Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 April 2021
Main Headlines:
- 1. Arun Raste to be appointed as new MD & CEO of NCDEX.
- 2. IIT Guwahati collaborated with railways for operation and expansion of rail network in Northeast.
- 3. World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April
- 4. India and Russia agreed to establish a “2+2 ministerial dialogue”.
- 5. Justice Rajesh Bindal will assume charge of Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
- 6. Noted Odia and English writer Manoj Das passed away.
- 7. T V Somanathan designated as new Finance Secretary.
- 8. Jacqueline Fernandez roped in as brand ambassador of Van Heusen’s new denim brand.
- 9. Union Cabinet approves signing of agreement between India and UK.
- 10. LCA Tejas allowed carrying Python-5 air-to-air missile.
Happy Diwali get 35% Off
Use Coupon code DIWALI24
Topic: Appointments
1. Arun Raste to be appointed as new MD & CEO of NCDEX.
- Arun Raste will be appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) for five years.
- His appointment has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- At present, he is the Executive Director of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
- He had also served as director of the Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd.
- National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX):
- It was formed in 2003 as a public limited company.
- It is an online commodity exchange platform.
- It brings buyers and sellers together through its electronic trading platform.
Topic: Infrastructure and Energy
2. IIT Guwahati collaborated with railways for operation and expansion of rail network in Northeast.
- Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) and the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) have signed an MoU for improving maintenance and operations of train.
- The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) will help Indian railways in the expansion of rail networks in the North-Eastern states.
- It will also help in making stations plastic-free by providing alternate biodegradable polymer-based technologies.
- Both will jointly execute the projects in different fields like bridges, Information Technology, signaling, and Artificial Intelligence-based predictive maintenance systems.
- Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) will also help railways in the development of world-class railway stations in the North East.
- North East Frontier Railway (NFR):
- It is one of the 17 railway zones of the Indian Railway.
- It is responsible for the operation and expansion of the railway network in Northeastern states.
Topic: Important Days
3. World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April
- The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated every year on 28 April.
- Its main aim is to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases around the world.
- Apart from this, it is also celebrated to raise awareness about safety and healthy culture at work.
- In 2003, International Labour Organization (ILO) had declared this day to prevent death and injuries at work.
- Theme for World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2021- ‘Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises and invest now in resilient OHS systems’.
- This day is also used as an opportunity to bring the attention of all countries to follow safety guidelines at the workplace.
Topic: International News
4. India and Russia agreed to establish a “2+2 ministerial dialogue”.
- India and Russia have agreed to establish a "2+2 ministerial dialogue" between foreign and defense ministers.
- It will help in enhancing the bilateral strategic partnership between both countries.
- So far, India has established “2+2 ministerial dialogue” with United States, Japan, and Australia.
- Recently, India and Russia held a bilateral meeting on UNSC issues in Moscow at the DG level.
- Russia is also providing the ‘Sputnik-V’ coronavirus vaccine to India.
Topic: Appointments
5. Justice Rajesh Bindal will assume charge of Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
- President has appointed Justice Rajesh Bindal as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High court. He will assume the charge from 29 April 2021.
- He will take the place of Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan.
- Justice Rajesh Bindal had started his career as an advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
- In 2006, he was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
- He has been appointed by the President under Article 217.
- High Court:
- It is the principal civil court for state and union territory.
- There are 25 High Courts in India.
- The Calcutta High Court is the oldest in India.
- The High Court of Andhra Pradesh is the newest High court in India.
Topic: Personality in News
6. Noted Odia and English writer Manoj Das passed away.
- Renowned writer and educationist Manoj Das died at the age of 87.
- He will be remembered for his contribution to the field of education and philosophy. He is known for his simplicity and spirituality.
- He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2020.
- He has written many books in English and Odia language.
- He was teaching Aurobindo’s philosophy since 1963 in the Ashram run International Centre of Education.
Topic: Appointments
7. T V Somanathan designated as new Finance Secretary.
- T V Somanathan has been designated as the new Finance Secretary.
- As per the order issued by Personnel Ministry, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as Finance Secretary.
- He has been serving as Secretary, Department of Expenditure in Ministry of Finance since December 2019. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.
- The senior-most officer among all the secretaries in the Ministry of Finance is designated as the Finance Secretary.
Topic: Miscellaneous
8. Jacqueline Fernandez roped in as brand ambassador of Van Heusen’s new denim brand.
- Van Heusen has signed Jacqueline Fernandez as the brand ambassador for its new sub-brand Denim Labs.
- Sportswear brand ASICS has appointed Ravindra Jadeja as its brand ambassador.
- Other recent appointments are as follows:
Brand Ambassador |
Brands/Companies |
Akshay Kumar |
Star Cement |
Rashmika Mandanna |
McDonald’s, Khazana Jewellery |
Salman Khan |
Chingari (short video app) |
Harbhajan Singh |
Fan2Play |
Ravichandran Ashwin |
Beetel |
Topic: MoUs/ Agreements
9. Union Cabinet approves signing of agreement between India and UK.
- Union Cabinet has given its nod to the signing of an agreement between India and UK to share information and prevent Customs offences.
- With the signing of this agreement, both sides will be able to get relevant information that will help in preventing and investigating customs offences.
- It is also expected to facilitate trade and ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between the countries.
- In November 2020, Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between CDSCO, India and UK MHRA in the field of Medical Products regulation.
- Cabinet also approved the signing of MoU between India and UK on cooperation in the field of telecommunication.
Topic: Defence
10. LCA Tejas allowed carrying Python-5 air-to-air missile.
- Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has been allowed to carry Python-5 air-to-air missile.
- This will enhance the combat capability of the aircraft.
- Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) is already integrated on Tejas.
- Tejas:
- It is indigenously developed light combat aircraft.
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has manufactured this aircraft.
- It is a single-engine and highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
- In January 2021, Cabinet Committee on Security approved the purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets for IAF.
Comments