May English 2021

1 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY 2021
1. JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE DEFENDER-EUROPE 21
Context
Recently, the US-Army led multinational, joint exercise ‘DEFENDER-Europe 21’ started in Albania.
Details
• It was launched by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty of April
4, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations.
• It aims to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• Headquarters : Haren, Brussels and Belgium.
• Significance : To constitute a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to
mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
• The exercise will utilize key ground and maritime routes bridging Europe, Asia and Africa.
About Albania
• It is a country in Southeastern Europe.
• It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with
Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the south; and
maritime borders with Greece, Montenegro and Italy to the west.
• Capital : Tirana.
2. A NEW SOYBEAN VARIETY DEVELOPED
Context
Recently, Scientists have developed a high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean, called MACS 1407.
Details
• It is developed by Scientists from MACS- Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, in collaboration with Indian
Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
• MACS 1407 : Its seeds have 19.81% oil content, 41% protein content and show good germinability.
• It is a high yielding variety that provides 39 quintals per hectare.
• It will be made available to farmers in the 2022 Kharif season.
• It is suitable for rain-fed conditions of northeast India.

About Kharif season
• Sown from June to July.
• Harvesting between September-October
• Crops : Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soyabean etc.
About Indian Council of Agricultural Research
• Established : On 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE),
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• Headquarter : New Delhi.
3. INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' DAY OBSERVED
Context
Every year, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers Day.
Details
• It is also celebrated as the Labour Day in different parts of the world.
• It is celebrated to commemorate the contributions of workers and the historic labour movements.
History of International Workers Day.
• In 1889, the Second International declared that 1st May as International Workers’ Day
• In 1904, the 6th conference of the Second International, called for "all Social Democratic Party organisations
and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate and demand for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day,
for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace on the First of May.
Labour Day in India
• On 1 May 1923, the first celebration in India was organized in Madras by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.
• In India, labour Day is also known as
• "Uzhaipalar dhinam" in Tamil.
• "Kamgar Din" in Hindi.
• "Karmikara Dinacharane" in Kannada.
• "Karmika Dinotsavam" in Telugu.

• "Kamgar Divas" in Marathi.
• "Thozhilaali Dinam" in Malayalam.
• "Shromik Dibosh" in Bengali.
4. SHWAS AND AROG LOAN SCHEMES FOR MSMES
Context
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) launched SHWAS and AROG to help the MSMEs with
required financial support.
Details
• The scheme facilitates funding for production and services related to supply of oxygen cylinders, oxygen
concentrators, oximeters and essential drugs.
• SHWAS : SIDBI assistance to the Healthcare sector in against second wave of COVID19
• AROG: SIDBI Assistance to MSMEs for Recovery & Organic Growth during COVID19 pandemic.
About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
• It is a statutory body.
• It is the principal development financial institution for promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector in India.
• Aim : To facilitate and strengthen credit flow to MSMEs and address both financial and developmental gaps in
the MSME ecosystem across the country.
• Established : On April 2, 1990 through an Act of Parliament.
• Headquarter : Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
5. RBI JOINS NETWORK FOR GREENING FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Context
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) joined the Central Banks and Supervisors ‘Network for Greening the
Financial System (NGFS)’ as a Member.
Details
• ‘Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)’ is a group of Central banks and supervisors willing to
share the best practices and contribute to the development of the environment and climate risk management in
the financial sector, while mobilising mainstream finance to support the transition towards a sustainable
economy.
• It was launched at the Paris One Planet Summit in December 2017.
About Reserve Bank of India
• Established : On April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• It is fully owned by the Government of India.
• Headquarter : Mumbai(Since 1937, previously in Kolkata).
• Preamble of RBI :
• To regulate the issue of Bank notes.
• To operate the currency and credit system of the country.
• To release a monetary policy framework.
• To maintain price stability.
6. OPERATION SAMUDRA SETU-II LAUNCHED
Context
Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II.
Details
It aims to augment the ongoing national mission Oxygen Express.
Warships deployed will undertake shipment of liquid Oxygen filled cryogenic containers & associated medical
equipment in support of the nation's fight against Covid-19.
Seven Indian Naval ships namely Kolkata, Kochi, Talwar, Tabar, Trikand, Jalashwa and Airavat have been
deployed to ship liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from
various countries.
Operation Samudra Setu : It was launched in May 2020 as part of the Vande Bharat Mission. It was launched to
bring 4,000 Indians from countries such as Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran due to the outbreak of the coronavirus
pandemic.
About Cryogenic Containers
They are designed for the reliable and economic transportation and storage of liquefied gases at cryogenic
temperatures, typically colder than –130°F (–90°C).
About Vande Bharat Mission

Aim : To bring back stranded Indians from foreign countries after suspension of regular international flights.
It was considered to be the world's largest expatriation exercise.
7. YUDHVIR MEMORIAL AWARD CONFERRED
Context
Recently, ‘Yudhvir Memorial Award’ was presented to Hyderabad-based gynaecologist, Dr Evita Fernandez.
Details
The award was conferred for her 'selfless and compassionate' work in the field of maternal healthcare and
contribution to the empowerment of women'.
She received the award from Vice President of India, M.Venkaiah Naidu.
She was presented with a citation and Rs. 1 Lakh honorarium.
The Vice President stressed the need to accelerate the decline to achieve the target 3.1 of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio
by less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
About Yudhvir Singh (1897 - 1983)
He was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and homoeopathic doctor.
He was a member of the Arya Samaj and edited the publication Arya-Kumar.
8. 400TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF GURU TEGH BAHADUR
Context
The 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur (birth anniversary), the 9th Sikh Guru was recently celebrated.
Details
About Guru Tegh Bahadur
He was the 9th of the ten gurus of Sikhism and his term as Guru ran from 1665 to 1675.
He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind born in Amritsar in 1621.
Nearly 150 hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur have been added in Guru Granth Sahib.
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib mark the places of cremation and execution of
his body.
Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur is observed on November 24, every year.
Sikhism
It was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Its religious practices of Sikhism were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh.
Sikh Guru
Guru Nanak - (1469 to 1539)
Guru Angad - (1504 to 1552)
Guru Amar Das - (1479 to 1574)
Guru Ram Das - (1534 to 1581)
Guru Arjan - (1563 to 1606)
Guru Hargobind - (1595 to 1644)
Guru Har Rai - (1630 to 1661)
Guru Harkishan - (1656 to 1664)
Guru Tegh Bahadur - (1621 to 1675)
Guru Gobind Singh - (1666 to 1708)
9. “ORDER OF RISING SUN” AWARD TO SHYAMALA GANESH
Context
Recently, the Japanese Government awarded the “Order of Rising Sun” to a Bengaluru based Japanese teacher,
Shyamala Ganesh.
Details
Shyamala Ganesh was the former director of the Japanese Language School.
The award was conferred for the spread of the Japanese language and culture in Karnataka.
She also contributed to the spread of the language and trained candidates for the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test course.
She is also former President of the Bengaluru Chapter of Ohara-ryu Ikebana.

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as kadō.
About Order of the Rising Sun
It is a Japanese order.
It was established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji.
It was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government.
Its badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun and symbolizes energy as powerful as the rising sun.
10. WORLD LARGEST AIRPLANE TESTED
Context
Recently, the World largest aeroplane built by Stratolaunch completed its 2nd test flight.
Details
It has wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters),
It took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in southeastern California
It reached a maximum altitude of 14,000 feet (4,267 m) and a top speed of 199 mph (320 kph) during the test
flight.
It can be used to launch satellites.
It is carbon-composite.
It can carry a 550,000 lb (250 t) payload.
It is powered by six engines on a twin fuselage.
About Stratolaunch
It is an American aerospace company providing high-speed flight test services.
It was originally formed in 2011.
It aims to develop a new air-launched space transportation system.
It is called Roc.
Headquarters : Seattle, Washington.

11. T RABI SANKAR APPOINTED AS RBI DEPUTY GOVERNOR
Context
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) executive director T Rabi Sankar has been appointed as the fourth Deputy
Governor of the central bank.
Details
He succeeds B P Kanungo as the deputy governor.
He joins Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Patra and Rajeshwar Rao as the fourth deputy governor of the central
bank.
He has been appointed for a period of three years.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment
Established : On April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
It is fully owned by the Government of India.
Headquarter : Mumbai(Since 1937, previously in Kolkata).
Preamble of RBI :
To regulate the issue of Bank notes.
To operate the currency and credit system of the country.
To release a monetary policy framework.
To maintain price stability.
12. WORLD TUNA DAY: 2 MAY
Context
Every year, World Tuna Day is observed on 2nd May.
Details
In 2016, It was established by the United Nations by the UN General Assembly to preserve the Tuna fish.
It is observed to spread awareness among people regarding the importance of conserving Tuna fish.
It is rich in Omega-3 and it also contains minerals, proteins, and vitamin B12.
It accounts for 20% of marine capture of fisheries and 8% of globally traded seafood.
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
It is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN.
The President of the General Assembly is elected each year by assembly to serve a one-year term of office.
It is the only UN body with universal representation.
President: Volkan Bozkır
Headquarters: New York, United States
13. WORLD LAUGHTER DAY 2021: 02 MAY
Context
Every year World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May.
Details
It is celebrated to raise awareness about laughter and its many healing benefits.
It was first celebrated on May 10, 1998, in Mumbai, India.
It was arranged by Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.
Over 105 countries have celebrated and welcomed the laughter yoga movement.
He was inspired to start the Laughter Yoga movement because of the facial feedback hypothesis.
About Laughter yoga
It is a modern exercise involving prolonged voluntary laughter.
It is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides similar physiological and psychological benefits as
spontaneous laughter.
14. WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY OBSERVED ON 3 MAY
Context
Every year, World Press Freedom Day is observed globally on 3 May.
Details
It was established as World Freedom Day in 1993 to promote the independence of the Africa Press.
It came after a recommendation in 1991 at the 26th General Conference session of UNESCO.
It also came as a result of the 1991 Windhoek Declaration.
Aim : To ensure the protection and safety of the press in the face of attacks against its independence, to
discuss journalistic ethics and to celebrate journalists who gave their lives in the pursuit of truth.
The theme for World Press Freedom Day 2021 is “Information as a Public Good”.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
It is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN).
Aim : To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and
culture.
Member : It has 193 member states and 11 associate members.
Headquarter : Paris, France.
Foundation : In 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual
Cooperation.
15. PROJECT ‘OXYGEN ON WHEELS’ LAUNCHED BY MAHINDRA GROUP
Context
Mahindra Logistics has initiated 'Oxygen on Wheels' initiative.
Details
It is aimed to bridge the gap between oxygen production and its transportation in India, especially in
Maharashtra.
Under the initiative, they will use trucks to connect oxygen producers with hospitals and/or homes.
It has started in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune, Chakan, Thane, Nashik and Nagpur).
An operations control centre has been established and a direct-to-consumer model is planned.
About Mahindra Group
It was incorporated as Muhammad & Mahindra in 1945 by the brothers J. C. Mahindra and K. C. Mahindra,
and Malik Ghulam Muhammad in Ludhiana, Punjab to trade steel.
Headquarter : Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Mahindra Group CEO: Pawan Kumar Goenka.
It mainly functions in the field of aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket, automotive, components, construction
equipment, defence, energy, farm equipment, finance and insurance, industrial equipment, information
technology, leisure and hospitality, logistics, real estate, retail, education and two wheelers.
16. SPECIES OF “XYLOPHIS DEEPAKI” DISCOVERED
Context
Recent discovery of “Xylophis Deepaki” is associated with Snakes.
Details
About Xylophis deepaki
A tiny snake of just 20 cm length with iridescent scales.
Found : In Kanyakumari, on coconut plantation
Reported to be an endemic species of Tamil Nadu and also been sighted in some parts of the southern
Western Ghats.
It is named after the Indian herpetologist Deepak Veerappan.
About Xylophis
It is a small genus of snakes in the family Pareidae.
Five Species of Xylophis : Xylophis Captaini, Xylophis deepaki, Xylophis Mosaicus, Xylophis Perroteri and
Xylophis Stenorhynchus.
About Western Ghats
One of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world.
It runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula.
It is spread across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas.
17. 1ST WOMAN COMMANDING OFFICER IN BRO
Context
Vaishali S Hiwase became the first woman officer to be appointed as commanding officer in the Border Roads
Organisation (BRO).
Details
She will be responsible for providing connectivity through an Indo-China border road.
She is from Wardha, Maharashtra.
She has completed a successful demanding tenure in Kargil.
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
It develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
Formation : 7 May 1960.
Aim : To secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of
the country.
Working : under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
Projects Executed : Atal Tunnel, Nechiphu Tunnel and Barsi Bridge (longest bridge on Manali–Leh highway).
18. INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTERS’ DAY: 04 MAY
Context
International Firefighters' Day is observed each year on 4th May.
Details
International Firefighters Day (IIFD) came into existence on December 2, 1998.
Its symbol : A piece of red and a piece of blue ribbon pinned together at the top (blue over red).
It was created in 1999 after 5 firefighters died during a wildfire in Australia on the 2nd of December 1998.
It is celebrated on Saint Florian’s day.
St Florian was the first known commander of one firefighting squad in the Roman Empire.
He was born in Austria in the 4th century about 250 A.D. in Cetium (now in Austria).
About Roman Empire
It was founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31BC.
It came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in 1453CE.
It included large territories around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia ruled
by emperors.
19. JUSTICE PANT APPOINTED NHRC ACTING CHAIRPERSON
Context
Prafulla Chandra Pant has been appointed as the acting chairperson of National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC).
Details
He was a Judge of the Supreme Court from August 13, 2014 to August 29, 2017.
He held the position of Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya from September 20, 2013 to August 12,
2014,
The President of India appoints the Chairman and members of NHRC
About National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
It is an independent statutory body established as per provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
It looks after the human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the
individual guaranteed by Indian Constitution.
It was established in accordance with the Paris Principles, which was adopted for the promotion and protection
of human rights in Paris in October, 1991.
It is a multi-member body consisting of a Chairman and seven other members.
National Human Rights Commission Formed: 12 October 1993.
National Human Rights Commission Jurisdiction: Government of India;

National Human Rights Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.
20. SUTRA MODEL FOR COVID-19
Context
Scientists in India are using Sutra Model to track and chart COVID-19.
Details
The Sutra Model for charting CoVID-19 trajectory of its spread and infections across the country has been
developed by the Scientists of India.
It is a mathematical model employed for the prediction of the spread of the virus and predicts the trajectory
only with some certainty.
The model will also chart out different scenarios based on the various policy decisions that are taken such as
non-pharmaceutical interventions.
The mutations in CoVID-19 require constant adjustments in the model to achieve accurate predictions.
About 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
It is a virus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.
It is a new strain of the coronavirus that has not been identified previously and is called a novel coronavirus
(nCov).
It is an infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a

virus closely related to the SARS virus.
The 2019-nCov has been given the official name as COVID-19.
Coronavirus is named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. ‘Corona’ in Latin means halo or crown.
Coronavirus is zoonotic, which means that they can be transmitted between animals and people.
21. WIPRO BECAME THIRD MOST-VALUED INDIAN IT FIRM
Context
Wipro became the 3rd largest Indian IT services company.
Details
Wirpo overtook HCL Technologies to become the third-largest Indian IT services company by market
capitalization.
TCS remains at the top of the list of IT companies with a market capitalization of Rs11.51 trillion, to be followed
by Infosys with a market capitalization of Rs5.73 trillion.
Wipro ranks 12th in terms of overall market capitalization.
About Wipro
It is an Indian multinational corporation.
It provides information technology, consulting and business process services.
It was incorporated on 29 December 1945 in Amalner, Maharashtra by Mohamed Premji as "Western India
Palm Refined Oil Limited".
Azim Premji took over Wipro as its chairman at the age of 21.
Headquarter : Bangalore, Karnataka.
Chairman of Wipro Limited: Rishad Premji.
Wipro Headquarters: Bengaluru;
Wipro MD and CEO: Thierry Delaporte
22. ICC RANKINGS: NEW ZEALAND REPLACE ENGLAND AS TOP-RANKED ODI TEAM
Context
New Zealand have replaced England as the No. 1-ranked side in the One-day International rankings.
Details
After beating Bangladesh 3-0 last year, New Zealand gained three ranking points to move up slots in the ICC
Men’s ODI team Rankings with an aggregate of 121.
Australia is on the second with 118 points, while both India and England are on 115.
About ICC ODI Championship
It is an international One-Day International (ODI) cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council
(ICC).
It is a ranking scheme based on the regular ODI match schedule.
After every ODI match, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula.
Each team's points total is divided by their total number of matches played to give a rating, and all the teams
are ranked in a table in order of rating.
About One-Day Internationals
It is a form of limited overs cricket.
It is played between two teams with international status.
Each team faces a fixed number of overs(50 Overs).
The first ODI was played on 5 January 1971 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
23. MARK SELBY BECOMES WORLD CHAMPION FOR 4TH TIME IN SNOOKER
Context
Recently, Mark Selby became the World Champion for the fourth time.
Details
He became a four-time world snooker champion at the Crucible in Sheffield after defeating Shaun Murphy 18-
15.
He has also won the title in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
He has moved up to second spot in world rankings
About Snooker
It is a cue sport that was first played by British Army officers stationed in India in the second half of the 19th
century.
It is also known as billiard sports , where a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick,
which is used to strike billiard balls.
It is played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth with six pockets: one at each corner.
24. SINDHU, MICHELLE LI APPOINTED AMBASSADORS FOR IOC’S ‘BELIEVE IN SPORT’ CAMPAIGN
Context
PV Sindhu and Michelle Li have been nominated as athlete ambassadors for the International Olympic
Committee’s (IOC) ‘Believe in Sport’ campaign.
Details
‘Believe in Sport’ campaign is aimed to prevent competition manipulation.

‘Believe in Sport’ campaign was launched in 2018 to raise awareness among athletes, coaches and officials of
the threat of competition manipulation.
About International Olympic Committee (IOC)
It is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Founded by : Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas in 1894.
Responsible for organising the modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
It is the governing body of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and of the worldwide "Olympic
Movement".
Olympics have been held every four years since 1948.
President of the IOC : Thomas Bach
25. WORLD HAND HYGIENE DAY
Context
Every year, on May 5, World Hand Hygiene Day is observed.
Details
Theme for World Hand Hygiene Day 2021 : "Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care."
The slogan for the day : "Seconds save lives – clean your hands!".
It is organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness among people across the globe
about the importance of hand hygiene in warding off many serious infections.
Clean Your Hands global campaign, launched in 2009 and celebrated annually on 5 May (World Hand Hygiene
Day)
It aims to maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring
people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world.
About World Health Organization
Founded in 1948.
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland.
Members : 194 Member States & six regional offices.
An intergovernmental organization, works in collaboration with its member states usually through the Ministries
of Health.
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.
Objective : It provides leadership on global health matters, shapes the health research agenda, sets norms
and standards, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides technical support to countries and monitors
and assess health trends.
India became a party on 12 January 1948.
Director-General : Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
26. WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021
Context
Recently, World Asthma Day was observed.
Details
It is observed every year to raise awareness about the chronic disease.
The day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of May every year.
This year it was observed on 4th May.
It was founded by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in 1993.
Theme for World Asthma Day 2021: 'Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions', which aims at clearing
misconceptions related to the complications of asthma.
About Asthma
In Asthma, the air passages in the lungs become narrow due to inflammation and tightening of the muscles
around the small airways.
This causes asthma symptoms: cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and chest tightness.
It is a major non-communicable disease (NCD), affecting both children and adults.
27. CENTRE APPROVES MOU BETWEEN INDIA AND UK ON MIGRATION & MOBILITY PARTNERSHIP
Context
Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership between India and
the UK.
Details
India and the UK agree to launch the Global Innovation Partnership.

It will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries thereby helping them explore
new markets and become self sustainable.
It will also foster the innovative ecosystem in India.
It will focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related sectors thereby assisting recipient countries
achieve their SDGs.
It will also develop an open and inclusive e-market place (E-BAAZAR) for cross border innovation transfer.
It will focus on results based impact assessment thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
They are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more
sustainable future for all".
In 2015, they were adopted by all United Nations Member States as a universal call to action to end poverty,
protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
28. RBI PROPOSES TERM LIQUIDITY FACILITY OF RS 50,000 CRORE TO EASE ACCESS TO
EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES
Context
Reserve Bank of India will provide a term-liquidity facility of ₹ 50,000 crore to ease access of funds for
emergency medical services.
Details
Under the liquidity scheme, banks can support entities including vaccine manufacturers, medical facilities,
hospitals and patients.
The funds will be provided for a tenure of up to 3 years and this lending will get priority sector classification till
repayment or maturity.
Banks can create a special loan book and park liquidity equal to their Covid loans at 40 basis points above the
reverse repo rate.
RBI announced targeted long-term repo operations for small finance banks of up to ₹ 10,000 crore.
The funds can be used for lending of up to ₹ 10 lakh per borrower.

Preamble of RBI :
To regulate the issue of banknotes.
29. CENTRE RELEASES THE NEW FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SVAMITVA SCHEME
Context
Union Minister for Panchayati Raj released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme.
Details
The SVAMITVA Framework developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj provides a detailed roadmap and
guidelines for the various States in terms of the Scheme objectives, coverage, various components involved,
year-wise funding pattern, survey approach and methodology, stakeholders involved and their roles and
responsibility, monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables.
About SVAMITVA
It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which was launched by the Prime Minister on
National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2020.
It aims to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in rural areas and issue Property Cards.
It is being implemented across the country in a phased manner over a period of four years (2020-2024) and
would eventually cover around 6.62 lakh villages of the country.
About 1 lakh villages in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand
and Karnataka, and few border villages of Punjab & Rajasthan, along with establishment of Continuous
Operating System (CORS) stations’ network across Punjab & Rajasthan, are being covered in the Pilot phase
(2020-21).
All these six States have signed MoU with Survey of India for drone survey of rural areas and implementation
of the scheme.
These States have finalised the digital property card format and the villages to be covered for drone-based
survey.
Different States have different nomenclature for the Property Cards viz. ‘Title deed’ in Haryana, ‘Rural Property
Ownership Records (RPOR)’ in Karnataka, ‘Adhikar Abhilekh’ in Madhya Pradesh, ‘Sannad’ in Maharashtra,
‘Svamitva Abhilekh’ in Uttarakhand, ‘Gharauni’ in Uttar Pradesh.
30. BCCI SUSPENDS IPL 2021
Context
Indian Premier League Governing Council and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has postponed the
14th edition of Indian Premier League.
Details
It was postponed as SunRisers Hyderabad wicket-keeper batsman Wriddiman Saha and Delhi Capital leg-
spinner Amit Mishra tested positive for Corona.
About Indian Premier League
It is a professional Twenty20 cricket league, contested by eight teams based out of eight different Indian cities.
The league was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007.
It is usually held between March and May of every year.
About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
It's the governing body for cricket in India and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, Government of India.
It was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.
First President : Grant Govan.
Secretary : Anthony De Mello.
31. MANUFACTURING PURCHASING MANAGERS’ INDEX (PMI) RELEASED
Context
IHS Markit India has released the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).
Details
It stands at 55.5 for April, which was 55.4 in March.
A value in PMI above 50 denotes expansion whereas a score less than 50 signifies contraction.
If the figure is higher than the previous month’s then the economy is expanding at a faster rate. If it is lower
than the previous month then it is growing at a lower rate.
IHS Markit is a global leader in information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that
drive economies worldwide.
About Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)
It is an indicator of business activity -- both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is
constructed.
It is different from the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
32. RM SUNDARAM APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF RICE RESEARCH
Context
Raman Meenakshi Sundaram has been appointed as Director of the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR).
Details
He was working as Principal Scientist (Biotechnology), Crop Improvement Section, ICAR-IIRR.
He is a scientist, working in the area of rice biotechnology, molecular breeding, and genomics.
Research Accomplishment : Development of one of the first biotechnology products in rice, Improved Samba
Mahsuri.
About Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR)
Established : 1960s
Aim : To reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure
environmental sustainability of rice farming.
It is an international agricultural research and training organization.
It works to develop rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution.

33. CHECKMATE COVID INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
Context
The All India Chess Federation launched the 'Checkmate Covid Initiative' to help the chess community affected
by the pandemic.
Details
It was launched at an online event in the presence of FIDE (World Chess Federation) president Arkady
Dvorkovich, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, World Rapid Chess Champion Koneru Humpy,
AICF president Sanjay Kapoor and secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan.
'Checkmate Covid Initiative' are financial assistance to registered players, arbiters, organisers, coaches and
retired players to combat coronavirus, assistance for vaccination for players travelling abroad for tournaments.
About All India Chess Federation
It is the central administrative body for chess in India.
It is affiliated to Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).
Headquarters : Chennai.
It was registered on 12 December 1958 as a Society under the Societies Registration act of 1860.
34. S&P REVISES INDIA’S GDP GROWTH FORECAST TO 9.8% FOR FY22
Context
S&P Global Ratings revises India's GDP growth forecast for the current financial year to 9.8 per cent.
Details
S&P currently has a 'BBB-' rating on India with a stable outlook.
In March, it had forecasted an 11 per cent GDP growth for the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal on account of a
fast economic reopening and fiscal stimulus.
The Investment Grades mark the Level or Risk of Default of a bond or organisation.
There are three Investment Grades to denote the risk profile:
‘AAA’ or ‘AA’ for High Credit Quality,
‘A’ or ‘BBB’ for Medium Credit Quality, and
‘BB’ or ‘B’ or ‘CCC’ for Low Credit Quality.

About S&P Global Ratings
It is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and
analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities.
It is considered the largest of the Big Three credit-rating agencies, which also include Moody’s Investors
Service and Fitch Rating.
It’s headquarters is located in New York.
35. 1ST SPECIFIC DRUG FOR COVID-19 TREATMENT : VINCOV-19 DRUG
Context
Recently, the VINCOV-19 drug has been developed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) -
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
Details
It is the first specific drug for COVID-19 treatment, which contains therapeutic antibodies.
Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) has given its approval for human trials.
It is a collection of antibodies from Horses after they got injected with Coronavirus.
Phase-I and Phase-II for the VINCOV-19 and expected to be tried next week in Delhi and Rajasthan.
About Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
Established: September 1942
Located: New Delhi
It is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
It operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
President: Prime Minister of India (Ex-officio)
Vice President: Union Minister of Science and Technology (Ex-officio)
36. INDIA’S FIRST ‘DRIVE IN VACCINATION CENTER’ IN MUMBAI
Context
India’s first ‘Drive in Vaccination Center’ was inaugurated in Mumbai.

Details
It has been set up in the parking lot of Kohinoor Square Tower at Dadar.
It has been made available to the citizens at a time when people with disabilities are facing difficulties in getting
to the vaccination centre.
Covid Vaccination:
Phase one of vaccination starts from 16th January-July 2021.
700-750 mn would have to be vaccinated, which would require around 1.5 bn doses if each needs 2 shots.
Each sealed box could contain 10-20 vials.
Children below 14 years and pregnant women would be excluded as no tests have been done on them.
The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 has recommended that priority be given to
10 million healthcare workers
20 million frontline personnel — armed forces, municipal workers, emergency relief workers, etc
270 million people above the age of 50 and those below 50 with co-morbidities.
Around 3 billion doses are made in India.
Serum Institute of India (SII) is one of the world’s largest vaccine makers.
4.3 bn doses are made in the world; India accounts for about 70% of world’s production.
Almost 65% of vaccines made in India are exported.
37. SECTION 142 OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY CODE, 2020
Context:
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, recently notified Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020 to
authorise the collection of Aadhaar details for the beneficiaries of the different social security schemes.
Details:
Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020 is associated with the Application of Aadhaar to offer services
and benefits to "an employee or unorganised worker or any other person".
The details of unorganised sector workers will be used for implementing future social security schemes.
The details collected will be fed into the National Database for unorganised workers (NDUW) which is being
developed by the National Informatics Centre and is at an advanced stage.
The portal will collect data of unorganised workers including migrant workers for delivering benefits of the
different Government schemes to the common man.
The portal will provide for the registration of an inter-state migrant worker using the Aadhaar itself.
Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020, states that the Aadhaar number issued shall be under the
Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
38. OLDEST HUMAN BURIAL DISCOVERED IN KENYA
Context:
The oldest human burial has been discovered in a cave at a site called “Panga ya Saidi” in Kenya in the
African Continent.
Details:
The Panga ya Saidi is a massive system of caves spanning along an escarpment that lies parallel to the coast
of Kenya.
The excavation of the cave was carried out since 2010 by a team led by the National Museums of Kenya in
Nairobi and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.
The burial indicates the remains of a child who was two to three years old at the site which is over 78,000
years old.
The child has been nicknamed “Mtoto” which is a ‘Swahili’ word for ‘Child’ by the Scientists.
The discovery in Africa provides one of the earliest examples of a body placed in a grave with funeral rites.
The discovery of the burial provides a view into the workings of the mind and heart of the early humans.
The ages of the deceased will assist in developing an understanding of the development of burial as a ritual
practice.
39. FIRST GENETICALLY ENGINEERED MOSQUITOES RELEASED IN THE U.S.A
Context:
The Biotechnology firm ‘Oxitec’ has recently launched the first field test of Genetically Modified mosquitoes in
Florida in the U.S.A.
Details:
The aim of the project is to suppress disease-carrying, wild mosquito populations in the area.
The modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have also been released in the Cayman Islands, Panama, Brazil and
Malaysia where the population of the disease-carrying agents fell by 90%.
The engineered mosquitoes carry a lethal gene that is passed on to their offspring when the modified male
mosquitoes mate with the wild female mosquitoes and prevent the female offspring from building an essential
protein causing them to die before reaching maturity.
The proteins do not affect the survival of the male offspring.
As only the female mosquitoes bite people and male mosquitoes drink nectar exclusively, thereby preventing
the spread of diseases to humans.
The modified mosquitoes were released upon approval from Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD)
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The first release will be used as a trial and data collected in the first case will be used in running a second trial
with nearly 20 million mosquitoes in the later part of 2021.
40. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS INDRA SAWHNEY JUDGEMENT
Context:
In a recent Judgement, the Supreme Court has quashed the Maratha Quota Reservation Law which was
formulated on the basis of the recommendations of Justice M.G Gaikwad Commission and upheld the upper
limit of 50% set in the Indra Sawhney VS Union of India case.
Details:
The Supreme Court has upheld that the power of identification and notification of the list for the Reservation of
Socially and Educationally Backward Classes(SEBC) is held by the President (Central Government).
The SC has made it clear that only the Centre is empowered to identify SEBC and include them in the list for
availing the benefits of reservations.
States can only make recommendations for exclusion and inclusion with subsequent changes to be done by
the Parliament only.
The identification of the SEBC by the President will be guided by the National Commission for Backward
Classes (NCBC) established under Article 338B.
NCBC was accorded the status of a constitutional body by the 102nd Amendment Act, 2018.
Only a single list of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes will be released by the Centre with respect to
each State and Union Territory.
41. “2021 GLOBAL REPORT ON FOOD CRISES”
Context:
The “2021 Global Report on Food Crises” report has been released by the Global Network Against Food
Crises (GNAFC).
Details:
The report underscores the acute food insecurity experienced by 155 million people in 2020.
Most of the Individuals are from Yemen, South Sudan and Burkina Faso.
The main reason for the push of 40 million people towards hunger in 2020 was the economic crisis fuelled by
extreme weather and economic shocks related to COVID-19.
The Continent most affected by the unavailability of Food was Africa which makes up for over 63% of cases of
global food shortages.
Emergency level food insecurity, which is just one level away from starvation was faced by over 28 million
people in 2020.
The crisis resulted in the stunting of 75 million children and the wasting of 15 million children across the world.
Wasting refers to low weight-for-height in Children and Stunting is the impaired growth and development of
children from poor nutrition.
About Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC):
It is an international alliance formed in partnership with the United Nations, European Union and other
agencies.
42. UNFAMILIAR LINEAMENT AMONG FACTOR CAUSING EARTHQUAKES IN ASSAM
Context:
The region of North-Eastern India is demarcated as Seismic zone V, indicating a zone of high earthquake
vulnerability.
Details:
The movement of the Indian Plate towards the North-East direction is on a collision course with the Eurasian
plate part of the Himalayan Region.
The frequent Earthquakes in northern Assam are a result of an unfamiliar lineament, which is a linear feature in
a landscape dependent on the underlying geological structure like a fault.
The Sonitpur district of Assam where earthquakes occurred recently lies within a tectonically complex
triangular area bounded by:
1. a north-south trending lineament,
2. the northwest-southeast trending Kopili Fault, and
3. the east-west trending Atherkhet Fault.
The other faults spread across the northeast and affecting the region of Sonitpur are the Siang Fracture,
Namula Thrust, Yemla Fault and the Canyon Thrust.
Active faults in the region include the Main Central Thrust, Main Boundary Thrust, Main Himalayan Thrust and
various other subsidiary faults.
The north-south lineament and the oblique convergence of the Indian plate in addition to the Atherkhet and
Kopili faults are the major cause of repetitive earthquakes.
43. ‘WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY 2021
Context
Every year World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8.
Details
In 1994, the Thalassemia International Federation established May 8 as International Thalassemia Day.
Theme World Thalassemia Day 2021 : “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia
Community”.
It was declared an International observance in the memory of George Englezos and all thalassemia patients
who fought the disease.
George was the son of Thalassemia International Federation’s (TIF) president and founder, Panos Englezos
and worked as a scientist.
About Thalassemia
It is an inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less hemoglobin than normal.
Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen.
About Thalassaemia International Federation
Established: 1987
Mission : To promote the establishment of national control programmes for the effective prevention and
appropriate clinical management of thalassaemia, in every affected country of the world.
MISSION: “EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH SERVICES FOR ALL WITH THALASSAEMIA”
MOTTO: “UNITY IS OUR STRENGTH”
44. G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEET
Context
Recently, Meeting of Foreign Ministers from Group of Seven (G7) countries (USA, UK, Canada, France,
Germany, Italy and Japan) was held.
Details
The meeting was held in london, United kingdom.
India is not a G7 member but was invited by Britain.
Other Invited guests : Australia,South Korea, South Africa and the Chair (Brunei Darussalam) of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
About Group of Seven (G7)
It is an intergovernmental organisation.
It consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
It meets annually to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security
and energy policy.
It was earlier known as the ‘G8’, with Russia included.
In 2014, Russia waswas expelled as a member following the latter’s annexation of the Crimea region of
Ukraine.
45. N RANGASAMY SWORN IN AS CHIEF MINISTER OF PUDUCHERRY
Context
Recently, N Rangasamy has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Details
He has sworn in for a record fourth time.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lieutenant governor (additional charge) Tamilisai
Soundararajan.
He is a founder and leader of All India NR Congress (AINRC).
How is the Chief Minister appointed?
Article 164 only says that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the governor.
In accordance with the conventions of the parliamentary system of government, the governor has to appoint
the leader of the majority party in the state legislative assembly as the Chief Minister.
The Constitution does not require that a person must prove his majority in the legislative assembly before he is
appointed as the Chief Minister.
According to the Constitution, the Chief Minister may be a member of any of the two Houses of a state
legislature.
46. WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY: 08 MAY
Context
World Migratory Bird Day 2021 is observed globally on 8 May.
About World Migratory Bird Day
It was initiated in 2006 by the Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory
Waterbirds (AEWA) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
The theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!”.
Aim :To raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.
Reasons for migration
To avoid extreme climatic conditions.
To manage food shortage.
To manage shortage of water.
To have better breeding conditions.
Less competition for safe nesting places.
Migratory Birds in India
Winter birds : Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Common Teal, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail,
Northern Shoveler, Rosy Pelican, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Eurasian Pigeon, Black
Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank Starling Bluethroat, Long Billed Pipit.
Summer birds : Asian Koel, Black Crowned Night Heron, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Comb Duck,
Blue Cheeked Bee Eater, Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater, Cuckoos.
47. WORLD RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT DAY 2021
Context
Every year, World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed on 8 May.
Details
Theme 2021 World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: ‘Unstoppable’.
The day is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant, born on 8 May 1828.
Henry Dunant is the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
He is also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919 in Paris.
Five founding members - Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States.
Mission of ICRC : To protect and assist victims of armed conflict and promote understanding and respect for
international humanitarian law.
The International Committee of the Red Cross won three Nobel Peace Prizes (in 1917, 1944, and 1963).
Headquarter : Geneva, Switzerland.
48. ARYNA SABALENKA WON MADRID OPEN
Context
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won Madrid Open 2021.
Details
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat top seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia in three sets to win the women’s singles
title at the Madrid Open.
It is Sabalenka's second of the season following Abu Dhabi in January, fourth in the past 12 months and 10th
in total.
About Madrid Open
It is currently sponsored by Mutua Madrileña and known as the Mutua Madrid Open.
It is a joint men's and women's professional tennis tournament.
It is held in Madrid, during early May.
It is classified as an ATP Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and a Premier
Mandatory event on the Women's Tennis Association tour.
It is traditionally played on a red clay surface.
49. PRIME GLOBAL CITIES INDEX Q1 2021
Context
Recently, ‘Prime Global Cities Index Q1 2021’ was released.
Details
The Prime Global Cities Index is a valuation-based index tracking the movement in prime residential prices in
local currency across 45+ cities worldwide.
The index is published by Knight Frank.
Knight Frank LLP is an estate agency, residential and commercial property consultancy founded in London by
John Knight, Howard Frank and William Rutley in 1896.
As per the report
India’s top property markets have witnessed a slight decline in the prime residential prices.
Prime residential property is defined as the most desirable and most expensive property in a given location.
‘Prime Global Cities Index Q1 2021’ has been topped by the Chinese city of Shenzhen, followed by Shanghai
and Guangzhou.
Mumbai and New Delhi have moved one spot down to 32nd and 36th rank respectively, while Bengaluru has
moved down four spots to 40th rank.
50. ‘RAISING DAY’ OF ‘BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION (BRO)’ OBSERVED
Context
On 7 May 2021 Border Roads Organisation celebrated its 61st Raising Day (foundation day).
Details
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
It develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
Formation : 7 May 1960.
Aim : To secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states
of the country.
Working : under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
Projects Executed : Atal Tunnel, Nechiphu Tunnel and Barsi Bridge (longest bridge on Manali–Leh highway).
Director-General of BRO: Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhary.
BRO Headquarters: New Delhi.
Role of Border Roads Organisation
During Peace
To develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure of General Staff (GS) roads in the border areas.
To contribute to the socio-economic development of the border states.
During War
To develop and maintain roads to keep line of control through in original sectors and re-deployed sectors.
To execute additional tasks as laid down by the government contributing to the war effort.
51. DRDO-DEVELOPED ANTI-COVID ORAL DRUG FOR EMERGENCY USE
Context
Recently, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)
developed by DRDO.
Details
It is developed in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Hyderabad for emergency use.
Anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) comes in powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by
dissolving it in water.
It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy
production.
Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in patients infected with
coronavirus.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

It is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the
Government of India.
Established in 1958 after combining Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the
Directorate of Technical Development & Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).
It is charged with the military's research and development.
It is headquartered in Delhi, India.
(nCov).

52. RBI SETS UP COMMITTEE TO ASSIST RRA 2.0
Context
Recently, the Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) has constituted an Advisory Group to assist the second Regulations
Review Authority (RRA 2.0).
Details
It is constituted under the SBI Managing Director S Janaki Raman.
It was constituted to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated entities.
The RBI has set up the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), initially for a period of one year from
May 01, 2021.
Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao was appointed as the Regulations Review
Authority.
In 1999, the RBI had set up a Regulations Review Authority (RRA) to review the regulations, circulars,
reporting systems, based on the feedback from the public, banks, and financial institutions.

Preamble of RBI :
53. 3RD ARCTIC SCIENCE MINISTERIAL (ASM3)
Context
Recently, India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM).
Details
Host Countries: It was jointly organised by Iceland and Japan.
It provides opportunities to various stakeholders, including academia, indigenous communities, governments

and policymakers, to enhance collective understanding of the Arctic region, emphasize and engage in constant
monitoring, and strengthen observations.
Theme: ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.
The first meeting of ASM was held in the United States of America, whereas the second meeting took place in
Germany.
It serves as a platform to carry out discussions associated with research and cooperation in the Arctic region.
About Arctic
The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth.
The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland,
Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover.
54. HIMANTA BISWA SARMA CHOSEN AS ASSAM’S NEW CHIEF MINISTER
Context
Himanta Biswa Sarma has been appointed as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam.
Details
He will replace Sarbananda Sonowal.
How is the Chief Minister appointed?
Article 164 says that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the governor.
In accordance with the conventions of the parliamentary system of government, the governor has to appoint
the leader of the majority party in the state legislative assembly as the Chief Minister.
The Constitution does not require that a person must prove his majority in the legislative assembly before he is
appointed as the Chief Minister.
According to the Constitution, the Chief Minister may be a member of any of the two Houses of a state
legislature.
55. RABINDRANATH TAGORE : 160TH JAYANTI
Context
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on 160th Jayanti on 7th May, 2021.
Details
He was a short story writer, poet, playwright, essayist and painter.
Born : Calcutta on May 7, 1861.
Referred to as ‘Gurudev’, ‘Kabiguru’, and ‘Biswakabi’.
First non-European to receive the Nobel Prize.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work on Gitanjali in 1913.
He gave national anthems for two countries, India and Bangladesh.
His notable works include Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Gora, Manasi, Balaka, Sonar Tori.
National Anthem of India
‘Jana Gana Mana’ is the National Anthem of India.
Written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The first version of the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was sung in a convention of the Indian National Congress in 1911 at
Calcutta.
Jana Gana Mana was declared as India’s National Anthem on 24th January 1950.
It was originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata.
56. BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF MAHARANA PRATAP
Context
Recently, the Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Maharana Pratap on his 481st birth anniversary.
Details
Born on May 9th 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.
13th King of Mewar and was the eldest son of Udai Singh II
Ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor.
Udai Singh II was also a founder of the city of Udaipur.
He died on 19th January, 1597.
Famous battle of Battle of Haldighati was fought in 1576 between Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Raja Man
Singh of Amber.
His younger brothers were Shakti Singh, Vikram Singh and Jagmal Singh. Maharana Pratap was married to
Ajabde Punwar of Bijolia.
He built a new capital, Chavand, near modern Dungarpur.
57. MUCORMYCOSIS FOUND IN COVID -19 PATIENTS
Context
Many COVID-19 patients are being detected with a serious fungal infection known as Mucormycosis also
called black fungus.
Details
It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which are present
naturally in the environment.
It mainly affects people who are on medication for health problems that reduces their ability to fight
environmental pathogens.
Types of Mucormycosis are: Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain), Pulmonary (Lung), Gastrointestinal, Cutaneous
(Skin), and disseminated Mucormycosis.
It does not spread between people or between people and animals.
Symptoms:
* Sinusitis — nasal blockade or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody);
* Local pain on the cheek bone, one-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling;
* Blackish discolouration over bridge of nose/palate;
* Loosening of teeth, jaw involvement;
* Blurred or double vision with pain;
* Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion;
* Chest pain, pleural effusion, worsening of respiratory symptoms.
58. NATIONAL TASK FORCE FOR OXYGEN ALLOCATION CONSTITUTED
Context
Recently, the Supreme Court set up a 12-member National Task Force (NTF).
Details
Based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge, it will facilitate public health response to COVID-19,
including streamlining of oxygen distribution in the country.
It would be tasked inter alia with formulating a methodology for the scientific allocation of oxygen to the states
and UTs.
The tenure of the task force is 6 months and will be convened by the Cabinet Secretary to the Union
Government.
The task force will also be responsible for suggesting measures to ensure the availability of medicines required
for the treatment of COVID-positive individuals.
It could form sub-groups of experts on a regional basis in the specialised areas of Infectious Disease
Modelling, Critical Care, Clinical Virology/Immunology and Epidemiology/Public health.
The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall also be a member, will be the Cabinet Secretary to the
Union Government.
59. 2021 LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS
Context
Recently, Laureus World Sports Awards 2021 were constituted.

Details
Naomi Osaka of Japan has been named “Sportswoman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports
Awards.
Laureus World Sports Awards for Sportsman of the Year was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven
constituent awards presented during the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Rafael Nadal of Spain won the 2021 “Laureus Sportsman of the Year” title.
Laureus World Sports Awards was established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation founding
patrons Daimler and Richemont.
List of Winners
Sportsman of the Year Award: Rafael Nadal
Sportswoman of the Year Award: Naomi Osaka
Team of the Year Award: Bayern Munich
Breakthrough of the Year Award: Patrick Mahomes
The comeback of the Year Award: Max Parrot
Sport for Good Award: KICKFORMORE by KICKFAIR
Lifetime Achievement Award: Billie Jean King
Athlete Advocate of the Year Award: Lewis Hamilton
Sporting Inspiration Award: Mohamed Salah
Sporting Moment of the Year Award: Chris Nikic
60. NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY OBSERVED
Context
Every year, National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11.
Details
The National Technology Day 2021 theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
Its objective is to highlight the achievements of engineers and scientists in the field of technology and science.
It is also the day when India conducted its first successful test in Pokhran.
On May 11, Indian successfully test-fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan.
India became a nuclear state and the sixth country to join the elite ‘nuclear club’ of nations.
Also, on the very same day India tested its first indigenous aircraft ‘Hansa-3’ designed by National Aerospace
Laboratory which took flight in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Since 1999, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Technology Development Board (TDB) commemorates
the day.
About Pokhran Test
These were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted at Pokhran Test Range in May 1998.
These tests were assigned the code name Operation Shakti.
61. 1ST INDIAN TO WIN ARAB WORLD NOBEL PRIZE
Context
Dr Tahera Qutbuddin became the first person of Indian-origin to win the 15th Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
Details
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is considered to be the Nobel Prize of the Arab world.
She was awarded for her latest book, “Arabic Oration – Art and Function” published by Brill Academic
Publishers of Leiden in 2019.
In the book, she puts forth a comprehensive theory of Arabic literature in its foundational oral period dating the
seventh and eighth centuries AD.
She serves on the editorial board of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Library of Arabic Literature.
About Sheikh Zayed Book Award
It is a literary award begun in the UAE.
Presented yearly to "Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers as well as young talent whose writings and
translations of humanities have scholarly and objectively enriched Arab cultural, literary and social life."
62. ‘DOST FOR LIFE’ MOBILE APP LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a psychological counselling app for
students and parents.
Details
The mobile app named ‘Dost for Life’ can be accessed by students and parents.
It has been designed for students of classes 9 to 12 and parents and can be used for counselling sessions.
It will also offer suggestive course guides after Class 12, tips on mental well-being, a coronavirus guide and
audio-visual messages.
CBSE will organize free of cost live counselling sessions thrice a week on Monday, Friday, and Wednesday by
trained counsellors/Principals.
Central Board of Secondary Education is a national level board of education in India for public and private
schools, controlled and managed by the Union Government of India.
About Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
CBSE Chairman: Manoj Ahuja;
CBSE Head Office: Delhi;
CBSE Founded: 3 November 1962.
63. GOPAL KRISHNA GOKHALE JAYANTI OBSERVED
Context
Recently, 155th birth anniversary of Gopal Krishna Gokhale on 9th May.
Details about Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Born on May 9, 1866, in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
Founded the Servants of India Society in Maharashtra’s Pune on June 12, 1905.
One of the founding leaders of the Indian national movement.
He used to teach history and political economy at the Fergusson College in Pune.
He was associated with the Moderate Group of Indian National Congress (joined in 1889).
He became president of INC in 1905 in Banaras session.
He founded the Ranade Institute of Economics, with a mission to “provide education in all fields of economics
with the singular purpose of contributing its might to enhance economic betterment and social welfare”.
He started english weekly newspaper, The Hitavada (The people's paper).
He is regarded by Mahatma Gandhi as his political guru.

64. SPACEX TO LAUNCH ‘DOGE-1 MISSION TO THE MOON’
Context
SpaceX to launch a satellite to the Moon funded with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.
Details
It is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2022.
It will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary
commerce.
The dogecoin-funded mission is led by the Canadian company Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC).
About Cryptocurrencies
It is a digital currency that permits transacting parties to remain anonymous while confirming the transaction is
valid.
They are widely used as a means for money-laundering, tax evasion, terror funding and drug trafficking, and
other illegal activities.
Some important cryptocurrencies: Bitcoins, Litecoin, Namecoin, Swiftcoin, Bytecoin, Gridcoin etc.
About SpaceX
It is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company.
SpaceX founder & CEO: Elon Musk.
SpaceX Founded: 2002.
SpaceX Headquarters: California, United States of America.
65. ISRO DEVELOPS 3 COST-EFFECTIVE VENTILATORS, OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR
Context
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has developed three different types of ventilators and an oxygen
concentrator.
Details
Based on designs, features and specifications, ISRO has named them, Prana, VaU and Svasta.
Prana : To deliver respiratory gas to the patient by automated compression of an Ambu bag.
Svasta : To work without electric power.
VaU : low-cost ventilator equivalent to commercially available high-end ventilators.
It has also developed a portable medical oxygen concentrator called Shwaas, which is capable of supplying 10
litre enriched oxygen per minute and adequate for two patients at a time.
It enhances the oxygen gas content by selectively separating the nitrogen gas from ambient air through
Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) which is commonly used for production of oxygen from air.
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India.
Headquarter : Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Vision : To harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and
planetary exploration.
Established: 15 August 1969
Chairman: K.Sivan.
66. PUDUCHERRY BECOMES ‘HAR GHAR JAL’ UT
Context
Recently, Puducherry became the second ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Union Territory (U.T.)
Details
It aims to provide a household tap connection in every rural home.
The U.T. has become the fourth State/UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands to ensure tap
water connection and supply under the flagship ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ scheme of the Union Government.
About National Jal Jeevan Mission
It is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by
2024 to all households in rural India.
It will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse
through greywater management, water conservation, rainwater harvesting.
It will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and
communication as a key component of the mission.
About Jal Shakti Ministry
It is a ministry under the Government of India which was formed in May 2019 under the second Modi ministry.
It was formed by merging of two ministries; Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
67. INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY OBSERVED
Context
International Nurses and Midwives Day is celebrated every year on May 12 annually.
Details
It is also marked as the anniversary of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing.
Florence Nightingale set up the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London (opened
1860) to formalize nursing education.
She was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit (1907).
Theme of 2021 International Nurses Day is ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare’.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965.
About International Council of Nurses (ICN)
Founded : 1899
Aim : To bring nurses' organizations together in a worldwide body, to advance the socio-economic status of
nurses and the profession of nursing worldwide, and to influence global and domestic health policy.
Headquarter : Geneva, Switzerland.
It is governed by a Council of National Representatives (CNR).
68. GREEN URJA AWARD 2021
Context
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) has been conferred with “Green Urja Award”.
Details
It recognises the efforts of IREDA for being the leading Public Institution in Financing Institution for Renewable
Energy and the pivotal role played by IREDA in Green Energy Financing.
The award is conferred by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
About Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA)

It is a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
It is a Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987.
Its objective is to promote, develop and extend financial assistance to set up projects relating to new and
renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency/conservation with the motto: “ENERGY FOR EVER”.
69. ‘TOGETHER FOR INDIA’ INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, WHO has launched an initiative 'Together for India' to raise funds in order to support India’s fight
against pandemic.
Details
The initiative aims at raising funds for India to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic unfolding in the
country.
As part of the initiative, WHO will assist India in providing oxygen, medicines and personal protective
equipment.
Founded in 1948.
of Health.
Director-General : Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
70. PADMAKUMAR NAIR APPOINTED AS CEO OF NATIONAL ASSET RECONSTRUCTION COMPANY
Context
Padmakumar M Nair has been appointed as the CEO of the proposed National Asset Reconstruction
Company Ltd.
Details
He presently holds the post of Chief General Manager of Stressed Assets Resolution Group at the State Bank
of India (SBI).
About National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL)
National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd is a partnership of public and private sector banks.
It was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the budget for 2021-22
It will pay up to 15 per cent of the agreed value for the loans in cash and the remaining 85 per cent would be
government-guaranteed security receipts.
It will manage and dispose of the assets to alternate investment funds and other potential investors for
eventual value realisation.
71. INDIAN AND INDONESIAN NAVIES CONDUCTED PASSAGE EXERCISE (PASSEX)
Context
Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the southern Arabian Sea.
Details
It is aimed to improve interoperability and understanding between both the friendly navies.
Indian Navy represented by INS Sharda, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) with a Chetak helicopter participated
in the exercise.
Indonesian Navy represented KRI Sultan Hasanudin.
About Passage Exercise (PASSEX)
PASSEX is a naval exercise which is regularly conducted by Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies,
whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
It is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices from each other.
In July 2020, India conducts PASSEX with Japan and US.
In September 2020, India conducts PASSEX with Russia.
72. OXYGEN PARK IN TAMIL NADU

Context
Recently, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has designed an ‘oxygen park’ with Beema Bamboo.
Details
Beema or Bheema Bamboo is a superior clone, selected from Bambusa balcooa, a higher biomass yielding
bamboo species.
It has been developed by the conventional breeding method.
It is considered to be one of the fastest-growing plants.
It grows one-and-a-half feet per day under tropical conditions.
It is said to be the best ‘carbon sink’ to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.
It may generate over 300 kilograms of oxygen annually which may be sufficient for one person for one year.
It is a useful material for the construction industry.
About Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
It is an agricultural university located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
73. NASA’S OSIRIS-REX MISSION DEPARTED
Context
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx — Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith

Explorer, spacecraft departs from asteroid Bennu.
Details
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx is meant to collect samples of dust and pebbles and deliver them back to Earth in 2023.
The asteroid Bennu was named after an Egyptian deity by a nine-year-old boy from North Carolina in 2013
who won NASA’s “Name that Asteroid” competition.
The asteroid was discovered by a team from the NASA-funded Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research team in
1999.
About Asteroids
They are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets.
They are also called minor planets.
According to NASA, there are 994,383 asteroids in our solar system.

Classes of Asteroids
They are divided into three classes. First, they are found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter,
which is estimated to contain somewhere between 1.1-1.9 million asteroids. The second group is that of
trojans, which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet.
The third classification is Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which have orbits that pass close to the Earth.
74. MONKEY CENSUS AS PART OF THE ‘WILDLIFE CENSUS’
Context
Recently, the state of Haryana carried out a ‘Monkey Census’ as part of the “Wildlife Census of Haryana-
2021”.
Details
It is conducted under the ‘2021 Wildlife Census of India’.
It was conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India.
It was conducted using a mobile application called “Wildlife Census Haryana”.
The mobile app was designed by Wildlife Institute of India.
The Wildlife Census 2021 was to be held in two parts — line transects survey within and outside the Protected
Areas and census through camera traps.
About Wildlife Institute of India
Established in 1982.
Established at Dehradun.
It is an autonomous Institution of the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
Vision: To develop the Institute as ‘A Global Centre of Excellence’ in the field of wildlife research, training and
advocacy.
Mission: To nurture the development of wildlife science and promote its application in conservation, in
consonance with our culture and socio-economic milieu.
75. OXYGEN SOLIDARITY BRIDGE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
Context
The initiative of ‘Oxygen Solidarity Bridge’ is being facilitated by the French Mission.
Details
The initiative is part of the ongoing COVID relief Operation ‘Samudra Setu II’ undertaken by the Indian Navy,
INS Trikand.
Under Operation ‘Samudra Setu II’, INS Tarkash, brought two Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) filled (20 Metric
Tonne each) cryogenic containers and 230 Oxygen cylinders to Mumbai on 12 May 21.
About Operation ‘Samudra Setu II’
It aims to augment the ongoing national mission Oxygen Express.
Warships deployed will undertake shipment of liquid Oxygen filled cryogenic containers & associated medical
equipment in support of the nation's fight against Covid-19.
Seven Indian Naval ships namely Kolkata, Kochi, Talwar, Tabar, Trikand, Jalashwa and Airavat have been
deployed to ship liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from
various countries.
Operation Samudra Setu : It was launched in May 2020 as part of the Vande Bharat Mission. It was launched
to bring 4,000 Indians from countries such as the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran due to the outbreak of the
coronavirus pandemic.
76. WORLD’S FIRST UNMANNED VESSEL TO NAVIGATE ACROSS ATLANTIC
Context
World’s First Unmanned Vessel named “Mayflower 400” to Navigate Across the Atlantic.
Details
Built by the marine research organization ProMare in collaboration with IBM.
Aim : To track aquatic mammals, analyse plastic in the water, and study marine pollution.
It is an autonomous ship.
It is a 15-m-long trimaran that weighs 9 tons.
It is powered by Artificial Intelligence and via solar panels.
It is the world’s first unmanned vessel to navigate across the Atlantic Ocean.
It is equipped with a smart captain, six high-tech cameras and radars, has been trained with audio data to
avoid collisions, correct its course, detect marine animals, and gather information of the population of the
aquatic animals.
77. ‘COVI VAN’ FOR SENIOR CITIZENS LAUNCHED

Context
Recently, Delhi Police has launched COVI Van initiative for senior citizens.
Details
South District Police of New Delhi has launched a COVI Van Helpline (012- 26241077).
After receiving any call for COVI Van, deployed police officers on COVI Van with beat officers will go to the
house of senior citizens and help them in getting their needs, including any essential item, vaccination and
medicines.
The information of commencement of COVI Van has been provided in the Greater Kailash -1 area through
beat officers and Residents Welfare Association (RWA).
About Delhi Police
It is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT).
Founded in 1861 after the adoption of the Indian Police Act.
It comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
There are 15 Districts of Delhi Police, each headed by a DCP or Deputy Commissioner of Police.
78. CABINET APPROVES PLI SCHEME FOR ADVANCED CHEMISTRY CELL (ACC) BATTERY STORAGE
Context
Recently, the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Heavy Industry for implementation of
the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC)
Battery Storage’.
Details
Aim: To achieve a manufacturing capacity of 50 GigaWatt Hour of ACC and five Giga Watt Hour of Niche ACC
with an outlay of 18,100 crore.
ACCs are the new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy either as
electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.
Production Linked Incentive Scheme(PLI)
It is an outcome- and output-oriented scheme where incentives will be paid only if the manufacturers make the
goods.
This scheme will give cash incentives for five to seven years and all the sunrise and important sectors are
proposed to be covered in this.
The sectors may be automobile, networking products, food processing, advanced chemistry and solar PV
manufacturing.
79. CARE RATINGS PROJECTS INDIA’S GDP FORECAST TO 9.2% FOR FY22
Context
The domestic rating agency, Care Ratings, has revised the GDP growth forecast of India for the current fiscal
year 2021-2022 (FY22) to 9.2 percent.
Details
This is the fourth revision by the rating agency in its GDP growth forecast for 2021-22 since March 2021.
Care has cited the impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason behind a slowdown in
the economic growth.
About GDP
GDP is the final value of the goods and services produced within the geographic boundaries of a country
during a specified period of time, normally a year.
How is GDP measured?
It can be measured by three methods, namely,
Output Method: This measures the monetary or market value of all the goods and services produced within
the borders of the country.
GDP (as per output method) = Real GDP (GDP at constant prices) – Taxes + Subsidies.
Expenditure Method: This measures the total expenditure incurred by all entities on goods and services
within the domestic boundaries of a country.
GDP (as per expenditure method) = C + I + G + (X-IM) C: Consumption expenditure, I: Investment

expenditure, G: Government spending and (X-IM): Exports minus imports, that is, net exports.
Income Method: It measures the total income earned by the factors of production, that is, labour and capital
within the domestic boundaries of a country.
GDP (as per income method) = GDP at factor cost + Taxes – Subsidies
80. AGREEMENT WITH THE NASA FOR THE FIRST PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION
Context
Recently, Axiom Space has signed an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) for the first Private Astronaut Mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Details
Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) will be carried out in 2022 and will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.
Axiom astronauts will get to spend eight days on the ISS following the docking of the spacecraft.
The mission aims to commercialise the travel to low-Earth orbit and expand access to serious, non-traditional
users.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration
It is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well
as aeronautics and space research.
It was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
About International Space Station
A habitable artificial satellite.
It is the single largest man-made structure in low earth orbit.
It circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day.
Joint Project of NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
It is expected to operate until 2030.
81. GOA MARITIME SYMPOSIUM (GMS) 2021 ORGANIZED
Context
Recently, GOA MARITIME SYMPOSIUM (GMS) 2021 was hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval
War College, Goa.
Details
The theme for GMS-21 was focused on “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for
Proactive Role for IOR Navies”.
It was hosted virtually for the first time.
It aims to foster friendly relations with India’s maritime neighbours.
It has the participation of 13 Indian Ocean Littoral countries, viz. Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius,
Thailand, Myanmar, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Comoros, and Singapore.
In geography, the littoral means the coast.

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) comprises the Indian Ocean and the countries bordering it-- Australia, India,
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
82. 2021 WORLD FOOD PRIZE CONFERRED
Context
The ‘2021 World Food Prize’ has been conferred on Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted.
Details
She was awarded for her contributions in the field of research for the development of a nutrition-sensitive and
holistic approach towards food systems and aquaculture.
She is a global nutrition expert of Indian descent and is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a citizen of
Denmark.
About World Food Prize
It is an annual award that recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply including plant,
animal and soil science; food science and technology; nutrition, rural development, etc.
Eligibility: Open for any individual without regard to race, religion, nationality or political beliefs.
Cash Prize: Cash award of $2,50,000, and a sculpture designed by the noted artist and designer, Saul Bass.
It was created in 1986 with sponsorship by General Foods Corporation.
It is also known as the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture".
About World Food Programme
It is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization
addressing hunger and promoting food security.
It is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in
emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
Key facts
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Founded: 1961
Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly
Heads: David Beasley, Ertharin Cousin
Founders: Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations General Assembly

83. FIRST BRICS EMPLOYMENT WORKING GROUP (EWG) MEETING HELD
Context
The first meeting of the BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) was held virtually.
Details
It also has representatives from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Social
Security Agency (ISSA).
Agenda of Meeting : To Promote Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations, Formalization of
labour markets, Participation of women in labour force and Gig and platform workers – Role in labour market.
It was chaired by Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment.
India has Social Security Agreements with South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, Norway,
Netherlands, Japan, Hungary, Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Canada, Belgium,
Austria, Australia.
About BRICS
It is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa.
It was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2001.
It is the group composed of the five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
84. MANCHESTER CITY : 2020-21 PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
Context
Manchester City won the 2020-21 Premier League title.
Details
It was crowned Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons after Manchester United crashed
to a 2-1 defeat against Leicester.
It was formed in February 1992.
It runs from August to May, with teams playing 38 matches each.
About Premier League
It is an English professional league for association football clubs

Seven clubs have won the title: Manchester United (13 times), Chelsea (5), Manchester City (4), Arsenal (3),
Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Liverpool (1).
Manchester United was the first club to win the league three consecutive seasons twice (1998–99 to 2000–01
and 2006–07 to 2008–09).
85. PM RELEASES 8TH INSTALMENT OF FINANCIAL BENEFIT UNDER PM-KISAN
Context
Recently, the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi released the 8th instalment of financial benefit under
the PM-KISAN scheme.
It will enable the transfer of more than Rs. 19,000 crores to more than 9.5 crores beneficiary farmer families.
Details
About the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme
Aim : To augment the income of the farmers by providing income support to all the landholding farmers’
families in India.
Under this scheme an amount of Rs.6000 per year is transferred in 3-4 monthly instalments of Rs.2000 directly
into the bank accounts of the farmers,
It was launched formally on 24th February 2019 by the PM Shri Narendra Modi at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
It initially provided income support to all the Small and Marginal Farmers’ families across the country, who had
cultivable land up to 2 hectares.
Special provisions have been made for the North-Eastern States where land ownership rights are community-
based.
86. “MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT BRIEF “ RELEASED BY THE WORLD BANK
Context
Recently, “Migration and Development Brief “ was released by the World Bank.
Details
As per the report, India was the largest recipient of remittances in 2020.
Top five remittance recipient countries in 2020 : India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt.
Largest remittances sending countries : United States (USD68 billion), UAE (USD43 billion), Saudi Arabia
(USD34.5 billion), Switzerland (USD27.9 billion), Germany (USD22 billion), and China (USD18 billion).
About the World Bank
It is an international financial institution.
It provides loans and grants to the governments of low and middle-income countries for the purpose of
pursuing capital projects.
It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the
International Development Association (IDA). The World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group.
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
World Bank Formation: July 1944.
World Bank President: David Malpass.
87. HOUSES UNDER SPECIAL WINDOW FOR COMPLETION OF AFFORDABLE AND MID-INCOME
HOUSING CREATED
Context
Recently, Finance Minister handed over houses to buyers under Special Window Project
Details
The residential project - 'Rivali Park', situated in suburban Mumbai, was the first housing project in the country
to have received funding under the government's SWAMIH Fund.
About Special Window for Affordable and Mid Income Housing (SWAMIH) fund
It was set up as a Category-II AIF (Alternate Investment Fund) debt fund registered with SEBI.
Aim : To provide priority debt financing for the completion of stalled housing projects.
Sponsor of the Fund : Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India
on behalf of the Government of India.
About Alternate Investment Fund
Definition : As per Securities and Exchange Board of India (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012,
It refer to any privately pooled investment fund, (whether from Indian or foreign sources), in the form of a trust
or a company or a body corporate or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
88. RAMESH POWAR APPOINTED HEAD COACH OF INDIAN WOMEN’S CRICKET TEAM
Context
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the appointment of Ramesh Powar
as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Women).
Details
The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Madan Lal and Mr Rudra
Pratap Singh unanimously agreed on Ramesh Powar.
He has played 2 Tests and 31 ODIs for India.
He recently coached the Mumbai senior team that won the Vijay Hazare Trophy and has worked at the
National Cricket Academy as a Bowling Coach.
About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
It's the governing body for cricket in India and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, Government of India.
It was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.
First President : Grant Govan.
Secretary : Anthony De Mello.
89. FORTUNE’S WORLD’S 50 GREATEST LEADERS 2021
Context
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden topped Fortune's list of the world's 50 greatest leaders.
Details
World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021, released by Fortune Magazine.
Adar Poonawala, CEO of the Serum Institute (SII) is the only Indian to be in the top-50.
List of Top 10 Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 2021
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
mRNA Pioneers
Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal
Dr John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Adam Silver; Michele Roberts; Chris Paul, NBA Rescuers
Jessica Tan, founder of Ping An Group

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury for the Church of England/Anglican Church
Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight
Reshorna Fitzpatrick, pastor for Proceeding Word Church, Chicago
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India
About Fortune Magazine
It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, owned by Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon.
It was founded by Henry Luce in 1929.
90. CHINA'S FIRST MARS ROVER, ZHU RONG SUCCESSFULLY LANDED ON MARS
Context
China has successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars.
Details
It is the second country after the US to send a rover to the surface of the Red Planet.
China National Space Administration (CNSA) lander from the Tianwen-1 was carrying the Zhurong rover,
named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, which will explore the surface near the landing site.
About Mars
It is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System.
Mars is about half the size of Earth.
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Soviet Union in 1971 became the first country to carry out a Mars landing, Mars 3.
91. 2021 WHITLEY AWARD
Context
Recently, Nuklu Phom, popularly known as the “Amur Falcon Man of Nagaland” has been conferred with the
Whitley Award 2021
Details
She was awarded for his contribution towards creating “Biodiversity Peace Corridors”.
The Whitley Awards are awarded by the Whitley Fund for Nature every year and give recognition to
conservation leaders at the grass-root level.
The Whitley Fund for Nature was set up by Edward Whitley in 1994.
About Amur Falcon
Amur falcons, the world’s longest travelling raptors start travelling with the onset of winters.
They get their name from the Amur River that forms the border between Russia and China.
Nagaland is also known as the “Falcon Capital of the World”.
The birds are the least concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, but
the species is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Convention on Migratory
Species.
92. KP SHARMA OLI RE-APPOINTED AS PRIME MINISTER OF NEPAL
Context
In Nepal, KP Sharma Oli was re-appointed as the Prime Minister of the country by President Bidhya Devi
Bhandari.
Details
He was administered the oath of office by the President on May 14, 2021.
He was first appointed as PM from 12 October 2015 to 4 August 2016, and then again from 15 February 2018
to 13 May 2021.
He will now have to take a vote of confidence at the House within 30 days, failing which, an attempt to form a
government under Article 76 (5) of the Constitution would be initiated.
The CPN-UML, headed by Oli, is the largest party with 121 seats in the 271-member House of
Representatives.
At present 136 votes are needed to form a majority government.
If the parties fail to form a new government in line with Article 76 (5) or the Prime Minister elected under this
provision fail to secure the vote of confidence again, the sitting Prime Minister can recommend the President to
dissolve the parliament and announce the date to hold general elections within the next six months.
93. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES 2021 OBSERVED
Context
International Day of Families or IDF is observed annually on May 15.

Details
It is celebrated to highlight the importance of families and filial bonds by the international community.
The theme of IDF 2021 is ‘Families and new technologies’.
It provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the
social, economic and demographic processes affecting them.
It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1994.
94. INDIAN CORONAVIRUS VARIANT CLASSIFIED AS A “GLOBAL VARIANT OF CONCERN”
Context
Recently, the World Health Organization has classified a coronavirus variant found in India as a global “variant
of concern”.
Details
This variant was classified as a variant under investigation (VUI) by authorities in the UK earlier in May.
It has already spread to more than 17 countries.
The B.1.617 variant of SARS-CoV-2 carries two mutations, E484Q and L452R.
The two mutations are found in the virus’s spike protein.
A variant of interest (VOI) becomes a variant of concern (VOC) if it has been demonstrated to be associated
with increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology.
Founded in 1948.

of Health.
Director-General : Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
(nCov).

95. BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF GURU BASAVESHWARA
Context
Recently, the Birth Anniversary of Jagadguru Basaveshwara was celebrated.
Details
He was born in Karnataka in 1131 CE.
He was Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement, and Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the
reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
He is also known as Bhakti Bhandari, or Basaveswara (Lord Basava).
He spread social awareness through his poetry known as Vachanaas.
It includes Vachana such as the Shat-sthala-vachana, Kala-jnana-vachana, Mantra-gopya, Ghatna Chakra-

vachana and Raja-yoga-vachana.
He died in 1167 CE.
About Bhakti Movement

It was a religious reform movement during medieval times which emphasized single-minded intense devotion
to God.
It was initiated by Shaiva Nayanars & Vaishnavite Alwars in south India, later spread to all regions.
96. TROPICAL CYCLONE TAUKTAE
Context
Recently, Tropical Cyclone developed in the Arabian Sea known as “Tauktae"
Details
It has been named by Myanmar.
“Tauktae" means “gecko" which stands for a highly vocal lizard in Burmese.
The name for the cyclone is decided by the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) of the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO)/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(WMO/ESCAP).
The panel has 13 countries as members viz. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, India,
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
About Cyclones
Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often
destructive air circulation. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere
and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical
cyclones.
About Tropical Cyclone
They are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas
bringing about large-scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges.
They develop in the region between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.
97. SIKKIM CELEBRATES ITS STATEHOOD DAY
Context
Sikkim celebrates its statehood day today.
Details about Sikkim

Location : In the northeastern part of the country, in the eastern Himalayas and is one of the smallest states in
India.
It derives its name from the Limbu (a tribe) word su him, meaning ‘new house’.
Capital: Gangtok.
Sikkim became the 22nd state of India on 16th May 1975.
It became a protectorate of India in 1950 following the Indo-Sikkimese Treaty.
Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim until 1975.
Sikkim borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in
the west, and West Bengal in the south.
The official languages of the state are English, Nepali, Sikkimese and Lepcha.
It is mainly covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
98. WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY: 17 MAY
Context
World Hypertension Day is celebrated on 17 May.
Details
The theme of World Hypertension Day 2021 is "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live
Longer”, aims to combat low awareness rates, mostly in poorer countries.
Objective : To communicate the importance of early diagnosis of high blood pressure among patients.
It was launched by the World Hypertension League - an umbrella organisation of 85 national hypertension
societies - on 14 May 2005.
Aim : To increase awareness about the condition among hypertensive patients.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a medical condition in which the force or pressure of blood against the
artery walls is too high.
An individual should maintain a normal blood pressure from 90 – 120 / 60 – 80 mm Hg
Blood pressure is written as two numbers.
The first (systolic) number represents the pressure in blood vessels when the heart contracts or beats.
The second (diastolic) number represents the pressure in the vessels when the heart rests between beats.
99. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT CELEBRATED ON 16 MAY
Context
The International Day of Light is celebrated annually on May 16.
Details
The theme of 2021 International Day of Light is “Trust Science”.
It marks the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer,
Theodore Maiman.
culture.
Cooperation.
100. WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY DAY: 17 MAY
Context
Every year, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed on 17 May.
Details
The theme of 2021 is “Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times”.
Objective : To raise global awareness of the changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies in
societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
About International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
It is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) that is responsible for issues that concern information and
communication technologies.
It is the oldest among all the 15 specialised agencies of the UN.
It was established in 1865 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
It is a member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDP).

It has membership in 193 countries.
International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General: Houlin Zhao.
101. SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS ‘PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE FOR CLIMATE
CHANGE’
Context
Recently, Sir David Attenborough was appointed as the People’s Advocate of the COP26 for the UN Climate
Change summit.
Details
The UN Climate Change summit to be held in Glasgow in November 2021.
Sir David Attenborough is a nature documentary film-maker, broadcaster, writer, naturalist for his pioneer work
in producing innovative educational series around natural history, animals, exploration of Earth’s habitats, and
environmental issues such as global warming, climate change, etc.
About COP
The Conference of Parties (COP) is the apex decision-making body of the United Nations Climate Change
Framework Convention (UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC was formed in 1994 to stabilize the greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the earth from the
threat of climate change.
The first conference was held in 1995 in Berlin.
Conventions with a COP include:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
United Nations Climate Change Conference
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
United Nations Convention against Corruption
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Convention on Biological Diversity
Ramsar Convention
Basel Convention
Rotterdam Convention
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Chemical Weapons Convention
Kyoto Protocol
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
102. RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK RECEIVES ‘INTERNATIONAL INVINCIBLE GOLD MEDAL’
Context
The Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been awarded the International Invincible
Gold Medal.
Details
The honour was announced at a two-day virtual session which was attended by representatives from over 110
countries.
The award will be formally presented to the union minister on Guru Purnima.
He has been recognised for his extraordinary commitment and outstanding service to humanity through his
writings, social and illustrious public life.
He was also lauded for New Education Policy.
About New Education Policy
It aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”.
The current 10+2 system to be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to age 3-8, 8-11,
11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up.
Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships.
103. WINCHCOMBE METEORITE FOUND
Context
The National History Museum, London will display a piece of the meteorite that touched down in the town of
Winchcombe in Gloucestershire in the UK.
Details about Winchcombe Meteorite
It is 103 grams in weight.
It is a fragment of black rock resembling coal found by a team from the University of Glasgow.
The meteorite is 4.5 billion years old, therefore it is believed to give clues about the beginning of the solar
system.
About Meteorite
It is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer
space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon
Meteor: It is a space rock or meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids are objects in space that
range in size from dust grains to small asteroids.
104. FIRST BATCH OF DRDO'S ANTI- COVID DRUG 2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE RELEASED
Context
The first batch of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose has been released.
Details
It was released by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr.
Harshvardhan.
It recently got the approval for emergency use from the Drugs Controller General of India, DCGI.
About the Anti Covid Drug
It is developed in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Hyderabad with DRDO for emergency use.
Anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) comes in powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by
dissolving it in water.
It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy
production.
Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in patients infected with
coronavirus
105. NATIONAL DENGUE DAY OBSERVED
Context
National Dengue Day is observed in India, every year on 16th May.

Details
It was recommended of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Objective : To create awareness about dengue; and to intensify preventive measures and preparedness for
the control of disease in the country before transmission season starts.
Facts about dengue
It is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus), transmitted by several
species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
Aedes aegepti mosquito bites during daylight hours.
It is caused by the dengue virus of four distinct serotypes — DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4.
The person develops symptoms 3-14 days after the infective bite.
106. WORLD AIDS VACCINE DAY: 18 MAY
Context
World AIDS Vaccine Day is observed annually on May 18.
Details
Objective : To promote the continued urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.
The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on May 18, 1998
The concept of World AIDS Day came from former US President Bill Clinton's commencement speech at the
Morgan State University on May 18, 1997.
About AIDS
It is a pandemic disease caused by the infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which damages the
human immune system.
It is transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal secretions, anal
fluids and breast milk.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the next stage to which the virus progresses.
107. HARYANA DECLARES BLACK FUNGUS A NOTIFIED DISEASE
Context
Black Fungus has been categorised as a notified disease in Haryana.

Notified Disease
It is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collation of information
allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.
Details about Black Fungus
It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which are present
naturally in the environment.
It mainly affects people who are on medication for health problems that reduces their ability to fight
environmental pathogens.
Types of Mucormycosis are: Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain), Pulmonary (Lung), Gastrointestinal,
Cutaneous (Skin), and disseminated Mucormycosis.
It does not spread between people or between people and animals.
Symptoms :
Sinusitis — nasal blockade or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody);
Local pain on the cheek bone, one-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling;
Blackish discolouration over bridge of nose/palate;
Loosening of teeth, jaw involvement;
Blurred or double vision with pain;
Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion;
Chest pain, pleural effusion, worsening of respiratory symptoms.
108. INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY: 18 MAY
Context
International Museum Day is celebrated on 18 May.
Details
It is celebrated every year on 18th May .
Objective : to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange,
enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”.
Theme of International Museum Day 2021: “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”.
Coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

About International Council of Museums
It is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO.
President of International Council Of Museums: Suay Aksoy;
International Council Of Museums Headquarters: Paris, France;
International Council Of Museums Founder: Chauncey J. Hamlin;
International Council Of Museums Founded: 1946.
109. WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT TO SET UP A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Context
Recently, the West Bengal government has decided to set up a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad).
Details
To set up the Council, a Bill has to be introduced in the Assembly and then a nod from the Governor is
required.
States having a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra,
Karnataka
How is the Legislative Council created?
As per Article 169 of the Indian Constitution, the Parliament can abolish a Legislative Council (where it already
exists) or create it (where it does not exist) by a simple majority, that is, a majority of the members of each
House present and voting, if the legislative assembly of the concerned state, by a special majority, passes a
resolution to that effect.
Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more than one-third of
the total strength of the State Assembly, and not less than 40 members.
110. IDRBT BUILDING NATIONAL DIGITAL FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE (NADI)
Context
Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) is building National Digital Financial
Infrastructure (NADI).
Details
It is a next-generation Digital Financial Infrastructure .

Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of Reserve Bank of India
(RBI).
National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI) would provide a roadmap and framework for future digital
financial services growth in the country.
It will consist of modern network infrastructure which includes 5G/Edge Cloud with SDNs (software defined
networking) for connecting to the critical data centre infrastructure at the back-end.
It will also provide for development and deployment of financial applications by banks and other financial
institutions.
About Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT)
It is an engineering training institution exclusively focused on banking technology.
Established by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1996, the institution works at the intersection of banking and
technology.
It is located in Hyderabad, India.
111. INNOVATION CHALLENGE FOR CREATING INDIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING APP
Context
MyGov has launched an Innovation Challenge for creating an Indian Language Learning App.
Details
It has launched the Innovation Challenge to create an app that will enable individuals to learn simple sentences
of any Indian language and acquire working knowledge of a language.
Objective: To create an app that will promote regional language literacy, and create greater cultural
understanding.
It is open to Indian individuals, startups and companies.
The top 3 will receive funding of 20 lakh rupees, 10 lakh rupees and 5 lakh rupees to make the apps better.
About MyGov
Aim : To create a common platform for Indian citizens to "crowdsource governance ideas from citizens".
It is hosted and managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
112. UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK

Context
The United Nations is celebrating its 6th United Nations Global Road Safety Week, from 17th May 2021 and
23rd May 2021.
Details
The theme of UN Global Road Safety Week 2021 is “Streets for Life #Love30”.
It is observed to create awareness of road safety and reduce road deaths.
It was first celebrated in 2007.
It is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by the World Health Organisation.
The Decade Plan of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 was launched by the United Nations.
Founded in 1948.
of Health.
113. INDIA’S FIRST AGRICULTURE EXPORT FACILITATION CENTRE LAUNCHED
Context
India’s first agro-export facilitation centre was launched in Pune.
Details
Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (MCCIA) has launched this in collaboration with
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Objective : To work as a one-stop-centre for the exporters in the agricultural sector and to boost agricultural
exports from the region, as per global standards.
It will bring in expertise from current agro-exporters, serving and retired state and union government officials,
and will help exporters on all aspects of the ‘farm-to-fork’ chain of agro-exports.
About NABARD
It is an apex development and specialized bank.
Established : On 12 July 1982 by an act by the parliament of India.
Aim : To uplift rural India by increasing the credit flow for the elevation of agriculture & the rural non-farm
sector.
Established based on the recommendations of the Committee set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under
the chairmanship of Shri B. Sivaraman.
It replaced the Agricultural Credit Department (ACD) and Rural Planning and Credit Cell (RPCC) of Reserve
Bank of India, and Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC).
NABARD Chairman: G R Chintala.
114. MOST POWERFUL SUPERCOMPUTER “SIMORGH” LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, Iran launched a new supercomputer named ‘Simorgh’.
Details
It has been developed indigenously by Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT).
It has been named after a mythical Phoenix-like bird ‘Simurgh’.
It has a performance capacity of 0.56 petaflops.
What is a Super Computer?
A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer.
The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS)
instead of million instructions per second (MIPS).
The first supercomputer was built in 1957 for the United States Department of Defense by Seymour Cray in
Control Data Corporation (CDC) in 1957.
India’s first indigenous supercomputer was developed indigenously in 1991 by Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing which was called as PARAM 8000.
World’s top 3 supercomputers
Sunway TaihuLight –from China with the computing power of 93 petaflop/s.
The Tianhe-2 (MilkyWay-2) – from China, with computing power of 33.8 petaflop/s.
Titan – from the US. Computing capacity is 17.5 petaflop/s.
115. ELDERLINE- A TOLL-FREE HELPLINE FOR ELDERLY PERSONS
Context
Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice has started state-wise call centres, named Elderline.
Details
The facility is already made operational in 5 major States of UP, MP, Rajasthan, TN and Karnataka.In
Telangana, this facility has been working for more than a year.
These call centres can be reached by toll free number 14567. All elders may be advised to use this facility.
It is a facility operationalised with the assistance of Tata Trusts and NSE foundation.
NSE Foundation is a company that undertakes the CSR activities of the National Stock Exchange of India
Limited and its subsidiaries (NSE Group).
Vision : To enhance the well-being of underprivileged and marginalised communities.
About Ministry of Social Justice
It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of
society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), trans-people and LGBTQ people,
the disabled, the elderly, and the victims of drug abuse.
The current minister is Thawar Chand Gehlot.
Minister of State : Rattan Lal Kataria, Krishan Pal Gujjar and Ramdas Athavale.
116. RELIANCE JIO TO BUILD UNDERSEA CABLE NETWORK
Context
Telecom operator Reliance Jio to construct the largest international submarine cable system centred on India.
Details
It will connect India with Asia Pacific markets (Singapore, Thailand & Malaysia) and others with Italy & Africa.
These are high capacity and high-speed systems.
It will provide more than 200 Tbps (terabits per second) of capacity spanning over 16,000 kilometres.
IAX system will connect India from Mumbai from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and is expected
to be ready for service by mid-2023.
IEX system will extend India's connectivity to Italy, landing in Savona, and additional landings in the Middle
East and North Africa are expected to be ready for service in early 2024.
The two systems are also connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond Asia Pacific and
Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the USA.
117. TRIBAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY & MICROSOFT SIGN MOU FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF
TRIBAL SCHOOLS
Context
Recently, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Digital
Transformation of Tribal Schools.
Details
Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools includes the introduction of Ashram Schools and Eklavya Model
Residential Schools (EMRS) in tribal areas.
Microsoft will make an Artificial Intelligence curriculum available for the tribal students in Hindi and English.
First phase of the programme : 250 EMRS are to be established, Out of these 250 schools, 50 schools will
be given intensive training.
Microsoft CEO: Satya Nadella
Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States.
EklavyaModel Residential Schools (EMRSs) for ST students
They are set up in States / UTs with provisioning of funds through “Grants under Article 275(1) of the
Constitution”.
They are established based on demand of the concerned States/UTs with availability of
land as an essential attribute.
As per the budget 2018-19, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons,
will have an Eklavya Model Residential School by the year 2020.
118. WHOLESALE PRICE IN INDIA FOR APRIL 2021 RELEASED
Context
Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade released Wholesale Price in India for
the month of April 2021.
Details
The annual rate of inflation for the month of April 2021 was 10.49%.
The WPI for the month of April 2021 is 128.1.
Concepts related to WPI
Inflation: Inflation is when the overall general price level in the economy is increasing.
Inflation Rate: Inflation Rate is the percentage change in the price level from the previous period.
Wholesale Price Index: WPI is used to monitor the cost of goods and services bought by producers and firms
rather than final consumers. It is issued by the Office of economic adviser, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce &
Industry. It is used as a deflator for many sectors of the economy for estimating GDP
Commodities & Weight (total items 697) : WPI
PRIMARY ARTICLES (Weight 22.62%) (Items 117)
(in Primary articles, Food articles weight is highest 15.26%)
FUEL & POWER (Weight 13.15%) (Items 16)
MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS (Weight 64.23%) (Items 564)
(in Manufactured Products, Manufacture of Food Products weight is 9.12% second-highest and Highest weight
is of Basic metals 9.65%).
119. WORLD METROLOGY DAY OBSERVED
Context
World Metrology Day is observed globally on 20th May every year.
Details
The theme for World Metrology Day 2021 is Measurement for Health.
World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 in
Paris, France.
It was jointly sponsored by the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and Bureau International
des Poids et Mesures (BIPM).
International Organization of Legal Metrology
It is an intergovernmental organization.
It was created in 1955 to promote the global harmonization of the legal metrology procedures that underpin
and facilitate international trade.
Headquarters: Paris, France.
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)
It is an intergovernmental organisation which acts together on measurement standards in four areas:

chemistry, ionising radiation, physical metrology, and Coordinated Universal Time.
It is based in Saint-Cloud, Paris, France.
120. WORLD BEE DAY 2021
Context
Every year World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20.
Details
The theme of World Bee Day 2021: “Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees”.
It is celebrated to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem.
The first World Bee Day was observed in 2018.
On this day Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, was born in 1734.
Objective : To acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem
About Pollinators
These are the vectors that move pollen within the flower and from flower to flower.
They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to
spot.
There are two categories of pollinators:
Invertebrate pollinators: Include bees, moths, flies, wasps, beetles and butterflies.
Vertebrate pollinators: Include monkeys, rodents, lemurs, tree squirrels and birds.
121. SIX NEW UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Context
Six sites have been added to India’s tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Details
Six of the nine sites submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India had been accepted by UNESCO for
inclusion in the tentative list.
Six sites are :
Maratha military architecture in Maharashtra,
Hire Bengal megalithic site in Karnataka.
Bhedaghat - Lametaghat of Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh.
Ganga ghats in Varanasi.
Temples of Kancheepuram.
Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
UNESCO has 48 proposals in the tentative list of India.
culture.
Cooperation.
About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
It is under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of
the cultural heritage of the nation.
It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is
also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.
Functions: Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance is
the prime concern of the ASI. It regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It also regulates the Antiquities and Art
Treasure Act, 1972.
121. 51ST VIRTUAL INDIAN HANDICRAFTS & GIFT FAIR OF DELHI INAUGURATED
Context
Recently, the 51st edition of the virtual Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair was inaugurated.
Details
It is India's largest Virtual Fair in the Home, Fashion, Lifestyle, Textiles and Furniture sector.
It is a five-day virtual fair that will help in giving a much-needed push to the exports of handicrafts and
generating additional employment in this cottage sector of Indian economy.
It is an exclusive B2B online platform developed to assist the buyers from all across the globe to source from
India.
It is organised by the EPCH that will see participation of 1500 plus manufacturers and exporters showcasing
2000 plus product expressions.
122. INFRASTRUCTURE STATUS FOR CONVENTION CENTRES
Context
Recently, the Finance Ministry has granted ‘Infrastructure’ status for exhibition and convention centres.
Details
‘Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre is included in the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure sub-sectors.
It would only be available for projects with a minimum built-up floor area of 1,00,000 square metres of
exclusive exhibition space or convention space or both combined.
Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure sub-sectors:
The list is notified by the Ministry of Finance and included following categories:
Transport and Logistics: Roads and bridges, Inland waterways, Airport, etc.
Energy: Electricity Generation, Electricity Transmission, etc.
Water and Sanitation: Solid Waste Management, Water treatment plants, etc.
Communication: Telecommunication, etc.

Social and Commercial Infrastructure: Education Institutions (capital stock), Sports Infrastructure, Hospitals
(capital stock), Tourism infrastructure, etc.
123. WHAT IS MYLAB COVISELF, THE SELF-TESTING COVID-19 KIT?
Context
Recently, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the country’s first self-testing kit for home
use for suspected Covid-19 patients.
Details
This test is for only those who have symptoms or are high risk contacts of positive patients and need to
conduct a test at home.
If positive, the person will be considered Covid-19 positive and will not require RT-PCR.
If a person has symptoms and tests negative on this kit, he has to undergo an RT-PCR test.
It is manufactured by Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd.
About RT-PCR Test
Under this copies of a segment of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are created using an enzyme called
Polymerase.
A fluorescent DNA binding dye called the “probe” is added to DNA, which shows the presence of the virus on a
fluorometer.
124. SBRIS GEO-5 MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, United Launch Alliance launched the Atlas V Rocket.
Details
Atlas V Rocket carried SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite.
It is a two-stage rocket that blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force
Station in Florida.
Atlas V is a two-stage rocket, which is fuelled with rocket grade kerosene and liquid oxygen in its first stage
and hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the second stage.
About SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite
It is a Space Based Infrared System.

Function : designed for missile warning, missile battlespace and defence characterization.
About United Launch Alliance
It is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates a number of rocket
vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth and to other bodies in the Solar
System.
United Launch Alliance CEO: Tory Bruno;
Founded: 1 December 2006;
Headquarters: Centennial, Colorado, United States.
125. INTERNATIONAL TEA DAY OBSERVED
Context
International Tea Day is observed globally on May 21
Details
International Tea Day is celebrated by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
In 1824, tea saplings were discovered in Assam by Robert Bruce and Maniram Dewan.
This led to an expansion of tea plantations across Assam and Darjeeling.
Indian tea was first shipped to London in December 1838 and was auctioned at India House in January 1839.
Earlier, International Tea Day was observed in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia,
Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania on 15 December every year.
Tea is a beverage made from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
About the Food and Agriculture Organization
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve
nutrition and food security.
Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to "let there be bread".
It was founded in October 1945.
It is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop agriculture,
forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources.
It also conducts research, provides technical assistance to projects, operates educational and training
programs, and collects data on agricultural output, production, and development.
126. WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENT
Context
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed globally on 21 May every year.
Details
Aim : To celebrate the richness of the world’s cultures. To highlight the significance of its diversity as an agent
of inclusion and positive change for achieving peace and sustainable development.
This day was created as a result of the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001.
About UNESCO
Aim: To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and
culture.
Member: It has 193 member states and 11 associate members.
Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey Azoulay.
UNESCO Founded: 4 November 1946.
UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
127. NATIONAL ANTI TERRORISM DAY: 21 MAY
Context
Anti-Terrorism Day is observed on May 21 in India every year.
Details
Aim : To mitigate terrorism; promote national harmony, and unity among people of all caste, creed and sex.
The purpose of National Anti-Terrorism Day is to promote public awareness about the fact that terrorism has
no religion.
To spread the message of brotherhood, peace, and harmony and to declare that terrorism, in any form, shall
never be practised.
It was on this day in the year 1991 that former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.
He was the youngest person (at the age of 40) to assume the office of Prime Minister.
128. 1ST INDIAN TO WIN ANNUAL ‘WORLD CHOREOGRAPHY AWARD 2020′
Context
Indian choreographer Suresh Mukund, has won the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020’.
Details
He won the award in the ‘TV REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION’ category, for his work on American TV reality
show ‘World of Dance’.
He is the director and choreographer of Indian dance crew ‘The Kings’.
About World Choreography Award
World Choreography Awards (Choreo Awards), also known as the "Oscars of Dance”.
It is an annual live awards show that celebrates creativity and innovation by recognizing excellence in the art of
dance choreography across media.
It was founded in 2011 by Allen Walls.
It showcases the most innovative and original works by the world's best choreographers featured in television,
film, commercials, digital content, and music videos.
The show is produced by its founder, Allen Walls and George Paige. Co-produced by Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff.
129. 22 NEW REGIONAL AIIMS (ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES) HAS BEEN
APPROVED
Context
22 new regional AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) have been approved under the Pradhan Mantri
Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
Details
Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
It was announced in 2003.
Objectives : To correct regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/ reliable tertiary healthcare
services and also to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country.
PMSSY has two components:-

Setting up of AIIMS like Institutions.
Upgradation of Government Medical College(GMC)/ Institutions.
About AIIMS
These are a group of autonomous government public medical colleges of higher education.
These institutes have been declared by an Act of Parliament as Institutes of National Importance. AIIMS New
Delhi,
The first AIIMS was established in 1956 under the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act, 1956
List of Indian AIIMS colleges
AIIMS Delhi, New Delhi
AIIMS Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Odisha
AIIMS Jodhpur, Rajasthan
AIIMS Patna, Bihar
AIIMS Raipur, Chhatisgarh
AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, etc
130. INDIAN NAVY DESIGNS OXYGEN RECYCLING SYSTEM
Context
Indian Navy has designed an Oxygen Recycling System (ORS).
Details
The Diving School of the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has conceptualised and designed the
System to alleviate the existing Oxygen shortage.
It is designed to extend the life of the existing medical oxygen cylinders two to four times.
Only a small percentage of oxygen inhaled by a patient is actually absorbed by the lungs, the rest being
exhaled along with carbon-dioxide.
It can also be used to extend the life of oxygen cylinders used by mountaineers/ soldiers at High Altitude, for
HADR operations and onboard naval ships and submarines.
Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy.
It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy.
About Indian Navy
It is headed by the President of India as its Supreme Commander.
Motto - Sam no Varunah (शं नो वरूण:).
It operates three classes of submarines: Chakra, Sindhughosh, and Shishumar.
131. COMMUNITY-BASED INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT (CBID) PROGRAM LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Union Minister of Social Justice launched a 6-month Community Based Inclusive Development
(CBID) Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan.
Details
Aim : To create a pool of grass-root rehabilitation workers at community level who can work alongside ASHA
and Anganwadi workers to handle cross disability issues and facilitate inclusion of persons with disabilities in
the society.
It is designed to provide competency-based knowledge and skills among these workers to enhance their ability
to successfully discharge their duties.
These workers will be called ‘Divyang Mitra’ i.efriends of persons with disabilities.
It will be available in English, Hindi, and 7 regional languages, namely, Gujarati, Marathi, Odiya, Bengali,
Telugu, Tamil, and Garo.
The National Board of Examination in Rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Council of India will conduct
examinations and award certificates to pass-out candidates.
About ASHA worker
She is a trained female community health activist.
The role of an ASHA is that of a community level care provider.
ASHA must primarily be a woman resident of the village married/ widowed/ divorced, preferably in the age
group of 25 to 45 years.
132. INTERNET EXPLORER TO RETIRE ON 15 JUNE 2022
Context
Microsoft has decided to retire its iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser.
Details
Internet Explorer (IE) browser was launched in 1995.
It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus for Windows 95.
Microsoft has recommended the users shift to Microsoft Edge (2015) before June 15, 2022.
Microsoft Edge is a cross-platform web browser developed by Microsoft. It was first released for Windows 10
and Xbox One in 2015,
About Internet Explorer
It is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included in the Microsoft Windows line of
operating systems, starting in 1995.
About Microsoft
It is an American multinational technology company.
Headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
It develops, manufactures, licences, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal
computers, and related services.
Microsoft CEO: Satya Nadella.
133. INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: 22 MAY
Context
The United Nations celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May every year.
Details
Theme for 2021 is “We’re part of the solution”.
It is observed to raise and create awareness about biodiversity issues.
United Nations General Assembly in December 2000, adopted May 22 as International Day for Biological
Diversity.
Biodiversity is defined as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine
and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems’.
About United Nations
It is an international organization founded in 1945.

Member States : 193
The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The UN Charter of 1945 is the foundational treaty of the United Nations.
Its aim is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve
international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
Main organs of the UN are:
General Assembly,
Security Council
Economic and Social Council
Trusteeship Council
International Court of Justice
UN Secretariat.
134. INS Rajput was decommissioned on May 21
Context
INS Rajput was decommissioned on May 21.
Details
It was the first destroyer of the Indian Navy.
It was commissioned on 04 May 1980.
It was built by the USSR.
Commodore Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was the first commanding officer.
It was the first ship to fire the supersonic cruise and long-range BrahMos missile.
It has participated in several important missions including Operation Aman off the coast of Sri Lanka to assist
the Indian Peace Keeping Force during Srilankan Civil War, Operation Pawan for patrolling duties off the coast
of Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus to resolve hostage situation off the Maldives, and Operation Crowsnest off
Lakshadweep.
About BrahMos
It is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or
land.
It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.
It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO), who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.
135. RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY BIRTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED
Context
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar paid tributes to social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy on his birth
anniversary on 22nd May.
Details about Raja Ram Mohan Roy
He was born on 22 May 1772.
He was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious
reform movement in India.
He was given the title of ‘Raja’ by the Mughal Emperor of Delhi, Akbar II.
In 1814, he founded Atmiya Sabha in Calcutta to campaign against idolatry, caste rigidities, meaningless
rituals and other social ills.
He founded the Atmiya Sabha in 1815, the Calcutta Unitarian Association in 1821, and the Brahmo Sabha in
1828.
Brahmo Sabha was later renamed as Brahmo Samaj.
Prominent Leaders of Brahmo Samaj : Debendranath Tagore, Keshub Chandra Sen, Pt. Sivnath Shastri, and
Rabindranath Tagore.
136. PR SREEJESH APPOINTED FIH ATHLETES’ COMMITTEE MEMBER
Context
India hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was appointed as a member of the FIH Athletes’ Committee.
Details
He was one of the four new members appointed by the Executive Board.
It also approved a five-year partnership with a gaming company -- Gold Town Games (GTG) -- which will
develop a hockey manager game
Four members appointed are Sreejesh Parattu (IND), Marlena Rybacha (POL), Mohamed Mea (RSA) and Matt
Swann (AUS).
About the FIH Athletes Committee
It is recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
It consists of current and former players who make recommendations to the FIH Executive Board, FIH
Committees, Advisory Panels and other bodies on behalf of all athletes
FIH Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland;
FIH Founded: 7 January 1924, Paris, France;
FIH CEO: Thierry Weil.
137. COVID-19 ANTIBODY DETECTION KIT ‘DIPCOVAN’ LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a Covid-19 antibody
detection kit.
Details
It is called 'DIPCOVAN'.
It will help people detect if they have previously been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.
It has been developed by DRDO scientists in collaboration with Delhi-based Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd.
It has been developed for the qualitative detection of IgG antibodies in human serum or plasma, targeting the
antigens related to COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Antibody, also called immunoglobulin, is a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to
the presence of a foreign substance, called an antigen.
It received the regulatory approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Central Drugs Standard
Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
It is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the
Government of India.
Established in 1958 after combining Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the
Directorate of Technical Development & Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).
It is charged with the military's research and development.
It is headquartered in Delhi, India.

138. ENVIRONMENTALIST SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA PASSES AWAY
Context
Recently, famous environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passed away.
Details
He Initiated the chipko movement to guard the trees on the Himalayan slopes.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009.
He also campaigned against the Tehri Dam on River Bhagirathi.
About Chipko Movement
Originated in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) in 1973.
Objective : To protect the trees on the Himalayan slopes from the axes of contractors of the forest.
The villagers hugged the trees and encircled them to prevent being hacked.
Leaders: Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Govind Singh
Rawat, Dhoom Singh Negi, Shamsher Singh Bisht and Ghanasyam Raturi.
139. NATIONAL MOBILE MONITORING SOFTWARE (NMMS) APP AND AREA OFFICER MONITORING
APP LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development has launched the National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS)
app and the Area officer monitoring App.
Details
NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites.
Area Officer Monitoring App facilitates them to record their findings online along with time-stamped and go-
coordinate tagged photographs for all the schemes of Deptt of Rural Development- Mahatma Gandhi NREGA,
PMAYG, PMGSY.
About MGNREGA
One of the largest work guarantee programmes in the world.
Objective : To guarantee 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural
household.
Under this, local governments will have to legally provide at least 100 days of wage employment in rural India
to enhance their quality of life.
140. BRICS ASTRONOMY WORKING GROUP (BAWG) MEETING HELD
Context :
Recently, India virtually hosted the 7th meeting of the BRICS Astronomy Working Group (BAWG) under the
Science, Technology, and Innovation track of the BRICS 2021.
Details
BRICS Astronomy Working Group has recommended networking of telescopes in member countries and
creating a regional data network.
It provides a platform for BRICS member countries to collaborate in the field of astronomy.
From India : Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, and Department of
Science and Technology (DST), Government of India coordinated the meeting.
India has assumed the BRICS Presidency from January 2021.
About BRICS
It is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa.
It was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2001.
It is the group composed of the five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
141. NARINDER BATRA RE-ELECTED AS THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION (FIH)

PRESIDENT
Context
Narinder Batra of India was re-elected as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) President for the second
term.
Details
He was elected during the virtual 47th Congress of FIH.
He will hold the office until 2024.
He is also the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and an International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Member.
He became the first non-European President of the FIH in 2016.

About International Hockey Federation (FIH)
It is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey.
Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Founded on 7 January 1924 in Paris by Paul Léautey, who became the first president.
About International Olympic Committee
It is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss Civil Code.
In 1894, it was founded by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas in 1894.
It is the authority responsible for organising the modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
142. RAJESH BANSAL APPOINTED AS CEO OF RESERVE BANK INNOVATION HUB
Context
The Board of Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) has appointed Rajesh Bansal as the chief executive officer
(CEO).
Details
Reserve Bank of India’s Innovation Hub (RBIH) was set up in August 2020 to promote innovation across the
financial sector with the help of technology.
Rajesh Bansal was part of the founding team of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
In 2020 RBI also appointed Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co-Chairman of Infosys Ltd, as the
first chairman of the RBIH.
Preamble of RBI :

143. ETIENNE GLICHITCH AWARD
Context
Recently Hockey India won the prestigious Etienne Glichitch Award.
Details
The Award is given every two years by the Executive Board on the recommendation of the Awards Panel.
Hockey India was announced as the winner of the Etienne Glichitch Award in recognition of its remarkable
contribution to the growth and development of Hockey.
Etienne Glichitch was the Hon. Secretary of the FIH from 1966.
About Hockey India
It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India.
It is the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India.
Headquartered in New Delhi,
It was established on 20 May 2009.
It is affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Asian
Hockey Federation (AHF).
144. INDIA TO HOST 2022 FIFA UNDER-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Context
2022 FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup will be held in India.
Details
It will be held from October 11 to 30, 2022.
India were earlier scheduled to host the 2020 U-17 World Cup.
The FIFA Council approved key dates of Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 (11-30 October 2022), Fifa
U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 (10-28 August 2022), as well as a 14-team playoff for the Fifa Arab
Cup 2021.
About FIFA
It is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football,
futsal and beach soccer.
It is the highest governing body of association football.
It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium,
Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland.
President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino.
145. 12TH ANNUAL DAY OF THE COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA (CCI) OBSERVED
Context
Recently the 12th Annual Day of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) was observed on 20th May.
Details about Competition Commission of India
It is a statutory body
It was established by the Central Government from 14th October 2003.
It was established under the provisions of the Competition act 2002.
The Competition Act was passed in 2002 and has been amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007.
It consists of one Chairperson and six Members as per the Competition Act who shall be appointed by the
Central Government.
The commission is a quasi-judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities
Objectives of the Commission
To prevent practices having adverse effects on competition.
To promote and sustain competition in markets.
To protect the interests of consumers.
To ensure freedom of trade.
146. NET ZERO EMISSIONS (NZE) ROADMAP RELEASED
Context
Recently, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) released its Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Roadmap - named
‘Net Zero by 2050’.
Details
It is the World's first comprehensive energy roadmap.
‘Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and
greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.
It aims to provide a pathway to bridge the current gap between rhetoric and reality in reducing Green House
Gas (GHG) emissions.
About International Energy Agency
It is an autonomous Intergovernmental Organisation established in 1974 in Paris, France.
India became an Associate member of IEA in March 2017.
Mission : To ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its member countries and beyond.
Four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness and engagement
worldwide.
147. GLOBAL G20 HEALTH SUMMIT HOSTED
Context
Recently, the Global G20 Health Summit was held.
Details
It is a special event of the G20 Presidency, organized by Italy in partnership with the European Commission.
It is co-chaired by the President of the Council of Minister Mario Draghi and the President of the European
Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
The summit adopted the agenda to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and also decided to develop and endorse
a Rome Declaration of principles.
About G20
The Group of Twenty, or the G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
It brings together the leaders of both developed and developing countries from every continent.
It represents around 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the global population and three-quarters
of international trade.
The first G20 Leaders’ Summit took place in Washington D.C. in November 2008.
G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or Headquarters.
Members of G20
The members of the G20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United
States, and the European Union.
148. MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS MONACO GRAND PRIX 2021
Context
Recently, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won the Monaco Grand Prix.
Details
Max Verstappen is a Belgian-Dutch racing driver currently competing in Formula One, under the Dutch flag,
with Red Bull Racing.
In 2015, he became the youngest driver to compete in Formula One.
It is the first time since the German Grand Prix in 2018 that Mercedes has not led the championship.
About Monaco Grand Prix
It is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco.
It was part of the pre-Second World War European Championship.
It was included in the first World Championship of Drivers in 1950.
About Formula One
It is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
It is the highest level of single-seat, open-wheel and open-cockpit professional motor racing contests.
A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix.
149. WORLD THYROID DAY: 25TH MAY
Context
Every year, World Thyroid Day is observed globally on 25 May.
Details
Established in 2008.
It was as a part of the campaign led by the European Thyroid Association (ETA) and the American Thyroid
Association (ATA) followed by the Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) and Asia Oceania Thyroid
Association (AOTA).
Significance of the day : To be aware of the importance of Thyroid and the prevention and treatment of thyroid
diseases.
Thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glands. It is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck.
It produces T3 (Thyroxine) and T4 (Triiodothyronine) and is maintained by the Thyroid-stimulating

hormone(TSH).
Common Thyroid Diseases
Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid or low thyroid.
Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine.
Goiter and Iodine Deficiency Disorders.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis
They are often caused by iodine deficiency
150. INDIAN COMMONWEALTH DAY: 24TH MAY
Context
Every year in India, Commonwealth Day is celebrated on 24th May.
Details
It is also known as Empire Day.
It commemorates the formation of the British Empire in India.
The theme for Commonwealth Day is: Delivering a Common Future.
The first Empire Day was celebrated on May 24, 1902.
Aim of the day : To highlight how the 54 Commonwealth countries are innovating, connecting and
transforming to help achieve essential goals like tackling climate change, promoting good governance,
achieving gender equality.
About Commonwealth of Nations
It is a political association of 54 member states, which are former territories of the British Empire.
It proclaims that the Commonwealth nations are “free and equal.”
Established in 1949 by the London Declaration.
Structure: Head of the Commonwealth — Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth.
Last country to join the Commonwealth was Rwanda in 2009.
151. INTERNATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S DAY: 25 MAY
Context
Every year, International Missing Children’s Day is observed globally on 25th May.
Details
Aim : To place a spotlight on the issue of child abduction, educate parents on safeguarding measures to
protect their children and also honour those who have never been found and celebrate those who have.
It was proclaimed in 1983, by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
In 2001, 25 May was the first formally recognized International Missing Children’s Day (IMCD) by the
International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC).
It is also referred to as Missing Children’s Day.
About International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)
It combats child sexual exploitation, child pornography, and child abduction.
Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
Chairman of ICMEC: Dr Franz B. Humer.
152. HARYANA GOVT LAUNCHES ‘SANJEEVANI PARIYOJANA’
Context
Recently the Haryana government has launched an anti-Covid “Sanjeevani Pariyojana”.
Details
The initiative is to help people quickly access healthcare for mild-to-moderate symptoms of Covid-19. It is built
on the state’s existing telemedicine and other virtual medical care services for home treatment.
It is designed and supported by Deloitte, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Post Graduate
Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS-Haryana).
It will also extend medical care to rural areas where awareness of the second wave of the virus and how to
treat it remains low.
Facts about Haryana
Haryana Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya.
Haryana Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar.
Haryana Day: 1st November.
Haryana’s highest mountain range: Karoh Peak (Morni Hills).
Total Number of districts: 22.
First governor of Haryana: Dharma Vira.
First Chief minister of Haryana: Bhagwat Dayal Sharma (1 Nov, 1966 – 23 March, 1967).
Haryana’s longest-serving chief minister: Bansi Lal.
The State bird of Haryana: Black francolin.
The State tree of Haryana: Peepal Tree.
The State flower of Haryana:Lotus.
153. MAHARASHTRA GOVT LAUNCHES “MISSION OXYGEN SELF-RELIANCE”
Context
The Maharashtra government has launched the “Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance”.
Details
Special incentives will be given to oxygen producing industries under this scheme.
In order to meet the increasing demand, the state government has declared few incentives to meet the target
of producing 3000 MT of oxygen per day.
Units set up in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Dhule, Nandurbar, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg regions will be eligible for
incentives up to 150 per cent of their eligible fixed capital investments.
Facts about Maharashtra
Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai.
Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.

It was formed on May 1, 1960.
State Tree – Mango tree
State Flower – Jarul (Lagerstroemia Speciosa)
State Animal – Indian giant squirrel
State Bird – Yellow footed green pigeon
State Dance – Lavani
State Sport – Kabaddi.
It borders 6 states – Gujarat in northwest, Madhya Pradesh in north, Chhattisgarh in East, Telangana in
Southeast, Karnataka and Goa in south.
154. MCA 21 VERSION 3.0: DIGITAL CORPORATE COMPLIANCE PORTAL
Context
Recently, the government launched the first phase digital corporate compliance portal, Ministry of Corporate
Affairs (MCA) 21 Version 3.0.
Details
The portal will help in improving Ease of Doing Business in India.
It has been part of Mission Mode projects of the Government of India.
It has additional modules for e-Adjudication, e-Consultation and Compliance Management.
MCA21 V3 Project is a technology-driven forward looking project, envisioned to strengthen enforcement,

promote Ease of Doing Business, enhance user experience, facilitate seamless integration and data exchange
among Regulators.
MCA21 Version 3.0 is part of the 2021 Budget.
Version 3.0 of MCA21 was launched to:
Promote Ease of Doing Business,
Facilitate seamless integration
Exchange data among regulators
Strengthen the enforcement and
Enhance the user experience.

About Ease of Doing Business
It was introduced in 2003.
It provides an assessment of objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190
economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle.
155. UAE OFFERED TO HOST COP28
Context
The United Arab Emirates offered to host the 28th session of Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC
in Abu Dhabi in 2023.
Details
COP 26 was postponed in 2020 and it will be hosted in the UK in 2021.
UNFCCC is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
It was signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the
Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference.
UNFCCC secretariat : Bonn, Germany.
COP25 was held in Madrid (Spain).
About COP
The Conference of Parties (COP) is the apex decision-making body of the United Nations Climate Change
Framework Convention (UNFCCC).
The first conference was held in 1995 in Berlin.
Conventions with a COP include:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
United Nations Climate Change Conference
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
United Nations Convention against Corruption
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Convention on Biological Diversity

Ramsar Convention
Basel Convention
Rotterdam Convention
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Chemical Weapons Convention
Kyoto Protocol
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
156. SUBODH KUMAR JAISWAL APPOINTED NEW CBI DIRECTOR
Context
Recently the Director of the CBI was appointed.
Details
‘Subodh Kumar Jaiswal’ as a new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
He is appointed as per section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.
Director of CBI is appointed on the recommendation of a three-member committee consisting of the Prime
Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of
the Supreme Court (SC) nominated by him.
Director of CBI has been provided security for two-year tenure in office.
About the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
It was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Presently, it is under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee.
It is not a statutory body.
It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
157. VESAK DAY 2021 OBSERVED

Context
Recently, the Prime Minister addressed “Virtual Vesak Global Celebrations” on Buddha Purnima.
Details
Vesak Day 2021 is observed globally on 26 May.
On this day, Lord Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.
It is the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May.
It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the Buddha was born.
About Gautam Buddha
He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in circa 563 BCE, in Lumbini.
He attained Bodhi (enlightenment) under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya, Bihar.
Sarnath is the place where Gautama Buddha first taught Dharma.
He gave his first sermon in the village of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
He died at the age of 80 in 483 BCE at Kushinagara, Uttar Pradesh.
Schools of Buddhism: Mahayana (Idol Worship), Hinayana, Theravada, Vajrayana (Tantric buddhism), Zen.
158. FIRST TIME EXPORTS OF GI CERTIFIED GHOLVAD SAPOTA
Context
Recently, Dahanu Gholvad sapota has been exported to the United Kingdom from Maharashtra’s Palghar
district.
Details
Sapota (Chikoo) is grown in Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Dahanu Gholvad sapota is Geographical Indication (GI) certified products from Maharashtra.
Other GI Certified Products from Maharashtra: Alphonso Mango, Puneri Pagadi, Nashik Valley Wine,
Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, Warli Painting.
What is a Geographical Indication?
It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that
are due to that origin.
It is also a part of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS).
What type of products can Geographical Indications be used?
Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks,
handicrafts, and industrial products.
What rights does a Geographical Indication provide?
It enables those who have the right to use the indication to prevent its use by a third party whose product does
not conform to the applicable standards.
Protection for a geographical indication is usually obtained by acquiring a right over the sign that constitutes
the indication.
How are Geographical Indications protected?
There are three main ways to protect a geographical indication:
By sui generis systems i.e. special regimes of protection.
By using collective or certification marks; and
By methods focusing on business practices, including administrative product approval schemes.
159. ONE STOP CENTRES IN 10 COUNTRIES
Context
The Ministry of Women and Child Development will set up One Stop Centres (OSCs) across 10 countries.
Details
One Stop Centres (OSCs) will come up in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi
Arabia, Australia, Canada and Singapore.
300 more OSCs will also be opened across India.
These centres will be supported by the Women and Child Development Ministry and operated by the External
Affairs Ministry.
About One Stop Centres (OSCs)
It was launched in April 2015.
It is a subscheme of the umbrella scheme for National Mission for Empowerment of Women which includes
Indira Gandhi Mattritav Sahyaog Yojana.
It is funded through Nirbhaya Fund.

Nirbhaya Fund provides for a non-lapsable corpus fund for safety and security of women, administered by the
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) of the Government of India.
160. INDIA BIODIVERSITY AWARDS 2021
Context
Recently, India Biodiversity Awards 2021 was presented on the occasion of International Day for Biological
Diversity on May 22.
Details
Krishi Avam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan (KRAPAVIS) won the award under the category ‘Sustainable Use of
Biological Resources.’
Krishi Avam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan (KRAPAVIS) received the award for its support to communities in
restoring water harvesting structures, recharge wells & water tables.
Khonoma Nature Conservation & Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) in Nagaland won the award under the
‘Sustainable Use of Biological Resources’ category.
Khonoma Nature Conservation & Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) was established on December 11, 1998.
About India Biodiversity Awards
It is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Biodiversity Authority
and the United Nations Development Programme.
They were jointly announced by the MoEFCC and UNDP in 2012 at the Eleventh meeting of the Conference of
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
161. TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE AND SUPERMOON ON 26TH MAY
Context
Total Lunar Eclipse and Supermoon will be coinciding on 26th May.
About Total Lunar Eclipse
Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and earth all fall in the same line and Earth passes between the Sun
and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.
Eclipses are of 4 types : Annular, Total, Partial and Hybrid.
In a total eclipse of the moon, the inner part of Earth's shadow, called the umbra, falls on the moon's face.
About Supermoon
It occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full.
The Moon orbits Earth in an ellipse.
The farthest point in this ellipse is called the apogee and is about 253,000 miles (405,500 kilometers) from
Earth.
Its closest point is the perigee, which is an average distance of about 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) from
Earth.
The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.
162. CYCLONE YAAS MAKES LANDFALL ON INDIA COAST
Context
“Very severe cyclonic storm" Cyclone Yaas makes landfall in Odisha district.
Details
Yaas got its name from Oman.
The word has its origin in the Persian language and means the flower jasmine in English.
The name for the cyclone is decided by the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) of the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO)/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(WMO/ESCAP).
About Cyclones
Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often
destructive air circulation. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere
and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical
cyclones.
About Tropical Cyclone
They are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas
bringing about large-scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges.
They develop in the region between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.
163. FIRST INDIAN TO WIN RUDOLF V SCHINDLER AWARD
Context
Dr D Nageshwar Reddy has won the highest honour from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
(ASGE) -- the Rudolf V Schindler Award.
Details:
Dr Nageshwar Reddy is the first Indian to receive this award.
Dr Nageshwar Reddy had received several recognitions -- the Master Endoscopist Award from ASGE in 2009,
ASGE International Leadership Award in 2011 and Fellow of American College of Gastroenterology in 2012.
The Rudolf V Schindler Award is the highest category in the Crystal Awards named after Dr Schindler who is
considered as “the father of gastroscopy.”
It is given to a member, who has accompaniments in endoscopic research, teaching and service to the field of
GI Endoscopy, and exemplifies the standards and traditions of Dr Schindler.
He is one of the first doctors to promote endoscopy in India.
Endoscopy is a medical procedure used to view the internal organs non – surgically.
164. ISRO TO DEVELOP EARTH SYSTEM OBSERVATORY WITH NASA
Context
Recently, ISRO has partnered with NASA to develop the Earth System Observatory.
Details
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing a new system called the Earth
System Observatory.
NASA has also partnered with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which will provide NASA-ISRO
Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
Earth system observatory aims to tackle the largest sources of uncertainty in future projections of climate
change, air quality forecasting, and prediction of severe weather.
It will provide drought assessment and forecasting, associated planning for water use for agriculture, as well as
supporting natural hazard response.
It will also help in understanding climate changes that impact food and agriculture, habitation, and natural
resources.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration
It is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well
as aeronautics and space research.
It was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
14th NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;
Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States;
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India.
Headquarter : Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Vision : To harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and
planetary exploration.
Established: 15 August 1969
Chairman: K.Sivan.
165. PHIL MICKELSON WINS 2021 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Context
Recently, Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at age of 50.
Details
He became the oldest player to win a major title in the history of the PGA Tour.
PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of
America. It is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf.
The first PGA Championship was held in October 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York.
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in
as few strokes as possible.
It was originated in 15th century Scotland.
The Oldest Golfer to win PGA
Golfer Tournament Age
Phil Mickelson 2021 PGA Championship 50 years, 11 months, 8 days
Julius Boros 1968 PGA Championship 48 years, 4 months, 18 days

Tom Morris Sr. 1867 The Open Championship 46 years, 3 months, 10 days
Jack Nicklaus 1986 Masters Tournament 46 years, 2 months, 23 days
Jerry Barber 1961 PGA Championship 45 years, 3 months, 6 days
Hale Irwin 1990 U.S. Open Championship 45 years, 14 days
Lee Trevino 1984 PGA Championship 44 years, 8 months, 18 days
166. VK PANDIAN TO RECEIVE FIH PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Context
V Karthikeyan Pandian conferred the President’s award by International Hockey Federation.
Details
He was awarded during the 47th FIH Congress.
He was awarded for his contribution towards the development and promotion of hockey in Odisha.
He is a private secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnailk.
Also In March, the Odisha government won the prestigious Sportstar Aces Award, 'Best State of the decade for
the Promotion of Sports'.
Odisha supports the national-level football teams—Under 19 (Indian Arrows) and Under-15 boys and the
Indian rugby team as well. It is also the only State to provide support for a football club, Odisha FC in the
Indian Super League.
About International Hockey Federation (FIH)
It is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey.
Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Founded on 7 January 1924 in Paris by Paul Léautey, who became the first president.
167. SEHAT OPD PORTAL LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation
(SeHAT) OPD Portal.
Details
It is an online medical consultation service for the armed forces personnel and ex-servicemen to ensure
hassle-free health services for them.
It is developed by the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS),
Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), Centre for Development of Artificial Computing (C-DAC) Mohali.
It will ensure widespread access to quality health services in remote areas apart from reducing the load on the
hospitals.
This is the final version of the SeHAT OPD portal with advanced safety features.
The trial version was made functional in August 2020.
168. WHO BIOHUB INITIATIVE
Context
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland have launched a BioHub facility.
Details
It will enhance the rapid sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally.
It will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub.
A pathogen is a biological agent that causes disease or illness.
It will be setup in Spiez, Switzerland
Founded in 1948.
of Health.
169. CENTRE TO LAUNCH AYUSH CLINICAL CASE REPOSITORY PORTAL
Context
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to launch the Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal and the third version of Ayush
Sanjivani App.
Details
The Ayush Clinical Repository portal will serve as a platform to support both Ayush practitioners and the
general public.
This portal aims to aggregate information about clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large
scale.
The third version of Ayush Sanjivani App will facilitate a significant study and documentation regarding the
efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, including Ayush-64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines in the
management of asymptomatic and mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
India has recognized six systems of medicine viz. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga, Naturopathy and
Homoeopathy.
Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) was formed on 9th
November 2014.
170. PROFESSOR C.N.R. RAO CONFERRED WITH INTERNATIONAL ENI AWARD 2020
Context
Bharat Ratna Professor, C.N.R. Rai Felicitated with the International ENI Award 2020
Details
It is also called the Energy Frontier award.
It is considered to be the Nobel Prize in Energy Research.
It has been conferred for his work on metal oxides, carbon nanotubes, and other materials and two-
dimensional systems.
He has been working on hydrogen energy as the only source of energy
It will be presented on 14 October 2021, during an official ceremony held at the Quirinal Palace in Rome.
About Bharat Ratna
It was introduced in 1954.
It is the highest civilian honour, given for exceptional service towards any field of human endeavour, without
distinction of race, occupation, position or sex
The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were: the last Governor-General of the Dominion of India – C.
Rajagopalachari, second President and the first Vice President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Nobel
Prize Laureate, Physicist C. V. Raman.
171. CENTRE TO SETUP NATIONAL MISSION ON USE OF BIOMASS IN COAL BASED THERMAL
POWER PLANTS
Context
Recently, the Ministry of Power has decided to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based
thermal power plants.
Details
It will contribute to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
The duration of the proposed National Mission would be a minimum 5 years.
National Mission on use of biomass in thermal power plants" will have the following objectives;
To increase the level of co-firing from present 5% to higher levels to have a larger share of carbon-neutral
power generation from the thermal power plants.
To take up R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets.
To facilitate overcoming the constraints in supply chain of biomass pellets and agro- residue and its transport
up to the power plants.
To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.
About National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
It was launched by the MoEFCC in January 2019.
Aim : To frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.
172. SUN HALO/KALEIDOSCOPE EFFECT WITNESSED
Context
Recently, the people of Bangalore witnessed a bright rainbow ring around the sun for a few moments.
Details
It is a rare optical and atmospheric phenomenon called ‘22 degree circular halo’.
It occurs when the sun’s or moon’s rays get deflected/refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in
cirrus clouds.
It is also called the Kaleidoscopic Effect.
Circular halos specifically are produced by cirrus clouds, which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds. They are
made up of ice crystals.
They are formed at high altitudes (8,000 - 12,000m). They are always white in colour.
Types of Clouds: Height
High Clouds: Cirro
Middle Clouds: Alto
Low Clouds: Strato
Types of Clouds: Shape
Cirrus: Thin and linear
Cumulus: Puffy or globule like
Stratus: Sheet-like
173. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH DAY
Context
Every year, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health (International Women’s Health Day) is
observed on May 28.
Details
The theme for International Day of Action for Women's Health is ‘2021 Call for Action’.
It was launched by Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and Women’s Global
Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR).
Aim : To raise awareness on the issues related to women’s health and well-being.
About Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
It is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for sexual and reproductive health
and rights.
It was founded at the fourth International Women and Health Meeting in 1984.
174. TRIFED AND NITI AAYOG TO IMPLEMENT THE VAN DHAN YOJANA
Context
TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), Ministry of Tribal Affairs with NITI
Aayog to implement Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK).
Details
Van Dhan Yojana will be implemented in each of the 39 Tribal Aspirational Districts.
These include districts in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana and Tripura.
Under this, special focus will be on these aspirational districts where tribal population constitutes more than
50%.
About Van Dhan Yojana
It was launched in 2018, in Chhattisgarh.
It is a component of the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support
Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’.
About NITI Aayog:
NITI Aayog is a Government agency for formulating policies and was established in 2015 to replace the
Planning Commission.
Chairperson: Prime Minister
Vice Chairperson: Rajiv Kumar
CEO: Amitabh Kant.
175. JAGJIT PAVADIA ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

BOARD (INCB).
Context
Recently, Jagjit Pavadia has been elected president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
Details
She is the former Narcotics Commissioner of India and a retired officer of the Indian Revenue Service
(Customs), has been elected president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
She is the first Indian to head the Vienna-based organization and the second woman to hold the office.
She has been a member of the INCB since 2015.
About International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
It is a quasi-judicial body responsible for implementation of the United Nations international drug control
convention.
It monitors the compliance of UN member states with the three international drug control conventions and the
functioning of the international drug control system.
International Narcotics Control Board Headquarters: Vienna, Austria;
International Narcotics Control Board President: Cornelis P. de Joncheere;
International Narcotics Control Board Founded: 1968.
176. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DAY: 28 MAY
Context
Every year, Amnesty International Day is observed on May 28.
Details
It was on this day in 1961 that this non-governmental organization was founded in London.
It was founded on the publication of the article "The Forgotten Prisoners" in The Observer, by the lawyer Peter
Benenson.
About Amnesty International
It is a London based Non-Governmental Organisation founded in 1961.
Aim : To create a world where every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948.
It recognized fundamental human rights universally for the first time.
It also conducts research, generates action to prevent grave abuses of human rights and demands justice for
those whose rights have been violated.
In 1977, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “Defence of human dignity against torture” and
the United Nations Prize in the field of Human Rights in 1978.
177. INTERNATIONAL EVEREST DAY: 29TH MAY
Context
International Everest Day is being observed on 29th May.
Details
It is observed in the memory of the first summit of Mount Everest by New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and
Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa that took place on May 29, 1953.
Since 2008, Nepal has decided to observe the day as International Everest Day.
About Mount Everest
It is named after Sir George Everest, who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century.
It was first scaled in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.
It is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma in China.
It lies on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
Recently Nepal and China revised the height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres.
It is located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.
It is the highest point on Earth and the highest peaks of the Great Himalayas in Asia.
178. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS: 29 MAY
Context
Every year, “International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers” is observed on May 29.
Details
Aim : To pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations
peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honor the
memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
It also marks the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in
1948.
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002.
The theme for International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2021 “The road to a lasting peace:
Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security.”
It was first celebrated in 2003.

It was so designated by the United Nations General Assembly after an official request of the Ukrainian
Peacekeepers Association and the Government of Ukraine to the UN General Assembly.
179. YUVA- PRIME MINISTER’S SCHEME FOR MENTORING YOUNG AUTHORS LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Ministry of Education launched YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors.
Details
It is an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors belows 30 years.
The launch of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to
encourage young writers to write about India's freedom struggle.
YUVA is a part of India@75 Project to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on
themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places.
It will be implemented by “National Book Trust of India” under the Ministry of Education.
Highlights of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors):
A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest.
Under the mentorship, the manuscripts will be readied by 15 Dec. 2021 for publication.
The published books will be launched on 12 January 2022 on the occasion of National Youth Day (Yuva
Diwas).
180. VEER SAVARKAR JAYANTI OBSERVED ON 28TH MAY
Context
On 28th May, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar) 's birth anniversary was observed.
Details
He was also known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar.
He was born on 28th May,1883 in Bhagur, in Maharashtra.
He founded a secret society called Abhinav Bharat Society.
He was also the president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.
He wrote the book ‘Hindutva: who is hindu?’.
He died on 26th February 1966.
In 2002, airport at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar's capital was renamed Veer Savarkar International
Airport.
About Abhinav Bharat Society
A secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904.
It was earlier named Mitra Mela.
The society was formally disbanded in 1952.⁣
181. RBI ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Context
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has published its annual report.
Details
Annual Report highlights
Bad loan ratio of banks could rise to 13.5% under the baseline stress scenario by September 2021.
The Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) of banks improved from 66.6% in March 2020 to 75.5 % by December
2020,
The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of banks increased to 15.9% by December 2020, in March it
was 14.8%.
The Reserve Bank of India on 27th May said banknotes in circulation witnessed a higher than the average
increase during 2020-21.

Preamble of RBI :
To regulate the issue of banknotes.
182. THE FASTEST ASCENT OF EVEREST
Context
Tsang Yin-hung has created the record of the world’s fastest ascent of Everest by a woman.
Details
She scaled Everest mountain in a record time of 25 hours and 50 minutes on May 23.
In 2017, Tsang became the first Hong Kong woman to reach the top of the mountain peak.
Earlier, the record of the fastest woman to conquer Everest was held by Nepali Phunjo Jhangmu Lama, who
had completed the climb in 39 hours 6 minutes in 2018.
About Mount Everest
It is named after Sir George Everest, who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century.
It was first scaled in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.
It is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma in China.
It lies on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
Recently Nepal and China revised the height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres.
It is located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.
It is the highest point on Earth and the highest peaks of the Great Himalayas in Asia.
183. FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Context
Laurence des Cars became the first female president of Musée du Louvre.
Details
It is the world’s largest museum in Paris, France.
She was appointed as the first female president of Musée du Louvre by the President of France, Emmanuel
Macron.
She is currently heading the Musée d’Orsay, the Paris landmark museum.
She will replace the current president, Jean-Luc Martinez.
About Musée du Louvre
It is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France.
It is best known for the painting of Mona Lisa.
It is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II.
184. WORLD NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES DAY: JANUARY 30
Context
The ongoing 74th World Health Assembly declared 30th January as ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)
Day.
Details
The proposal to recognise the day was floated by the United Arab Emirates.
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Neglected Tropical Diseases are a group of infections that are most common among marginalised
communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Examples of NTDs : snakebite envenomation, scabies, yaws, trachoma, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease
etc.
World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed
by its 194 member states.
The members of the World Health Assembly generally meet every year in May in Geneva, the location of WHO
Headquarters.

Founded in 1948.
of Health.
185. 3 INDIAN PEACEKEEPERS HONOURED WITH UN’S PRESTIGIOUS MEDAL
Context
3 Indians were honoured with the UN’s prestigious medal of peacekeeping.
Details
Corporal Yuvraj Singh, civilian peacekeeper Ivan Michael Picardo, and Moolchand Yadav were honoured.
Corporal Yuvraj Singh was serving at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) while civilian
peacekeeper Ivan Michael Picardo was associated with UNAMISS as a civil peacekeeper. Moolchand Yadav
was associated with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
India is the fifth largest with 5,424 personnel in eight countries.
About UN Peacekeeping
United Nations Peacekeeping is a joint effort between the Department of Peace Operations and the
Department of Operational Support.
Every peacekeeping mission is authorized by the Security Council.
Every Member State is legally obligated to pay their respective share for peacekeeping.
About the UN Security Council
It is one of the six main organs of the UN.
It is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.

The other five organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship
Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.
It held its first session on 17 January 1946 in Westminster, London.
It consists of 15 members — five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members. The five permanent
members are the US, UK, Russia, China and France.
Every year, five non-permanent members are elected for a tenure of two years.
186. STATEHOOD DAY OF GOA CELEBRATED
Context
Every year, May 30 is celebrated as statehood day in Goa.
Details
On December 19, 1961, Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule and became part of the Indian Union as the
25th state on May 30, 1987.
Goa Liberation Day is observed on 19th December every year in India.
Goa is India's smallest state by area and its fourth-smallest by population.
It is located on the southwestern coast of India.
It is surrounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south.
Rivers of Goa : Zuari, Mandovi, Terekhol, Chapora, Galgibag, Kumbarjua canal, Talpona and the Sal.
Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states.
It is the third-highest ranking among Indian states in human development index
Capital: Panji
Official Language: Konkani.
187. PM CARES FUND FOR KIDS ORPHANED DUE TO COVID
Context
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a number of welfare measures for children impacted
by Covid-19.
Details
The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was
created in 2020, following the covid-19 pandemic in India.
The purpose of the fund is for combating, and containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak.
Highlights of Measures
All children will be enrolled as a beneficiary under Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with a health
insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs.
The premium amount for these children till the age of 18 years will be paid by PM CARES.
It has also announced the “PM-CARES for Children” scheme under which fixed deposits will be opened in the
names of such children from the PM-CARES fund.
PM CARES will contribute through a specially designed scheme to create a corpus of ₹10 lakh for each child
when he or she reaches 18 years of age.
The child will be assisted in obtaining an education loan for Professional courses / Higher Education in India as
per the existing Education Loan norms.
The interest on this loan will be paid by the PM CARES.
188. ‘WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY’ 2021
Context
Every year, on 31st May, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is celebrated.
Details
Aim : To spread awareness about the dangers of using tobacco.
Theme for World No Tobacco Day : 'Commit to Quit’.
The theme of World No Tobacco Day or Anti Tobacco Day 2020 was "Protecting youth from industry
manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use".
10 largest number of tobacco smokers nations : China, India, Indonesia, USA, Russia, Bangladesh, Japan,
Turkey, Vietnam, and Philippines.
It is an annual event organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
It is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO, such as World Health Day, World
Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World Malaria Day, World Hepatitis
Day, World Chagas Disease Day, World Patient Safety Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World
AIDS Day.

Founded in 1948.
189. CHELSEA WINS 2020-21 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
Context
Chelsea lifted the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League title.
Details
Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1–0 in the final.
The final played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal.
The only goal scored by German forward Kai Havertz.
It is the second Champions League title for Chelsea, after winning the first in 2012.
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, London.
It was founded in 1905.
It has been owned by Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich.
About Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
It is the administrative body for football, futsal and beach soccer in Europe. It is one of six continental
confederations of world football's governing body FIFA.
UEFA consists of 55 national association members.
Henri Delaunay was the first general secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the first president.
The current president is Aleksander Čeferin.
About FIFA
It is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football,
futsal and beach soccer.
It is the highest governing body of association football.
It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium,
Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland.
President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino.
190. INDIAN FARMERS FERTILISER COOPERATIVE (IFFCO) TO LAUNCH NANO UREA
Context
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) will launch Nano Urea in the market.
Details
500-ml Nano Urea, which costs 240 rupees, is equivalent to 45kg of normal urea.
It reduces the cost of cultivation and increases the yield.
It will be a game-changer for the farming sector as it is expected to decrease the consumption of normal urea
substantially thus saving a huge sum on subsidy and forex.
It is eco-friendly.
About Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO)
It is a large scale fertiliser cooperative federation in India which is registered as Multistate Cooperative Society.
It is one of India’s biggest cooperative societies.
It is wholly owned by Indian Cooperatives.
It was founded in 1967 with just 57 cooperatives and at present it has amalgamation of over 36,000 Indian
Cooperatives with diversified business interests ranging from General Insurance to Rural Telecom apart from
its core business of manufacturing and selling fertilisers.
It is headquartered in New Delhi.
191. 'UTTAR PRADESH MUKHYAMANTRI BAL SEVA YOJANA' FOR CHILDREN LAUNCHED
Context
Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Government has launched 'Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana' for
children.
Details
Under this scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government will aid financial assistance to a child's guardian.
The government of Uttar Pradesh will provide Rs. 4000 to a child's guardian or caretaker till he or she attains
adulthood.
Children below 10 years who do not have any family members will be taken care of by the state government
children's homes.
Around 1,000 children are likely to benefit from the 'Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana'.
A minor girl child will be housed in Kasturba Gandhi Girls (Residential) Schools run by Government of India or
children's homes (girls) run by the state government.
The state government will also provide an amount of Rs 1,01,000 for the marriage of such girls.
192. CRPF DG KULDIEP SINGH GETS ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF NIA
Context
Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, Kuldiep Singh gets additional charge of National
Investigation Agency.
Details
Kuldeep Singh, a 1986 batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, is presently the Special DG, CRPF.
He has been appointed DG, CRPF up to September 30, 2022 i.e. date of his superannuation.
He will hold the additional post after 31st or this month after the superannuation of Y C Modi.
About Central Reserve Police Force
It is India's largest Central Armed Police Force.
It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.
Role : To assist the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter-
insurgency.
About National Investigation Agency
It was constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008.
National Investigation Agency Headquarters: New Delhi;
National Investigation Agency Founder: Radha Vinod Raju;
National Investigation Agency Founded: 2009.

IMPORTANT DAYS
1. International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day or May Day - 1 May.
2. World Laughter Day (first Sunday of May) - 2 May 2021.
3. World Tuna Day - 2 May.
4. Theme for World Press Freedom Day 2021 (3 May) - “Information as a Public Good”.
5. Theme for World Asthma Day (first Tuesday of May) on 4 May 2021 - “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”.
6. Coal Miners’ Day - 4 May.
7. International Firefighters Day - 4 May.
8. World Portuguese language day - 5 May.
9. Theme for World Hand Hygiene Day 2021 (5 May) - "Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care".
10. World Athletics Day - 7 May.
11. Theme for World Red Cross Day 2021 or World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2021 (8 May) - 'Unstoppable'.
12. Theme for World Thalassaemia Day 2021 (8 May) - “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global
Thalassaemia Community”.
13. Second World War Remembrance Days - 8 & 9 May.
14. Theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2021 (8 May) - “Sing, Fly, Soar - Like a Bird!”.
15. International Day of Argania - 10 May.
16. National Technology Day - 11 May.
17. Theme for National Technology Day 2021 (11 May) - “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
18. Theme for International Nurses Day 2021 (12 May) - “Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare”.
19. Theme for International Day of Families 2021 (15 May) - “Families and New Technologies”.
20. International Day of Light - 16 May.
21. International Day of Living Together in Peace - 16 May.
22. World Hypertension Day - 17 May.
23. Theme of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2021 (17 May) - "Accelerating Digital
Transformation in challenging times".
24. In August 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution "Improving global road safety", proclaiming the - Decade
of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
25. 6th UN Global Road Safety Week: Streets for Life #Love30 - 17 - 23 May 2021.
26. Theme of ‘International Museums Day 2021’ (18 May) - “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”.
27. World AIDS Vaccine Day - 18 May.
28. Theme for World Bee Day 2021 (20 May) - “Bee engaged - Build Back Better for Bees”.
29. Theme for ‘World Metrology Day 2021’ (20 May) - “Measurement for Health”.
30. Theme for ‘International Human Resources Day 2021’ (20 May) - "HR Shaping the New Future".
31. World Meditation Day - 20 May.
32. In India, National Anti-Terrorism Day - 21 May.
33. World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development - 21 May.
34. International Tea Day - 21 May.

35. Theme for ‘International Day for Biological Diversity 2021’ (22 May) - “We’re part of the solution”.
36. Theme for ‘International Day to End Obstetric Fistula 2021’ (23 May) - “Women's rights are human rights! End
fistula now!”.
37. World Turtle Day - 23 May.
38. International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories - 25-31 May.
39. In India, Commonwealth day - 24 May.
40. World Thyroid Day - 25 May.
41. International Missing Children’s Day - 25 May.
42. Vesak Day ("Vesak" means the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May) - 26 May 2021.
43. Theme for International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2021 (28 May) - “#WomensHealthMatters: Ending the
Inequality Pandemic and Ensuring SRHR remains essential!”.
44. Theme for World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2021 (28 May) - “Action and Investment in Menstrual Hygiene and
Health”.
45. Amnesty International Day - 28 May.
46. Theme for International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2021 (29 May) - "The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the
power of youth for peace and security".
47. International Everest Day - 29 May.
48. Hindi Journalism Day - 30 May.
49. World No Tobacco Day - 31 May.
DEFENCE
1. In support of the nation’s fight against Covid-19 and as part of ‘_____’, seven Indian Naval ships have been deployed
for shipment of liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various
countries - Operation Samudra Setu II.
2. The armed forces have launched operation "____" to aid anti-COVID-19 efforts, like strengthening medical
infrastructure and oxygen supply chains, as well as take measures to ensure mental wellbeing of people - Operation
"CO-JEET".
3. In order to coordinate multiple facets of staffing and logistics support, the ____ has set up an exclusive COVID
Management Cell ‘COVODi-19’ - Indian Army.
4. In a major reform to fast-track decision making in the Armed forces, the Government has appointed military officers as
additional and joint secretaries in - the Defence Ministry.
5. Additional Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Defence Ministry - Lt General Anil Puri.
6. Joint secretaries in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) - Major General K Narayanan, Rear Admiral Kapil
Mohan Dhir and Air Vice Marshal Hardeep Bains.
7. Towards fostering friendly relations with its maritime neighbours, ____ hosted ‘Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS) - 2021’
on 11 May and 12 May 21 - Indian Navy.
8. First destroyer of the Indian Navy, that decommissioned on 21 May 2021 - INS Rajput (Kashin-class destroyer ship).
9. Exercise "Sky Guard-1" 2021 is first-ever ____ joint air defence, that was held in Egypt's capital Cairo on 28 May 2021
- Pakistan-Egypt.
10. New Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that commissioned in Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on 29 May 2021 - ICGS Sajag.
ECONOMY
1. India’s _____ has emerged as the third strongest and the tenth most valuable insurance brand globally, according to a
London-based report ‘Brand Finance Insurance 100 2021’ - Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
2. World’s most valuable insurance brand globally - Ping An Insurance (China).
3. World’s strongest insurance brands globally - Poste Italiane (Italy).
4. India’s ____ has joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) as a
Member - Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
5. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) uses the ____ model to supervise banks, urban cooperatives banks, non-banking
financial companies and all India financial institutions - Risk Based Supervision (RBS) model.
6. On 5 May, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a liquidity window of ____ wherein vaccine makers, hospitals,
oxygen suppliers among other healthcare stakeholders would be able to get loans at the repo rate till 31 March 2022 -
Rs. 50,000 crore.
7. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment along with
transfer of management control in - IDBI Bank Ltd.
8. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has come out with guidelines for a standard
domestic travel insurance product, to be known as - “Bharat Yatra Suraksha”.
9. Head of an advisory group, which has been constituted by the Reserve Bank of India to assist the second Regulatory
Review Authority (RRA 2.0), with a view to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated
entities - S. Janakiraman (SBI Managing Director).
10. The European Investment Bank and India’s _____ have entered into a pact to jointly pump Euro 100 million in equity
financing into Indian small businesses focused on climate change and sustainability - State Bank of India (SBI).
11. The European Investment Bank and SBI have created '_____', which will provide equity to SMEs focusing on mitigating
climate risks, promoting gender equality - 'Neev Fund II'.
12. According to the United Nations, the world's fastest growing major economy in 2022 - India.
13. In the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), the United Nations projected that the Indian economy will
grow at ___ in the calendar year 2022 - 10.1 percent.
14. The United Nations projected that the Indian economy will grow at ___ in the calendar year 2021 - 7.5 percent.
15. The United Nations projected the global economy will grow at ___ in the calendar year 2021 - 5.4 percent.
16. First in terms of global remittances, India received over USD83 billion in remittances in 2020, a drop of just ____ from
the previous year, according to a World Bank report - 0.2 percent.
17. The Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the licence of United Co-operative Bank Ltd of - West Bengal.
18. _____ launched ‘DigiGold’, a digital platform for its customers to make investments in gold - Airtel Payments Bank.
19. An Insurance Group that ranked first among insurers in ranking in the 2021 Forbes Global 2000 - China’s Ping.
20. Winner of the Digital Champion award by ASSOCHAM, in the National E-summit & awards, that was concluded on 29
April 2021 - True Credits (a lending arm of a fintech app True Balance operated by Balancehero India Private Limited).
21. First state in India that allowed reimbursement of goods and services tax (GST) paid on Covid-related donations made
to the state and state-run facilities - Haryana.
22. On 19 May, ____ has launched a fully digitised, end-to-end, Loan Processing System (LPS) for its MSME and Agri.
Products - IDBI Bank Limited.
23. The ____ has proposed a framework for setting up the Gold Exchange in India - Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI).
24. Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ____ to create an
ecosystem for promoting, aiding, and fostering the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India - BSE
(formerly Bombay Stock Exchange).
25. As of April 2021, according to the World Gold Council (WGC) data, No. 1 country that hold the most gold - the United
States (8,133.5 tonnes).
26. As of April 2021, according to the World Gold Council (WGC) data, India’s position among the countries that hold the
most gold - 9th (687.8 tonnes).
27. Dubai’s first ever cryptocurrency - DubaiCoin (DBIX).
ENVIRONMENT & INTERNATIONAL

1. New species of wood-snake (20 cm length) of genus ‘Xylophis’, discovered in Kanyakumari in Western Ghats -
“Xylophis Deepaki”.
2. New species of insectivorous mammal, a white-toothed shrew (small and mouse-like mammal; Genus: Crocidura),
discovered from Narcondam Island of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands - “Crocidura narcondamica”.
3. Number of mammal species found in India, according to the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) - 430.
4. The world's largest coral reef restoration program using ‘Reef Stars’ is undergoing to recover 45 acres of coral (called
‘Hope Reef’) in - Indonesia’s Spermonde Archipelago.
5. An international team of 92 scientists and conservationists has joined forces to create the first-ever global atlas of
ungulate (hooved mammal) migrations, under the ______, working in partnership with the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a UN treaty - Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration
(GIUM).
6. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Cyclone ‘____’ on 14May will move north-northwest across
the South-East Arabian Sea and intensify into this year’s first cyclonic storm - Cyclone ‘Tauktae’.
7. According to a risk assessment compiled by business risk analysts ‘Verisk Maplecroft’, India is home to ___ of the
world's 20 most risk-laden cities - 13.
8. According to a risk assessment compiled by ‘Verisk Maplecroft’, India’s ____ ranks second on the global index of 576
cities, followed by Chennai (3rd), Agra (6th), Kanpur (10th), Jaipur (22nd), Lucknow (24th) and Mumbai (27th) - Delhi.
9. A new species of dinosaur that identified by Mexican paleontologists is believed to have been "very communicative"
and used low-frequency sounds like elephants to talk to each other - ‘Tlatolophus galorum’.
10. A fossil fish named ‘Coelacanth’ (a member of the "Latimeria chalumnae" species with its eight fins, a large body) that
predates dinosaurs and was thought to have gone extinct has been found alive in the West Indian Ocean off the coast
of - Madagascar.
11. Newly calved largest iceberg afloat in the world, cut-off from Antarctica that floats into the Weddell Sea - ‘A-76’ (175
km long & 25 km wide).
12. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its forecast has said ____ is likely to hit the east coast on 26-27 May
2021 - Cyclone Yass.
13. According to the ‘World's 100 Cities With High Environment Risks’ report by Verisk Maplecrof, 99 cities in the world
vulnerable to environmental risk are in Asia and ____ are in India alone - 43.
14. According to the ‘World's 100 Cities With High Environment Risks’ report, ____ is the world's highest risk city, as a
result of its extreme levels of air and water pollution - Indonesia's Jakarta (followed by Delhi-2nd, Chennai-3rd).
15. ____ volcano, one of the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes located nearby city of Goma in Congo, suddenly
erupted on 23 May 2021 - Mount Nyiragongo.
16. New species of African violet plant that discovered in Mizoram by the Indian Institute of Science education and research,
Bhopal - "Didymocarpus Vickifunkiae".
17. According to an annual climate update published by the World Meteorological Organization, there’s about a 40%
chance that the global average temperature for at least one of the next five years will be ____ higher than in pre-
industrial times - 1.5 degree Celsius.
18. A giant tortoise found on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) that is from a species which scientists thought had extinct
more than a century ago - Chelonoidis phantasticus.
19. New subgenus or species of cricket identified under the genus Arachnomimus Saussure that found in the Kurra caves
of Chhattisgarh - Jayanti.
20. The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has
finalised and recommended quality standards for four spices - cloves, oregano, basil, and ginger.
21. The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) is chaired by India and ____ is its Secretariat - Spices
Board India.
22. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will hold a Virtual Summit with the _____ on 4 May 2021 - Boris Johnson (Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom).
23. ____ launched the ‘UN Women Care Accelerator,’ a six months online group training and incubating programme
(starting 1 June 2021) for female entrepreneurs and businesses led by or supporting women in the care industry from
Asia and the Pacific - UN Women.
24. The Arouca Bridge, world’s longest pedestrian bridge (almost 1,700-foot or half-kilometer) built across the Paiva River
in - northern Portugal.
25. _____ (a country in Northeast Africa) ratified the United Nations' 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) - Sudan.
26. On 4 May 2021, the India-___ summit will launch the ‘Roadmap 2030’ initiative - UK.
27. On 3 May 2021, Geneva-based FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) launched a new initiative “_____”, with commitments
from four founding industry partners - Colgate, Dentsply-Sirona, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and TePe - to lead the
charge on sustainability in dentistry - FDI Sustainability in Dentistry initiative.
28. The four founding partners of the FDI Sustainability in Dentistry project are - Colgate, GSK Consumer Healthcare,
Dentsply Sirona, and TePe.
29. India’s rank in the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI) of Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) - 37th.
30. First position in the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI) - Greece.
31. The _____ has launched the first microsite of its kind that connects fact-based narratives on migration with interactive
data visualizations on some of the latest global migration data and information - International Organization for
Migration (IOM).
32. India’s _____ and UK’s Rolls-Royce have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish packaging,
installation, marketing and services support for Rolls-Royce MT30 marine engines in India - Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd (HAL).
33. _____ along with ‘Guvi Geek Network’ (IIT Madras incubated company) got recognition from the Guinness World
Records for holding an online computer programme in 24 hours for maximum number of users - All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE).
34. The World Health Organization (WHO) will establish the ‘WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence’, a new
global hub, in - Berlin, Germany.
35. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared in a resolution adopted by consensus that 10 March of every
year will be ______ due to the initiative of the State of Qatar - International Day of Women Judges.
36. _____ in partnership with International Water Association (IWA) has announced Water Sustainability Awards aiming to
celebrate efforts towards water conservation - The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
37. The government of ____ on 06 May 2021 has approved a bill on the country's withdrawal from the Treaty on Open
Skies - Russia.
38. Top three cities in the latest Knight Frank's Prime Global Cities Index Q1 - Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou
(Chinese cities).
39. Top Indian cities in the latest Knight Frank's Prime Global Cities Index Q1 - Mumbai (32nd), New Delhi (36th) and
Bengaluru (40th).
40. The 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) meeting for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region was
jointly organised by Iceland and Japan on 8 May & 9 May 2021 under the theme - ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable
Arctic’.
41. Since 2013, India has ‘____’ status in the Arctic Council with twelve other countries (Japan, China, France, Germany,
UK, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, and South Korea) - ‘Observer’.
42. Permanent research station of India in the Arctic - Himadari (NyAlesund, Svalbard Area in Norway).
43. India has deployed a multi-sensor moored observatory called ____ in the Arctic region since July 2014 - IndARC.
44. India on 8 May 2021 launched a Connectivity Partnership with the ____ which aims at deepening the cooperation on
transport, energy, digital and people-to-people contacts - EU (European Union).
45. Indian recipient of the Asian Law Firm of the Year 2021 award at the eighth annual Asia Legal Awards - Cyril
Amarchand Mangaldas.
46. The ____ announced that it will no longer finance coal mining or oil and natural gas activities - Asian Development
Bank.
47. _______ chaired the 1st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting held on 11-12 May 2021 in New Delhi in
virtual format- Apurva Chandra (Secretary, Labour and Employment, India).
48. PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed its 150th Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with _____ on 13
May 2021 to jointly regulate their future relationship and mutually exploring new area of partnership by conducting
business forum among the business of both countries - Mongolia India Business Council (MIBC).
49. _____ is organising Nuts & Dried Fruit Congress online from 25 May to 27 May 2021 - INC (International Nut and
Dried Fruit Council).
50. In Nepal, _____ was re-appointed as the Prime Minister of the country by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on 14 May
2021 - KP Sharma Oli.
51. ______ was named the winner of a ‘Silver Stevie Award 2021’ in the “Most Valuable Corporate Response to COVID-
19” category at the annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, making it the first and only print publication from India to ever
win a Stevie in the award’s history - Rashtradoot.
52. According to a report, Global Electricity Review 2021 by the climate and energy think tank Ember, ____ of global
electricity was generated by wind and solar in 2020 - 9.4%.
53. On 15 May 2021, ______ has partnered with India on climate change so as to help it meet its commitment to deploy
450 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy - The United States.
54. Fiame Naomi Mataafa will be first female Prime minister of - Samoa.
55. The Global Health Summit will take place on 21 May 2021, which is being hosted by - Italy.
56. Chair of the G20 group and the European Commission for year 2021 - Italy.
57. As per report by the Australia-based Minderoo Foundation, India's rank in terms of per capita plastic waste production
- 94th (First position: Singapore and Australia).
58. World’s largest producer of single-use plastic - China (India ranks third).
59. India’s rank in EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index 2021 - Third (First two positions: The US and
China).
60. Organiser of the World of Work Summit, entitled “International action for a human-centred COVID-19 response”, that
will take place on 17 June and 18 June 2021 - International Labour Organisation (ILO).
61. Host of the Smart Cities international online forum on 25-26 May 2021 - Moscow, Russia.
62. Winner of the World Summit prize of the Information Society (WSIS) 2021, awarded by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), for its free wifi initiative - Saudi Arabia.
63. India is among the guest countries invited to join virtually at the 2021 G7 Health Ministers' Meeting to be held at ____
on 3 & 4 June 2021 to bring together the world's leading democracies to agree on life-saving action in critical areas of
global health - Oxford University.
64. On 1-2 June 2021, the ____ will virtually host the Jobs Reset Summit - World Economic Forum.
65. Omar Zniber (Morocco) was elected President of the 109th International Labour Conference (ILC) in its opening
session, on 20 May 2021, that organised by the - International Labour Organisation, Geneva.
66. The Charter that intends to galvanize and steer collective action in response to the dramatic impacts of the climate and
environmental crises, which is now opened for signature by all humanitarian organizations on 20 May 2021, following
its adoption by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies - Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations.
67. India and Israel are implementing the “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “____” aimed at
creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across India - “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”.
68. The UN's _____ has signed a Strategic Partnership with global conflict resolution organisation, the International Crisis
Group (ICG), in order to boost its conflict sensitivity and prevention capacity as it continues to deliver life-saving food
to the world's most vulnerable people - World Food Programme (WFP).
69. ____ hosted virtually Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop - Indian Network for Memory Studies
(INMS), Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
70. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regional office for the eastern Mediterranean has announced the World No
Tobacco Day 2021 Award for ____ for its effective anti-tobacco campaign - Pakistan.
71. The 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022) will be held in ____ from 29 July to 2 August 2022 - Montréal,
Canada.
72. On 25 May 2021, ____ has approved a ‘UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education
Qualifications’ facilitating the recognition of qualifications of citizens in secondary and higher education in more
countries, particularly outside Europe - Estonia.
73. The World Health Organization (WHO) and _____ on 25 May 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
launch a BioHub facility under WHO BioHub initiative at Swiss biosafety laboratory in Spiez that will allow rapid sharing
of pathogens between laboratories and partners to facilitate a better analysis and preparedness against them -
Switzerland.
74. A meeting with Ministers of Health of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) Countries was held on 27 May 2021 under the
chairmanship of - Republic of Azerbaijan.
75. India’s rank in the latest edition of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published by Transparency International -
80th (scores 41).
76. Top position in the latest edition of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) - Denmark and New Zealand (scores 87
each).
77. On 26 May 2021, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by ______ to draft a treaty against
cybercrime by 2023 - Russia.
78. The ongoing 74th World Health Assembly declared ____ as ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day’ to
recognise the global burden of these diseases that are most common among marginalised communities in the
developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas - 30 January.
79. _____ for the first time will host the 'World Environment Day' on 5 June - Pakistan.
80. Winner of the World No Tobacco Day Award for Civil Society Organization in South East Asia Region, given by the
World Health Organization - Madhya Pradesh Voluntary Health Association (MPVHA).
81. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has decided to recognise villages across the world that are committed to the
promotion and preservation of their cultural heritage and sustainable development through tourism, which includes
three aspects - ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Label, the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Upgrade
Programme and the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Network.
82. World Health Organization (WHO) on 30 May 2021 launched ‘_____’, a year-long global campaign for World No
Tobacco Day - “Commit to Quit".
NATIONAL
1. Two schemes launched by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to help the Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with required financial support, which are helping during COVID-19 pandemic - SHWAS
(SIDBI assistance to healthcare sector) and AROG (SIDBI Assistance to MSMEs for recovery & organic growth
during COVID-19 pandemic).
2. Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used
Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme from - IndianOil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi.
3. The Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between
India and ____ on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP) - the United Kingdom.
4. To strengthen the mentoring capacity of teachers for nurturing innovative ideas from students, the ______, in
collaboration with the Education Ministry’s Innovation Cell and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE),
has announced the ‘Innovation Ambassador - Online Teaching Programme’ - Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE).
5. ____ has announced a Mission Bharat O2 Challenge, the 45-days open manufacturing challenge, for MSMEs - IIT
Kanpur.
6. On 07 May 2021, Ministry of AYUSH launched a massive nationwide campaign to distribute its proven poly herbal
Ayurvadic drugs ‘_____’ and Sidha drug ‘Kabasura Kudineer’ for the benefit of the vast majority of out of hospital COVID
patients - AYUSH 64.
7. New mobile application launched by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for psycho social wellness of
students and parents - “CBSE Dost for Life”.
8. The Railway Protection Force (RPF), the CHILDLINE and the UNICEF together launched an initiative "_____" at 11
railway stations in Bihar on 8 May 2021 to reach out to vulnerable children among returning migrants - "Surakshit
Safar".
9. _____ becomes the fourth State/UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands to provide assured tap
water supply to every rural home under Jal Jeevan Mission - Puducherry.
10. ____ and Mastercard released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive
Bharat’ - NITI Aayog.
11. The 'Vaidya Aapke Dwar' scheme is launched by _____ to consult with AYUSH medical specialists through the
‘AyushQure’ App - Department of AYUSH.
12. Recipient of “Green Urja Award”, given by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA).
13. On 12 May 2021, the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Department of Heavy Industry for implementation of the
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme '_____’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Fifty (50) Giga Watt Hour
(GWh) of ACC with an outlay of Rs.18,100 crore - 'National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery
Storage’.
14. ____ has launched a scheme ‘Aashvaasan’ to provide financial and medical assistance to its officials and staff members
affected by the pandemic - Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
15. Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana launched an official mobile application, called ____, for Journalists to cover
proceedings of the Supreme Court of India - 'Indicative Notes'.
16. First housing project in India that have received funding under the Special Window for Affordable & Mid-Income Housing
(SWAMIH) Fund - Rivali Park, Mumbai.
17. Three centers initiated under the ‘Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)’ scheme of Department
of Science and Technology to avoid duplication and reduced dependency on foreign sources - IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi
and BHU Varanasi.
18. To meet the demand of oxygen supply in the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, India's Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) has chartered ____ to import 'Zeolite' from different countries - Air India.
19. _____bagged the award for the most popular news channel at the Indian Television Academy Awards 2021 - Aaj Tak
(Hindi) and India Today (English).
20. _____ will start a month long online summer workshop ‘NAIMISHA 2021’ from 17th May to 13th June 2021 - National
Gallery of Modern Art.
21. Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), in association with the ______ , launched India's
first Agriculture Export Facilitation Center (AEFC) on 15 May - National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD).
22. Ministry of Education, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and CyberPeace Foundation (CPF) have jointly
launched _____, which is a digital training programme focusing on developing skills in the cybersecurity domain,
exclusively for college students and teachers - Project eSaksham.
23. National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) launched an Audio-Visual Guide App ‘____’ to listen to anecdotes and stories
related to the treasured Indian modern art exhibited at the Gallery - NGMA app.
24. On 17 May 2021, _____ in partnership with Department of Higher Education has launched an Innovation Challenge
for creating an Indian Language Learning App - MyGov platform.
25. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ____ to support the digital
transformation of schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and Ashram Schools, among others
under the Ministry - Microsoft.
26. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is providing Tele-Counselling to children through ____ to
provide psycho-social mental support for Children affected during COVID 19 Pandemic - SAMVEDNA (Sensitizing
Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance).
27. On 19 May 2021, _____ launched a 6- month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program on
rehabilitation of Divyangjan - Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
28. ____ has clinched the first position in the recent ranking released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
based on the progress of the implementation of the Smart City Mission's schemes - Jharkhand.
29. New six sites that have been added to India’s tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites - Maratha military
architecture in Maharashtra, Hirebenkal megalithic site in Karnataka, Bhedaghat-Lametaghat of Narmada
Valley in Madhya Pradesh, Ganga ghats in Varanasi, Temples of Kancheepuram and Satpura Tiger Reserve in
Madhya Pradesh.
30. The Central government has increased the subsidy for Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser from Rs. 500 per bag
to _____ per bag, which is an increase of 140% - Rs. 1200.
31. The Central government is planning to set up a new channel, _____ that will project India’s voice globally on significant
domestic and global issues - DD International.
32. NSE Academy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange, has joined hands with ___ in Tamil Nadu
for creating a Centre of Excellence for capital markets - Bharathiar University.
33. The government will set up a large ''Defence Enclave'' to house top defence brass and personnel under its ambitious
Central Vista redevelopment project in - New Delhi.
34. Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the project of setting up of a honey
testing laboratory at the - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi.
35. To support indigenous solutions and innovative products to combat the pandemic, the Central government has come
with a new initiative, _____, which will fund eligible startups & companies registered in India - NIDHI4COVID2.0.
36. Revised wages per day to different category of workers engaged in Construction or building operations in the central
sphere, with effective from 1 April 2021 - Unskilled (431 to 645 rupees); Semi-skilled or unskilled supervisor (505
to 714 rupees); Skilled and Clerical (609 to 784 rupees); Highly skilled worker (714 to 853 rupees).
37. Revised wages per day to different category of workers engaged in Agriculture sector in the central sphere - Unskilled
(372 to 411 rupees); Semi skilled supervisor (379 to 449 rupees); High skilled (449 to 540 rupees).
38. Revised wages per day to different category of workers engaged in Mines sector in the central sphere - Unskilled (431
to 539 rupees); Semi skilled supervisor (539 to 645 rupees); Skilled (645 to 752 rupees); Highly Skilled (752 to
840 rupees).
39. Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched ______ App, which permits taking real time
attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites - National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App.
40. The Board of Container Corporation Of India approved the Scheme of Arrangement for Amalgamation of wholly owned
unlisted subsidiary namely, ____ (Transferor Company) with Container Corporation of India (Transferee Company) -
CONCOR Air.
41. _____on 22 May 2021 has launched the Youth Undertaking Visit for Acquiring Knowledge (YUVAK) scheme aims to
provide first-hand knowledge and information about the latest techniques used in the construction of the tunnel and in
particular about the New Austrian tunnelling method used in the Atal Tunnel - All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE).
42. The Central government has expanded the definition of ‘infrastructure’ to include ____ under the social and commercial
infrastructure sub-sector - convention and exhibition centres.
43. TRIFED will now be partnering with ____ to implement the Van Dhan Yojana in the districts that have been identified
as aspirational districts - NITI Aayog.
44. The India Biodiversity Awards 2021 is a joint initiative by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
_____ and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - National Biodiversity Authority.
45. _____ and Council of Architecture (COA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mainstream bamboo
in building sector - Bamboo Society of India (BSI).
46. The Union Cabinet has approved the opening of a new Consulate General of India in Addu City in - Maldives.
47. In order to address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble burning, Ministry of Power has decided to set up a
____ in coal based thermal power plants - "National Mission on use of biomass in thermal power plants".
48. Recipient of the National Award 2021 from Technology Development Board (TDB) for developing a commercial solution
for conversion of CO2 to chemicals and fuels - Bangalore based Breathe Applied Sciences.
49. Since 15 August 2020, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) has been rolled out in ____ Union Territories and
nearly 11.9 lakh Health IDs have been generated - Six.
50. New portal that provides tele-medicine services to the serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families -
‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation (SeHAT) OPD.
51. The _____ has set up a Digital Publishers Content Grievance Council (DPCGC) as a self-regulatory body, consisting
of a chairperson and six members, for streaming platforms - Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
52. Central government has invited Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians belonging to _____ and residing
in 13 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab to apply for Indian citizenship - Afghanistan,
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
53. Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, launched by the Ministry of Education to train young and
budding authors below 30 years - YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors).
54. Central government on 29 May 2021 launched _____ scheme to support children who have lost both parents or
surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 - ‘PM-CARES For Children’.
55. India's largest aquatic gallery is being developed at - Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

PERSON IN NEWS
1. Present Chairman of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) - Dr M.R. Sudharshan.
2. New Member (Operations & Business Development) of Railway Board, Ministry of Railways - Sanjay Kumar Mohanty.
3. Author of novel 'Whereabouts' - Jhumpa Lahiri.
4. First Indian, who is chosen for the prestigious the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2021 (Arabic world's Nobel Prize) for her
book 'Arabic Oration: Art and Function' - Dr. Tahera Qutbuddin (Mumbaikar by birth and a professor settled in US).
5. Fourth Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), replaces B. P. Kanungo on 2 April 2021 - T. Rabi Sankar.
6. Presently, Four deputy governors of RBI - Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Patra, Rajeshwar Rao and T. Rabi Sankar.
7. Noted forest officer and the man responsible for launching Project Tiger in Karnataka in 1973, who died on 2 May 2021
- S. G. Neginhal.
8. New Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) India w.e.f 25 April 2021 - Justice Prafulla Chandra
Pant.
9. first Indian woman to be appointed to the board of trustees of US-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
(MSK), a leader in cancer treatment and research - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Executive Chairperson, Biocon Ltd ).
10. Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (honoured with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan), who
passed away in New Delhi on 4 May 2021 - Jagmohan.
11. Aeronautical scientist, who played a vital role in the development of the Light Combat Aircraft - Tejas, died on 3 May
2021 in Bihar - Manas Bihari Verma.
12. New Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Earth Mover Limited (BEML) with effect from 1 May 2021 -
Amit Banerjee.
13. Winner of the “Fetisov Journalism Awards 2020” in the category “Contribution to civil rights” - Manno Wangnao (Naga
lady journalist).
14. Recipients of the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award for 2021, given by International Association of Women Judges
(IAWJ) - Justice Gita Mittal (first Indian judge to receive this award) and Margarita Luna Ramos (Mexico).
15. In present, World's oldest person - Kane Tanaka (118-year-old Japanese woman).
16. Winner of the Saraswati Bai Dada Saheb Phalke Iconic International Woman of the Year 2021 Award - Shweta Nema.
17. Member (from India) of the Global Student Prize Academy (USA) - Ranjitsinh Disale.
18. Next chairman and managing director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) - Arun Kumar Singh.
19. New Executive Director (ED) of the Reserve Bank of India with effect from 4 May 2021 - Jose J Kattoor.
20. New Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARC) - Padmakumar M Nair.
21. Winner of the ‘International Ranger Award 2021’, given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
Switzerland - S Sathish (Ramanathapuram forest range officer).
22. Winner of the 2021 World Food Prize for her work in nutrition-sensitive aquaculture - Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted
(Nutrition expert).
23. Winner of the ‘Best Researcher Award’, given by the Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons (IAGES) -
Dr P Praveen Raj (bariatric surgeon, GEM Hospital).
24. Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) General Secretary _____ has been appointed to the executive committee
of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) till 2023 - Manisha Kapoor.
25. The UN chief has appointed ____ as the new UN humanitarian chief of the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs - Martin Griffiths (veteran British diplomat).
26. Two Indian women mountaineers who became the first Indian women to summit Mount Pumori (7,161 metres) in Nepal
- Baljeet Kaur (Himachal Pradesh) and Gunbala Sharma (Rajasthan).
27. Winner of the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asia), the world’s most global literary prize, announced by the
Commonwealth Foundation, given for story, ‘I Cleaned The—’ - Kanya D’Almeida (Sri Lanka).
28. Winner of the Whitley Award 2021, also known as the ‘Green Oscar’, for his efforts to create a network of community-
owned forests in the state and protect the rare Amur falcon and becomes only Indian to win this prestigious award,
given by UK-based charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) - Nuklu Phom (Nagaland).
29. ____ was the chairperson of India's largest media group, the Times Group, died on 13 May 2021 - Indu Jain.
30. First place in World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021, released by Fortune Magazine - Jacinda Arden (New Zealand
Prime Minister).
31. Only Indian who placed at 10th position in World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021 - Adar Poonawala (CEO of the
Serum Institute of India).
32. New Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of IDBI Bank with effect from 1 June 2021 - P Sitaram.
33. First Indian who won the title of the 'Youth Photographer of the Year 2021', given by the World Photography
Organization - Pubarun Basu.
34. Indian-American who has been appointed senior adviser to US President Joe Biden - Neera Tanden.
35. Winner of Litart Story Award 2021 for the story 'Sookshma Jeevikalude Bhoopadam' - K S Ratheesh (Malayalam
teacher).
36. Winner of the UK’s Dylan Thomas prize 2021 for novel ‘Luster’ - Raven Leilani (American author).
37. Distinguished mathematician, famous for Narasimhan-Seshadri theorem in differential & algebraic geometry, who
passed away on 16 May 2021 - Prof. M S Narasimhan.
38. Only Indian who was awarded with King Faisal International Prize for Science - Prof. M S Narasimhan.
39. Founding-Chairman of the National Board of Higher Mathematics of the Government of India - Prof. M S Narasimhan.
40. Recipient of ‘International Invincible Gold Medal of year 2021’ - Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ (Union Education
Minister).
41. _____ was appointed as the People’s Advocate of the COP26 for the UN Climate Change summit 2021 to be held in
Glasgow in November 2021 and hosted by the United Kingdom - Sir David Attenborough.
42. Father of Karisal (black soil land) Literature, who died in Puducherry on 17 May 2021 - Ki. Rajanarayanan (Tamil
writer).
43. Winners of the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize, a prestigious global science and technology prize awarded by
Technology Academy Finland (TAF) for their development of revolutionary sequencing techniques which means DNA
can now be read in super-fast times - Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman (Cambridge University
chemists).
44. 2021 Miss Universe pageant - Miss Mexico Andrea Meza.
45. Environmentalist and Chipko movement (1973) pioneer who died on 21 May 2021 - Sunderlal Bahuguna.
46. Winner of the International Dublin Literary Award 2021 for her novel 'Lost Children Archive' - Valeria Luiselli (Mexican
author).
47. New chief executive officer of Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) - Rajesh Bansal.
48. Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and veteran nuclear scientist, who died on 23 May 2021 -
Sekhar Basu.
49. ____ has been elected president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), makes her the first Indian to be
heading the Vienna-based organization and the second woman to hold this office - Jagjit Pavadia (former Narcotics
Commissioner of India).
50. Winner of the Templeton prize 2021 in recognition of her life’s work on animal intelligence and humanity - Jane
Goodall.
51. First Indian doctor who won the prestigious V Schindler Award constituted by the American Society of Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy - Dr D Nageshwar Reddy.
52. New Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court with effect from 01st June 2021 - Shri Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra.
53. New Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - Subodh Kumar Jaiswal.
54. New managing director and chief executive officer of Chennai-headquartered Indian Bank - Shanti Lal Jain.
55. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has appointed Indian citizen ____, who works at the British deputy high commission in
Chandigarh as a consular officer, as an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) -
Mohini Singh.
56. Recipient of the International Eni Award 2020 (also called the Energy Frontier award and considered to be the Nobel
Prize in Energy Research) for research into renewable energy sources and energy storage - Professor C.N.R. Rao.
57. Present, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) whose tenure has been extended by one year till 30 June 2022 - Arvinda
Kumar.
58. Present, Secretary of Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) whose tenure has been extended by one year till 30 June
2022 - Samant Kumar Goel.
59. Indian who has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at the recently concluded 2021 International
Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congress - Nagraj Adiga.
60. New members in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) consists of Chairman and six members - Anu J Singh, J
B Mohaparta and Anuja Sarangi.
61. President Ramnath Kovind appointed ____ as the new Chancellor of Allahabad University for a five-year term - Ashish
Chauhan (chief executive officer of BSE).
62. Indian economist who has been conferred with Spain's top Princess of Asturias Award in the social sciences category
- Amartya Kumar Sen.
63. _____ has been given additional charge of Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) w.e.f. 31 May 2021
after superannuation of Y C Modi - Kuldiep Singh (Director General of Central Reserve Police Force).
64. Hong Kong’s ____ scaled Mount Everest peak in less than 26 hours, the shortest time taken by any woman after
starting from the base camp - Tsang Yin-Hung.
65. Author of the book, 'China Room' - Sunjeev Sahota.
66. Winners of the prestigious International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their book ‘Transformation in
Times of Crisis’ - Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind.
SPORTS
1. Athlete ambassadors for International Olympic Committee’s ‘Believe in Sports’ campaign - India’s P V Sindhu and
Canada’s Michelle Li.
2. Global ambassadors for ‘i am badminton’ campaign of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) - India’s P V Sindhu
and Canada’s Michelle Li.
3. World Snooker Champion 2021 - Mark Selby (England).
4. The _____ on 4 May 2021 launched the 'Checkmate Covid Initiative' to help the chess community affected by the
pandemic - All India Chess Federation.
5. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has added a new women's tournament, “The Winners Open”, a WTA 250
event, to the 2021 calendar in _____ scheduled for the week starting 2 August 2021 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
6. In Tennis, Winners of the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards - Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka.
7. Winner of single female event in the Madrid Open 2021 (tennis) - Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus).
8. “Sportswoman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards - Naomi Osaka (Japan).
9. “Sportsman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards - Rafael Nadal (Spain).
10. Winner of the Men’s single event in Madrid Open 2021 (Tennis) - Alexander Zverev.
11. ICC players of the month for the month of April 2021 - Babar Azam (Pakistan skipper) and Alyssa Healy (Australian
wicketkeeper).
12. New head coach of India women's cricket team, announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) -
Ramesh Powar.
13. The International Cricket Council is reportedly considering expanding the T20 World Cup to 20 teams from its current
number of - 16.
14. First Indian-origin fighter who won a world title in a top-level MMA promotion when he beat Brandon Vera to become
the heavyweight world champion at the Singapore-based One Championship - Arjan Bhullar.
15. Indian high jumper who has claimed a gold medal at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Manhattan,
USA - Tejaswin Shankar.
16. Winner of 2021 FA Cup after beating Chelsea in the final match - Leicester FC.
17. Winner of the Men’s single event in 10th Italian Open (Tennis) - Rafael Nadal.
18. _____ became the first man to swim the 50-metre backstroke in under 24 seconds as he broke his own world record
in the discipline at the European Aquatics Championship - Kliment Kolesnikov (Russian swimmer).
19. Former Indian cricket captain and leg-spinner, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame of the International Cricket
Council (ICC) - Anil Kumble.
20. Indian who was appointed as a member of the FIH Athletes' Committee of International Hockey Federation (FIH) - P.R.
Sreejesh (hockey team goalkeeper).
21. The 2022 FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup will be held in ____ from October 11 to 30, 2022 - India.
22. First Indian who elected as president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the second consecutive term till
2024 - Narinder Dhruv Batra.
23. Winner of the prestigious Etienne Glichitch Award, given by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) - Hockey India.
24. _____, Secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been honoured with FIH President’s Award by the International
Hockey Federation (FIH) for his huge contribution for the promotion and development of hockey in Odisha - V
Karthikeyan Pandian.
25. First woman ever who landed a Yurchenko double pike (in gymnastics) in competition - Simone Biles (American artistic
gymnast).
26. Rank of the Indian men's football team on the FIFA world rankings - 105th.
27. Rank of the Indian women's football team on the FIFA world rankings - 57th.
28. Indian team’s rank in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking - 105th (First position: Belgium).
29. Winner of men’s single event in the 2021 Belgrade Open (Tennis) - Novak Djokovic.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. New Chief Secretary of Bihar - Tripurari Sharan.
2. Statehood Day of Gujarat and Maharashtra - 1 May 2021.
3. The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to launch ‘______’ on 8 July 2021 to mark the birth anniversary of late
chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy - ‘Clean Andhra Pradesh-Jagananna Swachh Sankalp’.
4. On 2 May 2021, the ____ government declared working journalists of the state as frontline Covid warriors, under the
Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana - Odisha.
5. On 2 May 2021, the ____ government launched a universal health scheme covering all families, which will provide
cashless insurance of coverage of Rs 5 lakh under the Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Yojna - Rajasthan.
6. New Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat, who will replace S Murali Krishna - Anupam Anand.
7. New Andhra Pradesh State Right to Information Commissioners - Kakarla Chenna Reddy and Ulchala Hari Prasad.
8. Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath launched 'Auro Scholarship Programme' of Sri Aurobindo Society for all the students
of - Tripura state.
9. The Indian Army established its first green solar energy plant with a capacity of 56 KVA, at an altitude of 16,000 feet in
- northern Sikkim.
10. Chief Minister of West Bengal, who become the second woman in the country to be sworn in as Chief Minister of any
state consecutively for three terms after Sheila Dixit - Mamata Banerjee.
11. Next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu - M.K. Stalin.
12. First woman, who appointed as the additional director of Information and Public Relations Department of Andhra
Pradesh - L. Swarnalatha.
13. This state government will present 'Manoj Das International Literary Award' and 'Manoj-Kishore Literary Talent Award'
in memory of eminent litterateur Manoj Das - Odisha.
14. New Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry - N. Rangaswamy.
15. Newly elected Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly - Biman Bandopadhyay.
16. The Government of India (GoI) and European Investment Bank (EIB) signed the finance contract for second tranche of
Euro 150 million for - Pune Metro Rail project.
17. Next Chief Minister of Assam - Himanta Biswa Sarma.
18. The Karnataka government has appointed _____ as an advisor to Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa on strategy and
planning - Prashanth Prakash.
19. New Secretary (Works) at the Public Works Department (PWD) under the Government of Maharashtra - Anil Kumar
Gaikwad.
20. Leader of Opposition in the new West Bengal Assembly - Suvendu Adhikari (BJP).
21. New Chief Minister of the state of Kerala w.e.f 20 May 2021 - Pinarayi Vijayan.
22. Maharashtra Government has reconstituted the Sugarcane Price Control Board and it chaired by - Sitaram Kunte
(Chief Secretary).
23. To commemorate the 14th World Agri-Tourism Day on 16 May 2021, ____ in partnership with Agri Tourism
Development Corporation India, is organising International Conference on Agri-tourism on 15 and 16 May 2021 -
Department of Tourism, Maharashtra Government.
24. The _____ government has announced that it will issue temporary ration cards to migrants and others affected by the
Covid-19 pandemic under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) Antyodaya Scheme - Maharashtra.
25. New member of Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) - Medha Gadgil.
26. New 23rd independent district of Punjab, which has been carved out from the Sangrur district - Malerkotla (includes
Malerkotla, Amargarh and Ahmedgarh).
27. _____ has postponed Sindhu Darshan-2021, which was scheduled from June 19 to 27, 2021 - Ladakh Administration.
28. Statehood Day of Sikkim - 16 May 2021.
29. _____ Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel laid the foundation stone of ‘Arpa Uplift and Bank Augmentation’ program on 16
May 2021 - Chhattisgarh.
30. New Chairman & Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and TANGEDCO, and Chairman of TANTRANSCO
in place of Pankaj Kumar Bansal - Rajesh Lakhoni.
31. On 18 May 2021, Government of ____ signed a MoU with the National Health Authority to join the Centre’s Ayushman
Bharat Scheme (PM Jana Arogya Yojana) - Telangana.
32. The government of _____ announced that it will set up a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) - West Bengal.
33. The cabinet of ____ approved the launch of the 'Chief Minister Plantation Promotion Scheme’ to promote plantation in
the state - Chhattisgarh.
34. New Advocate General of Assam - Debojit Saikia.
35. New chairman of reconstituted Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) - B Janardhan Reddy.
36. The Maharashtra Government approved a proposal for setting up the National Institute of Medicinal Plants in - Adali,
Sindhudurg district.
37. New Commissioner of Police, Delhi - S.N. Shrivastava.
38. New Advocate General of the state of Kerala - K Gopalakrishna Kurup.
39. Newly elected Speaker of the Assam Assembly - Biswajit Daimary.
40. New Additional Director General (ADG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Criminal Investigation Department
(CID) under West Bengal government, replacing Anuj Sharma - Gyanwant Singh.
41. The ____ government announced the launch of ‘Ankur’, a scheme under which citizens will be awarded for planting
trees during monsoon - Madhya Pradesh.
42. The Assam Government gave ____ the additional charge of the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister - Samir Sinha
(replaces Paban Barthakur).
43. Palash Home Delivery App is run by the - Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society.
44. 23rd speaker of the Kerala assembly - M. B. Rajesh.
45. New Pro tem speaker of the Puducherry assembly - K Lakshminarayanan.
46. Deloitte has partnered with the ____ government to launch a supervised, virtual home care initiative to help people
quickly access healthcare for mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 under the 'Sanjeevani Pariyojana' - Haryana.
47. On 27 May, _____ government has imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), 1966, in state for next 6
months that prohibits strikes by employees in a long list of essential services - Uttar Pradesh.
48. The West Bengal cabinet formally approved the basic income scheme for women as _____, giving Rs 1,000 a month
to every Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe family and Rs 500 to every general-category family - “Lakshmi-r
Bhandar”.
49. _____ government directed state officials to set up foundational schools in a radius of one-kilometre - Andhra Pradesh.
50. New Chief Secretary of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir - Arun Kumar Mehta.
51. Statehood Day of Goa - 30 May 2021.
52. The Odisha government has renamed the Forest and Environment Department as - Forest, Environment and Climate
Change Department.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. The Indian scientists are working on the ____ model for charting the trajectory of COVID-19 - SUTRA model.
2. The world's first-ever micro-algae-based milk is developed by - Sophie's Bionutrients (Singapore-based company).
3. ____ has developed a ground-breaking graphene-aluminium (Al-Gr) composite, which exhibits significantly higher
conductivity and strength properties over aluminium and could be used as a substitute for copper - Tirupati Graphite
PLC company, the UK.
4. NASA is planning to put a new deep-space telescope, named “____”, into operation in October 2021, which will replace
the Hubble Telescope - James Webb Space Telescope.
5. _____ along with a group of UK-based researchers have developed paper-based sensor, named ‘Laser Printed-
Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Sensors’, that can detect antimicrobial resistance-triggering pollutants - Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
6. The CSIR- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has developed, possibly the first specific drug for COVID-19
treatment, named “____”, which contain therapeutic antibodies - VINCOV-19.
7. Researchers have identified fossil bone fragments of sauropod dinosaurs dating back to about 100 million years from
an area around West Khasi Hills District in - Meghalaya.
8. _____ has developed an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, “ATMAN AI" for Chest X Rays screening to detect Covid-19 -
DRDO Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore.
9. ____ has developed ‘BlockTrack’, a blockchain-based healthcare information system for mobile phone applications -
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
10. Anti-COVID-19 drug developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (DRDO-INMAS) in collaboration
with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad - “2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)”.
11. ____ company has developed the world’s first chip with 2nm nanosheet technology (up to 50 billion transistors can fit
on a chip the size of a fingernail) - IBM.
12. A non-invasive test developed by Mumbai Based Epigeneres Biotech Private Limited and its sister concern Singapore
based Tzar Labs, which will help in early diagnosis and treatment of Cancer - HrC test.
13. _____ has developed three types of ventilators (named ‘Prana, VaU, Svasta’) and an oxygen concentrator (named
‘Shwaas’) - ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
14. _____ has developed a prototype of a moveable electric cremation system, based on wick-stove technology, which
claims to be using first of its kind technology that involves smokeless cremation despite using wood - Indian Institute
of Technology, Ropar.
15. The Indian Coronavirus variant, known as ‘____’, has been declared as a “variant of global concern” by the World
Health Organization (WHO) - B1617.
16. Researchers at _____ have developed the world’s smallest single-chip system (total volume of less than 0.1 cubic
millimeters) that is a complete functioning electronic circuit using ultrasound to power and communicate with it
wirelessly - Columbia University.
17. _____ along with Rice University, US have developed an algorithm for lensless, miniature cameras supported with
augmented reality or virtual reality, security, smart wearables and robotics where cost, form-factor and weight are major
constraints - Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
18. China's first Mars mission, which successfully landed on Mars and became the second country after the US to send a
rover to the surface of Mars planet - Tianwen-1 (Rover: Zhu Rong).
19. The _____ has developed an Oxycare system to regulate oxygen automatically being administered to the patients -
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
20. Researchers at _____ have created the first fully recyclable transistors made from carbon-based “inks” that can be
printed on paper or another environmentally friendly substrate - Duke University in the US.
21. World's first hydrogen-powered boat that developed in collaboration with engineers from CEA-Liten (France), a major
European research institute - Energy Observer.
22. World's first wooden satellite is going to space to test the suitability of wood for use in extreme conditions from New
Zealand with Rocket Lab's Electron launcher - WISA WOODSAT satellite (10 x 10 x 10 cm).
23. Researchers from _____ have developed a low-cost digital magnetometer system (costs less than USD350) to
efficiently measure unknown magnetic fields - Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru.
24. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that the mean age of the samples of water, which was found from a mine
in ____, was 1.6 billion years old, making it the oldest water sample ever found on Earth - Ontario (Canada).
25. _____ is constructing the largest international submarine cable system centered on Indi, called the India-Asia-Xpress
(IAX) system and the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system - Reliance Jio Infocomm.
26. Scientists at Australian National University have found a ‘Alien’ radioactive isotope of Iron (Iron 60), rare forms of iron
and plutonium found in outer space which has a very short half-life on cosmic scale, 1500 metres below - Pacific
Ocean.
27. Physicists at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in China have observed the new lightest uranium isotope - ‘Uranium-
214 ( U)’.
214
28. The new multiplex RT-PCR kit developed by ____ to detect Covid-19 across the various mutant strains targets two
SARS CoV2 genes: RdRp and ORFb-nsp14 - Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology
(SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram.
29. Scientists at the _____ and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, have grown human brain tissues
called ‘organoids’ with help of a 3D Printed Bioreactor that they developed - Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Madras.
30. ____ successfully sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite ‘Haiyang-2D (HY-2D)’ into orbit - China.
31. The _____ released the world's first, real-time, satellite-based global coral reef bleaching monitoring system - Allen
Coral Atlas.
32. An antibody test kit for the early screening of COVID-19, developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) - ‘DIPCOVAN’ (DIPAS-VDx COVID-19 IgG Antibody Microwell ELISA).
33. NASA, the US space agency, has announced the launch of its first mobile robot, named ‘____’, to the Moon in late
2023 in search of ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface - Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration
Rover (VIPER).
34. The ____ has developed the ultraviolet (UV) light-based disinfection system for air conditioning and ventilation ducts
that can be used in auditoriums, large conference rooms, classrooms, malls and other public places - CSIR-Central
Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO, Chandigarh).
35. The _____ announced that it will design a new Earth System Observatory in partnership with the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) that will be dedicated to study climate change and mitigate its effects - National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
36. _____ has developed SatGuard an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered system for operating and managing observation
and communication satellites - Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
37. _____, in partnership with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Operational Support,
has been working towards developing a mobile tech platform 'UNITE AWARE' that helps increase situational awareness
and provides terrain-related information to peacekeepers - India.
38. The spacecraft's nuclear-powered energy module, named "Zeus," is designed by _____ to generate enough power to
propel heavy cargo through deep space - Roscosmos, Russia's federal space agency.
39. Space technology startup, which has successfully tested India’s first privately developed hall-effect thruster, an electric
propulsion engine for micro satellites weighing 50-500 kg - Bellatrix Aerospace.
40. Shri Hariman Sharma, a farmer from Himachal Pradesh, has developed an innovative self-pollinating apple variety,
named “____” that does not require long chilling hours for flowering and fruit setting - HRMN 99.
41. The _____ has approved eight Chinese names (Mons Hua, Mons Heng, Pei Xiu, Shen Kuo, Liu Hui, Song Yingxing,
Statio Tianchuan, and Xu Guanqui) for features around the area on the Moon where China's spacecraft Chang'e-5
probe landed in the year 2020 to collect samples from the lunar surface and return to Earth - International
Astronomical Union (IAU).
42. The Saline Gargle RT-PCR technique for testing of COVID samples is developed by the - National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) Nagpur.
43. Biologists at Baylor College of Medicine, the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Rice University studying the tree of life
unveil a new classification system for cell nuclei, called - “Periodic Table” for Cell Nuclei.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1. The Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) was launched at the Paris
One Planet Summit in - December 2017.
2. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) - Founded: 2011; Headquarters: New Delhi.
3. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) was established in - 1992.
4. The Dental Council of India was incorporated in - 1948.

5. Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) - Founded: 1973; Location: New Delhi.
6. The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in - 2014.
7. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog in - 2015.
8. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) - Established: August 1981; Headquarters:
New Delhi.
9. BEML Limited - Founded: 11 May 1964; Headquarters: Bengaluru.
10. G7 members - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, Britain.
11. Council of Architecture (COA) is a body constituted under the provisions of the Architects Act - 1972.
12. Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) - Founded: 10 November 2003; Headquarters: Mumbai.
13. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) - Founded: 12 April 1988; Headquarters: Mumbai.
14. Calcutta Stock Exchange (CSE) was incorporated in - 1908.
15. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) - Founded: 29 August 1997; Headquarters: New Delhi.
16. Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) - Founded: 1991; Headquarters: New Delhi.
17. Indian Army was formed on - 01 April 1895.
18. Indian Air Force (IAF) was formed on - 08 October 1932.
19. Indian Navy (IN) was formed on - 05 September 1612.
20. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was formed on - 18 August 1978.
21. The Indian Police Service (IPS) replaced the Indian Imperial Police in - 1948.
22. Intelligence Bureau (IB) - Founded: 1887; Headquarters: New Delhi.
23. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - Founded: 10 March 1969; Headquarters: New Delhi.
24. The National Security Guard (NSG) was founded on - 15 October 1984.
25. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was founded on - 11 March 1986.
26. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) came into existence on - 31 December 2008.
27. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was created on - 17 March 1986.
28. National Crime Investigation Bureau (NCIB) was founded in - 1997.

29. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was founded on - 23 December 2005.
30. Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) was founded in - 25 April 1970.
31. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan was established on - 15 December 1963.
32. University Grants Commission was formed on - 28 December 1953.
33. Bar Council of India - Formed: 1961; Headquarters: New Delhi.
34. Indian Nursing Council constituted in - 1947.
35. National Board of Accreditation (NBA) - Founded: 1994; Headquarters: New Delhi.
36. Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) - Established: 1969; Location: New Delhi.
37. Doordarshan - Founded: 15 September 1959; Location: New Delhi.
38. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) - Established: 1960; Location: Pune, Maharashtra.
39. The Press Council of India was formed in - 1966.
40. National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) - Established: 1975; Location: Mumbai.
41. National Buildings Organisation (NBO) - Established: 1954; Headquarters: New Delhi.
42. Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) - Founded: 4 March 1952; Headquarters: New Delhi.
43. Law Commission of India was formed first time in - 1834.
44. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was founded on - 4 March 1851.
45. Central Waqf Council was established in - 1964.
46. The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the act in - 1992.
47. The Argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a native species of the sub-Saharan region of - Morocco.
48. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) - Founded: 24 July 1998; Headquarters: New Delhi.
49. Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) - Founded: 07 July 1948; Headquarters: Kolkata.
50. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - Founded: 1941; Headquarters: New Delhi.
51. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) - Founded: 11 March 1987; Headquarters: New
Delhi.
52. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) - Established: 1959; Location: Mussoorie,
Uttarakhand.
53. Staff Selection Commission (SSC) - Founded: 4 November 1975; Headquarters: New Delhi.
54. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) - Founded: 27 September 1999; Headquarters: New Delhi.
55. Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) - Founded: 19 July 1990; Headquarters: Navi Mumbai.
56. Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) - Founded: 12 July 1999; Headquarters: Mumbai.
57. Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) - Founded: 12 December 1986; Headquarters: New Delhi.
58. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) - Founded: 30 October 2006; Headquarters: New
Delhi.
59. RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. - Founded: 2000; Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana.
60. Railway Protection Force (RPF) - Formed: 2 July 1872; Headquarters: New Delhi.
61. National Film Archive of India (NFA) - Established: 1964; Location: Pune, Maharashtra.
62. National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) - Incorporated: 1981; Headquarters: Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
63. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) - Incorporated: 1988; Headquarters: Delhi.
64. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) - Established: 25 May 1998; Headquarters: Vasco da Gama,
Goa.
65. In India, the Panchayati Raj system was introduced by a constitutional amendment in - 1992.
66. National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) - Established: 1953; Headquarters: New Delhi.
67. Central Statistical Office - Established: 2 May 1951; Headquarters: New Delhi.
68. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) was incorporated on - 31 July 2008.
69. Four peaks that make up the ‘Everest Massif’ expedition - Mt Nuptse (7,862 metres), Mt Pumori (7,161m), Mt Lhotse
(8,516m) and Mt Everest (8,848.86m).
70. National Textile Corporation was incorporated in - April 1968.
71. All India Chess Federation (AICF) - Founded: 1951; Headquarters: Chennai.
72. All India Tennis Association (AITA) - Founded: 1920; Headquarters: New Delhi.
73. Badminton Association of India (BAI) - Founded: 1940; Headquarters: New Delhi.
74. Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) was founded in - 1992.
75. National Handloom Development Corporation Limited (NHDC) was set up in - 1983.
76. NMDC Limited (National Mineral Development Corporation) - Founded: 15 November 1958; Headquarters:
Hyderabad.
77. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - Founded: 18 February 1982; Headquarters: Visakhapatnam.
78. The Cycling Federation of India was founded in - 1946.
79. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) - Founded: 3 January 1954; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
80. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) - Founded: 1987; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
81. Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) - Founded: 1967; Headquarters: Jadugora, Jharkhand.
82. Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) - Founded: 11 April 1967; Headquarters: Hyderabad.
83. Dardi is sub language of Indo-Arayan language, which is spoken in ____ by Buddhist Dard Tribe - Aryan Valley,
Ladakh.
84. The International Day of Light is celebrated the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by -
Theodore Maiman (physicist and engineer).
85. Election Commission of India (ECI) - Formed: 25 January 1950; Headquarters: New Delhi.
86. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by - Article 148 of the Constitution
of India.
87. Central Information Commission (CIC) was formed on - 12 October 2005.
88. Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was formed on - 11 February 1964.
89. National Commission for Backward Classes was established on - 14 August 1993.
90. National Commission for Scheduled Castes was established on - 19 February 2004.
91. National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was established on - 19 February 2004.
92. National Commission for Women (NCW) was established on - 31 January 1992.
93. National Population Commission was established on - 11 May 2000.
94. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was established on - 12 October 1993.
95. Uranium - Symbol: ‘U’; Atomic number: 92.
96. Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) - Founded: 21 September 1968; Headquarters: New Delhi.
97. Economic Intelligence Council was formed in - 1990.
98. The first Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was created by the British Government in - 1902 (in Lucknow).
99. The CID was split into Special Branch, CID and the Crime Branch (CB-CID) in - 1929.
100. Bureau of Police Research and Development was established on - 28 August 1970.
101. National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) - Founded: 01 April 1996; Headquarters: Delhi.
102. 22 constitutionally recognised official languages - Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada,
Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi,
Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
103. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna was launched on - 28 August 2014.
104. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) - Founded: 1940; Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka.
105. Special Protection Group (SPG) - Founded: 30 March 1985; Headquarters: New Delhi.
106. Competition Commission of India (CCI) - Founded: 14 October 2003; Headquarters: New Delhi.
107. National Company Law Tribunal - Constituted: 1 June 2016; Headquarters: New Delhi.
108. National Green Tribunal (NGT) - Established: 18 October 2010; Principal Bench: New Delhi.
109. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) - Founded: 20 February 1997; Headquarters: New Delhi.
110. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) - Founded: 1975; Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
111. African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - Founded: 10 September 1964; Headquarters: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
112. Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) - Founded: 1985; Headquarters: Tehran, Iran.
113. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - Founded: 15 December 1977; Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
114. International Investment Bank - Founded: 10 July 1970; Headquarters: Budapest, Hungary.
115. International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) - Founded: 1966; Headquarters: Washington,
D.C., United States.
116. United Nations Secretariat - Founded: 1945; Headquarters: New York City, USA.
117. International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Established: 1945; Location: The Hague, Netherlands.
118. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - Founded: 4 April 1947; Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
119. European Investment Bank (EIB) - Founded: 1958; Location: Kirchberg, Luxembourg.
120. International Maritime Organization (IMO) - Founded: 17 March 1948; Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
121. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - Founded: 17 May 1865; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
122. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) - Founded: 15 March 2006; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
123. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) - Founded: 22 December 1999; Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.
124. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - Founded: 1997; Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
125. Universal Postal Union (UPU) - Founded: 9 October 1874; Headquarters: Bern, Switzerland.
126. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Founded: 14 July 1967; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
127. World Food Programme (WFP) - Founded: 19 December 1961; Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
128. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Founded: 23 March 1950; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
129. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - Founded: 1 November 1974; Headquarters: Madrid, Spain.
130. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - Founded: 5 October 1948; Location: Gland, Switzerland.
131. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP or UN Environment) - Founded: 5 June 1972; Headquarters:
Nairobi, Kenya.
132. International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) - Founded: 21 June 1921; Location: Monaco.
133. International Seabed Authority (ISA) - Founded: 16 November 1994; Headquarters: Kingston, Jamaica.
134. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) - Established: 22 July 1902; Headquarters: Copenhagen,
Denmark.
135. Conference on Disarmament (CD) - Formation: 1984; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Membership: 65.
136. Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - Formation: 29 April 1997; Headquarters: The
Hague, Netherlands; Membership: 193.
137. The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies -
Established: 12 July 1996; Secretariat: Vienna, Austria.
138. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was founded in response to the Indian nuclear test in - May 1974.
139. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) -
Signed: 1 July 1968; Effective: 5 March 1970; Parties: 190.
140. Australia Group - Established: 1985; Parties: 43.
141. Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) - Established: 1987; Parties: 35.
142. International Energy Agency (IEA) - Established: 1974; Secretariat: Paris, France; Members: 30.
143. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - Founded: 17 November 1966; Headquarters:
Vienna, Austria.
144. International Energy Forum (IEF) - Established: 1991; Secretariat: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Members: 72.
145. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) - Founded: 26 January 2009; Headquarters: Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates; Members: 160.
146. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) - Launched: 2011; Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
147. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) - Founded: 2002; Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
148. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - Founded: 29 July 1957; Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
149. Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) - Establishment: 1 February 1958; Secretariat: Paris, France; Members: 33.
150. World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) - Founded: 15 May 1989; Headquarters: London, the United
Kingdom.
151. Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Founded: 19 December 1966; Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines.
152. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) - Founded: 16 January 2016; Headquarters: Beijing, China.
153. Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF) - Founded: 1989; Headquarters: Paris, France.
154. International Bureau of Weights and Measures - Founded: 20 May 1875; Location: Saint-Cloud, France.
155. International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Founded: 27 December 1945; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA.
156. New Development Bank (NDB) (formerly BRICS Development Bank) - Founded: 15 July 2014; Headquarters:
Shanghai, China.
157. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - Founded: 16 April 1948; Headquarters: Paris,
France; Members: 37.
158. OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) - Established: 1976; Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
159. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - Founded: 14 September 1960; Headquarters: Vienna,
Austria; Members: 13.
160. World Customs Organization (WCO) - Founded: 26 January 1952; Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
161. World Trade Organization (WTO) - Founded: 1 January 1995; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Members: 164.
162. World Bank Group - Founded: 4 July 1944; Headquarters: Washington D.C., U.S; Members: 189.
163. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) - Founded: 1944; Headquarters: Washington, D.C.,
United States.
164. International Development Association (IDA) - Founded: 1960; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
165. International Finance Corporation (IFC) - Founded: 20 July 1956; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
166. Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) - Founded: 1988; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United
States.

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1 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY 2021

1. JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE DEFENDER-EUROPE 21

• It was launched by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

• It aims to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

• Headquarters : Haren, Brussels and Belgium.

• It is a country in Southeastern Europe.

2. A NEW SOYBEAN VARIETY DEVELOPED

• It is a high yielding variety that provides 39 quintals per hectare.

• It will be made available to farmers in the 2022 Kharif season.

• It is suitable for rain-fed conditions of north- east India.

About Kharif season

• Sown from June to July.

• Harvesting between September-October

About Indian Council of Agricultural Research

• Headquarter : New Delhi.

3. INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' DAY OBSERVED

Every year, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers Day.

• It is also celebrated as the Labour Day in different parts of the world.

History of International Workers Day.

Labour Day in India

• In India, labour Day is also known as

• "Uzhaipalar dhinam" in Tamil.

• "Kamgar Din" in Hindi.

• "Karmikara Dinacharane" in Kannada.

• "Karmika Dinotsavam" in Telugu.

• "Kamgar Divas" in Marathi.

• "Thozhilaali Dinam" in Malayalam.

• "Shromik Dibosh" in Bengali.

4. SHWAS AND AROG LOAN SCHEMES FOR MSMES

About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

• Established : On April 2, 1990 through an Act of Parliament.

• Headquarter : Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

5. RBI JOINS NETWORK FOR GREENING FINANCIAL SYSTEM

• It was launched at the Paris One Planet Summit in December 2017.

About Reserve Bank of India

• It is fully owned by the Government of India.

• Headquarter : Mumbai(Since 1937, previously in Kolkata).

• To regulate the issue of Bank notes.

• To operate the currency and credit system of the country.

• To release a monetary policy framework.

• To maintain price stability.

6. OPERATION SAMUDRA SETU-II LAUNCHED

Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II.

It aims to augment the ongoing national mission Oxygen Express.

About Cryogenic Containers

About Vande Bharat Mission

It was considered to be the world's largest expatriation exercise.

7. YUDHVIR MEMORIAL AWARD CONFERRED

She was presented with a citation and Rs. 1 Lakh honorarium.

Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.

About Yudhvir Singh (1897 - 1983)

He was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and homoeopathic doctor.

8. 400TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF GURU TEGH BAHADUR

About Guru Tegh Bahadur

He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind born in Amritsar in 1621.

It was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Its religious practices of Sikhism were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru Nanak - (1469 to 1539)

Guru Angad - (1504 to 1552)