Current Affairs 27th & 28th September 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

• The UN General Assembly commemorates 26 September as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
• This Day provides an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmament as a priority.

World Tourism Day

• Since 1980, the United NationsWorld Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27.
• The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day, with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”.
• The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

India’s first RRTS train with design speed of 180 kmph unveiled

• The Centre unveiled the first look of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train that can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor.
• The design is inspired by Delhi’s iconic Lotus Temple and is aligned with PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ policy.
• The entire rolling stock of RRTS will be manufactured at Bombardier’s Savli plant in Gujarat and it is sustainable and energy-efficient green train. With radiating stainless steel outer body, these aerodynamic RRTS trains will be lightweight and fully air-conditioned.
• Innovative Train Control Monitoring System (TCMS) technology, as well as its predictive and condition-based monitoring features, which will enhance the fleet’s performance by providing extensive train-to-ground diagnostics.
• The other two Phase-I RRTS corridors are Delhi-Gurugram-SNB and Delhi-Panipat.
• The first look of RRTS train was unveiled by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) & Chairman, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) in presence of Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, NCRTC, all the members of Board of Directors of NCRTC and other senior officials of MoHUA, NCRTC and Bombardier India.

MoRTH notifies amendments in Central Motor Vehicle Rules

• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified amendments in Central Motor Vehicle Rules facilitating implementation of Electronic enforcement, Maintenance of Vehicular Documents through Information Technology portal with effect from 1st of next month.
• The Ministry stated, use of IT services and electronic monitoring will result in better enforcement of Traffic Rules in the country and will lead to removing harassment of drivers and would facilitate the citizen. The amendment inter-alia provides for the definition for Challan, Portal ed as requirement for providing the services through IT and further the enforcement of electronic monitoring and enforcement.
• It stated, details of driving licences disqualified or revoked by the licensing authority shall be recorded chronologically in the portal and such record shall be reflected on a regular basis on the portal has been provided for. Thus, the record shall be maintained electronically and further the driver behaviour would be monitored.
• The Ministry stated, provisions have been made for the  procedure for Production and Obtaining Certificates in physical as well as electronic form, the validity, issuance of such documents and further the date and time stamping of inspection and identity of the Officer to be recorded.
• It has been provided that if the details of the documents are found validated through the electronic means by the enforcement officer then physical forms of such documents will not be demanded for inspection, including in cases where there is an offence made out necessitating seizure of any such documents.

About Ministry of Road Transport and Highways:

• Nitin Gadkari, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Nagpur
• General (Retd.) V. K. Singh, Minister of State

Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurates ‘Destination North East-2020’

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated ‘Destination North East-2020’, a four-day event to highlight the Northeast region’s various potentials like eco-tourism, culture, heritage and business.
• Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh and Chief Ministers of North Eastern States participated in the event via video conferencing.
• An array of cultural music and dance was showcased at the inaugural function for the four daylong online events held with the theme ‘The Emerging Delightful Destinations’.
• The programme will also feature audio-visual presentation of the tourist spots of the States and the region, messages from State icons and achievers, introduction to prominent local entrepreneurs and virtual exhibition of handicraft, traditional fashion and local products.
• The ‘Destination North East-2020’ is a calendar event of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region conceptualised with the objective of taking the northeastern region to other parts of the country and bringing them closer together in order to strengthen national integration.

About Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region:

• Jitendra Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge)
• Constituency: Udhampur, J&K

KVIC opens outlet in SPG complex to promote ‘Swadeshi’

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission has taken another step towards promoting ‘Swadeshi‘ by roping in the Special Protection Group with the drive.
• KVIC inaugurated a new Khadi India Sales Outlet within the premises of SPG Residential Complex at Dwarka in Delhi. This outlet will benefit nearly 4,000 families of SPG officers and staff residing in two adjacent residential complexes in the area. SPG is the agency responsible for security of the Prime Minister
• The decision to open Khadi sales outlet was taken in order to provide pure and handmade ‘Swadeshi’ goods to the SPG members and their families.

About Khadi and Village Industries Commission:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Vinai Kumar Saxena (Chairperson)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: WORLD

World Bank approves 200 million dollar loan for safe water & sanitation in Bangladesh

• The World Bank (WB) has approved a 200 million dollar loan for Bangladesh to improve access to safe water and sanitation services in the rural areas of the country. The Bangladesh Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project will help 6 lakh people to have access to clean water through piped water schemes in rural areas.
• The WB stated that the project will help prevent diseases and protect from pandemics like COVID 19 by providing better access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities at homes and in public places.
• The project will also help in setting up more than 2500 handwashing stations in public places with overhead tanks for running water and sanitation facilities. To ensure quality and sustainability of piped water scheme and fecal sludge management, the project will also train local entrepreneurs.
• The 30 year concessional credit has a five year grace period. It comes from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA). Bangladesh currently has the largest ongoing IDA program totaling over USD 13.5 billion.

About World Bank:

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• President: David Malpass

About Bangladesh:

• Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka

India Extends USD 15 Mn Grant Assistance To Sri Lanka For Promoting Buddhist Ties

• Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India has announced USD 15 million grant assistance to Sri Lanka for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries.
• “Testifying the long and civilization links and cultural heritage between the two countries, Prime Minister Modi announced grant assistance of USD 15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries,” Amt Narang, the Joint Secretary for Indian Ocean Region Division (IOR) of the MEA stated on India-Sri Lanka virtual Bilateral Summit.
• “This grant will help deepen people to people linkage between the two countries in the sphere of Buddhism,” he added.
• “India will facilitate the visit of a delegation of Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka in the first inaugural flight to Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh,” the MEA official stated.
• MEA official further stated that External Affairs Ministers S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also took part in the meeting.

About Srilanka:

• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
• Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa

India, US, Japan, Australia hold meet on Indo-Pacific under Quad framework

• Senior officials of India, the US, Japan and Australia held a virtual meeting under the framework of Quadrilateral coalition or “Quad“, focusing on ways to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting took place in the backdrop of China’s growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The foreign ministers of the four member nations of the “Quad” are set to hold talks in Tokyo next month to further boost their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
• Ten-nation regional grouping Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a major stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific region.
• A statement by the US stated the four countries explored ways to work together in the Mekong sub-region, in the South China Sea, and across the Indo-Pacific to support international law, pluralism, regional stability, and post-pandemic recovery efforts.
• In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the “Quadrilateral” coalition or “Quad” to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.
• India is also expanding bilateral cooperation with Japan, the US and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

ADB approves Rs 2,200 crore loan to develop Rajasthan’s secondary towns

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 300 million dollar (about Rs 2,200 crore) loan to finance inclusive water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services in secondary towns of Rajasthan.
• The project is expected to build citywide access for improved water supply services for about 5.7 lakh people and enhanced sanitation services for about 7.2 lakh people in at least 14 secondary towns.
• Through the project, water supply systems in at least eight project towns are expected to improve by 2027 with about one lakh households including all urban poor households benefiting from five new or rehabilitated water treatment plants and 1,350 km of distribution networks.
• Citywide sanitation systems based on the most cost-effective solutions will also be developed. The project will build on three earlier related projects and sector reforms funded by ADB in Rajasthan.
• The project will strengthen institutional capacity of local governments and Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water, Sewerage, and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd, a corporate entity established with ADB’s technical support.
• The project will provide enhanced support to women and vulnerable groups through skills training, paid internships, and community engagement and awareness activities.

About ADB

• Headquarters: Manila, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

Sebi comes out guidelines for investment advisers on client segregation, fees

• Markets regulator Sebi has come out with detailed guidelines for investment advisers asking them to ensure segregation of advisory and distribution activities at the client level.
• Besides, Sebi has fixed a cap on fee that investment advisers (IA) can charge from clients. It has also put in place a procedural framework pertaining to audit and record-keeping.
• Under the rules, an individual IA will apply for registration as non-individual investment adviser on onboarding 150 clients and IA will have to enter into an investment advisory agreement with its clients.
• To ensure client-level segregation at the IA’s group level, Sebi stated existing clients who wish to take advisory services will not be eligible for availing distribution services within the group/family of IA, and vice versa for those availing advisory services.
• It further stated a new client will be eligible to avail either advisory or distribution services within the group or family of the investment advisers and this option needs to be made available at the time of boarding.
• “IA shall enter into investment advisory agreement with its clients including existing clients latest by April 1, 2021, and submit a report, confirming the same to Sebi latest by June 30, 2021,” the regulator noted.
• The IA will have to maintain records of interactions with all clients, including prospective clients (prior to on-boarding), where any conversation related to advice has taken place in the form of SMS or telephonic conversation, among others.
• Such records will begin with first interaction with the client and will continue till the completion of advisory services to the client. They need to maintain these records for a period of five years.
• The deadline for compliance for these guidelines ranges from January 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) noted.

About SEBI:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Amazon.in to host ‘Handicrafts Mela’ from 26 Sep to 10 Oct to support artisans

• in will host a virtual ‘Handicrafts Mela’ from September 26-October 10, showcasing more than 270 art and craft forms from various parts of the country.
• Over eight lakh artisans and weavers associated with 1,500 Amazon Karigar sellers and 17 government emporiums including Tantuja, Harit Khadi, Tribes India and national-level artisan organisations like Craftmark and Dastkari Haat Samiti will benefit from this mela.
• Amazon’s Handicrafts Mela – which will showcasing over 55,000 unique products – will help customers discover and purchase products from artisans and weavers from different parts of the country by visiting specific sections like handloom zone, handicrafts home décor, kitchen items, handmade toys, handcrafted festive collection and others.

About Amazon

• CEO: Jeff Bezos
• Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders unveils IPO

• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., a defence PSU, has introduced opening of its preliminary public providing for subscription on September 29, with a value band of Rs.135 – Rs.145 per fairness share.
• Minimum bid lot is 103 fairness shares and in multiples thereof.
• The IPO will shut on October 1. The supply is being made by book-building course of. The object is to hold out the disinvestment of 30,599,017 fairness shares by the Government of India, which might be diluting 15.17% of its stake within the firm. On the cheaper price band the problem will fetch Rs.413 crore and on the higher band Rs.444 crore.

About Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited:

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman & MD: Narayan Prasad

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Assam govt to provide loan to entrepreneurs to revive tourism sector

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced a new scheme under which loan up to₹20 lakh with interest subsidy would be provided to entrepreneurs to revive the tourism industry.
• Under the ‘Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme’, loan between₹1 lakh and ₹20 lakh will be extended to interested local youths to take up new initiatives so that the tourism sector gets a fresh lease of life amid the coronavirus crisis.
• As part of the scheme, the advances will be provided for five years, while the state government will give first year’s interest.
• Sonowal also inaugurated another scheme –‘Paryatan Sarathi’, which will provide information about Assam tourism, facilities for bookings, tour packages, hotels along with online payment gateway options.

About Assam

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
• Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

Odisha Govt to launch Radio Pathshala program for students upto class 8

• In view of the prevailing pandemic, Odisha Government is launching Radio Pathshala program for students upto class 8. The program will be broadcast from All India Radio stations in the state for 15 minutes daily.
• The School and Mass Education department has turned to All India Radio as an effective medium for learning for about 60 lakh students in the government and aided schools across the state.
• More than ten Akshvani Kendras in the state will carry the classes between 10 to 1015 hours daily from Monday to Friday.
• The audio of the program will also be made available on the online DIKSHA platform for the students for whom schools have been kept out of bounds since March this year.
• The government has already cut the school syllabus down by 30% for 2020-21 academic session.

About Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Union Health Minister launches Vaccine portal for COVID-19

• Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the vaccine portal for Covid-19 to create awareness among masses.
• Portal will disseminate vaccine related information regarding Indian efforts towards vaccine development against COVID-19. Currently 3 vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in India for COVID-19.
• In addition, a first of its kind ICMR-NIN web portal also has been developed to collect data which will be useful in the present complicated by COVID-19 pandemic. Health Minister also released Report ‘What India Eats’ to know the main dietary patterns in India which is important for nutrition and health policy makers to understand distributions in diets within populations.
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi launched a National Clinical Registry for COVID-19. The registry will aim at collecting good quality real time clinical data to inform evidence-based clinical practice, research, formulating guidelines and policy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Neetu David appointed head of India women’s selection committee

• Neetu David, one of India’s finest woman cricketers in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, has been appointed chairman of the women’s selection committee replacing Hemalata Kala.
• The other members of the panel are Mithu Mukherjee, Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya and V Kalpana – all former India players.
• Neetu is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in WODIs with 141 scalps and was also the first from India to take 100 ODI wickets.

About BCCI

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• President: Sourav Ganguly

Khadi and Village Industries Commission appoints FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi as Advisor

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has appointed Sunil Sethi, Chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India, as its Advisor.
• Sethi’s appointment is for a period of one year. He succeeds fashion designer Ritu Beri whose term expired recently.
• Sethi will advise the Commission on latest design interventions in the readymade garments segment as well as promotion of Khadi in India and abroad.

About KVIC

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Vinai Kumar Saxena

RBI ropes in Amitabh Bachchan for customer awareness campaign

• The Reserve Bank has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan for the customer awareness campaign to prevent gullible account holders from being duped by fraudsters.
• As part of the public awareness initiative of RBI, the regulator keeps informing about dos and don’ts that have to be followed by customers to transact safely and securely.

About RBI

• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Merchant Navy union collaborates with UN to help stranded Indian seafarers

• India’s oldest union of merchant navy officers MUI has collaborated with the United Nations to assist these sailors.
• The Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT) has been established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a specialised UN agency and a global standard-setting authority of safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.

About UN

• Secretary general: António Guterres
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

India, Denmark ink pact to increase cooperation on IPRs 

• India and Denmark inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation in the area of intellectual property rights (IPRs) by exchanging best practices and collaborating in training programmes.
• The two sides will draw up a biennial work plan to implement the MoU which will include detailed planning for carrying out cooperation activities, including scope of action, the Commerce and Industry Ministry stated in a statement.
• The MoU aims to increase IP cooperation between the two countries by way of exchange of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP awareness among authorities, businesses and research and educational institutions, and collaboration in training programmes, exchange of experts, technical exchanges and outreach activities.
• Both the sides would also exchange information and best practices on processes for disposal of applications for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and Geographical Indications, as also for protection, enforcement and use of IP rights.

About Denmark:

• Capital: Copenhagen
• Currency: Danish krone

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020: 12 researchers receive India’s highest science award

• The names of 12 scientists who received the country’s highest science award Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for 2020 were announced during the foundation day of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• The prize is given to Indian scientists below the age of 45 for outstanding research in seven fields—Biology, Chemistry, Environment Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine and Physics.
• Feluda was developed by one of the CSIR institutes were also released—Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. One of the researchers who developed the testing method, Dr Debjyoti Chakraborty, was awarded the CSIR Young Scientist Award for 2020.
• For Biological Sciences, Dr Shubhadeep Chaterjee from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and Dr Vatsala Thirumalai at the National Centre for Biological Sciences were awarded. Dr Chaterjee’s work focuses on mechanisms that promote or suppress bacterial disease in plants. Dr Thirumalai works on neural circuits that control movement during development and adulthood in animals.
• In the field of Chemical Sciences, Dr Jyotirmayee Dash ,works on new methodologies for synthesis of diverse molecules and Dr Subi Jacob George works on supermolecular synthesis .
• For Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Dr Abhijit Mukherjee from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and Dr Suryendu Dutta from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay were named recipients. Dr Mukherjee is a geology professor and works on the exploration of groundwater as a sustainable drinking water source.
• For Engineering Sciences, Dr Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni from CSIR National Chemical Laboratory and Dr Kinshuk Dasgupta from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre were awarded. Dr Kulkarni’s research focusses on developing multiphase reactors and microreactors.
• For Mathematical Sciences, Dr Rajat Subhra Hazra from Indian Statistical Institute and Dr U K Anandavardhanan from Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay were awarded.
• For Medical Sciences, Dr Bushra Ateeq from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and Dr Ritesh Agarwal, his main research area is a fungal infection called Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
• For physical sciences, the award went to Dr Rajesh Ganapathy from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Dr Surajit Dhara from University of Hyderabad.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Informal Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers (Virtual Mode)

• The External Affairs Minister of the Republic of India, S. Jaishankar, participated in the annual Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers.
• The meeting, chaired by Nepal, was held in virtual mode and saw participation of all SAARC member states.
• The last informal meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers held in New York.
• The meeting reviewed regional efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, participants appreciated the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in convening a video conference of SAARC Leaders on to take collaborative measures towards combating the pandemic across the region.
• This included the creation of SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund, to which all countries have pledged voluntary contributions.
• India’s contribution to SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund, supply of essential drugs, medical consumables, COVID protection and testing kits, and other equipment, amounting USD 2.3 million, were made available to countries in the SAARC region.

About SAARC

• Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal
• Secretary general: Esala Weerakoon

G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held virtually on November 21-22 amid Covid

• This year’s G20 leaders summit under the theme of “Realising opportunities of the 21st century for all” will be held in an online format amid the coronavirus pandemic, the G20 Saudi Secretariat stated.
• The summit will be chaired by Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
• “The 2020 G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held virtually on November 21-22 and will be chaired by His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,” the statement says.
• According to the release, the summit will focus on protecting lives and restoring growth, by addressing vulnerabilities uncovered during the pandemic and will also focus on fostering international action to realise opportunities of the 21st century for all.
• “The G20 Presidency will build on the success of the extraordinary virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit held in March, and on the outcomes of over 100 virtual working groups and ministerial meetings,” as per the statement.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Israeli Defence Forces successfully test sea-to-sea missile system 

• The Israeli Navy tested a sea-to-sea missile for use in protecting Mediterranean Sea natural gas platforms.
• The new Israeli missile system has precision capabilities with a longer range and expanded offensive options.
• The missile successfully struck and sank a decommissioned target vessel meant to simulate an enemy vessel. The missiles will be integrated into the Israeli Navy’s newest Sa’ar-5 and Sa’ar-6 class ships, made in the United States by Huntington Ingalls Industries.
• The missile system has not been named. It was developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries, and tested by the Navy and the Defense Ministry’s Weapons Development and Technology Infrastructure Administration, known as

About Israel

• Capital: Jerusalem
• Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
• President: Reuven Rivlin
• Currency: Israeli Shekel

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids by Anand Neelakantan

• “Baahubali” series author Anand Neelakantan has written his debut book in the children’s space which tells some of the most hilarious stories about child asuras and their antics.
• Puffin has published “The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”, which has full-colour illustrations accompanying the narrative.
• He has authored books like “The Rise of Sivagami” (“Baahubali: Before the Beginning”, Book 1); “Asura: Tale of the Vanquished”; “Ajaya: Roll of the Dice”; “Ajaya: Rise of Kali”; “Vanara: The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara”; and, most recently, “Chaturanga” (“Baahubali: Before the Beginning”, Book 2).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

India ranks 89th in World Risk Report 2020

• Indiahas been ranked at the 89th spot among 181 Countries by World Risk Index (WRI) 2020.
• WRI has been developed in cooperation with theUnited Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNUEHS) and calculated by the International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV).
• The Pacific island state of Vanuatu leads the index as the country with the highest disaster risk (49.74).
• Qatar has the lowest risk (0.31).
• In terms of the continents, Oceania ranks first in terms of highest disaster risk, followed by the Americas, Asia and Europe.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Australia’s Alyssa Healy breaks MS Dhoni’s T20I record

• Australia women’s cricket star Alyssa Healy surpassed Dhoni’s record to take the top position in the list of wicketkeepers with most dismissals in T20i.
• Healy achieved the feat in the 2nd T20I against New Zealand at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
• Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August, led Indian team to three ICC trophies – 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
• In his career, Dhoni achieved 91 dismissals (57 catches + 34 stumpings) as keeper in T20Is, the most by any player.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Jaswant Singh, founding member of the BJP and former Union minister, passes away

• Jaswant Singh, former Union minister, has passed away after a prolonged illness.
• Singh served as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Defence and Minister for External Affairs under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
• He was a former officer of the Indian Army.

Isher Judge Ahluwalia, noted economist and Padma Bhushan awardee, passes away 

• Eminent economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia, a recipient of India’s third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan, passed away. She was 74.
• Last month, she had stepped down as chairman of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) due to her declining health.
• Her two books ‘Industrial Growth in India: Stagnation Since the Mid-Sixties’ (1989, Oxford University Press) and ‘Productivity and Growth in Indian Manufacturing’ (1991, Oxford University Press) are seminal contributions to the literature.

DAILY CA 26th SEP

• Antyodaya Diwas- 25th sep
• World Environmental Health Day- 26th sep
• Saubhagya’ scheme completes three years since its inception
• Income Tax Department launches Faceless Income tax appeals
• First-ever annual ‘India Happiness Report’ released; Mizoram, Punjab, Andaman and Nicobar Islands top index
• Railways extends pact with IIT Kanpur for infrastructure modernisation research
• Fino Payments Bank launches contactless payments for mass transport
• Positive Pay system for high value cheques from January 1, 2021: RBI
• IRDAI identifies LIC, GIC, New India Assurance systemically important insurers
• HDFC Bank launches warehouse commodity finance app
• Axis Bank to provide affordable loans via Bayer’s Better Life Farming initiative
• SBI Cap takes over collateral for 56% stake in Jindal Stainless
• India’s Economy To Contract By 5.9% In 2020 Amid Covid: UN Report
• Govt To Set Up First Medical Device Park MedSpark In Kerala
• Kolkata’s first library on tram unveiled, with free Wi-Fi and book events as add-ons
• Agriculture minister Tomar launches portal for testing performance of farm machinery
• Aamir Khan is the new brand ambassador of Ceat Tyres
• Aakash Educational Services signs cricketer Yuvraj Singh as brand ambassador
• Kerala wins UN award for ‘outstanding contribution’ towards prevention, control of non-communicable diseases
• Manipur college receives two National Service Scheme Award 2018-19
• Minister of Environment addresses Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020 virtually
• PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate AI summit ‘RAISE 2020’ on October 5
• Indigenously developed surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile test fired
• IIT Madras researchers develop ‘MOUSHIK’ chip for IoT device
• QS Global MBA Rankings 2021: IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta top Indian B-schools
• India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise ‘JIMEX’
• Sekhar Basu, renowned nuclear scientist, passes away of COVID at 68

DAILY CA 27th SEP

• International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons-26th sep
• World Tourism Day- 27th sep
• India’s first RRTS train with design speed of 180 kmph unveiled
• MoRTH notifies amendments in Central Motor Vehicle Rules
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurates ‘Destination North East-2020’
• KVIC opens outlet in SPG complex to promote ‘Swadeshi’
• World Bank approves 200 million dollar loan for safe water & sanitation in Bangladesh
• India Extends USD 15 Mn Grant Assistance To Sri Lanka For Promoting Buddhist Ties
• India, US, Japan, Australia hold meet on Indo-Pacific under Quad framework
• ADB approves Rs 2,200 crore loan to develop Rajasthan’s secondary towns
• Sebi comes out guidelines for investment advisers on client segregation, fees
• Assam govt to provide loan to entrepreneurs to revive tourism sector
• Odisha Govt to launch Radio Pathshala program for students upto class 8
• Union Health Minister launches Vaccine portal for COVID-19
• Neetu David appointed head of India women’s selection committee
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission appoints FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi as Advisor
• RBI ropes in Amitabh Bachchan for customer awareness campaign
• Merchant Navy union collaborates with UN to help stranded Indian seafarers
• India, Denmark ink pact to increase cooperation on IPRs
• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020: 12 researchers receive India’s highest science award
• Informal Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers (Virtual Mode)
• G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held virtually on November 21-22 amid Covid
• Israeli Defence Forces successfully test sea-to-sea missile system
• The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids by Anand Neelakantan
• in to host ‘Handicrafts Mela’ from 26 Sep to 10 Oct to support artisans
• India ranks 89th in World Risk Report 2020
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders unveils IPO
• Australia’s Alyssa Healy breaks MS Dhoni’s T20I record
• Jaswant Singh, founding member of the BJP and former Union minister, passes away
• Isher Judge Ahluwalia, noted economist and Padma Bhushan awardee, passes away