Current Affairs 21st September 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS  

International Day of Peace – Observed on Sep 21

• The International Day of Peace, sometimes officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September.
• This year, the theme for the day is ‘Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world’ September 21 is commemorated as the International Day of Peace world over.
• The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
• Also known as Peace Day, the observance is designed to bring the world together.
• It is no secret that we are living in turbulent times.

International Week of Deaf People 2021 – Observed on Sep 20 to 26

• The International Week of Deaf People has been celebrated during the last full week of September.
• This week, we come together to recognise that deaf people have our own communities, our own cultures, our own languages, sign languages, which unite us all.
• This year’s theme for the International Week of Deaf People is “Celebrating Thriving Deaf Communities”.
• Deaf communities have been expanding and thriving throughout the years and giving us all strength, now is the time to celebrate their incredible endurance at the local, national and international level.
• This is an important week for the recognition of deaf people, it is vital for deaf communities and deaf organisations.
• This falls under the key principle, “Nothing about us, without us!”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Niti Aayog tie-up with ISRO,CBSE to launch ‘Space Challenge’ 

• “Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Niti Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) successfully launched the ATL Space Challenge 2021 for all school students across the country”.
• This challenge has been designed for all the school students, mentors and teachers across the country who not only are associated with schools having Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) labs but for all the non-ATL schools as well.
• This is to ensure that students of classes 6 to 12 are given an open platform where they can innovate and enable themselves to solve digital age space technology problems.
• The ATL Space Challenge 2021 aligns with the World Space Week 2021 which is being observed from October 4-10 each year at the global level in order to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology.

About AIM:

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is Government of India’s flagship initiative to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country.
• AIM’s objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platforms and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, and create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country.

Govt to cover 36 thousand Villages under PM Adarsh Gram Yojna announced by the Union Tribal Minister

• The Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda announced to start Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAGY) covering 36 thousand villages across the country. 
• Villages with 50 percent tribal population will be given priority.

Objective:

• It aims to provide ‘Housing for All’ by 2022, by providing financial assistance to beneficiaries.
• Integrated development of villages having population of Scheduled Castes (SC) people is more than 50%.
• Taking up identified activities that are not covered under the existing Central and State Government Schemes, through ‘Gap-filling’ funds from the centre.
• In October, 2018, the Scheme was revised to bring focus on important and critical monitorable socio-economic indicators under 10 domains namely, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Education, Health & Nutrition, Social Security, Rural Road and housing, Electricity and clean fuel, Agricultural practices etc., financial inclusion, Digitization, Livelihood and Skill Development.

About Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)

• Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) has been implemented since 2009-10 to enable an area-based development approach for Scheduled Caste persons.

Addl.Info:

• 1,700 tribal villages in Assam will be covered under PMAGY and converted into modern villages.
• It would benefit around 60,000 people.
• 184 Van Dhan Kendra will be set in Assam.

Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under PMKVY from New Delhi

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) from Rail Bhavan, New Delhi.
• The program curriculum has been developed by Banaras Locomotive Works, Uttar Pradesh.
• The program envisions empowering youth viz. 50000 candidates with industry relevant skills over a period of three years under the Apprentice Act 1961 through 75 Railway training institutes with free of cost.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Putin’s United Russia Party won parliamentary majority 

• Ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority despite unease over living standards.
• With over 99 per cent of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission stated United Russia has won nearly 50 per cent of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, taking just under 19 per cent.
• The scale of the victory means United Russia will have more than two-thirds of deputies in the 450-seat State Duma lower house of parliament.
• This will enable it to continue to push through laws without having to rely on other parties.

About Russia:

• President: Vladimir Putin
• Capital: Moscow
• Currency: Russian ruble

Piyush Goyal Addresses the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting; Hosted by Indonesia

• Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal addressed the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting.
• Objective of the meeting is to discuss the ‘Agricultural Priority Issues of G-33’ and the Way Forward for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC-12) scheduled to be held from 30th November to 3rd December 2021.

About G-33

• Total Member Countries – 47
• The grouping is called Friends of Special Products in agriculture. 
• It is a coalition of developing countries. 
• It was established in the Cancun ministerial conference, Doha Round of WTO.
• The G33 has proposed special rules for developing countries at WTO negotiations, like allowing them to continue to restrict access to their agricultural markets.

About Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) :

• The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is a WTO treaty that was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and formally ratified in 1994 at Marrakesh, Morocco.

Highlights of MoS MEA Meenakshi Lekhi visit to Portugal and Spain

• From September 12-17, 2021 the Minister of State (MoS) Meenakshi Lekhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) visited Portugal and Spain to enhance bilateral ties with the two countries.

Visit to Spain:

• She called on the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares and had consultations with the Secretary of State for International Affairs, Ms. Pilar Cancela Rodriguez.
• Cooperation with the Cervantes Institute of Spain along with cooperation in Film making, Sports and Science and Technology was also discussed.

Visit to Portugal: 

• Agreement on Indian Citizens Recruitment Signed
• On September 12-14 of 2021 she visited Portugal where a bilateral agreement on the recruitment of Indian citizens was signed after the review meeting of bilateral relations with her counterpart, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco Andre.
• With this pact, Portugal becomes the first European country with which India has signed a dedicated agreement on labour mobility.
• This is also the first agreement signed by Portugal outside the EU. 
• The agreement will strengthen the socio-economic aspect between both nations as it sets out the procedures for recruitment of Indian workers and professionals in Portugal.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh ChouhanShivraj Singh Chouhan to inaugurate buildings of 103 newly constructed Anganwadi Centres

• In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government is organising a Public Welfare and Suraj Campaign from 17th September to 7th October on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• During this 20-day special campaign, various steps are being taken for the betterment of life of the common people.
• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the buildings of 103 newly constructed Anganwadi Centres in 32 districts of the state and 10 thousand nutrition gardens in 52 districts.
• The Chief Minister will also provide nutrition rights information sheets to the mothers of 10 thousand children who have come to normal nutritional levels after the severe malnutrition in 22 districts.
• Mr Chouhan will distribute Maternity Assistance amounting to five crore rupees to 25 thousand pregnant and lactating mothers under the Pradhan Mantri Matru-Vandana Yojana.
• Mr Chouhan will also distribute a scholarship amount of 21 crore rupees to more than 75 thousand students of Class 6th, 9th, 11th and 12th under Ladli Laxmi Yojana.

About Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Governor : Mangubhai C. Patel
• National Parks: Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhav National Park, Sanjay National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Panna National Park, Satpura National Park, Pench National Park, Mandla Plant Fossils National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Tata Capital introduces ‘Loan Against Mutual Funds’ Scheme

• Tata Capital, the flagship financial services company of the Tata Group, has announced the launch of ‘Loan Against Mutual Funds’ (LAMF), an industry first end-to-end digital offering.
• Customers can avail quick and hassle-free loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 crores.
• Tata Capital’s digital loan offering is provided against a wide range of equity and debt schemes across mutual funds.
• Customers can avail the loan amount by marking a lien on the mutual fund units which are managed by various asset management companies.
• Backed by technology and analytics, LAMF is a personalized product to meet the diverse fund requirements of the customer.
• The loan amount is customized based on the value of the units in the mutual fund folio and tenure.

About TATA Capital:

• Tata Capital Limited is a financial and investment service provider in India.
• The company is based in Mumbai and has more than 100 branches across the country.
• The firm offers consumer loans, wealth management, commercial finance, and infrastructure finance, among others.
• CEO: Rajiv Sabharwal
• Headquarters: Mumbai

KMBL make partnership with IISc will set up AI-ML Centre in Bengaluru

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore announced a partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank to set up a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI-ML) Centre at the IISc campus here.
• Spread across approximately 1,40,000 square feet, the Kotak-IISc AI-ML Centre will offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and short-term courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, fintech, reinforcement learning, image processing and computer vision.
• The Centre, established under KMBL’s CSR project on Education & Livelihood, will also promote research and innovation in AI and ML and develop the talent pool from across the country to provide cutting-edge solutions to meet the industry’s emerging and future requirements.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank:

• Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited is an Indian banking & financial services company headquartered in the city of Mumbai, India.
• It offers banking products and financial services for corporate and retail customers in the areas of personal finance, investment banking, life insurance, and wealth management.
• CEO: Uday Kotak
• Headquarters: Mumbai

UK report – India will become 3rd largest importer by 2050

• India could become the world’s third-largest importer by 2050, according to a report released by the UK’s Department of International Trade. 
• With a 5.9 per cent share of global imports by 2050, the country will become the third-largest importer, following China and the United States.
• At present, India occupies the eighth spot on the list of the largest importing countries with a 2.8 per cent share.
• As per the Global Trade Outlook report, the country’s position on the list will jump to the fourth position by 2030 with a 3.9 per cent share.

About UK’s Department of International Trade:

• The Department for International Trade is a United Kingdom government department responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the United Kingdom and foreign countries, as well as for encouraging foreign investment and export trade.
• Founder: Theresa May

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & ECONOMY

HDFC Bank ties up with Paytm to offer co-branded credit cards in October 2021

• HDFC Bank will work with Paytm to offer co-branded credit cards on the Visa platform to businesspersons, millennials and others.
• This tie-up will see the lender leverage its position as the leading credit card-issuer and its expertise in superior customer engagement to offer services to Paytm’s large customer base of 330 million, thus enabling a deeper penetration in Tier II and III cities, accelerating the adoption of digital payments.
• The credit cards will be launched in October during the festive season to tap into the high consumer demand for credit cards, equated monthly installments (EMIs), and buy now pay later (BNPL) options and the full suite of products will be offered by the end of December 2021.

About HDFC:

• HDFC Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• HDFC Bank is India’s largest private sector bank by assets and by market capitalization as of April 2021.
• It is the third largest company by market capitalization on the Indian stock exchanges.
• CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Tagline: We understand your World.

About Paytm:

• Paytm (a partial abbreviation for “pay through mobile”) is an Indian digital payment system and financial technology company, based in Noida.
• Paytm is currently available in 11 Indian languages and offers online use-cases like mobile recharges, utility bill payments, travel, movies, and events bookings as well as in-store payments at grocery stores, fruits and vegetable shops, restaurants, parking, tolls, pharmacies and educational institutions with the Paytm QR code.
• As of January 2018, Paytm is valued at $10 billion.
• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma

BoB, BPCL jointly launched international co-branded debit card

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have launched an international co-branded RuPay NCMC Platinum contactless debit card.
• “This personalised RuPay platinum international debit card comes with various benefits including 5 per cent cashback up to Rs.50 on the first 2 transactions at BPCL outlets.
• “The customers will also receive 0.75 per cent cashback incentive on fuel transactions up to maximum Rs.45 per transaction at over 19,000 plus BPCL outlets across India”.
• Further, the co-branded debit cardholders can withdraw up to Rs.50,000 at ATMs, shop for a maximum of Rs.1 lakh from e-commerce portals, and physical outlets using PoS machines.
• Additionally, cardholders can access RuPay concierge services, domestic airport lounges along with an accidental insurance worth Rs.2 lakh”.
• The BoB BPCL RuPay co-branded debit card is powered with the “National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)” feature that enables contactless transactions across all the public transport systems in the country such as metros, buses, cabs suburban railways, toll, parking, and topping-up FASTags and also for retail purchases.

About BOB:

• Bank of Baroda is an Indian government owned banking and financial services company.
• It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara
• Merged banks: Vijaya bank, Dena Bank
• Tagline: India’s International Bank

About BPCL:

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is an Indian government-owned oil and gas corporation.
• It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It operates two large refineries in Kochi and Mumbai.
• Headquarters: Mumbai

RBI Imposed Rs 5 lakh Fine on Kuppam Co-operative Town Bank over Regulatory Violation

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Kuppam Cooperative Town Bank, Chittor, Andhra Pradesh, over the violation of provisions of the directions issued by RBI in the Master Circular on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning and Master Circular on Board of Directors for urban co-operative banks. 
• The penalty was imposed in the exercise of power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• The RBI imposed a Rs 2.44 lakh fine on Spice Money Limited for non-compliance of provisions of the RBI’s master direction on issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) in India.
• The penalty was imposed in the exercise of the power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 30 of the Payment & Settlement Systems Act 2007.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi appointed as one of 17 SDG Advocates by UN

• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates, ahead of the 76th General Assembly.
• Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, STEM activist Valentina Munoz Rabanal, Microsoft President Brad Smith and K-pop superstars Blackpink were named in the list.

About Kailash Satyarthi

• He is a child rights activist.
• Founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan
• Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
• His role as SDG advocate is to focus on protecting and promoting the rights of children around the world.

Facebook India appointed former IAS officer Rajiv Aggarwal as Head of Public Policy

• Facebook India has appointed former IAS officer Rajiv Aggarwal as the Director of Public Policy.
• He succeeds Ankhi Das, who quit the company in October last year.
• She was embroiled in a controversy for opposing the enforcement of hate-speech rules against right-wing leaders in the country.
• In his new role, Aggarwal will define and lead important policy development initiatives for Facebook in India on an agenda that covers user safety, data protection and privacy, inclusion and internet governance.

About Aggarwal:

• Aggarwal has over 26 years of experience as an Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) and worked as a District Magistrate in nine districts across Uttar Pradesh.
• During his tenure as an administrative officer, he steered India’s first ever national policy on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and was instrumental in the digital transformation of India’s IP offices.
• Aggarwal’s last assignment was with Uber, where he was the Head of Public Policy for India and South Asia.

Joshna Chinappa named as Brand Ambassador of ASICS

• Japanese sports major, ASICS has announced Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa as their new brand athlete.
• With this partnership, the brand catapults the performance outlook by joining hands with this sport icon whose game and playing style is admired by all.

About ASICS:

• Asics is a Japanese multinational corporation which produces sports equipment designed for a wide range of sports.
• The name is an acronym for the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano, which translates as “Sound mind in a sound body”.
• Headquarters: Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
• CEO: Motoi Oyama

Virat Kohli appointed as Athlete Investor & Brand Ambassador of Hyperice    

• Hyperice, a global high-performance wellness brand specializing in percussion, dynamic air compression, vibration, thermal technology, mind technology, and contrast therapy, announced Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as a Hyperice athlete-investor and new brand ambassador.
• Through the partnership, Virat Kohli will work collaboratively with Hyperice to further accelerate the wellness category as it begins its expansion into India and continues its growth throughout the globe.
• Virat Kohli joins an unmatched list of elite global athlete-investors, including global football superstar Erling Haaland, 4-time tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, NBA Star Ja Morant and PGA TOUR champion Rickie Fowler.

About Hyperice:

• The gun is more effective at targeting knots that standard foam rollers and much more user-friendly than the DIY jigsaw option.

Hussan Lal appointed as principal secretary to Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

• Hussan Lal, a 1995-batch IAS officer, was appointed the principal secretary to new Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
• The transfer orders were issued minutes after Channi was administered the oath of office by governor Banwarilal Purohit in Chandigarh.
• Rahul Tiwari, a 2000-batch IAS officer, was posted as special principal secretary to the chief minister.
• Tiwari has worked with Channi when he was technical education and employment generation minister before being elevated as the chief minister.

About Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
• Chief minister: Charanjit Singh Channi
• National parks: Bir Moti Bagh National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS  

Ranganatha Ramachandra Rao bags Akademi award for Om Namo

• Ranganatha Ramachandra Rao has bagged the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation-2020 for his work Om Namo.
• The Akademi announced the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize 2020.
• A total of 24 translation works from different languages were selected.
• Ramachandra Rao translated the Kannada novel Om Namo authored by Shantinataha Desai and for that he was awarded.
• The award carries an amount of `50,000 and a copper plaque, which will be presented to the winner at a special function to be held sometime later this year.

About Sahitya Akademi Prize:

• The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 24 major Indian languages such as English, Bengali, Punjabi and the 22 listed languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution recognised by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.

2021 Emmy Award Winners List Announced

• Unlike last year’s mostly virtual ceremony, this year in 2021, the Primetime Emmy Awards went back to an in-person event.
• Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso was the hot favourite with most nominations, 13.
• It went on to clinch 4 trophies, including three acting awards and 1 win for Outstanding Comedy Series.
• The Crown, which went in with 11 nominations, proved to be the big winner — with 7 wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, and awards for directing, writing, and four acting awards for Tobiaz Menzies, Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor and Gillian Anderson.

Winners at 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent on Ted Lasso
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross on Mare of Easttown
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Evan Peters as Det. Colin Zabel on Mare of Easttown
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Peter Morgan for The Crown
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series: Jessica Hobbs for The Crown
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gillian Anderson for The Crown
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip for The Crown
• Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• Outstanding Variety Talk Series: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• Outstanding Variety Sketch Series: Saturday Night Live
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Hacks
• Outstanding Directing for a comedy series: Hacks
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart for Hacks
• Outstanding Competition Program: RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Governors Award: Debbie Allen
• Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: The Queen’s Gambit
• Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Michaela Coel for I May Destroy You
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Kate Winslet for Mare of Easttown
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Ewan McGregor for Halston
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Olivia Colman for The Crown
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Josh O’Connor for The Crown
• Outstanding Variety Special (Live): Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020
• Outstanding Comedy Series: Ted Lasso
• Outstanding Drama Series: The Crown
• Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: The Queen’s Gambit

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Kotak Mahindra Bank to acquire 9.98% stake in KFin Technologies for Rs 310 cr

• Kotak Mahindra Bank will acquire a 9.98 percent stake in KFin Technologies for Rs 310 crore.
• As part of the transaction, the private sector lender will subscribe to 1,67,25,100 equity shares in KFin Technologies.
• The stake acquisition is expected to conclude by the end of October 2021.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank :

• CEO & Founder : Uday Kotak
• Chairman : Prakash Apte
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Founded: February 2003
• It is the third largest Indian private sector bank by market capitalization

About KFin Technologies :

• Founded: 2017
• Headquarters : Hyderabad, Telangana
• Chairman : MV Nair
• KFin is India’s largest integrated solutions and services provider for investor and issuer services providing financial technology solutions across  asset classes such as mutual funds, alternatives, ETFs, insurance and pensions.
• It had a turnover of Rs 481 crore in 2020-21.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UNESCO declares world’s first 5-country biosphere reserve in ‘Amazon of Europe’

• On September 15, 2021, UNESCO, designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve.

Aim :

• To revitalise 25,000 km of rivers and protect 30 percent of the European Union’s land area by 2030.
• The biosphere reserve covers 700 kilometres of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers and stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
• The total area of the reserve, a million hectares in the so-called ‘Amazon of Europe’, makes it the largest riverine protected area on the continent.
• The reserve is home to floodplain forests, gravel and sand banks, river islands, oxbows and meadows.
• It is home to continental Europe’s highest density of breeding white-tailed eagle (more than 150 pairs), as well as endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otters, beavers and sturgeons.
• It is also an important annual resting and feeding place for more than 250,000 migratory birds.

About UNESCO :

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director-General; Audrey Azoulay
• Founded: 16 November 1945, London, United Kingdom

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Global Innovation Index 2021 : Top- Switzerland, India ranks 46th position

• India has been ranked at 46th place with a score of 36.4 in the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• Switzerland has topped in the Global Innovation Index.
• Meanwhile, China and Pakistan were ranked 12th and 99th positions.
• India has climbed 2 spots from last year’s ranking & It takes second place in the lower middle-income group.

Top 5 countries :

Rank	Country	Score
1	Switzerland	65.5
2	Sweden	63.1
3	United States of America	61.3
4	United Kingdom	59.8
5	Republic of Korea	59.3

 

About Global Innovation Index 2021 :

• The Global Innovation Index 2021 captures the innovation ecosystem performance of 132 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.

About WIPO :

• Director General : Daren Tang
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 14 July 1967
• Membership: 193 member states

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Virat Kohli steps down as T20 captain, to remain captain for ODI/ Test formats

• Indian skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down as the T20 captain of the Indian cricket team after the men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai in October 2021.
• He will remain the captain for the ODI and Test formats.

Raja Rithvik becomes India’s 70th GM

• 17 Year old R Raja Rithvik has become India’s 70th and latest chess Grandmaster.
• He achieved this GM title in the Vezerkepzo Grandmaster Chess Tournament at Budapest, Hungary.
• He is a native of Warangal, Rithvik has been undergoing advanced coaching at RACE Chess Academy under reputed coach N.V.S. Rama Raju.
• Pune’s Harshit Raja became India’s 69th GM last month.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Former England Footballer Jimmy Greaves Passes away

• On Sep 19, 2021, The former England Footballer Jimmy Greaves Passed away.
• He was 81.

About Jimmy Greaves :

• Jimmy Greaves born in February 1940, Manor Park, London, United Kingdom.
• He is currently in fourth place on the all-time list of England goalscorers, behind Wayne Rooney, Charlton and Gary Lineker.
• He is a member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, Greaves scored 44 goals in his 57 appearances for England.

Daily CA On Sep 19 and 20 :

• As the nation celebrates “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, the Department of Justice launched the “Ek Pahal” drive across the country from 17th September till 2nd October to encourage mass registration under Tele-Law.
• MyGov India has launched the Planetarium Innovation Challenge for Indian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs.
• IIT Delhi researchers have designed and fabricated a device that can generate electricity from water drops, raindrops, water streams, and even from ocean waves using “Triboelectric Effect” and “Electrostatic Induction”. 
• The Centre has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) chaired by Rajnath Singh for better implementation of various welfare schemes meant for SC, ST, OBC, minorities and women, and the panel met for the first time.
• The Cabinet had approved a government guarantee of up to Rs 30600 crore to back security receipts to be issued by National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL).
• The World Economic Forum stated its next annual meeting will be held in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos in January 2022, making it the first major in-person congregation of the world leaders in almost two years since the deadliest pandemic hit the world.
• Nagaland’s first and India’s 61st Software Technology Park of India (STPI) centre was inaugurated at the state capital by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar at the Directorate of Information Technology & Communication (DITC).
• Manipur Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh has announced that the famous Sirarakhong Chilli and Tamenglong Orange have now received the Geographical Index (GI) tag. 
• The Sikkim government has declared ‘Cooper Mahseer’ locally named ‘Katley’ as the state fish.
• The Dhansa Bus Stand – Najafgarh section on Delhi Metro’s Grey Line was opened at with Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurating the stretch through video conference.
• NPCI International Payments Limited, the NPCI’s international arm of National Payments Corporation of India, announced that it has partnered with Singapore-based Liquid Group to enable UPI QR-based payments acceptance in 10 North and Southeast Asian markets.
• IRCTC has started a brand new executive lounge at the New Delhi Railway Station.
• The World Bank Group has decided to discontinue publication of its Doing Business report on country investment climates following allegations of irregularities.
• Fino Payments Bank Limited (FPBL), a fintech for emerging Indian customers will now work with actor Pankaj Tripathi as its brand ambassador.
• Captain Amarinder Singh forced to resign as the chief minister of Punjab following months of infighting between him and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
• Raninder Singh was re-elected as the President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) the governing body for the sport of Shooting in India, in the General Body Elections held at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
• Dileep Kontham, Director of Digital Media in the Telangana Government, won the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI)’s Chanakya Award for the Year 2021 at the PRCI Global Communications Conclave held in Goa.
• The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Ramagundam, bagged six awards in various categories at the 15th Annual Global Communication Conclave, organised by the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in Goa.
• On Sep 17, 2021, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) launched a new mobile app ”PRAGATI” for its Development Officers.
• On Sep 17, 2021, To commemorate 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth Guru of Sikhs the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh & and Hardeep Singh Puri Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of India  jointly released a book titled ‘Shining Sikh Youth of India.
• Pankaj Advani of India won the Asian Snooker Championship 2021 by defeating Amir Sarkhosh in Doha, Qatar.
• On Sep 16, 2021, Harmilan Kaur Bains of Punjab has created a new national record in the women’s 1500m race by clocking 4:05.39 seconds to bag the gold in the women’s 1500m event, at the 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal.
• Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Passed away.
• Noted Odia litterateur, social worker and journalist Manorama Mohapatra passed away.
• On Sep 17, 2021, Noted theoretical physicist and recipient of Padma Shri, Professor Thanu Padmanabhan Passed away.

Daily CA on Sep 21 :

• The International Day of Peace, sometimes officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September.
• The International Week of Deaf People has been celebrated during the last full week of September.
• “Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Niti Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) successfully launched the ATL Space Challenge 2021 for all school students across the country”.
• The Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda announced to start Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAGY) covering 36 thousand villages across the country. 
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) from Rail Bhavan, New Delhi.
• Ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority despite unease over living standards.
• Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal addressed the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting.
• From September 12-17, 2021 the Minister of State (MoS) Meenakshi Lekhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) visited Portugal and Spain to enhance bilateral ties with the two countries.
• In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government is organising a Public Welfare and Suraj Campaign from 17th September to 7th October on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Tata Capital, the flagship financial services company of the Tata Group, has announced the launch of ‘Loan Against Mutual Funds’ (LAMF), an industry first end-to-end digital offering.
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore announced a partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank to set up a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI-ML) Centre at the IISc campus here.
• India could become the world’s third-largest importer by 2050, according to a report released by the UK’s Department of International Trade. 
• HDFC Bank will work with Paytm to offer co-branded credit cards on the Visa platform to businesspersons, millennials and others.
• Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have launched an international co-branded RuPay NCMC Platinum contactless debit card.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Kuppam Cooperative Town Bank, Chittor, Andhra Pradesh, over the violation of provisions of the directions issued by RBI in the Master Circular on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning and Master Circular on Board of Directors for urban co-operative banks. 
• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates, ahead of the 76th General Assembly.
• Facebook India has appointed former IAS officer Rajiv Aggarwal as the Director of Public Policy.
• Japanese sports major, ASICS has announced Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa as their new brand athlete.
• Hyperice, a global high-performance wellness brand specializing in percussion, dynamic air compression, vibration, thermal technology, mind technology, and contrast therapy, announced Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as a Hyperice athlete-investor and new brand ambassador.
• Hussan Lal, a 1995-batch IAS officer, was appointed the principal secretary to new Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
• Ranganatha Ramachandra Rao has bagged the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation-2020 for his work Om Namo.
• Unlike last year’s mostly virtual ceremony, this year in 2021, the Primetime Emmy Awards went back to an in-person event & Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso was the hot favourite with most nominations, 13.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank will acquire a 9.98 percent stake in KFin Technologies for Rs 310 crore.
• On September 15, 2021, UNESCO, designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve.
• India has been ranked at 46th place with a score of 36.4 in the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• Indian skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down as the T20 captain of the Indian cricket team after the men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai in October 2021.
• 17 Year old R Raja Rithvik has become India’s 70th and latest chess Grandmaster.
• On Sep 19, 2021, The former England Footballer Jimmy Greaves Passed away.