Important Current Affairs 20th September 2021

INTERNATIONAL

The Netherlands unveils its first national Holocaust monument

• A monument listing 102,163 Dutch victims of the Holocaust was unveiled by King Willem-Alexander in Amsterdam on Sunday, the first national memorial to be built in the Netherlands.

• The monument, designed by Daniel Libeskind, 75, who lost relatives in the Holocaust, lies in the centre of the Dutch capital and is a labyrinth of brick walls that, when seen from above, form Hebrew letters reading "in remembrance".

Taliban removes Uzbek from official language status

• Contrary to their pledges of forming an inclusive government and respecting all the ethnicities in its Islamic Emirate, the Taliban removed Uzbek from official language status.

• The law entitled "Fundamentals" indicates the official religion of Afghanistan Sunni Islam of the Hanafi madhhab, as well as its official Languages-Pashto and Dari. Earlier in Afghanistan, along with them, the Uzbek language had an official status, which is spoken by many residents of the northern provinces. In addition, there is a sizable Shiite community in the country, consisting mainly of Hazaras.

NATIONAL

Metro train services in Agra and Kanpur to start operations by November

• In Uttar Pradesh, two more cities Agra and Kanpur will have Metro rail service later this year. It was informed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur yesterday while virtually unveiling the first prototype train for the two projects. These prototypes Metro trains were received from Vadodara in Gujarat.

• Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation is working on a war footing to provide Metro rail public transport service to people at Kanpur and Agra and Metro will start operations from nearby November 30th this year. He said efforts are being made to get the metro service launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Delhi government launches 'Music' Bus' to train students

• Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday launched a mobile music classroom and recording studio which aims to assist children of Delhi government schools in pursuing their passion in music.

• The Delhi government claimed that it is India’s first ‘Mobile Music Bus’, and aims to train children through a media-based curriculum, including audio production and film production, to help them build sustainable careers in these fields.

• The project is likely to benefit 5,000 children.

Ration card related services now available at common services centre

• Services related to ration card, such as applying for a new card, updating details and seeding with Aadhaar, will now be available at over 3.7 lakh common services centres (CSC) across the country.

• The move is expected to benefit 23.64 crore ration card holders across the country.

• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has tied up with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd, a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics & IT, to streamline ration deliveries and strengthen public distribution system (PDS) in semi-urban and rural areas across the country.

India to become 3rd largest importer by year 2050

• With a growing middle class and its rising discretionary spending, India will become the world’s third largest importer by 2050 with a share of 5.9% of global imports, right behind China and the US, a new report said.

• At present, India is ranked eighth among largest importing nations with a 2.8% import share and is set to become the fourth largest importer by 2030.

SPORTS

Virat Kohli to step down as RCB captain after IPL 2021

• Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday announced that Virat Kohli will step down as RCB captain after the end of Indian Premier League 2021 season. "Hello everyone, the whole RCB family, the amazing fans of Bangalore and to all those who have supported us. I have an announcement to make," Kohli said in a video uploaded on RCB's official Twitter handle.

• “This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me,” Kohli said.

OBITUARY

Veteran journalist, columnist KM Roy, passed away

• Noted journalist and columnist KM Roy passed away at his residence in Kochi on Saturday, September 18, at the age of 84.

• He died due to an age-related illness. Roy was the recipient of Swadeshabhimani Kesari award, the highest honour that journalists receive from the Kerala government.