Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (10th to 17th October 2020)

By Priyanka Priya - Oct 21 2020

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 2nd October 2020. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2020 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Post Day

  • World Post Day is celebrated on October 9 every year to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) which was started in 1874 in Switzerland.

World Egg Day

  • World Egg Day celebrated on second Friday in October every year.
  • This year is celebrated on October 9.

National Postal week

  • India Post commenced celebration of the National Postal Week from Oct 09 to Oct 15 , starting with World Post Day which is celebrated each year on 9thOctober, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Berne.

National Postal Day

  • National Postal Day is celebrated in India on 10 October every year.
  • The day is observed to commemorate the role played by the Indian postal department for the past 150 years.

World Mental Health Day

  • World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year. The theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 is ‘Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access’.

Indian Foreign Service Day

  • IFS Day is celebrated on 9 October every year since 2011 to commemorate the day the Indian Cabinet created the IFS. Their work towards serving the nation and furthering national interests globally are commendable.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)

  • World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. This year the theme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World”

World Day Against the Death Penalty

  • Every year 10th October marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty. 18th edition theme is “Access to counsel – A matter of life or death.”

International Day of the Girl Child

  • Every year on 11 October, the International Day of the Girl, UNICEF launches an annual campaign with girls to amplify their voices and stand up for their rights.It is celebrated since 2012. This year, under the theme, “My voice, our equal future”

World Arthritis Day (WAD)

  • Since 1996, October 12 is observed as World Arthritis Day. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints which affects movement. This year’sWorld Arthritis Day theme – “It’s in your hands, take action”

International Day for Disaster Reduction

  • The United Nations General Assembly has designated October 13th as theInternational Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction.

World Standards Day

  • World Standards Day, also known as International Standards Day, is celebrated on October 14 each year. World Standards Day 2020is themed “Protecting the planet with standards”

National Philately Day being celebrated across country

  • The National Philately Day is being celebrated throughout the country on 13th oct. The Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history.

International E-waste Day

  • The third International E-Waste Day will be held on the 14th October 2020 to promote the correct disposal of e-waste throughout the world.

World Students’ Day

  • World Students’ Day is observed on 15 October annually to mark the birth anniversary of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Global Handwashing Day

  • Global Handwashing Day occurs on 15 October of each year.
  • The theme of Global Handwashing Day 2020 is ‘Hand Hygiene for All’.

International Day of Rural Women

  • International Day of Rural Women celebrated every year on 15 October.
  • The theme for International Day of Rural Women 2020 is “Building rural women’s resilience in the wake of COVID-19.”

World Food Day

  • World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.The  theme “Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future.”

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

  • The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated each year on October 17 throughout the world.2020 Theme: Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Dr Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park In Delhi

  • Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the “DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park” at Barapullah drain site, New Delhi in a virtual event.

Coal Ministry launches website for research endeavors in coal sector

  • Ministry of Coal has launched the website to promote Research & Development (R&D) activities of the ministry and attract research institutes for R&D endeavors in coal sector.
  • Shri Anil Jain launched the website (https://scienceandtech.cmpdi.co.in/) during the 56th meeting of Standing Scientific Research Committee of the Ministry. Coal India R&D arm, Central Mines Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) has designed and developed this website.

Narendra Modi launches physical distribution of property cards under SWAMITVA scheme

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the physical distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA(Survey of Villages And Mapping With Improvised Technology In Village Areas) scheme via videoconferencing that enables rural masses to use the property as a financial asset.

PM Modi releases Rs 100 commemorative coin in honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative 100 rupee coin in the honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia. One of the founder members of BJP, Vijaya Raje Scindia is also popularly known as the Rajmata of Gwalior.

All eight beaches recommended by Govt gets coveted International Blueflag Certification: Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar

  • Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar stated that all eight beaches recommended by the Government has got the coveted International Blueflag  Certification.
  • The beaches which got International Blueflag Certification are Shivrajpur beach in Dwarka Gujarat, Ghoghla beach in Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Beach in Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Nirmala Sitharaman announces major schemes to boost demand in country by Rs 73,000 Cr

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced major schemes to boost demands in the country by nearly 73 thousand crore rupees.

Central govt employees can now get Rs 10,000 interest-free advance

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the conference announced a one-time Rs 10,000 interest-free festival advance to all its officers and employees under the Special Festival Advance Scheme.

Rajnath Singh Lays Foundation Stone For Nechiphu Tunnel In Arunachal Pradesh

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for the strategically important Nechiphu tunnel at West Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh via video conferencing.
  • The 450m-long tunnel, which will bypass the existing road, will be D-shaped and comprise two lanes of 3.5m width each.

PM Modi to release autobiography of Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the autobiography of Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and rename Pravara Rural Education Society as ‘Loknete Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Pravara Rural Education Society’, through video conferencing in a programme.

India’s sulfur dioxide emissions see first decline in 4 years

  • India’s sulfur dioxide emissions dropped in 2019, the first decline in four years for the world’s largest spewer of the pollutant responsible for human health risks and acid rain.

MoRTH enhances allocation of funds for SARDP-NE related works

  • The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has enhanced the allocation of funds for expenditure under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North Eastern Areas (SARDP-NE) related works during the current financial year.

Atal Innovation Mission collaborates with CGI to promote innovation across schools

  • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has signed a Statement of Intent with CGI India in order to promote innovation across the schools.
  • Atal Innovation Mission, AIM has collaborated with CGI India which is one among the largest IT and business consulting services firms, for creating a successful and innovative workforce from the Atal Tinkering Lab, ATL schools.

Trifed in Collaboration with Chhattisgarh MFP Federation and IIT, Kanpur to Launch “Tech for Tribals Initiative”

  • TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with Chhattisgarh MFP Federation and IIT, Kanpur will be launching Tech for Tribals initiative. In order to provide advance level training to the Vandhan tribal beneficiaries, TRIFED has collaborated with MSME through its ESDP scheme for providing skill upgrading and entrepreneurial capacity building support to the Van Dhan tribal beneficiaries to establish their sustainable enterprise.

India among top 3 overseas investment destinations’

  • India will be one of the top three overseas investment destinations for the next two-three years, according to a survey by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and EY, which assessed the country’s competitiveness on selected parameters.

PM Modi to release commemorative coin on 75th anniversary of FAO

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a commemorative coin of Rs 75 denomination on the 75th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to mark India’s long-standing relations with the UN agency.

Prolonged closure of schools may cost India $400 billion: World Bank

  • According to the recent World Bank report titled ‘Beaten or Broken? Informality and Covid-19 in South Asia’, the prolonged closure of schools in India could cost the country over $400 billion in future earnings.

Cabinet approves World Bank supported ‘STARS’ project to boost school education system

  • The Union Cabinet has approved World Bank supported Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States -STARS project. The Project seeks to support States in developing, implementing, evaluating and improving interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes.

Ministry of AYUSH launches Jan Andolan Campaign on COVID-19

  • The Ministry of AYUSH has launched the Jan Andolan Campaign on COVID-19.
  • This Andolan is regarding “Public Health Response to COVID-19: Campaign for COVID-Appropriate Behaviour” which has been launched Prime Minister.

MSME Ministry introduces AI & ML for strengthening its single window system portal ‘Champions’

  • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises- MSME Ministry has introduced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for strengthening its single window system portal ‘Champions’ to assist the MSMEs in the country. Champions Portal was launched by the Prime Minister in June this year.

Government sets up a panel of secretaries headed by Rajiv Gauba to streamline telecom spectrum allocation

  • The government has constituted a panel of secretaries under cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba to streamline the spectrum allocation process and examine the possibility of drawing up an annual calendar for auction of airwaves that will give telcos a clear road map of the quantum as well as the frequency of spectrum on offer for commercial use.

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches second phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for underprivileged thalassemic patients

  • Union health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, launched the second phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for the underprivileged thalassemic patients, virtually from Nirman Bhawan.

Foreign Secretary inaugurates 1st edition of Lectures designed to introduce India to foreign diplomats posted in New Delhi

  • The first edition of Lectures designed to introduce India to foreign diplomats posted in New Delhi was inaugurated by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. It has been named as Sushma Swaraj Lectures 2020.

India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP

  • India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari initiates Asia’s longest ZojiLa Tunnel works virtually

  • In Ladakh Union Territory, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Mr Nitin Gadkari initiated Asia’s longest ZojiLa Tunnel works virtually, by igniting ceremonial blasts.

Films Division to stream documentary ‘People’s President’ on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s birth anniversary

  • The 89th Birth Anniversary of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who served as the 11th President of India is being celebrated. In its tribute, Films Division is streaming the 52-minute English documentary titled ‘People’s President’ on its website and YouTube Channel.

NTPC collaborates with cement manufacturers across country to supply fly ash

  • NTPC Limited has started to collaborate with cement manufacturers across the country to supply fly ash as part of its endeavour to achieve 100 per cent utilization of the by-product produced during power generation.

India among high-burden TB nations to register 25-30 pc drop in case notifications: WHO report

  • Disruptions in services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have led to further setbacks and according to a new report, there has been a 25 to 30 per cent drop in tuberculosis (TB) case notifications across three high-burden countries – India, Indonesia and the Philippines – between January and June 2020 compared to the same period a year before.

GST compensation: Centre to borrow Rs 1.1 lakh crore to meet shortfall

  • The central government will borrowRs 1 lakh crore under the special window to meet the shortfall of Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation.

Union Education Minister virtually launches ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program for IP Literacy and Awareness Education campaign 

  • Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually launched the ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness campaign on the 89th birth anniversary of former President and Scientist Late APJ Abdul Kalam.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates Food and Agri Week 2020

  • Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj ,Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the India – International Food & Agri Week being organised from 16th to 22nd October 2020.

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MoH&FW

  • Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Earth Sciences: Harsh Vardhan
  • Constituency: Chandni Chowk, New Delhi

MoD

  • Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
  • Constituency: Lucknow, Up

Arunachal Pradesh

  • Capital: Itanagar
  • Governor: D. Mishra.
  • Chief minister: Pema Khandu

MoRTH

  • Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Minister of Shipping andMSME: Nitin Jairam Gadkari
  • Constituency: Nagpur, Maharashtra

Niti Aayog:

  • Headquarters:New Delhi
  • Narendra Modi, (Chairperson)
  • Rajiv Kumar, (Vice Chairperson)
  • Amitabh Kant, (CEO)

Chattisgarh:

  • Capital: Raipur
  • Governor: Anusuiya Uikey
  • Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel

Ministry of Tribal Affairs:              

  • Arjun Munda, Cabinet Minister
  • Constituency: Khunti
  • Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State

CII:

  • President: Uday Kotak
  • Director General: Chandrajit Banerjee
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

FAO

  • Headquarters: Rome, Italy
  • Head: Qu Dongyu

World Bank:

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • President: David Malpass

Ministry of AYUSH:

  • Shripad Naik, Minister of State (Independent charge)
  • Constituency: North Goa

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises:

  • Nitin Gadkari, Cabinet Minister
  • Constituency:Nagpur
  • Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State

OECD:

  • Headquarters: Paris, France
  • Secretary-General: José Ángel Gurría

NTPC

  • Founded: 1975
  • Headquarters: New Delhi, India

MoF

  • Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India: Nirmala Sitharaman
  • Constituency: Karnataka

MoE

  • Minister ofEducation: Ramesh Pokhriyal
  • Constituency: Haridwar, Uttarakhand

 Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare:

  • Narendra Singh Tomar, (Cabinet Minister)
  • Constituency: Morena, Madhya Pradesh
  • Parsottambhai Rupala, (Minister of State)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

World Economic Forum shifts annual meeting 2021 from Davos to Lucerne

  • The World Economic Forum (WEF) will hold its Annual Meeting 2021 in Lucerne-Burgenstock, Switzerland, from May 18 to 21. It was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 Davos summit, themed as “The Great Reset”.

Argentina becomes 1st nation to approve genetically modified wheat

  • Argentina has approved HB4 drought–resistant GMO wheat by biotechnology firm Bioceres, making it the first country in the world to approve a strain of GMO wheat.

Indian, Taiwanese think tanks join hands to foster cooperation in Indo-Pacific region 

  • The Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), a leading think tank from Taiwan has signed a memorandum with India’s National Maritime Foundation (NMF) in order to foster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as part of Taiwan’s South bound policy.

Seventh round of military level talks between India & China underway to de-escalate tension along LAC

  • In Ladakh region, the talk between India and China is underway to resolve the border issues on Line of Actual Contro The Commander level talks between both the countries began at the Chushul border personnel meeting point on Indian side.

India donates 1.8 million N95 masks to Philadelphia

  • India has donated 8 million N95 masks to Philadelphia, the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania, to help in its fight against Covid-19, setting another example of a robust Indo-US partnership in the health sector.

FATF’s Asia Pacific Group keeps Pakistan on ‘enhanced follow-up list’ for slow progress against terror financing

  • In a major setback to Pakistan, the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF’s) Asia Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering has reprimanded the South-Asian country for its slow progress on the technical recommendations of the FATF to fight terror financing.

In a world first, iodine sanitisers to hit Indian market soon

  • The world’s first iodine-based sanitisers, which are stated to be more effective and long-lasting than alcohol-based hand cleansers, will be launched in India.
  • Moreover, India would be the manufacturing hub for supplying the iodine sanitiser, which will be named as I2Cure.

Nepal Re-Elected To UN Human Rights Council

  • Nepal has been re-elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in the elections held at UN Headquarters in New York, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

World Bank approves USD 12 billion to help developing countries finance coronavirus vaccines

  • The World Bank has approved USD 12 billion in financing to help developing countries buy and distribute coronavirus vaccines, tests, and treatments, aiming to support the vaccination of up to 1 billion people.
  • The USD 12 billion “envelop” is part of a wider World Bank Group package of up to USD 160 billion to help developing countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank stated.

One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds, according to first ever joint UN estimates

  • Almost 2 million babies are stillborn every year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

India and France re-elected as president and co-president of International Solar Alliance

  • India and France were re-elected as the president and co-president of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a term of two years at the virtual meeting of the third assembly.

India contributes 1 million dollars to UNRWA for Palestine Refugees

  • India has contributed one million dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in Near East.

Climate change spurs doubling of disasters since 2000: UN

  • The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) stated 7,348 major disaster events occurred between 2000 and 2019, claiming 1.23 million lives, affecting 4.2 billion people, and costing the global economy some $2.97 trillion.

After Sputnik V, Russia grants approval to 2nd COVID-19 vaccine EpiVacCorona

  • In a significant development, Russia announced that it has granted regulatory approval to another coronavirus COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine named EpiVacCorona comes after Russia recently granted similar approval to its first COVID-19 vaccine named Sputnik V. Notably, Sputnik V is also the first vaccine candidate in the world to attain regulatory approval.

Myanmar Navy to acquire its first submarine, INS’ retrofitted Sindhuvir

  • Myanmar is all set to acquire its first diesel-electric submarine, with the Indian Navy handing over its retrofitted INS Sindhuvir to the country for training and operations.

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WEF

  • Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
  • President: Borge Brende

Argentina:

  • Capital: Buenos Aires
  • Currency: Argentina Peso
  • President: Alberto Fernández

Taiwan

  • Capital: Taipei
  • President: Tsai Ing-wen
  • Currency: New Taiwan dollar

China:

  • Capital: Beijing
  • President: Xi Jinping
  • Currency: Renminbi

Financial Action Task Force:

  • Headquarters: Paris, France
  • President: Marcus Pleyer

Nepal:

  • Capital: Kathmandu
  • Prime minister: K. P. Sharma Oli
  • President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari

United Nations Human Rights Council:

  • Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland
  • President: Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger

World Bank:

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • President: David Malpass

UNICEF:

  • Headquarters: New York, United States
  • Head: Henrietta H. Fore

World Health Organization:

  • Heads: Tedros Adhanom, Soumya Swaminathan, Jane Ellison
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

United Nations:

  • Headquarters: New York, United States
  • Founded: 24 October 1945
  • Secretary general: António Guterres

ISA

  • Headquarters location: Gurugram
  • Leader: Upendra Tripathy

UNRWA:

  • Headquarters: Amman, Jordan
  • Deputy Commissioner-General: Leni Stenseth
  • Commissioner-General: Philippe Lazzarini

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction:

  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Head: Mami Mizutori

Russia

  • Capital: Moscow
  • President: Vladimir Putin
  • Currency: Russian ruble
  • Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin

Myanmar

  • Capital: Naypyitaw
  • President: Win Myint
  • Currency: Burmese kyat

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Axis Bank and Vistara strengthen partnership to launch a co-branded forex card

  • Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, strengthens its partnership with Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier, as they launch a co-branded forex card – ‘Axis Bank Club Vistara Forex Card’. This is also the first-ever collaboration by a bank and an Indian airline for a co-branded forex card.

RBI to discontinue system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters

  • In an effort to provide flexibility to exporters in the realisation of export proceeds, the Reserve Bank has decided to discontinue the system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters.

ACC extends tenure of 3 Executive Directors of PSU banks

  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of the term of three Executive Directors (EDs) in various Public Sector Banks (PSBs). Matam Venkata Rao, Executive Director of Canara Bank, has been given an extension of two years .the extension of the term of Debashish Mukherjee, Executive Director of Canara Bank for a period of two years. Rajesh Kumar Yaduvanshi, who was Executive Director at Punjab National Bank ceased to be director on the Board of PNBB.

RBI expects real GDP to fall by 9.5%

  • For the year 2020-21 as a whole, the central bank expects real GDP to decline by 5 per cent, with risks tilted to the downside: (-)9.8 per cent in Q2 (July-September) 2020-21; (-)5.6 per cent in Q3 (October-December); and 0.5 per cent in Q4 (January-March 2021).

Axis Bank collaborates with Google Pay, Visa to launch a new ACE Credit card

  • Axis Bank announced the launch of its ACE Credit Card in India in collaboration with Google Pay and Visa.The card meant to help with digital payments. From application to issuance, with the entire user journey for the credit card application will be done digitally.

ADB, India Sign $270 Million Loan to Improve Urban Services in 64 Madhya Pradesh Small Cities

  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $270 million loan to develop water supply and integrated storm water and sewage management infrastructure and strengthen capacities of urban local bodies for improved service delivery in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Exim Bank extends $400 mn soft loan to Maldives for connectivity project

  • The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on behalf of the Government of India has extended a Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 400 million for undertaking Greater Male’s connectivity project in

ADB approves 300 million US dollar loan to finance water supply, sanitation infrastructure in Rajasthan

  • India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 300 million US dollar loan to finance inclusive and sustainable water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services in 14 secondary towns of the state of Rajasthan.

Paytm Payment Gateway launches same-day bank settlement

  • Paytm, announced the launch of same-day settlement facility for fund transfers on its payment gateway service. The feature can be accessed from Paytm Merchant Dashboard or Paytm for Business app. The minimum amount that can be transferred is 50, and the maximum amount is Rs.2 lakh in a single transfer request.

RBI raises banks’ aggregate exposure limit for small businesses to Rs 7.5 cr

  • The RBI raised banks’ maximum aggregate retail exposure limit to entities with turnover up to Rs 50 crore to Rs 7.5 crore, up from Rs 5 crore.

Exim Bank’s Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 310 million to the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe

  • Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 310 million for the purpose of financing repowering of Hwange Thermal Power Station in the Republic of Zimbabwe.

India’s economy to shrink 10.3% in 2020, will register 8.8% growth in 2021: IMF

  • The Indian economy, severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is projected to contract by a massive 3 per cent this year, report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Vivifi India Finance launches UPI-based credit option FlexPay

  • Vivifi India Finance, a Hyderabad-based non-bank lender, has launched FlexPay, a payment option that offers credit using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

IKEA partners Mastercard, Citi to launch Family Credit Card

  • IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings major, has joined hands with the Citibank India and Mastercard to launch ‘IKEA Family Credit Card by Citi’ seeking to make acquisition of home furnishings more affordable for its diverse customers.

EarlySalary launches zero-touch digital card

  • Consumer lending platform EarlySalary launched a zero-touch digital card that provides instant access for salaried professionals to make instant purchases across thousands of merchants across India.
  • Called Salary Card, it is powered by RuPay and allows consumers to set up a dynamic credit limit for their various spending requirements.

Flipkart-owned PhonePe launches car, bike insurance in association with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

  • Flipkart-owned PhonePe launched car and bike insurance products on its platform in association with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

IRDAI asks life insurers to launch ‘Saral Jeevan Bima’ scheme by Jan 1

  • Regulator IRDAI asked life insurance companies to launch a standard term insurance policy ‘Saral Jeevan Bima’ by January 1, 2021 to help customers take informed decisions.
  • The Saral Jeevan Bima will be a pure term life insurance product that can be purchased by people in the age group of 18 to 65 years and will have a policy term of 4 to 40 years, guidelines issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Axis Mutual Fund launches banking ETF

  • Axis Mutual Fund has launched a new fund offer – Axis Banking ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). The ETF offers investors an opportunity to invest in the biggest banks. Passive funds are designed to track the performance of an index.

Jana Bank to be sponsor bank for Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank

  • Jana Small Finance Bank, a Bengaluru-based small finance bank (SFB), has partnered with Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank Limited under the bank sponsorship programme.
  • With this, Jana Bank has become the first SFB to go live under the sponsorship programme.

SBI authorised to issue, encash Electoral Bonds from Oct 19-28

  • The Ministry of Finance has stated that the State Bank of India (SBI), in the 14th Phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash Electoral Bonds through its 29 Authorized Branches with effect from 19th October  to  28th of October this year.

RBI imposes Rs 4.5-cr penalty on IndusInd Bank for non-compliance with its directions

  • The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 4.5 crore on IndusInd Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by it.

IDBI Bank launches banking services on WhatsApp

  • IDBI Bank announced the launch of banking services on WhatsApp. The WhatsApp Banking service is being offered through a dedicated WhatsApp verified number ensuring end-to-end encryption, the Bank stated.

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Axis Bank

  • CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
  • Headquarters: Mumbai

ADB

  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
  • President: Masatsugu Asakawa

EXIM Bank

  • CEO: David Rasquinha
  • Founded: 1 January 1982
  • Headquarters: Mumbai

Maldives

  • Capital: Malé
  • Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
  • President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

Paytm:

  • CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
  • Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Vistara

  • CEO: Leslie Thng
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

RBI:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Governor: Shaktikanta Das
  • Deputy Governor: Shri M. K. Jain, Shri B.P. Kanungo, Michael Debabrata Patra

Zimbabwe

  • Capital: Harare
  • President: Emmerson Mnangagwa
  • Currencies: United States Dollar

 IMF

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C. U.S
  • Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva
  • Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath

Mastercard:

  • CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga
  • Headquarters: New York, United States

IKEA:

  • Headquarters: Delft, Netherlands
  • CEO: Jesper Brodin

Phonepe

  • CEO: Sameer Nigam
  • Headquarters location: Bengaluru

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

  • CEO: Tapan Singhel
  • Headquarters: Pune

IRDAI

  • Founded: 1999
  • Headquarters: Hyderabad
  • Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

 Axis Mutual Fund:

  • Headquarters:Mumbai, India
  • Chandresh Kumar Nigam :(MD & CEO)

Jana SFB

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru
  • MD&CEO: Ajay Kanwal

Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank Limited

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru
  • President: Nagaraj

SBI:

  • Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1 July 1955

Indusind Bank:

  • CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
  • Headquarters: Pune

IDBI bank:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • CEO: Rakesh Sharma

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

BharatPe Launches Brand Campaign With Record 11 Cricket Stars As Brand Ambassadors

  • BharatPe has announced the launch of its high impact TV campaign starring ‘Team BharatPe’ with 11 Cricket stars. The TVC series has been directed by ace Bollywood director, Puneet Malhotra, and communicates the message ‘Hum Hai Team BharatPe – Jo Desh Ke Har Dukandaar Ke Saath Hai Khade’.

Amazon Pay, Uber collaborate to push digital payments in India

  • Amazon Pay, an online payment processing service, and Uber, a technology company that offers vehicles for hire, announced a partnership that will integrate Amazon Pay as a payment option on the Uber app.

Microsoft collaborates with AICTE to upskill students, educators in next-gen tech

  • Microsoft announced that it has partnered with the Government of India’s All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to provide online course modules to students across the country.

BBNL Taps Hughes India to Connect 5,000 Panchayats with Satellite Broadband

  • Hughes Communications India Private Limited (‘Hughes India’), a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global enabler in broadband satellite networks and services, has announced its selection by Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd.(TCIL) to provide high-speed satellite connectivity to 5,000 remote gram panchayats.

TCS surpasses Accenture to become most-valuable IT services firm globally

  • Tata Consultancy Services became the world’s most valuable IT services company, overtaking Accenture in market capitalisation, with IBM at third place. The tables have turned since 2018, when IBM was in first place, Accenture second and TCS third.

Mastercard partners Indian start-up Signzy for global rollout of Video KYC

  • Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments industry, has partnered with Signzy, a RegTech startup based in India, for global rollout of Signzy’s video-based KYC (Know Your Customer) solution for its banking customers.

PepsiCo to set up greenfield potato chips production unit in UP with investment of Rs. 814 crore

  • The multi-national food and beverage major PepsiCo is setting up a greenfield potato chips production unit in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs. 814 crore.

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Uber Technologies Inc:

  • CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi
  • Headquarters: California, United States

Microsoft:

  • CEO: Satya Nadella
  • Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

TCS:

  • CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan
  • Headquarters: Mumbai

Mastercard:

  • CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga
  • Headquarters: New York, United States

PepsiCo:

  • CEO: Ramon Laguarta
  • Headquarters: New York, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Goa Govt Ties Up With India Post To Get Farmers Enrolled In PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme

  • The Goa Government has tied up with India Postto get 11,000 farmers enrolled in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sanman Nidhi scheme.

Kerala introduces high-tech digital classrooms in all its public schools

  • Kerala, the highly literate state, is pioneering digital classroom technology. And it is introducing high-tech classrooms in all its public schools.

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launches Saur Swarojgar Yojana to generate self-employment for youth, migrants

  • Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched the Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana for self-employment by solar energy farming at the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali auditorium in The Yojana aims at creating self-employment for nearly 10,000 youths in the state.

Assam CM launches “Swa-nirbhar Naari: Atmanirbhar Asom” scheme

  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the ‘Swa-nirbhar Naari: Atmanirbhar Asom’ scheme in a bid to empower the economically disadvantaged women of the State at a programme organised by Panchayat & Rural Development Department at Chandrapur in Kamrup (Metro).

MCGM, Google collaborate to mark Containment Zones in Mumbai on Google Maps

  • The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and Google have collaborated to mark Containment Zones in the city on the Google Maps.

TN & WEF to set up advanced manufacturing hub

  • Guidance, a nodal investment promotion and facilitation agency of the State of Tamil Nadu, has partnered with World Economic Forum to establish India’s first advanced manufacturing hub (AMHUB) in the State.

Goa becomes first Har Ghar Jal State in country by providing tap water connection to every rural household

  • Goa has become the first Har Ghar Jal State in the country by providing tap water connection to every rural household. The state has provided tap water connection to two lakh 30 thousand rural households.

Delhi govt launches ‘first-of-its kind’ tree transplantation policy

  • The Delhi government has launched a “first-of-its kind” tree transplantation policy under which trees won’t be cut for development projects but will be uprooted and placed elsewhere.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath To Launch Mission Shakti For Women

  • The Yogi Adityanath government will dedicate the upcoming Navratri festival to women’s safety, dignity and empowerment by launching ‘Mission Shakti’ .

Haryana gets a water testing lab on wheels

  • Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar launched a Rs 99-lakh mobile water testing laboratory that is fully equipped with the latest multi-parameter systems to determine the quality of potable water.

AAI to develop greenfield airport at Hollongi by November 2022

  • State-run Airports Authority of India stated that it will develop a greenfield airport at Arunachal Pradesh’s Hollongi, near Itanagar, which is expected to be completed by November 2022.

Odisha CM Naveen Virtually Launches ‘Sujal’- Drink From Tap Mission Initiative

  • Chief minister Naveen Patnaik virtually launchedthe “Drink from the tap Mission-Sujal”, an initiative under the 5T model of governance, that aimed to ensure 24×7 safe and quality drinking water to the people in urban areas.

Water taxi service to be launched in Alappuzha

  • Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch a water taxi service of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) in

DPCC bans diesel generators in Delhi from October 15 to curb air pollution

  • Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) issued directions banning the use of diesel generators in the national capital under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Gujarat govt announces setting up of world’s biggest Zinc Smelter project in Dosawada in Tapi district

  • Gujarat government has announced the setting up of the world’s biggest Zinc Smelter project in Dosawada in Tapi district. The Memorandum of Understanding for this project was signed with Vedanta Group.

J&K: “SAKHI” One-Stop Service Centre for women in Ramban district inaugurated

  • In Jammu and Kashmir, Senior Consultant in the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, D Jupaka Madhavi and Additional Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Rajni Sharma inaugurated a “SAKHI” One-Stop Service Centre for women in Ramban district.

Punjab to launch its own SC post-matric scholarship scheme

  • The Punjab Cabinet to launch its own Scheduled Caste Post Matric Scholarship Scheme in place of the Centre’s scheme, in order to facilitate students to pursue higher education in government and private institutions.

UP govt decides to set up women help desk in every police station of state

  • In a major decision related to women security in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered to establish women help desks in each and every police station of state.

Delhi govt launches ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ initiative

  • In a bid to tackle air pollution in the national capital, Delhi government launched ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’
  • The initiative part of ‘Yuddh, Pradushan Ke Viruddh’ campaign promotes switching off the engine of the vehicles while waiting at the red signals.

IAV’s first phase becomes operational at Thonnakkal

  • The Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in the district will evolve into a global centre for high-end virology research and help Kerala scale greater heights in its efforts to improve public health and contain virus outbreaks, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has stated.

UP govt to launch 6-month long women empowerment programme ‘Mission Shakti’ to raise awareness

  • Uttar Pradesh government will launch 6-month long women empowerment programme ‘Mission Shakti’ to raise awareness and tackle crime against women in the state. Six month campaign has two phases, Mission Shakti’ and ‘Operation Shakti. Mission Shakti will feature awareness campaigns related to women’s safety.

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Uttarakhand

  • Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
  • Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
  • Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat

Assam

  • Capital: Dispur
  • Chief minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
  • Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

Tamil Nadu

  • Capital: Chennai
  • Chief minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
  • Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Delhi

  • Chief minister: Arvind Kejriwal
  • Governor: Anil Baijal

Goa

  • Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
  • Capital: Panaji
  • Chief minister: Pramod Sawant

India Post

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Director General: Arundhaty Ghosh

Kerala:

  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
  • Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
  • Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

Haryana

  • Capital: Chandigarh
  • Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya
  • Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar

Arunachal Pradesh:

  • Capital: Itanagar
  • Governor :B. D. Mishra
  • Chief Minister: Pema Khandu

Odisha

  • Capital: Bhubaneswar
  • Governor: Ganeshi Lal
  • Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik

Gujarat:

  • Capital: Gandhinagar
  • Governor: Acharya Devvrat
  • Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

Jammu and Kashmir:

  • Capital: Srinagar (May-October),Jammu (November-April)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha

Punjab

  • Capital: Chandigarh
  • Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
  • Chief minister: Amarinder Singh

Uttar Pradesh:

  • Governor: Anandiben Patel
  • Capital: Lucknow
  • Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

Kerala:

  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
  • Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
  • Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

14 investors sign MoUs with Tamil Nadu govt to invest over Rs 10,055 Cr in various industrial projects

  • In Tamil Nadu, 14 investors have signed MoUs with the state government to invest over 10,055 crore rupees in various industrial projects. The MoUs were inked in the presence of the state Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy in Chennai.

NIT Tiruchirappalli signs MoU with C-DAC Pune for installing state of art super computer

  • National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune for installing a state of the art super computer in the process of becoming part of the National Super Computing Mission of the Government of India.

J&K Govt inks MoU with Flipkart to provide platform for local artisans, craftsmen, weavers to reach customers worldwide

  • In a significant step to promote the rural economy and to boost the sale of genuine products of Jammu & Kashmir, the JK Government signed an historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with online store Flipkart to provide a platform for local artisans, craftsmen, weavers to reach customers across the globe.

Indian Bank inks MoU with Ministry, SIDBI for street vendors

  • Public sector Indian Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for payment of subsidy to street vendors under the Centre’s SVANidhi Scheme.

GreenBase, Tamil Nadu sign MoU to set up industrial, logistics park

  • GreenBase, a Hiranandani Group subsidiary, stated it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to set up an industrial and logistics park near here at an investment of Rs 750 crore.

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Flipkart:

  • Q: Bengaluru
  • CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy

MoHUA:

  • Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri
  • Constituency: Amristar

Indian bank:

  • Headquarters: Chennai
  • CEO: Padmaja Chunduru
  • Tagline :Your Own Bank, Banking That’s Twice As Good

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Govt Launches ARHC Portal Under PM Awas Yojana

  • Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched ARHC portalmohua.gov.in, via a webinar.
  • The initiative has been taken up to provide dignified and affordable living spaces to varied groups of urban migrants/ poor including industrial & construction workers, migrants working with market/trade associations, educational/health institutions, hospitality sector, long term tourists/ visitors, students etc.

Stellapps launches ‘mooPay’ for dairy farmers in Rajasthan

  • Digital technology solutions provider Stellapps announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind, fully-automated direct payment platform — ‘mooPay’ — for dairy farmers in Rajasthan. The IIT-Madras incubated dairy-tech startup and World Economic Forum’s technology pioneer, Stellapps, launched mooPay

Leather Sector Skill Council launches SCALE India android app

  • The Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) announced the launch of Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees (SCALE) India android app. Operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship(MSDE), LSSC is committed to strengthening its digital capabilities on quality assurance across training delivery, monitoring, assessments, verification and linkages to ASEEM portal.

J&K L-G launches mobile app for Vaishno Devi devotees

  • Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, launched a mobile app for the cave shrine devotees at the civil secretariat in Srinagar.

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Rajasthan:

  • Governor: Kalraj Mishra
  • Capital: Jaipur
  • Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship:

  • Mahendra Nath Pandey, Cabinet Minister
  • Constituency: Chandauli
  • Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

CCI approves acquisition of solar projects by Adani Green Energy Twenty-Three Ltd

  • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of solar energy generation assets of Adani Green Energy Ten Limited (AGE10L) by Adani Green Energy Twenty-Three Ltd (AGE23L). An official statement stated these approvals are under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.

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Adani Green Energy:

  • Founder: Gautam Adani
  • Headquarters: Ahmedabad

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Nilesh Shah re-elected as AMFI chairman

  • Nilesh Shah, managing director of Kotak Asset Management Company (AMC), has been re-elected as AMFI chairman. Besides, Saurabh Nanavati, who is the chief executive officer of Invesco Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd, has been re-elected as the vice-chairman of AMFI.

CWG medallist shuttler Chetan Anand named brand ambassador of homegrown brand ‘Transform’

  • Commonwealth Games medallist shuttler Chetan Anand was named the brand ambassador of India’s first-ever badminton brand ‘Transform’ which was launched virtually.

Amit Banerjee is appointed as the New Director (Rail and Metro Business) at BEML

  • Amit Banerjee assumed charge as the Director (Rail and Metro Business) and Member on the Board of BEML Limited. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, Banerjee had joined BEML as an assistant engineer in 1984, the company stated.

Reserve Bank of India reallocates portfolios of deputy governors

  • Reserve Bank of India has reallocated portfolios of deputy governors, with the department of regulation entrusted to the newly-appointed M Rajeshwar Rao. Deputy Governor MD Patra will continue to look after the monetary policy department.
  • Deputy Governor MK Jain will look after central security cell, corporate strategy and budget department, consumer education and protection department, Deputy Governor BP Kanungo will oversee coordination, currency management, external investments and operations.

Indian-origin Srikant Datar named Dean of Harvard Business School

  • Srikant Datar, the Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, will become the School’s next dean, Harvard University President Larry Bacow announced.

ICICI Securities appoints Subhash Kelkar as Chief Technology & Digital Officer

  • ICICI Securities has appointed Subhash Kelkar as Chief Technology and Digital Officer after the superannuation of Yagnesh Parikh who continue to be associated with the brokerage house in an advisory capacity.

SVYM and GRAAM founder appointed to SEBI committee

  • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has inducted Balasubramaniam, founder and chairman of GRAAM, Mysuru, as a member of the Technical Group on Social Stock Exchange (SSE). The committee has been formed to develop guidelines for setting up the Social Stock Exchange in India.

Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Netherlands

  • Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Netherlands. Presently, He is the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia.

Karnataka Bank appoints new Additional Director

  • Karnataka Bank has appointed Uma Shankar as Additional Director (non-executive, independent) at its board meeting. The appointment will be effective from November 1.

Cello Group signs Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador

  • Cello Group, a household product manufacturer, has roped in Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador.

NTPC CMD Gurdeep Singh’s term extended till July 2025

  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has extended the tenure of state run NTPC Ltd chairman and managing director, Gurdeep Singh till 31 July 2025.

Dita named ambassador for World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020

  • Romania’s 2008 Olympic champion Constantina Dita has been named an ambassador for theWorld Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020.

Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigns

  • The president of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov has stepped down after nearly two weeks of mass protests following a disputed election.

Supreme Court Appoints One-Man Panel To Monitor Prevention Of  Stubble Burning

  • The Supreme Court appointed a one-man panel of retired apex court judge Justice MB Lokur to monitor the steps taken by the neighbouring states to prevent stubble burning, while brushing aside objections of the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Vishal V Sharma appointed as next Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO

  • Vishal V Sharma has been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Sharma replaces Jawed Ashraf.

IWF appoints Michael Irani as interim president

  • The International Weightlifting Federation announced the appointment of Michael Irani as its interim president.

Rajkiran Rai elected IBA chief

  • The Managing Committee of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), at its meeting, elected Rajkiran Rai G, Managing Director and CEO, Union Bank of India, as the Chairman of the Association for the term 2020-21.

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Association of Mutual Funds in India

  • CEO: C. V. R. Rajendran

BEML Limited:

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • Shri D. K. Hota: (Chairman & MD)

ICICI securities:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1995

SEBI:

  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

Netherlands

  • Capital: Amsterdam
  • Currency: Euro

 Karnataka Bank:

  • Headquarters: Mangalore
  • CEO: Mahabaleshwara M. S

Kyrgystan

  • Capital: Bishkek
  • Currency: Kyrgyzstani som
  • Prime Minister: Sadyr Japarov

UNESCO

  • Headquarters: Paris, France
  • Head: Audrey Azoulay

IWF

  • Headquarters location: Budapest, Hungary
  • President: Ursula Papandrea (acting)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Poet Nityananda Nayak to receive Sarala Puraskar

  • Noted Odia poet Nityanand Nayak will be conferred the prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his poetry work ‘Setebelaku Nathiba’, published in 2017.
  • The poet will be felicitated with a cash award of `5 lakh and a citation.

World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize 2020 For Efforts To Combat Hunger

  • The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 has been awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its contribution towards achievement of food security.

Chaitanya Venkateswaran, 18-year-old Indian girl, becomes British High Commissioner for a day

  • Chaitanya Venkateswaran, an 18-year-old girl from India, got a unique opportunity to become the British High Commissioner of India.

American economists awarded Nobel Prize in economics for work on auction theory

  • The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Stanford University economists Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson for work on commercial auctions.

BoG wins Central Bank of the Year award

  • The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has been honoured at the seventh Central Banking Awards.
  • The Governor of the BoG, Dr Ernest Addison received the Central Bank of Yearaward on behalf of the bank.

Indian-origin philanthropist Harish Kotecha wins lifetime achievement award in US

  • Indian-origin philanthropist Harish Kotecha has been awarded the prestigious Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his work in the US for meeting the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Mrs Seema Gupta Director Operations POWERGRID wins 2020 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

  • The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honour women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run– worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards. The Award would be presented to Seema Gupta during a virtual awards ceremony scheduled on December 9, 2020.

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WFP

  • Headquarters: Rome, Italy
  • Founded: 1961
  • Heads: Ertharin Cousin, David Beasley

Ghana

  • Capital: Accra
  • Currency: Ghanaian cedi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Fifth meeting of BRICS energy ministers to start under Russia’s chairmanship

  • The fifth energy ministers’ meeting of the BRICS group of countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will take place under Russia’s presidency in the association.

India, Chile hold first joint commission meeting

  • India and Chile held their first joint commission meeting and agreed to add new momentum to their relations in a wide range of fields including trade and commerce, agriculture, health and social security, defence and space. The meeting held virtually was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chilean counterpart Andres Allamand Zavala.

India hosts virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

  • India hosted the virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO.
  • The Seventh Meeting of Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States was hosted by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law & Justice, Communication and Electronics & Information Technology.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman participates in 102nd meeting of World Bank Development Committee Plenary

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in 102nd meeting of the World Bank Development Committee Plenary through video conference.

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Chile:

  • Capital: Santiago
  • President: Sebastián Piñera
  • Currency: Chilean peso

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:

  • Headquarters: Beijing, China
  • Secretary General: Vladimir Norov

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

India to be third-largest economy in world by 2050

  • Indian economy will become the third-largest in the world by 2050 after the United States and China, a study published in the Lancet journal. Currently, India is at fifth spot followed by France and the United Kingdom.

India Ranks 129th  in Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index

  • India, which is ranked 129 out of 158 countries in the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index by Oxfam, spent just 4 per cent of its budget on health going into the pandemic — fourth lowest in the world. The list is topped by Norway.

New Zealand passport most powerful, US ranked 21, India 58 in Global Passport Index by Arton Capital

  • New Zealand has knocked off Japan for the strongest passport in the world according to the latest Global Passport Index compiled by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. The US passport ranked 21 and India, 58.

India recorded the third-highest number of disaster events over the past 20 years: UN Report

  • India ranks third in the highest number of disaster events recorded over the last 20 years according to the latest report published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Chandigarh University bags first rank in India as stand-alone institution for filling highest number of patents in a year according to Government of India patent rankings

  • Chandigarh University Gharuan has emerged as Top Stand-Alone University in India for filling highest number of patents in a year.

Global Hunger Index 2020: India ranks 94 out of 107 countries, under ‘serious’ category

  • India ranks 94 among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2020, the report released. According to the report, with a score of 27.2, India has a level of hunger that is “serious”. India’s rank was 102 out of 117 countries last year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&aw Officer Unravels The Path To 1984 by G.B.S.Sidhu

  • After twenty-six years in the R&AW, B.S. Sidhu retired as Special Secretary in 1998. His book, Sikkim: Dawn of Democracy (2018), talks about his role in Sikkim’s 1975 merger with India, when he was in charge of the R&AW station at Gangtok.

Book “Mr Prime Minister, We Shrank the Dragon” by author Pradeep Goorha

  • Pradeep Goorha, is all set for the release of his second book “Mr Prime Minister, We Shrank the Dragon”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IIT Kharagpur designs robotic system to identify diseases plaguing plants

  • IIT Kharagpur has designed a robotic system capable of identifying the diseases plaguing plants through camera-captured image analysis.

Nanosafe Solutions launch anti-fungal water storage container “AqCure”

  • The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D)-incubated startup Nanosafe Solutions has developed a range of antimicrobial i.e., anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal water storage container based on the inherent antimicrobial properties of copper.
  • AqCure is a patented technology in which active nanocopper is released in a sustainable manner from a polymer matrix.

Advanced version of Sayabot launched

  • Kochi-based maker Village Startup ASIMOV Robotics has modified its robot, Sayabot, with add-on features like checking body temperature of visitors/customers and dispensing sanitiser at the same time.

Trial run of India’s first hydrogen fuel cell car successfully conducted by CSIR, KPIT

  • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and KPIT successfully ran trials of India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) prototype car running on an indigenously developed fuel cell stack at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. The fuel cell is a low temperature PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) type Fuel Cell that operates at 65-75 degree centigrade, which is suitable for vehicular applications.

New perennial woody herb species spotted in Kerala

  • A team of researchers have reported a new species of perennial woody herb of the genus Lepidagathis from the northern laterite plateaus of Kasaragod district in the State.

IMD launches impact-based cyclone warning system

  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched a dynamic, impact-based cyclone warning system aimed at minimising economic losses and damage to property from cyclones that hit the country’s coasts every year.

Microsoft alerts Android users of new ransomware that could render smartphone useless

  • Microsoft is responsible for locating and dealing with potentially dangerous malwares on their own Windows operating system. Microsoft claims that this new mobile ransomware was detected by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as AndroidOS/MalLocker.B.

After Nearly 125 Years, Rare Day Flying Moth ‘Achelura Bifasciata’ Sighted in Uttarakhand

  • Arun Gour, an enthusiastic lepidopterist who spotted a rare day flying moth named as ‘Achelura bifasciata’ in Devalsari of Tehri district in Uttarakhand. This moth was spotted after 125 years it was last reported in the forest of Nainital.

NASA to Launch Nano Satellite Developed by Three Tamil Nadu Students into Sub-orbit

  • An experimental satellite by three students from Tamil Nadu’s Karur district will be launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency into the sub orbit in June, next on NASA’s sounding rocket 7.

One American, two Russians blast off to International Space Station

  • A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and successfully reached orbit, live footage broadcast by Russia’s space agency Roscosmos.

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CSIR:

  • Director General: Shekhar C. Mande
  • Head quarters : Delhi

KPIT Technologies Limited:

  • Ravi Pandit:(Chairman, Group CEO)
  • Headquarters:Pune, Maharashtra, India

IMD

  • Founded: 1875
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Director General: Mrutyunjay Mohapatra

 Microsoft:

  • CEO: Satya Nadella
  • Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

Uttarakhand:

  • Capital: Gairsain (summer),Dehradun (winter)
  • Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
  • Chief Minister:Trivendra Singh Rawat (BJP)

NASA

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

India Test-Fires First Indigenous Anti-Radiation Missile “Rudram”

  • India successfully test-fired the “Rudram” Anti-Radiation Missile, developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft off the east coast.

North Korea unveils ‘monster’ new intercontinental ballistic missile at parade

  • North Korea unveiled a previously unseen ‘monster’ missile capable of hitting targets in the USA at a massive military parade.

Indian Navy Ships Sahyadri and Kora adjudged as Best Ships in FAF 2020

  • Fleet Award Function(FAF), 2020  was organised to mark the successful culmination of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam.

DRDO fires Nirbhay cruise missile into sea

  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) launched the 800-km range Nirbhay cruise missile from Odisha’s test facility into the Bay of Bengal.

Exercise Suraksha Kavach- Joint Anti Terrorist Exercise By Army and Police

  • The aim of the exercise was to harmonize the drills and procedures of both Army and Police for activating anti-terrorist Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) to counter any terrorist actions in Pune.

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DRDO

  • Founded: 1958
  • Headquarters: DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi
  • Chairman: G Satheesh Kumar Reddy

North Korea

  • Capital: Pyongyang
  • Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un
  • Currency: North Korean won

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

French Open Tennis 2020

Category Winner Runner
Men’s Singles Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic
Women’s Singles Poland Iga Świątek USA Sofia Kenin
Men’s Doubles Germany Kevin Krawietz /

Germany Andreas Mies

 Mate Pavić and Bruno Soares
Women’s Doubles Hungary Tímea Babos /

France Kristina Mladenovic

 Alexa Guarachi and

Desirae Krawczyk

India’s Nihal Sarin wins Junior Speed Chess Championship

  • Young Indian player Nihal Sarin emerged winner in the com’s 2020 Junior Speed Online Chess Championship, beating Russia’s world junior No. 6 Alexey Sarana in the final.

Hamilton wins Eifel GP to equal Schumacher’s F1 win record

  • Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula One wins at a frantic Eifel Grand Prix.
  • Red Bull’s Max Versteppen finished second, and took a bonus point for fastest lap, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo third for Renault in his first podium since 2018 when he was at Red Bull.

NBA finals 2020: Los Angeles Lakers beat Miami Heat to clinch title

  • The Los Angeles Lakers captured a record-tying 17th NBA Championship with a 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat.

 Odisha to sponsor national rugby teams till 2023

  • Odisha Government would sponsor the Indian national rugby team for the next three years (2023) and facilitate high performance training and conditioning of the players.
  • An agreement with Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) was inked here at Kalinga Stadium.

Tokyo to host international gymnastics event in November

  • Tokyo will host an international gymnastics tournament on Nov. 8.
  • The event is sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation and will feature 32 athletes from Japan, China, Russia and the United States.

STATIC GK

FIG

  • President: Morinari Watanabe
  • Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Justice KK Usha, first woman chief justice of Kerala HC from the bar, passes away at 81

  • Justice K K Usha, former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, passed away. She was 81.

Renowned Indian-origin South African human rights lawyer Priscilla Jana passes away

  • Renowned Indian-origin South African human rights lawyer Priscilla Jana who represented many anti-apartheid political leaders, including Nelson Mandela, has passed away at the age of 76.

Philanthropist Savithri Vaithi passes away at 92

  • Renowned philanthropist and social worker Savithri Vaithi succumbed to a cardiac arrest.
  • The 92-year-old was the founder of the Vishranthi Old Age Home and Madras Charity Club.

Former Indian football captain Carlton Chapman passes away

  • Former Indian football captain Carlton Chapman passed away due to a heart attack in Bengaluru. He was 49 years old. He was hospitalised with acute back pain.

Nagaland Minister CM Chang passes away Coronavirus At 77

  • Senior Nagaland minister CM Chang passed away of COVID-19.

Bihar Minister Vinod Singh passes away

  • Bihar Minister for Backward and Extremely Backward Classes Welfare Vinod Singh passed away.

Charlie Moore, 1952 Olympic 400 hurdles champion, passes away

  • Carlie Moore, the 400-meter hurdles champion at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, has passed away. He was 91.

Revolutionary Balladeer Vangapandu Prasada Rao passes away

  • A revolutionary balladeer and lyricist, Vangapandu Prasada Rao passed away in the early hours at his residence in Parvathipuram, Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh.

Padma Shri awardee and renowned Kuchipudi exponent Shobha Naidu passes away at 64

  • Renowned Kuchipudi dancer, Dr Shobha Naidu (64), passed away after prolonged illness.

At 93, ‘Nightingale of Gujarat’ passes away due to Covid

  • Kaumudi Munshi, known as the “Nightingale of Gujarat”, passed away in the early hours at Somaiya Hospital in Sion due to Covid-19

Renowned Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri passes away

  • Renowned Malayalam poet and Jnanpith laureate Mahakavi Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri passed away in Thrissur ,kerala. The  94 year old poet, was admitted to hospital due to age related ailments.

Former New Zealand all-rounder John R Reid passes away at 92

  • John Richard Reid, former New Zealand great and their oldest surviving Test player, has passed away at the age of 92 in Auckland.

Oscar-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya passes away at 91

  • Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, passed away in Mumbai. She was 91. Bhanu Athaiya won the Best Costume Design Oscar for her work in the 1982 film Gandhi.
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