Current Affairs [Monthly]

Notes:
Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan was seen in news recently because she has been given a three-month extension after the Central Government made a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.
Ms.Preeti Sudan who is at present the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, was due to superannuate on April 30. The reshuffling has been done amidst the coronavirus pandemic. About 23 senior IAS officers have been appointed as secretaries in different central government departments.

Notes:
India has voted in favour of a COVID-19 resolution in the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), along with 168 nations.
The resolution reaffirms international cooperation to respond to COVID. It also acknowledges the WHO’s leadership role during the pandemic. The U.S. and Israel voted against the resolution while Ukraine and Hungary abstained.

Notes:
The Indian Navy has taken two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from an American defence company, on lease for 1 year.
The unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured by US firm General Atomics, have been obtained on lease, to enhance surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The vehicles arrived at the naval air station INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
The nation’s central bank – Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stated that it is examining the need to introduce central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the country. Also, if the need is felt, RBI is also working on the means to operationalize the digital currency in India.
This move comes against the back of increase in private digital currencies, virtual currencies.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh’s tableau at this year’s Republic Day parade in New Delhi was adjudged the best and awarded by Union minister Kiren Rijiju.
The theme of Uttar Pradesh’s tableau depicting the Ram Temple was “Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh”. Department of Biotechnology is the best tableau among the Central Ministries, departments, the CAPF and other auxiliary forces.

Notes:
India has recently extended a Line of Credit (LoC) amounting USD 40 million to the Government of Maldives. This is intended to boost the sports infrastructure of Maldives
This has been announced by the Union Minister for External Affairs Shri.S Jaishankar during his 2 day visit to Maldives.

Notes:
For the year 2021, India has assumed the chairmanship of BRICS. Recently, BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (CGETI) held its first meeting under India’s chairmanship from March 9 to 11.
The theme of this year’s BRICS is “BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus”.

Notes:
World Red Cross Day, also known as Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 every year. This date marks the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The day is celebrated by the Red Cross society across all the countries. The theme of World Red Cross Day 2021 is ‘Together we are unstoppable’!.

Notes:
Mastercard has announced a strategic equity investment in Instamojo, to support MSMEs and Gig workers.
The investment will provide solutions to set up online stores, equip with digital payment acceptance capabilities and reach out to customers. Instamojo helps small merchants create a platform to quickly set up an e-commerce business.

Notes:
North Korea recently fired a “hypersonic missile” that successfully hit a target. The test-fire was detected by several militaries in the region, and drew criticism from the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
North Korea first tested a hypersonic missile in September. Hypersonic weapons can achieve more than five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km per hour.