Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 and 26 April 2021

Topic: Personality in News

1. Amit Mistry passed away at age of 47.

• Noted Gujarati and Hindi film actor Amit Mistry died at the age of 47.
• He had worked in many Hindi films, including Kya Kehna, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Yamla Pagla Deewana, etc.
• He also worked in TV shows like Tenali Rama, Maddam Sir.
• He was very famous in the Gujarati theatre circuit.

Topic: Appointments

2. Reserve Bank of India approved appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as Part-time Chairman of HDFC Bank.

• Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as the part-time chairman and additional independent director of HDFC bank.
• Earlier, he had worked as Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
• He is appointed for a term of three years. He will take charge on 5 May 2021.
• He has experience of working in the field of finance & economic policy, infrastructure, petroleum & natural gas
• Banks Board Bureau recommends names of directors and non-executive chairpersons of public sector banks.
• HDFC Bank:
  • It was founded in 1994.
  • HDFC Bank is India’s largest private sector bank.
  • Its headquarters is located in Mumbai.
  • Sashidhar Jagdishan is the current CEO of HDFC.

Topic: Personality in News

3. Noted Classical singer Rajan Mishra passed away.

• Noted Classical singer Rajan Mishra died at the age of 70.
• Rajan Mishra was associated with the Banaras Gharana. He is known for the khyal style of Indian classical singing.
• Pandit Rajan Mishra and his brother Sajan Mishra have performed at various events across the globe.
• Pandit Rajan Mishra has received many awards, including the Padma Bhushan award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, and the Gandharva National award for his contribution towards music.
• Gharana:
  • The term ‘Gharana’ refers to sub-style within Hindustani styles of Indian classical music.
  • Agra gharana, Gwalior gharana, Banaras Gharana, Jaipur gharana, Kirana gharana and Mewati gharana are names of some gharanas within Hindustani style of Indian classical music.
  • Benaras Gharana is also known as Janaki Prasad Gharana.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

4. Saudi Arabia will become part of ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’.

• Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, will join the ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on climate change.
• Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, Norway, and Qatar will form a new platform for oil and gas producers.
• The main aim of this forum is to discuss how they will support each other in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
• In this forum, member countries will discuss how to achieve the net-zero carbon emission targets by 2050.
• The forum will also discuss methods to develop and deploy clean-energy and carbon storage technologies and the advanced circular carbon economy.
• Saudi Arabia has aimed to produce 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The US will also cut emissions by 50%-52% from 2005 levels.
• Saudi Arabia:
  • It is a country in Western Asia, which is spread over most of the Arabian Peninsula.
  • Its capital is Riyadh, and the currency is Saudi Riyal.
  • Mohammed bin Salman is the Crown Prince and Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is the king of Saudi Arabia.

Topic: Defence

5. Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘VARUNA-2021’ started.

• The three-day naval bilateral exercise between India and France ‘VARUNA-2021’ has started in the Arabian Sea. It is the 19^th edition of the VARUNA exercise.
• It is scheduled to be conducted in the Arabian Sea from 25^th to 27^th April 2021.
• From the Indian side, guided-missile stealth destroyer INS Kolkata, guided-missile frigates INS Tarkash and INS Talwar, a Kalvari class submarine, and P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft will participate in the exercise.
• The main focus of the exercise will be on a high tempo-naval operations at sea, advanced air defense and anti-submarine exercises, rotary wing flying operations, etc.
• It will help both country’s troops in enhancing their war-fighting skills to promote peace, security, and stability in the maritime domain.
• Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air force had conducted the bilateral air exercise ‘Ex Desert Knight-21’ at Jodhpur Air Force Station.

Topic: Agriculture

6. India recorded 30% increase in agricultural export than last year.

• India recorded a 30 percent increase in agricultural export than the 2019-20 financial year.
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) stated that agricultural exports of Rs 1.3 lakh crore were made during 2020-21. It was Rs 1.1 lakh crore in FY 2019-20.
• The export of organic products has increased by 40 percent in the last financial year. India will focus on fulfilling the demand for herbal and organic products from Europe, the US, and the Middle East.
• APEDA Chairman hoped that the agricultural export would increase by 20 to 30 percent in 2021-22.
• India mainly exports Grapes, Mango, Banana, Onion, Rice, Nutri-Cereals, Pomegranate, and Floriculture.
• APEDA: It is a government organization established in 1985. It is responsible for the promotion of the export of agro products.

Topic: Sports

7. Indian women’s team won Gold medal at Archery World Cup.

• India women’s recurve team won the gold medal in the Archery World Cup in Guatemala.
• Indian team has defeated the Mexican team by 5-4. Deepika Kumari, Komalika Bari and Atanu Das are the members of this team.
• It was the fifth gold for India’s women’s team in the World Cup.
• Another Indian recurve team of Atanu Das and Ankita Bhakat has won the Bronze medal by defeating the USA.
• Archery World Cup 2021:
  • It is organized by World Archery.
  • India has won 3 gold and 1 Bronze at Archery World Cup 2021.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Oscar awards winners 2021 announced.

• The winners of the 93^rd Academy Awards (Oscar) are announced.
• The Oscars winners are given a copy of the golden statuette (The Academy Award of Merit).
• The first Academy Awards was presented in 1929.
• “Parasite” was the winner of the 92^nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
• In the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the 93rd Academy Awards, actor Irrfan Khan and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya were honoured
• The major awards winners are:
  • Best Director - Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland”
  • Best Picture- Nomadland
  • Best Actor- Anthony Hopkins for “The Father”
  • Best Actress-  Frances McDormand for Nomadland
  • Best Supporting Actress- Yuh-Jung Youn for Minari
  • Best Supporting Actor- Daniel Kaluuya
  • Best International Feature-  Another Round
  • Best Animated Feature- Soul
  • Best Documentary Feature- My Octopus Teacher
  • Best Cinematography- Mank

Topic: National News

9. Indian Green Building Council launched ‘Mission on Net Zero’.

• On the occasion of World Earth Day, CII’s Indian Green Building Council has launched ‘IGBC Mission on Net Zero’.
• It has been launched to achieve India’s net-zero carbon emission target by 2050.
• To achieve net-zero carbon emission target, about 250 organizations of the building sector have committed to achieve Net Zero Energy status for their new and existing buildings.
• CII –Sorabji Godrej Green Business Centre Building in Hyderabad is the first green building in India.
• Indian Green Building Council:
  • It was established by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2001.
  • It is a premier body for green building certification and related services.
  • It gives a rating to green buildings on the basis of energy efficiency, water conservation, handling of waste measures, etc.
• Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA): It is developed by TERI and it was adopted as a national rating system for green building across the country.

Topic: Books and Authors

10. Amitav Ghosh’s new book name “The Living Mountain: A Fable for Our Times”.

• Renowned author Amitav Ghosh has penned a new book titled “The Living Mountain: A Fable for Our Times”. The first edition of the book will be released in 2022.
• It will be published by HarperCollins Publishers India.
• The Living Mountain is a story about Mahaparbat and the indigenous valley dwellers.
• In this book, he has written about the complex dynamics between humans and the natural world.
• Amitav Ghosh:
  • He is an Indian writer and winner of the 54th Jnanpith award.
  • River of Smoke, The Glass Palace, Hungry Tide, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable are some famous books of Amitav Ghosh.