Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 and 12 April 2021

By PendulumEdu | Last Modified: 12 Apr 2021 18:54 PM IST

BIGGEST SALE EVER get 35% Off
Use Coupon code HOLI24

six months current affairs 2023 july december Rs.199/- Read More
half yearly financial awareness july december 2023 Rs.199/- Read More
half yearly current affairs jan july 2023 in detail Rs.219/- Read More
half yearly current affairs jul dec 2023 in detail Rs.219/- Read More


Half Yearly (Jul- Dec 2023 , Detailed)
2023 e Book

Current Affairs

Available in English & Hindi(eBook)

Buy Now ( Hindi ) Preview Buy Now (English)

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.

Birth anniversary of Jyotirao Phule

 

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.

Sub-theme

Name of winner

Women Entrepreneurship

SWEAT (Sona Women Entrepreneurship and Training) from Sona College of Technology, Tamil Nadu

Digital Literacy

Bharatiya Vidyapeeth

Literacy

Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development Pune

Women’s Health

WIT Women Health Coalition from Walchand Institute of Technology, Maharashtra

Legal Awareness

Radiant Seetha from Thiagarajar Polytechnic College

Self Defense

Paritrana from St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu

  • 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.

AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020

(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.

World Parkinson Day

(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.

Noura al-Matroushi will become the first female astronaut 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 20th 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.

Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for Rowing in Srinagar

(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.

 

 

 

 

0
COMMENTS

Comments


Share Blog


x