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International Coffee Day: 1 October
- International Coffee Day is celebrated on October 1.
- The intention is to identify the plight of the farmers of coffee beans.
- First initiated in Japan, it was officially declared International Coffee Day in 2015.
- International Coffee Organisation, set up in 1963 in London, first declared International Coffee day on Oct 1, 2015.
- The day also promotes fair trade of coffee across the world.
World Vegetarian Day: 1 October
- World Vegetarian Day is celebrated on October 1 every year.
- The day aims to bring awareness to the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
- October is observed as Vegetarian Awareness Month.
- The monthly celebration ends on November 1 with World Vegan Day.
- World Vegetarian Day was established by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) in 1977.
Rupinder Pal Singh announces retirement from international hockey
- Indian hockey player Rupinder Pal Singh has announced his retirement from international hockey.
- He was a part of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
- He represented India in 223 matches.
- He represented India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, 2016 Olympic Games held at Rio de Janeiro, and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
AIIB approves USD 356.67 million loans for expansion of Chennai Metro
- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a USD 356.67 mn loan to the government of India to support the expansion of the Chennai metro rail system.
- The project involves the construction of a new corridor in Chennai’s metro network as part of Chennai Metro Rail Phase 2.
- Beijing headquartered AIIB has approved 28 projects in India, with a total amount of USD6.7 bn.
Meghalaya gets first native woman Chief Secretary
- Meghalaya government has appointed its first-ever native female Chief Secretary.
- Ms. Rebecca Vanessa Suchiang, a 1989 batch officer of Indian Administrative Service has taken over as the State Chief Secretary.
- The outgoing Chief Secretary M.S. Rao who took charge on 31st December 2019, retired on 30 September 2021.
- PP Trivedi was the first woman chief secretary of Meghalaya in the late 80s.
Smriti Mandhana becomes first Indian woman to score pink-ball Test ton
- Smriti Mandhana reached a new milestone on 1 Oct 2021 as she became the first Indian woman to score a Test hundred in pink-ball cricket.
- She scored 127 runs with 22 fours and a six.
- The historic century was also the first in the career of Mandhana.
- Earlier, Virat had become the first Indian cricketer in the men’s game to have scored a hundred in pink-ball Test.
India reports a current account surplus of USD 6.5 bln in the June quarter
- India’s current account balance recorded a surplus of USD 6.5 billion or 0.9 per cent of the GDP in the quarter ended June 2021.
- It is primarily due to contraction in the trade deficit and increase in services receipts.
- The above data was released by Reserve Bank of India in its report titled ‘Developments in India’s Balance of Payments during the First Quarter (April-June) of 2021-22’.
Uber partners with Startup India, iCreate to drive EV adoption
- Uber has partnered with Startup India and Gujarat-based start-up incubation centre iCreate.
- All three partnered for an innovation fund to support new ideas to drive adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the country.
- The ‘Green Mobility Innovation Challenge’ will be hosted on the Startup India portal.
- Uber will disburse a grant of Rs 75,00,000 ($101,000) among the top five startups.
ER Sheikh assumes charge as first DG of Ordnance Directorate
- Senior official ER Sheikh on 30 September 2021 assumed charge as the first Director General (DG) of the Ordnance Directorate (Co-ordination and Services).
- ER Sheikh is an Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) officer of the 1984 batch.
- The Ordnance Directorate is the newly-created entity to replace the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
Vinod Aggarwal appointed as ASDC President
- The Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) on 30 September 2021 appointed automobile industry veteran Vinod Aggarwal as its President.
- He would replace Nikunj Sanghi, who would leave ASDC after serving it for four years.
- ASDC is a sector skills council for the auto industry.
- ASDC is promoted by the central government and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
UK-India joint research and innovation funding led to 258 projects
- The UK-India research and innovation relationship has resulted in 258 projects with a joint investment of 330 million pounds, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) India said in its report released on 30 September 2021.
- The report is entitled ‘UK-India: Partnerships for Growth with Research and Innovation’.
- It analyses bilateral research and innovation projects co-funded by India and UKRI.
Adani Group seals deal to develop WCT at Colombo Port
- India’s Adani Group on 30 September 2021 sealed a deal with the state-owned Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to develop the Colombo Port’s Western Container Terminal (WCT).
- Adani Group signed a build-operate-transfer agreement with John Keells Holdings and the SLPA to run the WCT at the Colombo Port.
- Adani Group would be the first-ever Indian port operator in Sri Lanka.
India, Australia to sign comprehensive Free Trade agreement by 2022
- India and Australia agreed to conclude the long-pending Free Trade agreement by the end of 2022 and an early harvest trade deal by December 2021.
- The proposed trade agreement would cover trade in goods and services, and investment.
- The agreement would be consistent with Article 24 of the World Trade Organisation.
- India-Australia bilateral trade has exceeded AUD 24 billion in the year 2020.
SBI, Union Bank, PNB pick up stake in NARCL
- The State Bank of India(SBI), Union Bank of India, and Punjab National Bank(PNB) picked up stake in the proposed bad bank National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) on 30 September 2021.
- While SBI and Union Bank of India picked up 13.27 percent stake each, PNB subscribed to 12.06 percent stake in NARCL.
- All three lenders have subscribed to the equity in NARCL at Rs 10 per share.
National Insurance Academy collaborates with GIFT City
- The National Insurance Academy has tied up with GIFT City to offer courses in insurance, reinsurance, risk management and technology.
- The collaboration would facilitate capacity building in insurance and risk management space for participants in GIFT City.
- Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) houses India’s first and the only International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
International Day of Older Persons: 1 October
- International Day of Older Persons is observed on 1 October every year.
- The aim of the day is to spread awareness about issues affecting the elderly.
- According to United Nations, by 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older will reach 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015.
- Today, 125 million people are aged 80 years or older.
- The theme for 2021 is “Digital Equity for All Ages”.
Nationwide month-long Clean India Programme to be launched on 1 Oct
- The Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will organize the nationwide Clean India Programme from 1-31 October 2021.
- It will be organised in 6 lakh villages of 744 districts across the country.
- The cleanliness drive will be launched from Prayagraj in UP by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport, Anurag Thakur.
IBBI to celebrate its 5th annual day on 1 October 2021
- The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) will celebrate its 5th annual day on 1st October 2021.
- The annual publication, “Quinquennial of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016” w also released.
- IBBI is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities like Insolvency Professional Agencies, Insolvency Professionals, and Information Utilities in India.
PM Modi to launch Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban 2.0, AMRUT 2.0 on 1 Oct
- PM Narendra Modi will launch Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U) and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 on 1st October 2021 in New Delhi.
- SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities ‘garbage free’ and ensure grey and black water management in all cities.
- AMRUT 2.0 aims to provide 100% coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies.
Assam Cabinet approves Rs 1800 crore to microfinance borrowers
- Assam cabinet has approved Rs.1800 crore to provide relief to around 11 lakhs microfinance borrowers who are making regular payments to banks.
- The government of Assam had signed an MoU with Microfinance Institutions for implementation of Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS), 2021 in Aug 2021.
- The state govt would be required to spend close to Rs. 7,200 cr in loan waiver.
Microsoft, Labour Ministry launch ‘DigiSaksham’ initiative
- Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav on 30 September 2021 launched ‘DigiSaksham’.
- It is a joint initiative with Microsoft India.
- It is a digital skills programme to enhance the employability of youth.
- Free of cost training in digital skills including basic skills as well as advanced computing will be provided to more than 3 lakh youths in the first year.
NITI Aayog ties up with Amazon, Intel to boost innovation
- NITI Aayog, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Intel have come together to establish a new experience studio at the NITI Aayog Frontier Technologies Cloud Innovation Center (CIC).
- It will be located in NITI Aayog’s New Delhi premises.
- It will help showcase the potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), to accelerate their application in public sector use cases.
India’s fiscal deficit for April-August stands at Rs 4.68 lakh crore
- The union government’s fiscal deficit in April-August, FY 2021-22, stood at ₹4.68 lakh cr, or 31.1% of the budgeted target for the whole year.
- The government has received ₹8.08 lakh cr, about 41% of Budget estimates till Aug’21.
- This also includes ₹6.44 lakh crore in tax revenue, ₹1.48 lakh cr in non-tax revenue.
- Additionally, the govt has received ₹15,179 cr of non-debt capital receipts.
IIT Guwahati develops water-repellent material for motion sensors
- IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a novel water repellent material that can be used for real-time monitoring of human movements.
- The material developed is flexible, non-stretchable, and environmentally friendly that can detect low strains with high sensitivity.
- Wearable motion sensors are used for the physiological monitoring of human movement.
Indra Nooyi’s new book ‘My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future’
- Indra Nooyi has come up with her new book titled ‘My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future’.
- It is a 313 pages book that tells about her experiences of settling in America.
- She is a former Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo.
- She now is an Amazon Board member and also International Cricket Council’s first independent female board member.
Venezuela introduces new currency with 6 fewer zeros
- A new currency with six fewer zeros was introduced on 1 October 2021 in Venezuela, whose currency has been made nearly worthless by years of the world’s worst inflation.
- The highest denomination until now was a 1 mn bolivar bill that was worth a little less than a quarter.
- The new currency tops out at 100 bolivars, a little less than $25 – until inflation starts to eat away at that as well.
Deep depression intensifies into Cyclone Shaheen
- The deep depression in the Arabian Sea intensified into Cyclone Shaheen on 1 Oct 2021
- It is further likely to intensify into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- The name ‘Shaheen’ was given by Qatar, one of the member countries for naming a tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean.
- The meaning of the word ‘Shaheen’ is royal white falcon or Hawk.
B C Patnaik takes charge as MD of LIC
- B C Patnaik has taken charge as the Managing Director (MD) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
- He was appointed as Managing Director via a government notification dated July 5, 2021.
- Prior to taking charge as MD of LIC, Patnaik was the Secretary-General, Council for Insurance Ombudsman, (CIO) Mumbai.
- Currently, LIC has a Chairman and four Managing Directors.
Siddharth Roy Kapur was re-elected President of the Producers Guild of India
- Filmmaker Siddharth Roy Kapur has been re-elected as President of the Producers Guild of India.
- He is the founder of Roy Kapur Films and former MD of Disney India.
- Shibasish Sarkar, group CEO of Reliance Entertainment, was elected Vice President.
- Producers Guild of India is a film, television and digital content producers’ body representing the producers of audio-visual content in India.
Padmaja Chunduru appointed MD, CEO of NSDL
- Padmaja Chunduru has been appointed MD and CEO of National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).
- GV Nageswara Rao was the previous MD and CEO of NSDL.
- Chunduru has served as the MD and CEO of Indian Bank between September 2018 and August 2021.
- NSDL is an Indian central securities depository under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, based in Mumbai.
Technology for direct generation of hydrogen from agricultural residue
- Indian researchers have developed a unique technology for direct generation of hydrogen from agricultural residue.
- This innovation can promote eco-friendly hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles by overcoming the challenge of hydrogen availability.
- A team of researchers from Agharkar Research Institute in collaboration with Sentient labs of KPIT Technologies, have developed this technology.
Technology to enhance biogas production of fat-rich sludge developed
- A high-performance bioreactor system integrated with sustainable pre-treatment process has been developed for enabling anaerobic digestion of complex fat-rich sludge from dairy industry.
- It has been further integrated with membrane bioreactor based-wastewater treatment to enable zero liquid discharge in the dairy industry.
- It has been developed by Dr. Sandeep N. Mudliar at CSIR-CFTRI Mysore.
K. Rajaraman takes charge as Secretary, Dept of Telecommunications
- K. Rajaraman has assumed the charge of Secretary, Department of Telecommunications.
- He took over from Anshu Prakash.
- Prior to this, he was serving as Additional Secretary, Investments and Infrastructure, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
- He is an IAS Officer of the 1989 batch, from Tamil Nadu cadre.
- He has also held several key positions in the govt of Tamil Nadu.
IFSCA constitutes panel for development of sustainable finance hub
- The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has set up a 10-member expert panel to suggest a framework to develop a world-class sustainable finance hub at IFSC.
- It will be headed by former Environment and Forest Secretary C K Mishra.
- IFSCA was established in April 2020 under the International Financial Services Centres Authority Act, 2019.
Defence Accounts Department develops payment system PRABAL
- The Defence Accounts Department under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence has developed an IT-enabled payment and accounting system called PRABAL.
- It will ensure that the domestic defence suppliers get payments without any delay.
- The Defence Accounts Department is mandated to audit, give financial advice, make payment and accounting of all charges pertaining to the armed forces.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh launches People’s Plan Campaign-2021
- Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh launched People’s Plan Campaign-2021- Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas and Vibrant Gram Sabha Dashboard on 30 September 2021.
- He also released the 10th issue of Gramoday Sankalp Magazine.
- During the campaign, structured Gram Sabha meetings will be held for preparing Panchayat Development Plans for the next financial year 2022–2023.
NITI Aayog releases a performance assessment report
- NITI Aayog has released a performance assessment report of district hospitals in India, titled Best Practices in the Performance of District Hospitals.
- The report is an outcome of collaboration with the Health Ministry and WHO India.
- The assessment framework covers 10 key performance indicators.
- A total of 707 district hospitals across all states and UTs participated in the assessment.