Important Current Affairs 23rd April 2021

NATIONAL

Rekha Menon is the First Woman Chairperson of NASSCOM

•IT industry’s apex body Nasscom on Thursday appointed Rekha M. Menon, chairperson and senior managing director at Accenture in India, as its chairperson for 2021-2022. With this, she becomes the first woman to take on the role of chairperson for Nasscom in its 30-year history.

•Menon, earlier the vice chairperson, succeeds U.B. Pravin Rao, chief operating officer, Infosys Ltd, who served as chairman of Nasscom for 2020-2021.

Indian Navy deployed DSRV

•The Indian Navy deployed a deep submergence rescue vessel to support the Indonesian Navy's hunt for a submarine that went missing with 53 people on board.

•They said the Indian DSRV is fitted with latest technology and that it has a side scan sonar for locating the position of submarines in distress at sea.

SPORTS

Tamil Nadu’s, Arjun Kalyan became India’s 68th Chess Grandmaster

•Tamil Nadu’s, Arjun Kalyan became India’s 68th Chess Grandmaster when he crossed the 2500 ELO mark after beating Dragan Kosic in the fifth round of GM Round Robin “Rujna Zore-3” in Serbia.

•Arjun is coached by IM Saravanan and Ukrainian GM Aleksandr Goloshchapov and began playing chess at the age of nine and got his FIDE rating a year later. Viswanathan Anand became the country’s first Grandmaster, in 1988.

OBITUARY

President of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, has passed away

•The President of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, has passed away, following a confrontation with rebels after which he suffered wounds on the battlefield.

•He had ruled the central African nation for more than three decades and was even declared winner of the 2021 presidential election, paving the way for him to stay in power for six more years. Deby first won elections in 1996 and 2001. After this, he continued to win in 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021.

Veteran actor Kishore Nandlaskar passed away

•Veteran actor Kishore Nandlaskar, who was a popular face in both Marathi and Hindi films, has passed away due to C-19 complications. The actor made his debut with Marathi film in 1982 titled ‘Navare Sagle Gadhav’ and went to act in movies like ‘Bhavishyachi Aishi Taishi: The Prediction’, ‘Gaon Thor Pudhari Chor’ and ‘Jara Japun Kara’.

•In Hindi films, Nandlaskar is known for his roles in Khakee (2004), Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Singham (2011), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain (2000), Simmba (2018) and many more. He was last seen in the Mahesh Manjrekar web series ‘1962: The War In The Hills’.

Eminent Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh passed away

•Noted Bengali poet, Shankha Ghosh has passed away following C-19 complications. He was known by his pen name Kuntak.

•He was honoured with numerous awards for his contribution to Bengali literature, some of which includes: Padma Bhushan in 2011, the Jnanpith Award in 2016, and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1977 for his book ‘Babarer Prarthana‘, as well as Saraswati Samman and Rabindra Puraskar among other awards.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Revolut names Paroma Chatterjee as India CEO

•UK-based  fintech company Revolut, which was valued at $5.5 billion last year, has named Paroma Chatterjee as its CEO in India as it eyes an expansion in the country this year.

•Chatterjee was previously Lendingkart’s Chief Business Officer. She has also held senior executive roles at Airtel Money, Flipkart and Via.com.

Puma ropes two cricketers as brand ambassadors

•Global sportswear brand Puma has signed long-term endorsement deals with cricketers Washington Sundar and Devdutt Padikkal. Puma India, which recently announced its partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been consistently investing in India’s sports ecosystem.

•The duo will be joining the company’s roster of brand ambassadors that include Indian captain Virat Kohli; wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul; women’s national cricketer, Sushma Verma and veteran cricketer Yuvraj Singh.

IMPORTANT DAYS

UN English Language Day & UN Spanish Language Day : 23 April

•The UN English Language Day and UN Spanish Language Day is observed annually on 23 April. For English, 23 April has been chosen to mark both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. For the Spanish Language, the Day was chosen because the day is also observed as Hispanic Day in Spain, meaning the Spanish speaking world.

•They are one of the six official languages used by the United Nations throughout the Organization. These are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

•Each language has been assigned a day of celebration by the UN’s Department of Public Information in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.

World Book and Copyright Day organized on April 23

•The World Book and Copyright Day (also known as ‘International Day of the Book’ and ‘World Book Day’), is an annual event organized on April 23 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright.

•April 23 is chosen because it marks the birth and death of several prominent authors. For instance, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Josep Pla died on April 23 and Manuel Mejia Vallejo and Maurice Druon were born on April 23.

SUMMITS AND MOU’S

Australia and India for Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative

•Australia has announced a grant of Rs 81.2 million (AUD 1.4 million) under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). IPOI was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Modi at the East Asia Summit in November 2019 and Australia is co-leading New Delhi in the marine ecology pillar of the initiative.

•The initiative will help to support a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

•The Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership forms the core of this “shared vision” of both countries.

RANKING

WEF Global Energy Transition Index 2021 released: India Ranks 87th

•India is placed at the 87th position among 115 countries in the 2021 Energy Transition Index (ETI). The report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), prepared in collaboration with Accenture to track nations on the current performance of their energy systems across various aspects.

•The index benchmarks 115 countries on the current performance of their energy systems across three dimensions — economic development and growth, environmental sustainability, and energy security and access indicators — and their readiness to transition to secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive energy systems.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

India elected to three bodies of U.N. Economic and Social Council

•India has been elected by acclamation, to three bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2022.

1.Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

2.Executive Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

3.Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP)