GK Snapshots on 3 May 2021

Central Government Allocates INR 15,000 Crore to States for Capital Expenditure
The Ministry of Finance, Government of India is set to provide an additional amount of INR 15,000 Crore to State Governments as Interest free 50-year loan for spending on Capital projects for the FY 2021-22.

• The loan will be provided to the States under ‘Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure’.

• It aims to nudge States to spend more on infrastructure and incentivize disinvestment of State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs).

Indian Navy Launches Operation Samudra Setu-II for Shipment of Oxygen-filled containers to India

Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of Liquid oxygen-filled cryogenic containers & associated medical equipment to India from other countries.For this Operation, Indian Navy deployed, 7 Indian Naval ships(INS) viz. INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Talwar, INS Tabar, INS Trikand, INS Jalashwa and INS Airavat.

Indian Army Inaugurates its 1st Green Solar Energy Harnessing Plant in North Sikkim

Indian Army Inaugurated its 1st Green Solar Energy Harnessing Plant of 56 KVA (KiloVolt-Ampere) in North Sikkim. The Plant uses Vanadium based battery Technology and is situated at an Altitude of 16000 Ft.

• The project has been completed in collaboration with IIT Mumbai.

• It was completed by a team from IIT Mumbai which was led by Professor Prakash Ghosh and troops of the Indian Army.

• The project will benefit troops in forward areas and will be environment friendly.

US approves proposed sale of 6 P-8I Patrol Aircraft to India

The United States State Department has approved the proposed sale of 6 Poseidon-8I (P-8I) Patrol Aircraft and other equipment to India. The deal is estimated to cost USD 2.42 Billion (~ INR 18, 000 Crore).

• It is being procured by the Indian Government for use by the Indian Navy.

• The P-8I Patrol Aircrafts are produced by Boeing, an American Aerospace & Defense Company.

• In November 2019, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of the P-8I Aircrafts and other equipment.

Mastercard and Gemini partners to launch a crypto rewards credit card

Mastercard in partnership with Cryptocurrency exchange, Gemini & WebBank, a leader in digital lending and the bank issuing the credit card to launch a 1st of its kind, Cryptocurrency rewards credit card.
 

Central Bank of India launched ‘Immune India Deposit Scheme’ to Boost COVID-19 vax Drive

The Central Bank of India launched the “Immune India Deposit Scheme” a special deposit scheme to provide an additional interest rate of 25 basis points in addition to the applicable card rate for the vaccinated people.

• The Immune India Deposit Scheme has a maturity of 1111 days.

• The senior citizens are also eligible for the extra interest as applicable.

2021 ASBC Asian Elite Men & Women Boxing Championships Relocated to Dubai, UAE from New Delhi, India

Due to the International travel restrictions and rising COVID-19 cases in India, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), in consultation with the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) decided to conduct the 2021 Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• The tournament was scheduled to be held at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from May 21 to 31, 2021

Boxing-Amit Panghal Won Bronze Medal at 2021 St.Petersburg Governor’s Cup in Russia

Indian Boxer, Amit Panghal won the Bronze medal in the 52Kg Category at the 2021 St Petersburg Governor’s Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia.

• He lost in the 52kg semi-finals against reigning Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan.Amit Panghal was the only Indian medallist at the Governor’s Cup.

• Apart from this he has also won gold medals at the Asian Games and the Asian Championship.

Football- Manchester City won the 2020-21 League Cup title for the fourth consecutive time

Manchester City clinched a fourth consecutive 2020-21 League Cup or EFL Cup or Carabao Cup Football title after beating Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, England.

• It has now matched Liverpool’s record of eight League Cup titles.

Ex- Maruti Suzuki MD Jagdish Khattar passed away at 79

Jagdish Khattar,79, the former Managing Director(MD) of Maruti Suzuki India(Then known as Maruti Udyog Limited), passed away. He was born on 18 December 1942 in Dera Ismail Khan(Currently in Pakistan), British India.

• He entered into Maruti in July 1993 as a Director and became Managing Director in 1999(Government nominee) in (May 2002 as Suzuki Motor Corporation nominee) he retired from Maruti as MD in 2007 at 65 years.

• With a vision of developing a multi-brand automobile sales and service network, he launched a venture named Carnation Auto.

International Labour Day 2021 – May 1

The International Labour Day is annually observed across the globe on May 1st to recognise the achievements of the workers and to create awareness about the exploitation of workers.

The International Labour Day is also known as International Workers Day or May Day, Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas (International Labour Day) or “Kamgar Din”.

The day is observed in many countries like India, Cuba and China.

The Day was first celebrated on May 1st 1890.

Background:

i.Before 1889, the workers were made to work more than 15 hours a day.

ii.The Marxist International Socialist Congress adopted the resolution on 14th July 1889 for an international demonstration to demand that workers should not be made to work more than 8 hours a day.

iii.This international demonstration became an annual event in 1890 and 1st May of every year is celebrated as the International Labour day.

Why May 1?

i.May 1 was chosen to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket riot in Chicago.

ii.In 1884 the American Federation of Organised Trades and Labor Unions made a demand to adopt the 8 hour workday with effect from May 1st 1886, which resulted in the Haymarket riot in Chicago.

Labour Day in India:

i.The first Labour day in India was observed in Chennai by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1st 1923.

ii.The day is also marked as the Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas (International Labour Day).

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