NATIONAL AFFAIRS
12TH BRICS SUMMIT ON NOVEMBER 2020
12th BRICS Summit will be held on 17th November 2020 via video conference.
The theme of this year's BRICS Summit is “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.
The Summit this year is being held under the Chairmanship of Russia.
BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits. The headquarters of BRICS is situated in Shanghai, China.
MINISTERIAL MEETING OF QUAD COUNTRIES 2020
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has attended the 2nd QUAD Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo, Japan.
Four QUAD member nations which include India, United States, Japan and Australia, have collectively affirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (also known as the Quad) is the forum that was initiated as a dialogue by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan with other leaders of QUAD in 2007.
MEITY UNVEILED SUMMIT "RAISE 2020"
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology unveiled 'RAISE 2020', a Global Virtual Summit on Artificial Intelligence in New Delhi.
The Mega Virtual Summit AI, RAISE 2020 is organized by the MEITY and NITI Aayog. India is one of the founding members of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.
The summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi & summit aims to start discussion on the creation of robust AI-powered public infrastructure that benefits all across the world.
FIRST EVER BRAND & LOGO LAUNCHED FOR INDIAN COTTON
Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launched the first ever Brand and Logo for Indian Cotton.
Now India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade.
• India is the second largest cotton producer.
• Also India is the largest consumer of cotton in the world.
• Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) made ever highest Minimum Support Price (MSP).
PIYUSH GOYAL GIVEN ADDITIONAL CHARGE
Union Minister Piyush Goyal was assigned the additional charge of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
He was given the additional charge following the death of Lok Jana shakti Party (LJP) founder and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
Piyush Goyal is currently serving as the Union Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce and Industry.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
CROWN PRINCE OF KUWAIT: SHEIKH MESHAAL
Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has been chosen by Kuwait’s new emir to serve as crown prince.
Apart from that The Kuwaiti government, headed by Prime Minister (PM) Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah submitted its resignation to Emir Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah.
The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City whereas the currency of the country is Kuwaiti Dinar.
Pradeep kumar INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO NETHERLANDS
Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Netherlands, informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"Pradeep Kumar Rawat, presently serving as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia. He will replace “Venu Rajamony".
• India maintains an embassy in The Hague, Netherlands
• Netherlands maintains an embassy in New Delhi
• Prime Minister of Netherlands: Mark Rutte
• Capital of Netherlands: Amsterdam.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
THREE MEMBERS APPOINTED TO RBI'S COMMITTEE
The central government has appointed three external members to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India.
Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R.Varma, Shashanka Bhide, will be the three government nominees joining the RBI governor.
• RBI has its headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra &
• Currently; the Governor of RBI is Shaktikanta Das.
APPOINTMENT OF SBI CHAIRMAN
State Bank of India announced the appointment of Dinesh Kumar Khara, Managing Director & Chairman.
Dinesh Kumar Khara is one of the bank’s four managing directors, replaces Rajnish Kumar.
State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational, public sector banking and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Later, State Bank of India, Act 1955 was enacted which renamed the Imperial Bank of India as State Bank of India making it the oldest commercial bank of the country.
INDIA'S GDP TO CONTRACT BY 9.6% IN FY-21: WORLD BANK
The World Bank projected India’s GDP to contract by 9.6% this FY-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Bank recently released its report titled ‘South Asia Economic Focus’, noting that the country’s economic situation is much worse than ever seen before.
• The World Bank is an international financial institution.
• It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA) &
• It has its headquarters in Washington DC, USA.
• Currently, David Malpass is the President whereas Anshula Kant is the MD & CFO of the World Bank.
APPOINTMENTS
M A GANAPATHY APPOINTED AS DG, BCAS
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of M A Ganapathy to the post of Director General, BCAS.
The post of BCAS chief fell vacant after Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force.
• The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India).
• BCAS is headed by an officer of the rank of Director General of police.
• It has its headquarters in New Delhi.
J VENKATRAMU APPOINTED AS MD & CEO OF IPPB
J Venkatramu has been appointed the managing director and chief executive officer of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).
He will succeed Suresh Sethi. J Venkatramu is presently working as the chief digital officer in Equitas Small Finance Bank.
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) headquarters: New Delhi
• Pradeep Kumar Bisoi is the Secretary, Department of Post in IPPB.
M RAJESHWAR RAO: RBI DEPUTY GOVERNOR
The Centre has appointed M Rajeshwar Rao as the new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India on October 2020.
Prior to this, M Rajeshwar Rao was an executive director at RBI. He succeeds NS Vishwanathan as the central bank’s fourth deputy governor.
• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
AWARDS & HONOURS
RATAN TATA CONFERRED WITH IACC AWARD
Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) has presented the lifetime achievement award to business icon Ratan Tata as part of its recent global leadership awards.
The IACC leadership bestowed the IACC Lifetime and Global Excellence Awards to Tata at a closed-door meeting, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
TATA Group has its headquarteres in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Tata. Natarajan Chandrasekaran is the Current chairman of TATA Group.
JSPL CONFERRED WITH GREENTECH CSR AWARD
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) has been conferred with GreenTech CSR India 2020 Award.
The award was received by Chairperson of JSPL Foundation Shallu Jindal during the seventh CSR India Summit & Expo held virtually.
JSPL has been declared the winner for this coveted award in the category of "Promotion of Health and Healthcare" after several rounds of assessment.
NATIONAL START-UP AWARDS 2020
Two Mumbai-based Start-ups were declared winners at the first National Start-Up Awards-2020.
Taraltech Solutions Private Limited won the award in the Urban Services category; Wealthy Therapeutics won the award in the Health care category.
After Karnataka, Maharashtra had the maximum number of start-ups applying for this prestigious award. India is the number three country in the world in terms of number of Start-ups.
SPORTS
AUSTRALIAN WK BROKE RECORD OF "MS DHONI"
Australian woman cricketer and wicketkeeper, Alyssa Healy broke the record of “Most Dismissal by Wicket Keeper” by MS Dhoni’s who made 91 dismissals in 98 T20 Internationals (T20Is) for India.
Sarah Taylor of England, with 74 dismissals from 90 matches, is at the 3rd spot while Rachael Priest, with 72 dismissals in 75 matches is at the 4th spot in T20Is.
ROMELU LUKAKU NAMED UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYER
Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku was named the Europa League player of the season for 2019-20 after the Belgian forward led the Italian side to the final with goals in every knockout round.
The 27-year-old finished ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Ever Banega to win the fourth edition of the award.
• FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) is a non-profit organization.
• It as an international governing body of association football. It is the highest governing body of football.
• FIFA is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
• Gianni Infantino is the President of FIFA.
IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES
WORLD ANIMAL WELFARE DAY: 4TH OCTOBER
World Animal Welfare Day is celebrated on 4th October across the world. The day aims to raise awareness about improving the welfare standards of the animals.
World Animal Day was first organized by Heinrich Zimmermann on 24th March 1925, at Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany.
Whereas "World Animal Welfare Day" was first started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy, to highlight the importance of endangered species.
WORLD'S TEACHERS DAY: 5TH OCTOBER
World Teachers' Day is observed on 5 October every year. The day aims to provide a great opportunity to appreciate and thank all the teachers of the world who have gone out of their way to make sure no one is left behind.
The theme for 2020 World Teachers' Day is "Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future." The day focuses to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide.
World Teachers' Day commemorates the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
WORLD HABITAT DAY 2020
World Habitat Day 2020 is observed on the First Monday of October every year with an aim to raise awareness about the importance of achieving sustainable development simultaneously.
World Habitat Day also aims to provide shelter and basic amenities and improve the conditions of every human settlement.
World Habitat Day was declared first in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) after passing a resolution 40/202. The day was first celebrated in the year 1986.
INDIAN AIR FORCE DAY: 8TH OCTOBER
Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Air Force on 8th of October. This year is its 88th anniversary.
The special occasion will showcase a ceremonial parade and flypast involving a variety of aircraft at the Hindon airbase. IAF’s frontline warplanes like Rafale, Su-30MKI, Apache, Tejas, ‘Gajraj’ will showcase its lethal firepower.
Currently, Chiefs of Air Staff is Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.
WORLD POST DAY: 9TH OCTOBER
World Post Day is observed on 9th October every year. The purpose of World Post Day is to create awareness of the role of the postal sector.
World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October as the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern.
It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY: 10TH OCTOBER
World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10 each year to increase involvement in the matters of mental health, encouraging global mental health.
This year, the international awareness day will be focusing on theme “Mental Health for All”
• The first ever World Mental Health Day was celebrated on October 10, 1992
• President of World Federation for Mental Health: Ingrid Daniels.
• World Federation for Mental Health Founded: 1948.
REPORTS AND INDEXES
FORBES INDIA RICH LIST 2020
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, remains the wealthiest Indian on Forbes India list adding $37.3 billion to his net worth.
The second spot has been retained by Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, with a net worth of $25.2 billion.
Tech tycoon Shiv Nadar acquired the third spot with a net worth of $20.4 billion.
GOA IS THE FIRST "HAR GHAR JAL" STATE
Goa has become the first 'Har Ghar Jal' state in the country by providing 100% tap water connections in rural areas covering 2.30 lakh households.
The government's Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024.
Two districts- South Goa and North Goa have been fully saturated with assured water supply through the tap connections.
• Currently Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the Union Minister of Jal Shakti
• Pramod Sawant is Chief Minister of Goa.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CHINA TO SEND WORLD'S FIRST MINING ROBOT IN SPACE
Origin Space, a space start-up in China, has announced that it is to send out the world's first mining robot into space.
The robot is termed an Asteroid Mining robot & it is launched into space by a Chinese Long March rocket.
The mission will demonstrate and verify multiple functions like simulated small celestial body capture, spacecraft orbital manoeuvre, intelligent spacecraft identification and control.
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TESTED SHAURYA MISSILE
DRDO successfully test-fired Shaurya missile.
“Shaurya missile” of the nuclear-capable missile will be inducted in the strategic forces and is being claimed to complement the existing missiles in the same class.
DRDO is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence.
It is headquartered in New Delhi whereas the Chairman of DRDO is G. Satheesh Reddy.
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TESTED "SMART MISSILE"
DRDO successfully flight tested the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.
SMART missile is the assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations for far beyond torpedo range.
SMART missile armed with a torpedo that could in theory strike enemy submarines more than 400 miles (643 kilometers) away.
OBITUARIES
RAM VILAS PASWAN PASSED AWAY AT 74
Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan passed away in New Delhi. He was 74 & had recently undergone a heart operation.
• Founder of the Lok Janshakti Party
• He was elected to Lok Sabha eight times from his constituency, Hajipur.
• Incumbent as Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
• He has served as a Union Minister under five different Prime Ministers.
AFGHANISTAN CRICKETER PASSED AWAY AT 29
Afghanistan’s top-order batsman Najeeb Tarakai has passed away of the injuries he sustained in a road accident.
Tarakai represented the national team in 12 T20Is and one ODI. The right-handed batsman made his international debut at the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
Tarakai’s last international appearance was in September 2019 against Bangladesh.
FORMER CBI- DIRECTOR ASHWANI KUMAR PASSED AWAY
Former governor and CBI chief Ashwani Kumar was found dead in his Shimla. He was 69.
Ashwani Kumar, a 1973 batch officer of the Indian Police Service, headed the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The Manmohan Singh government appointed him as Nagaland governor in March 2013
NOBEL LAUREATE MARIO MOLINA PASSED AWAY
Mario José Molina, the only Mexican scientist to receive the Nobel Prize, passed away. He was born in 1943 in Mexico City, Mexico.
He shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Frank Sherwood Rowland of the United States (US) and Paul Crutzen of the Netherlands for their 1970 research on the damage to the Ozone layer.
Molina's work was crucial to enacting the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
LEGAL AFFAIRS
SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT ON PROTEST IN SHAHEEN BAGH
The Supreme Court has observed that the right to peaceful protest has to be in designated places alone.
SC observed that the mode and manner of dissent against colonial rule cannot be equated with dissent in a self-ruled democracy.
Appeal was filed seeking to remove the protests against CAA-NRC at Shaheen Bagh.
Article 19, one of the cornerstones of the Constitution of India, confers upon its citizen treasured rights, i.e., the right to assemble peacefully without arms under Article 19(1) (b).
ANDHRA PRADESH'S CM COMPLAINT TO CJI
The State of Andhra Pradesh declaring no-confidence in some of the High Court judges.
Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has written a complaint to the Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde.
He alleged that some High Court judges are attempting to protect the interests of the major opposition party, Telugu Desam Party, in politically sensitive matters.
Complaining that there was bias in the State Judiciary towards the TDP, the CM urged the CJI to take steps to ensure that the "State Judiciary's neutrality is maintained".
This could probably be the first instance where a Chief Minister is openly complaining against judges of the higher judiciary.
