RBI Guidelines, Financial Inclusion Index, and Indian Achievements - June 2021, Study notes of Law

Download RBI Guidelines, Financial Inclusion Index, and Indian Achievements - June 2021 and more Study notes Law in PDF only on Docsity! CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE (JANUARY 2021 TO AUGUST 2021) (For IBPS RRB PO, Clerk & SBI Clerk Mains) Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the renaming of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sporting honour, after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand. The maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia, dubbed “Al-Mohed Al- Hindi,” began in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia. NITI| Aayog and US-based multinational firm Cisco launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP). India gave a name to its operation to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Afghanistan as ‘Operation Devi Shakti’. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has built the world’s highest motorable road at Umlingla Pass in Eastern Ladakh with a height of 19,300 feet. The Union government launched a new geospatial planning portal, "Yuktdhara’ that will help in facilitating new MGNREGA assets using remote sensing and geographic information system-based data. Indian Army to participate in International Army Games 2021 in Russia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Known as Ujjwala 2.0, phase 2 of the scheme kicked off in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. The Lok Sabha cleared a Constitution(127th Amendment) Bill, 2021 which seeks to give power to states and UTs to make their own OBC lists. The Union Government has notified the plastic waste management amendment rules 2021 prohibiting identified single-use plastic items by 2022. Four more wetlands from India get recognition from the Ramsar Secretariat as Ramsar sites. These sites are Thol and Wadhwana from Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a 2100 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti initiative that will create employment opportunities for the country's youth and help in holistic infrastructure growth. Centre approves 211,040 crore for National Mission to boost palm oil production. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana to enable around 3.5 crore people to get cashless healthcare services. India and Russia have signed a deal for the immediate off-the-shelf procurement of 70,000 latest AK series of assault rifles. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched “SonChiraiya’, a brand and logo for marketing of the urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products. India ranked 122nd in the 2020 Global Youth Development Index. Singapore ranked top for the first time followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta and Denmark. Copenhagen has been named the safest city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Yangon of Myanmar is at the bottom with 39.5. Mumbai has been placed 50th, two notches behind New Delhi. India fell six spots to the 32nd place in the global coronavirus innovation rankings for countries, as per a report prepared by StartupBlink in association with Health Innovation Exchange, UNAIDS. The US remains on top of the list this year. Indore, the country's cleanest city, has now been declared the first "water plus" city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021. The world’s largest and tallest observation wheel will open in the UAE on October 21, the latest landmark to join Dubai’s long list of record- breaking attractions. India’s highest herbal park, at a height of 11,000 feet, was inaugurated near Indo-China border at Mana village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, which guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the India-China border, commissioned its first two women officers Prakriti and Diksha in combat after they completed their training. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the world's second-largest refurbished National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa in New Delhi. In a world first, South Africa grants patent to an artificial intelligence system called DABUS. According to Cushman and Wakefield’s 2021 Global Manufacturing Risk Index, India has emerged as the second most sought after manufacturing destination across the world. India's national capital Delhi has ranked first with most cameras installed per square miles, according to Forbes list. India’s first Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) which is considered as the first-of-its-kind toolkit to be indigenously developed in the country. India took over from France to assume the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August. India, Sri Lanka, Maldives meet identifies terrorism, trafficking among 4 areas of concern. Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco citing its neighbour's hostile actions. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for a snap election which will take place on September 20. Israel officially opened its diplomatic office in Morocco. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 1 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has formally apologised for police crackdowns in the 1970s that “unfairly targeted” the country’s Pacific community. Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing declared himself Prime Minister of the country. The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, has said that North Korea appears to have restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Indian Bank signs MoU with IIT Bombay for extending exclusive credit facility to Start-ups and MSMEs. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave banks time till October 31 to comply with its guidelines on current account and overdraft facilities. Axis Bank crosses a milestone of 1 million customers on ‘WhatsApp Banking’. RBI Monetary Policy Highlights Repo rate unchanged at 4 percent while maintaining its "accommodative" stance. Reverse repo rate stands at 3.35 percent. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has roped in star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for its awareness campaign against growing cyber frauds IDFC FIRST Bank inks MoU with Indian Navy to offer Honour FIRST banking solutions. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has unveiled ‘Digital Prayaas’ an app- based digital-lending platform to facilitate loans to entrepreneurs from low-income groups. Deutsche Bank has got approval from the GIFT SEZ (Special Economic Zone) Authority to set up an IFSC banking unit. Indian Bank has signed an MoU with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) as one of the banking partners of the Paralympic Games. The Reserve Bank has cancelled the license of Raigad based Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited in Maharashtra. State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms of loan and savings deposit growth during the first quarter of the current financial year. HDFC has announced the introduction of ‘Green & Sustainable Deposits’ to safeguard the environment from climate change. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the formation of a composite Financial Inclusion Index (Fl-Index) to capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country. IDBI Bank's board has okayed a proposal to divest its entire stake of over 19 per cent in ARCIL. Nirmala Sitharaman, launched the fourth edition of Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda called ‘EASE 4.0' for the financial year 2021-22. It is a simplified, tech-enabled and collaborative banking. RBI extended the scope of "tokenisation" to several consumer devices, including laptops, desktops, wearables like wristwatches and bands, as well as Internet of Things (loT) devices. The Centre approved a proposal of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to increase the family pension for bank employees to 30% of the last salary drawn, besides lifting the cap on pension. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled an ambitious 26 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that included unlocking value by involving private companies across infrastructure sectors -- from passenger trains and railway stations to airports, roads and stadiums. The Centre has amended the Foreign Exchange Management (non-debt instruments) Rules, 2019 to enable the increase in foreign direct investment limit in the insurance sector to 74 per cent. Apple tops Hurun Global 500 Most Valuable Companies list 2021; Reliance top Indian list. Exim Bank has extended soft loans worth $210.73 million on behalf of the Indian government to Guinea to support various projects in the African country. The Competition Commission has approved online food delivery platform Zomato's proposed purchase of 9.3 per cent stake in online grocery shopping player Grofers India. HCL Technologies becomes 4th IT firm to hit 3 trillion market-cap. SEBI reduced the minimum lock-in period for promoters’ investment post an_ initial public offering (IPO) to 18 months from three years, under certain conditions. Afcons, the engineering and construction arm of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, has won a USD 530-million contract to construct the largest-ever infrastructure project in the Maldives. The Ministry of Ayush has collaborated with the U.K.’s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to conduct a study on ‘Ashwagandha’ for promoting recovery from COVID-19. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has launched “Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert ", which is ‘India’s first’ Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) mobile app. IIT Madras develops indigenous motorized wheelchair vehicle named ‘NeoBolt’, that can be used not only on roads but even on uneven terrains. The first nasal COVID-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech has got regulatory approval for the second and third phase trials. This is the first of its kind COVID-19 jab to undergo human clinical trials in India. The first Heart Failure Biobank in the country has come up at the National Centre for Advanced Research and Excellence in HF (CARE-HF) at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Kerala. To conserve indigenous breeds of cattle like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal and Ongole, the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) has developed India’s first cattle genomic chip, IndiGau. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 040-40088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com website : www.time4education.com 2 Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, has set up two Vaccine testing facilities in its Autonomous Research Institutes National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, and National Institute of Animal Biotechnology,(NIAB) Hyderabad. Education Ministry launched National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy — NIPUN Bharat to create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy. In a historic move, a separate ‘Ministry of Co- operation’ has been created by the Modi Government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. The Harappan city of Dholavira, in present-day Gujarat, was named the 40th Indian site on UNESCO's World Heritage list. One of the iconic sites of Telangana state, Kakatiya Rudreswara Temple, located at Palampet village, popularly known as Ramappa temple has been inscribed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. India’s first 5-star hotel over a live railway track has been built at the Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station by the Indian Railway Stations Redevelopment Corporation (IRSDC). The Union Government launched digital platform Kisan Sarathi to facilitate farmers to get right information at right time in their desired language. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recently secured trademark registrations in three countries namely Bhutan, UAE and Mexico India has jumped 37 places to 10th position in the Global Cyber Security Index (GCI) 2020. The top rank in the GCI was achieved by the US with a score of 100. The UK and Saudi Arabia finished second, tied for next place with a score of 99.54. Singapore unveiled one of the world’s largest floating solar panel farms, which can produce enough electricity to power the island's five water treatment plants. India ranked 20" among the top 100 countries that have been ranked in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021 by Startup Blink. Rajasthan schools rank last in the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at the higher secondary level, reveals the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report 2019-20, which analyses trends in school education in the country. The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, has been placed in the top 50 institutions worldwide for advances in materials science by the prestigious Nature Index. The world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge was opened to the public in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity party won national parliamentary election. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the second most-valued listed public sector bank (PSB) with a market capitalisation of over 250,000 crore. Public sector lenders led by Canara Bank have officially formed the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL), or the Bad Bank. NARCL has been registered in Mumbai with a paid-up capital of 74.6 crore). Private sector Federal Bank has received approval from the RBI to re-appoint Shyam Srinivasan as its MD and CEO for three years with effect from 23 September 2021 till 22 September 2024. The Reserve Bank of India is likely to soon kick off pilot projects to assess the viability of using digital currency to make wholesale and retail payments to help calibrate its strategy for introducing a full-scale central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said banks without their boards’ approval can sanction personal loans up to 25 crore to directors of other banks. The earlier limit was 225 lakh. Non-banking financial company (NBFC) Magma Fincorp Ltd. has been renamed Poonawalla Fincorp Ltd. following the acquisition of controlling stake by the Adar Poonawalla-led Rising Sun Holdings. The board of Equitas Holdings Ltd. (EHL) approved the scheme of amalgamation with subsidiary Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd. (ESFBL). The Union Cabinet cleared amendments in the Deposit Insurance Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act 1961, under which account holders of the affected bank will get up to 2 5 lakh within 90 days of its collapse. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman & her Bhutanese counterpart jointly launch BHIM-UPI in Bhutan. Hike in the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in pension fund management to 74% from 49% under the national pension system (NPS). Bharti, Intel to collaborate for 5G in India. Google's Alphabet INC will soon launch a new company that will be known as Intrinsic. This company is going to focus on releasing new robotic software and projects related to artificial intelligence. NASA selected Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its probe of Jupiter's moon Europa, which has liquid oceans that could harbour life. Blue Origin launched its first crewed mission on its New Shepard rocket to fly its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and three other passengers to suborbital space and back. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence (Al)-based mathematical model to identify cancer-causing alterations in cells. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar have developed a first-of-its-kind device named AMLEX that can regulate the flow of medical oxygen from cylinder during inhalation and exhalation by a patient, thereby reducing wastage. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 5 IIT Hyderabad develops Covihome, a rapid electronic Covid-19 RNA test kit. Bharatiya Janata Party (BUP) leader Pushkar Singh Dhami has took oath as the eleventh chief minister of Uttarakhand. Aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla became the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space when she joined British billionaire Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic's first fully crewed suborbital test flight from New Mexico. Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the Nepali Congress, is the new Prime Minister of Nepal. Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Peru's fifth president. He is Peru's first president of peasant origin. Ariel Henry has been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Haiti, around two weeks after the country's President Jovenel Moise was assassinated. Basavaraj Bommai has recently took oath as the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka. Zaila Avant-garde, an African-American, has won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She is the first African-American contestant to win in the prestigious competition's history. N.Venudhar Reddy, an Indian _ Information service, IIS Officer of 1988 batch took charge as Director General of All India Radio. Two-time Olympics gold medallist Keshav Chandra Datt, the last surviving member of the Indian hockey team in the historic 1948 London Games, passed away. Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh passed away after a prolonged illness in Shimla. Legendary actor Dilip Kumar passed away after a prolonged illness in Mumbai. Former Indian middle-order batsman Yashpal Sharma, who was also a member of the Kapil Dev-led 1983 World Cup-winning team, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. Gira Sarabhai, co-founder of the renowned National Institute of Design (NID) in Anmedabad and a pioneer of design education in India, passed away. Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, whose searing images of wars, riots and human suffering won global accolades including the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, was killed in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province while covering the region’s escalating conflict for Reuters. Three-time National Award winning actress, Surekha Sikri has passed away following a cardiac arrest at the age of 75. Veteran actress Abhinaya Sharade Jayanthi, known for her works in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies, died. Legendary badminton player Nandkumar Mahadev Natekar popularly known as Nandu Natekar passed away. Renowned Marathi poet Satish Kalsekar passed away. Folk music legend and freedom fighter Fakir Alamgir passed away in Dhaka. The Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray unanimously selected legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle for the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar award for the year 2021. Invest India has been awarded the world’s most innovative Promotion Agency 2021 by OCO Global. Invest India is the national Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency of India. Former India goalkeeper Shibaji Banerjee, who stood out against Pele-led Cosmos Club in an exhibition match in 1977, will be conferred with Mohun Bagan Ratna posthumously. Equator Prize 2021: Two Indian organizations namely Snehakunja Trust and Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited are among the 10 awardees of the Equator Prize 2021 for their work in the field of biodiversity and conservation. The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar, the national award instituted in memory of late poet laureate Kuvempu, has been awarded to renowned Odia poet Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda for the year 2020. Abhimanyu Mishra, U.S. player of Indian origin, has become the youngest GM in history, at 12 years, four months and 25 days. He surpassed the long-standing record held by Sergey Karjakin. Young Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has emerged champion in the Masters’ section of the Serbia Open Chess Championship in Belgrade. Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 to win Copa America Football tournament. Italy won the European Football Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties. Ashleigh Barty becomes the first Australian to win Wimbledon women's singles title in 41 years. Novak Djokovic won a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title and sixth Wimbledon. Viswanathan Anand finished runner-up at the Croatia Grand Chess Tour at Zagreb. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has allotted the BWF World Championship to India for 2026. Chris Gayle has become the first-ever batsman to breach the mark of 14,000 runs in T20s. Deepak Kabra has become the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition at the Olympic Games. Australia’s Brisbane was awarded the chance to host 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal and became the first Indian to win an Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the Women’s 49kg category. US star swimmer Caeleb Dressel blazed to his first individual Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle final, adding to his back-to-back world titles. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 6 une India has been elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), for three-year terms of 2022-24. The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched an initiative called, SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) and also the SAGE portal to support India’s elderly persons. The SAGE portal will act as a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups. The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation between India-Japan in the field of sustainable urban development. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), which sets standards for the Indian Railway Sector, has become the first standards body in the country to join the ‘One Nation, One Standard’ scheme of the central government. The National Skill Development Corporation and WhatsApp announced an alliance to launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make them employment ready. The Indian Navy and the Air Force began a two- day passage exercise with U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Ronald Reagan during its transit through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Indian Navy is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR). Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) participated in a joint naval exercise at the Indian Ocean to realize “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). The Indian Navy is set to receive its first set of multi-role helicopters as America is set to hand over three MH-60 Romeo helicopters to the force in the United States in July. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, Indian pioneer industrialist and founder of the Tata Group, has topped the inaugural, EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century list, which ranks the world’s 50 most generous individuals in the last century. According to ‘Annual Bank Statistics of 2020 teleased by Swiss National Bank (SNB), the Central Bank of Switzerland. India with Swiss Francs (CHF) 2.55 billion (INR 20,706 Crore) has been placed at 51st place in the list of foreign clients’ money in Swiss Banks during 2020. UK topped the list followed by USA. According to the 6th Edition of ‘Sustainable Development Report 2021 (SDR 2021)’ released by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), India with a score of 60.1 has been placed at 120th rank out of 165 countries. Finland topped the Index followed by Sweden & Denmark. Bengaluru has been named as the most liveable city of India, in the Ease of Living Index 2020, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). India maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) that examined the impact of COVID-19 on economies around the world this year. Switzerland topped the list followed by Sweden. The 15th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) announced by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) Sydney. India has moved up two notches from its previous year’s ranking to become the 135th most peaceful country. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world. India has been ranked at 14th spot among 114 countries in the World Giving Index 2021, by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). The World Giving Index ranking has been topped by Indonesia, followed by Kenya, Nigeria, Myanmar and Australia in the top five respectively. As per the ‘Global Skills Report 2021’ released by Coursera, India has been ranked 67th overall globally. Switzerland topped the index followed by Luxembourg. Auckland topped the Global Liveability Index 2021. Osaka ranked second and Adelide ranked third. The London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the QS World University Rankings 2022. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has topped the ranking. IIT-Bombay is ranked as the best University in India with a rank of 177. It is followed by IIT-Delhi (185) and IISc (186). Kerala has retained the top rank in Niti Aayog’s 3rd edition of SDG India Index 2020-21, while Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer. Ahead of the Tokyo Games, the official Olympic theme song for the Indian contingent was launched. Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song titled “Lakshya Tera Samne Hai”. The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for everyone’. Nikol Pashinyan elected as Armenia Prime Minister. Ebrahim Raisi has won the 2021 Iranian presidential election. UN Security Council elected Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and UAE as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term. Naftali Bennett, the former Defence Minister of Israel, and leader of the Yamina party took oath as the Prime Minister of the country. Former Mongolian Prime Minister, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh became the country’s _ sixth democratically elected president. Russia is building the first naval ship that will be fully equipped with stealth technology to make it hard to detect. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 7 Indian archer Deepika Kumari, created a new world record as she claimed three back-to-back gold medals in a single day, during the Archery World Cup Stage 3, held in Paris. Cristiano Ronaldo has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time. He is currently tied with Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored 109 times in 149 matches between 1993 and 2006. New Zealand defeated India to win the first ICC World Test Championship. Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann_ Fraser-Pryce became the second-fastest woman of all-time behind 100 metres world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner when she clocked 10.63 seconds at a meet in Kingston, Jamaica D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title and with it, a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour. Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the French Open title. He has become the first man in 52 years, after Rod Laver, to win all the four Grand Slams twice. Barbora Krejcikova won the women's singles title French Open defeating Anastasia Paviyuchenkova. BharatPe has announced that it has inked a three-year-long deal to become an official partner with International Cricket Council (ICC). Sunil Chhetri surpasses Argentina's Lionel Messi and he has become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes. Virender Sehwag has launched an experiential learning portal for Cricket coaching named CRICURU. CRICURU is India’s first Al-enabled coaching website, to offer a personalised learning experience for the younger players. India’s pugilist Sanjeet Kumar won a gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships. The first-ever India-France-Australia_ Trilateral Foreign Ministerial Dialogue was held in London, UK, on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the joint initiative for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools. Google Cloud and SpaceX signed a deal for providing internet service through Starlink satellite 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 inoculated. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a new mobile app for students and parents. The new app ‘Dost for Life’ is an exclusive psychological counselling app for students and parents of CBSE-affiliated schools. The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (MCCIA) has launched India’s first agro-export facilitation centre in Pune, in collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). India will launch ‘UNITE AWARE’, a mobile tech platform for the United Nations Peacekeepers to improve their safety and security in the line of duty. Squadron Leader, Aashritha V Olety is the first and only woman in the IAF qualified for the role, and as a flight test engineer, she will be responsible for evaluating aircraft and airborne systems before their induction into the armed forces. The first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput, will be decommissioned on May 21. INS Rajput was built by Russia in the 61 Communards Shipyard. Its Original Russian name was ‘Nadezhny’. The Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the southern Arabian Sea with a focus on further improving their interoperability. Cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal which was declared extinct in India in 1952, is expected to be re-introduced into the country in November this year at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. World's First Unmanned Vessel named “Mayflower 400” is set to Navigate Across the Atlantic. The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge named “Arouca” was opened in Portugal, according to a press release by UNESCO's Arouca World Geopark. New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has topped the ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021, released by Fortune Magazine. From India, Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India (SII) is the only Indian among the top 10 names. He is placed in the 10th spot. Moctar Ouane is reappointed as Prime Minister of Mali. China will become the world’s first country to ban all synthetic cannabinoid substances. The European Union recently approved the requests of Norway, Canada and the United States to participate in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) defence initiative. This is the first time, the European bloc has allowed a third state to participate in the PESCO project. India and Israel have inked a three-year joint work programme which will continue till 2023. A joint work programme was initiated with the aim of enhancing cooperation in agriculture. Jana Small Finance Bank has announced the launch of the “I choose my number” feature for all its customers across India. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of United Co-operative Bank Ltd over inadequate capital, regulatory non-compliance, based in Bagnan, West Bengal. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 10 Airtel Payments Bank has launched “DigiGold”, a digital platform for customers to make investments in gold. The Reserve Bank of India has increased the maximum amount outstanding in respect of full- KYC PPIs (KYC-compliant PPls) from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh. Kotak Mahindra Bank has issued the first-ever foreign portfolio investor (FPI) licence to the GIFT IFSC alternative investment fund (AIF) of True Beacon Global. Equitas Small Finance Bank has now become the first Small Finance Bank to offer its NRI customer segment the ease of account opening online. The company will also be the only one in the Small Finance Bank sector to have Virtual Relationship Managers based on time zones. The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCl) has partnered with Turkey’s global payment solutions company PayCore as one of the certified partners for RuPay SoftPOS to drive cashless payments across the country. The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted an expert committee on Investment Funds. The Committee has been formed under the Chairmanship of Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd. It will holistically review the global best practices and make recommendations to IFSCA on the roadmap for the fund’s industry in the International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs). Iran has unveiled a new supercomputer named ‘Simorgh’, which is 100 times more powerful than the previous supercomputer of the country to date. Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is set to launch the “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon’, the first-ever commercial lunar payload, paid entirely in the ceryptocurrency Dogecoin. Subodh Jaiswal has been appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Board of Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) has appointed Rajesh Bansal as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the RBIH. Narinder Batra has been re-elected as the President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the second consecutive term. Historian Laurence des Cars becomes the first female president of Musée du Louvre, the world’s largest museum in Paris, France in 228 years. Jagjit Pavadia, the former Narcotics Commissioner of India and a retired officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs), has been elected president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the appointment of Ramesh Powar as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Women). Indian-American Neera Tanden has _ been appointed senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden. Bata India has appointed Gunjan Shah as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Martin Griffiths has been appointed as the new Chief at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), for a period of five years. Arun Kumar Singh appointed as the chairman and managing director of state-run oil refining and marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). Padmakumar M Nair has been appointed as the CEO of the proposed National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. Raman Meenakshi Sundaram has _ been appointed as Director of the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), an arm of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited (KLI) announced it has appointed Mahesh Balasubramanian as managing director of the company. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) executive director T Rabi Sankar has been named as the fourth Deputy Governor of the central bank. The Japanese Government recently awarded the “Order of Rising Sun” to a Bengaluru based Japanese teacher, Shyamala Ganesh. Maria Ressa has been named as the 2021 laureate of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Former Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court, Justice Gita Mittal, has been declared as one of the two recipients of the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award for 2021. She shares the honour with Margarita Luna Ramos from Mexico. Naomi Osaka of Japan has been named “Sportswoman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards. Rafael Nadal of Spain won the 2021 “Laureus Sportsman of the Year’ title. Anupam Kher won the Best Actor award for his performance in the short film Happy Birthday at the New York City International Film Festival. Indian-origin global nutritionist, Dr Shakuntala Hark Singh Thilstad has received the “World Food Award” of the year 2021. Miss Mexico Andrea Meza has been crowned as the 69th Miss Universe 2020. An environmentalist from Nagaland’s remote Longleng district, Nuku Phom has won this year’s Whitley Awards 2021, also known as the Green Oscar. Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman who developed a super-fast DNA sequencing technique that paved the way for revolutionary healthcare advances were awarded Finland's Millennium Technology Prize. Suresh Mukund, has won the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020’, (also known as Choreo Awards), becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious honour. Jane Goodall has been announced as the 2021 winner of the Templeton Prize in recognition of her life's work on animal intelligence and humanity. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 1 Hockey India has won the prestigious Etienne Glichitch Award in recognition of its contribution to the growth and development of the sport in the country. Noted gastroenterologist Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, who is also the chairman of AIG Hospitals, has won the Rudolf V Schindler Award from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). With this, Dr Reddy becomes the first Indian medical practitioner to win this award. Indian scientist and Bharat Ratna Professor, C.N.R. Rao has been felicitated with the International Eni Award 2020 (also called the Energy Frontier award). Indian economist and Nobel Laureate, Amartya Kumar Sen has been conferred with the ‘2021 Princess of Asturias Award’ by Spain in the social sciences category. Mark Selby has become the World Snooker Champion for the fourth time. He won the Championship title after defeating fellow mate Shaun Murphy. Arjan Bhullar became the first Indian-origin fighter to win a world title in a top-level MMA promotion when he beat Brandon Vera to become the heavyweight world champion at the Singapore- based One Championship. American professional golfer, Phil Mickelson has created history by winning the 2021 PGA Championship, at the age of 50. Ashok Kumar will be the only referee from India to officiate in wrestling matches of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Indian pugilist Mary Kom, lost to two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan, to settle for silver medal at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai. vA) Italy has launched its first-ever mega food park project in India, at Fanidhar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. India formally handed over Rs 100 crore patrol vessel “PS Zoroaster” to Seychelles. The Supreme Court of India has launched it's Artificial Intelligence portal “SUPACE” (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency). The 19th edition of the Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘“VARUNA-2021' conducted in the Arabian Sea. The 8th Indo-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise “Khanjar’ was inaugurated at the Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched Aahaar Kranti, a mission dedicated to spreading awareness about nutrition. NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched called “Poshan Gyan", a national digital repository on health and nutrition. Tribal Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED) has launched Sankalp Se Siddhi — Village & Digital Connect Drive. Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman virtually inaugurated the first 3D printed house in India at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). Water Sports and Adventure Institute (WSAI) has been established by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand. Priyanka Mohite from Satara in western Maharashtra has scaled Mt Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain peak in the world, becoming the first Indian woman climber to achieve the feat. West Central Railways has become the first fully electrified railway zone in the country. The zonal railway now boasts a 3012 Route Km electrified network. India has been placed at 49th position among 104 nations in the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) 2021. Finland has topped the CGGI Index 2021 and Venezuela is the last ranked country at 104. India has retained its position as the third biggest military spender in the world in 2020, according to new data titled ‘SIPRI Military Expenditure Database’ published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). As per the new report, the top five biggest spenders in 2020 were the United States ($778 billion), China ($252 billion), India ($72.9 billion), Russia ($61.7 billion) and the United Kingdom ($59.2 billion) respectively. India is placed at the 87th position among 115 countries in the 2021 Energy Transition Index (ETI). The report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), prepared in collaboration with Accenture. The top 5 countries are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland Austria. India has been placed at 142nd position among 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index 2021. Norway, Finland, Denmark are top 3 countries. India stands at number 84 in the Henley Passport Index. Japan ranked first followed by Singapore The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in partnership with Facebook, has released the Inclusive Internet Index 2021. India has been ranked at 49th spot globally. Top 5 countries are Sweden, United States, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong. India has slipped 28 places to rank 140 among 156 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2021, by World Economic Forum. Iceland, Finland, Norway, New Zealand, Rwanda are top 5 gender eqaual countries. Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel has been officially sworn in as the ‘First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’, following the resignation of Raul Castro. New Zealand is about to become the world’s first country to bring a law into force that demands environmental accountability from financial firms by asking them to report on how their businesses affect climate change. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 2 The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has teleased the final rankings of the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020. Indore has topped this list, followed by Surat and Bhopal in million plus population category. In Less than a million category, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) emerged as the leader, followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar. Bengaluru emerged as the top city on the government's Ease of Living Index 2020 that was teleased by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Pune was second and Ahmedabad was ranked third among 111 cities. New Zealand's parliament has passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or stillbirth, becoming only the second country in the world to do so. India is the only other country with similar legislation. Netherlands Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has won the 2021 parliamentary elections with most seats to be sworn in as the Prime Minister for the fourth straight term. Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the sixth President of Tanzania, becoming the first female leader of the East African country. The largest floating solar farm in the world is being built in Singapore. El Salvador is the first country in Central America to be certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization. Mahamadou Issoufou, the incumbent President of Niger has won the “2020 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership”, the world’s largest leadership prize, worth $5 million. Switzerland has voted in favour of a proposal banning full facial coverings including the burqa and niqab in almost all public places. Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. HDFC Bank has adjudged the ‘India’s Best Bank for SMEs’ at the Asiamoney Best Bank Awards 2021. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has set up a wholly- owned subsidiary namely “PNB Cards & Services Ltd” to manage its credit card business. The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to implement the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) in all branches by September 30 this year. The move is aimed at faster settlement of cheques resulting in better customer service. The World Bank plans to introduce a $100-million credit guarantee scheme to boost India’s rooftop solar programme, which has not gained enough traction. The scheme will allow micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail concessional debt financing for setting up rooftop solar units. The Reserve Bank of India has announced the names of the members of the Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC) for evaluating applications for Universal Banks as well as Small Finance Banks. The committee has five members, with former RBI deputy governor Shyamala Gopinath as the chairperson. The State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will sign the first Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) linked external commercial borrowing (ECB) deal. The government has constituted an experts advisory committee for the overall execution and monitoring of the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. The committee would be chaired by H K Mittal from the Department of Science and Technology. The Japanese scientific research institute called RIKEN and Fujitsu started developing the “Fugaku” six years ago. It is the world’s most powerful supercomputers. India has signed a key pact with the Philippines called “implementing arrangement” for “procurement of defence material and equipment’, as per which the country will buy the BrahMos cruise missiles from India. The Finnish telecom equipment maker, Nokia has announced on March 16 that it has partnered with Microsoft, Amazon web services and Google so as to develop a new cloud-based 5G radio solution. Samsung India has announced that it has inaugurated a Samsung Innovation Lab at Delhi Technological University (DTU) to focus on collaborative research and training. Atish Chandra has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India. Saurabh Garg has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Sanjeev Kumar has appointed as Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Dr Harsh Vardhan has been appointed as the Chairman of the international body Stop TB Partnership Board. Ajay Mathur has assumed office as the Director- General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Ltd (Arcil) has announced the appointment of Pallav Mohapatra as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Union Minister Anurag Thakur has become the first serving MP to be appointed as Captain in the Territorial Army. The Central Government has appointed Dr G P Samanta as the new Chief Statistician of India (CSI) for a period of two years. NABARD chairman, G R Chintala has assumed charge as the chairman of APRACA (Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association). Indian-origin Naureen Hassan has _ been appointed as the first Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the New York-based Federal Reserve Bank, by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 15 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award during an annual CERAWeek Conference-2021. The award is given to him for his commitment to sustainability in energy and the environment. World rapid chess champion Koneru Humpy has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman-of-the-Year award. The Lifetime Achievement award went to veteran athlete Anju Bobby George. The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on (Late) His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman. Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Hindi writer, Prof. Sharad Pagare will be conferred with the prestigious Vyas Samman — 2020. He will be awarded the 31st Vyas Samman for his novel “Patliputru Ki Samragi”. ‘In The Dream House: A Memoir’ by Carmen Maria Machado Wins The Rathbones Folio Prize 2021. Asha Bhosle will be honoured with the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award for the year 2020. Mahinder Giri, range officer of Rajaji Tiger Reserve for being the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award for his contribution towards conservation. Marathi writer Dr Sharankumar Limbale will receive Saraswati Samman, 2020 for his book Sanatan. Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara has won the All England Badminton Championships women's title as she defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the finals. In the men’s category, Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia has won the All England Badminton Championships title as he defeated Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the summit clash. Bhavani Devi became the first-ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. Mithali Raj has become the first Indian woman cricketer that has completed 10,000 international runs in all the cricket formats. HCL Technologies has inked an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) to collaborate in the area of cybersecurity. India’s homegrown app MapMyIndia ties up with ISRO to build an alternative to Google Maps. India’s first-ever geothermal power project will be implemented by state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at Puga village of eastern Ladakh. The Delhi cabinet has approved “Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha” in which %5,000 will be provided to 1,000 meritorious students of Class 9 in schools of Delhi as a science scholarship. The Aero India 2021 event, country’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition, was held at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru. The India-US joint military exercise “Yudh Abhyas 20” commenced in Mahajan Field Firing Range of Bikaner district in Rajasthan. India joined Iran and Russia in the naval exercise dubbed as “lran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021”, which started in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. Indian Naval Ship Pralaya reached Abu Dhabi in UAE to participate in the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 21) and _ International Defence Exhibition (IDEX 21). Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually launched ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ initiative in Assam. Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative is going to be marked with the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel operations. Chandigarh launched Carbon Watch, a mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual, which is the first time in India. India’s first amputee clinic has been launched by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a premier medical and research institution in Chandigarh. India’s was ranked at 53rd spot in the 2020 Democracy Index, from among 167 countries. Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada are the top five countries on the list. China has regained its position as the top trading partner of India in 2020, which was held by the United States, since 2018-19. The former European Central Bank Chief Mario Draghi has been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy. President Moon Jae-in-led, South Korea Govemment has approved a plan to build the world’s largest wind power plant in the country by 2030. The Government of Denmark has approved a project to build the world’s first energy island, in the North Sea that will produce and store enough green energy to meet the electricity needs of three million households in European countries. The ruling Community Party of Vietnam has re- elected its 76-year-old General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong for a third five-year term. India hosted Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave on the sidelines of Aero India 2021. India signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement-(CECPA)) with Mauritius. The FTA or CECPA is the first such pact with any African country, and will help Mauritius to emerge as a “hub of Africa”. State Bank of India has tied up with JPMorgan to use the US bank’s blockchain technology to speed up overseas transactions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought the State Bank of Sikkim under its regulation. Till now, RBI had the right and obligation to function asa banker to all the state government except for the state government of Sikkim. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an eight-member expert committee on Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) to examine issues and suggest a road map for strengthening the sector. The committee will be chaired by the former RBI Deputy Governor N. S. Vishwanathan. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 04040088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com —_ website : www.time4education.com 16 Union Budget 2021-22 Highlights Presenting the Union Budget for 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Budget proposals for this financial year rest on six pillars — health and well-being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and R&D, and ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’. + A new scheme, titled PM Atma Nirbhar Swasthya Bharat Yojana, to be launched to develop primary, secondary and _ tertiary healthcare + Jal Jeevan Mission Urban aimed at better water supply nationwide + 100% electrification of Railways to be completed by 2023 + Recycling capacity of ports to be doubled by 2024 + Vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles — all vehicles to undergo fitness test in automated fitness centres every 20 years (personal vehicles), every 15 years (commercial vehicles) + No IT filing for people above 75 years who get pension and earn interest from deposits + Reopening window for IT assessment cases reduced from 6 to 3 years. However, in case of serious tax evasion cases (Rs. 50 lakh or more), it can go up to 10 years + Fiscal deficit stands at 9.5% of the GDP; estimated to be 6.8% in 2021-22 + Proposal to allow States to raise borrowings up to 4% of GSDP this year + Margin capital required for loans via Stand-up India scheme reduced from 25% to 15% for SCs, STs and women + Bad bank - the government has decided to set up an asset reconstruction company that will take over the bad loans of banks, giving them flexibility to finance the economic recovery. + The government has set a disinvestment target of 71.75 lakh crore for 2021-22. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has put a probe called Hope in the orbit around the MARS. UAE has become the fifth country to launch the spacecraft into the orbit of MARS after United States, Soviet Union, Europe and India. A space supply ship, Cygnus NG-15 cargo dubbed as ‘S.S. Katherine Johnson has been named in honour of Katherine Johnson, a Black NASA mathematician, who played a critical role in the success of the first U.S. crewed spaceflight, Mercury-Atlas 6 Mission. The NASA Perseverance rover safely landed on Mars after its 292.5 million-mile journey from Earth. Facebook Inc. has appointed Henry Moniz as its first-ever Chief Compliance Officer. Andy Jassy, who is currently serving as the chief executive of Amazon Web Services (AWS), will replace Bezos as CEO of Amazon. Ajay Singh got re-elected as president of Boxing Federation India for a second term. Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-lweala has been chosen as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Ajai Malhotra became the first Indian to be elected as the Chairperson of the United Nations Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council. Vijay Sampla has assumed the charge of Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). Hyderabad has been recognized as a 2020 Tree City of World, by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation, for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests. Japan's Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title on February 20, 2021, after she beat American Jennifer Brady in the women’s singles game of the Australian Open final 2021. In Men's singles final, Novak Djokovic claimed his ninth Australian Open crown and the 18th Major Grand Slam overall, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev. Joe Root, the England captain, became the first player in history to score a double century in his 100th Test match. NITI Aayog and Flipkart, have come together to launch the revamped Women Entrepreneurship Platform. The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is a unified access portal which brings together women from different parts of India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations. Punjab National Bank has partnered with IIT Kanpur and the Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology (FIRST) to set up a ‘Fintech Innovation Centre (FIC)’ at the institute's campus. Insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has set up a panel of experts called ‘Health Insurance Advisory Committee’ to examine the availability of health insurance products in the country, considering the need of the Indian society and recommend suitable products and processes. The expert committee will be headed by IRDAI Chairperson, Subhash Chandra Khuntia and will have a Member (Non-Life) as the vice chairperson. India has been chosen as the co-chair of the IUCN-supported Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) for a period of three years till November 2023. Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla has registered a fully-owned subsidiary in Bengaluru, Karnataka. India ranked 10th out of 11 Asia Pacific countries in a newy-launched health index to measure the progress towards personalised healthcare. Singapore(1st), Taiwan (2nd), Japan (3rd) and Australia (4th) also performed well in overall readiness. Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T4.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2 Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad — 500 003. Tel : 040-40088400 Fax : 040-27847334 email : info@time4education.com website : www.time4education.com 17