Daily GK Update- 1st oct, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. GoI increases the income limit of disabled dependents for family pension to 30%: Ministry of defence and union government has decided to increase the income limit of disabled dependents for family pension to children/siblings suffering from mental or physical disability. The child/sibling will be eligible for family pension for life if his/her overall income from sources other than a family pension is less than 30% of the last pay drawn by the deceased government servant/pensioner concerned plus the dearness relief admissible thereon. The financial benefit in such cases will accrue with effect from 08 February 2021. Presently, the disabled child/sibling is eligible for family pension if the overall monthly income of the disabled child/sibling from sources other than the family pension is not more than Rs 9,000, along with dearness relief.

 

2. MoHUA launches convergence of DAY-NULM and PMFME to support Micro Food Processing Units of Urban SHGs:             Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has organized the launch event of the Convergence between PM Formalisation of Micro-food processing Enterprises (PMFME) & Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) scheme. This has been done to support Micro Food Processing Units of Urban SHGs. The convergence of both the schemes will benefit approximately 32,000 SHGs that have been identified by States/ UTs to be involved in Food Processing activities.

PM Formalisation of Micro-food processing Enterprises (PMFME) was launched by Ministry of Food Processing Industries on 29th June 2020. The PMFME Scheme is currently being implemented in 35 States and Union Territories. It was launched to enhance the competitiveness of individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment & promote formalization of this food processing sector.

MoHUA is implementing a flagship Scheme named DAY-NULM, which has mobilised over 61 lakhs urban poor women into SHGs and their federations.

 

3. Govt sets up GoM to rationalise GST rates; Head- Karnataka CM Basavaraj S. Bommai: The government has formed a 7 member group of ministers (GoM) for proposing a rationalization of tax rates and considering the merger of different tax slabs under GST. This GoM will be headed by the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj S. Bommai. The government has formed one more GoM which will look at tapping IT tools to minimize tax evasion and make compliance easier for taxpayers. Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra deputy CM has been made the convenor of this GoM.

 

4. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launches Elder Line: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched India’s first Pan-India helpline for senior citizens named ‘Elder Line’ for which the toll-free number is 14567. The platform will allow senior citizens to connect and share their concerns, get information and guidance on problems that they face on a day-to-day basis. It will provide free information and guidance on pension issues, legal issues, extend emotional support, and even intervene on the field in cases of abuse, and rescues the homeless elderly. Tata Trusts and NSE Foundation are the technical partners for “Elder Line”.

 

5. Haryana gives nod for implementing Mukhyamantri Bagwani Bima Yojana: The Haryana Cabinet approved the implementation of the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Bima Yojana (MBBY), an assurance-based scheme to compensate crop losses due to adverse weather and natural calamities for farmers growing horticulture crops. Under this scheme, farmers need to give only 2.5 percent that is Rs 750 for vegetable and spice crop and Rs 1000 for fruit crops against a sum assured of Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively. The scheme will be optional. A seed capital of Rs 10 crore will be kept by the state government for the scheme.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. North Korea tests fire hypersonic missile “Hwasong-8”: North Korea successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8, in a bid to increase the nation’s capabilities for self-defence. The missile was one of the five most important new weapons systems laid out by North Korea in the five-year military development plan. This was the country’s third missile test in a month. Earlier it tested a new type of cruise missile, as well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.

About the missiles: Hypersonic missiles fly at lower altitudes compared to ballistic weapon systems and can attain more than five times the speed of sound, restricting the interception capabilities of adversaries.

Note: North Korea Capital: Pyongyang; North Korea Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un; North Korea Currency: North Korean won.

 

2. International Day of Older Persons: 1st October: International Day of Older Persons is observed globally on 1st October every year. The day aims to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse, and appreciate the contributions that older people make to society. The theme of International Day of Older Persons 2021: Digital Equity for All Ages.

History: On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons (resolution 45/106). This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly.

 

3. World Vegetarian Day: 1st October: World Vegetarian Day is observed annually on October 1 globally to raise awareness about the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. World Vegetarian Day is celebrated to emphasize environmental considerations, animal welfare and rights issues and personal health benefits to encourage people into ditching animal products. The full week between October 1–7 is observed as the International Vegetarian Week (IVW).

History: Vegetarianism was frequently referred to as a Pythagorean Diet, before the popularization of the term ‘vegetarian’ in the mid-1800s. Ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras was an early advocate for the diet hence, it was named after him. Established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, World Vegetarian Day is observed annually around the globe on October 1.

 

4. International Coffee Day: 1st October: Every year, International Coffee Day is observed on October 1, to celebrate and promote the use of coffee. There are many who believe that coffee might pose ill effects on their health, therefore, on this day people are educated about the various benefits of this beverage. On International Coffee Day, the hard work and efforts of these workers and people who are associated with the coffee industry are also recognised.

History of the day:  For the first time, International Coffee Day was celebrated back in 2015. The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) decided to dedicate the day to all coffee lovers in 2014, but the first official Coffee Day was launched in 2015 in Milan. However, different countries celebrate their own national coffee days on different dates. Back in 1997, the ICO first celebrated International Coffee Day in China and later in 2009, it celebrated the day in Taiwan. Nepal observed the first International Coffee Day on November 17, 2005.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Ranveer Singh Named India’s NBA Brand Ambassador: The National Basketball Association (NBA) has named Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador for India. He will work with the NBA to help grow the league’s profile in India throughout its landmark 75th anniversary season in 2021-22. For the 2021-22 season, Singh will participate in a number of league initiatives that will be featured on NBA India’s and his personal social media accounts.

About the NBA: The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA games and programming is available in 215 countries and territories and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. NPCI tie-up with YES Bank for ‘On-the-Go’ payment solution: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with private sector lender YES Bank to launch first-of-its-kind ‘RuPay On-the-Go’ contactless payments solutions. The RuPay On-the-Go contactless solution is mainly a wearable payment solution, launched to enable customers to make small and large value transactions from accessories that they wear every day. The solution would eliminate the need to carry a physical card, and customers can use the solution at RuPay contactless-enabled PoS at retail outlets and pay up to Rs 5,000 without the need for a PIN. The solution is based on a simple ‘Tap, pay, go’ mechanism. It has been launched in association with fintech infrastructure partner Neokred and manufacturing partner Seshaasai.

Note: YES bank HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra; YES bank MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar.

National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe; National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai; National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.

 

2. Centre extends existing foreign trade policy (FTP) till March 2022: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has further extended the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20, till March 31, 2022. This is the third extension to the policy. The first extension was given on March 31, 2020 for one year till March 2021, due to the Covid outbreak and the nationwide lockdown. Again the policy was extended till September 30, 2021, as the impacts of the pandemic still exists. FTP 2015-20 provides guidelinesfor increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment and increasing value addition in the country, in line with the ‘Make in India’ programme.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Defence Acquisition Council clears proposals worth over 13,000 crore rupees for armed forces: Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence minister Rajnath Singh has approved proposals of modernization and operational needs of the Indian Armed Forces amounting to 13,165 crore rupees. Key approvals include helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition. The DAC has accorded approval for procurement of 25 ALH Mark III helicopters from HAL under Buy Indian at a cost of 3,850 cr rupees to improve its integral lift capability ensuring its operational preparedness. Giving a boost to Indigenous Design and Development of ammunitions, DAC accorded approval for procurement of Terminally Guided Munition (TGM) and Rocket Ammunition at an approx cost of 4,962 crore rupees from domestic sources. Other proposals worth 4,353 crore rupees were also accorded Acceptance of Necessity by the DAC.