Latest Current Affairs For Friday 1st October, 2021

Current Affairs in One Minute

1-The Government will launch a month-long nationwide Clean India Drive to clean waste, mainly single use plastic, from 1st -31st October, 2021. 

2-Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 on 1st October. 

3-The skies over Srinagar roared with fighter jets and Chinook helicopters exhibiting adrenaline-pumping manoeuvres at an air show conducted after 14 years. 

4-The first palmetum of Uttarakhand and the biggest in north India has been developed by the research wing of the state forest department in Haldwani. 

5-Indian Army Officer Lt Col Sripada Sriram has set a new Guinness world record for 'Fastest Solo Cycling (Men)' by covering a distance of 472 km from Leh to Manali in 34 hours and 54 minutes. 

6-As part of Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and on the occasion of Antyodaya Diwas that marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Hyderabad under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development presented Hunarbaaz Awards to 75 diyangjan candidates from 15 states. 

7-Sarbananda Sonowal Union Minister for Ayush, Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated Rathnashree Arogyadhama”, a new unit of Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Ayurveda Hospital at Udupi, Karnataka. 

8-Central IAS Association felicitated UP-cadre IAS officer Shri Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj for winning the Silver medal in Badminton in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and Neeraj Chopra, the Gold medalist in Tokyo Olympic 2020. 

9-Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting dedicated to the nation High Power Transmitters of Doordarshan and All India Radio at Hamboting La near Kargil in Ladakh

10-Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost a nerve-wracking final to Colombian world no. 3 Sara Lopez to settle for a silver in the compound women's individual section at the World Championships in Yankton. 

Ranveer Singh Named India’s NBA Brand Ambassador

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has named Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador for India. He will work with the NBA to help grow the league’s profile in India throughout its landmark 75th anniversary season in 2021-22.

For the 2021-22 season, Singh will participate in a number of league initiatives that will be featured on NBA India’s and his personal social media accounts.

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.

The NBA games and programming is available in 215 countries and territories and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries.

International Translation Day: 30 September

Every year, International Translation Day is marked on 30 September. The International Federation of Translators (FIT) organise the day ever since it was set up in 1953.

The day aims to celebrate the work of language translation professionals which facilitates dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to the development and strengthening of world peace and security. International Translation Day 2021 theme: “United in translation”.

The International Federation of Translators (FIT) organise the day ever since it was set up in 1953. The first official celebration of ITD was held in 1991. The day also marks the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators.

Important For All Exam 2021:

International Federation of Translators President: Kevin Quirk.

International Federation of Translators Secretary-General: Real Paquette.

World Maritime Day 2021: 30 September

World Maritime Day 2021 is observed globally on 30th September. The exact date of celebrating World Maritime Day is left to the individual governments but is usually celebrated during the last week in September.

The theme of World Maritime Day 2021 is “Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future”.

The theme for this year reflects a clear need to raise awareness of seafarersʹ crucial role in world trade and increase their visibility.

The World Maritime theme for 2021 will provide the opportunity to focus on seafarers as the people at the heart of shipping, while also allowing for activities to delve into specific topics relevant to the role of the seafarer in safety, maritime security, environmental protection and seafarersʹ well-being; and the future of seafaring against a backdrop of increased digitalization and automation.

Important For All Exam 2021:

International Maritime Organization Headquarters location: London, United Kingdom.

International Maritime Organization Founded: 17 March 1948.

International Maritime Organization Secretary-General: Kitack Lim.

Indra Nooyi memoir “The secrets to balancing work and family life”

In her book, My Life in Full: Work, Family and our Future, Indra Nooyi focuses on the importance that organisational support plays in working women’s lives.

For instance, she lists the offer of three months of paid leave by BCG to take care of her father in India when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Indra Nooyi tells the story of that journey in her memoir, My Life in Full (published by Hachette India) in 313 pages that are packed with her experiences of settling in America, negotiating the boardroom, balancing work and family life and what the pandemic has meant for workplaces.

Yemeni humanitarian organization wins Nansen Refugee Award 2021

A humanitarian organization from Yemen has been declared as the winner of the 2021 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.

The organisation named “Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development”, founded in 2017 by Ameen Jubran has won the prestigious honour to support and provide a lifeline to tens of thousands of Yemenis people displaced by the country’s conflict.

The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award honours individuals, groups or organizations for going above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, other displaced and stateless people.

RBI removes Indian Overseas Bank from Prompt Corrective Action framework

Reserve Bank of India has announced the removal of Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) restrictions on Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).

This decision gives the bank more freedom for lending, especially to corporations and grow the network, subject to prescribed norms. IOB was placed under PCA in 2015.

The bank has provided a written commitment that it would comply with the norms of Minimum Regulatory Capital, Net NPA and Leverage ratio on an ongoing basis and has apprised the RBI of the structural and systemic improvements that it has put in place which would help the bank in continuing to meet these commitments. IOB is being tipped as a privatisation candidate. In 2021, RBI has also removed PCA restrictions on IDBI Bank and UCO Bank.

Important For All Exam 2021:

Indian Overseas Bank Headquarters: Chennai

Indian Overseas Bank CEO: Partha Pratim Sengupta

Indian Overseas Bank Founded: 10 February 1939.

NPCI tie-up with YES Bank for ‘On-the-Go’ payment solution

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with private sector lender YES Bank to launch first-of-its-kind ‘RuPay On-the-Go’ contactless payments solutions.

The RuPay On-the-Go contactless solution is mainly a wearable payment solution, launched to enable customers to make small and large value transactions from accessories that they wear every day.

The solution would eliminate the need to carry a physical card, and customers can use the solution at RuPay contactless-enabled PoS at retail outlets and pay up to Rs 5,000 without the need for a PIN.

The solution is based on a simple ‘Tap, pay, go’ mechanism. It has been launched in association with fintech infrastructure partner Neokred and manufacturing partner Seshaasai.

Important For All Exam 2021:

National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.

National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai.

National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.

YES bank HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

YES bank MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar.

Lok Sabha Speaker Launches ‘NIDHI 2.0’ scheme

The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla has inaugurated the NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) scheme, during an event organised by the Ministry of Tourism, on the occasion of 2021 World Tourism Day.

The NIDHI 2.0 database will have more inclusivity, by not only including accommodation units, but also travel agents, tour operators, & others.

The NIDHI scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate the digitalization of the tourism sector and promote ease of doing business for the hospitality & tourism sector, by encouraging all accommodation units to register themselves on the platform to become part of the hospitality industry.

As a part of the occasion, the Ministry of Tourism signed an MoU with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and The Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) to actively promote and support ‘sustainability initiatives’ in the tourism sector of each other.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh launches “Amrit Grand Challenge Program-जनCARE”

As a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh (Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology) launched the “AmritGrand Challenge Program” titled “जनCARE”.

The Grand Challenge aims to identify 75 Start-Up and entrepreneurs, who come out with Innovative Ideas and Solutions for India’s healthcare challenges, that can work in Low Resource Settings, for strengthening Healthcare Delivery in India.

The Challenge has been launched jointly by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), NASSCOM and NASSCOM Foundation, as a nationwide “Discover – Design – Scale” program.

The “जनCARE” Amrit Challenge will recognise start-ups in fields like Innovations in Telemedicine, Digital Health, mHealth with BIG Data, AI, BlockChain and other technologies.

The Challenge will end on December 31, 2021.

North Korea tests fire hypersonic missile “Hwasong-8”

North Korea successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8, in a bid to increase the nation’s capabilities for self-defence.

The missile was one of the five most important new weapons systems laid out by North Korea in the five-year military development plan.

This was the country’s third missile test in a month. Earlier it tested a new type of cruise missile, as well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.

Hypersonic missiles fly at lower altitudes compared to ballistic weapon systems and can attain more than five times the speed of sound, restricting the interception capabilities of adversaries.

Important For All Exam 2021:

North Korea Capital: Pyongyang

North Korea Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un

North Korea Currency: North Korean won

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launches Elder Line

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched India’s first Pan-India helpline for senior citizens named ‘Elder Line’ for which the toll-free number is 14567.

The platform will allow senior citizens to connect and share their concerns, get information and guidance on problems that they face on a day-to-day basis.

It will provide free information and guidance on pension issues, legal issues, extend emotional support, and even intervenes on the field in cases of abuse, and rescues the homeless elderly.

Tata Trusts and NSE Foundation are the technical partners for “Elder Line”.

GoI increases the income limit of disabled dependents for family pension to 30%

Ministry of defence and union government has decided to increase the income limit of disabled dependents for family pension to children/siblings suffering from mental or physical disability.

The child/sibling will be eligible for family pension for life if his/her overall income from sources other than a family pension is less than 30% of the last pay drawn by the deceased government servant/pensioner concerned plus the dearness relief admissible thereon.

The financial benefit in such cases will accrue with effect from 08 February 2021. Presently, the disabled child/sibling is eligible for family pension if the overall monthly income of the disabled child/sibling from sources other than the family pension is not more than Rs 9,000, along with dearness relief.

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.