Top Current Affairs 23rd October 2021 at Freshers Wisdom

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Top Current Affairs

International Snow Leopard Day: 23 October

• October 23 is observed as International Snow Leopard Day.
• On 23 Oct 2013, a declaration for the conservation of the snow leopard was adopted in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• All 12 snow leopard range countries adopted this resolution.
• The resolution emphasized the need for urgent collective action to protect and recover snow leopard populations and their habitat.
• The day was celebrated in 2014.

Mole Day: 23 October

• Mole Day is marked on October 23 annually.
• The day is commemorated in honor of Avogadro’s number and is marked from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m.
• Avogadro number is denoted as 6.02×1023 to define the number of particles present in a single mole of any substance.
• This number – or a mole – is a basic measuring unit for atoms and molecules discovered by Amedeo Avogadro.

Chhattisgarh launches “Shri Dhanwantri Generic Medical Store” Scheme

• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the ‘Shri Dhanwantri Generic Medical Store’ scheme on 20 October 2021.
• Under the scheme, medicines will be made available at affordable rates to consumers.
• As many as 84 generic medicine shops were opened across the state on the inaugural day of the scheme.
• People will get a discount between 50.09% and 71% on the MRP of medicines.

Bharti AXA signs bancassurance partnership with Utkarsh SFB

• Bharti AXA Life Insurance has announced its bancassurance partnership with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, for the distribution of life insurance products through the Bank’s network of branches Pan-India.
• Bharti AXA is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, and AXA, one of the largest insurance companies.
• Bharti AXA’s insurance plans will be available for purchase to customers of the bank.

Real estate sector expected to reach market size of $1 trn by 2030

• India’s real estate sector is expected to reach a market size of 1 trillion dollars and contribute 18-20 percent of the country’s GDP by 2030.
• This was informed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
• He was addressing the 13th Edition of Confederation of Indian Industry – CII Realty and Infrastructure Conclave 2021 in Mumbai on 22 October 2021.

India hands over Jaynagar-Kurtha cross-border rail link to Nepal govt

• India handed over a 34.9 km long cross-border rail link connecting Jayanagar in Bihar to Kurtha in Nepal to the Nepal government on 22 October 2021.
• The Jaynagar – Kurtha section is part of the 68.7 km Jaynagar – Bijalpura- Bardidas rail link built under the Government of India’s grant assistance programme.
• The cross-border rail link is expected to enhance trade and commerce activities.

Indian Navy conducts Offshore Sailing Regatta from Kochi to Goa

• The Indian Navy is conducting an Offshore Sailing Regatta from Kochi to Goa under the aegis of the Indian Naval Sailing Association, INSA.
• Six Indian Naval Sailing Vessels Mhadei, Tarini, Bulbul, Neelkanth, Kadalpura, and Hariyal will participate in the event.
• It will start on 24th October 2021 for a tentative duration of five days and would cover an approx distance of 360 nautical miles.

HDFC Bank, Mastercard launched $100 million credit facility for MSMEs

• HDFC Bank, Mastercard, US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and US Agency for International Development (USAID) on 21 October launched a $100 million credit facility.
• This is aimed to encourage small businesses in the country to digitize, while also helping Indian businesses, particularly those that are women-owned, to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Micro snail species discovered in Meghalaya’s Mawsmai cave

• Two scientists from Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have discovered a new micro snail species at deep inside a limestone cave at Mawsmai village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district.
• The snails, ‘Georissa mawsmaiensis’ are so small in size that an adult measures less than 2 millimeters in length.

Garuda app to ensure mapping of all polling stations in Punjab

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 22 October introduced Garuda App for digital mapping of all polling stations by linking latitude and longitude by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
• The app would help in minimizing the paperwork and the BLOs would be able to add voters’ names, deletion of names, or modification of addresses in the electoral roll.

Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate announces retirement

• Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate announced his retirement from international cricket after his side failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup in Sharjah.
• Ten Doeschate made his debut in Amstelveen in 2006 against Sri Lanka in an ODI match.
• He went on to play 33 ODIs and 24 T20s for the Netherlands.

1 bn vaccination certificates issued via DIVOC on the CoWIN Platform

• eGov foundation has announced that one billion vaccination certificates have been issued via the CoWIN platform in India, using eGov’s open-source software package (called “DIVOC” – Digital Infrastructure for Vaccination Open Credentialing).
• DIVOC is a digital public good that helps countries roll out national vaccination and other public health programs.

SEBI approves ₹16,600-crore initial public offer (IPO) of Paytm

• Digital financial services firm Paytm has received market regulator SEBI’s approval for its ₹16,600 crore initial public offer (IPO) on 22 October.
• The company expects to hit the bourses by the end of this month and is planning to skip the pre-IPO share sale rounds to fast-track listing.
• Paytm is expected the valuation of ₹1.47-1.78 lakh crore.

NITI Aayog organized a National Policy Dialogue on 22 October

• NITI Aayog organized a National Policy Dialogue on 22 October 2021 on “Plastic Free Cities and Oceans”.
• It was held under the Chairmanship of Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, with Mr. Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of “Parley for the Oceans”.
• The dialogue discussed recycling and reuse of plastic products, support for research and innovation to replace single-use plastics, etc.

RBI announces scale-based regulatory framework for NBFCs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a revised scale-based regulatory framework for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
• It will be effective from 1 October 2022.
• The regulatory structure for NBFCs will comprise of four layers based on their size, activity, and perceived riskiness.
• NBFCs in the lowest layer will be known as NBFC – Base Layer (NBFC-BL).

Anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government: 21 October

• Every year on 21 Oct the anniversary of the formation of the Azad Hind Government is celebrated across the country.
• On this day, India’s first independent provisional government named Azad Hind Government was announced.
• Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) was formed in 1942 by Rash Behari Bose and revived by Subhas Chandra Bose on October 21, 1943.

Bharat Petroleum to merge Bina oil refinery with itself

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s board has approved the merger of the unit that operates the Bina oil refinery in Madhya Pradesh with itself.
• It has considered and approved the Scheme of Amalgamation of Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd (BORL) with the company.
• BORL is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of BPCL.
• BPCL operates a 12 million tonnes capacity oil refinery in Mumbai.

Webinar on “Women in Agri-Startups” held on 22 October 2021

• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare organized a webinar on 22 October 2021 on “Women in Agri-startups: Creating Value with Supply Chain Management”.
• It was a part of the series of events for celebrating Mahila Kisan Diwas 2021.
• The webinar was organized under the guidance of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
• An e-book was also released during the event.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin on a 3-day visit to India from 22 October

• Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy, UK is on a 3-day official visit to India from 22-24 Oct’21.
• He will visit the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command.
• Adm Radakin would also embark HMS Queen Elizabeth, Flagship of UK CSG 21.
• The Indian Navy cooperates with the Royal Navy on numerous issues, which include operational interactions.

Ministry of Defence signs contract worth ₹423 crores with US

• The Ministry of Defence signed a contract on 21 Oct’21 with the US Government for procurement of MK 54 Torpedo and Expendable (Chaff and Flares) for the Indian Navy at a cost of ₹423 cr.
• The contract was signed under Foreign Military Sale (FMS).
• These weapons are the outfit of P-8I Aircraft which is used for Long-range Maritime Surveillance, Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare.

7th Meeting of BRICS Communications Ministers held

• India as the current BRICS Chair convened the 7th Meeting of BRICS Communications Ministers on 22 October 2021.
• Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan chaired the meeting.
• Ministers adopted the Terms of References of Digital BRICS Task Force.
• They also adopted the proposal to host the Digital BRICS Forum annually.

DRDO successfully tests Abhyas high-speed expendable aerial target

• DRDO successfully flight tested various systems of Abhyas, a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT), on 22 October 2021.
• The test was conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Odisha.
• Abhyas is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot, under development at Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).

Flybig partners with IRCTC for ticket booking

• Newly launched airline Flybig has entered into an agreement with IRCTC.
• The pact will allow the passengers to book tickets for any of its northeast (NE) destinations through IRCTC’s ‘Air’ platform, which will help in boosting tourism in the region.
• The partnership is launched in line with ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ to promote NE sectors’ flora, fauna and culture.

Government notifies Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules

• The government has notified the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021.
• It has been notified to incorporate the provisions related to nominal one-time compensation and uniform procedure for the establishment of Overground Telegraph Line.
• The amount of one-time compensation for the establishment of an overground telegraph line will be maximum of Rs 1000 per kilometre.

Hyperscale data centre DataSamudra inaugurated in Bengaluru

• Teleindia Networks unveiled its greenfield hyperscale data centre– DataSamudra– in Bengaluru on 22 October 2020.
• DataSamudra will be India’s first ‘on-demand on-requirement data centre’.
• It will provide 500 high-density rack, IT power load of 3 MW, with futuristic IT and core infrastructure.
• It is located in the new KIADB IT Park in Bengaluru with state-of-the-art facilities.

Life expectancy in India dropped by two years: Study

• The coronavirus pandemic has caused a drop in the life expectancy of India by almost two years.
• This was revealed through statistical analysis by scientists of the International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS).
• The life expectancy at birth in 2019 was 69.5 years for men and 72 years for women, which came down to 67.5 years and 69.8 years, respectively, in 2020.

Razorpay launches new tokenisation solution for businesses

• Fintech firm Razorpay has announced a new tokenization solution for businesses.
• It will allow their end-customers to have the convenience of saved card transactions with added security and in compliance with the RBI guidelines.
• The ‘Razorpay TokenHQ’ will work across all major card networks including Mastercard, RuPay, and Visa.

India’s first Banni buffalo IVF calf born

• India’s first IVF calf of a buffalo breed namely Banni was born in October 2021.
• This first IVF Banni calf is born out of 6 Banni IVF pregnancies established at the doorsteps of a farmer, Vinay. L. Wala of Sushila Agro farms, located at Dhanej in Somnath district of Gujarat.
• Scientists subjected 29 oocytes (egg cells) to an intervaginal culture device (IVC) from these three Banni buffaloes.

Saudi Arabia commits to net-zero emissions

• One of the world’s largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, has announced that it aims to reach “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2060.
• It joins more than 100 countries in a global effort to try and curb man-made climate change.
• Saudi Arabia is the 10th largest emitter of carbon dioxide globally, and the highest on a per capita basis among G-20 countries.

Army Training Command ties up with Amity University

• The Army Training Command (ARTRAC) of the Indian Army has joined hands with Amity University.
• It will establish a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for studies in engineering and technology.
• As part of the MoU, the Army would sponsor officers to undergo on-campus and off-campus educational programmes.
• There would be collaborative research in areas of mutual interest like physical sciences, etc.