Current Affairs 12th, 13th & 14th September 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

• To mark the importance of South-South Cooperation, the General Assembly decided to observe United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation on 12 September every year, commemorating the adoption in 1978 of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.
• Theme for 2020 is “Pathways toward the SDGs through South-South solidarity beyond COVID-19.”

World First Aid Day

• World First Aid Day is observed on the second Saturday of September, every year.
• The IFRC believes that first aid should be accessible to all including the most vulnerable, and should also be an integral part of a wider developmental approach.
• First aid day is celebrated to raise public awareness of how first aid can save lives in everyday and crisis situations.
• The theme of World First Aid Day 2020 is an annual campaign to promote the importance of first aid training in preventing injuries and saving lives.

Hindi Diwas being observed across the country

• Hindi Diwas is being celebrated across the country on 14th sep. It was on this day in 1949 that the constituent assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari as the official language of the country. Today, Hindi is one of the widely spoken languages in the world and the first language of more than 520 million people.
• Government has taken several steps to promote the Rajbhasha and at the international forums, Hindi is being well received.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Housing Ministry launches Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0

• The 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.
• The objective of CSCAF is to provide a roadmap for cities for combating Climate Change while planning and implementing their actions, including investments.
• The framework has 28 indicators across five categories: (i) Energy and Green Buildings, (ii) Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity, (iii) Mobility and Air Quality, (iv) Water Management and (v) Waste Management.
• The Climate Centre for Cities under National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is supporting MoHUA in implementation of CSCAF.
• Meanwhile, the Streets for People Challenge is the response to the need for making our cities more pedestrian friendly.
• It aims to inspire cities to create walking-friendly and vibrant streets through quick, innovative, and low-cost measures.

Govt Sets up Empowered Group of Ministers Headed by Rajnath Singh to Oversee OFB’s Corporatisation

• The government has constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to oversee the process of corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
• The ministry stated that the EGoM will oversee and guide the entire process (of corporatisation), including transition support and redeployment plan of employees while safeguarding their wages and retirement benefits.
• Others in the EGoM are Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

About MoD

• Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
• Constituency: Lucknow, UP.

Govt enhances scholarship for students of J&K under Pragati, Saksham Scholarship Schemes to Rs 50,000

• The Center government has enhanced scholarship amount for the students of J&K under “Pragati and Saksham Scholarship Schemes” from Rs. 5000 per annum to Rs.50,000 per annum from current academic year 2020-2021.
• Pertinently, the Ministry of Human Resource Development had launched the “Pragati and Saksham Scholarship Schemes” being implemented and offered by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to provide financial assistance for advancement of girls pursuing technical education besides supporting specially abled students for technical education respectively.
• Under Pragati scheme, all girls of J&K belonging to families having annual income of Rs. 8 lakh who shall be admitted in the AlCTE approved institutions for the session 2020-21 will be eligible for scholarship.
• Under Saksham scheme, all specially abled students with 40 per cent disability pursuing technical education at Degree or diploma level belonging to families with annual income less than Rs. 8.00 lakh would be eligible for the scholarship.
• These two schemes are aimed at to provide scholarship to the students of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir studying within Jammu and Kashmir. The application for availing these scholarships shall be invited for registration once in a year through National e-Scholarship Portal (NSP) of Government of India.

About AICTE

• Founded: November 1945
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Anil Sahasrabudhe

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Bahrain will be fourth Arab country to recognize Israel

• The island kingdom of Bahrain became the fourth Arab country to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel — and the second as part of a Trump administration peace initiative.
• Bahrain follows the United Arab Emirates’ decision to recognize Israel’s statehood.
• Trump will host Bahrain foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati foreign affairs minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House.
• Egypt was the first Arab country to recognize Israel, in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994.

About Bahrain

• King: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
• Capital: Manama
• Currency: Bahraini dinar

About Israel

• Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Capital: Jerusalem
• Currency: Israeli new shekel

Liberia declares rape a national emergency after spike in cases

• Liberian President George Weah has declared rape a national emergency and ordered new measures to tackle the problem after a recent spike of cases in the West African state.
• The move comes after thousands of Liberians protested against rising incidents of rape in the capital Monrovia last month in a bid to draw attention to the country’s alarming rate of sexual assault.
• The government will also establish a so-called “national security task force” on sexual and gender-based violence. The high rates of rape in Liberia have been a long-standing concern.
• A United Nations report in 2016 recorded 803 rape cases the previous year in the country of 4.5 million, and found only 2 percent of sexual violence cases led to a conviction.
• It was the resulting sense of impunity and legacy of the 14-year civil war between 1989 and 2003, when rape was commonplace, that had created the current problem, it stated. Incidents of rape appear to have risen sharply this year.

About Liberia:

• Capital: Monrovia
• Currency: Liberian dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI issues guidelines for appointment of CCO in banks

• Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines for appointment of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) in banks to ensure uniform approach with regard to compliance and risk management culture across the banking industry.
• Accordingly, RBI has stated that the CCO must be appointed for a minimum fixed period of three years. The person should be a senior executive of the bank, preferably in the rank of a general manager or an equivalent position or he could also be recruited from outside.
• Further, there shall not be any responsibility which brings elements of conflict of interest, especially the role relating to business. He must not be a member of any committee which brings his/her role in conflict with responsibility as member of the committee, including any committee dealing with purchases/sanctions.
• As per the circular, no vigilance case or adverse observation from the RBI should be pending against the candidate identified for appointment as the CCO. Selection of the candidate for the post of the CCO should be done on the basis of a well-defined selection process and recommendations made by the senior executive-level selection committee constituted by the board for the purpose.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Formation– 1 April 1935
• Governor– Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be appointed).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Mukesh Ambani’s RIL becomes first Indian firm to cross $200 billion M-cap

• Industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has become India’s first company to cross$210 billion market cap, entering the top 40 of worlds most valuable firms.
• At this market valuation, Reliance Industries is now worlds40th most valuable firm ahead of the likes of Exxon Mobil, PepsiCo, SAP, Oracle, Pfizer and Novartis. Also, Reliance Industries is now among Asia’s top 10 most valuable companies.
• Reliance had crossed$150 billion market capitalisation on June 19. This means it has added $60 billion in investor value in less than 60 market days – or an average of $1 billion (over Rs 7,300 crore) per session.
• The surge in share prices comes on the back of the announcement of Rs 7,500 crore investment bySilver Lake into Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, an RIL subsidiary.

Japan’ ORIX Corp. set to invest $980 million in Greenko Energy Holdings for 17% stake

• In the single largest foreign investment in India’s clean energy space, ORIX Corp. is set to invest $980 million in Greenko Energy Holdings; the Japan’ financial services firm stated.
• The deal will also add 873 MW of Orix’ operating wind assets to Hyderabad-based Greenko’s portfolio, and will contribute $100 million to Greenko’s EBITDA in the first year. The deal will also peg GIC Holdings Pte. Ltd and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) backed Greenko’s equity and enterprise value at $5.75 billion and $10.2 billion respectively.
• ORIX is a major player in the renewable energy business in Japan which includes solar, wind, biomass, power trading and retailing. With 1 GW portfolio, it is also one of the largest corporates in the Japanese solar power generation market.
• The addition of these wind projects that NYSE listed Orix had acquired from bankrupt Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), will take Greenko’s portfolio near-term capacity to 6.5 gigawatt (GW).
• ORIX, one of the world’s largest diversified financial services groups based in Japan, has been a significant shareholder in IL&FS since 1993. IL&FS sold its 51% stake in seven operating wind power assets, with 874 MW of generation capacity, to ORIX for Rs806 crore.

About Greenko Energies:

• Founder, CEO & MD– Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty
• Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Jammu and Kashmir announces Rs 5 lakh annual health insurance for residents

• Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha has announced Jammu and Kashmir health scheme intended to provide universal health insurance cover to all residents of the Union Territory at the likely annual cost of Rs 123 crore.
• It will provide health insurance cover free of cost to all those residents of Jammu and Kashmir, who are presently not covered under AB-PMJAY or Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• It will have the same benefits as available under AB-PMJAY with an annual health insurance cover of 5 lakh per family on floater basis.
• The health department will be launching a beneficiary registration drive to distribute Golden Cards (e-cards) amongst the beneficiaries soon.
• The socio-economic caste census (SECC) 2011 data will be used for identification of families for the scheme since the families suffering from any of the deprivations defined under SECC are already covered under AB-PMJAY.

About J&K

• Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Lieutenant governor: Manoj Sinha

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Launches First Of Its Kind Garima Scheme For Sanitation Workers

• Odisha government launched a statewide initiative for the safety and dignity of the core sanitation workers in the state.
• The first-of-its-kind ‘Garima’ scheme aims at providing social security and financial benefits to the workers and their families.
• An initial corpus fund of Rs 50 crore will be created for which the state government has proposed to set up a state commission for sanitation workers.
• The scheme aims to identify through state wide survey and register core sanitation workers, mandates registration of sanitation service providers, ensures provision of necessary machines and appropriate PPEs to ensure safe working conditions.
• All core sanitation workers will receive skilling and training to improve their skills. Additionally, they will have access to counselling support to acquire new skills and financial support if they choose an alternative livelihood, if they wish so.
• Some of the benefits include introduction of special category of wages for core sanitation work, introduction of Risk& Hardship allowance, financial assistance to the families in the event of accident or injury, financial support in the form of House Grant and purchase of two wheelers to the extent of 90 per cent of the cost.
• The Government of Odisha will also provide welfare benefits like health and life insurance, disability support, periodic health check-ups, housing, educational support, mobility support and mobile support.

About Odisha

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

India’s Largest Piggery Mission Launched In Meghalaya

• India’s largest piggery mission worth Rs 209 crores, was launched in Meghalaya by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kailash Choudhary.
• The Co-op lender NCDC organized an event on the occasion of the hand-over of the first tranche of financial assistance amounting to Rs 53 crores at its headquarters in Delhi in which Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Prestone Tynsong, Deputy Chief Minister deputy were present.
• The project envisages setting up of 300 satellite pig breeding farms, small slaughterhouses, product transport small vehicles and pork vending kiosks. It also includes a pig feed storage unit, quality certification facility and pilot facility for processed products, brand promotion and market support for exports.
• The State govt has set up Meghalaya Livestock Enterprises Advancement Society (M-LEADS) consisting of Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary as Chairman and Commissioner & Secretary, Finance & Cooperation Departments as Chief Executive Officer.
• The project is proposed to fulfill objectives like sustainable livelihood development through formation of multipurpose cooperatives structure, well channelized backward and forward linkages, production and marketing of clean hygienic pork/pork products and socio-economic upliftment of the weaker sections of society in Meghalaya.

About Meghalaya

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma

UP govt to constitute special force

• Uttar Pradesh government has decided to constitute a special force. It will provide security to the high court, district courts, administrative offices and buildings, Metro rail, airports, banks, financial institutions, educational institutions and industrial units.
• In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force. Five battalions will be constituted in the first phase and it will be headed by an ADG-ranked officer. Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around 1,747 crore rupees.

About UP:

• Capital: Lucknow
• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

India’s first Coronavirus airport testing facility launched in Delhi

• Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) launched country’s first airport Covid-19 testing facility at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for arriving international passengers.
• Those who wish to avoid a queue can book a slot via the airport’s website. Since the testing process is expected to generate a sample’s result in around 6 hours, passengers with connecting flights are advised to keep an 8-10 hour window.
• Those who test negative are exempted from institutional quarantine, but those who test positive will either be moved to a hospital, or home or institutional isolation. The objective of the authorities is to separate infected passengers from the rest to prevent further spread of the disease.
• The Covid-19 testing facility at the Delhi international airport will initially handle up to 2,500 samples per day in mid-September and if required, the capacity can later be ramped up to 15,000 samples per day, a top official of Genestrings Diagnostic Center stated.

About Delhi:

• Governor: Anil Baijal, IAS
• Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh launches Smart Ration Card Scheme

• Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh launched the Smart Ration Card Scheme to cover 1.41 crore beneficiaries across the state. Rolling out the scheme virtually, with connection to 100 places across the state, the Chief Minister stated, 37.5 lakh cards will be distributed to the eligible beneficiaries this month.
• Besides, he also announced a separate state-funded scheme to provide subsidized rations to the nine lakh beneficiaries not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Captain Singh stated, with this, the total number of beneficiaries in the state will go up to 1.50 crore.
• The Chief Minister stated, the scheme would help to curb corruption and give freedom to the beneficiaries to buy entitled ration quota from any depot in the state.

About Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Chief minister: Amarinder Singh
• Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore

Gujarat declares its first heritage tourism policy

• Unveiling the first “heritage tourism policy”, Gujarat government allowed opening up of heritage hotels, museums, banquet halls and restaurants inside historic palaces, forts and buildings. This policy is applicable to historic structures that existed before January 1, 1950 and will allow international and domestic tourists to see and experience historic structures from close quarters.
• Under this policy, a new heritage hotel or an existing one will get financial assistance of Rs 5-10 crore for renovation or expansion. The basic heritage structure should not be altered during this process. The government will give a 20 per cent subsidy (maximum of Rs 5 crore) if the investment is up to Rs 25 crore. If the investments are over Rs 25 crore, then the maximum subsidy would be Rs 10 crore.
• Similarly, to begin a new heritage museum, banquet hall or resturant or to renovate or restore an existing one, financial assistance of Rs 45 lakh to Rs 1 crore will be provided. This financial aid will be given at 7 percent interest for five years and will not exceed Rs 30 lakh in a year.

About Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

IIT Roorkee inks MoU with OUAT for cooperation in agricultural research and education

• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT-R) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneshwar to generate frontier technologies and produce quality manpower in the field of agricultural research and education for addressing the challenges faced by the rural communities and improving their quality of life.
• According to the MoU, both institutions will collaborate in research programmes where IITR and OUAT would work jointly in the field of Agriculture in the field of Genomics, Transgenics and Metabolomics and crop improvement.
• Some other fields mentioned in the MoU are Information and Communication, application of Sensors in agriculture, information and communication, IT-based societal development and related aspects of Agriculture leading to the creation of rural livelihood opportunities. The MoU has been signed for five years.
• The MoU entitles both institutions to establish mutual relations between their scientific and technical divisions and create facilities for the exchange of scientific technologists and experts and their proper placement.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches Aero India 2021 website, show scheduled in February

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the website of Aero India 2021 — https://aeroindia.gov.in — in Delhi.
• The 13th edition of Aero India-21 will be held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru in Karnataka from February 3 to February 7 next year.
• The Aero India 2021 website will be a contactless online interface for Asia’s largest aero show. It will host and stream all online services related to the event for both the exhibitors and visitors.
• Besides, it will also host informative content about the Ministry of Defence’s recent policies, initiatives and product profile of indigenous aircraft and helicopters.
• Exhibitors will be able to register and book space online as per their requirements on a first-come-first-served basis and make all payments online on the Aero India website.
• The website will be interactive and aims to provide the first of the numerous contactless experiences at the show and will help build the participants’ confidence towards the event being cognizant and in conformance with prevailing pandemic related guidelines and safeguards.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Citi names Jane Fraser as CEO, the first woman to lead a major US bank

• Citigroup made history by naming Jane Fraser as its next CEO. She will become the first woman to lead a major US bank.
• Fraser, currently in charge of Citi’s (C) consumer bank, is set to take over in February for Michael Corbat, who plans to retire after 37 years at the bank.

About Citigroup Inc.

• CEO: Michael Corbat
• Headquarters: New York, United States

UNICEF appoints Ayushmann Khurrana as celebrity advocate for children’s rights campaign

• UNICEF India announced Ayushmann Khurrana as its celebrity advocate for children’s rights campaign – ’For Every Child’.
• Khurrana will support UNICEF towards ending violence against children. He will work towards this initiative in India and joins the likes of former football star David Beckham, who works on this campaign globally.

About UNICEF:

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Head: Henrietta H. Fore

Paresh Rawal Appointed As Next Chairman Of National School Of Drama

• Paresh Rawal is the newly appointed chairman of National School of Drama (NSD). He was appointed with the position by the President of India.
• The post which was vacant since 2017, where Arjun Deo Charan had been working as acting chairperson after Theatre veteran Ratan Thiyam was the chairperson of NSD from 2013 to 2017.
• Paresh Rawal is an iconic Indian actor, known for his comedic roles in the Hindi film industry. In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri award for his contributions in the Indian cinema, it is the 4th highest civilian award in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Dr. S. Jaishankar co-chairs the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting

• External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India H.E. S. Jaishankar co-chaired the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting along with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand H.E. Don Pramudwinai.
• The Meeting was held virtually and saw the participation of Foreign Ministers of the ten ASEAN Member States and India.
• The Meeting reviewed the status of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership in several areas including maritime cooperation, connectivity, education & capacity building and people-to-people contacts. It reviewed the progress in implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2016-2020).
• The Meeting also reviewed the preparations for the upcoming 17th ASEAN-India Summit and also the progress in the implementation of key decisions of the Leaders of ASEAN Member States (AMS) and India arrived at the 16th ASEAN-India Summit held in Bangkok in November 2019 and the previous Summits.
• The new ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025) was adopted at the Meeting. The Ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation to fight COVID-19 pandemic and exchanged views on important regional and international developments.

About ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

• Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia
• Members: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos

Virtual meeting of G-20 Agriculture,Water Ministers held

• A virtual meeting of G-20 Agriculture and Water Ministers was held. The meeting was attended by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Parshottam Rupala. During the meeting, the Jal Shakti Minister assured the forum of India’s commitment to contribute towards the objectives, goals and targets set by G-20. He stated, Government of India is implementing the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ to provide household tap connections to 190 million rural homes, thereby ensuring drinking water security.
• About Open Defecation Free India, the forum was informed about the efforts to sustain the gains of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, with more focus on solid and liquid waste management and grey water treatment and reuse.
• He also informed them about the protocols developed by India to use drones for spraying of pesticides for timely control of dessert locusts and appealed to the G-20 member countries to work in tandem and come up with an action plan for trans-boundary pest and diseases to safeguard agricultural crops. He also appealed to G-20 member countries to share knowledge and best practices to reduce the ill-effects of climate change that could affect agriculture and livelihoods of farmers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Chaitanya Tamhane bags Best Screenplay award for The Disciple at Venice Film Festival, loses Golden Lion to Nomadland

• Filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple won the Best Screenplay award at Venice International Film Festival during the closing ceremony. This is the second award the film got at the festival. Earlier, it was honoured with the International Critics’ Prize awarded by FIPRESCI.
• The Disciple was selected for the Best Screenplay award by the Jury for the Official Competition, presided by 2-time Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett, and comprising British director Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir), French actress Ludivine Sagnier (8 Women, Swimming Pool), Austrian filmmaker Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy), German director Christian Petzold (Undine, Barbara), American actor Matt Dillon (The House that Jack Built) and Italian writer Nicola Lagioia.
• Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the festival. The film stars Oscar-winner Frances McDormand as the lead.
• The Disciple was also selected as the only Indian film this year among the official selection of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

India ranks to 105th spot from 79th in global economic freedom ranking

• India has been ranked 105th on the Global Economic Freedom Index 2020, falling 26 spots from 79th position in last year’s rankings.
• The Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 Annual Report prepared by Canada’s Fraser Institute has been released in India in conjunction with New Delhi-based think tank Centre For Civil Society.
• The report highlighted that the prospect of increasing economic freedom in India depends on the next generation of reforms in factor markets including greater openness to international trade.
• According to the report, based on 2018 data, Hong Kong and Singapore once again topped the index, continuing their streak as first and second ranked, respectively.
• Some of the other countries in that make up the top 10 are New Zealand, Switzerland, US, Australia, Mauritius, Georgia, Canada and Ireland.
• Meanwhile, the 10 lowest ranked countries on the latest index are African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Republic of Congo, Algeria, Iran, Angola, Libya, Sudan and Venezuela.

Startup ranking: Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar Islands are best performers

• Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have emerged as the best performers among states and UTs in the second edition of ranking of the startup ecosystem in the country, followed by Karnataka and Kerala who were “top performers”.
• The States’ Startup Ranking Framework 2019 is based on seven broad reform areas consisting of 30 action points ranging from institutional support, easing compliances, relaxation in public procurement norms, incubation support, seed funding support, venture funding support, and awareness and outreach. Based on these categories, the states have been recognized as best performer, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders.
• The last 2018 edition ranked Gujarat as the best performer in developing the startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs. Other top performers were Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Rajasthan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Dominic Thiem first since 1949 to win US Open

• Dominic Thiem became the first man in 71 years to win the U.S. Open after dropping the first two sets of the final.
• Thiem earned his first Grand Slam title with a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) comeback victory against Alexander Zverev. The U.S. Open never had been decided by a fifth-set tiebreaker.
• Pancho Gonzalez made the same sort of turnaround against Ted Schroeder in 1949 to win the event then known as the S. Championships.

Naomi Osaka wins second US Open title after comeback win over Victoria Azarenka

• Japanese Tennis star Naomi Osaka beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to claim her second US Open title in three years with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win.
• Osaka, a 22-year-old born in Japan and now based in the United States, added to her trophies from the 2018 U.S. Open — earned with a brilliant performance in a memorably chaotic final against Serena Williams — and 2019 Australian Open.
• This one was a back-and-forth affair. Even after Osaka surged ahead 4-1 in the third set, the outcome was unclear. She held four break points in the next game — convert any of those, and she would have served for the win at 5-1 — but Azarenka didn’t flinch.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Social activist Swami Agnivesh passes away

• Social activist Swami Agnivesh, who passed away at the age of 80.
• He was best known for his work on freeing bonded labourers, as also for his efforts to ensure inter-religious harmony.
• In 1981, he founded the organisation Bandhua Mukti Morcha (BMM). The organisation works on rescuing bonded labourers through checks and raids in industrials units, brick kilns, etc.

DAILY CA 11^th  SEP  

• Govt forms three-member expert panel to assist in assessment of relief to bank borrowers
• Railways launch India’s second Kisan Rail from Andhra to Delhi
• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates webinar on Enhancing Water Use Efficiency and Coverage of Micro Irrigation in Indian agriculture
• Atal Innovation Mission Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative
• Bangladesh launches campaign against fake information and rumours
• ADB provides 50 million dollar loan to Bangladesh for PPP infrastructure projects
• PNB launches festival offer, waives processing charges on some loans
• ICICI Prudential Life partners with NSDL Payments Bank to offer insurance products
• Mastercard launches CBDC testing platform for central banks
• SBI Modernizes its Payment Switching System with ACI Worldwide Technology
• GDP to contract 9% in FY21, says Crisil
• Hubballi Railway Station renamed after spiritualist
• Nagaland launches Naga Telehealth platform
• Madhya Pradesh reintroduces Deendayal Rasoi Scheme for meals at Rs 10
• UP government signs pact with UN for take-home-ration scheme— move to benefit nearly 200 women self help groups
• India to host CHG meeting of SCO on 29-30 November in New Delhi
• Dr Harsh Vardhan attends 73rd Session Of WHO South East Asia Region through video conferencing
• Forbes Releases 39th Annual Forbes 400 Ranking Of The Richest Americans
• India is second-fastest-growing freelance market in the world, says report
• C-DAC, IIT-Kharagpur developing robot for pesticide spraying
• For first time, ITBP deploys female doctors at forward locations in Ladakh

DAILY CA 12^th , 13^th & 14^th  SEP  

• United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation- 12^th sep
• World First Aid Day- second Saturday of sep
• Hindi Diwas being observed across the country- 14^th sep
• Housing Ministry launches Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0
• Govt Sets up Empowered Group of Ministers Headed by Rajnath Singh to Oversee OFB’s Corporatisation
• Govt enhances scholarship for students of J&K under Pragati, Saksham Scholarship Schemes to Rs 50,000
• Bahrain will be fourth Arab country to recognize Israel
• Liberia declares rape a national emergency after spike in cases
• RBI issues guidelines for appointment of CCO in banks
• Mukesh Ambani’s RIL becomes first Indian firm to cross $200 billion M-cap
• Japan’ ORIX Corp. set to invest $980 million in Greenko Energy Holdings for 17% stake
• Jammu and Kashmir announces Rs 5 lakh annual health insurance for residents
• Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Launches First Of Its Kind Garima Scheme For Sanitation Workers
• India’s Largest Piggery Mission Launched In Meghalaya
• UP govt to constitute special force
• India’s first Coronavirus airport testing facility launched in Delhi
• Punjab CM Amarinder Singh launches Smart Ration Card Scheme
• Gujarat declares its first heritage tourism policy
• IIT Roorkee inks MoU with OUAT for cooperation in agricultural research and education
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches Aero India 2021 website, show scheduled in February
• Citi names Jane Fraser as CEO, the first woman to lead a major US bank
• UNICEF appoints Ayushmann Khurrana as celebrity advocate for children’s rights campaign
• Paresh Rawal Appointed As Next Chairman Of National School Of Drama
• S. Jaishankar co-chairs the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting
• Virtual meeting of G-20 Agriculture,Water Ministers held
• Chaitanya Tamhane bags Best Screenplay award for The Disciple at Venice Film Festival, loses Golden Lion to Nomadland
• India ranks to 105th spot from 79th in global economic freedom ranking
• Startup ranking: Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar Islands are best performers
• Dominic Thiem first since 1949 to win US Open
• Naomi Osaka wins second US Open title after comeback win over Victoria Azarenka
• Social activist Swami Agnivesh passes away

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