Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 September 2021

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

1. Government constituted a committee to develop technological platform for streamlining revenue litigation.

• The government has constituted a committee to develop a technological platform for streamlining the appeal filing process related to direct and indirect taxation matters.
• It will be headed by Ashish Shiradhonkar, who is currently heading the e-courts project in the National Informatics Centre.
• The committee will have members from the revenue department, CBDT, and CBIT. It will complete its work in three months.
• The committee will monitor the development of the platform and coordinate with other stakeholders.
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) is also collaborating to integrate the Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS) with the e-office mechanism. It will help in real-time tracking of cases.

Topic: Sports

2. Stuart Binny announces retirement from all forms of Cricket.

• Stuart Binny has announced retirement from all forms of Cricket.
• He represented India in six Tests, 14 ODIs, and three Twenty20 Internationals. He scored 459 runs and taken 24 wickets.
• He represented Karnataka in 95 first-class matches. He made debut against England in July 2014. He holds the record of the Best ODI Bowling by an Indian.
• His father Roger Binny was a member of the 1983 world cup winning team.

Topic: Sports

3. Thangavelu Mariyappan wins Silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T63 Final event.

• Thangavelu Mariyappan has won Silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T63 Final event at Tokyo Paralympics.
• Sharad Kumar has won Bronze medal in the Men’s High Jump T63 Final event at Tokyo Paralympics.
• Shooter Singhraj Adana has won a bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event.
• India has so far won two gold, five silver and three bronze medals in the ongoing Paralympic Games.

Topic: State News/Ladakh

4. A 2-Day Ladakh Nomadic Festival at Korzok Phu inaugurated by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur.

• A 2-Day Ladakh Nomadic Festival at Korzok Phu, Changthang region of eastern Ladakh has been inaugurated by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur.
• Ladakh Cultural Academy organizes the festival in collaboration with Ladakh Tourism Department.
• It aims to bring the distinctive culture of Changthang region on the tourism map of Ladakh.
• LG Mathur appealed to promote world-renowned Changthang Pashmina.

Topic: State News/ Himachal Pradesh

5. Himachal Pradesh administers first dose of Covid vaccine to 100% of its population.

• Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to give the first dose of the Covid vaccine to 100 percent of its population.
• Himachal Pradesh is aiming to fully vaccinate its population by November end. According to the data, around 54,43,113 people have been vaccinated with the first dose in the state.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the efforts of state government in achieving this feat.
• So far, 51.45 per cent of India's adult population has been vaccinated with at least one dose.
• Maharashtra has highest number of fully vaccinated people.

Topic: Indian Economy

6. India’s GDP growth rate rise to 20.1% in Q1FY22.

• India’s GDP growth rate rose to 20.1% in Q1 of 2021-22.
• GDP in the first quarter of 2021-22 is estimated at 32.38 lakh crore rupees at Constant Prices, as against Rs 25.66 lakh crore in Q1 of 2020-21, showing a growth of 20.1 percent.
• Increase in consumer spending and improved manufacturing are the main factor of rise in India’s GDP growth. This is India's fastest growth since official quarterly data started being released from 1990s.
• In the quarter of 2021-22, Gross value added (GVA) growth in the manufacturing sector has accelerated to 49.6 percent while Farm sector GVA growth was 4.5 percent.
• Construction sector GVA increase by 68.3 percent compared to 49.5 percent contraction in the last year. The Mining sector has grown by 18.6 percent.
• Electricity, gas, water supply, and other utility services segment grew by 14.3 percent, against 9.9 percent contraction in the last year.

Topic: Defence

7. Indian Navy participated with Algerian Navy in Maiden Maritime Partnership Exercise.

• Indian Navy and Algerian Navy have participated in the Maiden Maritime Partnership Exercise near the Algerian coast.
• INS Tabar participated from the Indian side while ANS Ezzadjer took part in this exercise from the Algerian side. INS Tabar participated in the exercise during its ongoing goodwill visit to Europe and Africa.
• Coordinated maneuvering, and communication procedures activities were part of this exercise.
• The exercise will increase the interoperability between both navies and opened the possibilities of increasing interaction and collaboration in the future.
• Recently, INS Tabar participated in the annual bilateral Konkan Exercise with HMS Westminster of the Royal Navy.
• INS Tabar is a Talwar-class stealth Frigate built for the Indian Navy in Russia. It is part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

8. Dorje Angchuk becomes first Indian to be inducted as Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union.

• A Ladakh-based engineer, Dorje Angchuk, has become the first Indian to be inducted as an Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union.
• He along with ten other people around the world are included as an Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union.
• Dorje Angchuk is the Engineer in charge at Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh.
• He has been inducted for the promotion of astronomy in the Ladakh region through his excellent astrophotography.
• His photograph of Comet Neowise won the nationwide contest organized by the Astronomical Society of India.

Topic: Government Scheme and Initiatives

9. Ayush Ministry launched ‘Y-Break’ app to promote Yoga among professionals.

• The Ministry of AYUSH has developed a yoga protocol that will help professionals de-stress and regain focus while synchronizing with their daily work routine.
• The five-minute protocol comprises asanas, pranayama, and dhyana. It will be available through the ‘Y-Break’ app.
• The five-minute protocol promotes the idea of a break of five minutes from the work schedule to practice yoga to refresh, de-stress and re-focus.
• ‘Y-Break’ app has been launched by Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on 1 September.
• The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) and several other institutes have played a key role in the development of the ‘Y-Break’ app.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

10. PhonePe gets an insurance broking licence from IRDAI.

• PhonePe has received an insurance broking licence from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
• PhonePe entered the insurtech sector with a limited insurance ‘corporate agent’ licence last year.
• The limited licence allowed the company to partner with only three insurance companies per category.
• Now, PhonePe can distribute insurance products from all insurance companies in India.
• Last week, PhonePe got in-principle approval from RBI to operate as an account aggregator.
• Earlier, PhonePe has also launched ‘Corona Care’, a dedicated insurance product for its users.

Topic: Appointments

11. Ex-SBI chief Rajnish Kumar appointed by HSBC Asia as an independent director.

• Ex-SBI chief Rajnish Kumar has been appointed by Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Asia as an independent director.
• HSBC said that it has also appointed former State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar as a member of Audit Committee and Risk Committee of HSBC Asia.
• Rajnish Kumar retired in October 2020 after a 40-year long career at the SBI. Peter Wong is currently Chairman of the Board of The HSBC.

Topic: Appointments

12. Pankaj Kumar Singh assumes charge as new Director-General (DG) of BSF and Sanjay Arora takes over as DG of ITBP.

• Pankaj Kumar Singh has assumed charge as 29^th Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Sanjay Arora has taken over as new DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Pankaj Kumar Singh is a 1988-batch IPS officer from the Rajasthan cadre. He had been serving as special DG of the BSF. His retirement is scheduled for December next year.
• Pankaj Kumar Singh is the son of 1959-batch IPS officer Prakash Singh, who is considered as an architect of police reforms in India.
• Sanjay Arora is Pankaj Kumar Singh’s batch-mate and IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. He had been serving as the special DG in the CRPF till now. He will retire from service in July 2025.
• Both the new DGs took charge from 1984-batch IPS officer S S Deswal. Deswal was holding the additional charge of BSF DG.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri lead delegation to Russia to participate in the 6th EEF Summit in Vladivostok. 

• Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri leads delegation to Russia from 1-5 September 2021 to participate in the 6th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) Summit in Vladivostok. 
• PM Modi will virtually address the Plenary Session of the EEF Summit. Mr. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia will also be present in the session. PM Modi was the Chief Guest at the EEF in 2019.
• Along with the Russian Minister of Energy, Shri Puri will co-chair India-Russia Business Dialogue, on the sidelines of EEF.
• Russia is the largest investment destination for the Indian oil and gas companies.
• Indian public sector companies have made investments in Russia in oil and gas assets such as Sakhalin-1, Vankor and Taas-Yuryakh. Russia is also the largest investor in India’s oil & gas sector.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

14. Algeria becomes the last country to scrap the usage of leaded petrol.

• Algeria has officially announced to end the usage of leaded petrol. The decision finally ended the era of leaded petrol from the world.
• The UN has warned that the leaded petrol usage has a catastrophic effect on humans and the environment. It had urged nations to stop the use of leaded petrol.
• Algeria has finally stopped selling leaded petrol on its petrol stations.
• The ban on the usage of leaded petrol will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths in a year.
• Leaded petrol contaminates air, dust, soil, drinking water, and food crops, which can cause heart disease and cancer.
• Petroleum containing tetraethyl lead use was started in the 1930s to increase the performance of the engine.
• Austria was the first to ban the Petroleum containing lead for road vehicles in 1989. The UK banned leaded petrol in 2000.
• India began phasing out leaded petrol in 1994 and completely switched to unleaded petrol by the early 2000s.
• In 2002, UNEP had launched a campaign named Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) against leaded petrol.