Important Current Affairs 21st September 2018 English

Awards
NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS -2018 announced
 
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award- India's highest sports honour.
CWG and Asiad gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, Asiad double medalist sprinter Hima Das and Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana will receive Arjuna Awards 2018.

National News
India puts four more nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards
 
India has decided to place four more reactors under the IAEA safeguards. Accordingly, two Russian-designed Pressurised Light Water Reactors and two Pressurised Heavy Reactors being built with Indian technology will be covered.
With this, a total of 26 Indian nuclear facilities will be under the international nuclear energy watchdog. This was stated by Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, at the 62nd General Conference of IAEA Vienna, Austria.

India successfully test-fires short-range ballistic missile Prahaar
 
India successfully test-fired the indigenously developed surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile Prahaar from the Odisha coast on 20th September.
The sophisticated missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was mounted on a mobile launcher and was test-launched from Launch Pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, at about 1:35pm.

International News
MHA signs MoU with ISRO to set up an Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response 
 
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Department of Space signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of a state-of-the-art Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER) in Ministry of Home Affairs. 

The ICR-ER will cater to the requirement of Disaster Management as well as Internal Security. 
ICR-ER will address the requirement of receipt of information on near real-time basis, strategic level monitoring, situation awareness, command and control, preparedness and response in the diverse internal security situation and disaster related emergencies. 

International Day of Peace 2018 observed globally
 
The International Day of Peace was observed across the world on September 21, 2018 to recognise the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. The International Day of Peace is also a day of ceasefire.
About it
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with the opening session of the assembly, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first International Day of Peace was observed in September 1982.

World Bank approves framework to support India’s transition to high-middle income country
 
The World Bank board has approved an ambitious five-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for India that is in line with India’s objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth.
The framework sets the strategic focus for the World Bank’s engagement with India for the period FY18-22, to support its transition to a high-middle income economy.
Significance
Through the CPF, the World Bank aims to support India's transition to a higher middle-income country by addressing some of its key development priorities such as resource efficient and inclusive growth, job creation and building its human capital.