Top Current Affairs 24 April 2021

Top Current Affairs 24 April 2021

Top Current Affairs 24 April 2021: This post contains the latest current affairs for 24 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.

Banking & Economy

SBI Research Projects India’s GDP Growth Rate at 10.4% for FY22

• The State Bank of India (SBI) Research has revised India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 (2021-22) to 10.4%.
• Earlier it estimated this at 11%.
• The downward projection has been taken in view of the increasing COVID-19 related curbs across states.

Ind-Ra Projects India’s GDP Growth Rate at 10.1% in FY22

• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised downwards the GDP growth forecast of India in FY22 (2021-22) to 10.1 percent
• Earlier Ind-Ra estimated this at 10.4 percent.
• Downward revision is due to the second wave of COVID-19 infections and slower pace of vaccination.
• For FY21 (2020-21), the economy is estimated to have contracted by 7.6 percent.
• Ind-Ra is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fitch Group.

RBI Allows Commercial Banks to Pay Up to 50% Pre-Covid Dividends on Equity Shares

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed commercial banks to pay dividends on equity shares for FY21, from the profits for the fiscal ended March 31, 2021, subject to certain conditions and limits.
• The new notification of RBI allows commercial banks to pay dividends not more than 50 percent of the amount determined as per the dividend payout ratio prescribed.
• This means that banks may pay dividends upto 50% of what they paid before Covid scenario.
• For co-operative banks, all the restrictions on dividends have been removed and they have been permitted to pay dividend on equity shares from the profits of the financial year ended March 31, 2021.
• However RBI has also instructed all banks to continue to meet the applicable minimum regulatory capital requirements after dividend payment.
• Earlier, RBI had asked all banks not to make any dividend payment on equity shares for FY20 from the profits due to the ongoing stress and heightened uncertainty on account of Covid-19.

Appointment

RBI Approves Appointing Atanu Chakraborty as Part-time Chairman of HDFC Bank 

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of former Economic Affairs Secretary, Atanu Chakraborty, as the part time chairman and additional independent director of the private sector lender HDFC Bank.
• Chakraborty, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, has been appointed for a period of three years with effect from May 5, 2021 or the date of his taking charge, whichever is later.
• He retired as Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs in April 2020.
• Prior to that he served as Secretary of Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). 

Comptroller and Auditor General “GC Murmu” Elected as External Auditor by OPCW for 3 Years

• India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) GC Murmu has been chosen as the external auditor of the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
• GC Murmu has been appointed as the external auditor of OPCW for a period of three-year starting 2021.
• OPCW is a prestigious intergovernmental organisation based in “The Hague, Netherlands”, working for the elimination of chemical weapons.

Accenture Chief Rekha Menon takes over as first woman Chairperson of NASSCOM

• Rekha M Menon has been appointed as the Chairperson of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), the apex IT industry body, for 2021-22.
• Menon, who currently is the Chairperson of Accenture India, will be the first woman to take the role of chairperson for Nasscom in its 30-year history. Prior to this, she was the vice-chair of NASSCOM
• She succeeds U.B. Pravin Rao, chief operating officer, Infosys Ltd, who served as chairman of Nasscom for 2020-21.
• Besides, Krishnan Ramanujam, TCS President, has been appointed as the vice-chairperson.

Books & Author

Climate Change Activist-Author “Aakash Ranison” Launches His E-Book “Climate Change Explained – For One And All”

• The climate activist-author Aakash Ranison, has come out with a new e-book titled “Climate Change Explained – for one and all”, on the occasion of Earth Day on April 22, 2021.
• Through the e-book, author explains the impact of climate change and aims to motivate readers to reduce its outcome with the help of simple sustainable solutions.
• The book is a mix of facts, data, and information about climate change, having topics like “Greenhouse effect, global warming, Carbon footprint” and their effects on earth in the near future.

Sports

India Claims Historic Win with 11 Medals at 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships

• The 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships was held in Kielce, Poland, from 13 to 23 April 2021.
• A 10-day biennial event witnessed 414 boxers from 52 countries.
• From India, eight boxers competed in the finals, including 7 female players and one male.
• Eight out of the eight boxers created history by claiming top spot in their respective category.
• With this, India ended the tournament with 11 medals (8 gold & 3 bronze) to finish top in the medal table.

List of Winners

Gold Medal Winners

1. Gitika – 48kg Light flyweight
2. Naorem Babyrojisana Chanu – 51kg Flyweight
3. Poonam Pinia – 57kg Featherweight
4. Vinka – 60kg Lightweight
5. Arundhati Choudhary – 69kg Welterweight
6. Thokchom Sanamacha Chanu – 75kg Middleweight
7. Alfiya Pathan – +81kg Heavyweight
8. Sachin – 56kg Bantamweight

Bronze Medal Winners

1. Bishwamitra Chongtham – 49kg
2. Ankit Narwal – 64kg
3. Vishal Gupta – 91kg

Days

World Veterinary Day 2021 : 24 April

• The World Veterinary Day is observed on the Fourth Saturday of April every year.
• In 2021, the day falls on April 24, 2021.
• The theme of the 2021 World Veterinary Day is ‘Veterinarian response to the COVID-19 crisis.’
• The day was created by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and society.

International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace: 24 April

• The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace is marked on 24 April since 2019.
• The day was declared by the UN General Assembly in December 2018 and was observed for the first time on 24 April 2019.
• The day aims to spread knowledge about the advantages of multilateralism and diplomacy for peace, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities.

National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April

• In India, the National Panchayati Raj Day (National Local Self-Government day) is observed annually on 24 April by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to celebrate the Panchayati Raj System in the country.
• The first National Panchayati Raj Day was declared by the then Prime Minister of India Shri Manmohan Singh, on 24 April 2010.
• The day marks the passing of Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.

World Day for Laboratory Animals : 24 April

• The World Day For Animals In Laboratories (WDAIL); also known as World Lab Animal Day or World Day for Laboratory Animals, is observed every year on 24 April.
• The day was instituted in 1979 by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), as an “international day of commemoration” for animals in laboratories.
• WDAIL aims to end the suffering of animals in laboratories around the world and promote their replacement with advanced scientific non-animal techniques. 
• Apart from this, the “World Week for Animals In Laboratories” (Lab Animal Week) is celebrated from April 20 to 26.

Obituary

Veteran Gujarati and Hindi Film Actor Amit Mistry Passes Away of cardiac arrest at 47

• Popular Gujarati and Hindi film actor Amit Mistry, who was last seen in Amazon Prime Video series “Bandish Bandits”, has passed away following cardiac arrest. He was 47.
• The actor was a prominent face in the Gujarati theatre circuit. 
• He was also known for his memorable performances in Bollywood films like Kya Kehna, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, 99, Shor In The City, Yamla Pagla Deewana and A Gentleman as well as TV like Tenali Rama, Ssshhh…Koi Hai, Maddam Sir and Shubh Mangal Savadhan, besides OTT shows.
• Mistry earned acclaim in 2020 hit web series “Bandish Bandits” in which he played musician Devendra Rathod.

Music Composer Shravan Rathod of “Nadeem-Shravan” Fame Passes Away of  COVID-19 at 66

• Veteran music composer Shravan Rathod of Nadeem-Shravan fame has passed away due to corona virus complications. He was 66.
• The iconic composer duo Nadeem-Shravan (Nadeem Saifi and Shravan Rathod), were among the most sought-after composers of the 90s.
• Together they composed some of the iconic hits for movies such as Aashiqui (1990), Saajan (1991), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Pardes (1997) and Raja Hindustani (1996), among others.
• The Nadeem-Shravan duo parted ways in the 2000s, however they again reunited to compose for David Dhawan-directed Do Knot Disturb in 2009.