Important Current Affairs 28th September 2021

NATIONAL

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses first national cooperative conference

• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah has inaugurated and addressed the first-ever National Cooperative Conference (Sehkarita Sammelan) at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The minister outlined the government’s vision and roadmap for the development of the Cooperative sector.

• This conference was India’s first such cooperative conference, to provide a platform for accelerating and strengthening Indian cooperatives on the global stage.

• The conference was organised jointly by the IFFCO, National Cooperative Federation of India, Amul, Sahakar Bharti, NAFED, KRIBHCO and all cooperatives together.

• Over 2,100 representatives from different states and various cooperative sectors across the country participated in the conference to contribute towards realizing the dream of a self-reliant India.

Nagaland's "sweet cucumber" gets geographical indication tag

• Nagaland’s “sweet cucumber” was awarded a geographical identification (GI) tag as an agricultural product under provisions of The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The cucumber is one of the most important crops in the Northeast region. Nagaland has the fifth-highest cultivation of this fruit area-wise and ranks third in production.

• Naga cucumber is recognised for its sweetness and unique green colour. It is rich in potassium and has low calories. The cucumber is not the first product from the small state to receive a vaunted GI tag. Both the regional variants of tree tomato (tamarillo) and the famed Naga king chilli are also GI tagged.

SPORTS

England’s All-rounder cricketer Moeen Ali announced retirement from Tests cricket

• England cricket all-rounder Moeen Ali has announced his retirement from the Test match career. The 34-year-old Ali made his debut in Test cricket in 2014 and represented England in 64 Test matches.

• He took 195 Test wickets including 5 five-wicket hauls and scored five-Test match centuries during his Test career. Moeen, however, will continue to play limited-overs cricket for England.

APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION

UBL’s Debabrata Mukherjee elected Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations for 2021-2022

• The chief marketing officer of United Breweries, Debabrata Mukherjee, was unanimously elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for 2021-2022. Mukherjee, who has over 27 years of experience, was responsible for managing brands such as Kingfisher, Heineken and Amstel. A publisher member on the council, Pratap G. Pawar of Sakal Papers, was unanimously elected deputy chairman for the year.

• ABC is a non-profit circulation-auditing organisation. It certifies and audits the circulations of major publications, including newspapers and magazines in India.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Rabies Day 2021: 28th September

• World Rabies Day is celebrated annually on September 28 to raise awareness about the impact of rabies on humans and animals, provide information and advice on how to prevent the disease and take efforts to control rabies. 2021 is the 15th edition of World Rabies Day.

• The theme for the WRD in 2021 is ‘Rabies: Facts, not Fear’. The day also marks the death anniversary of the French chemist and microbiologist, Louis Pasteur’, who developed the first rabies vaccine.

International Day for Universal Access to Information 2021: 28th September

• The International Day for the Universal Access to Information (commonly known as Access to Information Day) is observed globally on 28th September every year. Universal access to information means that everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information for healthy and inclusive knowledge societies.

• The International Day for Universal Access to Information 2021 highlights the importance of expanding access to information laws, and their implementation worldwide to build back strong institutions for sustainable development and to uphold the vision of information as a public good, as well as to strengthen international cooperation in the field of implementing the right to information as a fundamental right. Furthermore, the global discussions on “building back better” remain context-adaptive to the C-19 pandemic.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

IUCAA scientist among 2021 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar winners

• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for science and technology 2021, were announced during the 80th foundation day of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Every year, CSIR presents this award to scientists below 45 years of age for their contributions in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, medicine, engineering and earth, atmosphere, ocean and planetary sciences. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

• During the ceremony, vice president M Venkaiah Naidu advised CSIR to reinvent itself and turn futuristic while pursuing the science of the highest order.

BANKING AND ECONOMIC

HDFC Bank most outstanding company in India : Asiamoney

• According to Asiamoney 2021 Poll, HDFC Bank has received the most votes among listed companies in India, leading to the bank being awarded the ‘Overall Most Outstanding Company in India. This is in addition to the bank being voted ‘Most Outstanding Company in India – Banking Sector,’ for the 4th consecutive year, since the inception of the poll in 2018. The poll aims to identify and recognise publicly listed companies by country and sector.

• The poll, known as Asia’s Outstanding Companies Poll, is designed to acknowledge listed companies that have excelled in areas such as financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations, and CSR initiatives.

• Further, the poll aims to identify and recognise publicly listed companies in 2 categories: by country and by sector, in which it operates.

1 crore, minimum ticket size to issue securitisation notes: RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines regarding the Securitisation of Standard Assets. As per the guidelines, the minimum ticket size for the issuance of securitization notes will be Rs. 1 crore.

• Securitisation involves transactions where credit risk in assets are redistributed by repackaging them into tradeable securities with different risk profiles which may give investors of various classes access to exposures which they otherwise might be unable to access directly. It means securities issued by the special purpose entity as a part of a securitization.

RBI allows banks to sell 'fraud loans' to ARCs

• The Reserve Bank of India has allowed lenders/banks to transfer of loans that have been classified as fraud by these lenders to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs). Stressed loans including fraud loans that are in default for more than 60 days or classified as NPA are permitted to be transferred to ARCs. This comes in the wake of banks reporting frauds aggregating Rs 3.95-lakh crore between FY19 and FY21.

• Under the new guidelines, loans can be transferred only after a minimum holding period (MHP) of three months in case of loans with tenor up to 2 years, and six months for those with the tenor of more than 2 years.

• In case of loans where the security does not exist or cannot be registered, the MHP shall be calculated from the date of the first repayment of the loan.