Roadmap for Banking of the Future
Current Affairs 22 May 2021
Daily Current Affairs 22 May 2021: This post contains the latest current affairs for 22 May 2021 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
Government Extends Income Tax Return Filing Deadline for FY21(AY 2021-22) From July 31 to September 30
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the due date for filing income tax returns for assessment year (AY) 2021-22, for individuals, by two months, to September 30, 2021. Earlier the deadline was July 31, 2021.
- The decision to extend timelines for compliances under the Income-tax Act 1961 has been taken to provide relief to taxpayers due to Covid pandemic.
- The government has also extended the due date of Income Tax Returns filing for companies for Assessment Year 2021-2022 from October 31 to November 30, 2021.
Indian Navy’s first destroyer INS Rajput decommissioned after 41 years of service
- The Indian Navy is set to decommission its first destroyer, INS Rajput, on May 21, 2021, which had been in service for 41 glorious years. The motto of INS Rajput was ‘Raj Karega Rajput’.
- INS Rajput was the lead ship of the Kashin-class destroyers, and was built by the erstwhile USSR (Soviet Union).
- It was constructed in the 61 Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (present-day Ukraine) under her original Russian name ‘Nadezhny’ meaning ‘Hope’.
- The ship was commissioned on May 4, 1980 as INS Rajput at Poti, Georgia by IK Gujral, the then Indian Ambassador to the USSR.
- Captain Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was her first commanding officer.
- While being in service, the ship had 31 Commanding Officers at her helm.
- The ship had participated in several key missions and numerous bilateral and multi-national exercises.
- It was the first Indian Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Army regiment, the Rajput regiment.
Pinarayi Vijayan takes oath as 12th Chief Minister of Kerala for second time in row
- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn in for his second straight five-year term on May 20, 2021.
- The 76-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan assumed the charge as the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala
- He was administered the oath of the office and secrecy as Chief Minister of Kerala by state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, along with twenty other cabinet ministers.
- Left Democratic Front (LDF) leader Pinarayi Vijayan is the first chief minister from Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full term (five years) in office.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Launches Mobile App ‘Amrit Vahini’ for online booking of hospital beds
- The Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren has launched a website and the mobile application ‘Amrit Vahini’ (www.amritvahini.in), to enable Covid-19 patients and their relatives to book beds at Covid-19 hospitals across the state on a real-time basis.
- Using the app or website, both oxygen supported and non-oxygen supported beds can be booked.
- However, the bed booked by the person will be kept reserved for him for the next two hours. If the person fails to turn up within two hours, the bed will allocated to another person, based on medical emergency.
- CM Hemant Soren also launched ‘Chatboat’ that will give all information related to coronavirus to the person.
Banking & Economy
RBI increases the limit for Full-KYC PPIs to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1 lakh
- The Reserve Bank of India has increased the maximum amount outstanding in respect of full-KYC PPIs (KYC-compliant PPIs) from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh.
- Apart from this, RBI has instructed the PPI isuers to give the holders of full-KYC PPIs (KYC-compliant PPIs) interoperability latest by March 31, 2022.
- The PPI issuers will have to provide interoperability through authorised card networks (for PPIs in the form of cards) and UPI (for PPIs in the form of electronic wallets). Interoperability shall be mandatory on the acceptance side as well.
- PPIs for Mass Transit Systems (PPI-MTS) shall remain exempted from interoperability. It will be optional for Gift PPI issuers have the option of interoperability.
- RBI has also permitted cash withdrawal from Full-KYC PPIs of Non-Bank PPI Issuers. The condition on such cash withdrawal shall be:
- Maximum limit of Rs. 2,000 per transaction with an overall limit of Rs. 10,000 per month per PPI.
- All cash withdrawal transactions performed using a card / wallet, shall be authenticated by an Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) / PIN;
- RBI has increased the limit of cash withdrawal from Points of Sale (PoS) terminals using debit cards and open system prepaid cards (issued by banks) to Rs 2000 per transaction within an overall monthly limit of Rs. 10,000 across all locations (Tier 1 to 6 centres). Earlier this limit was Rs 1000 for Tier 1 and 2 cities while Rs 2000 for Tier 3 to 6 cities.
RBI to transfer Rs. 99,122 crore surplus to Central Government for FY21
- The Reserve Bank of India will transfer Rs 99,122 crore surplus to Central Government for the accounting period of nine months ended March 31, 2021 (July 2020-March 2021). The Contingency Risk Buffer will remain at 5.50%.
- This year RBI has changed its Accounting year from July-June to April-March to coincide with the accounting year of Government. As a result the accounting year 2020-21 of RBI has only 9 months.
- It must be noted that every year, RBI transfers its entire surplus which it has earned as profit to Central Government.
Business
Microsoft to retire iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser on 15 June 2022
- Tech-giant Microsoft has decided to retire its iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser, with effect from 15 June 2022, after more than 25 years of its launch.
- The Internet Explorer (IE) browser was launched in 1995.
- Microsoft recommends its users to shift to Microsoft Edge (2015) before June 15, 2022, for a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience.
- Microsoft Edge has in-built Internet Explorer mode (IE mode), so users can access legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge
- Internet Explorer was once the most widely used web browser, with 95 percent usage share by 2003. However, its usage share declined since the launch of Firefox (2004) and Google Chrome (2008), as well as the growing popularity of mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS that do not support Internet Explorer.
- Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is the eleventh and final version of the Internet Explorer web browser officially released on October 17, 2013.
Hero Group launches ed-tech platform ‘Hero Vired’
- The Munjal family-led Hero Group has launched a new education technology startup ‘ Hero Vired’, that will offer an end-to-end learning ecosystem.
- Through this new edtech venture, Hero Group aims to enter the ed-tech space, which already includes startups, like upGrad, Unacademy, Great Learning, Simplilearn, among others.
- Hero Vired has partnered with top global universities, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Singularity University, to offer full-time and part-time programs in finance and financial technologies; game design; integrated programs in data science, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI); entrepreneurial thinking and innovation; and full-stack development.
- The platform will offer learners overall professional development to make them industry-ready for employment.
Obituary
JK Dutt, former NSG DG, who led Commando Forces during 26/11 Mumbai Counter-Terror Operation, Passes Away at 72
- The former Director General of National Security Guard (NSG), Jyoti Krishan Dutt, who led the commando force during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also referred to as 26/11 and Operation Black Tornado), has passed away due to complications arising out of Covid-19. He was 72.
- J K Dutt was a 1971-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the West Bengal cadre.
- He served as the DG of the National Security Guard (NSG) from August 2006 to February 2009.
- Besides this, he has also worked in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Days
International Day for Biological Diversity: 22 May
- The International Day for Biological Diversity (also known as World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day held on May 22 every year to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
- The theme of 2021 World Biodiversity Day is “We’re part of the solution”.
