Top Current Affairs 15 April 2021
Top Current Affairs 15 April 2021: This post contains the latest current affairs for 15 April 2021 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
India’s First Floating LNG Storage & Regasification Unit Reaches Maharashtra
- The first “Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU)” in India has reached at JSW Jaigarh Port in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
- The LNG tanker “FSRU Hoegh Giant” sailed from Keppel Shipyard, Singapore, and was berthed at Jaigarh terminal in Maharashtra on April 12, 2021.
- FSRU Hoegh Giant is also be the first year-round Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Maharashtra.
- The FSRU-based LNG terminal is being commissioned by H-Energy Private Limited. H-Energy has hired the FSRU for a 10 year period.
- The LNG regasification terminal has storage capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and installed regasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (equivalent to about six million tonnes a year).
- The FSRU based LNG Terminals aim at providing the ability to enhance the pace of natural gas import capability in an environment friendly and efficient manner.
Agreement
Ministry of Agriculture signs MoU with Microsoft India to improve Farmers income in 100 villages of 6 states
- The Union Ministry of Agriculture has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India for a pilot project, aimed at betterment of farmers in the selected 100 villages of 6 states, by creating a vibrant digital agro-ecosystem in the country.
- To implement the project, Microsoft has joined in with its local partner, CropData.
- Besides the MoU, a tripartite agreement has also been signed for the same between the three bodies.
- The pilot project will be carried out in 100 villages in 10 districts of 6 states.
- These states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
- The project has been approved for a period of one year and both sides inking the MoU will bear the cost on their own.
- Benefits of the project
- Develop farmer interface for smart and well-organized agriculture, including post-harvest management and distribution.
- Betterment of farmers in the selected 100 villages, which will enhance their income.
- Reduce the input costs for farmers and make farming easy.
Apps & Portals
NITI Aayog Launches ‘Poshan Gyan’, a Digital Repository on Health & Nutrition Information
- NITI Aayog launched a national digital repository on health and nutrition, called “Poshan Gyan” on April 13, 2021.
- The website can be accessed through eh following link: https://poshangyan.niti.gov.in/
- Key Features of Poshan Gyan
Piyush Goyal Launches “e-SANTA”, an Electronic Marketplace For Aqua Farmers
- The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated e-SANTA, an electronic marketplace, to provide a platform for connecting aqua farmers and buyers.
- e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade in Aquaculture.
- Here, the term National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority.
- e-SANTA aims to raise income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, of aqua farmers.
- It will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen.
- The platform will help the farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from the farmers and enhancing traceability.
- e-SANTA Portal can be accessed through the following link: https://esanta.gov.in/
Government Launches Community Mental-Health Digital platform ‘MANAS’
- The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. K Vijay Raghavan launched a mobile app called “MANAS” to cater mental well-being of citizens on scalable, secure and digital platforms.
- MANAS stands for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System.
- MANAS is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. It has been jointly executed by NIMHANS Bengaluru, AFMC Pune and C-DAC Bengaluru.
- The app MANAS is developed under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), to promote wellbeing across age groups.
Sports
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Lizelle Lee of South Africa named ICC Player of the Month for March 2021
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for March 2021 on April 13, 2021 as under:
- ICC Men`s Player of the Month for March – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
- ICC Women`s Player of the Month for March – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
Kane Williamson Awarded Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 4th time at New Zealand Cricket Awards
- New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was awarded with the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time in last six years at the New Zealand Cricket Awards on April 13, 2021.
- Apart from this, he was also adjudged ‘International Test Player of the Year’ for 2020-21 season.
- Full list of winners of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Awards 2020-21
Days
37th Siachen Day Observed on 13 April 2021
- The 37th Siachen Day was celebrated by Siachen Warriors Brigade of Fire & Fury Corps on April 13, 2021 with tremendous zeal and enthusiasm.
- Every year this day is observed to pay solemn tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives to capture the icy heights of Siachen 37 years ago.
- The day commemorates the courage and fortitude displayed by Indian Army troops in securing the highest and coldest battlefield in the world.
- On 13 April 1984, the Indian Army launched ‘Operation MEGHDOOT’ to secure Bilafond La and other passes on the Saltoro Ridgeline, from Pakistani aggression.
World Art Day: 15 April
- World Art Day is observed every year on 15 April to celebrate fine arts and promote awareness of creative activity around the world.
- The day was declared by the International Association of Art (IAA), an NGO working in official partnership with UNESCO.
- The first celebration of World Art Day was held on April 15, 2012.
- The date has been selected in honor of the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, the famous painter of Mona Lisa.
- He was chosen as a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, brotherhood and multiculturalism as well as art’s importance to other fields.
Obituary
Hockey player Balbir Singh Junior passes away at 88
- Hockey player Balbir Singh Junior, who was a member of the Indian hockey team which won silver medal in 1958 Tokyo Asian Games, has passed away. He was 88.
- Balbir Singh Junior was also known as the “nursery of hockey players in India”.
- Singh started playing hockey when he was six years old and was first selected to play for the Indian hockey team in 1951.
- Singh joined the Indian Army in 1962 as an emergency commissioned officer, and retired as a Major in 1984.
Padma Shri winning renowned Avadh Historian Dr Yogesh Praveen passes away
- The eminent Historian, Dr. Yogesh Praveen, who was an expert in the history and culture of Avadh, specifically Lucknow has passed away.
- He was 82.
- Dr Yogesh was awarded with Padma Shri in 2020.
- He had written over two dozen books on the history and culture of Avadh like ‘Dastan-e-Avadh’, ‘Tajdare-Avadh’, ‘Bahar-e-Avadh’, ‘Gulistan-e-Avadh’, ‘Doobta Avadh’, ‘Dastan-e-Luknow’ and and ‘Aapka Lucknow’.
