Important Current Affairs 22nd May 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Martha Koome: The first woman chief justice of Kenya

•Martha Karambu Koome became Kenya’s first woman chief justice. She is the first woman to head any of the three branches of government.

•Koome, 61, a calm but staunch women’s rights crusader, takes over the judiciary ahead of next year’s general elections and would likely play a decisive role in adjudicating any eventual election disputes.

NATIONAL

Prahlad Singh Patel announced that around six cultural heritage sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites

•The Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel recently announced that around six cultural heritage sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With this, the total number of sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative list has increased to 48.

The following tentative six places of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• Ganga Ghats of Varanasi,

• Temples of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu,

• Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh,

• Maharashtra Military Architecture

• Hire Benkal Megalithic site,

• Bhedaghat Lametaghat of Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren launched ‘Amrit Vahini’ App for online booking of hospital beds

•Jharkhand has launched the ‘Amrit Vahini’ App for the online booking of hospital beds. Corona patients in Jharkhand can book hospital beds online through the ‘Amrit Vahini’ App launched by CM Hemant Soren.

•‘Amrit Vahini’ App, the state government would be able to provide better facilities for the people infected with the coronavirus. Though ‘Amrit Vahini’ App or website one can get all information about the availability of hospital beds and even book one for himself or anybody else online. The bed booked by the person will be kept reserved for him for the next two hours.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft decided to retire iconic Internet Explorer

•Tech-giant Microsoft has decided to retire its iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser, with effect from 15 June 2022, after more than 25 years of its launch. The Internet Explorer (IE) browser was launched in 1995. Microsoft recommends its users shift to Microsoft Edge (2015) before June 15, 2022, for a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience.

•Microsoft Edge has in-built Internet Explorer mode (IE mode), so users can access legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge.

•Internet Explorer was once the most widely used web browser, with 95 per cent usage share by 2003.

•However, its usage share declined since the launch of Firefox (2004) and Google Chrome (2008), as well as the growing popularity of mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS that do not support Internet Explorer.

OBITUARY

Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Jagannath Pahadia passed away due to C-19

•Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Jagannath Pahadia has passed away due to C-19.

•He served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 6 June 1980 to 14 July 1981. Apart from this, he was also a former Governor of Haryana and Bihar.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Pinarayi Vijayan takes oath as Kerala Chief Minister consecutive second time

•Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn as Kerala Chief Minister for the second time in the shadow of the C-19 crisis in the state. The oath ceremony took place with C-19 protocols in place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office to 76-year-old Vijayan. It is the second stint of the Marxist veteran in the top office.

•The new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government bucked the trends, as Kerala usually alternates between the Left and a Congress government, by registering a dominant win in the 6 April assembly polls. The LDF won 99 of 140 seats.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Biological Diversity 2021: 22 May

•The United Nations celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May every year to raise awareness about the issue of a significant reduction in biological diversity due to certain human activities. Biological Diversity comprises a wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms including genetic differences within each species, for example, between varieties of crops and breeds of livestock.

•This year 2021 the theme is “We’re part of the solution”. The slogan was chosen to be a continuation of the momentum generated last year under the over-arching theme, “Our solutions are in nature”, which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges.

SUMMITS AND MOU’S

Hero Group launched ed-tech platform ‘Hero Vired’

•The Munjal family-led Hero Group has launched a new education technology startup ‘ Hero Vired’, which will offer an end-to-end learning ecosystem. Through this new edtech venture, Hero Group aims to enter the ed-tech space. The platform will offer learners overall professional development to make them industry-ready for employment.

•Hero Vired has partnered with top global universities, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Singularity University, to offer full-time and part-time programs in finance and financial technologies; game design; integrated programs in data science, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI); entrepreneurial thinking and innovation; and full-stack development.

RANKING

Karnataka ranked first in establishing Health and Wellness Centres

•Karnataka has been ranked first in establishing Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Program to provide comprehensive primary health care in rural areas. Karnataka is leading in implementing the project for 2020-2021. While the Centre had set a target of establishing 2,263 centres, the State has upgraded 3,300 centres till March 31. With a score of 90 out of 95, the state ranks on top when it comes to the implementation of the project for the year 2020- 21 as per the health and family welfare department.

•With the objective of providing quality health care for all under the Ayushman Bharat – Arogya Karnataka scheme, all PHCs are being upgraded under National Health Mission. The state has a target of upgrading 11,595 Centres as HWCs. Counselling sessions for adults, public yoga camps, ENT care, first aid during emergency and referrals to tertiary hospitals are some of the services being offered in these centres.

Jharkhand ranked first in implementation of Smart City Mission schemes

•Jharkhand has clinched the 1st Position among the 36 States & UTs of India based on the progress of implementation of Smart City projects, Rajasthan came second in the rankings. The rankings were released by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

•At the same time, Jharkhand’s Capital Ranchi has risen to 12th position in terms of progress of the ongoing mission plans in 100 cities. On the other hand, Delhi is at number 11 in the list of States and Union Territories and Bihar at number 27 and New Delhi Municipal Corporation is at number 41 and Bihar Capital Patna at 68th position in the list of cities.

•Earlier, there was a system of issuing ranking in one month, fortnight, week by the Smart City Mission. But, now these rankings are updated frequently through the online process. In this ranking, the implementation and progress of the schemes run by the Smart City Mission are the basis and the points for various tasks are determined.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI will transfer Rs. 99,122 crore surplus to the Central Government for FY21

•The Reserve Bank of India will transfer Rs 99,122 crore surplus to the Central Government for the accounting period of nine months ended March 31, 2021 (July 2020-March 2021). The Contingency Risk Buffer will remain at 5.50%.

•This year RBI has changed its Accounting year from July-June to April-March to coincide with the accounting year of Government. As a result, the accounting year 2020-21 of RBI has only 9 months. It must be noted that every year, RBI transfers its entire surplus which it has earned as profit to Central Government.