Current Affairs Today 20th September 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 20th September 2019

BANKING CURRENT AFFAIRS

Public Sector Banks to organise ‘loan melas’ in 400 districts

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that Public Sector Banks will organise ‘loan melas’ or “Shamiana meetings” in 400 districts.
• The meetings will be organised to provide loans to NBFCs and retail borrowers, including homebuyers and farmers.
• PSBs will focus on giving loans to the ‘RAM‘category: retail, agriculture and MSMEs.
• The open house public meetings will be held in two tranches.
• The first will be held between October 3 and 7 in 200 districts, while the remaining 200 will be covered October 11 onwards.
• She also announced that no MSME stressed loan would be classified as an NPA until March 31, 2020.

Extra Shots:

• Finance Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman

FINANCE AND ECONOMY

Tata Communications partners with Cisco

• Tata Communications has partnered with Cisco to offer enterprises a secure, fully-managed, multi-channel, intelligent and cloud-based Cisco Webex Contact Center solution.
• This joint offering is an end-to-end managed solution and gives contact centre users a seamless user experience across up to 150 countries on the back of Tata Communications’ global network.
• The solution will allow for simplified licensing; pre-deployed hardware and software with integrations to workforce optimisation.

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Tata Communications, formerly called VSNL Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, is an Indian telecommunications company. It’s part of the Tata Group.

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• CEO: Amur Swaminathan Lakshminarayanan

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley. Cisco develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment and other high-technology services and products.

• CEO: Chuck Robbins
• Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting sets up startup venture fund

• Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has launched “Wipro Consumer Care–Ventures”, a startup venture fund to invest in startups in the consumer brands space.
• The venture will focus on companies with a differentiated approach where both parties can learn by leveraging their strengths and add value to each other.
• Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting is a $1 billion plus arm of Wipro Enterprises, and is among the fastest growing fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) businesses in India.

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Wipro: WIPRO Limited is an Indian multinational corporation that provides information technology, consulting and business process services. In 2013, Wipro separated its non-IT businesses and formed the privately owned Wipro Enterprises.

• Headquartered: Bangalore, Karnataka
• Founder: M.H. Hasham Premji
• Owner: Azim Premji
• CEO: Abidali Neemuchwala

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Telecom body approves Rs 8500 crore for mobile towers & optical fibre

• Department of Telecom has approved multiple projects worth over Rs 8,500 crore.
• The projects aims to set up mobile towers and laying of optical fibre and to improve connectivity.
• The commission also approved a special scheme to cover upto 12,000 uncovered villages in aspirational districts.
• The approved infra projects include laying of BharatNet fibre in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,815 crore and Rs 2,065 crore.
• The projects also include setting up of 1,917 mobile towers for uncovered villages in the North East.

PMMVY achieved a milestone by reaching 1 crore beneficiaries

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) has achieved a significant milestone by crossing 1 crore beneficiaries.
• So far, Centre has disbursed a total amount of Rs.4,000 crores to the beneficiaries under the scheme.
• PMMVY is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) is a flagship scheme of the Government for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• Under this scheme, cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly. It aims to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss.
• The scheme was effectively implemented from 1st January 2017.
• Under the Scheme, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) will receive a cash benefit of Rs.5,000 in three installments.

Ola drivers to get healthcare benefits under Ayushman Bharat

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has partnered with Ola, a mobility platform, to extend the welfare to its drivers.
• The partnership will provide comprehensive health insurance for secondary and tertiary care to tens of thousands of drivers working with the cab aggregator and their families.
• Eligible drivers as well as Ola employees will be able to avail the benefits of the programme and obtain an Ayushman Bharat card at a minimal cost of Rs 30.

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Ola: Ola Cabs, is an Indian transportation network company offering services that include peer-to-peer ridesharing, ride service hailing, taxi and food delivery. The company is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and was developed by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd. As of May 2019, Ola was valued at about $6.2 billion.

• Founded: 3 December 2010, Mumbai
• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founders: Bhavish Aggarwal, Ankit Bhati
• CEO: Bhavish Aggarwal

PM Modi to embark on seven-day visit to US tonight

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a seven-day visit to United States tonight.
• During his visit, Mr. Modi will be in Houston and New York and address the United Nations General Assembly on 27th of this month.
• Prime Minister will address Indian community on 22nd of  this month and President Donald Trump will also be there.
• On 24th September, India will organize an event to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in the UN.
• Modi will be joined by heads of some countries including President of South Korea, Prime Ministers of Singapore, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Jamaica as well as the UN Secretary General.
• Modi will also be honoured with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Goalkeeper’s Award for his leadership in field of sanitation through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a 50 kilowatt Gandhi Solar Park and Gandhi Peace Garden during his visit to the United Nation in the next week.

Extra Shots:

USA (Capital/Currency): Washington, D.C./ United States Dollar

• President: Donald Trump

United Nations: It is an International Organization. Its Objective of UN is to not only maintain International Peace and Security but also to develop Friendly relations among nations.

• Founded – 24th October, 1945
• Headquarter- New York,United States
• Secretary General- Antonio Guterres (9th SG OF UN)
• He is from PORTUGAL
• Portugal (Capital/Currency) – Lisbon/ Euro
• United States (Capital/Currency) – Washington, D.C/ US Dollar

PM jointly unveiled the Buddha Statue in Mongolia

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President H.E. Mr. Khaltmaagiin Battulga jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples.
• The statue was installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• The Statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples.
• The Buddha statue conveys the message of compassion along with peace and co-existence.
• The 3rd edition of SAMVAAD dialogue which was held from 6 September to 7 September 2019 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• The SAMVAAD dialogue brought together Buddhist religious leaders, experts, and scholars from different countries.
•  The dialogue focused on contemporary issues related to Buddhism.

Extra Shots:

Mongolia (Capital/Currency): Ulaanbaatar/ Mongolian tögrög

• President : H.E. Mr. Khaltmaagiin Battulga

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

NTPC to build Indias biggest solar park in Gujarat

• India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC Ltd. has unveiled its plans to set up a 5 gigawatt (GW) solar park in Gujarat.
• This solar park is expected to be the biggest in the country.
• The move of the company is toward cleaner energy.
• NTPC has located a spot in Gujarat for the project.
• The estimated cost for the project is Rs.250 billion.
• The project will begin in the year 2024.
• It is also expected that the company might invite bids from developers to set up projects in the park.

Extra Shots:

NTPC: NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities. It is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is promoted by the Government of India.

• Founded: 1975
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Owner: Government of India
• NTPC is also planning to build a new 500 megawatt hydropower project in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch

Andhra Pradesh State to ban the private practice by govt. doctors

The Andhra Pradesh State government has announced that it is to ban the private practice by doctors working in government hospitals.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy after consulting with the committee on reforms in the health sector.

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Andhra Pradesh:

• Capital: Amravati
• Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan

Centre inaugurated 15 power projects in Jammu and Kashmir

• Union Power Minister RK Singh inaugurated 15 power projects and launched work on 20 other projects in Jammu & Kashmir for the first time.
• The aim is to ensure 24X7 electricity in Jammu and Srinagar.
• It is a move to make electricity available day and night during the harsh winter period this year.
• Also, the Ministry of Power has announced its plan to provide power supply in J&K and Ladakh for winter.
• The second goal of the Ministry is 24×7 supply of power.
• The implementation of the projects will be monitored by the Ministry.
• Centre plans to give 100% electrification to the State.

Extra Shots:

Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor- Satya Pal Malik.
• National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc

Centre to launch NEAT AI learning scheme to boost higher education

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has announced a new National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) Artificial Intelligence (AI) scheme.
• MHRD will start awareness programmes to create awareness of the NEAT solutions to teachers and students.
• The NEAT AI scheme will be launched and made operationalized in early November 2019.
• The scheme aims to boost better learning outcomes in Higher Education.
• The scheme will ensure to use Artificial Intelligence which will make learning more personalized and customized as per the requirements of the learner.

Punjab, Haryana welcome ordinance to ban e-cigarettes

• In Punjab and Haryana the people and the governments have welcomed the ordinance brought by Central government to ban the e-cigarettes.
• According to the ordinance, which had been approved by the President, first time violators will face a jail term of up to one year and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
• The storage of e-cigarettes shall now be punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 50,000 or both.

Extra Shots:

Haryana:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya
• National Park: Sultanpur National Park, Kalesar National Park

Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh
• Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore
• Wildlife Sanctuary: Abohar WLS ,Bir Aishvan WLS, Bir Bhadson WLS ,Bir Bunerheri WLS ,Bir Dosanjh WLS, Bir Gurdialpura WLS etc

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Bangladesh: 55th ITEC Day celebrated in Dhaka

• The 55th Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day was celebrated at the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday.
• Around 300 ITEC alumni from all walks of life, attended the programme.
• Over 4,000 young Bangladeshi professionals have undergone specialized short and medium term courses in India under the ITEC programme since 2007.
• ITEC offers opportunities to participants to avail of short and medium term courses in premier institutions like IITs and IISCs in India.
• It was instituted in 1964 as part of India’s Development Assistance offering for developing countries.

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

First Jammu International Film Festival to be held in Jammu

• The first ever “Jammu International Film Festival” will be held in Jammu. 37 short films and documentaries from 11 countries will be screened at the inaugural edition of Jammu International Film Festival.
• The festival will also present an annual ‘Inspiring Icon Award‘, which will be given to a person, who hails from the region and has made it big in the film industry.

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Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor- Satya Pal Malik.
• National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc

AGREEMENTS & MOUs

Google partners with BSNL to bring public WiFi to villages

• Google has signed a partnership agreement with the state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL).
• The partnership aims to bring public WiFi to villages in states namely Gujarat, Bihar, and Maharashtra.
• The agreement will focus on villages that had no Wi-Fi connection previously.
• The announcement comes after the 5th edition of Google for India event which took place in New Delhi on 19th September.
• In July 2019 Google collaborated with Cisco for its gStation to provide free and high-speed WiFi at public locations across India.

Extra Shots:

Google: Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware.

• Founded: 4 September 1998, Menlo Park, California, United States
• Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin
• CEO: Sundar Pichai

BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is an Indian state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• CEO: Shri Anupam Shrivastava

APPOINTMENT

Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria appointed as the next Chief of Air Staff (CAS)

• The central Government has appointed Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria as the next Chief of Air Staff (CAS).
• He will take over on 30th September.
• He will have a two-year tenure. Mr. Bhadauria had played a key role in the negotiations for the deal with France for 36 Rafale jets.
• Present IAF Chief and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa is set to retire on September 30.
• Bhadauria also served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command and, prior to the present appointment, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command.

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Sri Lankan bowler Akila Dananjaya banned from bowling for 1 year

• The International Cricket Council has banned Sri Lankan off-spinner Akila Dananjaya from bowling in international matches for 1 year.
• Tha ban was imposed after his bowling action was found to be illegal after.
• He will be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action after the expiry of this one-year period.
• The umpires questioned his bowling action in the first Test against New Zealand at Galle, held in August 2019.

Extra Shots:

Sri Lanka (Capital/Currency): Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte/Sri Lankan rupee

• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
• President: Maithripala Sirisena

India Slip to 104th spot in Latest FIFA ranking

• The Indian football team slipped a place to 104th position in the latest FIFA rankings released.
• Indian Football Team in recent times playing under the leadership of new coach Igor Stimac.
• Belgium managed to hold on to the top position, while France has surpassed Brazil to reach the second spot.

Extra Shots:

FIFA: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, fútsal, beach soccer, and efootball. It is the highest governing body of football.

• President: Gianni Infantino
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
• Founded at: Paris, France
• Founded: 21 May 1904

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

India’s first central police university to come up in Greater Noida

• The country’s first central police university will be set up by the Union home ministry off the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.
• The Centre had given in-principle approval for the university and a 100-acre plot has been identified in Sector Techzone.
• The government wants to set up an institution to tackle modern-day policing challenges.
• The national university for policing will help in improving police personnel training, skills, research and also policymaking with regard to policing in India.

Extra Shots:

• Union Minister of Home Affairs: Amit Shah

MDL handed 2nd Scorpene submarine Khanderi to the Indian Navy

• Mumbai’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) handed over India’s second Scorpene submarine Khanderi to the Indian Navy.
• The attack submarine was is to be commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 28 September 2019.
• After commissioning, it will be the 17th submarine of the Indian Navy.
• Khanderi is a Kalvari-class diesel-electric attack submarine.
• It has been named after a wide-snouted Sawfish. It was designed by French company Naval Group, which was earlier known as DCNS.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

The book titled “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas”

• The book titled “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas” written by the journalist Dhaval Kulkarni was released.
• It is published by Penguin Random House.
• The book depicts the political journey of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.

Ministry of Fisheries released the Handbook on Fisheries Statistics

• The Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Giriraj Singh released the Handbook on Fisheries Statistics – 2018 on 19 September 2019.
• The book is published by the Department of Fisheries of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India.
• The Centre is to invest Rs.25,000 Crores in the next 5 years for Fisheries development.
• The aim is to enhance infrastructure and boost the production of fishes in India.

AWARDS

Twenty two scientists received 2018 National Geoscience Awards

• Twenty-two scientists were awarded the National Geoscience Awards for the year 2018.
• They were awarded for their outstanding contributions in the field of geosciences, mining, and allied areas.
• The award was conferred by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Pralhad Joshi.

Award categories:

The National Geoscience Awards 2018 were given in three categories namely:

1) National Geoscience Award for Excellence

2) National Geoscience Awards

3) Young Scientist Award

• The Award for Excellence was conferred to Prof. Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for his significant global contributions in the field of aquatic biogeochemical research.
• The Young Scientist Award-2018 was received by Dr. Sohini Ganguly, Goa University. She was awarded for her significant work in the fields of petrology, volcanology, and geochemistry.

IIFA 2019 winners awarded

• The 20th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2019 was conferred to the winners in Mumbai on 19th September 2019.

The list of 2019’s IIFA Award winners is given below:

• Best Film: Raazi
• Best Story: Pooja Ladha Surti and Sriram Raghavan for AndhaDhun
• Best Direction: Sriram Raghavan for AndhaDhun
• Best Music Direction: Amaal Mallik, Guru Randhawa, Rochak Kohli, Saurabh-Vaibhav, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Zack Knight for Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
• Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh for Ae Watan (Raazi)
• Playback Singer (Female): Harshdeep Kaur, Vibha Saraf for Dilbaro (Raazi)
• Best Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya for Dhadak (Dhadak)
• Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Male): Vicky Kaushal for Sanju
• Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Female): Aditi Rao Hydari for Padmaavat
• Best Debut- Male: Ishaan Khatter for Beyond the Clouds and Dhadak
• Best Debut- Female: Sara Ali Khan for Kedarnath
• Best Performance in a Leading Role (Male): Ranveer Singh for Padmaavat
• Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female): Alia Bhatt for Raazi

Extra Shots:

IIFA: The International Indian Film Academy Awards (also known as the IIFA Awards) are a set of awards presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in different countries around the world every year with the most recent one being held at Mumbai on 18 Sept. 2019.

OBITUARIES

Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali passed away

• Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali passed away.
• He came to power in 1987, ousting Habib Bourguiba to become Tunisia’s second-ever president.
• Ben Ali led the country for 23 years and was credited with delivering stability and some economic prosperity.

Extra Shots:

Tunisia (Capital/Currency): Tunis/ Tunisian dinar

• Prime Minister: Youssef Chahed

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