Current Affairs 22nd September 2021| Current Affairs News

 

World Alzheimer’s Day – Observed on Sep 21

• On September 21, the world acknowledges World Alzheimer’s Day with the goal of raising awareness of the disease, common symptoms, and risk factors.
• The theme for World Alzheimer’s day in 2021 is ‘Know dementia, know Alzheimer’s’.
• This day raises awareness of the cause and severity of Alzheimer’s disease, and it is observed throughout the month in certain countries.
• Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain condition that gradually deteriorates memory and cognitive abilities, among other things.
• It is the most frequent cause of dementia in older individuals.
• It is also a progressive illness that causes brain cells to deteriorate and die.

SYMPTOMS:

• Memory loss is a significant symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
• The inability to recall recent events or discussions is generally an early symptom of the illness.
• Memory problems increase as the disease develops, and additional symptoms emerge.
• Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, degenerative brain condition that gradually affects memory and thinking skills, as well as the ability to do even the most basic tasks.

World Rhino Day observed on Sep 22

• World Rhino Day is observed on September 22 every year.
• The theme of World Rhino Day 2021 is ‘Keep the Five Alive’.
• The day aims to raise awareness about the African and Asian species of rhinos.
• World Rhino Day was announced by World Wildlife Fund -South Africa in 2010.
• World Rhino Day is observed on September 22 every year to celebrate all the five species of rhinoceroses – black and white (in Africa), and greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan (in Asia).
• The day aims to raise awareness about the African and Asian species of rhinos and encourage people to take steps for their conservation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

IRCTC Launched India’s 1st Indigenous Luxury Cruise Liner

• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) started India’s first indigenous luxury cruise liner on 18th September 2021.
• IRCTC has partnered with Cordelia Cruises, operated by Waterways Leisure Tourism Private Limited to promote and market India’s 1st luxury cruise. 
• The cruise will sail to national and international destinations like Goa Diu, Lakshadweep, Kochi and Sri Lanka

Devusinh Chauhan Launched Commemorative Stamp on 515th Birth Anniversary of Rao Jaimal Rathore

• Devusinh Chauhan, Union Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Communications launched a commemorative postal stamp to honour Rao Jaimal Rathore on his 515th birth anniversary.
• This commemorative stamp was launched in the run-up to the celebration of 75th Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir(J&K).
• Rao Jaimal Rathore, a Rajput warrior general of Chittorgarh, fought against the Mughal army during its siege from 1567 to 1568.

Recommendations of 45th GST Council Meeting held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

• The 45th meeting of GST (Goods & Service Tax) Council was held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, under the chairmanship of the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance.
• The Council has made the various recommendations related to extension of existing concessional GST rates on certain COVID-19 treatment drugs, reduction of GST rates on various other medicines, revision and clarification of GST rates of various Goods and Services, several measures relating to GST Law & Procedures, etc.
• The existing concessional GST rates (till 30th September, 2021) on Covid-19 treatment drugs extended to December, 31 2021.
• From January 1, 2022, food delivery apps will collect and deposit 5% GST with the government, in place of restaurants, for deliveries made by them.
• This will not affect the end consumer.
• There is an increase of 12/18% to 18% GST rate on Cartons, boxes, bags, packing containers of paper, and kinds of pens from 12/18% to 18%.

About GST (Goods & Service Tax):

• It is an indirect tax which has replaced various indirect taxes in India such as the excise duty, VAT, services tax, among others.

It has 3 components:

• CGST (Central Goods and Services Tax) – tax collected by the Central Government on an intra-state sale.
• SGST (State Goods and Service Tax) – tax collected by the state government on an intra-state sale.
• IGST (Integrated Goods and Services Tax) – tax collected by the Central Government for an inter-state sale.

NCW initiates Country-Wide Capacity Building & Personality Development Program for Women Students

• In an endeavour to make women independent and employment-ready, the National Commission for Women has launched a country-wide capacity building and personality development program for women Undergraduate and Post graduate students.
• The Commission is collaborating with Central and State universities for organizing sessions on Personal Capacity Building, Professional Career Skills and Digital Literacy and Effective Use of Social Media to prep women students for entering the job market.
• NCW launched its first program in collaboration with the Central University of Haryana.
• NCW, through this course will help the students at every step of their employment including resume making and facing interviews and prepare them to face all the challenges with confidence”.

About the course:

• The course will focus on learning and applying the use of intuitive, logical and critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills to enhance employability.
• The course has been divided into three categories; Personal Capacity Building, Professional Career Skills and Digital Literacy and Effective Use of Social Media.

The objective of the sessions:

• The Personal Capacity Building session would help students enhance skills such as time management, stress management, and communication.
• The Professional Career Skills session will focus on identifying career opportunities, building resume and presentation skills and empower women students in exploring career opportunities for themselves considering their innate strengths and weaknesses.
• The third session on Digital Literacy and Effective Use of Social Media aims to generate awareness among women on safe usage of internet and social media platforms.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Justin Trudeau won 3rd term as Prime Minister of Canada

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a third term in Canada’s snap election but fell short of regaining the majority he was seeking, faced with relying on smaller parties in another fragmented parliament.
• While Trudeau is likely to be able to pursue his left-leaning agenda with the backing of other parties in parliament, he lacks the broad-based support from voters needed to govern alone.
• For a second straight election, his party lost the popular vote to the Conservatives and won only because of a strong showing in Toronto, Montreal and other cities.
• With more than 90% of polls reporting, the Liberals had just 31.8% of the national vote.
• That would be the lowest share for any governing party in the nation’s history.
• The Conservatives stood at 34.1%.

About Canada:

• Prime minister: Justin Trudeau
• Capital: Ottawa
• Currency: Canadian dollar

Iran – 9th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• At the end of the 21st Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), held in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, the leaders of the eight main members of the organisation agreed to change the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran from an observer member to a full member and signed the relevant documents.
• Accordingly, the technical process of Iran becoming one of the main members of the organisation has begun and Iran will henceforth cooperate and interact with member countries as the main member of the important regional organisation.

About SCO:

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance.
• It is the world’s largest regional organisation in geographic scope and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, 40% of the human population, and more than 20% of global GDP.
• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Secretary General: Vladimir Norov

About Iran:

• President: Ebrahim Raisi
• Capital: Tehran
• Currency: Iranian rial
• Supreme leader: Ali Khamenei

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Uttar Pradesh Government to set up ‘Electronic Park’ near Noida

• After Toy Park, Film City, Medical Device Park and Leather Park, the Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to develop an ‘Electronic Park’ for electronic devices and accessories along the Yamuna Expressway near Noida.
• The park is expected to attract an investment of Rs 50,000 crore and will provide employment to thousands of local youths, according to Arun Vir Singh, the CEO of the Yamuna Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
• “The park is likely to be developed in an area of 250 acres either in Sector 14 or Sector 10 of the YEIDA near Jewar Airport”.

About Uttar Pradesh:

• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath
• National Parks: Dudhwa National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Power Finance Corp set to become India’s 11th Maharatna CPSE

• Power Finance Corp. Ltd (PFC) is set to become the 11th Maharatna central public sector enterprise (CPSE), with an inter-ministerial committee clearing the Navratna last week for this, stated two people aware of the development.
• This comes against the backdrop of the government using power sector lenders such as PFC and REC Ltd to instil financial discipline at state-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms).
• The Maharatna dispensation was ushered in by the Union government for mega CPSEs to become global giants.

About Power Finance Corporation:

• PFC, India’s largest non-banking financial company (NBFC) and among the 14 Navratna CPSEs, can invest up to 5,000 crore, or 15% of its net worth, in a single project apart from being granted enhanced powers by the government for undertaking mergers and acquisitions once it gets the Maharatna status.
• Navratna and Miniratna CPSEs can invest up to Rs.1,000 crore and Rs.500 crore, respectively.

About CPSE:

• Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are those companies in which the direct holding of the Central Government or other CPSEs is 51% or more.
• Presently, it is part of the Ministry of Finance.
• The Department of Public Enterprises is the nodal department for all the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and formulates policy pertaining to CPSEs.

ADB projects growth forecast during current fiscal to 10%

• ADB (Asian Development Bank) has lowered its forecast for the current fiscal (ending March 2022) to 10 per cent from 11 per cent while raising the estimate to 7.5 per cent from 7 per cent for the next fiscal (ending March 2023).
• This is second announcement lowering the growth forecast within 24 hours.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its projection of India’s economic growth by 0.2 percentage points to 9.7 per cent for the current financial year.
• Still, this along with ADB’s forecast is tad better than S&P’s RBI’s estimate of 9.5 per cent.

About ADB:

• The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
• The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.
• ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.
• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Former UK PM Gordon Brown become Health Financing Ambassador of WHO

• The former British Prime Minister (PM) Gordon Brown has been appointed as Ambassador for Global Health Financing of World Health Organization (WHO). 
• He was appointed by the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
• The Role will facilitate the accessibility and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at global level. 
• In association with WHO, He will elevate and support the efforts to increase awareness about Global Health Financing specially from G20 and G7

About World Health Organization (WHO)

• Director General-Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
• Founded- 7 April 1948
• Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland

About Gordon Brown

• He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010.
• He was the Chancellor of the Exchequer under PM Tony Blair’s government from 1997 t0 2007.

Air Marshal VR Chaudhari Named as new IAF Chief

• Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal V R Chaudhari presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of Air Staff.
• Current Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, retires from service on September 30, 2021.

About VR Chaudhari:

• Air Marshal Chaudhari was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on December 29, 1982, and has a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs on a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft.
• Air Marshal Chaudhari has held various Command, Staff and Instructional Appointments at various levels including the present one as Vice Chief of Air Staff.
• He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. Prior to the present appointment, he was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Western Air Command.
• He succeeds Air Marshal HS Arora, who retired after over 39 years of service.

Coromandel International appointed T S Venkateswaran as Chief Risk Officer

• Coromandel International, a Murugappa Group company, has re‐designated and appointed T S Venkateswaran (Vice- President and Head – Internal Audit and Risk Management) as Vice-President and Head‐Internal Audit and Chief Risk Officer of the company with effect from September 21, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.

About Coromandel International:

• Coromandel International Limited is an Indian corporation founded in the early 1960s by IMC and Chevron Companies of USA and EID Parry, headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
• Originally named Coromandel Fertilisers, the company is in the business of fertilizers, pesticides and specialty nutrients.
• Headquarters: Secunderabad

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

SV Sarasvati bags National Florence Nightingale Award 2020

• The National Florence Nightingale Award, the highest national distinction a nurse can achieve, has been conferred upon Brig SV Saraswati, deputy director-General of Military Nursing Service (MNS) for 2020.
• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the award in a virtual ceremony on Brig Saraswati for her contribution as a nurse administrator.
• “As a renowned operation theatre nurse, she has assisted in more than 3,000 lifesaving and emergency surgeries and has trained residents, operation room nursing trainees and auxiliary staff in her career”.

About SV Sarasvati:

• Brig Saraswati is from the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and was commissioned into the MNS on December 28, 1983.
• She has served in the MNS for more than three and half decades, especially in preoperative nursing.
• She has served at several pan-India Army hospitals and United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in Congo, where she has done various outreach activities for the troops and trained more than 1,000 soldiers and families in basic life support.

8 writers named for Sahitya Akademi Fellowship

• The general council of National Academy of Letters aka Sahitya Akademi was met under the chairmanship of its president Dr Chandrashekhar Kambar where the highest honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship was announced for 8 writers.

The eminent writers selected for for the same areas follows:

• Ruskin Bond – He has written over 300 short stories, essays and novels and more than 30 books for children besides several other works.
• Vinod Kumar Shukla (Hindi)- With 20 published books including poetry collections, novels, and short stories to his credit, he is a member of the General Council of Sahitya Akademi.
• Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay (Bengali)- He is a novelist and short story writer.
• Mundanat Leelavathy (Malayalam)- She is an eminent writer, literary critic, and educationist with more than 60 published books to her credit.
• Bhalchandra Nemade (Marathi)- He has around 15 published books which have won him honours as the Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, Jnanpith Award, etc.
• Dr Tejwant Singh Gill (Punjabi)- He an eminent writer and scholar who has written 25 books and has translated works of Punjabi poetry, drama and fiction into English and Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” into Punjabi.
• Swami Rambhadracharya (Sanskrit)- A spiritual leader and Sanskrit scholar, Swami Rambhadracharya is the recipient of a number of awards including five gold medals at the All-India Sanskrit Conference, Sahitya Akademi Award etc.
• Indira Parthasarthy (Tamil)- A writer and scholar, he has more than 40 published books to his credit including plays, novels, collection of short stories and anthologies of novellas.

Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan presents Kaushalacharya Awards 2021

• Union Education Minister and Skill Development Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan presented the Kaushalacharya Awards for 2021 virtually on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti (17th September).
• The Award was given to 41 skill trainers for their excellent contribution to the skill ecosystem
• The 41 trainers are belonged to various initiatives and training programmes of Skill India— Directorate General of Training (DGT), Apprenticeship, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and Entrepreneurship.
• Awards for vocational training under Industrial Training Institute (ITI) were also presented.
• Five candidates also got the award under the apprenticeship category while two candidates got award under the trainer’s category from DGT for non- engineer category.

About Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

• PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Objective: To enable a large number of Indian youths to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

About Kaushalacharya Awards

• An initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Kaushalacharya Awards is an annual celebration that focuses on honoring the skill trainers and the impact created by them on India’s youth.
• Kaushalacharya Awards are launched in a bid to recognize the contribution made by skill trainers and to motivate more trainers to join the Skill India Mission.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

MoU Signed between TRIFED and Big Basket

• The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has stated, “The government is taking up ambitious transformational programmes which will prove to be game-changer for the tribal livelihoods in times to come”.
• Two major initiatives for boosting tribal livelihoods, one with the signing of MoU between TRIFED and Big Basket and the other of MoU between TRIFED and PurtyAgrotech of Jharkhand in New Delhi.
• The MoU between TRIFED and Big Basket is for the promotion and sale of the natural Van Dhan products through the Big Basket platform while MoU between TRIFED and Purty Agrotech will promote the art of growing pearls among other tribal entrepreneurs across India and tap the potential of this market.

About TRIFED:

• Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India is a national level cooperative body under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
• It was established under the Multi-state co-operative societies act 1984 under the former Ministry of Welfare.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

About Big Basket:

• Big Basket is one of the largest online grocery super market in India.
• It was founded in 2011 by Hari Menon, VS Sudhakar, V S Ramesh, Vipul Parekh and Abhinay choudari. It has its headquarters in Bengaluru.
• It operates in more than 30 cities in India.

Consumer Affairs Ministry signed MoU with CSC

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs stated it has inked an MoU with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd (CSC) to increase the business opportunities and income of fair price shops (FPS).
• The MoU has been signed to look at possibilities to enable interested fair shop dealers to be able to offer services similar to those given by CSCs through the Digital Seva Portal.
• “For enabling FPSs to work as a CSC Service Centre, CSC has been advised to identify feasible activities like utility bill payments, PAN application, passport application, Election Commission Services etc. to facilitate the consumer and simultaneously provide additional income to the FPSs”.
• CSC will tie up with the individual State Government for signing up of bilateral MoUs for providing interested FPS dealers access to Digital Seva Portal (DSP) for delivery of CSC services.
• CSC has also committed to undertake sharing of technical know-how and capacity building.

About CSC:

• Common Service Centres are physical facilities for delivering Government of India e-Services to rural and remote locations where availability of computers and Internet was negligible or mostly absent.
• Headquarters: Electronics Niketan, New Delhi, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: PERSONS IN NEWS

CISF woman Geeta Samota – ‘fastest Indian’ to summit 2 peaks

• CISF official Geeta Samota successfully scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
• Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania Binaya Pradhan stated that this, the 31-year-old became the “fastest Indian” to summit two peaks located in Africa and Russia.
• Earlier this month, Sub Inspector Geeta Samota had scaled Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest peak in Europe.

About Mount Kilimanjaro:

• Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania.
• It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.
• It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world: 5,895 metres above sea level and about 4,900 metres above its plateau base.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI approves Adani Ports’ acquisition of 10.40% stake in Gangavaram Port limited

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition of 10.4% of equity shareholding of Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL) by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited (APSEZ).
• The consideration for the proposed acquisition of a 10.4% equity stake of GPL is ₹644.78 crore.

About CCI :

• Founded: 14 October 2003
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman : Ashok Gupta
• Secretary : P K Singh
• First executive: Dhanendra Kumar

About Gangavaram Port Limited :

• Incorporated : September 2001
• It is a multi-cargo facility and handled 32.81 MMT of cargo in FY21.
• It is the second-largest non-major port in Andhra Pradesh with a 64 MMT capacity

About APSEZ :

• CEO: Karan Adani
• Chairman & MD : Gautam Adani
• Founded: 26 May 1998
• Headquarters : Ahmedabad, Gujarat
• APSEZ is an integrated port infrastructure services provider currently present across 11 domestic ports in six maritime states of Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

India, Indonesia bilateral maritime exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ begins in Sunda Strait

• On September 20, 2021, The third edition of the India and Indonesia bilateral maritime exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’  began in the Sunda Strait, in Indonesia.
• The three day exercise will conclude on September 22, 2021.
• The Sunda Strait lies between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
• The Indian Navy deployed its two frontline warships Shivalik and Kadmatt for the third edition of the exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’.
• KRI Bung Tomo, KRI Malahayati, and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft CN-235 are representing the Indonesian Navy.

Aim :

• To strengthen the bilateral relationship, enhance mutual understanding and interoperability in maritime operations between the two navies.

About Indonesia :

• President: Joko Widodo
• Capital: Jakarta
• Currency: Indonesian rupiah

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Union Minister Releases FSSAI Report on State Food Safety Index 2020-21                                       

• On September 20, 2021, The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya released the third State Food Safety Index (SFSI) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to measure the performance of States/UTs across five parameters of food safety.
• He also flagged off 19 Mobile Food Testing Vans (Food Safety on Wheels) to supplement the food safety ecosystem across the country & With this the total number of such mobile testing vans has reached 109.

Five Parameters :

1. Human resources and institutional data,
2. Compliance,
3. Food testing facility,
4. Training and capacity building
5. Consumer empowerment.

• He felicitated nine leading States/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2020-21 for their impressive performance.
• The states and UTs are classified into three categories: large states, small states and union territories.

Top three state in larger states category :

1. Gujarat
2. Kerala
3. Tamil Nadu

Among smaller states category :

1. Goa
2. Meghalaya
3. Manipur

Among UTs :

1. Jammu & Kashmir
2. Andaman & Nicobar Islands
3. Delhi

About FSSAI :

• Founded: August 2011
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson :  Rita Teaotia

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT

New Species of Hybodont Shark From Jurassics of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

• Teeth of new species of Hybodont Shark of the Jurassic age have been reported for the first time from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan by a team of officers from the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• A new species named by the research team as Strophodusjaisalmerensis.
• The genus Strophodus has been identified for the first time from the Indian subcontinent and is only the third such record from Asia, the other two being from Japan and Thailand.
• The discovery was made by a team of officers comprising Krishna Kumar, Pragya Pandey, Triparna Ghosh and Debasish Bhattacharya from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Western Region, Jaipur.
• Finding has been published in Historical Biology, a Journal of Palaeontology of International repute
• Dr. Sunil Bajpai, Head of the Department, Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Roorkee, who is a co-author of this publication, played a significant role in the identification and documentation of this important discovery.

About Hybodont Shark :

• Hybodont Sharks have been reported for the first time from the Jurassic rocks (between 160 and 168 million years old) of the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan.
• Hybodonts finally became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous time 65 million years ago.
• The new species has recently been included in Shark references.com, an international platform operating in association with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Species Survival Commission (SSC), and Germany.

About GSI :

• Founder: Thomas Oldham
• Director General : Dhuti banergy
• Founded: 4 March 1851
• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Beijing 2022 Launches Official Slogan: “Together for a Shared Future”

• The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unveiled its official motto, “Together for a Shared Future“, during a ceremony at the city’s Capital Museum,Beijing
• Cai Qi, the President of Beijing 2022, was joined by Beijing Mayor Chen Jining and  Governor of Hebei province Xu Qin at the event.
• Athlete representatives Yang Yang and Long Yun were also present at the motto reveal.
• The motto demonstrates unity and a collective effort, embodying the core values and vision of the Olympic Movement and the goal of pursuing world unity, peace and progress, as well  as the vision of the Paralympic Games, especially making for an inclusive world.
• The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from February 4 to 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Narendra Giri Passes away       

• Mahant Narendra Giri, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Passed away.
• He was 72.
• Mahant Narendra Giri was made the President of Akhara Parishad at the Nashik Kumbh in 2014 and was re-elected for the second time in 2019.
• Under Mahant Giri, the Parishad released a list of allegedly fake saints.

About ABAP :

• Founded: 1954
• Headquarters: Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
• ABAP is considered as the largest grouping of sadhus in India.

Daily CA on Sep 21 :

• The International Day of Peace, sometimes officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September.
• The International Week of Deaf People has been celebrated during the last full week of September.
• “Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Niti Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) successfully launched the ATL Space Challenge 2021 for all school students across the country”.
• The Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda announced to start Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAGY) covering 36 thousand villages across the country. 
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) from Rail Bhavan, New Delhi.
• Ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority despite unease over living standards.
• Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal addressed the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting.
• From September 12-17, 2021 the Minister of State (MoS) Meenakshi Lekhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) visited Portugal and Spain to enhance bilateral ties with the two countries.
• In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government is organising a Public Welfare and Suraj Campaign from 17th September to 7th October on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Tata Capital, the flagship financial services company of the Tata Group, has announced the launch of ‘Loan Against Mutual Funds’ (LAMF), an industry first end-to-end digital offering.
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore announced a partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank to set up a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI-ML) Centre at the IISc campus here.
• India could become the world’s third-largest importer by 2050, according to a report released by the UK’s Department of International Trade. 
• HDFC Bank will work with Paytm to offer co-branded credit cards on the Visa platform to businesspersons, millennials and others.
• Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have launched an international co-branded RuPay NCMC Platinum contactless debit card.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Kuppam Cooperative Town Bank, Chittor, Andhra Pradesh, over the violation of provisions of the directions issued by RBI in the Master Circular on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning and Master Circular on Board of Directors for urban co-operative banks. 
• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates, ahead of the 76th General Assembly.
• Facebook India has appointed former IAS officer Rajiv Aggarwal as the Director of Public Policy.
• Japanese sports major, ASICS has announced Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa as their new brand athlete.
• Hyperice, a global high-performance wellness brand specializing in percussion, dynamic air compression, vibration, thermal technology, mind technology, and contrast therapy, announced Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as a Hyperice athlete-investor and new brand ambassador.
• Hussan Lal, a 1995-batch IAS officer, was appointed the principal secretary to new Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
• Ranganatha Ramachandra Rao has bagged the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation-2020 for his work Om Namo.
• Unlike last year’s mostly virtual ceremony, this year in 2021, the Primetime Emmy Awards went back to an in-person event & Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso was the hot favourite with most nominations, 13.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank will acquire a 9.98 percent stake in KFin Technologies for Rs 310 crore.
• On September 15, 2021, UNESCO, designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve.
• India has been ranked at 46th place with a score of 36.4 in the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• Indian skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down as the T20 captain of the Indian cricket team after the men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai in October 2021.
• 17 Year old R Raja Rithvik has become India’s 70th and latest chess Grandmaster.
• On Sep 19, 2021, The former England Footballer Jimmy Greaves Passed away.

Daily CA On Sep 22 :

• On September 21, the world acknowledges World Alzheimer’s Day with the goal of raising awareness of the disease, common symptoms, and risk factors & the theme of 2021 is ‘Know dementia, know Alzheimer’s’.
• World Rhino Day is observed on September 22 every year & the theme of 2021 is ‘Keep the Five Alive’.
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) started India’s first indigenous luxury cruise liner on 18th September 2021.
• Devusinh Chauhan, Union Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Communications launched a commemorative postal stamp to honour Rao Jaimal Rathore on his 515th birth anniversary.
• The 45th meeting of GST (Goods & Service Tax) Council was held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, under the chairmanship of the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance.
• In an endeavour to make women independent and employment-ready, the National Commission for Women has launched a country-wide capacity building and personality development program for women Undergraduate and Post graduate students.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a third term in Canada’s snap election but fell short of regaining the majority he was seeking, faced with relying on smaller parties in another fragmented parliament.
• Iran was officially admitted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
• After Toy Park, Film City, Medical Device Park and Leather Park, the Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to develop an ‘Electronic Park’ for electronic devices and accessories along the Yamuna Expressway near Noida.
• Power Finance Corp. Ltd (PFC) is set to become the 11th Maharatna central public sector enterprise (CPSE), with an inter-ministerial committee clearing the Navratna last week for this, stated two people aware of the development.
• ADB (Asian Development Bank) has lowered its forecast for the current fiscal (ending March 2022) to 10 per cent from 11 per cent while raising the estimate to 7.5 per cent from 7 per cent for the next fiscal (ending March 2023).
• The former British Prime Minister (PM) Gordon Brown has been appointed as Ambassador for Global Health Financing of World Health Organization (WHO). 
• Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal V R Chaudhari presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of Air Staff.
• Coromandel International, a Murugappa Group company, has re‐designated and appointed T S Venkateswaran (Vice- President and Head – Internal Audit and Risk Management) as Vice-President and Head‐Internal Audit and Chief Risk Officer of the company with effect from September 21, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.
• The National Florence Nightingale Award, the highest national distinction a nurse can achieve, has been conferred upon Brig SV Saraswati, deputy director-General of Military Nursing Service (MNS) for 2020.
• The general council of National Academy of Letters aka Sahitya Akademi was met under the chairmanship of its president Dr Chandrashekhar Kambar where the highest honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship was announced for 8 writers.
• Union Education Minister and Skill Development Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan presented the Kaushalacharya Awards for 2021 virtually on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti (17th September).
• The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has stated, “The government is taking up ambitious transformational programmes which will prove to be game-changer for the tribal livelihoods in times to come”.
• The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs stated it has inked an MoU with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd (CSC) to increase the business opportunities and income of fair price shops (FPS).
• CISF official Geeta Samota successfully scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition of4% of equity shareholding of Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL) by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited (APSEZ).
• On September 20, 2021, The third edition of the India and Indonesia bilateral maritime exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’  began in the Sunda Strait, in Indonesia.
• On September 20, 2021, The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya released the third State Food Safety Index (SFSI) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to measure the performance of States/UTs across five parameters of food safety.
• Teeth of new species of Hybodont Shark of the Jurassic age have been reported for the first time from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan by a team of officers from the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unveiled its official motto, “Together for a Shared Future“, during a ceremony at the city’s Capital Museum,Beijing

• Mahant Narendra Giri, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Passed away.