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SEPTEMBER 2020 MPPSCADDA

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SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 1

MADHYA PRADESH NEWS

‘Pehla Dharm Janta ki Seva’ • CM Shri Chouhan conducted tour of flood affected Handiya • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan conducted tour of flood affected Handiya tehsil of Harda district on Tuesday. He met the flood affected people and enquired about their wellbeing. Addressing the flood affected people in Handiya, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that the state government is with the people in the crisis of this severe flood disaster. There is no need to worry; all possible help will be provided. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that relief will be provided soon after full assessment of damage to crops, houses and goods as well as every loss. Affected people will get benefit of both RBC 6-4 and crop insurance. The lives of the affected people will be brought back on track. All arrangements will be proper. Ministers, Public Representatives including Commissioner, IG, Collector and the entire administrative team will be alert to help the public, so that better arrangements can be made. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan further stated that after taking over the reign of the state, the state government has ensured full arrangements to tackle challenges of corona crisis and made available the resources. We will help people in overcoming this crisis of flood disaster soon.

“Gandagi Bharat Chhodo- Madhya Pradesh” campaign • Campaign was launched from August 16 to 30 in 378 urban bodies • As many as 35 lakh citizens took part in the massive “Gandagi Bharat Chhodo-Madhya Pradesh campaign launched in 378 urban bodies from August 16 to 30 in the state. In order to give shape to the Prime Minister’s call, Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Bhupendra Singh instructed to convert this campaign into a mass campaign. Work was undertaken by dividing the campaign into five themes. • More than 7 lakh citizens took the oath of maintaining cleanliness during the campaign. Nearly 2 lakh 80 thousand citizens from various localities in the states were informed about the importance of cleanliness. About 8 lakh 70 thousand people were approached to make compost from wet waste and 18 lakh 35 thousand citizens engaged in this work were honoured. Four lakh 65 thousand masks were distributed in slums with the help of citizens under the Mask Awareness Campaign. Around 10 thousand Corona warrior sanitation workers have been honoured. As many as 3 lakh 98 thousand citizens have given online feedback for urban cleanliness.

Teachers should play a role in building society • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan’s message on Teachers’ Day • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has congratulated all teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. In his message, CM Shri Chouhan said that teachers alone undertake the important task of building the society. They have important responsibility to build an ideal new generation. Under the ancient education system, teacher was called Guru, which means playing a role equivalent to God. Actually teaching is one of the holy deeds in this universe. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan further mentioned that even during the corona period, teachers have accomplished task to teach and train students through virtual class. The role of teachers in this period was commendable. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan also urged the students to give due respect to the teachers’ community and to play a creative role for the nation by following the path showed by the teachers.

Demise of journalist Shri Dixit • The Commissioner Public Relations Dr. Sudam Khade and Director Shri Ashutosh Pratap Singh have expressed profound grief on the untimely demise of the Editor of Monthly Magazine Shubhra Jyotsana, Shri Yogesh Dixit, due to cardiac arrest. Shri Dixit was about 70 years of age. Commissioner Dr. Khade said that a financial assistance of Rs. 4 lakh will be sanctioned to the family of Late Shri Dixit.

Significant changes in the Education Sector • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that concrete steps will be taken soon to improve the educational scenario in Madhya Pradesh. With a view to fulfill the actual objectives of education and to prepare students for employment after acquiring education, efforts will be made for better implementation of the new education policy in Madhya Pradesh. Efforts will be made to change the educational scenario in a positive way. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that commendable work has been done under “Hamara ghar, hamara Vidyalaya” in Madhya Pradesh during Corona period. Teachers deserve to be congratulated for this. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan was interacting with the teachers community today through video conference. • Efforts for better implementation of new education policy in Madhya Pradesh • Efforts will be made for better implementation of the new education policy announced by Prime Minister Shri

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Narendra Modi in Madhya Pradesh. Preparations have been made for implementation after extensive discussion related to education under the road map prepared for Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh,. Vocational education which will start from Class VI will be useful for the students throughout their lives. Efforts will also be made to hold discussion on starting new schools, so that there is one school between 10 to 12 villages, where bus facility will be available for commuting. Apart from a library, skilled teachers will teach music, dance, yoga and Indian culture. Efforts will be made to ensure 100 percent placement of students and to remove unemployment. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that there are immense possibilities of improvement in the field of education which will be realized. • Efforts will be made to enhance respect for teachers. Legal provisions will be made for reforms related to tuition fees by private schools and to ensure that teachers are not exploited. Much work has been done in the past years to improve system of education. • Congratulating teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that, Teachers’ Day is the birthday of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the great teacher, nurturer of Indian culture, one who adorned the post of President. Offering tributes to Dr. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan greeted and congratulated all the teachers who received the national and state level awards. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that he himself has acquired education in a government school. Education acquired at the primary level is useful throughout life. Chief Minister Chouhan also remembered his teacher Shri Ratanchand Jain. Shri Chouhan said that the three main objectives of education are the knowledge, skill and culture of citizenship in acquiring which government schools have also proved successful. Many government schools have acquired better results than private schools for which these institutions deserve congratulations. • Education Minister Shri Inder Singh Parmar also addressed the virtual programme. Principal Secretary Smt. Rashmi Arun Shami, Commissioner Public Education Smt. Jayashree Kiyawat were also present on the occasion.

Two Teachers from state honoured with National Teachers’ Award-2020 • Two teachers from Madhya Pradesh, Shri Mohammad Shahid Ansari and Shri Sanjay Kumar Jain have been conferred with the prestigious National Teachers Award-2020. The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the awards through an online event. Union Minister for Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre along with senior officers of the Ministry were also present on the occasion. • Shri Mohammad Shahid Ansari has been awarded for his efficacy in teaching Mathematics. He is a teacher of Government Higher Secondary School, Khirsadoh, Parasiya-Chhindwara and has been teaching Mathematics for the last 14 years. He has innovated many effective teaching aids and teaching learning materials in Mathematics, which have been widely adopted. He has put up more than 300 videos in public domain for use by other teachers and students of class 9 and 10. He has also made a solar powered projector in his school to show educational videos to students. • Another recipient of the Award, Shri Sanjay Kumar Jain is teacher of Government Girls Primary School, Dunda- Tikamgarh. He is a highly motivated and committed teacher, who has worked hard to build a school with good infrastructure in a remote area of Madhya Pradesh. With the help of effective community support, he has successfully enhanced student enrolment in the school. He has innovated several teaching-learning practices in his school by using school floors, walls and open spaces as tools for joyful learning. He has used surrounding rocks and boulders as helpful teaching materials. • The national level awards are given to teachers on Teachers' Day to admire the unique contribution of some of the finest teachers in the country and to honour those teachers, who through their commitment have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students. Self-nomination by teachers was invited through online portal on www.mhrd.gov.in.The candidates were shortlisted based on the scrutiny at district and state level while the final selection for the awards was done by an Independent Jury at National level. The jury has selected 47 teachers for the year 2020.

Madhya Pradesh is at 4th position in national ranking in Ease of Doing Business • On the basis of works carried out in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2018, the state has bagged fourth place in the country in the ranking of Ease of Doing Business-2019. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana are at first, second and third positions respectively. • The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman announced the ranking of Ease of Doing Business-2020 in an event of the fourth edition of the Business Reforms Action Plan, held at New Media Centre of New Delhi on September 5, 2020. The Union Ministers Shri Piyush Goyal, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and Shri Som Prakash were also present at the programme

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Shri Deshraj Pateriya enriched regional folk music • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed grief over the demise of Shri Deshraj Pateriya, famous Bundeli folk singer. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that Shri Pateriya enriched regional folk music with his songs. He became popular among the Bundelis of Uttar Pradesh as well as Madhya Pradesh. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan has prayed to God to grant peace to the departed soul and his family to bear this grief.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the welfare of poor is the topmost priority of our government. Roti, Kapda and Makaan are the basic requirements. It is every person's dream to have their own house. To accomplish this, the state government is working hard with determination. Our citizens, who do not possess houses, are being helped to build houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. This endeavor will continue. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan transferred Rs. 102 crore today, the fourth and final installment to the account of 68 thousand beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural through single click. • In the programme organized at Mantralaya, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that so far the construction of 17 lakh houses has been completed, out of 20 lakh 30 thousand houses in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural). The target was 6 lakh houses in the year 2019-20, out of which 3 lakh 45 thousand houses have been completed. There is no need to be disappointed, who have not got houses. They will also be provided the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana through Awas Plus.

Two lakh families to get their own houses under PM Awas Yojana • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the house warming programme to be held under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana on September 12 should be celebrated with joy and fervour. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's aim is 'Every family should have its own house'. In this direction, two lakh houses have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Shri Narendra Modi will chair the housewarming programme. The Prime Minister will also interact with the beneficiaries of the state. This day is a day of joy and excitement for these families. House of their own will instill a sense of security in the minds of people. Therefore, more and more people should connect with this virtual event. Shri Chouhan was reviewing the preparations for the Housewarming Programme to be held under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana at a meeting held at Mantralaya. Chief Secretary Shri Iqbal Singh Bains, Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat & Rural Development Shri Manoj Shrivastava and other officers were present at the meeting.

Horticulture College, Rahli • Minister for Public Works, Cottage & Village Industries Shri Gopal Bhargava, while expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan for re-starting the Horticulture College, Rahli, Sagar district, welcomed the decision of the state government. • Shri Bhargava said that in August-2018, the then State Government, giving a big gift to Bundelkhand region had decided to start a horticulture college in Rahli Tehsil of Sagar district. In this, students selected by the Professional Examination Board were given admission for the academic session 2018-19 and 2019-20. Academic sessions of 3 semesters were also completed in these colleges. But on 6 March 2020, the decision of the previous government to stop operating the college was taken unexpectedly due to the political reasons. As a result, there was a question mark on the future of agricultural and horticulture students coming from rural areas of the state.

Forest rights claims accepted in state • The claims cancelled earlier under the Forest Rights Act are being re-examined for redressal. So far, 20 thousand 517 forest rights claims have been accepted after re-examination. • The MP Vanmitra Software has been developed for resolving claims canceled earlier under the Forest Rights Act in the state. The profile of 20 thousand 830 Gram Panchayat Secretaries has been updated by the Tribal Welfare Department so far and 36 thousand 722 Gram Forest Rights Committees have been registered on the portal. • The Gram Forest Rights Committees are re-examining the 2 lakh 68 thousand 853 claims cancelled earlier. After examining the claims, the subdivision level committees have redressed 82 thousand 663 claims and sent to district level committees with recommendation. District level committees have resolved 28 thousand 710 claims and 20 thousand 517 claims have been accepted. • So far, personal Van Adhikar Patras have been distributed to 2 lakh 29 thousand 988 forest dwellers and community Van Adhikar Patras to 27 thousand 976 dwellers under the Forest Rights Act-2006 in the state. The benefits of government schemes are also being provided to the forest dwellers benefited under the Forest Rights Act. As many as 54 thousand 965 Kapildhara wells, 57 thousand 721 land restoration cases, 24 thousand 366 diesel-electric irrigation pumps and about 61 thousand houses have been sanctioned to forest dwellers owning pattas.

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Chambal Atal Progress-Way • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that with the construction of Chambal Atal Progress-Way, the region will develop rapidly and youths of the region will get employment by setting up of industries in large number. He said that the Chambal Atal Progress-Way will lead to all-round development of the region. This will boost agriculture, industry, education and tourism. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan was addressing the public meeting in village Ratirampura of Dimani Assembly Constituency of Morena district of Chambal division today. On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan dedicated and performed bhumi-pujan of development works costing over Rs. 88 crore. • The Chief Minister announced the opening of a college in village Dimani. Along with this, he also talked about construction of sports ground in Dimni itself and opening of Sainik School in Morena district. He said that water will be supplied to every house in Dimani assembly constituency in the next 3 years through the Tap-Water Scheme

Public welfare fortnight in the state from September 16 • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that a series of public welfare programmes are starting in the state from September 16. The series will continue till the birthday of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay on September 25. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan informed that on September 16, distribution of ration is being started to about 37 lakh poor people of Madhya Pradesh, who do not possess eligibility slips. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that Prime Minister Shri Modi’s birthday is on September 17. Prime Minister Shri Modi has always given priority to the welfare of the poor. Hence, on his birthday, milk along with nutritious food is being distributed to children in all Anganwadi centres of the state. • Public welfare programme 1. September 16 - Eligibility slips and food distribution. 2. September 17 - Milk distribution begins in Anganwadi centres. 3. September 18 - Transfer of Rs 4600 crores of crop insurance scheme to farmers account. 4. September 19 - Distribution of forest rights pattas and disbursement of loan amount to street vendors. 5. September 20 - Programme for Sambal Yojana beneficiaries. 6. September 21 - Deposit of Rs 150 crore in the accounts of self-help groups. 7. September 22 - Laptop distribution to meritorious students. 8. September 23 - Kisan Credit Card to the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana beneficiaries. 9. September 25 – Rebate in electricity bills.

‘Poshan Sarkar’ programme • The month of September is observed every year as the month of nutrition under the Nutrition Campaign. Efforts are being made to make nutrition a priority and generating awareness by involving all sections of the society. In the same series, the ‘Poshan Sarkar’ programme is being started to ensure participation and leadership of local bodies-Gram Panchayats and Urban Bodies in the nutrition campaign. Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate this programme. He will also hold talks with one each gram panchayat of Gwalior, Balaghat, Sheopur, Hoshnagabad, Chhatarpur, Sehore, Barwani, Shajapur and Anuppur as well as beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Matra Vandana Yojana besides Ladli Laxmi Yojana of Satna Municipal Corporation. • Poshan Sarkar Programme • The main objective of the Poshan Sarkar programme is to eliminate the malnutrition by helping the Gram Panchayat and the Urban Bodies in the nutrition campaign. Various activities will be organized under this. Under the programme, nutrition resolution will be passed in all Gram Panchayats/ Nagar Panchayats /Urban Bodies. The nutrition management strategy prepared at Anganwadi level of village/towns will be integrated and nutrition resolution will be passed by all panchayats on the scheduled date during special Gram Sabha. The Village/Ward's strategy calendar will be released by the Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee and the Urban Ward Health Committee. According to the concept of Annapurna Panchayat / Urban body under the Poshan Sarkar programme, food items and grains, fruits, vegetables will be collected at community level and distributed to families of very underweight and severely malnourished children. The recipes for making common and special dishes, relished at village level will be displayed in Anganwadi centers.

Medical College to be started in Morena • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Morena on Saturday with many gifts. He said that a medical college will be opened in Morena, while the best modern medical facilities will be made available in the entire district and Chambal project worth Rs. 135 crores will be given final shape for drinking water supply in Morena city. Along with this announcement, Shri Chouhan also announced the construction of a magnificent auditorium in the name of former Prime Minister Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Morena city and opening of a college at

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Rithoura in Morena district. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan along with Union Minister of Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Rajya Sabha MP Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia dedicated and performed bhoomi poojan of 27 development works costing Rs 268 crore 59 lakh for the planned development of Morena city and rural. This includes the dedication of 8 development works costing Rs. 184 crore 60 lakhs and bhoomi pujan of development works costing nearly Rs. 84 crores. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan also distributed assistance to about two dozen beneficiaries under various welfare schemes of the government.

Mrignayani designer textile series based on the world heritage Bhimbetka mural of Madhya Pradesh • Governor Smt. Patel eagerly watched the new designer series of Chanderi Maheshwari and appreciated craftsman Shri Vinod Malevar for his ten years of hard work. Commissioner Handicrafts and Mrignayani Managing Director Shri Rajeev Sharma informed the Governor about the upcoming heritage collection Sanchi Stupa series of the Corporation. He informed that the Bhimbetka collection has been presented by Mrignayani in memory of Archaeologist Shri Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar. Along with this, cotton angavastram is also being prepared in the series. The average price of sarees ranges between Rs 3500 and Rs 8000. Similarly, Angavastrams have also been prepared, the prices of which range between Rs 700 to Rs 1500. In the next phase, women’s suits and yardage will also be made under this series. The products of the series are available at GTB Complex in Bhopal.

Maa Ratangarh Major Irrigation Project • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the bhumi–pujan and inauguration of development works worth Rs. 482 crores was held today for the development of Gohad . Under which the foundation stone of Maa Ratangarh Major Irrigation Project, costing Rs. 228 crore has been laid for expansion of irrigation facility mainly in Gohad and Mehgaon area

Ann Utsav • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that September 16 is a day of hope, enthusiasm and joy for 37 lakh people of the state. All these people will be provided eligibility slips and ration will be distributed to them under Ann Utsav. This is a great relief during Corona period. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan also directed to add auto rickshaw drivers under the eligibility category of beneficiaries. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan was reviewing the preparations being made for the distribution of eligibility slips and ration to 37 lakh new beneficiaries covered under the Food Security Act in the state on September 16. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that even after this, those who are needy will be linked to this campaign. The state government stands with every poor. Support of Panchayat and Rural Development Department and urban bodies will also be taken in organizing the programme. Food Civil Supplies Minister Shri Bisahulal Singh was also present in the meeting.

Bhander region gifted with development works • Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave several gifts for development to Bhander in Datia district. Shri Chouhan dedicated and performed bhoomi pujan of 179 construction and development works worth Rs 134 crore 29 lakhs. He also distributed benefits to the beneficiaries of various public welfare schemes of the government. • Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that there will be no shortage of funds for the development of the region. The schemes which were discontinued in the state will be reintroduced in public interest. The foundation laying and dedication programme organized at Krishi Upaj Mandi premises in Bhander, Datia district on Sunday were attended by regional MP Smt. Sandhya Rai, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Home, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra, Women and Child Development Minister Smt. Imarti Devi and Cooperative Minister Shri Arvind Bhadoria.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

17TH ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ Consultations held Virtually; Co-Chaired by Union Minister • The 17th Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Economic Ministers Consultations was held virtually which was co-chaired by Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways Piyush Goyal and Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Tran Tuan Anh. The focus of the meet was to discuss the reviewing of ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), which has been recommended by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) Report.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays Foundation Stone for Road Projects worth Rs. 777 Crores • Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated three important bridges, two road improvement projects. He laid the foundation stone for four other major bridge projects across the rivers Wainganga, Bandiya, Perikota and Perimili in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra with an outlay of Rs. 777 Crores.

PM Modi Inaugurates College, Administration Buildings of RLB Central Agricultural University in Jhansi • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the College, Administration Buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh through video conference. The RLB Central Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute in the Bundelkhand region. During the address of the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned 500 water projects worth Rs 10,000 crores to improve the water availability in the drought prone Bundelkhand region.

MoD inked Contracts Worth Rs 2580 Cr with Indian Companies for Supply of Pinaka Regiments to Indian Army • Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed contracts with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd. (TPCL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for supply of Six Pinaka Regiments to the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army at an approximate cost of Rs. 2580 Crores. The 6 Pinaka Regiments comprises of 114 Launchers with Automated Gun Aiming & Positioning System (AGAPS) and 45 Command Posts to be procured from TPCL and M/s L&T and 330 Vehicles to be procured from BEML and their induction will be completed by 2024.

Coal Ministry organised Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction • Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction was organized by Ministry of Coal and Mines which was addressed by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi along with Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Coal and VK Saraswat, Member NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. The objective behind this webinar was to discuss the road map for achieving the 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification target by 2030 with investments worth over Rs 4 lakh crores. Notably, a Steering Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of VK Saraswat for green initiatives in the coal sector.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched Life Insurance Scheme for More than 10000 Cantonment Employees • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched “Chhavni COVID: Yodha Sanrakshan Yojana” a group life insurance scheme through the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), for more than 10000 employees working in the 62 military cantonment areas across India. The scheme will benefit the employees of all the 62 cantonment boards and will provide a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs each in the event of any fatal misfortune.

Union Power Minister RK Singh Launches Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) • Minister of State (MoS) (I/C) for Power and New & Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh launched the Pan- India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in New Delhi virtually, for electricity. GTAM is the World’s First Exclusive Product Market for the renewable energy sector. It will help in achieving the Government of India’s target of 175 Giga Watt (GW) renewable energy Capacity by 2022.

NCRD Released Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2019 Report; Delhi recorded highest number of road accidents deaths among cities • The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs released an annual report titled “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2019”. This is NCRB’s 53rd edition of the series which was started in 1967.

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The report is prepared with the data and information on deaths due to accidents and suicides which were collected by the State Crime Records Bureaux (SCRBx) from the District Crime Records Bureaux (DCRBx) and sent to the NCRB.

ICAI to Come Out with Forensic Accounting, Investigation Standards • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) plans to come out with a detailed set of forensic accounting and Investigation standards by the end of December 2020. The move will make India the first country in the world to release a set of standards for Forensic accounting and Investigation. The council of ICAI has accepted the proposal of Digital Accounting and Assurance Board (DAAB) of ICAI to develop and issue a set of Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards (FAIS) in India.

Ladakh & Lakshadweep Included in ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme; 26 States/UTs Connected with the Scheme • The Union Territories (UTs) Ladakh & Lakshadweep have been included in the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme on ‘Integrated Management of Public Distribution System’ (IM-PDS). After the integration of these two UTs, a total 26 States/UTs Connected with the Scheme and will benefit about 65 crore people.

CFI is set to Host the First Ever Cycling Summit in 2021 • Cycling Federation of India (CFI) is set to host the first ever Cycling Summit in 2021 in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The one-day summit is designed with an aim to promote the culture of cycling and sharing of knowledge between beginner and professional cyclists. On 1st September 2020, CFI signed an MoU for the 2021 summit with Contarctica, a marketing exploration firm.

Cabinet Approvals on 2nd September 2020 • On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the following proposals: • Cabinet approved “Mission Karmayogi”- National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building; Rs.510.86 cr outlay for 5 years • Cabinet approves the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill

Cabinet Approval with Foreign countries on September 02 2020 • On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the following proposals with foreign countries: ➢ Cabinet approves MoU between India and Japan for cooperation in the field of good quality textiles ➢ Cabinet approves MoU between India and Finland for cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources

Ministry of Electronics and Information & Technology Bans 118 Chinese Mobile Apps • Ministry of Electronics and Information & Technology banned 118 Chinese Mobile Applications. The mobile applications have been banned as they were found to be harmful to the Sovereignty, Integrity, Defence of India and Public Order. The Government has banned them amidst the border tensions with China. The apps have been banned under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009.

Sikkim Celebrated Pang Lhabsol: A Festival of Cultural Heritage and Historical Importance • Pang Lhabsol, a festival of cultural heritage and historical importance is one of the most historically and culturally significant festivals celebrated annually by Sikkim people. This festival is celebrated only in this state. It commemorates the blessing of Mount Khangchendzonga as the guardian deity of Sikkim.

Tripura Receives First Inland Shipping Cargo from Bangladesh under PIWTT • The Daukandi (Bangladesh) – Sonamura (Tripura) Inland Waterway Protocol route has been operationalized giving further boost to bilateral trade between India-Bangladesh relations under Protocol for Inland Water Trade & Transit (PIWTT). This is the first ever export consignment from Bangladesh to Tripura through the inland waterways.

12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting held virtually • The 12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Senior Officials Meeting took place virtually, the key areas of cooperation tourism, culture, education, transport and communications were discussed and reviewed during the

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meeting. The meeting was attended by Senior Officials from all 6 MGC Member States – India and 5 ASEAN countries (India, Cambodia, Lao PDR (People’s Democratic Republic), Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam).

C-CAMP sign MoU with India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to nurture frugal innovations • Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre (ISIC) to identify and find innovations to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible for all.

Vice-President releases ‘The State of Young Child in India’ report • Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu released the inaugural issue of the report ‘The State of Young Child in India’ virtually. The report provides an account of challenges related to early child development (0-6 years) in India. The report has been prepared by Mobile Creches.

Union Minister Arjun Munda Inaugurates Two-days Virtual National Tribal Research Conclave • Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda virtually inaugurated the two-day National Tribal Research Conclave to be held from September 3-4, 2020. The conclave will be chaired by Union Minister Arjun Munda. The Conclave has been organized by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). During the Conclave, a MoU was signed between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) to set up the National Institute of Tribal Research at New Delhi.

IIT Roorkee Signs MoU with NIUA for Collaboration in BASIIC Programme • Indian Institute of Technology - Roorkee (IIT-R) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) signed a MoU to collaborate in the areas like universal design principles and inclusive development of the Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian Cities (BASIIC) programme of NIUA.

60th Annual Convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers 2020 held Virtually; Kenichi Ayukawa Appointed as President • Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised and hosted its 60th SIAM Annual Convention 2020 virtually, titled “Re-Building the Nation, Responsibly”. SIAM appointed Kenichi Ayukawa, MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd appointed as its new President. He succeeds Rajan Wadhera, Senior Advisor, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. During the event, Union minister Nitin Gadkari stated that currently India has the 2nd largest road network in the world. Union Environment minister Prakash Javadekar also addressed the event.

Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Spot in EODB 2019 During BRAP 2018-19 Ranking • Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has virtually announced the 4th edition of State Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) Ranking for 2018-19 which was released by Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of commerce and industry. In accordance with that, Andhra Pradesh (AP) topped the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) ranking 2019, followed by Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Telangana at 2nd & 3rd place respectively.

INDRA NAVY-20- Maritime Exercise between India and Russia kicks off at Bay of Bengal • The 11th Edition of bi-annual, bilateral Maritime Exercise ‘INDRA NAVY – 20’ between Indian Navy and Russian Navy was conducted successfully from September 4 to 5. The Exercise was conducted in Bay of Bengal, close to the Strategic point of Strait of Malacca. The INDRA military exercise has been conducted by India and Russia since 2003.

Atal Innovation Mission Partnered with Freshworks Inc., to Empower its Startup Innovators • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog, has partnered with Freshworks Inc., a customer-engagement software company to provide robust support to innovators and entrepreneurs in India. AIM has also collaborated with ScooNews, one of India’s largest education media houses to share and spread inspiring stories of grassroots innovations.

India’s agriculture technology can grow to $24.1 billion in 5 years: Ernst & Young Report • According to a report by Ernst & Young, India’s agriculture technology has the potential to grow at $24.1 billion in 5 years. The report also stated that with a turnover of $204 million, India’s Agri-tech sector is at under 1% of its market potential.

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Kerala tops literacy rate chart with 96.2%; Andhra Pradesh worst performer at 66.4%: NSO • In accordance with the report on “Household Social Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey(NSS) – from July 2017 to June 2018″ conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Kerala again emerged as the most literate state in the country with 96.2% literacy followed by Delhi (88.7%), Uttarakhand (87.6%).

STEPapp Partnered with MoTA to Implement Gamified Learning App in Tribal Schools • Eduisfun Technologies Private Limited’s STEPapp (Student Talent Enhancement Program Application) received an order from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) to implement its gamified learning application in the tribal schools across India and to benefit the tribal students and to empower them with quality education.

CSIR-CMERI and NISE Signed MoU Virtually to Strengthen Solar Energy Sector Across India • Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) and National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, for ‘Strategic Association’ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the solar energy sector across the nation.

Prime Minister Modi E-Inaugurates Patrika Gate in Jaipur • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Patrika Gate in Jaipur, Rajasthan over a virtual platform. The Patrika Gate was built by the Patrika group of Newspapers on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg in Jaipur.

Karnataka CM Launches Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services • Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa launched the Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services at Jakkur Aerodrome, Bengaluru. It is the first air ambulance operating from South India to provide services for medical emergencies. Air ambulance firm International Critical Air Transfer Team (ICATT) will run the services in collaboration with aviation technology firm Kyathi from the HAL airport in Bengaluru.

PGCIL to become 1st PSU in power sector to undertake asset monetization through InvIT model • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved to monetize state-run Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd’s (PGCIL) projects that were won through a bidding process. The monetisation of assets of POWERGRID will be done through the Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model. This is the first time any PSU in the Power Sector will undertake asset recycling by monetising its assets through the InvITmodel.

First World Solar Technology Summit organized by ISA and FICCI held Virtually; Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi • The first World Solar Technology Summit was held virtually which was organized by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, to focus on new Technologies and Innovations in the field of Solar. The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. ➢ ISA inks pact to become global grid nodal agency ➢ ISA signed agreement with state-run NTPC Ltd ➢ GGGI partnered with ISA for deploying 1mn solar irrigation pumps

Union Cabinet Approves 3 Labour Law Codes, to be Moved in Monsoon Session of Parliament • The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved amendments to the Labour Code on Social Security, Code on Industrial Relations (IR), and Code on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The codes will now be moved in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which starts from September 14, 2020.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharam Inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs & Declared EASE 2.0 2019-20 Awards Virtually • Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman virtually inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and participated in the online awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index for FY19-20. The EASE 2.0 awards for FY19-20 were presented in 3 categories viz. Category 1: Theme-Wise Winners, Category 2: Top Improvers, and Category 3: Top Performing Banks.

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Atal Innovation Mission Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched Aatmanirbhar Bharat ANIC-ARISE Challenges (Atal New India Challenges in Applied Research and Innovation for medium and Small Enterprises) to stimulate applied research and innovation in Indian Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups. It will be driven by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and four ministries namely Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.

Ministry of Home Affairs Approved to Rename Hubbali Railway Station as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali • The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the long pending demand to rename the Hubbali Railway Station as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali in Karnataka after Sri Siddharoodha Swami.

India & Japan sign Agreement on Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services • India and Japan signed an Agreement concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services or Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between the Armed Forces of India and the Self- Defense Forces of Japan. It establishes a framework for closer cooperation between the Armed Forces of India and Japan in bilateral training activities, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Humanitarian International Relief and other mutually agreed activities. The agreement was signed by Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and Ambassador of Japan Mr Suzuki Satoshi in New Delhi.

Prime Minister launches PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala App & several initiatives in Bihar • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), e-Gopala App for farmers in Bihar through virtual mode. He launched several initiatives in fisheries and animal husbandry sectors in Bihar.

India Post Launches Five Star Villages Scheme to ensure 100% rural coverage of postal schemes • Union Minister of State for Communications, Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre has launched a scheme namely “Five Star Villages” along with Department of Post in order to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas. The project is initially being launched in Maharashtra and based upon the progress of the scheme, it will be implemented across the country.

Union Cabinet gives approval to increase FDI limit from 49% to 74%, National Security Clause added • Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in Defence Sector, thereby allowing FDI through automatic approval to be increased from 49% to 74%.

Shipping Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya Launched ‘SAROD-Ports’, a Dispute Resolution Mechanism • Mansukh Laxmanbhai (L.) Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) launched a dispute resolution mechanism, ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports) through virtual ceremony in New Delhi, India. It was established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It consists of members from Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association (IPTTA).

Five Rafale Aircrafts inducted into ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron of Indian Air Force • The Five Rafale Aircrafts which arrived in India on July 29, 2020 were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force at a function held at Air Force Station, Ambala (Haryana). They were inducted into the Indian Air Force’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’.

13th Edition of Aero India-21 to be held at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, Karnataka • The 13th Edition of Aero India-21 will be held at Yelahanka Air Force Base, Bengaluru, Karnataka between February 3rd-7th, 2021. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Aero India 2021 website https://aeroindia.gov.in at New Delhi, marking it open for space-bookings.

India’s ‘Largest Piggery Mission’ launched in Meghalaya • The state government of Meghalaya launched India’s Biggest Piggery Project with an outlay of Rs 209 Crores. It is being launched under the aegis of Meghalaya Livestock Enterprises Advancement Society (MLEADS) and funded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The main objective of the Piggery Mission is to

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reduce the annual import of Pork worth Rs 150 Crore and make Meghalaya self-sufficient in Pork production over the next 3 years.

Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar Emerge as Best State/UT in providing Strong Ecosystem for Startups: DPIIT ranking • Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) released the 2nd Edition of ‘States on Support to Start-up Ecosystems 2019’. The Rankings are based on providing a Strong Ecosystem for promoting Start-ups. Gujarat emerged as the best performer among Category X. Andaman and Nicobar Islands emerged as best performer among Category Y.

Ministry of Education Organises Two-day Conclave on ‘School Education in 21st Century’ • The Ministry of Education organised a two-day conclave on the topic ‘School Education in the 21st Century’ under the Shikshak Parv Initiative on 10th & 11th September, 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the conclave virtually on 11th September, 2020.

MoHUA Launched Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 & Streets for People Challenge • Union Minister of State (MoS)- Independent Charge (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0, along with the “Streets for People Challenge” in a virtual event organised by the Smart Cities Mission from New Delhi. The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with support from MoHUA has established the Climate Centre for Cities (C3).

Agriculture Ministry: Targets to Cover 100 Lakh Ha Under Micro Irrigation • Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced that the Ministry has set target to cover 100 lakh Hectares (Ha) under micro irrigation in 5 years while addressing the webinar on Enhancing Water Use Efficiency and Coverage of Micro Irrigation in Indian Agriculture organised by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW).

Prime Minister Virtually Inaugurated 900 crore worth Petroleum Project in Bihar • Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated 3 key projects of the petroleum sector worth more than Rs 900 crore in Bihar through video conference and dedicated it to the Nation. The projects include the Durgapur-Banka section (about 200 km) of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur Pipeline Augmentation Project and 2 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Bottling Plants. These projects are a part of the Mission Purvodaya which anticipate to expand the Barauni Refinery with Rs 14,000 crore and the work has already commenced.

PM Modi holds ‘Svanidhi Samvaad’ with Madhya Pradesh’s street vendors • Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed street vendors from Madhya Pradesh via video conferencing through ‘SVANidhi Samvaad’. PM SVANidhi scheme was launched on June 1, 2020, to help poor street vendors, impacted by coronavirus, to resume livelihood activities. More than 1 lakh street vendors in Madhya Pradesh have registered under the Scheme in just 2 months. Over 90% of loans under the scheme are sanctioned by Public Sector Banks. Under the scheme, street vendors of urban areas get collateral- free loan of up to Rs 10,000 for a period of one year. eSanjeevani and eSanjeevani OPD implemented by 23 states: Ministry of Health Department • The Central Government has shown its efforts in giving a digital push in the health sector by initiating two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele- consultations in 2019. Since then the tele-consultation by ‘eSanjeevani’ has been implemented by 23 states and other states are in the process of rolling it out. Top five States operating eSanjeevani are Tamil Nadu (56,346 consultations), Uttar Pradesh (33,325), Andhra Pradesh (29,400), Himachal Pradesh (26,535) and Kerala (21,433).

PM Modi Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone for seven projects in Bihar • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated & Laid Foundation Stone for Seven Projects related to Urban Infrastructure in the state of Bihar through video conference. The total cost of the projects is Rs 541 Crores. Out of the 7 projects, 4 are related to water supply, 2 for Sewerage treatment and 1 for Riverfront Development. The projects will be implemented by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO), under Urban Development and Housing Department of Bihar.

India to be self-reliant in fertilizers production by 2023: Sadananda Gowda • The Union Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers, D.V. Sadananda Gowda announced that India will be self- reliant in SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 12

fertilizer production by 2023 while addressing a webinar on Self-Reliant India and Sustainable Agriculture Organized by cooperative Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for farmers of Karnataka. Currently, the fertilizer production of the country is 42-45 million tonnes, and imports are at around 18 million tonnes.

Cabinet approval on September 15 2020 • On September 15, 2020, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the following: ➢ Cabinet approves establishment of new All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Darbhanga, Bihar ➢ Cabinet approves Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project from Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna-Manesar- Kharkhaud

Indian Army to get Indigenous Carbines, Anti Air Systems; MoD cancels Import • The Ministry of Defence cancelled two arms import contracts worth over $2.5 Billion (Approximately Rs. 21,500 Crores), which were in final stages of procurement. The decision was taken in a special meeting chaired by the Defence Secretary, Raj Kumar, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat also attended the meeting. The orders will now be placed under the Make in India initiative to give a boost to the domestic industry. The request for Proposal (RfPs) Close Quarter Carbines (CQBs) from a UAE based company ‘Caracal’ and the program to import Self Propelled Air Defence – Gun Missile Systems (SPAD- GMS) from South Korean Company ‘Hanwa’ will now be withdrawn.

4th Global Ayurveda Summit Inaugurated virtually by M Venkaiah Naidu • The 4th edition of Global Ayurveda Summit was virtually inaugurated by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on the theme “Emerging Opportunities for Ayurveda during Pandemic”. The objective of the summit is to • showcase the Ayurveda immunity model to the global level as a solution named ‘Health as One’ and ‘Immunity through Ayurveda’. It is being organized by the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry)-Kerala in partnership with Ministry of AYUSH, and with the support of Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation in India (AMMOI) and Ayurveda Hospital Management Association (AHMA).

PMGKP for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 Extended as 6 Months Insurance Scheme • The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme for Health Workers who are fighting against COVID-19 has been extended as 6 months’ scheme, i.e., 180 days. The central sector scheme was announced on March 30, 2020 for a period of 90 days, it was extended for further 90 days • i.e. up to Sept, 2020. The Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme is a part of the Rs 1.70 lakh Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package announced in March 2020.

ARIES, HNBGU hold International Online Conference on Aerosol Air Quality, Climate Change and Impact on Greater Himalayas • Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, Uttarakhand an autonomous research institute under Department of Science and Technology and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, a central university in Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand jointly organized an International Conference on ‘Aerosol Air Quality, Climate Change and Impact on Water Resources and Livelihoods in the Greater Himalayas’ at ARIES, Nainital from September 14-16, 2020.

PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail Mega Bridge and 12 other Railway Projects in Bihar • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu (mega bridge) in Bihar. Other projects including a new railway bridge on the Kiul River, two new railway lines, 5 Electrification projects, Bihar’s first Electric Locomotive Shed at Barauni and 3rd Line Project between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur in Bihar was also inaugurated through video conference. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Phagu Chauhan, Governor of Bihar, Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal were present during the inauguration.

Hardeep Singh Puri Inaugurated India’s first General Aviation Terminal at Delhi Airport • Minister of State (MoS) Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Civil Aviation inaugurated India’s first General Aviation Terminal at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi to handle the flight operations and movement and processing of passengers flying through of private jets or chartered flights. It was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore over one-and-a-half years by Bird ExecuJet Airport Services Private Limited, a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet Aviation Group, an international business aviation company based in Switzerland’s Zurich Airport.

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National Jal Jeevan Mission, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) launch ICT Grand Challenge • Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) in partnership with National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Grand Challenge for Development of ‘Smart Water Supply Measurement & Monitoring System’ to be deployed at the village level.

Centre Amended Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 to Promote Make in India • In order to promote the “Make in India” initiative, the Central Government has amended the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 on September 16, 2020. This amendment will enable nodal Ministries/ Departments to notify higher minimum local content requirements for Class-I & Class-II local suppliers which was earlier fixed at 50% and 20% respectively. The notification in this regard was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Minister of Commerce and Industry.

External Affairs Minister Launched FICCI-SAM Report “India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities” • Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs launched the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (FICCI-SAM)’s knowledge report on “India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities” over a virtual platform.

Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 come into force from Sept 21, 2020; 35% value addition proof mandated • In exercise of the powers conferred by section 156 read with section 28DA of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Government notifies the Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR, 2020) on August 21, 2020 to protect the domestic industry from misuse of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), will come into force on September 21, 2020. A period of 30 days is provided to importers and other stakeholders to familiarize them with new provisions.

MWCD signed MoU with Ministry of AYUSH to integrate AYUSH systems with nutrition interventions of ICDS • Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to control Malnutrition as a part of POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission Abhiyaan of MWCD to improve the nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. As a part of MoU there will also be a launch of hashtag #Ayush4Anganwadi for generating awareness about the activities on the digital media.

NITI Aayog, ISPP sign Statement of Intent to Enhance Capacity Building • Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog signed a Statement of Intent with Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) to provide training, mentoring and other activities to strengthen the knowledge, ability, skills of Government Officials and public policy scholars.

PM Modi lays Foundation Stone for 9 Highway Projects worth Rs 14, 528 crores in Bihar • Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the Foundation Stone for Nine Highway Projects worth Rs 14, 528 Crores in Bihar through video conference. The project includes making six-lane highways, and three bridges on rivers. He also laid foundation of ‘Har Gaon Optical Fibre Cable’ for Internet Services to connect all villages of Bihar. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi, Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad participated in the virtual meeting.

India Launches First Ever Cargo Ferry Vessel “MCP Linz” to Maldives • Minister of State (MoS) (I/C) for shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Maldives, Aishath Nahula jointly launched the First Ever Direct Cargo Ferry Service between India and Maldives. The Ceremony was attended by representatives from Tuticorin and Cochin ports and Officials from Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) and Foreign Ministry of Maldives.

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Cabinet Approved hike in MSP for RMS 2021-22; Sets Foodgrain Output Target at Record 301MT for 2020-21 • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2021-22. Also, During the National Conference for Rabi Campaign 2020 held on September 21, 2020, a target for the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) or foodgrain production target was set at a record 301 million tonnes (MT), up nearly 1.5% from the previous year’s output.

J-K inked MoU with Army to Operationalise Kishtwar Airstrip • Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Army for the development and operationalization of Airstrip in Kishtwar. The Airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place i.e. take-off and landing of aircraft.

Nepal and India begin Joint Security Patrol along Border in Kapilvastu district • The Security forces of Nepal and India have started a joint security patrol at the Nepal-India Border in Kapilvastu district, Nepal. The patrol has been started with a motive to control the spread of COVID-19 and keep in check the illegal cross-border activities at the Nepal-India Border. The Krishnanagar Municipality of the Kapilvastu district is a major point of transit along the Nepal-India Border. Nepal Police, Armed Police Force of Nepal and Seema Suraksha Bal of India began the patrol on borders on 19th September 2020.

Piyush Goyal Attended Virtual G-20 meeting of Trade and Investment Ministers; India says No to DFFT • The virtual G-20 Trade and Investment Ministers meeting under the presidency of Saudi Arabia was held recently. India was represented by Union Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal. The objective of the meet was the further strengthening of G20 trade and investment cooperation. During the meet, Piyush Goyal cleared that India is not in a position to accept the concept of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) as there is a need for policy to finalize laws around digital trade and data. The concept of “Data Free Flow with Trust,” was first espoused by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting 2019.

Indo-Nepal Launched Website on GoI Assisted post-earthquake reconstruction initiatives in Nepal’s eEducation Sector • India and Nepal unveiled a dedicated website (www.goicbrinepal.com) for all information related to education projects under GOI-assisted post-earthquake reconstruction initiatives in Nepal. The website, available in both English and Nepali versions. The website has been conceptualized and developed by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee under India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

India’s iCreate inked MoU with Israel to Collaborate in Tech Innovation & Start-ups • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India’s International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) and Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central to initiate a bilateral program to boost innovation and technology cooperation by collaborating Israeli and Indian entrepreneurs, start-ups and corporates on innovative projects.

DBT Launched Programme for “Strengthening Clinical Trial Research Capacity in Neighbouring Countries” • Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, initiated the first phase of the “Training program to strengthen clinical trial research capacity for neighbouring countries” in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to support researchers and investigator teams for enhancing and strengthening their clinical trial capabilities in compliance with ICH-GCP (International Conference on Harmonisation – Good clinical practice).

Govt Raised limit for Use of SDRF funds by states from 35% to 50% to tackle COVID situation • State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for COVID-19 specific infrastructure was increased from 35% to 50% to help States with more finances at their disposal to fight the COVID-19. This was announced during the virtual meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of six states and one Union Territory with high Covid-19 caseload viz. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

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AYUSH Ministry Signed MoU with Herbal Industry Bodies to promote Medicinal Plants cultivation; e-marathon to start on Sept 28, 2020 • National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH signed MoU with Herbal Industry bodies with emphasis on raising immunity to fight COVID-19. Apart from above MoU, Ministry of AYUSH has joined hands with Rajagiri College of Social Sciences and Rajagiri Business School, Kochi (Kerala) to organise a novel e- marathon from 28th September 2020 to 10th October 2020 (15 days), as a part of the Ministry’s three-month campaign called “Ayush for Immunity” focuses on desirable health-promotion and disease preventive steps. Theme of the e-marathon is “Recharge Mental Health: During and beyond the Covid-19 Pandemic”.

India, Australia conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the East Indian Ocean region • On September 23-24, 2020, Indian Navy conducted a 2-day long Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region (IOR) where Indian side was represented by INS (Indian Naval Ship) Sahyadri and INS Karmuk & the Australian side included HMAS Hobart along with Indian Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), and helicopters from both the nations.

Indian Railways Extended its MoU with IIT Kanpur for Modernisation of its Infrastructure • Indian Railways extended the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur for modernisation of railway infrastructure. The MoU was extended to encourage collaborative research for the effective use of the scientific assets through the Centre for Railway Research (CRR) at IIT- Kanpur.

15th CII – EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held Virtually from New Delhi • 15th CII-EXIM Bank Digital Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership was held virtually from New Delhi which was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EXIM (Export-Import) Bank with the support of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. It was initiated in 2005.

One of the First Medical Devices Park to be Set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala • In 2019, Central government approved the setting up of 4 medical device parks in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the lines of the “Make in India” initiative and to provide world-class products at affordable prices for treatment. In this regard, on September 24, 2020, Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for one of the first medical devices parks in the country, “MedSpark” at Life Science Park, Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.

PM Narendra Modi addresses Fit India Dialogue on First Anniversary of Fit India Movement • Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Fit India Dialogue on the First Anniversary of Fit India Movement through virtual mode. As part of the event, the Prime Minister interacted with Virat Kohli, Milind Soman, Rujuta Diwekar, Devendra Jhajharia, and Afshan Ashiq, who shared their life experiences and fitness Mantras. The Fit India Movement was launched on 29th August, 2019 (National Sports Day).

Plastic Park Scheme • Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda announced a scheme for setting up 10 Plastics Parks throughout the country. The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has already given final approval in the states of Assam, Madhya Pradesh (2 parks), Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand. The Central government will provide funds up-to 50% of the project cost and remaining will be funded by State Government and beneficiary industries. The plastic parks will provide a common facility to consolidate and increase the capacities of the domestic plastic processing industry.

KRITAGYA (Krishi-Taknik-Gyan) Hackathon of NAHEP under ICAR to Promote Farm Mechanization • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) announced a hackathon named “KRITAGYA” (Krishi- Taknik-Gyan) under its National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). The national level AgTech Hackathon aims to develop and promote women friendly equipment through potential innovative technological solutions and collaboration with stakeholders to improve the farm mechanization, productivity and profitability in India.

IEA and NITI Aayog Virtually Launched ‘Special Report on Sustainable Recovery’ Post COVID-19 • A ‘Special Report on Sustainable Recovery’ was virtually launched by Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA) and Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, in the presence of Piyush Goyal Union Minister of Railways and, Commerce and Industry. The report is part of IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook series. The report was prepared in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The

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highlights of the Sustainable Recovery Plan have been set out in this report for actions to be taken over the next three years (2021-2023).

NMC Officially Replaced MCI as Top Medical Education Regulator w.e.f. Sept 25, 2020; IMC Act, 1956 Repealed • The Central government is trying hard to detach corruption from all sections of our society including health sector, the statutory body of which i.e. Medical Council of India (MCI) had faced corruption charges and was dissolved by the Government of India in 2018 with the Board of Governors (BoG)-MCI chaired by Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog. This Board of Governors was appointed under section 3A of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act, 1956 (102 of 1956) in supersession of the MCI constituted under sub-section (1) of section 3 of IMC ACT. BoG-MCI dissolved by Centre and was replaced by National Medical Commission (NMC) as India’s top regulator of medical education.

India’s First RRTS train with Design Speed of 180 kmph Unveiled • The 1st look of India’s first RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) train unveiled by DurgaShanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Chairman, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) during an event. The RRTS train that can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. This first RRTS train will provide its services to 82 km long Delhi- Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS in 2022 after trials. NCRTC is the nodal agency for executing this first RRTS project of India while the train sets are being manufactured by Bombardier Transportation India Private Limited.

India, Denmark Sign MoU to Increase Cooperation in Intellectual Property Rights • India and Denmark signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in the area of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) through exchange of best practices and collaborating in training programmes. The MoU will also include ways to protect traditional knowledge.

President Ram Nath Kovind gives Assent to 3 Farm Bills passed by Parliament • On September 27, 2020 President Ram Nath Kovind gave Assent to Three Bills: ➢ The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 ➢ The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance ➢ Farm Service Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020

‘Cable Stayed Bridge’ Constructed across Durgam Cheruvu Lake Inaugurated in Telangana • Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K Taraka Ramarao inaugurated the cable stayed bridge on Durgam Cheruvu constructed across Durgam Cheruvu Lake along with a four- lane elevated corridor connecting it with Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad (Telangana) during an event. Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kishan Reddy was the chief guest of the event. Cost of both the structures together is over Rs 334 crore. It is claimed as the “world’s longest pre-cast segmental span” of 233.85 metres in concrete for a cable stayed bridge.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Inaugurates “Destination North East-2020” Festival • On Occasion of World Tourism Day (27th September, 2020) Union Home Minister Amit Shah (Home Minister is also the Chairman of North-East Council) inaugurated the “Destination North East-2020” through video conference. The theme for Destination North East 2020 is “The Emerging Delightful Destinations”. The four-day festival (27th September – 30th September, 2020) will promote and showcase the North East’s (NE) tourism, culture, heritage and business.

Rajnath Singh Unveiled DAP 2020 Final Document; Approved Capital Acquisition for Arms & Equipment worth Rs 2,290cr • Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi during which Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)-2020 Document was released and approval for procurement of various equipment required by the Indian Armed Forces at an approximate cost of Rs 2,290 crore from Domestic Industry as well as Foreign vendors was also accorded.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Six Major Projects in Uttarakhand • Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Six Development Projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission. He also inaugurated the first-of-its-kind “Ganga Avalokan” Museum on River Ganga at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar. It has been established by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which is the nodal body to

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implement the ‘Namami Gange’ Programme along with Wildlife Institute of India (WII). PM Modi released a book ‘Rowing down the Ganges’, it is co-published by NMCG & WII.

India, Japan hold Joint Maritime Exercise JIMEX-2020 in North Arabian Sea • The Fourth Edition of the Biennial Japan-India Maritime Exercise ‘JIMEX-2020’ took place between Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the North Arabian Sea from 26th September- 28th September, 2020. Due to Pandemic, JIMEX-2020 is conducted in a ‘non-contact at-sea-only format’.

Government constitutes Five Ministerial Task Forces to make Indian MSMEs future-ready • Government constituted Five Ministerial Task Forces to make India’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises better equipped for future and formulating strategies to make India a leading exporter. A K Sharma, Secretary of Ministry of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises announced it during a virtual session organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

1st ever India Happiness Report 2020 Released, Mizoram Tops • On September 20, 2020 The first-ever India Happiness Report 2020 was released by Professor Rajesh K Pillania, which ranks all 36 States and Union Territories(UTs) on the basis of their happiness quotient. Mizoram tops the ranking followed by Punjab and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Odisha, Uttarakhandand Chhattisgarh were least happy states. The survey was conducted based on 6 components of happiness, namely work; relationships; health; philanthropy; religious, spiritual orientation; impact of COVID-19.

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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

6th International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2020 held in Russia; Indian Pavilion Inaugurated • The 6th International Military - Technical Forum “Army-2020” was held between August 23-29, 2020 at the Patriot Park near Moscow, Russia which was organized by Russian Defence Ministry and operated by International Congresses and Exhibitions Ltd. During the forum, Indian Pavilion was inaugurated by Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma. Note: The first regiment of S- 400 anti-air system by Russia will be delivered to India by the end of 2021.

BRICS Sports Ministers Approve MoU for Cooperation in the field of Physical Culture and Sport • The First Meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) Sports Ministers under the Russian BRICS Chairmanship took place through video conference. The BRICS Sports Ministers signed a MoU to strengthen and develop the cooperation in the field of physical culture and sport within the BRICS members.

Japan extends Emergency Loan of JPY 50 Billion for India to Fight Covid-19 Pandemic • Japan extended an Emergency Support Loan of up to 50 Billion Japanese Yen (Approximately Rs 3, 500 Crore) to help India’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The financial support will support India’s implementation of health, medical policies and development of hospitals equipped with ICUs. This is the largest amount of financial assistance announced by any country to support India’s response to the Covid- 19 crisis.

India-Japan-Australia to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region • India, Japan and Australia agreed to launch a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative will help in building a resilient supply chain with focus on free, transparent trade & investment environment in the region. The initiative was proposed by Japan and will aim to reduce the dependency on China and counter its dominance on trade.

India ranks 48th in the 13th Edition of Global Innovation Index 2020 released by WIPO • India joined the group of Top 50 Countries in the 13th Edition of Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020, as it took the 48th rank with a score of 35.59 in the Annual report jointly released by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School. The Theme of the 13th edition of the GII 2020 is “Who Will Finance Innovation?”.

Rank Country Score Income 48 India 35.59 LM* 1 Switzerland 66.08 HI* 2 Sweden 62.47 HI 3 United States 60.56 HI

IISc Bengaluru tops among 63 Indian Institutes: THE World University Ranking 2021 • United Kingdom (UK) based Times Higher Education (THE) released the World University Rankings 2021. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru ranked under the 301-350 group ranking, tops among the 63 Indian institutions which were qualified for the THE rankings. The University of Oxford of UK was spotted tops in the list.

UNEP released “Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Food Systems” about Climate Change amid crisis • A report titled, “Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Food Systems” published by World Wide Fund (WWF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), non-profit organization EAT & think tank Climate Focus based on strengthening food systems in the age of climate crisis. The report stated that Policymakers can improve the chances of achieving climate goals and limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius by making more specific commitments to transforming national food systems. SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 19

UN Women Report from Insights to Actions: COVID-19 Crisis Will Increase the Poverty Rate of Women • The United Nations (UN) Women and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released new data which states that the COVID-19 pandemic will have negative impacts on the women and will increase the poverty rate of women and widen the gap between men and women in poverty. The summarised data is published as a report titled “From Insights to Actions: Gender Equality in the wake of COVID-19” by the UN Women. According to the report, the pandemic is expected to reverse the progress made to eradicate poverty by the end of this decade and push around 96 million people into extreme poverty by 2021 of which around 47 million will be women and girls.

Saudi Arabia Hosted G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from Riyadh; India Proposed G20 principles on cross border movement • Saudi Arabia hosted the virtual G20 Foreign Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting from Riyadh which was focused upon cross-border movement and strengthening international cooperation across borders amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The meet was chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud where Indian side was represented by Union Minister Dr. SJaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India proposed the development of voluntary “G-20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People” during the meet.

FAO’s 35th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC) meeting held virtually; Parshottam Rupala represented India • The 35th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC 35) hosted by Bhutan at its capital Thimphu, which was held from 1-4 September 2020 through Zoom video conferencing platform amid COVID-19 pandemic. The conference was chaired by Bhutan’s Secretary of the agriculture ministry, Rinzin Dorji. From Indian side the meeting was addressed by Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala.

Prahlad Singh Patel Represented India in 5th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting Held Virtually • Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism represented India and addressed in 5th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Culture Ministers’ Meeting held through video conference under the Chairpersonship of Russian Federation.

5 day USISPF 3rd Annual Leadership Summit 2020 held • The 5 days long US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) 3rd Annual Leadership Summit was held from August 31-September 3, 2020 on the theme “US-India Navigating New Challenges”.

EAM Jaishankar participated in Virtual Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/ International Relations • Russia, the current chair of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) chaired the stand alone meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/ International Relations over a virtual platform through video conferencing. The Ministers discussed the major regional and international issues in politics, security, economic, trade, financial and sustainable developments.

Saudi Arabia Hosted Virtual G20 Education Ministers Meet from Riyadh; Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal represented India • Saudi Arabia hosted the virtual G20 Education Ministers Meeting from Riyadh (Capital of Saudi Arabia) to discuss and share experiences of member countries in the three identified areas viz. Education Continuity in Times of Crises, Early Childhood Education and Internationalization in Education. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh where India was represented by Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Ministry of Education.

Overview of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visit to Russia from September 3-5, 2020; SCO Defence Ministers Meet Held • The Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) paid a 3 days’ visit to Moscow, Russia from September 3-5, 2020 to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers and to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral defence cooperation.

Eurasian Foundation Organised Indo Russian Young Scholars International E-Conference 2020 • Eurasian Foundation organised the Indo Russian Young Scholars International E-conference 2020 on “India-

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Russia domestic and bilateral development” from 3rd to 5th September 2020 over a virtual platform. The year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership between India and Russia. It also marks 75th anniversary of victory day of Russia. The event was organised in collaboration with Indian Centre, Institute of Oriental studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia and Russian Centre of Science and Culture, New Delhi.

US-India-Israel summit held virtually; Decision taken for Trilateral Collaboration on 5G Tech • US (United States)-India-Israel summit was held virtually to focus on trilateral partnerships in the strategic, technology and development arenas. There it was decided that these trio nations will collaborate in 5G technology.

India & Angola Held its 1st Joint Commission Meeting Virtually; Inked 3 Pacts • India - Angola Joint Commission held its 1st meeting through video-conferencing. During the meeting India and Angola agreed to expand their trade relations and also discussed cooperation in health, pharmaceuticals, defence, agriculture, food processing, digitization and telecom. The session was co- chaired by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, and Ambassador Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola. There were 3 pacts signed between India and Angola. The capital and currency of Angola are Luanda and Angola Kwanza respectively.

India’s child mortality rate declines from 3.4 million in 1990 to 824,000 in 2019: UN report • According to ‘Levels & Trends in Child Mortality’ Report 2020, India’s child mortality rate has declined from 3.4 million in 1990 to 824,000 in 2019. The report was prepared by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The new mortality rates have been released by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), Population Division of the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group.

UNICEF to Lead Global Procurement, supply of COVID Vaccines • The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be leading the procurement and supply of COVID-19 Vaccines to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses of Vaccines, when they are available. The procurement and distribution will involve 170 Economies, and has the potential to make it the Largest and Fastest ever kind of operation. UNICEF will collaborate with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to lead efforts for procuring and supplying doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility for 92 low and lower middle-income countries.

India, France, Australia hold 1st Trilateral Dialogue on Economic, Strategic Challenges in Indo- Pacific • The first trilateral dialogue between foreign secretaries from India, France and Australia was held virtually to discuss geo-strategic challenges, enhancing cooperation and to build strong bilateral relations between the trio to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The meeting was co-chaired by India’s foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Francois Delattre; Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary, Frances Adamson.

World free of industrially produced trans fats by 2023, if limit set to 2% of oil & fats: WHO report • In accordance with the report titled, “Countdown to 2023: WHO report on global trans-fat elimination 2020” released by World Health Organisation (WHO), so far 58 countries have introduced laws that will protect 3.2 billion people from the harmful substance by the end of 2021. To achieve a world free of industrially produced trans fats by 2023, WHO recommended that countries should set mandatory limits for industrially produced trans fats to 2% of oils and fats in all foods or to ban partially hydrogenated oils (PHO).

MoS V. Muraleedharan Virtually Attended 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting • V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State(MoS) for External Affairs attended the 10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The Meeting was held over a virtual platform. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Pham Bin Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

68% Average Decline in Species Population Sizes Since 1970: WWF Report • In accordance with the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2020, the global vertebrate population declined to an average of 68% between 1970 and 2016. The report which analysed 21,000 populations of more than 4,000 vertebrate species has stated that urgent action is needed to protect and restore nature and biodiversity. SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 21

World Getting Closer to Passing 1.5-degree Celsius Warming Limit: UN 2020 Report • As per the United in Science 2020 report, the second in a series highlighted that the world is nearing to pass the temperature limit set by global leaders 5 years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so. In the next 5 years, the world has about a 1-in-4 chance to experience a year that is hot enough to keep the global temperature at 2.7 degrees (1.5 °C-degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial times. 1.5°C is the harsher of 2 limits set in 2015 by world leaders in the Paris climate change agreement.

73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region held Virtually • The 73rd session of WHO (World Health Organization) South East Asia Region (SEAR) was hosted virtually by Thailand from Bangkok under the Chairmanship of Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Thailand where Indian side was represented by Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel participates in the 17th SCO Culture Ministers Meeting • Union Minister of State (MoS) (I/C), Prahlad Singh Patel virtually participated in the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Culture Ministers meeting. he Culture Minister highlighted that one of the important aspects that unites and connects members of SCO countries is the shared heritage of Buddhist philosophy and art. National Museum of India is in the process of organizing the first SCO Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage in 2020 to promote mutual bonding. The Exhibition will mark India’s Chairpersonship of Council of Heads of Government in 2020.

India slips 26 spots to 105th position on 2020 Economic Freedom Index: Fraser Institute Report • India took the 105th position in the 24th Edition of ‘Economic Freedom of the World: 2020’ Annual Report by Canada’s Fraser Institute, which has been released in India in conjunction with Centre for Civil Society, New Delhi- based think tank. The report is co-published by CATO Institute (America) with more than 70 think tanks around the world. Rank Country Score (out of 10) 105 India 6.56 1 Hong Kong 8.94 2 Singapore 8.65 3 New Zealand 8.53

MoS Santosh Kumar Gangwar Attended Virtual Meeting of G-20 Labour and Employment Ministers • Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (I/C) of Labour and Employment attended the G-20 Labour and Employment Ministers meeting. The virtual meeting was held to discuss recent developments of the economic and labour market globally. Discussion was also made about COVID-19 and its impact.

74th Session of the UN General Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace held virtually • The 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace which was convened by its President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the theme “The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID- 19”. Apart from the above mentioned main event, a side event titled “Education, Covid-19 and the Culture of Peace” was also organized by the renowned US Think Tank the International Peace Institute (IPI).

India-US 2+2 inter-sessional meet held virtually; Exchange Views on Regional Developments • India-United States (US) 2+2 Inter-sessional Meeting was held virtually to discuss bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues including combating COVID-19, counter terrorism, India’s membership on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), efforts to counteract recent destabilizing actions in South Asia, and the broader Indo- Pacific region. Indian delegation was led by Joint secretaries from Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence.

MoS for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, Participates in 27th ASEAN Regional Forum • Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan participated in the online meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) under the Chairmanship of Vietnam. During the 27th ARF meeting, the Ministers exchanged views on International and regional issues.

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India will co-chair the ASEAN Regional forum on port securities and United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).

Overview of S Jaishankar visit to Russia from Sept 8- 11, 2020 to Attends SCO Foreign Ministers in Moscow • Union Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had a 4-day visit to Russia from September 8-11, 22 to attend the SCO-CFM (Council of Foreign Ministers) Meeting in Moscow.

ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting held virtually; New ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021- 2025) adopted • Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Ministerial Meeting was held virtually which was co- chaired by Union Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. It was attended by Foreign Ministers of the ten ASEAN Member States. During the meet ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025) was adopted.

WHO Appoints Former Health Secretary Preeti Sudan as a member of its Panel for Pandemic Preparedness • The World Health Organization’s independent panel for pandemic response has appointed India’s former health secretary Preeti Sudan as one of its 11 panel member across the Globe and the decision was made by the panel’s head, former New Zealand PM Helen Clarke and former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

India, Afghanistan become Members of UN’s Commission on Status of Women • India & Afghanistan were elected as Members of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Status of Women, a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Commission on the Status of Women is a UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. India will be a member of the UN’s Commission on Status of Women for four years from 2021-2025. Also, The year 2020 marks the 25th Anniversary of the famous Beijing World Conference on Women (1995).

Global Spending Needs 500 years to Match COVID-19 Rout: GPMB report • In accordance with the 2nd Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) report titled “A World in Disorder” released on September 14, 2020, the world will take 500 years to spend on preparing for pandemics due to the loss driven by the COVID-19. The GPMB is the joint arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.

10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) held Virtually between India and U.S • The 10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) was held between India and US virtually through a video conference. The aim of the DTTI group is to bring focus on bilateral defense trade relationship and to create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defense equipment.

India Joined Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment as Observer • On the lines of the high level meeting of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) held virtually on 26 August 2020, India has joined the DCOC/JA Amendment, as Observer in order to collaborate with DCOC/JA member states towards for enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). With this, India joins Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) as Observers to the DCOC/JA.

India Ranked 116th in World Bank’s Human Capital Index 2020 • The 2020 Human Capital Index (HCI) is a collaboration between the Human Development Practice Group and the Development Economics Group of the World Bank released the report titled “The Human Capital Index 2020 Update: Human Capital in the Time of COVID-19” on September 16, 2020. India has been placed at the 116th position among 174 countries in the Human Capital Index 2020 with score increase to 0.49 from 0.44 in 2018 in comparison to 115 out of 157 countries. The country of Singapore topped the score with 0.88 followed by Hong Kong at 0.81 and Japan at 0.80.

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• Top 3 Countries in HCI: Rank Country Score 116 India 0.49 1 Singapore 0.88 2 Hongkong and China 0.81 3 Japan 0.8

Global Initiative to reduce Land Degradation and Coral Reef program launched at G20 Environment Ministers Meet • The Environment Ministerial Meeting (EMM) of the G20 Countries took place through video conference. The G20 EMM took place as part of the Sherpa Track for the G20 Leaders Summit; it was hosted through a video conference under the Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A Global Initiative to Reduce Land Degradation and Coral Program and two other documents related to managing emissions and climate change adaptations were launched during the meeting.

Mexico Became the First Country to Issue 7-year Sovereign SDG Bond worth $890m • Mexico became the first country in the world to inaugurate sustainable financing program for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by issuing a seven-year Sovereign SDGs Bond worth USD 890 million under its new “SDG Sovereign Bond Framework” developed with investment bank Natixis, located in Paris, France. The Mexico government has invited the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for partnership in the initiative.

Singapore topped in 2nd Smart City Index 2020; 4 Indian Cities in Top 100 • Institute for Management Development (IMD), in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), IMD World Competitiveness Center, and Smart Cities Observatory (SCO) has released the 2nd edition of global listing of smart cities i.e. “Smart City Index (SCI) 2020” in which the ranking of four Indian cities- New Delhi, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Hyderabad (Telangana), and Bengaluru (Karnataka) were declined as the technological advancement in these cities is not up to date to cater the COVID19 Pandemic. The index was topped by Singapore followed by Helsinki (Finland) and Zurich (Switzerland) in the second and the third place respectively.

Sanjay Dhotre Attended 6th BRICS Communication Ministers Meeting held virtually • The 6th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Communication Ministers Meeting was hosted by Maxim Parshin, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia in a virtual format where India was represented by Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State (MoS) for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Education. It should be noted that this meet is held annually under the rotating Chairmanship of member countries. India will take over the Chairmanship of the next BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting to be hosted in 2021 by India.

Ajit Doval Attended 10th BRICS NSAs Meet virtually • The 10th meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) National Security Advisors (NSAs) was hosted by Russia, the current chair of BRICS, where India was represented by Ajit Doval, Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) of India on National Security. The focus of the meet was to exchange views on combating terrorism and extremism.

53rd Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of ADB held virtually on September 17 – 18, 2020 • The 53rd Annual Meeting of Board of Governor of Asian Development Bank (ADB) took place virtually on September 17-18, 2020. Ministers from ADB members, ADB Management and Industry experts participated in the virtual meeting and they discussed a wide range of issues facing Asia and Pacific due to the Pandemic. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman represented India in the Annual Meeting.

India & Bangladesh to Resume Joint Coordinated Border Patrol to Prevent Criminal Activities • At the 50th Director General (DG) level conference between India and Bangladesh, both the countries have agreed to share real time intelligence on the smuggling syndicates, both the countries agreed to resume the joint coordinated border patrol and the list of smugglers to control and prevent criminal activities and other problems

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and to ensure the peace and security in the Indo-Bangladesh borders. The 4-day conference was held from 16th September 2020 to 19th September 2020 which concluded in Dhaka, Bangladesh The 6-member Border Security Force (BSF) delegation was led by DG Rakesh Asthana.

India extends USD 250 mn support to Maldives amid Covid-19; routed through Treasury bonds subscription by SBI • India provided a financial assistance of USD 250 million (Indian Rupees of around 1837 crores) at favourable terms to the Government of Maldives in the form of symbolic cheque which was handed over by the High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid during an event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives. This soft loan has 10 years’ tenure for repayment and a very low interest rate.

India delivers Two Modern DMUC Trains to Nepal Railways • Konkan Railways handed over two modern Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DMUC) trains to Nepal Railways for the Jaynagar-Kurtha Broad Gauge Line. The Rails will run between Jaynagar (Bihar) and Kurtha in Dhanusa district from December, 2020.

Greenhouse Emissions to add 15 inches to global sea level rise by 2100: NASA-led study • According to the “Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6)” by NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland (United States) which has been done on the lines of the projection in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2019 Special Report on Oceans and the Cryosphere, there will be more than 38 centimetres (15 inches) rise in global sea-level rise by 2100 due to the melting of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets driven by continuous greenhouse emissions.

New Zealand to be first in the world to require climate risk report • New Zealand will be the First country in the world to introduce Climatic Financial Report for companies to tackle the climate crisis, the new regime will be in the form of Compilation or Explanation based on the framework of Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Other countries like Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Japan and the European Union are all working to form Climate risk report.

India-UK Water Partnership Forum held Virtually on Water Conservation • India-UK Water Partnership Forum was held virtually to discuss ways to collaborate on the issues pertaining to infrastructure development and water conservation. During the meeting, delegations from India and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ganga and the British water.

4th WEF’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit held Virtually; Delhi may have 8 months of 32°C temp by 2100 • From September 21-24, 2020, the World Economic Forum’s 4th and 1st fully virtual Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2020 was held under the banner “Realizing a Great Reset for Sustainable Development” to convene 2100 leaders from government, business, international organizations and civil society along with experts and innovators to initiate, accelerate and scale-up entrepreneurial solutions to tackle climate change and advance sustainable development. The summit was based on the five themes of Shared Prosperity, Better business, Harnessing technology, and Liveable planet.

Airports Authority of India Commenced Work on Airport Expansion Project in Maldives • On the request of the Government of Maldives, the Government of India has decided to support the Hanimaadhoo International Airport expansion project under the USD 800 million Line of Credit from EXIM (Export-Import) Bank of India. on September 23, 2020, AAI commenced work on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this project, which will be prepared in 2 months. It is one of the largest infrastructure and connectivity projects in northern Maldives.

India Provided 1.54 billion NR as Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance in Nepal • On 22nd September, 2020, Ms. Namgya Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of India, handed over cheques worth NPR (Nepalese Rupees) 1.54 billion (about INR 96 crore) to Mr. Sishir Kumar Dhungana, Secretary, Ministry of Finance of Nepal towards housing & school sector assistance.

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India ranked 89th among 181 countries in World Risk Report 2020 • According to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020, India has been ranked at the 89th spot among 181 Countries. The World Risk Index is a statistical model for the assessment of global risk of disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts and sea-level rise. According to the Index, Qatar (0.31) had the lowest risk, followed by Malta (0.66) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (0.81).

Rank Country Category (Based on Risk) 89 India Medium Risk 1 Vanuatu Very High Risk 181 Qatar Very Low Risk

EAM S Jaishankar participates in Annual Informal Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers • External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar participated in the Annual Informal Meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers. The Annual Meeting was chaired by Nepal and was held in virtual mode.

EAM S Jaishankar participates in Special Ministerial Meeting of CICA • External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar participated in the Special Virtual Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Conference on Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The Meeting saw the transfer of Chairmanship of CICA from Tajikistan to Kazakhstan, and the appointment of new executive director and exchange of views on future endeavours.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar addresses Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020 • Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Prakash Javadekar represented India at the virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020. The meeting was held to exchange views on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development. The meeting was hosted by China. The meeting is being hosted, ahead of the upcoming United Nation Summit on Biodiversity which is going to be held on 30 September 2020. The 15th Conference of Parties (COPs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is scheduled to be held in 2021 at Kunming, China.

IATA Inked MoU with UNOCT as 1st private partner to Cooperate on India-funded CT Travel Programme • The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed a MoU with the United Nations Office of Counter- Terrorism (UNOCT) to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations (UN) Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. IATA will join the CT Travel Programme as the first non-government partner of the initiative by providing advance passenger information (API) and passenger name record (PNR) traveller data to governments to curb terrorist mobility.

India, Sri Lanka hold Virtual Bilateral Summit; India extends US$ 15 Million for promotion of Buddhist Ties • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held a Virtual Bilateral Summit. During the summit, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, and mutual areas of concern in Regional and International issues. PM Modi announced a grant assistance of USD 15 million (approximately Rs.110 crores) for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries.

MUI Collaborates with UN to help Indian sailors struck on ships • Maritime Union of India (MUI) has collaborated with the United Nations to assist seafarers who are stranded on ships due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Through the Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT), MUI will provide round-the- clock advice, counselling and assistance to Indian seafarers and their family members. The Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT) was established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to help resolve individual cases of seafarers.

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India, US, Japan, Australia hold Virtual Meet on Indo-Pacific under Quad framework • Senior Officials from Ministry of External Affairs of India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of United States of America held video conference for dialogue on regional and global issues of common interest under the Quadrilateral coalition or QUAD Framework. During the meeting, members of QUAD confirmed their commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific Region, based on shared values, principles and respect for International Law.

India Hosted Virtual Bilateral Summit between PM Narendra Modi & his Danish Counterpart Mette Frederiksen • A Virtual Bilateral Summit was held between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen which was hosted by India to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. With this summit, Denmark became the first European country with which India held a virtual summit. On the other hand, Denmark has proposed to host the second ‘Knowledge Summit’ and if the situation normalizes. A MOU in the field of intellectual property (IP) cooperation between India and Denmark was signed by the India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with Danish Patent and Trademark Office.

Data of COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker by UNDP & UN Women Released • In accordance with the data released from the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker, which is co- created by the United Nations (UN) Women and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), only 1 in 8 countries have measures in place to shield women and girls from COVID-19 pandemic effects. The Global Gender Response Tracker analyses more than 2,500 measures across 206 countries and territories under the three categories of addressing gender-based violence, supporting unpaid care, and strengthening women’s economic security.

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BANKING & FINANCE

Vedanta Tied Up with SBI for Long Term Syndicated Loan of Rs.10000 Crore • Vedanta announced the tie up for a long-term syndicated loan facility for Rs.10000 crore with State bank of India (SBI) as facility agent and SBICAP Trustee Company Limited (SBICTCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Market Limited (SBICAP) as the security trustee with door to door tenor of 7 years. As a lender State Bank of India (SBI) has committed Rs. 5000 crore. Note: Syndicated loan is a loan offered by a group of lenders to provide credit to a large borrower.

European Investment Bank to Invest € 650 Million in Kanpur’s 1st City Metro Line • The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest 650 million Euro in the construction of Kanpur’s (Uttar Pradesh) 1st city metro line. The 32.4 km urban rail line, with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations is EIB’s 2nd biggest operation outside the European Union (EU) till date. Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (UPMRC) is the Promoter-Financial intermediary for this project.

Additional OMO of Rs 20,000 Cr to Ensure Orderly Market Conditions; HTM raised to 22% from 19.5% • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced measures in order to ensure orderly market conditions and congenial financial conditions. In this regard Reserve Bank will conduct additional special open market operations (OMO) involving the simultaneous purchase and sale of Government securities for Rs 20,000 crore in two tranches of Rs 10,000 crore each on September 10 and September 17 in 2020. The RBI also increased the held to maturity limit (HTM) or the amount that banks invest in G-secs from 19.5% to 22%.

RBI Releases Revised Priority Sector Lending Guidelines: Sept. 2020 • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reviewed the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Guidelines to align it with emerging national priorities amid COVID-19 impact. In this regard, new categories are included under priority sector for financing viz. start-ups (up to Rs 50 crore); loans to farmers for installation of solar power plants for solarisation of grid connected agriculture pumps and loans for setting up Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants. Notably, the credit limit for renewable energy, health infrastructure (including those under ‘Ayushman Bharat’) has also been doubled.

FIDC Requested RBI to Review New Current Account Rules; Concerns on Routing All Transactions through CC/OD • The umbrella body for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to review the current account circular dated August 6, 2020 which stated that no bank is allowed to open current accounts for the customer who availed credit facilities in the form of cash and credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) from the banking system.

LazyPay Launched 1st of its Kind Digital Credit Card, ‘LazyUPI’, a Combination of UPI & Buy-Now- Pay- Later Concept • LazyPay, a part of PayU Finance has launched ‘LazyUPI’, a first of its kind digital credit card that combines Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the Buy-Now-Pay-Later concept. The offering allows the users to access the real- time credit using UPI across omnichannel networks, which includes offline merchants and e-commerce platforms.

RBL Bank in Partnership with Empays Payment Systems Launched Cardless Cash Withdrawal Facility from ATMs through IMT System • RBL Bank has launched a card-less cash withdrawal facility from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), through the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) system in partnership with Empays Payment Systems India Pvt Ltd. A Customer to avail the service must log into the RBL’s ‘MoBank (Mobile Banking) app’ in order to locate an ATM that supports the IMT. The IMT Payment system is the world’s largest card-less ATM system.

Himachal Pradesh, World Bank Sign $82 million Loan Deal for HP State Roads Transformation Project • The State Government of Himachal Pradesh and World Bank signed a $82 million (approximately Rs. 600 Crores) loan deal to support Himachal Pradesh strengthen its transport and road safety institutions by improving the condition, safety, resilience, and engineering standards of the state’s road network. The loan from the

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International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a final maturity of 15 years including a grace period of five years.

Bank of India launched “Signature Visa Debit Card” for High Net Worth Individuals • The Mumbai based Bank of India (BoI) has launched an international contactless debit card, “Signature Visa Debit Card” for high net worth individuals who are maintaining an average quarterly balance of Rs 10 lakhs and above.

RBI Accepted Kamath Panel Recommendations; Specifies Parameters for Loan Restructuring • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) specified five financial ratios and sector-specific thresholds for resolution of COVID- 19-related stressed assets in 26 sectors on the basis of the recommendations of an expert committee under the chairmanship Kundapur Vaman Kamath, which was formulated by RBI in August 2020 to set a parameters and benchmarks for stressed assets that need rescuing. These five ratios are: Total outside liabilities/adjusted tangible net worth (TOL/ATNW), total debt/EBITDA, current ratio, debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), average debt service coverage ratio (ADSCR).

Mahindra Finance Enters Online Insurance Broking; to Launch a portal, PayBima • Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd (Mahindra Insurance Brokers), a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (Mahindra Finance), which enter into an online insurance broking business to provide digital services to the customers of its insurance brokerage through ‘PayBima’, a portal which said to be launched soon.

India, ADB Sign $500 Million Loan for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor, 1st of its kind in India • Government of India (GoI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $500 million loan agreement for the Delhi-Meerut RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) Investment Project. This modern, high-speed 82-km Delhi- Meerut, Uttar Pradesh RRTS corridor, a first of its kind in India, will improve regional connectivity and mobility in the national capital region (NCR).

PayU Finance Launches First-of-its-kind Digital Revolving Credit Line called ‘LazyPlus’ • PayU Finance, India’s leading alternative lending platform, has launched the first-of-its-kind digital revolving credit line called ‘LazyPlus’, which combines power of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Buy-Now-Pay-Later concept.

SBI Mutual Fund Launched SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund (Investment Plan) • SBI Mutual Fund launched SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund (Investment Plan), an open-ended fund for parents to invest for their children. SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund has already offering savings plan, a predominantly debt-oriented offering. The New Fund Offer (NFO) is open for subscription from September 8 and will close on September 22, 2020.

Mastercard Launches Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) Testing Platform • Mastercard launched Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), a Virtual Testing Environment for Central Banks to Assess and Explore National Digital Currencies. The Mastercard has invited Central Banks, Commercial Banks and tech and advisory firms to evaluate the suitability of CBDCs in a country or region. The testing platform will allow central banks to evaluate use cases and test roll-out strategies for CBDCs by simulating a CBDC ecosystem.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Partnered with NSDL Payments Bank to offer insurance products • ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Prudential Life) has entered into a corporate agency agreement with NSDL Payments Bank, a subsidiary of NSDL (National Securities Depository Ltd), the 1st and largest depository in India.

ADB, ENGIE inked Rs 466-cr loan agreement for developing Raghanesda Solar Project in Gujarat • As a part of Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) ongoing support to India’s renewable energy sector, a long term loan agreement of Rs 4.66 billion (about $65.5 million) was inked between ADB and the ENGIE group to construct and operate a 200MW alternating current solar photovoltaic-based power plant at Raghanesda Solar Park in Gujarat.

ICICI Bank Launched “iStartup 2.0”, a Comprehensive Banking Programme for Startups • ICICI Bank launched its comprehensive banking programme for the Start-ups named “iStartup 2.0” which will support the requirements of the start-ups like regulatory assistance, analytics, staffing, acquisition and digital outreach of customers.

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SBI to Launch ‘SAFAL’, a Loan product for Organic Cotton Growers • C.S. Setty, Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of India (SBI) informed that SBI will launch a loan product called SAFAL (Safe and Fast Agriculture Loan) during a Fintech conference organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). SAFAL is primarily focused on organic cotton growers who do not have any credit history.

RBI Lays Down Guidelines for Banks to Appoint Chief Compliance Officers: September 2020 • In order to ensure uniformity and effective management of compliance risk in banking sector, on September 11, 2020, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) laid down guidelines for “Compliance Functions in Banks and Role of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)” stating appointment and tenure of chief compliance officer (CCO), policy (which should be reviewed at least once a year), and reporting requirements and duties of the compliance function, among others. CCO should be appointed for a minimum fixed period of three years with age not more than 55 years.

SEBI Modified Multi-Cap Mutual Funds Category • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) publicized a partially modified portfolio structure for multi-cap mutual funds category through a circular stating minimum investment in equity & equity related instruments and definition of large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap. With regard to this, Asset Management Company (AMC) will now have to invest at least 25% of their portfolios across large-cap, mid cap and small cap companies each.

ADB, Suguna Foods Signed USD 15 Million Deal to Sustain Rural Livelihoods in India • In order to help sustain poultry farming operations, rural livelihoods and food security in India during the COVID- 19 pandemic, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement for USD ($) 15 million debt financing through the subscription of nonconvertible debentures for Suguna Foods Private Limited (Suguna), one of India’s largest poultry broiler enterprises, in equivalent Indian rupees. It aligns with the National Action Plan for Egg and Poultry and with the $20 billion response package of ADB to COVID-19.

IFSCA Signed MoU with India Gold Policy Centre- IIMA to Set up International Bullion Exchange (IBE) in India • International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) and India Gold Policy Center (IGPC) at Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIMA) (IFSCA-IIMA), sponsored by World Gold Council, signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the IFSCA, GIFT City Gandhinagar to provide consultation to facilitate the establishment of International Bullion Exchange(IBE) in India.

ICICI Lombard inks bancassurance tie up with Yes Bank for selling insurance products • ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Lombard Insurance Company Ltd has entered into a Bancassurance tie-up with Yes Bank to sell its insurance products. Through this agreement, ICICI Lombard aims to offer innovative insurance solutions to Yes Bank’s Customers across 28 States and 8 Union Territories.

RBI ceased Banking operations of Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank • Reserve Bank of India has ceased the Banking operation by the Aditya Birla Idea Payments (ABIP) Bank under Banking Regulations Act 1949, after the company could not able to work successfully and applied for voluntary winding up by the Vodafone Idea Limited which holds 51% in ABIP bank and remaining 49% by Grasim Industries Limited.

RBI Mandate Banks to Fully Automate NPA Recognition Process by June 30, 2021 • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued circular advising banks to switch to automatic identification of non- performing assets (NPAs), using appropriate IT (information technology) systems, from manual identification for regulatory reporting and bank’s own management information system (MIS) requirements. Concerning this, on September 14, 2020, RBI issued a notification mandating banks to complete the automation of bad-loan recognition and provisioning processes by June 30, 2021.

SBI General Insurance and YES Bank Signed Corporate Agency Agreement • SBI General Insurance Company Ltd and YES Bank signed a corporate agency agreement to distribute the products of SBI General Insurance to the customers of YES bank across India (28 states and 8 Union Territories).

NABARD launches Awareness & Sensitization programme for FPO in Co-ordination with District Administration • An Awareness & Sensitization programme was launched by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

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(NABARD) for the newly proposed Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) along with district administration, the objectives of the awareness cum sensitization programme is to aid the farmers to form FPO’s and sell their product on reasonable rates by avoiding brokers.

RBI Issued Draft Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions: September 2020 • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued Draft Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2020 under Section 45 W of the RBI Act, 1934 to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake exchange-traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of Rs 5,000 crore. The RBI has sought comment on these directions by October 15, 2020.

Titan and SBI launched Titan Pay, India’s 1st Contactless Payment Watches • Titan Company Limited, one of the world’s 5th largest watch manufacturers associated with TATA Group, in collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) introduced Titan Pay, powered by YONO (You Only Need One) SBI. Through this partnership, Titan and SBI are launching a range of stylish new watches with contactless payment functionality for the 1st time in India.

DBS Bank India Unveiled Online Credit Solutions Platform, ‘DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs’ • DBS Bank India Ltd launched an online credit solutions platform, ‘DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs’ to provide loans for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) businesses in a convenient manner with credit facility up to Rs 20 crore. This segment-flagship platform facilitates access to business credit across the entire spectrum of micro, small and medium enterprises. Note: Global Finance, the New York-based financial publication, has named DBS as ‘Best Bank in the World’ for the 2nd time in 3 years in its World’s Best Global Banks 2020 Awards.

ICICI Home Finance Launched “Apna Ghar Dreamz” Home Loan Scheme for Skilled Labours in Delhi • The ICICI Home Finance launched “Apna Ghar Dreamz”, its new home loan scheme for skilled labourers like electricians, mechanics, painters, grocery store owners etc in the informal sector of Delhi. The credit amount of this loan ranges from Rs 2. lakh to 50 lakhs.

Canara Bank Introduced i-Lead 2.0 to Enhance Customer Services • In order to provide its services regardless of where the customers reside, Canara Bank has launched a Lead Management System (LMS) – i-Lead 2.0 (Inspiring Leads System version 2.0). It will help the bank to build and sustain business relationships with new customers and existing customers of the bank.

KVGB Launched Vikas Laghu Suvarna, a Special Gold Loan Scheme • Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) launched Vikas Laghu Suvarna, a special gold loan scheme with a reduced interest rate of 7.25%. The bank has slashed the interest rate to provide easy and affordable credit at cheap cost to the customers in need, considering the pandemic situation in the country.

SBI Started Women Self-Reliance Programme in Assam • State Bank of India (SBI) initiated “Mahila Atmanirbharshil Aachani (Women Self-Reliance programme)” in Assam on the lines of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to accelerate Self Help Group (SHG) finance in a mission mode. In this regard, SBI branches of Assam sanctioned 856 SHGs sponsored by NRLM with financial outlay of Rs. 38 crores.

SBI Life Insurance Signs Bancassurance Pact with YES Bank • State Bank of India (SBI) Life Insurance signed a bancassurance agreement with YES Bank to provide a range of insurance solutions to the customers of YES Bank across the nation.

Bandhan Bank Initiated Emerging Entrepreneurs Business (EEB) Vertical to Help Entrepreneurs • The Kolkata headquartered Bandhan Bank has set up a new vertical called Emerging Entrepreneurs Business (EEB) to assist this segment in becoming entrepreneurs to support the emerging needs of the unbanked and underbanked segment of customers. In this regard, the bank has appointed Kumar Ashish as the Executive President and Head to lead EEB.

HDFC Life, Yes Bank enter into Corporate Agency Arrangement • HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) Life and Yes Bank entered into a Corporate Agency Arrangement (CA). As part of the arrangement, HDFC Life will provide a diverse range of insurance products to customers of Yes Bank.

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Bajaj Finserv Launched “Bajaj Finserv Health Ltd (BFHL)”, Health Tech Solutions Business • The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Bajaj Finserv stepped into the healthcare sector by launching health tech solutions business “Bajaj Finserv Health Ltd (BFHL)” as its fully-owned subsidiary. This new venture will offer “Aarogya Care” an industry-first product, providing preventive, personalised, prepaid health care packages.

IDFC First Bank to Launch 1st of its kind Digital Facility, “SafePay” for Contactless Debit Card- Based Payment • IDFC First Bank announced that it will launch ‘SafePay’, a digital facility. It enables contactless debit card payments by waving a smartphone against a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled Point of Sale (POS) terminal. It is the 1st such facility which is made available in an integrated mobile banking app.

RBI Released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative Banks – 2020- 2023” • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) – 2020-2023”. It aims to enhance the cyber security in the Urban Co-operative banking sector against the growing Information Technology (IT) and cyber threat environment. Based on the inputs from diverse stakeholders, the technology vision document was formalised.

Fino Payments Bank with Fintech Partners Introduced NFC-based Contactless Payments Solution for Mass Transport • Fino Payments Bank Limited in association with fintech partners has introduced Near Field Communication (NFC)-based contactless payments solution for mass transit systems, particularly for state bus transport services in India. It was developed by Fino Payments Bank in partnership with fintech firms like City Cash.

Axis Bank Partners with Bayer’s Better Life Farming Initiative in India • Axis Bank Ltd, India’s third largest private sector bank, partnered with Bayer’s Better Life Farming (BLF) initiative in India to provide enhanced and comprehensive financial solutions to smallholder farmers and rural farming communities. Bayer’s Best Livelihood Agricultural Centers will provide the solution, which are owned and operated by a Farmer Producer Organization(FPO), Federation, agri-graduate or a local farmer / entrepreneur.

Vakrangee Ltd gets RBI nod to setup Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval for Vakrangee Ltd to set up Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) to handle payment services related to bills. It has received the authorisation under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

ADB Approved USD 570 mn Loans for Urban Projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh • Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved two loans worth USD 570 million (about Rs 4,200 crore) for urban sector projects in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. (i) ADB has approved a USD 300 million loan to develop Rajasthan’s secondary towns by financing inclusive water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services. (ii) ADB also approved an additional financing of USD 270 million loan for construction of water supply and integrated storm water and sewage management infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh.

SBI Card Launches New Brand Campaign ‘Contactless Connections’ • SBI Card launched ‘Contactless Connections’, a new brand campaign. The campaign spreads the message that sharing of love and care is possible even during this difficult period (COVID-19) where social distancing is the norm. This campaign is in continuation of the SBI card’s brand campaign “Ghar Mein Khushiyaan”.

RBI to Initiate Positive Pay system for Cheques above Rs 50,000 from Jan 1, 2021: September 2020 • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a directive under Section 10 (2) read with Section 18 of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007) stating an introduction of Positive Pay System for Cheque Truncation System (CTS) for banks in order to check fraud. It will be implemented from January 01, 2021. This will be developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); this system will require re-confirmation of key details for payments beyond Rs 50,000. It should be noted that the usage of Positive Pay System is at the choice of account holder; however, banks may make it mandatory in case of cheques for amounts of Rs 5 lakh and above.

HDFC Launched India’s 1st Warehouse Commodity Finance App • HDFC Bank launched India’s first Warehouse Commodity Finance App. The app will help customers to draw down and manage the loan against the pledge of commodities online without physical intervention or multiple visits to

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a bank branch. This will bring improved efficiencies and time savings for the agri value chain.

LIC, GIC & New India Assurance Identified as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers for 2020- 21: IRDAI • The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has identified Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. (NIACL) as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for 2020-21. IRDAI annually identifies D-SIIs and publishes the names of these insurers for public information.

BSE Signed MoU with YES BANK to Empower SMEs • BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yes Bank in order to empower the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are listed on the BSE through awareness and knowledge-sharing programmes.

IDBI Bank Became the first Bank to Enable Document Embedding Feature on SFMS Managed by IFTAS • 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) through its middleware application i@Connect-SFMS (CSFMS) developed by IDBI Intech Limited. 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.

SIDBI Partnered with CRIF High Mark to Launch Sector-Based Insight Reports, ‘Industry Spotlight’ • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) partnered with CRIF High Mark Credit Information Services (CRIF High Mark), a leading Indian credit bureau owned by CRIF to launch ‘Industry Spotlight’, a quarterly report based on Industry sectors/ clusters, with focus on MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises). It provides data and trends on key industry sectors in each edition.

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BUSINESS & ECONOMY

India’s GDP growth contract by 23.9% in April-June quarter: MOSPI • In accordance with the official data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) on August 31, 2020, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) contract by 23.9% (ie. -23.9%) in April-June period quarter of 2020 due to downfall in businesses and livelihood amid COVID- 19 pandemic induced nationwide lockdown restrictions.

India’s Real GDP likely to Contract by 10.9% in FY21, all 4 quarters to Witness Negative Real Growth: SBI Ecowrap Report • The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Ecowrap report estimated that the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY21 is expected to shrink by around 10.9% (-10.9%), a decline of full year growth, against its earlier estimate of 6.8%.

Federal Bank & Innoviti Partnered to provide Affordable Options of Federal Bank Debit Cards by Innoviti POS terminals • Mercom Capital ranked Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) as World’s Largest Solar Power Generation Asset Owner in terms of operating, under-construction and awarded projects. GCL New Energy (7.1 GW), a Hong Kong-listed independent solar power producer, ranked second, followed by Tokyo-based renewable energy developer, SB Energy (7 GW).

Amul becomes 1st Indian Dairy Company to Enter Rabobank’s Global Top 20, 2020 List; Switzerland’s Nestle topped • Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) became the first Indian Dairy Company to enter Rabobank’s Annual listing of Global Dairy Top 20, 2020 Companies. Amul was ranked 16th with an annual turnover of USD 5.5 billion (approximately Rs 40,240 Crores). The Rabobank is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company.

WhatsApp Partnered with CyberPeace Foundation for Cyber Safety Among Students • In order to create awareness on cyber safety among students, WhatsApp Inc. and CyberPeace Foundation have entered into a partnership. The partnership targets to reach about 15,000 students in 5 Indian states namely, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra by the end of 2020 under the first phase of a Pan-India programme. This initiative is built on a previous partnership under the ‘e-Raksha’ programme, which has reached many students.

KfW IPEX-Bank Financed €10-million Loan to Srei Equipment Finance to facilitate German Exports to India • To facilitate German exports to India, KfW IPEX-Bank has financed € 10-million (about Rs 87 crore) loan to Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (Srei). The financing is backed by cover from Euler Hermes.

TPT South Africa Partners with TCS for Logistics Supply Chain Transformation • Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) in South Africa, a part of Transnet SOC Ltd, a state owned freight transport and handling company, partners with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop an integrated online logistics marketplace platform “Cargo Connect”.

Fitch Projected India’s Economy to Contract 10.5% in FY20-21 from -5% • According to Fitch Ratings’ Global Economic Outlook (GEO) India’s economy will see a contraction of 10.5% in the FY21 from a contraction of 5% estimated earlier due to continued spread of the virus and imposition of shutdowns across the country that has disrupted economic activity. For FY21-22, Indian economy will grow 11%, while for 2022-23 growth will 6%.

India’s GDP to Contract by 11.8% in FY21; Rebound to 9.9% in FY22: Ind-Ra • India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), domestic rating agency projects India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth to contract by 11.8% (-11.8%), from earlier -5.3%. The rating agency also expects India’s GDP to rebound and grow at 9.9% year-on-year in FY22 primarily due to the weak base of FY21.

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NSDC, LinkedIn partner to impart free digital skills training • National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and LinkedIn announced a partnership to provide access to free learning resources for imparting digital skills to youth for enhancing employability. According to LinkedIn, Indian professionals with digital skills are 20 percent more in demand than professionals without digital skills in 2020.

WE HUB Partners with NutriHub to Promote Women Entrepreneurs in Agri Sector • WE HUB, India’s first State led incubator for women led start-ups, under the Government of Telangana partnered with NutriHub, first of its kind incubator to provide the needs of the start-ups in the nutricereal sector, to support women entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector in both urban and rural areas. NutriHub is a Technology Business Incubator supported by the Department of Science & Technology(DST) and hosted by ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad.

Vodafone Idea unveils new integrated brand identity ‘Vi’ • Vodafone Idea virtually unveiled their new integrated brand identity ‘Vi’ (Pronounced as We) and a new logo. It comes two years after the merger of Vodafone and Idea. The Brand Integration marks the completion of the largest telecom merger in the world.

SBI Modernized its Payment Switching System using ACI’s Retail Payments Solution • ACI Worldwide (ACI), a global provider of real-time digital payment software and solutions has modernized payments infrastructure of State Bank of India (SBI)’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and Point-of-Sale (POS). Modernization was done using ACI’s enterprise-class Retail Payments solution.

India’s FY21 GDP to contract 14.8%; worst hit: Goldman Sachs • In accordance with the American brokerage Goldman Sachs, Indian economy is the worst-hit among major economies as its gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for FY21 is contracted to 14.8% from 11.8% estimated earlier. This forecast is the most pessimistic (defeatist) one among all the analysts till now. For FY22 the GDP is estimated to clock a 15.7% growth.

Razorpay Launched Cash Advance, Collateral Free LOC to Increase MSME Cash Flow • Razorpay, leading financial solutions company launched its tech-enabled services “Cash Advance” – a collateral free line of credit for businesses to support and recover the cash flow of the capital of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

India’s Real GDP Growth to Contract by 9% in FY21: CRISIL • The latest report of the rating agency CRISIL projects India’s real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth to contract by 9% (-9%) in FY21 (2020-2021) as COVID-19 infections are yet to peak and theG20 government is not providing adequate direct fiscal support.

NASSCOM Future Skills and Microsoft Launched “AI classroom series” for Students in India • FutureSkills, an initiative of IT-ITES (Information technology – IT enabled services) Sector Skill Council National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) partnered with Microsoft to launch Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skilling initiative “AI classroom series” to skill 10 lakh students in India by 2021 to make India a global hub for AI skilled talents and create jobs through upskilling and reskilling.

India’s GDP to Contract by 8.0 – 8.2% in FY 21: CARE • The latest report for revised GDP forecast FY 21 by CARE Ratings Limited-CARE (formerly Credit Analysis and Research Limited) projected India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to contract by 8.0 – 8.2% (-8.0% to -8.2%) in FY 21. Earlier in July, 2020 the rating agency had projected that India’s GDP will contract by 6.4% (-6.4%) in FY21.

HCL Partnered with NVIDIA Partner Network to Pursue Opportunities in AI Space; HCL to launch NEXT.ai, AI Lab • In order to pursue expanded opportunities in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space, HCL Technologies Ltd (HCL), a leading global technology company, has partnered with NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN), the US- based technology company’s partner program. HCL to launch NEXT.ai, HCL’s AI Lab, which focuses on upskilling engineers and architects, using AI solutions across hardware and software technology stacks.

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Liberty General Partnered with SpiceJet to Offer ‘Liberty Secure Travel’ an Insurance Policy; Offers New Zero Cancellation Service • Liberty General Insurance Ltd. (Liberty) has partnered with SpiceJet to offer ‘Liberty Secure Travel’ an Insurance Policy to consumers who book tickets through the airline’s website and mobile site. The new Zero Cancellation service of Liberty offered under the policy enables the passengers to cancel the tickets and claim 100% reimbursement of the cancellation charges if the customers are unable to fly due to any unavoidable circumstances.

S&P Projected India’s GDP to contract 9% in FY21 on rising COVID-19 cases • S&P (Standard & Poor’s) Global Ratings projected a contraction of 9% in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) in FY21 in comparison to previous estimate of 5% contraction.

Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to hit $200 billion m-cap • Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to hit $200 billion market capitalization with an approximate value of $200.8 billion Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a distant second with market cap of Rs 8.75 trillion, or USD 119 billion. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) also becomes World’s 40th Most Valuable Company.

India’s GDP to Contract by 9% & Developing Asia by 0.7% in FY2020 amid COVID-19: ADB • According to “Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020 Update-September 2020” by Asian Development Bank (ADB), India’s GDP (gross domestic product) growth will contract 9% in FY2020-2021 due to COVID-19 induced slowed economic activity. On the other hand, it forecasted a strong recovery with GDP to grow by 8% in FY2021- 22 as mobility and business activities resume more widely.

SBM Bank India and Mastercard Partnered to Launch SBM World Debit Card for High Net Worth Customers • SBM Bank (India) Limited and Mastercard have collaborated to launch SBM World Debit Card, a one-of- a-kind debit card for the sophisticated needs of high net worth customers. It represents a combination of niche banking solutions and thoroughly managed lifestyle privileges, including some of the finest shopping and dining opportunities.

SBM Bank India and PayNearby launch Nivesh, a Goal Based Recurring Deposit Platform for the masses • SBM Bank India and PayNearby announced the launch of ‘Nivesh’, a unique Goal Based Recurring Deposit Platform powered by SBM Bank India. It will be available across all the PayNearby retail touch points across the country.

BHEL ties up with SwissRapide AG to bring Maglev trains to India • Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SwissRapide AG to Maglev Train (Magnetic Levitation) Projects in India. The agreement has been signed in the backdrop of Government of India’s initiatives of ‘Make in India’ & ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The MoU will enable the Indigenous manufacturing of the State-of-the-art Maglev Trains.

India’s GDP to Contract by 10.2% in FY20-21: OECD • As per the report ‘OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Interim Economic Assessment Coronavirus: Living with uncertainty’, September 2020 India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY20-21 is projected to contract by 10.2% (-10.2%). The report also projected a sharp bounce back to 10.7% growth in the next fiscal year for India with similar high figures for other countries in 2021. China is the only G20 economy with positive growth.

WhatsApp Partnered with Common Services Centers for Digital Literacy Service Chatbot • WhatsApp has partnered with Common Services Centers (CSC) for a WhatsApp chatbot to empower rural communities by providing digital skills at their doorstep, and to create livelihood through promotion of rural entrepreneurship. WhatsApp chatbot is expected to be used by 10 million beneficiaries by August 2021.

India’s Nominal GDP to Grow by 19% in FY22: Finance Ministry • Krishnamurthy Subramanian, chief economic advisor in the finance ministry, Government of India informed that

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as per the estimate of finance ministry, India’s nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow by 19% in FY22 (2021-22) on a low base.

SBI Card Collaborates with Google to Enable Customers use their Cards on Google Pay Platform • SBI Card (SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited) has collaborated with Google to enable customers to use their SBI Credit Cards to make card payments using the Google Pay app on their Android smartphones.

Google Pay in Collaboration with Visa and Banking Partners Rolled out Tokenisation • Google Pay has rolled out tokenisation across its platform in collaboration with Visa and banking partners. It will enable users to safely transact with their cards and use Tap-to-pay feature on NFC- enabled Point of Sale (POS) terminals and online merchants.

Visa & IFund Women Launched a Grant Program in India to Support Women Entrepreneurs • Visa Inc. (Visa) along with its global partner IFundWomen, a funding marketplace for women-owned businesses, launched a grant program in India to support women entrepreneurs. This program enables India’s women entrepreneurs to receive funding from Visa to grow and expand their business.

NSE and SGX Signs Pact to Confirm Key Terms to Operationalise NSE IFSC-SGX Connect • Singapore Exchange Ltd and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. signed a formal agreement in order to confirm the key terms to operationalise the NSE International Financial Service Centre (IFSC)-SGX Connect. NSE IFSC-SGX Connect unites international and Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) participants to create a large liquidity pool for Nifty products in GIFT City.

India’s Economy to Contract by 5.9% and Global Economy to Contract by 4.3% in 2020: UNCTAD Report • As per the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s Trade and Development Report 2020– From global pandemic to prosperity for all: Avoiding another lost decade, global economy is expected to contract by 4.3% (-4.3%) in 2020, with global output falling short by over USD 6 trillion of the estimates by the economists before the spread of COVID-19. It also has projected India’s economy to contract by 5.9% (-5.9%) in 2020 and expects the economy to rebound to 3.9% in 2021.

Facebook Associated with Matrix Partners India to Scale Early-Stage SMBs • Facebook announced that it has associated with early-stage Venture Capital (VC) fund Matrix Partners India to scale small businesses in India by providing them with digital skilling support. The partnership with Matrix Partners is a part of Facebook’s VC Brand Incubator Programme, that associates with VC funds to help early-stage Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) to increase their digital potential.

ICRA Projected India’s GDP to contract 11% in FY21 • Domestic rating agency ICRA (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency) further downgraded India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate with a contraction of 11% in FY21 (2020- 21) in comparison to the earlier contraction of 9.5%.

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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport wins CII-GBC ‘National Energy Leader’ award • The GMR led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad International Airport) won the ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ awards at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management’. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited-Vizag Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) has also been awarded ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ award. It was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC). The award was given to RINL also during the 19th edition of ‘Energy Efficiency Summit’, held from August 6-28, 2020.

Eklavya Model Residential School Teacher selected for National Award to Teachers 2020: Ministry of Education • For the first Time, Sudha Painuli, a vice-principal of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) which is established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been selected for National Award to Teachers 2020.

Sir David Attenborough, British Broadcaster is Honoured with Indira Gandhi Peace Prize • Over a virtual event, Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conferred the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 upon Sir David Attenborogh, a British broadcaster. Sonia Gandhi, President of Congress was also present during the event. The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust in 1986. The award consists of a citation along with a cash award of Rs.25 lakhs.

West Bengal Government wins the WSIS Winner Prize 2020 for Sabooj Sathi Project: 8th Edition of WSIS Prizes Contest • In the 8th Edition World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize contents, Sabooj Sathi online 3.0 project of West Bengal Government won the WSIS Winner Prize 2020 under the E-government category. The WSIS prizes is a global platform to showcase the success stories in the implementation of WSIS action lines and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

77th Venice Film Festival 2020: Chaitanya Tamhane’s Marathi Film “The Disciple” Bags Best Screenplay Award • Venice Film Festival 2020, the 77th Venice International Film Festival organised by La Biennale di Venezia was held from 2nd September to 12th September 2020. Marathi film – The Disciple, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane and starring Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave and Kiran Yadnyopavit won the Best Screenplay Award at the festival.

Aditya Puri MD of HDFC Bank Honoured with Euromoney’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 • Euromoney, the global finance and banking magazine’s Awards for Excellence 2020 honoured Aditya Puri, Managing Director (MD) of HDFC Bank with a Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. This is a first of its kind recognition for a corporate leader from India. The award is conferred upon him to recognise his skills in building a world class Indian bank and his contribution in creating a trustworthy brand.

Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna Honoured with 2020 Asia Game Changer Award for Feeding Millions Amid COVID-19 • The Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna received the 2020 Asia Game Changer Award from Asia Society, a United States based non-profit organisation for feeding millions of people across India amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, by coordinating a food distribution drive from Manhattan. He is the only Indian among the six awardees who were recognised by the Asia Society.

United Nations Named Indian Teenager Udit Singhal to the 2020 Cohort of Young Leaders for SDGs • Udit Singhal (18), the founder of Glass2Sand, a zero waste ecosystem to control the increasing menace of glass waste in Delhi, has been named to the 2020 Cohort of young leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN).

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Honoured 12 Faculties with First Ever AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teachers Award 2020 • On 15th September 2020, on the occasion of National Engineers Day, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Education presented the first ever “AICTE Visvesvaraya Best Teachers Award 2020” to the 12 faculty members

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of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved institutions over a virtual ceremony.

Narendra Modi Won the Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education at 30th First Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony • Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India won the Medical Education Prize of Ig Nobel Prize 2020 at the 30th First Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony over virtual platform. He became the 2nd Prime Minister from India to win the Ig Nobel Prize after Atal Bihari Vajpayee who won the 1998 Peace award for “Aggressively peaceful explosion of atomic bombs”. The Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education is shared among Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Boris Johnson (UK), Narendra Modi (India), Andrés Manuel López (Mexico), Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus), Donald Trump (USA), Recep Tayyip (Turkey), Vladimir Putin (Russia), and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (Turkmenistan).

Colombian Journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima won the Golden Pen of Freedom Award 2020 of WAN- IFRA • Colombian Journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima was honoured with the prestigious Golden Pen of Freedom Award 2020, an annual press freedom award of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The award was presented to recognise her contribution towards promoting and protecting women rights. She was honoured with the 2020 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Award in April 2020.

PM Narendra Modi, Ayushmann Khurrana among 5 Indians Named in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 • The Time magazine released the annual list of 100 Most Influential People of 2020 of pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, and icons who have made an impact on the contemporary world. 5 Indians have made into the list, namely, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood actor; Bilkis, ‘dadi’ of Shaheen Bagh protest, Professor Ravindra Gupta (HIV/AIDS treatment) and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google.

Sub Lt. Kumudini Tyagi & Sub Lt. Riti Singh to Become the 1st Women Observers to Operate from Warships • On 21st September 2020, Sub Lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi and Sub Lieutenant Riti Singh became the first women to be posted in frontline warships as the Observers “Airborne Tacticians” of Helicopter Stream to operate from warships of the Indian Navy. They were a part of a group of 17 officers of the Navy, who were awarded ‘Wings’ on graduating as ‘Observers’ at a ceremony held at (Indian Navy Ship) INS Garuda, Kochi, Kerala.

Odisha’s Krushi Bhavan Wins 10th Annual AZ Awards 2020 • Krushi Bhavan, a facility developed for the State’s Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha won 10th annual AZ Awards 2020 as People’s Choice Winner under the category social good. The awards were revealed at its first-ever virtual AZ Awards Gala. The 12,077- square-metre Krushi Bhavan is one among 20 winners and the only winner from India. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha dedicated this award to farmers and artisans of the state.

Kerala Bags UNIATF Award 2020 for its Contribution Towards SDGs Related to Non- Communicable Diseases • Kerala won the UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) Award 2020 for its contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the non-communicable diseases. Tedros Adhanom, Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the annual UNIATF Award for the year 2020 on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. This is the first time for Kerala to be recognised by this annual UN Award and along with Kerala 6 other health ministries across the globe have won the 2020 UNIATF Award.

Shivangi Singh to become India’s first woman fighter pilot to fly Rafale • Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh to become the first woman fighter pilot of India to fly the Rafale combat aircraft that was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) September 10, 2020. She hails from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She is one of the 10 Indian women fighter pilots in IAF.

MIT Professor Won the Inaugural AI Award for Cancer Research & Discovery of New Drugs • Regina Barzilay, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory won the inaugural edition of the annual award instituted by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and funded by Chinese online education company Squirrel AI. She was awarded the top award (1 million USD) for using computer science to detect cancer and discover new drugs.

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President Ram Nath Kovind Virtually Presented the NSS Award for 2018-2019 • Ram Nath Kovind, President of India conferred the National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards also known as Rashtriya Seva Yojana Award for the year 2018-2019 over a virtual event from Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. He presented the awards to 42 awardees under 3 categories. The annual award is conferred by the Department of Youth Affairs of the ministry of youth affairs and Sports. The award recognises the contribution of the Universities/Colleges, +2 Councils, Senior Secondary, NSS Units/ Programme Officers and NSS Volunteers towards community service.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sanju Yadav Won the AIFF Player of the Year Award 2019-2020 • Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, (28) from Chandigarh, goalkeeper of Indian National Men’s Football team and Sanju Yadav (22) from Haryana, Midfielder of India’s National Women’s Football team were declared as the winners of the annual All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019- 2020 and AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019-2020 respectively. Award Winner AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Anirudh Thapa Year AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer of Ratanbala Devi the Year AIFF Award for the Best Assistant P. Vaira Muthu (from Tamil Nadu). Referee AIFF Award for the Best Referee L. Ajit Kumar Meetei (from Manipur). AIFF Award for the Best Grassroots West Bengal (based on E-licence courses Development Programme and Golden Baby Leagues).

Kerala Tourism bags PATA Grand Award 2020 • Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ campaign bagged the Prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing. Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka won the PATA Gold Award 2020 for its Marketing Campaign – ‘Script your Adventure 2019’. It was one of the 21 Gold Award winners from across the globe.

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APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Pramod Chandra Mody gets 6 Months Extension as Chairman of CBDT • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Government of India (GoI), has approved the extension of the re-appointment of Pramod Chandra Mody as Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for 6 months with effect from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. His term was to end on August 31, 2020.

Hemant Khatri assumed charge as CMD of Hindustan Shipyard Limited; Succeeds Rear Admiral L V Sarat Babu • Hemant Khatri has assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing director (CMD) of Hindustan Shipyard limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, is a Mini-Ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) of the Ministry of Defence.

IRDAI Set Up 6 Member Working Group Headed by Dinesh Pant to Study Index Linked Products for Life Insurance Companies • Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) formed a 6-member working group headed by Dinesh Pant, appointed actuary of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to scrutinize various aspects for allowing the life insurance companies to offer index linked products.

K Padmakar, Director (HR) of BPCL took Additional Charge as CMD, as D Rajkumar Retired • K Padmakar, Director (HR) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has been given additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BPCL until further orders by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He succeeds D Rajkumar who superannuated after attaining 60 years on August 31, 2020.

LC Goyal gets 1-year extension in his tenure as CMD of ITPO • Appointment Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the 1-year extension in the tenure of L C Goyal, as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the trade promotion agency of the ministry of Commerce and Industries. Goyal will hold the position for the extended period of 1 year from 1st September 2020 till 1st September 2021.

IAS Officer Usha Padhee Became the First Woman DG of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security • Usha Padhee, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1996 batch from Odisha Cadre became the first Women and the third IAS officer to be appointed as the Director General (DG) of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), a security regulator of civil aviation industry in India under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. She succeeds Rakesh Asthana (IPS) who was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) on 17th August 2020.

Aveek Sarkar Elected as the New Chairman of PTI; succeeds Vijay Kumar Chopra • The Board of Directors of Press Trust of India (PTI) announced that Aveek Sarkar (75), Editor Emeritus and Vice Chairman of Ananda Bazar Group of Publication was elected as the new Chairman of PTI, he will succeed Vijay Kumar Chopra, Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of Newspapers.

RBI Approved the Appointment of Murali Ramakrishnan as MD & CEO of South Indian Bank • The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) approved the appointment of Murali Ramakrishnan as the New Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The South Indian Bank, Kerala for a period of 3 years with effect from 1st October 2020. He succeeds V. G. Mathew whose tenure will be completed on 30th September 2020.

S Krishnan Appointed as MD & CEO of Punjab & Sind Bank; Replaces S Harishankar • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of S Krishnan as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Punjab & Sind Bank. He will replace S Harishankar.

ACC Approved Restructuring of the Indian Railways and appointed first ever CEO of IR • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the organizational restructuring of the Indian Railways, which includes the merger of eight Group A services and also approved the appointment of the current chairman of the Railway Board V K Yadav as the first ever Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IR. Along with the CEO post he also holds the chairman post.

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Mustapha Adib Appointed as the New Prime Minister of Lebanon • The Presidency of Lebanon appointed the Lebanon ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib as the New Prime Minister. He succeeds Hassan Diab, who resigned amid the economic crisis due to the aftermath of the blast in the Beirut port on 4th August 2020.

Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana Becomes Brand Ambassador of Bajaj Allianz Life • Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited appointed Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador to promote its products and digital services across offline and online mediums. He will feature in the life insurer’s next campaign, ‘Smart Living’, which includes its term plan, Smart Protect Goal and the new digital service, Smart Assist.

Celton Manx Confirmed the Appointment of Dwayne Bravo as the First Cricket Ambassador of SBOTOP • Dwayne Bravo, West Indies cricketer as the first Cricket Ambassador of SBOTOP, the flagship sportsbook brand of Celton Manx. SBOTOP is an online betting platform that provides e-gaming experiences with a range of products like sports, live casino, slot games and others.

NITI Aayog constitutes Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC) to be chaired by Ms Sanyukta Samaddar • NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog constituted a Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC) which will be chaired by Ms Sanyukta Samaddar, Adviser (Sustainable Development Goals).

Cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Bhuvneshwar Kumar Became the Brand Ambassadors of Playerzpot • Playerzpot, India’s leading sports gaming platforms signed cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as their brand ambassadors. The cricketers will feature in the future brand campaigns of Playerzport and promote Playerzpot through engagement activities.

AITA Elected Anil Jain, Rajya Sabha Member as its New President • Anil Jain, elected member of Rajya Sabha and national general secretary was elected as the new President of All India Tennis Association (AITA) succeeding Praveen Mahajan.

Ministry of Finance Formed Expert Panel Headed by Rajiv Mehrishi to Assess Impacts of Waiving Loan Moratorium • The Ministry of Finance formed a three-member expert panel headed by Rajiv Mehrishi, former comptroller and Auditor General of India to assess the impacts of the waiver of interest on the moratorium loans offered to the COVID-19 affected borrowers which ended on 31st August 2020. The committee will assess the impact of ‘waiving interest’ and ‘interest on interest’ on the COVID-19 related moratorium on the national economy and financial stability.

UNICEF Appointed Ayushmann Khurrana as Celebrity Advocate for Children’s Rights Campaign, ‘For Every Child’ • United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appointed Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its celebrity advocate for children’s rights campaign,” For Every Child”. He will work towards this initiative in India. He will support UNICEF to end violence against children, especially in the present situation- COVID-19 is increasing the risk of violence and abuse against children due to the extended lockdown and the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.

President Ram Nath Kovind appoints Paresh Rawal as Chairman of NSD • On the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India appointed Paresh Rawal, actor and former Member of Parliament as the Chairman of National School of Drama (NSD) for the next years, he succeeded Ratan Thiyam, Playwright and theatre Director who served as the chairman of NSD from 2013 to 2017 after which the post was vacant until now.

Government constitutes EGoM to oversee Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board • Government of India constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh to oversee the Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The

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Ministers in EGoM includes Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievance and Pension Jitendra Singh.

Govt Formed 16-member Committee to Study Ancient Indian Culture: Prahlad Singh Patel • Prahlad Singh Patel Minister of State (I/C- Independent Charge) of Culture and Tourism has informed that Government has formed a 16-member expert committee to conduct a study on the origin and evolution of Indian culture dating back to about 12,000 years ago and its interface with other cultures of the world.

Rajesh Khullar Appointed as Executive Director of World Bank & Sameer Kumar Khare as Executive Director of ADB • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of Rajesh Khullar as the Executive Director of World Bank (WB) and Sameer Kumar Khare as Executive Director of Asian Development Bank (ADB). Sameer Kumar Khare will have a tenure of 3 years until further orders or whichever is earlier. Rajesh Khullar will also have a tenure of 3 years or till the date of his superannuation (31.08.2023) or until further orders or whichever is earlier.

ADB Appointed Takeo Konishi as its new country director for India; Succeeds Kenichi Yokoyama • Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Takeo Konishi as its new country director for India. He succeeds Kenichi Yokoyama who has taken over as director general of the South Asia department of ADB.

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli Becomes Brand Ambassador of Great Learning • Great Learning, an ed-tech company for professional and higher education, has appointed Virat Kohli, Indian cricket team captain as its brand ambassador. Virat Kohli will lead ‘Power Ahead’ campaign, the latest one of the brand. Great Learning will launch a multi-film campaign with Virat Kohli during the upcoming Dream 11 IPL, where the brand is an associate sponsor on Disney + Hotstar.

Sachin Tendulkar Becomes Brand Ambassador of Paytm First Games • Paytm First Games (PFG), a subsidiary of digital financial service platform Paytm, has roped in legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar of India as its brand Ambassador. Sachin Tendulkar will create awareness about the genre of fantasy sports in India and will also promote and generate excitement around all sports including kabaddi, football, and basketball. Paytm is the official umpire partner for IPL till 2022 and has been the title sponsor for Indian cricket.

TPCI sets up Food Sectoral Committees to tap into New Markets and Investment • Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) constituted three committees with the aim of tapping new markets and identifying new opportunities for trade and investment. The Three Committees will focus on Food & Beverages, Food Processing Technology and Chemical and Allied Products. (i) Laxman Singh Rathor - Chairman of committee on Food and Beverages (F&B) (ii) R. Senguttuvan – Chairman of Food processing technology Committee (iii) Manish Shah - chairman of Chemical and Allied Products Committee.

Yoshihide Suga formally elected as Japan’s New Prime Minister • Yoshihide Suga was formally elected as Japan’s New Prime Minister. He will succeed Shinzo Abe, who was Japan’s Longest serving Prime Minister and stepped down due to health problems. Yoshihide’s party Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a majority in the Japan Parliament. ‘DIET’ is the National parliament of Japan.

Indian Cricketer Suresh Raina Becomes Brand Ambassador of Online Poker Platform, 9stacks • India’s fastest growing online poker platform ‘9stacks’ has roped in Suresh Raina, Indian cricketer as its brand ambassador. A left-handed Batsman and a spin bowler, Suresh Raina will be a part of the upcoming campaigns and engagement activities of 9stacks. He will anchor the brand and help to create a higher brand recall among the key target audience.

Government forms Expert Committee under NCSC Rajesh Pant to probe reports of snooping by Chinese firm • Government of India formed an Expert Committee led by National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) Lt General (retd) Rajesh Pant, India’s Chief Coordinator on Cyber Security to examine the reports of digital surveillance on Prominent Indian Nationals including President, Army Chief by Chinese firm Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Company Ltd.

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President Accepts the Resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries • President of India, Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries with immediate effect. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Lok Sabha leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) tendered her resignation in protest against anti-former ordinances and legislation which were passed on 17th September 2020.The resignation was accepted under the clause (2) of Article 75 of the Indian Constitution. Cabinet Minister Narendra Singh Tomar was assigned to the additional charges of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

Centre Sets up High-Level Committee Headed by Ajay Tirkey to Prepare Roadmap to Regularise Land Leasing in Agri Sector • The Centre has set up a high-level committee headed by Ajay Tirkey, secretary of the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development to prepare a roadmap for regularisation of land leasing in the agriculture sector.

FSSAI constitutes task force to look into guidelines for Vegan Foods • Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) formed a seven-member task force for framing guidelines/provisions for vegan foods in the country. member Company Law Committee Gets 1-year Extension; Headed by Rajesh Verma • The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) extended the tenure of the Company Law Committee by one year, i.e., this committee constituted in September 2019 has been extended up to two years (17.09.2021) from the date of the order to constitute the committee (18.09.2019). It is now chaired by Rajesh Verma, Secretary of MCA. The 11- member committee has a mandate to submit periodic recommendations to the government in phases and subject- wise, as may be decided by the chairman.

Former RAW Chief Anil Dhasmana Appointed as New Chief of NTRO; Succeeds Satish Chandra Jha • The Central government appointed Anil Dhasmana, former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) as the new chief of National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO). He will serve till he attains the age of 65, i.e., for 2 years. He succeeds Satish Chandra Jha, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, who resigned from the office on September 17, 2020.

PK Mishra Panel to Initiate Action in Advance for Managing Air Pollution in NCR • A high-level task force led by Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister reviewed the action taken by agencies and firm up plans for the coming harvesting and winter season. Its objective was to initiate proper precautionary and preventive measures in advance for the management of air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Retd Col Dr Girija Shanker Mungali Appointed as a Member of AFC Task Force • Dato’ Windsor John, the General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation(AFC) appointed retired Colonel Dr. Girija Shankar Mungali as a member of the 7 members task force of AFC to regulate the football clubs in Asia and Australia. He is the only Indian appointed to this task force and He will hold his position in the panel till 2023.

Former Defence Minister Bah Ndaw named as Interim President of Mali • Former Mali Defence Minister and retired Colonel Bah Ndaw was named as the Interim President of the Republic of Mali. Colonel Assimi Goita was appointed as Vice President. They will be sworn in on 25th September, 2020. The capital and currency of Mali are Bamako & West African CFA franc respectively.

SEBI constitutes Technical Group on Social Stock Exchange under Harsh Kumar Bhanwala • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) constituted the Technical Group under the Chairmanship of Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, former Chairman of NABARD. The group will develop a framework for on- boarding non-profit organisations and for-profit enterprises. It will also develop a framework for prescribing disclosure requirements relating to performance and aspects related to social audit and social impact.

RBI Appoints AK Dixit as New Administrator of PMC Bank; Succeeds J.B. Bhoria • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed AK Dixit, ex-General Manager of Union Bank of India (UBI) as the new administrator of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank Limited with effect from September 23, 2020. He succeeds J.B. Bhoria, who stepped down from the post of administrator on September 22, 2020. Administrator

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was appointed in the exercise of the powers conferred on RBI as per Banking Regulation Act, 1949 under subsections 1 and 2 of section 36AAA and Section 56. In addition to that, Surinderpal Singh Ram Singh has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of PMC bank limited with effect from September 11, 2020. year-old girl Khushi Chindaliya appointed UNEP’s Green Ambassador in India • Khushi Chindaliya (17) based on Surat, Gujarat has been appointed as Regional Ambassador (RA) for India for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Tunza Eco-Generation (TEG), which is scheduled to take place in September 2020. Khushi’s essay was among the several essays chosen by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to be published in the book ‘Year 1 AC (After Coronavirus): Essays by 100 Young Indians’.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus Sworn in for 6th Term • President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, sworn in for a new 5-year term (His 6th term) in an inauguration conducted with no prior announcement. He is an independent or nonpartisan politician. He won this election in alliance with Belaya Rus. The capital and currency of Belarus are Minsk & Belarusian Ruble respectively.

Former Rebel Commander Ishmael Toroama elected as the President of Bougainville • Ishmael Toroama, former rebel military commander and leader of Bougainville People’s Alliance Party (BPAP) was elected as the President of Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), replacing the long serving President John Momis He will take office on 25th September 2020. The capital and currency of Bougainville are Buka & Papua New Guinea kina respectively.

Acer India Appoints Actor Sonu Sood as its Brand Ambassador • Acer India, leading Personal Computer (PC) brand appointed actor Sonu Sood as its brand ambassador. As the brand ambassador of Acer India, Sonu Sood will support the range of innovative products of Acer over the social media and campaign on the commitment of Acers in improving the lives of the people through technology.

Uday Kotak Gets 1 Year Extension as the Non-Executive Chairman of IL&FS • The Government of India has extended the term of Uday Kotak, the Managing Director and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank as the Chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to one more year till October 2021 as the Non-Executive Chairman of IL&FS.

EESL Appoints Rajat Sud as its New Managing Director; Succeeds S Gopal • Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a Joint Venture (JV) of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, appointed Rajat Sud as its new Managing Director (MD) with immediate effect.

Somalia’s President Appointed Mohamed Hussein Roble as New Prime Minister • Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, President of Somalia appointed Mohamed Hussein Roble, Swedish trained civil engineer and political neophyte as the new Prime Minister (PM) of Somalia following the removal of the former PM Hassan Ali Khaire in July 2020.

Aakash Educational Service Ltd Appointed Yuvraj Singh as its Brand Ambassador • Aakash Educational Services Limited(AESL) appointed Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh as its brand ambassador to promote its brands including Aakash Institute, Aakash IIT-JEE, Akash Digital and Meritnation. As the brand ambassador of AESL, Yuvarj Singh will lead the “Success is Waiting”, a multi- channel campaign of Aakash Digital.

Actor Aamir Khan becomes Brand Ambassador of CEAT • CEAT Limited, a tyre company of RPG Enterprises (Rama Prasad Goenka Group), signed Indian Actor Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador for 2 years. As part of an integrated marketing campaign he will feature in 2 commercials during the on-going Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in Dubai to promote CEAT’s SecuraDrive, a range of mass premium tyres.

India and Israel to Co-Develop Hi-Tech Weapon Systems • The strategic partnership of India-Israel is expanding in various sectors whether it’s innovation or defence. A new sub working group (SWG) to promote joint projects, under the overarching joint working group on defence cooperation headed by Indian defence secretary Ajay Kumar and his Israeli counterpart, was set up. The SWG will be headed by Sanjay Jaju, joint secretary (defence industries production) in the Indian defence ministry and Eyal Calif, director Asia & Pacific from the Israeli one. SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 45

RBI Ropes in Amitabh Bachchan for Customer Awareness Campaign • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) roped in Indian Film Actor Amitabh Bachchan for the customer awareness campaign to prevent naive account holders from being deceived by fraudsters. As part of the RBI’s public awareness campaign, the regulator continues to inform customers about do’s and don’ts for safe and secure transactions. RBI has become the most popular central bank on twitter, with about 9.66 lakh followers while US Federal Reserve, world’s most powerful central bank has about 6.64 lakh followers.

RBI Approved 3-Member Committee Headed by Meeta Makhan to Function as ad-interim MD & CEO of LVB • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved that daily affairs of Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) will be run by a Committee of Directors (CoD) composed of 3 independent directors namely, Meeta Makhan, Chairperson of the CoD, Shakti Sinha, Member and Satish Kumar Kalra, Member. The CoD will exercise the discretionary powers of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the ad-interim.

Transitional Government of Mali Appointed Moctar Ouane as the New Prime Minister • Former Foreign Affairs Minister Moctar Ouane (64) was appointed as the New Prime Minister of Mali by the decree signed by Mali’s new interim President Bah N’Daw, following the military coup on 18th August 2020.

Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s Prime Minister-Designate Resigns • Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s Prime Minister designate, resigned after failing to form a government in a month of negotiations. His resignation comes amidst a political crisis over government formation, after he was appointed to the position on August 31, 2020.

Entri, Kerala Startup Signs up Indian Cricketer, Robin Uthappa as it Brand Ambassador • Entri, a local language learning app for jobs, signed up Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa (representing Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020) as its brand ambassador in its 1st major campaign across India. It has also partnered with Hotstar to run ad campaigns in 5 different languages throughout the ongoing IPL season.

Vedantu, Online tutoring platform Ropes in Aamir Khan as Brand Ambassador • Online live tutoring company, Vedantu has roped Indian Actor Aamir Khan as its Brand Ambassador. He will feature in the new ad-campaigns of the company. The 6 ad film series are conceptualized by The Script Room with the tagline “Samaj Aayega toh Maza Ayega, Maza Ayega toh Samajh Ayega”.

P D Vaghela Appointed as Chairman of TRAI; Succeeds RS Sharma • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed P.D. Vaghela, currently the secretary of the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for a period of three years or until he attains the age of 65, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Ram Sewak (RS) Sharma, who will retire on September 30, 2020, after a five-year tenure.

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ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Reliance Industries acquired Future Group for Rs.24,713 crore • The Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), subsidiary of the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) acquired the retail and wholesale, logistics and warehousing business of the Future Group Business as going concerns on a slump sale basis for lump sum aggregate consideration of Rs 24,713 crore.

DoT & SEBI Approved Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Proposal to Acquire Reliance Telecom Tower Assets • The Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) and The Securities and Exchange Board of India-SEBI (with certain clauses) has given approval to Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio), to sell units worth Rs 25,215 crore in Tower Infrastructure Trust to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. It also approved a downstream foreign investment of Rs 105.35 crore to acquire remaining 49% paid up equity share capital in Reliance Jio Infratel Pvt Ltd (RJIPL) and increase the foreign capital in the firm to 100%.

Adani Group to Acquire 74% Stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited • Adani Airport Holdings Limited(AAHL), holding company of Adani Group for its airports business has entered into an agreement to acquire 74% in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. AAHL will acquire 50.50% stake of GVK Airport Developers Ltd (GVKADL) and 23.5% of minority partners ACSA and Bidvest in MIAL – for which it has obtained Competition Commission of India approval. Remaining 26% stake of MIAL will be with acquired by Airports Authority of India (AAI).

CCI Approved Incremental Acquisition of 6.51% shareholdings in ClariantAGunder by SABIC International Holdings B.V. • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved an incremental acquisition of 6.51% shareholding in ClariantAGunder (ClariantAG) by SABIC International Holdings B.V. (SABIC BV), a wholly owned affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation-SABIC under section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. CCI’s approval is without bias to the proceedings under Section 43A of the act.

Silver Lake Set to Invest Rs.7500 Crore for 1.75% Stake in Reliance Retails • Silver Lake, US based global technology investment firm, is set to invest Rs. 7500 crores in Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). This investment will provide Silver lake a 1.75% stake in RRVL. This investment will enhance the retail presence of RIL in the domestic market.

CCI Approved 20% acquisition of Piramal Pharma Limited by CA Clover Intermediate II Investments • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition of 20% issued and paid-up equity share capital (in short- stake) of Piramal Pharma Limited (in short- Piramal Pharma), wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL) by CA Clover Intermediate II Investments (Curie), an affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius Limited.

CCI Approved Acquisition of Bombardier Transportation’s & Nutrition & Biosciences Inc. • Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the following proposals under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002: ➢ Acquisition of sole control over Bombardier Transportation’s (Bombardier Transport) by Alstom ➢ S.A. (Alstom)

KKR Picks up 1.28% Equity Stake of Reliance Retails for Rs.5550 Crore Investment • Reliance Industries limited (RIL) announced that KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), global investment firm, will pick up 1.28% equity shares of RIL subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) by investing Rs.5550 crores. The investment of KKR will translate into a 1.28% equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis.

CCI Approved Acquisition of 100% Equity Shares of Medlife by API Holdings • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved an acquisition of 100% equity shares of Medlife International Private Limited (Medlife) by API Holdings Private Limited (API Holdings), the parent of PharmEasy and as consideration, the acquisition of up to 19.59% of the equity share capital of API Holdings on a fully diluted basis, by the Medlife Promoter Shareholders and other shareholders of Medlife. The Approval was given under the Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

New E-market Platform “Agriota” Launched to Bridge Gap between Indian Farmers & UAE food industry • United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched ‘Agriota’, a new technology-driven Agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform during a launch ceremony, which was also attended by Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the UAE. The market platform aims to bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the Gulf nation’s food industry. It has been launched by Dubai’s free-zone Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the government of Dubai’s authority on commodities trade and enterprise.

CSIR-CMERI Developed & Installed the World’s Largest Solar Tree in Durgapur • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR – CMERI) developed the world largest Solar Tree with customisable features for application in different locations and installed it in the residential colony of CMERI at Durgapur, West Bengal.

ICICI Prudential Life Launched AI-Powered Voice Chatbot, ‘LiGo’ on Google Assistant • ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Prudential Life) has introduced an Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice chat-bot, ‘LiGo’, on Google Assistant. LiGo is ICICI Prudential Life’s customer service chat-bot. This will enable the company’s policyholders to address their queries by simple voice commands. It provides an easy to use and convenient service touch-point for customers.

Indian Railways develops ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19 patients • Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food, medicine to COVID-19 patients. At present, ‘MEDBOT’ is providing service in the Central Hospital of the Diesel Rail Engine Factory, Varanasi of Indian Railways.

IIT Guwahati Collaborates with University of Pardubice, Czech Republic for Data Protection Project • A Team of Researchers from IIT Guwahati have collaborated with University of Pardubice, Czech Republic to work towards developing indigenous algorithms to protect the Country’s digital data from cyber- attacks by advanced computers. The work has been published in the IEEE International Conference Radioelektronika (RADIOELEKTRONIKA).

Researchers from Kerala and West Bengal have identified ‘Systomus Gracilus’, a New Species of Freshwater Fish from Ganga • The researchers from Kerala and West Bengal have identified Systomus gracilus, a new cyprinid (family of freshwater fish) fish from Ganges River at Naihati of West Bengal. The discovery was published as an article in the ‘Journal of Experimental Zoology’. The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has funded this project.

IIT Delhi Incubated Startup, Chakr Innovation Launched “Chakr DeCoV” to Decontaminate N95 Masks • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi incubated start-up Chakr Innovation launched an Ozone based decontamination device named “Chakr DeCoV” to decontaminate the N95 masks and reuse up-to 10 times. The device was developed by the Chakr Innovation team led by Tushar Batham with the guidance of researchers and professors of IIT Delhi.

LIGO and VIRGO Detected Mammoth Collision of ‘Impossible’ Black Holes for 1st time • For the 1st time, The Collision of ‘Impossible’ Black Holes was detected and directly observed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Laboratory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration also known as LVC (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration), which includes scientists from the Australian National University (ANU).

Union Minister of Education Launched First of its Kind Mobile App “EnglishPro” Developed by EFLU • Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Education launched a free mobile app “EnglishPro” to develop Indian English Pronunciation in the unique “Indian” way in Hyderabad over a virtual platform. It was developed by the Central University, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) under the University Social Responsibility (USR) programme. This is the first initiative by any university in India.

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SpaceX Launched 60 Starlink Satellites to Provide Faster Internet • The Falcon 9 of SpaceX, a two stage rocket launched the 12th batch of starlink mission with 60 starlink satellites into orbit. Falcon 9 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Florida. This launch is the first mission of SpaceX in September and 16th Mission in 2020.

China Launched Reusable Experimental Spacecraft on a Long March-2F Carrier Rocket • China launched a reusable experimental spacecraft on a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in North-Western Chinese region Inner Mongolia. The spacecraft is similar to the X-37B launched by the US. This launch was the 14th mission of the Long March-2F carrier rocket.

DRDO successfully tests Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle using Scramjet Propulsion System • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the Indigenously developed Scramjet Propulsion System in its second attempt. The Technology will be very critical as it will play an important part in developing hypersonic cruise missile systems being developed by DRDO. The HSTDV is designed to cruise at Mach 6 speed (or six times the speed of sound), and the test was conducted from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha Coast.

Thaawarchand Gehlot launched ‘24×7 toll-free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline ‘KIRAN’ • Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the 24×7 Toll- Free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline “KIRAN” (1800-500-0019). The Helpline has been developed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Moon is Rusting: Orbital Data Reveals Presence of Hematite at High Latitudes on the Moon • New research paper titled “Widespread hematite at high latitudes of the Moon” published on Science Advances reviewed the data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper Instrument (M3) of Chandrayan-1 orbiter of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and found the Hematite (iron oxide or rust) at the high latitudes of the moon. Shuai Li from the University of Hawaii was the lead author of the research paper.

WIHG Developed a Neural-Based Practical Approach for Automatic Interpretation of 3D Seismic Data, 1st of its kind Approach • A neural-based (machine learning-based) practical approach for automatic interpretation of 3D seismic data, has been developed by the scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an autonomous Institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST). This 1st of its kind approach was developed by computing a new attribute called meta-attribute. The study has been published in the research journal ‘Tectonophysics’.

Northrop Grumman Named its NG-14 Cygnus Spacecraft as ‘SS Kalpana Chawla’ after Former Astronaut Kalpana Chawla • An American Global Aerospace and Defense technology company, Northrop Grumman Corporation (Northrop Grumman) has named its next Cygnus Spacecraft, NG-14 as ‘SS Kalpana Chawla’ after Dr Kalpana Chawla, a former NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), United States of America-USA Astronaut. She was selected in honour of her outstanding place in history as the 1st woman of Indian descent to go to space. S.S. Kalpana Chawla is the 2nd Cygnus to be named for a member of the STS-107 crew. Rick Husband, Columbia’s last commander, was similarly honored in 2016.

Florida University Research Team Discovered the Explosion of ‘Supernova LSQ14fmg’ • A 37-member international research team led by Eric Hsiao, Assistant Professor of Physics in Florida State University (FSU) discovered that an unusual supernova, called Supernova LSQ14fmg was exploding. It was located one -hundred million light-years away from Earth. It is known as Type La supernova, and more particularly, a member of the ‘super-Chandrasekhar’ group. The research was published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal’.

MoRTH Conducted Orientation and Training Programme of iRAD App • Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) conducted the 2-days Orientation and Training programme on Integrated Road Accident Database Project (iRAD) App for the selected districts of Karnataka and on 10th & 11th September 2020 for some districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The basic iRAD app, for capturing the spot accident data, has been developed by IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) Madras (Tamil Nadu) and National Informatics Centre Services Inc (NICSI) of New Delhi.

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IIT Guwahati develops self-check Kiosk: first-of-its-kind in India • Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in collaboration with Workspace Metal Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Udaipur, has developed a self-check kiosk, it has first of its kind UV-C disinfection box capable of killing viruses/bacteria present on the surfaces of luggage, bags, keys, mobiles, wallet etc.

Astronomers Discovered Possible Signs of Microbial Life on Venus Clouds • A team of scientists announced the discovery of Phosphine, a rare molecule which provides a possibility of microbial life in the clouds of the Venus. Professor Jane Greaves, Cardiff University, United Kingdom was the lead author of a report published in Nature Astronomy. The researchers team detected the Phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii, USA. Later the team was awarded time to follow their discovery with the 45 telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.

China Successfully launches 9 satellites into Orbit by Sea Launch • China Successfully launched a solid-propellant carrier rocket from a ship in the Yellow Sea, China. It sent 9 satellites into the planned Orbit, and is the Second such Sea-based Launch Mission. The 9 satellites belonged to the Jilin-1 Gaofen 03-1 group, and were launched using Long March 11-HY2 (China’s first sea-launched rocket). It was the 346th Launch using the Long March Rocket Series. The Satellites have been developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Ltd.

Delhi Metro Launched India’s 1st Indigenous Signalling Technology ‘i-ATS’ under Make in India • On the occasion of Engineers Day i.e. September 15, 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched i- ATS (Automatic Train Supervision), the first Made-in-India signalling system. It is an important sub-system of the signalling system for the development of CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) based signalling technology for metro railway by automatically detecting all trains on a corridor.

Scientists Discovered 1st Ever Planet, ‘WD 1856 b’ Orbiting a White Dwarf, ‘WD 1856+534’ • An international team of astronomers have discovered the 1st ever planet, ‘‘WD 1856 B’’ orbiting a white dwarf (‘WD 1856+534’) or a dead star, located about 80 light years away in the northern constellation Draco. The Jupiter sized planet has a very short orbital period, i.e., a year on this planet is only 1.4 days. The findings are published in the Journal Nature. The discovery was made using NASA’s (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and retired Spitzer Space Telescope. WD 1856 b is about 7 times larger than ‘WD 1856+534’.

IIIT Bhubaneswar Students Developed, ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind Helmet-like Ventilation Device to Ease Breathing • A group of 7 engineering students from IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology), Bhubaneswar have developed ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind helmet-like ventilation device to help patients breathe more conveniently. The designed hyperbaric chamber is a low-cost device to help COVID-19 patients.

Southern Railway’s Chennai Division launches “Freight Seva” app • The Chennai Division of Southern Railways launched an in-house mobile application called “Freight Seva”, as part of its efforts to boost Freight traffic and add more customers to its base. The app will serve as a platform for information needs, and will provide necessary details for the freight customers.

Tata Group to launch India’s 1st CRISPR COVID-19 test, ‘FELUDA’ • Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given regulatory approval for the commercial launch of ‘FELUDA’ (FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay), India’s 1st CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) test. It is developed by the scientist of CSIR-IGIB (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research -Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology). As per the agreement was signed by Tata Sons Private Limited and CSIR-IGIB in May, 2020, Tata group will manufacture it.

SCTIMST develops device to prevent deep vein thrombosis • Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, has Indigenously developed a device for the prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of blood clots in deeply located veins, usually in the legs.

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DRDO conducts successful flight test of ABHYAS from Odisha Test Range • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the flight test of ABHYAS — High Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from the Interim Test Range, Balasore, Odisha. ABHYAS is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO. This is the second time that the target vehicle (ABHYAS) was successfully tested. The first successful test was conducted in May 2019.

India’s 1st Commercial Indigenously Developed Sonar Dome to be Mounted on P15 Alpha Warship • Goa-based composites manufacturing company Kineco Limited became the first Indian company to manufacture indigenous composites sonar dome after it was flagged off by the then Union Defence Minister Late Manohar Parrikar to be delivered to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai. The Kineco manufactured sonar dome flagged off to MDL, Mumbai by Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant for its mounting on the Indian Navy’s Kolkata and Visakhapatnam-class stealth destroyers of Indian Navy, P15 Alpha for the first time. It has been designed by Research and Development Establishment, a Pune based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory. Note: India’s first maritime cluster is coming up at Verna, Goa.

DRDO Successfully Test Fires Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the Indigenously developed Laser Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun at the Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S), KK Ranges in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The missile had hit a target of up to 3Km in these tests.

Indigenously Developed Prithvi-II Missile Successfully Night Test Fired from Chandipur, Odisha • As a part of routine trail India successfully conducted the night test fire of its indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile which was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex- 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. The entire launch activity was carried out by Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the Army and monitored by scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock. The last night time testfire of Prithvi-II was conducted successfully from the ITR on November 20, 2019.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches “Centralized Farm Machinery Performance Testing Portal” • Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launched “Centralized Farm Machinery Performance Testing Portal” (https://www.agrimachinery.nic.in/FMTTI/Management) in public domain. The Portal has been developed by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture.

IIT Madras Developed an Indigenous Microprocessor “MOUSHIK” For IoT Devices • Researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras developed the indigenously made microprocessor “MOUSHIK”, a processor cum “system-on-chip” (SoC) for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. MOUSHIK will support the developing IoT devices which are the integral part of the Smart Cities of Digital India. This project was funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Israel Defence Force successfully tests Sea-To-Sea Missile System • Israel’s Navy and Defense Ministry’s Weapons Development and Technology Infrastructure Administration (MAFAT) successfully test fired a new Sea-To-Sea Missile System. The Missile is yet to be named and has been designed to ensure Israel’s continued Naval Superiority. The New Missile system has been developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launches ICMR’s vaccine web portal & National Clinical Registry • Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Harsh Vardhan launched Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s Vaccine Web Portal and National Clinical Registry for COVID-19. The portal will provide information regarding COVID-19 vaccine development in India and Abroad. The National COVID-19 Clinical Registry will collect data concerning clinical and laboratory investigations, treatments, management protocols and outcomes of hospitalized COVID patients in India.

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ENVIRONMENT

Researchers of ZSI Discovers Two New Species of Cockroach Wasps in Western Ghats • Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode discovered 2 new species of Cockroach Wasps in Western Ghats. These new species were named Dolichurus sahyadriensis after Sahyadri or Western Ghats mountain ranges and Dolichurus chareshi after C. Charesh, the laboratory assistant, ZSI who contributed in the collection of the species. The findings will be published in the Zootaxa, an internationally peer reviewed journal of animal taxonomy.

JNTBGRI Identified New & Rare Species of Climber “Pothos boyceanus” in Western Ghats • Scientists of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute(JNTBGRI) from Palode of Kerala, have identified a new and extremely rare climber named “Pothos boyceanus” after Peter G. Boyce, expert on ‘Araceae’ of Southeast Asia. The discovery of Pothos boyceanus was published in Taiwania, international journal of biodiversity. The discovery was made during a floristic survey of the Western Ghats in the evergreen forests of Valara, Iddukki at Kerala.

SPORTS

Formula One Champion Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton Won the Belgian Grand Prix 2020; Won this title for 4th time, Claimed his 89th GP • Formula One Champion Mercedes Lewis Hamilton (British) won the Belgian Grand Prix (GP) 2020 at Belgium. This is his 4th Belgian GP win, the record equals with Jim Clark and Kimi Raikkonen in 3rd position in all time most wins of Belgian GP, behind Michael Schumacher (6 times) and Ayrton Senna (5times). With this victory, he claimed his 89th career title.

India, Russia declared joint winners of 2020 Online FIDE Chess Olympiad • India and Russia were declared joint winners of the 2020 Online FIDE (International Chess Federation) Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection. This was the first time that FIDE was holding the Olympiad in an online format due to the ongoing Pandemic. The Indian squad at the Chess Olympiad 2020 included Vishwanathan Anand, Vidit Santosh Gujarati (captain), P. Harikrishna, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Bhakti Kulkarni, Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh, R. Praggnanandha, Vantika Agrawal, R. Vaishali and Arvindh Chithambaram.

Olympic & Giant Slalom Ski Champion Viktoria Rebensburg retires at 30 • Germany’s Olympic Ski Champion Viktoria Rebensburg (30) announced her retirement from Alpine Skiing. Rebensburg was a German World Cup-winning Alpine Ski Racer. She was born on 4th October 1989 at Tegernsee, Bavaria, Germany. She won the Gold Medal in 2010 Winter Olympics held at Vancouver (Canada) in Giant Slalom, a discipline in Alpine Skiing.

Indian GM Iniyan wins 48th Annual World Open Chess Virtual tournament (online) • Indian Grandmaster Panneerselvam Iniyan won the 48th Annual World Open Chess Tournament via online with 7.5 points from nine games. The World Open Chess Tournament is organized by Continental Chess Association. It was held from August 7-9, 2020 in online mode following classical time control.

England Cricketer Ian Bell announces Retirement at the age of 38 • England Cricketer Ian Ronald Bell (38) announced retirement from Professional Cricket. He was the second player after Ian Botham to be involved in five Ashes series wins. Ian Bell has represented England in 118 Test Matches, 161 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 8 Twenty 20 Internationals (T20I). He has scored 7,727 runs in Test Cricket at an average of 42.69, while scoring 5,416 runs in the 50-over format.

French Driver Pierre Gasly wins 2020 Italian Grand Prix • French Driver Pierre Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix for his Racing Team Alpha Tauri. Pierre Gasly became the first Frenchman to win a race since Olivier Panis won Monaco Grand Prix in 1996.

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Wushu Stalwart Poonam Khatri’s Silver Medal at 2019 World Championship Upgraded to Gold Medal • Poonam Khatri who won the Silver Medal at the 15th edition of World Wushu Championships (WWC) 2019 held at Minhang Gymnasium in Shanghai, China has now been upgraded to Gold Medal. She is now the third Indian to win a Gold in Wushu World Championship after Pooja Kadiyan (2017) and Praveen Kumar (2019). Her Gold Medal got upgraded after Iran’s Maryam Hashemi failed in her dope test.

US Open 2020 – Overview • The 140th Edition of American Open took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York, United States from August 31, 2020 – September 13, 2020. • 2020 US Open Winners:

Category Winner Runners-up Men’s Singles Dominic Thiem (Austria) Alexander Zverev(Germany) Women’s Singles Naomi Osaka (Japan) Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) Mate Pavic (Croatia) & Bruno Soares Wesley Koolhof (Netherlands)& Nikola Men’s Doubles (Brazil) Mektic (Croatia) Women’s Laura Siegemund (Germany) & Vera Nicole Melichar (United States) & Yifan Doubles Zvonareva (Russia) Xu (China)

Lewis Hamilton wins Tuscan Grand Prix, Albon secures first career podium • Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Won the Tuscan Grand Prix 2020, held at the Mugello Circuit, Italy. This is Hamilton’s 90th Pole Position of his career, he is one win short of equalling Michael Schumacher’s All-Time Record.

2020 Italian Open – Overview • The 77th Edition of Italian Open (also known as Rome Masters or the Internazionali BNL d’Italia) 2020 took place from September 14-21, 2020 at Foro Italico Court, Rome, Italy. • 2020 Italian Open Winners:

Category Winner Runner-up Men’s Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) Singles Women’s Singles Simona Halep (Romania) Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) Marvel Granollers (Spain) and Jeremy Chardy (France) and Men’s Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) Fabrice Martin (France) Doubles Women’s Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) and Anna-Lena Friedsam Doubles Barbora Strycova (Czech (Germany) and Republic) Raluca Olaru (Romania)

Fed Cup, Women’s World Cup of Tennis, Renamed as the Billie Jean King Cup: ITF • International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that Fed Cup, the women’s world cup of tennis, has been renamed as the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas, a French international banking group. This is the 1st time a major global team competition has been named after a woman. Billie Jean King is an American Former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She is a global campaigner for equality who has dedicated her life to combating all forms of discrimination.

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BOOKS & AUTHORS

Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar Authored a Children’s Book “The Big Thoughts of Little Luv” • Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar authored a children’s picture book titled “The Big Thoughts of Little Luv” inspired by his Twins Yash and Roohi. The book will be published by Juggernaut Books. This is the first picture book authored by Karan Johar. He released his autobiography titled “An Unsuitable Boy” in 2017. He received the Padma Shri Award in the field of Arts in January 2020.

Ramachandra Guha Authored New book ‘The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Subtlest and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind’ • Indian writer Ramachandra Guha has authored a new book, ‘The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Subtlest and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind ‘. The book portrays the entire arc of the game (cricket) in India, across all levels at which it is played and gives a glimpse of local heroes, provincial emblems and international stars. The book will be co-published by HarperCollins India and William Collins.

Hollywood Actor Channing Tatum is Set to Publish His First Children’s Book “The One and Only Sparkella” • Hollywood Actor Channing Tatum announced the release of his first book, a Children’s picture book titled “The One and Only Sparkella” dedicated to his daughter Everly. The book featuring the illustrations of Kim Barnes is set to be published by Feiwel & Friends on 4th May 2021. The book portrays a young girl Ella who likes sparkly things and gets teased at school and Ella’s father who teaches her to express and love herself.

Pope Francis’s New Book “Let Us Dream” to Release in December 2020 • Pope Francis is set to release the book “Let Us Dream” in December 2020. The book will be an outcome of numerous exchanges between Pope Francis and his Biographer Austen Ivereigh in the weeks following the Coronavirus outbreak around the world. Austen Ivereigh is a Roman Catholic Journalist, Commentator, author based out of Britain.

UNEP Launches New Book “The Little Book of Green Nudges” • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a new publication, “The Little Book of Green Nudges”, to inspire students around the globe to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles. The Book was drafted with The Behavioural Insights Team and GRID-Arendal.

Goonmeet Singh Chauhan’s New Book “Invertonomics” featuring Ideas to Transform India • Goonmeet Singh Chauhan’s new book “Invertonomics: 8 ideas to transform India” presents practical ideas and models to solve the 8 specific fundamental problems of India like, Social inequality, Air pollution, Cleanliness, Safer Cities, Women empowerment and rural economy deteriorating etc. It was published by HarperCollins India. In this book, Goonmeet coined a methodology “Invertonomics”, a model that invert problems into economic opportunities.

2 books on Ma Anand Sheela- Authorised biography, ‘Nothing to Lose’ by Manbeena Sandhu & Memoir, ‘My Story in My Own Words’ to be Released • The 2 books on Sheela Birnstiel, namely ‘Nothing to Lose’, an authorised biography by Manbeena Sandhu, which portrays the woman behind the strong persona and her Memoir, ‘My Story in My Own Words’ to be published in October 2020 and November 2020 respectively.

PM Modi launches two books authored by authored by Gulab Kothari • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 2 books Samvad Upanishad and Akshar Yatra, authored by Gulab Kothari, Editor in Chief of Rajasthan Patrika Group and Chairman of Patrika Group of Newspaper.

Radha M Nair’s New Book Titled “Breaking the Cocoon @ 40” • Radha M Nair announced her first book titled “Breaking the Cocoon @ 40” portrays her life experiences in the advertising world of Mumbai where she started her career as a copywriter during her early forties. The book will be published by Poorna Publications. Previously, she co-authored the book titled “The God Who Rules a Kingdom, the story of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple” with Aswathi Thirunal Gauri Lakshmi Bai.

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A Book Titled ‘End of an Era, India Exits Tibet’ Authored by Claude Arpi to be Released • The book titled, ‘End of an Era, India Exits Tibet’ authored by Claude Arpi to be released soon. The book portrays India Tibet relation during 1947-1962. The core of the book is about India losing all its influence in Tibet, helping China press aggressive claims along the border with India. It is based on Nehru Memorial Library papers, de- classified Indian and Chinese documents and personal interviews.

Penguin Books Published Arundhati Roy’s Book titled “Azadi” • Arundhati Roy’s new book titled “Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction” is published by Penguin Books Limited. The nonfiction book is a collection of essays that shows the meaning of Freedom in the world of increasing authoritarianism.

“A Promised Land”: First Volume of Former US President Barack Obama’s Memoir • Penguin Random House announced that the first volume of the Former President of United States of America (USA), Barack Obama’s memoir “A Promised Land” is set to hit the stores on 17th November 2020, two weeks after Election day. His other books include “Of Thee I Sing” (children’s book), “Change We Can Believe in”, etc.,

“Voices of Dissent” authored by Historian Romila Thapar • The New book titled “Voices of Dissent” authored by Historian Romila Thapar will be jointly published by Penguin Random House India and Seagull Books. The book is set to publish in October 2020. The book is a historical essay that explores dissent, including its articulation and public response to its forms, with a focus on the recent protest in India against the citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens

Union Minister Rajnath Singh launches the Book ‘A Bouquet of Flowers’ • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched the Book ‘A Bouquet of Flowers’ written by Dr Krishna Saksena. She is the first woman to get a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). This is her 9th book, and it gives a look into the inner workings of society, from the perspective of changing values and culture, where she subtly highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Contemporary Society.

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OBITUARY

Former Indian Cricketer Sadashiv Raoji Patil Passes Away at 86 • Former Indian Cricketer Sadashiv Raoji Patil (86) who represented India in one test match passed away at his residence in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He was born on 10th October 1933 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Sadashiv Raoji Patil made his first class debut for Maharashtra in 1952-53 season. He served as the captain of Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy.

Former President of Mali, Moussa Traore Passed Away at 83 • Former President of Republic of Mali (South Africa) General Moussa Traoré (83), who reigned over Mali for more than 22 years passed away at his retirement villa in Djicoroni-Para, Bamako, Mali. He was born in 1936 in Kayes, Mali.

Kapila Vatsyayan, Indian Cultural Icon, Former MP and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Passed Away • Kapila Vatsyayan, a renowned scholar of Indian classical dance, art, architecture, and art history passed away at New Delhi, India due to age related ailments. She was about 91 years old. She was a former Member of Parliament(MP) and lifetime trustee of India International Centre (IIC). She was founder trustee, academic director and chairperson of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Kapila Vatsyayan is the recipient of Padma Vibhushan (2011) in the field of Arts.

Chanesh Ram Rathiya, Veteran Congress Leader and Former Chhattisgarh Minister Passed Away of COVID-19 • Chanesh Ram Rathiya (78), Veteran Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh minister, passed away due to COVID- 19 at a hospital at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh. He was a prominent leader from the tribal society of north Chhattisgarh.

Padma Shri P R Krishnakumar, Expert in Ayurveda Passed Away at 69 due to COVID-19 • Padma Shri P R Krishnakumar (69), Chancellor of Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women and Managing Director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Limited, Coimbatore passed away at Coimbatore due to COVID-19. He was born on 23rd September 1951 at Shoranur, Kerala. He started the first ever clinical research in traditional medicines under the partnership of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1977.

Ashok Gasti, Rajya Sabha MP Passed Away of COVID-19 • Ashok Gasti, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) from Karnataka, passed away of COVID-19 at a private hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was around the age of 55. The BJP Karnataka leader was born in 1965 and belonged to Raichur district, Karnataka. The first-time Rajya Sabha member took oath as MP on July 22, 2020.

Balli Durga Prasad Rao, Tirupati Lok Sabha MP Passed Away of COVID-19 • Balli Durga Prasad Rao, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) Lok Sabha MP (Members of Parliament) passed away of COVID- 19 at Apollo Main Hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was around the age of 64. He belongs to Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). He was born in Nellore district, AP on June 15, 1956.

American Novelist Winston Groom, Author of “Forrest Gump” Passed Away at 77 • American Novelist and Journalist Winston Groom (77), the author of Forrest Gump, passed away at Alabama, United States of America. Groom was born on 23rd March 1944, in Washington, D.C, USA. He finished his book Forrest Gump in 1985 and published it in 1986. His books also include “Better Times Than These”, “The Aviators”, “The Generals” etc.

Amitabha Ghosh, 16th RBI Shortest Service Governor Passed Away at 90 • Amitabha Ghosh (90), former governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) passed away recently. He is the shortest serving governor of RBI (21 days- January 15, 1985 to February 4, 1985). He served as the 16th governor, while serving as a deputy governor of RBI until R N Malhotra (17th Governor) took over.

John Turner, Former Canadian Prime Minister Passed Away at 91 • John Turner, the former Prime Minister of Canada, who served as the Prime Minister for just 79 days in 1984, the 2nd shortest term in the office recorded in the history of Canada passed away at the age of 91 at this residence in

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Toronto, Canada. He was born on 7th June 1929 at Richmond, England.

Legal & Liberal Icon, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at 87 • United States (US) Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, feminist and a legal and liberal icon passed away at the age of 87 at her residence in Washington DC due to the complications caused by metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America(USA). She was popularly known as the giant of the legal profession.

Dr S Padmavati, India’s 1st Female & Oldest Cardiologist, Founder of AIHF & NHI, Padma Awardee Died of COVID-19 • Dr S. Padmavati Sivaramakrishna (103), India’s 1st Female & Oldest Cardiologist died in National Heart Institute (NHI) due to COVID-19. She was the founder of All India Heart Foundation (AIHF) and NHI, New Delhi, and established the 1st cardiac clinic and catheterization laboratory at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in India (Delhi). She is popularly known as the “GodMother of Cardiology”. She was born on June 20, 1917 in Burma (now Myanmar). She received Padma Bhushan in 1967 and Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman Passed Away at 43 • Chadwick Boseman (43), Hollywood star well known for his role as T’Challa in the film Black Panther (2018) passed away in his residence at Los Angeles, United States of America (USA) due to colon cancer. He was born in Anderson, South Carolina. His movie Black Panther was the first superhero film to get an Oscar nomination for best picture.

Katyayani Shankar Bajpai, Ex Indian Ambassador and Chairman of Delhi Policy Group Died • Katyayani Shankar Bajpai (92) former Indian Ambassador to the United States (US), Pakistan, Netherlands and China passed away. He co-founded the Delhi Policy Group (DPG), an independent think tank in 1994 with other eminent public intellectuals & remained its chairman since then. He served as the Former Secretary, External Affairs Ministry. He was born on March 30, 1928, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He is the Son of Girija Shankar Bajpai (1st Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Affairs).

Former President & Bharat Ratna Awardee Pranab Mukherjee passes away • Former President and One of the Country’s Senior Most Politicians Pranab Kumar Mukherjee (84) passed away after developing a lung infection at the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi, where he was admitted for a Brain Surgery. Pranab Mukherjee served as the 13th President of India from 2012- 2017. He was India’s only non-Prime Minister who was the leader of the Lok Sabha. Fondly called as ‘Pranabda’, he was born in 1935 in Mirati, West Bengal.

Former England Cricketer David Capel passed away at 57 • Former England all-rounder and legendary cricketer David Capel (57) passed away in Northamptonshire after a prolonged illness due to brain tumour. He had played around 15 tests and 23 One Day Internationals (ODIs) representing England from 1987 to 1990.

Jiri Menzel, Oscar Winning Czech Director, Passed Away at 82 • Jiri Menzel (82), director (film & theatre), writer and actor of Czech Republic passed away after battling serious health issues. His 1st feature film, ‘Closely Watched Trains’ won an Academy Award (Oscars) for Best Foreign Language film in 1968. He was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on 23 February 1938.

Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji of Edneer Mutt passed away at 80 • Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji (80), a petitioner of the historic judgement of the Supreme court on the Fundamental Rights case passed away in the Edneer Mutt, Kerala due to cardiac and breathing problems. Kesavananda Bharati has headed the Edneer Mutt since 1961.

Govind Swarup, Father of India’s Radio Astronomy & Padma Shri Awardee Passed Away at 91 • Govind Swarup (91), Father of India’s Radio Astronomy passed away due to age related complications in Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune Maharashtra. He was the founding director of National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He is the recipient of Padma Shri (1973). He was born on March 23rd, 1929 in Thakurdwara, United Provinces, British India (Now in Uttar Pradesh).

Telugu Actor Jaya Prakash Reddy Passed Away at 74 • Veteran Telugu Actor Jaya Prakash Reddy (74), popularly known as JP passed away at his residence in Guntur, SEPTEMBER 2020 (CURRENT AFFAIRS) 57

Andhra Pradesh due to cardiac arrest. He was born on 8th May, 1946 in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. He starred in more than 100 films across Tamil, Telugu and Kannada industries.

British Actress Diana Rigg Passed Away at 82: Starred in GOT, Avengers and James Bond • Dame Diana Rigg (82), British who was popularly known for her recent role as Olenna Tyrell in the Game of Thrones series passed away after being diagnosed with cancer in March 2020. She was born in Doncaster, Northern England. She won the Primetime Emmy Awards for her role Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca in 1997.

Swami Agnivesh, Social activist, Former Cabinet Minister and Arya Samaj leader Passed Away at 80 • Swami Agnivesh (80), renowned social activist, scholar, former MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) and Cabinet Minister for Education of Haryana passed away due to cardiac arrest at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi, India. He served as the president (2004–2014) of the World Council of Arya Samaj, which is the highest international body of the Arya Samaj. He was born on 21st September, 1939 in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. He founded the Bonded Labour Liberation Front-BLLF.

Former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh Passes Away at 74 • Former Union Minister for Rural Development, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (74) passed away at New Delhi due to post COVID complications. He was born on 6th June 1946 in Bihar. He became the Lok sabha member in 1996 and served as a Lok Sabha member for five terms representing Vaishali, Bihar. He served as the Union minister for Rural development from 2004 to 2009 in the cabinet led by Manmohan Singh.

Veteran filmmaker Johnny Bakshi passes away at 82 • On September 5 2020 Eminent producer-director Johnny Bakshi who was born in Pune, passed away at the age 82 due to Cardiac arrest reported by Arogya Nidhi hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Nepalese Mountaineer “Snow Leopard” Ang Rita Sherpa Passed Away at 72 • Ang Rita Sherpa (72), the Nepalese Mountaineer who scaled Mount Everest, the world highest peak, 10 times without bottled oxygen passed away at his residence in Kathmandu, Nepal due to brain and liver ailments. He was born on 27th July 1948 in Solukhumbu, Nepal. Ang earned the nickname “Snow Leopard” for his mountaineering skills and adventures.

Veteran Marathi Actor Ashalata Wabgaonkar Passed Away at 79 • Veteran Marathi actor Ashalata Wabgaonkar (79) passed away at Satara, Maharashtra after testing positive for COVID-19. Ashalata Wabgaonkar was born on 2nd July 1941 in Goa. She made her theatre debut as Revathi in the play “Sanshaykallol”. She made her debut in the film industry with the Hindi movie “Apne Paraye” directed by Basu Chatterjee.

Suresh Angadi, MoS for Railways: 1st Central Minister to Die of COVID-19 • Suresh Channabasappa Angadi, Union Minister of State for Railways and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Member of Parliament (MP) from Belagavi constituency of Karnataka passed away at the age of 65 after testing positive for COVID-19 at the Covid Facility, New Delhi. He is the first Central Minister to die of COVID-19. He was born on 1st June 1955 at Belagavi, Karnataka.

Former Australian Cricketer & Commentator Dean Mervyn Jones Passed Away at 59 • Dean Mervyn Jones, former Australian and Victorian cricketer and Commentator passed away at the age of 59 in Mumbai, Maharashtra due to cardiac arrest. He was born on 24th March 1961 in Melbourne, Australia. Jones made his debut representing Australia in 1984 and played around 52 tests matches during which he scored around 3631 runs which includes 11 centuries. He played around 164 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia & his role is vital in the Australian Team to win their first World Cup in 1987.

Sekhar Basu, PadmaShri Awardee, Veteran Atomic Scientist and Former Chairman of AEC Passed Away of COVID-19 • Sekhar Basu, Veteran Atomic Scientist and Former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) passed away at the age of 68 at a private hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal of COVID-19. He served as the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and as director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). He was the recipient of PadmaShri (2014). He was born on September 20, 1952 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He developed the highly complex reactor for INS Arihant, India’s 1st nuclear- powered submarine.

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Renowned Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam dies aged 74 • Renowned Indian SP Balasubrahmanyam (Popularly known as SPB) passed away in Chennai at the age of 74 due to Cardio-Respiratory arrest in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was born on 4th June, 1946 at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. SPB made his singing debut in 1966 in the Telugu Movie ‘Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna’. He is a Six- time National Award Winner for Best Male Playback Singer.

Padma Bhushan Dr.Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Former Chairperson of ICRIER Passed Away at 74 • Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia (74), Indian economist, public policy researcher and the former Chairperson of an economic think tank, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), who served for 15 years from 2005-2020 passed away at New Delhi due to brain cancer. She received the Padma Bhushan in 2009. She was born on 1st October 1945. She recently published her memoir titled “Breaking Through”, a proof of her career which broke the barriers that huddled women’s careers.

Major Jaswant Singh (Retd) Former Union Minister Passed Away at 82 • Major Jaswant Singh (Retd), former Union Minister in the cabinet of Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Founding member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed away at the age of 82 at New Delhi due to cardiac arrest. He was born in 1939 in Barmer, Rajasthan. His books include, “Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence (2009)” and A Call to Honour (2006).

Syeda Anwara Taimur, Assam’s 1st and only Woman CM Passed Away • Syeda Anwara Taimur, Assam’s first and only woman Chief Minister (CM) passed away in Australia due to cardiac arrest. She was around the age of 83. She is the 1st Muslim woman CM of any state in India. She was born on November 24, 1936 in Assam, British India. She is a 4 time (1972, 1978, 1983 and 1991) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and a 2 time Rajya Sabha MP- Member of Parliament (nominated in 1988 and elected in 2004).

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IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2020: August 30 • United Nations (UN)’s International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is annually observed on 30th August to create and raise awareness that enforced disappearance is a crime and it should not be used like a tool to deal with the situations of conflicts. The first International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances was observed on 30th August 2011.

Telugu Language Day: August 29 • Telugu Language Day (Telugu Bhasha Dinotsavam) is celebrated on August 29 every year. The birth anniversary of Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, a prominent Telugu writer. Telugu is referred to as ‘The Italian of the East’.

September to be Observed as “Nutrition month”: PM Modi in Mann ki Baat • Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to celebrate the September 2020 (3rd edition) as “Poshan Maah” or “Nutrition Month”. The month will be celebrated across India to educate everyone on the importance of optimum nutrition. The nutrition month was celebrated earlier in September 2018 and 2019. A unique nutrition park has been created at the Statue of Unity, where people can witness the nutrition related education along with other fun activities.

National Nutrition Week 2020- 1st September to 7th September • National Nutrition Week (NNW) is an annual nutrition event observed in India during the First week of September from 1st September to 7th September. The events of NNW are organised by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of India to educate the importance and role of nutrition in the human body. The Food and Nutrition board of the Ministry of WCD launched the National Nutrition Week in 1982.

World Coconut Day 2020: September 2 • World Coconut Day is observed annually on September 2 to create awareness about the importance, usage of coconut and its benefits across the world. The day is celebrated in Asian and Pacific regions to a large extent as they contain the world’s most coconut growing production centres. Theme of World Coconut Day 2020– “Invest in Coconut to save the world”.

National Teachers Day 2020 – 5th September • India celebrates 5th September of every year as the National Teachers day to honour the roles of teachers in shaping the future of the nation. The day is marked on the birth anniversary of India’s former President Bharat Ratna Awardee, renowned teacher and philosopher Dr. Sarvaepalli Radhakrishnan who was born on 5th September 1888. The first National Teacher’s Day was celebrated in 1962. Note: Ram Nath Kovind, President of India awarded the National Award to Teachers 2020 to 47 teachers across the country.

International Day of Charity 2020: September 5 • The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Charity is observed annually on September 5, to raise awareness about the role of charity to ease poverty and hunger. September 5 was chosen to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu), who was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

1st International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2020: September 7 • The United Nations'(UN) 1st International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed on September 7, 2020 across the world to emphasize the need for further efforts to improve air quality, including reducing air pollution, to protect human health. The day also highlights that air pollution is now the biggest environmental threat to health, but it is preventable. Theme for 2020- “Clean Air for All”.

International Literacy Day 2020 – September 8 • United Nations (UN)’s International Literacy Day is annually celebrated on 8th September to promote the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights among the general public and to work towards a more literate and sustainable society. The International Literacy Day was celebrated on 8th September since 1966. The theme of International Literacy Day 2020 is “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond” which particularly focuses on the role of educators and the method of teaching.

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Himalyan Day or Himalaya Diwas 2020 – September 9 • Himalaya Diwas or Himalaya Day is annually celebrated across India particularly in Uttarakhand on 9th September to create and spread awareness on the conservation of the Himalayan Ecosystem. Theme of 2020: - ‘Himalayas and Nature’.

1st International Day to Protect Education from Attack 2020: September 9 • The United Nations'(UN) 1st International Day to Protect Education from Attack is observed on September 9, 2020 to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for educators and students. The day indicates that education is under attack. Theme for 2020– “Protect Education, Save a Generation.”

World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 – September 10 • World Suicide Prevention Day(WSPD) is annually observed across the world on 10th of September to raise awareness that the suicide can be prevented and to educate people to reach out for those who need help. The day is organised by International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO). The theme of 2018 World Suicide Prevention Day – “Working Together to Prevent Suicide” was retained as the theme for both 2019 and 2020 World Suicide Prevention Day.

15th National Forest Martyr day 2020: September 11 • National Forest Martyrs Day is observed annually on September 11 in India to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in order to protect the environment, forests and wildlife across the country. September 11 was chosen to commemorate the Khejarli massacre, which took place on September 11 in 1730. September 11, 2020 marks the 15th National Forest Martyr Day. In 2013, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India made a declaration to observe the day.

International Day of South-South Cooperation 2020 – September 12 • United Nations (UN) International Day of South-South Cooperation Day or United Nations Day of South- South Cooperation is annually observed on 12th September since 2011 to create and spread awareness on the social, economic and political developments made by the regions and countries in the south and to highlight the efforts of UN on the technical cooperation among the south countries (developing countries).

World First Aid Day 2020 – September 12 • World First Aid Day is annually observed on the 2nd Saturday of September (September 12 for the year 2020) across the world to promote the importance of first aid training in saving lives and preventing injuries and to create awareness among the general public that first aid saves lives. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) established the World First Aid day in 2000.

Hindi Diwas 2020 – September 14 • Hindi Diwas is celebrated annually on 14th of September across India to promote Hindi and to create awareness about the language. This day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the adoption of Hindi (the Devanagari Script) as one of the official languages of the Republic of India in 1949.It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. The 14th September 2020 also marks the birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha, the illustrator of the original final manuscript of the Indian Constitution.

National Engineers Day 2020 – September 15 • National Engineers Day is annually celebrated across India on 15th September to pay tribute to India’s legendary dam builder and eminent engineer, Bharat Ratna Sir MV Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who was born on 15th September 1861 in Muddenahalli, Karnataka. The Engineer’s day was first observed in 1967 and this year marks the 53rd edition of the Day. He founded the Mysore Soap Factory, Bangalore Agricultural University and State Bank of Mysore. He was known as the “Father of Modern Mysore”.

International Day of Democracy – September 15 • The International Day of Democracy is observed around the world annually on 15th of September, since 2007. The day is observed around the world to promote and uphold democratic principles, to respect human rights, inclusiveness, accountability, and transparency. It was established through a resolution passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.

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World Ozone Day 2020 – September 16 • United Nations (UN’s) International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer also called as World Ozone Day is annually observed across the globe on 16th September to create and spread awareness on the importance of Ozone layer and the effective ways to protect it. The first International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16th September 1995. The theme for the 2020 is “Ozone for life: 35 years of ozone layer protection”.

World Patient Safety Day 2020 – September 17 • World Patients Safety Day is annually celebrated on 17th September by the World Health Organization (WHO), international partners and all countries to create a better understanding of the patient’s safety and to increase the participation of the public in the safety of healthcare. The First World Patients Safety day was observed on 17th September 2019. The theme of World Patient Safety Day 2020 is “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”.

11th edition of World Bamboo Day observed on September 18 • The 11th World Bamboo Day (WBD) was observed on September 18, 2020 to increase the awareness of Bamboos globally by the World Bamboo Organization (WBO). The Theme for this edition of World Bamboo Day is “BAMBOO NOW”. The World Bamboo Day is observed annually on September 18. It was established by Mr. Kamesh Salam, Former President of World Bamboo Organization, during the 8th World Bamboo Congress (WBC) at Prachan Buri, Bangkok, Thailand in 2009.

1st International Equal Pay Day 2020 – 18 September • United Nations (UN)’s 1st International Equal Pay Day is observed on 18 September 2020 as a step towards eliminating the gender pay gap and to overcome the sexual discrimination against women in the employment sector. This day promotes equal pay to everyone and the rights to receive equal remuneration for equal work regardless of the gender.

International Day of Peace observed on 21st September • The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed annually on September 21. The day will be devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace through observing “24 hours” of non-violence and cease- fire. The theme for 2020 International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together”. The Peace Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981.

International Red Panda Day 2020 – September 19 • The International Red Panda Day (IRPD) is annually celebrated on the third Saturday of September which aims to create and raise awareness about the red panda among the general public and to support the conservation of red pandas. The International Red Panda Day 2020 falls on 19th September 2020. The Red Panda Network (RPN) with the support of Nicki Boyd, Associate curator of Behavioural Husbandry for the San Diego Zoo launched the International Red Panda Day (IRPD) in 2010.

World Alzheimer’s Day 2020: September 21 • World Alzheimer’s Day is observed annually on September 21 across the world to raise awareness and educate people about Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Since 2012, the month of September has been observed as World Alzheimer’s Month. This year marks the 9th World Alzheimer’s Month. Theme for World Alzheimer’s Month 2020– ‘Let’s talk about dementia’.

World Rhino Day – September 22 2020 • The World Rhino Day is celebrated annually on September 22 by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and other international organizations. Theme for World Rhino Day is “Five Rhino Species Forever”. The World Rhino Day was first announced by WWF-South Africa in 2010.

World Car Free Day observed on September 22, 2020 • On September 22, 2020, an annual Car free day or the World Car Free Day was observed globally to encourage greener methods of travel instead of driving alone in car. This day brings awareness to the benefits of travel options such as train, bus, bicycle, carpool, vanpool, subway, or walk. This year its focus was on “Commute with Confidence”.

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World Rose Day 2020 – September 22 • World Rose day is annually celebrated on 22nd September to spread hope and cheers to the cancer patients. The World Rose day is dedicated to spread awareness about the disease – cancer and the sufferings and pain experienced by the patients. The World Rose day was first observed in the memory of a 12-year-old Canadian girl Melinda Rose who was diagnosed with “Askin’s Tumor” a rare form of blood cancer.

International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) observed on September 23 • United Nations’ (UN) celebrates the International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) annually on September 23. It is observed to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users. The year 2020 marks the 3rd edition. The Theme for International Day of Sign Language 2020 is – “Sign Languages are for everyone!”. The day corresponds with International Week of the Deaf, which is taking place from 21st September – 27th September, 2020.

World Maritime Day 2020 – September 24 • United Nations (UN) World Maritime Day is annually observed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and its member states on the last Thursday of September to recognise the contribution of the international maritime industries toward the economy of the world. The World Maritime Day 2020 falls on 24th September 2020. The theme of World Maritime Day 2020 is “Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet”.

World Pharmacists Day observed on September 25 • The 10th World Pharmacists Day was observed on September 25, 2020. The Day is observed to raise awareness of the role of pharmacist in healthcare and to encourage activities that promote and advocate the role of pharmacist in improving health in every corner of the world. The theme of the 10th World Pharmacists Day is “Transforming Global Health”. It was designated in 2009 by FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation) at the World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Istanbul, Turkey. It has been observed since 2010.

Antyodaya Diwas 2020 – September 25 • Antyodaya Diwas is annually observed across India on 25th September to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, an icon of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), philosopher of nationalist movements of India and political activist. As a part of the commemoration of Antyodaya Diwas 2020, (Ministry of Rural Development) MoRD is celebrating the foundation day of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) with a program “Kaushal Se Kal Badlenge”, along with the beneficiaries and other stakeholders of the scheme across India.

World Contraception Day observed on September 26 • World Contraception Day (WCD) is observed annually on 26th September. WCD is observed to improve awareness of contraception and to enable young people to make an informed decision on their sexual and reproductive health. It was first observed on 26th September, 2007 by ten International family planning organizations to raise awareness about contraception. Globally around 211 million pregnancies occur each year, out of which more than 40% are unwanted pregnancies. Use of Contraception is vital in Family Planning.

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 2020 – September 26 • United Nations (UN) International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is annually observed across the globe on 26th September to provide an opportunity for the global communities to reaffirm and priorities their commitment to the global nuclear disarmament. The first International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was first celebrated on 26th September 2014.

World Environmental Health Day 2020: September 26 • World Environmental Health Day is annually observed on September 26 to raise awareness about the environmental health concerns and to highlight the important work of environmental health around the world. The Theme for 2020 is “Environmental Health, a key public health intervention in disease pandemic prevention”. The day was launched by the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) council at its meeting in Indonesia on September 26, 2011. As per the World Health Organization (WHO)-2020, 24% of global deaths are linked to the environment, which is roughly 13.7 million deaths per year.

World Tourism Day Observed on September 27, 2020; SAATHI App Launched • World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on September 27 globally to raise awareness on the importance of tourism in the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of any region. The United Nations World Tourism

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Organization (UNWTO) has designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development. The Theme for WTD 2020 is “Tourism and Rural Development”. The Ministry of Tourism celebrated WTD 2020 through a virtual platform from New Delhi. During the event SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for Hospitality Industry) Application was launched by Dharmendra Pradhan. He also launched a film ‘Pathik’.

World Deaf Day 2020: September 27 • World Deaf Day is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of September, this year (2020) it falls on September 27. The day aims to create awareness about the achievements of the deaf people and deaf people community, to the general public, politician and development authorities. Note– World Deaf Day 2019 was observed on September 29, 2019. The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) initiated the celebration of the World Day of the Deaf in 1958. The International Week of the Deaf (IWD), an initiative of the WFD was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy. Theme of the 2020 International Week of the Deaf– “Reaffirming Deaf People’s Human Rights”.

World Rabies Day Observed on September 28 • World Rabies Day is observed annually on September 28 to raise awareness about the impact of rabies and how the disease can be prevented. The year 2020 marked the 14th World Rabies Day with theme “End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate”. As per the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), the theme focuses on the current issues in rabies elimination such as: The goal of Zero by 2030 The importance of dog vaccination and post- exposure prophylaxis; and The need for a united effort towards achieving the elimination of this transboundary disease.

International Day for Universal Access to Information 2020 – September 28 • The United Nations (UN)’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) is annually observed on 28th September to create awareness about the importance of access to information and to enhance the people’s rights to information. 28th September 2020 marks the first celebration of International Day for Universal Access to Information since proclaimed by the United Nations. The theme of IDUAI 2020 is “Access to Information in Times of Crisis”.

First Ever “International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste” observed on 29th September, 2020 • On September 29, 2020 The First Ever “International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste” was observed. It was observed to promote and implement global efforts to resolve the issue of food wastage, and to take steps towards Zero Hunger and address the problem of climate change through Sustainable food habits. The Theme for International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2020 is “Stop food loss and waste. For the People. For the Planet”. It is observed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

World Heart Day 2020: September 29 • World Heart Day is observed annually on September 29 to raise awareness about Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) including heart disease & stroke and highlights their prevention and global impact. The World Health Day was established in 1999 by the World Heart Federation (WHF) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The 1st World Health Day was celebrated in 2000. As per the new brief released on September 29, 2020 by WHO, WHF and the University of Newcastle Australia, 1.9 million people die from tobacco-induced heart disease annually. This equates to one in five of all deaths from heart disease.

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