Daily news 5 January 2021

International News

1. U.S. Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’

• The U.S. Congress has passed the ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ to increase the number of scholarships for Pakistani women in higher education under merit and needs-based programme.
• The bill was passed by the United States Senate by a voice vote on January 1. The bill now heads to the White House for U.S. President Donald Trump to sign into law.
• The bill requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to award at least 50% of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.
• The bill also requires USAID to consult with and leverage investments by the Pakistani private sector and Pakistani diaspora in the United States to improve and expand access to education programmes in Pakistan.

State News

2. ADB approves $100 million loan to upgrade power distribution system in Bengaluru

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a USD 100 million (around Rs 730 crore) loan to modernise and upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city.
• Besides the USD 100 million sovereign loans, ADB will provide a USD 90 million loan without sovereign guarantee for the project to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM), one of the five state-owned distribution utilities in Karnataka.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Karnataka: B.S. Yediyurappa; Governor: Vajubhai Vala.
• President of ADB: Masatsugu Asakawa; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.
• ADB Established: 9 December 1966.

Banking News

3. IDBI Bank launches video KYC facility for opening savings bank accounts

• IDBI Bank announced the launch of video KYC account opening (VAO) facility for savings bank accounts. Through the facility, a customer can open a savings account with the lender from the convenience of his/her home or office as there are no physical forms to be filled or visits to be made to the branch.
• Video KYC is a quick and easy way to open a savings account from the comforts of your home. It ensures that the online journey for opening savings account remains safe, simple, and fast eliminating the need to visit the branch for KYC.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• IDBI Bank CEO: Rakesh Sharma.
• IDBI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Business News

4. Bajaj Auto becomes world’s most valuable two-wheeler company

• Indian multinational two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturing company, Bajaj Auto has become the most valuable two-wheeler company in the world, after it crossed a market capitalization of more than Rs. 1 lakh crore, on January 01, 2021.
• Bajaj’s share price on NSE closed at Rs. 3,479 per share on the first day of 2021, leading to a market capitalization of more than Rs 1,00,670.76 crore.
• Thus, Bajaj Auto is not only the most valued company in the two-wheeler segment but also the first-ever two-wheeler company in the world to have reached this market cap milestone.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarter of Bajaj Auto: Pune, Maharashtra.
• Managing Director of Bajaj Auto: Rajiv Bajaj.

Appointments News

5. Pankaj Mithal sworn in as CJ of J&K, Ladakh Court

• Justice Pankaj Mithal has been appointed as the new Chief Justice (CJ) of the Common High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh in Jammu on January 04, 2021.
• Chief justice Mithal has been appointed in view of the retirement of chief justice Gita Mittal recently. Chief Justice Mithal was administered the oath of office by Lieutenant Governor of J&k, Manoj Sinha.

6. GJC elects Ashish Pethe as New Chairman

• The All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC), the national apex body of the gems and jewellery industry, has announced the appointment of Ashish Pethe as chairman and Saiyam Mehra as vice chairman for a period of two years.
• Pethe has been closely associated with GJC and was the Zonal Chairman West, which he will continue even after this new position.
• The entire e-Voting election process was conducted by an authorised independent person (Chief Election Authority), and the voting platform was created by a digital agency, both appointed by GJC.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council Founded: 2005.

7. Sanjay Kapoor elected All India Chess Federation president

• Sanjay Kapoor was elected president of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) while Bharat Singh Chauhan retained the secretary's post.
• Kapoor, representing Uttar Pradesh Chess Association, defeated incumbent PR Venketrama Raja in a close contest.
• Kapoor received 33 votes as against 31 of Raja. Chauhan beat Ravindra Dongre 35-29. Apart from the president, secretary and treasurer, six vice-presidents and six joint secretaries were also elected.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• All India Chess Federation Headquarters:  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium; Chennai.
• All India Chess Federation Founded: 1951.

Agreements News

8. Indian Army inks pact with Goa Shipyard to get 12 fast patrol boats

• Indian Army has inked a contract with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to procure 12 Fast Patrol Boats for surveillance and patrolling of large water bodies, including those in high altitude areas like Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh.
• Pangong Tso's 134-km length is divided into eight 'fingers', military parlance for mountain spurs jutting into the water body that is contested by both sides. The lake is frozen with the onset of winters, and the Army plans to deploy around two dozen such boats by next summer.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Summits and Conferences

9. PM Modi inaugurates National Metrology Conclave 2021

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the National Metrology Conclave, via video conferencing on January 04, 2021.
• National Metrology Conclave 2021 was organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, to mark its 75th year of inception. This year theme: ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.
• As a part of this conclave, PM Modi also dedicated ‘National Atomic Timescale’, and ‘Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya’ to the nation, and laid the foundation stone of the ‘National Environmental Standards Laboratory’.

Obituaries News

10. Former Maharashtra Minister Vilas Patil Undalkar passes away

• Former Maharashtra cabinet minister and seven-time Congress MLA Vilas Patil Undalkar has passed away.
• The veteran Congressman, Undalkar, who was popularly known as ‘kaka’, was elected seven times from Karad-South Assembly constituency for a record 35 consecutive years, from 1980 to 2014.
• Undalkar held the Cooperation and Law and Justice portfolios in the State Cabinets during the previous Congress-led state governments.

Miscellaneous News

11. Argentine filmmaker Pablo Cesar to head 51st IFFI''s International Jury

• The International Jury for 51st edition of International Film Festival of India has been announced with eminent filmmakers from across the world.
• According to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the Jury will comprise Pablo Cesar of Argentina as Chairman, Prasanna Vithanage of Sri Lanka, Abu Bakr Shawky of Austria, Priyadarshan of India and Rubaiyat Hossain of Bangladesh.
• Pablo Cesar is an Argentine filmmaker. He has contributed to the African cinema by making the critically acclaimed films, Equinox, the Garden of the Roses, Los dioses de agua and Aphrodite, the Garden of the Perfumes.

Daily news 3 and 4 January 2021

National News

1. India becomes co-chair of Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP)

• 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. India will replace South Korea, which held the post for 3 years until November 2020.
• As a co-chair, India would be responsible to assist other Asian countries in managing their protected areas.
• The APAP is chaired by IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature) Asia and co-chaired by an APAP nation member on a rotational basis.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• International Union for Conservation of Nature Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature CEO: Grethel Aguilar.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature Founder: Julian Huxley.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature Founded: 5 October 1948.

Banking News

2. RBI introduces the RBI-Digital Payments Index

• Reserve Bank of India has launched a Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitization of digital/electronic payments across the country.
• This RBI-Digital Payments Index (DPI) has 5 broad parameters that will be used for the measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments.
• The RBI-DPI comprises of 5 broad parameters that enable measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments in the country over different time periods.
• These parameters are – (i) Payment Enablers (weight 25%), (ii) Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors (10%), (iii) Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%), (iv) Payment Performance (45%) and (v) Consumer Centricity (5%).
• The base period for RBI-DPI is March 2018. This means that the DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100. RBI has calculated the DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 at 153.47 and 207.84 respectively, indicating appreciable growth. RBI-DPI shall be published on a semi-annual basis from March 2021 onwards with a lag of 4 months.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

Defence News

3. GRSE delivers 8th landing craft utility ship to Indian Navy

• Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has delivered the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) MK IV class vessel ‘IN LCU L-58’ (Yard 2099) to the Indian Navy.
• The amphibious ships, to be based in the strategic location of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is close to various routes leading to the South China Sea.
• LCU L-58 is the final ship in the series of 8 LCUs being manufactured by GRSE for the Indian Navy.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• GRSE Chairman & Managing Director: Rear Admiral V K Saxena.
• GRSE Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal.

4. BEL and Indian Navy inks pact for initial supply of Laser Dazzlers

• The Indian Navy has signed a contract with the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), to procure Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Dazzlers (Laser Dazzlers).
• Initially, agreement has been signed for 20 Laser Dazlers. The Laser dazzler technology has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and would be manufactured by BEL, Pune plant.
• It is the first time that this unique product is indigenously designed and developed for the Armed Forces.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Bharat Electronics Limited Chairman & Managing Director: M V Gowtama.
• Bharat Electronics Limited Headquarters: Bengaluru.
• Bharat Electronics Limited Founded: 1954.
• Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.
• Indian Navy Founded: 26 January 1950.

Ranks and Reports News 

5. Mukesh Ambani ranked 12th in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2021

• India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) dropped down to 12th spot in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2021 (as on 2nd January 2021).
• The net worth of Ambani dropped from 90 billion USD (around Rs. 6.62 lakh crore) (in early 2020) to 76.7 billion USD (around Rs. 5.6 lakh crore).
• The drop in the net worth of Mukesh Ambani was due to the correction in the shares of RIL which has fallen to Rs.1995.50 on 30th December 2020, which is 16% from its all-time high of Rs 2369.35.
• Zhong Shanshan, referred to as “Lone Wolf”, has replaced Ambani as Asia’s richest person, he is one of the fastest in the history to achieve the feat.

Top 3 in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index:

Rank	Personality	Net worth
1	Jeff Bezos	190 Billion USD
2	Elon R Musk	170 Billion USD
3	Bill Gates	132 Billion USD

Science and Technology

6. DCGI gives final approval for Covid-19 vaccines of SII, Bharat Biotech

• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has formally announced the final approval for Oxford-AstraZeneca "Covishield" and Bharat Biotech "Covaxin" vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for emergency use.
• CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) accepts the subject expert committee reform rations on Serum and Bharat Biotech Covid vaccines.
• The subject expert committee (SEC) under CDSCO had recommended Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) as Covishield, for emergency use and Covaxin for restricted use.
• Covaxin is the indigenous vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Serum Institute of India CEO: Adar Poonawalla.
• Serum Institute of IndiaFounder: Cyrus S. Poonawalla.
• Serum Institute of IndiaFounded: 1966.
• Serum Institute of India Headquarters location: Pune.

Sports News

7. Leon Mendonca becomes India’s 67th Grandmaster

• Goa’s 14-year-old Leon Mendonca has become India’s 67th chess Grandmaster by winning the third and final norm at a tournament in Italy.
• Mendonca, who achieved the feat at 14 years, 9 months and 17 days, is the second GM from the coastal State. Chennai player G. Akash, had in July, become the country’s 66th Grandmaster. He became the 29th Youngest GM in the world. The 1st GM from Goa is Ivana Maria Furtado, she achieved it in 2011.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• International Chess Federation President: Arkady Dvorkovich.
• International Chess Federation Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.
• International Chess Federation Founded: 20 July 1924.

Important Days

8. World Braille Day: 4 January

• World Braille Day is observed globally on 4th January since 2019. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
• The day is marked remembering the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille – for people with visual disabilities. Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in northern France.

Obituaries News

9. Former Union Minister Buta Singh passes away

• Former Union Minister and senior Rajasthan Congress leader Buta Singh passed away.
• The veteran politician Buta Singh served as Home Minister of India in the Rajiv Gandhi government from 1986 to 1989.
• Buta Singh had also served as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was a four-time MP from Jalore-Sirohi Lok Sabha constituency.
• He served as the Chairperson of the National Commission For Scheduled Cast from 2007 to 2010.

10.  Ace mountaineer Colonel Narendra ‘Bull’ Kumar passes away

• Ace mountaineer Colonel Narendra 'Bull' Kumar, who helped India secure the Siachen Glacier, passed away.
• He was responsible for the success of Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the first Indian to climb Mount Nanda Devi.
• He climbed Mount Everest in 1965, Mount Blanc( highest peak in the Alps), and later Mount Kangchenchanga. He earned the nickname 'Bull' for relentlessly charging into everything he did.
• Col Kumar, who was awarded the Kirti Chakra, Padma Shri, Arjun Award and the McGregor medal, carried out multiple expeditions in the Siachen glacier area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Miscellaneous News

11. Delhi government sets up Tamil Academy

• Delhi government Department of Art, Culture, and Language has set-up a Tamil academy to promote the language and culture of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
• Delhi has a large population of people from Tamil Nadu and we want to present a platform to the people of Delhi to get a taste of the art and culture of Tamil Nadu.
• The Delhi government has appointed a former councillor and member of Delhi Tamil Sangam N Raja as the Vice-Chairman of the academy.
• The Department of Art, Culture, and Language of the Delhi govt has decided that the new academy will introduce various awards to promote and reward the good works of people in Tamil language and culture.
• The government will also provide language courses through this academy. The Delhi government will also celebrate and organise cultural festivals for the people of Tamil Nadu.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal; Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.
• Delhi Minister of Art, Culture, and Language: Manish Sisodia.

12. Oscar nominee 'Another Round' to be opening movie at 51st IFFI

• The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will open on 16th January, with the Indian premiere of the movie ‘Another Round’ by Thomas Vinterberg.
• The movie starring Cannes Best Actor Award winner Mads Mikkelsen is among a star-studded line up of movies being showcased at IFFI.
• The movie is also Denmark’s official entry to the Oscars. The festival will also witness the World Premiere of ‘Mehrunisa’. The film by Sandeep Kumar will premier mid-fest.
• The festival will close on 24th January with the India Premiere of the historical drama ‘Wife of a Spy’ by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

13. Amit Shah released the inaugural issue of “National Police K-9 Journal”

• Home Minister Amit Shah has released the inaugural issue of the National Police K-9 Journal in New Delhi. It is the first such publication in the country on the subject of Police Service K9s, Police Dogs.
• This is a unique initiative that will further enrich the subjects related to Police Service Dog, K-9, PSK teams in the country.
• A special Police K9 Cell was established in November 2019, under the Police Modernization Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs with the mandate of Mainstreaming and Augmentation of Police Service K9s in the country.
• The publication of the Police K9 Journal is another step in creating an ecosystem in the country to train and learn on augmenting this vital resource.
• The journal comprises different sections in Hindi and English. It is a biannual journal which will be released in April and October every year.

Daily news 1 and 2 January 2021

National News

1. PM Modi lays foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs)

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) at six sites across six States through video conference on 1st January 2021.
• The LHPs will be implemented at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
• The project is being constructed under the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India. It has been conceptualised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Under the programme, over 1,000 houses would be built in each of the six cities in 12 months along with allied infrastructure facilities.

2. GoI extends Deadline to file Income Tax Returns to January 10, 2021

• The Central government has further extended the deadline to file an income tax return (ITR) for FY 2019-20 by 10 days, up to January 10, 2021. Earlier this deadline was December 31, 2020.
• This extension of the deadline is for those individuals whose accounts are not required to be audited and who usually file their income tax return using ITR-1 or ITR-4 forms, as applicable. This is the third extension of the deadline to file a tax return.
• The first extension was given from the normal deadline of July 31 to November 30, 2020, and then to December 31, 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs: Anurag Singh Thakur.

State News

3. ADB to provide $231 mn loan to enhance power generation capacity in Assam

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $231 million loan with the Government of India to augment electricity generation capacity in the state of Assam.
• This is the third tranche loan for the ‘Assam Power Sector Investment Programme’ that was approved by the ADB Board in July 2014.
• Under the project, 120 megawatts (MW) hydroelectric power plant would be constructed. The programme focuses on enhancing the capacity and efficiency of the energy generation and distribution systems in Assam to improve the availability of electricity service to end-users.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi.

4. ADB and India sign $10 million loan to support horticulture in HP

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $10 million project readiness financing (PRF).
• This agreement aims to help finance piloting activities, and design and capacity building for an ensuing project that aims to expand horticulture production and farm household income in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh.
• The PRF project will support advance actions to achieve a high level of project readiness through detailed design activities, capacity building of state-level agencies, and creating an enabling environment for subtropical horticulture development in the state.
• The PRF project aims to ensure implementation readiness with prior testing of new production technologies and marketing systems so that the ensuing project is cost-effective and gets completed in a timely manner to enhance farm profitability.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of HP: Jairam Thakur; Governor of HP: Bandaru Dattatraya.

Appointments News

5. Umesh Sinha named deputy election commissioner

• Umesh Sinha has been named as the deputy election commissioner in the Election Commission of India.
• Sinha, a 1986-batch IAS officer (retired) is at present serving as secretary-general in the commission.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the extension in the term of reemployment of Sinha as deputy election commissioner on contract basis for a period of six months beyond December 31, 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora.
• Chief Election Commissioner Formed: 25 January 1950.
• Chief Election Commissioner Headquarters: New Delhi.

6. ISRO Chairman K Sivan gets one year extension up to 2022

• The Central Government has approved the extension of the term of ISRO Chairman K Sivan, for a period of one year. He was due to retire on January 14, 2021.
• Sivan will now continue as ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space up to January 14, 2022. He joined ISRO in 1982, has been the chairman of the space agency since January 2018.
• ISRO chief has imminent knowledge in Aerospace engineering, Space Transportation Systems Engineering, Launch vehicles, mission simulation software design and many other operations related to Space programs.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan.
• ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• ISRO established: 15 August 1969.

7. Soma Mondal takes charge as new SAIL Chairman

• Soma Mondal has taken over as the new Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) with effect from January 01, 2021.
• She is the first-ever women-head of the body. She replaces Anil Kumar Chaudhary, who superannuated on 31 December 2020. She joined SAIL in 2017 as the director (commercial).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• SAIL Headquarters: New Delhi.
• SAIL founded: 19 January 1954.

8. Suneet Sharma takes over as new Chairman & CEO of Railway Board

• The appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved Suneet Sharma appointment as Chairman & CEO of Railway Board, Ministry of Railways and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India.
• He took over in his new role with effect from January 01, 2021. The extended one-year tenure of Sharma’s predecessor, Vinod Kumar Yadav, who also became the restructured Board’s first CEO, ended on December 31, 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Railway Board Founded: March 1905.
• Headquarters of Railway Board: New Delhi.

Agreements News 

9. UNDP and PCMC join hands for ‘first social impact bond’

• Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Pune has recently signed an MoU with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India to co-create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB).
• This is the first time that a government body will act as the ‘outcome funder’ in a bond, whereas traditionally most government-funded public projects require large and early investments by the government with a substantial gestation period of outcomes and involve various kinds of risks.
• A Social Impact Bond also called pay-for-success bond or pay-for-success financing or simply social bond is basically a contract with public sector authority, where it pays for better social outcomes.
• This bond is a form of outcome-based contracting and aims at improving social outcomes for a specific group of citizens.
• The PCMC administration will bear the costs of a public welfare project associated with the bond if the pre-defined project targets are fulfilled.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UNDP Headquarters: New York, New York, United States.
• UNDP Head: Achim Steiner.
• UNDP Founded: 22 November 1965.

Books and Authors News

10. A book titled "Vahana Masterclass" launched by Italian Writer Alfredo Covelli

• Alfredo Covelli, an Italy based author has launched his new book Vahana Masterclass for children and Young Audience.
• The books will be illustrated and published by Scholastic India. Alfredo had a keen interest in our Indian culture and mythology which inspired him to write a story on Lord Ganesh for children.
• The book narrates the story of the Ganesha looking for a new vahana to accompany him to all the great adventures around the cosmos.

Important Days

11. DRDO Celebrates 63rd Foundation Day on 1st January 2021

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) observed the 63rd Foundation Day of its establishment on January 01, 2021.
• DRDO was established in 1958 with just 10 laboratories to enhance the research work in the Defence sector. At that time, it was tasked with designing and developing cutting edge defence technologies for Indian Armed Forces.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Secretary Department of Defence Research and Development  & Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
• DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.
• DRDO Established: 1958.

Obituaries News

12. Legendary Music Director Shantanu Mohapatra passes away

• Legendary Odia musician, Shantanu Mohapatra passed away. He was the first Odia music composer to work with legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey and Md Rafi and also the first to work in Hindi, Bengali, Assamese and Telugu film industries.
• Mohapatra has composed music for hundreds of Odia film songs and Jatra (opera) shows in a career that spanned over three decades.
• Mohapatra, who retired as the Director of Odisha Mining Corporation, received several awards including the Odisha Film Critic Award for his contribution to Odia music.

Miscellaneous News

13. IFSCA becomes Associate Member of IOSCO

• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has become an Associate Member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The Headquarter of IOSCO is at Madrid, Spain.
• The IOSCO is the international organization of the world’s securities regulators, covering more than 95% of the world’s securities markets, and is also the global standard-setter for the securities sector.
• With this new membership, IFSCA will get the platform to exchange information at the global level and regional level on areas of common interests and help to learn from the experiences and best practices of the regulators of other well established financial centres.