Top Current Affairs 28th May 2021 at Freshers Wisdom

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Top Current Affairs

Tejaswini Sawant tops MQS section

• In the European Shooting Championship in Croatia, former world champion Tejaswini Sawant topped the Minimum Qualification Score section of the 50-m rifle prone event.
• She shot 622.7 to finish ahead of three other compatriots and six Iranians.
• She will represent India in the 50-m rifle 3 positions event at the Olympic Games in July-August 2021.

UN honor for 3 Indian peacekeepers

• The three peacekeepers were awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously on 27 May 2021.
• The awardee includes Corporal Yuvraj Singh who served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
• Besides this, two civilian peacekeepers Ivan Michael Picardo, who served with UNMISS, and Mulchand Yadav, who worked for the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq were also among the awardee.

Centre appoints 3 new CBDT members

• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of three new members to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 27 May 2021.
• An order issued an appointment of 1985 batch officers of the Indian Revenue Service Anu J Singh, J B Mohapatra, and Anuja Sarangi to the board.
• The CBDT is headed by a chairman and can have six members.

SpiceHealth wins Gold Stevie Award 2021

• SpiceHealth has won the Gold Award at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for ‘Most Valuable Medical Innovation’ under the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response category.
• The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace in all 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.
• The virtual awards ceremony will be held on July 14, 2021.

New book to raise Rs 1 crore for Covid relief

• A Delhi-based mountaineer, Aditya Gupta has authored a new book titled ‘7 Lessons from Everest’.
• He has decided to raise Rs 1 crore through his upcoming book for Covid relief.
• The initiative is in collaboration with Child Rights and You (CRY).
• The initiative aims to support a total of 3272 children in terms of providing better care, protection, and education to them.

Extinct Galápagos tortoise found alive

• A giant tortoise found in the Galápagos Islands has been confirmed as a species thought to be extinct around 115 yrs ago.
• The single female was discovered during a 2019 expedition to Fernandina Island.
• To prove the link, scientists took samples from the female to compare to the remains of a male from the species Chelonoidis phantasticus.
• The last previous sighting of species had been in 1906.

UP imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act

• The UP govt imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state on 27 May’21.
• The act will be imposed for the next 6 months.
• The Uttar Pradesh Essential Services Maintenance Act 1966, prohibits strikes by employees in a long list of essential services like railway, airport, post, and telegraph.
• It also bans the strike in govt departments, govt run corporations, and development authorities.

Manipur CM launches MHIM mobile app

• Manipur CM N. Biren Singh launched Manipur Home Isolation Management (MHIM) mobile application for home isolation patients on 27 May’21.
• The mobile app has been developed to avail real-time health data and information of Home Isolation Covid patients at the monitoring level.
• With this app, patients can upload their health status, which later divided as critical and normal by the Health Dept.

Assam Govt gives Rs 500 crore to OIL

• Assam Government on 27 May 2021 handed over its 2nd tranche of payment worth rupees 500 crores to Oil India Limited to enhance its equity in Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).
• The decision enhances the share of the Assam govt in NRL up to 26% from its previous 12.35%.
• NRL is an important organization for the state govt as it was a refinery set up under the provisions of the Assam Accord.

Meghalaya announces Rs 50,000 Ex-Gratia

• Meghalaya government has decided to grant an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000  to families of those who lost their near and dear ones due to COVID 19 related complications.
• The ex-gratia is applicable from 1 Apr 2021.
• The govt has also decided to increase the benefits under the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) from Rs 4,900 up to Rs 60,000 for those COVID patients enrolled under the MHIS.

Virtual trade fair for horticultural products

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) on 27 May 2021 inaugurated a 3-day 2nd virtual trade fair (VTF) for horticultural produce.
• The three days VTF (May 27-29, 2021) displays India’s unique fruits, vegetables, and floricultural products sourced from various regions for the global importers.
• APEDA had organized the first virtual trade fair in March 2020.

Frontline Journalist Memorial Fund created

• A group of people associated with the media has come together to help the family of frontline journalists who were the sole bread earners of the family and succumbed to COVID-19.
• They have created Frontline Journalist Memorial Fund.
• The frontline journalist should not be accredited with any government body.
• This Fund will provide assistance towards the school fees of children.

Prof CNR Rao receives Eni Award 2020

• Bharat Ratna Professor C.N.R. Rao has received the International Eni Award 2020 for research into renewable energy sources and energy storage.
• This award is considered to be the Nobel Prize in energy research and also called as Energy Frontier Award.
• The Energy Frontiers award has been conferred for his work on metal oxides, carbon nanotubes, and other materials and two-dimensional systems.

Mission Fateh rolled out by the Punjab Government

• Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on 27 May 2021 has rolled out a new initiative Mission Fateh 2.0 as part of the ‘Corona Mukt Punjab Abhiyan’ (Covid-free Punjab Campaign).
• The initiative was launched with directions to form groups of seven Rural Corona Volunteers (RCVs) per village or municipal ward as a cadre to fight the pandemic.

Kerala to give financial aid of ₹3 lakh

• The Kerala government has announced ‘one-time’ financial help of ₹3 lakh for children who lost their parents due to coronavirus.
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said ₹2,000 per month will be given to the children till 18 years of age.
• Besides, the State Government will bear the cost of their education till the degree level.

Business and Economy

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has acquired GE’s stake in Tata Consultancy Services Saudi Arabia. The acquisition of GE’s stake in Tata Consultancy Services Saudi Arabia has been completed on May 26, 2021.
• PNB MetLife Insurance has launched PNB MetLife Century Plan. It is a comprehensive life insurance solution designed to meet customers’ evolving life-stage needs including retirement.

Villarreal wins Europa League

• Villarreal defeated Manchester United 11-10 on penalties to win their first major trophy after a 1-1 draw in the Europa League final.
• Moreno’s 82nd goal for Villarreal equaled the club record of former Manchester United forward Giuseppe Rossi.
• Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, Spain.

IB and RAW chief get a one-year extension

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved a one-year extension to both Chief of the country’s premier intelligence agency – Intelligence Bureau ( IB) and Research & Analysis Wing ( R&AW).
• IB Director Arvind Kumar’s tenure has been extended by one year till June 30, 2022.
• Similarly, R&AW Secretary Samant Kumar Goel will also continue in office till June 30, 2022.

Bidya Devi Bhandari issues an ordinance

• Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has issued an ordinance to amend the Nepali Citizenship Act.
• She had issued the Nepali Citizenship (first amendment) ordinance pursuant to Article 114 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal.
• After the issuance of the ordinance, citizenship by descent will be provided to offsprings of ‘bona fide’ citizens of Nepal, those owning citizenship by birthright.

CSS Corp to appoint Sunil Mittal as its CEO

• CSS Corp’s board has unanimously chosen Sunil Mittal as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer.
• Sunil Mittal, currently the Chief Operating Officer at CSS Corp will take up the new role effective July 1st, 2021 succeeding Manish Tandon who is stepping down.
• In addition, Sunil will also join the company’s Board of Directors upon assuming his new role.

Government sets up a panel of state ministers

• The government has set up a panel of state ministers for better valuation of services of casinos, online gaming portals, and racecourses for levying goods and services tax (GST).
• The seven-member panel is convened by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.
• It will also examine whether any change is required in the legal provision for better means of valuation of these services.

ONV Award for Tamil poet Vairamuthu

• Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu was conferred with the prestigious ONV Award on 26 May 2021.
• ONV Award is given to litterateurs, poets, and lyricists across the country in memory of late poet ONV Kurup.
• This is the first time a non-Keralite celebrity has been chosen for the prestigious award.
• The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, citation, and plaque.

India’s 1st reactor on PPP model to be built

• The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will be constructing the country’s first research reactor on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
• The research reactor, which will be designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), will produce radioisotopes.
• DAE will provide the upfront capital and build the plant through its subsidiary – Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

WHO launches a global facility?

• The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland have signed an MoU to launch a BioHub facility.
• It will allow rapid sharing of pathogens between laboratories and partners to facilitate better analysis and preparedness against them.
• The facility will help in the safe reception, sequencing, storage, and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories.

World Hunger Day: 28 May

• World Hunger Day is observed every year on 28 May.
• The day was created by The Hunger Project to bring awareness to the more than 690 million people living in chronic hunger during an unprecedented global crisis.
• It is observed to not only spread awareness about chronic hunger but also to solve hunger and poverty through sustainable undertakings.

International Day of Action for Women’s Health

• The International Day of Action for Women’s Health or International Women’s Health Day is observed on 28 May every year.
• The day aims to raise awareness on the issues related to women’s health and well-being such as Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
• In 1987, the day came into existence and the government of South Africa officially recognized it during that time. 

Telecom department allocates spectrum

• The Department of Telecom (DoT) has allocated a spectrum to telecom operators to start 5G trials in the country.
• Telecom operators have been allocated spectrum in 700 Mhz band, 3.3-3.6 gigahertz (GHz) band, and 24.25-28.5 GHz band across various locations.
• The trials are likely to be conducted at various locations including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Gujarat, Hyderabad, among others. 

Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method

• Scientists of Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have developed a ‘Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method’ for testing COVID-19 samples.
• The saline gargle method is simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly, and comfortable.
• It also offers instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas.

Govt gets ₹3994 cr from Bank stake sale

• The central Govt has garnered Rs 3,994 crore from its stake sale in Axis Bank.
• The Finance Ministry has sold 58 million shares or 1.95% stake held in Axis Bank through the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI) to non-retail and retail investors.
• The portion reserved for non-retail investors has oversubscribed four times the base size.

Japan to provide ventilators to India

• Japan has decided to help India with additional ventilators and oxygen concentrators.
• It will help through the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP).
• Many countries, including Japan, the US, UK, Russia have come forward to provide India with COVID-19 assistance in its fight against the pandemic.

MG Motor joins hands with Attero

• MG Motor India has joined hands with Attero for the recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the country.
• The partnership is aimed at reusing and recycling the Li-ion batteries used in the automaker’s ZS EV units after their end-of-life.
• Attero, which is the country’s leading electronic asset management company and clean-tech provider, deals in battery end-of-use management. 

Education Minister approves a proposal

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has approved the proposal to provide monetary assistance to 11.8 crore students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the cooking cost component of the Mid-Day-Meal scheme, to all eligible children.
• The Central government will provide additional funds of about Rs 1200 crore to state governments and UT administrations for this purpose. 

Indian Navy conducts training program

• Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command commenced the ‘Skill Development Training Program’ on “Maintenance of PSA Oxygen Plants” on 27 May 21.
• The four-day training program is being conducted by a team of experts from Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam over video conference and includes theoretical sessions and practical demonstrations on the PSA plant available at Dockyard.

DRDO develops technology for aeroengines

• DRDO has established the isothermal forging technology to produce all the five stages of high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs out of difficult-to-deform titanium alloy using its unique 2000 MT isothermal forge press.
• It has been developed by the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL).
• This is a crucial technology for establishing self-reliance in aero-engine technology. 

Sanjiv Kapoor joins Oberoi Hotels as President

• Sanjiv Kapoor will be joining the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts Group as President effective 1 June 2021.
• Kapoor is an aviation veteran who has worked as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer at Vistara and Chief Operating Officer at Spice Jet.
• Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, presently operates 33 hotels across the country, two Nile cruisers, and a motor vessel in the backwaters of Kerala.

Bajaj Healthcare launches Posaconazole API

• Pharma company Bajaj Healthcare Ltd has announced the launch of Posaconazole API.
• It is a medication that will be used in the treatment of mucormycosis or Black Fungus infection.
• The commercial production of the API is expected to begin in the first week of June 2021.
• It will be available as a prescription-based medication, with recommended doses.

Sanjay Dutt granted UAE’s Golden Visa

• Sanjay Dutt has been granted a golden visa by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.
• He has become the 1st Indian actor to get it.
• The visa came into effect in May 2019.
• The golden visa is a long-term residency visa.
• It is targeted at wealthy individuals keen to offer the UAE significant investment in exchange for an opportunity to reside within the country. 

Bashar to continue as President of Syria

• Bashar Al-Assad will continue to serve as the President of Syria after winning the election for the fourth time.
• He has been the President since 2000.
• He succeeded his late father, Hafez, who had ruled Syria for more than a quarter of a century before that.
• Syria has been devastated by a decade-long conflict and the fighting has left at least 3,88,000 people dead.

Amnesty International Day: 28 May

• Amnesty International Day is observed on 28 May 2021.
• Amnesty International was founded in London in 1961, following the publication of the article “The Forgotten Prisoners”.
• It is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights with over three million members and supporters around the world.
• The organization was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize. 

EAM holds meeting with US NSA Jake Sullivan

• External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar held a meeting with US National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan on 27 May 2021.
• They held wide-ranging discussions including on Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan.
• The Minister, who is on a five-day visit to the US, also met  US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
• The Minister also met Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

Veer Savarkar’s birth anniversary: 28 May

• 28 May marks the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
• He was commonly known as Swatantraveer Savarkar or simply Savarkar.
• He was an Indian independence activist and politician who formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva.
• He was also a leading personality of the Hindu Mahasabha.