Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 and 12 April 2021

Topic: Science and Technology

1. World’s first micro-sensor-based explosive trace detector launched by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

• The world’s first Microsensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD), ‘NanoSniffer’, has been launched by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
• An IIT Bombay incubated start-up company, NanoSniff Technologies, has developed this Explosive Trace Detector, and it has been marketed by Vehant Technologies.
• India has completed all the research, development & manufacturing. It is 100% made in India product.
• This economical device will reduce our dependence on imported explosive trace detector devices.
• This device can detect up to nano-gram quantities of the explosives and can deliver results in less than 10 seconds.
• Nanosniffer can find any type of military, commercial and homemade explosives and can give visible & audible alerts with sunlight-readable color display.

Topic: National News

2. An Online Dispute Resolution handbook launched by NITI Aayog.

• NITI Aayog has launched a first-of-its-kind Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) handbook in India.
• This new handbook has been launched in collaboration with Agami and Omidyar Network India.
• ICICI Bank, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Trilegal, Dalberg, Dvara, and NIPFP, will support this initiative.
• The handbook was launched by Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud.
• It will provide resolution of disputes outside the courts, especially for small and medium-value cases.
• It will settle the cases using digital technology and technology of alternate dispute resolution such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
• NITI Aayog:
  • It is an extra-constitutional body that was established on 1 January 2015.
  • It is chaired by the Prime Minister. Therefore, the first Chairman of NITI Aayog is Narendra Modi.
  • Its Vice-Chairperson is Rajiv Kumar and the current CEO is Amitabh Kant.

Topic: Important Days

3. Birth anniversary of Jyotirao Phule: 11 April.

• On 11 April, the birth anniversary of Jyotirao Phule is celebrated.
• He is credited with the opening of the first school for women in India.
• Mahatma Phule was a pioneer of women’s education. He also fought against social evils like the caste system and untouchability.
• PM Modi referred to him as a great philanthropist, thinker, philosopher and writer.
• Jyotirao Phule is also famous as Mahatma Phule. Jyotirao Phule or Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was born on 11 April 1827. He died on 28 November 1890.
• He was from Maharashtra. He opened the first school for girls in 1848 in Pune. He founded Satyashodhak Samaj.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 on women empowerment presented by Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal’ Nishank’.

• AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 on women empowerment were presented by Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal’ Nishank’.
• The winners of AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 awards were finalized by AICTE on the basis of the theme ‘Women Empowerment’.
• The theme was divided into sub-themes. Various sub-themes and their winners are given in the next table.

• On this occasion, Union Minister of Education mentioned schemes such as Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao Yojana, Udaan scheme and Pragati Yojana.
• Udaan scheme aims to enable girls of weaker socio-economic status at the school level to gain access to higher education.
• Pragati Yojana aims to give young women the opportunity to further their technical education.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

5. World Parkinson’s Day: 11 April

• World Parkinson’s Day is observed every year on 11 April to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
• Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition in which involuntary shaking occurs in body muscles.
• Parkinson’s can cause slowness of the movements, stiffness and shakiness of the body.
• It is the world’s second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

6. Observations of gravitational wave events called dark sirens can solve crisis in cosmology.

• Observations of gravitational wave events called dark sirens- collisions of two black holes- can solve a crisis in cosmology.
• Gravitational wave detectors can detect dark sirens or collisions of two black holes or neutron stars. An ordinary telescope cannot detect them.
• There is no agreement among Cosmologists on how fast the Universe is moving away from us.
• Cosmologists cannot agree because of conflicting results produced by different ways of measuring Hubble constant. Hubble constant is a parameter. It describes the expansion of Universe.
• Hubble constant is defined as the relation between speed and distance. The speed at which galaxies in the Universe move away from Earth depends on their distance from us.
• Hubble constant can be measured by looking at shining stars known as Cepheids in local Universe. It can also be measured through cosmic microwave background (CMB).
• Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA) in Japan has joined U.S. Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and its European counterpart Virgo in the measurement of gravitation waves.
• Dark sirens can help in calculating the Hubble constant with high precision.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

7. Tata ends deal with Petronas, a Malaysian state owned Oil and Gas Company.

• Tata ended a nearly $2- billion deal with Petronas, a Malaysian state-owned Oil and Gas Company.
• The negotiations for around $2- billion investment deal continued for a year.
• Tata Power Co. Ltd.’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), had last year taken steps to raise $500-750 million for its clean energy platform.
• It was earlier reported that Petronas is in discussion with Tatas to join as a large anchor investor in clean energy InviT (infrastructure investment trust).

Topic: International News

8. Noura al-Matroushi will become the first female astronaut of UAE.

• The United Arab Emirates has announced the name of the first female astronaut. Noura al-Matroushi will become the first female astronaut of the UAE.
• UAE has also announced the name of a male astronaut. Mohammed al-Mulla is the announced male astronaut.
• Both astronauts have been selected among more than 4000 applicants. They will be trained at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
• Maj. Hazzaa al-Mansoori is the first astronaut of UAE to go into space. He had spent eight days in the International Space Station in 2019.
• In February 2021, UAE’s Mars mission ‘Hope Probe’ has entered Mars orbit. UAE will send an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in 2024.
• UAE has also planned to set up a human colony on Mars by 2117.
• Valentina Tereshkova is the first female astronaut to go into space. Russian Yuri Gagarin is the first man to go in space.
• United Arab Emirates:
  • It is located in Western Asia at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula.
  • Abu Dhabi is the capital and UAE Dirham is the currency of UAE.
  • Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Prime Minister of UAE.

Topic: Space and IT

9. NASA shares images of electric blue dunes on Mars.

• NASA has shared an image of electric blue dunes on Mars.
• The image has been taken by the Odyssey orbiter with the use of the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS).
• The image shows two types of dunes- one is yellow in colour, and the other is bluish in colour.
• The blue colour in the image represents cooler temperatures, while yellows and oranges colour depicts warmer areas. The image has been released by NASA on the 20^th anniversary of Odyssey.
• NASA’s Odyssey Orbiter:
  • NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched on 7 April 2001.
  • It uses spectrometers and a thermal imager to study the surface of Mars.
  • It is the oldest spacecraft that is orbiting around Mars.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

10. JSW Sports partnered with India Accelerator to mentor startups in the field of Sports.

• JSW Sports entered into a partnership with India Accelerator to mentor startups working in the field of Sports.
• Both firms will help the startups involved in the area of sports, sports data, gaming and esports, and sports management.
• Both firms will jointly offer a 16-week long accelerator programme for startups. The selected startups will get product and technical support, strategic delivery guidance, and network-building opportunities.
• A selection and execution board will also be formed from the representatives of both sides.
• JSW Sports is the sports arm of the JSW Group. It was established in 2012. It aims to play a vital role in the development of sports culture in India.
• India Accelerator runs mentorship programs for startups. It is a Gurgaon-based company.

Topic: Sports

11. Sports Minister inaugurated Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for Rowing in Srinagar.

• Union Sports Minister inaugurated Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for Rowing at the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council Water Sports Academy in Srinagar.
• He also announced that the Women Football league would also be organised in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Khelo India State Centre of Excellence will receive a grant of Rs 145.16 lakhs. It is one of the two KISCEs of Jammu and Kashmir.
• At present, there are 24 KISCEs across the country. In each of these, players are trained for the Games involved in the Olympics.
• The Khelo India State Centres of Excellence will play a vital role in the vision of making India one of the top 10 countries in the 2028 Olympics. These centers provide world-class training and infrastructure to athletes.
• Khelo India:
  • It was launched in 2018.
  • It aims to revive the sports culture in India by building a strong framework for all sports played in the country.
  • Under it, talented players are identified at an early age and they are trained for international competition.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

12. SEBI imposed a penalty of Rs. 25 crore on Ambani families for violation of takeover code regulations in 2000.

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed 25 cr of fine on Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Nita Ambani, Tina Ambani, and firms linked to the Ambanis.
• The fine has been imposed on Ambani families for violation of takeover code regulations in the year 2000.
• According to SEBI, RIL promoters had not disclosed more than 5% stake in the company in 2000.
• RIL promoters had increased the 6.63 % stake in 2000 after the conversion of the warrants issued in 1994.
• Under the Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers (SAST) Regulations 1997, the promoters group did not bring any open offer, which was mandatory according to the rule.
• According to the rule, when a promoter group is acquiring an additional stake of more than 5 percent, then it has to bring an open offer for minority investors in the same financial year.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
  • SEBI was set up in 1988 and given statutory status in 1992. Its headquarters is located in Mumbai.
  • It is a regulator of the securities market in India and aims to protect the interests of investors in securities.
  • Ajay Tyagi is the current chairman of SEBI. He was appointed in March 2017.  He will be chairman of SEBI till 28th February 2022.

Topic: Books and Authors

13. The English version of the book “Akhtari: The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar” will be released on April 30.

• • A new version of the book “Akhtari: The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar” will publish in English on April 30.
  • The book was originally written in Hindi.
  • The book is edited by Yatindra Mishra and published by HarperCollins India.
  • Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, and Shubha Mudgal, her close friends, will remember her life and music through essays in this new book.
  • She was a legendary singer during her lifetime.