Daily GK Update: 27th April 2022

 Sports

1. Khelo India Youth Games 2021 to be held from 4th June in Haryana

• Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur have announced the official dates (from 4th to 13th June 2022) of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in a virtual interaction with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal.
• The mascot and logo of the Khelo India Youth Games will be launched on the 8th of May in Panchkula, Haryana.
• The games will be held in Shahbad, Ambala, Chandigarh and Delhi apart from Panchkula.

 National & International Appointments

2. AP Abdullahkutty elected as chairperson of Haj Committee of India

• A P Abdullahkutty has been elected as the chairperson of the Haj Committee of India. He is the national vice president of the BJP and a former Member of Parliament.
• The committee also includes two women named Munnawari Begum from Tamil Nadu and Mafuja Khatun from West Bengal who have been selected as its vice-chairpersons.
• The Haj pilgrimage in India is conducted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs(nodal ministry).

 Agreement

3. Himachal Pradesh govt signs MoU for development of seven ropeway projects

• Himachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU for the development of seven ropeway projects in Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts.
• The MoU was signed between Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML).
• The MoU was signed in the presence of road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur in New Delhi.

 Obituaries

4. Structural biologist Vijayan passes away

• Molecular biophysicist and structural biologist professor Mamannamana Vijayan passed away at 80 in Bengaluru.
• He was a former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) from 2008 to 2010.
• He has been honoured with SS Bhatnagar Award, Ranbaxy Award, OP Bhasin Award, and also the first GN Ramachandran Medal by Indian Science Congress Association and was also awarded Padma Shri in 2004.
• Autobiography: A Life among Men, Women and Molecules

 Defense

5. Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 amended to promote Make in India

• To promote Make in India initiative in defence the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has been amended based on the approvals accorded by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
• Import of defence equipment has to be undertaken with specific approval of DAC/Raksha Mantri.
• The defence ministry also cut the waiting time for projects under the iDEX framework.
• The timelines in the Make-II procedure will be reduced to 101-109 weeks from 122-180 weeks.

 National & International Organizations

6. India spends third highest in the world on military

• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India's military expenditure is the third highest in the world behind the US and China.
• Top Five: The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia
• Military spending in India is amounting to $76.6 billion in 2021 which grew by 0.9% from 2020.
• Russia has also increased its military expenditure for the third consecutive year.
• SIPRI Headquarters: Solna, Sweden

 National Affairs

7. NITI Aayog organises National Workshop on Innovative Agriculture

• NITI Aayog has organized a National Level Workshop on Innovative Agriculture under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in New Delhi.
• The first session was chaired by Dr. Ravi Kumar (Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog).
• Yogi Adityanath (CM of Uttar Pradesh), CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), CM Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand) have joined the first technical session of the workshop virtually.

 Banking & Finance

8. SBI Cards partnership with TCS to boost digital transformation

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its strategic partnership with SBI Cards to power digital transformation.
• TCS had helped the SBI cards to transform its core cards sourcing platform and digitized a significant portion of the process.
• TCS will digitalize and transform the online onboarding processes to enable a faster turnaround and frictionless experience.
• SBI Card CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara; TCS CEO CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan

 Banking & Finance

9. Airtel Payments Bank offers FD Facility with IndusInd Bank

• Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with IndusInd Bank to offer fixed deposit (FD) facilities to its customers.
• A customer can open FD of Rs 500 up to Rs 190,000 on the Airtel Thanks app.
• With this partnership, customers of Airtel Payments Bank savings account will get an interest rate of up to 6.5 %p.a. and senior citizens will get an additional 0.5% on all fixed deposits.
• Customers can book multiple FDs for a fixed duration of either 1, 2 or 3 years.

 Agreement

10. I&B Ministry & Netflix launch videos on women changemakers

• Netflix joins hands with the I&B ministry to launch some short films on women changemakers named 'Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya'.
• The videos are narrated by actor Neena Gupta and produced by Netflix.
• It would be shared on social media and broadcast on Doordarshan.
• Aims: To bring out inspiring stories of Indians which empower more people to achieve their goals
• I&B Minister: Anurag Thakur; I&B secretary: Apurva Chandra
• Netflix CEO: Ted Sarandos

 International Affairs

11. World Bank provides USD 600 million in financial assistance to Sri Lanka

• The World Bank will provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka of USD 600 dollars to meet the payment requirements for essential imports.
• Sri Lanka has also talked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance, but the country needs 3 to 4 billion dollars in bridge financing to help meet its essential expenses.
• India has helped Sri Lanka by assisting with USD 1.9 billion.
• Sri Lanka President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa; Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa

 Obituaries

12. Former women's hockey team captain Elvera Britto dies

• Former Indian women's hockey team captain, Elvera Britto has passed away at 81 due to old-age-related problems.
• Elvera led Karnataka's domestic team to win seven national titles. She ruled the domestic circuit from 1960 to 1967.
• She also represented India against Japan, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
• She is the second women hockey player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award(1965) after Anne Lumsden.

 Obituaries

13. Former Meghalaya CM Rymbai dies

• The former chief minister of Meghalaya James Dringwell Rymbai died at 88.
• He had entered into electoral politics in 1982 and contested elections to the legislative assembly from the Jirang constituency successfully.
• He was elected the speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly in 1993 and became the CM in 2006 till March 2007.
• The State government has declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect for James Dringwell Rymbai.