Top Current Affairs 20th May 2021 at Freshers Wisdom

Top Current Affairs of the day: Instantly obtain Latest Current Affairs with all essential info, Be the first to know all the Today Current affairs 20th May 2021 top news, Major Issues, Current News, Important events in National Current News as well as International level with clear explanation. For all competitive exams and Interviews, equip yourself with the Latest Current Affairs on 20th May 2021 granted here.

Top Current Affairs

Abhay Tewari: MD and CEO of Dai-ichi

• Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd (SUD LIFE) has announced the appointment of Abhay Tewari as MD and CEO with effect from15th May 2021.
• He joined the company in the year 2014 as an Appointed Actuary.
• Prior to his appointment as MD and CEO, he was promoted as Joint President – CorporateChief Actuary, overseeing operations, actuarial, risk, and corporate governance functions.

Nat Institute of Medicinal Plants to be set up

• The Maharashtra Government has approved a proposal for setting up the National Institute of Medicinal Plants over 50 acres in the Sindhudurg district.
• It will be developed as a one-stop center for all matters relating to medicinal plants.
• The facility will be set up at Adali village in Dodamarg taluka of the district.
• Dodamarg is a part of Western Ghats with huge biodiversity.

IndusInd Bank MD plans to sell ESOP shares

• IndusInd Bank MD and CEO Sumant Kathpalia is planning to sell some of his shares in the private sector lender to settle loans and vesting of upcoming ESOP.
• ESOP stands for employee stock ownership plan.
• An ESOP offers an employee the benefit to own the company’s shares.
• It gives the sponsoring company, the selling shareholder, and participants receive various tax benefits.

New species of skink found from the Western Ghats

• Members, from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have found a new species of Asian gracile skink.
• Named Subdoluseps nilgiriensis, after the Nilgiris, the reptile has a slender body of just about 7 cm and is sandy brown in color.
• Based on genetic studies, the new species is closely related to Subdoluseps pruthi that is found in parts of the Eastern Ghats.
• It is currently vulnerable.

App to avail both Central, state govt schemes

• Tripura government has come up with an app ‘Jagrut Tripura’ where people can avail the benefit of both the Central government and state government schemes.
• At present, the app has enlisted 102 schemes and the state govt plans to scale it to over 300.
• A person can check his eligibility for a particular scheme in the app, after which he will receive a message if he is eligible or not.

IDBI Bank launches digital loan process sys

• IDBI Bank Limited has launched its fully digitized, end-to-end, Loan Processing System for its MSME and Agri products.
• This new loan processing system seamlessly integrates with data fintech, bureau validations, document storage/retrieval, account opening/management.
• The platform was designed to incorporate knock-off criteria and credit policy parameters for superior underwriting standards.

Obituaries:

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dhariawad constituency in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district, Gotham Lal Meena, died due to Covid-19 infection on 19 May 2021.
• The Heartbreak Kid’, ’12 PM Run’ ‘Deliciously Droll’ and the ‘Beethoven’ actor Charles Grodin, who charmed audiences with his droll, understated and awkward humor, passed away in May 2021.

Ex-NSG Chief JK Dutt passes away

• Former NSG Director General Jyoti Krishan Dutt died on 19 May’21 due to complications arising out of COVID-19.
• Dutt headed the commando forces during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
• He served as the DG of the National Security Guard (NSG) from Aug 2006 to Feb 2009.
• He also worked in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and was once appointed as its Officiating Chief or Director in 2005.

Gujarat: ₹1,000 cr relief package announced

• PM Narendra Modi on 19 May 2021 announced financial assistance of ₹1000 crore for immediate relief activities in Gujarat after reviewing the situation caused by Cyclone Tauktae.
• He also announced ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
• The damages due to Cyclone Tauktae are estimated at over ₹3000 cr across the state.

Assam: Free power supply to oxygen plants

• The Assam govt on 19 May’21 announced a free power supply to encourage the setting up of new oxygen plants as well as the revival of the closed ones.
• In case of expansion of the existing plant, the new unit would be given free power.
• All existing oxygen plants would be given 20% free power.
• All these decisions would come into effect from 1 Jan’21, but financial implications would be from 1 Apr’21.

Cyclone “Yaas” to form around May 25

• Cyclone Yaas is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal around 25 May’21, according to India Meteorological Department. 
• This storm will be the 2nd to form in 2021 and the 1st over the Bay of Bengal in 2021.
• A low-pressure system could take birth close to the north Andaman Sea and march towards either Odisha or West Bengal by the evening of May 26.
• It will acquire the name Yaas, given by Oman.

Turkey bans polyethylene plastic imports

• Turkey has imposed an import ban on ethylene polymer plastic waste as environmental groups sound the alarm on the world’s plastic consumption and lack of effective recycling.
• Turkey’s Trade Ministry has added ethylene polymer plastics to its list of waste materials that are illegal to import.
• So, 74% of the plastic waste imported by Turkey in 2020 will now be on the banned list.

Govt hikes subsidy on fertilizers by 140%

• The Centre on 19 May 2021 hiked the subsidy on di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer from Rs 500 per bag (50kg) to Rs 1,200 per bag, which is an increase of 140%.
• The increase in subsidy for DAP fertilizers will mean an additional burden of Rs 14,775 cr on the government in the upcoming Kharif season.
• Despite the rise in international market prices of DAP, farmers will get DAP at old rates.

Home testing kit for Covid-19 gets ICMR nod

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on 19 May 2021 approved the self-use Rapid Antigen Test for Covid-19.
• Named CoviSelf (PathoCatch), the indigenously developed test has been designed by Pune-based startup Mylab Discovery Solutions for home testing.
• The use of a kit is advisable only for symptomatic individuals and people who came in contact with lab-tested Covid positive patients.

Jupitice launches dispute resolution platform

• Chandigarh-based Jupitice Justice Technologies has launched the country’s first private digital platform to conduct virtual arbitration, conciliation, mediation, and other Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms.
• The startup has launched an online service marketplace for the dispute resolution sector.
• It provides a platform to find arbitrators, mediators, and justice service providers.

PayPoint ties up with Digit General Insurance

• PayPoint India has partnered with Digit General Insurance to provide affordable health insurance to its customers in India’s underserved regions.
• The partnership is being flagged off with the launch of a coronavirus hospitalization insurance policy.
• The policy covers treatments up to Rs 2 lakhs at a premium of Rs 799. 

Iran unveils strongest domestic supercomputer

• Iran has unveiled a supercomputer – its strongest to date – developed domestically by Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT).
• The supercomputer is named Simorgh after a mythical Persian bird.
• It has a performance capacity of 0.56 petaflops at the moment and will reach one petaflop in two months.
• The supercomputer will offer large-scale data analysis services.

Winchcombe meteorite to go on display in the UK

• A piece of the Winchcombe meteorite that touched down in the town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire in the UK in Feb’21 will be displayed at the National History Museum in May 2021.
• Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. 
• The piece of meteorite, which is a 103-gram fragment of black rock resembling coal, was found in a field.

US announces aid for Rohingya refugees

• The United States has announced nearly USD 155 million in assistance to help meet the immediate needs of 900,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
• It is for the refugees in Bangladesh who fled from horrific violence in Burma’s Rakhine State, including women and children.
• This comes a day after the US imposed fresh sanctions on Myanmar’s administrative body and high-ranking officials.

Andhra Pradesh Govt unveils a policy

• The Andhra Pradesh Government has come up with AP Industrial Gasses and Medical Oxygen Manufacturing Policy 2021-22, under which incentives will be given to private players to set up oxygen plants.
• This is being done to augment oxygen manufacturing capacity from the existing 360 metric tonnes to 700 metric tonnes.
• The policy targets to set up 50 PSA (pressure swing adsorption) oxygen plants.

6 new AIIMS fully functional

• The central govt has approved setting up 22 new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) so far under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
• Out of these, six are already fully functional, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Out of the total 22 new AIIMS, six AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh are already fully functional.

Expat Insider 2021 Survey

• Expat community organization InterNations has just published their Expat Insider 2021 Survey which uncovers the best destinations for living and working abroad.
• The survey is topped by Taiwan, followed by Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and Portugal.
• The lowest countries include Kuwait, Italy, South Africa, Russia, Egypt, Japan, Cyprus, Turkey, India, and Malta.

China successfully launches new satellite

• China has successfully sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit as part of its effort to build an all-weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system.
• It would provide early warning on marine disasters.
• Haiyang-2D (HY-2D) satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.

World Bee Day: 20 May

• World Bee Day is observed on 20 May every year.
• Bee Day celebrations raise awareness about the threats to pollinators like bees by human activities.
• In December 2017 UN approved this day and the First World Bee Day was celebrated on 20 May 2018.
• World Bee Day theme 2021 is “Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees”.

ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming to step down

• Zhang Yiming, the co-founder of TikTok owner ByteDance will step down as Chief Executive.
• He will be succeeded by co-founder Rubo Liang.
• ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese multinational internet technology company headquartered in Beijing and legally domiciled in the Cayman Islands.
• It was founded by Zhang Yiming in the year 2012.

Consignment of Gholvad Sapota shipped to the UK

• A consignment of Dahanu Gholvad Sapota, a Geographical Indication (GI) certified product from the Palghar district of Maharashtra was shipped to the UK on 19 May’21.
• GI certification of Gholvad Sapota is held by Maharashtra Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh and the fruit is known for its sweet and unique taste.
• It is believed that the taste is derived from the calcium-rich soil of Gholvad village.

Govt to provide insurance to athletes, coaches

• The Government has decided to widen its medical insurance cover for sportspersons by increasing the number of beneficiary athletes and including contractual coaches and support staff from 2021, in the wake of the pandemic.
• The coverage would increase to more than 13,000 athletes, coaches, and support staff.
• They will be provided an insurance cover of ₹5 lakh each.

Cipla launches test kit ‘ViraGen’ for Covid-19

• Cipla Limited has launched ‘ViraGen’, a polymerase chain reaction (Covid-19 RT-PCR) test for Covid-19 in India.
• It has announced the commercialization of it in partnership with Ubio Biotechnology Systems Pvt. Ltd.
• ViraGen is the company’s third offering in the Covid-19 testing segment.
• It helps to identify and detect SARS CoV-2 N Gene and ORF Lab Gene with a sensitivity of 98.6%.

Maharashtra Govt to provide skill training

• In order to provide skilled manpower to the health care sector, the Maharashtra government has launched a special skill development program.
• Free training will be imparted to 20 thousand workers for various requirements of the health care sector.
• For this, the state government has launched the Chief Minister Maha Arogya Skill Development Training Programme.

ICU and Oxygen on Wheels service launched

• Intensive Care Unit and Oxygen on Wheels service was launched in Karnataka on 19 May 2021 to reach out to those COVID-19 patients in rural areas that lack medical care facilities.
• All the districts will be provided ICU and Oxygen buses under Public-Private Partnerships.
• Each of such modified buses has five beds with oxygen, BP, oxygen saturation, ECG, and temperature reading facilities.

Money in wallets can be taken out from ATM

• Now Money kept in various online wallets like Amazon pay, Ola money, Mobikwik, Phone pe, Delhi Metro Card, etc. can be withdrawn using an ATM or Point of Sale Terminal.
• RBI has permitted cash withdrawal of Rs. 2,000 per transaction with a maximum limit of Rs. 10,000 per month.
• Now maximum of two lakh rupees can be kept in various wallets after completion of full KYC.

Rajasthan declares Mucormycosis as an epidemic

• Mucormycosis (black fungus) has been declared an epidemic in Rajasthan.
• The number of cases of this disease is increasing in the state which primarily affects people recovering from Covid.
• Mucormycosis has been notified as an epidemic and a notifiable disease in the state under the Rajasthan Epidemic Act 2020.

EAM S Jaishankar addresses UN Security Council

• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on 19 May 2021, addressed the UN Security Council on peace and security in Africa.
• He informed that India has helped 42 countries in the African continent deal with the covid crisis.
• He spoke about 189 Indian projects, 43 thousand education and training slots in the last five years, and 17 digital programs in 41 African countries.

51st Indian Handicrafts Fair inaugurated

• The 51st edition of the virtual Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair, IHGF of Delhi was inaugurated on 19 May 2021.
• The fair is India’s largest virtual fair in the home, fashion, lifestyle, textiles, and furniture sector.
• The fair will see the participation of 1,500 manufacturers and exporters showcasing 2,000 product expressions.
• The overseas buyers from over 85 countries have already registered.

Indian Navy designs ‘Oxygen Recycling System’

• Indian Navy has designed an Oxygen Recycling System, ORS to mitigate the current oxygen crisis.
• The Diving School of the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has conceptualized and designed the system to alleviate the existing Oxygen shortage.
• It is designed to extend the life of the existing medical oxygen cylinders two to four times.

Obituaries

• Veteran Congress leader and former Rajasthan CM Jagannath Pahadia died due to Covid-19 in May 2021. He served as the CM of Rajasthan from 1980-81 and was also a former governor of Haryana and Bihar.
• R. K Dutta, the first Managing Director of Numaligarh Refinery Limited, passed away in May 2021. He served as the MD of NRL from August 1995 to April 2002. 

Mobile wallet interoperability mandatory

• RBI wants all licensed prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) or mobile wallets such as Paytm, and PhonePe to be interoperable from fiscal 2023.
• This means that starting Apr’22, a fully vetted mobile wallet user, one who has fulfilled all KYC norms will be able to send and receive money from different mobile wallets.
• For card-based PPIs, this will be achieved via card network interoperability.

Vodafone Idea appoints Reema Jain as CDO

• Vodafone Idea has appointed Reema Jain as the new Chief Digital Officer of the company.
• She will report to MD and CEO, Ravinder Takkar.
• Jain will lead digital strategy, execution, and adoption across the company.
• She was previously serving Unilever as Head of IT, responsible for Supply Chain delivering Digital solutions for Unilever’s global operations.

SEBI proposes merger of debt securities rules

• SEBI has proposed a merger of listing rules pertaining to debt securities and non-convertible redeemable preference shares into a single regulation.
• The proposal is aimed at harmonizing with the Companies Act, 2013, and maintaining consistency with the SEBI’s LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) rules
• It has invited public comments on the proposal, open for 21 days.

SEBI fines Biocon

• SEBI has imposed a total fine of Rs 14 lakh on Biocon Ltd and its designated person for violation of market norms.
• Designated person of the firm, Narendra Chirmule, who was employed with the company as senior vice president-R&D has been fined Rs 5 lakh for trading in the company’s securities when the trading window was closed.

Edelweiss General Insurance launches IPOS

• InsurTech start-up Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), has launched yet another industry-first digital offering, IPOS (Integrated Partner Onboarding Solution).
• This is a fully automated onboarding solution for all its existing and prospective partners including agents, brokers, and web aggregators.
• IPOS will enable the sales workforce to create or upload any number of prospects in real-time.