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International E-Waste Day: 14 October
- International E-Waste Day is observed on 14 October every year.
- The day was established by the WEEE Forum, an international association of e-waste collection schemes.
- Mountain of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) for 2021 will total about 57.4 million tonnes — greater than the weight of the Great Wall of China, the earth’s heaviest artificial object.
World Sight Day: 14 October 2021
- World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October.
- For 2021, the day will be observed on October 14.
- The day focuses global attention on vision impairment, including blindness.
- The theme for 2021 is ‘Love Your Eyes’.
- Reduced eyesight can be caused by several factors, including diseases like diabetes and trachoma, trauma to the eyes
World Standards Day: 14 October
- World Standards Day, also known as International Standards Day, is observed globally every year on October 14.
- It aims to create awareness about the importance of standardization to the global economy among consumers, regulators, and industry.
- “Standards for sustainable development goals – shared vision for a better world” is the international theme for 2021.
India’s retail inflation eases to 4.35% in September 2021
- Retail inflation declined to 4.35 percent in September 2021, mainly due to lower food prices, according to government data.
- The Consumer Price Index-based (CPI) inflation was at 5.30 percent in August and at 7.27 percent in September 2020.
- As per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the inflation in the food basket eased to 0.68 percent in September 2021.
Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) to continue till 2025-26
- The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) till the year 2025-26.
- The mission will focus on sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) outcomes and managing wastewater in cities with less than 1 lakh population in Census 2011.
- A financial outlay of Rs 1,41,600 crore has been finalized for the mission.
Uttar Pradesh government to set up ‘Arogya Vatika’ in schools
- Uttar Pradesh government has directed all state secondary schools to set up ‘Arogya Vatika’ (salubrity garden) in their premises.
- It will help conserve the environment, boost the immunity and well-being of students and their families.
- Plants like Tulsi, Giloy, Ashwagandha, stevia, Indian gooseberry, khas, Guava, Haldi, Sandal, Sahjan, and many more would be planted in the Vatika.
Earth receives first radio signals from a planet outside of Solar System
- In a major discovery, astronomers have for the first time detected stars that are blasting radio signals hinting at the presence of hidden planets around them.
- The signals were picked up using the world’s most powerful radio antenna, the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) situated in the Netherlands.
- The signals were detected by Dr. Benjamin Pope from the University of Queensland.
Priyank Kanoongo appointed as Chairperson of NCPCR
- The central government has reappointed Priyank Kanoongo as Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for a period of three years from October 17, 2021.
- This will be Kanoongo’s second term as Chairperson of the apex child rights body.
- NCPCR works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
Yellen to host India-US Economic and Financial Partnership
- US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will host the eighth round of India Economic and Financial Partnership (EFP) meet with her Indian counterpart Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 14 October 2021.
- The meeting will address a range of critical issues, including economic recovery from the global pandemic, climate finance, multilateral priorities, and financial regulation.
Coca-Cola India extends partnership with Sourav Ganguly as ambassador
- Coca-Cola India on 13 October 2021 announced that it will be extending its partnership with Sourav Ganguly as the ambassador for a period of another three years.
- Ganguly, now President of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), had earlier signed a pact with Coca-Cola in 2017.
- Coca-Cola was the first Fast-Moving Consumer Goods brand to partner with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
PayPal signs MoU with IIFT launches India Digital Trade Facilitation
- Global digital payment solutions provider PayPal and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade on 13 October 2021 launched the India Digital Trade Facilitation Forum.
- The forum is a platform to provide education, training, and capacity building to MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) and help scale their businesses across global markets.
Asian Development Bank raises climate finance ambition to USD 100 bn
- The ADB (Asian Development Bank) on 13 October 2021 decided to elevate its ambition to deliver climate financing to its developing member countries to USD 100 billion from 2019–2030.
- In 2018, ADB committed to delivering climate finance resources worth USD 80 billion by 2030.
- ADB aims to expand access to new, climate-focused technologies and mobilize private capital toward climate finance.
Global debt jumps to a new high of USD 226 trillion: IMF
- The global debt has jumped to a new high of USD 226 trillion with India’s dues projected to rise to 90.6 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2021.
- The IMF states in its 2021 Fiscal Monitor report that India’s debt increased from 68.9% of GDP in 2016 to 89.6% in 2020.
- India’s debt will decline to 88.8 percent of GDP in 2022.
India-China trade to touch record USD 100 billion-mark
- The India-China trade volume is set to cross the record figure of USD 100 billion in 2021.
- The bilateral trade between India and China totaled USD 90.37 billion by the end of September 2021.
- The Indian exports totaled USD 21.91 billion, registering a noteworthy increase of 42.5 percent.
- The above data was released by the customs administrations of both countries.
EAM S Jaishankar meets Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on 13 Oct’21 met Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.
- Both agreed to develop a broad agenda of practical cooperation between the two countries.
- He also held a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan where they agreed on enhancing trade, education, and cultural exchanges between the two nations.
The U.S. becomes World’s largest Bitcoin mining centre after China ban
- The United States has overtaken China to account for the largest share of the world’s bitcoin mining.
- The data was published on 13 October 2021 by the UK’s Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.
- The United States now accounts for the largest share of mining, some 35.4% of the global hash rate as of end-August 2021, followed by Kazakhstan and Russia, the data showed.
IBM aims to skill 30 million people globally by 2030
- IBM Corp. has shared its commitment and global plan to provide 30 million people of all ages with new skills needed for ‘jobs of tomorrow’ by 2030.
- It has announced a clear roadmap with more than 170 new academic and industry partnerships.
- In India, IBM will continue the partnerships with the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, CBSE, etc.
- IBM was founded on June 16, 1911.
India ranks 3rd in ‘Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index’
- India has retained the third rank in the 58th Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) released by consultancy firm Ernst & Young (EY)
- RECAI ranks the world’s top 40 markets (nations) on the attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment opportunities.
- The US and China are at the first and second positions respectively.
Paralympian Deepa Malik joins OYO’s board as an independent director
- Paralympian Deepa Malik has been appointed as an Independent Director on OYO’s board.
- OYO already has three other independent Directors and one nominee Director, besides Ritesh Agarwal being the Chairman.
- Deepa is an Indian athlete and a silver-medalist at the 2016 Paralympic Games.
- Oravel Stays Ltd (OYO) was founded in 2013 by Ritesh Agarwal.
Bangladesh among countries most vulnerable to ecological threats
- Bangladesh is one of the regions most vulnerable to ecological threats, as per a report.
- The country was ranked 163rd among 178 countries in the second Ecological Threat Report (ETR) prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
- IEP is an Australia-based think-tank.
- Afghanistan has the highest overall score in the report and ranked lowest 178th.
Adani Group to take over Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
- The Adani Group will take over the maintenance and development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) from 14 October 2021.
- As per the agreement, Adani will have the licence to operate the airport for a period of 50 years.
- The Airport will be managed under Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Limited.
International Energy Agency invites India to become a full-time member
- International Energy Agency (IEA) has invited India to become its full-time member.
- If the proposal is accepted, it will require New Delhi to raise strategic oil reserves to 90 days requirement.
- India is the world’s third-largest energy consumer.
- India in March 2017 became an associate member of the Paris-based body which advises industrialised nations on energy policies.
SGADF organized the 6th International Championship
- School Games and Activity Development Foundation (SGADF) in collaboration with the National Sports Council of Nepal organized the 6th International Championship in Nepal.
- It was conducted from 3-7 October 2021.
- Shivam Thakur won a gold medal in 10m pistol shooting.
- All the students who backed medals have been selected for the Asian Games which will be held from 5-9 Nov 2021 in Abu Dhabi.
James K Sangma to get PETA India award for ‘vegan leather’ initiative
- PETA India has decided to confer the Progressive Business Concept Award on Meghalaya Environment Minister James K Sangma.
- He will be awarded for his plans to produce ‘vegan leather’ in the northeastern state.
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international President.
SuperQ signs MoU with IIT-Kharagpur for superconductor research
- SuperQ Technologies India has signed an MoU with the Cryogenic Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur to accelerate their research in the field of Superconductors.
- SuperQ is a research and product development company aiming to build and deploy industry-scale superconducting devices technology.
- Prof Abhay Singh Gour will offer a certification program on superconductivity to the SuperQ team.
RIL and Denmark’s Stiesdal to manufacture HydroGen Electrolyzers
- Reliance New Energy Solar Limited (RNESL)and Denmark-based Stiesdal A/S (Stiesdal) have signed a cooperation agreement.
- The agreement is for the technology development and manufacturing of Stiesdal’s HydroGen Electrolyzers in India.
- The new technology for HydroGen Electrolyzers has the potential to deliver significant cost reduction compared to currently available technologies.
Alexander Schellenberg appointed Austria’s new Chancellor
- Austria got a new Chancellor on 11 October 2021, two days after Sebastian Kurz resigned amid corruption allegations.
- Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen swore in Alexander Schallenberg, currently the Foreign Minister, as Chancellor.
- He was serving as the Foreign Minister since 2019.
- Career diplomat Michael Linhart became the country’s new Foreign Minister.
Draft Regional Plan 2041 approved by the NCR Planning Board
- The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has approved the Draft Regional Plan-2041.
- The main priority areas for the Draft Regional Plan are urban regeneration, future-ready infrastructure, multi-modal transport, economic corridor, etc.
- It was approved at 41st meeting of NCRPB which was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.
EAM S Jaishankar addresses 6th Ministerial meeting in Kazakhstan
- External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar addressed the 6th Ministerial meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures (CICA) 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on 12 Oct’21.
- On the sidelines of the CICA meeting, he met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and noted the progress in the bilateral cooperation.
- They exchanged notes on Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.
Cabinet approves affiliation of 100 schools with Sainik School Society
- Union Cabinet has approved the affiliation of 100 schools in government and private sector with Sainik School Society.
- These schools will function as an exclusive vertical which will be distinct and different from existing Sainik Schools of Ministry of Defence (MoD).
- In the first phase, 100 affiliate partners are proposed to be drawn from states, NGOs and private partners.
India Post celebrates PLI day as part of National Postal Week
- Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, celebrated the Postal Life Insurance (PLI) day on 12 October 2021.
- It was celebrated as part of National Postal Week and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
- Department of Posts offers two types of life insurance schemes, namely Postal Life Insurance (PLI) introduced in 1884 and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) introduced in 1995.
Ministerial Roundtable session of ITU Digital World 2021 held
- Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, participated in the Ministerial Roundtable Session of the 50th-anniversary edition of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Digital World 2021 on 12 October 2021.
- It was hosted by the Government of Vietnam.
- The topic for the deliberation was “Cutting the cost: can affordable access accelerate digital transformation?”.
NHAI and TIDCO sign MoU for development of multi-modal logistics park
- A MoU was signed between Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and the Chennai Port Trust (CPT) in Chennai on 12 October 2021.
- It has been signed to set up a multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) spread over 158 acre at Mappedu in Tiruvallur district at a cost of ₹1,200 crores.
RBI authorises K Vysya Bank to collect direct taxes on behalf of CBDT
- Karur Vysya Bank has commenced the integration process with the Central Board of Direct Taxes to collect direct taxes on its behalf.
- It has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to do so.
- Once the integration process gets completed, the bank customers can remit the direct taxes through any branch or through net banking or mobile banking services (DLite Mobile application).
IIFL Finance launches instant business loan on WhatsApp
- IIFL Finance has launched an instant business loan on WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp users will be able to avail loans up to ₹10 lakh with minimum documentation and get approval in five minutes.
- IIFL, the retail-focussed non-banking finance company (NBFC) claimed that it has become the first NBFC in the country to launch instant business loan on WhatsApp.
Child marriage killing over 60 girls a day worldwide, finds study
- Child marriage kills more than 60 girls a day globally and 6 girls a day in South Asia, according to a new analysis released on the International Day of the Girl Child.
- It claimed that over an estimated 22,000 girls a year are dying from pregnancy and childbirth resulting from child marriage.
- The report by Save The Children said South Asia sees 2,000 child marriage-related deaths every year.
Pakistan is among the top 10 that possess the largest external debt stocks
- Pakistan is among the top 10 nations that possess the largest external debt stocks.
- It has become eligible for the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- According to International Debt Statistics in 2022, released by the World Bank, there was a wide divergence in the rate at which external debt accumulated in individual DSSI-eligible countries.
Union Minister launches phase-2 of awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS
- Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pawar on 12 October 2021 launched Phase II of awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB).
- The awareness campaign was launched under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people living with HIV are 18 times more likely to develop active TB disease than people without HIV.
Kotak Mahindra Bank launches micro ATMs across India
- Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (KMBL) has announced the launch of Micro ATMs across the country.
- Customers of all banks who possess a debit card can use a Kotak Micro ATM for key banking services such as cash withdrawals and checking account balances.
- A mini version of an ATM, micro ATMs is a small handheld device.
- KMBL is using its extensive Business Correspondents network to launch micro ATMs.
PhonePe, NPCI Bharat BillPay team up to launch ClickPay
- PhonePe has collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) Bharat Bill Pay Limited (NBBL) to launch ClickPay for its customers.
- PhonePe is one of the first platforms to enable support for ClickPay.
- ClickPay is a one-of-its-kind payment link that enables customers to make recurring online bill payments for electricity, gas, loan repayments, water bills, etc.
National conference for zoo directors and veterinarians concludes
- The two-day national conference for zoo directors and veterinarians concluded on 11 October 2021.
- It was organized by Central Zoo Authority and hosted by Sardar Patel Zoological Park, Kevadia, Gujarat.
- Three important publications of the Central Zoo Authority were released during the event.
- It included a Vision Plan (2021-2031) for Indian zoos to upgrade them to global standards.
Government approves 31 proposals for telecom PLI scheme
- The Department of Telecom (DoT) has approved 31 proposals entailing an investment of Rs 3,345 crore over the next four and a half years.
- The companies selected for the PLI scheme include Nokia India, HFCL, Dixon Technologies, Flextronics, Foxconn, Coral Telecom, VVDN Technologies, Akashastha Technologies, and GS India.
- The DoT notified the PLI scheme on February 24, 2021.
Country’s first ‘One Health’ consortium launched
- Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, launched the first ‘One Health’ project on 13 October 2021.
- This programme envisages carrying out surveillance of important bacterial, viral and parasitic infections of zoonotic as well as transboundary pathogens in India.
- She also inaugurated the International mini-symposium on “Essentials of One Health”.
Indian Army contingent departs for “Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021”
- The Indian contingent, comprising of 350 personnel of an Infantry Battalion Group departed for 17th “Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021” on October 14, 2021.
- It would be held from October 15-29, 2021, at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, the United States.
- The Exercise YudhAbhyas is the largest running joint military training and defense cooperation endeavour between India and the US.
Rashmi Madhuri was crowned Miss Earth India 2021
- Rashmi Madhuri from Bengaluru has been crowned Miss India Earth 2021.
- Vanshika Parmar from Himachal Pradesh was crowned Beauty with a Responsibility.
- Miss Divine Beauty 2021 competition was held on September 25th, 2021 in New Delhi.
- The winner will represent India at Miss Earth 2021.
- The winner of Miss Earth serves as the Ambassador to environmental protection campaigns worldwide.
Sunil Chhetri breaks Brazilian legend Pele’s international goal record
- Sunil Chhetri on 13 October 2021, broke legendary football player Pele’s record during the match against the Maldives in the ongoing 2021 SAFF Championship.
- Pele had scored 77 goals for Brazil.
- Chhetri scored 79 international goals during the match.
- Lionel Messi (80) and Cristiano Ronaldo (115) are the two footballers who are ahead of Chhetri.
CRISP-M tool for Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme launched.
- Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh on 13 October 2021 launched Climate Resilience Information System and Planning (CRISP-M) tool.
- It has been launched for integration of climate information in Geographic Information System, GIS-based watershed planning.
- It has been launched in 7 states- MP, UP, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
Meghalaya CM launches Special Postal Covers of Pa Togan
- Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma launched the special postal covers of freedom fighter Pa Togan N Sangma and Citrus Indica (Memang Narang) at Williamnagar on 13 October 2021.
- He also announced that the govt will come up with special financial support to create infrastructure to be dedicated in memory of Pa Togan Sangma.
- He also presented tablets and books to students of Super 30.
RK Singh addresses Ministerial Session of Green Grids Initiative
- Power, New and Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh on 13 Oct 2021, addressed the Ministerial Session of the Green Grids Initiative-One Sun, One World, One Grid, Northwest Europe Cooperative Event.
- The event also saw the participation of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the UK Kwasi Kwarteng and the Minister of Energy of Belgium Ms. Tinne Van der Straeten.
Rajnath Singh addresses a webinar organized by SCO on 14 October 2021
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered the inaugural address at a webinar on the Role of Women in Armed Forces.
- It was organized by Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on 14 Oct’21.
- The webinar was conducted in 2 sessions.
- The 1st was on the Historical Perspective of Women’s Roles in Combat Operations.
- While the 2nd was on Emerging Trends in Wars and Likely Roles of Women Warriors.