Current Affairs 20th October 2020| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Statistics Day: 20th October

• The third World Statistics Day will be celebrated around the globe on 20 October 2020 with the theme “Connecting the world with data we can trust.” This theme reflects the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation and the public good in national statistical systems.
• The celebration of World Statistics Day 2020 is a global collaborative endeavour, organized under the guidance of the United Nations Statistical Commission.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Gadkari to lay foundation stone for country’s first multi-modal logistic park in Assam

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will virtually lay the foundation stone for the first-ever multi-modal logistic park in Assam.
• The Rs 693.97 crore park will provide direct connectivity to air, road, rail and waterways to the people. It will be developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the Government of India.
• Meanwhile, the NHAI has awarded TOT 3 bundle (566 Km in length) consisting of nine toll plazas in the state of UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and Tamil Nadu under its ambitious Toll-Operate-Transfer (ToT) model to Cube Mobility Investment Pte. Ltd. (Cube Highways) and has received upfront consideration of Rs 5,011 crore.
• The award ceremony was held through video conferencing and chaired by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Gadkari, MoS Road Transport and Highways General V.K. Singh and NHAI Chairman SS Sandhu.

About MoRTH

• Minister for Road Transport & Highways andMSME: Nitin Jairam Gadkari
• Constituency: Nagpur, Maharashtra

RPF launches ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative on AP Express

• Railway Protection Force (RPF), Visakhapatnam, started implementing ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative in AP Express (Visakhapatnam to New Delhi in order to provide proactive security to women passengers.
• The main motto of ‘Meri Saheli’ is to provide safety and security to women passengers travelling in trains throughout their journey.
• A team of women Sub Inspectors and women constables of RPF will enter all coaches including ladies coaches and identify women passengers, who are travelling alone before the departure of the train.
• These passengers will be briefed about all precautions to be taken during the journey and inform about help no. 182 apart from giving contact numbers of RPF to contact in case of any issue.

NITI Aayog to establish Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Centre with AWS

• NITI Aayog announced the establishment of a Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Centre, CIC with Amazon Web Services, AWS. It is the first of its kind in India.
• This CIC is part of the AWS CIC Global Programme which provides an opportunity for government agencies, non-profits and educational institutions, to come together on pressing challenges, apply design thinking, test new ideas, and access the technology expertise of AWS.
• The NITI Aayog Frontier Technologies CIC will be a great enabler to budding innovators and start-ups and help in piloting state-of-the-art, cloud-centric digital innovations by leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, IOT and robotics, blockchain.

About Niti Aayog:

• Headquarters:New Delhi
• Narendra Modi, (Chairperson)
• Rajiv Kumar, (Vice Chairperson)
• Amitabh Kant, (CEO)

CSIR-IHBT makes history by introducing asafoetida (Heeng) cultivation in Indian Himalayan region

• Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, a historical shift in farming practices is in the offing with farmers of the remote Lahaul valley in Himachal Pradesh taking up cultivation of asafoetida (Heeng) to utilize vast expanses of waste land in the cold desert conditions of the region. CSIR-IHBT brought in seeds of asafoetida and developed its agro-technology.
• Asafoetida is one of the top condiments and is a high value spice crop in India. India imports about 1200 tonnes of raw asafoetida annually from Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan and spends approximately 100 million USDper year. Lack of planting material of Ferula assa-foetida plants in India was a major bottleneck in cultivation of this crop.
• Since asafoetida is a major condiment in Indian cuisines, team CSIR-IHBT made relentless efforts for introduction of this important crop in the country. The institute introduced six accessions of seeds from Iran through ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi in October, 2018. ICAR-NBPGR confirmed that in the past thirty years, this has been the first attempt for introduction of asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida) seeds in the country.
• CSIR-IHBT raised the plants of heeng at CeHAB, Ribling, Lahaul & Spiti, H.P. under the vigil of NBPGR. The plant prefers cold and dry conditions for its growth and takes approximately five years for the production of oleo-gum resin in its roots, therefore cold desert areas of Indian Himalayan region are suitable for cultivation of asafoetida.

About CSIR-Institute Of Himalayan Bioresource Technology:

• Situated among pristine environ in the lap of Dhauladhar ranges, CSIR-IHBT is the only laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in the State of Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), India. Institute has a focused research mandate on bioresources for catalysizing bioeconomy in a sustainable manner.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme

• Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR The scheme is a unique way to assist cooperatives play an important role in creation of healthcare infrastructure in the country. AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme has been formulated by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
• Tomar announced that NCDC would extend term loans to prospective cooperatives to the tune of 10 thousand crore in the coming years. NCDC’s scheme will be a step towards strengthening farmers welfare activities by the Central Government.
• NCDC’s Ayushman Sahakar scheme aims at bringing transformation in the health services primarily in the rural areas. The scheme also provides working capital and margin money to meet operational requirements of the health facilities. It provides interest subvention of one percent to women majority cooperatives.

About Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare:

• Narendra Singh Tomar, (Cabinet Minister)
• Constituency: Morena, Madhya Pradesh
• Parsottambhai Rupala, (Minister of State)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Singapore Becomes First Country to Use Facial Recognition to Pay Taxes

• In Singapore, online government services can now be accessed by facial recognition — a world first.
• This technology is being rolled out to the city-state’s SingPass digital identity scheme, offering access to no less than 400 online services, including tax declarations and public housing applications. Facial recognition is also increasingly being used to access other online services, such as banking.
• The function is designed to work via home computers, tablets and cell phones, as well as at public kiosks.
• According to the Singapore authorities, the technology helps ensure that the right person is genuinely present in front of their screen, rather than a photograph, a video, a replayed recording or a deepfake.
• In the future, facial recognition could find other applications in Singapore, such as making sure students sit their own examinations or for verification purposes in secure areas of the city-state’s ports.

About Singapore

• Capital: Singapore City
• Currency: Singapore dollar

India , Netherlands collaborate in e-health initiative

• India and the Netherlands discussed a joint thrust in e-health sector with the purpose of providing digital health facilities and security to Indians and helping the Netherlands accelerate the digital transformation of health.
• Part of India”s ambitious National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), this collaboration will see the two countries work closely to create capacities and put in place the requisite technology backbone to enable this revolutionary initiative, according to a statement.
• The NDHM, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day, aims to create a mechanism to improve healthcare significantly and provide better access to it.
• “The National Digital Health Blueprint provides for the architectural approach towards realising the goal of longitudinal electronic health record. A mission mode approach is being followed through launch of National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) in that direction. The activities have already been embarked in selected Union territories under pilot phase,” he stated.

About Netherlands:

• Capital: Amsterdam
• Currency: Euro

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance launches Invest 4G plan with multiple saving options, protection cover

• Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has launched a new Unit Linked insurance plan (Ulip) titled ‘Invest 4G’.
• It is an individual life insurance savings plan which can be customized as per the goals and changing requirements of the individual.
• This Unit Linked Individual Life Insurance cum Savings Plan provides a combination of Portfolio Management Options and flexibilities which gives choice to opt for protection suiting the demand for every individual as well as provide an opportunity to save for future goals.
• New “Invest4G” offers three options to the individuals: Life Option, Care Option and Century Option.
• Life option ensures financial protection to a family in case of the customer’s unfortunate demise. Care Option provides life coverage along with Premium Funding Benefit and Century Option is a whole life option available for the policyholder till the age of 100 years.

About Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance

• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana
• MD & CEO: Anuj Mathur

Fino Payments Bank to add 300 more points at BPCL outlets in TN

• Fino Payments Bank is planning to add another 300 points at BPCL outlets to its existing 1,075 in Tamil Nadu, to help truck drivers to get fleet cards recharged by paying equivalent cash, without any hassles.
• Recharging the Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) SmartFleet cards that are used to pay for fuel has been a challenge to truck drivers for quite some time and in order to ease this discomfort.
• BPCL’s SmartFleet is a unique fuel management programme designed for efficient, tech-savvy and cost conscious fleet owners.
• The digitised cash in the form of prepaid fleet cards allows drivers to make payments for fuel at BPCL outlets, which also completely frees BPCL from handling the cash given by the drivers.
• Smartfleet program is a first of its kind initiative in the country that helps transporters manage their funds effectively. The exclusive centre, opened in association with Fino Payments Bank, facilitates hassle free and instant recharge for Smartfleet customers.

About Fino Payment Bank

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• MD & CEO: Rishi Gupta

SEBI constitutes committee for market data sharing

• SEBI has constituted a Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC) – a Standing Committee – to recommend appropriate policy for access to securities market data, identify segment wise data perimeters, data needs and gaps, recommend data privacy and data access regulations applicable to market data.
• The committee is headed by Madhabi Puri Buch, Whole Time Member, SEBI and has CEOs of stock exchanges and depositories, representatives of various stakeholders and senior officials of SEBI as members.
• “SEBI’s endeavour is to foster a “Data Culture” in the Indian Securities Market i.e. ‘Data for Transparency’, ‘Data for Efficiency’ and ‘Data for Innovation’ along with ‘Respect for Data Privacy’. Thus, MDAC is part of SEBI’s initiatives to make shareable data on the Indian securities market, available for researchers, policy makers, general public alike and to enhance the quality of such data. Some of the other initiatives taken by SEBI, through its Department of Economic and Policy Analysis (DEPA), include: SEBI Data Sharing Policy,” SEBI stated.
• The Data Sharing Policy intends to facilitate access to data from SEBI to meet a variety of requirements, viz. to undertake Analytics projects, Research activities, etc. by various educational/research institutions and other regulators.

About SEBI:

• Founded: 12 April 1992
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson:Ajay Tyagi

Paytm to introduce co-branded credit cards in India

• Paytm announced that it will be partnering with various card issuers to introduce co-branded credit cards for consumers. The company is aiming to issue two million cards in the next 12–18 months.
• Paytm announced that it is building ‘Next Generation Credit Cards’ with various instant one-touch services including “changing of the security pin number, updating the address, blocking the card in case of loss or fraud prevention, issuance of a duplicate card and viewing outstanding credit-limit.”
• Users will also be able to switch off the card for contactless payments or international transactions when not required to prevent fraudulent transactions.
• “Our credit card will provide insurance protection against fraudulent transactions to protect users’ money,” Paytm stated. Paytm’s new digital service will also include a personalized spend analyzer to help cardholders keep track of and manage expenses.
• The fintech major further announced that it had digitised the entire credit card experience on its app. Consumers will be able to manage the entire process, from the application process to tracking and issuance of the credit card digitally.
• Paytm had launched its first co-branded credit card in May, in collaboration with Citigroup, called ‘Paytm First.’ The company is now aiming at garner 10 per cent of the credit card market share in India, it stated.

About Paytm:

• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Tech Mahindra signs agreement to form joint venture with Sumitomo Corp

• IT company Tech Mahindra has signed an agreement with Japan-based Sumitomo Corporation for setting up a joint venture to provide engineering service to the automotive sector, a company official stated. Both the companies will hold an equal stake in the joint venture.
• “Japan is a strategic market for Tech Mahindra and we are delighted to partner with a globally diversified group like Sumitomo Corporation. The joint venture is subject to regulatory filings and approvals, and we will elaborate on the details of our plans post such approvals,” Vivek Agarwal, Global Head, Enterprise Verticals Solutions and Portfolio Companies, Tech Mahindra told.
• Each of the joint venture partners will initially subscribe to 2,000 ordinary shares and contribute around 7 crore towards capital.

About Tech Mahindra:

• CEO: C. P. Gurnani
• Headquarters: Pune

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Kati Bihu Celebrated In Assam

• Locals in Bongaigaon celebrated the Kati Bihu festival in Assam.
• Kati Bihu marks an important day for the Assamese people as they celebrate it by lighting up their homes and agricultural fields. People perform cultural dances and organise feasts.
• During this time of the year, the paddy in the fields are in the growing stage and the granaries of the farmers are almost empty.

About Assam

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

West Bengal Government Launches Campaign To Curb Elephant Deaths Due To Electrocution

• West Bengal government launched a campaign in areas adjoining elephant habitats in the northern part of the state.
• This campaign has been launched to prevent electrocution deaths of elephants.
• The campaign will focus on areas adjoining Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara and Gorumara national parks.
• The campaign to prevent elephant deaths due to electrocution has been launched in villages and tea gardens of Bagdogra and Naxabari area of Darjeeling district as well.

About West Bengal

• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamta Banerjee

Asan Conservation Reserve becomes Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site

• Asan Conservation Reserve has become Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site, making it a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, announced the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Reserve is located on the banks of Yamuna river near Dehradun district in Garhwal region of the Himalayan state.
• “Ramsar declares Asan Conservation Reserve as a site of international importance. With this, the number of Ramsar sites in India goes up to 38, the highest in South Asia and Uttarakhand gets its first Ramsar site,” tweeted the environment ministry. It cleared the category on species and ecological communities, one on water-birds and another on fish.
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. The name of the Convention is usually written “Convention on Wetlands’’. The Convention on Wetlands came into force for India on February 1, 1982. Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.
• Spread across 4.44 sq km area in Dehradun district on the banks of Yamuna river, Asan receives about 40 migratory species, including Rudy Shelduck, Common coot, Gadwall, Kingfisher, Indian cormorant, Baer’s pochard, Northern pintail, Bar-headed goose.
• The criteria cleared by Asan Conservation Reserve to get Ramsar site tag include that it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species, it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity, it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles and it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.

About Uttarakhand:

• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
• Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat

ITBP launches cycling expedition from its Pegong base in Sikkim

• The Eleventh Battalion Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) launched a cycling expedition from its Pegong base in Sikkim to border villages of the state. The Minister of Culture, Road and Bridges Department of Sikkim Samdup Lepcha flagged off the expedition. Total 218 Kilometers will be covered by the ITBP team in the course of 20 days in difficult terrains.
• The team will generate more awareness among masses of the border villages on Covid 19 related issues, will organize medical and veterinary camps, distribute hygiene and sanitation items. They will also spread awareness about various government missions for the welfare of the society at large.
• The 18 member team of ITBP will cover difficult terrain in the expedition. Most of the members are highly trained mountaineers and rescuers. The expedition will reach Gurudongmar lake in extreme high altitude as its destination before starting the return journey.
• Raised in 1962, the ITBP is primarily a mountain force known for being deployed in harsh Himalayan borders of China since its inception. With more than 215 successful mountaineering expeditions undertaken till now, the force will complete 58 years of its raising on 24 October.

About ITBP:

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• S S Deswal, Director General of ITBP

About Sikkim:

• Capital: Gangtok
• Governor: Ganga Prasad
• Chief minister: Prem Singh Tamang

GOI, ADB inks 177 million dollar loan pact to upgrade 450 kms of state highways & major district roads in Maharashtra

• Asian Development Bank, ADB and Government of India signed a 177-million dollar loan to upgrade 450 kilometres of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra.
• The signatories to the Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project were Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB) in Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance Sameer Kumar Khare on behalf of Government of India and Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission Kenichi Yokoyama, on behalf of ADB.
• Overall the project will upgrade two major district roads and 11 state highways, with combined length of 450 km, to two-lane standard across seven districts of Maharashtra and improve connectivity to national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial areas, enterprise clusters and agricultural areas.
• The project will also focus on training the Maharashtra Public Works Department project staff to build their capacity in climate change adaptation and disaster resilient features in road design, road maintenance planning and road safety.

About ADB:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

About Maharashtra:

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

BSE joins hands with Telangana govt to help MSMEs raise equity funds

• Major stock exchange BSE has joined hands with the Telangana government, along with GlobalLinker, to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) raise equity funds.
• The partnership with the BSE would help in addressing a vital challenge of access to finance and increasing credibility of the MSMEs.
• As part of the association, the BSE will provide intellectual and manpower support to create awareness about the importance and benefits of listing.

About BSE

• Location: Mumbai, India
• Vikramajit Sen (Chairman); Ashishkumar Chauhan (MD & CEO)

About Telangana

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

Bank of Baroda inks pact with Mahindra & Mahindra for tractor finance

• To push agriculture finance, state-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) stated it has entered into a pact with Mahindra and Mahindra for tractor finance business.
• The lender, through its over 5,000 rural and semi-urban branch network, will provide tractor loan facility to customers of Mahindra and Mahindra.
• This memorandum of understanding (MoU) will give a boost to agri business and will help farmers in availing hassle-free credit facilities for buying tractors, BoB Executive Director Vikramaditya Singh Khichi stated.
• The tractor financing scheme was first piloted in the UP zone for a year and it has been successful, he stated adding that this is being expanded into 11 zones of the bank.
• The bank has tied up with Gromax under the Mahindra stable as the preferred brand, he added.
• Besides, he stated, the bank is focussing on dairy sector self-help groups and farmer producer organisations for expanding the agriculture finance portfolio.

About Bank Of Baroda:

• Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat, India
• Chairman : Hasmukh Adhia
• MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

FSSAI’s new food safety compliance platform to become operational across India from November

• Food regulator FSSAI stated its Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) will become operational in the entire country from November 1.
• The system is operational in nine States/UTs — Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Puducherry and Ladakh since June.
• FSSAI is launching its cloud based, upgraded new food safety compliance online platform called FoSCoS( URL – https://foscos.fssai.gov.in). It will replace the existing FLRS (URL – https://foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in).
• FoSCoS is conceptualized to provide one point stop for all engagement of a food business operator (FBO) with the department for any regulatory compliance transaction.

About FSSAI

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Rita Teaotia
• Chief Executive Officer: Shri Arun Singhal

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS  AND RESIGNATIONS

Vineet Nayyar resigns as Executive Vice-Chairman of IL&FS Group

• Vineet Nayyar has resigned as Executive Vice-Chairman of IL&FS Group citing medical reasons.
• CS Rajan, MD, IL&FS, has been asked by the board to discharge Nayyar’s responsibilities and, in consultation with senior management, put in place a revised organisational structure.
• Nayyar was appointed the Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of IL&FS on October 4, 2018, at the first meeting held by the new board immediately after its constitution by MCA, and has been leading the IL&FS resolution, involving over 300 companies, for the last two years with the new board.

About IL&FS Group:

• CEO: Arun K. Saha
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Parle Agro’s B-Fizz ropes Priyanka Chopra Jonas as brand ambassador

• Parle Agro’s bold new drink, B-Fizz gets a befitting brand ambassador in global icon and superstar Priyanka Chopra Jonas. B-Fizz is a unique and refreshing apple juice based malt flavored carbonated drink that is set to revolutionize the taste experience of consumers across age groups.
• The new B-Fizz is an ideal drink for people across all age groups with distinct pallets. As the malt flavor mirrors a strong taste of beer, the sweet tinge of apple juice appeals to the taste buds.  It is light, refreshing and ready for consumption at any time of the day or night.

LG signs Lewis Hamilton as ambassador of LG Signature

• LG Electronics has named Lewis Hamilton a global ambassador for its home solutions brand, LG Signature.
• Hamilton will initially star in a new campaign to communicate the brand’s philosophy. In the new campaign, he will share with audiences his thoughts on how to lead a stylish, sophisticated life, and what motivates him to be the best in his field.

About LG Electronics:

• Chairman: Kwang-Mo Koo
• Jo Seong-Jin: Vice Chairman and CEO
• Head quarters : South Korea

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Indian American Anika Chebrolu wins America’s Young Scientist Challenge

• Anika Chebrolu, a 14-year-old Indian American student from Frisco, Texas, has won the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge for a discovery that may help combat the spread of COVID-19. She won a prize of $25,000 for her discovery.
• Chebrolu developed an antiviral drug for COVID-19 by researching protein spikes in the novel coronavirus.
• She used in-silico methodology for drug discovery to find a molecule that can selectively bind to the Spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in an attempt to find a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Shri Kiren Rijiju addresses Y20 Global Summit

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju represented India in the Y20 Global Summit, aimed at exchanging ideas and dialogues between nations to empower the youth across the world.
• The host country for the Y20 Summit this year was Saudi Arabia.
• The theme of the Summit is ‘Government – Youth dialogue on post-COVID-19 opportunities’.
• The Y20 Youth Summit is a youth-led event bringing young leaders from across G20 countries to discuss and debate the G20 Leaders’ agenda. The Summit concludes with the drafting of the Y20 communique.

About MoYA&S

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs of India: ShriKirenRijiju
• Constituency: Arunachal West

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

India invites Australia to join Malabar naval exercises in snub to China

• The Centre announced that Australia will join the high-level Malabar naval exercises.
• The annual drill, which India, Japan and the United States participated in, will now include the complete “quad” or quadrilateral coalition. The announcement came amid India’s border tensions with China.
• The exercise is scheduled to take place in November.
• The exercise will strengthen the coordination between the Navies of the participating countries.
• The annual exercise was held off the coast the Japan in 2019. This year, it will be held in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

About Australia

• Prime minister: Scott Morrison
• Capital: Canberra
• Currency: Australian dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Kokrak claims first-ever PGA Tour win at CJ Cup

• American Jason Kokrak won his first-ever PGA Tour victory at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, clinching his maiden title on the 233rd try.
• Four-time PGA Tour winner Xander Schauffele, who finished second.
• Elsewhere in the field, 29-year-old Briton Tyrrell Hatton (65) and three-time PGA Tour winner Russell Henley (70) finished tied at third.

DAILY CA 18th & 19th OCT

• SC appoints former justice Lokur to monitor steps to prevent stubble burning
• Govt amends Panchayat law to set up District Development Councils in J&K, elections soon
• Prime Minister to inaugurate India Energy Forum
• NCDC to launch Ayushman Sahakar scheme to fund co-operative healthcare facilities
• ”My Town My Pride” campaign will be for urban areas on the lines of ”Back to Village” in J-K
• Nagaland Minister for Health & Family Welfare launches handbook on “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega”
• Telangana Dharani portal to safeguard ownership of immovable property
• Tata Motors partners with HDFC Bank for financing of passenger vehicles
• CRPF collaborates with IIT Delhi, DRDO, JATC to augment R&D capabilities
• Rohan Jaitley elected unopposed president of Delhi and District Cricket Association
• New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern wins second term in landslide election victory
• HDFC Bank board appoints Sashidhar Jagdishan as its MD & CEO
• Aishwarya Sridhar becomes first Indian woman to win at Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards
• Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone and Billie Eilish win big, Jonas Brothers rake in 3 wins. Complete winners list
• Sana Hazari, founder of The Social Corporate, wins Young Achievers Award 2020
• First SCO Startup Forum to be launched on October 27
• Science-Society-Setu webinar series initiated to strengthen S&T capacity of NGOs & Communities
• CSIR-CMERI develops Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Processing Facility
• India Conducts Successful Night Trial of Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-2 Missile From Odisha Test Range
• BrahMos missile test-fired from destroyer INS Chennai in Arabian Sea
• Indian Navy – Sri Lanka Navy Maritime Exercise SLINEX-20 off Trincomalee
• ADTL To Build, Run Rs.753 cr. MiG-29 Simulator Centre For IAF
• Shashi Tharoor announces new book ‘The Battle Of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be Indian’
• Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul retires from all forms of cricket at the age of 36
• Andrey Rublev wins St. Petersburg Open 2020
• Sheikh Russel Championship: Elavenil wins gold, Shahu Mane bags silver
• Nozomi Okuhara clinches Women’s Singles title at Denmark Open
• Veteran artiste Pradip Ghosh passes away
• Renowned carnatic vocalist Narayanaswamy passes away

DAILY CA 20th OCT

• World Statistics Day: 20th October
• Gadkari to lay foundation stone for country’s first multi-modal logistic park in Assam
• RPF launches ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative on AP Express
• NITI Aayog to establish Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Centre with AWS
• CSIR-IHBT makes history by introducing asafoetida (Heeng) cultivation in Indian Himalayan region
• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme
• Singapore Becomes First Country to Use Facial Recognition to Pay Taxes
• India , Netherlands collaborate in e-health initiative
• Tech Mahindra signs agreement to form joint venture with Sumitomo Corp
• Kati Bihu Celebrated In Assam
• West Bengal Government Launches Campaign To Curb Elephant Deaths Due To Electrocution
• Asan Conservation Reserve becomes Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site
• ITBP launches cycling expedition from its Pegong base in Sikkim
• GOI, ADB inks 177 million dollar loan pact to upgrade 450 kms of state highways & major district roads in Maharashtra
• Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance launches Invest 4G plan with multiple saving options, protection cover
• Fino Payments Bank to add 300 more points at BPCL outlets in TN
• SEBI constitutes committee for market data sharing
• Paytm to introduce co-branded credit cards in India
• BSE joins hands with Telangana govt to help MSMEs raise equity funds
• Bank of Baroda inks pact with Mahindra & Mahindra for tractor finance
• FSSAI’s new food safety compliance platform to become operational across India from November
• Vineet Nayyar resigns as Executive Vice-Chairman of IL&FS Group
• Parle Agro’s B-Fizz ropes Priyanka Chopra Jonas as brand ambassador
• LG signs Lewis Hamilton as ambassador of LG Signature
• Indian American Anika Chebrolu wins America’s Young Scientist Challenge
• Shri Kiren Rijiju addresses Y20 Global Summit
• India invites Australia to join Malabar naval exercises in snub to China
• Kokrak claims first-ever PGA Tour win at CJ Cup