Test: October 2021 Weekly Current Affair - 2 - UPSC MCQ

The National Health Authority (NHA) revised the Health Benefit Package (HBP 2.2) of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) under which the rate of around 400 procedures increased by 20% to 400%. This revision saw an addition of a new medical package related to black fungus management.
i. Launched in 2018, It aims to provide free and cashless healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature to Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian novelist based in the United Kingdom for his works on the effects of colonialism and fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.
i. He published his debut novel titled “Memory of Departure” in 1987.

The 11th Technical Committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved the proposal of the government of Chhattisgarh to declare the combined areas of the TamorPingla Wildlife Sanctuary and the Guru Ghasidas National Park as the 4th Tiger reserve of Chhattisgarh.
i. The proposal was approved under Section 38V(1) of The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 to Maria Ressa, journalist from Philippines and Dmitry Andreevich Muratov, journalist from Russia for their efforts to protect the freedom of expression, the precondition of democracy and lasting peace.
i.Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan won the Nobel peace prize 2014 and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Tata Sons Private Ltd subsidiary Talace Pvt Ltd won the final bid for acquiring the national carrier Air India (AI) by submitting a Rs 18,000 crore bid. The bid involves sale of 100% stake AI, 100 percent stake in AI’s subsidiary Air India Express (AIXL) and 50% in the joint venture Air India SATS (Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited).
About Tata Sons Private Ltd:
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Executive Chairman – N Chandrasekaran

Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T 80 was decommissioned during a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai (Maharashtra). It was the first of the Super Dvora Mk II class, built by lAI Ramta at Be’er Sheva, Israel.

PM Narendra Modi virtually launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA), a private industry body to help boost space technology in India. ISpA will participate and work with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other stakeholders of both government and its agencies.

i. The 2021 World Wrestling Championships (WWC) was held at Oslo, Norway.
ii. Anshu Malik becomes the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the 2021’s WWC in the women’s 57 kg division.
iii. SaritaMorbags the bronze medal in the 59kg category.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) gave NOC (No Objection Certificate) to SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd to operate commercial flights across India under the brand name ‘Akasa Air’ from summer 2022. It is backed by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and former Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube.
i. As per SNV Aviation, it will be Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) which will be India’s most dependable, affordable and greenest airline.

Sandeep Shastri authored the book titled ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri: Politics and Beyond’.

Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) was accorded the status of ‘Maharatna central public sector enterprise (CPSE)’ by the Department of Public Enterprises, under the Ministry of Finance. It was given for its greater operational and financial autonomy.
i. With this, PFC can now invest up to ₹5,000 crore, or 15% of its net worth, in a single project.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling released her first children’s Christmas book titled ‘The Christmas Pig’, inspired by lockdown and her son David’s beloved cuddly toy pigs.

Cabinet approved the Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) for FY 2020-21. It is for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees excluding RPF (Railway Protection Force) /RPSF (Railway Protection Special Force) personnel. The outlay of this PLB is estimated to be Rs 17,951 for 78 days with a ceiling of Rs.7000/- p.m.

The United States(US)-India Business Council (USIBC) presented the 2021 Global Leadership Humanitarian Awards to Julie Sweet, CEO and Chair of Accenture; Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM; and Brad Smith, President and Vice-Chair of Microsoft.
i. USIBC 2021 Global Leadership Award was given to Shiv Nadar (HCL Technologies) and Mallika Srinivasan, CMD of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE).

India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People during a ceremony between the French and Indian governments held at New Delhi, India. It is a group of more than 70 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica & France and by the United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair.

Tata Sons Private Ltd subsidiary Talace Pvt Ltd won the final bid for acquiring national carrier Air India by submitting ₹18,000 crore bid. The ministerial panel led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved the bid.
i. The airline Air India was established by industrialist and philanthropist JRD Tata (India’s 1st licensed pilot) in 1932 as the Tata Airlines and it was sold to the government in 1953.

India’s All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under Ministry of Ayush and Croatia’s Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster entered into an MoU for academic collaboration in traditional medicine systems, especially in the field of ayurveda.
About All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA):
Director – Dr Tanuja Nesari
Headquarters – New Delhi, India

Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, launched “MyPortApp”, a mobile app targeted towards port users to provide various port services in Kolkata. It will promote transparency and easy access to port related information.
i. Sarbanada Sonowal also inaugurated a 1 MegaWatt solar plant in Haldia port of West Bengal to produce renewable energy for port operations.

OneWeb entered into an arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, to use Indian-built PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) & the heavier GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle)-MkIII as potential platforms to launch OneWeb’s satellites in India.
About NewSpace India Limited (NSIL):
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
CMD – G. Narayanan

ValtteriBottas Won the Turkish Grand Prix 2021 which was held in Istanbul Park, Turkey. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and lost the Formula One championship lead to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
About Valtteri Viktor Bottas:
Country: Finland
Team: Mercedes

IIFL (India Infoline Limited) Finance became the first Indian NBFC (non-banking financial company) that launched instant business loans on WhatsApp up to Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million). The technological services for the same will be provided by Setu, IIFL Finance’s technology service provider.
About IIFL Finance:
MD– Venkataraman Rajamani
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra

World Day Against the Death Penalty is annually observed across the globe on 10th October with an aim to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls across the globe. The day unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society to support the abolition of capital punishment.

i. The cabinet approved the continuation of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) till 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 1,41,600 crores to make urban India ‘Garbage Free’.
ii. The cabinet approved the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT 2.0) till 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 2,77,000 crore.
iii. Nutrient Based Subsidy rates for Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) Fertilisers were approved with an outlay of Rs. 28,602 crore.

About Small Finance Bank (SFB):

• Resident individuals/professionals with 10 years of experience in banking and finance will be eligible as promoters to set up SFBs.
• Capital Requirement: The minimum paid-up equity capital for SFB should be Rs 200 crores (US$28 million).

As part of a bureaucratic reshuffle, Ritesh Chauhan was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), replacing Ashish Kumar Bhutani. PMFBY was launched in 2016.