Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 30 April 2021

::NATIONAL::

National Commission for Women (NCW) launched WhatsApp helpline number for pregnant women

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has launched a WhatsApp helpline number for providing medical assistance to expectant mothers from across the country.
in a statement on Thursday, the NCW said it has noticed that pregnant women have been facing difficulty in accessing medical aid, therefore, it has decided to launch a message-only helpline service in addition to the already-operational email ID.
"Expectant mothers from across the country can reach out to the Commission through its helpline number-- 9354954224-- which will be functional round-the-clock.
"A dedicated team at the Commission is looking after speedy redressal of grievances received from pregnant women regarding procuring of emergency medical help.

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::International::

Patania II: Mining Robot Trapped in the Pacific Ocean

Patania II – GSR’s purpose-built prototype nodule collector – is currently being trialled in 4,500 m water depth in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean.
On its final dive in the CCZ area on 25 April, a lifting point separated and Patania II was uncoupled from the 5-kilometre cable that connects it to the surface vessel.
Independent monitoring of the trial by scientists from 29 European institutes was also successfully completed.
According to GSR, this is the first project in history that is being developed for the common heritage of humankind as enshrined in the Law of the Sea Convention.
“Everything is in the public domain and there is intense public scrutiny. We accept that and welcome it. We are committed to transparency, public participation and evidence-based decision making. This requires a little patience”, GSR said in a statement.
The current trial is being monitored by independent scientists who will report their findings in due course.

::Economy::

Operation Twist: RBI to simultaneously buy and sell market bonds worth Rs 10,000 crore under OMO

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monday said it will simultaneously sell and purchase government securities (G-Secs) worth ₹10,000 crore under open market operations (OMOs) on 25 February.
Typically, the central bank conducts OMO sales to drain out liquidity and OMO purchases to infuse liquidity. RBI will purchase securities maturing in 2025, 2029 and 2033, and sell short-dated securities maturing in November this year and February 2022.
The yield on 10-year G-Sec was trading up 2 basis points at 6.01% on Monday. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.
RBI has been making attempts to keep the yield on the 10-year benchmark bond below 6% to support the government’s borrowing programme.
The central bank has been conducting OMOs and has also been directly intervening in the secondary market to smoothen the yield curve. So far this fiscal, RBI has undertaken OMO purchases of G-Secs of ₹4.07 trillion and OMO purchases of state development loans of ₹30,000 crore.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund crosses Rs 8,000 croremark

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has crossed the Rs. 8000 crore mark after receiving 8,665 applications worth Rs. 8,216 crores. The largest share of the pie is contributed by Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) (58%), agri-entrepreneurs (24%) and individual farmers (13%).
These investments are for a wide range of projects which will unlock value for farmers across the country. States leading the front are Andhra Pradesh (2,125 applications), Madhya Pradesh (1,830), Uttar Pradesh (1,255), Karnataka (1,071) & Rajasthan (613). While most of these states are leveraging their strong cooperatives network to take the lead, Madhya Pradesh stands out with the highest non-PACS applications. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund will bring together the collective power of all stakeholders in the Agriculture ecosystem.
The Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is undertaking a host of initiatives to accelerate on-ground investments. The department has directly reached out to 150+ FPOs and livelihood organisations, along with IFFCO, HAFED, NAFED & others.
The department hosted an agribusiness conclave, supported by CII & FICCI, with 90+ agribusiness participants; where key players like Arya CMA, Mahindra Agri, Tata Consumer, IFFCO and Escorts Cropping Solutions gave presentations on their role in building infrastructure under AIF through partnership with farmers, farmer groups and local entrepreneurs.
The department has been regularly conducting reviews of states to monitor progress & promote cross learnings. In addition to it, a state conclave was conducted with 190+ participants from state departments, where Andhra Pradesh demonstrated its PACS led model & Madhya Pradesh demonstrated its local entrepreneurship led model. States have in turn engaged with a large number of farmers and local entrepreneurs.

::Science and tech::

China launches Tianhe module, the main module of its space station Tiangong

China's new space station module is about to get its first robotic visitor.
The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on China's Hainan Island today (May 29), rising off the pad atop a Long March 7 rocket at 8:55 a.m. EDT (1255 GMT; 8:55 p.m. local time). It deployed its solar arrays as expected and is in good health, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMS).
The uncrewed Tianzhou-2 is carrying 4.69 tons of pressurized cargo and 1.95 tons of propellant, CMS officials have said. If all goes according to plan, the freighter will haul these goods to Tianhe, the 22.5-ton core module of China's planned space station, which launched to low Earth orbit on April 28.
The delivery will help prepare Tianhe for the arrival of astronauts. And the module's first crew is coming soon: The three-person Shenzhou-12 mission is scheduled to launch toward Tianhe next month.
Tianhe ("Harmony of the Heavens") is the central piece of China's first space station, a three-module, 66-ton structure that the nation aims to have fully assembled by the end of 2022. It will take a total of 11 launches to build and supply the orbital outpost, the first two of which are now in the books.