Current Affairs 09th October 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Postal Day- Oct 9

• World Post Day is an international day that happens each year on October 9, the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, which started in 1874 in Switzerland.
• The UPU was the start of the global communications revolution, introducing the ability to write letter to others all over the world.
• The theme of World Post Day is “Innovate to Recover”.  People relied heavily on the postal services during the lockdown that was imposed due to the covid-19 breakout.
• Hence, this year’s theme is to encourage more people to use the postal and gather ideas for innovation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

NTPC & Électricité de France Signed MoU for Cooperation in International Power Project

• NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Électricité de France(EDF), a French energy company, for cooperation in the development of International Power Projects in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa. 
• This MoU is in line with the NTPC’s roadmap for the development of clean energy projects across the globe.
• Under this partnership, NTPC and EDF will jointly explore the possibilities of power projects development in the countries of mutual interest. 

Addl.Info:

• Under this collaboration NTPC aims to expand its portfolio of power generation assets across the globe.
• NTPC and EDF will collaborate in knowledge sharing, Research & Development(R&D), technical services and consultancy assignments.
• The collaboration between NTPC and EDF will increase competitiveness in the international market.

Cabinet approves Productivity Linked Bonus to Railway Employees for FY21; 

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the following,

• Cabinet approves Productivity Linked Bonus to railway employees for the financial year 2020-21 Government has approved setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel.
• Cabinet approved the Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) for FY2020-21 that is equivalent to 78 days’ wages.
• It is for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees excluding RPF (Railway Protection Force) /RPSF (Railway Protection Special Force) personnel.
• On the lines of the Union Budget 2021-22 announcement, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) parks with a total outlay of Rs 4,445 crore for five years period.
• This decision has been taken to make India at par with the global textiles.

NHA hiked HBP Rates under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

• The National Health Authority (NHA) revised the Health Benefit Package (HBP 2.2) of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) under which the rate of around 400 procedures increased by 20% to 400%. 
• The AB PM-JAY scheme is implemented by NHA.
• This revision saw an addition of a new medical package related to black fungus management.
• The categories involved in this revision include radiation oncology procedures (for cancer), medical management procedures, and other procedures like right/left heart catheterisation, arthrodesis, cholecystectomy, appendicectomy etc.

Addl.Info:

• Launched in 2018 with HBP 1.0 covering 1,393 packages, it aims to achieve the target of universal health coverage and provide access to free and affordable healthcare services to the citizens residing in the remotest of the areas.
• It aims to provide free and cashless healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families (over 53 crore beneficiaries) as per Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC)-2011 database.

IFSCA Launches Global FinTech Hackathon Series

• On Oct 07, 2021, The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and GIFT City launched the global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘I-Sprint’21’.
• The first Sprint of the series “Sprint01: BankTech” is focussed on FinTechs for the Banking sector.
• Sprint01: BankTech is hosted jointly by IFSCA and GIFT city in collaboration with NITI Aayog.
• The Partners to the Hackathon are ICICI Bank, HSBC Bank, iCreate, Zone Startups and Invest-India.
• The Price money for this hackathon is Rs 24 lakh

The aim of the Hackathon is: 

• To connect IFSCA and GIFT IFSC with FinTech Ecosystem
• To solve Business Problems for the Banking Units at GIFT IFSC and
• To promote retail business for the Banking Units at GIFT IFSC.

About IFSCA :

• Established : April 27, 2020
• Headquarters : GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The IFSCA is a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAl NEWS

UN warns water shortage can hit five billion people by 2050

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that the number of people affected by water scarcity is expected to rise as climate change increases the global risk of water-related hazards like floods and droughts.
• According to the report ‘The State of Climate Services 2021: Water’, 3.6 billion people had inadequate access to water at least one month per year in 2018. 
• The situation is expected to rise to more than five billion by 2050.
• Terrestrial water storage (TWS) dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year in 20 years (2002-2021).
• There is only 5 per cent of water on Earth which is usable and available freshwater. 
• India is the topmost hotspot of TWS loss with the northern part of the country experiencing the maximum loss.
• If the loss of water storage in Antarctica and Greenland is excluded, India has recorded the highest loss in terrestrial water storage.

About WMO (World Meteorological Organization):

• Secretary-General – Prof. Petteri Taalas
• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded – 1950

India and Croatia signed an agreement for academic collaboration in traditional medicine systems

• India and Croatia have signed an agreement for academic collaboration in traditional medicine systems, especially in the field of Ayurveda.
• The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and Croatia’s Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster
• The MoU with Croatia is a significant step towards bolstering India’s ties with other countries and promoting academic research, clinical and educational activities, medical education, training, and competency building
• Manoj Nesari, Adviser-Ayurveda, Ministry of Ayush, signed the MoU on behalf of AIIA in the presence of Special Secretary of Ayush Pramod Kumar Pathak and India’s Ambassador to Croatia Raj Shrivastava.
• The two countries will also develop academic standards and courses in accordance with the needs of the institution, end-users and stakeholders and develop ayurvedic medical education guidelines for ayurveda education in Croatia.

About Croatia:

• Capital: Zagreb
• President: Zoran Milanović
• Currency: Croatian kuna

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & ECONOMY

World Bank Retained India’s GDP Growth Forecast for FY22 at 8.3%

• As per the report, the Indian economy is South Asia’s largest economy, and its growth in FY22 is expected to be aided by an increase in public investment and incentives to boost manufacturing.
• World Bank released its report on South Asia Economic Focus titled ‘Shifting Gears: Digitization and Services-Led Development’ and has unchanged India’s GDP growth forecast for FY22 to 8.3 percent from its earlier estimate in June 2021. 

About World Bank:

The World Bank Group consists of 5 organizations:

• The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
• The International Development Association (IDA) (Together, IBRD and IDA make up the World Bank)
• The International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
• The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

RBI Approved BSE Tech to Set up, Operate TReDS

• BSE Technologies Private Limited (BSE Tech), the wholly-owned subsidiary of BSE, has received an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for setting up and operating the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) under the Payments and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

About TReDS:

• It is an electronic platform for facilitating the financing/invoice discounting of trade receivables of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through multiple financiers from corporates and other buyers, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
• The TReDS platform will bring all the participants together for facilitating uploading, accepting, discounting, trading, and settlement of the invoices/bills of MSMEs.
• Participants: TReDS platform involves three participants viz, Sellers – Only MSMEs; Buyers – Corporates, Government Departments, PSUs and any other entity; Financiers– Banks, NBFCs (Non-Banking Finance Companies), and other financial institutions as permitted by RBI.
• Eligibility: Entities that wish to set up and operate the TReDS need to have a minimum paid-up equity capital of Rs 25 crore.
• By obtaining the approval, the BSE Tech will have the capability to provide an option to MSME to manage their working capital more efficiently through the TReDS platform.

Addl.Info:

• Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), an industrial organisation, functioning under the Department of Defence Production of Ministry of Defence, Government of India (GoI), is the 1st government entity to adopt TreDS.

About Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE):

• Chairman – Justice Vikramajit Sen
• MD & CEO – Ashishkumar Chauhan
• Establishment – 1875
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

Visa Launched India’s 1st CoF Tokenization Service for Merchants

• Global payments technology firm, Visa in partnership with Juspay launched India’s 1st Card-on-File tokenization (CoFT) services for e-commerce players such as Grofers, BigBasket, and MakeMyTrip.
• The CoFT service will provide a safe, secure and seamless environment for digital payments.
• It was launched in line with Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recently issued CoFT guidelines which mandated replacing actual card data with encrypted digital tokens.

About Tokenization:

• Tokenization refers to the process of replacing the card’s actual sensitive information like card number, expiration date, security code with a unique alternate code called the ‘token’ to improve the safety and security of the payment system.

Addl.Info:

• In September 2021, RBI extended the scope of tokenization from device-based tokenization to card-on-file tokenization (CoFT) services.
• It permitted card issuers also to act as token service providers (TSP) (Earlier card networks were only allowed to act as TSPs).
• The facility of tokenization could be offered by the TSPs only for the cards issued by / affiliated to them.
• Note:TSP – It is an entity that tokenizes the actual card details and de-tokenizes them whenever required.

About Visa:

• Chairman and CEO – Alfred F. Kelly, Jr.
• Establishment – 1958
• Headquarters – California, United States

NABARD Sanctioned Rs 303 Crore to Odisha for 24 Bridge Construction

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned assistance of Rs 303 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to the Government of Odisha for the construction of 24 bridges in the state.
• The rural infrastructure projects will improve connectivity for 24.13 lakh people in 823 villages across 13 districts of the state. 
• The assistance was provided based on the priority fixed by Odisha for developing rural infrastructure for drinking water supply, irrigation, and connectivity.
• The bridge construction will support the rural economy by improving the livelihoods of people.
• So far, NABARD has sanctioned around Rs 1,796 crore under the RIDF 2021-22.

About RIDF:

• It was set up by the Government of India in 1995-96 for providing low-cost finance support to State Governments and State-owned Corporations for developing critical infrastructure in the agriculture & allied sector, the social sector and rural connectivity.
• It is maintained by NABARD.

About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):

• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – Govinda Rajulu Chintala
• Establishment – 12 July 1982
• NABARD was established on the recommendations of the B.Sivaraman Committee (by Act 61, 1981 of Parliament) to implement the NABARD Act 1981.

SEBI Revised – Norms of MFs on RFQ; REITs, InvITs Regulations on Exit Option

• As per the recommendation of the Mutual Fund Advisory Committee (MFAC), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revised the norms pertaining to minimum percentages of monthly trades to be carried out by mutual funds (MFs) on the Request for Quote (RFQ) platform of stock exchanges.
• SEBI has directed MF to undertake (on monthly basis) at least 25 percent of their total secondary market trades by value in corporate bonds and 10 percent of their total secondary market trades by value in Commercial papers by placing/seeking quotes through one-to-many mode on the RFQ platform of stock exchanges.

SEBI Modified REITs, InvITs Regulations on Exit Options:

• SEBI has also modified REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) regulations with respect to exit options for dissenting unit holders in various scenarios, including acquisition and change in sponsors.
• Under different cases, the exit option price would be enhanced by an amount equal to a sum determined at the rate of 10 per cent per annum for the period between the first notice date and the second notice date.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):

• Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
• Establishment – On April 12, 1992, in accordance with the SEBI Act, 1992.
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

Federal Bank Tie-up with CredAvenue for Securitisation platform

• Federal Bank has partnered with CredAvenue for Portfolio management of their Securitization Book and implemented CredPool, an institutional debt platform of CredAvenue.
• Through the technology platform of CredAvenue, Federal bank could digitally monitor their asset-backed securities (ABS) and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) pool assets efficiently.
• Through the partnership, the bank has automated the end-to-end processes for direct assignments of retail portfolios. 
• The platform helps banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC’s) to meet existing and new regulatory guidelines pertaining to securitisation and direct assignment.
• CredAvenue provides customized solutions based on each bank/lender’s requirements for their portfolio management.

About Federal Bank:

• Headquarters – Aluva, Kerala
• MD & CEO – Shyam Srinivasan
• Tagline – Your Perfect Banking Partner
• Establishment – April 23, 1931 (as Travancore Federal Bank Limited), changed to The Federal Bank Limited on December 2, 1949

RBI hikes IMPS daily transaction limit to ₹5 lakh

• The Reserve Bank of India has announced a proposal to increase the per-transaction limit for the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh for channels other than SMS and IVRS.
• This will lead to further increase in digital payments and will provide an additional facility to customers for making digital payments beyond ₹2 lakh.
• The per-transaction limit for SMS and IVRS (interactive voice response) channels is ₹5,000.
• UPI records 365 crore transactions worth ₹54-lakh cr in September
• It will help large corporates and MSMEs bring in greater flexibility and obvious cost efficiency by eliminating manual efforts and errors accompanying these processes.

RBI empanelled Dhanlaxmi Bank as Agency Bank

• Thrissur-based Dhanlaxmi Bank has been empanelled as ‘Agency Bank’ by the Reserve Bank of India to undertake general banking businesses of Central and State governments on behalf of the RBI.
• Dhanlaxmi Bank entered into agreement with the RBI at the Department of Government and Bank Accounts (DGBA), Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai.
• It is now authorized to undertake transactions related to government businesses such as revenue receipts and payments on behalf of the Central and State governments, pension payments in respect of Central and State governments, works related to small savings schemes (SSS), collection of stamp duty through physical mode or e-mode, and any other item of work specifically devised by the RBI as eligible for agency commission.

About Dhanlaxmi Bank:

• Headquarters: Thrissur
• Tagline: Tann. Mann. Dhan.
• MD and CEO: J K Shivan

RBI extends three-year SLTRO facility to SFBs

• The Reserve Bank of India has extended the three-year special long-term repo operations (SLTRO) facility for Small Finance Banks by two months till December-end 2021.
• This facility, which is available at the repo rate of 4 per cent, aggregating ₹10,000 crore was announced by the central bank in May 2021 to help SFBs provide last mile credit to individuals and small businesses.
• Liquidity drawn from this facility has to be deployed by SFBs for fresh lending of up to ₹10 lakh per borrower.
• Recognising the persisting uneven impact of the pandemic on small business units, micro and small industries, and other unorganised sector entities, it has been decided to extend this facility till December 31, 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Col Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea junta leader, Sworn in as Interim President of Guinea

• Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the Junta leader of Guinea sworn in as the Interim President of Guinea at the ceremony held at Mohamed V Palace in Conakry, capital of Guinea, after leading a coup against President Alpha Condé in September 2021.
• He was sworn in by Supreme Court head Mamadou Sylla for a transition period of unspecified length.
• He is the 2nd youngest leader in Africa after Colonel Assimi Goïta, President of Mali.
• Junta is a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force.

About Mamady Doumbouya:

• Mamady Doumbouya (41 years old) is a former member of the French Foreign Legion.
• Mamady Doumbouya is from the Malinké community, from the Kankan border region near Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.
• During his 15-year military career, He has served in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic and close protection in Israel, Cyprus, the UK and Guinea.

About Guinea:

• Interim President– Mamady Doumbouya
• Capital– Conakry
• Currency– Guinean Franc

CCI chief Ashok Kumar Gupta gets Additional Charge as the Chairperson of NFRA

• The chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Ashok Kumar Gupta was given additional charge as the chairperson of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)
• He will succeed Rangachari Sridharan, who served as the chairperson for 3 years.

Addl.Info:

• Ashok Kumar Gupta will serve the office only for 3 months as an additional charge or till the appointment of a regular officer or till further orders.
• The decision was approved by the Minister of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Nirmala Sitharaman.

About National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)

• Founded- 1 October 2018
• Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

About Competition Commission of India (CCI)

• Founded- 14 October 2003
• Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Journalists Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov win Nobel Peace Prize

• The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their fight for freedom of expression in their countries.
• The pair were honoured for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace, said the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen
• 58 years old Ressa and 59 years old Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.
• Ressa, a former CNN correspondent who also holds US citizenship, is currently on bail pending an appeal against a conviction last year in a cyber libel case, for which she faces up to six years in prison.
• Muratov, has defended freedom of speech in Russia for decades, under increasingly challenging conditions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUs AND AGREEMENT

Unacademy signs MoU with Tripura Government

• Edtech major Unacademy has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tripura Government to help meritorious girl students from the State prepare for NDA exams.
• Unacademy infuses $20 million in its group company Relevel
• As per the MoU, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (Department of Education, Tripura) and Unacademy will conduct two aptitude tests over the next 12 months to select 125 meritorious students in each exam and award them study scholarships on Unacademy for the NDA/Defence course.
• A total of 250 girl students will receive the benefits of these scholarships, which is a one-year free Unacademy Plus subscription for Defence exams.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

India, UK begin two-week military exercise Ajeya Warrior  2021 in Uttarakhand

• On Oct 07, 2021, The 6th Edition of India – UK Joint Company Level Military Training EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand & will culminate on 20 Oct 2021.
• It is part of an initiative to develop interoperability and sharing of expertise with friendly foreign nations.
• During this exercise, an Infantry Company from the Indian Army and an equivalent strength from UK Army would be sharing their experiences gained during the conduct of various military operations in their respective countries and during overseas engagements.
• Both armies would familiarise with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics and procedures for carrying out joint military operations.
• The joint military training would culminate with a grueling 48 hours exercise to validate the performance of both the Armies in conducting joint military operations in a semi-urban environment.

About UK :

• Capital: London
• Prime minister: Boris Johnson
• Currency: Pound sterling

About Uttarakhand :

• Governor: Gurmit Singh
• Chief minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Wildlife sanctuaries : Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Pangot And Kilbury Bird Sanctuary, Rajaji Wildlife Sanctuary. Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. Askot Sanctuary, Pithoragarh. Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand. Benog Wildlife Sanctuary, Mussoorie.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

MetLife acquires stake in PNB Metlife to 47.32% in Rs 1,906 cr

• US-based insurer Metlife Inc acquired the combined 15.27 percent stakes of I.G.E. (India) Private Ltd (IGE) and Elpro International Ltd (Elpro) in the PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd (PNB MetLife) for about ₹1,906 crore cash.
• On concluding this deal, the cumulative shareholding of MetLife International Holdings would amount to a totality of 47.325 percent making it the largest shareholder in the private life insurer.
• The tentative date of completion of the transaction is November 30, 2021.
• Other shareholders of PNB Metlife include Punjab National Bank Limited (PNB), M. Pallonji and Company Private Limited, Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited (JKB), and other private investors.
• This marks the second merger and acquisition activity in the life insurance sector in the past month after HDFC Life acquired a 100 per cent stake in Exide Industries-promoted Exide Life Insurance for Rs 6,687 crore, in a bid to enhance its proprietary channel.

About Metlife Inc :

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• CEO: Michel A. Khalaf
• Founder: William P. Stewart
• Founded: 24 March 1868

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

HAL Delivers Heaviest Semi-Cryogenic Propellant Tank to ISRO         

• On Oct 07, 2021, The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) delivered the heaviest semi-cryogenic propellant tank (SC120- LOX) ever fabricated to the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro).
• The semi-cryo-liquid oxygen (LOX) tank, the first developmental welded hardware, is a part of the SC120 stage intended for payload enhancement by replacing the L110 stage in the existing Mk-III launch vehicle.
• The propellant tank was handed over by MK Mishra, General Manager, Aerospace Division, HAL, to TKB Kumaresh Babu, General Manager (LHWC), Head of the resident team of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO, in the presence of P Srinivasa Rao, Group Director (SR)-LPSC, at a function held in HAL.
• Till date, the HAL’s Aerospace Division has delivered 244 propellant tanks and 95 water tanks to Isro for the space programmes of PSLV, GSLV Mk-II and GSLV Mk-III.
• In 2020, HAL delivered the biggest ever cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen tank (C32-LH2) which is four meters in diameter and eight meters in length.

About HAL :

• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Chairman & MD : R Madhavan
• Founder: Walchand Hirachand
• Founded: 23 December 1940
• HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world.
• HAL currently has 11 dedicated Research and development (R&D) centers and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production units spread across India.

About ISRO :

• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Chairman : Kailasavadivoo Sivan

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

Shipping Minister Sarbanand Sonowal launches ‘MyPortApp’ in Kolkata

• On October 08, 2021, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbanand Sonowal launched a port mobile application called MyPortApp in

Aim : 

• To promote transparency and easy access to port-related information.
• The App will provide all details regarding ports in India and also monitor operations virtually.
• It has various information like Vessel Berthing, Rake & Indent, Rake Receipt, Container Status, Tariff, Bills, Port Holidays, etc. and also it can be accessed anywhere 24×7 and reach out directly to port.
• Notably, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is on a 2-day visit to West Bengal where he inaugurated, launched and dedicated several projects worth Rs 352 crore to the nation.
• He also launched a 1 MegaWatt solar project in Haldia port, which will generate sustainable energy for port operations.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT

Newly discovered species of gecko named after Jackie Chan

• Researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS); Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science; and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, have discovered 12 new species of geckos from the Western Ghats named after Jackie Chan.

12 new species of geckos :

1. Cnemaspis balerion;
2. Cnemaspis lithophilis;
3. Cnemaspis rubraoculus;
4. Cnemaspis nimbus;
5. Cnemaspis wallaceii;
6. Cnemaspis smaug;
7. Cnemaspis regalis;
8. Cnemaspis galaxia;
9. Cnemaspis nigriventris;
10. Cnemaspis flavigularis;
11. Cnemaspis palanica;
12. Cnemaspis jackieii

• They have also rediscovered populations of some species which have not been reported since their original discovery over 100 years ago.
• The study published in the international journal Zoological Research is authored by Saunak Pal, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Princia D’souza and Kartik Shanker.
• The researchers have named one of the new species Cnemaspis jackieii or Jackie’s Day Gecko.
• It is Commonly known as ‘dwarf geckos’ or even ‘day geckos’.
• geckos of the genus ‘Cnemaspis’ are known to be distributed in Africa, Indo-Sri Lanka and southeast Asia.

Note :

• The study was part of a larger survey of frogs, lizards and snakes of the Western Ghats, supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund between 2009 and 2014.
• The project, led by Mr. Shanker from CES, IISc,

Aim :

• To map the diversity and distribution of these groups in the Ghats, towards discovering species, documenting diversity and using this information towards conservation prioritisation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

2021 World Wrestling Championships : Haryana’s Anshu Malik becomes 1st Indian woman to win silver

• Indian wrestler Anshu Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a silver medal after losing her 57kg final to 2016 Olympic champion Helen Lousie Maroulis 4-1 in the 2021 World Wrestling Championships.
• She is the first female player from India to claim a silver medal & also she is second from the country after Sushil Kumar to become a world champion.
• Meanwhile, Sarita Mor ( became the fifth Indian woman ) grabbed her maiden medal at the big stage by winning the 59kg bronze.
• Before this, Alka Tomar (2006) Geeta Phogat (2012), Babita Phogat (2012), Pooja Dhanda (2018) and Vinesh Phogat (2019) had won a bronze each.

About 2021 World Wrestling Championship :

• The 2021 World Wrestling Championships is the 17th edition of the World Wrestling Championships of combined events and is held from 2 to 10 October 2021 in Oslo, Norway.

About Anshu Malik :

• Anshu Malik born 05 August 2001, Nidani, Jind district, Haryana.
• In 2020, she won one of the bronze medals in the 57 kg event at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships held in New Delhi.
• In 2020, she won the silver medal in the women’s 57 kg event at the 2020 Individual Wrestling World Cup held in Belgrade, Serbia.
• In Asian Wrestling Championships 2021, Malik bagged Gold along with the likes of Vinesh Phogat and Divya Kakran.

About Norway :

• Capital: Oslo
• Currency: Norwegian krone

ISSF Junior World Championship: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar bags silver in 50m rifle 3P mixed event

• Indian Shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Ayushi Podder clinched silver medals in 50m Rifle 3 Positions Mixed Team after losing 17-31 to Germany’s Max Braun and Anna Janssen in the final at the ISSF Junior World Championship (ISSF) in Lima, Peru.

About 2021 ISSF Junior World Championships :

• The 2021 ISSF Junior World Championships was held in Lima, Peru for Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun from 27 September to 10 October 2021.

Smriti Mandhana becomes first Indian woman to score Test century on Australia

• Indian opener Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a century in a pink-ball women’s cricket Test against Australia.
• This is also the first century by an Indian woman on Australian soil.
• In ODIs, Smriti has the highest score of 102 and in T20Is, the highest of 66 against Australia women Down Under.
• The match being played between India and Australia women at the Carrara Oval in Queensland, Australia today.
• She scored 127 runs with 22 fours and a six.

 Note :

• Earlier, Kohli had become the first Indian cricketer in the men’s game to have scored a hundred in a pink-ball Test, doing so against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens.

About Smriti Mandhana :

• Mandhana was born on 18 July 1996 in Mumbai.
• In June 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named her as the Best Women’s International Cricketer.
• In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded her with the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the best female cricketer of the year.
• She was also named the ODI Player of the Year by the ICC.
• She became the first Indian woman to achieve a double-hundred in a one-day game.
• She became the first Indian female cricketer to score a century in both ODIs and Tests in Australia.

Fire-Boltt Appointed Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli as its Brand Ambassador

• Fire-Boltt, India’s leading smart wearable brand, has appointed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. 
• As the brand ambassador he will take part in the various marketing, advertisement and endorsement campaigns of the brand. 
• The products of Fire-Boltt range from smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, Bluetooth headphones, true wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars and lifestyle shoes.

Addl.Info:

• National award-winning Bollywood Actor, Vicky Kaushal, was appointed as the first ever brand ambassador of Fire-Boltt.

About Virat Kohli:

• Virat Kohli was born on 5th November 1988 in Delhi.
• The government of India honoured him with Padma Shri (Sports) in 2017, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2018, and Arjuna Award in 2013.
• Some of the other brands endorsed by Virat Kohli are, Hyperice, a global high-performance wellness brand Digit Insurance, a general insurance company Vivo, a Chinese smartphone brand Audi AG, a German automotive manufacturer

India sweeps 2021 FIH Hockey Star Awards

• For the first time ever, India swept the eight 2021 International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) annual Hockey Star Awards with drag-flickers Harmanpreet Singh and Gurjit Kaur claiming the Player of the Year honours in men and women.
• However, world no. 1, Tokyo Olympics champions expressed disappointment over the voting system and the outcome of FIH Hockey Star Awards after none of their players won any award

Addl.Info:

• Player of the Year Award Harmanpreet Singh Gurjit Kaur
• Goalkeeper of the Year Award PR Sreejesh Savita Punia
• Rising Star of the Year Award Vivek Sagar Prasad Sharmila Devi
• The Best Coach Award Graham Reid Sjoerd Marijne

Daily CA on Oct 08 :

• Every year Indian Air Force Day is celebrated on October 8th & This year, India celebrates the 89th Indian Air Force Day.
• World Egg Day has been celebrated every year on the second Friday in October. In 2021 on 8 October countries throughout the world will join together in many different celebrations of the egg, with the theme of “Eggs for all: Nature’s perfect package”
• World Investor Week is being observed between October 04 and October 10, 2021, is a global campaign promoted by IOSCO to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection and highlight the various initiatives of securities regulators in these two critical areas
• Minister for Petroleum and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri virtually inaugurated 62 Pressure Swing Adsorption PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plants installed in public health facilities across the country.
• The second meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group on Cyber Capacity Building was held through video conferencing.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has designated the combined areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Tourism Ministry sanctioned 5 projects of Rs 325.53 crore for Buddhist circuit development.
• Basant Balaji takes oath as an Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court. 
• In Odisha, Justice Jaswant Singh and Justice Arindam Sinha took oath as the Judges of the Orissa High Court.
• PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated two 1000 Litres per minute (LPM) oxygen plants in Leh and Kargi Ladakh got a total of Seven oxygen plants under PM Cares fund.
• The Centre has released Rs 40,000 crore to states and UTs to compensate for the shortfall in GST revenues, taking the total amount released as loan so far this fiscal year to Rs 1.15 lakh crore.
• The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India has maintained a status quo on interest rates for the eighth consecutive time and retained the monetary stance as accommodative.
• India’s thermal power plants are facing a severe coal shortage, with coal stocks having come down to an average of four days of fuel across an increasing number of thermal stations.
• The novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize in literature.
• The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David MacMillan for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.
• RITES Ltd, a transport Infrastructure consultancy and engineering firm has appointed Rahul Mithal as Chairman and Managing Director of the company.
• As a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration, the Indian Navy Sailing Championship 2021 was conducted at Indian Navy Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC), Mumbai from October 1 to October 5.
• The Ministry of Tourism organized a Conference in Bodhgaya to promote the potential of Buddhist tourism.
• A team of Indian scientists has developed an environment-friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable polymer using guar gum and
• On Oct 06, 2021, India’s first and only chain of observatories, Starscapes Experiences Pvt Ltd , launched its second public observatory Stargate Observatory Bhimtal in
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsed the world’s first Malaria Vaccine in an effort to curb the spread of the parasitic disease.
• On Oct 07, 2021, According to Forbes magazine’s 100 richest Indians list, the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped with a net worth totalling $92.7 billion.
• India has been ranked 90th in the most powerful passport report ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’.
• India clinched a silver medal after going down 0-2 to Russia in the final of the FIDE World Women’s Team Chess Championship at Sitges, Spain.
• Germany unveiled the logo for football’s 2024 European Championship.
• On Oct 06, 2021, Popular Kerala cartoonist J. Yesudasan, popularly known as Yesudasan, passed away.

Daily CA On Oct 9 :

• World Post Day is an international day that happens each year on October 9, the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, which started in 1874 in Switzerland.
• NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Électricité de France(EDF), a French energy company, for cooperation in the development of International Power Projects in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa. 
• Cabinet approves Productivity Linked Bonus to railway employees for the financial year 2020-21 Government has approved setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel.
• The National Health Authority (NHA) revised the Health Benefit Package (HBP 2.2) of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) under which the rate of around 400 procedures increased by 20% to 400%. 
• On Oct 07, 2021, The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and GIFT City launched the global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘I-Sprint’21’.
• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that the number of people affected by water scarcity is expected to rise as climate change increases the global risk of water-related hazards like floods and droughts.
• India and Croatia have signed an agreement for academic collaboration in traditional medicine systems, especially in the field of Ayurveda.
• As per the report, the Indian economy is South Asia’s largest economy, and its growth in FY22 is expected to be aided by an increase in public investment and incentives to boost manufacturing.
• BSE Technologies Private Limited (BSE Tech), the wholly-owned subsidiary of BSE, has received an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for setting up and operating the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) under the Payments and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• Global payments technology firm, Visa in partnership with Juspay launched India’s 1st Card-on-File tokenization (CoFT) services for e-commerce players such as Grofers, BigBasket, and MakeMyTrip.
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned assistance of Rs 303 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to the Government of Odisha for the construction of 24 bridges in the state.
• As per the recommendation of the Mutual Fund Advisory Committee (MFAC), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revised the norms pertaining to minimum percentages of monthly trades to be carried out by mutual funds (MFs) on the Request for Quote (RFQ) platform of stock exchanges.
• Federal Bank has partnered with CredAvenue for Portfolio management of their Securitization Book and implemented CredPool, an institutional debt platform of CredAvenue.
• The Reserve Bank of India has announced a proposal to increase the per-transaction limit for the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh for channels other than SMS and IVRS.
• Thrissur-based Dhanlaxmi Bank has been empanelled as ‘Agency Bank’ by the Reserve Bank of India to undertake general banking businesses of Central and State governments on behalf of the RBI.
• The Reserve Bank of India has extended the three-year special long-term repo operations (SLTRO) facility for Small Finance Banks by two months till December-end 2021.
• Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the Junta leader of Guinea sworn in as the Interim President of Guinea at the ceremony held at Mohamed V Palace in Conakry, capital of Guinea, after leading a coup against President Alpha Condé in September 2021.
• The chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Ashok Kumar Gupta was given additional charge as the chairperson of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)
• The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their fight for freedom of expression in their countries.
• Edtech major Unacademy has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tripura Government to help meritorious girl students from the State prepare for NDA exams.
• On Oct 07, 2021, The 6th Edition of India – UK Joint Company Level Military Training EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand & will culminate on 20 Oct 2021.
• US-based insurer Metlife Inc acquired the combined 15.27 percent stakes of I.G.E. (India) Private Ltd (IGE) and Elpro International Ltd (Elpro) in the PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd (PNB MetLife) for about ₹1,906 crore cash.
• On Oct 07, 2021, The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) delivered the heaviest semi-cryogenic propellant tank (SC120- LOX) ever fabricated to the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro).
• On October 08, 2021, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbanand Sonowal launched a port mobile application called MyPortApp in
• Researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS); Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science; and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, have discovered 12 new species of geckos from the Western Ghats named after Jackie Chan.
• Indian wrestler Anshu Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a silver medal after losing her 57kg final to 2016 Olympic champion Helen Lousie Maroulis 4-1 in the 2021 World Wrestling Championships.
• Indian Shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Ayushi Podder clinched silver medals in 50m Rifle 3 Positions Mixed Team after losing 17-31 to Germany’s Max Braun and Anna Janssen in the final at the ISSF Junior World Championship (ISSF) in Lima, Peru.
• Indian opener Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a century in a pink-ball women’s cricket Test against Australia.
• Fire-Boltt, India’s leading smart wearable brand, has appointed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. 
• For the first time ever, India swept the eight 2021 International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) annual Hockey Star Awards with drag-flickers Harmanpreet Singh and Gurjit Kaur claiming the Player of the Year honours in men and women.