Transit Systems shall remain exempted from interoperability

Pinarayi Vijayan takes oath as 12th Chief Minister of Kerala

• Pinarayi Vijayan (76 years) has been sworn in as the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala for his second term • He was administered the oath of his office and secrecy as Chief Minister of Kerala by state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, along with twenty other cabinet ministers • Left Democratic Front (LDF) leader Pinarayi Vijayan is the 1st chief minister from Kerala to be re- elected as CM of Kerala • New cabinet team has three women R Bindu, Chinchu Rani and Veena George

Former NSG DG, JK Dutt passes away in Gurgaon

• Former Director General of National Security Guard (NSG), Jyoti Krishan Dutt (72 years) passed away due to COVID-19 complications in Gurgaon • He led the commando force during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (26/11 and Operation Black Tornado) • He was a 1971-batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre. • He served as the DG of the National Security Guard (NSG) from August 2006 to February 2009. • Besides this, he has also worked in CBI and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

China successfully launches new ocean observation satellite ‘Haiyang-2D’

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• China has successfully launched a new ocean-monitoring satellite titled as ‘Haiyang-2D (HY- 2D)’ into orbit on Long March-4B rocket, from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, China • HY-2D will form a constellation with HY-2B and HY-2C satellites to build an all-weather and round- the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system of high frequency and medium and large scale to provide early warning on marine disasters, ocean resources, climate change, etc.

SBI partners HyperVerge to offer AI-powered Online Account Opening

• HyperVerge has partnered with SBI to provide convenient digital banking services to the customers of SBI with one of its flagship products, Video Banking solution • Under this, SBI customers can instantly open savings account using Video Banking process, during COVID, with minimal ID documents • It will help to achieve ten times improvement in account openings per day per agent, over regular video KYC checks as they will be assisted by AI engines with an accuracy of 99.5%

Phil Mickelson won PGA Championship

• Phil Mickelson (50 years) won the PGA Golf Championship by two shots over Brooks Koepka and South African Louis Oosthuizen • He became the oldest major winner in history. • He sealed the deal with a one-over-par 73 at the Ocean Course that left him at six under on the week. • Victory by Mickelson marked the sixth major championship win of his career and first since the 2013 British Open.

TCS CodeVita won Guinness title for largest computer programming contest

• Ninth season of Tata Consultancy Services' programming contest (TCS CodeVita) has won Guinness World Records title for the world's largest computer programming competition. • The contest comprises of 136,054 participants from 34 countries. • Top three CodeVita finishers received cash prizes of USD 10,000, 7000 and 3,000 • Ben Alexander Mirtchouk of Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey is the competitions first ever US winner.

Finance Ministry notifies rules for increased FDI in insurance sector

• Finance Ministry has notified rules for increased FDI in the insurance sector. • Insurance Amendment Bill 2021 has increase the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 74% from 49%. • Parliament passed the Bill 2021 on March 22. • New norms will apply to all insurers, irrespective of the stake held by the foreign partner. • Further amendments are now expected in Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 and IRDAI guidelines

International Missing Children’s Day: 25 May

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• International Missing Children’s Day (IMCD) is observed every year on 25 May annually to commemorate the missing children who have found their way home, remember those who have been victim of crime, and continue efforts to find missing children • Symbol for IMCD: forget-me-not flower • It was proclaimed in 1983 by US President R Reagan • First IMCD was observed on 2001 by International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Missing Children Europe and European Commission

World’s largest iceberg breaks off from Antarctica

• World's largest iceberg 'A-76' has broken off from Antarctica last week. • It split off the western side of Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica's Weddell Sea • It is thrice the size of Delhi with surface area of 4,320 square km, making it the biggest berg currently afloat in the world • It was first spotted by British Antarctic Survey • Ronne Ice Shelf is one of the biggest of floating sheets of ice that connect to the continent's landmass and extend out into the surrounding seas.

Shivshankar Menon authors book titled ‘India and Asian Geopolitics’

• Book titled as ‘India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present’ has been released. • It has been authored by Indian diplomat Shivshankar Menon (former National Security Adviser of India under Manmohan Singh) • The book depicts the changes in Independent India’s foreign policy choices throughout its history, maps its present-day challenges, and analyzes how India’s policies are likely to evolve in response to new challenges. • It is published by Brookings Institution.

NASA to send its first mobile robot to search for water on the moon in 2023

• NASA is planning to search for water, other resources on the moon by its first mobile robot named as VIPER in 2023, as a part of NASA’s Artemis program • Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) will collect data that would help NASA map resources at the lunar South Pole that could one day be harvested for long-term human exploration at the Moon. • VIPER will carry 4 instruments: TRIDENT hammer drill, MSolo instrument, NIRVSS and NSS.

Maharashtra launches ‘Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance’ scheme

• Maharashtra govt has unveiled ‘Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance’ scheme to meet the state's oxygen needs • Special incentives will be given to oxygen producing industries under this scheme. • Units set up in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Dhule, Nandurbar, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg regions will be eligible for incentives up to 150% of their eligible fixed capital investments and units set up in the rest of Maharashtra will be eligible for up to 100% general incentives.

Anvee Bhutani elected as Oxford Student Union President

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• Anvee Bhutani has been elected as the President of Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) in a by-election. • She won by 655 votes after 11 stages of counting in a close contest with Yannis Baur, social secretary of the OU LGBTQ+ society, who got 649 votes. • She is a 2nd-year human sciences undergraduate student at Magdalen College and is a co-chair of Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality, president of Oxford India Society and treasurer of the Oxford Hindu Society

UK launches plans for global pandemic radar to detect Covid-19 variants

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced United Kingdom will work along with WHO and other nations to develop an advanced international pathogen surveillance network to identify COVID-19 variants and emerging diseases • Global Pandemic Radar is the network that will ensure early detection of new variants and emerging pathogens, so vaccines and treatments needed to stop them can be rapidly developed. • It is expected to become fully operational before the end of 2021.

Govt to set up National Mission on use of Biomass based thermal power plant

• Power Ministry has decided to set up ‘National Mission on the use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants’. • It will address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble-burning and will reduce carbon footprints. • It will also support the energy transition in India and its targets to move towards cleaner energy sources. • It is being envisaged that the Mission will have a Steering Committee and will also contribute to National Clean Air Programme.

MB Rajesh elected speaker of Kerala Assembly

• M B Rajesh has been elected as the speaker of the Kerala Assembly during the election held in the state Legislative Assembly • He got 96 votes out of the 140 members. • He is the 23rd speaker of the Kerala assembly. • This is Rajesh’s debut term in the Assembly, having been elected from Thrithala constituency in Palakkad district. • He defeated incumbent MLA VT Balram of the Congress by a thin margin of over 3,000 votes.

SpiceHealth wins Gold Stevie Award 2021

• Healthcare company by SpiceJet, SpiceHealth has won Gold Award at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for ‘Most Valuable Medical Innovation’ under Covid19. • SpiceHealth under Avani Singh, offered tests in mobile lab at ₹499, as opposed to the then existing rate of ₹2,400 in Delhi in November 2020 • It was also the 1st to introduce the innovative concept of mobile testing laboratories • The award is based on the scores of more than 100 global professionals for 900 nominations

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Nageshwar Reddy becomes 1st Indian doctor to win Rudolf Schindler Award

• D Nageshwar Reddy has won Rudolf V Schindler Award, which is given by American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) • He is the first Indian to receive this award. • He is also the chairman of AIG Hospital, Hyderabad and has received Padma Shri award in 2002 and Padma Bhushan award in 2016. • Rudolf V. Schindler Award is the highest category in Crystal Awards named after Dr Schindler, who is considered as the father of gastroscopy.

Kiren Rijiju to launch Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal

• Union Minister Kiren Rijiju will launch Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal and 3rd version of Ayush Sanjivani App • Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal o Platform to support both Ayush practitioners and general public. o It will aggregate information about clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large scale. • Ayush Sanjivani App: It will facilitate a significant study and documentation regarding the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions.

Bernard Arnault becomes World’s richest person

• French fashion tycoon Bernard Arnault has become the world’s richest person with an estimated net worth of $186.3 billion • His net worth is $300 million above Amazon’s Jeff Bezos now, whose net worth is $186 billion, and Tesla’s Elon Musk’s worth is $147.3 billion. • He is the chairman and chief executive of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy).

India to launch mobile tech platform for UN peacekeepers

• India has been working towards developing a mobile tech platform 'UNITE AWARE' that helps increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information to peacekeepers • It has been developing the platform in partnership with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Operational Support • It will provide terrain-related information to the Blue Helmets in the line of duty.

WHO and Switzerland to launch first WHO BioHub Facilit

• World Health Organization (WHO) and Swiss Confederation has signed MoU to launch 1st WHO BioHub Facility as part of WHO BioHub System, which was announced in November 2020. • It will enhance the rapid sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally. • It will serve as a center for the safe receipt, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories.

C.N.R. Rao receives International Eni Award 2020

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• Bharat Ratna Professor C.N.R. Rao has been conferred with International Eni Award 2020 for research into renewable energy sources and energy storage. • He has been working on hydrogen energy, metal oxides, carbon nanotubes, and other materials and two-dimensional systems. • International Eni Award 2020: o It is also known as Energy Frontiers award and Nobel Prize in Energy Research o It includes a cash prize and a specially minted gold medal.

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen conferred with 2021 Princess of Asturias Award

• Indian economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Kumar Sen (87 years) has been conferred with ‘2021 Princess of Asturias Award’ by Spain in the social sciences category • He was selected from 41 candidates from 20 nation for his research on famines and theory of human development, welfare economics. • Princess of Asturias Awards: It is awarded every year and comprises a cash prize of 50,000 Euros along with Joan Miro sculpture representing the award, a diploma, an insignia.

IBF to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation

• Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) will be renamed Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) and will expands its purview to cover digital streaming platforms • The move will bring broadcasters and Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms under its purview • IBDF was in the process of forming a new wholly-owned subsidiary to handle all matters of digital media • It will also form a self-regulatory body, Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC) • IBF was founded in 1999.

World Hunger Day: 28 May

• World Hunger Day is observed every year on 28 May to create awareness about the people living in chronic hunger worldwide and celebrate sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty and make people inspire to be a part of the solution. • The day was introduced in 2011 by The Hunger Project • Hunger Project: US based organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. • 2021 campaign title: #Access Ends Hunger.

Rajnath Singh launches SeHAT OPD portal for Armed Forces personnel

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has virtually launched ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele- consultation (SeHAT)' OPD portal. • Aim: To provide tele-medicine services to the serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families. • It can be accessed at https://sehatopd.in/. • Trial version of SeHAT OPD was launched in August 2020 and more than 6,500 medical consultations have already been carried on the beta version.

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Assam CM appoints 13 ‘Guardian Ministers’ for 34 districts

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appointed 13 ‘Guardian Ministers’ for all 34 districts in Assam, for balanced, speedy and sustainable developments of these districts. • They will investigate the implementation of government policy decisions, administrative reforms, and other welfare schemes in all the districts of Assam. • These ministers will be responsible for the implementation of all centrally-sponsored schemes as well as state’s own priority programmes.

Amnesty International Day: 28 May

• Amnesty International Day is observed every year on 28 May to mark the foundation day of Amnesty International in 1961 • Amnesty International was founded in London in 1961 by lawyer Peter Benenson, following the publication of the article ‘The Forgotten Prisoners’ in The Observer • Amnesty International is a NGO focused on human rights with over 3 million members and supporters around the world • It was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize and UN Prize for Human Rights in 1978

Noted Freedom fighter HS Doreswamy passes away in Bengaluru

• Eminent Indian activist, journalist, Gandhian and freedom fighter HS Doreswamy (103 years) passed away due to massive cardiac arrest in Bengaluru • He was very actively involved in several Indian freedom movement like Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement, Quit India movement, Mysuru Chalo movement. • He was jailed for 14 months (1943-44) • He also ran Sahitya Mandira publication house and the Indian nationalist newspaper Pauravani during the British Raj and the period afterwards

Neena Gupta to come up with her autobiography 'Sach Kahun Toh'

• Veteran actor Neena Gupta is all set to come up with her autobiography titled as 'Sach Kahun Toh', reflecting on her journey in Indian cinema and her life • It will be her first book and is set to release on 14 June • The book is being published by Penguin India. • The book will also address issues like casting couch, film industry politics, and also talk about what it takes for a young actor to survive without a godfather or a guide in cut-throat film industry.

International Day of Action for Women’s Health: 28 May

• International Day of Action for Women’s Health (International Women’s Health Day) is observed every year on May 28 to raise awareness on the issues related to women’s health and well being • It was first observed in 1987. • The day is being commemorated by Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR). • 2021 campaign theme: #WomensHealthMatters, #EndInequalityPandemic, #SRHRisEssential

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Ministry of Education launches YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme

• The Ministry of Education has launched YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors. • It is an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors below 30 years. • YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is a part of India@75 Project to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places. • Minister of Education: Ramesh Pokhriyal

CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh gets additional charge of NIA

• Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) Kuldiep Singh has been given additional charge of Director General of National Investigation Agency(NIA), • Mr. Singh will hold the additional post after 31st May after the superannuation of Y C Modi. • Union Home Ministry has informed that Mr. Singh will continue to hold the additional charge till appointment of next DG, NIA or any further orders in this regard. • The NIA is India's counter-terrorism task force.

GST Council exempts import duty on COVID-19 related supplies

• The GST- Council has exempted import of Amphotericin B used for treating black fungus from the levy of I-GST • The GST Council has decided to waive I-GST on free COVID-19 related supplies imported from abroad • So far, the IGST exemption was available only when the relief items were being imported free of cost. • This exemption has been extended till 31 August • Taxpayers can now file their pending returns and avail the benefits of this amnesty scheme with reduced late fees

IPL's remaining matches to be held in UAE in Sept-Oct 2021

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the completion of the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) in the months of September-October this year • The decision was taken at a Special General Meeting (SGM) held virtually, where members unanimously agreed to resume IPL • On 4 May 2021, the tournament was suspended indefinitely, after a rise in COVID-19 cases within the bio bubbles of respective teams.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers: 29th May

• The "International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers", May 29, is "an international day. • The day pays tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

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NEERI of Nagpur develops new technology for COVID testing

• In Maharashtra, a new technology Saline Gargle RT-PCR technique has been developed by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) of Nagpur for testing COVID samples. • It doesn't require any skilled person or any Health Care worker for collecting the sample. • The term Saline gargle is itself self-explanatory it means that that you have to do gargling using saline solution. • This technique can give results within three hours, approved by the ICMR.