Important Current Affairs 31st October 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Microsoft passes Apple to become the world’s most valuable company

•Microsoft Corp. has surpassed Apple Inc. to become the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company by market capitalisation. At market close on October 29, 2021, Apple stood at about $2.46 trillion while Microsoft reached nearly $2.49 trillion. Apple had held the top position for more than a year.

•Microsoft became the second US public firm to surpass a $2 trillion market value in June, driven by expectations that its dominance in cloud computing and enterprise software will expand further in a post-coronavirus future. This year, its stock has outpaced Apple and Amazon.com Inc. on forecasts of long-term earnings and revenue growth, as well as expansion in areas such as machine learning and cloud computing. Microsoft is up more than 49%, Apple is up around 13%, and Amazon is up more than 3%.

NATIONAL

Amit Shah Launches Dairy Sahakar Scheme for Strengthening Dairy Sector in India

•The Union Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah has launched the “Dairy Sahakar” scheme at Anand, Gujarat during a function organised by Amul to celebrate the 75th Foundation Year of Amul. The total outlay of the Dairy Sahakar scheme is Rs 5000 crore. The scheme will be implemented by National Cooperative Development Corporation ( NCDC) under the Ministry of Cooperation.

•The scheme will supplement the existing efforts of strengthening the dairy sector in the country, doubling the farmer’s income as well as realizing the vision of ‘from cooperation to prosperity’.

CBSE launches Veer Gatha project to inform students about bravery of armed forces

•CBSE launches Veer Gatha project in schools to raise awareness on Gallantry Awards. Schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been asked to prepare projects and engage in activities based on the Gallantry Award winners.

•The Veer Gatha project aims to raise awareness about the brave acts and sacrifices of the Gallantry Award winners among school students. The Veer Gatha project is being conducted from October 21- November 20. The projects can be interdisciplinary & in various formats such as poems, essays, etc.

Biggest Aromatic Garden of India Opens in Nainital, Uttarakhand

•Uttarakhand gets India’s largest aromatic garden in the Nainital district. The research wing of the Uttarakhand forest department inaugurated the biggest aromatic garden of India in Lalkuan of Nainital district.

•Established in an area of over 3 acres, the garden has 140 different species of aromatic species from across India. The project was initiated in the year 2018-19 after approval of the Research Advisory Committee in June 2018.

APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION

Justice Ashok Bhushan is new NCLAT chairperson

•The Centre has appointed former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ashok Bhushan as the new Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), for a period of four years or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is the earliest. He was the former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court. NCLAT was formed by the government under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013.

•Apart from this, Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar has been appointed as the new President of the quasi-judicial body, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for five years or till he attains the age of 67 years. Justice Sudhakar was the former Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.

OBITUARY

Sunao Tsuboi: Campaigning Hiroshima survivor dies aged 96

•Hiroshima nuclear bomb attack survivor, Sunao Tsuboi has passed away. A leading Japanese campaigner against nuclear weapons who survived the world’s first atomic bomb attack has died at the age of 96. Some 140,000 people were killed and Tsuboi dedicated his life to campaigning to eradicate nuclear arms. He met Barack Obama on his historic visit to Hiroshima as US president.

Eminent Oncologist Padma Shri Dr Madhavan Krishnan Nair passed away

•Padma Shri Dr Madhavan Krishnan Nair, an eminent Oncologist and the founding director of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), has passed away. He has served as a member of the expert group that prepared the National Cancer Control Plan of India. He has also served on the Expert Advisory Panel on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO). The GoI has honoured him with the Padma Shri for medicine in 2001. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day 2021: 31st October

•In India, the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day is observed every year on October 31 since 2014, to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

•This year marks the 146th anniversary of the great leader who played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence, and later during the integration of the country.

World Cities Day 2021:31st October

•The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day. The Day is celebrated to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.

•The global theme of World Cities Day 2021 is “Adapting cities for climate resilience”, acknowledging that integrated climate resilience policies and action plans will greatly reduce climate-related risks for urban populations.

World Vegan Day 2021: 01st November

•World Vegan Day is observed globally on 1st November every year. This day is celebrated to spread the benefits of veganism for humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment. Vegan Day is an opportunity to promote the benefits of a vegan diet and veganism in general.

•The day was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organisation and the coining of the terms “vegan” and “veganism”. The President of the Vegan Society decided to elect the date of the 1st of November. This is now recognised as the date on which the Vegan Society was founded and on which Vegan Day would be observed.