Current Affairs
Select Date
Tags:
Hindi

Important Current Affairs 9th October 2020

National

India’s first B2B Crypto trading exchange DigitX launched

• DigitX, India’s first business-to-business (B2B) cryptocurrency trading exchange, began its trading operations.

• DigiX aims to deliver transparent and secure model with its network of trusted links in a first of its kind industry initiative to instill trust and confidence in its investors and traders of cryptocurrency.

Government launches online startup discovery platform ‘Startup India Showcase’

• To further give boost to the Indian startups, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched an online discovery platform for startups called “Startup India Showcase”.

• The main aim of this website is to make a repository of India’s most promising startups that have proved their capabilities, from across sectors such as fintech, enterprise tech, social impact, healthtech, and edtech, among others.

• The listed firms will also be considered by the government and corporate buyers as potential suppliers of goods or services.

• The startups mentioned on the website will be handpicked by experts, and will go through multiple screening and evaluation rounds,

• Each startup will have its own profile page, with a detailed information about its product and innovation, as well as video and PDF links.

International

Russia Successfully Test-Launches ‘Tsirkon’ Hypersonic Missile

• Russia has successfully test-fired its highly touted hypersonic cruise missile called Tsirkon in the waters of northwestern Russia.

• The missile traveled four and a half minutes at the hypersonic speed of more than Mach 8 and a maximum altitude of 28 kilometers.

Banking and Economy

World Bank report states India's Economy to contract by 9.6% in FY21

• India's economy is expected to contract by 9.6 per cent in the current fiscal year (2020-21) because of C-19 pandemic, the World Bank said on October 8, 2020. India's economy is the largest in South Asia.

• The World Bank in its biannual regional update stated that South Asia is set to plunge into its worst-ever recession as the devastating impacts of C-19 on the region's economies linger on. This would take a toll on the informal workers and push millions into extreme poverty in South Asia.

• As per the World Bank report, the regional growth of South Asia is expected to contract by 7.7 per cent in 2020 after topping 6 per cent annually in the past five years.  However, the regional growth is projected to rebound to 4.5 per cent in 2021.

• The income-per-capita in the region will remain 6 per cent below 2019 estimates, factoring growth in population. This indicates that the expected rebound will not offset the lasting economic damage caused by the pandemic.

API integration between PM SVANidhi and SBI portal launched

With an aim to ease processing of loan applications, the Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra has initiated the Application Programming Interface (API), integration between the PM SVANidhi Portal and the State Bank of India (SBI) portal.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 announced

• The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2020 is awarded to the American poet Louise Glück “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”.

• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded by The Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden.

Obituary

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passes away

• Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan passed away. He was born on 5 July 1946. He was also the president of the Lok Janshakti Party and current Rajya Sabha MP.

• An eight-time Lok Sabha MP, Paswan went to jail during Indira Gandhi’s tenure when an emergency was imposed in the country. He began his political career as a member of the Samyukta Socialist Party and in 1969 became a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.

Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar passes away

• Ashwani Kumar, former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, and ex-CBI Director passed away.

• He was born at Nahan in Sirmaur district and joined the Indian Police Force in 1973.

• From March 2013 to July 2014, he served as the Governor of Nagaland and also held the additional charge of Governor of Manipur for some time.

Appointments and Resignations

Govt appoints M Rajeshwar Rao as new deputy governor of RBI

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed M Rajeshwar Rao as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• Currently, BP Kanungo, MK Jain and Micheal Patra are the deputy governors.Rao will take charge as the fourth deputy governor. The post became vacant after N S Vishwanathan demitted office in March citing health reasons just before his tenure was to end.

• Prior to this, he was the chief general manager of the financial markets operations department.

J Venkatramu appointed MD and CEO of India Post Payments Bank

• J Venkatramu has been appointed the managing director and chief executive officer of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). He will succeed Suresh Sethi, who served the post till March 2020.

• Venkatramuis presently working as the chief digital officer in Equitas Small Finance Bank. He has been appointed to the post of MD and CEO of IPPB for a period of three years.

Ranking

World Water Development Report 2020 released by United Nations

• The World Water Development Report 2020 and PCRWR Groundwater Investigation and Mapping report released by the United Nations.

• Around 74% of all-natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related and during the past 20 years.

• Floods could cost South Asia as much as US$215 billion each year by 2030

• Global floods and extreme rainfall events have increased by more than 50% this decade, and are now occurring at a rate four times higher than in 1980.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 8th October 2020

National

India gets its first ever Brand & Logo for its Cotton on World Cotton Day

• On the occasion of the 2nd World Cotton Day, the Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, launched the first ever Brand & Logo for Indian Cotton on  7th October, 2020 through Video Conferencing.

• It means that from now on, the premium Cotton of India would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton Trade.

• The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness.

International

Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar Razzaz resigns

• Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz submitted his resignation to Jordan’s King Abdullah.

• King Abdullah accepted his resignation but asked him to stay on as a caretaker premier until he designates a successor to oversee parliamentary elections on Nov. 10.

• The monarch dissolved parliament at the end of its four-year term in a move that under constitutional rules meant the government had to resign within a week.

Banking and Economy

ICICI becomes the first Bank to offer debit card to customers availing LAS

• ICICI Bank and Visa has partnered to launch a debit card facility for the customers who avail Loans Against Securities (LAS) from the bank.

• Thus ICICI Bank has become the first bank in India to launch this facility after RBI allowed banks to issue electronics cards to customers who avail OD (Overdraft) facility.

• Customer can make use of this card to make payments through POS (Point of Sale) and online transactions by making use of sanctioned LAS account. The maximum daily transaction limit is Rs 3 lakhs.

Summits and Mou’s

NCERT signed an MoU with ISLRTC for deaf children

• To make textbooks and other study material easily accessible for deaf children through sign language, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed an MoU with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).

• It will not only enhance their vocabulary, but also enhance their capabilities to understand concepts.

Awards

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing.”

• Emmanuelle Charpentier is a Director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany.Jennifer A. Doudna is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Govt announces results of 1st National Startup Awards

• The Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal announced the Results of the first ever National Startup Awards 2020 on 6th October 2020.

• The award has been introduced by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to recognize and reward outstanding Startups and ecosystem enablers that are building innovative products or solutions and scalable enterprises, with high potential of employment generation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social impact.

• The first edition of the Awards had applications from 12 sectors, which were further sub-classified into a total of 35 categories. A total of 1641 applications were received from startups from 23 States and 4 Union Territories.

• All applicants were evaluated against six broad parameters namely Innovation, Scalability, Economic Impact, Social Impact, Environmental Impact, and Inclusiveness and Diversity.

Acquisitions and Mergers

ADIA will invest Rs 5,512.5 crore in Reliance Industries Ltd

• Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will invest Rs 5,512.5 crore in Reliance Industries Ltd’s retail arm.

• With this investment, RRVL has raised Rs 37,710 crore from leading global investors including Silver Lake, KKR, General Atlantic, Mubadala, GIC, TPG and ADIA in less than four weeks.

Science and Technology

C-DAC to commission India’s fastest HPC-AI Supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi – AI’ with NVIDIA

• The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will be commissioning India’s largest HPC-AI supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi – AI’.

• This initiative will place India among the top countries in global AI supercomputing research and innovation.

• The initiative was headed by Abhishek Das, Scientist and Program Director (HPC-AI Infrastructure Development) at C-DAC, who conceived the idea and designed the architecture for the largest HPC-AI infrastructure in India.

ICG Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Vigraha’ Launched to Enhance Coastal Security

• The seventh offshore patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), ‘Vigraha’ was formally unveiled at the Kattupalli port. The vessel is expected to be inducted into the Coast Guard after completion of extensive trials and testing for the equipment and machinery by March 2021.

• The vessel, built by Larsen and Toubro, is the last in the series of seven OPVs contracted to the company by the Ministry of Defence in 2015.

• The OPV is 98 metres long, 15 metres wide, has 3.6 m draught, 2140T displacement and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.

Appointments and Resignations

MA Ganapathy Appointed Director General of Civil Aviation Security

• A 1986 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre,M A Ganapathy has been appointed as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) for a tenure up to his superannuation on February 29, 2024

• The post of BCAS chief fell vacant after Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force in August.

Days

Air Force Day 2020

• Air Force Day is observed every year on 8 October.The Air Force Day 2020 celebrates the 88th anniversary of the official foundation day of the force on October 8.

• Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the Royal Indian Air Force. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 7th October 2020

National

MoHUA enters into MoU with Swiggy to take street food vendors online under PM SVANIDHI scheme

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has entered into an MoU with Swiggy, one of the leading food delivery platforms, to onboard street food vendors on its e-commerce platform under the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme

• The MoU aims at giving the street food vendors online access to thousands of consumers and help them grow their businesses.

• The Ministry and Swiggy will run a pilot programme by on-boarding 250 vendors across five cities namely – Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Indore, and Varanasi.

CM Kejriwal announces campaign against pollution-‘Yudh Pradushan Ke Virudh’

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a mega anti-air pollution campaign, saying polluted air can be life threatening in view of the C-19 pandemic.

• Under the campaign “Yudh Pradushan ke Virudh”, separate plans have been prepared for each of the 13 pollution hotspots in the city.

International

12th BRICS Summit to be held virtually on November 17, Russia to chair

• The 12th BRICS Summit will be held on 17th November 2020 via video conference. The theme of the Meeting of the Leaders of BRICS countries is “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.

• The Summit this year is being held under the Chairmanship of Russia and aims at a multifaceted cooperation between the member countries.

Banking and Economy

Sebi introduces ‘very high risk category’ in risk-o-meter tool for mutual fund schemes

• Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a new “very high risk” category on its Mutual Funds (MF) riskometer tool, to warn investors, investing in mutual fund schemes.

• Currently the mutual fund (MF) risk-o-meter has five categories – low, moderately low, moderate, moderately high and high. It indicates the scheme’s risk level.

• The revamped 6 categories Risk-o-meter will come into effect from 01 January 2021.

Awards

Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez wins 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics on 6th October 2020.

• One half of the award has been given to Roger Penrose for black hole discovery; and the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez.

• UK’s Roger Penrose has been awarded “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity”

• America’s Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez have jointly won “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.

IACC presents lifetime achievement award to Ratan Tata

• The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) has presented the lifetime achievement award to business icon Ratan Tata for his pioneering role in the Business Relations of India-USA and for his lifetime achievement in Global Leadership.

• Tata, who grew the revenues for India’s largest conglomerate ‘The Tata Group’ to nearly USD 100 billion by 2011-12, remains an influential industrialist, philanthropist and humanitarian to the day.

• This award was announced in the virtual event of IACC “C-19 Crusader Award-2020”. This is the 1st time IACC conferred the Lifetime Achievement award to any individual.

Appointments and Resignations

Dinesh Kumar Khara becomes new Chairman of SBI

• The government of India has appointed Dinesh Kumar Khara as the new Chairman of State Bank of India for a period of three years. His appointment is effective from October 7. Currently, Khara is the Managing Director in-charge of Global Banking & Subsidiaries.

• The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) had recommended Khara for the post of Chairman of SBI on August 28, ruling out an extension to Rajnish Kumar, whose term is ending on October 6.

Ranking

Mumbai ranks second after Delhi in crimes against women, shows NCRB data

• According to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Mumbai recorded 6,519 cases, after national capital Delhi at 12,902 cases during the year 2019.

• Mumbai is ranked second among 19 cities in the country in recording the highest number of crimes against women after Delhi. Mumbai has 76.5 rate of crime against women as compared to other cities such as Jaipur (235), Lucknow (175.4), Delhi (170.3), Indore (169.1), Patna (102.3), Kanpur (98.5), Nagpur (93.6) and Bengaluru (85.9).

• Delhi and Mumbai are ranked in the top two, respectively, for reporting the maximum number of cases of crimes against children.

• Mumbai also has the highest number of sexual harassment incidents on public transport and recorded the highest number of cases for use of children in pornography.

• The financial capital also ranked third on the list of rape cases after Delhi and Jaipur.

Days

World Cotton Day

• The WHO-recognised World Cotton Day (WCD) is observed on 7th October since 2019 to celebrate the international cotton industry and its contribution to communities and the global economy..

• The day was inaugurated by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva on October 7, 2019.

• WCD Day was initiated by the Group of Cotton-4 countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali to the reflect the importance of cotton as a global commodity.

Wildlife week is celebrated on October 2 to 8.

• The Wildlife Week was adopted by National Board of Wildlife.

• This Week was conceptualized in 1952 with an objective of raising awareness to serve the long-term goal of safeguarding the lives of wildlife through critical action.

• The Government of India is also established an Indian Board of Wild Life which works to improve awareness towards the preservation of wildlife.

• The annual theme of the campaign is to promote the preservation of fauna of animal life.

Books and Authors

Book named “Bapu-The Unforgettable” released by Delhi Deputy CM  Manish Sisodia

• The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia released the book named “Bapu-The Unforgettable”.

• The book was released on Gandhi Jayanti virtually through video conferencing.

• The event was organised by the Delhi Archives & Department of Art, Culture and Language, Government of Delhi.

• A webinar titled “Footprints of Gandhi Ji in Delhi” also took place in that event.

“Baahubali” series author Anand Neelakantan pens debut kids’ book

• The author of Baahubali series, Anand Neelakantan has authored his first kid’s book titled “The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”, published by Puffins Publishers Private Limited under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

•  The illustrations of the book are made by Subhadeep Roy and Shiladitya Bose.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 6th October 2020

National

Union Minister Jitendra Singh releases Coffee Table Book ‘Discovering the Heritage of Assam’, authored by Padampani Bora with foreword by Amitabh Bachchan

• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh released a Coffee Table Book on “Discovering the Heritage of Assam”, written by Padampani Bora and having foreword by Amitabh Bachchan. The book has been published by Penguin.

• With beautiful pictures and photographs, the book depicts the heritage, faith, beliefs and traditions of different ethnic tribes and subtribes living in Assam, the largest State of the North Eastern Region.

• The author, Padampani Bora, is by profession an officer of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS-2009 batch), but has over the years established himself as an accomplished author, specializing in the subjects reflecting diverse nuances of the North Eastern Region of India.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 announced

• The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden on October 5, 2020, announced that the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Charles M. Rice, and Michael Houghton for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus.

• The discovery of the virus is termed as a landmark achievement in a battle against the virus that is a big threat to human health. The three scientists have made a crucial contribution in a fight against blood-borne hepatitis that causes liver cancer and cirrhosis in people.

• The discovery of the Hepatitis C virus by the three scientists revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives.

• The prestigious Nobel prize award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million Swedish Kronor.

• As per the World Health Organisation, over 70 million cases, and 4,00,000 deaths due to Hepatitis are recorded every year.

Right Livelihood Award 2020 announced

• The Right Livelihood Award Foundation has announced the four winners of the 2020 Right Livelihood Award 2020 which is also known as the alternative Nobel Prize in Stockholm.

• The four activists Ales Bialiatski of Belarus, Nasrin Sotoudeh of Iran, Bryan Stevenson of the United States(US) and Lottie Cunningham Wren of Nicaragua shared the 2020 award for their contribution towards equality, democracy, justice and freedom.

Science and Technology

DRDO successfully flight tests weapon system SMART- Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo

• India has successfully flight-tested SMART (Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo) from the Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha on October 5, 2020.

• The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the successful flight test of SMART. He mentioned it to be a major technology breakthrough in anti-submarine warfare.

• A number of DRDO laboratories, including RCI Hyderabad, DRDL, NSTL Vishakhapatnam, ADRDE Agra have developed the technologies that were required for SMART.

Obituary

Justice AS Dave, former Judge and acting CJ of the Gujarat HC passes away

• Former Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court Justice Anantkumar Surendraray Dave passed away at the age of 62.

• Justice Dave was appointed as a Gujarat High Court Judge in 2004 and was made permanent in 2006.

• He was appointed as an Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on November 14, 2018 and served until the present Chief Justice Vikram Nath took over the helm in September 2019.

Veteran Social activist Pushpa Bhave passes away

• Veteran social activist Prof Pushpa Bhave, also known as the Iron Lady of Mumbai, has passed away following a prolonged illness. She was 81.

• Bhave has been associated with the Rashtra Seva Dal and democratic movements since her student days.

Ranking

Puducherry airport becomes AAI’s first 100% solar-powered airport

• The Puducherry airport has become the first airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) which is entirely solar-powered.

• The 500KWp ground-mounted solar power plant was commissioned on 2nd October 2020. The approx cost of the plant is Rs 2.8 crore.

• With becoming absolutely power-neutral, the Puducherry airport will be able to meet its entire power requirement through the solar power plant.

Days

World Space Week

• World Space Week is celebrated on October 4-10, to commemorate the launch of earth’s first human-made satellite, Sputnik I, on October 4, 1957, and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty on October 10, 1967.

• 2020 World Space Week is dedicated to satellites and their broad benefits under the theme “Satellites improve life.”

World Habitat Day 2020

• World Habitat Day is observed every year on the first Monday of October throughout the world to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter as well as remind people that they are responsible for the habitat of future generations.

• In 2020, the World Habitat Day is being celebrated on 5th October. The theme for 2020 World Habitat Day is Housing For All — A Better Urban Future.

• It was officially designated by the United Nations in 1985 and first celebrated in 1986.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 5th October 2020

National

PM to inaugurate Summit RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’

• Prime Minister will inaugurate a mega virtual summit on Artificial Intelligence RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ on October 5, 2020, at 7 PM.

• According to an official release from PMO, the mega virtual summit will be organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and NITI Aayog on October 5-9, 2020.

• The release also informed that PM plans on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for inclusive development, representing India’s ‘AI for ALL’ strategy in the spirit for Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas.

Banking and Economy

NABARD launches refinance scheme for WASH programme, earmarks Rs 800 cr for FY’21

• In a bid to promote sustainable and healthy lifestyle in rural areas, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) announced a special refinance facility to support the government”s Water, Sanitisation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

• An amount of Rs 800 crore has been earmarked for this purpose for the financial year 2020-21.

• NABARD will provide concessional refinance to all eligible financial institutions, including commercial banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks, with a repayment period of up to 36 months.

Awards

Robert Lewandowski wins UEFA Player of the Year award

• The Polish forward scored 15 goals on the way to Bayern Munich’s sixth Champions League title, hitting the target in every match before the final except a group game against Tottenham Hotspur when he was rested.

• Other players in consideration were Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

• He also fired 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches and six in five German Cup games, helping Bayern win both competitions

• The German champions’ manager Hansi Flick won UEFA’s coach of the year of the award.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Warburg Pincus invests Rs 700 cr to acquire stake in Home First Finance

• Home First Finance, True North-backed affordable housing finance firm, said it has entered into an agreement with Warburg Pincus-affiliate Orange Clove Investments BV for an investment of Rs 700 cr.

• The investment is a combination of primary fund raise and secondary sales by existing shareholders.

• As of March 31, 2020, Home First had an asset under management (AUM) of Rs 3,618 crore with a net worth of Rs 933 crore and a gross non-performing asset of 0.87 per cent.

Science and Technology

Reliance develops RT-PCR kit that gives C-19 results in 2 hours

• Reliance Life Sciences has developed an RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) kit that will be able to diagnose C-19 infection in just about 2 hours.

• The computational biologists as Reliance Life Sciences, which is a subsidiary of billionaire Mukesh Ambani- run Reliance Industries Ltd., had analyzed more than 100 genomes of SARS-CoV-2 sequenced in the country and had designed unique RT-PCR primers for developing the qualitative RT-PCR kit for C-19 detection.

• Currently, the test for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 takes up to 24 hours for the results.

Sports

India’s Visnu wins gold in International Online Shooting Championship

• In Shooting, India’s Visnu Shivaraj Pandian has won the 10m air rifle event at the fifth edition of the International Online Shooting Championship held on 3rd October 2020.

• The 16-year-old Visnu shot 251.4 to win the title by a clear margin of two points.

• The world No. 27 Etienne Germond of France came second followed by Martin Strempfl of Austria at third place.

Days

World Teachers’ Day

• World Teachers’ Day is observed globally on 5th October since 1994. The day provides the occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements, and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.

• In 2020, World Teachers’ Day will celebrate teachers with the theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 4th October 2020

National

Kerala’s first Mega Food Park inaugurated virtually

• Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare inaugurated Kerala’s first and nation’s twentieth mega food park in Palakkad district. The inauguration was conducted virtually through video conferencing.

• The Park will also provide direct and indirect employment to 5,000 persons and benefit about 25,000 farmers. This Mega Food Park has been set up in 79.42 acres of land at a project cost of Rs. 102.13 crore.

Tamil Nadu & Arunachal Pradesh integrated under One Nation One Ration Card Scheme

• Two more States, Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh have been integrated with existing national portability cluster of 26 States and UTs under One Nation One Ration Card.

• With this, a total of 28 States and UTs are now seamlessly connected with each other under the ‘ One Nation One Ration Card plan’, which aims to provide an option to all NFSA beneficiaries.

• The beneficiaries of these states can lift their entitled foodgrains under NFSA from any ePoS enabled Fair Price Shop of their choice anywhere in the country, by using their existing/same ration card with Aadhaar authentication on ePoS device.

National Institute Of Naturopathy’s Tribal Unit set up in Pune

• A 20-bed tribal unit of the National Institute of Naturopathy was inaugurated in Pune’s Ambegaon tehsil by Union AYUSH minister Shripad Naik. It would provide free clinical services to the tribal population in the area.

• A research unit on tribal practices for health maintenance had also been set up and it will be a “repository of knowledge and will work in areas of education, nutrition and health problems of the tribal population”.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020 comes into force

• As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, the amended Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act came into force on 29 September 2020.

• The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020 amends the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.

• As per the amended law, furnishing of Aadhaar numbers by office-bearers of NGOs has become mandatory for registration. The Act also provides for reduction in administrative expenses of any NGO receiving foreign funding, from 50 per cent to 20 per cent of annual funds to ensure spending on their main objectives.

International

US commits USD 1.9 mn to India to support informal sector workers

• The United States has announced a financial aid of USD 1.9 million for India to support vulnerable populations like informal sector workers whose livelihoods have been disrupted due to C-19.

• The fund will be extended by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to support efforts to rebuild local economies and improve the livelihoods of Indians who have been hit hardest by this pandemic.

Summits and Mou’s

India signs USD 90 million defence deal with US to buy spares for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft

• India and the United States have entered into a defence deal worth $90-million, wherein US would provide equipment, spare parts and logistical support for India’s fleet of C-130J Super Hercules cargo aircraft.

• As per the deal, the US will repair the C-130J Super Hercules to India, as well as supply spare part and ground support.

• India has also ordered an AN/ALR-56M advanced radar warning system, 10 lightweight night vision binoculars, 10-night vision glasses, GPS and electronic warfare to the US.

Awards

Founder of Sari Recycling Project Wins Goldman Sachs And Fortune Global Women Leaders Award

• Rayana Edwards, the South African who started a project to empower women to recycle saris into internationally-acclaimed fashion garments, has been named as a joint winner of this year’s Goldman Sachs and Fortune Global Women Leaders award(USD 25,000).

• The other winner was Emma Dicks, founder of CodeSpace Academy, a coding school.

Science and Technology

ICMR develops “Purified Antisera” as treatment

• The Indian Council of Medical Research has developed “Purified Antisera”. The antiserum has been obtained from animals. This is to be used as a prophylaxis and treatment for C-19.

• The new therapy works just like that of plasma therapy. But here the plasma is obtained from animals. Antiserum is blood-based serum that holds antibodies against viruses.

• In this new therapy, the serum is raised from horses that have recovered from viral infection and found to hold antibodies against the virus in their system.

Days

World Animal Day

• The World Animal Day is observed annually on October 4 since 1929.The day aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe.

• It was originated by Heinrich Zimmermann and he organized the first World Animal Day on 24 March 1925 at the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 3rd October 2020

National

World’s longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’ to be opened by Prime Minister

•  Prime Minister of India will open World’s longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’ on 3 October 2020.

•  This Tunnel is named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

•  This is 9.2 km long tunnel which is the longest highway tunnel in the world.

•  This tunnel is connecting Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year.

•  It reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4 to 5 hours.

Tribes India E-Marketplace – India’s Largest Market of Tribal Products

•  Union Minister for Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda will launch – India’s Largest Market of Tribal Products named Tribes India E-Marketplace on 02 October 2020, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

•  This Tribes India e-Marketplace is an initiative of the government which aims to give platform for 5 lakh tribal producers for sourcing of various handicraft, handloom, organic food products across the country and brings the best of tribal produce.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches CSIR Technologies for rural development

•  The Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched CSIR Technologies for rural development under a joint initiative of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA).

•  The initiative was launched during the celebrations of 40th foundation day of CSIR-NISTADS.

Banking and Economy

BRICS Bank approves loans for Mumbai Metro, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail

•  The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS countries has approved loan for Mumbai metro and for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project.

•  $241 million loan for the Mumbai metro rail-II project will be used for implementing a metro rail line 6 with a length of 14.47 km in Mumbai

•  A loan of $500 million has been approved for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project.

SBI signs MoU with HUL for an end to end digital solutions for ecosystem

•  India’s largest lender State Bank of India has entered into a partnership with FMCG major Hindustan Unilever to offer corporate solutions to its trade partners.

•  The partnership aims to make availing of credit easy for channel partners, provides UPI based payment solutions and PoS terminals to retailers & distributors

•  The objective of the partnership is to augment the width of credit and will be beginning a pilot in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Awards

Bengal Peerless ropes in former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador

•  City based real estate developer Bengal Peerless Housing has roped in Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador for the company.

•  The former national cricket team captain and current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Ganguly will primarily lead the campaign of the company’s residential project Avidipta II on EM Bypass.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presents Swachh Bharat Awards 2020

•  The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria virtually conferred the Swachh Bharat 2020 Awards to the best performing States/UTs, districts, blocks, GPs in various categories on 2nd October 2020.

•  The Ministry of Jal Shakti is observing the Swachh Bharat Diwas, 2020 on 2nd October to mark six years of the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

•  The Swachh Bharat 2020 Awards were conferred under three categories which are:

 Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shauchalaya (SSSS) campaign

 Samudayik Shauchalaya Abhiyan (SSA)

 Gandagi Se Mukt (GMB) campaign

Science and Technology

DRDO successfully test fires laser-guided anti-tank guided missile

•  The indigenously developed Laser Guided Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was successfully test fired by DRDO on 1st Oct 2020. It defeated a target located at longer range. The test was conducted from MBT Arjun at KK ranges (ACC&S) Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.

•  This Laser guided ATGM has been developed by Armament R&D Establishment (ARDE), Pune in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun.

•  It has a tandem HEAT warhead to destroy Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles in ranges from 1.5 to 5 km.The missile is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.

Appointments and Resignations

Crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah becomes Kuwait’s new ruling emir

•  Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah became the oil-rich nation’s new ruling emir, after the death of his half-brother Sheikh Sabah al- AhmadAl- Sabah at the age of 91.

•  Sheikh Nawaf, 83, had served as the crown prince since 2006, jumping a traditional order of alternating rule between the Al Jaber and the Al Salim branches of the country’s ruling family.

RBI Approves Appointment of CoD to Run Dhanlaxmi Bank Till Appointment Of CEO

•  Dhanlaxmi Bank said that the RBI has approved a three-member interim committee of directors, to run the private sector bank after the shareholders voted out its MD and CEO Sunil Gurbaxani.

•  The committee of directors (CoD) will be constituted with G Subramonia Iyer as chairman and G Rajagopalan Nair and P K Vijayakumar as its members.

Apurva Chandra appointed as Secretary of Ministry of Labour & Employement

•  Apurva Chandra appointed as new secretary of Union Ministry of Labour & Employement.

•  Earlier he was serving as Special Director General, Defence Acquisition, Ministry of Defence.

•  He belongs to the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Maharashtra Cadre.

SBI appoints Charanjit Attra as CFO

•  The State Bank of India (SBI) has appointed Charanjit Singh Attra as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with effect from 01 October 2020.

•  The post was lying vacant after the former Deputy MD & CFO Prashant Kumar, was appointed as the CEO of Yes Bank in March 2020.

•  C Venkat Nageshwar was serving the post on interim capacity.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 2nd October 2020

National

Government constitutes panel to screen China's foreign investment proposals

• The Indian government has set up a screening panel to vet all the Chinese foreign investment proposals and those which will be considered non-controversial could be approved.

• The screening panel has been headed by the home secretary and has the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary as a member. As per the senior official, more than 100 proposals involving the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China are pending.

• In April 2020, prior government clearance was made mandatory for FDI from the countries sharing a land border. The step was widely seen to be directed at curbing Chinese takeover of companies amid stock market volatility during the C-19 pandemic.

First VVIP aircraft 'Air India One' for PM, President, Vice President arrives

• The first of the two VVIP aircraft Air India One for President, Vice President, and Prime Minister arrived in India on October 1, 2020.

• The Special Extra Section Flight (SESF) aircraft for the country's VVIP arrived at Delhi's International Airport from the United States. A joint team of senior officers from Air India, VVIP security personnel and senior government officials had gone to the US to accept the delivery of the VVIP's flight Air India One.

• The Air India One is equipped with an advanced and secured communication system, which will enable availing audio and video communication functions mid-air without any worries of hacking or being taped.

• The VVIP aircraft B-777 will replace wide-body aircraft Boeing B-747 jumbo aircraft whose call sign is Air India One.

Banking and Economy

RBI Excludes 6 PSBs from Second Schedule of RBI Act

• The RBI has excluded six public sector banks, including OBC and Allahabad Bank, from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act following their merger with other banks.

• The six banks are Syndicate Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), United Bank of India, Andhra Bank, Corporation Bank, and Allahabad Bank.

• These six banks merged with other public sector banks (PSBs) with effect from April 1.There were as many as 27 PSBs in 2017.The total number of PSBs in the country has now come down to 12.

SBI Card joins hands with American Express to offer premium benefits, services

• SBI Card has joined hands with American Express to offer global benefits and exclusive privileges for consumers in India.

• Under this agreement, SBI Card’s top-end products SBI Card ELITE and SBI Card PRIME will be available on American Express’ global network.

• Customers will also get benefits like pre-ticketing access to sporting and entertainment events such as the Wimbledon and the US Open which are presently accessible virtually.

Summits and Mou’s

Gujarat inks MoU with Denmark in water sector

• The Government of Gujarat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Denmark in water sector.

• The MoU was signed through online interactive platform between the Gujarat government arm ‘Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board’ and ‘Deanish Water Forum’.

• The MoU will facilitate technology exchange, training, capacity building, knowledge exchange, cooperation in water supply, waste water treatment/reuse and water management.

Science and Technology

ISRO to launch its Venus Mission in 2025, France to take part

• ISRO is scheduled to launch its Venus mission in 2025 and France will participate in it.

• The VIRAL (Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker) instrument co-developed with the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos and the LATMOS atmospheres, environments and space observations laboratory attached to the French national scientific research centre CNRS has been selected by the ISRO after a request for proposals.

• CNES will coordinate and prepare the French contribution, the first time a French payload will be flown on an Indian exploration mission.

Sports

Kiren Rijiju launches new logo of Sports Authority of India

• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) new logo at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.

• The new logo signifies SAI’s journey of metamorphosis from identifying and nurturing grassroot level sporting talent to creating sporting excellence in the country.

Ranking

“Crimes in India” Report, Released by NCRB – Crimes against women increased by 7.3%

• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data released the Crimes in India Report for the year of 2019.

• As per the Report, crimes against women increased by 7.3% between 2018 and 2019.

 Crimes against women: Assam

 Crimes against scheduled castes: Uttar Pradesh

 Crimes against girl children: Uttar Pradesh

 Highest number of dowry cases: Uttar Pradesh

 Highest number of acid attack: Uttar Pradesh

 Rapes against Dalit women: Rajasthan

Days

International Day of Non-Violence

• Every year, 02 October is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence, to mark the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

• This day is referred to as Gandhi Jayanti in India. On 15 June 2007 the United Nations General Assembly, voted to establish 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence.

• The day aims to “spread the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.

• The year 2020 marks 151th birth anniversary of the global peace icon who was born on 2 October 1869, in Porbandar in Gujarat.

World Vegetarian Day

• World Vegetarian Day is observed annually on October 1 globally to raise awareness about the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

• The day was initiated by the North American Vegetarian Society in Scotland in 1977 during the World Vegetarian Congress.

International Coffee Day

• International Coffee Day is celebrated on 1st October every year to celebrate millions of people across the world who do hard work to create and serve the beverage in the consumable form such as farmers, roasters, baristas, and coffee shop owners etc.

• The first ICD was launched in 2015 by the International Coffee Organization in Milan. The theme 2020 of the day is ‘‘Coffee’s Next Generation’’.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 1st October 2020

National

Rajnath Singh launches Defence India Startup Challenge-4 to promote innovation in defence sector

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC 4) during the iDEX event. iDEX4Fauji initiative and Product Management Approach (PMA) guidelines were also launched by the Raksha Mantri during the event.

• All these initiatives are aimed at expanding the horizons of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) ecosystem in the country.

• iDEX4Fauji is a first of its kind initiative, launched to support innovations identified by members of the Indian Armed Forces and will bolster frugal innovation ideas from soldiers/ field formations. iDEX4Fauji will allow our soldiers to become part of the innovation process and get recognised and rewarded.

International

India, Netherlands sign agreement to support decarbonisation

• NITI Aayog of India and the Embassy of the Netherlands in New Delhi have signed a Statement of Intent on  September 28, 2020 to support decarbonisation and energy transition agenda in order to accommodate cleaner energy.

• The main objective of the partnership is to co-create innovative technological solutions.

•  The SoI was signed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Marten van den Berg.

Banking and Economy

RBI sets WMA Limit for Govt at Rs 1,25,000 crore for the second half of FY21

• The Reserve Bank of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the second half of the financial year 2020-21 (October 2020 to March 2021) for Central Government at Rs. 1,25,000 crore.

• The Reserve Bank will trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India utilizes 75% of the WMA limit.

• The interest rate on WMA/overdraft will be:

WMA: Repo Rate

Overdraft: Two percent above the Repo Rate

Summits and Mou’s

Flipkart partners with Bajaj Allianz to offer cyber fraud insurance

• Keeping the upcoming festive season and growing online frauds in mind, Flipkart announced a partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company to offer ‘Digital Suraksha Group Insurance for customers in the country.

• The “Digital Suraksha Group Insurance” policy will cover financial losses caused by various kinds of online frauds and cyber attacks that might occur during digital transactions.

• The customers can choose for a one-year cover at premiums as low as Rs 183 for a cover of Rs 50,000, Rs 312 for Rs 1 lakh, and Rs 561 for Rs 2 lakh for a 12-months tenure, with covers also extending up to Rs 10 lakh.

BSE joins hands with Yes Bank to empower SMEs

• Leading stock exchange BSE said it has signed a pact with private sector lender Yes Bank to empower the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) listed on the platform.

• The pact aims at empowering the SME segment through awareness and knowledge-sharing programmes.

• As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), BSE and Yes Bank will conduct knowledge events for SMEs, export promotion of SMEs, in addition to providing banking and financial solutions.

Awards

Sonu Sood honoured with SDA Special Humanitarian Action Award by UNDP

• The veteran actor Sonu Sood has been conferred the prestigious SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 28 September 2020 during a virtual ceremony.

• The actor has been awarded for selflessly extending a helping hand and sending home lakhs of migrants, helping thousands of stranded students across geographies abroad, providing free education and medical facilities to young children and creating free employment opportunities to the needy in the wake of the C-19 pandemic.

Science and Technology

India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

• India successfully test-fired the extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on September 30, 2020. The BrahMos missile is capable of hitting targets at over 400 kilometre range.

• DRDO Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy said that the successful test will lead to adding more indigenous content to the supersonic cruise missile. The BrahMos can be launched from submarines, ships, fighter jets or land.

• The test-firing was carried out under the PJ-10 project of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile was launched with an indigenous booster from a land-based facility in Odisha.

• This is the second test-firing of the extended range version of the missile that has an indigenously developed airframe and booster. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has been developed as a joint venture between the DRDO and Russia’s Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM).

Obituary

‘I Am Woman’ Singer Helen Reddy passes away

• Singer Helen Reddy, whose 1972 song ‘I Am Woman’ became a global feminist anthem, died in Los Angeles aged 78.

• Helen Reddy’s 1971 version of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” launched a decade-long string of Top 40 hits, three of which reached No. 1.

• In 1973, she won the best female vocal pop performance Grammy Award for “I Am Woman,” quickly thanking her then-husband and others in her acceptance speech.

Veteran lyricist songwriter Abhilash passes away

• Veteran songwriter Abhilash, who is best known for the song ‘Itni Shakti Hame Dena Daata’ from the 1986 film Ankush, has passed away. He was 74.

• His real name was Om Prakash. His song ‘Itni Shakti Hame Dena Daata’ has been translated into eight languages and is played as a prayer song across schools and other institutions even today.

Appointments and Resignations

Shekhar Kapur appointed president of FTII Society & chairman of FTII Governing Council

• Noted Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has been named as the President of Film and Television Institute of India, FTII Society and Chairman of Governing Council of FTII.

• He has a vast experience, will add more value to the Institute, will replace television producer BP Singh.

Ranking

Mukesh Ambani tops Hurun India Rich List for ninth consecutive year

• The Reliance Industries’ Chairman, and Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani has topped the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2020 for the ninth consecutive year.

• He has a total net worth of Rs 6,58,400 crore.

• London-based Hinduja brothers (SP Hinduja, along with his three brothers) is at second position with combined net worth of Rs 1,43,700 crore followed by HCL’s Shiv Nadar at third spot with net worth of Rs 1,41,700 crore.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 30th September 2020

National

Ministry of Home Affairs approves 3 more NIA branches at Chennai, Ranchi & Imphal

• The Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) has approved to set up 3 additional branches of National Investigation Agency (NIA) at Chennai, Ranchi and Imphal.

• The move is expected to ensure quick response to any emergency situation arising in these three states.It will also strengthen NIA’s capability to interrogate terrorism-related cases and other matters related to National Security.

• Presently, there are 9 branches of National Investigation Agency (NIA) which are located at:

1. Guwahati

2.  Jammu

3.  Mumbai

4. Kolkata

5. Kochi

6. Hyderabad

7. Raipur

8. Lucknow

9. Chandigarh

World’s longest span concrete deck extra-dosed cable stayed bridge inaugurated in Hyderabad

• Union MoS for Home G Kishan Reddy and Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao inaugurated the World’s longest span concrete deck extra-dosed cable-stayed bridge at Durgam Cheruvu of Hyderabad.

• The bridge was constructed at the cost of Rs 184 crore and it was built by Larsen & Toubro.

• The cable-stayed bridge portion is 435 m long, including the approaches at both ends, 25.8 m wide with a total of 52 stay cables.

International

India signs MoU with Denmark on Intellectual Property cooperation

• To further the objectives of National IPR Policy and become a major player in global innovation, India entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) Cooperation.

• The MoU aims at increasing IP co-operation between the two countries by way of exchange of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP awareness among public, authorities, businesses and research and educational institutions of both countries.

Banking and Economy

RBI approves 3-member committee of directors for Lakshmi Vilas Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India has appointed a 3-member Committee of Directors (CoD) to look after the affairs of Lakshmi Vilas Bank. This comes after, RBI had earlier removed seven directors of the board of LVB.

• The three members are- Meeta Makhan, Shakti Sinha, and Satish Kumar Kalra. Meeta Makhan is the head of this Committee of Directors (CoD).

Awards

Usha Mangeshkar gets Lata Mangeshkar award

• Maharashtra government announced the Lata Mangeshkar Award for 2020-21 to veteran singer Usha Mangeshkar.

• The award has been constituted for the felicitation of senior vocal artistes and their contribution. The award carries a cash prize of Rs five lakh and a citation.

Appointments and Resignations

Senior bureaucrat P D Vaghela appointed TRAI chairman

• Senior bureaucrat P D Vaghela was on Monday appointed as chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), according to a Personnel Ministry order.

• Vaghela, a 1986-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, is currently Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals. He will succeed R S Sharma.

ITBP chief S S Deswal given additional charge of NSG DG

• ITBP Director General, S S Deswal has been given the additional charge of counter-terrorism force National Security Guard (NSG) as its incumbent chief A K Singh is going to retire on September 30.

•  This is the second time that Deswal, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service officer, has been directed to lead the NSG in an additional capacity.

Days

International Translation Day

• Every year, the 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 development and strengthening world peace and security.

• 2020 theme: Finding the words for a world in crisis.

International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

• International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction is observed globally on 29th September. This year is the first-ever observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

• It also comes during the global C-19 pandemic, that has brought about a global wake-up on the need to transform and rebalance the way our food is produced and consumed.

• The theme for International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction 2020 is “Stop food loss and waste. For the people. For the planet.”

Books and Authors

‘A bouquet of flowers’ authored by Dr. Krishna Saksena launched by Rajnath Singh

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched a book titled ‘A bouquet of flowers’ written by Dr. Krishna Saksena.

• Dr. Krishna Saksena is the first lady to get a PhD, in 1955 from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

All Rights Reserved Top Rankers