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VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLETNPSC

Current AffAirs

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SEPTEMBER - 2020

My Dear Aspirants, Greetings to all of you! “What we think we become” Gautama Buddha. We all have dreams. To make dreams come into reality it takes a lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and continuous effort.

We at VETRII IAS Study Circle are committed to provide the right guidance, quality coaching and help every aspirants to achieve his or her life’s cherished goal of becoming a civil servant.

The class room coaching at VETRII IAS Study Circle is meticulously planned to equip the aspirants with all the relevant facts and fundamentals of the subjects. Further the VETRII IAS Study Circle Study materials aim to support the candidate by providing the most relevant study material in a comprehensive manner.

Wishing You All The Very Best !!

DIRECTOR

(M.Shunmugam) Vetrii IAS Study Circle.

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INDEX

01 - 13 HISTORY

Important Days Defence National Security and

Terrorism World Organisations – Pacts and Summits

Eminent Persons Sports and Games Books & Authors

Awards & Honours Cultural Panaroma India & its

Neighbours Appointments – Who is who?

14 - 17 POLITICAL SCIENCE

India’s Foreign Policy Latest Court Verdicts Govt

– Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility

18 - 18 GEOGRAPHY

Policy on Environment and Ecology Natural Disasters

– Safeguard Measures

19 - 20 ECONOMICS

New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector Current Socio

- Economic Problems

18

14

01

19

21 - 27 SCIENCE Latest Inventions in Science & Technology

Latest Discoveries on Health Science

Mass Media & Communication

28 NATIONAL – DIARY OF

EVENTS

39 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

42 TAMIL NADU AFFAIRS

21

28

39

42

Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020

Vetrii iAs study CirCle 1

History1.1 Important Days

Date Day Theme / Remark

Sep. 16 World Ozone Day 2020 The theme for the 2020 is “Ozone for life:

35 years of ozone layer protection”.

World Water Monitoring Day

This year’s theme for World Water Monitoring Day 2020 is ‘Solve Water.’

Sep. 26World Environmental Health Day

The Theme for the 2020 World Environmental Health Day: Environmental health, a key public health intervention in disease pandemic prevention.

Sep. 25Nation observes Antyodaya Divas

India observes Antyodaya Diwas on 25th September every year. This day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.

The day was declared by the Modi Government on September 25, 2014. Antyodaya means uplifting the poorest of the poor.

World Heart Day The theme for this year’s World Heart

Day is “Use Heart To Beat Cardiovascular Disease“.

Important Days

Vetrii iAS Study CirCle2


1.2 Defence, National Security and Terrorism10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI Group Meeting held virtually

As part of the Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation, the 10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI Group Meeting was held virtually.

The meeting was co-chaired by Raj Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production, Defence Ministry and Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, from the US Department of Defence.

The aim of the DTTI Group is to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defense trade relationship and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defence equipment.

Women officers to join Indian Navy’s helicopter stream for first time ever

For the first time ever, two women officers will be joining the helicopter stream of the Indian Navy as “Observers” (Airborne Tacticians). These women officers will be first batch of women airborne combatants to operate from warships. The entry of women

Indian Navy conducts Passage Exercise with Royal Australian Navy

The Indian Navy (IN) has commenced a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian

Ocean Region. The exercise would involve participation

of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Karmuk.

The Passage Exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices from each other.

The exercise will also involve advanced surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firings, seamanship exercises, naval manoeuvres and Cross Deck Flying Operations. PASSEXs are regularly conducted by IN with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.

DRDO conducts successful flight test of ABHYAS

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested an indigenously-developed unmanned aerial vehicle, Abhyas, that can be used as target for evaluation of various missile systems.

Two Abhyas vehicles, developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), were flight tested from a test range off Odisha coast.

The High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was launched using twin underslung booster.

Shivangi Singh becomes first woman pilot to fly Rafale aircraft

Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh makes history by becoming the first woman

Defence, National Security and Terrorism



fighter pilot to fly the recently inducted Rafale aircraft. The Rafale was officially inducted in the Indian Air Force. Singh is currently receiving the training to fly the Rafale, which is based in Ambala.

Rajnath Singh’s Startup Challenge for Innovative Ideas on 11 Defence

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a startup contest under which innovators, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups have to find new ideas applicable to 11 specific challenges of the Indian defence sector.

Four of the 11 subjects of the Defence India Startup Challenge 4 (DISC4) are autonomous underwater swarm drones, foliage penetration radar, reduction of radar cross-section of naval warships and artificial intelligence based satellite image analysis and reduction

Mr Singh also launched an initiative called iDEX4Fauji, which will support innovations identified by members of the Indian armed forces and will “bolster frugal innovation ideas from soldiers/ field formations”.

“This iDEX4Fauji initiative will bolster frugal innovative ideas from soldiers and help to revolutionise the future of our Armed Forces.

1.3 World Organisations – Pacts and Summits

10th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors

10th Meeting of the BRICS High Representatives on National Security was held virtually.

The 10th meeting of the NSAs was hosted by the current chair of BRICS i.e. Russia.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval represented India in a virtual meet of top security officials from Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping.

The participants exchanged views on combating terrorism and extremism besides deliberating on global and regional security issues.

They also exchanged views on key issues of global and regional security, discussed the main areas of practical cooperation in the field of security among law enforcement agencies of the member nations.

India specializes in preventing child marriages: UN Praise

The United Nations has announced that India has done a great job in implementing plans to prevent child marriages.

UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres has released a report on the issue of child and forced marriages. The report referred to the number of child marriages in the world from June 2018 to May last year and the measures taken to prevent it.

World Organisations – Pacts and Summits



IMF lauds PM Modi’s call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign launched by the government in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

IMF said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) helped the country tackle the Covid-19 economic shock.

The economic package under this self-reliant India initiative, which was announced in the aftermath of the coronavirus shock, has supported the Indian economy and mitigated significant downside risks, so we do see that initiative as having been important.

1.4 Eminent PersonsKapila Vatsyayan, Indian Cultural Icon, Former MP and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Passed Away

Kapila Vatsyayan, a renowned scholar of Indian Classical Dance, Art, Architecture, and art history passed away at New Delhi, India due to age related ailments. She was about 91years old. She was a former Member of Parliament (MP) and lifetime trustee of India International Centre (IIC). She was founder trustee, academic director and chairperson of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

Kapila Vatsyayan is the recipient of Padma Vibhushan (2011).

Tamil Nadu: Prominent Ayurveda physician PR Krishnakumar passes away

In Tamil Nadu, prominent Ayurveda physician and Managing Director of the iconic Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, PR Krishnakumar passed away in Coimbatore. He was 69.

Krishnakumar, who had done yeomen service for the popularisation of the Ayurvedic system of medicine had been conferred the Padmasri award in 2009.

He had also been the recipient of the National Ayurveda Award instituted by the Government of India.

Eminent Persons



Former RBI governor Amitabha Ghosh passes away

The shortest-serving Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Amitabha Ghosh passed away.

He had served as the 16th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for 21 days between January 15, 1985, to February 4, 1985.

It was a stop-gap arrangement when Amitabha Ghosh was serving as a deputy governor of RBI and waiting to hand over charge to the 17th RBI Governor R N Malhotra.

UN names Delhi teen for 2020 class of Young Leaders for Sustainable Development Goals

Udit Singhal, an 18-year-old boy from Delhi, has been named by the United Nations to the 2020 cohort of young leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals, the highest profile recognition opportunity at the world body for youngsters who are leading efforts to combat the world’s most pressing issues.

Mr Singhal has been named to the 2020 class of 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is the founder of Glass2Sand, a zero-waste ecosystem that addresses the growing menace of glass waste in Delhi.

PM Modi in Time Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people of 2020’ list

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the few Indians who have been featured in Time Magazine’s list of ‘100 most influential people of 2020’. Modi is the only politician from India who has made

Eminent Persons

it to the coveted list. PM Modi, who has become the epicentre

of Indian politics over the past 6 years, has emerged as a polarising figure and the piece written by Time correspondent Karl Vick states that the Modi government functioning has eroded India’s secular nature.

While there is growing criticism in the country regarding some of the ruling BJP-led NDA government’s policies, a recent India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey found that PM Modi remains the most popular leader in the country.

Nuclear scientist Sekhar Basu dies of COVID-19

Veteran atomic scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Sekhar Basu succumbed to COVID-19. A mechanical engineer, Dr Basu is revered for his contributions to the country’s atomic energy programme. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2014.

He had also pioneered the highly complex reactor for India’s first nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant.

Economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia passed away

Renowned economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia passed away. after a 10-month-long battle with brain cancer.

Ahluwalia served as the director and


Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020Sports and Games

then the chairperson of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) for a total of 15 years and built ICRIER into a leading global think tank.

After starting her career at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ahluwalia returned to India where she authored two books – ‘Industrial Growth in India: Stagnation since the Mid-Sixties’ and ‘Productivity and Growth in Indian Manufacturing’. She was also a professor at the Centre for Policy Research.

Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh passes away

The former Union Minister, Jaswant Singh passed away. He was born in Jasol village of Barmer district in Rajasthan in 1938.

He had served as the external affairs minister, defence minister and finance minister of India, during the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Cabinet.

Prior to pursuing a career in politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr Singh was an officer in the Indian Army in the 1950s and 60s.

Jaswant Singh was last elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009. He was expelled from the BJP in 2009

when his book ‘Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence’ was published, in which he reportedly praised the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

1.5 Sports and GamesPM Modi Launches ‘age Appropriate’ Fitness Protocols

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched age-appropriate fitness protocols while interacting with various sportspersons, fitness experts on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement.

Foundation Stone of ‘Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior’to be Laid

The foundation stone of ‘Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh’ will be laid at a function organized by DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through video conferencing.

Setting up of a Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh was approved by the Cabinet on 28 February, 2019. Total estimated cost to set up the Centre is Rs.170.99 crore. The Centre will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. For overall superintendence and supervision of the Centre, Governing Body under the Chairpersonship of Secretary, DEPwD has been constituted.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sanju Yadav Won the AIFF Player of the Year Award 2019-2020

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, from Chandigarh, goalkeeper of Indian National Men’s Football team and Sanju Yadav (22 years) from Haryana, Midfielder of India’s National Women’s Football team were



Books & Authors

declared as the winners of the annual All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019-2020 and AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019-2020 respectively.

1.6 Books & AuthorsGauri Khan announces her debut book ‘My Life in Design’

Interior designer, Gauri Khan has authored her first book titled “My Life In Design”, which will be published by Penguin Random House India in 2021.

It is a coffee-table book, in which Gauri has written about her journey as a designer.

The book will feature unseen pictures of her interior design projects, family and residence. She will also talk about her design philosophy and style.

The book will be very visually appealing with exclusive pictures and information that guide aspiring designers or those who are just generally interested in the art of design.

Penguin Books Published Arundhati Roy’s Book titled “Azadi”

Arundhati Roy’s new book titled “Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction” is published by Penguin Books Limited. The nonfiction book is a collection of essays that shows the meaning of

Freedom in the world of increasing authoritarianism.

About Azadi: The word Azadi means Freedom in

Urudu, the slogan Azadi! Was used in the freedom struggle in Kashmir which was also used against the Hindu Nationalism Projects of India.

The essay collection includes meditations of language and roles of fiction and alternative imaginations amid global pandemic due to COVID-19.

Chef Vikas Khanna’s Next Book To Give Insights Into His ‘Feed India’ Initiative

Michelin Star chef Vikas Khanna announced his next book titled “Kitchens of Gratitude”.

In this book he will write about his Feed India initiative, one of the world’s largest food drives serving meals to the underprivileged amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said by publishing house Penguin Random House India.

The book, “Kitchens of Gratitude”, will be released in 2021 under the ‘Ebury Press’ imprint.

“Voices of Dissent” authored by Historian Romila Thapar

The New book titled “Voices of Dissent” authored by Historian Romila Thapar will be jointly published by Penguin Random House India and


Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020Books & Authors

Seagull Books. The book is set to publish in October 2020.

The book is a historical essay that explores dissent, including its articulation and public responses to its forms, with a focus on the recent protest in India against the citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh launches the Book ‘A Bouquet of Flowers’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched the Book ‘A Bouquet of Flowers’ written by Dr Krishna Saksena. She is the First woman to get a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy).

The 92-year old retired English Professor got her PhD from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in the year 1955.

This is her ninth book, and it gives a look into the inner workings of society, from the perspective of changing values and culture, where she subtly highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Contemporary Society.

1.7 Awards & HonoursChef Vikas Khanna honoured with Asia Game Changer Award 2020

Chef Vikas Khanna has been chosen to be honoured with the prestigious Asia Game Changer Award 2020.

This award is given to him for feeding millions of people across India in the COVID-19 pandemic through a massive food distribution drive ‘FeedIndia’.

He is the only Indian among the six honorees named by the leading organisation. He coordinated his massive food distribution drive in India from thousands of miles away in his Manhattan home in New York.

Govt hospital treating Covid-19 patients wins award

Two hospitals from Tamil Nadu one owned by the government and another from the private sector – were on Friday chosen for the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO) healthcare worker and workplace safety competition award for their work during Covid-19.

The Omandurar Government Medical College Hospital in Chennai, which is one of the designated Covid-19 hospitals in the state, was chosen as the First in the category of large health care institutions.



Awards & Honours

Vellore-based Christian Medical College (CMC) bagged the award in the very large health care institutions.

Odisha’s Krushi Bhavan Wins Global Architecture Award

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has dedicated the prestigious AZ Awards-2020 for Odisha’s architectural marvel Krushi Bhavan, to farmers and artisans of the state.

Mr Patnaik made the announcement after Bhubaneswar-based Krushi Bhawan building was selected as the “People’s Choice Winner” at the AZ Awards 2020 in Social Good Category.

The Krushi Bhawan was the only project from India at the globally recognised prestigious award.

Krushi Bhawan had also become India’s first government building and Odisha’s first-ever building to feature in Dezeen, a prestigious international journal on architecture.

PM Modi awarded Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for medical Education

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education.

He has been awarded the prestigious award for “using the COVID-19 pandemic

to teach the world that politicians can have a more immediate effect on life and death than scientists and doctors can”.

PM Modi is the second Indian Prime Minister to be honoured with the Ig Nobel Prize. Prior to this, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was awarded in 1998. He jointly won the Ig Nobel Peace Prize with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan for aggressively peaceful explosions of atomic bombs.

PM Modi shares the award with Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Donald Trump of the USA, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan.

Kerala wins UN award for ‘outstanding contribution’ towards prevention, control of non-communicable diseases

Kerala won a United Nations award for its “outstanding contribution” towards the non-communicable diseases-related sustainable development goals.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja announced that the award was a recognition of the tireless service of Kerala in the health sector.

The state government has arranged facilities from the basic public health centres to hospitals at all levels to treat the lifestyle diseases.

The UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) award this year on prevention and control of non-communicable


Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020Awards & Honours

diseases was announced by World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Historian Rana Safvi conferred Yamin Hazarika award

Historuan-Author Rana Safvi has been honoured with the Yamin Hazarika Award. Rana Safvi has published several books on the culture, history, and monuments of India. She was chosen for her ‘contribution to the syncretic culture of India’.

Yamin Hazarika Award: This award was instituted in the memory

of Yamin Hazarika. It is given annually by a collective of

women professionals since 2015. Yamin Hazarika was the first woman

from the Northeast to join the Central police service.

Some of the winners of this award are Author Indrani Raimedhi, athelete Tayabun Nisha, actor Moloya Goswami, environment activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhin.

Rana Safvi’s famous books: The Forgotten Cities of Delhi: book two of

the Where Stones Speak trilogy. Where Stones Speak: Historical Trains in

Mehrauli, the First City of Delhi.

President Ram Nath Kovind Virtually Presented the NSS Award for 2018-2019

Ram Nath Kovind President of India conferred the National Servoce Scheme (NSS) Awards also known as RAshtriya Seva Yojana Award for the year 2018-19 over a virtual from Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. He presented the awards to 42 awardees under 3 categories.

Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports attended the virtual event from Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

National Service Schemes (NSS) Awards:

The annual award is conferred by the Department of Youth Affairs of the ministry of youth affairs and Sports.

The award recognizes the contribution of the Universities/Colleges, +2 councils, Senior Secondary, NSS Units/Programme Officers and NSS Volunteers towards community service.

Usha Mangeshkar honoured with Lata Mangeshkar award 2020-21

The Maharashtra government has announced the Gan Samragni Lata Mangeshkar award for the year 2020-21 to veteran female playback singer Usha Mangeshkar.

The award is given by the cultural department of the state government. The award includes a cash prize of five lakh rupees, a certificate and a memento.



The veteran singer has sung songs in Marathi, Hindi and several other Indian language films.

Her songs from the film ‘Subah ka Tara’, ‘Jay Santoshi Maa’, ‘Azad’, ‘Chitrlekha’, ‘Khatta Meetha’, ‘Kala Pathar’, ‘Naseeb’, ‘Khubsurat’, ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Inkar’ ruled the chartbuster.

Kerala Tourism bags PATA Grand Award 2020

Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ campaign bagged the Prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing.

The awards were announced during a presentation ceremony of Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 in Beijing, which took place from September 23-27, 2020.

The PATA Awards are supported and sponsored by Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) for the last 25 years.

1.8 Cultural PanoramaDiscovery of a 20-layer envelope well in alphabetical excavation

A 20-tier borehole was discovered during an excavation near the turnpike in Sivagangai district.

Excavations have been extended to nearby places including Agaram, Kondagai and Manalur.

The height of the well found here is much higher than the height of the wells found in the 6th phase excavation so far.

13th Century inscription stone was found near Kallupatti

The present structure of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai might have been reconstructed during the rule of Jatavarman Kulasekara Pandya (1190-1216 Common Era). This structure was damaged due to unknown reasons and was again renovated in the 13th century during the period of Maravarman Sundarapandyan II, according to the inscriptions found at the temple.

The 13th century inscriptions belonging to Pandya period, the name of the presiding god is mentioned as ‘Thiru Alavay Udaiya Nayanar’ and goddess was mentioned as ‘Thirukkamakkottam Udaiya Aludaiya Nacchiyar’. “It was during the Nayak period when the name ‘Chokkanatha’ for the presiding god was mentioned for the first time. The name of the goddess as ‘Meenakshi’ was mentioned on the engravings of a ‘pavaivilaku’ dated to 1752 CE. The

Cultural Panorama



present name of the goddess- ‘Meenakshi Sundareswarar’ was first mentioned on the engravings on a Tiruvachi lamp stand dated to 1898 CE

Union Home Minister inaugurates the “Destination North East-2020” Festival

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has inaugurated the “Destination North East-2020” festival.

The festival will be held with the theme of “The Emerging Delightful Destinations” which speaks of the tourism destinations emerging stronger and more attractive when the Sector picks up momentum.

The “Destination North East-2020” festival aims to introduce various cultures of the country to each other along with the tourist destinations of the North East and through this the whole of India will also get familiar with the vibrant and diverse culture of the North East.

1.9 Appointments – Who is who?IAS Officer Rajesh Khullar appointed Executive Director at World Bank

The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved the appointment of Haryana IAS officer Rajesh Khullar as executive director, World Bank headquarters, in Washington DC.

A 1988 batch IAS officer, Khullar is currently posted as principal secretary to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He will join the World Bank in first week of November.

His tenure will be for three years from the date of assumption of charge or till he retires in August 2023. Khullar will represent a group of countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka as the World Bank executive director.

India’s Khushi Chindaliya appointed as UNEP regional ambassador

A 17-year-old girl, Khushi Chindaliya has been appointed as Regional Ambassador for India by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)- Tunza Eco-Generation. Khusi will raise awareness about climate change and the importance of environmental conservation and the need to safeguard environmental treasures. She will work with the TEG on various environmental awareness programmes till February 2021.

Appointments – Who is who?



Neetu David becomes new head of India women’s selection committee

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Neetu David, one of finest woman cricketers of India in the late ’90s and early 2000, as the Chairman of the 5 member women’s national selection panel.

The other member of the newly-elected panel includes Mithu Mukherjee, Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya and V Kalpana.

The Neetu David-led panel has been appointed for a period of four years.

It replaces the previous panel, led by Hemlata Kala, whose term ended in March 2020. The first assignment of the David-led panel will be to pick three teams for the Women’s T20 Challenge, to held in UAE in November 2020 alongside the IPL play-offs.

Senior bureaucrat P D Vaghela appointed TRAI chairman, says DoPT

Senior bureaucrat P D Vaghela was appointed as chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Vaghela, a 1986-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, is currently Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals. He has been appointed as the TRAI chief for three years or till he attains the age of 65.

Sharma was in 2015 appointed as the TRAI chairman for three years. In August 2018, his term was extended till September 30, 2020.

1.10 Latest Historical EventsChennaimalai Excavation

Excavations near Chennimalai have uncovered a large number of elderly miners. The bones inside the tomb were taken to Madurai for examination.

Various stages of excavations are underway in the village of Kodumanal near Chennimalai in Erode district as there are signs of human habitation 2,300 thousand years ago.

1.11 India and its NeighboursIndia delivers Two Modern DMUC Trains to Nepal Railways

2020 Konkan Railways (operated by Konkan Railway Corporation) handed over two modern Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DMUC) trains to Nepal Railways for the Jaynagar-Kurtha Broad Gauge Line. The Rails will run between Jaynagar (Bihar) and Kurtha in Dhanusa district from December, 2020.

The Trains have been manufactured by Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai with modern amenities and latest AC-AC Propulsion Technology.

They were procured by Nepal’s Railway Department for a price of 84 Crore 65 Lakhs Nepali Rupees.

India and its Neighbours



POLITICAL SCIENCE2.

Govt – Welfare oriented...

2.1 Govt – Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility

Government of India increases Scholarship amount under “Pragati and Saksham” Scheme for J&K Students

The Government of India announced an increase in Scholarship amount for the students of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) under the ‘Pragati’ and ‘Saksham’ Scholarship Schemes. The amount has been raised from Rs.5,000 per Annum to Rs.50,000 Per Annum from the Current Academic Year (2020-21).

The Ministry of Education (formerly known as Union Ministry of Human Resource Development) launched the schemes. It is being implemented and offered by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to provide financial assistance for advancement of girls and supporting specially abled students for Technical Education.

Pragati & Saksham will provide scholarship to students studying within J&K.

Karnataka Govt launches “Arthika Spandana” loan disbursal programme

Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S.Yediyurappa has launched the “Arthika Spandana” programme of disbursing loans to the tune of Rs 39,300 crores through various cooperative institutions.

Under this scheme, Rs 15,300 crores would be disbursed to the agriculture sector while a sum of Rs 24,000 crores would be earmarked for the non-agricultural sector.

Total number of beneficiaries enrolled on PM-KISAN portal over 11 crore

The total number of eligible beneficiaries enrolled/uploaded on the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) portal as on September 17 is 11,07,62,287, announced Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojna, the responsibility of identifying the landholder farmer family eligible for benefit under the Scheme and uploading the data of the eligible beneficiaries on the PM-KISAN Portal is that of the States/Union Territory (UT) Administrations.

Under the Scheme, the States/UTs are



required to set up Grievance Redressal Committees for looking into the grievances related to the implementation of the scheme.

Gujarat government launches Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana

The Gujarat government has launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY).

The scheme will provide interest-free loans to women’s groups in the state.

Under the MMUY, 50,000 joint liability and earning group (JLEG) will be formed in urban areas. Similarly, 50,000 such groups will also be formed in rural areas.

Each group will have 10 women members in it. The groups will be offered interest-free loans by the government.

The interest amount will be borne by the state government. The Gujarat government is going to sign MoUs with banks shortly, and has also decided to waive the stamp duty charges for the loans to be given to these women groups.

Ministry of Women and Child with ICDS program

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and

Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to work together to control the menace of malnutrition through integration of AYUSH systems with the ongoing nutrition interventions under the Umbrella ICDS program.

The MoU was signed by Shri Ram Mohan Mishra, Secretary, WCD and Vaidya Shri Rajesh Kotecha, in the presence of Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Textiles, and Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of AYUSH, who joined the signing ceremony through videoconferencing.

Govt launches Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in 272 most affected districts

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.

The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.

The activities under the NAPDDR include awareness generation programmes in schools, colleges, Universities, workshop and provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of service providers.

PM Modi launches “Ghar Tak Fibre” scheme in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched nine highway projects and Optical Fibre Internet Services in Bihar.




The optical fibre services are being provided under the scheme “Ghar Tak Fibre”. These services are to be executed along with combined efforts of Common Service Centre.

The project is to be implemented Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the scheme “Ghar Tak Fibre”. The project will connect 45,945 villages in the state and will thus enable the Digital revolution to reach the farthest corner of Bihar.

The scheme aims to provide optical fibre enabled internet connections to every home in the country, concentrating on the village and rural areas.

During his 74th independence-day address, PM Modi had said that over 1.5 lakh village panchayats have received optical fibre connections after 2014 under the scheme.

The CSC Wi-Fi Choupal is an initiative to provide high-speed internet connectivity to rural India. It ensures digital connectivity using Bharat Net.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired


‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0 celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

During the event, he also presented awards to the winners of the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Start-up Grand Challenge to support the implementation of PM-JAY.

The Union Health Minister launched the AB PMJAY Joint Certification Programme.

This programme will develop the skills and knowledge of relevant stakeholders in medical audit and health insurance for accurate and efficient processing of claims and prevention and detection of fraud and abuse.

The “AB PMJAY Anti-Fraud Framework: Practitioners’ Guidebook” was also released and will serve as a useful tool for the States as it is a repository of the anti-fraud guidelines, techniques, advisories along with legal remedies/course of action presently available under applicable Indian laws.

eSanjeevani OPD of Health Ministry completes 3 lakh tele-consultations within six months of launch

eSanjeevani OPD platform of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has completed 3 lakh tele-consultations. This landmark milestone has been achieved within a short period of six months since its launch.

eSanjeevani OPD services have enabled patient-to-doctor telemedicine in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has helped



in containing the spread of COVID by ensuring physical distancing and has simultaneously enabled provisions for non-COVID essential healthcare. The number of high tele-consultations is a testimony of its popularity among the citizens.

With 1,29,801 digital interactions, Tamil Nadu has held the largest number of tele-consultations so far. Tamil Nadu had been a pioneer in the field registering 32,035 OPD consultations by 9th August and 56,346 consultations by the 19th of the same month. The State had registered nearly one lakh consultations (97,204) by 8th September. The platform had provided essential healthcare to the State, one of the worst affected by COVID-19, at a critical time when conventional medicine was perceived to be risky owing to the nature of the infectious disease.

Tami Nadu is followed by Uttar Pradesh (96,151 consultations), Kerala (32,921 consultations) and Uttarakhand (10,391 consultations). These four States account for 2,69,264 tele-consultations (89.75% of total consultations).




3. GEOGRAPHY3.1 Policy on Environment and Ecology

Greenhouse Emissions to add 15 inches to global sea level rise by 2100: NASA-led study

In accordance with the study “Ice Sheet model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6)” by NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Goddard Space flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland (United States) which has been done on the lines of the projection on the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change’s (IPCC) 2019 Special Report on Oceans and the Cryosphere, there will be more than 38 centimeters (15 inches) rise in global sea-level rise by 2100 due to the melting of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets driven by continuous greenhouse emissions.

The results of the study are prepared through the collaborative study of more than 60 ice, ocean, and atmosphere scientists around the world, and are published in the special issue of the journal The Cryosphere.

As per IPCC report projection, Greenland would contribute 8 to 27 cm (3.1 to 10.6 inches) to global sea-level rise between 2000-2100 and Antarctica cound contribute 3 to 28 cm (1.2 to 11 inches).

Policy on Environment and Ecology

4th WEF’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit held Virtually; Delhi may have 8 months of 32°C temp by 2100

From September 21-24, 2020, the World Economic Forum’s fourth and first fully virtual Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2020 was held under the banner “Realizing a Great Reset for Sustainable Development” to convene 2100 leaders from government, business, International organizations and civil society along with experts and innovators to initiate, accelerate and scale-up entrepreneurial solutions to tackle climate change and advance sustainable development.

The summit was based on the five themes of Shared Prosperity, Catalysing cooperation, Better business, Harnessing technology, and Liveable planet.

During the summit, WEF’s ‘EarthTime Visualisation’ report was released which stated that Delhi may have eight months a year with temperature averaging 32°C by 2100, up from six at present.



4. ECONOMICS4.1 New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector

India’s economy to shrink by 9% in 2020

The Asian Development Bank has announced that India’s economy is expected to contract by 9 percent in 2020. It will be worse than the 4% contraction which the bank had forecasted three months ago. India’s GDP has contracted by a record of 23.9% as the COVID-19 lockdown has stalled the businesses and consumer spending. However, as per ADB, India is expected to bounce back with an 8% growth in 2021 once it begins to emerge from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.

Titan and SBI launched Titan Pay, India’s 1st Contactless Payment Watches

Titan Company Limited (Titan), one of the world’s 5th largest watch manufacturers associated with TATA Group, in collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) introduced Titan Pay, powered by YONO (You Only Need One) SBI.

Through this partnership, titan and SBI are launching a range of stylish new watches with contactless payment functionality for the 1st time in India.

India’s Nominal GDP to Grow by 19% in FY22: Finance Minister

2020 Krishnamurthy Subramanian, chief economic advisor in the finance ministry, Government of India informed that as per the estimate of finance ministry, India’s nominal gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow by 19% in FY22 (2021-22) on a low base.

NK singh, chairman of Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) stated that this estimate is a bit moderate when compared with some estimates received from experts.

RBI ropes Amitabh Bachchan for customer awareness campaign

The Reserve Bank has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan for the customer awareness campaign to prevent gullible account holders from being duped by fraudsters.

As part of the public awareness initiative

New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector



of RBI, the regulator keeps informing about dos and don’ts that have to be followed by customers to transact safely and securely.

Indian economy to contract 5.9% in 2020 due to Covid-19 disruptions, says UN report

The Trade and Development Report 2020 by UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says, India’s economy is forecast to contract by 5.9% in 2020 and recover to 3.9% next year. The report warning that while growth will rebound next year, the contraction is likely to translate into a permanent income loss.

The global economy will contract by an estimated 4.3% this year, leaving global output by year’s end over $6 trillion short (in current U.S. Dollars) of what economists had expected it to be before the coronavirus began to spread.

ICRA Projected India’s GDP to contract 11% in FY21

Domestic rating agency ICRA (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency) further downgraded India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate with a contraction of 11% in FY2020-2021 in comparison to the earlier contraction of 9.5%. This revision is due to the continuous elevation in new COVID-19 cases.

The agency has projected a GDP contraction of 12.4% in Q2FY21.

It has also revised its projections for Q3FY21 and Q4FY21 and now expects contractions of 5.4% and 2.5%, respectively.

New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector



5.1 Latest Inventions on Science & Technology

5. SCIENCE

China Successfully launches 9 satellites into Orbit by Sea Launch

China Successfully launched a solid-propellant carrier rocket from a ship in the Yellow Sea, China. It sent 9 satellites into the planned Orbit, and is the second such Sea-based Launch Mission.

The 9 satellites belonged to the Jilin-1 Goafen 03-1 group, and launched using Long March 11-HY2 (China’s first sea-launched rocket), the 10th member of the Long March 11 family. It was the 346th Launch using the Long March Rocket Series.

The Satellites have been developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Ltd. Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted the Mission.

Postage Stamp on India’s First A-SAT Released On Engineers’ Day

On the occasion of Engineers’ Day, the Department of Post launched a customized stamp on India’s First Anti-Satellite Missile (A-SAT).

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had successfully conducted an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile test ‘Mission Shakti’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on March 27, 2019.

A DRDO developed A-SAT Missile successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a ‘Hit to Kill’ mode.

Delhi Metro Launched India’s 1st indigenous Signalling Technology ‘i-ATS’ under Make

On the occasion of Engineers Day September 15, 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched i-ATS (Automatic Train Supervision), the first Made-in-India signaling system for the development of CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) based signaling technology for metro railway by automatically detecting all trains on a corridor.

The prototype, as well as a state of the art laboratory for further development of the technology, was inaugurated at the Metro’s Shastri Park depot, Delhi by Union housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Secretary, Durga Shanker Mishra in the presence of DMRC managing director

Latest Inventions on Science & Technology



Mangu Singh, v director Shikha Gupta, and other senior officials from DMRC and BEL.

32 Earth Observation Sensors With Advanced Capabilities In Orbit

Union Minister for Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh announced there are 32 earth observation sensors with advanced capabilities, which are currently in orbit.

Total of five earth observation satellites and five communication payloads were realised since January 2018.

The information support was provided for all the major disaster events like floods, cyclones and forest fires occurred since January 2020.

The total number of satellites launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which are not operational anymore and currently in orbit are 47. Of them, 26 satellites are in Low-Earth-Orbit and 21 are in Geosynchronous-Equatorial-Orbit. (ANI).

Scientists Discovered 1st Ever Planet, ‘WD 1856 b’ Orbiting a White Dwarf, ‘WD 1856+534’

An International team of astronomers have discovered the 1st ever Planet, ‘WD 1856 b’ orbiting a white dwarf or a dead star, ‘WD 1856+534’ located about 80 light years away in the northern constellation Draco. The Jupiter sized planet has a very short orbital period, i.e.., a year on this planet is only 1.4 days. The findings are published in the Journal Nature.

The discovery was made using NASA’s

(The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and retired Spitzer Space Telescope.

WD 1856 b is about 7 times larger than ‘WD 1856+534’.

Scientists Develop World’s Smallest Ultrasound Detector

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed the world’s smallest ultrasound detector. It is based on miniaturized photonic circuits on top of a silicon chip.

With a size 100 times smaller than an average human hair, the new detector can visualize features that are much smaller than previously possible, leading to what is known as super-resolution imaging.

STOPCovid: Researchers develop new Covid-19 test

Researchers have developed a new rapid test for the detection of the novel coronavirus that can be performed in less than an hour, and with minimal equipment, and “can detect nearly as many cases as the standard Covid-19 diagnostic.”

The scientists, including those from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, announced the new test, known as STOPCovid, could be made cheaply enough so that people could test themselves every day. In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers showed that the new test detected 93% of the positive




cases as determined by conventionally used Covid-19 diagnostic.

While other tests based on CRISPR technology provide a method for the detection of viral pathogens, the scientists said these are more complex than the ones used in point-of-care testing. They explained that such tests depend on an RNA extraction process and multiple liquid-handling steps that increase the risk of cross-contamination of samples.

IIIT Bhubaneswar Students Developed, ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind Helmet-like Ventilation Device to Ease Breathing

A group of 7 engineering students from IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology), Bhubaneswar have developed ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind helmet-like ventilation device to help patients breathe more conveniently. The designed hyperbaric chamber is a low-cost device to help COVID-19 patients.

Swasner will reduce deaths caused due to lack of ventilators in the country.

About Swasner: It is designed as a bubble enclosure

for the head. It works on the principle of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which

is mainly used to treat driving-related illness and other medical complications.

This product acts as an alternative to the existing equipment available to fight against coronavirus and other similar pandemics.

Note: A prototype has been developed by the team and testem in a hospital in Cuttack.

DCGI approves launch of Feluda, India’s first CRISPER COVID-19 test

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has recently approved to commercially launch the ‘Feluda’, India’s first CRISPER COVID-19 test. This TATA CRISPER (Clustered Regulatory Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) test has successfully met the high-quality benchmarks for detecting the Coronavirus with 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity.

IIT Madras researchers develop nano-coated Magnesium alloys to repair bone fractures

Indian Institute of Technology Madras Researchers has developed nano-coated magnesium alloys that can repair bone defects in rabbits. Encouraged by these results, the Research Team, which is partnering with several other institutions, is planning to study medical applications of nano-coated magnesium alloys in other animals and repairing human bones.

The team is exploring funding opportunities to further test this newly-developed nano-coated magnesium alloy in repairing bone defects in large animals such as goat or sheep to demonstrate the




efficacy of the product and show clinical significance of this research.

India’s 1st Commercial Indigenously Developed Sonar Dome to be Mounted on P15 Alpha Warship

Goa-based composites manufacturing company Kineco Limited became the first Indian company to manufacture indigenous composites sonar dome after it was flagged off by the then Union Defence Minister Late Manohar Parrikar to be delivered to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai (Maharashtra).

Now after two years, on September 23, 2020, Kineco manufactured sonar dome again flagged off to MDL, Mumbai by Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant for its mounting on the Indian Navy’s Kolkata and Visakhapatnam-class stealth destroyers of Indian Navy, P15 Alpha for the first time.

Department of Biotechnology launches Programme for Clinical Trial Research

The Department of Biotechnology has launched the programme for “ S t r e n g t h e n i n g Clinical Trial Research Capacity in N e i g h b o u r i n g Countries”.

The programme will help neighbouring countries, and LMICs (Lowand Middle Income Countries) to build capacities for Covid-19 vaccine trials.

Through this training program and knowledge sharing efforts, Government of India is fulfilling its commitment of building various technical capacities in its neighbouring countries.

The Department of Biotechnology has initiated the first phase of the training program in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

The objective of these trainings would be to support researchers and investigator teams for enhancing and strengthening their clinical trial capabilities for conducting clinical trials in compliance with ICH-GCP (International Conference on Harmonisation- Good clinical practice).

Biotechnology sector key driver for contributing to $ 5 Trillion economy target by 2024

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has been established by Government of India as a Public Sector Enterprise under Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in March 2012 to foster and nurture the Startup Ecosystem and promoting Academia-Industry Collaboration in Biotechnology.

The biotechnology sector is recognized as the key driver for contributing to India’s $ 5 Trillion economy target by 2024. The biotechnology sector, mainly due to its multi-disciplinary approach holds the potential to provide an array of solutions for challenges in Health, Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Industrial Processes.




India successfully test-fires Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile.

The state-of-the-art missile was test-fired from Chandipur’s Integrated Test Range (ITR). The trial met all the required parameters. The trial was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the ITR.

The missile is reported to have a strike range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying warheads weighing upto 500 to 1,000 kg and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.

The last night time testfire of Prithvi-II was conducted successfully from the ITR was on November 20, 2019.

IIT Madras Develops ‘MOUSHIK’ Microprocessor for IoT Devices

Indian Institute of Technology Madras Researchers have successfully booted up MOUSHIK, an indigenously-made Microprocessor.

MOUSHIK is a processor cum system on chip that can cater to the rapidly-growing IoT devices, an integral part of Smart Cities of a Digital India.

There are three steps involved in the making of a microprocessor, namely design, fabrication and post-silicon boot-up,” Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems Engineering (RISE) Group.

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ICMR’s vaccine web portal

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched the ICMR’s vaccine web portal and National Clinical Registry for Covid-19.

This vaccine web portal will provide information related to the COVID-19 vaccine development in India and abroad. Through this, all the information about the vaccine development would be provided in a simple and transparent manner.

The National COVID-19 Clinical Registry will collect data regarding clinical and laboratory investigations, treatments, management protocols and outcomes of hospitalized COVID patients in India.

ICMR’s Mobile Stroke Unit was also launched. The Mobile Stroke Unit will ensure timely and appropriate treatment to people suffering from heart disease and hypertension.




Southern Railway’s Chennai Division launches “Freight Seva” app

The Chennai Division of Southern Railways launched an in-house mobile application called “Freight Seva”, as part of its efforts to boost freight traffic and add more customers to its base.

The Freight Seva app will serve as a platform for information needs, and will provide necessary details for the freight customers.

It will also include various incentive schemes of Indian Railways for freight customers.

The app will have a query module where the customers can seek clarifications regarding goods/parcels dealt in Chennai Division.

The mobile app will help customers to get an approximate quote for a commodity to any rail destination.

Government launches e-Gram SWARAJ portal

With a vision to strengthen digitalization in Panchayats for the purpose of empowering rural India, a unified tool e-Gram SWARAJ portal (https://egramswaraj.gov.in/) has been developed by the Ministry for effective monitoring and evaluation of works taken up in the Gram Panchayats.

e-Gram SWARAJ unifies the planning, accounting and monitoring functions

of Gram Panchayats. It’s combination with the Area Profiler application, Local Government Directory (LGD) and the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) renders easier reporting and tracking of Gram Panchayat’s activities. It provides a single window for capturing Panchayat information with the complete Profile of the Panchayat, details of Panchayat finances, asset details, activities taken up through Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), Panchayat information from other Ministries/ Departments such as Census 2011, SECC data, Mission Antyodaya survey report etc.

Maharashtra’s ‘e- Peek Pahani’ app will reduce hardships of farmers

The Maharashtra government’s e- peek pahani mobile application will reduce hardships of farmers and help them get the right price and good market for their produce.

‘Peek pahani’ roughly translates to crop survey. In this app, farmers can upload images of their crop using the application and after verification of the same, talathis can register the details on 7/12 extract.

‘Make-In-India’ Program For Weavers Handloom weaving/production is

inherently an integral part of Make-in-India programme.

The Government of India has announced a special economic package viz. Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan for boosting economy of the country and making India self-reliant. Relief and credit


5.2 Mass Media &

Communication



support measures have been announced for various sectors including MSMEs. The weavers & artisans/karigars can avail benefits of these relief and credit support measures to revive their businesses.

To promote e-marketing of handloom products, a policy frame work was designed and under which any willing e-commerce platform with good track record can participate in online marketing of handloom products. Accordingly, 23 e-commerce entities have been engaged for on-line marketing of handloom products.

A social media campaign #Vocal 4 handmade was launched on the 6th National Handloom Day by the Government, in partnership with all stakeholders, to promote the handloom legacy of India and to ensure people’s support for the weaving community. The social media campaign has resulted in renewed interest of the Indian public in handlooms and several e-commerce players have reported increase in sales of Indian handloom products.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Launched U-Rise Portal for Students

Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh launched Unified Re-imagined Innovation for Student Empowerment (U-Rise) portal in Lucknow, UP.

The portal guides the students in learning, career counselling, and getting employment in the state.

It was developed by Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow.

It is a joint initiative by the Department of Technical Education, Department, Training, Employment and the Skill Development Mission.

Assam Govt Developed “Visitassam” New Mobile App for Air Passengers from Other State

The Government of Assam developed a mobile app named “Visitassam” which enables the air passengers to download forms and fill it which can be used at the airports to reduce the time on the formalities for COVID-19 tests and ensures the proper social distancing norms.

The government also introduced a change of protocol for the air passengers to take the “Tatkal RT-PCR” test with a payment of Rs.2200 whose result will be given within 24 hours.




6. NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT

J&K Horticulture Department Launches “Backyard Horticulture” Programme in Jammu District

The Horticulture Department of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) launched “Backyard Horticulture” Programme under CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) scheme at Panchyat Jaswan in March Block of Jammu district.

The main aim of the programme is to Promote Organic Fruit Production for home consumption and for fulfilling individual requirements.

UP CM Yogi Renames Agra Museum After Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that an under-construction museum dedicated to the Mughal empire in Agra will be named after Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Agra’s under-construction museum will be known by the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In your new Uttar Pradesh, there is no space for the symbols of “the mentality of slavery”.

Total capacity of under construction thermal power projects at 59,810 MW

As much as 59,810 MW of thermal power generation capacity is under construction in the country which includes 23,730 MW to be developed by private players.

While the under construction projects under the central sector totalled 18,320 MW, those under the state sector stood at 17,760 MW, Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The capacity of under construction large hydro (above 25 MW) projects stood at around 14,014 MW.

Delhi Govt Launches Helpline to Promote Nutrition, Maternity Benefits for Women and Children

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) launched a health and nutrition helpline to ensure children under six years of age get nutritional supplements and regular immunisation doses.

The helpline, ‘Sehat evam Poshan Saathinwas’, will remain operational 24X7 in collaboration with NGO Indus Action.

Once a call is received on the number, 011-41193903, the team at the DCPCR

National – Diary of Event



will connect back with the caller within one-two days and register the grievance.

4th Global Ayurveda Summit Inaugurated virtually by M Venkaiah Naidu

The 4th edition of Global Ayurveda Summit was virtually inaugurated by Vice-President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu on the theme “Emerging Opportunities for Ayurveda during Pandemic”. It will culminate on October 14, 2020. Due to COVID-19, it is being conducted as a web event for 30 days with virtual exhibition and conference in emerging opportunities for Ayurveda.

It is being organized by the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry)-Kerala in partnership with Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), and with the support of Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisations in India (AMMOI) and Ayurveda Hospital Management Association (AHMA).

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Launched a ‘Poshan Sarkar’ program

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Launched a ‘Poshan Sarkar’ program with an objective of ensuring active participation

of local Bodies-Gram Panchayatas and Urban bodies in the Nutrition Campaign. The month September is Observed as Nutrition month in India.

Steel Production in Eastern India To Be Enhanced,Says Dharmendra Pradhan

The Ministry of Steel has launched ‘Purvodaya’ initiative, encompassing development of Integrated Steel Hubs in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

The Union Minister for Steel Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that Purvodaya aims to focus on development of the Eastern region by setting up green field and brown field steel plants for capacity addition, development of steel clusters near Integrated Steel Plants as well as demand centres and transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure.

India ranks 116 in World Bank’s 2020 Human Capital Index

India has been ranked at 116 positions in the latest edition of the World Bank’s annual Human Capital Index. The Index benchmarks the key components of the human capital across all over the countries. The 2020 Human Capital Index has included education and health data for 174 countries- up to March 2020. As per the analysis by the World Bank, pre-pandemic most of the countries had made steady progress in building the human capital of children and the biggest strides were made in low-income countries.




Top 3 Countries in HCI

Rank Country Score116

1

2

3

India

Singapore

H o n g k o n g and China

Japan

0.49

0.88

0.81

0.80

About 2020 Human Capital Index (HCI) The 2020 Human Capital Index update

includes health and education data for 174 countries covering 98% of the world’s population up to March 2020. It provide a pre-pandemic baseline on the health and education of children.

Madhya Pradesh: Central discom first to adopt e-office in India

Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company Bhopal is the first power Distribution Company in India in which e-office system is operated from corporate office to local circle offices level.

It has implemented e-file & e-correspondent system through NIC e-office.

Gujarat Approves Letter of Intent for World’s First CNG Terminal at Bhavnagar

The Gujarat government approved a letter of intent (LOI) for the world’s first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) terminal at Bhavnagar port with a proposed investment of Rs 1,900 crore.

The project will be developed jointly by UK-headquartered Foresight Group, Mumbai-based Padmanabh

Mafatlal Group and a Netherland-based consortium.

Apart from the CNG terminal, the investors would also develop a Ro-Ro terminal (for roll-on/roll-off ships), liquid cargo terminal and container terminal at Bhavnagar.

Webinar on “Faculty Development for Quality Education”

The Ministry of Education organized a webinar on Faculty Development for Quality Education under Shikshak Parv Initiative.

The webinar was organised to reflect on the roles and responsibilities of teachers in the light of National Education Policy (NEP) and to understand various aspects of capacity development and career progression of the faculty.

Shikshak Parv is being celebrated by Ministry of Education from 8th September-25th September, 2020 to felicitate the Teachers and to take New Education Policy 2020 forward.

India’s first exclusive private jet terminal inaugurated at International airport in Delhi

The Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated India’s first exclusive private jet terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The terminal will handle the flight operations of the private jets. The new terminal also has the capacity to handle over 50 passengers every hour. The private jet terminal will enable the smooth movement of the chartered aircraft and the business jets.




India Happiness Report 2020 announced

The first all India Happiness Report 2020 covering all States and Union Territories measuring happiness across the country, what contributes to people’s happiness, the impact of COVID-19 on happiness, and insights from thought leaders.

The study is based on a nationwide survey covering 16,950 people between March and July 2020 by Professor Rajesh K Pillania.

PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail Mega Bridge in Bihar through video conferencing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the historical Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation and also inaugurated 12 rail projects related to passenger facilities to benefit the people of Bihar in Bihar via video-conferencing.

The bridge has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border, which connects the Mitihila and Kosi region. The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore.

With the construction of the bridge the rail distance between Nirmali and Saraigarh would come down from the present 298 kilometres to 22 kilometres.

Himachal Pradesh CM inaugurates “Swachhata Cafe” in Solan district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur virtually inaugurated the “Swachhata Cafe” at Nalagarh in Solan district on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Shimla.

The Cafe is being operated by Laxmi and Durga women self help groups. The main attraction of this Cafe is that it would serve traditional food such as maize bread and Sarson ka saag, butter, lassi etc

‘Swachhata Park’ is also being opened at Kufri in district Shimla.

Power minister inaugurates basic infra projects worth Rs 6.99 cr in Bihar

Power Minister R K Singh inaugurated basic infrastructure projects of Rs 6.99 crore in Bhojpur district of Bihar.

The main objective of the projects is to improve and provide basic infrastructure and developmental facilities in the villages of Barhara block in Bhojpur district.

REC Limited is a Navratna NBFC focusing on power sector financing and development across India. It provides financial assistance across the power-sector value chain and is also the nodal agency for flagship schemes in the power sector like Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Saubhagya, etc.




Centre sets up high-level committee to prepare roadmap for regularisation of land leasing in agri sector

The Centre has set up a high-level committee to prepare a roadmap for regularisation of land leasing in the agriculture sector, eager to push through a reform that would lay down the rights of landless farm workers who miss out on welfare benefits.

The committee, to be headed by Shri Ajay Tirkey, the secretary of the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development, will submit its report to a group of ministers on the model legislation on land leasing.

UP CM Announces To Set Up Country’s ‘Biggest’ Film City In Noida

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to set up the country’s “biggest” film city in the state’s Gautam Buddh Nagar.

This film city will provide a better alternative to the film producers and, at the same time, will be very useful in terms of employment generation.

Environment Ministry launches a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with population in the range of 3000 animals in Assam, West Bengal and UP.

Environment Ministry has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian

One-Horned Rhino. The conservation initiatives for rhino has also enriched the grassland management which help in reducing the negative impacts of climate change through carbon sequestration.

‘Kritagya’ Hackathon by National Agricultural Higher Education Project of ICAR

In order to promote potential technology solutions for enhancing farm mechanization with special emphasis on women friendly equipments, a hackathon named “KRITAGYA” has been planned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). Students, faculties and innovators/entrepreneurs from any university / technical institution across the country can apply and participate in the event in the form of a group.

Participating students can collaborate with local start-ups, students from technology institutes, and can win Rs. 5 lakhs, Rs 3 lakhs and Rs. 1 lakh as first, second and third prize. The registration for event has already been started from 15th September 2020.

Government is setting up Plastic Parks with state of-the-art infrastructure

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has announced that to consolidate and synergize the capacities of the domestic downstream plastic processing industry, Government has come up with a scheme of Setting up of Plastic Parks with an




state-of-the-art infrastructure through cluster development approach.

The Union Minister informed that Under the scheme, Central Government provides grant funding up to 50% of the project cost, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 40 crore per project. The remaining project cost is to be funded by the State Government, beneficiary industries and by loan from financial institutions.

Details of the 6 Plastic Parks are as under:1. Madhya Pradesh: Plastic Park at

Tamot has completed physical infrastructure and purchase of equipment for common facility centers (CFC) is in progress. One unit is functional in the Plastic Park.

2. Madhya Pradesh: Plastic Park at Bilaua is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

3. Odisha: Plastic Park at Paradeep is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is almost completed.

4. Jharkhand: Plastic Park at Deoghar is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

5. Tamil Nadu: The work at Plastic Park at Thiruvallur has started recently and land filling on the site is in progress.

6. Assam: Plastic Park at Tinsukia is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

Representation in Panchayats ‘Panchayat’, being “Local government”,

is a State subject and part of State list of Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India. Clause (3) of Article 243D of the Constitution ensures participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions by mandating not less than one- third reservation for women out of total number of seats to be filled by direct election and number of offices of chairpersons of Panchayats.

As per the information available with the Ministry, 20 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have made provisions of 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts. A statement showing the number of elected women representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the country, State/Union Territory

NHIDCL expedites DPR work on Shinkun La Tunnel

The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has expedited making detailed project report for the world’’s longest high-altitude Shinkun La Tunnel.

The tunnel is proposed to be built on the border between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. The Manali-Kargil highway will remain open throughout the year.




HIDCL under Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has speeded up the detailed project report work on the World’s Longest High-Altitude Shinkun La Tunnel (13.5 Km long) along with its approach roads in UT of Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.

Govt pushing startup ecosystem for rural and tribal entrepreneurs

Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship R.K. Singh announced that the government is taking several measures to promote rural and tribal entrepreneurship.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing a project on entrepreneurship promotion and mentoring of micro and small enterprises in six temple towns of Puri, Varanasi, Haridwar, Kollur, Pandharpur and Bodh Gaya, to tap the entrepreneurial potential of first generation entrepreneurs, educated unemployed youth, school/college dropouts, women, youth from backward community etc.

To encourage women entrepreneurship, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing a project named ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women’ in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany.

The project pilots incubation and acceleration programmes for women

micro entrepreneurs to start new businesses and scale up existing enterprises in Assam, Rajasthan and Telangana. The project has the target to pilot the incubation programme with 250 women and the acceleration programme with 100 women.

The first cohort of the support programme ended in April-May, 2020 and the second cohort has commenced in July, 2020.

‘Mukhymantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana’ to be start in Madhya Pradesh

Mukhymantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana is being started in Madhya Pradesh on the lines of Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Under the announced scheme, the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, getting Rs. 6,000 per annum, will be getting additional financial assistance of Rs. 4,000, making their total annual assistance to be Rs. 10,000 per annum.

Rajasthan Government approves ‘Moksha Kalash Yojana 2020’

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot gave approval for the scheme ‘Moksha Kalash Yojana – 2020’, which allows free bus travel to two members of a family to immerse ashes to their loved ones in River Ganga in Haridwar.

Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation will run the scheme and the expenses will be borne by the Devasthan Department, Rajasthan Government.

Online registration of passengers, arrangements for transport and facilities




provided during the travel will be carried out by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation.

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Launched “Mukhyamantri Grammya Paribahan Achoni” & Distributed Vehicles to its Beneficiaries

Sarbanda Sonowal, Chief Minister (CM) of Assam launched the “Mukhyamantro Grammya Paribahan Achoni” – Chief Minister’s Rural Transport Scheme and distributed light motor vehicles to the beneficiaries under this scheme.

Sonowal announced this scheme during his 2019 Independence Day speech and following the announcement the Transport department of Assam launched the scheme.

International Film Festival of India Postponed To 2021

The 51st edition of the annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which was scheduled to start from November 20 in Goa has been postponed to next year.

The festival will be conducted in a Hybrid format, Virtual & Physical format.

PM Modi to inaugurate virtual AI summit ‘RAISE 2020’ on October 5

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on October 5 inaugurate a virtual summit on artificial intelligence ‘RAISE 2020’, which is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the NITI Aayog.

‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ (RAISE 2020) will be a global meeting

to exchange ideas and chart a course for using AI for social transformation, inclusion and empowerment in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, education and smart mobility.

At the RAISE 2020 summit, delegates and experts in research, policy and innovation on AI will join from across the globe.

India’s first Coast Guard academy to come up at Mangaluru

India’s first Coast Guard academy will be established at Mangaluru, Defence Spokesperson (PRO) Bengaluru said

Around 158 acres Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land has been taken over for setting up ICG Academy.

One of the First Medical Devices Park to be Set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

In 2019, Central Government approved the setting up four medical device parks in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the lines of “Make in India” initiative and to provide world-class products at affordable prices for treatment.

In this regard, on September 24, 2020, Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for one of the first medical devices parks in the country, “MedSpark” at Life Science Park, Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.

MedSpark is a joint initiative of Technical Research Centre for Biomedical Devices (TRC) at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology




(SCTIMST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (KSIDC), the industrial and investment promotion agency of the Government of Kerala.

National Medical Commission comes into existence

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has come into existence in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the country’s apex regulator of medical education and profession.

With the NMC coming into being, the Board of Governors (BoG) that had the MCI on September 26th, 2018, to perform its functions, has been dissolved. The nearly 64-year-old Indian Medical Council Act has also been abolished.

The NMC Act, which seeks to bring in mega reforms in the medical education sector, received the Presidential assent on August 8, 2019.

The National Medical Commission comprises a chairman, 10 ex-officio members and 22 part-time members.

Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma, former head of AIIMS ENT department, Delhi, has been appointed as chairman of the NMC for three years.

UP’s First Conservation Centre For Vultures To Come Up In Gorakhpur Forest Division

Uttar Pradesh’s first vulture conservation and breeding centre is set to be established at Bhari Baisi village in Farenda range of Gorakhpur forest division.

This vulture breeding and conservation centre will be the first in India which will be dedicated to king vulture and also the first vulture conservation and breeding centre in Uttar Pradesh.

The centre will be established on the lines of Haryana’s Pinjore vulture conservation and breeding centre.

‘Aavruthi’ Wins Best Film At IFFT-Orange Online Film Festival

Filmmaker Sreehari Dharman’s “Aavruthi” (Fence) won the best film trophy at the closing ceremony of IFFT-Orange Short and Documentary Film Festival which is jointly organised by the Orange Academy and the IFFT from Thrissur, Kerala.

“Aavruthi” (Fence) also bagged the best director and best cinematography trophies for director Dharman and Arun Sekhar, respectively. Gokul Ambat’s “Black Mark” was declared the second best film, while Kiran KR won the best editor for “Atom”.

IARI launched in Assam Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra

Singh Tomar has inaugurated the Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s (IARI) Assam campus and said the setting up of this institute will boost farm education and research activities in the North East.




The Minister dedicated to the nation the campus of the new IARI at Gogamukh in Assam.

The Union Cabinet in May 2017 had approved setting up of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Assam at a cost of over `155 crore to promote agri-education and realise second green revolution in the north eastern region.

24 hours Water supply in Delhi Water supply in Delhi will be on par

with developed nations, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal his government has started the process for 24×7 water supply to the city by appointment of a consultant for improving the water network.

Water being supplied to the city was being done at low pressure, because of which residents have to install pumps and store water in overhead tanks.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport gets ACI health Accreditation for Safe Travel

The Airport Council International (ACI), a worldwide association for the air transport industry, granted GMR group-led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport located at Hyderabad, Telangana, the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) for the safety measures being taken at the aerodrome.

The airport is among the 1st airports in the Asia Pacific region to have received this accreditation.

India’s First RRTS train with Design Speed of 180 kmph Unveiled

The first look of India’s first RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) train unveiled by DurgaShanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Chairman, National Capital Region Transport Corportation (NCRTC) during an event. This first RRTS train will provide its services to 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS in 2022 after trials.

It should be noted that NCRTC is the nodal agency for executing this first RRTS project of India while the train sets are being manufactured by Bombardier Transportation India Private Limited at their Savli plant in Gujarat under the government’s Make in India policy and AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

It will be one of the fastest RRTS in India which will reduce travel time from Meerut to Delhi to less than 60 minutes.

Government dedicates 1.4 km Gwalior-Morena flyover to nation

The government on Monday announced it has dedicated 1.4 km flyover on NH-3 at Morena Town in Madhya Pradesh built at a cost of Rs 108 crore to the nation. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a virtual ceremony dedicated the flyover to the nation.

The flyover connecting Dholpur in Rajasthan and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has been completed within the scheduled 18 months’ time under engineering, procurement and construction mode.




Assam govt to Provide Loan to Entrepreneurs under ‘Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme

On the occasion of World Tourism Day (WTD) 2020 i.e. on September 27, 2020, the Chief Minister (CM) of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal during a Tourism Conclave organized by government of Assam in association with Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) Limited, launched “Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme’ under which loan between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakh with interest subsidy would be provided to entrepreneurs to revive the tourism industry amid the corona virus crisis.

World’s longest span concrete deck extra-dosed cable stayed bridge inaugurated in Hyderabad

Union MoS for Home G Kishan Reddy and Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao inaugurated the World’s longest span concrete deck extra-dosed cable-stayed bridge at Durgam Cheruvu of Hyderabad.

The bridge was constructed at the cost of Rs 184 crore and it was built by Larsen & Toubro.

The cable-stayed bridge portion is 435 m long, including the approaches at both

ends, 25.8 m wide with a total of 52 stay cables.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Six Major Projects in Uttarkhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Six Development Projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission.

“Ganga Avalokan” Museum: PM Modi inaugurated the first-of-its-

kind “Ganga Avalokan” Museum of River Ganga at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar.

It has been established by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which is the nodal body to implement the ‘Namami Gange’ Programme along with Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Inaugurated Projects: The projects include construction of 68

MLD (million litres per day) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), upgrading of existing 27 MLD at Jagjeetpur and construction of 18 MLD STP at Sarai, Haridwar.

The Prime Minister (PM) inaugurated the 68 MLD Jagjeetpur projects, which marks the first STP to be built under Public Private Partnership (PPP).

He inaugurated Six STPs which are located in different parts of the state such as Haridwar, Rishikesh and Badrinath.




7. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India becomes member of UN’s ECOSOC body

India has been elected as a member of the United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women, a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

India will be a member of United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women for four years, 2021 to ‘25.

India, Afghanistan and China had contested the elections to the Commission on Status of Women. Even as India and Afghanistan won the ballot among the 54 members, China could not cross the half-way mark.

The Economic and Social Council is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.

It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals.

It is also responsible for the follow-up to major UN conferences and summits.

Fiumicino Airport awarded world’s 1st 5-star Anti-Covid award

The Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) in Rome, Italy, has become the first

International Affairs

airport in the world to be certified with “COVID-19 5-star airport rating” from Skytrax, a U.K.-based airport and airline review firm.

FCO, also known as the Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, is the busiest airport in Italy.

The COVID-19 ratings for hygiene by Skytrax was based on a combination of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation analysis and ATP sampling tests.

Fiumicino Airport earned the 5-star rating for the hygiene processes and other preventative measures in place to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus.

Indian Cities Slip In Global Smart City Index

New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities that was topped by Singapore. The Institute for Management Development, in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design, has released the 2020 Smart City Index, with key findings on how technology is playing a role in the Covid-19 era.

In the 2020 Smart City Index, Hyderabad was placed at the 85th position (down from 67 in 2019), New Delhi at 86th rank



(down from 68 in 2019), Mumbai was at 93rd place (in 2019 it was at 78) and Bengaluru at 95th (79 in 2019).

External Affairs Minister Launched FICCI-SAM Report “India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities”

Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs launched the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (FICCI-SAM)’s knowledge report on “India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities” over a virtual platform.

The FICCI-SAM report states that the government of India has assured that various benefits and structural reforms are planned to enable the uninterrupted entry of Japanese investors into the Indian Market.

The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Japan have increased and the number of Japan based companies in India have increased.

India Launches First Ever Cargo Ferry Vessel “MCP Linz” to Maldives

Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for shipping, Manusukh Mandaviya and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Maldives. Aishath Nahula jointly launched the First Ever Direct Cargo Ferry Service between India and Maldives. It is considered to be the new connectivity effort has begun in Indian Ocean Region. The services will be a big boost for business communities in India and Maldives to expand their

business and trade relations. The Ceremony was attended by

representatives from Tuticorin and Cochin ports and Officials from Maldives Ports Limisted (MPL) and Foreign Ministry of Maldives.

The service will connect the Indian ports of Tuticorin, Cochin Ports with Kulhudhuhfushi and Male Ports in the Maldives.

It will reduce the transportation cost, and provide a timely, short and cost effective means of transportation between the two countries.

UN, Britain to co-host Global Climate Summit in December

United Nations and Britain will co-host a global climate summit on December 12, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.

The event will be co-hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to rally much greater climate action and ambition.

The summit will see involvement of many government, leaders, private sector and civil society to present more ambitious and high-quality climate plans.

The climate summit is expected to boost momentum ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) to be held in Glasgow in November 2021.

India ranked 89th among 181 countries in World Risk Report 2020

According to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020, India has been ranked at the 89th




spot among 181 Countries. The World Risk Index is a statistical model for the assessment of global risk of disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts and sea-level rise.

Countries with Lowest Risk Index: According to the Index, Qatar (0.31) had

the lowers risk, followed by Malta (0.66) and St.Vincent and the Grenadines (0.81).

Rank CountryWorld Risk

Index

Category (Based on

Risk)

89 India 6.62 Medium Risk

1 Vanuatu 49.74 Very High Risk

2 Tonga 29.72 Very High Risk

181 Qatar 0.31 Very Low Risk

180 Malta 0.66 Very Low Risk

India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise ‘JIMEX’ begins

Indian and Japanese navies to begin their three-day-long maritime military exercise beginin the North Arabian Sea. This is the fourth edition of Japan Maritime bilateral exercise (JIMEX).

This would be the first military exercise after the two countries signed a landmark agreement recently that will allow their militaries to access each other’s bases for logistics support.

The JIMEX is a series of exercises commenced in January 2012 with a special focus on maritime security cooperation. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 off Visakhapatnam coast.

India-Denmark bilateral meet marks establishment of ‘Green Strategic Partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen held a virtual meet which marked the establishment of ‘Green Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries, opening a “new chapter in the friendly and cooperative relations between them”.

Under the India-Denmark ‘Green Strategic Partnership’.

The “ambitious goals and actions will be identified within the areas and outlined in an Action Plan that will be worked out and endorsed as soon as possible.




8. TAMILNADU AFFAIRS

Tamilnadu Affairs

Tamil Nadu passes bill, 7.5% quota for govt school students in medical admission

The Tamil Nadu assembly passed a bill to approve 7.5% quota within the existing reservation in medical undergraduate courses for the students of state government schools from this academic year. It will be applicable for students clearing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

‘U’ shaped bridges on Rajiv Gandhi Salai

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for the construction of two “U” shaped flyovers on Rajiv Gandhi Salai. The Rs.108.13-crore flyovers will allow motorists to avoid Tidel Park junction signal.

Tamil Nadu CM launches 3,401 mobile public distribution outlets in state

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy launched 3401 mobile public distribution outlets in the state.

The ‘Amma Mobile Ration Shops’ as they are called mainly serve families in remote, hilly and far-flung areas.

For a full-fledged ration shop, a minimum

number of eligible beneficiary families are made mandatory.

The Chief Minister also introduced fortified rice distribution through the public distribution system in Tiruchirapalli district on a pilot basis.

Nutrition park to be set up in Chandrasekharapuram, Namakkal

Steps are being taken up to set up a nutrition park in Chandrasekharapuram, Namakkal near Trichy announced by State Social Welfare and Nutrition department Minister Dr V Saroja.

This is part of the National Nutrition Month programme being undertaken in Tamilnadu.

Women-powered solar, electric autos flagged off by Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami flagged off 13 types of solar and electric



powered autos, to be operated by women, as part of the initiative to ensure women empowerment and environment protection.

This project is the result of the Chief Ministers efforts on fetching investment to Tamil Nadu and facilitating job opportunities for the youth.

Palaniswami signed a memorandum of understanding with M Auto at Dubai, and offered his governments support on providing charging stations, manufacturing units among the other things.

M Auto is the first firm to receive a license for starting the operation.

Tamilnadu to implement Cauvery - Vaigai - Gundaru river inter linking plan

Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has announced that steps are being taken in Tamilnadu to implement the Cauvery Vaigai Gundaru river inter linking plan at an estimated cost of Rs. 14,000 crore.

The 259 km river interlinking project will be taken up in three phases, enabling

the proper use of water overflow in the Cauvery which is being released into the Bay of Bengal at present.

Mr Palaniswamy announced that about 1500 cubic feet of water will be released into the Vaigai river at Idaikkattu village as part of the mega project.

The Chief Minister presided over a review meeting at Ramanathapuram, inaugurated developmental projects worth Rs. 70 crore and distributed various Welfare scheme benefits.

Covishield vaccine reaches Chennai for clinical trials

Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford University reached Chennai for phase two clinical trials. The news comes on a day when the city reported a slight dip in fresh cases with 968 people testing positive. The State recorded 5,892 cases and 92 deaths, taking up the tally to 4,45,851 and toll to 7,608.

According to officials of the Health Department, the vaccine will be tested on 300 health volunteers above the age of 18 at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, as part of multi-centric study in India.

Tamilnadu Affairs

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