Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 April 2021

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Dr. Harsh Vardhan will launch the ‘Aahaar Kranti’ mission.

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will launch the ‘Aahaar Kranti’ mission.
• It has been launched to spread awareness about the need for nutritionally balanced diet and the importance of available local fruits and vegetables.
• The mission has been launched by the Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum (GIST) under the motto of “Uttam Aahaar Uttam Vichaar”.
• The Aahaar Kranti mission has been designed to resolve malnourishment, hunger, and diseases in India.
• In this program, teachers will be trained, who will work to convey this message to the students, their families and ultimately society.
• Aahaar Kranti mission will act as a model for the entire world. The mission will work on multiple dimensions simultaneously.
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark (Prabhaas) and various government ministries and agencies are involved in this mission.
• The United Nations has also declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.

Topic: Reports and Indices

2. Global Food Policy Report 2021 released by IFPRI.

• IFPRI has released the Global Food Policy Report 2021.
• The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is a research center. It provides research-based policy solutions to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
• The report is about the impact and challenges on the global food systems due to the COVID pandemic.
• It also recommends an effective and resilient government policy to face the challenge of pandemic on the food system.
• It also recommends transforming the food system to achieve healthy diets for all.
• It is more concerned about the vulnerable groups that have been most affected by disruptions to food systems.
• Government-imposed lockdowns and restrictions, logistics issues, and shifting consumer demand for food have disrupted the food supply chains.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. Yusuff Ali awarded with Abu Dhabi’s top civilian award.

• Chairperson of retail group LuLu, Yusuff Ali, has been awarded Abu Dhabi’s top civilian award.
• Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave the award to Yusuff Ali M A.
• Yusuff Ali has won Abu Dhabi’s top civilian award, the Abu Dhabi Award, for his contribution to the business and industry of Abu Dhabi.
• Yusuff Ali is the only Indian to receive Abu Dhabi Award this year. Yusuff Ali Musaliam Veettil Abdul Kader is his full name. He founded LuLu Group.
• LuLu Group is a multinational conglomerate company. It operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies. It is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. DGFT ‘Trade Facilitation’ Mobile App launched by Commerce & Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal.

• DGFT ‘Trade Facilitation’ Mobile App launched by Commerce & Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal.
• The App will promote ease of doing business and provide quick access to information to importers/exporters.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has developed the App. Commerce & Industry Minister called Trade Facilitation App READY for Industry 4.0 as it has the following features:
  • Real-time trade policy updates, notifications, application status alert, tracking help requests
  • Explore item-wise Export-Import policy & statistics, Track IEC Portfolio
  • AI-based 24*7 assistance for trade queries
  • DGFT services made accessible to all
  • Your Trade Dashboard accessible anytime &anywhere
• Industry 4.0 or Fourth Industrial Revolution is the automation of manufacturing and industrial practices through the integration of large-scale machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the internet of things (IoT).

Topic: International News

5. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO stands with Ukraine.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO stands with Ukraine.
• Recently, there has been an increase in cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine.
• In eastern Ukraine, there is a conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
• The conflict is going on since Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
• The Kremlin has maintained that Russia is free to deploy its troops. Kremlin is the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
• Ukraine: It lies in Eastern Europe. It is a Black sea country with the capital Kyiv and currency Ukrainian hryvnia. Its President is Volodymyr Zelensky. Black sea is located in its south.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
  • It was established by the Washington Treaty and is an inter-governmental military alliance.
  • It was established on 4 April 1949. It is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium
  • In March 2020, North Macedonia became the 30^th member of NATO.

Topics: Sports

6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar wins ICC Player of the Month award.

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has won the ICC Player of the Month award for his performance against England in March.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the third successive Indian recipient of ICC Player of the Month award since its start early this year.
• Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant won this award for the month of January.
• Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin won this award for the month of February.
• In addition to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams were also nominated in the men’s category.
• South African Lizelle Lee has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March.
• Indian duo of Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Punam Raut were nominees in the category of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March.

Topic: Sports

7. Kane Williamson wins Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time.

• New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been awarded the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time in the last six years.
• He becomes the first male cricketer to win the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal four times. He had won this award in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
• He also won the test player of the year award at the New Zealand Cricket Awards for 2020-21. Kane Williamson is the number one Test batsman in ICC ranking.
• In the New Zealand Cricket Awards for 2020-21, Devon Conway has won the Men’s ODI player award, while Amy Satterthwaite won the Women’s ODI player award.
• The Sir Richard Hadlee Medal award was started in 2011.

Topic: Personality in News

8. Dr. B R Ambedkar’s 130^th birth anniversary is being celebrated.

• The Nation is celebrating the 130^th birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar today. The day is also known as ‘Bhim Jayanti’.
• It is celebrated every year on 14 April in remembrance of Dr. B R Ambedkar. His first birthday was publicly celebrated in 1928 in Pune.
• Recently, Government has announced that 14 April will be a public holiday.
• Dr. B R Ambedkar:
  • He was born in the year 1891.
  • He was an Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution. He is also recognised as “Father of the Constitution of India”.
  • He is the first Law Minister of India. He had started the Dalit Buddhist Movement in India.
  • He was conferred with the Bharat Ratna award in 1990.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. NHAI will deploy NSV to enhance quality of National Highways.

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will deploy Network Survey Vehicle to enhance the quality of the National Highways across the country.
• The use of NSV has been made mandatory at the time of certifying the road condition on completion of the project on national highways and every six months thereafter.
• NSV uses a high-resolution digital camera and Laser Road Profilometer for the survey of roads.
• Network Survey Vehicle will collect data about the road surface, surface cracking, potholes, and patches. The collected data will be analysed by the Road Asset Management Cell.
• National Highway Authority of India (NHAI):
  • It was founded in 1988. It is an autonomous agency of the Government of India.
  • It works under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
  • Its objective is the development and maintenance of national highways.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. NITI Aayog launched ‘Poshan Gyan’, a Digital Repository on Nutrition Information.

• NITI Aayog, in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University launched ‘Poshan Gyan’. It is a national digital repository on health and nutrition.
• India is facing the problem of high malnutrition despite being a food-surplus nation.
• Poshan Gyan portal will help in bringing behavioural change among the people. It acts as the source of communication materials on 14 thematic areas of health and nutrition in different languages, and media types.
• The digital content for the repository has been provided by the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development and developmental organizations.
• It has a unique crowdsourcing feature, allowing anyone to submit communication material for inclusion on the website.
• The portal also highlights the “Theme of the Month” and the “Most Downloaded Media”.
• NITI Aayog:
  • It was established in 2015.
  • It is the executive and planning institute of India named as National Institution for Transforming India.
  • The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman and the Vice-Chairperson is appointed by the Prime Minister.
  • Rajeev Kumar is the current Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Piyush Goyal inaugurated electronic marketplace e-SANTA for aqua farmers.

• Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated e-SANTA, an electronic marketplace platform for aqua farmers.
• This platform will help in connecting the aqua farmers to the buyers. It will eliminate the role of middlemen between farmers and buyers.
• The term e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade in Aquaculture.
• It will help farmers in getting a fair price and it will also help exporters to purchase quality products from the farmers directly.
• It will revolutionize traditional aquafarming by providing a cashless, contactless, and paperless electronic trade platform. It is available in many languages.
• It is an initiative of the National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA).
• National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA):
  • It was established in 2007.
  • It is a registered society under Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA)
  • Its headquarters is located at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

(Source: News on AIR)