Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 and 15 March 2021

Topic: State News/ Jharkhand

1. Jharkhand Cabinet approves 75% reservation in private sector jobs for locals.

• Jharkhand government has approved a reservation policy for 75% reservation in private sector jobs for locals. It will be applicable for jobs with salaries up to Rs 30,000 per month.
• Chief Minister Hemant Soren will announce this employment policy on 17 March during an Assembly session.
• Under this reservation policy, a sub-committee will also be formed for deciding the criteria of locals in the state.
• Earlier, Haryana government has also approved 75% reservation for locals in private sector jobs with salaries below Rs 50,000 per month.
• Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to reserve 75% of jobs for locals in the private sector.
• Jharkhand:
  • It was formed on 15 November 2000.
  • It shares its border with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.
  • Jharkhand’s Governor is Draupadi Murmu and Chief Minister is Hemant Soren.
  • In January 2021, the unemployment rate of Jharkhand was 11.3%.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay will receive Sahitya Akademi Award 2020.

• Renowned author Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay will be conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award 2020 for his memoir ‘Eka Eka Ekashi’.
• Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay is popularly known as Shankar.
• Chowringhee, Samrat O Sundari, Purohit Darpan are some famous books of Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay.
• Tamil writer Imayam has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2020 for his novel Sellatha Panam.
• Arundhathi Subramaniam won the award for her poetry collection When God is a Traveller in English. Verappa Moily was named for his epic poetry titled Sri Bahubali Ahimsadigvijayam in Kannada.
• Anamika has won the award for her poetry collection Tokri mein Digant ‘Their Gatha’: 2014 in Hindi.
• Sahitya Akademi Award:
  • It was established in 1954.
  • It is awarded for outstanding literary works published in 24 languages (22 official languages mentioned in the eighth schedule and Rajasthani and English).
  • It is given by Sahitya Akademi.
  • The winner of the award is given a plaque and a cash prize of ₹ 1,00,000.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Government announced a new scheme to boost tourism sector.

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched a new scheme for tourist vehicle operators. Under this scheme, any tourist vehicle operator may apply for an “All India Tourist Permit/ Authorization” online.
• The Government has announced this scheme to boost tourism across the country. It will also help in increasing revenue for the states.
• This new set of rules will be known as “All India Tourist Vehicles Authorization and Permit Rules, 2021”. It will become applicable from 1 April 2021.
• The new permit will be granted for three months but can be extended up to 3 years.
• The new rules have been adopted during the 39th & 40th Transport Development Council Meetings.
• This scheme will promote tourism in the areas where there is a limited season of tourism. It will also use a central database for improving tourist movements.
• Nitin Gadkari is the current Road Transport and Highways Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

4. PM will interact with students through ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme.

• Around 10 lakh students have registered to take part in Prime Minister’s interactive academic programme Pariksha Pe Charcha.
• More than 2.60 lakh teachers and 92 thousand parents have also registered for this interactive programme.
• It will be organised to help students in dealing with stress before exams.
• It will be the 4^th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha and will be organised virtually. Some selected participants will also receive a special Pariksha Pe Charcha kit.  
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also written a book titled ‘Exam Warriors’. The main objective of this book is to help students in handling the stress of exams.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

5. Government announce linking of OTPRMS certificates with DigiLocker.

• The Ministry of Education has announced to link Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) Certificates with DigiLocker.
• The Ministry has taken this step to ensure access to OTPRMS certificates in a hassle free manner. The issued certificate will be automatically transferred to DigiLocker.
• The Ministry of Education has also waived off the registration fee for obtaining OTPRMS Certificates.
• OTPRMS certificates are issued by the National Council For Teacher Education (NCTE).
• Ramesh Pokhriyal is the current Minister of Education.
• Digi-locker:
  • It is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme.
  • It aims to provide access to authentic digital documents to citizens. It is a digital document wallet.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

6. Indian Army will procure Indigenous Mobile Integrated Network Terminal Systems.

• The Indian Army will procure indigenous Mobile Integrated Network Terminal Systems for improving its operational communication capability. It will be procured under the Make II Category of DAP 2020.
• Mobile Integrated Network Terminal System is a lightweight and portable communication solution. It is equipped with a satellite backhaul and wireless access system to support voice, video and data.
• The procurement will help the Indian Army in achieving the goals of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” for defense production. 
• Indian Army:
  • It is the largest standing army in the world.
  • Chief of Defence Staff: General Bipin Rawat
  • Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Mukund Naravane

Topic: Reports and Indices

7. FICCI, in association with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), released ‘India FinTech: A USD 100 Billion Opportunity’ report.

• The FICCI, in association with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has released the ‘India FinTech: A USD 100 Billion Opportunity’ report. It is related to the growth of FinTech in India.
• According to this report, Fintech Industry has been growing steadily in India. Most of the Fintech companies have been set up in the last five years.
• At present, the total valuation of the FinTech industry in India is about $50-$60 billion. Around 2100 Fintech companies are part of India’s dynamic FinTech industry.
• According to the study, India’s FinTech industry will grow continuously over the next five years and it will reach up to a valuation of USD 100 billion. The number of FinTech Unicorns will become double over the next five years.
• According to the BCG-FICCI FinTech survey 2021, Indian FinTechs are also spreading in the international market. The survey reveals that 39% of Indian Fintechs have already established their global footprint and the rest are considering their international expansion.
• FinTechs are playing a vital role in redefining the business models across various segments of the financial services industry in India.
• FinTech is an emerging industry that uses technology for the delivery of financial services.

Topic: Geography

8. Sangay volcano erupted in Ecuador.

• Ecuador’s Sangay volcano erupted with clouds of ash up to a height of 8 kilometres into the sky.
• Sangay volcano is located in the forest area of the Morona Santiago province. It has affected the Riobamba, the capital of the province of Chimborazo.
• According to a geophysical institute, the Sangay volcano has been in an eruptive stage since 2019.
• Ecuador is a part of the “Ring of Fire” region and it has eight volcanoes in its territory.
• A volcano can be active, dormant, or extinct stage. When the mantle of the Earth melts, it comes out in the form of lava through cracks on the Earth’s surface.
• Ecuador:
  • It is a country in northwestern South America.
  • It shares its border with Colombia, Peru, and the Pacific Ocean.
  • Its capital is Quito.
  • Lenin Moreno is the President of Ecuador.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

9. UP government organised Kalanamak Rice Festival in Siddharthnagar district

• The Uttar Pradesh government has organised a three-day Kalanamak Rice Festival in the Siddharthnagar district. It was inaugurated by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
• It has been organised between 13 - 15 March.
• Kala Namak rice is produced in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also One District One Product (ODOP) of some districts of Uttar Pradesh.
• The festival has been organised to promote the production and to provide a market for Kala Namak Rice.
• The Government is organizing these festivals to promote the production and marketing of ODOP products.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

10. As per Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Gautam Adani’s wealth has seen biggest increase.

• As per Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Gautam Adani’s wealth has seen the biggest increase globally.
• His wealth increased from $16.2 billion to $50 billion as per Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
• The increase is higher than that of Elon Musk (increase of $10.3 billion) and that of Jeff Bezos (increase of $7.59 billion).
• Mukesh Ambani added $8.1 billion to his wealth. Adani is expanding its business and proceeding ahead with the Carmichael coal project in Australia.
• Last month, a contract was signed by Adani Enterprises Ltd to develop 1 gigawatt of data centre capacity in India.
• Bloomberg Billionaire Index is a daily ranking of the richest people all over the world. Bloomberg News publishes it since March 2012.

Topic: Committees, Commissions and Task Forces

11. IRDAI forms 14-membered Committee to review its Information & Cyber Security Guidelines.

• IRDAI has formed 14-membered Committee to review its Information & Cyber security Guidelines.
• Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) Chairman D Janakiram is the head of this committee.
• A R Nithiyanantham is its convenor. The Committee will submit its report in two months.
• Guidelines on information and cyber security for insurers were issued by IRDAI in April 2017.

Topic: Important Days

12. World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March

• The World Consumer Rights day is celebrated on 15th March every year to mark up worldwide awareness about consumer rights and their need.   
• The aim of the day is to ensure that the rights of all consumers are respected and to protect them from any unfair market malpractices.
• In 2019, the Government has constituted the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 by replacing the old 1986 act to protect the interest of consumers and timely settlement of disputes.
• The theme of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day is “Tackle plastic pollution”.
• National Consumer Day is celebrated in India on 24th December every year.
• Consumers International:
  • Consumers International is the membership organization for consumer groups around the world.
  • They provide safety and sustainable products and services to everyone in the world.
  • It was founded on 1 April 1960
  • Headquarter: United Kingdom
  • Director-General: Helena Leurent

(Source: News on AIR)