Friday 19 March 2021
GK Update of 18th March 2021 protecting the next information headlines: Sahitya Akademi Award, National Security Guard, State Bank of India, World’s most polluted capital metropolis.
Award News
1. Sahitya Akademi Award 2020 introduced
- Sahitya Akademi introduced its annual Sahitya Akademi Awards in 20 languages. Seven books of poetry, 4 of the novel, Five quick tales, two performs, and one every of memoirs and epic poetry in 20 Indian languages.
- The awards for Malayalam, Nepali, Odia and Rajasthani will likely be introduced later. Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India. It is a dream for all Indian writers to sit up for one of many prestigious literary awards.
- The political-writer M Veerappa Moily, poet Arundhathi Subramaniam will likely be bestowed with the Sahitya Akademi Award 2020.
- Sahitya Akademi Award 2020 winners will likely be bestowed with the award within the type of a casket, containing the engraved copper-plaque, a scarf and a money quantity of Rs. 1,00,000/- on the Sahitya Akademi Award Presentation perform.
The full checklist of winners in several language and style classes is given within the desk beneath.
| S.No | Language | Title and Genre | Name of the Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assamese | Bengsata (Short tales) | Apurba Kumar Saikia |
| 2 | Bengali | Eka Eka Ekashi (Memoirs) | Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay |
| 3 | Bodo | Gwthenay Lamayao Gwdan Agan (Short tales) | Dharanidhar Owari |
| 4 | Dogri | Baba Jitmal (Play) | Gian Singh |
| 5 | English | When God Is a Traveller (Poetry) | Arundhathi Subramaniam |
| 6 | Gujarati | Banaras Diary (Poetry) | Harish Meenakshru |
| 7 | Hindi | Tokeri Mein Digant ‘ Their Gatha” (Poetry) | Anamika |
| 8 | Kannada | Sri Bahubali Ahimsadigvijayam (EPIC POETRY) | M. Veerappa Moily |
| 9 | Kashmiri | Tilasm-e-Khanabadosh (Short tales) | Hiday Koul Bharti |
| 10 | Konkani | Yugaparivarathanancho Yatri (Poetry) | RS Bhaskar |
| 11 | Maithili | Gachh Roosal Achhi (Short Stories) | Kamalkant Jha |
| 12 | Manipuri | Malangbana Kari Hai (Poetry) | Irungbam Deven |
| 13 | Marathi | Udya (Novel) | Nanda Khare |
| 14 | Punjabi | Aam Khass (Short tales) | Gurdev Singh Rupana |
| 15 | Sanskrit | Vaishali (Novel) | Mahesh Chandra Sharma Gautam |
| 16 | Santali | Gur Dak Kasa Dak(Poetry) | Rupchand Hansdah |
| 17 | Sindhi | Jehad (Plays) | Jetho Lalwani |
| 18 | Tamil | Sellaatha Panam (Novel) | Imaiyam |
| 19 | Telugu | Agniswaasa(2015-17) Poetry | Nikhileswar |
| 20 | Urdu | Amawas Mein Khwab (Novel) | Hussain-ul-Haque |
Appointments News
2. M. A. Ganapathy appointed Director General of National Security Guard
- Senior IPS officer, M. A. Ganapathy was on March 16, 2021, appointed Director-General of the National Security Guard.
- Ganapathy, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, is at present Director-General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
- He has been appointed the Director-General, National Security Guard (NSG), from the date of becoming a member of the submit and as much as February 29, 2024, i.e. date of his superannuation.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- National Security Guard Headquarters: New Delhi.
- The motto of the National Security Guard: Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha.
3. Lt Gen DP Pandey takes over as new commander of 15-Corps
- Lt General DP Pandey has taken over the command of strategic Kashmir-based 15 Corps from Lt Gen BS Raju, who has been appointed as the brand new Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army.
- An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, General Pandey was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in December 1985 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
Banking News
4. RBI Imposes Rs 2 Crore Fine on State Bank of India
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a financial penalty of 2 crores on the State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of sure provisions of Section 10 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949.
- The central financial institution’s particular instructions issued to the financial institution on fee of remuneration to workers within the type of fee.
- This penalty has been imposed in train of powers vested with RBI underneath the provisions of the BR Act. The penalty is just not supposed to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or settlement entered into by the financial institution with its clients.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- RBI twenty fifth Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
- SBI Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara.
- SBI Headquarters: Mumbai.
- SBI Founded: 1 July 1955.
Ranks and Reports News
5. India’s arms imports down by 33%, says Sipri report
- India’s arms imports fell 33% between 2011-15 and 2016-20, mentioned a report launched by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
- The report on worldwide arms transfers attributed the drop in India’s arms imports primarily to an try to cut back its dependence on Russian arms and complicated procurement processes. Russia was probably the most affected provider, though India’s imports of US arms additionally fell by 46%.
- India’s prime three arms suppliers throughout 2016-20 have been Russia (accounting for 49% of India’s imports), France (18%) and Israel (13%), the report. Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius have been the highest recipients of Indian army {hardware}, the report.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Sipri Headquarters: Oslo, Norway.
- Sipri Founded: 6 May 1966.
- Sipri Director: Dan Smith.
6. New Delhi Ranked as World’s most polluted capital metropolis
- New Delhi has been adjudged because the world’s most polluted capital metropolis for the third straight 12 months within the 2020 World Air Quality Report by Swiss organisation, IQAir. Globally, New Delhi is ranked because the tenth most polluted metropolis on the earth.
- The topmost polluted metropolis on the earth is Xinjiang in China. This is adopted by 9 Indian cities as probably the most polluted cities on the earth, that are Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow and Bhiwari.
- The IQAir report measures air high quality ranges primarily based on the focus of lung-damaging airborne particles generally known as PM 2.5, which is measured by ground-based monitoring stations.
Schemes and Committees News
7. GoI types consultants committee for Startup India Seed Fund Scheme
- The authorities has constituted an consultants advisory committee for the general execution and monitoring of the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. The committee can be chaired by H K Mittal from the Department of Science and Technology.
- The different representatives of the committee would come with members from DPIIT, the division of biotechnology, science and know-how, electronics and IT, Niti Aayog, and knowledgeable members from the startup ecosystem.
- The committee will consider and choose incubators for allotment of funds underneath the scheme, monitor progress and take all obligatory measures for environment friendly utilisation of funds in the direction of the fulfilment of goals of the scheme.
Sports News
8. Dhanalakshmi beats Dutee Chand to win Federation Cup gold
- Sprinter S Dhanalakshmi beat nationwide report holder Dutee Chand to win girls’s 100m dash closing within the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships in Patiala.
- The 22-year-old Dhanalakshmi of Tamil Nadu clocked 11.39 seconds to grow to be the quickest girl of the championships. Odisha-based Dutee clocked 11.58 seconds to be positioned in second place.
- Another Tamil Nadu runner Archana Suseendran was third in 11.76 seconds. Hima Das was disqualified after a false begin. In males’s 100m closing class, Gurindervir Singh of Punjab gained gold in 10.32 seconds, whereas Elakkiyadasan Kannada of Tamil Nadu (10.43) and Maharashtra’s Satish Krishnakumar (10.56) have been second and third respectively.
Books and Authors News
9. Maharashtra Governor releases e-book titled Dawn Under The Dome
- The Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari launched a digital e-book titled Dawn Under The Dome.
- The digital guide depicts the historical past of the Mumbai General Post Office constructing. It has been authored by Post Master General of Mumbai Swati Pandey in collaboration with Orchida Mukherjee.
- The guide says that three kinds of Indian stones have been used within the development of the constructing: the gray basalt with buff trachyte and the Yellowstone from Mumbai’s Kurla and Malad respectively and the white stone from Dharandhra.
10. A Book ‘Battle Ready for 21st Century’ launched
- A guide titled “Battle Ready for 21st Century” co-edited by Lt Gen AK Singh, Distinguished Fellow CLAWS and Brig Narender Kumar, Visiting Fellow CLAWS was launched by Gen Bipin Rawat. The guide lays down the conceptual framework for the strategic administration of future conflicts.
- The guide “Battle Ready for the 21st Century” has endeavoured to postulate and outline rising areas of battle, desired capabilities and doctrinal points that want cautious examination.
Important Days
11. Global Recycling Day 2021: 18 March
- Global Recycling Day is noticed yearly on March 18 to create consciousness among the many plenty in regards to the speedy tempo at which our pure assets are getting used. The day additionally promotes the idea and apply of recycling. Every 12 months, occasions are organised by environmentalist and activists to advertise the trigger.
- In 2021, the theme of Global Recycling Day is “Recycling Heroes”. Its important goal is to recognise the folks, locations and actions that showcase the significance of recycling in preserving pure assets.
- Recycling has helped in decreasing carbon emissions by over 700 million tonnes yearly. Notably, over 1.6 million persons are employed all over the world within the recycling business. In this decade, the yearly contribution of recycling will enhance as much as $400 billion.
Obituaries News
12. Former Bangladesh PM Moudud Ahmed passes away
- Barrister Moudud Ahmed, who held varied political places of work for brief stints within the Government of Bangladesh, has handed away.
- He had served because the Prime Minister of Bangladesh (1988–1989), Vice President of Bangladesh (1989–1990), Deputy Prime Minister (1976–1978 and 1987–1988), and Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (2001–2006). He was additionally a standing committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
13. Former Union Minister Dilip Gandhi passes away
- Former Union Minister and BJP chief, Dilip Gandhi handed away, as a consequence of coronavirus. He had served because the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Shipping from 29 January 2003 to fifteen March 2004.
- He gained the Lok Sabha elections 3 times since 1999 from Ahmednagar South constituency in Maharashtra. First in 1999 in thirteenth Lok Sabha, adopted by fifteenth Lok Sabha in 2009 after which sixteenth Lok Sabha in 2014.