Current Affairs 05th September 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of Charity

• The International Day of Charity is an international day observed annually on 5 September.
• It was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in
• Originally a Hungarian civil society initiative to commemorate Mother Teresa’s death, International Day of Charity on September 5.

National Teacher’s day

• Teachers’ Day in India is celebrated on 5 September every year to mark the birth anniversary of India’s second President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
• On this day, teachers and students report to school as usual but the usual activities and classes are replaced by activities of celebration, thanks and remembrance. In some schools, senior students take the responsibility of teaching in order to show their appreciation for the teachers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Cabinet Approves Bill To Include Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi As Official Languages In J&K

• The Union Cabinet approved a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Bill received the Cabinet nod at a meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Union Minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh stated the government has accepted the long-pending demand of the region for the inclusion of Dogri, Hindi and Kashmiri as official languages in J-K.
• “It is not only a fulfilment of a long-pending public demand of the region but also in keeping with the spirit of equality which was ushered in after August 5 last year (when provisions of Article 370 were repealed),” he stated.
• It was an anomaly that the three languages — Dogri, Hindi and Kashmiri — which are spoken by nearly 70 per cent of the population of Jammu and Kashmir were not approved for use in official business, he stated.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

UNEP launches “Green Nudges” programme for universities

• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a new publication, “The Little Book of Green Nudges”, which aims to inspire up to 200 million students around the globe to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles.
• The book is UNEP’s first on behavioural science and nudge theory, which focuses on human actions and how to change them, and was drafted with The Behavioural Insights Team and GRID-Arendal.
• It contains 40 ready-made nudges – simple measures that make it easier to make green choices – which university campuses can deploy to encourage students and staff to embrace more sustainable behaviours.
• The Little Book of Green Nudges contains evidence-based guidance on implementing nudges, centered around techniques such as resetting default options, changing the framing of choices, and harnessing social influence.
• It also includes case studies of nudging interventions rolled out at universities from Thailand to Kenya, Finland and Colombia.
• UNEP is collaborating with higher education institutions around the world to pilot nudging on campuses. Already 20 universities have joined the programme – including the University of Chile, the University of Nairobi, the University of Tsukuba in Japan and the University of California at Berkeley

About UNEP

• Headquarters location: Nairobi, Kenya
• Head: Inger Andersen

Rajnath Singh to represent India at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Moscow

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Russia, visited the Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Museum Complex in Moscow.
• The Defence Minister will attend the combined meeting of Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Collective Security Treaty Organization, CSTO and Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS Member States in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of victory in the World War-II.

About Russia:

• President: Vladimir Putin
• Capital: Moscow
• Currency: Russian Rouble
• Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

LazyPay launches LazyUPI digital credit card

• LazyPay has launched a digital credit card that combines the power of UPI and the Buy-Now-Pay-Later, Called LazyUPI.

Current Affairs 04th September 2020| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Shri Arjun Munda inaugurates ‘2 Days’ National Tribal Research Conclave’ being held virtually

• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has stated that the Ministry of Tribal affairs is funding 26 Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) for research under Grant to TRIs and is engaged in quality research in collaboration with reputed Government and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) spread over the country. National Institute for Tribal research is being set up in partnership with IIPA at the IIPA premises in Delhi, the Minister stated.
• These partner organizations are designated as Centres of Excellence. Addressing at the inaugural session of “National Tribal Research Conclave” organized by Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Affairs, (M/o Tribal Affairs), Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi here today, he stated that his Ministry along with such partner organisations design workable models which provide end to end solution, like problem identification, finding solution and execution of the project as part of Action research which can be implemented by policy initiatives.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Donald Trump announces Wilmington as first World War II Heritage City

• US President Donald Trump announced Wilmington in southern US state North Carolina as the first World War II Heritage City at a ceremony held to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
• During the war, Wilmington was the site of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which built 243 ships in five years as part of the federal government’s emergency shipbuilding program.

G20 Foreign Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting (Virtual) on Strengthening International Cooperation Across Borders

• The G20 Foreign Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting was convened by the current G20 Chair, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud, chaired the meeting. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India.
• This virtual meeting was convened in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The discussions centred on strengthening international cooperation across borders in wake of COVID-19 crisis. The Ministers also exchanged national experiences and lessons learned from the cross-border management measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemics.
• In his remarks, EAM commended Saudi Arabia for its proactive approach in bringing G20 countries together for dealing with this COVID-19 pandemic.
• EAM called on Governments around the world to ensure that interests of foreign students are protected and movement of stranded seafarers back to their home country is facilitated.
• EAM also proposed development of voluntary ‘G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People’ with three elements: a) Standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results; b) Standardisation of ‘Quarantine procedures’; c) Standardisation of ‘movement and transit’ protocols.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBL Bank launches cardless cash withdrawal facility through ATMs

• RBL Bank has launched cardless cash withdrawal facility from ATMs, leveraging the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) system.
• It has tied-up with Empays Payment Systems, a global financial technology provider, to offer this service.
• To avail the service a customer has to log into RBL Bank’s MoBank app to locate an ATM that supports the IMT function and initiate cash withdrawal by either using his or her mobile number linked to the account or by following a few easy steps on the app.
• The customer selects the IMT button on the mobile app, gets a code, and uses it to withdraw money from the ATM.

About RBL Bank

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• MD & CEO: Vishwavir Ahuja

PayPal & DSCI report on ‘Fraud & Risk Management in Digital Payments’

• Data Security Council of India and PayPal India, released a study report on Fraud & Risk Management in Digital Payments by Lt. Gen (Dr) Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, GoI in the presence of K. Rajaraman, Addl. Secretary, Dept. of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• The report attempts to discuss about the sophisticated online payment fraud mechanisms, threats in the payment ecosystem, incorporating better fraud prevention strategies, role of upcoming technologies, and recommendations for various stakeholders involved in the payment ecosystem.
• UPI transactions in India have crossed 1.49 bn in volume and USD 41bn in transaction value, in July 2020. RBI predicts the number of digital transactions to increase from INR 2069cr in Dec’2018 to INR 8707cr by Dec’2021.
• The internet userbase is expected to grow to 835 million by 2023 from 560 million in 2018. As of March 31, 2019, 925 million debit and 47 million credit cards have been issued in India, second only to China. As a result of the above momentum, the growth of online shoppers is 73% in tier-I cities whereas a staggering 400% in tier-II and tier-III cities.
• The report covers various types of frauds scenarios such as buyer side, merchant side and cyber security frauds, and recent fraud case studies with their modus operandi. The key challenges to safeguard frauds remain fraud detection, investigation and legislative challenges, multilevel awareness, cross-industry collaboration, security as a cost overhead, privacy laws, and organized criminal involvement.

IBPS Clerk 2020 Registration, Application Form: Online Application Procedure

 The IBPS Clerk Online Application Process details are released by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. It is the conducting body for all IBPS exams and hence is responsible for the IBPS Clerk 2020 apply online procedure as well.

The IBPS conducts the Clerk exam every year to recruit candidates into clerical posts under various public sector banks in India.

The IBPS Clerk Exam form for the 2020 recruitment is expected to release in October tentatively.

IBPS Clerk 2020 Application Dates

Check below IBPS Clerk dates 2020 related to the registration process. 

IBPS CLERK EVENTS	DATES
IBPS Clerk notification release date	01-07-2020
IBPS Clerk Online application starts from	02.09.2020
IBPS Clerk online application ends on	23.09.2020
Payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges (Online)	02.09.2020 to 23.09.2020
The download of all call letters for IBPS Clerk Pre Exam training	17.11.2020 onwards
IBPS Clerk online pre-exam training	23.11.2020 to 28.11.2020
Online Examination – Preliminary	05.12.2020, 12.12.2020 and 13.12.2020
The download of call letters for Online examination – Preliminary	18.11.2020
Result of Prelims exam	31.12.2020
The download of call letter for online exam Main	12.01.2021
Conduct of online examination main	24-01-2021
Declaration of Final result	01-04-2021

Documents required to fill the application form

•  Scanned photograph and signature
•  Left thumb impression (LTI)
•  Bank details for online transaction
•  Valid email ID
•  Handwritten declaration

The text for the handwritten declaration – “I, _______ (Name of the candidate), hereby declare that all the information submitted by me in the application form is correct, true and valid. I will present the supporting documents as and when required.” 

Start to Apply Online for IBPS Clerk 2020

The process to apply online for IBPS Clerk 

Candidates need to follow the steps below to fill the application form:

Step 1: IBPS Clerk 2020 registration process

• Visit the official website of IBPS
• Select the option: Click here to IBPS Clerk apply online’
• To register, click ‘New Registration’ link
• Enter the details: post name, name, mobile number, email ID and security code
• After successful completion, registration number and password will be generated
• Candidates will receive the registration number and password on their registered email ID and mobile number

Given below is the photocopy of the registration page

Step 2: Uploading photograph, signature & LTI

In the next step, candidates need to upload the scanned images of photograph, signature, and LTI. The specifications for uploading the photograph and signature are given below.

Current Affairs 03rd September 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

MoD sets up a committee to review the AFHQ CS cadre

• To enhance the military’s combat potential and rebalancing the defence expenditure, a three member committee has been set up by the Ministry of Defence.
• This is in line with the recommendation of the Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) committee and its main task is to review the utilisation of the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS) cadre.
• The other two members include R Chandrashekhar, a retired AFHQ cadre officer and AN Das from the MoD finance wing.
• It is expected to conduct a study and identify appointments in Service HQs and Inter-Service Organisations (ISO) which could be falling within the domains of AFHQ CS officers. And which have been recognized in the report by the committee of experts due to their longer tenures and expertise.
• This three member committee is expected to interact with other branches, directorates of the service Headquarters and ISOs for their study. The report of the study carried out is expected to be submitted in November.

About MoD

• Defence Minister of India: Rajnath Singh
• Constituency: Lucknow, UP

Cabinet Approves Mission Karmayogi – National Programme For Civil Services Capacity Building

• The Union Cabinet approved Centre’s Mission Karmayogi for Civil Servants aimed at  bringing post-recruitment reforms in government.
• The mission seeks to reincarnate the civil servants as an ideal servant to the nation.
• Mission Karmayogi which is the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building will lay the foundation for capacity building for Civil Servants so they remain entrenched in Indian culture while they learn from best practices across the world.
• It aims to prepare Indian Civil Servants for future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic, enabling, transparent and technology-enabled.

The key highlights of the programme are: 

• Prescribe annual capacity building plan for all departments and services
• Monitor the implementation of the capacity building plan
• Massive capacity building initiative to ensure efficient service delivery
• Promotes technology driven learning pedagogy
• Strengthen common foundations and remove departmental silos
• Set benchmark for learning in public servants
• Democratization of learning to cover all categories

Ladakh, Lakshadweep join Centre’s ration card portability scheme

• Ladakh and Lakshadweep have the joined the Centre’s ration card portability scheme ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’, taking the total number of states and Union territories linked with the scheme to
• Under the scheme, eligible beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will be able to avail their entitled foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS), also called ration shops, in the country using the same ration card.
• The integration of Ladakh and Lakshadweep with the national portability network was approved recently in a review meeting chaired by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
• Remaining states are targeted to be integrated in the scheme by March 2021.
• The other 24 states/UTs which have joined the ration card portability network are — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

About Ladakh

• Lieutenant Governor: Radha Krishna Mathur
• Capital: Leh, Kargil

About Lakshadweep

• Capital: Kavaratti
• Administrator: Dineshwar Sharma IPS

Qutub Minar illuminated in red and white to mark Poland’s Solidarity movement

• Embassy of Poland and Polish Institute in Delhi illuminated Qutub Minar in Poland’s national colours, white and red, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the creation of Poland’s Solidarity movement.
• This year, 2020, marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of Solidarity.
• The Solidarity movement of Poland is a trade union based on Gandhian principles of non-violence that fought for civil rights in the country during the communist rule.
• Solidarity was originated in Gdańsk, Poland on 31 August 1980 and in a short time gathered 10 million members.
• The Chief Guest at the Qutub Minar function is Dinesh K Patnaik who is the Director General of the Indian Council of International Relations.

About Poland

• Capital: Warsaw
• Currency: Polish złoty

Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India and Japan for improving quality of Indian textiles for Japanese market

• Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between India and Japan for improving quality and testing of Indian textiles and clothing for the Japanese market.
• The MoU would enable M/s Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan in assigning Textile Committee as their cooperative Testing and Inspection service providers in India for Textiles and Apparel products.
• Government has also approved an MoU between India and Finland for cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources.
• The MoU facilitates cooperation in the field of geology, training, mineral prognostication and suitability analysis with the intent of reinforcing and strengthening scientific links.

About Japan:

• Capital: Tokyo
• Currency: Japanese yen

Current Affairs 02nd September 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

National Nutrition Week

• National Nutrition Week is observed every year from 1st September to 7th September since 1982 and can be considered a significant period to raise awareness on the therapeutic effects of foods.
• The events of NNW are organised by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Ministry of Women and Child Development(WCD), Government of India to educate the importance and role of nutrition in the human body.

National Nutrition Month

• The month of September will be observed as ‘Nutrition Month’ in the entire nation.
• The entire month of September 2020 is being celebrated as Rashtriya Poshan Maah which is PM’s overreaching scheme for holistic nourishment – Poshan Abhiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission to address malnutrition with a targeted approach by 2022.
• During nutrition month, a food and nutrition quiz will be organized on My Govportal and there will be a meme competition.

World Coconut Day

• World Coconut Day is celebrated on September 2 every year. The day is celebrated to create awareness about the benefits of coconut.
• The first-ever celebration of world coconut day was in the year
• This year the theme of World Coconut Day 2020 is – “Invest in Coconut to save the world”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Coal India to invest over Rs 1.22 lakh crore on 500 projects by 2023-24

• Coal India Ltd (CIL) will invest over 22 lakh crore rupees on development of nearly 500 projects related to coal evacuation, infrastructure, project development, exploration and clean coal technologies in the country. The investment aims at making India self-reliant in terms of coal and achieve the production target of 1 billion tonnes by 2023-2024.
• Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi stated involvement of all concerned stakeholders in company’s affairs will reduce and uncover the project risks. He informed that the national miner, CIL, will be investing around 14 thousand 200 crore rupees over the next 3 to 4 years, in two phases for its 49 First Mile Connectivity projects. First Mile Connectivity is the transportation of coal from pitheads to dispatch points. Computer-aided loading technology of coal is being developed to replace the existing methodology of transportation via road.
• Coal India has also identified 15 greenfield projects which will be operated under the Mine Developer and Operator (MDO) model. Overall nearly 34 thousand 600 crore rupees will be invested through this route. In the meeting, Coal India also announced an array of measures for relaxations and exemptions for greater participation of its stakeholders. The experience criteria has been brought down from 65 per cent to 50 per cent for mining tenders, while work experience criteria are relaxed by 50 per cent in turnkey contracts.

About Coal India Ltd:

• CEO: Anil Kumar Jha
• Headquarters: Kolkata

Current Affairs 01st September 2020| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

PM Modi inaugurates college, administration buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated college and administration buildings of the Rani Lakshmi Bai (RLB) Central Agricultural University in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi through video conferencing.
• The RLB Central Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute in the Bundelkhand region.
• This would improve the education infrastructure and contribute to cutting edge research in agriculture as well as further farmer welfare.

Rs 601.12 crore annual action plan approved for PMKSY in J&K

• An amount of Rs 601,12 crore annual plan has been approved for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the year 2020-21, an official spokesman stated .
• The Committee approved 601.12 crore annual action plan of PMKSY for the year 2020-21. The annual plan lays emphasis on various components under the schemes Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), Har Khet Ko Paani (HKKP), Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) and Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).
• It was informed that as a result of previous interventions, area irrigated by bore wells, community WHT and farm ponds has increased by 6798 Ha, whereas, area under micro-irrigation- drip, sprinkler and rain guns, has gone up by 6766 Ha. These measures have increased crop production by 30 per cent, saved water by 70 per cent and benefitted 7,000 agro-dependent families, besides, reducing water runoff and recharging ground water reservoirs.
• In the current financial year, the Department has proposed bringing 12,000 Ha additional areas under irrigation and reducing the gap between ultimate irrigation potential and irrigation potential by converging 144 existing schemes.
• The State Level Sanctioning Committee also approved top up subsidy amounting to Rs. 10.26 crore including 55 per cent central assistance, as Micro Irrigation Fund from NABARD, which will provide financial assistance to farmers adopting micro irrigation techniques as a part of sustainable agricultural activities.
• Earlier, while chairing a meeting of State Level Executive Committee of National Livestock Mission (NLM), Chief Secretary approved Rs 32.24 crore action plan of centrally sponsored scheme for the year 2020-21. NLM is an umbrella scheme comprising sub-missions on livestock development, feed & fodder development and skill development, technology & extension.

DEA holds Sustainable Finance Collaborative consultation with UNDP

• Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme India launched the Sustainable Finance Collaborative on 26th August 2020. The consultation was held on 26th, 27th and 28th August over virtual platform which brought forth thematic discussions around some key aspects of Sustainable Finance.
• The Collaborative saw a host of thematic discussions centred around the broad scope of Sustainable Finance architecture in India. It included dialogues on critical elements such as the barriers to deploying new and innovative financing such as impact investing, role of blended finance instruments, green finance instruments for sustainable development, need for taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities, sustainability related disclosures by corporates, and preparing the financial sector for the risks posed by climate change and other environmental and social issues.
• Around 220 delegates representing different ministries and departments of Government of India, Indian financial sector regulators, Multilateral Development Banks, bilateral partner agencies, UN entities, financial institutions, impact and commercial investors, corporates, industry associations, Civil Society Organizations and academia participated in the dialogue.
• The Collaborative provided valuable insights and tangible recommendations that would be helpful in developing a Sustainable Finance framework/roadmap for India.

About United Nations Development Programme:

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Head: Achim Steiner

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

New e-market platform launched to bridge gap between Indian farmers and UAE food industry

• The UAE has launched Agriota, a new technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform that will bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the Gulf nation’s food industry.
• Launched by the Dubai’s free-zone Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the government of Dubai’s authority on commodities trade and enterprise.
• The marketplace allows the farmers to bypass intermediaries, optimising the supply chain and ensuring traceability to create value for all stakeholders.
• The online marketplace also provides end-to-end traceability and transparency through last-mile verification and extension infrastructure in a blockchain environment.
• Initially, the platform will offer cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, spices and condiments.

About UAE

• President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Capital: Abu Dhabi
• Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham

Israeli Airliner Completes First Direct Flight to Arab Emirates

• A chartered El Al airliner carrying Israeli and American diplomats landed in the United Arab Emirates, completing a symbolic first direct flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi.
• This would pave the way for formal diplomatic and commercial ties and might inspire other Arab nations to follow suit in normalizing relations with the Jewish state.

About Israel

• Capital: Jerusalem
• Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Currency: Israeli Shekel

India to receive development assistance loan worth Rs 3,500 Cr from Japan to fight COVID-19

• Japan has committed an official Development Assistance loan of 3 thousand 500 crore rupees for the COVID-19 Crisis Emergency Response Support. The Notes were exchanged between the Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs Dr C.S. Mohapatra and Ambassador of Japan to India Suzuki Satoshi for a Health sector programme loan to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA is a governmental agency that coordinates Official Development Assistance for the Government of Japan.
• This programme loan aims to support India’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 and to prepare the health system to manage future epidemics and also to improve the resilience of India’s health systems against infectious diseases.
• This Grant-in-aid from the Government of Japan is for providing medical equipment to strengthen the public health and medical system in India. It will strengthen the health care facilities for managing critical and serious patients suffering from COVID-19 infection.

About Japan:

• Capital: Tokyo
• Currency: Japanese yen

Togo first in Africa to end sleeping sickness

• Togo has become the first country in Africa to eliminate human African Trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, a disease caused by parasites transmitted through infected tsetse flies. The World Health Organization (WHO) August 27, 2020 certified so, after the country applied for it in 2018.

Current Affairs 30th and 31st August 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

• The International Day of the Disappeared, on August 30 of each year, is a day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.
• The day was adopted by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2010 and was first observed in 2011.

National Small Industry Day 

• Every year 30 August is observed as the National Small Industry Day.
• The day is observed to promote small industries across the country. The day acknowledges the contribution made by small scale industries.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Assam Cabinet setting up of skill university in Darrang

• The Assam Cabinet approved the Assam Skill Development University Bill for setting up a state-of-the-art skill university at Mangaldoi in Darrang district.
• The university will be set up on a 100-bigha plot with an expense of Rs 900 crore.
• The university, which will be a Centre of Excellence, would be set up with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
• The state Cabinet also gave its approval to complete the long-pending Dhansiri irrigation project in Udalguri district, a project that was launched in 1975 with a credit of Rs 116 crore from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
• Other key decisions of the Cabinet include approval for the Assam Heritage Protection and Preservation Bill; increase of the upper age limit for group III and group IV posts for two years so that unemployed youths can apply for jobs up to 40 years; insurance to the tune of Rs 50 lakh to journalists, home guards and all casual employees who succumbed to COVID-19 while performing their duties.
• The Cabinet also approved the Orunodoi Scheme for giving financial assistance to families with an annual income below Rs 2 lakh, besides giving its nod to amendment of the Assam MSME Bill.

About Assam

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

Kerala to set up India’s first International Women’s Trade Centre

• Kerala will set up India’s first international women’s trade centre (IWTC), in consonance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at
• This initiative aims to accelerate women entrepreneurship and secure gender parity while providing women with a safe place away from home to start new businesses, set up or expand, and get their products marketed globally.
• IWTC will enable women entrepreneurs to come forward and participate in international trade, enjoy greater economic benefits and enhance their competitiveness to tap market opportunities.
• REACH (Resource Enhancement Academy for Career Heights) is also aimed at empowering women with the required skills to ensure success in life.

About Kerala

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