Hello and welcome to exampundit.in. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 7th October 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 – 7th October 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- World Cotton Day is observed on 07 October annually.
- ICICI bank become the first bank in India to launch debit card option for customers availing Loan against security (LAS) in partnered with VISA.
- To warn investors, investing in mutual fund schemes a new “very high risk” category on its Mutual Funds (MF) riskometer tool introduced by the Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will invest Rs 5,512.5 crore in Reliance Industries Ltd’s retail arm.
- ‘Ayush Standard Treatment Protocol’ released by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
- The Union department of Industry promotion and internal trade has given the GI Tag recently to the “Dalle Khursani” the famous chilli of Sikkim.
- The Goa government released an action plan to support agriculture and animal husbandry under its “Aatmanirbhar” programme.
- Digital Seva Setu Programme for rural areas has been initiated by Gujarat government under the Bharat Net Project.
- Sittwe port in the Rakhine state of Myanmar to be operational in the first quarter of 2021 as India and Myanmar is working towards its operationalization.
- On 6th October, the Foreign ministers of four Quad countries (the United States, Japan, India and Australia) held in Tokyo, Japan.
- Russia will host 12th BRICS Summit virtually on 17 November.
- To take street food vendors’ businesses online, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) signed MoU with Swiggy under PM SVANIDHI Scheme.
- To make textbooks and other study material easily accessible for deaf children through sign language, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed an MoU with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).
- Dinesh Kumar Khara appointed as the new Chairman of State Bank of India for a period of three years. His appointment is effective from October 7.
- Madhabi Puri Buch gets One-year Extension as the Whole-Time Member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- On 6th October, 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
- Indian business icon Ratan Tata has been bestowed with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) lifetime achievement award.
- Global ‘Covid Crusader Award-2020’ awarded to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) in the Indian Bureaucrats Category.
- India’s fastest HPC-AI Supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi will be jointly launched by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and NVIDIA.
- A telemedicine system ‘iMediX’ to help patients receive assistance from doctors without having to go to hospitals or clinics is recently launched by IIT Kharagpur researchers.
- Anand Neelakantan has authored his first kid’s book titled “The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”.
- Vishal Anand, a veteran Bollywood actor passed away at the age of 82.
- Najeeb Tarakai, Afghanistan Batsman passes away in Road Accident at the age of 29.
- Former chairman-cum-managing director of Indian Bank M. Gopalakrishnan passed away due to bad health at the age of 86.
NEWS IN DETAILS
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
World Cotton Day is observed on 07 October
- World Cotton Day is observed on 07 October annually.
- The day was inaugurated by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva on October 7, 2019.
- This day was initiated by the Group of Cotton-4 countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali to the reflect the importance of cotton as a global commodity.
Extra Shots:
WTO
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Founded: 1 January 1995
- Leader: Roberto Azevedo
BANKING & FINANCE
ICICI bank launches debit card option for customers availing LAS in partnered with VISA
- ICICI bank become the first bank in India to launch debit card option for customers availing Loan against security (LAS) in partnered with VISA.
Highlights:
- The debit card is available on the Visa platform.
- The LAS debit can be used by customers across all domestic merchant establishments to make seamless POS and online transactions like payments on e-commerce portals among others, using their sanctioned LAS amount.
- The maximum daily transaction limit of Rs. 3 lakh each for POS and online transactions.
Extra Shots:
ICICI Bank
- CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Founder: Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
- Founded: June 1994, Vadodara
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
SEBI introduced a new “very high risk” category on its Mutual Funds (MF) riskometer tool
- To warn investors, investing in mutual fund schemes a new “very high risk” category on its Mutual Funds (MF) riskometer tool introduced by the Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- Currently the scheme’s risk level of mutual fund (MF) risk-o-meter has been indicated by five categories – low, moderately low, moderate, moderately high and high.
- The revamped 6 categories Risk-o-meter will come into effect from 01 January 2021.
- It will be evaluated on a monthly basis and the mutual fund houses will have to disclose the risk-o-meter along with portfolio disclosure for all their schemes on their respective website.
Extra Shots:
SEBI
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Agency executive: Ajay Tyagi
- Founded: 12 April 1992
ADIA will invest Rs 5,512.5 crore in Reliance Industries Ltd
- Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will invest Rs 5,512.5 crore in Reliance Industries Ltd’s retail arm.
- With this investment, RRVL has raised Rs 37,710 crore from leading global investors including Silver Lake, KKR, General Atlantic, Mubadala, GIC, TPG and ADIA in less than four weeks.
Extra Shots:
RIL
- CEO: Mukesh Ambani
- Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani
- Founded: 8 May 1973, Maharashtra
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
‘Ayush Standard Treatment Protocol’ released by Harsh Vardhan
- ‘Ayush Standard Treatment Protocol’ released by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
- Objective of the Protocol
- The protocol has the details self-care guidelines for preventive health measures to help protect against COVID-19 pandemic.
Extra Shots:
Ministry of Health
- Union Health Minister: Harsh Vardhan
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
“Dalle Khursani” the famous chilli of Sikkim gets GI Tag
- The Union department of Industry promotion and internal trade has given the GI Tag recently to the “Dalle Khursani” the famous chilli of Sikkim.
- A GI tag is a name given to certain products that have a specific geographical location or origin which indicate that the crop will have global recognition and the marketing of the product will be beyond the national borders.
Extra Shots:
Sikkim:
- Capital: Gangtok
- Governor: Ganga Prasad
- Chief Minister: Prem Singh Tamang
To support farmers Goa Govt launched ‘Aatmanirbhar’ plan
- The Goa government released an action plan to support agriculture and animal husbandry under its “Aatmanirbhar” programme.
Objective:
- To help farmers, crop insurance and fencing will be availed. Horticulture cultivation, procurement of agricultural equipment, and sustainable harvesting of medical plants will also be assisted with it.
Extra Shots:
Goa:
- Capital: Panaji
- Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant
- Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Digital Seva Setu Programme for rural areas initiated by Gujarat govt
- Digital Seva Setu Programme for rural areas has been initiated by Gujarat government under the Bharat Net Project.
- Objective of the program: the citizens will be able to get benefit from various public welfare services at the Panchayat level
Extra Shots:
Gujarat:
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
- Governor: Acharya Devvrat
- State formed on: 1 May 1960
- Literacy Rate: 79.31%
- National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Sittwe port in Myanmar to be operational in the first quarter of 2021
- Sittwe port in the Rakhine state of Myanmar to be operational in the first quarter of 2021 as India and Myanmar is working towards its operationalization.
- The port will connect India’s landlocked northeastern region with the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram.
Extra Shots:
Myanmar (Capital/Currency): Naypyitaw/ Burmese kyat
- President: Win Myint
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES
Foreign ministers of four Quad countries held in Tokyo, Japan
- On 6th October, the Foreign ministers of four Quad countries (the United States, Japan, India and Australia) held in Tokyo, Japan.
- India was represented by the External Affairs minister S Jaishankar.
- Agenda of the Meet: to discuss regional issues and collectively affirm the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Extra Shots:
Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/Japanese yen
- Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga
Russia will host 12th BRICS Summit virtually on 17 November
- Russia will host 12th BRICS Summit virtually on 17 November.
- Due to the global COVID pandemic, this is the first time in the history of the forum that the meeting will be held virtually,
- Theme for 12th BRICS Summit will be “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.
Extra Shots:
BRICS
- Founded: June 2006
- Formation: 2009
- Founders: India, China, Brazil, Russia
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
To take street food vendors’ businesses online, MoHUA tied-up with Swiggy under PM SVANIDHI Scheme
- To take street food vendors’ businesses online, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) signed MoU with Swiggy under PM SVANIDHI Scheme.
- Objective of the MoU: to provide the street vendors online access to consumers and help grow their businesses.
- Launched on pilot basis: 5 cities namely, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Indore, and Varanasi.
Extra Shots:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge)
NCERT signed an MoU with ISLRTC for deaf children
- To make textbooks and other study material easily accessible for deaf children through sign language, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed an MoU with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).
- It will not only enhance their vocabulary, but also enhance their capabilities to understand concepts.
Extra Shots:
NCERT
- Director: Hrushikesh Senapaty
- President: Ramesh Pokhriyal
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founder: Government of India
- Founded: 1961
APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS
SBI got its new Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara
- Dinesh Kumar Khara appointed as the new Chairman of State Bank of India for a period of three years. His appointment is effective from October 7.
- Prior to this appointment SBI MD, Khara was the MD and CEO of SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd.
- Khara holds a Master’s in Business Administration from FMS New Delhi and is a post-graduate in Commerce.
Extra Shots:
SBI
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Founded: 1 July 1955
- Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara
Madhabi Puri Buch gets One-year Extension as the Whole-Time Member of SEBI
- Madhabi Puri Buch gets One-year Extension as the Whole-Time Member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- The period of one year is begun in October 4, 2020.
Extra Shots:
SEBI
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Agency executive: Ajay Tyagi
- Founded: 12 April 1992
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
2020 Nobel Prize in Physics announced
- On 6th October, 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Physics Winners List:
| Person Name | Reason | Country |
| Roger Penrose | for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity | UK |
| Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez | For the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy | USA |
2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
| Person Name | Reason | Country |
| Harvey J Alter + Charles M Rice + Michael Houghton | for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus.
|
IACC conferred lifetime achievement award to Ratan Tata
- Indian business icon Ratan Tata has been bestowed with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) lifetime achievement award.
Extra Shots:
IACC
- Established: 1968
- National President: Mr. Purnachandra Rao Surapaneni
Global ‘Covid Crusader Award-2020’ awarded to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal
- Global ‘Covid Crusader Award-2020’ awarded to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) in the Indian Bureaucrats Category.
- He has become the first Indian bureaucrat to be recognised and receive global acknowledgment for his contribution in controlling the novel coronavirus infection in India’s financial capital.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CURRENT AFFAIRS
India’s fastest HPC-AI Supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi to be launched
- India’s fastest HPC-AI Supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi will be jointly launched by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and NVIDIA.
Features Highlights:
- High-performance computing-Artificial Intelligence (HPC-AI) supercomputer is a machine with 210 AI Petaflops (6.5 Petaflops Peak DP).
- It will be based on the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD.
- The infrastructure will be established under NSM at C-DAC, with support from Niti Aayog, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Department of Science and Technology and the central government.
- The computer will use NVIDIA Next Generation technology, C-DAC software stack and Cloud platform.
Extra Shots:
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Union Minister: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Telemedicine software ‘iMediX’ launched IIT Kharagpur
- A telemedicine system ‘iMediX’ to help patients receive assistance from doctors without having to go to hospitals or clinics is recently launched by IIT Kharagpur researchers.
Objective & Feature:
- It allows patients to request for consultation by choosing a department of a hospital, entering their complaints and uploading necessary medical records. The hospital then processes the request and assigns a doctor
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Anand Neelakantan authored his first kid’s book titled “The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”
- Anand Neelakantan has authored his first kid’s book titled “The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”.
- The book is published by Puffins Publishers Private Limited.
OBITUARY
Vishal Anand, a veteran Bollywood actor passes Away At 82
- Vishal Anand, a veteran Bollywood actor passed away at the age of 82.
- His real name was Bhishmam Kohli.
- Apart from acting, he had also directed and produced a few films and appeared in 11 Hindi films during his acting career.
Najeeb Tarakai, Afghanistan Batsman passes away in Road Accident
- Najeeb Tarakai, Afghanistan Batsman passes away in Road Accident at the age of 29.
- He played 12 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for Bangladesh, after making his international debut in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Former Indian Bank Chairman Gopalakrishnan passes away
- Former chairman-cum-managing director of Indian Bank M. Gopalakrishnan passed away due to bad health at the age of 86.
- He joined Indian Bank as an unpaid officer in 1958 and became its CMD in 1988 and continued in the post till December 1995.
