Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 27 August 2021

::NATIONAL::

NITI Aayog and Cisco launched the next edition of Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)

The NitiAayog and the US-based tech giant Cisco launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), according to an official statement.
Titled ‘WEP Nxt’, this next phase of NitiAayog’s flagship platform will leverage Cisco’s technology and experience working with India’s start-up ecosystem to enable more women-owned businesses across the country, the statement added.
The WEP is a first of its kind, unified access portal that brings together women from different parts of India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations.
Speaking on the occasion, NitiAayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that as per the Sixth Economic Census, women only constitute 13.76 per cent of the total entrepreneurs, i.e., 8.05 million out of the 58.5 million entrepreneurs in the country.
"WEP Nxt will further catalyse women entrepreneur movement and I am confident with Cisco as our partner, this technology platform will soon be the personalised guide for every woman entrepreneur in the country to realise her dreams,” Kant added.
Cisco Chief Operating Officer Maria Martinez said, “We are excited about our partnership with the NitiAayog and hope to bring the benefits of digital technologies to more women-owned enterprises.”

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::International::

China, Pakistan, Mongolia, Thailand to participate in "Shared Destiny-2021" defense exercise in China

The militaries of China, Pakistan, Mongolia and Thailand will participate in a multinational peacekeeping exercise to be organised by the People’s Liberation Army within the nation’s central Henan province subsequent month, a senior official mentioned right here.
The 4 international locations will participate within the first multinational peacekeeping dwell exercise “Shared Destiny-2021” on the combined-arms tactical coaching base of the PLA in Henan’s Queshan county from September 6 to 15, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Tan Kefei informed an internet media briefing.
All the 4 international locations will dispatch greater than 1,000 troops to take part within the drills, involving items of infantry, quick response, safety, helicopter, engineering, transportation and medical providers, Tan mentioned.
The situation of the exercise is joint operations of multinational peacekeeping forces and the exercise will likely be held in a close-to-real battlefield surroundings set in accordance with the worldwide, skilled and life like fight requirements, he mentioned.
In the exercise, drills of battlefield reconnaissance, safety guarding and patrol, armed escort, safety of civilians, response to violent and terrorist assaults, development of non-permanent operation base, battlefield first help and pandemic management will likely be carried out for the aim of responding to the UN’s “Action for Peacekeeping” initiative, selling sensible cooperation and making joint efforts to improve the peacekeeping standby forces’ functionality of finishing up duties.

EASE Reforms Index Award 2021 announced

Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. NirmalaSitharaman today unveiled the fourth edition of the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda ‘EASE 4.0’ for 2021-22 - tech-enabled, simplified, and collaborative banking. She unveiled the annual report for the PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0 for 2020-21 and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE 3.0 Banking Reforms Index.
ShriPankaj Jain, Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services, ShriAmitAgrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services & Chairman IBA, ShriRajkiranRai G., were also present at the event.
SBI, BoB Union Bank of India win tophonous.
State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India have won the awards for best performing banks for PSB Reforms EASE 3.0 based on the EASE index.
Indian Bank won the award for the best improvement from the baseline performance. SBI, BoB, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank won the top awards in different themes of the PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0.
Public Sector Banks have reported healthy profits and have accelerated on technology-driven reforms. These banks have reported a profit of Rs. 31,817 crore in FY21 as compared to a loss of Rs. 26,016 crore in FY20.
This is the first year when PSBs have reported profit after five years of losses. Total gross non-performing assets stood at Rs. 6.16 lakh crore as of March 2021 - a reduction of Rs. 62,000 crore from March 2020 levels.

DGCA lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for commercial flight operations after two and a half years

India's aviation regulator DGCA lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max planes' commercial flight operations after almost two-and-half years.
On March 13, 2019, all Boeing 737 Max planes were grounded in India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max plane on March 10 near Addis Ababa which had left 157 people, including four Indians, dead.
Currently, in India, only SpiceJet airline has Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet. The budget carrier, in a statement on Thursday, said it expects to start operations of Max planes around the end of September, subject to regulatory approvals.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been modifying the 737 Max plane since March 2019 so that various countries' regulators, including the DGCA, permit its commercial flight operations again.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had in October last year declared the Max aircraft safe to fly. A month later, US aviation regulator FAA cleared Max aircraft to fly.

::Sports::

Coach Reid sets new targets for Indian men's hockey team after Tokyo success

Talking about the roadmap ahead, Reid said, "We have set some milestones in terms of competitions that are coming up for us now. We have Asian Games, FIH Pro League, Commonwealth Games, Hockey World Cup in 2023 and then Paris Olympics the following year.
A historic Olympic bronze medal in its pocket, the Indian men's hockey team is eyeing several milestones in the coming years, the preparation for which will begin next month, chief coach Graham Reid.