Latest Current Affairs For Friday 8th October, 2021

Current Affairs in One Minute

1-Skill India with due support from Directorate General of Training (DGT) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) organized a day long “National Apprenticeship Mela” across the country in over 400 locations. 

2-To celebrate the 75th year of independence, NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) will felicitate 75 women achievers as part of the Amrit Mahotsav celebration. 

3-Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has launched 20 Paddy Procurement Centres (Mandis) in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of the union territory. 

4-Nagaland will host 56th National Cross Country Championship next year. 

5-To conduct collaborative research in mutually identified areas and promote research activities, Regional Ayurveda Research Institute (RARI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sikkim Manipal University (SMU). 

6-On behalf of HQ MC, Base Repair Depot, Palam hosted the Air Force Kabaddi Championship from 27 Sep 21 to 01 Oct 21, under the aegis of Air Force Sports Control Board. 

7-The 15th Edition of Indo-Nepal Joint Training Exercise, EXERCISE SURYA KIRAN XV culminated at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand after 14 days of rigorous training. 

8-World’s largest Khadi national flag was installed at Leh in Ladakh on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. 

9-Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced a new ambitious road project connecting Surat in Gujarat and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. 

10-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he will not run for vice president in the 2022 elections and will retire from politics. 

Noted Cartoonist Chackalethu John Yesudass passes away

Noted Cartoonist Chackalethu John Yesudasan (83 years) passed away in due to Covid 19.

He entered the world of political cartoons through Janayugom Malayalam Daily.

He worked with Shankar's Weekly published from New Delhi and satirical magazines Cut-Cut and Tuk Tuk.

He also joined Malayala Manorama Group of Publications as its Staff Cartoonist, where he served for 23 years.

He was the former Chairman of Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy. 

Govt to set-up 75 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs

Government will be setting up 75 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs in different parts of India, exclusively for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

STI Hubs has been established by Department of Science and Technology (DST).

This will develop, nurture, and ensure the delivery of appropriate and relevant technologies for inclusive socio-economic development.

It will also improve Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) through inputs of S&T.

Tourism Ministry organizes Conference in Bodhgaya

Ministry of Tourism has organized Conference in Bodhgaya to promote potential of Buddhist tourism. 

Aim: to present the efforts and developments that have taken place in Buddhist Circuit and to discuss and deliberate the way forward for the promotion of Buddhist Tourism in India.

It has been scheduled from 4th to 8th October 2021.

Buddhist Circuit Fam Tour will start from Safdarjung Railway Station.

Ministry of Textiles approves continuation of CHCDS

Ministry of Textiles has approved continuation of Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) up to March 2026. 

Total outlay of CHCDS: 160 crores. 

Aim: Upliftment and development of handicrafts artisans. 

Infrastructural support, market access, design and technology up-gradation support will be provided to handicrafts artisans. 

Mega handicraft clusters having more than 10,000 artisans will be selected for overall development under this scheme.

Centre approves setting up 7 PM MITRA Parks at Rs. 4,445 crores

Centre has approved setting up of seven new mega textile parks, or PM MITRA parks to facilitate the growth of textile sector in the economy and position India strongly on Global textiles map.

Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (MITRA) will be based on the 5F vision: Farm to fibre; fibre to factory; factory to fashion; fashion to foreign. 

Total outlay: Rs 4,445 crore for 5 years. 

It will be setup at Greenfield and Brownfield sites in PPP Mode.

RBI superseded the board of directors of SIFL and SEFL

RBI has superseded the Board of Directors of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (SIFL) and Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL) under Section 45-IE (1) of RBI Act, 1934.

SIFL and SEFL are NBFCs.

This decision has been taken by RBI owing to governance concerns and defaults in meeting their payment obligations. 

RBI has appointed Rajneesh Sharma as its Administrator. 

RBI’s Advisory Committee: R. Subramaniakumar, T T Srinivasaraghavan and Farokh N Subedar.

Veteran TV actor, Arvind Trivedi passes away

Veteran television actor Arvind Trivedi (82 years) passed away, following a heart attack. 

He is famously known for his iconic role of demon-king Raavan in Ramanand Sagar’s TV serial Ramayan.

He has also served as the MP from Sabarkatha constituency in Gujarat from 1991 to 1996.

He served as the acting chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 2002 to 2003.

Moody’s upgrades India’s rating outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’

Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded India’s sovereign rating outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’, following an improvement in the financial sector and faster-than expected economic recovery across sectors.

However, Moody’s had retained India’s sovereign rating at Baa3.

Moody’s expects India’s GDP for financial year 2021-22 (FY22) at 9.3%, followed by 7.9% in FY23 (2022-23).

SBI launches NAV-eCash Card for Indian Navy onboard INS Vikramaditya

SBI has partnered with Indian Navy to launch NAV-eCash card for naval personnel onboard the country’s largest Naval Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

It will remove the difficulties faced by personnel onboard in handling physical cash during deployment of the ship at high seas.

It will facilitate both online as well as offline transactions with its dual-chip technology, even when the ship is in high seas where there is no connectivity.

M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre in Guwahati

Vice-President, M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre at Panbazar in Guwahati, Assam. 

This new heritage site has been made by renovating and converting British-era bungalow atop the Barphukanar Tila (Barphukan’s Hillock) in Panbazar.

Heritage centre will depict the life along the Brahmaputra River and has on display the heritage of boats, an Amphitheatre, an exhibition space, a cafeteria, so on and so forth.

Alibaug white onion from Maharashtra gets GI tag

Famous Alibaug white onion from Maharashtra’s Raigad district has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag. 

Now, Alibaug will get worldwide recognition for its unique sweet taste, no-tears factor white onions.

Soil of Alibaug taluka has low sulphur content and so the onion has low pungency, low pyruvic acid, high protein, fat and fibre content, besides high antioxidant. 

It boosts immunity, helps with insomnia, blood cleaning, blood pressure and heat-related ailments. 

ICMR releases MUDRA toolbox in 5 Indian languages

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released Multilingual Dementia Research and Assessment (MUDRA) Toolbox in 5 Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam. 

MUDRA Toolbox: Comprehensive tool specifically to diagnose dementia in Indian population. 

It includes various cognitive tests to assess different domains of cognition. 

It is an initiative by ICMR Neuro-Cognitive Toolbox (ICMR -NCTB) Consortium. 

It is a collective effort by 7 leading Centres. 

RBI grants license to NARCL under Sarfaesi Act

RBI has granted license to National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) to register as an asset reconstruction company (ARC) under Section 3 of SARFAESI Act 2002. 

As per Section 3 of SARFAESI Act, company can be an ARC only after obtaining registration certificate from RBI and having owned fund of not less than 2 crore or amount not exceeding 15% of financial assets acquired. 

NARCL has been incorporated under Companies Act and public banks will hold 51% in NARCL.

World Cotton Day: 7th October

World Cotton Day (WCD) is observed every year on October 7 to celebrate international cotton industry and its contribution to communities and the global economy.

It was first introduced in 2019 by World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, following an initiative of the Cotton-4 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali to reflect the importance of cotton as a global commodity. 

Cotton is a global commodity grown in over 75 countries across 5 continents.

Benjamin List and David WC MacMillan wins 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Benjamin List (Germany) and David MacMillan (USA) has been awarded with Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2021 for the development of asymmetric organo-catalysis.

This award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million).

Between 1901 and 2021, 113 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry have been awarded. 

Their chemical toolkit has been used for discovering new drugs and making molecules that can capture light in solar cells.

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.