NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India’s under-5 mortality rate
declines by 3 points; largest drops in UP and Karnataka: According to the
Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020, India’s under-5
mortality rate has dramatically decreased from 35 per 1,000 live births in 2019
to 32 per 1,000 live births in 2020, with the largest fall observed in Uttar
Pradesh (UP) and Karnataka. Towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) targets by 2030, the country has been experiencing a progressive decline
in infant mortality rate (IMR), under 5 mortality rate (U5MR), and
neo-mortality rate (NMR), according to a report released by the Registrar
General of India, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Performance
of the States:
a)
According
to the research, Kerala (6) had the lowest IMR while Madhya Pradesh (43) had
the highest.
b)
According
to the report, eleven states and union territories (UTs) have already met the
SDG target of U5MR (less than or equal to 25 by 2030): Kerala (8), Tamil Nadu
(13), Delhi (14), Maharashtra (18), Jammu and Kashmir (17), Karnataka (21),
Punjab (22), West Bengal (22), Telangana (23), Gujarat (24), and Himachal
Pradesh (24)
c)
The
national Crude Birth Rate (CBR) for 2020 is 19.5, representing a decrease of
0.2 percentage points from 2019. The survey noted that among the larger
states/UTs, Kerala (13.2) had the lowest CBR while Bihar (25.5) had the
highest.
d)
The
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for the nation decreased from 2.1 in 2019 to 2.0 in
2020, per the data. The greatest TFR in 2020 was reported by Bihar (3.0), while
the lowest TFRs were reported by Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal (1.4).
2. Nation gets its first Dugong
Conservation Reserve in Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu has notified the country’s first
‘Dugong Conservation Reserve’ in Palk Bay covering the coastal waters of
Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts with an area of 448 square kilometres. In
September 2021 Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) initiated the idea of the
‘Dugong Conservation Reserve’ to be established in the Palk Bay region, in
order to protect the endangered Dugong species and its marine habitats in Tamil
Nadu. At present, there are around 240 Dugongs in India and a majority of them
are found in the Tamil Nadu Coast (Palk Bay region).
About the Dugongs: Dugongs are the
largest herbivorous marine mammals in the world thriving primarily on seagrass
beds, a major carbon sink of the oceans. Dugongs are protected under Schedule 1
of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Conserving dugongs will help to
protect and improve seagrass beds and sequestering more atmospheric carbon.
Seagrass beds are also the breeding and feeding grounds for many commercially
valuable fishes and marine fauna. Hence, thousands of fisher families directly
depend on dugong habitats for their income.
Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister: MK Stalin; Tamil Nadu Governor: RN Ravi.
3. Nirmala Sitharaman to launch
e-learning platform Bharat Vidya: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman
will launch the Bharat Vidya, which is an online learning platform for Oriental
and South Asian Studies. The Bharat Vidya is designed and developed by the
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI).
Bharat Vidya is a first-of-its-kind online
platform, which will offer both free and paid courses covering various aspects
of Indology about art, architecture, philosophy, language, and science. The
Bharat Vidya will have six courses at the beginning including Veda Vidya,
Bharatiya Darshanshastra, Sanskrit learning, 18 Parvas of Mahabharata,
Fundamentals of Archaeology, and Kalidasa and Bhasha. BORI will collaborate
with Indian and Foreign universities for awarding credits for its courses.
During the inaugural event, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced that
the courses offered complied with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
4. VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated
Lok Manthan programme:
Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the third edition of the
Lok Manthan program at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. The
event was facilitated by the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sharma. This
year’s theme for the Lok Manthan is Lokparampara (Lok Traditions) which will
emphasize that the Lok Traditions have kept our culture and heritage alive and
intact, and has strengthened our feelings toward National Selfhood.
The Lok Manthan is an occasion where
artists, intellectuals, and academicians from different parts of the country
converge and brainstorm on the topics that come out of the society to reshape
the narratives of people and lead the nation to play its civilizational roles.
The Lok Manthan will be a three-day event, and then it will focus on serious
discussions, seminars, cultural events, and exhibitions that showcase the rich
diversity of the nation.
5. NCC and UNEP sign an agreement in
presence of defence minister: Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, saw
the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Cadet Corps
(NCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A Memorandum of
Understanding was inked to use the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge programme and
the Puneet Sagar Abhiyan to combat plastic pollution and achieve the objective
of clean water bodies. It aims to coordinate initiatives to involve young
people in promoting clean water bodies.
NCC and UNEP sign an agreement: Key Points
a)
The
Puneet Sagar Abhiyan was introduced by the NCC on December 1st, 2017.
b)
The
campaign’s objectives are to rid seashores of plastic and other trash and raise
public awareness of how important cleanliness is.
c)
More
than 12 million NCC cadets, alumni, and volunteers have collected over 100
tonnes of plastic debris from approximately 1,900 places since the start of the
Puneet Sagar Abhiyan.
d)
The
Resident Representative of the UN World Food Programme, Bishow Parajuli, and
Director General of the NCC, Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh, signed the
Memorandum of Understanding.
6. M Venkaiah Naidu released a book
on PM Modi’s selected speeches: Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu
released a collection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s selected speeches at
Akashvani Bhawan in New Delhi. The book titled “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka
Vishwas” Prime Minister Narendra Modi Speaks (May 2019-May 2020)’ was released
in the presence of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at a function here
organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The essence of the book: The book focuses
on 86 speeches of the prime minister on various subjects. The book portrays the
prime minister’s vision of a ‘New India’, which is self-reliant, resilient, and
capable of converting challenges into opportunities. The book that goes by the
same phrase serves as an example of hope and aspirations of 130 crore Indians
for building a New India through ‘Jan Bhagidari—Taking All Together’.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Chinese Scientists create world’s
first cloned wild Arctic wolf ‘Maya’: A wild Arctic wolf was successfully cloned
for the first time in the world by a Beijing-based gene firm. The cloning of
the Arctic wolf, also known as the white wolf or polar wolf, which is native to
the High Arctic tundra of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands, is considered a
milestone achievement in conserving rare and endangered species through cloning
technology.
According to the company, the wolf named
“Maya” is in good health. The donor cell of the wolf came from the skin sample
of a wild female Arctic wolf and its oocyte was taken from a female dog.
According to the Global Times report, Maya’s surrogate mother was a beagle, a
dog breed. The dog was selected as the surrogate as it shares genetic ancestry
with ancient wolves and hence, ensures success in cloning.
According to Zhao Jianping, the company’s
deputy general manager, the process began with constructing 137 new embryos
from enucleated (process of removing the nucleus from a cell) oocytes and
somatic cells followed by the transfer of 85 embryos to the uteri of seven
beagles, of which one was born as a healthy wolf.
2. World Environmental Health Day:
26th September:
World Environmental Health Day is observed on September 26, every year. The
goal of observing the day is to increase public awareness of the environment’s
condition and encourage people to take the required steps to stop it from
getting worse. World Environmental Health Day is a day dedicated to informing
people about the health of the environment and preserving it. The theme for
this year’s World Environment Health Day is “Strengthening Environmental Health
Systems for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
World Environmental Health Day
History:
The day has its footprints in the year 2011 when the environmental summit and
International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) met in Denpasar, Bali
and Indonesia. IFEH is an organisation that works for the protection of the
environment and its health. The aim of marking this day across the world is to
aware people of their well-being and health.
Note: International Federation of
Environmental Health President: Dr Henroy Scarlett; International Federation of
Environmental Health Founded: 1986; International Federation of Environmental
Health Headquarters: Chadwick Court.
3. World Tourism Day: 27th September: World Tourism Day
2022 is observed on 27 September globally. This day is celebrated every year to
focus on promoting tourism in various parts of the world. It is celebrated to
promote tourism and understand its importance. World Tourism Day aims to make
people understand the joy of exploring the world. It is an extremely important
event. The theme of World Tourism Day 2022 is ‘Rethinking Tourism’. Everyone
will focus on understanding the growth of the tourism sector and reviewing and
redeveloping tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Tourism Day History: The World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) started World Tourism Day in 1979. The celebrations for
the same officially began in 1980. It is celebrated on 27 September every year
because the date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of
UNWTO. In 1997, UNWTO decided that the day would be celebrated in different
host countries each year.
Note: World Tourism Organisation Founded:
1946; World Tourism Organisation Headquarters: Madrid, Spain; World Tourism
Organisation Secretary-General; Zurab Pololikashvili.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. ICC announced “Oval and Lord’s”
to host World Test Championship finals: The International Cricket Council has
announced that the World Test Championship 2023 Final will be hosted by The
Oval in June 2023 while the 2025 final will be played at Lord’s. The two venues
in London will succeed Southampton, which hosted the inaugural final between
New Zealand and India in 2021. New Zealand emerged as the victors in the first
edition. Key Points:
a)
The
top two teams from the World Test Championship standings will make it to the
finals with Australia and South Africa currently leading.
b)
Australia
and South Africa will also clash against each other in a three-match series in
the current cycle in December-January, which could have a big bearing on the
final points table.
c)
Sri
Lanka, India and Pakistan round up the top five in the rankings.
d)
While
the venues have been announced, the dates for both the 2023 and 2025 ICC World
Test Championship Finals has not been confirmed yet.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. UCO Bank becomes first lender to
get RBI’s approval for rupee trade: UCO Bank has received the approval of the
Reserve Bank of India to open a special Vostro account with Gazprom Bank of
Russia for trade settlement in Indian rupees. UCO Bank which is a Kolkata-based
lender is the first bank to receive the regulator’s approval following the
decision of RBI to allow Indian Banks to settle trade in Indian currency in
July.
About Gazprom Bank: Gazprom Bank is a
Russian lender, which was set up by World’s largest gas producer and exporter
Gazprom to provide banking services for gas industry enterprises. The Gazprom
Bank has been operating since 1990. It is one of the top three banks in Russia.
It offers a whole range of banking and investment services to over 45,000
corporate and three million private clients.
2. RBI canceled licence of
Maharashtra-based Laxmi Cooperative Bank: Reserve Bank of India has canceled the
license of Solapur-based The Laxmi Co-operative Bank Limited as the lender does
not have adequate capital and earning prospects. The Laxmi Co-operative Bank
Limited submitted the data, which shows more than 99 percent of the depositors
are entitled to receive the full amount of their deposits from Deposit
Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). Key Points:
a)
The
DICGC has already paid Rs 193.68 crore of the total insured deposits on 13th
September 2022.
b)
The
Laxmi Co-operative Bank Limited has failed to comply with the requirements of
the Banking Regulation Act 1949.
c)
After
the cancellation of its license, Laxmi Co-operative Bank Limited is prohibited
from conducting the business of banking, which includes acceptance of deposits
and repayment of deposits, and others.
d)
The
Commissioner for Corporation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies,
Maharashtra has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank
and appoint a liquidator for the bank. On liquidation, every depositor will be
entitled to receive a deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to
Rs 5 lakh from DICGC.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. India Inc Expects 35-50 bps RBI
Rate Hike, After US Fed: The global economy has been rattled by scorching
inflation and geo-political tensions, forcing more central banks to join the US
Federal Reserve in raising interest rates. The Fed set the pace with a 0.75%
rate hike to a range of 3% to 3.25%. That is the fifth rate hike this year and
up from zero at the start of the year. According to market experts, India could
see an aggressive rate hike by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in coming week.
The RBI’s policy decision is due on 30 September, with most market participants
expecting it to hike rates by 35-50 basis points.
2. Max Life Insurance named
cricketer Rohit Sharma & Ritika Sajdeh as brand ambassadors: Max Life Insurance
Company Ltd has announced Rohit Sharma, sports icon and captain of men’s Indian
Cricket team, and his wife Ritika Sajdeh, as its brand ambassadors. Max Life
has signed a two-year partnership with the cricketing star and his spouse, who
are making their debut onscreen together.
The collaboration will increase the
awareness of life insurance among the younger generation and help the company
grow further. With the partnership, Max Life Insurance targets the millennial
audience and conveys the importance of having life insurance. The aim of the
company is to promote the Max Life brand ethos of valuing the ‘self’ to
determine the right financial value to protect themselves and their family.
Note: Max Life Insurance MD & CEO:
Prashant Tripathy; Max Life Insurance Establishment: 2001; Max Life Insurance
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi.
3. Hero MotoCorp tie-up with HPCL to
set up EV charging infrastructure: Hero MotoCorp has joined hands with
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd to set up charging infrastructure for
electric two-wheelers in the country. As a part of the initiative, the two
companies will first establish charging infrastructure at Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation’s (HPCL) existing network of stations, with the likelihood of
subsequently broadening the collaboration for supplementary business
opportunities. In the first phase:
a)
The
charging stations will be set up in select cities, which will then be expanded
to other key markets with the aim of establishing a high-density of EV charging
station network across the country.
b)
The
two-wheeler major will lead the infrastructure development for the charging
network with each charging station featuring multiple fast chargers, including
DC and AC chargers that will be available to all two-wheeled EVs.
c)
The
entire user charging experience will be controlled by a Hero MotoCorp Mobile
App, based on a cashless transaction model.
Note: Hero MotoCorp Founded: 19 January
1984; Hero MotoCorp Founder: Brijmohan Lall Munjal; Hero MotoCorp Headquarters:
New Delhi; Hero MotoCorp CEO: Pawan Munjal.
DEFENCE
1. Indian Navy launches 2 Diving
Support Vessels (Nistar & Nipun) in Vizag: Two indigenously
designed and built Diving Support Vessels (DSVs), Nistar and Nipun were
launched by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam. The vessels, built by Hindustan
Shipyard Ltd., were launched by Kala Hari Kumar, in the presence of Admiral R
Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, who presided over the ceremony as chief
guest. This project was executed with the support of the Indian industry,
primarily MSME firms who have supplied yard material, equipment and services.
More than 120 MSME vendors across India actively participated in the project. About
the Project:
a)
The
first of the two DSVs (Nistar and Nipun), each with a displacement of 9,350
tonnes, is likely to be delivered to the Navy by July 2023. They are the first
of their kind ships to be indigenously designed and built for the Navy.
b) The vessels, which are 118.4 metres long and 22.8 metres wide, will be deployed for deep sea diving operations. ‘Nistar’ and ‘Nipun’ were launched by achieving approximately 80 per cent indigenous content, a major step towards ‘Self Reliance’.
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