Current Affairs 16th September 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of Democracy

• The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year. It was established through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.
• Thetheme for International Day of Democracy 2020 is “COVID-19: A Spotlight onDemocracy.” 

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

• September 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer or World Ozone Day.
• This designation had been made on December 19, 2000, in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
• The theme for 2020 is Ozone for life: 35 years of ozone layer protection.
• It marks 35 years of the Vienna Convention.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

PM to inaugurate, launch 7 urban infra projects worth Rs 541 crore in Bihar

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation of seven urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 541 crore in Bihar.
• The seven projects include four related to water supply, two to sewerage treatment and one to riverfront development.
• The Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO) under the urban development and housing department of the state will undertake these projects.
• The Prime Minister inaugurated the sewerage treatment plants built under Namami Gange, at Beur and Karmalichak, in Patna Municipal Corporation. He also inaugurated the water supply projects built under AMRUT Mission in Siwan Municipal Council and Chapra Municipal Corporation that will help local residents get pure drinking water through the day.
• He also laid the foundation stone of Munger and Jamalpur water supply schemes under the AMRUT Mission to enable locals to avail clean water through pipelines.

About Bihar

• Governor: Phagu Chauhan
• Capital: Patna
• Chief minister: Nitish Kumar

Govt launches Postage Stamp commemorating Mission Shakti’s success

• A customized My Stamp on India’s First Anti Satellite Missile (A-SAT) was launched on the occasion of Engineers Day on September 15 in the presence of Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor (NSA). The stamp was released by Department of Posts.
• On the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile test ‘Mission Shakti’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on 27th March 2019.
• DRDO developed A-SAT Missile successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a ‘Hit to Kill’ mode. The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters.
• Tracking data from range sensors had confirmed that the mission met all its objectives. The entire effort was indigenous which demonstrated the Nation’s capability to develop such complex and critical missions. A number of industries also participated in the mission. With this success, India became fourth nation in the world to possess such capability.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India walks out of SCO meet after Pakistan projects fictitious map

• India walked out of a meeting of the National Security Advisors of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries in protest after the Pakistani representative used a “fictitious” map showing Indian territories as part of Pakistan.
• Hosted by the chair of the SCO (Russia).
• India issued its strong objection to the use of this illegal map by Pakistan.Indian counterpart Ajit Doval attended the SCO Summit.
• The political map was released by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan during a meeting in Islamabad that was attended by his cabinet and senior officials, including his special assistant on national security affairs, Moeed Yusuf.

About SCO

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• MemberStates:China, India, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

ICICI Lombard General Insurance, YES Bank enter into bancassurance pact

• ICICI Lombard General Insurance has entered into a bancassurance tie-up with private sector lender YES Bank.
• The partnership will provide the bank’s diverse customer base access to the insurer’s portfolio and make insurance more accessible to its customers across India.
• It aims to offer innovative insurance solutions to the bank’s customers across the country.

About ICICI Lombard General Insurance

• CEO: Bhargav Dasgupta
• Headquarters: Mumbai

About YES Bank

• CEO: Prashant Kumar
• Headquarters: Mumbai

RBI mandates automated recognition of NPAs, provisioning by June 2021

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mandated the automation of bad-loan recognition by banks by June 30, 2021.
• The processes of provisioning calculation and income recognition will also have to be automated and banks will be required to upgrade their systems accordingly.
• Banks had earlier been advised to have appropriate information technology (IT) systems in place for identification of non-performing assets (NPA) and generation of related data/returns, both for regulatory reporting and banks’ own management information system (MIS) requirements.
• All borrowal accounts, including temporary overdrafts, irrespective of size, sector or types of limits shall be covered in the automated IT- based system for asset classification, upgradation and provisioning processes. Banks’ investments shall also be covered under the system. Asset classification rules shall be configured in the system, in compliance with regulatory stipulations.
• The system shall handle both downgrade and upgrade of accounts through a straight through process (STP) without manual intervention.

About RBI

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governor: Shri M. K. Jain, Shri B.P. Kanungo, Michael Debabrata Patra.

World Bank so far provided three loans worth 2.5 bn dollars to support India’s response to COVID-19 pandemic: Govt

• Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur has stated that the World Bank has so far provided three loans worth 5 billion dollars to support Government of India’s response to COVID-19 pandemic situation.
• Mr Thakur stated, for health 1 billion dollars, for social protection 75 billion dollars and for economic stimulus 0.75 billion dollars have been provided and the benefits of which have accrued to all States and UTs.
• The Minister stated, the first loan relating to health measures worth 1,000 million dollars was signed on 3rd April this year to part finance Government of India’s 15 thousand crore rupees COVID Health measures to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness.

About World Bank:

• Headquarters:Washington, D.C., U.S
• David Malpass: President

NABARD to implement new loan scheme for women’s self help groups

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development – NABARD – will be implementing a new loan scheme for women’s self help groups to start production of value added food products like chips, pickles, jams etc from the next Gandhi Jayanthi day on October 2nd.
• This was announced by NABARD Chairman Shri G R Chinthala in Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu.
• After reviewing the working of various NABARD schemes, he stated the discussions will be held with Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edapadi Palanisamy within a day or two about allowing self help groups to start production of fertilisers.
• Shri Chinthala stated that the Covid 19 pandemic had affected 68% of agriculture and allied activities and that NABARD is giving top priority to help this sector.

About NABARD:

• Founded: 12 July 1982
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Shri G R Chinthala

LVB merger with Clix Group on track; completes substantial due diligence

• Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) stated the mutual due diligence relating to the proposed amalgamation of the Clix Group with the Bank is substantially complete, and the parties are in discussions on the next steps.
• The private sector bank, in a regulatory filing, observed that as per the mutual understanding between parties, the exclusivity period was extended till September 15, 2020 due to prevailing pandemic situation.
• The Bank will continue to share any further information as and when they materialise,” LVB added.
• The Bank is in dire need of capital as its total Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) as per Basel III guidelines stood at 1.12 per cent as on March-end 2020 as against the minimum regulatory requirement of 10.875 per cent.
• During FY2020, many accounts of LVB slipped to the non-performing asset (NPA) category from different segments including Corporate, MSME & Retail. The total slippage during the FY 2019-20 was to the tune of Rs.1,553.24 crore.

About LVB:

• Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• MD & CEO:Subramanian Sundar

SBI plans 24×7 OTP-based cash withdrawal above Rs.10,000

• State Bank of India has decided to extend OTP-based cash withdrawal of 10,000 and above throughout the day across all its ATMs starting September 18.
• India’s largest bank had introduced OTP-based cash withdrawals above Rs.10,000 between 8 pm and 8 am through its ATMs from January 1. This was done to reinforce its ATM security system and safeguarding customers
• For withdrawing Rs.10,000 and above, SBI debit card holders now have to enter the OTP sent on their registered mobile numbers, along with their debit card PIN each time, the bank stated.
• The OTP is a system-generated numeric string of characters that authenticates the user for a single transaction.
• “Once customers enter the amount they wish to withdraw, the ATM screen will ask for OTP, where they would require to enter the same received on their registered mobile number.
• “The OTP-based cash withdrawal facility is available only at SBI ATMs as this functionality at non-SBI ATMs has not been developed in National Financial Switch (NFS),” the bank stated.
• According to SBI, implementing this facility throughout the day would prevent its debit cardholders from the risk of falling prey to fraudsters, unauthorised withdrawals, card skimming, card cloning and the likes.

About SBI:

• Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

J&K Horticulture Dept launches “Backyard Horticulture” programme under CAPEX scheme in Jammu district

• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Horticulture Department has launched the Flagship programme “Backyard Horticulture” under CAPEX scheme at Panchyat Jaswan in Marh block of Jammu district.
• Under the programme, at least three fruit plants costing Rs. 200 will be distributed among the farmers at 90% subsidy covering 600 households in Zone Marh.
• The main aim of the programme is to promote organic fruit production for home consumption and to fulfill individual requirement.
• A demonstration on the cultural practices to be adopted while planting these fruit plants in the backyard of the houses to keep away the insect and diseases was also given to the farmers and they were advised to plant these fruit plants in the backyard of their house to increase green cover for preservation of the environment.

About J&K

• Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor: Manoj Sinha

Rajasthan government signs pact with SIDBI to develop MSME ecosystem

• Rajasthan’s Department of Industries and SIDBI will work together to provide financial, technical, marketing and export support to MSMEs in the state.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government to develop the MSME ecosystem in the state.
• Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) provide maximum employment opportunities and also have an effective share in exports.
• The state government is taking steps to understand and solve the problems of MSMEs. The agreement with Sidbi is also a growing step in this direction.

About Rajasthan

• Capital: Jaipur
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot

About SIDBI

• Headquarters location: Lucknow
• Founded: 2 April 1990
• Chairman and Managing Director : Mohammad Mustafa

Maharashtra CM announces ‘My Family-My Responsibility’ campaign to fight Covid-19

• Maharashtra government has launched My family-My Responsibility campaign.
• This involved a massive effort to reach out to every home in the state to assess the health condition of its residents, and provided medical help and guidance if needed.

About Maharashtra

• Capital: Mumbai
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Tackeray

111th Birth Anniversary of 1st CM of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai being celebrated

• On Sept 15th 2020 is the 111th Birth Anniversary of the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, popularly known as Arignar Anna.
  He was also a Member of Rajya Sabha from 1963 to 1967. Well known for his powerful oratorical skills, Anna was a prolific writer too.
• Several functions are being conducted in various parts of the state in memory of Arignar Anna.
• The Tamil University in Thanjavoor has announced a 50 per cent discount sale of its prestigious publications in connection with Anna Birth Anniversary.

About TamilNadu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Madhya Pradesh to celebrate ‘Anna utsav’ on eve of PM Modi’s birthday

• Madhya Pradesh will celebrate an ‘Anna Utsav’ (food grains festival) on September 16, the eve of PM Narendra Modi’s birthday, during which 37 lakh new below poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries will be covered under the government’s scheme to provide food grains to them on highly subsidised rates.
• Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will get rice, wheat and salt at Re 1 per kg. Every beneficiary will get 5 kg of food grains per month.

About MP

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Governor: Anandiben Patel

Gujarat CM announces scheme to give interest-free loans to women’s groups

• Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY) — a scheme of providing interest-free loans to women’s groups in the state – to be launched on September 17, birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The government is planning to provide total lending up to Rs 1,000 crore to these groups to be registered as joint liability and earning group (JLEG).
• The government is planning to provide interest-free loans to 10 lakh women across the state under the new scheme.
• Under the MMUY, 50,000 JLEGs will be formed in urban areas. Similarly, 50,000 such groups will also be formed in rural areas.
• The interest amount will be borne by the state government. And the government is going to sign MoUs with banks shortly, stated the release. The government has also decided to waive the stamp duty charges for the loans to be given to these women groups.

About Gujarat

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

HIKAI Online academic classes inaugurated at Ramakrishna Mission Sec School in East Khasi Hills district

• The Ramkrishna Mission Centres of Sohra and Shillong in a joint venture successfully demonstrated the technological capability of conducting online classes in a no-internet zone by using intra-net. Online academic classes of HIKAI (Hybrid Interactive Knowledge Assimilation Initiative) from classes 1 to 12 were inaugurated at Ramakrishna Mission Secondary School, Sohbar of East Khasi Hills district.
• The Ramakrishna Mission launched the online classes for any student studying under the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education (MBOSE). The aim is to provide these services to the remotest corner in Meghalaya where internet availability is a major issue.
• Moreover, these areas suffer from a lack of quality teachers. So the “HIKAI” programme bridges the gap between rural and urban children through technology.

About Meghalaya:

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma

Maharashtra govt accords ambulance status to vehicles carrying medical oxygen for one year

• In Maharashtra, the State Government has accorded ambulance status to the vehicles carrying medical oxygen for one year. A notification was issued in this regard.
• The decision was taken in view of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and the necessity of uninterrupted oxygen supply to various hospitals in the state. State Government has accorded ambulance status to vehicles carrying medical oxygen for one year.
• The notification in this regard says that such vehicles will be considered as vehicles on emergency and disaster management duties.

Gujarat signs MoU with SIDBI to help MSMEs amid outbreak downturn

• The Gujarat government signed an MoU with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to increase self-reliance and provide capacity building and market support to the state’s 35 lakh micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• The aim is to “accelerate technology transfer and innovation in state MSMEs through training and capacity building programmes,” it stated.
• SIDBI will help the small scale industries in the state to come out of the current COVID-19 situation effectively, and also evaluate the feasibility of infrastructure projects and common facility centres for MSME clusters in the state, the release added.
• SIDBI will handhold the MSME units to create digital platforms to keep pace with world trends, it stated.
• “Under the Centre’s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), so far, Rs 10,56,268 lakh loans have been approved for 2,11,532 MSME units in the state to get over financial difficulties. The state government also announced a package of Rs 768 crore to assist MSMEs in the COVID-19 situation,” it stated.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

IIT Bombay’s Techfest launches mental health awareness initiative

• Techfest, the annual science and technology festival of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, launched a nationwide initiative for college-goers to address mental health concerns among the youth amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
• The festival committee has also launched a section on its official website that will connect students to counsellors and help fight the stigma attached to mental illnesses. It is called HOPE (Healing Occurs with Positivity and Expression).
• The website will feature an interactive query section where the students will be able to post their queries and mental health-related issues anonymously and get help from counsellors.
• The website will also host helpline numbers of more than 10 prominent NGOs (non-governmental organisations) from across the country.
• Blogs addressing general mental health issues will be also published on the website

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Margaret Atwood Honoured With 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize

• Renowned author Margaret Atwoodwon this year’s Dayton Literary Peace Prize’s lifetime achievement award.
• The award celebrates literature’s power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding. She receives $10,000 as prize money.
• The Canadian writer is distinguished for her most notable book, bestselling 1985 dystopian novel – The Handmaid’s Tale.
• Last year, she also launched the long-awaited sequel of the dystopian thrillerThe Testaments. The book takes place 15 years after the original classic which was later turned into an Emmy-winning series starring Elisabeth Moss.
• Her other notable books are 1961’s Double Persephone (her first poetry book), Cat’s Eye (1988), The Blind Assassin (2000), and The MaddAddam Trilogy (2003-2013).

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank presents first ever AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank presented the first ever AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020 to 12 faculty members of AICTE approved institutes on the occasion of Engineers Day. The event was organised in virtual mode and the faculty members were felicitated by the Minister through online interaction.
• The Minister stated, Sir M Visvesvaraya was a pioneer of Engineering in India. Visvesvaraya was one of the most eminent Engineers and Statesmen of India, whose contribution to the advancement of the country is unforgettable. He was awarded the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1955 for his indispensable contribution to nation-building.
• Highlighting the AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020, the Minister stated that the Awards has been introduced for the first time to identify extraordinary teachers and recognize their excellence, best practice and innovativeness in the field of higher technical education at national level for Degree and Diploma institutions.
• This scheme is aimed to recognize the meritorious faculties on the Engineer’s Day every year at National level and encourage them to themselves to the ever changing needs of higher education at global level and thereby becoming an effective contributor towards the society.

About AICTE:

• Founded: November 1945
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Anil Sahasrabudhe

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI Group Meeting held virtually

• As part of the Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation, the 10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI Group Meeting was held virtually.
• The meeting was co-chaired by Raj Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production, Defence Ministry and Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, from the US Department of Defence.
• DTTI Group Meetings are normally held twice a year, alternating between India and the United States. This time, meeting was held virtually on account of COVID pandemic.
• The aim of the DTTI Group is to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defense trade relationship and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defence equipment.
• Four Joint Working Groups focused on land, naval, air, and aircraft carrier technologies have been established under DTTI to promote mutually agreed projects within their domains.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

China launches 9 satellites into space from ocean platform

• China launched a Long March 11 rocket from an ocean platform in the Yellow Sea, successfully sending nine satellites into orbit.
• It is the first time however that China has used new seaport facilities at Haiyang in eastern China. China is only the third country to perform a sea launch, following the S. and Russia.
• Nine Jilin-1 Gaofen-03 (High Resolution-03) Earth observation satellites were put into roughly 332-mile (535 kilometers) orbits and will provide data for land resource survey, urban planning, disaster monitoring and other uses.
• The satellites belong to Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., (CGST).
• Six of the satellites are push-broom imaging satellites, capable of returning images showing features as small as 3 feet (nearly 1 1 meter).
• The last three are video imaging satellites.

About China

• Capital: Beijing
• President: Xi Jinping
• Currency: Renminbi

Three tech institutions join hands to develop IoT-compatible sensors for agriculture

• Three premier Indian technology institutions – IIT Bombay, Gauhati University and the Gandhinagar-based Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology – have joined hands to develop high-tech sensors for use in agriculture.
• The use of sensors in agriculture is not entirely new. These tiny products, placed under the soil, detect parameters such as moisture and temperature and help fine-tune inputs for higher produce. Bosch, for example, has a suite of products for this purpose.
• However, the sensors developed by the three institutions is more hi-tech and can be hooked on to compatible with Internet-of-Things (IoT). They feature ‘ultra-small graphene particles’, made from graphene quantum dots, which are nano-sized fragments of graphene.
• The project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, the University Grants Commission, the Assam Science Technology and Environmental Council.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

The End of an Era; India Exits Tibet by Claude Arpi

• Claude Arpi’s four volumes on Tibet’s relations with India show how China developed its Tibet playbook that includes encroachment, occupation, and the spinning of a narrative of false claims. The last book in the series focuses on the last five years of India’s diplomatic presence in Tibet
• For scholars and researchers interested in this phase of Tibet’s relations with India, Claude Arpi’s books will remain essential reading. These four volumes are a seminal contribution to the understanding of Tibet’s interaction with both India and China and India’s interaction with China on Tibet at a critical period in history.

DAILY CA 15th  SEP  

• National Engineer’s Day-15th sep
• PM Modi addresses the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh
• PM Modi inaugurates 3 petroleum projects worth Rs 900cr in Bihar
• Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh lays foundation stone online of Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex
• MoRTH moves ahead with Orientation and Training Programme of iRAD App
• India beats China to become member of UN’s Commission on Status of Women
• World’s first sovereign bond linked to UN goals hits market
• SBI General Insurance, YES Bank ink corporate agency agreement
• Sebi issues clarification on asset allocation framework for multi-cap MFs
• ADB to Provide Rs.4.66 Billion Loan to ENGIE for a 200 MW Solar Project in Gujarat
• Moody’s projects 11.5% contraction in India’s economic growth in FY21
• HCL Technologies partners with NVIDIA Partner Network
• ADB sees India GDP shrinking 9 per cent in FY21
• Telangana Assembly passes TS-bPASS Bill
• Madhya Pradesh: Central discom first to adopt e-office in India
• France-based EDF Group, VJTI, I2EN ink MoU to establish Centre of Excellence in civil nuclear sector in Maharashtra
• Infosys to acquire Europe-based GuideVision for 30 million euros
• Subhash Kamath elected ASCI Chairman
• Senior bureaucrat Rajesh Khullar appointed Executive Director, World Bank
• Yoshihide Suga to succeed Shinzo Abe as Japan’s prime minister
• Harivansh re-elected as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha
• Sachin Tendulkar named brand ambassador of Paytm First Games
• Great Learning ropes in Virat Kohli as brand ambassador
• Facebook India appoints Arun Srinivas as Director of Global Business Group
• Takeo Konishi is ADB’s new Country Director for India
• Aditya Puri conferred Lifetime Achievement Award by Euromoney Awards of Excellence 2020
• IIM, Kozhikode based incubatee start-up launches wearable gadget for implementing social distancing norms
• My Life in Design’: Gauri Khan announces her debut book
• Tuscan Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th win after incredible race
• Former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passes away
• Former Chhattisgarh Minister Chanesh Ram Rathiya passes away of COVID-19

DAILY CA 16th  SEP  

• International Day of Democracy- 15th sep
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer- 16th sep
• PM to inaugurate, launch 7 urban infra projects worth Rs 541 crore in Bihar
• Govt launches Postage Stamp commemorating Mission Shakti’s success
• India walks out of SCO meet after Pakistan projects fictitious map
• ICICI Lombard General Insurance, YES Bank enter into bancassurance pact
• RBI mandates automated recognition of NPAs, provisioning by June 2021
• World Bank so far provided three loans worth 2.5 bn dollars to support India’s response to COVID-19 pandemic: Govt
• NABARD to implement new loan scheme for women’s self help groups
• LVB merger with Clix Group on track; completes substantial due diligence
• SBI plans 24×7 OTP-based cash withdrawal above Rs.10,000
• J&K Horticulture Dept launches “Backyard Horticulture” programme under CAPEX scheme in Jammu district
• Rajasthan government signs pact with SIDBI to develop MSME ecosystem
• Maharashtra CM announces ‘My Family-My Responsibility’ campaign to fight Covid-19
• 111th Birth Anniversary of 1st CM of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai being celebrated
• Madhya Pradesh to celebrate ‘Anna utsav’ on eve of PM Modi’s birthday
• Gujarat CM announces scheme to give interest-free loans to women’s groups
• HIKAI Online academic classes inaugurated at Ramakrishna Mission Sec School in East Khasi Hills district
• Maharashtra govt accords ambulance status to vehicles carrying medical oxygen for one year
• Gujarat signs MoU with SIDBI to help MSMEs amid outbreak downturn
• IIT Bombay’s Techfest launches mental health awareness initiative
• Margaret Atwood Honoured With 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize
• Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank presents first ever AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020
• 10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI Group Meeting held virtually
• China launches 9 satellites into space from ocean platform
• Three tech institutions join hands to develop IoT-compatible sensors for agriculture
• The End of an Era; India Exits Tibet by Claude Arpi