Latest Current Affairs For Sunday 17th October, 2021

Indo-US joint training exercise ‘Ex Yudh Abhyas 21’ commences in Alaska

The 17th edition of the Indo-US joint training exercise “Ex Yudh Abhyas 21” commenced at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Alaska.

The 14-day exercise includes activities on joint training in a counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism environment. 

The Ex YudhAbhyas is the largest running joint military training and defense cooperation endeavour b/w India and US.

The earlier version of this exercise was held in India at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Bikaner.

Reliance tops Indian firms in Forbes world's top 100 best employers list

According to World's Best Employers rankings 2021 published by Forbes, RIL is among the top four Indian companies to work for.

Mukesh Ambani-owned RIL was placed at the 52nd position in the overall ranking of 750 global corporates.

Other Indian companies that made it to the top 100 rankings include ICICI Bank at 65, HDFC Bank at 77 and HCL Technologies at 90.

The top place in the Forbes rankings was occupied by Samsung Electronics followed by IBM, Microsoft and Amazon. 

BPCL Unveils Automated Fuelling System ‘U-Fill’

The BPCL has launched an automated fuelling technology -UFill- to ensure better customer experience at outlets.

The tech obviates the need for looking at zero or final reading and such offline manual interventions.

The new automated fuelling technology is secure, fast, and smart. 

The new U-Fill outlets have been launched in 65 cities and are likely to be launched soon across the country.

The customers need not download any app to use the U-Fill technology. 

India slips to 101st rank in Global Hunger Index 2021

India has slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index 2021 of 116 countries.

18 countries, including China, Brazil and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI score of less than five.

India is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

GHI was prepared jointly by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe.

The GHI score is calculated on 4 indicators -undernourishment; child wasting; child stunting and child mortality. 

NASA launches Lucy spacecraft, 1st space mission to study Trojans Asteroid

NASA launched Lucy spacecraft, the first space mission to study the Trojans Asteroids.

Lucy will journey for 12 years, observing one main belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids.

The swarms of Trojan asteroids associated with Jupiter are thought to be remnants of the primordial material that formed the outer planets.

These primitive bodies hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

Food Tech Summit 2021 organised by Ministry of Food Processing Industries

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries, under the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises Scheme, organised Food Tech Summit 2021. 

The Food Tech Summit 2021 aimed at setting the stage for all food-tech stakeholders to impart, discuss and acquaint micro enterprises on the new emerging trends in food processing and technological innovation. 

PMFME Scheme has been launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

Minister Incharge (MoFPI) : Pashupati Kumar Paras

‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Prerana Sthal’ inaugurate at Visakhapatnam

‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Prerana Sthal’ was inaugurated at Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam.

The NSTL is the premier naval research laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

Dr Kalam’s Prerana Sthal will motivate the people particularly young minds from Dr Kalam’s life and his impeccable achievements.

A statue of Dr Kalam was also unveiled by Dr Samir V Kamat, Director General (Naval Systems & Materials), DRDO.

UCO Bank MD and CEO AK Goel Elected Chairman if Indian Banks' Association

A K Goel, (MD & CEO) of UCO Bank has been elected as new chairman of Indian Bank's Association for 2021-22.

 He succeeds Rajkiran Rai G, MD & CEO, Union Bank of India.

In September 2021, Banks Board Bureau (BBB) had recommended the name of Goel for the forthcoming position of managing director and chief executive at Punjab National Bank (PNB). 

Goel has been heading UCO Bank, Kolkata-based public sector lender, since Nov 2018.

Moto: UCO bank Honours your Trust 

World Food Day 2021: 16th October

World Food Day is celebrated all over the world on October 16.

It is an initiative by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

This year, the World Food Day commemorations was jointly led by the FAO, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The theme this year is “Our actions are our future. Better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life”.

World Food Day was Estd  in Nov 1979.

Satya Nadella gets CK Prahalad Award for Business Sustainability Leadership

Satya Nadella (CEO Microsoft), along with three other top leaders of Microsoft awarded the prestigious 2021 C K Prahlad award for Global Business Sustainability Leadership.

Three other Microsoft leaders are Brad Smith (President), Amy Hood (CFO) and Lucas Joppa. 

They were awarded for their collaborative leadership aimed at transforming Microsoft into a carbon negative company by 2030. 

The award was created in 2010 by the Corporate Eco Forum (CEF).

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.