Daily GK Update- 24th Sept, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Minister Piyush Goyal Launches National Single Window System: The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has launched the ‘National Single Window System (NSWS)’, for investors and businesses. NSWS is a single-window portal that will act as a one-stop shop for investors or entrepreneurs, to get approvals and clearances needed from Government. It shall give freedom from the legacy of running to government offices for approvals and registrations needed by investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses in India.

Significance: The new system aims to bring transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the ecosystem. Currently, the portal hosts approvals across 18 Central Departments and 9 States. The remaining 14 Central depts and five states will be added by December 2021. The portal has been developed jointly by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) along with Invest India.

 

2. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry beaches get coveted ‘blue flag’ certification: Two more beaches in India have been awarded “Blue Flag” certification, an international eco-level tag, taking the total number of such beaches in the country to 10. The two beaches to receive the certification this year are Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry. The Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), Denmark, which accords the Blue Flag certification, has also given re-certification for eight nominated beaches – Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag certificate last year. These eight beaches got the Blue Flag certification on October 6, 2020.

Blue Flag certification: (1) Blue Flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded on the basis of 33 stringent criteria in four major heads which are environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environmental management and conservation and safety and services in the beaches.

(2) The Blue Flag beach is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide the tourists/beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities, a safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area.

(3) The recommendations are done by an independent national jury composed of eminent environmentalists and scientists.

 

3. Air Marshal VR Chaudhari appointed as new IAF Chief: Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force Air Marshal, Vivek Ram Chaudhari has been appointed the next Chief of Air Staff. The current Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria is set to retire on September 30. Chaudhari had taken over as the vice chief on July 1 this year, after Air Marshal HS Arora retired. He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vayu Sena Medals.

Experience of VR Chaudhari:

Note: Indian Airforce founded: 8 October 1932; Indian Airforce Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

4. Zee Entertainment & Sony Pictures signs merger deal: The Board of Directors of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has unanimously approved the merger of the company with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). As a part of the merger, shareholders of SPNI will also infuse growth capital into SPNI, which will make them the majority stakeholder in the merged entity. The merged entity will be listed on the Indian stock exchanges.

About the deal:

(1) Zee Entertainment will hold 47.07 per cent stake, while Sony India will hold a 52.93 per cent stake in the combined company.

(2) Following the merger, Sony India will have the right to appoint the majority of directors to the merged company.

(3) Puneet Goenka, the CEO of Zee Entertainment, will be the MD and CEO of the merged entity for a period of 5 years.

Note: Sony Pictures Networks India Headquarters: Mumbai; Sony Pictures Networks India Founded: 30 September 1995.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi departs for 3-day visit to US: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior officials including Harsh Vardhan Shringla. This is Prime Minister Modi’s first visit abroad beyond the neighbourhood since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

PM Modi, Joe Biden meeting at White House:

(1) Biden will host PM Modi at the White House on September 24.

(2) This is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

(3) PM Modi and President Biden are expected to discuss ways to stem radicalisation and combat terrorism. They are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence, trade ties, security collaborations and clean energy partnerships among others.

(4) PM Modi and Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan. PM Modi will also hold business interactions during his US visit from September 22-25.

PM Modi will address the UN General Assembly:

(1) PM Modi will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of 76th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.

(2) The theme for this year’s general debate is building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalise the United Nations.

Bilateral meetings: Prime Minister’s visit would be bilateral meetings with our close partners Japan and Australia where he will hold several bilateral meetings including with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

2. India will become 3rd largest importer by 2050: India could become the world’s third-largest importer by 2050, according to a report released by the UK’s Department of International Trade. With a 5.9 per cent share of global imports by 2050, the country will become the third-largest importer, following China and the United States. At present, India occupies the eighth spot on the list of the largest importing countries with a 2.8 per cent share. As per the Global Trade Outlook report, the country’s position on the list will jump to the fourth position by 2030 with a 3.9 per cent share.

About UK’s Department of International Trade: The Department for International Trade is a United Kingdom government department responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the United Kingdom and foreign countries, as well as for encouraging foreign investment and export trade.

 

3. Bangladesh’s PM Hasina receives SDG Progress award: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been conferred with the SDG Progress award for Bangladesh’s steady progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the UN-sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Prime Minister Hasina is currently visiting the US to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

About the SDSN: The SDSN was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. Led by development economist Jeffery Sachs, the SDSN seeks to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development.

Note: Prime Minister of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina; Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; President of Bangladesh: Abdul Hamid.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Pankaj Advani wins his 24th world title in Doha: Star Indian cueist Pankaj Advani has grabbed his 24th World title when he triumphed at the IBSF 6-Red Snooker World Cup with a victory over Pakistan’s Babar Masih in the final. Advani, who won his 11th Asian title last week, started the final with a comfortable 42-13 win in the opening frame. The 36-year-old won the third and fourth in quick succession to go 3-1 up. The Pakistani cueist, in no mood to play second fiddle to his worthy opponent, crafted a wonderful 56 break to bridge the gap.

 

2. Beijing 2022 Launches Official Slogan: “Together for a Shared Future”: The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unveiled its official motto, “Together for a Shared Future”, during a ceremony at the city’s Capital Museum. The motto was chosen after a lengthy process that included a total of 79 different proposals. This motto embodies the Olympic spirit, the Chinese way of revealing the Olympic spirit. That’s because ‘together’ embodies a type of unity, cohesion and a way of overcoming difficulties. The Games will be held from February 4-20, with Beijing set to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Yes bank tie-up with VISA to offer credit cards: Yes Bank has partnered with Visa to offer credit cards to its customers, following the regulatory ban on Mastercard by RBI. The Visa co-branded cards come with nine credit card variants covering all segments, consumer cards, business cards, and corporate cards across YES First, YES Premia and YES Prosperity. YES Bank earlier had an exclusive tie-up with Mastercard. However, its credit card issuances had been impacted after the Reserve Bank of India barred Mastercard from onboarding new customers on its domestic card network. Yes Bank has achieved the transition to Visa as a payment network within a record time of fewer than 60 days, post the bank imposed on Mastercard from July 22, 2021. The private sector lender is also in the process of completing technology integration with NPCI and plans to issue Rupay branded credit cards in due course.

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

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. ADB cuts India’s GDP forecast for FY22 to 10%: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised downwards India’s economic growth forecast for the current fiscal, 2021-22 (FY22) to 10 per cent. Earlier this was projected at 11 per cent. The Manila-based multilateral funding agency ADB has predicted the GDP growth for fiscal 2022-23 (FY23) to 7.5 per cent. The growth forecast for India in the fiscal year 2021 (ending in March 2022) was revised down, as the spike in COVID-19 cases during May dented the recovery, the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Note: President of ADB: Masatsugu Asakawa; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Bangladeshi Fairooz Faizah Beether gets 2021 Changemaker Award: Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh has been chosen for the 2021 Changemaker Award for her work promoting good health and well-being by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award celebrates an individual who has inspired change using personal experience or from a position of leadership.

About the award: The Changemaker Award is part of the Goalkeepers Global Goals award instituted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate progress towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN. 

Daily GK Update- 23rd Sept, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttar Pradesh Government to set up ‘Electronic Park’: The Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government has cleared a proposal to develop an ‘Electronic Park’, along the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area, near Noida, to promote the electronics industry. The park is proposed to be developed in an area of 250 acres of the YEIDA near Jewar Airport.

About the park: National and international companies manufacturing mobile phones, TVs and other electronic devices and accessories will establish their units in the park. The new Electronic Park will be built at an investment of around Rs 50,000 crore as well as generate employment for thousands of local youths.

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

 

2. Assam set up a tea Park at Kamrup district’s Chayygaon: Assam is setting up a tea Park at Chayygaon in Kamrup District. This tea garden will have rail and port connectivity, cargo and warehouse amenities, processing facilities like tea grinding, blending, packaging and other utility services under one roof. Tea garden companies using garden lands for plantation of Segun and agar or selling off the tea estates, the Minister stated that tea garden owners cannot sell off their estates as the leased land still belongs to Assam Government and instead asked them to focus on innovation and branding of Assam Tea.

Note: Assam Governor: Jagdish Mukhi; Assam Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma.

 

3. Ladakh set to roll out 1st edition of ” Himalayan Film Festival 2021″: The first edition of ‘The Himalayan Film Festival-2021’ (THFF) will begin from 24 to 28 September at Leh, Ladakh. The film festival is being organised by the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The film festival is being hosted in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. The five-day film festival is a part of the celebration of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence.

The film festival will have active participation from the local filmmakers and showcase talent from across the 12 Himalayan states and UTs. Popular films from the Himalayan states viz Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh besides Indian Panorama selected films will be showcased during the festival.

Note: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh: Radha Krishna Mathur.

 

4. Centre forms panel to firm up India’s sustainable finance road map: The central government has set up a key task force to assess climate and ESG resilience in India’s financial sector and recommend a concrete road map to strengthen India’s sustainable finance architecture. The task force will be headed by economic affairs secretary, Ajay Seth.

Key recommendations made by the task force will include: (1) how to further strengthen the resilience of the country’s financial sector against risks emanating from various climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

(2) how to grow sustainable finance in India and set a clear time frame for their implementation.

 

5. Vanijya Saptah being celebrated from 20-26 September: The Commerce Ministry has decided to celebrate ‘Vanijya Saptah’ from 20 to 26 September. In this Saptah, many programmes and events will be organized to showcase India’s rising economic force across the country. Five national seminars will be organized by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in five regions of the country. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) also launch the Industrial Park Rating System. Industrial Park Rating System will recognize the performance of the Industrial park. It will also assess the performance of private industrial parks and SEZs.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Justin Trudeau wins 3rd term as Prime Minister of Canada: Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has won the third term to serve as the PM of the country, after his party won the 2021 parliamentary elections on September 20, 2021. However, the Liberal Party of the 49-year-old Justin Trudeau could only manage to win minority seats in the election. Justin Trudeau is in power since 2015. Trudeau’s Liberals were leading or elected in 157 seats exactly the same number they won in 2019, 13 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons.

Note: Canada Capital: Ottawa; Currency: Canadian dollar.

 

2. World’s oldest living twins are 107-year-old Japanese sisters: Guinness World Records has certified two Japanese sisters as the world’s oldest living identical twins at 107. Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were born the third and fourth of 11 siblings on Shodoshima island in western Japan on Nov. 5, 1913. Sumiyama and Kodama were 107 years and 300 days old as of Sept 1, breaking the previous record set by famous Japanese sisters Kin Narita and Gin Kanie at 107 years and 175 days.

 

3. International Day of Sign Languages: 23rd September: The International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September. This day is celebrated to raise awareness of sign languages and strengthen the status of sign languages. The theme for the 2021 International Day of Sign Languages is “We Sign For Human Rights” highlighting how each of us – deaf and hearing people around the world – can work together hand in hand to promote the recognition of our right to use sign languages in all areas of life.

History of International Day of Sign Languages: The proposal for the Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 135 national associations of deaf people, representing approximately 70 million deaf people’s human rights worldwide. The choice of 23 September commemorates the date that the WFD was established in 1951. The International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf.

Note: World Federation of the Deaf President: Joseph J. Murray; World Federation of the Deaf Founded: 23 September 1951, Rome, Italy; World Federation of the Deaf Headquarters location: Helsinki, Finland.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. GM D. Gukesh of India wins Norway Chess Open 2021: India’s D Gukesh won his second consecutive tournament of this month, the Norway Chess Open 2021 Masters section. Gukesh scored an unbeaten 8.5/10 and finished a full point ahead of the competition to win the tournament. Iniyan secured sole second position with 8.5/10 points, finishing a half point ahead of top seed Dmitrij Kollars (Germany) and Valentin Dragnev (Austria).

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Federal Bank partners OneCard for mobile-first credit card: Federal Bank has announced a tie-up with OneCard for a mobile-first credit card that targets the country’s young, tech-savvy population. The launch comes ahead of the festive season as Federal Bank aims to cash in on consumer credit demand, which is expected to peak around the festive season on the back of economic revival.

About the credit card:

(1) The credit card will be issued through the OneCard app in under three minutes, as per the company, and can be activated and used instantly in virtual format until the physical card gets delivered.

(2) Users can control their cards through the app—from tracking spends and rewards to setting transaction limit on the card and more.

(3) Federal Bank’s target user base for this offering is young working professionals aged between 23 and 35 years, as per the bank.

Note: Federal Bank MD and CEO: Shyam Srinivasan; Federal Bank Headquarters: Aluva, Kerala; Federal Bank Founder: K.P Hormis; Federal Bank Founded: 23 April 1931.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. OECD lowered India’s FY22 growth projection to 9.7%: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has marginally lowered India’s growth projection for the ongoing fiscal to 9.7%, a reduction of 20 basis points (bps). For FY23, OECD reduced India’s growth projection by 30 basis points to 7.9%. According to OECD data, India is the worst hit among major economies, with its real GDP in the June quarter 15% lower than the pre-pandemic forecast and around 7% lower than the December quarter.

Note: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Headquarters: Paris, France; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  Founded: 30 September 1961.

 

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

Note: Facebook Founded: February 2004; Facebook CEO: Mark Zuckerberg; Facebook Headquarters: California, United States.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. SV Sarasvati receives National Florence Nightingale Award 2020: Brigadier SV Sarasvati, the Deputy Director-General of Military Nursing Service has been honoured with the National Florence Nightingale Award 2020. The National Florence Nightingale Award, the highest national distinction a nurse can achieve. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the award in a virtual ceremony on Brig Saraswati for her contribution as a nurse administrator.

SV Sarasvati as a renowned operation theatre nurse, she has assisted in more than 3,000 lifesaving and emergency surgeries and has trained residents, operation room nursing trainees and auxiliary staff in her career. She has served at several pan-India Army hospitals and United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in Congo, according to the government statement, where she has done various outreach activities for the troops and trained more than 1,000 soldiers and families in basic life support. 

Daily GK Update- 22nd Sept, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Centre forms GoM for better implementation of schemes meant for SC, ST, OBC, minorities, women; Head-Rajnath Singh: The Centre has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to look into better implementation of various welfare schemes meant for the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities and women, and to improve their implementation and effectiveness. The GoM will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The basic objective of this GoM is to work for empowerment and prosperity of backward classes and minorities. The panel comprises of top Union Ministers as members including Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other Union ministers namely Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Arjun Munda, Kiren Rijiju and Virendra Kumar.

 

2. Centre releases Rs 2,427 crore to 11 states for urban local bodies: Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance released an amount of 2,427 crore rupees to 11 states for the Urban Local Bodies. The amount released is the 1st installment of tied grants for the year 2021-22. These grants have been provided for the Non-Million Plus cities including Cantonment Boards. The 15th Finance Commission in its report for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 has divided the Urban Local Bodies into two categories. These are Million-Plus urban agglomerations/cities and all other cities and towns with less than one million population. Out of the total grants recommended by the Commission for Non-Million Plus cities, 40 percent is basic (untied) grant and the remaining 60 percent is as tied grant. Basic grants (untied) can be utilised for location specific felt needs except for payment of salary and incurring other establishment expenditure.

 

3. IIT Delhi develops device that can generate electricity through water droplets to power small electronic devices: Researchers from IIT Delhi have designed and fabricated an innovative device that can generate electricity from water drops, raindrops, water streams, and ocean waves. The device is known as ‘Liquid-solid Interface Triboelectric Nanogenerator’. The new device produces power using Triboelectric Effect and Electrostatic Induction, and further stores the energy in batteries for consumption. It can generate power of only a few Milliwatt (mW), which is sufficient to power small electronic devices like healthcare sensors, digital thermometers, watches, radio frequency transmitters, pedometers.

 

4. Deadline to link PAN-Aadhaar extended by six months till March 2022: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has once again announced an extension in the deadline to link PAN with biometric ID Aadhaar. The deadline has been extended by six months till March 31, 2022. Earlier this date was extended till September 30, 2021. The timeline has been extended to address the hardship being faced by various stakeholders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

5. MyGov launches Planetarium Innovation Challenge for Indian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs: MyGov India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has launched the Planetarium Innovation Challenge for Indian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs. The challenge aims to bring together the Indian Startups and tech entrepreneurs to develop state-of-the-art technology for Planetariums. The basic objective of this Planetarium Innovation challenge involves tech firms and Startups to build an indigenous planetariums system software using the latest technologies including Augmented Reality (A.R.), Virtual Reality (V.R.) and Merged Reality (M.R.). MyGov will recognize the best such Indian solutions, which would not only be given cash rewards but also an opportunity to deploy the solution in various cities and rural areas by getting them listed on the GeM portal.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. World Economic Forum to host next annual meeting in Davos: The World Economic Forum said its next annual meeting will be held in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos in January 2022, making it the first major in-person congregation of the world leaders in almost two years since the deadliest pandemic hit the world. WEF said its next annual meeting will take place from January 17-21, 2022 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, under the theme ‘Working Together, Restoring Trust’.

 

2. World Rhino Day: 22nd September: World Rhino Day is observed globally on 22 September every year. This day provides the opportunity for cause-related organizations, NGOs, zoos, and members of the public to celebrate rhinos in their own unique ways. This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the need to protect all the five existing species of Rhinoceros, which are: Black Rhino, White Rhino, Greater one-horned Rhino, Sumatran Rhino and Javan Rhinos.

History of World Rhino Day: World Rhino Day was first announced by World Wildlife Fund-South Africa in 2010 and is being observed internationally since 2011.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. IOC suspends North Korea until end of 2022 for skipping Tokyo Games: North Korea has been barred from participating in the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. According to AP, the International Olympic Committee has taken the decision as a punishment for the country that refused to participate in the Tokyo Olympics Games, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the North Korean national Olympic body will also not receive the money due from the previous Olympics.

 

2. M.S. Dhoni named mentor for Indian Men’s Team for T20 World Cup 2021: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named as the mentor of the Indian cricket Men’s team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The T20 world cup will be played in Oman and UAE starting from October 18. Virat Kohli has recently announced to step down as the captain of the T20 cricket team after the World Cup.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Govt announces guarantee of up to Rs 30,600 crore to back Security Receipts to be issued by NARCL: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the Union Cabinet approved government guarantee up to 30,600 crore rupees to back Security Receipts to be issued by National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited, NARCL. She said, Banks’ asset quality review had happened in 2015, for cleaning up and fully provisioning bank balance sheets, this revealed very high incidence of Non-Performing Assets, NPAs. The Minister said, along with NARCL, government is also setting up an India Debt Resolution Company Limited. She said, PSBs will have 51 per cent ownership in NARCL, while PSBs and public financial institutions will have a maximum of 49 per cent stake.

 

2. Punjab & Sind Bank ties up with Indiabulls: Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB), a public sector bank, has entered into a strategic co-lending alliance with Indiabulls Commercial Credit and Indiabulls Housing Finance (IHFL) for MSME and Priority Sector Housing Loans respectively. The co-lending model will improve the flow of credit to the unserved and underserved sector of the economy and make available funds to the ultimate beneficiary at an affordable cost, considering the lower cost of funds from banks and greater reach of the NBFCs/ HFLs.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Amazon launches Kisan Store for farmers on Amazon.in: Amazon India has launched the Kisan (farmer) store that will make agri-inputs such as seeds, farm tools and accessories, available to buyers at competitive prices with the added convenience of delivery at their doorstep. Farmers can choose to shop for thousands of agri-input products from over 20 brands on Amazon.in using any of the five Indian languages including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Malayalam. Farmers can also visit any one of the over 50,000 Amazon Easy stores across the country and avail assisted shopping facility.

 

2. TCS 2nd Indian company after RIL to cross Rs 13 lakh crore m-cap: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the second listed company and the first information technology (IT) firm to cross the Rs 13 lakh crore market capitalisation after the IT share hit a record high. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries with market cap of Rs 13.71 lakh crore was the top ranked firm in terms of market cap in trade. TCS stock touched an intraday high of Rs 3,560.25, rising 2.55% against previous close on BSE.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 73rd Emmy award 2021 announced: The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 19, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. The award honoured the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The 73rd edition of the Television Academy’s top honours is being hosted by Cedric the Entertainer on CBS.

Here are the winners for the 2021 Emmy Awards:

Outstanding Drama Series: The Crown

Outstanding Comedy Series: Ted Lasso

Outstanding Variety Talk Show: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Outstanding Limited Series: The Queen’s Gambit

Outstanding Actor–Comedy: Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Outstanding Actor–Drama: Josh O’Connor

Outstanding Actor–Limited Series or Movie: Ewan McGregor (Halston)

Outstanding Actress–Comedy: Jean Smart (Hacks)

Outstanding Actress–Drama: Olivia Colman (The Crown)

Outstanding Actress–Limited Series or Movie: Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown)

Outstanding Supporting Actor–Comedy: Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)

Outstanding Supporting Actor–Drama: Tobias Menzies (The Crown)

Outstanding Supporting Actor–Limited Series or Movie: Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown)

Outstanding Supporting Actress–Comedy: Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Outstanding Supporting Actress–Drama: Gillian Anderson (The Crown)

Outstanding Supporting Actress–Limited Series or Movie: Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown)

Outstanding Director–Comedy: Lucia Aniello (Hacks)

Outstanding Director–Drama: Jessica Hobbs (The Crown)

Outstanding Director–Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special: Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit)

Outstanding Writing–Comedy: Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky (Hacks)

Outstanding Writing–Drama: Peter Morgan (The Crown)

Outstanding Writing–Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special: Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You)

Daily GK Update- 21st Sept, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. FSSAI’s 3rd State Food Safety Index 2021 released: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya has released the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s 3rd State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety. The Minister felicitated nine leading States/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2020-21 for their impressive performance. Minister also flagged off 19 Mobile Food Testing Vans (Food Safety on Wheels) to supplement the food safety ecosystem across the country taking the total number of such mobile testing vans to 109.

Here is the list of nine leading States/UTs in the Index:

Larger States: (1) Gujarat

(2) Kerala

(3) Tamil Nadu

Smaller States: (1) Goa

(2) Meghalaya

(3) Manipur

Among UTs: (1) Jammu and Kashmir,

(2) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

(3) New Delhi

 

2. India’s first indigenous cruise liner launched by IRCTC: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has joined hands and signed the agreement with Cordelia Cruises being operated by M/s Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd for promotion and marketing of the first indigenous luxury cruise in India. This is another incredible luxury travel offering under IRCTC”s umbrella of tourism services to the public. The luxury travel offering in the form of the indigenous cruise will take guests on-boards to some of the most popular Indian and international tourist destinations – such as Goa, Diu, Kochi, the Lakshadweep islands, and Sri Lanka.

About the Cordelia Cruises: Cordelia Cruises is one of India’s premium cruise liners and aspires to promote and drive the cruise culture in India through experiences that are “stylish, luxurious, and most importantly, inherently Indian.”

 

3. Niti Aayog tie-up with ISRO,CBSE launch ‘Space Challenge’ for school students: Niti Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission in collaboration with ISRO and CBSE has launched ‘Space Challenge’ for school students across India. This challenge has been designed for all the school students, mentors and teachers across the country who not only are associated with schools having Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) labs but for all the non-ATL schools as well. The aim of this challenge is to enable innovation among young school students to create something in the space sector that will not only help them learn about the space but create something that the space programme can use itself.

Under the Atal Innovation Mission:

(1) The Aayog is running initiatives like Atal Incubation Centres and ATLs to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

(2) This is to ensure that students of classes 6 to 12 are given an open platform where they can innovate and enable themselves to solve digital age space technology problems.

(3) The ATL Space Challenge 2021 aligns with the World Space Week 2021 which is being observed from October 4-10 each year at the global level in order to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology.

 

4. Book title “The Three Khans: And the Emergence of New India” by Kaveree Bamzai: A book has titled “The Three Khans: And the Emergence of New India” authored by Kaveree Bamzai. In the book, senior journalist, Kaveree Bamzai has juxtaposed the careers of the 3 Khans, Aamir, Shah Rukh, & Salman, with the most tumultuous times in the history of the republic. Art often responds to social and political dimensions,& in a country short of role models, film stars often play double roles.

 

5. Geeta Samota becomes ‘Fastest Indian’ to Summit Two Peaks: CISF official Geeta Samota became the “fastest Indian” to summit two peaks located in Africa and Russia. Earlier this month, Sub Inspector Geeta Samota had scaled Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest peak in Europe. While Mt Elbrus (5,642 mts) is in Russia, the Kilimanjaro peak (5,895 mts) is located in Tanzania and is Africa’s highest peak. Samota works with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a central paramilitary force under the command of the Union home ministry. Geeta Samota joined CISF in 2011 and was in the unit in 2012. She has also scaled Mt Satopanth (7075 metres; located in Uttarakhand) and Mt Lobuche (in Nepal). She was also a team member of the Mt Everest expedition team of the CAPF.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. India ranks 46th in Global Innovation Index 2021: India has been ranked at 46th place in the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). India has jumped 2 spots from last year’s ranking. Under the Lower middle-income category group, India has been ranked at the second spot after Vietnam. The Global Innovation Index 2021 captures the innovation ecosystem performance of 132 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.

Top 5 countries in Global Innovation Index 2021 rankings:

Rank	Country	Score
1st	Switzerland	65.5
2nd	Sweden	63.1
3rd	United States of America	61.3
4th	United Kingdom	59.8
5th	Republic of Korea	59.3
46th	India	36.4

 

About the Global Innovation Index (GII): The Global Innovation Index (GII) provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 132 countries and economies around the world. Its 80 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication.

Note: WIPO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; WIPO Founded: 14 July 1967; WIPO Membership: 193 member states; WIPO Director General: Daren Tang.

 

2. World Alzheimer’s Day: 21st September: World Alzheimer’s Day is observed globally on September 21 every year. The day aims to raise awareness about the stigma that runs around Alzheimer disease and related dementia. World Alzheimer’s Day was launched at the opening of ADI’s annual conference in Edinburgh on 21 September 1994 to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The theme for World Alzheimer Day 2021 is “Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s”.

About Alzheimer disease: Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. This disease is a degenerative brain disease that causes memory loss and makes it difficult or nearly impossible, to think clearly.

 

3. International Day of Peace: 21st September: Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World.” Celebrate peace by standing up against acts of hate online and offline, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the pandemic, and as we recover.

History of the day: The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.

Note: United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA; United Nations was founded on 24 October 1945; Mr Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. HDFC Bank ties up with Paytm to launch co-branded credit cards: HDFC Bank has announced its partnership with leading payments company Paytm, to offer co-branded credit cards on the Visa platform to businesspersons, millennials and merchants. The HDFC Bank-Paytm co-branded credit cards will be launched in October during the festive season to tap into the high consumer demand for credit cards, equated monthly instalments (EMIs), and buy now pay later (BNPL) options and the full suite of products will be offered by the end of December 2021.

About the collaboration:

(1) The collaboration between HDFC Bank and Paytm is part of the strategies of the HDFC Bank to regain its lost market share in the credit card space due to the ban imposed on it by RBI for eight months as a penalty, following several outages in its digital offerings.

(2) HDFC Bank and Paytm will also collaborate to introduce business credit cards, which will offer a host of benefits for merchant partners from the smaller cities and towns of India and enable them to get easier access to credit with instant and paperless approvals.

Note: MD and CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan; The tagline of HDFC Bank: We understand your world.

Paytm HQ: Noida, Uttar Pradesh; Paytm Founder & CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma; Paytm Founded: 2009.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian & Indonesian Navy participate in 3rd edition of ‘Samudra Shakti’: The 3rd edition of Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is scheduled from September 20 to Sep 22. Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt had already arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia in the preparedness of this one of a kind exercise aimed at improving bilateral ties between India and Indonesia. The Indian navy will be participating in Samudra Shakti with the Indonesian navy to enhance mutual understanding and interoperability in maritime operations between the two navies.

About the exercise:

(1) The exercise that will also see the Indonesian Army take part in it, will provide an appropriate platform to share best practices and develop a common understanding of Maritime Security Operations.

(2) In pursuance of India’s Act East Policy, Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ was conceived in 2018 as a bilateral IN-IDN exercise.

(3) The exercise has matured in complexity over the last two editions and involves the conduct of complex maritime operations including Military Interdiction Operations (MIO), Cross Deck Landings, Air Defence serials, Practice Weapon Firings, Replenishment Approaches and Tactical Manoeuvres.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former England Footballer Jimmy Greaves passes away: Jimmy Greaves, one of England’s most prolific strikers and Tottenham Hotspur’s record goalscorer, passed away. He scored 266 goals for Tottenham between 1961-1970 & his 37 league goals in the 1962-63 season remains a club record. He began his career with Chelsea and netted 124 league goals for the London club(1957-61).

 

2. Renowned Padma Shri awardee astrophysicist Thanu Padmanabhan passes away: Renowned Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Professor Thanu Padmanabhan passed away. He was a distinguished professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He had authored over 300 research papers and several books, with important contributions in areas of gravitation, quantum gravity, and structure and formation of the universe.

 

3. Akhara Parishad chief Narendra Giri passes away: President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Narendra Giri has passed away. It was in 2016 that Giri first took over as chief of the Akhara Parishad. It was during his tenure that the Parishad released a list of allegedly “fake saints”. In 2019, Giri was elected chief of the Parishad for a second time.

Last year, a year after the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya title suit, a meeting of the Akhara Parishad, chaired by Giri, had passed a resolution saying they would initiate a campaign on the lines of Ram Janmabhoomi movement to “free the Hindu temples” in Varanasi and Mathura. Recently, Giri had also demanded the inclusion of the Akhara Parishad in the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.