Daily GK Updates – 31th Oct, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Kerala becomes the first state to fix floor price for vegetables: Kerala becomes the first state in the country to fix the floor price for vegetables. The floor price will be 20 per cent above the production cost of the vegetable. Even if the market price goes below the floor price, the product will be procured at the floor price from the farmers. This is the first time in the country that the floor price is being fixed for vegetables produced in the state. Benefits of the scheme:

(1) This is going to provide relief as well as support for the farmers.

(2) The produce will be graded and the floor price will be fixed based on the quality.

(3) Sixteen varieties of vegetables would be covered in the first phase and there is a provision to revise the floor price on a regular basis.

(4) Farmers can register on the agriculture department’s registration portal after insuring the crop to get the benefit of the floor price.

(5) The scheme also envisages setting up the entire supply chain process like cold storage facilities and refrigerated vehicles for transporting the produce.

Note: Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

 

2. Young Advocates Welfare Fund launched in Tamil Nadu: The Young Advocates Welfare Fund has been launched in Tamil Nadu. The Young Advocates Welfare Scheme is aimed at helping such fresh candidates to withstand the initial challenges. It provides monthly financial assistance of three thousand rupees each for two years to the lawyers who just come out of law colleges. Normally a fresher from law colleges takes three to four years to begin practice as an advocate in the court as the registration in the Bar Council, and the mandatory practicing under a senior advocate takes time. Unable to sustain themselves during the initial period, many from poor and rural backgrounds shifted their profession.

Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Tamil Nadu Governor: Banwarilal Purohit.

 

3. Odisha CM launches ‘Sumangal’ & Student Scholarship web portals: Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has launched two web portals named ‘Odisha State Scholarship Portal’ and ‘Sumangal Portal’. The former portal is to help eligible students of the state to avail scholarship benefits in a seamless and transparent manner, while the latter one is to help people avail inter-caste marriage incentives.

Benefits of Both web portals: According to a government release, 21 scholarships would be offered by eight state departments and more than 11 lakh beneficiary students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and educationally backward classes would benefit from the scholarship portal. Through the State Scholarship Portal, scholarships will be credited directly to students’ bank accounts as the portal is linked to the state treasury. Moreover, professional programs of the SC and ST Department, Higher Education, Schools and Mass Education, Labor and ESI, Skills Development and Technical Education, and Agriculture Department will be administered on the portal.

Note: Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Odisha Capital: Bhubaneswar; Odisha Governor: Ganeshi Lal.

 

4. A book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits” authored by Sarbpreet Singh: A book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories from 1984″ authored by Sarbpreet Singh. The author Sarbpreet Singh’s recounts the Sikh massacre of 1984 in this book. The book is a fictionalised version of real happenings comprising just eight chapters. It shows the events of 1984 through the prism of many lives & impact on Sikhs. The book is published by Penguin Publication.

 

5. National Unity Day: 31st October: In India, the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day is observed every year on October 31 since 2014, to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This year marks the 145th anniversary of the great leader who played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence, and later during the integration of the country.

About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: He was born on 31st October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat. He was the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of independent India. He played an important role in the integration of many Indian princely states to make an Indian federation. At the time of independence, he played a key role in convincing several princely states to align with the Indian Union. He also worked hard as a social leader for the independence of India.

Women of Bardoli bestowed the title ‘Sardar’ on Vallabhbhai Patel, which means ‘a Chief or a Leader’. He is recognized as the real unifier of India for his colossal contribution to integrate and make India a united (Ek Bharat) and an independent nation. He requested the people of India to live together by uniting in order to create Shresth Bharat (Foremost India). He is also remembered as the ‘Patron saint of India’s civil servants’ as he established the modern all-India services system. The Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat was built in his honour.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NATO plans to set up new space center in Germany: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, plans to build a headquarters for space operations at its airbase in Ramstein in Germany, to counter a rising Russian and Chinese threat. The new centre is to be a central point of contact to support NATO missions with communication and satellite images. It will also be a place to exchange information on potential threats to satellites. Some 2,000 satellites orbit the Earth, more than half of which are operated by NATO members, allowing everything from mobile phone services to weather forecasts. Currently, at least 40 per cent of NATO’s communications are via satellite.

Note: NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium; NATO Chairman of the NATO Military Committee: Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach; Member countries of NATO: 30; Founded:  4 April 1949.

 

2. Japan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050: Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga has stated that the country will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Prime Minister stated he intends to make a sustainable economy a pillar of his growth strategy and put maximum effort into achieving a green society. Suga emphasized the need to shift away from fossil fuels to counter climate change as an opportunity rather than a burden. As per Japan’s current energy plan, 56 per cent of its energy requirements come from fossil fuels.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Japan Currency: Japanese yen; Japan Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga.

 

3. ISRO-NASA Satellite NISAR Scheduled to Be Launched by 2022: According to a joint statement issued after a strategic dialogue between India and the US, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite is expected to be launched by 2022 as India and the U.S. have decided to share Space Situational Awareness Information, which will catalyse efforts to create the conditions for a safe and sustainable space environment. The two sides also expressed the intent to continue the India-U.S. Space Dialogue as well as discussions on areas of potential space defense cooperation.

 

4. World Cities Day: 31st October: The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day. The Day is celebrated to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. 2020 Theme: Valuing Our Communities and Cities.

History of World Cities Day:  Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda. World Cities Day 2020 is the seventh global celebration since the day was launched on 31 October 2014 in Shanghai, China.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Indian Chess Player Leon Mendonca Wins Tournament in Hungary: Young Indian International Master Leon Luke Mendonca earned his maiden Grandmaster norm after winning the title in Rigochess International Festival tournament in Hungary. The 14-year old Mendonca won six games, drew two and lost one to emerge winner in the 10-player field which included three GMs and was played over the board. He secured seven points from nine rounds in the tournament.

 

2. Sabalenka beats sick Azarenka to win Ostrava Open: Third seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the Ostrava Open WTA tournament after beating her visibly struggling compatriot Victoria Azarenka in straight sets. It was Sabalenka’s second title this year after a win at the Qatar Open in February, before the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. SBI signs $1 billion loan agreement with JBIC: State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a loan agreement of up to $1 billion with The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The loan will facilitate the operations of Japanese car companies in India. The financing will assist in Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. While $600 million will be financed by JBIC, the rest will come from other participating lenders which include the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, MUFG Bank, , Mizuho Bank, Shizuoka Bank and Bank of Yokohama. JBIC will provide a guarantee for the portion co-financed by the participating banks. The loan is intended to promote the smooth flow of funds for the whole range of business operations of Japanese automobile manufacturers in India.

About SBI: The bank has the largest network of over 22,100 branches in India with an ATM/CDM network of over 58,500 and total BC outlets of more than 62,200. The number of customers using internet banking facilities is about 76 million and mobile banking services stand a little more than 17 million.

About JBIC: JBIC is a policy-based financial institution, wholly owned by the Japanese government, with the objective of contributing to the sound development of Japan, the international economy and society.

Note: Chairman of State Bank of India: Dinesh Kumar Khara; SBI Founded: 1 July 1955; SBI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Japan Bank for International Cooperation Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO of Japan Bank for International Cooperation: Tadashi Maeda; Japan Bank for International Cooperation Founded: 1 October 1999

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. India Post, US Postal Service sign pact for electronic exchange of customs: Indian Posts & US Postal Service entered into an agreement for the electronic exchange of customs data related to postal shipments. It will enable to transmit & receive electronic data of international postal items prior to their physical arrival. About the agreement:

(1) The agreement will make it possible to transmit and receive electronic data of international postal items prior to their physical arrival at the destination and would enable customs clearance of postal items in advance in line with the evolving global postal framework.

(2) This will also improve the performance of postal services in terms of reliability, visibility and security.

(3) Exchange of Electronic Advance Data as per the Agreement will be a key driver towards promoting mutual trade with emphasis on the exports from different parts of India to the USA through the postal channel.

(4) USA is a major destination of MSME products, Gems and Jewellery, Pharmaceuticals and other local products from India. This will fulfil a major demand of export industry to expedite customs clearances of export items.

Note: Indian Post Headquarters: New Delhi; Director-General of Indian Post: Arundhaty Ghosh.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dr Satish Mishra bags “Dr Tulsi Das Chugh Award-2020: The National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) has selected the Principal Scientist, Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, (CSIR-CDRI)-Lucknow, Dr Satish Mishra for “Dr.Tulsi Das Chugh Award 2020”. He is awarded for his research work on Malaria parasite’s life cycle which is a complex process involving two hosts and three invasive stages.

Research work: Invasion in both mammals and mosquitoes requires a coordinated sequence of events to be played out successfully. His outstanding work focused on “Secreted Protein with Altered Thrombospondin Repeat (SPATR) which is Essential for Asexual Blood Stages but not Required for Hepatocyte Invasion by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Berghei”. This study focuses on the dispensability of SPATR in P. berghei sporozoites and its importance for the establishment of blood-stage infection, further investigation is needed to unravel its precise role during this process.

Dr Satish Mishra has also awarded with: Elected, a member in 2019, National Academy of Medical Sciences, India. Elected, a member in 2018, The National Academy of Sciences, India. Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize in 2018 by Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India. Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship in 2013 by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Daily GK Updates – 30th Oct, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Arjun Munda launches two Centers of Excellence for tribal welfare: The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda has launched two Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Welfare in a collaboration between Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Art of Living (AoL) through video conference.

The first Centers of Excellence: The first CoE has been launched in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra for training about 10000 tribal farmers in the field of sustainable natural farming based on Go-Adharith farming techniques. Farmers will be helped in getting the Organic certification and marketing opportunities to make each of them Atmanirbhar Tribal Farmers.

The second Centers of Excellence: The second CoE has been launched in Jharkhand in the field of ‘Strengthening PRIs’ in 5 districts of the state covering 30 Gram Panchayats and 150 villages. This initiative aims to create the youth volunteers among the tribal youths by giving them personality development training, instilling the sense of social responsibility among them and thereby creating the tribal leaders who will work for their community in spreading this awareness.

Note: The Art of Living Foundation is a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organization in Bengaluru founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

 

2. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates ‘Direct Port Entry Facility’: The Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C), Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated the ‘Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility’ of V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Tamil Nadu. This will help in increasing Ease of Doing Business for the exporters, as the facility will bring efficiency and reduce dwell time, lower tariff cost and improve the competitiveness of shipper in the international trade.

About ‘Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility’: The state-of-the-art Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility would enable direct movement of containers from factories, without intermediate handling at any Container Freight Station (CFS), thus facilitating the shippers to Gate-In their factory stuffed exports directly to the Container Terminal on 24×7 basis. The facility is created in an area of 18,357 sqm inside the Truck Parking Terminal which was developed under the ‘Sagarmala’ for issuing customs clearance of export cargo i.e. Factory stuffed/re-sealed containers.

 

3. UP Govt to establish anti-human trafficking Police Stations: Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to establish anti-human trafficking Police Stations in each and every district in a major step towards the security of women and children. These Police Stations will be given enough powers to register the case and investigate the matter independently.

The state government is going to establish 40 new anti-trafficking units which will work like police stations in districts and will conduct the investigation after registering the cases. Earlier, only 35 districts in the state had Police stations of anti-human trafficking unit which was established in 2011 and 2018. The new Police stations are being established after directives from women safety division of union Government. Union Government has also allocated funds for these units.

Note: Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel; Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow; Uttar Pradesh Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath.

 

4. GoI sets up committee to commemorate 400th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur: The Centre has set up a high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla will be the member secretary of the 70-member high-level committee.

About the committee: The committee will look into the approval of policies, plans, programmes and supervision and guiding the commemoration, as well as for deciding dates for detailed programmes of celebration. Some of the other members of the committee include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Hardeep Singh Puri, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chief ministers of Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

 

5. Vice President launches virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020: Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the virtual festival of “Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance” organised by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations India and UNESCO India. Natya Tarangini has been organising this for the past 23 years. This dance and music festival as the normal life has been disrupted by lockdowns, economic downturns and lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic. It may be noted that this festival has been organized to coincide with the World Day for Audio-visual Heritage.

Note: UN HQ: New York, USA; UN Secretary-General: Antonio Guterres.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Luis Arce declared as Bolivia’s president-elect: Luis Arce has been chosen as the President-elect of Bolivia, after winning a landslide victory in the 2020 Bolivian general election. He captured 55.1% of the total votes. Arce will take the charge of the office on 8 November 2020. He would succeed Jeanine Anez, who is serving as the interim President of Bolivia. The 57-year-old, Luis is a member of the political party Movement Toward Socialism. Previously, Arce served as Minister of Economy and Public Finance from 2006 to 2017 and in 2019 under the President Evo Morales.

Note: Bolivia Capitals: La Paz, Sucre; Bolivia Currency: Boliviano; Bolivia Continent: South America.

 

2. Alpha Condé won the 3rd Term as President of Guinea: Alpha Condé, the incumbent president of Guinea and leader of Rally of the Guinean People (Rassemblement du Peuple Guinéen – RPG) party won the 3rd the term as the President of Guinea by winning the 2020 presidential elections. He won the election against Cellou Dalein Diallo with 59.49 % votes. Diallo got 33.5% votes in the election. Winning the 2020 elections, Alpha Condé is set to govern the country for the next 6 years.

Note: Guinea Prime Minister: Ibrahima Kassory Fofana; Guinea Capital: Conakry; Guinea Currency: Guinean Franc.

 

3. 3rd India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue begins in New Delhi: India is hosting the third India-US two plus two Ministerial Dialogue at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar are leading the Indian delegation. The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper are leading the US delegation. The First two plus two dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018 and the Second in Washington DC in 2019. Besides, covering all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest during the third dialogue, the two sides also signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) to further expand the geospatial cooperation between them and improve the accuracy of missile systems of India.

 

4. Om Birla participates in 6th BRICS Parliamentary Forum virtually: The 6th BRICS Parliamentary Forum has been organised virtually under the chairmanship of Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russian Parliament. The Indian Parliamentary Delegation is being led by Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla and also consists of Member of Lok Sabha Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. The forum provides an effective platform to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue and Parliamentary Diplomacy among the Parliaments of BRICS countries with a view to strengthening the role of Parliaments on a range of contemporary global issues.

Speakers and members of five BRICS Parliaments namely Brazil, Russian, India, China and South Africa are attending the Forum. The theme of the Forum is ‘BRICS partnership in the interest of global stability, general safety and innovative growth: Parliamentary dimension’.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Under-19 World Cup-winner Tanmay Srivastava retires from cricket: Tanmay Manoj Srivastava, who was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team in 2008, announced his retirement from all forms of domestic cricket. He played 90 first-class games, scoring 4918 runs. He also played 44 List A matches and 34 T20s. He also played IPL (Indian Premier League), where he represented Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Sashidhar Jagdishan took charges as MD & CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of HDFC Bank with effect from 27 October 2020. He started his career in HDFC Bank in 1996 as a manager in the finance function, became business head-finance in 1999 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2008. He will succeed Aditya Puri (70 year), who has stepped down after 25 years of his career as MD-CEO of HDFC Bank.

 

2. DMRC & SBI card launch multi-purpose smart card: The SBI Card in association with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation launched a contactless multi-purpose card that can function as a credit card and as a metro smart card. The credit card Delhi Metro SBI Card is designed for regular commuters on Delhi Metro.

The facility of the Multi-purpose credit card: It will enable its users to use it as a smart card with an auto-top up facility whenever the balance is below Rs 100. The credit card facility will automatically recharge a top-up value of Rs 200 from the user’s linked card/bank account. The card offers an enhanced daily commute experience to millions of metro commuters together with a rewarding experience on their daily purchases. The DMRC has identified 100 stations to put up kiosks from where commuters can purchase the card.

Note: CEO of SBI Card: Ashwini Kumar Tewari; Founded: October 1998; SBI Card Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.

 

3. Government Extends ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme Deadline till 31 March 2021: The government has further extended the deadline for making payment under the direct tax dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by three months till March 31, 2021, in order to provide further relief to the taxpayers. This is the third time that the deadline is being extended by the Ministry of Finance. The deadline was extended for the first time till June 30, 2020 and then again till December 31, 2020. As per the latest notification, the taxpayers can now settle their tax disputes without additional amount till March 31, 2021. The last date for making declaration under the Scheme has also been extended till December 31, 2020.

What is Vivad Se Vishwas scheme? The ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2020, as per which a taxpayer would be required to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and will get complete waiver of interest and penalty provided he pays by 31st March, 2020. Those who avail this scheme after 31st March, 2020 will have to pay 10% additional penalty and interest amount. The scheme will remain open till 30th June, 2020.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 14th Asian Film Awards 2020 announced: The 14th edition of Asian Film Awards was organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy. Indian Movie Gully Boy has received the award for the Best Original Score at 14th Asian Film Awards. The award went to Karsh Kale and The Salvage Audio Collective. Gully Boy has been directed by Zoya Akhtar. In Gully Boy, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt played leading roles. 14th Asian Film Awards Winners List:

 

Award	Name Winner
Best Actor	Lee Byung-hun – The Man Standing Next (South Korea)
Best Actress	Zhou Dongyu – Better Days (China)
Best Cinematography	Dong Jinsong – The Wild Goose Lake
Best Costume Designer	Pacharin Surawatanapongs– Happy Old Year
Best Director	Wang Xiaoshuai for So Long, My Son (China)
Best Editing	Yang Jin-mo – Parasite
Best Film	Parasite (South Korea)
Best Newcomer	Jackson Yee – Better Days
Best New Director	Hikari – 37 Seconds
Best Supporting Actor	Ryo Kase – To the Ends of the Earth
Best Supporting Actress	Ko Shu-chin – A Sun
Best Screenplay	Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won – Parasite
Best Original Music	Karsh Kale, The Salvage Audio Collective – Gully Boy
Best Production Design	Ha-jun Lee – Parasite
Best Visual Effects	Tomi Kijo, Renovatio Pictures – Detention
Best Sound	Yoshifumi Kureishi – Listen to the Universe

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel passes away: Keshubhai Savdasbhai Patel, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, has passed away following sudden cardiac arrest. He was 92. Keshubhai Patel had served as the Chief Minister of the state for a few months in 1995 and then from March 1998 to October of 2001. He was a six-time member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and was a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) till 2012.

Daily GK Updates – 29th Oct, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launches ‘e-Dharti Geo portal’: Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the ‘e-Dharti Geo Portal’ to integrate legacy drawings such as maps and lease plans in the management information system and make its geographic information system (GIS)-enabled.  The Land and Development Office deals with more than 60000 residential, commercial, industrial and institutional properties. Now with the launch of the portal the property certificate details and outline map of the property can be easily accessed online. The portal is highly beneficial to the elderly public. It will help avoid unnecessary litigation. Also, the portal will help a purchaser to learn about the details of the property whether any lawsuit is pending in respect of the property.

What is a property certificate? It is usually created during the purchase of a property. The property certificate provides information about the property to the purchaser and the lessee. This information about the property certificate can now be accessed by paying a nominal fee of thousand rupees.

Note: Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri.

 

2. PM Modi Inaugurates 4th edition of India Energy Forum: PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 4th India Energy Forum by CERAWeek organised by HIS Markit. The event was held from October 26-28, 2020. The theme of this edition is “India’s Energy Future in a World of Change”. Thousands of delegates from Indian, regional, and international energy companies, institutions, and governments virtually participated in the 4th India Energy Forum. The forum provides a platform to bring together the global energy leaders and experts to India to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges in India’s energy sector. 

India is the third-largest and the fastest-growing aviation market in terms of domestic aviation and Indian carriers are projected to increase their fleet size from 600 to 1200 by 2024. According to PM, India’s Energy Plan aims to ensure energy justice while fully following India’s global commitments for sustainable growth. This means more energy is needed to improve the lives of Indians with a smaller carbon footprint. He envisioned India’s energy sector to be growth-centric, industry-friendly and environmentally conscious.

Note: The CERAWeek India Energy Forum has been organized since 2017 by the information and insights company IHS Markit based in Houston, Texas.

 

3. IIT Jodhpur, NHAI sign MoU for betterment of Highway Infrastructure: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share expertise for the betterment of highway infrastructure. About Memorandum of Understanding:

(1) The two institutions will work in domains which include transportation engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering.

(2) They will also cooperate in hydraulics engineering, infrastructure systems, earthquake engineering, urban and rural planning and disaster management and planning domains.

(3) The MoU will enable Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of IIT Jodhpur to undertake internships from the above-mentioned domains.

(4) The joint activities will bridge the industry-institution gap and develop technologies that would be adopted in practice by NHAI.

Note: National Highways Authority of India Chairman: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu; National Highways Authority of India Headquarters: New Delhi.

Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur Chairman: R. Chidambaram; Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur: Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

 

4. Centre extends ESI Scheme to Arunachal Pradesh from Nov 1: In its continuous endeavor to cover more workers under ESI Scheme, the Centre has extended the Employees’ State Insurance, ESI Scheme to Arunachal Pradesh from 1st of next month. A notification to this effect has been issued by the Central Government for notifying the district of Papum Pare, under the ESI Scheme. All factories located in the district of Papum Pare employing 10 or more persons will become eligible for coverage under ESI Act 1948.

 

5. Income tax return filing deadline for FY20 extended till December 31: The Ministry of Finance has further extended the deadline for filing income tax returns by individual taxpayers for FY 2019-20 by a month till December 31, 2020. Earlier this deadline was November 30, 2020. In addition to this, for those taxpayers whose accounts need to be audited, the Income-Tax Return filing deadline has been extended by two months till January 31, 2021. The extension in the deadlines will provide more time to taxpayers for furnishing of Income Tax Returns.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Indian-origin Wavel Ramkalawan elected President of Seychelles: Indian-origin Wavel Ramkalawan has been elected as the President of Seychelles. Seychelles has elected an opposition candidate as president for the first time since 1977. He has defeated the incumbent Danny Faure. Ramakalwan is a priest of Indian Origin whose grandfather came from Gopalganj, Bihar.

Note: Seychelles Capital: Victoria; Seychelles Currency: Seychellois rupee; Seychelles Continent: Africa.

 

2. India announces USD1 billion Line of Credit to Central Asian Countries for connectivity & other development projects: The second meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held virtually on 28 October 2020 under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar. The foreign minister of all the five Central Asian countries- Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyzstan– participated in the meeting. Apart from this, the Acting Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan also attended the meeting as a special invitee. During the meeting, India announced US $ 1 billion line of credit for “priority developmental projects” in Central Asian countries in the fields of connectivity, energy, IT, healthcare, education, agriculture and offered to provide grant assistance for implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) for furthering socio-economic development in the countries of the region. The first India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand in 2019.

 

3. India hosts 19th Meeting of SCO Ministers of Foreign Economy & Foreign Trade: India hosted the 19th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Ministers of Foreign Economy and Foreign Trade on 28 October 2020. The virtual meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Shri Piyush Goyal. It was attended by the Secretary General of SCO Vladimir Norov and Ministers from Kyrgyz Republic, China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the following four documents:

(1) Statement on the response to Covid-19.  It highlights the need for greater cooperation for access to medicines and facilitation of trade.

(2) Statement on the Multilateral Trading System of Ministers of SCO Countries who are WTO Members.  It highlights the importance of the rules based multilateral negotiations.

(3) Statement on SCO Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).  It relates to cooperation of intellectual property and include sharing information/experience on legislation and enforcement, cooperation in international organisations and other areas.

(4) Action Plan for Implementation of MOU to stimulate cooperation within the framework of SCO in the field of MSMEs.  It looks at number of areas of cooperation among MSMEs, including exchange of information, organisation of events and collaboration on research and capacity building.

 

4. International Internet Day 2020: 29th October: International Internet Day is observed on 29th October every year. It aims to honour a momentous day in the history of telecommunications and technology. This day also highlights the sending of the 1st electronic message which was conveyed from one computer to another computer in the year 1969.

History of International Internet Day: Charley Kline who was a student programmer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he discovered the transmission of first-ever electronic message in the world ‘LO’ on 29th October 1969. In that era, the Internet was called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). In 2005, this was the first time when the world observed first International Internet Day on 29th Oct.

 

5. World Psoriasis Day 2020: 29th October: World Psoriasis Day is commemorated by International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) annually on 29th October. It aims to create awareness and promoting empowerment, taking action regarding improving the quality of life for citizens with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. World Psoriasis Day Theme 2020: INFORMED.

About Psoriasis: Psoriasis is a kind of a skin disorder that reasons skin cells to multiply up to ten times faster. Psoriasis causes the skin to build up into bumpy red patches embraced with white scales.

Note: President of International Federation of Psoriasis Associations: Hoseah Waweru; International Federation of Psoriasis Associations Founded: 1971; International Federation of Psoriasis Associations Headquarters: Sweden.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports appoints Bimal Julka as Chairman: Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has announced the appointment of Bimal Julka as its Chairman. In his new role, Julka will work closely with all the stakeholders to further strengthen the operating standards of the Indian fantasy sports industry. Bimal Julka is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer of the 1979 batch belonging to the Madhya Pradesh Cadre. Julka is taking over from John Loffhagen, who served as the Chairman of FIFS for over three years. Loffhagen will assume the role of a Strategic Advisor and support FIFS on collaborating with relevant international bodies in the industry.

Note: Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) is India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for fantasy sports, established in 2017.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. HDFC Bank MD & CEO Aditya Puri retires: The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank, Aditya Puri has stepped down, after 25 years of a highly successful career at India’s largest private sector lender. The 70-year-old Puri had transformed a start-up in a sector dominated by state-owned banks into an industry leader. At nearly Rs 6 trillion, HDFC Bank leads the industry in terms of market capitalisation and remains the most profitable by a long margin. Sashidhar Jagdishan has been appointed as the new chief executive and managing director of the HDFC Bank w.e.f. 27 October 2020.

Note: The tagline of HDFC Bank: We Understand Your World; HDFC Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Nippon Life Invests in World Bank Sustainable Development Bonds and Highlights Support for Nutrition: The World Bank issued a 15-year AU$150 million Sustainable Development Bond, while for the first time, highlighting the importance of good nutrition to build human capital.  Nippon Life Insurance Company was the sole investor in this transaction. World Bank bonds support the financing of sustainable development projects and programs in member countries across a range of sectors in line with its mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. This includes US$4.9 billion in projects, of which US$1 billion are in IBRD countries, helping to improve nutrition.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Om Puri awarded Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously at IIFFB 2020: Late Indian actor, Om Puri was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the third edition of the India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB 2020). The award was received by his wife Nandita Puri. The three-day film festival, based in Boston USA. Another highlight of the festival was a conversation with chef Vikas Khanna, recipient of the “Pride of India Award”.

Malayalam film “Kaanthi” bagged the Best Feature Film Award, while the Best Male Actor was won by Victor Banerjee for playing a priest in Josef: Born In Grace. The Best Female Actor went to Shylaja Ambu for Kaanthi at the Boston festival.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Gujarati Actor Naresh Kanodia passes away: Veteran Gujarati film star-turned-politician, Naresh Kanodia passed away. He was the younger brother of Gujarati singer Mahesh Kanodia who died on 25 October 2020 in Gandhinagar after a prolonged illness. Naresh Kanodia worked in over 100 Gujarati films. Later he joined politics and was elected as a BJP MLA from Karjan constituency between 2002 and 2007. Both brothers were known as the Mahesh-Naresh duo in Gujarati film industry and together shared credit for several Gujarati hit movies.