Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 1st September 2020. These are important for the upcoming Exams. Candidates who were preparing for the examination can use these current affairs and also you can download the same as PDF.
Current Affairs Today – 1st September 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- As per the official data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), India’s GDP has contracted by 23.9% in the first quarter (April-June 2020) for FY21.
- India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by 2.296 billion US dollar to reach 537.548 billion US dollar in the week to August 21.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the month of September will be observed as “Nutrition Month” in the entire nation.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government is committed to the development of drought-prone Bundelkhand region and around 500 projects worth over Rs 10,000 crore have been sanctioned for improving water availability.
- Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa flagged off the first ever Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO-RO) train between Bengaluru (Nelamangala) to Solapur (Maharashtra) through video conferencing.
- Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to help deliver food and medicines to COVID-19 patients.
- The international scheduled commercial flight operations will remain suspended till September 30, 2020, as per the latest order by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
- The Union Civil Aviation Minister, HS Puri on August 30, 2020, informed that he is hopeful of completing Air India’s Privatization process within 2020.
- Marking 40th anniversary of the creation of Solidarity movement, Embassy of Poland and Polish Institute in Delhi illuminated Qutub Minar in Poland’s national flag colours, white and red.
- Parliament’s Monsoon Session will be held from September 14 to October 1, 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic.
- Onam Festival is celebrated in Kerala on 31st August.
- Following the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to become self-reliant in various businesses including toys, the Madhya Pradesh government has started initiatives in this direction.
- The Govt. of Japan has committed Official Development Assistance loan of an amount of JPY50 billion (approx. Rs. 3,500 crore) for the COVID-19 Crisis Emergency Response Support to India.
- The UAE has launched Agriota, an agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform that will bridge the gap between rural farmers in India and the UAE’s food industry.
- China has launched first of the four advanced naval warships at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.
- Lebanon’s Ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib is set to become the country’s next Prime Minister.
- The first commercial direct flight between Israel and the UAE landed in Abu Dhabi after the two countries announced normalisation of relations.
- The Bangladesh government has announced one-day national mourning on Wednesday in honour of former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
- China has built a surface-to-air missile near a lake which is a part of Kailash-Mansarovar amid the rising border tensions with India over the standoff in the Eastern Ladakh Sector.
- World Bank has stopped the publication of its “Doing Business” report to probe data collection irregularities in the annual ranking of countries’ business and investment climates.
- Vedanta announced it tie up for a long-term syndicated loan facility for Rs.10000 crore with State bank of India (SBI).
- Adani Group has acquired 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) that operates Mumbai Airport.
- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has completed the sale of its electrical and automation business to Schneider Electric in an all-cash deal worth nearly ₹14,000 crore.
- The GMR led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad International Airport) won the ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ awards at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management’.
- E-commerce website Myntra has appointed Kiara Advani as its brand ambassador.
- Aveek Sarkar has been elected as the Chairman of the Press Trust of India.
- Tamil Nadu has appointed India’s first-ever woman ambulance driver under a new initiative by CM Palaniswami.
- Pramod Chandra Mody was on Monday given a six-month extension till February next year as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- The Defence Ministry has signed a ₹2,580-crore contract with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL) and Larsen & Toubro to equip the Army with six Pinaka rocket regiments.
- Students from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) has AIR Scanner, a free-of-cost mobile application.
- World’s Largest Solar Tree has been developed by the CSIR-CMERI.
- Life Insurance on Monday launched an AI-powered voice chatbot, LiGo, on Google Assistant as part of its customer service initiative.
- The former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, passed away at the age of 84 years.
- Noted cardiologist Dr S Padmavati passed away at the age of 103 years due to COVID-19.
- Veteran Congress leader, multiple term Bihar MLA and former Lok Sabha member Ramdeo Rai, who had caused ripples in the 1980s when he defeated socialist heavyweight Karpoori Thakur in an electoral contest, died in Patna.
- Katyayani Shankar Bajpai, a career diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the US, China, and Pakistan, passed away. He was 92.
NEWS IN DETAILS
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India’s GDP contracts by 23.9% in Q1 of FY21: NSO data
- As per the official data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), India’s GDP has contracted by 23.9% in the first quarter (April-June 2020) for FY21.
- This is the first instance of an economic contraction for India in at least four decades.
- It is also the first GDP decline since India began publishing quarterly numbers in 1996.
- Gross value added (GVA) for India declined by 22.8%.
- All the sectors except agriculture witnessed contractions during the April-June quarter of 2020-21.
- The highest drop was witnessed by the construction industry of 50.3%.
India’s foreign exchange reserves surge by USD 2.296 bn to USD 537.548 bn
- India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by 2.296 billion US dollar to reach 537.548 billion US dollar in the week to August 21.
- Foreign Currency Assets rose by 2.618 billion dollars to 494.168 billion US dollar in the reporting week.
- The country’s reserve position with the IMF also increased by 6 million to 4.634 billion US dollar during the reporting week.
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
September to be observed as ‘Nutrition Month’: PM Modi
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the month of September will be observed as “Nutrition Month” in the entire nation.
- PM made this announcement during his monthly “Mann ki Baat” radio programme on 30 August 2020.
- During nutrition month, a food and nutrition quiz will be organized on MyGov portal and there will be a meme competition.
- PM Modi has appealed to the public to participate and motivate others too to take part in it.
Water Projects Worth Rs 10,000 Crore Sanctioned for Bundelkhand Region
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government is committed to the development of drought-prone Bundelkhand region and around 500 projects worth over Rs 10,000 crore have been sanctioned for improving water availability.
- Both the Centre and the UP government are committed towards development of Bundelkhand region and restore its historic identity and past glory.
- Besides water projects, thousands of crores worth of projects is being implemented in this region, including Bundelkhand Expressway and Defence Corridor, that will create job opportunities.
Extra Shots:
Uttar Pradesh:
- Statehood Day: January 26, 1950
- Capital: Lucknow
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Governor: Anandiben Patel
- Literacy Rate: 67.68%
- Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park
CM Yediyurappa flags off First RORO Train from Bengaluru to Solapur
- Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa flagged off the first ever Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO-RO) train between Bengaluru (Nelamangala) to Solapur (Maharashtra) through video conferencing.
- The RORO train will transport goods from the Peenya industrial area.
- Each truck will be loaded with 30 tonnes of cargo.
- It will cover a distance of 682 km, via Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Raichur, and Wadi to reach Bale near Solapur in Maharashtra.
- RORO is a concept of carrying road vehicles loaded with various commodities on open flat railway wagons.
Extra Shots:
Karnataka:
- Statehood Day: 1st November 1956
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
- Governor: Vajubhai Vala
- National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.
“MEDBOT” medical trolley developed by Indian Railways
- Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to help deliver food and medicines to COVID-19 patients.
- During Corona crisis, apart from providing transport facilities and essential items like food grains to people, Indian Railways has also provided facilities for COVID-19 patients.
- It is providing service in the Central Hospital of the Diesel Rail Engine Factory of Indian Railways.
Extra Shots:
Indian Railways
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founded: 16 April 1853, India
- Minister Responsible: Piyush Goyal
Regular International commercial flight operations to remain suspended till September 30
- The international scheduled commercial flight operations will remain suspended till September 30, 2020, as per the latest order by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
- All scheduled international commercial flight operations were suspended on March 22, 2020, when Janata Curfew was announced to contain the spread of coronavirus. The flights have remained suspended ever since due to the pandemic.
Extra Shots:
DGCA
- Sector: Civil aviation
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Parent agency: Ministry of Civil Aviation
- Minister responsible: Suresh Prabhu
- Subsidiary: Airports Authority of India
Air India’s privatization process to be completed within 2020
- The Union Civil Aviation Minister, HS Puri on August 30, 2020, informed that he is hopeful of completing Air India’s Privatization process within 2020.
- The government has now initiated the process of divesting its share from Air India airlines and is now looking for suitable bidders.
Extra Shots:
Air India
- Parent organization: Air India Limited
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founder: J. R. D. Tata
Qutub Minar lights up to celebrate solidarity movement
- Marking 40th anniversary of the creation of Solidarity movement, Embassy of Poland and Polish Institute in Delhi illuminated Qutub Minar in Poland’s national flag colours, white and red.
Extra Shots:
Poland (Capital/Currency): Warsaw/ Polish złoty
- President: Andrzej Duda
Parliament’s Monsoon Session to begin from September 14
- Parliament’s Monsoon Session will be held from September 14 to October 1, 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic.
- The session will be held with strict observance with health safety norms including social distancing and wearing of masks.
- The session will continue till October 1 “subject to exigencies of business”.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Onam Festival is celebrated in Kerala on 31st August
- Onam Festival is celebrated in Kerala on 31st August.
- In 2020, the Onam festival began on 22 August.
- The main celebrations were held on 31 August on Thiruvonam Day or the Sacred Onam Day.
- The festival ends on 2 September. The festival is celebrated in Kerala.
History:
- According to the Legends, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.
- Onam is celebrated as the festival of paddy harvest.
Extra Shots:
Kerala:
- Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
- Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
- Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
- Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
- National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc
MP govt gears up to become self-reliant, woo investments, reduce imports from China
- Following the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to become self-reliant in various businesses including toys, the Madhya Pradesh government has started initiatives in this direction.
- State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Omprakash Sakhalecha said that the state government is trying to woo investments and to reduce imports from China.
- The MP government is also working on a plan to revive the state’s 1,000 sick units which have been shut down due to financial crisis, production technology, market factors, labour issues and other reasons and now their owners want to resume the work.
Extra Shots:
Madhya Pradesh:
- Statehood Day: November 1, 1956
- Capital: Bhopal
- Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
- Governor: Anandiben Patel
- National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Japan commits Rs 3,500 crore (approx.) as Official Development Assistance for health sector to fight the COVID-19 crisis in India
- The Govt. of Japan has committed Official Development Assistance loan of an amount of JPY50 billion (approx. Rs. 3,500 crore) for the COVID-19 Crisis Emergency Response Support to India.
- 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.
- Apart from this, Japan Government has given Grant Assistance of an amount of JPY 1 billion (= approx. Rs. 70 crore) to India for providing medical equipment to strengthen the public health and medical system.
Extra Shots:
Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/ Japanese yen
- President: Shinzo Abe
‘Agriota’ e-market platform launched to bridge the gap between Indian farmers, UAE food industry
- The UAE has launched Agriota, an agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform that will bridge the gap between rural farmers in India and the UAE’s food industry.
- The platform was launched by 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.
Extra Shots:
UAE (Capital/Currency): Abu Dhabi/ United Arab Emirates dirham
- President: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
China launches advanced warship for Pakistan Navy
- China has launched first of the four advanced naval warships at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.
- It is building for Pakistan, amid deepening defence ties between the two all-weather allies.
- The Type-054 class, equipped with the latest surface, subsurface, anti-air weapons, combat management system, and sensors will be one of the technologically advanced surface platforms of the Pakistan Navy fleet.
Extra Shots:
China (Capital/Currency): Beijing/ Renminbi
- President: Xi Jinping
Mustapha Adib set to be become Lebanon’s new Prime Minister
- Lebanon’s Ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib is set to become the country’s next Prime Minister.
- Former prime minister Najib Mikati was the first MP to formally nominate Adib during the consultations at the presidential palace.
Extra Shots:
Lebanon (Capital/Currency): Beirut/Lebanese pound
Prime Minister: Mustapha Adib
First ever direct flight between Israel and UAE lands in Abu Dhabi
- The first commercial direct flight between Israel and the UAE landed in Abu Dhabi after the two countries announced normalisation of relations.
- The El Al airliner made the three-hour trip carrying a top-level Israeli delegation led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat while the US delegation was headed by US President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner and US NSA Robert O’Brien.
- The flight was allowed to cross Saudi Arabian airspace, normally blocked to Israeli air traffic.
Extra Shots:
UAE (Capital/Currency): Abu Dhabi/ United Arab Emirates dirham
- President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Israel (Capital/Currency): Jerusalem/ Israeli Shekel
- President: Reuven Rivlin
Bangladesh declares one-day national mourning in honour of Pranab Mukherjee
- The Bangladesh government has announced one-day national mourning on Wednesday in honour of former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
- The national flag will be flown half-mast on that day.
Extra Shots:
Bangladesh (Capital/Currency): Dhaka/Taka
- Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina
- Official Language: Bengali
China constructs missile site at Kailash-Mansarovar amid the stand-off with India
- China has built a surface-to-air missile near a lake which is a part of Kailash-Mansarovar amid the rising border tensions with India over the standoff in the Eastern Ladakh Sector.
- The development of the missile indicates the continued provocation by the Chinese which can also further complicate the border tensions between the two countries.
Extra Shots:
China (Capital/Currency): Beijing/ Renminbi
- President: Xi Jinping
RANKS AND INDICES
Ease of Doing Business report suspended by World Bank
- World Bank has stopped the publication of its “Doing Business” report to probe data collection irregularities in the annual ranking of countries’ business and investment climates.
- According to World Bank “A number of irregularities have been reported regarding changes to the data in the Doing Business 2018 and Doing Business 2020 reports, published in October 2017 and 2019”.
Extra Shots:
World Bank
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
- Parent organization: World Bank Group
- Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
- Founded: July 1944
- Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
Vedanta Tied Up with SBI for Long Term Syndicated Loan of Rs.10000 Crore
- Vedanta announced it tie up for a long-term syndicated loan facility for Rs.10000 crore with State bank of India (SBI).
- This loan increases the average debt maturity profile of Vedanta limited and also improves the liquidity ratios as the near-term maturities are replaced by a long-term loan.
Extra Shots:
Vedanta Limited:
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Sunil Duggal
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
State Bank of India (SBI):
- Chairman: Rajnish Kumar.
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Tagline: The banker to every Indian; With you all the way; Purely banking nothing else; The nation banks on us.
ACQUISITION & MERGER
Adani Group buys 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport
- Adani Group has acquired 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) that operates Mumbai Airport. Mumbai Airport is the second largest airport in India.
- Under this, Adani Group will acquire 50.5% stake of GVK group.
- Additionally, Adani will also acquire 23.5% stake of minority partners Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest.
- The acquisition will also give Adani’s ownership of the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport in which MIAL holds 74% stake.
Extra Shots:
Adani Group
- Founder: Gautam Adani
- Founded: 20 July 1988
- Headquarters: Ahmedabad
- Parent organization: S.B. Adani Family Trust
L&T sells electrical and automation business to Schneider Electric
- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has completed the sale of its electrical and automation business to Schneider Electric in an all-cash deal worth nearly ₹14,000 crore.
- About 5,000 employees of L&T’s electrical and automation business will join Schneider Electric.
Extra Shots:
Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- CEO: S N Subrahmanyan
- Founded: 7 February 1938, Mumbai
- Founders: Henning Holck-Larsen, Søren Kristian Toubro
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport wins CII-GBC ‘National Energy Leader’ award
- The GMR led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad International Airport) won the ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ awards at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management’.
APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS
Myntra appoints Kiara Advani as brand ambassador
- E-commerce website Myntra has appointed Kiara Advani as its brand ambassador.
- Actress Kiara Advani will be the brand ambassador and nationwide celebrity endorser for Myntra.
- Her mass appeal as an actor and fashion trendsetter is poised to accelerate conversations around Myntra’s apparel segments.
Extra Shots:
Myntra
- Parent organization: Flipkart
- CEO: Amar Nagaram
- Founded: February 2007
- Founders: Mukesh Bansal, Ashutosh Lawania, Vineet Saxena
Aveek Sarkar elected new Chairman of Press Trust of India
- Aveek Sarkar has been elected as the Chairman of the Press Trust of India.
- He replaces Vijay Kumar Chopra, Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers.
- Aveek Sarkar is the Vice Chairman of the Ananda Bazar Group of Publications. He was also the founding Managing Director of Penguin India.
Extra Shots:
Press Trust of India
- Headquarters location: New Delhi
- Founded: 27 August 1947
- Chairman: Aveek Sarkar
Tamil Nadu Appoints India’s First-ever Woman Ambulance Driver
- Tamil Nadu has appointed India’s first-ever woman ambulance driver under a new initiative by CM Palaniswami.
- M Veeralakshmi was appointed driver of one of the newly launched ‘108’ ambulances in Tamil Nadu.
- As per the Tamil Nadu government, this is the first such instance in the country.
Extra Shots:
Tamilnadu
- Capital: Chennai
- Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
- Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
- Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
- National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP, Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.
CBDT chairman Pramod Chandra Mody gets six-month extension
- Pramod Chandra Mody was on Monday given a six-month extension till February next year as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- Mody, a 1982 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre) officer, was appointed the CBDT chief in February 2019.
- He was in August last year re-appointed on the post for one year, till August 31, 2020, beyond the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2019.
DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Defence Ministry signs ₹2,580-cr deal for 6 Pinaka rocket regiments
- The Defence Ministry has signed a ₹2,580-crore contract with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL) and Larsen & Toubro to equip the Army with six Pinaka rocket regiments.
- It will consist of 114 launchers with automated gun aiming and positioning system, 45 command posts and 330 vehicles.
- The new regiments will likely be operational by 2024.
Extra Shots:
Ministry of Defence
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founded: 15 August 1947
- Officeholders: Rajnath Singh (Minister), Subhash Bhamre (Minister of State)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CURRENT AFFAIRS
IIT Bombay students launched Indian alternative to Scanning Apps
- Students from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) has AIR Scanner, a free-of-cost mobile application.
- It was developed by Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Kavin Agrawal from IIT-Bombay.
- The mobile application falls in line with the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
- The innovation is aimed to help people in education.
AIR Scanner app:
- The Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Reading Assistant & Document Scanner app can scan documents. It can be used to read to users who have difficulty in reading English.
- The document that is scanned using the mobile camera will be saved in PDF format and will be stored in the device only.
- The app will not collect any information about the user and all the documents are stored in the phone’s local storage.
- AIR Scanner app is free of cost and secure.
- The AI feature of the app reads out the scanned pages. It also provides the meaning of the selected word to the user in 40 different languages.
World’s Largest Solar Tree set up at Durgapur
- World’s Largest Solar Tree has been developed by the CSIR-CMERI.
- The solar tree has been installed at the Residential Colony of CSIR-CMERI in Durgapur, West Bengal.
- The solar tree has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power while its installed capacity is above 11.5 kWp.
- The Solar Tree has been designed in such a way that it ensures maximum exposure of each Solar PV Panel to Sunlight.
- A single solar tree comprises of 35 Solar PV Panels each having a capacity of 330 wp each.
Extra Shots:
CSIR-CMERI
- Director: Harish Hirani
- Founded: 26 February 1958
WEBPORTALS & APPS IN NEWS
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance introduces AI-powered voice chatbot on Google Assistant
- Life Insurance on Monday launched an AI-powered voice chatbot, LiGo, on Google Assistant as part of its customer service initiative.
- This new option will enable the policyholders to have their queries addressed by simple voice commands.
- Customers can use commands such as “Ok Google, I want to speak to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo” or “May I talk to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo.
- Extending LiGo functionalities to Google Assistant is part of the company’s strategy to be present on platforms preferred by customers and to offer them an immersive experience.
Extra Shots:
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
- CEO: N. S. Kannan
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Founded: 2000
- Parent organization: ICICI Bank
- Subsidiary: ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company Limited
OBITUARY
Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee passes away at 84
- The former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, passed away at the age of 84 years.
- He had been in coma since a brain surgery earlier this month. He had also tested positive for coronavirus.
- He had gone into septic shock due to his lung infection. He developed a lung infection and renal dysfunction over the past few days.
- Pranab Mukherjee was the President of India from 2012 to 2017. He was the 13th President of India. He was from Congress.
- He was Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2012, Minister of Defence (2004-2006), Minister of External Affairs (2006-2009).
- Pranab Mukherjee was conferred Padma Vibhushan in 2008 and Bharat Ratna in 2019.
India’s First Female Cardiologist, Dr S. Padmavati Passes Away at 103
- Noted cardiologist Dr S Padmavati passed away at the age of 103 years due to COVID-19.
- She was the first female cardiologist of the India and was popularly known as ”God Mother of Cardiology”.
- She was the founder of the National Heart Institute. She was born in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1917, a year before the world was hit by the Spanish Flu pandemic.
Veteran Bihar MLA Ramdeo Rai passes away
- Veteran Congress leader, multiple term Bihar MLA and former Lok Sabha member Ramdeo Rai, who had caused ripples in the 1980s when he defeated socialist heavyweight Karpoori Thakur in an electoral contest, died in Patna.
- He was 81.
- A die-hard leader, Rai had registered his maiden electoral victory in the 1972 assembly polls and retained the seat five years later despite the massive Janata Party wave.
- In 1984, he was christened as a ‘giant killer’ after he defeated former CM Karpoori Thakur from Samastipur Lok Sabha seat.
K Shankar Bajpai, India’s Former Envoy For US, China and Pakistan Passes Away
- Katyayani Shankar Bajpai, a career diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the US, China, and Pakistan, passed away. He was 92.
- The former diplomat was also the Indian government’s political officer in Sikkim from 1970 to 1974 and was involved in the integration of the state into the Indian Union.
- He became the first professor of Non-Western Studies, Brandeis University, in 1992 and 1993.
- He served as chairman of the National Security Advisory Board from 2008 to 2010.
