Important Current Affairs 30th September 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Fumio Kishida to Become Japan’s Next Prime Minister After Party Election Win

• Japan’s former Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida has won the ruling party’s leadership election, virtually ensuring that he will become the country’s next prime minister. Kishida won 257 votes in a runoff to defeat Taro Kono, a popular vaccines minister who previously held the positions of defence and foreign minister.

• The 64-year-old replaces outgoing party leader Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after serving only one year since taking office last September. Kishida previously served as LDP policy chief and was foreign minister between 2012-17, during which he negotiated accords with Russia and South Korea, with whom Japan’s relations are often frosty.

North Korea claims successful test of a hypersonic missile

• North Korea successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8, in a bid to increase the nation’s capabilities for self-defence. The missile was one of the five most important new weapons systems laid out by North Korea in the five-year military development plan. This was the country’s third missile test in a month. Earlier it tested a new type of cruise missile, as well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.

• Hypersonic missiles fly at lower altitudes compared to ballistic weapon systems and can attain more than five times the speed of sound, restricting the interception capabilities of adversaries.

NATIONAL

Government of India started the work of developing ‘Parshuram Kund’ in Arunachal Pradesh

• The government of India has started work for the development of ‘Parshuram Kund’, a Hindu pilgrimage site on the Brahmputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit river in Arunachal Pradesh. The project costing Rs 37.88 crore was sanctioned under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.

• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2014-15 with complete financial assistance by the Government of India. It was targeted to develop tourism infrastructure to harness pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations for its direct and multiplier effect upon employment generation and economic development.

Housing Minister Hardeep Puri launches seventh edition of Swachh Survekshan 2022

• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2022. The seventh edition of the annual cleanliness survey in the urban areas, under which district rankings have been introduced for the first time. The voice of senior citizens and young adults will also be given priority.

• This survey will create a level playing field for smaller cities by introducing 2 population categories:-under 15,000 & btw 15,000-25,000. The scope of the survey has been expanded to now cover 100 per cent wards for sampling as compared to 40 per cent in previous years, according to the ministry.

• The Mission is also committed to continuously engage with citizens to improve the quality of public sanitation infrastructure and services. To this end, the ‘Sarvajanik Shauchalay Safai Jan Bhagidari Utsav’ will be facilitated to assess the quality of community and public toilets and capture citizen feedback for process improvement in future.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated 'Nidhi 2.0' scheme

• The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla has inaugurated the NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) scheme, during an event organised by the Ministry of Tourism, on the occasion of 2021 World Tourism Day. The NIDHI 2.0 database will have more inclusivity, by not only including accommodation units, but also travel agents, tour operators, & others.

• The NIDHI scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate the digitalization of the tourism sector and promote ease of doing business for the hospitality & tourism sector, by encouraging all accommodation units to register themselves on the platform to become part of the hospitality industry.

• As a part of the occasion, the Ministry of Tourism signed an MoU with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and The Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) to actively promote and support ‘sustainability initiatives’ in the tourism sector of each other.

Titled  “जनCARE” launched by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh

• As a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh (Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology) launched the “AmritGrand Challenge Program” titled “जनCARE”. The Grand Challenge aims to identify 75 Start-Up and entrepreneurs, who come out with Innovative Ideas and Solutions for India’s healthcare challenges, that can work in Low Resource Settings, for strengthening Healthcare Delivery in India.

• The Challenge has been launched jointly by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), NASSCOM and NASSCOM Foundation, as a nationwide “Discover – Design – Scale” program.

• The “जनCARE” Amrit Challenge will recognise start-ups in fields like Innovations in Telemedicine, Digital Health, mHealth with BIG Data, AI, BlockChain and other technologies.The Challenge will end on December 31, 2021.

APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION

CavinKare CMD CK Ranganathan named as the new AIMA president for One year

• Chairman & managing director CavinKare Pvt Ltd, CK Ranganathan has been appointed president of All India Management Association (AIMA) for a period of one year till the National Management Convention is held in September 2022. He takes over from Harsh Pati Singhania, vice chairman & managing director, JK Paper Ltd. Under his leadership, technology will drive AIMA”s services and the new initiatives would include face recognition tools for admission and recruitment testing services and remotely proctored semester examination for education institutes.

• AIMA is the national apex body of the management profession in India. It works closely with industry, government, academia and students to further the cause of the management profession in India.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Translation Day 2021: 30th September

• Every year, International Translation Day is marked on 30 September. The International Federation of Translators (FIT) organise the day ever since it was set up in 1953. The day aims to celebrate the work of language translation professionals which facilitates dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to the development and strengthening of world peace and security. International Translation Day 2021 theme: “United in translation”.

• The International Federation of Translators (FIT) organise the day ever since it was set up in 1953. The first official celebration of ITD was held in 1991. The day also marks the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators.

World Maritime Day 2021: 30th September

• World Maritime Day 2021 is observed globally on 30th September. The exact date of celebrating World Maritime Day is left to the individual governments but is usually celebrated during the last week in September. The theme of World Maritime Day 2021 is “Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future”.

• The theme for this year reflects a clear need to raise awareness of seafarersʹ crucial role in world trade and increase their visibility. The World Maritime theme for 2021 will provide the opportunity to focus on seafarers as the people at the heart of shipping, while also allowing for activities to delve into specific topics relevant to the role of the seafarer in safety, maritime security, environmental protection and seafarersʹ well-being; and the future of seafaring against a backdrop of increased digitalization and automation.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Yemeni humanitarian organization wins 2021 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award

• A humanitarian organization from Yemen has been declared as the winner of the 2021 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award. The organisation named “Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development”, founded in 2017 by Ameen Jubran has won the prestigious honour to support and provide a lifeline to tens of thousands of Yemenis people displaced by the country’s conflict.

• The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award honours individuals, groups or organizations for going above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, other displaced and stateless people.

BANKING AND ECONOMIC

NPCI launches 'RuPay On-the-Go' with YES BANK in partnership with Neokred and Seshaasai

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with private sector lender YES Bank to launch first-of-its-kind ‘RuPay On-the-Go’ contactless payments solutions. The RuPay On-the-Go contactless solution is mainly a wearable payment solution, launched to enable customers to make small and large value transactions from accessories that they wear every day.

• The solution would eliminate the need to carry a physical card, and customers can use the solution at RuPay contactless-enabled PoS at retail outlets and pay up to Rs 5,000 without the need for a PIN. The solution is based on a simple ‘Tap, pay, go’ mechanism. It has been launched in association with fintech infrastructure partner Neokred and manufacturing partner Seshaasai.