22 Aug 2021 Current Affairs in English| Education Keeda

Important Days

India Celebrates Sanskrit Week 2021 From August 19 To 25

In 2021, India is observing the Sanskrit Week from August 19 to August 25, 2021, to promote, popularise and cherish the importance of ancient language. In 2021, Sanskrit Day will be celebrated on August 22, 2021.

The day is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Shravan, which also marks the occasion of Raksha Bandhan each year. World Sanskrit Day was first declared in 1969, by the Indian Government on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

United Nations observes 21st August every year as the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

The day is observed to pay tribute to the individuals across the globe who have been attacked, injured, traumatized, or lost their lives because of terrorist attacks.

This year, the 3rd commemoration of the day will focus on the response to the pandemic and cancellation of many memorials and commemorations, it is critical to take the time to remember and honor the victims of terrorism.

The day was designated by United Nations General Assembly in 2017 and the first time the day was observed in 2018.

World Senior Citizen Day: 21 August

World Senior Citizen Day is observed globally on August 21 every year. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about issues affecting older people, such as deterioration with age and the abuse of the elderly, and support, honor, and show appreciation to seniors, and to recognize their achievements.

The Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 1990. The day was officially founded by the former President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan in 1988 to dedicate a day to older adults and their issues.

National

PM Modi inaugurates multiple projects at Somnath in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects in Somnath, Gujarat on August 20, 2021, via video conferencing. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister of State (MoS) for Tourism Shripad Naik were also present at the event through video conferencing.

The projects inaugurated include the Somnath Promenade, Somnath Exhibition Centre, and the reconstructed temple precinct of Old (Juna) Somnath.

Appointments

Shanti Lal Jain appointed MD and CEO of Indian Bank

Shanti Lal Jain has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indian Bank for a period of three years. He will replace Padmaja Chunduru as MD and CEO of Indian Bank. He is currently the Executive Director (ED) at the Bank of Baroda.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for the appointment of Jain as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer in Indian Bank for a period of three years with effect from the date of assumption of office on or after September 1, 2021.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Indian Bank Headquarters: Chennai;
Indian Bank Founded: 1907.

Banking

Kotak Mahindra Bank launches ‘Neo Collections’ Digital Repayment platform

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched a platform named ‘Neo Collections’, which is a Do It Yourself Digital Repayment Platform for missed loan repayments. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the Neo Collections platform in tie-up with Creditas Solutions.

The main objective of this DIY digital repayment platform is to make repayments for outstanding loans more convenient for customers.

Powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, the ‘Neo Collections platform delivers a personalized and non-intrusive experience thereby enabling customers to manage their dues seamlessly on their own through an intuitive repayment platform.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Kotak Mahindra Bank Establishment: 2003;
Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
Kotak Mahindra Bank MD & CEO: Uday Kotak.

NPCI partners with Mashreq Bank to launch UPI in the UAE

NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) has partnered with Mashreq Bank to launch the payment system facility of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in the UAE. Mashreq Bank is the oldest privately owned bank in the United Arab Emirates.

This step will benefit the Indian tourists and who travel to UAE for business or leisure purposes to pay for their purchases using UPI-based mobile applications across shops and merchant stores in the UAE.

This partnership will enable over two million Indians who travel to UAE for business or leisure purposes every year to pay for their purchases seamlessly using UPI-based mobile applications across shops and merchant stores in the UAE.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.
National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.

Business

Facebook launches “Small Business Loans Initiative” in India

Facebook India has launched the “Small Business Loans Initiative” in India in partnership with the online lending platform Indifi. India is the first country where Facebook is rolling out this program.

The objective of this initiative is to help small and medium businesses (SMBs) that advertise on Facebook to get quick access to credit/loans through independent lending partners.

This will make business loans more easily accessible to small businesses, and reduce the credit gap within India’s MSME sector. It is open to businesses registered across 200 towns and cities of India.

Indifi is the first lending partner that Facebook has tied up with and the program is built with the potential to bring more partners on board.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Facebook Founded: February 2004;
Facebook CEO: Mark Zuckerberg;
Facebook Headquarters: California, United States.

Awards

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards 2021 announced

The Family Man 2 actors Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha Akkineni were among the winners of the latest edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards. The IFFM 2021 were held virtually on Friday with several stars from various film industries in attendance.

Eminent Indian artists like Shoojit Sircar, Anurag Kashyap, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Sriram Raghavan were amongst the presenters, along with Richa Chadha, Guneet Monga, Onir and others as jury members.

Here is the full list of winners of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2021:

Best Feature Film: Soorarai Pottru
Best Performance Male (Feature): Suriya Sivakumar (Soorarai Pottru)
Best Performance Female (Feature): Vidya Balan (Sherni) & Honourable mention to Nimisha Sajayan (The Great Indian Kitchen)
Best Director: Anurag Basu (Ludo) & Honorary Mention Prithvi Konanur (Pinki Elli?)
Best Series: Mirzapur Season 2
Best Actress in a Series: Samantha Akkineni (The Family Man 2)
Best Actor in a Series: Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man 2)
Equality in Cinema (Short Film): Sheer Qorma
Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film): The Great Indian Kitchen
Best Indie Film: Fire in the Mountains
Diversity in Cinema Award: Pankaj Tripathi
Disruptor Award: Sanal Kumar Sasidharan
Best Documentary Film: Shut Up Sona

Ranks and Reports

Apple tops Hurun Global 500 Most Valuable Companies list 2021

Apple is the world’s most valuable company (USD 2,443 billion) according to the Hurun Global 500 Most Valuable Companies list 2021.

The world’s top six valuable companies remained unchanged as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook and Tencent.

Globally, the US-led with 243 companies, up by one; followed by China 47, down by four, Japan was third with 30 and the UK was fourth with 24.

While India is ranked 9th with 12 companies. Reliance Industries (USD 188 billion) ranked at 57 is the top Indian company on the list. As many as 12 Indian companies found a place among the Hurun Global 500 for 2021 as Wipro Ltd, Asian Paints Ltd, and HCL Technologies Ltd made it to the list of 500 most valuable firms in the world, while ITC Ltd dropped out.