S&P raises India’s FY22 GDP growth forecast to 11% from 10%
S&P Global Ratings raised India’s growth forecast for the financial year 2021-22 to 11% from 10% earlier, led by an expansionary fiscal policy aimed at boosting domestic private spending. It has also raised the 2021 growth forecast for China to 8% from 7% on stronger-than-expected exports and lingering momentum in the property market.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- S&P Global Ratings Headquarters: New York, United States.
- President of S&P Global Ratings: John Berisford.
SAIL Chairperson Soma Mondal appointed Chairperson of SCOPE
Soma Mondal, the chairperson of the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), was on March 26, 2021, elected the new chairperson of the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE). Mondal will have a two-year term starting April; she took charge of SAIL on January 1, 2021.
About the SCOPE:
SCOPE is an apex professional organization representing the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). It promotes excellence in organisations where public investment is involved, in order to enable them to be globally competitive.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- SAIL Headquarters: New Delhi.
- SAIL founded: 19 January 1954.
Noted journalist and author Anil Dharker passes away
Noted journalist and author Anil Dharker passed away. He was the founder and director of the Mumbai International Literary Festival. He was in his mid-70s, was the editor of several publications including Mid-Day and The Independent and played a vital role in opening the Akashwani Auditorium in south Mumbai as an art movie theatre.
About the Anil Dharker:
- Dharker had been the editor of a variety of publications, starting with ‘Debonair’, ‘Mid-Day’; ‘The Independent’ and ‘The Illustrated Weekly of India’.
- He was a columnist for The Indian Express newspaper and has authored ‘The Romance Of Salt’, a book on Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March. He had also worked as a TV show producer and anchor.
- He was also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Children’s Film Society of India.
US President Biden invites PM Modi to Leaders Summit on Climate
President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to a US-hosted virtual summit on climate next month to underscore the urgency and the economic benefits of stronger climate action. Biden will host a two-day climate summit of world leaders starting on Earth Day, April 22, in which he will outline the US goal for reductions of carbon emissions by 2030, known as the nationally determined contribution under the historic Paris accord.
The White House said a total of 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were invited to the conference, which will be live-streamed to the public.
Other leaders invited for the summit include Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering are the other two leaders from South Asia to be invited for the mega-conference.
New Zealand passes miscarriages bereavement leave law
New Zealand’s parliament has passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or stillbirth, becoming only the second country in the world to do so. India is the only other country with similar legislation.
The leave provisions apply to mothers, their partners as well as parents planning to have a child through adoption or surrogacy. One in four New Zealand women has had a miscarriage. The bill will give women and their partners time to come to terms with their loss without having to tap into sick leave. Because their grief is not a sickness, it is a loss. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give voting rights to women and has been a pioneer on issues around woman’s rights.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Prime minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern.
- Capital of New Zealand: Wellington.
- The currency of New Zealand: New Zealand dollar.
Mahinder Giri, range officer won the International Ranger Award
Mahinder Giri, range officer of Rajaji Tiger Reserve for being the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award for his contribution towards conservation. The award has been announced for 10 professionals across the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN and World Commission on Protected Areas WCPA.
Developed through a collaboration between the IUCN WCPA, the International Ranger Federation, Global Wildlife Conservation, and Conservation Allies, these awards, created in 2020, aim to highlight and felicitate the extraordinary work that rangers do in protected and conserved areas worldwide.
Nagaland Health Minister launches ‘i-Learn’ for Community Health Officers
Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister, S Pangnyu Phom has launched i-Learn, a capacity building and performance tracking application for Community Health Officers, CHOs in the state at his office chamber in Kohima. The state government launched the i-Learn application in partnership with USAID-NISHTHA/Jgpiego which will cater across the 189 Health & wellness centres in the state.
About the “i-Learn”:
- i-Learn is a learning management system for CHOs with self-facilitated learning for improving and learning new skills in clinical and non-clinical areas.
- The state is committed to defeating the pandemic and as such it has rolled out several interventions including digital technology like the Naga Telehealth services.
- The Naga Telehealth, a telemedicine platform launched just about six months ago has received a good response from the state’s own medical doctors and CHOs wherein more than 1000 teleconsultations have been conducted.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio; Governor of Nagaland: R. N. Ravi.
UP govt organizes ‘banana festival’ in Kushinagar
Uttar Pradesh government was organised a ‘Banana Festival’ in Kushinagar, which has witnessed the participation of at least 35 farmers and entrepreneurs. The state government had in 2018 organised the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme to promote traditional enterprise.
Noting the good cultivation of bananas in Kushinagar, products in the district made from banana fibre were selected in the ODOP scheme. At least 4,000 farmers are linked to banana cultivation and after inclusion in the ODOP scheme, around 500 people are employed in its processing. There are three banana fibre processing units in the district and the construction of a Common Facility Centre (CFC) is also planned.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow.
- Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.
- Uttar Pradesh Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath.
Suez Canal reopens after giant stranded ship is freed
The giant container ship “Ever Given” that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for the last week resumed its journey, after being successfully refloated. The efforts to float the delinquent Panamanian container ship Ever Given are successful.
The 1,400-foot-long cargo ship jammed diagonally across a southern section of the Suez Canal, leaving a total of 367 ships, including dozens of container ships and bulk carriers, unable to use the key trading route.
1971 Battle of Basantar hero, Lt Gen Pinto (retd) passes away
Lieutenant General, Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘WAG’ Pinto (Retd), a military hero who led an infantry division to a legendary victory in the 1971 India-Pakistan War has passed away at the age of 97. He led the 54 Infantry Division in the Battle of Basantar in the war that gave birth to Bangladesh, leading his troops from the front with the motto he coined “bash on regardless”.
66th Filmfare Awards 2021: Check Complete List of Winners
The awards for the 66th annual Filmfare awards were announced. The event was hosted by actors Rajkummar Rao and Riteish Deshmukh. Despite the difficulties the film industry faced during 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Filmfare decided it was important to commemorate the best of Indian cinema. Among the winners was the late Irrfan Khan, who won the award for best actor in a leading role (male) category, while Amitabh Bachchan bagged the best actor (critics) Award.
Check the complete list of Bollywood celebrities, who won big at the 66th Filmfare Awards 2021:
- Best Film: Thappad
- Best Film (Critics): Prateek Vats (Eeb Allay Ooo!)
- Best Director: Om Raut (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)
- Best Actor in a Lead Role (MALE): Irrfan Khan (Angrezi Medium)
- Best Actor (Critics): Amitabh Bachchan (Gulabo Sitabo)
- Best Actor in a Lead Role (Female): Taapsee Pannu (Thappad)
- Best Actress (Critics): Tillotama Shome (SIR)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Saif Ali Khan (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Farrokh Jaffar (Gulabo Sitabo)
- Best Story: Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunamayee Lagoo Waikul (Thappad)
- Best Screenplay: Rohena Gera (SIR)
- Best Dialogue: Juhi Chaturvedi (Gulabo Sitabo)
- Best Debut Director: Rajesh Krishnan (Lootcase)
- Best Debut Female: Alaya F (Jawaani Jaaneman)
- Best Music Album: Pritam (Ludo)
- Best Lyrics: Gulzar (Chhappak)
- Best Playback Singer (male): Raghav Chaitanya – Ek Tukda Dhoop (Thappad)
- Best Playback Singer (Female): Asees Kaur (Malang)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Irrfan Khan.
