Wednesday 3 February 2021
GK Update of twenty eighth January 2021 protecting the next information headlines: UN Peacebuilding Fund, Estonia, HSBC Bank, NCLAT Chennai Bench, e-EPIC, Dhanlaxmi Bank.
National News
1. India pledges $150,000 for UN Peacebuilding Fund for 2021
- India has introduced a pledge of USD 150,000 to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) for the 12 months 2021 to help the actions and packages this 12 months. The Peacebuilding Fund has put forth its five-year technique, which requires 1.5 billion {dollars} for 2020-2024.
- This was introduced by TS Tirumurti, India’s everlasting consultant to the United Nations on January 25, 2021.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed that he was grateful to the nations that dedicated to offering over $439 million in help of the UN’s work towards peacebuilding & battle prevention by way of the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
- UN Peacekeeping goals to primarily assist nations navigate by way of the tough path from battle to peace. The UN peacekeeping has distinctive strengths together with legitimacy, burden sharing and a capability to deploy troops and police from around the globe and combine them with civilian peacekeepers to deal with a variety of mandates set by the UN Security Council and General Assembly.
International News
2. Kaja Kallas to grow to be Estonia’s first feminine prime minister
- Kaja Kallas, the chief of the Reform Party will grow to be Estonia’s first feminine prime minister.
- The Reform Party, led by Kallas, gained the 2019 parliamentary election in Estonia with 34 MPs within the nation’s 101-seat parliament, Riigikogu.
- Estonia would thus at present grow to be the one nation on this planet the place each the president Kersti Kaljulaid and the prime minister are ladies.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Estonia Capital: Tallinn.
- Estonia Currency: Euro.
State News
3. Maharashtra launches ‘jail tourism’ initiative from Pune’s Yerawada jail
- The Prison Department of Maharashtra has launched its jail tourism initiative beginning with greater than 150-year-old Yerawada Central Prison in Pune.
- The initiative was launched in a transfer to assist college students find out about historic experiences.
- Yerawada jail is 150 years outdated the place a number of freedom fighters, together with Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak had been imprisoned, Pune-pact was signed inside the premises and many others.
- The guests can even get to see the faasi yard, the world the place the dying sentence is executed.
- This is the place the place Chapekar brothers had been executed in 1899 for the assassination of British Plague Commissioner of Pune WC Rand.
- The final execution that the faasi yard witnessed was in November 2012 of Ajmal Kasab, a convict of 26/11 assaults, who was buried contained in the jail premises.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Banking News
4. HSBC inaugurates worldwide banking unit in Gujarat
- Global monetary providers main HSBC has inaugurated it’s International Banking Unit (IBU) department at GIFT City close to Gandhinagar metropolis in Gujarat.
- HSBC is among the earliest international monetary establishments organising a department at India’s GIFT City and was the primary financial institution to get a licence from the newly arrange International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).
- HSBC’s IBU department at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) shall be operational for buyer transactions with impact from January 27.
- HSBC has been current within the nation for greater than 160 years and its fourth department globally was opened in India. HSBC operates in the entire main worldwide monetary service hubs on this planet and appears ahead to the event of GIFT City as a globally aggressive worldwide monetary centre.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- HSBC Bank India CEO: Surendra Rosha.
- HSBC Bank India HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Appointments News
5. Dhanlaxmi Bank Board approves appointment of J K Shivan as MD and CEO
- Board of Directors of Kerala-based Dhanlaxmi Bank have given the approval to nominate J K Shivan as managing director and CEO of the Bank. It could also be recalled that the shareholders of the Kerala-based had voted towards MD & CEO Sunil Gurbaxani On September 30, 2020. Then, in December that 12 months, the lender appointed Shivan as the brand new MD & CEO.
- However, the banking regulator, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), had requested the Dhanlaxmi Bank Board to get shareholders’ approval earlier than appointing J K Shivan as the following chief of the financial institution.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Dhanlaxmi Bank Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala.
- Dhanlaxmi Bank Founded: 1927.
Agreements News
6. India Inks Strategic Partnership Agreement with IEA
- India has inked a strategic partnership settlement with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world’s premier power monitor, on 27 January 2021.
- The goal of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation in international power safety, stability and sustainability in addition to strengthen mutual belief and cooperation between IEA members and the Government of India.
- The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. This deal will assist India to realize full membership of IEA.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- International Energy Agency headquarters: Paris, France.
- International Energy Agency Member Countries: 30.
- International Energy Agency Establishment: November 1974.
Ranks and Reports News
7. TCS ranks third most valued IT providers model globally
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked third most-valued IT providers model globally, after Accenture and IBM, based on a report by Brand Finance. Third-ranked TCS is quickly closing the hole with IBM following a wholesome 11% model worth improve to USD 15 billion.
- Accenture retained the title of world’s most dear and strongest IT providers model with report model worth of USD 26 billion, whereas IBM continued on the second place with a model worth of USD 16.1 billion.
- Four Indian IT providers firms have secured spots within the top-10 globally, particularly, TCS (3), Infosys (4), HCL (7) and Wipro (9). Accenture has retained the title of world’s most dear and strongest IT providers model with a model worth of $26 billion.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Tata Consultancy Services CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan.
- Tata Consultancy Services Founded: 1 April 1968.
- Tata Consultancy Services Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Awards News
8. Meghalaya wins National Award for Best Electoral Practices 2020
- The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya was chosen for a Special Award for Information Technology purposes in Elections by the Election Commission of India (ECI), within the National Best Electoral Practices Awards-2020.
- President Ram Nath Kovind nearly conferred the award to Meghalaya CEO F.R. Kharkongor on the National Voters’ Day Award perform held in New Delhi.
- The award recognises the sustained and constant IT utility efforts in electoral actions being made by the Office of the CEO in your entire Enrolment to Elections (E2E) course of and for leveraging expertise for the advantage of all classes of voters, each common and individuals with disabilities (PWDs).
- The ECI has constantly been championing using expertise protecting the non-election interval, comparable to voter portal, voter helpline app, SMS, 1950 helpline, political occasion registration and on-line monitoring.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Meghalaya Capital: Shillong.
- Meghalaya Governor: Satya Pal Malik.
- Meghalaya Chief minister: Conrad Sangma.
Obituaries News
9. Former India and Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Prasanta Dora passes away
- Former Indian National Football crew goalkeeper, Prasanta Dora has handed away. He was represented Tollygunge Agragami, Calcutta Port Trust, Mohammedan Sporting, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in home soccer.
- He has additionally adjudged the Best Goalkeeper when Bengal lifted back-to-back Santosh Trophy titles in 1997-98 and 99. At the nationwide degree, Dora made 5 appearances in competitions comparable to SAFF Cup and SAF Games.
Miscellaneous News
10. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opens NCLAT Chennai Bench
- Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has nearly inaugurated the Chennai Bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). This would be the second NCLAT Bench within the nation, after the Principal Bench in New Delhi.
- The NCLAT has jurisdiction over issues beneath the Companies Act, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the Competition Commission of India.
- Fresh appeals towards the orders of the Benches of the tribunal having jurisdiction in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry should be filed earlier than the Chennai Bench.
- Justice Bansi Lal Bhat, performing Chairperson, NCLAT; Rajesh Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs; and Justice Venugopal M, judicial member, and Balvinder Singh, technical member of the NCLAT Chennai Bench, had been current.
11. Election Commission rolls out digital voter ID playing cards “e-EPIC”
- The Election Commission has rolled out the digital model of the voters’ picture id card e-EPIC, which will be saved on cellphones and downloaded on private computer systems.
- The bodily card takes time to print and attain the voter, and the thought is to offer quicker supply and straightforward accessibility to the doc.
- The e-EPIC is a safe transportable doc format (PDF) model of the EPIC which will be downloaded on cell or in a self-printable type on the pc.
- The voter can retailer the cardboard on his/her cell, add it as a PDF on Digi locker or print it & self-laminate.
- The e-elector picture id card is a non-editable digital model of the elector picture id card and will be saved in services comparable to digital locker in addition to will be printed within the PDF format.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora.
- Chief Election Commissioner Formed: 25 January 1950.
- Chief Election Commissioner Headquarters: New Delhi.