Latest Current Affairs For Thursday 9th September, 2021

Chandigarh Railway Station certified five-star ‘Eat Right Station’

The Chandigarh Railway Station(CRS) was awarded a 5 star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.

The certification was awarded by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) upon the conclusion of the FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency. CRS was selected to upgrade on the pattern of the World Class Railway Station.

The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.

According to IRSDC, Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

Important For All Exam 2021:

Lt. Governors & Administrators of Chandigarh: Banwarilal Purohit.

Rajni Kaul, the first News Broadcaster for BBC Hindi passes away

Rajni Kaul who was the first News Broadcaster for BBC Hindi passed away in Faridabad, Haryana. She was 93.

She was not only the first woman to join BBC Hindi as a staff member but she also became the first woman to read a news bulletin in Hindi on the network in 1961. She was well-known for her programme Indradhanush.

Former Union Health Secretary Keshav Desiraju Passes Away

Former Union health secretary Keshav Desiraju has passed away, due to “acute coronary syndrome”. Desiraju was the grandson of former president Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He was the 1978 batch IAS officer from the Uttarakhand cadre.

He was known for his contributions to mental health and community healthcare. He was the architect of India’s mental healthcare act of 2017.

International Literacy Day: 08 September

International Literacy Day is observed globally on 8th September every year. The day spread awareness about the importance of literacy for individuals, communities, and societies and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies.

The theme of 55th International Literacy Day is Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide.

The 8th of September was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1966 to remind the international community of the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies, and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies. It was celebrated for the first time in 1967.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For All Exam 2021:

UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.

UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.

UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

Bank of Baroda tops the MeitY Digital Payment Scorecard for 2020-21

Bank of Baroda, announced that the bank has Ranked #1 with a total of 86% marks on the scorecard issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the month of February and March 2021.

The scorecard ranks 44 banks (Public Sector Banks, Private Banks, Foreign Banks, Payments Banks, Small Finance Banks) on various parameters on the digital business. In the same period last year, BOB was rated “Average” by Meity, which has now been upgraded as “Good”.

Indian biologist Shailendra Singh wins global award in turtle conservation

Indian biologist Shailendra Singh has been awarded the Behler Turtle Conservation Award for bringing three critically endangered turtle conservation species back from the brink of extinction.

Shailendra Singh was named to lead the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)/ Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India turtle programme.

The award has been bestowed by several global bodies involved in turtle conservation such as Turtle Survival Alliance, IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, and Turtle Conservation Fund. 

The Behler Turtle Conservation Award was established in 2006 to recognise outstanding achievements, contributions and leadership excellence in international turtle conservation and biology.

Ramesh Narayan to be inducted into AFAA Hall of Fame

Indian advertising doyen Ramesh Narayan will be inducted into the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) Hall of Fame at AdAsia 2021.

The AFAA Hall of Fame sets out to recognise the best of the very best. It’s for those who’ve defined a generation of advertising.

Ramesh has been honoured with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Advertising Association Global Champion Award, the Public Relations Society of India Special Award, the Association of Business Communicators of India Lifetime Achievement Award, and an induction into the Hall of Fame of the India chapter of the IAA.

Namita Gokhale honoured with 7th Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award

Writer Namita Gokhale has been chosen as the recipient of the seventh Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award. She was conferred upon the honour recently in a virtual ceremony.

She is a co-founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Gokhale also mentors Himalayan Echoes and the Kumaon Festival of Literature and the Arts.

The award was organised by a collective of women professionals from the year 2015, the annual award honours Yamin Hazarika, the first woman from Northeast India to be selected for DANIPS, a federal police service that administered Delhi and the Union Territories in 1977.

Indian Navy’s aviation wing honoured with prestigious President’s Colour award

President Ram Nath Kovind has awarded the President’s Colour to the Indian Naval Aviation at a ceremonial parade held at the INS Hansa base near Panjim in Goa. The president was given the guard of honour by the Indian Navy on the occasion.

The President’s Colour is the highest honour bestowed on a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation.

The Indian Navy was the first amongst the Indian Armed Forces to be awarded the President’s Colour on 27 May 1951 by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India.

Subsequent recipients of the President’s Colour in the Navy include Southern Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Eastern Fleet, Western Fleet, Submarine Arm, INS Shivaji and the Indian Naval Academy.

Harsha Bhupendra Bangari becomes new MD of EXIM Bank

The government has appointed Harsha Bhupendra Bangari as the new Managing Director (MD) of the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank). Before this Bangari was posted as deputy managing director at EXIM Bank.

She has been appointed for a period of three years or until further orders of the government. He will replace the incumbent MD David Rasquinha, who was appointed for five years on July 20, 2014.

Important For All Exam 2021:

• Export-Import Bank of India  Founded: 1 January 1982;
• Export-Import Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Satish Parekh appointed as International Road Federation India president

Ashoka Buildcon Managing Director and promoter Satish Parekh has taken over as the president of the India Chapter of the International Road Federation (IRF).

The governing council of the International Road Federation unanimously endorsed Satish Parakh as President, IRF-IC. He takes over from Subhmay Gangopadhyay, former director of Central Road Research Institute.

The Geneva-based global road safety body IRF is working for better and safer roads worldwide.

 Important For All Exam 2021:

• International Road Federation Founded: 1948;
• International Road Federation Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Yoshihide Suga to step down as Japan’s prime minister

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would step down, setting the stage for a new premier after a one-year tenure marred by an unpopular COVID-19 response and rapidly dwindling public support.

Suga, who took over after Shinzo Abe resigned last September, citing ill health, has seen his support ratings sink to below 30% as the nation struggles with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections ahead of a general election this year.

Suga’s decision to not run in a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election in September means the party will choose a new leader, who will become prime minister.

Important For All Exam 2021:

• Japan Capital: Tokyo;
• Japan Currency: Japanese yen;

PM Modi inaugurates Shikshak Parv-2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the “Shikshak Parv-2021” and addressed the inaugural conclave through a video conference.

The theme of ‘Shikshak Parv-2021’ is “Quality and Sustainable Schools: Learnings from Schools in India”.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Education, will continue to be celebrated from September 07 to 17, 2021.

The objective of the Shikshak Parv-2021 is to encourage innovative practices to ensure not only continuity of education at all levels but to improve quality, inclusive practices and sustainability in the schools across the country as well.

TRIFED and MEA to set up Atmanirbhar Bharat corners

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, is setting up an Atmanirbhar Bharat corner in 75 Indian Missions/ Embassies across the world in the next 3 months.

The first such Atma Nirbhar Bharat corner was successfully inaugurated at Indian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand on August 15, 2021.

Apart from this, TRIFED will also be establishing Atmanirbhar corners in 75 embassies of foreign countries set up in India.

The 75 countries include Jamaica, Ireland, Turkey, Kenya, Mongolia, Israel, Finland, France, and Canada, Singapore, Russia, the US, Indonesia, Greece and Cyprus among others.

The corner will be an exclusive space to promote GI tagged tribal art and craft products besides natural and organic products.

TRIFED will also be establishing Atmanirbhar corners in 75 embassies of foreign countries in India.

Important For All Exam 2021:

• Minister of Tribal Affairs: Arjun Munda;
• TRIFED was established on the 6th of August 1987.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.