Important Days
International Translation Day
International Translation Day is observed on 30th September every year. The day aims to celebrate the work of language translation professionals which facilitates dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to the development and strengthening world peace and security.
The day also marks the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. International Translation Day 2020 theme: “Finding the words for a world in crisis”.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- International Federation of Translators President: Kevin Quirk.
- International Federation of Translators Secretary-General: Real Paquette.
National Headlines
NABARD to undertake Sanitation Literacy Campaign in Karnataka
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will begin a Sanitation Literacy Campaign (SLC) in Karnataka to promote literacy on ‘WASH’ (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in 2,000 villages covering one lakh rural population.
The objective of the campaign is to focus on inculcating significant behavioural changes towards adapting good hygiene and sanitation practices.
The campaign will start from October 2 and continue till January 26, 2021. In the past, NABARD also supported the construction of 3.29 crore household toilets disbursing 27,298 crore rupees across the country.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development: Govinda Rajulu Chintala.
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launches “ASIIM”
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launched the “Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM)”.
The mission has been launched under the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in order to promote innovation and enterprise among SC students studying in higher educational institutions.
The Objective of this fund is to provide concessional finance to the entities of the SC entrepreneurs. Under this fund, 117 companies promoted by SC entrepreneurs have been sanctioned financial assistance to set up business ventures.
Under the name “Ambedkar Social Innovation Incubation Mission (ASIIM)” initiative, 1,000 SC youth would be identified in the next 4 years with start-up ideas through the Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) in various higher educational institutions.
New logo of Sports Authority of India launched by Kiren Rijiju
The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has launched the new logo of Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) on 30 September 2020 at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
The new logo of SAI features a flying figure which indicates the freedom an athlete to leapfrog his/her career in SAI. The figure features Indian Tricolour and blue colour of the chakra.
The logo signifies SAI’s journey of metamorphosis from identifying and nurturing grassroots level sporting talent to creating sporting excellence in the country.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Director-General of SAI: Sandip Pradhan.
- Sports Authority of India was established in 1984.
Union Minister launches various services for farmers in Andhra Pradesh
Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri. D.V. Sadananda Gowda has launched POS 3.1 software, SMS Gateway and Home Delivery facility of Fertilizers (RBK) for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
Under POS 3.1 version, keeping in view of prevailing pandemic condition, contactless OTP based authentication option has been introduced. Farmer will be able to purchase fertilizer without touching finger print sensor.
The SMS Gateway will periodically send SMS to farmer about availability of fertilizer at retail outlet from where he last purchased the fertilizer.
Under an initiative of Home delivery of Fertilizers in Andhra Pradesh through Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBK) state Government has launched 10,641 Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBKs) in all gram panchayats to provide farmers with quality inputs and allied services.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.
Gujarat govt signs MoU with Denmark in water sector
Gujarat Government has signed a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark in the water sector.
The state government arm Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board has signed the MoU with ‘Danish Water Forum’ through an online interactive platform.
This MoU will help in technology exchange, training, capacity building, knowledge exchange, cooperation in water supply, wastewater treatment- reuse and water management between the two organizations.
MoU has been signed for a five-year period in order to set up the Indo-Danish Water Technology Alliance in Gujarat and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal -6.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Danish Water Forum Chairman: Hans-Martin Friis Moller
- Danish Water Forum HeadQuarters: Hørsholm, Denmark
- Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani.
- Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat.
South Eastern Railway launches ‘Operation My Saheli’
The South Eastern Railways (SER) has launched the project, “Operation my Saheli” to enhance the security of women passengers in the train throughout the entire journey from the originating point to their destinations.
Since 18th September 2020, The pilot version of the project “Operation my Saheli” has been introduced in 3 trains: Howrah-Yesvantpur Duronto Special, Howrah- Ahmedabad Special and Howrah-Mumbai Special.
”Operation my Saheli” is executed under the Framework of “Nirbhaya Fund” and no additional expenditure is provided by the Head of Railways. Team of Women Sub Inspectors briefed the women passengers on the safety precautions and provided emergency contact numbers.
The team will collect the information such as seat number and contact information of the women passengers and will remain in contact throughout the journey. The collected information will be passed to the stations at the destination and scheduled stoppage stations.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- South Eastern Railway General Manager: Sanjay Kumar Mohanty.
- South Eastern Railway Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal.
Appointments
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur named FTII governing council chairman
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced Shekhar Kapur as the new President of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and Chairman of FTII Governing Council.
His tenure will be till March 3, 2023. Kapur, known for films like Masoom (1983), Mr India (1987), Elizabeth (1998) and Bandit Queen (1994), will replace television producer BP Singh.
Singh’s tenure had ended in March 2020 but he was given an extension owing to the coronavirus situation.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up by the Government of India in 1960, in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Studios in Pune.
Banking & Business News
Vakrangee gets RBI approval to set up BBPS unit
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted in-principle approval to Vakrangee Ltd to set up Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) to handle payment services related to bills.
With in-principle authorisation from RBI, Vakrangee Ltd will set up and operate BBPOU under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 and will now be able to directly handle payment and aggregation of payment services relating to bills under the scope of BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System).
The company offers banking, insurance, money transfer services, e-commerce, e-governance and other digital services on behalf of its partner banks, insurers, government agencies, e-commerce players among others through its branches mostly located in rural and semi-urban areas.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
IDBI Bank becomes 1st bank to enable document embedding feature on SFMS
Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) become the first to implement the new feature of document embedding facility with Letter of Credit (LC) / Bank Guarantee (BG) messages over SFMS (Structured Financial Messaging System) platform of Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS).
The process would be conducted via a middleware application “i@Connect-SFMS (CSFMS) developed by IDBI Intech. This new feature of “document embedding” provides banks with the functionality of transmitting a “pdf” document up to 1MB size along with the LC / BG messages.
Through this feature, there will be the transmission of digitally signed documents which ensure the reliability of the transaction. The objective of this new feature is to further digitise the trade finance transactions and to secure the financial communication system.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- IFTAS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- IFTAS Chairman: Tavarna Rabi Sankar.
- IFTAS CEO: Dr N. Rajendran.
- IFTAS Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- IDBI Bank Chairman: MR Kumar.
- IDBI Bank MD & CEO: Rakesh Sharma.
- IDBI Bank Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- IDBI BankTagline: Banking for All, Aao sochein Bada.
Flipkart & Bajaj Allianz launch cyber insurance cover
E-commerce marketplace, Flipkart and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance have launched a cyber insurance cover for online financial frauds.
The product, ‘Digital Suraksha Group Insurance’, will help customers who want to cover themselves against financial losses caused as a result of cyber attacks, cyber frauds, or other such malicious activities across various online platforms.
Customers can opt for a one-year cover at premiums as low as Rs 183 for a cover of ₹50,000. It will compensate for direct financial loss (up to the sum insured) due to unauthorised digital financial transactions as a result of identity theft arising out of cyber-attacks, phishing/spoofing, and SIM-jacking.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Flipkart headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- Flipkart CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
- Bajaj Allianz General Insurance CEO: Tapan Singhel.
- Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra.
Indian Bank launched Green-Tech Initiative “IB-eNote”
Indian Bank has launched a green initiative named “IB-eNote” to enable a total paperless working environment. This tool enables processing and tracking of notes put up by various offices digitally.
The bank for this initiative has customised SharePoint, one of the features of Microsoft Office. The Bank also launched ‘Ind Guru’, an e-learning platform for its employees.
The IB-eNote facility is likely to considerably improve Turnaround Time, save the cost of paper, printing and other administrative expenses. Microsoft is a leading technology company that has pioneered many industry-firsts.
IB-eNote is one of the Bank’s many initiatives to promote digital transformation and to address new gen customers to serve them. The bank with this initiative is taking another step to achieve greater efficiency by continuously empowering its biggest asset(human resources/ staff members).
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Indian bank MD & CEO: Padmaja Chunduru.
- Indian bank Headquarters: Chennai, TamilNadu.
Agreements & MoUs
Tata Steel & CSIR signs MoU to collaborate for CCUS
Tata Steel and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) have signed an MoU to collaborate in the area of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS).
The MoU has been signed considering the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) in India’s fight against Climate Change and Global Warming, meeting the growing energy demands and building a strong ecosystem to meet commitments under Paris Agreement.
As part of this strategic MoU, the teams from Tata Steel and CSIR will work towards accelerating development and deployment of CCUS technologies in the steel industry. These technologies would expedite the transition to a decarbonised economy in other carbon-intensive sectors like Power, Cement, and Fertilizer etc.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- CEO & MD of Tata Steel: T. V. Narendran.
Yes Bank tie-up with BSE to empower small business companies
Yes Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to empower the SME segment through awareness and knowledge-sharing programmes.
Under this MoU, both BSE and Yes Bank will conduct knowledge events for SMEs, export promotion of SME scale companies, in addition to providing banking and financial solutions.
This MoU shall further entail services pertaining to the development and imparting industry-specific and related knowledge-based information. The Bank will also offer customised services and products to the listed SME members of the platform and advisory solutions to EXIM potential listed SMEs.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Yes Bank CEO: Prashant Kumar
- Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
NITI Aayog & Embassy of the Netherlands signs Statement of Intent
NITI Aayog and Embassy of the Netherlands, New Delhi, has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to support the decarbonization and energy transition agenda for accommodating cleaner and more energy.
The focus of the partnership is on co-creating innovative technological solutions by leveraging the expertise of the two entities.
Through this collaboration, NITI Aayog and the Dutch Embassy seek a strategic partnership to create a platform that enables a comprehensive collaboration among stakeholders and influencers, including policymakers, industry bodies, OEMs, private enterprises, and sector experts.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.
- Prime Minister of Netherland: Mark Rutte.
- Capital of Netherland: Amsterdam; Currency of Netherland: Euro.
Sports News
Alyssa Healy breaks MS Dhoni’s wicketkeeping record in T20Is
Australian woman cricketer and wicketkeeper, Alyssa Healy broke the record of “Most Dismissal by Wicket Keeper” by MS Dhoni’s who made 91 dismissals in 98 T20 Internationals(T20Is) for India.
Healy has played 114 T20Is for Australia and broke the record with 92 dismissals in the shortest format of the game during the match against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I of the three-match series at Allan Border Field at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Awards & Honours
Kerala Tourism wins PATA Grand Award 2020
Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ bagged the Prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing.
The awards were announced during a presentation ceremony of Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 in Beijing. The PATA Awards are supported and sponsored by Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO).
‘Human by Nature’ was a marketing strategy to revive tourism that was hit by the 2018 floods and the Nipah outbreak. Showcasing culture and daily life of the people, it was conceptualised and scripted by Stark Communications.
The campaign had helped Kerala Tourism achieve record growth of 17.2% in tourism arrivals in 2019, the highest in 24 years.
The PATA Grand Title Winners are presented to outstanding entries in Three Categories:
- Marketing,
- Sustainability
- Human Capital Development
PATA Grand Title Winners 2020:
| S.No. | PATA Grand Title Category | winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PATA Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing | ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ by Kerala Tourism, India |
| 2 | PATA Grand Title Winner 2020 for Sustainability | ‘Anurak Community Lodge’ by YAANA Ventures, Thailand |
| 3 | PATA Grand Title Winner 2020 in Human Capital Development | ‘Unleashing Greatness’ by MGM China, Macao, China |
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chairman: Chris Bottrill.
- Pacific Asia Travel Association Headquarters: Bangkok, Thailand.
Sonu Sood honoured with Special Humanitarian Action Award by UNDP
Bollywood actor, Sonu Sood has been conferred the prestigious SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 28 September 2020 during a virtual ceremony.
He has received the award for selflessly extending a helping hand and sending lakhs of migrants, stranded students across geographies abroad, back to their homes.
Besides that, he has also been providing free education and medical facilities to young children and has been creating free employment opportunities to the needy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this prestigious honour, Sood joins the likes of Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Watson, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman and Priyanka Chopra who have been similarly honoured by different UN bodies.
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020 announced
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020 was announced by the Union science and technology minister Dr Harsh Vardhan at the Foundation Day celebration of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on 26th September.
The Prize is awarded annually for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in the following disciplines:
- Biological Sciences
- Chemical Sciences
- Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
- Engineering Sciences
- Mathematical Sciences
- Medical Sciences
- Physical Sciences
Here is the list of 14 Fourteen scientists awardees:
Biological Sciences:
- Dr Subhadeep Chatterjee,
- Dr Vatsala Thirumalai
Chemical Sciences
- Dr Jyotirmayee Dash,
- Dr Subi Jacob George
Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
- Dr Abhijit Mukherjee
- Dr Suryendu Dutta
Engineering Sciences
- Dr Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni
- Dr Kinshuk Dasgupta
Mathematics Sciences
- Dr UK Anandavardhanan,
- Dr Rajat Subhra Hazra
Medicine Sciences
- Dr Bushra Ateeq,
- Dr Ritesh Agarwal
Physics Sciences
- Dr Rajesh Ganapathy
- Dr Surajit Dhara
Defence News
BrahMos Missile featuring Indigenous Booster successfully flight tested
BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile featuring indigenous Booster and Airframe Section along with many other ‘Made in India’ sub-systems were successfully flight tested from ITR, Balasore in Odisha.
It is one more major step in enhancing the indigenous content. The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) was cruising at a top speed of Mach 2.8.
The successful flight testing of BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile featuring indigenous Booster has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the powerful BrahMos Weapon System realising Atmanirbhar Bharat pledge.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Union Minister of Defence: Shri Rajnath Singh.
- Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
Defence Minister launches “Defence India Startup Challenge-4”
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC 4) during the iDEX event. iDEX4Fauji initiative and Product Management Approach (PMA) guidelines were also launched by the Raksha Mantri during the event.
Each of these initiatives is expected to facilitate iDEX-Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) to scale up the program qualitatively and quantitatively.
iDEX4Fauji is a first of its kind initiative, launched to support innovations identified by members of the Indian Armed Forces and will bolster frugal innovation ideas from soldiers/ field formations. iDEX4Fauji will allow our soldiers to become part of the innovation process and get recognised and rewarded.
Under Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 4, eleven challenges from Armed forces were thrown open to prospective startups, innovators, MSMEs alike to provide their innovative ideas on technologies which find their application in the defence sector.
Obituaries News
Veteran writer and critic Dr. G S Amur passes away
Veteran writer and critic Dr G S Amur passed away. He was proficient in Kannada and English languages. He had won many awards including Sahitya Akademi Award, Rajyotsava Award and Bharatiya Bhasha Award.
Some of his books:
- English: ‘Forbidden Fruit, Views on Indo-Anglian Fiction’ and ‘Colonial Consciousness in Commonwealth Literature’.
- Kannada: ‘Arthaloka’, Are Kannada Kadambariya Belavanige’, ‘Vyavasaya’ and ‘Kaadambariya Swaroopa’.
- Daily Current Affairs in English 11 Sep 2022 – Useful for all Competitive Exams
- Hindu Editorial with Vocabulary: Sep Month – Day 10
- 11 Sep 2022 Daily Current Affairs in Hindi – सभी प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं के लिए महत्वपूर्ण
- 10 Sep 2022 Daily Current Affairs in Hindi – सभी प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं के लिए महत्वपूर्ण
- Hindu Editorial with Vocabulary: Sep Month – Day 9
- Daily Current Affairs in English 10 Sep 2022 – Useful for all Competitive Exams
