Today Current Affairs for Competitive Exams - Current Affairs 2021 Online – 02nd September 2021

Morgan Stanley maintains GDP growth Sri Lanka declares economic emergency estimate of 10.5%  Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa  Morgan Stanley has maintained its estimate has declared an economic emergency to of India's GDP growth at 10.5 percent for contain soaring inflation after a steep fall in FY2022 versus the general consensus of 9.2 the value of the country's currency caused a percent. spike in food prices.  GDP grew 20.1 percent year-on-year in the  The military will oversee the action which quarter ending June 2021. gives power to officials to ensure that  On a two-year CAGR basis, real GDP essential items, including rice and sugar, are contracted 4.7 percent in QE June versus sold at government-guaranteed prices or plus 2.3 percent in QE March. prices based on import costs. Star Health launches new cancer care policies Actor Siddharth Shukla passes away  Star Health and Allied Insurance has  Actor and 13 winner Sidharth announced the launch of two new variants of Shukla passed away in September 2021. its specialty products – Star Cancer Care  began his career as a model Platinum Insurance Policy and Star Cardiac and made his acting debut with a lead role in Care Platinum Insurance Policy. the television show ‘Babul Ka Aangann  These products are designed to address the Chootey Na’. needs of people who are diagnosed with  He also participated in reality shows, including cancer and cardiac conditions. 6, Fear Factor, and Bigg  There are no premedical tests required to Boss 13. avail of these policies.  He was also a part of the film Humpty Sharma IIM Kozhikode to offer supernumerary seats to Ki Dulhania. students J-K LG Sinha inaugurates 'Saath' initiative  The Indian Institute of Management  Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Kozhikode (IIM-K) has announced Manoj Sinha launched Rural Enterprises supernumerary seats for international Acceleration Programme titled 'Saath' for Self students to boost diversity in the campus. Help Group (SHG) women on 1 September  The move from IIM-K comes after two of its 2021. management programs made a debut in 101+  There are 48000 SHGs in Jammu and rank group in the sub-sectoral QS World Kashmir. University Rankings 2020.  Four lakh women are connected to these  The supernumerary will be created in three SHGs. flagship programs including its two years MBA. 1 | P a g e

 This Saath initiative will stress mentoring and directions issued by RBI contained in the market linkages of products created by these Reserve Bank of India – (Know Your women. Customer (KYC)) Direction, 2016".  This action is based on the deficiencies in Cristiano Ronaldo breaks men’s scoring record regulatory compliance.  Cristiano Ronaldo broke the men’s BNP Paribas appoints Sanjay Singh as the new CEO international scoring record before adding a second goal as Portugal be at visiting Ireland  French bank BNP Paribas has announced the 2-1 in World Cup qualifying. appointment of Sanjay Singh as CEO of India.  Ronaldo grabbed his 110th goal in the 89th  He will be succeeding Aymar de Liedekerke minute on 2 September 2021 to move ahead Beaufort, who has been nominated to become of former Iran striker Ali Daei. the Head of Territory, India.  Six minutes into stoppage time, Ronaldo  Sanjay Singh joined BNP Paribas Securities made it 111 in 180 games. India as Head of Global Markets and Deputy CEO India eight years ago. UN funds allocate $10 million for fuel crisis response ‘Rajiv Gandhi’ dropped from name of Orang National Park  The United Nation's humanitarian funds have allocated USD 10 million to respond to the  The Assam government has announced that fuel crisis in Lebanon and help avert the the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park will be deterioration of the country's humanitarian known as the Orang National Park. situation.  It is located in Darrang and Sonitpur districts  The Under-Secretary-General for of Assam. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief  The development comes weeks after the Coordinator, Martin Griffiths allocated USD 4 Centre dropped former Prime Minister Rajiv million from the UN Central Emergency Gandhi’s name from the Khel Ratna award. Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the fuel  The existing national parks in Assam are crisis. Kaziranga, Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Manas, and Orang. Wipro appoints Mohammed Areff as Country Head and MD Bangladeshi vaccine scientist wins Ramon Magsaysay award  Wipro has announced the appointment of Mohammed Areff as the country head  A Bangladeshi vaccine scientist and a and Managing Director (MD) for the Middle microfinance pioneer from Pakistan East. are among the five recipients of the Ramon  Areff has over two decades of experience with Magsaysay Award 2021. various multinationals in the Middle East and  The award is regarded as the Asian version of has held lead roles in spearheading client the Nobel Prize. transformations across various industries.  Apart from Dr. Firdausi Qadri from  In his most recent role, Areff was the Regional Bangladesh and Muhammad Amjad Saqib Director of Microsoft Gulf. from Pakistan, the other winners are Filipino fisher and community environmentalist RBI imposes ₹25 lakh penalty on Axis Bank Roberto Ballon, etc.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed THE World University Rankings 2022 released a monetary penalty of ₹25 lakh on Axis Bank Limited for violation of rules.  The Times Higher Education (THE)  The penalty was imposed for “contravention has announced the results of the THE World of/non-compliance with certain provisions of University Rankings 2022. 2 | P a g e

 The UK’s University of Oxford – which led the  The existing rakes of Rajendra Nagar – New way in the global search for a Covid-19 Delhi Rajdhani Special Express, are being vaccine – retained top spot for sixth replaced with brand new Tejas-type sleeper consecutive year. coaches.  IISc Bangalore, is India’s best-ranked  The new train will have special smart features institution, maintaining its position in the 301- for enhanced passenger safety and comfort. 350 band for a third consecutive year. Max Verstappen wins Belgian Grand Prix India’s month-long Presidency of UNSC ends  Max Verstappen has won the Belgian Grand  India's month-long Presidency of the powerful Prix. United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  The race was shortened to last one hour with ended on 31 August 2021 with substantive only half points awarded to the winner, who outcomes on key global issues. needed to complete only two laps to earn  The event was the first time when there was a points. comprehensive debate on the holistic concept  Verstappen's sixth win of the season was the of maritime security. 16th of his career and stopped Hamilton  India is currently a non-permanent member earning a record-extending 100th win, while (for a two-year term) of the 15-nation UNSC. also trimming his overall lead from eight points to three. 61st Foundation Day of NCERT: 1 September 2021 GST Council meeting to be held on September 17  Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the 61st Foundation Day of the  The meeting of the GST Council will be held National Council of Educational Research and on 17 September 2021. Training (NCERT) on 1 September 2021.  Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman  NCERT is an autonomous organisation of the will chair the 45th meeting of the GST Council Government of India which was established in at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. 1961 as a literary, scientific, and charitable  The previous meeting of the GST Council was Society under the Societies Registration Act. held via video conferencing on 12th June  It has its headquarters in New Delhi. 2021 during which tax rates on various Covid essentials were reduced till 30th September World Coconut Day: 2 September 2021.  World Coconut Day is observed every year on ITPO CMD LC Goyal gets extension till September 1, 2 September. 2022  The first World Coconut Day was celebrated on September 2, 2009, by the Asia Pacific  L C Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director Coconut Community (APCC). of the India Trade Promotion Organisation  The theme for the year 2021 is "Building a (ITPO), has been granted a one-year Safe Inclusive Resilient and Sustainable extension till September 1, 2022. Coconut Community Amid COVID-19  Goyal, who had briefly worked as the Union Pandemic & Beyond". home secretary, was on August 31, 2015,  The coconut palm is often called the ‘tree of appointed the ITPO chief. life’ owing to its versatile use.  This is his fifth extension on the post.  ITPO is the premier trade promotion agency Indian Railways starts new Rajdhani Express of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.  Indian Railways has started to run Rajendra BBC's first Hindi news reader Rajni Kaul dies Nagar Terminal (Patna) – New Delhi Rajdhani Express with new upgraded Tejas rake from 2  Rajni Kaul, a distinguished broadcaster who September 2021. became the first woman to read a news

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bulletin in Hindi on BBC nearly 60 years ago, Payments Interface (UPI) has logged more passed away in Faridabad in September than 3 billion transactions for the second 2021. consecutive month in a row in August 2021.  She was the first woman to join BBC Hindi as  On a month-on-month basis (MoM), UPI’s a staffer and became the first woman to read volume of transactions was up 9.5 per cent in a news bulletin in Hindi on the network in August 2021, and the value of transactions up 1961. 5.4 per cent.  She had also worked with All India Radio ICICI Bank crosses ₹5-trillion m-cap (AIR) in New Delhi.  The market value of private sector lender Health Ministry partners with Google ICICI Bank on 1 September 2021 crossed the  The Union Health Ministry has partnered with Rs 5-trillion mark. Google to enhance people's access to the  ICICI Bank is the second lender after HDFC COVID-19 vaccine. Bank and the seventh Indian firm to achieve  The Ministry has taken the significant initiative this milestone. to enhance access to #COVID19 vaccine:  HDFC Bank is the only lender valued higher, Search 'covid vaccine near me' on Google, at Rs 8.74 trillion. Check availability of slots, and more, Use  Earlier, Reliance Industries, TCS, HDFC 'Book Appointment' feature to book a slot. Bank, HDFC Ltd, Hindustan Unilever Ltd and  In addition to English, users can also search Infosys Ltd have hit this level. in 8 Indian languages. Maharashtra Govt to set up medical colleges under Himachal Pradesh CM launches State Food PPP Commission's website  Maharashtra government on 1 September  Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief Minister Jai 2021 decided to set up new medical colleges Ram Thakur on 1 September 2021 launched and super-speciality hospitals across the state the website of the state's food commission. on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.  The website was launched on the occasion of  A high-powered committee headed by the the first foundation day of the Himachal state chief secretary would examine the Pradesh State Food Commission. provisions of the scheme to be made  The main objective of the website is to spread applicable to the health sector and give awareness about the right to food in the state. approvals accordingly. Govt appoints J B Mohapatra as Chairman, CBDT IMF raises India's SDR allocation to $17.86 billion  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has has approved the appointment of J B sharply increased its allocation of Special Mohapatra as Chairman of the Central Board Drawing Rights (SDR) to India to $17,86 of Direct Taxes (CBDT). billion, in line with the country's existing quota  Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue in the fund. Service (Income Tax) officer, is currently a  SDR is an alternate reserve currency floated member of the board that frames the policy by the IMF, which the member countries can for the Income Tax department. freely exchange between themselves instead  He has been holding the additional charge of of relying on the currency of any one CBDT Chairman since May 31, 2021. particular country. UPI logged more than 3 bn transactions in August India's m-cap to GDP ratio hits 13-year high of 122%  The National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI's) flagship payment platform Unified

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 India’s current market capitalization (m-cap)  Union Information and Broadcasting (IB) to GDP ratio is 122 per cent of India’s latest Minister Anurag Thakur on 1 September 2021 annualized gross domestic product (GDP). inaugurated the first BRICS Film Technology  It is the highest since December 2008, when it Symposium. had hit an all-time high of around 150 per  The focus of the BRICS symposium is to cent. acknowledge the service sector and  The combined m-cap of nearly 3,500 technicians working for the film industry. companies listed and actively traded on the  India is preparing to host the 13th BRICS BSE reached a new high of Rs 250 trillion. summit in 2021.  BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, Punjab CM launches 'Innovation Mission Punjab' and South Africa.  Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on 1 NMCG signs MoU with SAIARD on integrated river September 2021 launched 'Innovation basin management Mission Punjab' (IMPunjab).  It is a public-private partnership that brings in  National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on global investors and experts to catalyze 1 September 2021 signed a Memorandum of startups. Understanding (MoU) with South Asian  The Mission would mobilize a global pool of Institute for Advanced Research and ambassadors and partners for investment, Development (SAIARD). mentorship, and market access.  Both NMCG and SAIARD would work together to create and enhance capacity Indo – Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise KAZIND- building on integrated river basin 21 management, with a focus on geospatial  The India – Kazakhstan joint military exercise technology in riverine ecosystems. “KAZIND-21” commenced on 1 September APY total enrolments crosses more than 3 crore 2021 at Training Node Aisha Bibi, Kazakhstan.  The enrolments under Atal Pension Yojana  This is the 5th Edition of the Annual bilateral have crossed 3.30 crore as of 25th August joint exercise of both Armies and would 2021. continue till 10th September 2021.  APY is a guaranteed pension scheme of the  Both the contingents would share their Government of India and is administered by expertise and skills in the field of counter- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development terror operations. Authority.  Under the scheme, a subscriber would First-ever nation-wide quiz on sports and fitness receive a minimum guaranteed pension of  Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rs.1,000 to Rs. 5,000 per month, depending Shri Anurag Singh Thakur on 1 September upon his contribution, from the age of 60 2021 launched the Fit India Quiz, which is the years. first-ever quiz on fitness and sports, in New Department of Rural development sign an MoU Delhi. with DAHD  The nation-wide quiz would give a chance to compete on a national platform and an  The Department of Rural Development (DRD) opportunity to win a total cash prize of more signed a Memorandum of Understanding than Rs 3 crores for their schools. (MoU) with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) on 1 IB Minister inaugurates BRICS film technology September 2021. symposium  The MoU is aimed at leveraging the SHG platform for rural economic growth through

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the convergence of the DAHD, DRD, and  This is significant as the world’s largest coal National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). miner uses over 4 lakh kilolitres of diesel per annum with an annual expense of over Rs. Indian Army to participate in "Zapad 2021" 3,500 crores.  Indian Army would participate in Exercise  The move would help CIL reduce its carbon ZAPAD 2021, a Multi Nation exercises being footprint drastically and achieve sustainable held at Nizhniy, Russia from 03 to 16 goals. September 2021. inaugurates NUTRI GARDEN at AIIA  ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre-level exercise of the Russian Armed Forces and  Union Minister for Women and Child would focus primarily on operations against Development Smriti Zubin Irani on 1 terrorists. September 2021 inaugurated NUTRI  Over a dozen countries from the Eurasian and GARDEN to mark the beginning of Poshan South Asian Regions would participate in this Maah 2021 at All India Institute of Ayurveda event. (AIIA).  Plantation drive and distribution of plants CIL starts pilot project to replace use of diesel with having health and nutritional benefits were LNG carried out for patients and health care  National miner Coal India Ltd (CIL), Ministry workers like Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Musli, of Coal has initiated the process of retrofitting and Yashtimadhu. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) kits in its dumpers.

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