Today’s top news:

  1. The PM Modi launched the distribution of E-Property Cards under the Svamitva Scheme. Around 4.09 lakh property cards were distributed. The cards were distributed on the side-lines of National Panchayati Raj Day celebrations.
  2. The Svamitva Scheme was launched in 2020 on National Panchayati Raj day. Svamitva is Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas. The scheme aims to provide integrated property validation solution for rural India. Under the scheme, the mapping is to be done in a phase-wise manner between 2020 and 2024. To create accurate land records. This will help in better rural planning.
    It will help to support the Gram Panchayat Development Plan.
    It will help solve property related disputes in rural areas. The Government of India has allotted Rs 79.65 crores for the scheme.
  3. Tamil Nadu imposes fresh COVID-19 curbs, announces new lockdown guidelines : The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday (April 24) announced a total lockdown in the state on Sunday, with some exceptions, to curtail the rapid spread of coronavirus in the state.
  4. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged his counterparts in other states to provide oxygen to the national capital, saying all available resources are proving to be inadequate owing to the severity of COVID-19.
  5. The Delhi high court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected COVID-19 second wave peak in mid-May, terming the mounting cases as a ‘Tsunami’, and also warned it will “hang” any person who tries to obstruct oxygen supplies to hospitals in Delhi.
  6. The government on Saturday waived customs duty on the import of COVID vaccines as well as medical grade oxygen and related equipment as the nation battled its worst health crisis
  7. After Telangana, Haryana announces free COVID-19 vaccine for all at govt hospitals : The Haryana government will also open a registration portal which will be made operational from April 28 where everyone will have to register themselves for COVID-19 vaccination.
  8. The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case of alleged corruption against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and conducted searches at his premises in Mumbai and Nagpur on Saturday
  9. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday announced that all government and private offices in six districts of Haryana — Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal and Sonepat — would remain closed, due to rising Covid cases. Even the industry has been asked to work in shifts.
  10. Union minister Som Parkash, who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, is on oxygen support in an ICU of a private hospital in Mohali .
  11. Bharat Biotech on Saturday announced that it would sell Covaxin at Rs 600 for state governments and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals
  12. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare recently announced that it is to bring nine million tonnes of land under mustard cultivation. This will increase mustard production to 17 million tonnes by 2025-26.
  13. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and Music director AR Rahman took to social media to pay tribute to Shravan Rathod of Nadeem-Shravan music composer duo died of Covid-19 complications on Thursday evening (April 22). Several Bollywood celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the late composer.
  14. AIIMS postpones INI-CET 2021 entrance exam amid COVID-19 surge : The National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI- CET) was scheduled to be conducted on May 8.
  15. CBSE Board changes question pattern, increases competency-based questions : As per the new circular, competency-based questions would be about 30 per cent for Classes 9 and 10 and 20 per cent for Classes 11 and 12. CBSE explained that the competency-based questions could be in the form of Multiple Choice Questions.
  16. Eight Border Roads Organisation workers were killed, seven injured and 31 went missing in an avalanche near the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Saturday.
  17. A total of 430 BRO workers were at the road-construction site when the avalanche occurred on Friday.Two bodies were recovered from the site in the Sumna area of Niti Valley. 384 have returned to the Indo-Tibetan Border Polic and Army camps in the area so far, eight are dead, seven injured have been rescued while 31 are missing. The injured were rescued in helicopters and flown to the Army hospital in Joshimath.
  18. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh reviewed the efforts of Ministry of Defence and the three Services to fight the current COVID-19 crisis through video conferencing on April 24, 2021.

✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  1. Germany has announced temporary limitations on the passenger traffic with India as the country is witnessing a record rise in coronavirus infections amid the second wave
  2. Indian Air Force aircraft with 4 cryogenic oxygen tanks from Singapore arrives in India. The IAF was also transporting essential medicines as well as equipment required by the designated COVID-19 hospitals in various parts of the country.
  3. Pak PM Imran Khan on Saturday expressed solidarity with the people of India battling the deadly wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “we must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together”.
  4. The Indian and French navies will hold a three-day mega wargame in the Arabian Sea beginning Sunday that will feature complex naval operations like advanced air defence and anti-submarine drills.
  5. The 19th edition of the Varuna exercise will showcase the increasing levels of synergy, coordination and interoperability between the two navies.

🌎WORLD NEWS🌍

  1. Saudi Arabia includes Ramayana, Mahabharata in new curriculum for students : As part of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s new vision for the education sector in Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030, the history and culture of other countries are being studied to provide students with more knowledge about different cultures.
  2. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kabul on Thursday to show support for the Afghan government and civil society a day after President Joe Biden said he was pulling out American forces after nearly 20 years of war.
  3. Sweden is facing an acute shortage of sperm for assisted pregnancy as would-be donors avoid hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, halting inseminations in large parts of the healthcare system and driving up waiting times by years.
  4. An advocacy group on on Facebook Inc (FB.O) Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to not create a version of photo-sharing app Instagram for children who are under 13, as it would put them at “great risk”.
  5. The government of Bangladesh is considering resuming public transport in the country with strict adherence to the health directions : Earlier, the government had announced the opening of shops and malls on a limited scale from Sunday even while the countrywide lockdown remains in force till April 28. Domestic flights and special flights to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Singapore and China have also been allowed to operate since the last few days.

Sports:

  1. IPL : 24 April, 2021
    Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders At Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai,

Kolkata Knight Riders
133/9 (20.0 ov)
Vs
Rajasthan Royals 134/4 (18.5 ov)

Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets

  1. IPL Match: Sunday, 25th April 2021
    CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
    Vs
    ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

15:30 IST (10:00 GMT)
Match 19 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

  1. Match 20
    SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
    Vs
    DELHI CAPITALS

19:30 IST (14:00 GMT)
Match 20 M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

$USD 72.69 💷GBP 101.22
In Panaji (Goa)
🥇Gold ₹49,280@10 gm 24 (Krt)
🥈 Silver ₹74,000@ Kg
⛽ Petrol ₹ 88.52
⛽ Diesel ₹ 85.32

LPG : ₹ 809 /14.2 Kg

BSE Sensex 47,878.45
NIFTY : 14,341.35

Facts about India

Every year, Indian Government celebrates April 24 as National Panchayati Raj Day. The day is also called National Local Self Government Day. Why April 24?
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment came into effect on April 24. The amendment gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj System

Thought of the day

The future depends on what you do today.

Joke of the day

According to medical guidelines, if 135 crore people of India start keeping a distance of 6 feet from each other, then 25 crore people will reach Pakistan
15 crore in Bangladesh and
6 crore in Sri Lanka . Rest 79 Crore will remain in India.
No need of NRC or CAA.
😂🤣

LEARN Sanskrit🙏🏻

गच्छामि : I go

Why❓❓❓

⁉ The science behind wearing of Vermillion (Sindoor or KumKum)⁉

Tradition of wearing Sindoor or vermillion is said to have traveled through more than 5,000 years of Hindu culture.

It is said that Sindoor activates the pituitary and pineal gland, so that the body and mind of a married women could function better. Applying the red vermilion also activates the chakras in the forehead and on the crown, which attracts cosmic and pranic energy. Sindoor is prepared using mercury, turmeric and lime. Mercury acts as a catalyst that helps ease stress, while keeping the brain active and alert. Mercury also helps in controlling blood pressure, activating sexual drive and libidinal energy.

How it works ⁉

Chewing gum base consists either of natural latex or a synthetic substitute. Natural latex such as chicle is harvested by making large X-marks on rubber trees and then collecting the substance as it runs down the tree. After grinding the base to form a coarse meal, the mixture is dryed for a day or two

Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating.** Stearic acid is used in many chewing gums. It is obtained from animal fats.

GK TODAY

COVID
‘CO’ stands for corona, ‘VI’ for virus, and
‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as ‘2019 novel coronavirus

🧬 HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES🩺

( Note : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not🙏🏻)

Relieving congestion and other respiratory problems : Boiling eucalyptus leaves in a tightly covered pot filled with water then removing the pot from heat to inhale the vapors. The plant’s oil can be mixed with warm water to create a mouth rinse that helps alleviate sore throats

Regards
CH. Naveen Kumar

🙏PLZ FOLLOW GOVT. NORMS, MAINT SOCIAL DISTANCE, KEEP YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY SAFE🌼