Current Affairs Today 22nd and 23rd September 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 22nd and 23rd September 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

1. The International Red Panda Day (IRPD) is celebrated on third Saturday of September every year to raise public awareness and support for red panda conservation issues.
2. The International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September to raise awareness on sign languages and strengthen the status about sign languages.
3. Every year the World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22nd by the World Wildlife Fund and several other international organisations.
4. SBI Life Insurance said it has signed bancassurance agreement with Yes Bank to offer a comprehensive bouquet of life insurance solutions to the bank’s customers across the country.
5. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed AK Das (ex-general manager at Union Bank of India), as the new administrator of the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank.
6. Finance ministry has estimated that India’s nominal GDP will grow by 19 per cent in nominal terms in financial year 2021-22.
7. Visa has announced the launch of a grant program in India to support women entrepreneurs with its partner, IFundWomen.
8. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has predicted that the GDP of India will contract by 5.9% in the year 2020.
9. The Government of India has approved a total outlay of Rs.600.00 crores for the PM SVANidhi scheme.
10. The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have signed a “Statement of Intent” to establish YuWaah-Generation Unlimited (GenU), a global multi-stakeholder platform in India, to equip young people in India with the skills they need to fulfil their potential and lift up their communities
11. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with population in the range of 3000 animals in Assam, West Bengal and UP.
12. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs. 108 crore under UDAN scheme for upgradation of three Chhattisgarh Airports.
13. Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the Centre has sanctioned 8.2 crore rupees as collateral-free loans for the street vendors in Odisha under the PM SVANidhi Yojana.
14. The Government of India increased the Minimum Support Price of rabi crops.
15. Madhya Pradesh Govt sets targets to provide tap connections for all households in all rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission by 2023.
16. Kerala Government to Set Up Medical Devices Park Worth Rs 260 Crore
17. Bihar, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey has taken voluntary retirement with immediate effect.
18. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched nine highway projects and Optical Fibre Internet Services in Bihar.
19. The Union Minister Shri Jitendra Singh unveiled logo and song for the festival “Destination North East, 2020”.
20. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha launched the National Generic Document Registration System for the union territory.
21. India and the Maldives have launched the first ever Direct Cargo Ferry Service on 21 September 2020 to boost trade between the two countries.
22. India has handed over two modern trains to Nepal that would run between Jaynagar in Bihar and Kurtha in Dhanusa district from mid-December, marking the beginning of the first broad-gauge railway service in the Himalayan nation.
23. The aviation company airbus launched three concepts for the first zero emission commercial aircraft. Their aircraftcraft is to enter into service by 2035.
24. Former Minister of Defense of Mali, Bah N’Daw has been appointed as the new president of the country.
25. The India-UK Water Partnership Forum was recently held. The forum discussed on developing water infrastructure in India.
26. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0 celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
27. Volvo Car India has partnered with HDFC Bank to launch Volvo Car Financial Services to enable buyers get easy finance for its vehicles.
28. SEBI has constituted a Technical group on the social stock exchange (SSE) to develop a framework for onboarding non-profit organizations (NPO) and for-profit enterprises (FPE) on SSE.
29. Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education.
30. For the First Time 2 Women Officers Selected in Indian Navy’s Helicopter Stream. Two women officers have been selected airborne tacticians in the Indian Navy’s helicopter stream.
31. The successful flight test of ABHYAS – High-speed Expendable Aerial Target was today conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO from the Interim Test Range, Balasore in Odisha.
32. Novak Djokovic has defetaed Argentine Diego Schwartzman, 7-6, 5-3, to win 2020 Men’s Single Italian Open title and his fifth overall Rome title.
33. Ashleigh Barty, who is the top-ranked WTA player in the world, and a former professional cricket player, has now added another feat in her sporting list by winning golf club championship.
34. The Maharashtra government”s e- peek pahani mobile application will reduce hardships of farmers and help them get the right price and good market for their produce.
35. In J&K, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is devising new methods so that devotees unable to take nearly 12 Kms trek to the Holy Cave Shrine can still have Darshan from home.
36. Nepal-based Ang Rita Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest 10 times, has passed away suffering brain and liver ailments for a long time. He was 72.
37. Zakia Inam, the former Minister of Rajasthan from the Congress Party and three times MLA from Tonk constituency has passed away due to coronavirus infection
38. Renowned Marathi, Hindi films, and stage actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar has passed away after contracting COVID-19 while shooting for a Marathi serial. She was 79.
39. The Indian Council for Medical Research approves COVID-19 vaccines with 50-100% efficacy.
40. The minister of state of Jal Shakti Shri Ratan Lal Kataria recently provided a written reply about Arsenic affected habitations in the country.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

International Red Panda Day 2020 observed on 19^th September

• The International Red Panda Day (IRPD) is celebrated on third Saturday of September every year to raise public awareness and support for red panda conservation issues.
• In 2020, the IRPD is being observed on 19 September 2020.
• The day was launched by the Red Panda Network in 2010.

International Day of Sign Languages observed on 23th September

• The International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September to raise awareness on sign languages and strengthen the status about sign languages.
• Theme 2020 : “Sign Languages Are for Everyone!”.
• Also, the last full week of September is observed as International Week of the Deaf.
• 23 September has been chosen to mark IDSL as it commemorates the establishment of the World Federation of the Deaf on 23 September 1951.
• The International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018.

World Rhino Day observed on 22^nd September

• Every year the World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22nd by the World Wildlife Fund and several other international organisations.
• The day is celebrated to create awareness about the threats faced by 5 rhinoceros species living in Asia and Africa.
• The day also celebrates these five rhinoceros species.

BANKING & FINANCE

SBI Life Insurance inks pact with Yes Bank to sell insurance policies

• SBI Life Insurance said it has signed bancassurance agreement with Yes Bank to offer a comprehensive bouquet of life insurance solutions to the bank’s customers across the country.
• As part of the partnership, SBI Life’s diverse range of individual and group insurance solutions will be offered to the customers of Yes Bank through the bank’s branches spread across 28 states and 8 Union Territories in India.

Extra Shots:

SBI Life Insurance

• CEO: Mahesh Kumar Sharma
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: March 2001
• Parent organization: State Bank of India
• Subsidiary: SBI Life Insurance Company Limited, Asset Management Arm

RBI appoints AK Das as the new administrator of PMC Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed AK Das (ex-general manager at Union Bank of India), as the new administrator of the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank.
• He has replaced JB Bhoria who has stepped down from his role as the administrator of the bank due to health reasons.
• In September 2019, the RBI had superseded the board of PMC bank due to fraud and financial irregularities in the PMC bank.

Extra Shots:

Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1984
• Number of locations: 137
• Areas served: Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

India’s nominal GDP to grow 19 per cent in 2022: Finance Ministry

• Finance ministry has estimated that India’s nominal GDP will grow by 19 per cent in nominal terms in financial year 2021-22.
• In the first quarter of this financial year, the nominal GDP contracted by 22.6 per cent to Rs 38.08 lakh crore, compared to Rs 49.18 lakh crore in the same period last year.
• The finance ministry said it is not able to submit Medium Term Expenditure Framework with rolling targets of indicative expenditure for FY22 and FY23 as mandated under the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Act because it is not possible to obtain reliable projections of GDP growth at this time due to the continuing impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Indian economy.

Visa extends global partnership with IFundWomen to entrepreneurs in India

• Visa has announced the launch of a grant program in India to support women entrepreneurs with its partner, IFundWomen.
• As an extension of two programs launched in the US this year, women entrepreneurs in India will now receive funding from Visa to grow and expand their business.
• Visa’s partnership with IFundWomen is designed to help women entrepreneurs secure the funding they need through a series of grants.

UNCTAD projects India’s GDP at -5.9% in 2020; 3.9% for 2021

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has predicted that the GDP of India will contract by 5.9% in the year 2020.
• For the year 2021, UNCTAD projects the Indian economy to grow by 3.9%.
• The projection was made in its Trade and Development Report 2020.

Extra Shots:

UNCTAD

• Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland
• Head: Mukhisa Kituyi
• Founder: United Nations General Assembly
• Founded: 30 December 1964
• Formation: 30 December 1964

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Centre Approves an Outlay of Rs 600 crore for PM Svanidhi Scheme

• The Government of India has approved a total outlay of Rs.600.00 crores for the PM SVANidhi scheme.
• This was informed by Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on 21 September 2020.
• The Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Amta Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme (PM SVANidhi) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has on 01 June 2020 to facilitate collateral free working capital loans upto Rs 10,000 of 1-year tenure, to about 50 lakh street vendors across the country.

Government unveils YuWaah, a multi-stakeholder platform to prepare young people career ready as per 21st century

• The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have signed a “Statement of Intent” to establish YuWaah-Generation Unlimited (GenU), a global multi-stakeholder platform in India, to equip young people in India with the skills they need to fulfil their potential and lift up their communities.
• The YuWaah initiative is linked to the global Generation Unlimited (GenU) movement of UNICEF, which began in New York in September 2018.

Objective of YuWaah project

• Support young people by providing entrepreneurship classes (online and offline)
• Upskilling of young people on 21st century works and skills
• Create linkages with aspirational economic opportunities
• Providing career guidance support to young people

Extra Shots:

UNICEF

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Head: Henrietta H. Fore
• Founded: 11 December 1946, New York, New York, United States
• Founders: United Nations General Assembly, Ludwik Rajchman
• Parent organizations: United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Economic and Social Council

Environment Ministry launches a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino

• Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with population in the range of 3000 animals in Assam, West Bengal and UP.
• Environment Ministry has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino.
• The conservation initiatives for rhino has also enriched the grassland management which help in reducing the negative impacts of climate change through carbon sequestration.

Centre sanctions Rs. 108 crore under UDAN scheme for three Airports in Chhattisgarh

• The Central Government has sanctioned Rs. 108 crore under UDAN scheme for upgradation of three Chhattisgarh Airports.
• Out of the total amount, Rs. 48 crore have been sanctioned for Jagdalpur, Rs. 27 crore for Ambikapur and Rs. 33 crore for Bilaspur under UDAN scheme for up-gradation and development of these Airports.
• The Airports Authority of India has planned for the investment of about 900 crore rupees to develop and expand Raipur airport which includes expansion of the terminal building.

Centre sanctions Rs. 8.2 crore as collateral-free loans for street vendors in Odisha under PM SVANidhi Yojana

• Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the Centre has sanctioned 8.2 crore rupees as collateral-free loans for the street vendors in Odisha under the PM SVANidhi Yojana.
• Pradhan has said that this will help them resume their livelihoods affected by the Covid-19-induced challenges.

GoI increases Minimum Support Price of Rabi Crops

• The Government of India increased the Minimum Support Price of rabi crops.
• The MSP of wheat has been increased by Rs 50 per quintal. The other crops are Chana, Mustard, Safflower and Masoor.
• The key decision to increase MSP was taken at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• The GoI has disbursed Rs 1.13 trillion as MSP to farmers for rabi crops.
• This includes pulses, wheat, oil seeds. The MSP of grams has been increased by 8.3%, mustard by 7% and barley by 5.7%.

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Madhya Pradesh Govt sets targets to provide tap connections for all households in all rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission by 2023

• Madhya Pradesh Govt sets targets to provide tap connections for all households in all rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission by 2023.
• The State Government of Madhya Pradesh has planned to provide clean water through tap connection for all households under Jal Jeevan Mission by 2023.
• The Government has approved Rs.197 crore for this project. This Jal Jeevan Mission is launched by Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• The Public Health Engineering Department provide clean water to Jabalpur division Katni, Mandla, Balaghat, Dindori, Chhindwara, Seoni district and Rewa division of Rewa, Sidhi and Umaria and in Shahdol division shahdol, Anuppur, Singrauli district under Jal Jeevan Mission.

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

Kerala Government to Set Up Medical Devices Park worth Rs 260 Crore

• Kerala Government to Set Up Medical Devices Park Worth Rs 260 Crore.
• The State Government of Kerala has planned to set up MedSpark, the medical devices park to furnish full range of services for the medical devices industry like R&D support, testing, and evaluation.
• The State Government has allocated Rs 260 crore for medical devices park.
• For this project the state government has collaborated with Thiruvananthapuram based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.
• The foundation stone will be laid by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on 24 September 2020.

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

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey takes voluntary retirement

• Bihar, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey has taken voluntary retirement with immediate effect.
• The state government has granted his request, five months before the completion of his service tenure on February 28 next year.

Extra Shots:

Bihar

• Capital: Patna
• Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
• Governor: Phagu Chauhan

PM Modi launches “Ghar Tak Fibre” scheme in Bihar

• the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched nine highway projects and Optical Fibre Internet Services in Bihar.
• The optical fibre services are being provided under the scheme “Ghar Tak Fibre”.
• The Highway projects are to construct 350 km of road.
• The roads are to be built at a cost of Rs 14,250 crores.
• These road projects will improve movement of people with Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• Also, the roads will help in better connectivity, enhance convenience and economic growth in and around the state.

Extra Shots:

Bihar

• Capital: Patna
• Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
• Governor: Phagu Chauhan

Logo and Song of “Destination North East, 2020” festival launched

• the Union Minister Shri Jitendra Singh unveiled logo and song for the festival “Destination North East, 2020”.
• The four-day event is to be formally inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah on September 27, 2020.
• The festival helps to familiarize people of other parts of the country with rich unexplored potential of North East.
• It also promotes tourism potential of the North East.
• The festival will give boost to handicrafts, handloom, organic products and cultural troupes of North East.

J&K launched National Generic Document Registration System

• Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha launched the National Generic Document Registration System for the union territory.
• The system was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to address the diversity and variations that prevails across the states on account of formats, languages, processes and formulae.
• The software enables “anywhere access” to information and data to both the Enforcement Agencies and to the common man.
• The system has so far been adopted in three states namely Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Extra Shots:

Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Lt Governor- Manoj Sinha
• 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

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

First-ever Direct Cargo ferry service unveiled between India and Maldives

• India and the Maldives have launched the first ever Direct Cargo Ferry Service on 21 September 2020 to boost trade between the two countries.
• The cargo ferry service will connect the Indian ports of Tuticorin and Cochin ports and Male ports in the Maldives.
• This initiative will help to cut costs and reduce the time taken to transport goods between the two countries.
• The Cargo Ferry Vessel MCP Linz operated by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will be used to connect the Indian and Maldivian ports.

India hands over two modern trains to Nepal

• India has handed over two modern trains to Nepal that would run between Jaynagar in Bihar and Kurtha in Dhanusa district from mid-December, marking the beginning of the first broad-gauge railway service in the Himalayan nation.
• These trains are manufactured by Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai with modern amenities and latest AC-AC propulsion technology.
• The train operations from Kurtha to Jaynagar, covering a distance of 35-km, will benefit citizens of both the countries.

Extra Shots:

Nepal (Capital/Currency): Kathmandu/ Nepalese Rupee

• President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
• Prime Minister: K. P. Sharma Oli

Airbus to launch World’s first Commercial Hydrogen aircraft by 2035

• The aviation company airbus launched three concepts for the first zero emission commercial aircraft.
• Their aircraftcraft is to enter into service by 2035.
• The three concepts of the company has been introduced under the code name ZEROe.

Turbofan design.

• It can accommodate 120 to 200 passengers and can fly at a range of 2000 plus nautical miles.

Blended wing body design.

• This type can accommodate up to 200 passengers. Here the wings merge with the main body of the aircraft.

Turboprop design.

• This type of aircraft can accommodate up 200 passengers. It is capable of travelling at a speed of 1000 + nautical miles. They are perfect for short haul trips.

Mali’s Former Defence Minister Bah Ndaw named interim President

• Former Minister of Defense of Mali, Bah N’Daw has been appointed as the new president of the country.
• The 70-year-old Bah N’Daw will take the charge of the office with effect from 25 September 2020.
• Bah N’Daw has been appointed for an interim period of 18 months, following the 2020 Malian coup, that overthrew president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Extra Shots:

Mali (Capital/Currency): Bamako/ West African CFA franc

• Prime Minister: Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

India-UK Water Partnership Forum discuss on water conservation

• The India-UK Water Partnership Forum was recently held.
• The forum discussed on developing water infrastructure in India.
• The countries linked Memorandum of Understanding between Ganga and British waters.
• The forum also discussed Namami Gange Programme, Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission.
• It showcased the investment and business opportunities in the Indian water sector.
• It also highlighted on how the countries can collaborate in water infrastructure development.
• These water partnership forums are essential as India is highly water stressed.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0

• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0 celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• During the event, he also presented awards to the winners of the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Start-up Grand Challenge to support the implementation of PM-JAY.
• The Union Health Minister launched the AB PMJAY Joint Certification Programme.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Volvo Car India launches “Volvo Car Financial Services”

• Volvo Car India has partnered with HDFC Bank to launch Volvo Car Financial Services to enable buyers get easy finance for its vehicles.
• The service facilitates finance of up to 100% of ex-showroom price of the car and offers convenient repayment options, with no foreclosure charges under specific conditions.
• Other features of the Volvo Car financial service include loans for up to 7 years and option to finance insurance, extended warranty, service package and accessories.

RECENT COMMITTEES IN NEWS

Sebi forms technical committee on social stock exchange under the chairmanship of Harsh Kumar Bhanwala

• SEBI has constituted a Technical group on the social stock exchange (SSE) to develop a framework for onboarding non-profit organizations (NPO) and for-profit enterprises (FPE) on SSE.
• The technical group would be chaired by former chairman of NABARD, Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.

The committee would be required to:

• define for profit social investing /enterprises,
• prescribe disclosure requirements relating to financials, governance, performance etc.
• dwell upon aspects related to social impact, social audit, information repositories etc.

Extra Shots:

SEBI

• Founded: 12 April 1992
• Sector: Securities market
• Jurisdiction: India
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Type: Statutory corporation
• Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

PM Modi Awarded Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education

• Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education.
• He has been awarded the prestigious award for “using the COVID-19 pandemic to teach the world that politicians can have a more immediate effect on life and death than scientists and doctors can”.
• PM Modi shares the award with Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Donald Trump of the USA, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan.

Extra Shots:

• PM Modi is the second Indian Prime Minister to be honored with the Ig Nobel Prize.
• IG Nobel Price instituted in which year– 1991
• Name the Former PM of India who received the Ig Nobel Prize – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee received the Ig Nobel Prize Award in which year – 1998
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee jointly won the Ig Nobel Peace Prize with – Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif
• First Recipient of Ig Nobel Price – Don Featherstone

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

For the First Time 2 Women Officers Selected in Indian Navy’s Helicopter Stream

• For the First Time 2 Women Officers Selected in Indian Navy’s Helicopter Stream. Two women officers have been selected airborne tacticians in the Indian Navy’s helicopter stream.
• The two part of a group of 17 officers of the Indian Navy.
• The Group has four women officers and three officers of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
• The Two Women officers are namely Sub Lieutenant (SLt) Kumudini Tyagi and SLt Riti Singh who are selected as “Observers’’.
• The ceremony was governed by Rear Admiral Antony George, Chief Staff Officer (Training) who presented the awards and coveted wings to the graduating officers.

Extra Shots:

Indian Navy:

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters: Ministry of Defence, New Delhi

DRDO conducts successful flight test of ABHYAS

• The successful flight test of ABHYAS – High-speed Expendable Aerial Target was today conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO from the Interim Test Range, Balasore in Odisha.
• Abhyas is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO.
• The air vehicle is launched using twin underslung booster.
• It is powered by a small gas turbine engine and has MEMS based Inertial Navigation System for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer for guidance and control.
• The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight.
• The check-out of air vehicle is done using laptop-based Ground Control Station.

Extra Shots:

DRDO

• Headquarters: DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi
• Founded: 1958

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Simona Halep & Novak Djokovic wins 2020 Italian Open title

• Novak Djokovic has defetaed Argentine Diego Schwartzman, 7-6, 5-3, to win 2020 Men’s Single Italian Open title and his fifth overall Rome title.
• In Women’s single, Simona Halep defeated champion Karolina Pliskova, 6-0, 2-1, to win her first Italian Open title.

Winners List

• Men’s Single- Novak Djokovic
• Women’s Single- Simona Halep
• Men’s Double- Marcel Granollers /Horacio Zeballos
• Women’s Double- Hsieh Su-wei / Barbora Strýcová

Multi-talented Tennis world No. 1 and former cricketer Ash Barty wins Golf Club Championship

• Ashleigh Barty, who is the top-ranked WTA player in the world, and a former professional cricket player, has now added another feat in her sporting list by winning golf club championship.
• The 24-year-old, world number one Australian, has won the Brookwater Golf Club women’s championship.
• Ash Barty had withdrawn from participating in US Open and French Open due to coronavirus pandemic.

WEBPORTALS & APPS IN NEWS

Maharashtra’s ‘e- Peek Pahani’ app will reduce hardships of farmers

• The Maharashtra government”s e- peek pahani mobile application will reduce hardships of farmers and help them get the right price and good market for their produce.
• ‘Peek pahani’ roughly translates to crop survey.
• In this app, farmers can upload images of their crop using the application and after verification of the same, talathis can register the details on 7/12 extract.

Extra Shots:

Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS, Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to launch mobile app for live darshan

• In J&K, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is devising new methods so that devotees unable to take nearly 12 Kms trek to the Holy Cave Shrine can still have Darshan from home.
• The Yatra to the holy Cave Shrine had resumed on the 6 August initially with a ceiling of 5000 pilgrims per day with safety procedures.
• Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is planning to launch a Mobile App for devotees to have live Darshan straight from Holy Shrine.
• The App, set to be launched on 17th October, the first day of Navratri, would also have features to conduct live Havan. Currently, the Aarti is being live-streamed on a religious TV Channel.
• The new app for live ‘Darshan’ and ‘Havan’ will work on both ‘Android’ and ‘iOS’ operating systems.

OBITUARY

Nepal’s Legendary Mountaineer Ang Rita Sherpa, first to Summit Mount Everest 10 times, passes away at 72

• Nepal-based Ang Rita Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest 10 times, has passed away suffering brain and liver ailments for a long time. He was 72.
• Ang Rita made all the ascents to the world’s tallest mountain between 1983 and 1996 and that too without bottled oxygen.
• He was therefore also known as the “snow leopard” for his climbing skills.

Former Rajasthan minister and 3-time MLA Zakiya Inam passes away

• Zakia Inam, the former Minister of Rajasthan from the Congress Party and three times MLA from Tonk constituency has passed away due to coronavirus infection
• Zakia was the only woman candidate who became MLA three-time in Rajasthan.
• She had handled portfolios like health, women and child welfare in the Rajasthan government.

Veteran Marathi actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar passes away at 79

• Renowned Marathi, Hindi films, and stage actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar has passed away after contracting COVID-19 while shooting for a Marathi serial. She was 79.
• Besides working in several Marathi films and plays, Ashalata Wabgaonkar had also starred in various Hindi films such as ‘Apne Paraye’, ‘Woh Saat Din’, ‘Namak Halaal’, ‘Zanjeer’ among others.

MISCELLANEOUS

ICMR to allow COVID-19 vaccines with 50% efficacy

• The Indian Council for Medical Research approves COVID-19 vaccines with 50-100% efficacy.
• According to ICMR, no respiratory vaccines have 100% efficacy.
• According to the World Health Organization, a vaccine should have three things namely safety, efficacy and immunogenicity.
• Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance to trigger the immune response.
• There are three vaccines that are undergoing human trials in India.
• They are COVAXIN, Oxford Vaccines and SPUTNIK-V (the Russian Vaccine)

Extra Shots:

ICMR

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Leader: Balram Bhargava
• Founder: Government of India
• Founded: 1911

Arsenic affected habitations in India increase by 145% in the last five years

• The minister of state of Jal Shakti Shri Ratan Lal Kataria recently provided a written reply about Arsenic affected habitations in the country.
• According to him, the arsenic affected habitations in the country has increased by 145 % in the last 5 years.

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