• National Technology Day 2021 on May 11 celebrates the achievements and contributions of Indians to science and technology.
• The theme of the National Technology Day 2021 theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
• The day acts as a reminder of the country’s technological advancements.
• This day serves as a reminder of India breaking into the elite group of nations with nuclear weapons. The National Technology Day was observed for the first time on May 11, 1999.

• NITI Aayog and Mastercard released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat’. The report identifies challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to its 1.3 billion citizens.
• The report was released by NITI Aayog’s Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, CEO Amitabh Kant, and Ajit Pai, Distinguished Expert and Head, Economics and Finance Cell, along with Ravi Aurora, Senior Vice President and Group Head, Global Community Relations, Mastercard.
• Experts from the government, banking sector, the financial regulator, fintech enterprises, and various ecosystem innovators participated in the discussions led by NITI Aayog and supported by Mastercard.
• NITI Aayog was a knowledge partner in this endeavour. The series of work shops and the outcome report were curated by business advisory firm FTI Consulting. The report reflects the discussions held during the roundtables.

• Tamil Nadu agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi has been appointed as the commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation, replacing G Prakash. Chief secretary Irai Anbu passed the order on Sunday.
• Since the civic body doesn't have an elected council, Bedi has also become the de-facto special officer who will be able to convene and take all decisions of the council.
• Bedi is the officer who investigated and presented a report on illegal beach sand mining in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts.

• GigIndia, a B2B gig marketplace for on-demand work completion, will provide free COVID health insurance to its active gig workers covering up to Rs 3 lakh of medical expenses.
• Considering the adverse financial impact of COVID-19 on its gigger families, the Pune-headquartered firm in a release said that it is offering this insurance to active gig workers to make them feel relatively secure during these challenging times.
• Moreover, the company is initiating efforts to ensure certified giggers on its platform continue receiving gigs (projects), thereby enabling a steady monthly income.

• London-based property consultant Knight Frank has released Global Prime Residential Index, which tracks the movement in prime residential prices in local currency across over 46 cities worldwide
• Top Performers: Shenzhen (1st) with 18.9% annual change, followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, Vancouver.
• Indian cities: New Delhi has been ranked 32nd, Mumbai is ranked 36th and Bengaluru is ranked 40th.
• Weakest Performer: New York (46th) with luxury home prices falling by 5.8%.

• The Reserve Bank of India on 11^th May,2021 appointed Jose J Kattoor as Executive Director (ED) with effect from 4 May 2021, the central bank said in a press release.
• Before being promoted as ED, Kattoor was heading Bengaluru Regional Office of the RBI as regional director for Karnataka.
• For three decades, Kattoor has served in communication, human resource management, financial inclusion, supervision, currency management, and other areas in the central bank of India.
• As Executive Director, Kattoor will look after Human Resource Management Department, Corporate Strategy and Budget Department, and Rajbhasha Department, the RBI added in a release.

• Renowned actor Anupam Kher has won the Best Actor award at New York City International Film Festival 2021 for his performance in the short film titled ‘Happy Birthday’
• ‘Happy Birthday’ has been directed by Prasad Kadam and produced by FNP Media
• Earlier, Happy Birthday also won Best Short Film award at the film festival
• The film revolves around a man who experiences numerous feelings and his attachment to the one thing he loves
• It was nominated at NYCIFF in four categories.

• Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April 2021 for his stellar performances across all formats in the recently concluded series against South Africa.
• Babar's match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third ODI against South Africa helped him gain 13 rating points as he toppled his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli to occupy the top spot in ODI rankings for batsmen. The 26-year-old also hit 104-ball 103 to help his team chase down 274 in the first ODI. He also contributed 122 from 59 balls in Pakistan’s successful chase in the third match of a T20I series against the Proteas.

• Freedom fighter and Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra musician Anup Bhattacharya (77 years) passed away in Dhaka
• He worked as the composer and music director at Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during Bangladesh’s liberation war
• Some of his patriotic songs like Teer Hara Ei Dheu-er Sagor, Rokto Diye Naam Likhhechhi, Purbo Digonte and Nongor Tolo Tolo inspired the liberation war fighters during 1971.
• Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was the medium for radio broadcasting in 1971.

Download Daily GK PDF of 11 May 2021