• Senior IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar on 7^th April, 2021 took over as Chairman of the Airports Authority of India.
• Prior to this, Kumar -- an IAS officer of the 1993 batch, Maharashtra cadre -- was posted as State Commissioner - GST of the Government of Maharashtra
• As per a statement, Kumar has served in various ministries and departments of the Maharashtra government. He has also worked as the Joint CEO of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and has also been MD of Maharashtra Agro Industries Development Corporation.
• Kumar holds a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the University of Roorkee (now known as IIT Roorkee) and an M.Tech in Communication Engineering from IIT, Kanpur.
• He also holds a degree in Financial Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institution of Management Studies, Mumbai University.
• He served as the CMD of the largest electricity distributor company of India - Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company for more than four years and brought it to profit for continuous four years. Kumar has also spent more than five years in State Goods Taxation Department in various capacities at the crucial time of introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in 2005 and now in GST.

• The day is observed to mark the importance of homoeopathy and its contribution to the world of medicine. The date is the birth anniversary of Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, who was a German physician and the founder of homoeopathy. Hahnemann was born in 1755 in Paris.
• The main idea behind celebrating the day is to make more and more people aware about the benefits of homeopathic treatment and medicines. Apart from that, the day is also meant for discussing challenges and planning future strategies for the betterment and development of homeopathy.
• This year the theme of the day in India is, “Homeopathy- Roadmap for Integrative Medicine”.

• The National Institutes of Health said 7^th April, 2021 it has begun looking at why some people have suffered from severe allergic reactions shortly after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.
• A clinical trial is underway to determine whether people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder are at increased risk for an immediate and systemic allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.

• The Jal Shakti Ministry will roll out the annual planning exercise of the Jal Jeevan Mission with States and Union Territories.
• The exercise is to be conducted by a committee chaired by the Secretary of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The Committee will take up two
• states or Union Territories per day. The Committee is to do a rigorous
• scrutiny of the proposed Annual Action Plan for the year 2021-22 prepared by the States and the Union Territories. The plan will
• then be finalised.

• The Central government has notified the Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021 which amends the Copyright Rules, 2013.
• The amendments have been introduced with the objective of bringing accountability and transparency, and making the existing rules in parity with other relevant laws.
• It also aims to ensure smooth and flawless compliance in the light of the technological advancement in digital era by adopting electronic means as primary mode of communication and working in the Copyright Office.
• A new provision regarding the publication of a copyrights journal has been incorporated, thereby eliminating the requirement of publication in the Official Gazette.

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $484 million loan to improve transport connectivity and road maintenance in the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu, India.
• The CKIC is part of India's East Coast Economic Corridor, which stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu and connects India to the production networks of Southeast and East Asia.
• Tamil Nadu has a strong state economy with several manufacturing industries, including automobiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals, garments, and aerospace. However, the south and central areas of the state, which are away from current industrial hubs around Chennai, need development and better connectivity for balanced and inclusive growth. This is the primary objective of the project linking into the CKIC.

• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan jointly e-inaugurated new Magistrates’ Court Building in Seychelles on April 08.
• India also handed over fast patrol vessel to Seychelles during high-level virtual meet. This is the first time PM is holding discussions with Ramkalawan who was elected to power in October 2020.

• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on 9^th April launched NanoSniffer, the world’s first Microsensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD).
• The Nanosniffer has been developed by NanoSniff Technologies which is an IIT Bombay incubated startup. It is being marketed by Vehant Technologies, a spin-off from a former IIT Delhi incubated startup Kritikal Solutions.
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pokhriyal said that NanoSniffer is a step towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a self-reliant India. NanoSniffer is a 100 per cent Made in India product in terms of research, development & manufacturing. The core technology of NanoSniffer is protected by patents in the U.S. & Europe.
• The Minister further said that this affordable device will reduce our dependency on imported explosive trace detector devices. Mr. Pokhriyal added that it will also encourage other institutions, startups and medium-scale industries to research & develop products indigenously.

• Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 103rd Meeting of the Development Committee Plenary via video conferencing. The items on the agenda included World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund Support for Debt Relief Under the Common Framework and Beyond; COVID-19 pandemic: World Bank Group Support for Fair and Affordable Access to Vaccines by Developing Countries; and  From COVID-19 Crisis Response to Resilient Recovery – Saving Lives and Livelihoods while Supporting Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID).In her intervention at this session, the Finance Minister stated that we are all engaged in steering our economies and people safely out of COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Government of India has taken several measures to contain the spread of pandemic and also to mitigate its social and economic impact including a series of economic stimulus packages in last one year. Sitharaman shared that the Government has announced Aatma Nirbhar Packages of Rs 27.1 trillion, amounting to more than 13% of the GDP. These packages were meant not only to provide social protection to poor and vulnerable but also to push forward the economic reforms.

• Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband and the longest-serving consort of any British monarch, has died at age 99.
• His death was met with a flood of tributes from across Britain and the world. In accordance with tradition, a framed notice containing the news was also placed on the railings outside Buckingham Palace.
• Philip spent 65 years supporting the queen, retiring from his public role in 2017 and staying largely out of the view since. In his active years, he helped set a new course for the monarchy, championing Britain itself, as well as environmental causes, science and technology.
• His passing comes as the royal family confronts new challenges, most recently the intense publicity that followed the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, from both the United Kingdom and official royal duties.

Download Daily GK PDF of 10 April 2021