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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 - 25 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?

26 - 30 POLITICAL SCIENCE

India’s Foreign Policy Latest Court Verdicts Govt

– Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility

31 - 32 GEOGRAPHY

Policy on Environment and Ecology Natural Disasters

– Safeguard Measures

33 - 36 ECONOMICS

New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector Current Socio

- Economic Problems

31

26

01

33

37 - 49 SCIENCE Latest Inventions in Science & Technology

Latest Discoveries on Health Science

Mass Media & Communication

50 NATIONAL – DIARY OF

EVENTS

73 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

79 TAMIL NADU AFFAIRS

84 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

37

50

73

79

84

Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020

Vetrii iAs study CirCle 1

History1.1 Important Days

Date Day Theme / Remark

September to be observed as “Nutrition month”: PM Modi in Mann ki Baat

During the monthly radio broadcast programme “Mann ki Baat”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to celebrate the September 2020 as “Poshan Maah” or “Nutrition Month”.

The month will be celebrated across India to educate everyone on the importance of optimum nutrition.

The nutrition month was celebrated earlier in September 2018 and 2019.

Agriculture Fund of India with information about the crops of each district and their nutrition value are being prepared.

Sep. 2 World Coconut Day 2020 Theme of World Coconut Day 2020 –

“Invest in Coconut to save the world”.

Sep. 8International Literacy Day

Theme 2020: Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

Sep. 9Himalayan Day of Himalaya Diwas 2020

Himalaya Diwas or Himalaya Day is annually celebrated across India particularly in Uttarkhand on 9th September to create and spread awareness on the conservation of the Himalayan Ecosystem.

Theme of 2020: “Himalayas and Nature”.

Important Days

Vetrii iAS Study CirCle2

Vetrii's Current AffAirs, september - 2020Important Days

1-15 Sep.

Dept. of Fertilizers observes Swachhta Pakhwada

Union Department of Fertilizers is observing Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st to 15th September 2020.

All Public Sector Units as well as other Organizations under the Department are also participating in the Swachhta Abhiyan.

Swachhta Pakhwada has become more relevant in year 2020 in view of the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic.

The initiative was launched to bring a fortnight of intense focus on the issues as well as practices of Swachhata by engaging GOI Ministries/Departments in their jurisdictions.

The Ministries observing Swachhata Pakhwada are monitored closely with the help of online monitoring system of Swachhata Samiksha.

Sep. 1115th National Forest Martyr day 2020

National Forest Martyrs Day is observed annually on September 11 in India to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their loves in order to protect the environment, forests and wildlife across the country.

September 11 was chosen to commemorate the Khejarli massacre, which took place on September 11 in 1730.

Sep. 12 World First Aid Day 2020 The theme of World First Aid Day 2020 is

“First Aid Saves Lives”.

Sep. 14Hindi Diwas observed across the country

Hindi Diwas is celebrated across the country every year on 14 September.

It was on this day in 1949 that the constituent assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari as the official language of the country.

Government has taken several steps to promote the Rajbhasha and at the international forums, Hindi is being well received.



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



1.2 Defence, National Security and TerrorismDefence Ministry signs Rs 2,580-crore deal to procure Pinaka rocket launchers

The defence ministry sealed a deal with two leading domestic defence majors to procure Pinaka rocket launchers for six Army regiments at a cost of Rs 2,580 crore.

The Pinaka regiments will be deployed along India’s border with China and Pakistan to further enhance operational preparedness of the armed forces.

The contract has been signed with Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL) and engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) while defence public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) will also be part of the project.

The defence ministry announced the six Pinaka regiments comprise 114 launchers with Automated Gun Aiming and Positioning System (AGAPS) and 45 command posts.

The missile regiments are planned to be operationalised by 2024.

6th International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2020 held in Russia

The 6th International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2020” was held between August 23-29, 2020 at the Patriot Park near Moscow, Russia which was organized by Russian Defence Ministry and operated by International Congresses and Exhibitions Ltd. (ICE Ltd).

During the forum, Indian Pavilion was inaugurated by Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Indian Ambassador to Russia D.Bala Venkatesh Varma.

The forum saw the discussions between global military officials, researchers and defence industry experts about the application of 3D technologies in designing, manufacturing and operating weapons and military equipment.

11th edition of exercise INDRA NAVY begins in Bay of Bengal

Indian Navy and Russian Navy has commenced the 11th edition of a biennial bilateral maritime exercise “INDRA NAVY”.

The biennial bilateral maritime exercise will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 04 to 05 September 2020.

The maritime exercise “INDRA NAVY” embodies the long-term strategic relationship between the two Navies.

The INDRA NAVY-20 exercise seeks to consolidate the inter-operability built up by the navies of two countries over the years.

It will also improve the understanding as well as the procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations.

India, Japan sign mutual military logistics pact

India has signed a mutual logistics support arrangement (MLSA) with Japan, with an eye firmly on China’s expansionist behaviour in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Defence, National Security and Terrorism



The pact was signed by defence secretary Ajay Kumar and Japanese ambassador Suzuki Satoshi.

The agreement provides for creation of an enabling framework for closer cooperation, interoperability and use of each other’s military facilities by the armed forces of the two countries.

“The agreement establishes the enabling framework for closer cooperation between the armed forces of India and Japan in reciprocal provision of supplies and services while engaged in bilateral training activities,”

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya launches ‘SAROD-Ports’

Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) Shri Mansukh Mandaviya launched ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes - Ports) through virtual ceremony in New Delhi.

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya termed SAROD-Ports as a game changer and added that it will become the pivotal mechanism of ummeed (hope), vishwas (trust) and nyaya (justice) in the Port sector of India.

SAROD-Ports will resolve the disputes in fair and just manner while saving huge amount of legal expenditure and time.

First batch of five Rafale aircraft formally inducted into IAF

The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 10 September 2020 at the Air Force Station in Ambala.

They have been inducted in the Indian Air Force’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ based in Ambala. The first five Rafale aircraft had arrived from France on 27 July 2020.

The multi-role Rafale jets have been built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation.

India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in 2016 to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers.

DRDO Research lab to be opened in Kailaras-Jaura region, Morena district in Madhya Pradesh

A Research lab of DRDO at a cost of 2 thousand crore rupees will be opened in Kailaras-Jaura region of Morena district in Madhya Pradesh.

The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan informed that 350 hectares of land has been acquired for the research lab at a program organized for the inauguration ceremony, laying the foundation stone for several development works in Morena, Chhaira and Kailaras regions of the district.

He also announced opening of a medical college in Morena, sanctioning a Rs 267 crore project to bring water from Chambal to the city of Morena.




10th 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 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

Rajnath Singh to Attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Meet In Russia

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is expected to deliberate on regional security scenario.

The SCO defence ministers’ meeting is taking place at a time when two of its member countries, India and China, are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan countries are in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Covid-19 pandemic will push 47 million more women, girls into extreme poverty by 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately affect women and push 47 million more women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021, reversing decades of progress to lift this demographic above the poverty line, according to new data released by the UN.

The new analysis by the UN Women and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the COVID-19 crisis will dramatically increase the poverty rate for women and widen the gap between men and women who live in poverty.

World Organisations – Pacts and Summits



The poverty rate for women was expected to decrease by 2.7 per cent between 2019 and 2021, but projections now point to an increase of 9.1 per cent due to the pandemic and its fallout.

The projections show that while the pandemic will impact global poverty generally, women will be disproportionately affected, especially women of reproductive age. By 2021, for every 100 men aged 25 to 34 living in extreme poverty (living on USD 1.90 a day or less), there will be 118 women, a gap that is expected to increase to 121 women per 100 men by 2030.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan participates in 73rd session of WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan digitally attended the 73rd session of World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia region.

“The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Housing for All by 2022, Nutrition Mission, Skill Development, Smart Cities, Eat Right India, Fit India and many such multi-sectoral initiatives have been launched which are bringing us dividends in terms of elevating the quality of life of our people thereby elevating their health condition.

He also informed them of India’s ambitious target of elimination of tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global target and commitment to eliminate neglected tropical diseases like lymphatic filariasis and kala-azar.

India’s child mortality rate declines from 3.4 million in 1990 to 824,000 in 2019: UN report

According to “Levels & Trends in Child Mortality” Report 2020, India’s child mortality rate has declined from 3.4 million in 1990 to 824,000 in 2019. The report was prepared by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

The Report shows that the number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019, down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990.

The new mortality rates have been released United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), Population Division of the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group.

World free of industrially produced trans fats by 2023, if limit set to 2% of oil & fats: WHO report

In accordance with the report titled, “Countdown to 2023: WHO report on global trans-fat elimination 2020” released on September 8, 2020, so far 58 countries have introduced laws that will protect 3.2 billion people from the harmful substance by the end of 2021. Meanwhile more than 100 countries still need to take actions to remove these harmful substances from their food supplies including India, the country with most coronary heart disease deaths due to trans fats.

To achieve a world free of industrially produced trans fats by 2023, WHO




recommended that countries should set mandatory limits for industrially produced trans fats to 2% of oils and fats in all foods or to ban partially hydrogenated oils (PHO).

WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake, which translates to less than 2.2 g/day with a 2,000-calorie diet.

74th Session of the UN general Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace held virtually

The 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Forum (HLF) on the Culture of Peace which was convened by its President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the theme “The Culture of Peace: Change our World for the better in the age of Covid-19”.

The event was also addressed by ambassadors of a large number of Member States and High Representatives of several UN entities where Indian side was represented by Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Paulomi Tripathi.

Apart from above mentioned main event, a side event titled “Education, Covid-19 and the Culture of Peace” was also organized by the renowned US Think Tank the International Peace Institute (IPI).

V Muraleedharan participates in 27th ASEAN regional forum

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan participated in the 27th

ASEAN regional forum. During the 27th ASEAN regional forum, the minister shared India’s views on maritime security, counter terrorism as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also stated that India will co-chair ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) workshops on port security and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organisation. This organisation promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and socio-cultural integration among its members and other Asian states. It comprises of 10 Southeast Asian countries namely: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos.

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.




1.4 Eminent PersonsFormer President Pranab Mukherjee passes away at 84

Former president Pranab Mukherjee, who had recently undergone a surgery for removal of a clot in his brain, has passed away. He was 84. Prior to the surgery, the Mukherjee had also tested positive for COVID-19. A multidisciplinary team of doctors was constantly monitoring the health of the former president.

Before serving as the President of India between 2012 and 2017, Mukherjee was a senior union minister in the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

A quintessential Congressman for five decades, the seven-time parliamentarian had worked as a teacher and journalist before taking his first steps in politics. His first stop in Delhi was the Rajya Sabha in 1969, the House that re-elected him four more times before he won his first Lok Sabha election from Bengal’s Jangipur in 2004. He was re-elected in 2009.

Dr S. Padmavati, India’s First Female Cardiologist, Passes Away

Cardiologist Dr S Padmavati has died due to COVID-19. She was 103. Recipient of both Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, Dr S Padmavati popularly known as ‘God Mother of Cardiology’.

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.

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.

Eminent Persons



In 1962, Dr Padmavati founded the All India Heart Foundation and went on to set up National Heart Institute in 1981 as a tertiary care modern heart hospital in Delhi with first cardiac catheterisation laboratory in the private sector in the Southern Hemisphere.

For her achievements and contributions to development of cardiology in India, she was awarded Fellowship of the American College of Cardiology and FAMS.

Kesavananda Bharati, whose petition led to landmark verdict on Constitution dies

Kesavananda Bharati, the head of Edneer Mutt at Kasaragod in Kerala whose petition in the Supreme Court led to the landmark verdict of 1973 that outlined the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution.

Bharati was the head of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Samsthanam mutt, which belongs to the Shankaracharya tradition. The mutt is believed to have been established by Totakacharya, one of the first four disciples of Adi Shankaracharya.

Father of Indian Radio Astronomy Govind Swarup passes away

Father of India’s Radio Astronomy, Prof Govind Swarup passed away. He was born on March 23rd, 1929 in Thakurdwara, United Provinces, British India (Now in Uttar Pradesh).

He was the founding director of National

Centre for Radio Astrophysics of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Govind Swarup was the key person behind the concept, design and installation of the Ooty Radio Telescope (India) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), which established India as one of the leading countries for radio astronomy research.

He is well known for his many important research contributions in several areas of astronomy and astrophysics.

Parachutist makes world’s first jump from solar-powered plane

A parachutist completed the world’s first jump from a solar-powered aircraft after the plane soared to a height of 1,520 metres (nearly 5,000 ft) over western Switzerland.

The two-seater prototype plane made the test flight in good weather and to promote renewable energy.

Parachutist Raphael Domjan reached a speed of 150 kilometres per hour during his jump, landing near the project base in Payerne.

Swami Agnivesh passes away Social activist Swami Agnivesh, who was

critically ill and was hospitalised due to liver cirrhosis early this week, passed away. He was 80.

Agnivesh, a former MLA from Haryana, founded Arya Sabha, a political party

Eminent Persons



based on the principles of the Arya Samaj.

Senior Sangh pracharak and editor of Vijayabharatham Tamil weekly M Veerabahu passes away

Veerabahu is noted for his field work in mobilising devotees and the local people, leading to the installation of the Shivalinga in the Jalakandeshwara temple inside the Vellore fort in 1981, according to RSS functionaries. Noted archaeologist S Rajavelu said the temple, an Archaeological Survey of India protected monument, became a “living temple,” after the installation of the Shivalinga.

He was among the RSS men imprisoned in Tamil Nadu during the Emergency (1975-77). For about 10 years, till the time of his death, he helmed Tamil RSS mouthpiece ‘Vijayabharatham’ as its Editor.

UK Magazine Names Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja as World’s ‘Top Thinker’ For COVID-19

British magazine Prospect has named Kerala health minister K. K Shailaja as the ‘top thinker 2020’ in the world. K. K Shailaja, a teacher turned politician, fondly called as Shailaja teacher is the only Indian found place in the list.

Prospect magazine has selected ‘top 50 thinkers 2020’ including philosophers, intellectuals, artists, scientists and writers through voting by the readers and based on the opinion of the panel of experts and editors.

K.K Shailaja is followed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the second position in the Prospect list.

Kapila 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

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 then the chairperson of Indian Council

Eminent Persons



1.5 Sports and GamesIndia, Russia declared joint winners of 2020 Online FIDE Chess Olympiad

India and Russia were declared joint winners of the 2020 Online FIDE (International Chess Federation) Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection. This was the first time that FIDE was holding the Olympiad in an online format due to the ongoing Pandemic.

Initially, Russia were declared winners after two Indian players – Nihil Sarin and Divya Deshmukh lost out on time in the final due to a disconnection in the server.

This was India’s maiden appearance in the final of the tournament, and Russia had not won a Chess Olympiad since 2002.

India’s P Iniyan wins World Open Online Chess Tournament

Indian Grandmaster P Iniyan has won the prestigious 48th Annual World Open online chess tournament.

He scored 7.5 points out of a possible 9 with six victories and three draws to finish on top.

A total number of 120 players from 16 countries participated in the event which included more than 30 Grandmasters.

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.

Sports and Games



On the way to his title, Iniyan defeated Grandmasters Baadur Jobava of Georgia, Sam Sevian, Sergey Erenburg of the USA and Nyzhyk Illia of Ukraine.

Police Officer Poonam Khatri crowned Wushu World Champion

Indian Police Officer, Poonam Khatri has claimed World Championship status after her silver medal at the Wushu World Championship last year has been upgraded to a Gold medal.

Poonam had lost the final to Iranian opponent Mariyam in the Women’s 75 kg category but after Mariyam recently failed the dope test, the gold medal has been awarded to Poonam Khatri.

PM 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 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.

Sports and Games



1.6 Books & AuthorsRamachandra Guha Authored New book

Indian writer Ramachandra Guha has authored a new book, ‘The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind’. The book portrays the entire arc of the game (cricket) in India, across all levels at which it is played and gives a glimpse of local heroes, provincial emblems and international stars. The book will be co-published by HarperCollins India and William Collins.

UN Environment Programme launches “The Little Book of Green Nudges”

A new publication “The Little Book of Green Nudges” has been launched by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The newly launched publication seeks to encourage around 200 million students around the world to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles.

“The Little Book of Green Nudges” is UNEP’s first on behavioural science and nudge theory. It concentrates on human actions and how to change them.

Goonmeet Singh Chauhan’s New Book ‘Invertonomics’ Talks about Transforming India

The book titled ‘Invertonomics’ authored by Mr. Goonmeet Singh Chauhan, and published by HarperCollins Publishers India, is a new way of looking at problem-solving.

This book is a compilation of methodologies that invert problems into economic opportunities.

A Book Titled ‘End of an Era, India Exits Tibet’ authored by claude Arpi to be Released

The book titled ‘End of Era, India Exits Tibet’ authored by Claude Arpi. The book portrays India Tibet relation during 1947-1962. The core of the book is about India losing all its influence in Tibet, helping China press aggressive claims along the border with India. It is based on Nehru Memorial Library papers, de-classified Indian and Chinese documents and personal interviews.

Note – The book is the 4th part of the series.

Gauri Khan announces her debut book ‘My Life in Design’

Interior designer, Gauri Khan has authored her first book titled “My Life

Books & Authors



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 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

Books & Authors



1.7 Awards & HonoursRajiv Gandhi International Airport wins CII-GBC ‘National Energy Leader’ award

The GMR led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad International Airport) won the ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ awards at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management’. It was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC). The award was given to RINL also during the 19th edition of ‘Energy Efficiency Summit’, Virtual Conference and Exposition on Energy Efficiency held from August 6-28, 2020.

About CII: f President (2020-21) – Mr. Uday Kotak f President-Designate (2020-21) -T V

Narendran f Headquarter – New Delhi, Delhi.

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.

David Attenborough awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2019

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust will present the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2019 to renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.

The prize is awarded to him for a lifetime of doing more to reveal the wonders of the natural world than perhaps any other individual.

Writer Kanmani Gunasekara awarded with Ki-Ra Award

Ki-Ra, given by the name of the writer K. Rajanarayanan . This year’s writer Kanmani Gunasekara has been selected for the award .

Writer K. Rajanarayanan is as the father of Karisal literature and the father of the Tamil creative field.

Chef 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

Awards & Honours



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. 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

Awards & Honours



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 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

Awards & Honours



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 PanoramaAncient memorial stone found at temple near Madurai

The Tamil Nadu archaeology department has certified that a stone pillar found at a mutt temple in Kinnimangalam village near Madurai is the oldest memorial stone to be discovered in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Brahmi inscriptions on the stone date back to the period between the second century BC and the first century BC.

Four Tamil Brahmi letters inscribed on the stone have a “pulli” or dot on top.

The second stone has the words “Irayili Ehanathan Pallipadai Mandali ienthar” in Vatteluthu’. “Pallipadai” is the word used to describe memorials. This is proof that this is the first such memorial to be found in Tamil Nadu, that too in Madurai which was part of the Pandiya dynasty, till date. This dates back between 7th and 8th centuries AD. A third stone found on the temple premises pertains to the period of Vijayaranga Sokkanathar (1722 AD). It has 43 lines inscribed on it, where the words “Pallipadai” and temple was constructed in memory of a single family.

Another stone inscription dating back to 1942 has the words “Jeeva Samadhi” inscribed on it.

Discovery of a 20-layer envelope well in alphabetical excavation

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

Cultural Panorama



1.9 Appointments – Who is who?In a first, female IPS officer appointed CRPF Inspector General in terror-hit Srinagar

Charu Sinha has become the first female IPS officer to get appointed as the Inspector General (IG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the terrorist-hit Srinagar sector.

Charu Sinha is a 1996-batch IPS officer from Telangana cadre. She will now be heading the Srinagar sector for CRPF as the Inspector General.

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 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.

Cultural Panorama



Rajiv Kumar takes charge as new Election Commissioner of India

Rajiv Kumar has taken the charge as the new Election Commissioner (EC) of India.

He has joined the Election Commission of India with Chief Election Commissioner Shri Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Shri Sushil Chandra.

Rajiv Kumar is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service Officer, with more than 36 years of Government of India service.

He has a very rich work experience across various sectors namely Social Sector, Environment & Forests, Human Resources, Finance and Banking Sector.

IAS Officer Usha Padhee Became the First Woman DG of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security

Usha Padhee, Indian A d m i n i s t r a t i v e Service (IAS) officer of 1996 batch from Odisha Cadre became the first Women and the third IAS officer to be appointed as the Director General (DG) of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), a security regulator of civil aviation industry in India under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

She succeeds Rakesh Asthana(IPS) who was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) on 17th August 2020.

She is currently serving as the joint

secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and she was given additional charge as DG of BCAS until a new incumbent takes over the position.

About Usha Padhee: Usha Padhee handled the government’s

flagship scheme of regional connectivity in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The central deputation tenure of Usha is scheduled to end on 16th July 2022.

UNICEF appoints Ayushmann Khurrana for children’s rights campaign

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appointed Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its celebrity advocate for children’s rights campaign, ”For Every Child”.

He will work towards this initiative in India. He will support UNICEF to end violence against children, especially in the present situation COVID-19 is increasing the risk of violence and abuse against children due to the extended lockdown and the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.

Harivansh re-elected RS deputy chairman

DA candidate and JD (U) MP Harivansh Narayan Singh was re-elected as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman by a voice vote.

This is the second time that he has been elected as the deputy chairman of the House. The opposition parties had proposed candidature of RJD MP Manoj Sinha for the post.

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 EventsMonsoon linked to climate change likely led to fall of Indus Valley Civilisation

Shifting monsoon patterns linked to climate change likely caused the rise and fall of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, according to a study by an Indian-origin scientist which analysed data from North India covering the past 5,700 years.

The research, published in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, noted that by measuring the presence of particular chemical forms in stalagmite mineral deposits in caves in South Asia, scientists could develop a record of monsoon rainfall in the region for the past 5,700 years.

Govt Formed 16-member Committee to Study Ancient Indian Culture: Prahlad Singh Patel

Prahlad singh Mulayam Singh Patel (in short-Prahlad Singh Patel) Minister of State (I/C-independent Charge) of Culture and Tourism has informed that Government has formed a 16 member expert committee to conduct a study on the origin and evolution of Indian Culture dating back to about 12,000 years ago and its interface with other cultures of the world.

Chennaimalai 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.

Latest Historical Events



POLITICAL SCIENCE2.

Govt – Welfare oriented...

2.1 Govt – Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility

Ladakh, Lakshadweep Integrated In Existing National Portability Cluster of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan recently reviewed the progress made towards the implementation of “One Nation One Ration Card” plan and while taking note of the requisite technical readiness of another two Union Territories of Ladakh and Lakshadweep, approved the integration of these two UTs with existing national portability cluster of 24 States/UTs.

With this, a total of 26 States/UTs are now seamlessly connected with each other under the One Nation One Ration Card plan and migratory PDS beneficiaries in these 26 States/UTs can access their subsidised foodgrains at the same Scale and Central Issue Prices from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice.

Govt weighs extension of MGNREGA to cover workers in cities

The government is weighing an extension of the rural employment guarantee

scheme to cover workers in cities and urban areas who have been rendered jobless amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the country’s rural areas, people are able to secure work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the world’s largest jobs guarantee programme.

It is basically a social security scheme that guarantees 100 days of wage employment to all rural households in the country.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (or, NREGA No 42, later renamed as the “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”, MGNREGA), is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’.

Cabinet approves Mission Karmayogi Union Cabinet approved Mission

Karmayogi for Civil Services Capacity Building during its meeting.

Mission Karmayogi aims to focus on capacity building of individual civil servants as well as institutional capacity building. The mission is being set up to build future ready civil servants, who will have the right attitude, skills and knowledge that will be in line with the vision of New India.



“Operation Green’s TOP to TOTAL’ scheme to cover all Fruits & vegetables in J & K

Government of India extended Price Stabilisation interventions under “Operation Greens” scheme for majority of fruits and vegetables grown in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to extend support to farmers in J & K.

The initiative is aimed to support farmers of Fruits and Vegetables under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in order to prevent distress sales, Price Stabilization interventions under Central Sector Scheme – “Operation Greens”.

It has been extended from Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) to all notified fruits and vegetables (TOTAL) for a period of six months on a pilot basis.

PM Narendra Modi to launch flagship PMMSY scheme, app for farmers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will digitally launch the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and also inaugurate the e-Gopala App, a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers.

The PMMSY is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore

for its implementation during 2020-21 to 2024-25 as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.

PM Modi will also announce the establishment of a fish brood bank at Sitamarhi and of aquatic disease referral laboratory at Kishanganj, for which assistance has been provided under the PMMSY.

The Gopala app, it added, is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers.

India Post launches new scheme to ensure rural coverage of postal schemes

The Department of Posts has launched a scheme called Five Star Villages, to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country.

The scheme seeks to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages.

All postal products and services will be made available and marketed and publicized at village level, under the Five Star Villages scheme.

West Bengal govt wins WSIS award 2020 for its Sabuj Sathi scheme in WSIS Price Contest

After Kanyashree scheme, another West Bengal government project Sabuj Sathi has received a global prize at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) through a virtual ceremony.

The Sabuj Sathi Project Started in 2015,




bicycles are given to students of state-run, state-sponsored, aided schools and madrasas studying between classes 9 and 12 in a bid to reduce the issue of dropping out of school, especially in rural Bengal and also to ensure they continue school education till at least class 12.

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 EcologyUttarakhand’s Mussoorie ‘highly susceptible’ to landslides

A recent Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (LSM) study carried out by Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun has revealed that Mussoorie is ‘highly susceptible’ to landslides.

The study will provide us insight and assist us greatly in initiating a large scale landslide hazard, risk, and vulnerability assessment (HRVA) of the hilly townships in different parts of India. This will enable us contain loss of life and property.

In and around the hill town has ‘Krol’ limestone as a major component, which is considered to be fragile.

India’s agriculture technology can grow to $24.1 billion in 5 years: Emst & Young Report

According to a report by Ernst & Young, India’s agriculture technology has the potential to grow at $24.1 billion in 5 years. The report also stated that with

a turnover of $204 million, India’s agri-tech sector is at under 1% of its market potential.

Major gains will be made by companies addressing supply chain and financial service solutions, driven by availability of affordable high-speed internet and maturing of India’s digital content ecosystem.

The market for tech enabled supply chain and output market linkages would be the largest segment and would be worth around $12 billion by 2025.

68% Average Decline in Species Population Sizes Since 1970: WWF Report

In accordance with the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2020, the global vertebrate population declined to an average of 68% between 1970 and 2016.

The reasons behind this decline is changes in land and sea use, overexploitation of species. High pollution levels, climate change, habitat loss and degradation, including deforestation, driven by humanity.

Global freshwater species have also been disproportionally impacted, declining 84% on average. For eg: The Chinese sturgeon found in the famous Yangtze

Policy on Environment and Ecology



River, whose spawning population has declined 97% between 1982 and 2015 due to damming of the waterway.

World Getting Closer to Passing 1.5 degree Celsius Warming Limit: UN 2020 Report

As per the United Nations Science 2020 report, the second in a series highlighted that the world is nearing to pass the temperature limit set by global leaders 5 years ago (limits set in 2015 by world leaders in the paris climate change agreement) and may exceed it in the next decade or so.

In the next 5 year, the world has about a 1-in-4 chance to experience a year that is hot enough to keep the global temperature at 2.7 degrees (1.5°C) above pre-industrial times. Continue efforts to reduce global warming will significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.

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).

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.

Policy on Environment and Ecology



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

India’s Real GDP likely to Contract by 10.9% in FY21: SBI Ecowrap Report

The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Ecowrap report estimated that the real Gross domestic Product (GDP) for FY21 is expected to shrink by around 10.9% (-10.9%), a decline of full year growth, against its earlier estimate of 6.8%.

The report comes after India’s economy contracted by a record 23.9% in 1st (April-June) quarter of FY21.

The report added that all the quarters of FY21 will exhibit negative real GDP growth.

Union Power Minister RK Singh launches “Green Term Ahead Market”

Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh launched the Pan-India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in New Delhi virtually, for electricity.

GTAM is the World’s First Exclusive Product Market for the renewable energy sector.

GTAM will lead to an increase in the number of participants in the Renewable Energy Sector.

It will benefit buyers of Renewable Energy (RE) by providing them competitive prices, and transparent, flexible procurement.

Andhra Pradesh tops Ease of Doing Business rankings of States and UTs, followed by UP and Telangana

Andhra Pradesh retained its top position in ease of doing business ranking 2019, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, as per the State Business Reform Action Plan Ranking released by the commerce and industry ministry.

The ranking was based on 180 reform points such as easy access to information, improved labour laws, speedy construction permits, land administration and single window approvals, and 36 states/UTs participated in the action plan that is aimed at improving business environment in states by simplifying procedures, digitization of information and easing compliance burden.

New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector



Kamath committee identifies 26 sectors for loan restructuring

Reserve Bank of India released the K V Kamath-led Committee report, which had recommended financial parameters to be factored in the resolution plans under the ‘Resolution Framework for Covid19-related Stress’ along with sector specific benchmark ranges for such parameters.

The committee has recommended financial ratios for 26 sectors which could be factored by lending institutions while finalizing a resolution plan for a borrower. The financial aspects include those related to leverage, liquidity, debt serviceability.

Fitch Projected India’s Economy to Contract 10.5% in FY20-21 from-5%

In accordance with the September update of Global Economic outlook (GEO), Fitch Ratings projected a 10.5% contraction of India’s economy in the FY2020-2021 from a contraction of 5% estimated earlier due to continued spread of the virus and imposition of shutdowns across the country that has disrupted economic activity. For FY21-22, Indian economy will grow 11%, while for 2022-23 growth will 6%.

In the first quarter of current fiscal (Q1FY21) India’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by a massive 23.9%.

India’s GDP to Contract by 11.8% in FY21; Rebound to 9.9% in FY22: Ind-Ra

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), domestic rating agency projects India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth to contract by 11.8% (-11.8%), from earlier -5.3%.

The rating agency also expects India’s GDP to rebound and grow at 9.9% year-on-year in FY22 primary due to the weak base of FY21.

The Indian economy contracted by a record 23.9% in 1st (April-June) quarter of FY21, which is much higher than Ind-Ra’s forecast of 17.0% due to theimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic (lockdown).

India Slips 26 spots to 105th position on 2020 Economic Freedom Index

India took the 105th position in the 24th Edition of Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 Annual Report by Canada’s Fraser Institute, which has been released in India in conjunction with Center for Civil Society, New Delhi-based think tank. The report is co-published by CATO Institute (America) with more than 70 think tanks around the world.

This is the 24th edition of Economic Freedom of the World. The report is based on 2018 data. Hong Kong topped the Index with a score of 8.94, followed by Singapore (8.65) and New Zealand (8.53). This year’s publication ranks 162 countries and territories for 2018. The Report has been divided into 4 Quartiles based on the rankings.




Rank Country Score (out of 10)

105 India 6.561 Hong Kong 8.942 Singapore 8.653 New Zealand 8.53

Moody’s forecasts India’s GDP at -11.5% for FY21

The rating agency, Moody’s has projected the GDP growth rate for India to contract 11.5 per cent in fiscal 2020-21 (FY21) due to the coronavirus pandemic. For 2021-22 (FY22), Moody’s projected the economy of India to grow at 10.6 per cent.

India is second-fastest-growing freelance market in the world, says report

India is the second-fastest-growing freelance market in the world with a massive increase in the number of freelancers this year, according to a report on ‘Freelancing in 2020: An Abundance of Opportunities’ by Payoneer.

Furthermore, India witnessed a 46 per cent increase in new freelancers from Q1 to Q2, 2020 as per the report.

Apart from India, other popular markets for gig workers include the US, Pakistan, and Ukraine.

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 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.




5.1 Latest Inventions on Science & Technology

5. SCIENCE

“MEDBOT” medical trolley developed by Indian Railways

Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to help deliver food and medicines to COVID-19 patients.

During Corona crisis, apart from providing transport facilities and essential items like foodgrains to people, Indian Railways has also provided facilities for COVID-19 patients.

It is providing service in the Central Hospital of the Diesel Rail Engine Factory of Indian Railways.

Indian Astronomers discover the farthest star galaxy

India’s first multi-wavelength satellite “Astrosat” detected extreme Ultra Violet light from a galaxy located 9.3 billion light years away from the earth. The galaxy is called AUDFs01.

Significance India was able to achieve the discovery

as the background noise in the UVIT detector of the satellite is very less. It is lesser than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

UVIT UVIT is Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope. It

weighs 230 kg. It has a spatial resolution of 1.8 arc seconds. The UVIT is a suite of far ultra violet, near ultra violet and visible band. Far Ultra Violet lies in the band of 130 to 180 nm. The Near Ultra Violet lies in the band of 200 to 300 nm and visible band lies in the band of 320 to 550 nm.

IIT-Bombay students launch AI-based scanning app “AIR Scanner”

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, students have launched a free-of-cost mobile scanner application “AIR Scanner”.

The app saves the scanned document in PDF format and stores directly in the device.

The AI (Artificial Intelligence) based Reading Assistant and Document Scanner app is developed by Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Kavin Agrawal.

Adani Green solar firm ranked as world’s No.1

Indian company, Adani Green has been

Latest Inventions on Science & Technology



ranked as World’s No.1 solar energy firm in terms of capacity. The company is also world’s leading solar developer with over 2.0 GW of operational projects. The company has another 2 GW projects under development and a total of 8 GW of awarded projects. The total capacity of the company comes up to 12.3 GW.

IISc Bengaluru tops among 63 Indian Institutes: THE World University Ranking 2021

United Kingdom (UK) based Times Higher Education (THE) released the World University Rankings 2021.Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru ranked under the 301-350 group ranking, tops among the 63 Indian institutions which were qualified for the THE rankings. IIT, Ropar which is under the 351-400 group rankings and IISc Bengaluru are the only Indian institutes in the world top 400 Universities.

University of Oxford of UK was spotted tops in the list

Overall Top 3 Universities:

Rank Institute

1 University of Oxford, England, UK

2 Stanford University, California, UK

3 Harvard University, Massachusetts, US

Top 3 Institutes in India:

Group of Ranking

301-350 Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

351-400 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar

401-500 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore

THE Rankings: The rankings are made based on 13

performance indicators that measure the performance of the institute across 4 areas which are teaching, research, knowledge transfers and international outlook.

The ranking includes around 1500 universities from 93 countries and regions.

The 2021 ranking analyzed more than 80 million citations over 13 million research publications and the response from around 22000 scholars across the globe.

AP Government signs MoU with CSIR-IICT to set up Bulk Drug Pharma Park

The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (APIIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) to set up a Bulk Drug Park (BDP) in the state.

The park will be set up in a minimum of 2,000 acres at a cost of Rs. 6,940 Crores in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

IIT Delhi launches ‘‘Chakr DeCoV’’ to decontaminate N95 masks

In the series on Atmanirbhar Bharat IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation has launched ‘Chakr DeCoV’




Key Facts It is a decontamination device that

decontaminate N95 masks. Designed in the shape of a cabinet. Built with an innovative decontamination

mechanism. The mechanism utilises the high

penetrability of Ozone gas for cleaning the pores of the N95 mask.

It ensures complete decontamination of its intricate layers.

Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent that destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat, resulting in damage to the viral RNA. Proper dosage and exposure of Ozone can result in inactivation of SARS CoV-2 and a 99.9999 per cent reduction in bacterial load, after which an N95 mask can be reused for up to 10 times without any impact on the filtration efficiency.

Asteroid 465824 NASA has been tracking asteroid 465824

2010 FR, which is twice as big as the Pyramid of Giza and is expected to cross the Earth’s orbit. It is classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). Asteroid 465824 2010 FR was discovered on March 18, 2010 by the Catalina Sky Service.

Classification Asteroids can be classified into Trojans,

which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet and Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which have orbits that pass close by the Earth. Those that cross the Earth’s orbit are called Earth-crossers. More than 10,000 such asteroids are known, out of which over 1,400 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).

Union Minister of Education launches mobile app “EnglishPro”

Union Minister of Education has launched a free mobile app named as “EnglishPro”.

The mobile application has been developed by the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad under University Social Responsibility (USR).

This app will be “a useful digital tool” and will act as an educational resource for the teachers, students and for people from varied backgrounds.

The first-of-its kind initiative by any university in the country, the mobile application “EnglishPro” will help learners in developing Indian English Pronunciation in the unique “Indian” way.

In the near future, EFLU will also come up with more advanced versions of the mobile application to address the larger learner-needs.

Punjab government rolls out ‘I Rakhwali’ App

Punjab government has rolled out “I Rakhwali” App to ensure greenery and to protect the environment in Punjab.

The development of app is state governments’ effort to supplement its drive to preserve and maintain the environment in Punjab and to make people stakeholders in the process.




The ‘I Rakhwali’ App will also inspire people to plant more trees and become ‘Greenery Saviours’.

The mobile application can also be used for reporting illegal felling of trees as well as any damage to forests, by bringing the matter to the notice of the concerned Forest Divisional Officer.

Hence, the state will be able to safeguard its forest area by making people a stakeholder in this process.

SpaceX Launched 60 Startlink Satellites to Provide Faster Internet

Falcon 9 of SpaceX, a two stage rocket launched the 12th batch of startlink mission with 60 startlink satellites into orbit. Falcon 9 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Florida.

This launch is the first mission of SpaceX in September and 16th Mission in 2020.

The satellites launched in the lower orbit will enhance the high speed broadband internet on earth and increase the internet access in the low coverage area where setting up of on ground towers are difficult.

DRDO successfully tests Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle using Scramjet Propulsion System

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the indigenously developed Scramjet Propulsion System in its second attempt. The Technology

will be very critical as it will play an important part in developing hypersonic cruise missile systems being developed by DRDO.

The HSTDV is designed to cruise at March 6 speed (or six times the speed of sound), and the test was conducted from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha Coast.

India has joined the elite club of the United States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test Hypersonic Technology.

Second Attempt: DRDO had carried out its maiden test of

the HSTDV in June, 2019. On the occasion, the Agni-I ballestic carrier vehicle which was supposed to provide the HSTDV with an altitude boost failed.

Northrop Grumman names spacecraft in honour of Indian astronaut Kalpana Chawla

Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship after Dr Kalpana Chawla, astronaut of Indian descent.

The S.S. Kalpana Chawla spacecraft will be Northrop Grumman’s next Cygnus spacecraft to launch to the International Space Station. It has been named in the honor of the astronaut who was one of the seven crew members who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster.

Northrop Grumman issued a statement saying that it is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the company’s tradition to name each Cygnus spacecraft after an individual who has played a




pivotal role in human spaceflight. Chawla was selected to honor her

prominent position as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space.

The S.S. Kalpana Chawla will be launched into orbit from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Virginia, carrying critical cargo to the International Space Station.

Kalpana Chawla’s first spaceflight was STS-87, the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight, on Space Shuttle Columbia from November 19 to December 5, 1997. She returned to space aboard Columbia on January 16, 2003 for a 16-day research flight and conducted more than 80 experiments along with other 6 crew members.

India, America, and Israel Together Decided To Develop 5G Technology

India, US, and Israel together have decided to develop 5G technology. For this, IT hubs of Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, and Tel Aviv will increase mutual cooperation. After the development of this technology, it will also be shared with third world countries later.

Experts from India and Israel also participated in this conference. It was discussed that the cities of Bengaluru, Silicon Valley, and Tel Aviv have gained considerable fame in the development of technology. In such a situation, if the experts of these places join each other for the development of 5G and other technologies, then the whole world will benefit greatly.

Florida University Research Team Discovered the Explosion of “Supernova LSQ14fmg”

A 37-member international research team led by Eric Hsiao, Assistant Professor of Physics in Florida State University (FSU) discovered that an unusual supernova, called Supernova LSQ14fmg was exploding. It was located one-hundred million light-years away from Earth.

It is known as Type Ia supernova, and more particularly, a member of the ‘super-Chandrasekhar’ group. The research was published in ‘the Astrophysical Journal’.

The data was collected with the Swope and du Pont telescopes at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, and the Nordic Optical Telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in Spain.

Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin an excellent source of methane fuel

The Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin holds a massive reserve of methane hydrate, a rich source of clean fuel, according to a recent study conducted at the Agharkar Research Institute, which works under the government’s Department of Science and Technology.

The study, accepted for publishing in the




journal ‘Marine genomics’, says methane is a clean and economical fuel and it is estimated that “one cubic meter of methane hydrate contains 160-180 cubic meters of methane”.

“Even the lowest estimate of Methane present in the Methane hydrates in KG Basin is twice that of all fossil fuel reserves available worldwide,” said the study by the Pune-based ARI.

SCTIMST develops device for prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, has developed a device for the prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Scientists have come up with a device that can facilitate flow of blood from the veins in the legs thus preventing DVT.

The device can bring relief to patients affected by prolonged immobility, bed ridden state, post-operative immobilization and paralysis of legs. The device developed can be placed in the market for less than one lakh rupees.

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 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.




CISF develops in-house mobile app “Pensioners Corner”

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has made an in-house mobile app “Pensioners Corner”.

The mobile app has been created by CISF to reach to the pensioners and to bring them on to the digital platform as a one stop solution.

Through the mobile app “Pensioners Corner”, CISF will reach out to the Ex-Force personnel, who devoted their life for the country, in order to increase their self esteem.

The mobile app comprises of inbuilt grievance redressal mechanism and will also contain information about all important circulars such as job opportunities and benefits pertaining to pensioners.

Haryana CM launches “Apka Mitra” chatbot for UG courses

Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has launched Educational WhatsApp Chatbot “Apka Mitra” & Online Admission Platform for UnderGraduate (UG) courses in government-aided and self-financed colleges for the new academic session 2020-21.

‘Apka Mitra’ is the first-of-its-kind educational WhatsApp Chatbot to resolve admission related queries of the students.

Students can send a message on Whatsapp chatbot number 7419444449 to get information regarding admission & scholarship.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways moves ahead with Orientation and Training Programme of iRAD App

The 2-days Orientation and Training programme on iRAD App was conducted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways on 7th & 8th September 2020 for the selected districts of Karnataka, and on 10th & 11th September 2020 for some districts of Uttar Pradesh. Based on the feedback and other suggestions received, the App will be customised for the State.

The basic iRAD app has been developed and will be customized/integrated as per the requirements of concerned States/UTs. Mobile app of iRAD is available for Android platform, and for other platforms like iOS will be available shortly.

Google commits to tap only renewable power by 2030

Alphabet Inc’s Google has set an unprecedented goal to power its data centers and offices solely with renewable energy by 2030. With this, Google has become the biggest company in the world to commit to ditching coal and natural gas power.

The new goal was announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai who described it as a ‘stretch goal’. The goal will force Google to move beyond the tech industry norms of offsetting carbon emissions from electricity use and require technological and political breakthroughs to achieve.


5.2 Mass Media &

Communication



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 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

Gujarat to commence Seaplane service from 31 October 2020

The first-ever “seaplane services in Gujarat” will be commenced from 31 October 2020.

The seaplane service will offer seamless and affordable air connectivity from Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Gujarat.

Spicejet Airline will operate the seaplane service to be commenced on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

To start Seaplane services in the state, the Gujarat government has signed a tripartite agreement with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and Airports Authority of India.

963 railway stations solarised, 550 more to get rooftop solar panels soon

The Railways has deployed solar rooftop panels at 963 stations as part of its goal to achieve 100 per cent power sustainability by 2030.

The Railways, which has set a target to become a “net-zero carbon emitter” till 2030, is set to produce solar energy for meeting its energy consumption needs of more than 33 billion units in the next 10 years. Its current annual requirement is about 20 billion units.

The Railways has plans for installing solar plants of 20 GW capacity by utilising its vacant land by 2030. Some of the stations solarised are Varanasi, New Delhi, Old Delhi Jaipur, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Howrah.

It is committed to utilise solar energy for meeting its traction power requirement and become a complete green mode of transportation.

The Railways has also developed a plan for installing solar plants of 20 GW capacity by utilising its vacant land by 2030.

CSIR-CMERI develops World’s Largest Solar Tree

C S I R -CMERI has d e v e l o p e d the World’s Largest Solar Tree, which is installed at C S I R -CMERI Residential Colony, Durgapur. Prof.(Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, while elaborating about the technology stated that, “The installed capacity of the Solar Tree is above 11.5 kWp. It has the annual capacity to

National – Diary of Event



generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power.

The Solar Tree has been designed in a manner to ensure maximum exposure of each Solar PV Panel to Sunlight and also creation of the least amount of shadow area beneath. There are a total of 35 Solar PV Panels in each tree with a capacity of 330 wp each. The inclination of the arms holding the Solar PV Panels are flexible and can be adjusted as per requirement, this feature is not available in Roof-Mounted Solar facilities. The energy generation data can be monitored either real-time or on daily basis.

India’s first toy cluster to come up in Karnataka

India’s first toy manufacturing cluster to come up at Koppal, Karnataka, has the potential to create 40,000 jobs in five years and attract over Rs 5,000 crore investment, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, said.

With the eco-system to support toy cluster in place, this 400 acres SEZ will have top-class infra and generate 40,000 jobs in 5 years.

Atal Tunnel at Rohtang to be inaugurated in September

The Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, near Manali, is almost complete in all respects with finishing touches being given to it before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it late September. The 9-km-long tunnel under the Pir Panjal range, named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, will be the world’s

longest highway tunnel above the altitude of 10,000 feet (3000 metres).

Rohtang tunnel: What is the genesis of the project?

A feasibility study of the project Rohtang Tunnel was carried out in May 1990 following which the geological report was submitted in June 2004.

This was followed by a design and specification report which was prepared and finalised in December 2006. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials say the project received final technical approval in 2003. The project was scheduled to be completed by February 2015 but it got delayed due to unexpected problems. It was originally designed to be 8.8 km long but GPS readings taken on completion show it to be 9 km long.

CFI all set to host First-Ever Cycling Summit in 2021

The Cycling Federation of India (CFI) is all set to host the first-ever Cycling Summit in 2021, with an aim to promote the culture of cycling in the country.

The CFI said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a marketing exploration firm, Contarctica, for the summit.

The Cycling Summit 2021 will be hosted in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore and is expected to be a unique confluence of cycling enthusiasts, renowned athletes, and businesses from all over the country.

Delhi recorded highest number of road accidents deaths among cities

The National Crime Records Bureau




(NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs released an annual report titled “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2019”. This is NCRB’s 53rd edition of the series which was started in 1967.

The report states that around 139,123 people died by suicide and 421,104 were killed in accidents in India in 2019.

The report is prepared with the data and information on deaths due to accidents and suicides which were collected by the State Crime Records Bureaux (SCRBx) from the District Crime Records Bureaux (DCRBx) and sent to the NCRB.

Madhya Pradesh Govt Launched Cleanliness Campaign, ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo Madhya Pradesh’

Bhupendra Singh, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Urban Administration and Development Minister launched a 15 day campaign (August 16-30, 2020) ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo Madhya Pradesh’ (Free India and Madhya Pradesh from garbage) from Sagar, MP.

5 themes of the Campaign Cleanliness Oath, Continuous reduction in urban waste emissions, Cleanliness in COVID conditions, Separation of waste from sources of houses and Launching a special cleanliness campaign for public places.

Government Approves 27 Cold Chain Projects In 11 States With Grant-In-Aid Of Rs 208 Crore

The government announced it has approved 27 cold chain projects in 11 states with a grant-in-aid of Rs 208

crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana.

The ministry announced the projects have been approved across Andhra Pradesh (7), Bihar (1), Gujarat (2), Haryana (4), Karnataka (3), Kerala (1), Madhya Pradesh (1), Punjab (1), Rajasthan (2), Tamil Nadu (4) and Uttar Pradesh (1).

These projects will not only provide a big boost to the growth of food processing infrastructure but would also help in streamlining the agricultural supply chain, generate direct and indirect employment opportunities in rural areas, provide better prices to farmers, end-users, and benefit allied sectors.

Jal Shakti Ministry launches Water Heroes Contest 2.0

Union Jal Shakti Ministry launched the ‘Water Heroes – Share Your Stories’ Contest to spread awareness on water conservation and management. The Water Heroes Contest 2.0 will be conducted from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. Under this contest, the Ministry will consider up to 10 entries for awards every month.

Uttarakhand, Karnataka paired under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme

Uttarakhand and Karnataka are paired under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme to promote national integration through mutual understanding.

Both the states have established relations through sports, trade and culture.




Uttarakhand had inspired people in Karnataka in forest conservation.

State of Young Child in India Report released by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu released the “State of Young Child in India” report. The report was prepared by the Mobile Creches, a policy advocacy organization. The report measured Health and Nutrition in the country.

Key Findings of the report There are 159 million children aged

below 6 years in India. Of these, 21% are undernourished, 36% are underweight and 38% do not receive full immunization.

The top five high performing states according to Environment Index are Kerala, Goa, Punjab, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh.

There are eight states in the country that have scores less than the country’s average in child development. They are Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

AP Govt launches two schemes for pregnant women

Andhra Padesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched two new schemes ‘YSR Sampoorna Poshana and YSR Sampoorna’ for pregnant women.

The objectives of the schemes are is to providing nutritious food for pregnant women and lactating mothers along with children.

YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus is intended to supply nutritious food exclusively in 77 Tribal areas covering 8 ITDAs, 52 ICDS projects and 8,320 Anganwadi Centres, all the remaining urban and rural areas lying in plain lands will be covered under YSR Sampoorna Poshana.

Cabinet approves Bill to include Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi as official languages in Jammu and Kashmir

The Union Cabinet approved a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Announcing the decision at a news briefing, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 will be introduced in Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

60th Annual Convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures 2020 held virtually

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organized and hosted its 60th ASIAM Annual Convention 2020 virtually, titled “Re-Building the Nation, Responsibly”.

SIAM appointed Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd as its new President. He Succeeds Rajan Wadhera, Senior Adviror, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Nitin Jairam Gadkari stated that currently India has the 2nd largest road Network in




the world, which is being fueled by the tremendous growth in construction of expressways and highways.

President, PM to address Governors’ meet on NEP

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the Governors’ Conference on National Education Policy being organised by the Union Education ministry in the virtual mode.

J&K LG launches SPARROW system for J&K Administrative Service officers

Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha launched the online portal, Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service Officers (JKAS).

The SPARROW system will benefit around 1289 officers and is aimed at bringing more transparency, avoiding loss of Appraisal Reports (APR) during the transition, ensuring better monitoring and timely completion of performance appraisals of JKAS officers.

The project will be implemented by J&K e-Governance Agency, Information Technology Department in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre and General Administration Department.

Using the Sparrow System, an applicant can file APR from anywhere and anytime. It is expected to make the process seamless, quick and convenient due to in-built alert mechanisms and providing online status checks.

First-ever cannabis medicine project coming up in Jammu

The first ever cannabis medicine project will soon be set up at Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in Jammu with Canadian collaboration, Union minister Jitendra Singh said.

The medicine prepared from this plant can be utilised even for export to other countries.

Thaawarchand Gehlot launched “24x7 toll-free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline “KIRAN”

In order to provide relief and support to persons with Mental Illness, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment ahs launched the 24x7 Toll-Free Mental Health Rehabilitaion Helpline “KIRAN” (1800-500-0019).

The Helpline has been developed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

It was launched considering the increasing incidence of Mental Illness, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 Pandemic.




Delhi Government Relaunched “10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 minute” 10-week Anti Dengue Campaign

Government of Delhi relaunched the 10-week anti dengue campaign “10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 minute” to create awareness on the prevention of the vector borne diseases – dengue and chikungunya among the common people.

The first 10-week anti dengue campaign “10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute – Har Ravivar, Dengue Par Vaar” was launched in 2019, which reducted the mortality rate of the dengue in 2019.

Under this campaign the residents are advised to check their homes for stagnant clean water on every Sunday from 10 weeks at 10 am for 10 minutes and drain and replace the stagnant watef, which is the breeding ground of the Aedes Mosquitoes which spreads dengue, Malaria etc.

At 96.2%, Kerala tops India’s literacy rate chart again, Andhra ranks last at 66.4%

With 96.2 per cent literacy, Kerala has once again emerged as the most literate state in the country, while Andhra Pradesh featured at the bottom with a rate of 66.4 per cent, showed a report based on National Statistical Office (NSO) survey.

The report on ‘Household Social Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey – from July 2017 to June 2018’ provides for state-wise detail of literacy rate among the persons aged seven years and above.

According to the study, after Kerala,

Delhi has the best literacy rate at 88.7 per cent, followed by Uttarkhand’s 87.6 per cent, Himachal Pradesh’s 86.6 per cent and Assam’s at 85.9 per cent.

On the other hand, Rajasthan is the second worst performer with literacy rate at 69.7 per cent, followed by Bihar at 70.9 per cent, Telangana at 72.8 per cent, Uttar Pradesh at 73 per cent and Madhya Pradesh at 73.7 per cent.

Seturaman Mahalingam new Honorary Consul of Luxembourg in Chennai

The Embassy of Luxembourg has announced the appointment of Seturaman Mahalingam as the country’’s new Honorary Consul in Chennai with consular jurisdiction over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Mahalingam replaces Suhasini Maniratnam whose mandate terminated after five years.

The Ambassador of Luxembourg in India, Jean Claude Kugener, welcomed the nomination of Mahalingam in Chennai and wished him all the very best of luck to further deepen the bilateral relations between Luxembourg and the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

NITI Aayog constitutes Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC)

NITI Aayog has constituted a Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC). The MPICC is chaired by Ms.Sanyukta Samaddar, Adviser (SDG).




NITI Aayog is the nodal agency for the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and has been assigned the responsibility of leveraging the monitoring mechanism for it and to drive reforms.

Karanataka CM Launches Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa launched the Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services at Jakkur Aerodrome, Bangalore. It is the first air ambulance operating from South India to provide services formedical emergencies.

Air ambulance firm International Critical Air Transfer Team (ICATT) will run the services in collaboration with aviation technology firm Kyathi from the HAP airport in Bengaluru.

ICATT-Kyathi’s fixed wing aircraft is capable of long distance emergency medical transportation. It is combined with helicopter and land ambulance services which will provide last mile connectivity.

‘Sanskrit Gram’ to be developed across Uttarakhand

Encouraged by the success of an experimental project promoting the use of Sanskrit as a means of daily communication, the Uttarakhand government has decided to develop ‘Sanskrit Gram’ across the state. People in these model villages will communicate with each other in the ancient Indian language on a daily basis.

South India’s first ‘Kisan Rail’ connects Andhra’s Anantapur to Delhi

In a step towards doubling the income of farmers by 2022, the newly-introduced Kisan Rail, chugged off from Anantapur Railway Station (9 September) carrying 322 tonnes of fruits and vegetables to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi.

It was virtually flagged off by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of State for Railways Suresh C Angadi.

Organic Food Processing Unit inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, inaugurated Organic Food Processing Unit in Uttar Pradesh. With the inauguration of this food processing unit, 5000 farmers will be benefitted and it is expected to leverage an investment of Rs 50.33 crores. In Tamil Nadu, 71 centers have got permitted to start the further process.

The unit namely M/s Organic India Pvt. Ltd is likely to generate direct employment of 100 and indirect employment of 250 persons. M/s Organic India Pvt. Ltd is set up with total cost of Rs. 55.13 crores. A processing capacity of 3 MT per day has been created and the unit will process agro produce worth Rs 350 crores.

AIM Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has launched the Aatmanirbhar




Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges. The programme will spur applied

research and innovation in Indian MSMEs and startups. The initiative will help identify and promote innovations necessary for boosting the MSME sector.

The programme will be driven by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), four ministries including Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs along with associated industries to facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.

The programme will support deserving applied research–based innovations by providing funding support of up to Rs 50 lakh for speedy development of the proposed technology solution and/or product.

India to Have 220 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2022, Says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence that India will increase its existing clean energy capacity of 134 GW to 220 GW by 2022 and stressed on reducing tariffs further through technological advancements. Modi also mentioned the ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid’ project which is aimed at renewable energy supplies across nations

It was announced by New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh at the Virtual World Solar Technology Summit organised by the International Solar Alliance.

Karnataka CM inaugurates flyover named after Veer Savarkar in Bengaluru

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa inaugurated the ‘Veer Savarkar’ flyover in Bengaluru. The inauguration of the 400-metre long flyover built on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road in Yelahanka in the city was held three months after it was postponed in May. The flyover has been named after Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Nagaland gets its first ‘Naga Tele health’, a telemedicine platform

In a step towards making health and wellness services closer to the community, Nagaland received its first Naga Tele health, a telemedicine platform, where citizens can directly connect with medical officers and specialist doctors and seek general and specialized tele-consultation at their doorstep free of cost.

The Naga Tele-Health is an initiative of the Nagaland government supported by USAID NISHTHA Jhpiego to provide quality healthcare services at the Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres in the state.

Ministry of Home Affairs Approved to Rename Hubbali Railway Station as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali

The Ministry of Home Affairs approved he long pending demand to rename the Hubbali Railway Station as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali in Karnataka after Sri




Siddharoodha Swami. The government of Karnataka has to

formally issue a Gazettee notification for the proposed name change with the spelling of the new name in Devnagru (Hindi), Roman (English) and Regional language.

Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0) launched

Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0.

The framework was launched during a virtual event organized by the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Along with the CSCAF 2.0, the minister also launched the ‘Streets for People Challenge’.

The objective of Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) is to provide a clear roadmap for cities towards combating Climate Change while planning and implementing their actions along with investments.

CSCAF initiative intends to inculcate a climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development in India.

Golden Temple gets FCRA Registration The Union Home Ministry has granted

the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration to Gurdwara Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple, in Amritsar.

It will now enable the Golden Temple to receive foreign donations. The foreign contribution can be used by the Sikh

shrine for providing financial and medical assistance to the needy.

It can also be used to organise langar which is a free community kitchen.

India’s Largest Piggery Mission’ launched in Meghalaya

The State Government of Meghalaya launched India’s biggest Piggery Project with an outlay of Rs 209 Crores. It is being launched under the aegis of Meghalaya Livestock Enterprises Advancement Society (MLEADS) and funded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

The main objective of the Piggery Mission is to reduce the annual import of Pork worth Rs 150 Crore and make Meghalaya Self-Sufficient in Pork Production over the next 3 years.

PM Modi launches projects worth over `20,000 cr in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched fisheries and animal husbandry projects worth more than `20,000 crore in Bihar, which goes to polls later this year.

The projects launched virtually by Modi, who gave the slogan Jai Kisan (farmers), Jai Vigyan (science), Jai Anusandhan (research), included the `20,050 crore scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the e-Gopala mobile app.

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Patna Metro Rail Project at an estimated cost of Rs. 13,365 crores digitally by press of a button. It will have two corridors -Danapur to Mithapur and




Patna Railway Station to New ISBT and is likely to be completed in five years. The project will ease the public transport in Patna and adjoining areas.

PM inaugurated the Phulpur to Patna stretch of the Jagdishpur-Varanasi Natural Gas pipeline on this occasion. Citing it as yet another example of his vision that projects for which foundation stone is laid by him are kickstarted by him, PM reminded that he had initiated the project in July 2015.

PM inaugurated Patna the Patna City Gas Distribution project which will provide piped gas supply in Ptana city and adjoining areas..

PM inaugurated the first phase of River Front Development at Patna . He also laid the foundation Stone for the Karmalichak Sewerage Network spanning 96.54 kilometres. Works related to Sewage Treatment Plants at Barh, Sultanganj and Naugachia were kicked off by PM. He also laid the Foundation Stone for 22 AMRUT projects at various locations.

Andhra Pradesh Launches YSR AASARA SCHEME

The chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh launched the YSR AASARA scheme on September 11, 2020. It is a part of implementation of “Nava Ratnalu”. The scheme has been launched with the

commitment of alleviating the poverty in both rural and urban areas and to improve the productivity

Key Highlights Bank loan will be reimbursed in four

installments under the scheme to the Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Estimated number of beneficiaries SHGs covered are 1,54,956 in the urban areas.

The scheme has been launched for women empowerment economically and socially.

State government has allotted Rs 6,792.20 crores towards the first installment out of the total due of Rs 27,168.83 crores to the banks.

As a whole, ensuring good governance to its people is the primary focus of the government. It contains 9 schemes under it:

f Jalayagnam, which is a irrigation projects in the Andhra Pradesh.

f Madhya Nishedam, which has been launched to put a ban on the sale of alcohol across the state.

f YSR Arogyasri Scheme which is healthcare scheme and would be applicable to all medical treatments above Rs 1,000.

f YSR Rythu Bharosa Scheme which promises to offer financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 to farmers in Andhra Pradesh.

f Paydalandariki Illu for building 25 lakh homes for the poor people.

f YSR Asara to waive off all loans pertaining to the women cooperative societies.

f Pensionla Pempu under this all the senior citizens above the age of 60 years would be provided Rs. 2,250 and the physically challenged would




be provided a pension of Rs 3,000. f Amma Vodi Scheme which encourages

families having school going children by proving Rs 15000.

f Fee Reimbursement scheme to provide a comprehensive fee reimbursement.

Odisha Govt launches “GARIMA” welfare scheme for sanitation workers

The Odisha government launched a statewide welfare scheme “GARIMA” for sanitation workers to ensure their safety and dignity.

The ‘Garima’ scheme will institutionalise and regulate core sanitation services to provide social security and financial benefits to the sanitation workers and their families.

The scheme aims to promote livelihoods, security and social dignity of sanitation workers through targeted measures.

Gadkari approves proposal to construct Munger-Bhagalpur-Tirpety-Kahalgaon concrete road on NH80 in Bihar

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved a proposal to construct the 120 kilometre Munger-Bhagalpur-Tirpety Kahalgaon concrete road on national highway 80 in Bihar.

This will be a 2-lane road with paved shoulders, which will also be 4-lane wide at certain stretches.

He also ordered release of 20 crore rupees for immediate repair works on this section.

India announces the states’ startup ranking list – Gujarat gets the best performer, while Karnataka and Kerala are top performers

Karnataka and Kerala have emerged as the top performers, while Gujarat was ranked as the best performer in second edition of States’ Startup Ranking 2019, as per the results announced by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The states in the leader category are Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Chandigarh.

In the aspiring leaders category, states like Telangana, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Nagaland were included.

In the Emerging Startup Ecosystem category, states included are Andra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh.

In the Best Performers category – Andaman and Nicobar Islands (among UTs and north eastern states) Gujarat (among all other states).

Ministry of Education Organises Two-day Conclave on ‘School Education in 21st Century’

The Ministry of Education organized a two-day conclave in the topic ‘School Education in the 21st Century’ under the Shikshak Parv Initiative on 10th & 11th September, 2020.

Participants of the Conclave: Expert Practitioners held discussions

in the two days’ conclave to give clear




explanations on important themes of NEP for school education. Suggestions received on MyGov will also be shared in the conclave. National Awardee teachers and other creative teachers will be a part of this conclave.

PM Modi addresses the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in MP

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing.

Under this, 1.75 Lakh Families in Madhya Pradesh were delivered pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G).

PM Modi also interacted with the beneficiaries from Dhar, Singrauli and Gwalior under PMAY-G in Madhya Pradesh. Building a house under PMAY-G takes about 125 days but during this period of Corona, it was completed in just about 45 to 60 days which is a record in itself.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAYG), earlier known as Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), is a scheme for rural housing by the Indian Government.

This social welfare program was initiated to meet the objectives of the “Housing for All” scheme by the year 2022.

India will be self-reliant in production of fertilizers by 2023

Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda has said that India will be self-reliant in the production of fertilizers by 2023.

Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat programme new fertilizer manufacturing units are being set up with an investment of 40 thousand crore rupees in the country to reduce dependency on import.

Maharashtra CM to launch ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ Campaign to Tackle COVID-19

In a bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic among further relaxation of lockdown curbs, Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray announced the launch of ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ Campaign. The campaign aims to motivate the maximum number of people to adopt a new lifestyle for effective COVID-19 control and also aims to reach people before the virus reaches them.

On September 15, 2020 the campaign will be launched in the BMC Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC), (formerly the Bombay Municipal Corporation) jurisdication area and will be implemented across the state under the guidance of CM.

Assam Oil Well Fire, Gas Leakage The raging oil well fire in Assam which

continued for more than three months has been primarily controlled, and it would take a few more weeks to control the gas leakage and fire fully.

Natural gas and oil condensate started leaking from an oil well of the state-owned OIL field at Baghjan in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district 110 days back.




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 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-Japan-Australia to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region

India, Japan and Australia agreed to launch a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative will help in building a resilient supply chain with focus on free, transparent trade & investment environment in the region.

The initiative was decided at a virtual meeting comprising Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Simon Birmingham, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kajiyama Hiroshi.

Cabinet approves signing of India-Japan pact on cooperate on in textiles

The government approved for signing a pact between India and Japan aimed at increasing India’s exports of textile and apparel to the Japanese market, and to boost co-operation in the textiles sector.

“The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved for signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between textiles committee, India, and M/s Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan, for

improving quality and testing of Indian textiles and clothing for the Japanese market.

Chinese Navy becomes largest navy of the world

Chinese Navy has become the world’s largest navy. The country looks forward to set up its new PLA bases in the Indo-Pacific region. This announcement was made by Pentagon in its report to the US Congress. The Pentagon also reported that China is planning to establish PLA facilities in over 12 countries.

India ranks 48th in Global Innovation Index 2020

India has joined the group of top 50 countries in the global innovation index for the first time, moving up four places to the 48th rank and keeping the top position among the nations in central and southern Asia.

India ranks in the top 15 in indicators such as ICT (Information and Communication

International Affairs



Technology) services exports, government online services, graduates in science and engineering, and R&D-intensive global companies.

Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK and the Netherlands lead the innovation ranking, and the top 5 positions are dominated by high-income countries.

The 13th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 has jointly released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School.

Saudi Arabia chairs G20 Foreign Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting

Saudi Arabia chaired the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting which was held in the virtual mode.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar represented India in the virtual meeting that was convened in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

During the meeting, India proposed the setting up of voluntary ‘G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People’. This new set up will be based on following three pillars:

f Standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results.

f Standardisation of ‘Quarantine procedures’

f Standardisation of ‘movement and transit’ protocols.

China to unveil statue of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis, the most celebrated Indian doctor in China

China is set to unveil a bronze statue of Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis, one of five Indian physicians dispatched to China for medical assistance during the second Sino-Japanese war in 1938.

The bronze statue of Kotnis, known in China as Ke Dihua, would be formally unveiled at the medical school at Shijiazhuang in September.

Donald Trump announces Wilmington as first World War II Heritage City

US President Donald Trump announced Wilmington in southern US state North Carolina as the First World War II Heritage City at a ceremony held to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

During the war, Wilmington was the site of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which built 243 ships in five years as part of the federal government’s emergency shipbuilding program.

5 day USISPF 3rd Annual Leadership Summit 2020 held

The 5 days long US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) 3rd Annual Leadership Summit was held from August 31-Spetmeber 3, 2020 on the theme “US-India Navigating New Challenges”.

The aim of the summit was to discuss




enhancing strategic and economic collaboration between the US and India with focus on trade and investment, healthcare, colloboraion in fintech, technology and India’s position in global supply chains.

USISPF, formed in 2017 is the only independent bi-lateral organization that is committed to creating the most powerful strategic partnership between the U.S. and India.

Small Businesses made India the Second largest PPE (Personal protective equipment) kits manufacturer in the World, after China.

FDI (Foreign, Direct Investment) into India rose by 20% in 2019, when the global FDI inflows fell by 1%.

Germany launches Indo-Pacific strategy with ‘key role’ for India

Germany, current EU president and Europe’s biggest economy, has launched its Indo-Pacific strategy with India that is expected to play a key role in Berlin’s outreach in the region where China’s aggressive foreign policy has rattled countries.

The strategy released by German Foreign Ministry has several indirect references to Chinese behaviour that challenged rules-based world order. Berlin’s strategy also suggested opening dialogue with institutions where India plays a key role Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and Indian Ocean Rim Associationp in the areas of business and maritime safety, as well as disaster risk management.

First India-France-Australia Trilateral virtual dialogue held

The first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Secretary-General François Delattre, and Australian Foreign Secretary Frances Adamson.

The trilateral dialogue was help with the aim of enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting was held with the objective of furthering the strong bilateral relations that the three countries already share. The three nations agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis.

First World Solar Technology Summit organized by ISA and FICCI held Virtually; Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi

The First World Solar Technology Summit (WSTS) was held virtually which was organized by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, to focus on new Technologies and Innovation, to focus on new Technologies and Innovations in the field of Solar.

The summit aims at “Let us make the sun brighter” by bringing together key stakeholders.




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 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-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.




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.




8. TAMILNADU AFFAIRS

Tamilnadu Affairs

Tamil Nadu Appoints India’s First-ever Woman Ambulance Driver under New Initiative by CM Palaniswami

A woman was appointed as ambulance driver in Tamil Nadu, claimed to be the first in the country, as Chief Minister K Palaniswami flagged off 118 as part of an initiative to strengthen emergency services in the state.

M Veeralakshmi was appointed driver of one of the newly launched ‘108’ ambulances and it is a ‘first’ in the country. Ninety ambulances equipped with life saving medical equipment, 10 high tech vehicles for use by 10 government blood banks for transporting blood collected in camps and 18 ambulances donated by an entertainment television channel group for anti-COVID tasks were flagged off.

Work on Pattabiram Tidel Park begins Construction work for the first Tidel Park

is under way at Pattabiram, and the first client will login by 2022.

The first phase of the project comprises ground plus 21 floors with 5.57 lakh sq.ft. of floor space at an estimated cost of `235 crore. Tidel had engaged a consultant, Cushman & Wakefield, to conduct a pre-feasibility study on the proposal of setting up an IT Park here.

Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu selected as fully Digital Economy district

Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, which houses a large number of small and medium enterprises, especially in the fire crackers and allied sectors, has been selected by the Central Government as the state’s first Fully Digital Economy district.

All industrial units and commercial establishments in the district are at present implementing various forms of cashless transactions. These include widespread use of ATM debit cards, increased usage of internet banking, widespread use of QR codes etc.

Tamil Nadu govt releases policy for electronics & hardware manufacturing

Tamil Nadu government announced a new electronics & hardware manufacturing policy to increase the State’s electronics



industry output to $100 billion by 2025. The state hopes to contribute 25 per cent of India’s total electronic exports to the world by 2025.

The other focus areas are to undertake a focused research and development program to achieve the above objectives, and foster an environment of research and innovation, foster a conducive environment for ESDM Start-ups, especially promoting the rapid growth of innovation-led technology enterprises involved in the design, development and manufacturing of technologically advanced solutions and to attract at least two major FAB investments to Tamil Nadu in the next three years.

For core investments the policy has identified districts in three categories. For investments worth Rs 200-500 crore capital subsidy in category A district would be 15 per cent, in category B district 20 per cent and in C category district 25 per cent. For investments over Rs 500 crore capital subsidy in A district would be 18 per cent, B district 24 per cent and in C district 30 per cent.

For the first time ever, IIT Madras conducts internship drive online

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) conducted its day one of the campus Internship Drive completely online for the first time in its history. It proved to be a major success, featuring the participation of several top Indian and global companies. They interviewed students over video conferencing platforms and offered internships for the

Summer of 2021. The entire process was planned in advance

with very few things left for the last date, and it made organising the very first day of the hiring season a pleasant experience for all the stakeholders. Internships are mandatory for B.Tech. and M.Tech. courses besides Dual Degree students as part of their academic curriculum.

2,000 mini clinics across Tamil Nadu soon

The Tamil Nadu government is planning to open about 2,000 ‘mini clinics’ across the State for treating patients with headache, mild fever and other ailments, as doctors in several private and government hospitals are reluctant to treat patients suspecting they would have COVID-19.

COVID-19 containment zones would continue, and people residing in them were to be monitored continuously, he said and added that the Health Department’s request for additional doctors, nurses and health workers would be considered favourably.

Committee constituted to offer recommendations for implementing NEP 2020

The School Education Department has constituted an expert committee to offer recommendations for the implementation of the National Education Policy.

The committee will be headed by School Education Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, and its 13 members include Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, School Education Commissioner; Pooja Kulkarni, Special

Tamilnadu Affairs



Secretary, Finance Department; G. Latha, State Peoject Director, Samagra Shiksha; Kavitha Ramu, Director (ICDS), Social Welfare Department.

The School Education Secretary reiterated that with regards to the provisions of the NEP related to language, the Chief Minister had already said that the State would continue to follow the extant two-language policy.

Pathinen Keelkanakku Texts Translated into German and French - Published by the Chief Minister

The Chief Minister published French and German translations of 1837 songs selected from over Pathinen keelkanakku text books.

The selected texts will be translated into world languages such as French and German and Indian languages such as Malayalam, Hindi and Telugu. These tasks will be implemented by the World Tamil Research Institute.

Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence inaugurated at NIT Trichy

The Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence was inaugurated at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy by its Director Dr Mini Shaji Thomas.

The centre equipped with various cutting edge technical facilities was set up at a cost of Rs 1.18 crore, which was provided by the Higher Education Funding Agency - HEFA.

The centre already has received projects worth Rs 1.27 crores from various central institutes including ISRO, DRDO and the Naval Research Board.

Submission of report to the Government by the Tuition Setting Committee for Agricultural Colleges

The Government has appointed a Tuition Fee Committee headed by Retired High Court Judge K. Chandru to determine the tuition fees of students studying in affiliated private agricultural colleges functioning under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

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.

Tamilnadu Affairs



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,

Tamilnadu Affairs



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



9. PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. India Brain Template and Brain Atlas was developed by_______________.(A) AIIMS (B) ISRO (C) IISC (D) NIMHANS

2. Which of the following organization released The living Planet Report?(A) UNEP (B) UNESCO (C) WWF (D) IUCN

3. US-based Aerospace Company has named its space craft after which Indian origin Astronaut?(A) Laurel Clerk (B) Sunita Williams (C) Kalpana Chawla (D) Rakesh Sharma

4. Which of the following state recently announced New universal Health Insurance Scheme?(A) New Delhi (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Jammu & Kashmir(D) Odisha

5. ________________conducted the second edition of the states startup Ranking exercise.(A) Department for promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

(B) NITI Aayog

(C) Ministry of Finance

(D) RBI

6. Which Article of the Indian Constitution provides that Hindi shall be the official language of the union?(A) 313 (B) 323 (C) 327 (D) 343

7. Asper CRISIL what is the expected real GDP growth of India in Financial year 2021?(A) -11.5% (B) -10.5% (C) -9% (D) -9.5%

8. What is the Name of Japan’s Parliament ?(A) Congress (B) National Assembly

(C) Diet (D) Yuan

9. Twitter launched “ThereIsHelp” campaign is for_________________.(A) Prevent Suicide (B) Start Small Buisness

(C) Women Empowerment (D) Service for disabled

10. Union cabinet gives approval to increase the FDI limit in Defence sector from 49% to____________.(A) 51% (B) 74% (C) 99% (D) 100%

11. World’s First Commercial Hydrogen aircraft is going to launched by Airbus company in which of the following year?(A) 2025 (B) 2030 (C) 2032 (D) 2035

Practice Questions



12. O-SMART Scheme’s objective is_____________.(A) Predict Monsoon (B) Weather forecasting (C) Tsunami Early Warning (D) Earthwake early warning

13. Government of India announced how many neutrino observatories to be setup in the country?(A) 13 (B) 17 (C) 20 (D) 21

14. Which of the following year National hydrogen energy board map was adapted by the National hydrogen Energy near?(A) 2005 (B) 2006 (C) 2008 (D) 2012

15. Who heads the 11 member company Law committee which was consistuted by the ministry of corporate affairs?(A) Rajiv Gauba (B) Rajesh Verma (C) P.K.Mishra (D) D.Tripathi

16. Amitabha Ghosh was the____________Governor of Reserve Bank of India.(A) 12th (B) 14th (C) 16th (D) 18th

17. Kandla Port is located in which state? (A) Kerala (B) Maharashtra (C) Gujarat (D) Odisha

18. Choose the correct statement regarding No confidence motion.1. There is no mention of No confidence motion in the constitution.

2. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister faced the highest number of No Confidence motions with 15.

(A) 1 only (B) 2 only (C) Both (D) None of the above

19. The historic 1000 Pillar Rudreshwara Swamy Temple at Telangana was built the great legacy of_________________. (A) Vijaya Nagara (B) Kakatiya (C) Challukya (D) Pallava

20. Chendamangalam Saree is belongs to which of the following state?(A) Tamil Nadu (B) Kerala (C) Karnataka (D) Telangana

21. National Statistical Office Established under Statistical services Act_______.(A) 1960 (B) 1970 (C) 1980 (D) 1984

22. Choose the correct statement regarding International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)? 1. It founded in 1994 2. Headquartered in Washington DC


23. Choose the correct statement? 1. International literacy Day celebrated on September 8.

2. Theme for 2020 – Literacy Teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.


Practice Questions



24. Operation Green initially started for which of the following vegetables ?1. Tomato 2. Onion 3. Potato

(A) 1, 2 (B) 2, 3 (C) 1, 3 (D) All the above

25. The first World Solar Technology Summit is going to be conducted by_________. (A) International Solar Alliance (B) International Energy Agency

(C) NEERI (D) TERI

26. Which year Kesavananda Bharati Vs State of Kerala case Judgement was published? (A) 1971 (B) 1972 (C) 1973 (D) 1974

27. Which state tops the recent National Statistical office (NSO) survey on literacy rate? (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Kerala (C) Telangana (D) New Delhi

28. Yakshgana is a traditional folk dance performed in the state of___________. (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Kerala (C) Karnataka (D) Telangana

29. Kanha National Park is located in_______________. (A) Uttar Pradesh (B) Madhya Pradesh (C) Assam (D) Bihar

30. Which country has launched a reusable experimental space craft long march-2F? (A) Spain (B) USA (C) China (D) Japan

31. Hindu widow Remarriage Act was enacted in_________.(A) 1854 (B) 1856 (C) 1921 (D) 1952

32. The Rosetta Space probe built by the_____________.(A) NASA (B) JAXA

(C) European Space Agency (D) ISRO

33. Government of India targeted to increase public health care expenditure from 1.15% to 2.5% by_____________.(A) 2023 (B) 2024 (C) 2025 (D) 2026

34. World Tourism Day observed on______________.(A) September 26 (B) September 27 (C) September 28 (D) September 29

35. India to develop hi-tech weapon system with which of the following country?(A) Japan (B) Australia (C) Israel (D) USA

36. The Rajaji Tiger Reserve is located in the State of____________.(A) Kerala (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Uttar Pradesh (D) Uttarkhand

37. India announced grant to promote Buddhist ties with which country?(A) Srilanka (B) Bhutan (C) Nepal (D) Bangladesh

Practice Questions



38. Which of the following Union Ministry notified the standards for safety evolution of Hydrogen fuels?(A) Ministry of Power (B) Ministry of Renewable Energy

(C) Ministry of Road Transport (D) Ministry of Fiancé

39. Which of the following awards are received by known singer S.P.Balasubramaniyan?(A) Padma Sri (B) Padma Bhushan

(C) Padma Vibhushan (D) A & B

40. The coal is converted into Synthesis gas by coal gasification process it also called as__________.(A) LNG Gas (B) Coal Gas (C) Syn Gas (D) Natural Gas

41. Choose the Correct Statement.1. The Himachal is called the lesser Himalayas.

2. Himadri is the Greater Himalayas.

3. Shiwalic is the outer Himalayas.

(A) 1, 2 (B) 2, 3 (C) 1, 3 (D) 1, 2, 3

42. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha (KUSUM) Scheme aims to________.(A) Agriculture Export (B) Agriculture Trading (C) Solar Energy harness (D) Road Development

43. Which of the following country developing the world’s Largest Solar Tree?(A) Japan (B) France (C) China (D) India

44. Kandhamal Haldi is recently seen in news specially cultivated in which state?(A) Tamil Nadu (B) Karnataka (C) Telangana (D) Odisha

45. Which year constitutional status was provided to National Commission for Backward classes?(A) 2003 (B) 1993 (C) 2018 (D) 2015

46. Recently in which state Roll on Roll off train services has been inaugurated?(A) Uttar Pradesh (B) Maharashtra (C) Karnataka (D) Andhra Pradesh

47. Choose the Correct Statement regarding channapatna toys.1. It is from the state of Andhra Pradesh.

2. It has got the geographical indication status.


48. Nubra Valley is located in which of the following state?(A) Jammu & Kashmir (B) Ladakh (C) Rajasthan (D) Assam

Practice Questions



49. Choose the correct statement regarding PM Awas Yojana.1. It is implemented as centrally sector scheme.

2. The houses constructed should be in the Name of Female.


50. India’s largest inland salt Lake called Sambhar lake is located in the ______________.(A) Gujarat (B) Maharashtra (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Rajasthan

51. Which of the following countries are part of G4 National?1. Japan 2. Brazil 3. Germany 4. India

(A) 1, 2 (B) 1, 2, 3 (C) 1, 3, 4 (D) All the above

52. Operation Polo was associated with________________.(A) Annexing the Hyderabad (B) Freedom of Goa

(C) Captured the Siachen Glacer (D) India Peace Keeping force in Srilanka

53. Who was the first Indian Artist to used oil paints?(A) Raja Ravi Verma (B) M.F.Hussain

(C) Tyeb Mehta (D) Amrita Shorgil

54. What is the theme of World Bamboo Day 2020?(A) Bamboo and life (B) Bamboo and Biodiversity

(C) Bamboo for future (D) Bamboo New

55. VAIBHAV virtual summit is going to be inaugurated by PM Modi on ________________2020.(A) October 1 (B) October 2 (C) October 3 (D) October 4

56. Government of India has recently amended the Public Procurement order__________.(A) 2002 (B) 2007 (C) 2012 (D) 2017

57. Who has authored the book titled “Azadi” Freedom, Fascis, Fiction?(A) Salman Rushdi (B) Ruskin Bond (C) Arundhati Roy (D) Amitav Ghosh

58. Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is located at which state?(A) Kerala (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Odisha (D) Karnataka

59. Choose the correct statement regarding SVANidhi. 1. It was launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

2. It provides loans to street vendors.


Practice Questions



60. Which of the following are the conditions of Development of Cyclone. 1. At least 27 degree Celsius Worm.

2. Presence of Coriolis force.


61. Five Star Village Scheme has been launched by______________.(A) Ministry of Panchayat (B) Ministry of Home

(C) India Post (D) NITI Aayog

62. Which of the following place recently gets FCRA registration?(A) Golden Temple, Punjab (B) Peruvudaiyar Temple, Tamil Nadu

(C) Ellora Caves, Maharashtra (D) Sun Temple, Odisha

63. Shipping Ministry recently launched SAROD Ports will Act as_____________.(A) Weather Forecast (B) Dispute Resolution

(C) Navigation (D) Port Management

64. When World Suicide Prevention Day observed every year?(A) September 8 (B) September 9 (C) September 10 (D) September 11

65. India’s Digital payments index is launched by____________.(A) NPCI (B) RBI (C) SBI (D) SEBI

66. Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailan Tiger Reserve is located which of the following state?(A) Telangana (B) Karnataka (C) Andhra Pradesh (D) Odisha

67. India’s first integrated air ambulance service was launched at ____________.(A) Bengaluru (B) Chennai (C) Kolkata (D) New Delhi

68. Which district of Tamil Nadu selected as first fully Digital Economy District by the Central Government?(A) Erode (B) Chennai (C) Virudhunagar (D) Kanyakumari

69. World Maritime Day observed on________________.(A) September 22 (B) September 23 (C) September 24 (D) September 25

70. India and Australia Mega Naval Exercise PASSEX is being conducted in ___________.(A) Pacific Ocean (B) Bay of Bengal (C) Atlantic Ocean (D) Indian Ocean

71. DRDO recently test fired an indigenously developed LASER guided Anti-tank guided missile from____________.(A) Visakhapatnam (B) APJ Abdul Kalam Island (C) Andaman (D) Ahmednagar

Practice Questions



72. Major Ports Trusts Act was enacted in______________.(A) 1952 (B) 1962 (C) 1963 (D) 1964

73. “Kritagya” Hakkathan was launched by_________________.(A) NITI Aayog (B) Competition Commission of India

(C) Indian Council of Agricultural Council (D) National Development Council

74. Article 148 of Indian Constitution mentioned about____________.(A) Supreme Court Judges (B) Election Commissioner

(C) Chairman of Rajya Sabha (D) Controller and Auditor General

75. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference Of Parties (COP) 26 is to be held in_______________.(A) 2021 (B) 2022 (C) 2023 (D) 2024

76. Which of the following are part of UNESCO’s intangible Heritage list?1. Kumbha Mela 2. Ram lela 3. Mudiyettu

(A) 1, 2 (B) 1, 3 (C) 2, 3 (D) 1, 2, 3

77. Booker Prize is awarded for _______________.(A) Literary (B) Mathematicians (C) Musicians (D) Scientists

78. Which of the following cases can be investigated by National Investigation Agency (NIA)?1. Human Trafficking 2. Cyber Terrorism 3. Manufacture sale of Prohibited Arm

(A) 1, 2 (B) 1, 3 (C) 2, 3 (D) 1, 2, 3

79. Which state has planned to start river cruises to boost tourism? (A) Jharkhand (B) Goa (C) Kerala (D) Odisha

80. Which Union Territory has set up a biodiversity council to document its biodiversity? (A) Jammu & Kashmir (B) Ladakh

(C) Puducherry (D) Andaman & Nicobar Islands

81. Which nation has signed a deal with India to set up an AK203 assault rifles factory at Amethi? (A) Japan (B) US (C)Russia (D) France

82. When is the International Day of Charity? (A) September 1st (B) September 3rd (C) September 4th (D) September 5th

83. Which state launched ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo’ campaign which is given the shape of a mass movement? (A) Madhya Pradesh (B) Nagaland

(C) Himachal Pradesh (D) Uttarakhand

Practice Questions



84. What is the theme of World Coconut Day 2020? (A) Coconut for Wellness (B) Coconut for Family Wellness

(C) Invest in Coconut to save the world (D) Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellnessis

85. What is the rank of India in World Intellectual Property Index (WIPO)? (A) 48th (B) 52nd (C) 45th (D) 29th

86. Where did the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defence Ministers’ Meet held in September 2020? (A) Italy (B) Russia (C) Germany (D) UK

87. Which institutes launched a new Innovation called ‘Chakr DeCoV’ to decontaminate N95 masks? (A) IIT Roorkee (B) IIT Delhi (C) IIT Kanpur (D) IIT Madras

88. Who has become the first Indian to win a singles main draw match at a Grand Slam in the last seven years? (A) Sumit Nagal (B) Prajnesh Gunneswaran

(C) Saketh Myneni (D) Rohan Bopanna

89. Which of the following year Saubhagya PM (Sahaj Bijili Hargar Yojana) was launched in____________.(A) 2015 (B) 2016 (C) 2017 (D) 2018

90. JIMEX maritime exercise is conducted between India and _________________.(A) France (B) Mexico (C) USA (D) Japan

91. ___________introduce “positive pay” system to check the payments of cheques?(A) Reserve Bank of India (B) State Bank of India

(C) ICICI Bank (D) Axis Bank

92. FAME Scheme aims to_________________.(A) Electrification of Public Transport (B) Easy moving in Tollgates

(C) Skill Development (D) Starting new startups

93. Medical Council of India has been replaced into_______________.(A) National Medical Commission (B) National Medical Council

(C) Medical Education Commission (D) Medical Education Council

94. Which of the following state wins UN award for control of Non Communicable Diseases?(A) Tamil Nadu (B) Kerala (C) Karnataka (D) New Delhi

Practice Questions



95. Pinaka Rocket System has been produced by______________.(A) ISRO (B) DRDO

(C) Defence Manufacturing Limited (D) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

96. Central Government raised the limit of use of State Disaster Release Fund from 35% to__________. (A) 50% (B) 60% (C) 70% (D) 75%

97. India’s First Coastal Guard Academy will be established in which city? (A) Chennai (B) Visakhapatnam

(C) Mangaluru (D) Kochi

98. International Day for the preservation of the Ozone layer observed on__________.(A) September 14 (B) September 15 (C) September 16 (D) September 17

99. Which Country was recently elected as the member of the United Nations Commission on the status of Women?(A) China (B) Japan (C) India (D) France

100. ”School Education in 21st Century” a two day conclave was organized by the ministry of ___________.(A) Home Affairs (B) Education (C) Skill Development (D) Ayush

Practice Questions



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

D C C C A D C C A B

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

D C D B B C C C B B

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

C C C D A C B C B C

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

B C C B C D A C D C

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

D C D D C C B B A D

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

D A A D B D C B C C

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

C A B C B C A C C C

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

D C C D A D A D D A

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

C D A C A B B A C D

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

A A A B B A C C A B

Practice Questions

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