Current Affairs 30th & 31st October 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Internet Day

• ​International Internet Day is celebrated globally on October 29 every year since 2005.
• International Internet Day is celebrated to commemorate a momentous day in the history of telecommunications and technology.
• Charley Kline, a student programmer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), transmitted the first-ever electronic message ‘LO’ on October 29, 1969.
• At that time the Internet was known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network).

World Psoriasis Day

• World Psoriasis Day, observed on October 29, shines a light on challenges faced by those suffering from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis is a disease that results from an overactive immune system and is evidenced by rashes on the skin.
• The theme for World Psoriasis Day 2020 is “INFORMED”

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)

• National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on October 31 every year.
• The day was introduced in 2014 by the Government of India to mark the birth anniversary of Iron Man of India – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• This year marks the 145th birth anniversary of
• Prime Minister inaugurated the first seaplane service in Gujarat and dedicate it to the people of the state from October 31.
• PM will board an inaugural flight of the service from Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and land at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia.

World Cities Day

• World Cities Day 2020 is the 7th global celebration since the day was launched on 31 October 2014 in Shanghai, China.
• The United Nations has designated October 31 as World Cities Day (WCD).
• This day is observed to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, cooperation among countries in addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
• The Theme of WCD 2020 is Valuing our communities and cities.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

NITI Aayog, Rockefeller Foundation & Smart Power India Launch Electricity Access & Utility Benchmarking Report

• NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power, Rockefeller Foundation, and Smart Power India launched the ‘Electricity Access in India and Benchmarking Distribution Utilities’ report.
• Based on a primary survey conducted across 10 states––representing about 65% of the total rural population of India and with a sample size of more than 25,000, including households, commercial enterprises and institutions––the report assesses 25 distribution utilities.
• ‘The report highlights the benefits of government-led schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, which have been well received in rural as well as urban areas.’
• Evaluate the status of electricity access in India across these states and distribution utilities along all dimensions that constitute meaningful access
• Benchmark utilities’ capacity to provide electricity access and identify the drivers of sustainable access
• Develop recommendations for enhancing sustainable electricity access

Key findings of the report:

• As much as 92% of customers reported the overall availability of electricity infrastructure within 50 metres of their premises; however, not all have connections, the primary reason being the distance of households from the nearest pole.
• Overall, 87% of the surveyed customers have access to grid-based electricity. The remaining 13% either use non-grid sources or don’t use any electricity at all.
• The hours of supply have improved significantly across the customer categories to nearly 17 hours per day.
• Nearly 85% of customers reported to have a metered electricity connection.
• Access to electricity is observed in 83% of household customers.
• A satisfaction index was created to assess the overall satisfaction level of customers with utility services. The study suggested that a total of 66% of those surveyed were satisfied––74% of customers in urban areas and 60% in rural areas.
• The report underlines some best practices adopted by the better-performing electricity distribution utilities in India and provides key recommendations to enhance sustainable electricity access. The data from the survey provides evidence that the infrastructure of providing electricity across sectors has improved over time. It also shows that reforms undertaken by the Government have been appreciated by the stakeholders.

About NITI Aayog

• Formed: 1 January 2015
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Narendra Modi
• CEO: Shri Amitabh Kant

Govt extends payment date for ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme to March 31

• The government extended for the third time the deadline for making payment under the direct tax dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by three months to March 31, 2021.
• Vivad se Vishwas is a direct tax scheme for settling tax disputes between individuals and the income tax department.
• This is a scheme for the benefit and convenience of the taxpayers as they would get instant disposal of the dispute with no further cost of litigation besides monetary benefits in the form of waiver of penalty, interest and prosecution.
• It was decided in the meeting to adopt a proactive approach for implementation of the scheme by approaching taxpayers directly, guiding and facilitating them in filing of declarations and removing any difficulties or problems faced by them in availing the scheme.
• In order to provide more time to taxpayers to settle disputes, earlier the date for filing declaration and making payment without additional amount under Vivad se Vishwas was extended from March 31, 2020 to June 30, 2020. This date was again extended to December 31, 2020.

About CBDT

• Formation: 1944
• Chairman: Pramod Chandra Mody

Cabinet approves Rs 10,000 crore project to improve dams in India

• The cabinet committee on economic affairs approved a Rs 10,211-crore project to improve the safety and performance of select dams across India.
• The dam rehabilitation and improvement project (DRIP)–phase II and phase III–is financially supported by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
• India is the third ranked country in terms of total number of dams, next after the US and China, and it has 5,334 big dams and another 412 dams under construction.
• DRIP will be implemented over a period of 10 years in two phases – each of six years with two years overlapping from April 2021 to March 2031. The first phase of this project started in 2012.

• Out of the total cost of the project, the share of external funding is Rs 7,000 crore, while the balance Rs 3,211 crore will be borne by the concerned implementing agencies.

PM Modi inaugurates ‘Arogya Van’ in Narmada district of Gujarat

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, inaugurated four new tourist attractions near the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Narmada district
• The prime minister inaugurated Arogya Van, Ekta Mall, Children’s Nutrition Park and Sardar Patel Zoological Park/ Jungle Safari.
• He was scheduled to launch 17 new projects, including a seaplane service.
• Modi first inaugurated Arogya Van (`health forest’), spread over 17 acres with a wide range of medicinal plants.
• The sprawling garden, which boasts of five lakh plants of 380 species, also highlights the importance of Yoga, Ayurveda and meditation
• It also has a `yoga and meditation’ garden, souvenir shop and a cafeteria serving “Ayurveda foods”.
• Modi also visited a digital information centre and an indoor plants garden inside Arogya Van.
• The prime minister then inaugurated Ekta Mall, a unique store near the Statue of Unity where tourists can buy handloom and handicraft products from various states.
• The PM next inaugurated a Children’s Nutrition Park, dubbed as the world’s first such technology-driven theme park developed over 35,000 square meters. Its primary objective is to make children understand the importance of nutritious food.
• The park has 47 attractions providing “infotainment” to children with the underlying theme of “Sahi Poshan Desh Roshan”.
• Modi then inaugurated Jungle Safari, a state-of-the- art Zoological Park spread across 375 acres and seven levels.
• It houses over 1,100 indigenous and exotic birds and animals of more than 100 species including tigers, lions, giraffes, zebras and leopards.

About Gujarat

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

Indian Railways launches ‘Meri Saheli’ to provide safety to women passengers

• Indian Railways started another great initiative named “Meri Saheli” to provide more safety and security to women passengers during their entire journey.
• The “Meri Saheli” initiative is to provide more safety and security of lady passengers travelling by trains in their entire journey from originating station till destination station.
• Under the initiative, a team of lady officer and staff have been formed. The team will visit all of the passenger coaches including ladies coaches to identify women passengers.
• Passengers will be briefed about RPF Security Helpline Number 182, GRP Security Helpline Number 1512 as well as other precautions like, not to take food with strangers, buying food from only authorized IRCTC stalls, taking care of luggage, etc.
• The ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative was started as a pilot project in the South Eastern Railway in September 2020 and after getting positive response from women passengers, it was extended to all zones.
• Central Railway has always been at the forefront in providing a safe and comfortable journey to Women and “Meri Saheli” will be another important part of the dedicated efforts to ensure safety and security of women passengers.

About Indian Railways

• Founded: 16 April 1853
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman: V K Yadhav

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches DST initiative SERB – POWER for women scientists

• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare launched a Scheme titled “SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research)”, designed exclusively for women scientists, in a function on an e-platform.
• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has been contemplating to institute a scheme to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories.
• Integration of the gender dimension in research design has gained considerable attention in the global scenario. Enhancement of participation and promotion of women in the research workforce is one of the prime priorities of our Government.
• SERB – POWER Scheme will have two components namely (i) SERB-POWER Fellowship (ii) SERB- POWER Research Grants. The salient features of each of these are as follows:

Salient features of the SERB-POWER Fellowship

• Target: Women researchers in 35-55 years of age. Up-to 25 Fellowships per year and not more than 75 at any point in time.
• Components of support: Fellowship of Rs 15,000/- per month in addition to regular income; Research grant of Rs 10 lakh per annum; and Overhead of Rs 90,000/- per annum.
• Duration: Three years, without the possibility of extension. Once in a career.

Salient features of the SERB – POWER Research Grants

• Level I (Applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISc, NITs, Central Universities, and National Labs of Central Government Institutions): The scale of funding is up to 60 lakhs for three years.
• Level II (Applicants from State Universities / Colleges and Private Academic Institutions): The scale of funding is up to 30 lakhs for three years.
• POWER Grant will be regulated through terms of reference conforming to SERB-CRG (Science and Engineering Research Board-Core Research Grant) guidelines.

About MoH&FW

• Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Earth Sciences: Harsh Vardhan
• Constituency: Chandni Chowk, New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Panna (India), Fuvahmulah and Addu Atoll (Maldives) join UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves

• UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme included Panna in India and Fuvahmulah and Addu Atoll in the Maldives, to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
• For India it is the twelfth entry, whereas for Maldives second and third after Baa Atoll.
• In total 25 new sites were added, one of them transboundary, in 18 countries to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which now numbers 714 biosphere reserves in 129 countries around the globe.
• Panna Biosphere Reserve (India)
  Located in the centre of India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Panna is characterized by forests and marshy vegetation, with an abundance of rare medicinal plants as well as other non-timber forestry products, such as Kattha, gum and resins. It is a critical tiger habitat area and hosts the Panna Tiger Reserve, as well as the World Heritage site of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments. The area has undergone substantial ecosystem restoration in the buffer zone. With only three urban centres and over 300 villages, agriculture is the main source of income, together with horticulture, forestry, and cultural and eco-tourism.
• Fuvahmulah Biosphere Reserve (Maldives)
  A large island in the southern part of the Maldives, the biosphere reserve encompasses an entire atoll ecosystem, including the most diverse of coral ecosystems in the country with healthy habitats and unique coral sand beach formations. The surface of the island is in the form of a very shallow bowl with two mangroves and wetlands (locally known as Kilhi) at medial low points, forming two small linked sub-catchments. These Kilhis have influenced the lifestyle of the island’s inhabitants, who make a living mostly with tourism, small-scale fishing and agriculture
• Addu Atoll Biosphere Reserve (Maldives)
  Addu, the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, comprises a total of 30 islands, 17 of which are uninhabited. It is one of the most diverse coral reef ecosystems in the Maldives including lagoons, reef passes, seagrass beds, sandbanks, coral islands, lush tropical vegetation, mangroves, wetlands, brackish lakes locally known as kilhis, agricultural land and residential areas. About 14,352 ha of its total area of 17,174.40 ha are marine areas, with an outstanding biodiversity that includes over 1,200 fish species. It is home to internationally threatened species and an important habitat for migratory birds. Most of the inhabitants make a living from fisheries and tourism related to underwater sports. The establishment of Addu Atoll Biosphere Reserve reinforces ongoing efforts to manage coral reef ecosystem services through sustainable development.

About UNESCO

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Head: Audrey Azoulay
• Founded: 16 November 1945

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Kerala becomes first state in the country to fix floor price for vegetables, rates to be effective from Nov 1

• Kerala has become the first state in the country to set floor prices of 16 varieties of vegetables, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan informed. He said that the scheme would come into effect from November 01, 2020.
• This is the first time the floor price is being fixed for vegetables produced in the state and this is the first for a state in the country also. This is going to provide relief as well as support for the farmers.
• The 16 varieties for which base prices (per kg) have been announced in the first phase are: tapioca (Rs 12), banana (Rs 30), Wayanadan banana (Rs 24), pineapple (Rs 15), ashgourd (Rs 9), cucumber (Rs 8), bitter gourd (Rs 30), snake gourd (Rs 16), tomato (Rs 8), beans nadan (vallipayar) (Rs 34), lady’s finger (Rs 20), cabbage (Rs 11), carrot (Rs 21), potato (Rs 20), beans (Rs 28), beetroot (Rs 21), and garlic (Rs 139).
• The base price mechanism will function like the MSP system. Under the new mechanism, the government will procure the commodity from the farmer at the base price if the market price of some vegetable or fruit falls below the stipulated base price, and the amount thereafter will be credited to the farmer’s account.

About Kerala

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

Telangana CM launches revamped Dharani portal to end corruption during land registration

• Telangana government launched the Dharani portal, a first of its kind in the country, for storing digitised land records and registration of properties.
• Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao unveiled the portal at Muduchintalapalli village in Medchal-Malkajgiri.
• The portal, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world, will allow people to access property information, book slots for registration of land and can write their own documents (for registrations), using the open proformas available on the portal.
• It will take 15-20 days for the registration of non-agricultural properties to commence.
• The property registrations, except non-agriculture properties, resumed in the state with the launch of the Dharani portal.
• Earlier, farmers were supposed to go to the Revenue Division Office for mutation of records. Now, the mutation will be done automatically once the property registration is done.

About Telangana

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

Odisha CM Patnaik launches web portals for student scholarships, inter-caste marriage incentives

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched two web portals – Integrated Odisha State Scholarship Portal to help eligible students of the state avail scholarship avail benefits in a seamless and transparent manner, and Sumangal Portal, to help people avail inter-caste marriage incentives.
• 21 scholarships would be offered by eight state departments and more than 11 lakh beneficiary students from Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, and educationally backward classes would benefit from the scholarship portal.
• Professional programs of the SC and ST Department, Higher Education, Schools and Mass Education, Labor and ESI, Skills Development and Technical Education, and Agriculture Department will be administered on the portal.
• Scholarships will be credited directly to students’ bank accounts as the portal is liked to the state treasury.
• Rs 2.5 lakh can be availed for beneficiaries within 60 days of applying at the portal.

About Odisha

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

Kabartal Wetland (Bihar) and Asan Conservation Reserve designated as New Ramsar Sites

• Kabartal, a freshwater marsh of North Bihar and Asan Barrage in Doon Valley of Uttarakhand were designated as Ramsar Sites.
• With these two sites, the network of Indian Ramsar Sites becomes the largest in South Asia.
• Earlier in 2020, India designated 10 more wetlands as a Ramsar site, taking the total number from 27 to 37.
• With 2 more inclusions, the total number of Ramsar sites in India is 39, the highest in South Asia.
• Wetlands can be designated to the Ramsar List under any (one or more) of the nine criteria that ranges from uniqueness of the site to those based on species and ecological communities supported. Designation of Kabartal and Asan Conservation Reserve to this list, will go a long way in facilitating their conservation and management.
• Asan Conservation reserve is a 444-hectare stretch of the Asan River running down to its confluence with the Yamuna River in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. The site is a biodiversity hub that supports 330 species of birds including the critically endangered redheaded vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri). It also supports large congregations of migratory birds like red-crested pochard and ruddy shelduck and is a known feeding, spawning and migrating site for over 40 fish species.
• Kabartal, also known as Kanwar jheel covers 2,620 hectares of the Indo-Gangetic plains, in Begusarai district of the state of Bihar. The site acts as a vital flood buffer for the region besides providing livelihood opportunities to the local communities. As a habitat to biodiversity, the wetland supports about 165 plant, 394 animals and around 50 fish species. Kabartal is also an important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway, with 58 migratory waterbirds using it as a wintering site. Besides, critically endangered vultures including red-headed vulture and white-rumped vulture also use the site as a habitat.

About Bihar

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

IndusInd Bank first bank to go live on RBI’s ‘Account Aggregator Framework’

• IndusInd Bank has gone live as a ‘Financial Information Provider’ (FIP) under the new ‘Account Aggregator Framework’ of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), making it the first bank in the country to do so.
• With this, customers can now avail a host of benefits such as viewing statements of their accounts, track deposits, plan investments (such as shares, mutual funds, Insurance, EPF, PPF), avail credit cards, etc. on a single window, thereby empowering them to take informed decisions pertaining to their finances.
• The initiative is a path breaking step taken by the RBI which will enable individuals as well as small and mid–sized businesses to avail services that will help them fulfill their financial requirements in a seamless way.
• The Account Aggregator framework is an important step towards that direction which will empower the customer to view as well as choose their preferred product & service from banks and other participating players.

The Account Aggregator system offers the following benefits to customers:

• Eliminates the existing process of physical document submission which is time consuming.
• Enables individuals and SME customers to share their financial information digitally with regulated financial institutions like banks, NBFC’s among others, within a secure framework.
• Allows customers to have better control on financial information shared by providing his/her explicit consent before sharing the information.

About IndusInd Bank

• CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
• Headquarters: Pune

Remittances to India to fall by 9% to $76 billion in 2020 due to COVID-19: World Bank

• TheWorld Bank  said remittances to India would fall this year by nine per cent to $76 billion due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and global economic recession.
• India followed by China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt continue to be the top five countries in 2020 to receive foreign remittances.
• Remittance flows to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 7 per cent to $508 billion in 2020, followed by a further decline of 7.5 per cent to $470 billion in 2021.
• Remittances to South Asia are projected to decline by around four per cent in 2020 to $1 35 billion.
• The declines in 2020 and 2021 will affect all regions, with the steepest drop expected in Europe andCentral Asia (by 16 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively), followed by East Asia and the Pacific (11 per cent and 4 per cent), the Middle East and North Africa ( both 8 per cent), Sub-Saharan Africa (9 per cent and 6 per cent), South Asia (4 per cent and 11 per cent), and Latin America and the Caribbean (0.2 per cent and 8 per cent).

About World Bank

• President: David Malpass
• Founded: July 1944
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Justice BL Bhat to continue as officiating NCLAT Chairperson till Dec 31

• Justice Bhat was appointed Acting Chairperson after the first Chairperson, Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya, demitted office in March this year.
• The Centre has extended till December 31 the term of Justice (retd) Bansi Lal Bhat as the officiating Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
• The term of Justice AIS Cheema as Judicial Member of NCLAT has also been extended till December 31.
• Bhat was appointed for a period of three months with effect from March 15. However, his term was extended from time to time.
• Earlier, the government had extended his term till October 16, 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Om Puri posthumously awarded Lifetime Achievement Award at IIFFB

• Late actor Om Puri was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the third India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB) this year.
• The award was received by his wife Nandita Puri.
• Meanwhile, the award for Best Feature Film went to Malayalam film ‘Kaanthi’. The film festival, based in Boston, USA, was held virtually this year due to coronavirus pandemic.

‘Gully Boy’ wins Best Original Music at 14th Asian Film Awards

• The 14th edition ofAsian Film Awards (“AFA14”) was organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy (“AFAA”).
• Indian Movie Gully Boy received the award for the Best Original Score at the event. in Gully Boy, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt played leading roles.
• The award was given to The Salvage Audio Collective and Karsh Kale.
• Zoya Akhtar has directed Film Gully Boy and was displayed on cinema screen on 14th February 2019.
• Award Name Winner

Best Actor	Lee Byung-hun – The Man Standing Next (South Korea)
Best Actress	Zhou Dongyu – Better Days (China)
Best Cinematography	Dong Jinsong – The Wild Goose Lake
Best Costume Designer	Pacharin Surawatanapongs– Happy Old Year
Best Director	Wang Xiaoshuai for So Long, My Son (China)
Best Editing	Yang Jin-mo – Parasite
Best Film	Parasite (South Korea)
Best Newcomer	Jackson Yee – Better Days
Best New Director	Hikari – 37 Seconds
Best Supporting Actor	Ryo Kase – To the Ends of the Earth
Best Supporting Actress	Ko Shu-chin – A Sun
Best Screenplay	Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won – Parasite
Best Original Music	Karsh Kale, The Salvage Audio Collective – Gully Boy
Best Production Design	Ha-jun Lee – Parasite
Best Visual Effects	Tomi Kijo, Renovatio Pictures – Detention
Best Sound	Yoshifumi Kureishi – Listen to the Universe

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

World’s first scientoon book “Bye Bye Corona”on Coronavirus released by UP Governor

• World’s first scientoon book entitled “Bye Bye Corona”, written by ‘scientoonist’ Dr Pradeep Srivastava, former Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow,  was released at a function held at Raj Bhawan, Lucknow, by Anandi Ben, Governor, Uttar Pradesh.
• The book is published by Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Dr Nakul Parashar, Director, Vigyan Prasar, and Nimish Kapoor, scientist and head of publication division, Vigyan Prasar, are the chief editor and editor of the book.
• A ‘scientoon’ is a cartoon communication based on science. Scientoons are meant to inform and sensitize people to science and scientific concepts in an intelligible and interesting way.
• ‘Bye Bye Corona’ also has a very interesting chapter on the ‘Art of Living with Coronavirus’ highlighting the methods to deal with the virus in day to day life if it is here to stay for a longer time.
• The Book offers a perspective insight into the intricacies of the deadly pandemic without scaring the reader.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Indian Navy successfully test fires missile INS  Kora as part of military drill in Bay of Bengal

• The Indian Navy successfully test fired its anti-ship missile (AshM) in the Bay of Bengal from its Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora and hit the target at max range with “precise accuracy”.
• Last week, the Navy had released a video showing the anti-ship missile launched by its Missile Corvette INS Prabal hitting a ship and sinking it with “deadly accuracy”.
• The missile was launched as part of a mega drill involving aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya , aircraft and a number of warships, attack helicopters and other assets of the Navy.

About Indian Navy

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters: Integrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Punjab Inks MOU With Game To Support Msmes, In Partnership With Omidyar Network India

• Punjab Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME).
• The two-year project aims to make Punjab a leading state in India in terms of ease of doing business (EODB) for MSMEs, by driving simplification, digitization, and decriminalization of compliances. This project builds on a blueprint developed by the GAME MSME Task Force.
• Punjab has been at the forefront of supporting MSMEs through dedicated district level banker committees to monitor the deployment of the Central Government’s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) scheme and announcing the Right to Business Act that seeks to radically improve ease of incorporating a business through self-declaration, exemptions, speedier approvals, and inspections.
• The project will be led by the Chair of the GAME Taskforce on MSME, Dr KP Krishnan who is a former Secretary, Government of India.

About Punjab

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
• Chief minister: Amarinder Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former Turkish PM and veteran politician Mesut Yilmaz passes away at 72

• Mesut Yilmaz, a former Turkish prime minister, and veteran politician who served as premier three times during a tumultuous political era in his country, passed away at age 72.
• Earlier, Yilmaz served as foreign minister and culture minister in former premier Turgut Ozal’s government.