Rajasthan sarkar dwara lockdown ke niyam mein kiye bohot bade badlab

 राजस्थान में लॉकडाउन की नई गाइडलाइन:26 अप्रैल से एक दूसरे जिले में आवागमन बंद, केवल बसें ही चलेंगी ; दुकानें सुबह 5 घंटे ही खुलेंगी; शादी समारोह 3 घंटे का होगा

जयपुर19 घंटे पहले

26 अप्रैल से एक दूसरे जिले में आवागमन बंद, केवल बसें ही चलेंगी ; दुकानें सुबह 5 घंटे ही खुलेंगी; शादी समारोह 3 घंटे का होगा|

राज्य सरकार ने कोरोना के बढ़ते मामलों को देखते हुए कर्फ्यू में सख्ती शुरू कर दी है। गृह विभाग ने नई गाइडलाइन जारी करके खाद्य सामग्री और जरूरी सामान की चीजों की सभी दुकानों के खुलने का समय घटा दिया है। अब अनुमति प्राप्त दुकानें सुबह केवल 5 घंटे ही खुलेंगी। 25 अप्रैल से नई गाइडलाइन लागू होगी। 26 से निजी वाहनों में एक जिले से, दूसरे जिले में यात्रा पर प्रतिबंध रहेगा। केवल बसें चलेंगी। शादी के लिए केवल एक ही कार्यक्रम होंगे। तीन घंटे का समारोह होगा और उसमें 50 से ज्यादा लोग शामिल नहीं हो सकेंगे।

आपातकालीन सेवाओं और चुनिंदा दफ्तरों को छोड़ सभी कार्यालय बंद रहेंगे। अगर किसी दफ्तर में कोई कर्मचारी पॉजिटिव मिला तो उस कार्यालय को 72 घंटे के लिए सील किया जाएगा। निजी वाहनों को सुबह 7 से दोपहर 12 बजे तक ही डीजल-पेट्रोल, गैस मिलेगी। दोपहर 12 बजे बाद निजी वाहनों को फ्यूल नहीं दिया जाएगा। सार्वजनिक परिवहन, माल ढुलाई वाहनों को पहले की तरह डीजल-पेट्रोल मिलता रहेगा।

शादी समारोह के लिए होम डिलीवरी की जा सकेगी

शादी समारोह केवल एक ही कार्यक्रम के रूप में आयोजित किया जा सकता है। जिसमें केवल 50 व्यक्तियों के साथ अधिकतम 3 घंटे तक के कार्यक्रम की अनुमति होगी। शादी समारोह से सम्बन्धित पहले दिए गए कपड़े, सिलाई, आभूषण इत्यादि के ऑर्डर की होम डिलीवरी की जा सकेगी।

शादी समारोह में एसडीएम सरकारी कर्मचारी से करवाएंगे निरीक्षण

शादी समारोह की सूचना पर एसडीएम किसी भी सरकारी कर्मचारी को समारोह स्थल पर भेजकर सामाजिक दूरी, मास्क, सेनेटाइजर और शादी में मौजूद व्यक्तियों की संख्या आदि की निगरानी करवाएंगे। उल्लंघन पाए जाने पर महामारी एक्ट के तहत कार्रवाई होगी।

बसों में 50 फीसदी यात्री ही बैठ सकेंगे

26 अप्रैल से मेडिकल इमरजेंसी और अति आवश्यक​ सेवाओं को छोड़ निजी वाहनों से एक जिले से दूसरे जिले में यात्रा करने की अनुमति नहीं होगी। पूरे प्रदेश में यह प्रतिबंध लागू होगा। एक जिले से दूसरे जिले में यात्रा के लिए केवल सार्वजनिक परि​वहन की बसों को ही अनुमति होगी। बसों में भी 50 फीसदी यात्री ही बैठ सकेंगे।

डेयरी और दूध के कियोस्क सुबह-शाम दोनों समय खुलेंगे

25 अप्रैल से सभी मंडियां, फल सब्जी की दुकानों, ठेलों को सुबह 6 से 11 बजे तक ही खोलने की अनुमति होगी। खाद्य पदार्थों से जुड़ी दुकानों को सोमवार से शुक्रवार सुबह 6 से 11 बजे और शनिवार-रविार को सुबह 6 से शाम 5 बजे खोलने की अनुमति होगी। डेयरी सहित दूध के कियोस्क को सुबह 6 से 11 और शाम 5 से 7 बजे खोलने की अनुमति होगी।

कृषि से जुड़े इनपुट की दुकानें खोलने की अनुमति

नई गाइडलाइन में कृषि इनपुट से जुड़ी दुकानों को खोलने की अनुमति दी गई है। बीज भंडार और कीटनाशक सहित कृषि से जुड़े सामान बेचने वाली दुकानों को सप्ताह में दो दिन सोमवार और गुरुवार को सुबह 6 से 11 बजे तक खोलने की अनुमति दी गई है।

वीकेंड पर आपातकालीन सेवाओं को छोड़ सब बंद

शुक्रवार शाम 6 बजे से सोमवार सुबह 5.00 बजे तक पूर्ण रूप से "वीकेन्ड कर्फ्यू " रहेगा। जिसमें आवश्यक सेवाएं जैसे अस्पताल आने जाने, बैंकिंग सेवाएं, टीकाकरण, औद्योगिक गतिविधियां, निर्माण संबंधी गतिविधियां, एयरपोर्ट, रेलवे स्टेशन, बस स्टैण्ड से आने जाने के अलावा अन्य आवागमन बंद रहेगा।

ये दफ्तर खुलेंगे, पॉजिटिव पाए जाने पर होंगे सील

आपातकालीन सेवाओं वाले विभागों के साथ वन्य जीव विभाग, आयुर्वेद विभाग, पशुपालन विभाग, सूचना एवं प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग के साथ सरकार से अनुमति प्राप्त दफ्तर 4 बजे तक खुलेंगे। बाकी दफ्तरों के कर्मचारी दफ्तर नहीं आएंगे। किसी कर्मचारी के पॉजिटिव आने पर 72 घंटे के लिए दफ्तर सील होगा।

शराब दुकानों के लिए अलग से गाइडलाइन जारी होगा

शराब की दुकानों के बारे में वित्त विभाग अलग से आदेश जारी करेगा। सरकार के रेवेन्यू से जुड़े खनन, पंजीयन मुद्रांक,आबकारी दुकानों के सम्बन्ध में वित्त विभाग अलग से दिशा-निर्देश जारी करेंगे।

मिठाई दुकान, बेकरी और रेस्टोरेंट खोलने की अनुमति नहीं

निर्माण सामग्री, हार्डवेयर की दुकानों को खोलने की अनुमति नहीं होगी। लेकिन ऑर्डर मिलने पर सप्लाई की अनुमति होगी। प्रोसेस्ड फूड, मिठाई कर दुकानें, बेकरी, रेस्टोरेन्ट्स को खोलने की अनुमति नहीं होगी, केवल होम डिलीवरी की सुविधा की ही अनुमति होगी।

पशु चिकित्सालयों और इससे जुड़ी सेवाओं को अनुमति

नई गाइडलाइन में पशु चिकित्सालय और उनसे सम्बन्धित कर्मचारी, पशु चिकित्सक, स्टाफ, पशु चिकित्सा स्वास्थ्य सेवाएं और बीपी लैब में वैक्सीन का उत्पादन से जुड़े काम की अनुमति होगी। अब तक इनकी अनुमति नहीं थी।

अब आधार केंद्र खुलेंगे

ई मित्र के साथ अब आधार केन्द्र को खोलने की अनुमति दी गई है, अब तक आधार केंद्र बंद थे। इसको लेकर कई बदलाव किए गए थे। लेकिन अब खोलने की सरकार की ओर से अनुमति मिल गई है। बैंक, बीमा और माइक्रो फाइनेन्स इंस्टीट्यूशन (MFI) की सेवाएं सुबह 10:00 बजे से दोपहर 2:00 बजे तक चालू रहेंगी।

दुकानें खुलने का समय इस तरह रहेगा

किराना, खाद्य पदार्थ की होलसेल और रिटेल दुकानें, पशुचारे की दुकानें, सोमवार से शुक्रवार सुबह 6 से 11 बजे तक ही खुलेंगी, शनिवार-रविवार बंद रहेंगी।

मंडियां, फल-सब्जी, फूलमालाओं की दुकानें, फल सब्जी के ठेले और मोबाइल वैन को सातों दिन सुबह 6 स 11 बजे तक की अनुमति होगी।

डेयरी और दूध की दुकानें सुबह 6 से 12 बजे और शाम 5 से 7 बजे तक खोल सकेंगे।

वीकेंड पर शनिवार-रविवार को डेयरी, मंडियों, फल सब्जियों की दुकानों और ठेलों को छोड़ सभी दुकानें बंद रहेंगी।

 

15-year-old's letter to PM for cancelling CBSE board exams 2021 says board exams have little value in life..

15-year-old's letter to PM for cancelling CBSE board exams 15-year-old Siya Tayal, a youth leader and philanthropist, wrote an open letter to the PM calling for the CBSE board exams to be cancelled. Written just a day before the official announcement, the letter says that board exams have little value in the larger scheme of life.

Roshni Chakrabarty

New Delhi

April 22, 2021UPDATED: April 22, 2021 19:09 IST

Cbse board exams 2021, letter to pm, cancelling cbse board exams, board exam, siya tayal, 

15-year-old Siya Tayal, a youth leader and philanthropist, wrote an open letter to the PM calling for the CBSE board exams to be cancelled.

The CBSE board exams 2021 were cancelled for Class 10 and postponed for Class 12 on April 14. The move came after over 30 lakh students waited on the official announcement regarding the CBSE board exams amidst a staggering rise in Covid-19 cases the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Amidst the students who called for a cancellation of the CBSE board exams was youth leader and philanthropist Siya Tayal who wrote an elaborate letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the various concerns from students, parents and teachers. She highlighted how staying alive was more important than board exam marks.

Her social media campaign tagging @PMOIndia with the open letter on April 13 was supported by students from all over India and even a few notable personalities.

Siya's letter to the PM was retweeted by Adv Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, President of India Wide Parents Association (IWPA) and a child rights activist.

Having lost her father in 2020 due to a heart attack, Siya reached out to the PM and supporters online with the problems she has gone through in this period.

She wrote that “in the larger scheme of life, board examination has little value. They are a means to an end and not an end itself.”

She also mentioned in her letter to the PM that the Covid-19 vaccines had not been tested for children under 16 and noted that “Multiple number of positive cases have come up even after the 1st and 2nd vaccine dose”.

“I request you sir to cancel board exams across the country in 2021 so that when we students go back to school, none of us are missing,” Siya wrote to the PM.

Letter to PM by Siya Tayal

Check out Siya Tayal’s full letter to the PM regarding the cancellation of the CBSE board exams here:

15-year-old Siya has also spoken at UN, Geneva and she is a youth Ambassador under 1m2030 (a UNITAR and Global Challenges Forum initiative). She has won 'The India Volunteer Award', 'Pramerica Bronze Award', and has been nominated for Kurt Han Prize 2020.

Among the initiatives she has taken are the Bee Nifty, ‘a 100% non-profit initiative’ that provides income and livelihood to women in rural Haryana by making recyclable bags. She is also the youth speaker for the Internet Governance Forum for an event of UNDP.

Mixed reactions on CBSE board exam cancellation

Despite the fact that the decision to cancel and postpone the CBSE 10th and CBSE 12th board exams 2021, experts gave mixed reactions on how the matter can be seen.

While most stakeholders welcomed the board exam cancellation, several said that the postponement of the CBSE Class 12 board exams could create problems in the careers of students as these senior students would be going for college admissions after the CBSE board exam results were announced.

A recent survey on opinions of teachers by Bangalore-based EdTech innovator Teachmint also brought in new concerns to light.

Speaking to us, Siya took the side of life over grades. “Nothing should be more important than saving lives. Without people, an economy cannot exist. Without a healthy youth, a country cannot have a bright future,” she said.

“At the moment, we are faced with two responsibilities: saving lives that are already at risk and controlling the number of lives we put at risk. Both are equally important,” she added.

The CBSE Class 12 board exams 2021 will begin after June 1, and many students across India are calling for it to be cancelled. The CBSE 12th board exams were initially scheduled to be held from May 4 to June 14.

Now, the situation will be reviewed after June 1 and a detailed CBSE Class 12 board exam schedule will be released after that. As per the official announcement, a notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations.

Read: 15-year-old asks PM Modi to order all religious trusts to donate 80% of 'God's wealth' to fight Covid-19

Upsc daily current affairs April 2021

 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX, 2021

The World Press Freedom Index, 2021, produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a French non-governmental organisation, has again ranked India at 142nd out of 180 countries.

About:

• This is despite the fact that for a year, on directions from Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, an index monitoring cell worked to improve the rankings, even holding a meeting between the Indian Ambassador to France and the RSF officials to lobby for a change in the ranking.
  
  
• In 2016, India’s rank was 133, which has steadily climbed down to 142 in 2020.
  
  
• The RSF report says India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. They are exposed to every kind of attack, even police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.
  
  
• The latest index released ranks 180 countries, topped, yet again, by Norway followed by Finland and Denmark, while Eritrea is at the bottom. China is ranked 177, and is only above North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Polity & Governance

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

AD-HOC JUDGES IN HIGH COURTS

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for appointment of retired judges as ad-hoc judges in High Courts under Article 224A of the Constitution to deal with mounting backlog of cases.

About:

• Terming pendency of around 57 lakh cases in High Courts as “docket explosion”, the Supreme Court activated a “dormant” constitutional provision to pave way for appointment of retired High Court judges as ad-hoc ones for a period of two to three years to clear backlog.
  
  
• Article 224A , used rarely, of the Constitution deals with appointment of ad-hoc judges in High Courts.
  
  
• It says “the Chief Justice of a High Court for any State may at any time, with the previous consent of the President, request any person who has held the office of a Judge of that Court or of any other High Court to sit and act as a Judge of the High Court for that State”.
  
  
• A bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices S.K. Kaul and Surya Kant issued a slew of guidelines pertaining to issues such as tenure, salary, perks, etc, and their role in adjudicating cases.
  
  

Source : Indian Express

 Polity & Governance

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

INDIA SHOULD BE A ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’: U.S. PANEL

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent bi-partisan commission, has recommended for the second year in a row that the State Department put India on a list (‘Countries of Particular Concern’ or CPCs) for the worst violations of religious freedoms in 2020.

About:

• One of the 10 USCIRF commissioners presented a dissenting view.
  
  
• The USCISRF recommended that the administration impose targeted sanctions on Indian individuals and entities for “severe violations of religious freedom”.
  
  
• A second recommendation was for the administration to promote inter-faith dialogue and the rights of all communities at bilateral and multilateral forums “such as the ministerial of the Quadrilateral [the Quad]”.
  
  
• Another recommendation — to the U.S. Congress — was to raise issues in the U.S.-India bilateral space, such as by hosting hearings, writing letters and constituting Congressional delegations.
  
  
• The USCIRF recommendations are non-binding and the Trump administration had rejected the USCIRF recommendation to designate India a CPC last year, when it released its own determinations in December.
  
  
• The key concerns of the 2021 report include the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Social Issues

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

According to a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science by palaeontologists from the Netherlands, the Tyrannosaurus had a preferred walking speed of just 5 kmph– about the same as the average walking speed of humans.

About:

• The Tyrannosaurus rex, the most storied of all dinosaurs, is considered the most fearsome eating machine to have evolved on Earth. It lived toward the end of the Cretaceous period, around 66 million to 68 million years ago.
  
  
• It is believed that an adult member of the species stood 12 feet tall and 40 feet long, and weighed between 5,000 to 7,000 kg.
  
  
• The dinosaur inhabited what is today’s western United States. It was not found in India; the fiercest of all Indian dinosaurs was probably the Rajasaurus narmadensis, followed by another specimen of the Abelisauridae family, the Indosuchus raptorius.
  
  
• Previous studies placed the T. rex’s walking speed between 7.2-10.8 kmph– the maximum speed that its bone structure researchers believed could have permitted. The new research reduces the previous estimates by more than half.
  
  

Important Info :

• Another study, which came out in Science last week, posits that over the course of two or three millennia, some 2.5 billion T. rex lived and died on Earth.

Source : Indian Express

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) PROGRAMME

Russia’s space agency said it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone.

About:

• Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said work had begun on the first module of a new station, after officials warned that Russia was considering pulling out of the ISS, one of the few successful examples of cooperation with the West.
  
  
• The announcement came with tensions soaring with the West.
  
  
• Launched in 1998 and involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency, the ISS is one of the most ambitious international collaborations in human history.
  
  
• Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said in recent days that Moscow was considering whether to leave the ISS programme from 2025 because of the station’s age. Roscosmos said that a decision on quitting the ISS had not yet been made.
  
  
• Russia lost its monopoly for manned flights to the ISS last year after the first successful mission of U.S. company Space X.
  
  
• Despite its much-lauded history — Russia this month marked the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in orbit — the country’s space programme has struggled in recent years as president Putin is more interested in military technology than space exploration.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

IDRISS DEBY ITNO

Chad’s President Idriss Deby Itno died from wounds sustained in battle after three decades in power, the Army said, opening a period of uncertainty in a country that is a key strategic ally of the West.

About:

• Idriss Déby Itno (1952 – 2021) was a Chadian politician and military officer who was the president of Chad from 1990 until his death by militant forces when commanding troops on the front in 2021.
  
  
• He was killed in April 2021 while commanding forces fighting on the front against rebels from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).
  
  
• The Transitional Military Council, led by interim president Mahamat Idriss Déby, son of the late president, has assumed control of government.
  
  

Important Info :

Chad

• Chad is a landlocked country in north-central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the south-west, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
• Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa.
• The capital N'Djamena is the largest city.

Source : The Hindu

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA

While speaking at the annual Boao Forum, China’s President Xi Jinping said that global rules cannot be imposed “by one or a few countries”.

About:

• Headquartered in China, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is an international organization jointly initiated by 29 member states.
  
  
• BFA holds its annual conference in Boao, Hainan on a regular basis.
  
  
• The founding purpose of BFA was to promote economic integration in Asia. Its mission now is to pool positive energy for the development of Asia and the world.
  
  
• The first conference of BFA was held on Feb. 26-27, 2001 in Boao, Hainan Province, China.
  
  
• The forum, sometimes known as the “Asian Davos” is modelled on the World Economic Forum held annually in Davos, Switzerland.
  
  
• Its fixed address is in Bo'ao, Hainan province, China, although the Secretariat is based in Beijing.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

RESPOND PROGRAMME

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it will support eight joint research projects mooted by the Space Technology Cell (STC), IIT-Delhi.

About:

• The ISRO will support the projects under its RESPOND programme with varying duration of 1-3 years, it added.
  
  
• The institute said that the Space Technology Cell was set up at IIT, Delhi under an MoU signed between the ISRO and IIT-D in November 2019 with an aim to strengthen the research collaboration between the two organisations and to carry out focused research projects in the space technology domain with specific deliverables.
  
  
• Since then, eight collaborative research projects have been announced.
  
  
• Some of the projects include developing a system for drought and flood forecasting and understanding land-atmosphere interactions.
  
  

Important Info :

Do you know?

• The main objectives of the RESPOND Programme by ISRO is to establish strong links with premiere academic institutions in the country to carry out research and developmental projects which are of relevance to Space and derive useful outputs of such R&D to support ISRO programmes.

Source : The Hindu

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

ELECTORAL BONDS

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is the first Political party in the country that has declared the name of the entity which made donations to it through electoral bonds, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a poll rights group, said.

About:

• A declaration of a ₹1 crore donation was made in the party’s 2019-20 contribution report, it added.
  
  
• According to the contribution report of the ruling party in Jharkhand, the donation was made by aluminium and copper manufacturing company Hindalco.
  
  
• The ADR, in a new report, said the most common source of income for national and regional political parties in 2019-20 were donations through electoral bonds.
  
  
• Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding.
  
  
• Given the anonymity provided to donors by the scheme, electoral bonds have emerged as the most popular channel of donations to parties in the last two years.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Polity & Governance

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 22, 2021

SUDARSHAN SEN COMMITTEE

The RBI set up a committee to undertake a comprehensive review of the working of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) in the financial sector ecosystem and recommend suitable measures for enabling them to meet the growing requirements.

About:

• The six-member committee will be headed by Sudarshan Sen, former executive director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  
  
• The panel will review the existing legal and regulatory framework applicable to ARCs and recommend measures to improve efficacy of ARCs.
  
  
• It will also review the role of ARCs in the resolution of stressed assets, including under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), and give suggestions for improving liquidity in and trading of security receipts.
  
  
• Besides, it has also been asked to review the business models of ARCs.
  
  
• The committee will submit its report within three months from the date of its first meeting.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Economy

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S.No.	Test Date	Test Syllabus
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3.	12th June 2021	Current Affairs (Feb 2021 - May 2021)
4.	19th June 2021	General Studies (Full Syllabus)

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

U.S. CURRENCY WATCHLIST

Union Commerce Secretary questioned the rationale behind the U.S. government’s decision to put India on the watchlist for currency manipulators, and said the list constituted an intrusion into the policy space needed by central banks around the world to meet their mandates.

About:

• The U.S. Treasury Department had recently retained India on a watchlist for currency manipulators submitted to the U.S. Congress, citing higher dollar purchases (close to 5% of the gross domestic product) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  
  
• Another trigger for the inclusion on the currency watchlist is a trade surplus of $20 billion or more.
  
  
• India’s trade surplus with the U.S. grew by about $5 billion to $23 billion in 2020-21, from around $18 billion in the previous fiscal year, as imports fell more sharply than exports in the COVID-affected year.
  
  
• In response to a question on the U.S .move, India said the RBI had been taking necessary steps to maintain stability in the financial markets and not accumulating forex reserves like China did in the past.
  
  
• It is a mandate of the central bank to provide stability in the currency as a result of which central banks buy and sell foreign currency. Our overall reserves have been fairly steady at $500 billion to $600 billion. We are not accumulating reserves like China, which at one point had reserves of $4 trillion.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Economy

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

BANGALORE METRO RAIL PROJECT PHASE 2A AND PHASE 2B

The Union Cabinet has approved Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase 2A (Central Silk Board Junction to K.R. Puram) and Phase 2B (K.R. Puram to Airport via Hebbal Junction) of total length 58.19 km. The total completion cost of the project is Rs. 14,788.101 Crore.

About:

• The project will streamline the urban transportation system in Bengaluru, which is stressed due to intensive developments, increase in the number of private vehicles and heavy construction in the city putting stress on travel infrastructure.
  
  
• The Metro Project in itself is an innovation over the conventional system of urban transport.
  
  
• The project involves integration with other urban transport system in an efficient and effective manner which is possible only by adopting innovative methods of designing, technology and institutional management.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 Economy

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

FINANCE BILL, 2021

The Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval for the Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 (enacted on 28th March, 2021 as the Finance Act, 2021).

About:

• The amendments were essential to clarify and rationalise the proposals further and address stakeholders concerns arising out of amendments proposed in the Finance Bill.
  
  
• The Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 shall provide equity and inclusiveness to all the taxpayers by addressing stakeholders concerns arising out of amendments proposed in the Bill.
  
  
• The Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 are tax proposals which shall generate timely revenue for the Government and streamline existing provisions by addressing grievances of the taxpayers.
  
  

Source : Business Standard

 Economy

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

TALCHER FERTILIZERS LTD. (TFL)

Union Cabinet has given its approval for the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for the formulation of exclusive subsidy policy for Urea produced through coal gasification route by Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL).

About:

• Considering the strategic energy security and urea self-sufficiency of the country, looking into the country's vast coal reserves, it has been decided go ahead with Talcher Fertilizer Limited plant based on coal gasification technology.
  
  
• The project shall improve availability of fertilizer to farmers thereby boosting development of eastern region and will save transport subsidy for supply of urea in eastern part of the country.
  
  
• It would assist in reducing Urea imports to the tune of 12.7 LMT per annum leading to savings in foreign exchange.
  
  

Important Info :

Background

• Talcher Fertilizers Ltd. (TFL) is a Joint Venture Company of four PSUs namely Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF), GAIL (India) Ltd. (GAIL), Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) which was incorporated on 13th November, 2015.
• TFL is reviving the erstwhile Talcher plant of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) by setting up a now greenfield Urea Plant with the installed capacity of 12.7 Lakh Metric Ton per annum (LMTPA). The estimated project cost of the TFL Urea project is 13277.21 Crore (+/-10%).

Source : The Hindu

 Economy

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

INDIA-BANGLADESH MOU ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION IN THE AREA OF TRADE REMEDIAL MEASURES

The Union Cabinet Modi has given its ex post facto approval to the MoU between the Director General of Trade Remedies, India and the Bangladesh Trade & Tariff Commission on the establishment of a framework of cooperation in the area of trade remedial measures signed on 27th March, 2021 at Dhaka.

About:

• The primary objective of the MOU is to promote cooperation between the two countries in the area of Trade Remedies, covering the broad activities related to exchange of information, undertaking capacity building activities and activities in accordance with various provisions of World Trade Organization in the area of anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures in bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh.
  
  
• The MOU seeks to foster better cooperation between the relevant authorities of both the countries so as to discourage unfair trade practices and promote rule based bilateral trading between the two countries.
  
  

Source : Indian Express

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

CZECH REPUBLIC

A day after the Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats, Russia retaliated by announcing it would send back 20 Czech diplomats, exacerbating relations that have already been strained in recent times.

About:

• Prague had accused Russian embassy officials of being intelligence operatives, and said that it suspected them of being involved in a 2014 explosion at an arms depot that left two dead.
  
  
• The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
  
  
• It is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the east.
  
  
• Its Capital is Prague.
  
  

Important Info :

History of Czech Republic

• In the 19th century, the Czech lands became more industrialized, and in 1918 most of it became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I.
• After the Munich Agreement in 1938, Nazi Germany systematically took control over the Czech lands.
• Czechoslovakia was restored in 1945 and became an Eastern Bloc communist state following a coup d'état in 1948.
• In November 1989, the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country, and on 1 January 1993 Czechoslovakia dissolved with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Source : Indian Express

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

FUSION PEPTIDE

Using a new platform, scientists have developed a Covid-19 vaccine that they say could offer protection against not only existing and future strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, but also other coronaviruses.

About:

• The new vaccine-production platform was invented by Dr Steven L Zeichner of the University of Virginia Health System (UVA). It involves synthesising DNA that directs the production of a piece of the virus. This can instruct the immune system how to mount an immune response against the virus.
  
  
• The vaccine targets a part of the virus’s spike protein called the fusion peptide. This compound is essentially universal among coronaviruses, and has not been observed to differ at all in the many genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from around the world.
  
  
• Most vaccines in development target either the entire spike protein, or just the receptor binding domain (RBD). While antibodies against the RBD can provide good neutralising activity, there can be mutations in the RBD that decrease somewhat the effectiveness of the antibodies.
  
  

Source : Indian Express

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

DEMOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE

India’s demographic advantage to overtake China’s by 2035, says China’s central bank report.

About:

• China’s demographic transition owing particularly to its stricter birth policies has grappled it with the problem of ageing population and dwindling work-force.
  
  
• A report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, said that China should immediately liberalise its birth policies to tackle the problems of an ageing population and plan to compete economically with a demographically young India and an immigration-friendly US.
  
  
• In a detailed section on India, the report said the gap between the two countries is narrowing. As two big countries in Asia, China’s economic growth has been faster than India’s for a long time but in recent years, China’s demographic dividend fading, India’s economic growth has tended to approach China’s, the report said.
  
  
• It added that China’s ageing population and the declining birth rate will become more serious in 10 years while India’s demographic structure will be further optimised.
  
  
• The report pointed out that India’s labour force will exceed China’s by hundreds of millions in the years ahead.
  
  
• By 2050, this advantage will continue to grow. Not only will India have a much narrower elderly population at the top and a much wider workforce in the middle, but it will also have a wider workforce at the bottom, indicating a more abundant workforce and greater growth potential beyond 2050.
  
  

Source : All India Radio

 Social Issues

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

CABINET APPROVES MOU BETWEEN CCI AND CADE

Union Cabinet approved the MoU between Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Administrative Council for Economic Defense of Brazil, (CADE).

About:

• Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002 permits CCI to enter into any Memorandum or arrangement with any agency of any foreign country for the purpose of discharging its duties or performing its functions under the Act.
  
  
• CCI has entered into the MoUs with the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice of USA, Director General Competition of European Union, Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Competition Bureau of Canada and BRICS Competition Authorities.
  
  

Source : All India Radio

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 21, 2021

STARTUP INDIA SEED FUND SCHEME (SISFS)

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS).

About:

• The Fund aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization.
  
  
• An amount of 945 crore rupees corpus will be divided over the next 4 years for providing seed funding to eligible startups through eligible incubators across India.
  
  
• The scheme is expected to support an estimated 3,600 startups through 300 incubators.
  
  
• The SISFS will Secure seed funding, Inspire innovation, Support transformative ideas, Facilitate implementation, and Start startup revolution.
  
  
• This Scheme will create a robust startup ecosystem, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns of India, which are often deprived of adequate funding.
  
  

Source : All India Radio

 Economy

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CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

MIGUEL DÍAZ-CANEL

Cuba marked the end of an era on with the transfer of power from the Castro clan, in charge for six decades, to the communist country’s first-ever civilian leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel.

About:

• As Raul Castro, 89, enters retirement, he handed the all-powerful position of first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba to Mr. Diaz-Canel, 60, already Cuba’s president.
  
  
• Miguel Díaz-Canel is a Cuban politician serving as the president of Cuba since 2019 and the first secretary of the Communist Party, the most senior position in Cuba, since 2021.
  
  
• His two predecessors in the role were brothers, by blood, and notably his succession from Raúl Castro represents a clearly non-dynastic form of succession for the Communist Party as well as the Republic of Cuba.
  
  
• Díaz-Canel is therefore the first president to not be a Castro family member since Osvaldo Dorticós in 1976 and the first leader of the government who is not a Castro since José Miró Cardona in 1959.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The Council of the European Union approved conclusions on a European Union strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific to reinforce its strategic focus to contribute to regional stability at a time of “rising challenges and tensions in the region.

About:

• The Council tasked the High Representative and the Commission with putting forward a Joint Communication on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific by September 2021.
  
  
• The EU will aim to promote effective rules-based multilateralism, reiterating its support for ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) centrality, a point also stressed by India.
  
  

Important Info :

• The Council of the European Union is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union.
• It is one of three legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve the proposals of the European Commission, which holds legislative initiative.
• It was founded on 1 July 1967.

Source : The Hindu

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

VANDE BHARAT MISSION (VBM)

The Vande Bharat Mission (VBM), which started repatriating Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns since May 7, 2020, has turned out to be one of the largest evacuations of civilians by a country.

About:

• Into the middle of Phase 10, the VBM has surpassed the large-scale airlift of 1,10,000 people in 1990 at the onset of the Gulf War.
  
  
• Till now, the Air India (AI) Group has operated 11,523 inbound flights to carry 18,19,734 passengers and 11,528 outbound flights with 13,68,457 passengers.
  
  
• The national carrier, which carried out the bulk of air transfers under the mission, was supported by its budget carrier Air India Express.
  
  
• The current VBM Phase 10 has international and domestic schedules operating till October 31.
  
  
• Air India Express (AIE) used its B-737-800 fleet to lift agricultural produce, mainly fruits and vegetables, to West Asian countries, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
  
  
• “Transport bubbles” or “air travel arrangements”, temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the pandemic, are in place.
  
  

Source : The Hindu

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

INGENUITY

NASA announced that Ingenuity had performed its first flight. “…the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet!”

About:

• Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on Mars was carried by NASA’s rover called Perseverance that was launched in July last year and will help collect samples from the surface from locations where the rover cannot reach.
  
  
• Perseverance landed at the Jezero Crater of Mars in February year. It will remain on the Red Planet for about two years and look for finding past signs of life.
  
  
• The rover is designed to study signs of ancient life, collect samples that might be sent back to Earth during future missions and test new technology that might benefit future robotic and human missions to the planet.
  
  
• Ingenuity is able to fly using counter-rotating blades that spin at about 2,400 rpm. It has a wireless communication system, and is equipped with computers, navigation sensors, and two cameras. It is solar-powered, able to charge on its own.
  
  
• Taking to the air would give scientists a new perspective on a region’s geology and even allow them to peer into areas that are too steep or slippery to send a rover. In the distant future, they might even help astronauts explore Mars.
  
  
• NASA will try and demonstrate rotorcraft flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars with this helicopter, which is why the mission is so crucial.
  
  

Source : Indian Express

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

CHARLES GESCHKE

Charles Geschke, Adobe’s co-founder who aided the development of the world’s most widely used file format, the Portable Document Format (PDF), died at the age of 81 in California.

About:

• Charles Geschke was an American businessman and computer scientist best known for founding the graphics and publishing software company Adobe Inc. with John Warnock in 1982.
  
  
• The company is named after the Adobe Creek, a 14.2-mile-long northward-flowing stream originating on Black Mountain in Santa Clara County, California, United States.
  
  

Important Info :

History of the creation of the PDF

• PDF, which is one of the world’s most popular file formats, is used everyday by millions across the world to save and share documents, resumes, research papers, flight or railway tickets.
• In the 1990s, Warnock spearheaded what is called the “Camelot Project”. The aim was to come up with a file format that could be shared easily across different computer systems and applications.
• For instance, if a document is created on a laptop that uses Windows and is shared as a pdf with an individual who uses a Macbook, the latter can see the information and images in the document without any glitches. Before the pdf, the process of sharing documents between was not as seamless.

Source : Indian Express

 Science & Tech

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

INDIA - GERMANY AGREEMENT ON ‘CITIES COMBATING PLASTIC ENTERING THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT’

India and Germany signed agreement on ‘Cities combating plastic entering the marine environment’.

About:

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and German Federal Ministry of Environment signed an agreement on Technical Cooperation titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’.
  
  
• The project’s outcomes are in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management and Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to phase out single use plastic by 2022”.
  
  
• This project is envisaged under the contours of the Joint Declaration of Intent regarding cooperation in the field of ‘Prevention of Marine Litter’ signed between India and Germany in 2019.
  
  
• The project, aimed at enhancing practices to prevent plastic entering the marine environment, will be undertaken at the national level (at MoHUA), select states (Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and in the cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair for a period of three and a half years.
  
  

Source : DD News

 International

CURRENT AFFAIRS
 April 20, 2021

WORLD LIVER DAY

World liver day is observed on April 19 every year, to spread awareness about the liver-related disease.

About:

• The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the body, except the brain. It is a key player in your body’s digestive system.
  
  
• The theme for this year is ‘Keep your liver healthy and disease-free.’
  
  

Source : Indian Express

 Health

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