www.gradeup.co 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’ 1 www.gradeup.co • 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 2 www.gradeup.co • 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 3 www.gradeup.co • 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.