Daily GK updates 7 may 2021

07 May 2021
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07th May 2021 Daily GK Update: Read Daily GK, Current Affairs for Bank Exam

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 07th May 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

National News

1. BRO celebrates 61st raising day on 7th May

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was formed on 7 May 1960, with the primary goal of securing India’s borders and developing infrastructure in remote areas of India’s north and northeastern states.
• On 7 May 2021 BRO celebrated its 61st Raising Day (foundation day).
• It is a leading road construction agency under the Ministry of Defence.
• Its primary role is to provide road connectivity in India’s border areas. It also creates upgrades and maintains infrastructure along borders to meet India’s overall tactical and strategic goals.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Director-General of BRO: Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhary;
• BRO Headquarters: New Delhi;
• BRO Founded: 7 May 1960.

2. Serum Institute to invest £240 million to expand its vaccine business in UK

• Serum Institute of India (SII) is expanding its vaccine business in the United Kingdom with an investment of £240 million.
• The serum has already started phase one trials in the UK of a one-dose nasal vaccine for coronavirus, in partnership with Codagenix INC.
• This was a part of the £533 million of new Indian investment in the UK in growing sectors such as health and technology.
• Serum’s investment will support clinical trials, research & development and possibly manufacturing of vaccines. This will help the UK and the world to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and other deadly diseases.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• The SII was founded by Cyrus Poonawalla (Adar Poonawalla’s father) in 1966.
• Adar Poonawalla joined the Serum Institute of India in 2001 and became the CEO of the company in 2011.

State News

3. DMK chief Stalin appointed as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

• Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit has appointed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The 68-year-old is the son of the former five-term Tamil Nadu chief minister, the late M Karunanidhi.
• The DMK-led alliance won 159 seats, well ahead of the majority mark of 118 seats. The party alone won 133 seats in the election.
• In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Stalin led the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), of which the DMK is a constituent, to victory in 38 out of 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu.

Agreements News

4. Rolls-Royce and HAL Sign MoU for Supporting MT30 Marine Engine Business

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Rolls-Royce have signed an MoU to establish packaging, installation, marketing, and services support for Rolls-Royce MT30 marine engines in India.
• Through this MoU, Rolls-Royce and HAL will expand their long-standing partnership in India and work together in the area of marine applications for the first time.
• This partnership will leverage the rich experience of HAL’s IMGT (Industrial and Marine Gas Turbine) Division that works on marine gas turbines with Indian shipyards.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited: CMD: R Madhavan;
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HQ: Bengaluru;
• Rolls-Royce CEO: Torsten Muller-Otvos;
• Rolls-Royce Founder: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG;
• Rolls-Royce Founded: 1904;
• Rolls-Royce Headquarters: Westhampnett, United Kingdom.

5. Oil and Gas PSUs inks MoU for Shri Badrinath Dham

• The top Oil and Gas PSUs of India, including IndianOil, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC and GAIL, have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with the Shri Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust, for Construction and Redevelopment of Shri Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand as a Spiritual Smart hill Town.
• These PSUs will contribute Rs. 99.60 crore in the first phase of the project.
• The initiative is part of the Government’s effort to boost tourism by attracting more tourists, which in turn would strengthen the economy of the state. The rejuvenation work of Shri Badrinath Dham is expected to be completed within a span of three-year time.

Economy News

6. RM Sundaram appointed as Director of Indian Institute of Rice Research

• Fitch Solution has estimated the GDP of the Indian economy to grow 9.5 per cent in 2021-22 (April 2021 to March 2022).
• The cut in the real GDP is due to the economic damage caused as a result of state-level lockdowns imposed because of the sudden and steep surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

Summits and Conferences News

7. India, France, Australia hold first trilateral dialogue

• 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 meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar from India, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Marise Payne.
• The France, India, Australia trilateral meet was launched in September 2020 at Foreign Secretaries’ levels but has been elevated to ministerial level within one year of its inception. It has three joint priorities which are maritime security, environment, and multilateralism.

Awards News

8. Gita Mittal to be awarded Arline Pacht Global Vision Award

• 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.
• The Award will be presented at IAWJ's Biennial Conference during the virtual opening ceremony on May 7, 2021. She shares the honour with Margarita Luna Ramos from Mexico.
• International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) instituted this award in 2016. Justice Mittal would be the first Indian judge to receive the award. Award is presented to a sitting/retired woman judge to recognize her contribution to IAWJ.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of International Association of Women Judges: Vanessa Ruiz;
• International Association of Women Judges Founded: 1991;
• International Association of Women Judges  HQ: Washington DC, USA.

Banking News

9. Kotak Mahindra Bank to Extend Online Payments to Farmers & Traders

• Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL) announced it has been selected as a digital payments partner by the National Agriculture Market (eNAM), a pan-India electronic trading portal for farm produce.
• KMBL will enable and facilitate online transactions for all stakeholders on the eNAM platform, including farmers, traders and farmer producer organisations (FPOs).
• Under this initiative, Kotak will provide payment, clearing and settlement services on the eNAM platform to facilitate trade between a buyer and seller of Agri produce.
• Kotak has integrated its payment system and portal directly with the payment interface of eNAM, to enable quick and safe transactions for Agri participants who have joined the platform.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO: Uday Kotak.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Establishment: 2003.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Tagline: let's make money simple.

Important Days

10. World Athletics Day 2021: 05 May

• The World Athletics Day-2021 is observed on the 5 May. The date is subject to adjustment, the date of World Athletics Day is decided by the IAAF, however, the month stays the same as May.
• The first World Athletics Day was observed in 1996. The basic objective of World Athletics Day is to boost the participation of youths in athletics.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• World Athletics President: Sebastian Coe;
• World Athletics Headquarters: Monaco;
• World Athletics Founded: 17 July 1912.

Books and Authors News

11. Meghan Markle set to release Children’s Book ‘The Bench’

• Meghan Markle will be releasing her new book, titled The Bench, on June 8, which was inspired by a poem she wrote to her husband, Prince Harry, on his first Father’s Day as a dad to son Archie.
• The book, with watercolour illustrations by Christian Robinson, began as a poem that Markle says she wrote for Harry on the first Father’s Day after Archie was born.

Obituaries News

12. Former Union Minister and RLD Founder Ajit Singh Passes Away

• Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) founder and leader Ajit Singh has passed away battling COVID-19. He was the son of former Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh.
• Ajit Singh had served as Minister of Commerce & Industry under Prime Minister V. P. Singh; Minister of Food Processing Industries in P. V. Narasimha Rao’s cabinet; Minister of Agriculture in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government and Minister of Civil Aviation in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet.

13. Actress Abhilasha Patil passes away due to Covid-19

• Actress Abhilasha Patil, who featured in films like ‘Good Newwz’, ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ and ‘Chhichhore’, passed away due to Covid-19 complications. She was in her early 40s.
• Apart from Bollywood movies, Patil also appeared in Marathi films such as ‘Te Aath Diwas’, Bayko Deta Ka Bayko’, ‘Prawaas’, ‘Pipsi’ and ‘Tujha Majha Arrange Marriage’.

Daily GK updates 8 may 2021

08 May 2021
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08th May 2021 Daily GK Update: Read Daily GK, Current Affairs for Bank Exam

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 08th May 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

State News

1. Himachal Pradesh is Building 'Forest Ponds' to Harvest Rainwater

• Under the Parvat Dhara scheme, the Himachal Pradesh government has initiated rejuvenation of water sources and recharging aquifers through the forest department with an outlay of Rs 20 crore.
• The work was started in 10 forest divisions that include Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Jogindernagar, Nachan, Parvati, Nurpur, Rajgarh, Nalagarh, Theog and Dalhousie.
• Under the scheme, the cleaning and maintenance of existing ponds have been done. Also, the construction of new ponds, contour trenches, dams, check dams and retaining wall to control the soil erosion has been done.
• The scheme aims to enhance the water level by retaining water for the maximum period. Efforts are also being made to improve the green cover by planting fruit-bearing plants.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Himachal Pradesh Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya;
• Himachal Pradesh CM: Jai Ram Thakur.

2. N Rangasamy Sworn in as Chief Minister of Puducherry

• The All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder leader N Rangasamy has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry, for a record fourth time, on May 07, 2021.
• N Rangasamy was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lieutenant governor (additional charge) Tamilisai Soundararajan. Prior to this, the 71-year-old served as Chief Minister of Puducherry from 2001 to 2008 as a member of the Indian National Congress and then from 2011 to 2016 as a member of AINRC.
• It will be the first time that Rangasamy will be heading a coalition cabinet, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the UT, which has members from BJP and AINRC.

Banking News

3. RBI sets up an advisory group to assist RRA 2.0

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an advisory group to assist the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), which was set by the central bank on May 01, 2021 to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated entities.
• The Advisory Group will be headed by SBI Managing Director S Janakiraman.
• The second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), has been set up for a period of one year from May 01, 2021, to review the regulations, circulars, reporting systems and compliance procedures for streamlining them and making them more effective.
• The group will assist the RRA 2.0 by identifying regulations, guidelines, and returns that can be rationalised, and submit reports periodically to RRA containing the recommendations/suggestions.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

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

Business News

4. RBI excludes Lakshmi Vilas Bank from second schedule of RBI Act

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has excluded Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act after it was merged with DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL) last year.
• A bank mentioned in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act is known as 'Scheduled Commercial Bank'. 
• Last year in November, the government had approved the merger of crisis-ridden Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank India. The RBI had also superseded the board of the LVB and appointed T N Manoharan, former non-executive chairman of Canara Bank, as the administrator of the bank for 30 days.
• LVB is the second private sector bank after Yes Bank which has run into rough weather during this year.
• In March, capital-starved Yes Bank was placed under a moratorium. The government rescued Yes Bank by asking the state-run State Bank of India to infuse Rs 7,250 crore and take a 45 per cent stake in the bank.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Lakshmi Vilas Bank Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Lakshmi Vilas Bank Founded: 1926.

Summits and Conferences News

5. Prahlad Singh Patel Virtually Participates In G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting

• Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c), Prahlad Singh Patel participated in G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting held in Italy on 4th May 2021.
• This dialogue aimed to collaborate in protecting tourism businesses, jobs and taking initiatives to frame policy guidelines to support the sustainable and resilient recovery of travel and tourism.
• He also conveyed India’s support for the Principles for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy submitted by UNWTO as a further contribution to the policy area “Green Transformation” to embrace sustainability in tourism.

Important Days

6. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: 8 May

• The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed every year on 8 May. The day aims to celebrate the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, to reduce the suffering of people and enabling them to lead a dignified life with independence, humanity, impartiality, universality, unity and neutrality.
• Theme 2021 World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: ‘Unstoppable’.
• The day also marks the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant (8 May 1828), who was the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He was the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of the ICRC: Peter Maurer.
• Headquarters of ICRC: Geneva, Switzerland.

7. World Thalassemia Day: 08 May

• World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8 every year to commemorate Thalassemia victims and to encourage those who struggle to live with the disease.
• The theme for 2021 World Thalassemia Day is “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassaemia Community”.
• Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that is characterised by less haemoglobin and lesser than normal blood cells. A person suffering from thalassemia has at least one of the parents as a carrier of the disease.

8. World Migratory Bird Day: 08 May

• World Migratory Bird Day 2021 is observed globally on 8 May. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.
• “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!” is the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day.
• The 2021 World Migratory Bird Day theme is an invitation to people everywhere to connect and re-connect with nature by actively listening to - and watching birds - wherever they are.
• At the same time, the theme appeals to people around the world to use their own voices and creativity to express their shared appreciation of birds and nature.

9. Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the 2nd World War

• Every year during May 8-9, the United Nations marks the Time of Remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War.
• The day pays tribute to all the victims of the Second World War. This year is the 76th Anniversary of World War II.
• The day was declared in 2004 as was commemorated by the United Nations since then. However, the UN urged the NGOs, its member countries and other organizations to join the commemoration of the day through a resolution that was passed in 2010.
• The date, however, is not the official end of the second world war. This is because, Japan did not surrender till August 15, 1945.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.
• The United Nations (UN) is an organization between countries established on 24 October 1945 to promote international cooperation.

Obituaries News

10. Senior Journalist Shesh Narayan Singh Passes Away of Covid-19

• Veteran senior journalist Shesh Narayan Singh has passed away while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. He was 70.
• A columnist, political commentator and an expert on foreign policy, Shesh Narain Singh had a career spanning over two decades.

11. Veteran Music Composer Vanraj Bhatia Passes Away

• The veteran Music Composer Vanraj Bhatia, who was the best-known composer of Western classical music in India, has passed away after a brief illness. His work ranged from composing music for advertisement films, feature films, mainstream films, television shows, documentaries etc.
• Bhatia won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the television film Tamas (1988), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative and Experimental Music (1989) and India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri (2012).

Daily news updates 8 may 2021

New Delhi:

India saw more than 4,000 deaths linked to Covid in a day for the first time and over 4 lakh daily cases for the fourth time in a week. The government yesterday said a third Covid wave may not happen if strong measures are taken.

Here is your ten-point cheat sheet on this big story:

1. A day after reporting the world's highest daily surge, India recorded 4.01 lakh cases today, taking the active caseload to 37,23,446. In the last 24 hours, 4,187 people died, taking total deaths to 2.38 lakh.
2. Many states in the last few days have announced lockdowns and curfews to break the chain of transmission. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Manipur are the latest to be added to the list. A two-week lockdown has been announced in Karnataka from Monday till May 24. Tamil Nadu has also announced a two-week curfew. In Manipur, curfew will be enforced till May 17.
3. India had been recording less than 20,000 cases in a day till early March after a dip in daily infections in January. In April, however, nearly 66 lakh cases were reported with the healthcare system buckling under the second wave.
4. The country may be able to dodge a third wave if strong measures are taken, the government said on Friday. This was just days after the centre said the third wave is inevitable.
5. Hours after the Supreme Court told the centre that it has to provide 700 tonnes of medical oxygen to Delhi every day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the capital's crippling shortage of oxygen has been resolved. A deluge of distress messages from hospitals and patients' families and friends had made headlines over the last two weeks.
6. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said children may be hit hard if a third wave happens. The state, which has recorded country's highest overall caseload, has started preparing Covid centres for children. India doesn't have a vaccine for children.
7. The centre on Friday lost its case in the Supreme Court against a High Court order asking it to increase its supply of medical oxygen to Karnataka for Covid patients. "We cannot leave the people of Karnataka in the lurch," the Supreme Court said. Marathon hearings are being held in courts over shortage of resources amid India's fight against second wave.
8. Many nations have come forward to support India. The world's largest cargo plane - carrying three 18-tonne oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators- left Northern Ireland on Friday as part of the UK's latest response to India's COVID-19 crisis, news agency PTI reported.
9. Vaccines must be given to states for free, Mamata Banerjee's Bengal government told the Supreme Court on Friday. The pricing issue has been a contentious one. "States cannot made to negotiate and bargain individually on vaccine prices. States will be compelled to allocate funds for vaccines, which will have a crippling effect on an already stretched health infrastructure," the state said.
10. India began the world's largest vaccination program in January but the pace is said to have slowed down after many states red-flagged vaccine shortage. Yesterday, nearly 23 lakh doses were administered; 16.7 crore doses have been administered so far.