Weekly Current Affairs 16th April- 22nd April 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RRA 2.0: RBI sets up regulatory review authority to review regulations, ease compliance
  • The Reserve Bank recently set up the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0) with a view to streamlining regulations and reducing compliance burden of regulated entities.

• RBI receives 8 applications for setting up banks under ‘on tap’ Licensing
  • UAE Exchange & Financial Services, The Repco Bank and Chaitanya India Fin Credit are among the four applicants for universal banking license, Reserve Bank of India announced recently.

• RBI sets up 6-member panel to review working of asset reconstruction companies
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a six-member panel under the chairmanship of Sudarshan Sen, former RBI executive director, to examine the role of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) in stressed debt resolution, including under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 and review their business model.

ECONOMY

• Rights issue: SEBI puts in place new guidelines on refund for un-allotted, partially allotted applications
  • Market’s regulator SEBI recently came out with new guidelines pertaining to refund for un-allotted and partially allotted applications for rights issue.

• Investment advisers cannot charge implementation fee for advisory clients: SEBI
  • Investment advisers can offer execution services for their advisory clients but without charging any commission or fees, markets regulator SEBI said. It further said an investment adviser cannot avail reimbursement of any amount for the services given to its clients from the asset management companies (AMCs) whose direct plans are being sold by it to clients.

• SEBI issues guidelines for warehousing norms for agri, non-agri goods
  • Markets regulator SEBI recently came out with guidelines for preparing warehousing norms by clearing corporations for agricultural, agri-processed, base and industrial metals goods.

NATIONAL

• Ministry of Tourism signs MOUs with online travel companies
  • In its ongoing effort to strengthen the Hospitality & Tourism Industry especially in the times of the pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cleartrip and Ease My Trip.

• First Italian mega Food Park & food processing project launched in India
  • Italy launched its first ever mega food park project in India involving food processing facilities amid efforts from both sides to further ties between the two nations.

• Indian Railways to run Oxygen Express trains in green corridors
  • Railways will operate ‘Oxygen Express’ trains to transport liquid medical oxygen (LMO) and oxygen cylinders for patients across India, using green corridors for expeditious delivery.

• MoU between India and Bangladesh to increase cooperation in trade remedies
  • The Union Cabinet gave its ex post facto approval to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India’s Director General of Trade Remedies and the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission to increase cooperation in the area of trade remedies.

INTERNATIONAL

• In world first, New Zealand introduces climate change law for financial firms
  • New Zealand has become the first country to introduce a law that will require banks, insurers and investment managers to report the impacts of climate change on their business.
  • The bill is the first of its kind in the world.

• Ecuador’s Guillermo Lasso Wins Presidential Election
  • Ecuador elected a conservative former banker and supporter of free-market policies, Guillermo Lasso, as president.

• Miguel Díaz-Canel will become the President of Cuba
  • Miguel Díaz-Canel will succeed Raúl Castro as the President of the state party and the Cuban Communist Party’s first secretary.
  • He is the first person without the surname Castro to run Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

STATES

• JMM became first party to declare name of donor who contributed through electoral bonds
  • The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is the first party that has declared the name of the entity which made donations to it through electoral bonds.

• Karnataka presented Annual Action Plan for the year 2021-22 under Jal Jeevan Mission
  • Karnataka presented their Annual Action Plan for the year 2021-22 under Jal Jeevan Mission through video conference.

• Govt. clears ROPAX jetty project in Odisha
  • An Rs 110.60 crore ROPAX (roll-on/roll-off passenger) jetty project, connecting Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapara district of Odisha, will come up on the Dhamra River.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• State Of World Population Report 2021: My Body Is My Own
  • The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released State of World Population Report - ‘My Body is My Own’.

• World Press Freedom Index 2021
  • The World Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002. It is based upon the organization’s own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It intends to reflect the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in each country, and the efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom.

• Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework
  • A report titled ‘Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework’ which is a detailed national level assessment of climate vulnerability of states and districts all over India is released.
  • A total of 94 representatives from 24 states and 2 Union Territories participated in the nation-wide exercise jointly supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC).

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• ISRO to support 8 joint research projects proposed by IIT-Delhi's Space Technology Cell
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will support eight joint research projects mooted by the Space Technology Cell (STC) of IIT Delhi.
  • ISRO will support the projects under its RESPOND program with varying duration of 1-3 years.

• NASA awarded contract to SpaceX for moon lander with 2024 goal
  • NASA has awarded Elon Musk's SpaceX to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon.

• NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Takes Flight on Mars
  • NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• UP govt procures 10 times more wheat than previous year
  • The Uttar Pradesh government has procured 5.24 lakh tonne of wheat in the first 22 days of the ongoing rabi marketing year, which began on April 1.

DEFENCE

• 8th edition of Khanjar Exercise
  • The 8th Indo-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise “Khanjar” was inaugurated at the Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, Krygzstan.

EVENTS

• 1st Meeting of National Startup Advisory Council
  • Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal chaired the first meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council.
  • Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the Council to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

• ICMR’s One Health Symposium
  • Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired ICMR’s International Symposium titled ‘One Health in India: Research informing biosafety, preparedness and response’ through video conference.

• Hydrogen Economy: New Delhi Dialogue – 2021
  • The Energy Forum (TEF) and the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, organised a Hydrogen Roundtable on “Hydrogen Economy: New Delhi Dialogue – 2021” in a virtual mode.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Lifetime Achievement Award for Director Roberto Benigni
  • Director Roberto Benigni will be receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

• HAL bags top award for innovative training practices
  • Navratna Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has bagged first place for Innovative Training Practices 2019-20 at the 30th National Award Ceremony held by Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD).

SPORTS

• 2021 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
  • The annual sports publication the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack awarded the cricketers.
  • In the 2021 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, one cricketer from each decade ranging from 1971 to 2021 was named.

• Four Indian sailors qualify for Tokyo Olympics
  • Four Indian sailors - Nethra Kumanan, Vishnu Saravanan, KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar -qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the Asian qualification event which concluded in Oman.

• Asian Wrestling Championship 2021
  • 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championship took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • Iran topped the medal tally while Kazakhstan was second.
  • India was at 3rd place with 14 medals (5 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze).