Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 06 April 2021

::NATIONAL::

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched integrated health information platform

The Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) which is the next generation highly refined version of the current Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) was virtually launched in presence of Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat attended the event virtually.
"The new version of IHIP will house data entry and management for India''s disease surveillance program. In addition to tracking 33 diseases now, as compared to the earlier 18 diseases, it shall ensure near-real-time data in digital mode, having done away with the paper-mode of working," he said. Terming this as the world's biggest online disease surveillance platform, he said it is in sync with the National Digital Health Mission and fully compatible with the other digital information systems presently being used in India.
The refined IHIP will help in a big way in real-time data collection, aggregation, and further analysis of data that will aid and enable evidence-based policymaking, the health minister explained.
IHIP will provide a health information system developed for real-time, case-based information, integrated analytics, advanced visualisation capability. It will provide analysed reports on mobile or other electronic devices, the ministry said.

PM Modi to interact with students, teachers and parents during ‘ParikshaPeCharcha’ on 07th April, 2021

The 4th edition of ParikshaPeCharcha, the unique interactive program of Prime Minister,NarendraModi with students, teachers and parents is being held for the first time in virtual mode while adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.
The programme will be aired at 7 PM on Wednesday the 7th April, 2021 on TV channels and digital media in Hindi and other major Indian languages. This event is being organized successfully for the fourth consecutive year by the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
An online creative writing competition was conducted at https://innovateindia.mygov.in/ppc-2021/ on various topics during 17th February to 14th March 2021 for children studying in classes of 9 to 12, teachers and parents.
Almost 14 lakh participants have registered themselves in the contest for the 4th edition of PPC. 10.5 lakh students, 2.6 lakh teachers and 92 thousand parents have enthusiastically participated in the creative writing contest. More than 60% of the students who participated are from classes 9th and 10th. For the first time students from 81 foreign countries have participated in the pre PPC creative writing contest.
The PPC main event can be seen on TV channels / digital media including EduMinofIndia, narendramodi, pmoindia, pibindia, DoordarshanNational, MyGovIndia, DDNews, RajyaSabhaTV, SwayamPrabha on their facebook and youtube channels from 7 PM onwards on 7th April, 2021.

Printed Study Materials for IBPS, SBI Bank Exam

::International::

Financial regulator asks G20 countries to prepare Covid-19 relief exit plan

While ending Covid-19 economic relief measures too soon would present more of a threat to financial stability than leaving them in place too long, it was time for G20 countries to decide how it should be done, the Financial Stability Board.
The FSB, which coordinates financial rules for the G20 group of rich nations, said the speedy, sizeable and sweeping measures introduced by governments in the past year have limited economic fallout from the Covid-19 shock, but phasing them out will also present risks given continued uncertainties.
Despite the arrival of vaccines, the withdrawal of relief measures is not imminent given the pandemic is worse in some countries than had been anticipated a few months ago, the FSB said.
In a report to help G20 countries exit the measures, the FSB recommended a flexible approach that withdraws relief gradually in a sequenced way to avoid a "cliff edge" effect from simultaneous expiries.

::Economy::

Aakash joins BYJU's universe in nearly $1 billion deal

The cash-and-stock deal was closed at almost $1 billion last week, making it one of the most expensive deals in India’s burgeoning edtech space, according to two people with direct knowledge of the merger talks.
EdtechcompanyByju’s on Monday confirmed the acquisition of education institution Aakash Educational Services Ltd (AESL), as it looks to boost its presence in the test preparation segment and add omnichannel capabilities to both entities.
The cash-and-stock deal was closed at almost $1 billion last week, making it one of the most expensive deals in India’s burgeoning edtech space, according to two people with direct knowledge of the merger talks.
AESL will function independently post the acquisition, with founders J.C. Chaudhry and AakashChaudhry continuing to lead the entity.
The acquisition points to Byju’s efforts to bolster its presence in the test prep space as competition heats up. Last year, rival Unacademy made close to six acquisitions in test prep space, while Amazon India made an entry in the segment with Amazon Academy.

Income tax department introduces offline utility for ITR 1 and 4

The Income Tax (IT) Department has launched the offline utility for filing Income Tax return (ITR) 1 and 4, for the assessment year (AY) 2020-21. Taxpayers are required to file their ITRs by July 31, 2021, unless the government goes for an extension like it did last year.
"Users can now download and fill the offline utility for ITR 1 & 4 (AY 2021-22)" read the online e-filing portal, adding that the utility for other ITRs will also be enabled shortly.
ITR-1, also known as Sahaj, is a simpler form that caters to Indian residents who earn upto ₹50 lakh annually, from salaries, property, or other sources, and agricultural income for upto ₹5,000. ITR-4, also known as Sugam, are filed by individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and firms with total income up to ₹50 lakh, and having income from business and profession which is computed under sections 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE, as per the income tax department’s website.
The IT department has discontinued the Excel and Java version of ITR utilities from AY 2020-21, ushering in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), which is a newer, lightweight technology.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Kota farmer develops mango variety that bears fruits round the year

55 year old ShrikishanSuman, a farmer from Kota, Rajasthan, has developed an innovative mango variety which is a regular and round-the-year dwarf variety of mango called Sadabahar, which is resistant to most major diseases and common mango disorders.
The fruit is sweeter in taste, comparable to langra and being a dwarf variety, is suitable for kitchen gardening, high-density plantation, and can be grown in pots for some years too. Besides, the flesh of the fruits, which is bourn round the year, is deep orange with sweet taste, and the pulp has very less fiber content which differentiates it from other varieties. The bountiful of nutrients packed in mango are immensely good for health.
Poverty led Shrikishan, the brain behind this mango variety, to drop out of school after class two and take up the family profession of gardening (Mali). He had an interest in floriculture and orchard management while the family was focused on growing wheat and paddy. He realised that the success of crops like wheat and paddy was dependent on external factors like rainfall, animal attack, and so on, limiting their profits.
ShrikishanSuman received over 8000 orders of Sadabahar gratings from India and abroad during 2017- 2020. He supplied over 6000 plants to different farmers spread across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Delhi and Chandigarh during 2018-2020. Over 500 plants were transplanted at KrishiVigyanKendras, and research institutes in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh by the innovator himself, and over 400 grafted plants were provided at different research institutes in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

::Sports::

Former Gujarat DGP Shabbir Hussain Shekh amandKhandwala appointed as head of anti-corruption unit of BCCI

Former Gujarat DGP ShabbirHussainShekhamandKhandwala has taken over from Ajit Singh as the head of the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit. Former Rajasthan DGP Ajit Singh joined in April 2018 and his term ended on 31 March.
He confirmed to PTI that he would be around for some time to help him play the role of his successor. Khandavwala, a 1973 batch IPS officer, has been appointed ahead of IPL 2021 starting on 9 April.
“It is a great honor that I am part of the BCCI, the best run-scorer in the world. Also on security matters, what should help me in this role is my love for the game.