Daily GK Updates - 22nd September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Shri Amit Shah launches Emergency Response Support System (ERSS- Dial 112), ‘E-Beat Book’ System and ‘E-Saathi’ App in Chandigarh: Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah has launched three citizen-centric services of the Chandigarh Police. These are: Emergency Response Support System (ERSS – Dial 112), ‘E-Beat Book’ System and the ‘E-Saathi App’. ERSS is one of the key projects of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under the Nirbhaya Fund.

ERSS provides a single emergency number (112), computer-aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress. Citizens can send their emergency information through call, SMS, email and through the 112 India mobile app.

The ‘E-Beat Book’ is a web and mobile-based application which will ease the collection, updating and analysis of the information related to crime and criminals in a real-time.

The ‘E-Saathi’ App would help the general public, including senior citizens, to remain in touch with the police and also give suggestions to facilitate participative community policing (‘Your Police at Your Doorstep’ initiative). The beat officer would be able to provide services like passport verification, tenant verification, servant verification, character certification, etc. at a click of a button through the app, without the people needing to visit the police station.

2. 2019 India Design Summit held in Goa: The 19th edition of the India Design Summit was held from 20 & 21 September 2019 in Goa by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The theme of the 2019 Summit was : Design for Social Sector. The summit is a platform to create partnership between the discipline of design and organizations leading to innovation and increased economic competitiveness to synergize, find new methods of working together with an attitude of openness, cooperation, and exploration, bring the traditional fields of design in partnership with the fields of technology and business towards the development of new products, both real and virtual.

3. 37th GST Council meeting held in Panaji, Goa: The 37th GST Council meeting held in Panaji, Goa. The GST rate of various Goods and Services was changed in the meeting. The GST council is headed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. For Transaction value per unit per day of ₹1000 or less, will attract nil GST. For ₹1001 upto ₹7500, now the tax rate will be 12%. Anything above ₹7501 will attract 18%. It was 28% till now. GST rate hiked on railway wagon, coaches from 5% to 12%. Uniform GST rate of 12% to be levied on polypropylene bags and sacks used for packing of goods. Jewellery exports to now attract zero GST.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 63rd General Conference of IAEA held in Vienna, Austria: The 63rd Annual Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference was held in Vienna, the capital of Austria with participation from 171 IAEA member states from September 16-20, 2019. The conference is conducted to jointly discuss about the issues related to the IAEA’s work, budget and priorities. The Indian delegation to the conference was led by Dr. K N Vyas, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy(DEA). Vyas talked about various achievements made by the Indian government that formed part of support in the IAEA’s growth.

The National Cancer Grid- Vishwam Cancer Care Connect (NCG-Vishwam 3C), which is a global cancer care network, was launched by Vyas in Vienna. The NCG-Vishwam’s key work is to integrate hospitals and relevant cancer care institutes from partner countries with the National Cancer Grid (NCG) of India

2. MIT Tops, IIT Bombay Top Indian Institute in QS’ Graduate Employability Rankings 2020: The QS’ Graduate Employability Rankings 2020 was released and four Indian institutes have made it to the top 200 among the 500 Universities in the list. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is the top among all Indian institutes and has been ranked in the 111-120 range. At 151-160 band IIT Delhi, 171-180 band IIT Madras and Delhi University have found their positions in top 200. Fifteen Indian universities participated in the 2020 edition of the Rankings and 10 of them made it into the published range which is one more than previous edition.

Top Institute: The 2020 edition of the QS’ Graduate Employability Rankings has been topped by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Stanford University is second and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is at third place.

3. International Coastal CleanUp Day: 21 September: Every year, the third Saturday of the month September is observed as International Coastal CleanUp Day. The day encourages people to rid beaches of the garbage plaguing beaches. Apart from this awareness is also spread about preserving and protecting the world’s oceans and waterways.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Arthi Arun wins five gold medals in Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships: Chennai-based powerlifter Arthi Arun has won five gold medals in the ongoing Commonwealth Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships 2019, St. John’s, Canada. She has won the medals in the 72 kg category. She is also the current Asian Powerlifting Gold Medalist and National Champion.

2. Deepak Punia Wins Silver, Rahul Aware Settles for Bronze in World Wrestling Championships 2019: In world wrestling championship 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Deepak Punia lost in the title clash in 86 kg bout against Iran’s Hassan Yazdani to settle for silver. Deepak was the only Indian to enter a final bout in this edition of the tournament. He has also secured 2020 Olympic quotas. In 61kg bout, Indian wrestler Rahul Aware won a bronze medal as he beat American Tyler Lee Graff. With this, India finished the 2019 edition of World Wrestling Championship with 5 medal including 1 silver and 4 bronzes.

3. Sebastian Vettel wins the Singapore Grand Prix 2019: German racing driver, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) has won the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix 2019. This is his first win of the year. Charles Leclerc remained on second position while Max Verstappen was third. Lewis Hamilton is on fourth.

4. Carolina Marina and Kento Momota wins China Open Badminton Title 2019: Carolina Marina and Kento Momota have won the China Open Badminton Title 2019. The list of winners in all the events are:

Men’s Singles- Kento Momota (Japan)

Women’s Singles- Carolina Marín (Spain)

Men’s Doubles- Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (Indonesia) and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia)

Women’s Doubles-Chen Qingchen (China) and Jia Yifan (China)

Mixed Doubles- Zheng Siwei (China) and Huang Yaqiong (China)

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. SEBI constitutes working group on ‘Social Stock Exchanges’ (SSE): Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a working group on ‘Social Stock Exchanges’ (SSE). Ishaat Hussain (Director, SBI Foundation) is the chairman of the panel. The panel has total 15 members (including the chairman). SSE will help in listing social enterprise and voluntary organizations. The working group shall examine and make recommendations with respect to possible structures and mechanisms, within the securities market domain, to facilitate raising of funds by social enterprises and voluntary organizations.

2. IMPS rated world’s best in ‘Faster Payments Innovation Index’: As per the fintech firm, FIS India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) has been rated as the world’s best real-time payment service in an analysis of 54 countries that have similar facilities. IMPS is rated highest in FIS’s ‘Faster Payments Innovation Index’. India is the only country that received the 5+ rating.

3. Bank of Baroda launches agri digital platform – “Baroda Kisan”: Bank of Baroda has launched an agri digital platform named “Baroda Kisan”. It is a web-based portal that can also be accessed by farmers via mobile. The portal will cater to all the needs of farmers, including weather forecasts, crop conditions, the moisture levels of the soil, information on crop worms, market prices, special crop-related consultation.

4. Madhukar Kamath elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations: Madhukar Kamath has been elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for 2019-20.  He is the chairman emeritus of DDB Mudra group and mentor of Interbrand India. Kamath has also been the president of Advertising Agencies Association of India.

Note: The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) of India is a non-profit circulation-auditing organization.

5. HDFC Bank to hold 1,000 grameen loan melas over next 6 months: HDFC Bank has announced to organise 1,000 grameen loan melas over the next six months with an aim to expand its retail portfolio. These grameen loan melas (or village loan fairs) will be held across more than 300 districts and cover around 6,000 villages across India. Customers can avail of tractor, auto, two-wheeler and agri loans or open current or savings accounts, it said. Besides, self help groups (SHGs) can avail of finance through the bank’s Sustainable Livelihood Initiative.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Reliance Industries becomes the most valued domestic firm in market capitalization: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the most valued domestic firm in market capitalisation (m-cap) by surpassing Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). RIL’s m-cap stood at Rs 7,95,179.62 crore at the close of trade on September 20, 2019 while that of TCS stood at Rs 7,75,092.58 crore. The top 5 most valued firms by m-cap are as follows:

Sr. No.	Firm Name
1	RIL
2	TCS
3	HDFC Bank (Rs 6,56,546.37 crore)
4	Hindustan Unilever Ltd (Rs 4,26,467.98 crore)
5	HDFC (Rs 3,54,270.94 crore)

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Sonu Nigam wins 21st Century Icon Award in UK: Singer Sonu Nigam has been awarded the Magnificent Performing Arts Award at the annual 21st Century Icon Awards in London. The nominations were from 22 different countries and Sonu Nigam won the award among these.

2. Kerala tourism wins 3 awards in 2019 PATA gold awards in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards for the year 2019 were held in Nur-Sultan (Astana), the capital of Kazakhstan. The Kerala tourism has won 3 PATA gold awards at the event and the awards are given for an ethnic food restaurant run by women at Kumarakom (Kerala) under its Responsible Tourism(RT) mission, for Kerala tourism campaign advertisement ‘Come Out and Play’ and the third one was for its website www.keralatourism.org. This year (2019), Kerala Tourism won the highest number of PATA awards in South Asia region. Recently in July 2019, “Find the Incredible You” campaign under Incredible India campaign was declared the winner of PATA gold award 2019 for “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category.

Daily GK Updates - 21st September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NTPC to build India’s biggest solar park in Gujarat: India’s National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) plans to set up a 5-gigawatt solar park in the western state of Gujarat, which would be the biggest in the country. As the top electricity generator shifts toward cleaner energy, which is expected to cost as much as 250 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) and begin operations by 2024. The plan is part of NTPC’s aim to reduce the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix to 70% from around 96% by 2032.

Note: Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC: Gurdeep Singh; Headquarters of NTPC: New Delhi.

2. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘champions campaign’ against dengue: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “Champions Campaign” to fight dengue and urged citizens to become ‘champions’ and encourage 10 friends to check their homes for mosquito larvae.  Earlier, he had also launched 10Hafte 10Baje 10Minute campaign. He had urged the Delhi residents to give 10 minutes every Sunday to check the surroundings to prevent the breeding of dengue-carrier mosquitoes.

3. Govt allows SAIL to sell 25% of iron ore output: Ministry of Mines has allowed Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to offload in a year up to a quantity equivalent to maximum 25% of total iron ore production in the previous year. It will be subject to clearance from the respective State Governments, where the mines are located, after following due procedure. It is valid for a period of 2 years. Around 7 million tonnes of iron ore, produced at its different mines in the States of Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, can be offloaded by SAIL to the domestic market after getting necessary clearance from the State Governments. This will enable SAIL to not only fulfill its own requirement but also to partially cater to a shortfall in domestic iron ore requirement.

4. A new book titled “Being Gandhi” by Paro Anand to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary: A new book titled “Being Gandhi” written by award-winning author Paro Anand released. It marks the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The book, published by Harper Collins Children’s Books, explores the life events of Gandhiji.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on 7-day visit to the United States: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a 7-day visit to the United States. During his visit, Mr. Modi will be in Houston & New York and address the United Nations General Assembly on 27th of this month. On 22nd September, Prime Minister Modi will address the Indian community at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas at 8.30 pm (India Standard Time) and President Donald Trump will also be there. Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the event “Howdy, Modi!”. "Howdy", short for 'How do you do?' is a friendly greeting commonly used in the south-western US. On 23rd September, PM Modi will participate in a leaders’ dialogue on the issue of terrorism, hosted by the King of Jordan. On 24th September, India will organize an event to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in the UN. PM Modi will be joined by heads of some countries including President of South Korea, Prime Ministers of Singapore, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Jamaica as well as the UN Secretary-General. During the visit, Mr. Modi will also be honoured with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Goalkeeper's Award for his leadership in the field of sanitation through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

2. 16th Session of the Joint Economic Commission between India-BLEU: The 16th Session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was held in New Delhi. The Joint Economic Commission between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (India-BLEU) was established in 1997 and is the main vehicle for discussing bilateral economic and commercial issues. The importance of JEC between India and BLEU was reiterated & both sides negotiate cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, such as, transportation and logistics, renewable energy, aerospace and satellites, audio and visual industry, agro and food processing industry, life sciences, ICT(Information and communications technology), traditional medicine, Ayurveda and yoga, and tourism.

Note: Belgium Capital: Brussels, Currency: Euro.

3. RBS picks the first woman to lead major UK bank: Britain's bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has appointed long-serving banker ‘Alison Rose’ as chief executive, making her the first female boss of a major UK lender. Currently, Rose is deputy head of the group's NatWest Holdings retail business and its commercial and private banking division. She will replace Ross McEwan on 1st November. Alison Rose will become the only woman to have leaded one of Britain's so-called "Big Four" banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS).

Note: The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland was established in 1724 to provide a bank with strong Hanoverian and Whig ties.

4. Algeria to hold Presidential election on 12th December: Algeria will hold the Presidential election on 12th December this year. Abdelkader Bensalah, the interim successor of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned in April following mass protests. Mr Bensalah in a televised address, he has decided that the date of the presidential election. The announcement comes after Army Chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah insisted that polls be held by the end of this year, despite ongoing protests demanding the creation of new institutions ahead of any elections.

Note: Algeria is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory, Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Algeria Capital: Algiers; Currency:  Algerian dinar

5. 38th Sharjah Intl. Book Fair to be organized from 30th Oct to 9th of Nov: The 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will be organized from 30th October to 9th November 2019. The book fair will be held at the ‘Expo Center’ in Sharjah, with the participation of selected writers, novelists and artists from around the world. Authors, publishers, intellectuals and artists worldwide will bring their experiences and expertise to this prominent event and partake in a vibrant cultural programme. UNESCO has named Sharjah as the World Book Capital City for the year 2019 in recognition of the city’s continuous efforts in promoting books and literacy. Aligning itself with the title of the World Book Capital, the SIBF will be organized under the theme 'Open Books, Open Minds'.

6. International Day of Peace: 21 September: The International Day of Peace is observed around the world annually on 21st September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The theme for International Day of Peace 2019 is “Climate Action for Peace”. The theme draws attention to the importance of combatting climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world.

Note: In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had designated 21st September as the International Day of Peace; Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres

7. World Alzheimer’s Day: 21st September: World Alzheimer’s Day is observed every year on 21st September to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. Some of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, problems with language, difficulty performing familiar tasks, changes in personality and difficulty keeping track of things.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. 2020 Women's FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held from Nov 2-21: The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup (7th edition) will be held from 2nd to 21st November 2020 in India. It will mark the first time that India has hosted a FIFA women's football tournament. The tournament is held in even-numbered years, starting in 2008. Spain is the defending champions, having won the title of the biennial tournament in 2018. On 27th August, Kalinga Stadium (in Bhubaneswar, Odisha) got provisional clearance as the first venue for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Navi Mumbai are the five venues that were inspected by the FIFA team for the tournament.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IDBI Bank appoints Samuel Joseph as Deputy Managing Director: IDBI Bank’s Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Samuel Joseph Jebaraj as Deputy Managing Director (DMD) for a period of 3 years. He currently serves as Chief General Manager of the Loan Administration and Human Resources Management Groups of the Bank. The decision has been taken as per the approval received by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This is the first major appointment on the Bank’s Board, in which LIC acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in January 2019.

Note: Chairman of IDBI: M R Kumar; Headquarters of IDBI: Mumbai; Tagline: Aao Sochein Bada.

2. DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’: Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) collaborated with the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’. Communications and Electronics & IT Minister launched the campaign that will educate end-users on the benefits of making digital payments and urge them to adopt security and safety best practices. To drive the campaign objectives and amplify outreach to users across all states, DSCI has onboarded various digital payments, ecosystem partners. These partners include representation from banking, card networks as well as a fin-tech segment.

Note: Minister of Communications and Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad; Chairman of NASSCOM: Keshav Murugesh.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Raghu Rai chosen as the first recipient of international photography award: Noted Indian photographer Raghu Rai (77-years) has been chosen as the first recipient of the inaugural edition of the Acadmie des beaux-arts Photography Award ‘William Klein’.

Note: The award is in honour of the celebrated American-born French photographer and filmmaker William Klein, best known for his unusual photography techniques. As a consecration award, the prize is intended to reward a photographer for their entire career and commitment to photography. It rewards one photographer of all nationalities and ages.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Dutch football player Fernando Ricksen passes away: The former Rangers and Netherlands football player Fernando Ricksen passed away at the age of 43. He earned 12 caps for the Netherlands between 2000 and 2003. In six years (2000-2006) with the club of Rangers (Glasgow, Scotland), he also won 2 Scottish Premier League titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 3 Scottish League Cups.

2. Famous filmmaker Shyam Ramsay passes away: Bollywood’s famous horror film producer Shyam Ramsay passed away. He helmed horror movies like Andhera (1975), Saboot (1980), Purana Mandir (1984), Purani Haveli (1989), Dhund: The Fog (2003), Koi Hai (2017). He pioneered the horror genre on Indian television too, giving us the first horror series- The Zee Horror Show which ran from 1993 to 2001.

Daily GK Updates - 20th September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Google announces new AI research lab in India: Google has announced that it will open an artificial intelligence (AI) based research lab “Google Research India“. The lab will be opened in Bengaluru. The Indian AI lab will be led by Dr. Manish Gupta, a renowned computer scientist in the country. Google has various AI research labs across the world, under its Google Artificial Intelligence arm.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of Google: Sundar Pichai.

2. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank launches WAWE Summit 2019: Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE-2019) summit. The schemes will work towards providing students with the best education to keep pace with the rapidly changing world. It will be jointly organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste Management (IIWM) at Jaipur. This initiative stating that it will empower women and encourage entrepreneurship among youngsters. WAWE Summit 2019 is a great initiative for women who have skills in their hands and it will further empower and motivate them.

3. Telecom body approves Rs 8500 crore for mobile towers & optical fibres: The Digital Communication Commission, the highest decision making body in the Department of Telecom has approved multiple projects worth over Rs 8,500 crore. The projects aims to set up mobile towers and laying of optical fibre, with an aim to provide improved connectivity. The commission also approved a special scheme to cover upto 12,000 uncovered villages in aspirational districts. The approved infra projects include laying of BharatNet fibre in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,815 crore and Rs 2,065 crore. The projects also include setting up of 1,917 mobile towers for uncovered villages in the North East.

4. Ola drivers to get healthcare benefits under Ayushman Bharat: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has partnered with Ola, a mobility platform, to extend the welfare to its drivers. The partnership will provide comprehensive health insurance for secondary and tertiary care to tens of thousands of drivers working with the cab aggregator and their families. The first phase will see Ola and AB-PMJAY conducting a pilot project in NCR, which will subsequently be rolled out at scale to other cities. Eligible drivers as well as Ola employees will be able to avail the benefits of the programme and obtain an Ayushman Bharat card at a minimal cost of Rs 30.

Note: Co-Founder and CEO of Ola: Bhavish Aggarwal.

5. Tata Communications partners with Cisco: Tata Communications has partnered with Cisco to offer enterprises a secure, fully-managed, multi-channel, intelligent and cloud-based Cisco Webex Contact Center solution. This joint offering is an end-to-end managed solution and gives contact centre users a seamless user experience across up to 150 countries on the back of Tata Communications’ global network. The solution will allow for simplified licensing; pre-deployed hardware and software with integrations to workforce optimisation.

6. Skill India sign agreement with IBM for Train-the-Trainer programme in AI: The Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry, has signed an agreement with IT major IBM to carry out a nationwide Train-the-Trainer programme in basic artificial intelligence. As part of the programme, ITI trainers will be trained on basic artificial intelligence (AI) skills towards using technology in their day-to-day training activities. This programme aims at enabling the trainers with the basic approach, workflow and application of artificial intelligence that they can apply in their training modules.

Note: Founder of IBM: Charles Ranlett Flint; Established: June 16, 1911; Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: Mahendra Nath Pandey.

7. First Jammu International Film Festival to be held in Jammu: The first ever “Jammu International Film Festival” will be held in Jammu. 37 short films and documentaries from 11 countries will be screened at the inaugural edition of Jammu International Film Festival. The festival will also present an annual ‘Inspiring Icon Award‘, which will be given to a person, who hails from the region and has made it big in the film industry.

8. Telangana government declares 2020 as Artificial Intelligence year: Telangana Government has decided to declare 2020 as Year of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The State Government will be organising various activities related to emerging technology throughout the year. This comes in the backdrop of emerging talent pool as well as renewed focus by industry and other ecosystem players on AI space in last 4-5 years. IIT- Kharagpur is also coming up with its regional centre in Hyderabad to train students in AI in partnership with State government. Telangana was 1st State to sign up with NITI Aayog when they prepared ‘AI for All’ document.

Note: Telangana CM: K Chandrashekhar Rao; Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan; Capital: Hyderabad

9. Union Government issues an ordinance to ban e-cigarettes: President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent for the promulgation of the ordinance to ban e-cigarettes. The ordinance was approved by the Union Cabinet, which bans production, import, distribution and sale of electronic cigarettes. The Union Cabinet decided to ban e-cigarettes and similar products as they pose a health risk to people, especially the youth. A bill replacing the ordinance will be brought in the next session of Parliament. Production, import, export, transport, sell or advertisements of e-cigarettes will now be a cognizable offence.

Note: Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that produce an aerosol by heating a solution containing nicotine, which is the addictive substance in combustible cigarettes. These include all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Heat Not Burn Products, e-hookah and similar devices.

16. The book titled “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas” released: The book titled “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas” written by the journalist Dhaval Kulkarni was released. It is published by Penguin Random House. The book depicts the political journey of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bangladesh: 55th ITEC Day celebrated in Dhaka: The 55th Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day was celebrated at the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Around 300 ITEC alumni from all walks of life, attended the programme. Over 4,000 young Bangladeshi professionals have undergone specialized short and medium-term courses in India under the ITEC programme since 2007.

Note: ITEC offers opportunities to participants to avail of short- and medium-term courses in premier institutions like IITs and IISCs in India. It was instituted in 1964 as part of India’s Development Assistance offering for developing countries. Every year more than 10,000 training slots are offered to 161 partner countries for training courses in various areas like Accounts, Audit, Management, SME, Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs.

2. World Bamboo Day: September 18: World Bamboo Day is observed every year on the 18th of September by the World Bamboo Organization to generate awareness about conserving and promoting the bamboo industry. Bamboo is known as poor man’s timber, bamboo is omnipresent in tribal cultures and community living. India is the world’s second-largest cultivator of bamboo after China, with 136 species and 23 genera spread over 13.96 million hectares, according to the State of Environment report 2018.

Note: President of World Bamboo Organization: Michel Abadie; CEO of World Bamboo Organization: Susanne Lucas.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Sri Lankan bowler Akila Dananjaya banned from bowling for 1 year: The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Akila Dananjaya (25-years) from bowling in international matches for 12 months, after his bowling action was deemed to be illegal. He will be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action after the expiry of this one-year period. Akila Dananjaya's bowling action came under the scanner during a Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle in August 2019.

Note: ICC Chairman: Shashank Manohar; Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 13th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in India from February 9 to March 26, 2023.

2. India Slip to 104th spot in Latest FIFA ranking: The Indian football team slipped a place to 104th position in the latest FIFA rankings released. Indian Football Team in recent times playing under the leadership of new coach Igor Stimac. Belgium managed to hold on to the top position, while France has surpassed Brazil to reach the second spot.

Note: President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino; Headquarters of FIFA: Zurich, Switzerland.

3. Bajrang and Ravi qualify for Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya have qualified for Tokyo Olympics by strolling into the semi-finals of World Wrestling Championships at Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan. Bajrang comfortably defeated North Korea's Jong Chol Son 8-2 in the 65-kilogram quarterfinal. Now, He will play for the gold medal against Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan. Ravi beat Yuki Takahashi 6-1 in the 57-kilogram category. In the semi-final, Ravi will face reigning world champion Zavur Uguev of Russia. Sushil Kumar (Double Olympic medalist) is the only Indian wrestler to have won a World Championship gold in 2010 in Moscow.

Note: Tokyo 2020 (or, 2020 Summer Olympics) is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is scheduled to take place from 24th July to 9th August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Public Sector Banks to organise ‘loan melas’ in 400 districts: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that Public Sector Banks will organise ‘loan melas’ or “Shamiana meetings” in 400 districts. The meetings will be organised to provide loans to NBFCs and retail borrowers, including homebuyers and farmers. PSBs will focus on giving loans to the ‘RAM‘ category: retail, agriculture and MSMEs. The open house public meetings will be held in two tranches. The first will be held between October 3 and 7 in 200 districts, while the remaining 200 will be covered October 11 onwards. She also announced that no MSME stressed loan would be classified as an NPA until March 31, 2020.

2. Govt notifies 8.65% interest rate for EPFO members: Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified 8.65% rate of interest on Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for 2018-19 deposits for its over six crore subscribers. The EPFO has been settling EPF withdrawal claims at 8.55% interest rate, approved for 2017-18.

Note: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is an organization tasked to assist the Central Board of Trustees, a statutory body formed by the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.

3. Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting sets up startup venture fund: Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has launched “Wipro Consumer Care–Ventures”, a startup venture fund to invest in startups in the consumer brands space. The venture will focus on companies with a differentiated approach where both parties can learn by leveraging their strengths and add value to each other. Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting is a $1 billion plus arm of Wipro Enterprises, and is among the fastest growing fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) businesses in India.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. National Geoscience Awards 2018: Twenty-two scientists across the country were awarded the National Geoscience Awards for the year 2018. They were awarded for their outstanding contributions in the field of geosciences, mining and allied areas. The award was conferred by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Pralhad Joshi. Prof. Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), received the Award for Excellence for his significant global contributions in the field of aquatic biogeochemical research. Dr Sohini Ganguly, of Goa University, was conferred with the Young Scientist Award-2018 for her significant work in the fields of petrology, volcanology and geochemistry. The National Geoscience Awards were given in ten disciplines covering Mineral exploration, Groundwater exploration, Mining technology, Mineral beneficiation, Sustainable mineral development, Basic and applied geosciences, Geo-environmental studies and Natural hazards investigation.

DEFENCE

1. Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria appointed as new Air Chief: The Union government has appointed Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria as the new chief of Indian Air Force for two years. Currently, Air Marshal Bhadauria is the vice chief of air staff. He will replace Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who is going to retire 30th of this month. Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria has clocked over 4250 hours of flying and has experience of 26 different types of fighters. He was the first Indian Air Force officer to fly Rafale fighter jet. RKS Bhadauria (alumnus of National Defence Academy, Pune) has been awarded several medals: the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, the Vayu Sena Medal and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

2. Indian army conducts exercise ‘Chang Thang’ in Eastern Ladakh: The Indian Army conducted a massive rare exercise ‘Chang Thang’ in Eastern Ladakh bordering China. The exercise involved the use of infantry, mechanised forces, T-72 tanks, with force multipliers such as artillery guns and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The Indian Air Force was also roped in the exercise. This is the first time such kind of exercise has happened in the region.

Note: Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

OBITUARIES

1. Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali passes away: Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali passed away. He came to power in 1987, ousting Habib Bourguiba to become Tunisia’s second-ever president. Ben Ali led the country for 23 years and was credited with delivering stability and some economic prosperity. In 2011, he was forced from office following mass street protests

Note: Capital of Tunisia: Tunis; Currency of Tunisia: Tunisian Dinar.