Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 March 2021

Topic: Reports and Indices

1. India ranked 40^th in International Intellectual Property Index 2021.

• India has been ranked 40^th in the recently released International Intellectual Property Index 2021. India has scored 38.4 out of 100.
• It is annually released by the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC).
• It evaluates the Intellectual Property rights in 53 global economies. It evaluates patent and copyright policies, commercialization of IP assets and ratification of international treaties of a country.
• The overall condition of Intellectual Property improved in 2020. 32 out of 53 economies have shown improvement in the Index.
• India’s ranking has improved in recent years and among the BRICS nations, India has registered the second-highest growth in the past nine years.
• The US, the UK, Germany, France and Japan are the top five economies on the intellectual property index 2021.
• The United States has topped this Index, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany.
• Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds.

Topic: Miscellaneous

2. Royal Green appointed Sonu Sood as their brand ambassador.

• Sonu Sood has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Royal Green Packaged Drinking Water.
• The brand believes that Sonu Sood is the perfect person to narrate their philosophy.
• Other recent appointed brand ambassadors are:
  • Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane is appointed as the brand ambassador of Games24x7, an online gaming company. NeoGrowth has also appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their brand ambassador.
  • Eatfit has appointed cricketer Devdutt Padikkal as their brand ambassador.
  • Vaani Kapoor has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Mango in India.

Topic: State News/ Ladakh

3. First Solar Lift Irrigation Scheme of KREDA inaugurated by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur.

• First Solar Lift Irrigation Scheme of Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) was inaugurated by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur.
• The scheme was inaugurated at Latoo Village, which is the last village on Line of Control (LOC).
• In collaboration with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil, KREDA has installed and commissioned a 41 HP Submersible Pump backed with a 50 Kw Solar Photovoltaic Plant.
• This is the first prototype of the Solar Lift Irrigation System in Ladakh.
• Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019. It comprises of Leh and Kargil. Important places of interest in Ladakh are Lamayuru, Pangong lake, Nubra, Suru valley and Drass.

(Source: ladakh.nic.in)

Topic: Appointments

4. Rajendra Badamikar and Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin appointed as additional judges of Karnataka High Court by President Ram Nath Kovind.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Rajendra Badamikar and Sushree Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin as Additional Judges of Karnataka High Court for two years.
• A notification with regard to appointment will be issued by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Rajendra Badamikar is presently working as Registrar General High Court of Karnataka, Bengaluru.
• Sushree Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin is presently working as Registrar (Vigilance), High Court of Karnataka, Bengaluru.
• Appointment of additional judges of High Court:
  • President of India has the power to appoint duly qualified persons as additional judges for a maximum two years period in case of temporary increase in business of High Court and arrears of work in High Court.
  • Article 224 of Constitution provides for appointment of additional judges.

Topic: International News

5. Ever Given, a huge container ship blocks the Suez canal.

• Ever Given, a huge container ship has blocked Suez Canal and is affecting global shipping.

• Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine operates Ever Given. Ever Given is a huge container ship sailing under the flag of Panama.
• The ship blockage is affecting global shipping as 150 ships are waiting for clearance.
• Some vessels are stuck near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea. 
• Suez Canal was opened in 1869. Its construction was started in 1859. It was expanded in 2015. It connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez.
• Great Bitter Lake is a saltwater lake in Egypt. It is connected to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea via Suez Canal.

Topic: Appointments 

6. Sanjeev Kumar appointed as chairman of Airports Authority of India.

• Sanjeev Kumar has been appointed as chairman of the Airports Authority of India.
• He is a 1993 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer. The post of chairman became vacant as Arvind Singh was recently appointed tourism secretary.

• Airports Authority of India (AAI):
  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation is a statutory body functioning under the Government of India.
  • It is responsible for the construction, upgrade, maintenance and management of civil aviation infrastructure.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  • It was established on 1 April 1995.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

7. Cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase announces that it will start hiring engineers in India.

• Cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase has announced that it will start hiring engineers in India.
• Coinbase has said that it will establish an office in India for the first time.
• US-based company has announced that hiring will be for IT services and office will be set up in Hyderabad.
• Coinbase is a company that exchanges cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins and Ethereum.

Topic: State News/ Bihar

8. Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 passed in the Legislative assembly.

• The Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 has been passed in the Legislative assembly, and now it will be tabled in the Legislative Council.
• The bill has been proposed by the Bihar government for maintaining public order, combating extremism, and ensuring better security of specific establishments.
• Features of the bill:
  • It proposes to set up a Special Armed Police force. It will change the name Bihar Military Police (BMP).
  • The Special Armed Police force will be granted powers equivalent to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). It can search and arrest any person without seeking a warrant from the court or the magistrate.
  • Special Armed Police officers can arrest people even based on suspicion or any risk of disturbance.
  • It also grants immunity to the Special Armed Police officers from court except when the government has sanctioned action against the concerned officers.
• Bihar:
  • It is located in the eastern part of India.
  • It has 40 Lok Sabha seats, 16 Rajya Seats and 243 Legislative assembly seats.
  • Phagu Chauhan is the Governor of Bihar and Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister of the state.
  • The Bihar Legislative Assembly is a bicameral legislature.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Finance Minister launched Central Scrutiny Centre and IEPFA’s Mobile App.

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC) and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority’s (IEPFA) Mobile App to achieve the vision of ‘Digitally empowered India’.
• The Central Scrutiny Centre will scrutinize the Straight Through Process (STP) Forms filed by the corporates on the MCA21 registry.
• The Central Scrutiny Centre will identify the data quality issues and irregularities and inform the irregularities to the Registrar of Companies or other regulators.
• The IEPFA Mobile App has been launched to promote awareness among investors, increasing financial literacy, protection of investors, etc. in rural and urban areas.
• It will also help in tracking the status and progress of the IEPF claim refund process. It will enable investors and common citizens to report against fraudulent schemes.
• The government, through various initiatives, has promoted the “Digital India” campaign. These recently launched initiatives will promote the promote Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in India.
• The minister also informed that till February 2021, about 1.38 lakh companies had been registered. This is an increase of 17% over the previous year.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

10. Uttar Pradesh government organised ‘Banana Festival’ in Kushinagar.

• Uttar Pradesh government has organised a ‘Banana Festival’ in Kushinagar from March 22 to 25.
• It has been organised to promote the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. 
• Around 4,000 farmers are associated with banana cultivation in Kushinagar. Three banana fibre processing units and a Common Facility Centre (CFC) will also be established in Kushinagar.
• The main aim of this banana festival is to support farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in banana cultivation.
• Many stalls were set up in this festival to display banana plants prepared from tissue culture.
• One District One Product (ODOP) scheme aims to convert each District into an export hub by identifying products with export potential in the District.
• The Uttar Pradesh Government has organized these festivals to promote the production and marketing of ODOP products.

Topic: State News

11. Andhra Pradesh CM inaugurated Kurnool Airport.

• Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, inaugurated the Kurnool Airport, which is located at Orvakal.
• The airport is named after the Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy, the first-ever freedom fighter of the country.
• The flight operation will start from 28 March for Bangalore, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam. It will be the sixth airport of Andhra Pradesh.  
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • It is an Indian state located in the south-eastern coastal region.
  • It shares its border with states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana.
  • It was the first state to be formed on the linguistic basis on the recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission.
  • The Governor of the state is Bishwabhushan Harichandan.
  • The Indian classical dance Kuchipudi originated from Andhra Pradesh.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

12. Legendary singer Asha Bhosle will be honoured with ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’.

• Asha Bhosle will be conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan award for the year 2020.
• It is the highest honor of the Maharashtra Government.
• A committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has decided to select Ms. Bhosle for this award.
• Maharashtra Bhushan:
  • The Maharashtra Bhushan is the highest and prestigious award presented annually by the government of Maharashtra.
  • The Maharashtra Bhushan was first given in 1996.
  • It is conferred every year in the fields of Literature, Art, Sport, Science, Social Work, Journalism, and Public Administration and Health Services.
  • The State government presents the award to recognize the distinguished work and achievements of eminent persons.
  • Rs 10 lakh cash prize, a memento, and citation are presented to the winners of the Maharashtra Bhushan.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

13. ISSF Shooting World Cup: Trio of India- Rahi Sarnobat, Chinky Yadav, and Manu Bhaker clinched a gold medal.

• In ISSF World Cup, Indian Trio Rahi Sarnobat, Chinky Yadav, and Manu Bhaker won a gold medal in the women’s 25m Pistol Team event.
• ISSF World Cup 2021 is scheduled to be held from March 18 to 29 in New Delhi.
• In the Final, India defeated Poland to win the country’s 10th gold.
• The trio of the Indian team defeated Poland’s Joanna Iwona Wawrzonowska, Julita Borek, and Agnieszka Korejwo.
• The International Shooting Sport Federation introduced the ISSF World Cup in 1986.

(Source: News on AIR)