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World Coconut Day: 2 September
- World Coconut Day is observed every year on 2 September.
- The first World Coconut Day was celebrated on September 2, 2009, by the Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC).
- The theme for the year 2021 is “Building a Safe Inclusive Resilient and Sustainable Coconut Community Amid COVID-19 Pandemic & Beyond”.
- The coconut palm is often called the ‘tree of life’ owing to its versatile use.
Indian Railways starts new Rajdhani Express
- Indian Railways has started to run Rajendra Nagar Terminal (Patna) – New Delhi Rajdhani Express with new upgraded Tejas rake from 2 September 2021.
- The existing rakes of Rajendra Nagar – New Delhi Rajdhani Special Express, are being replaced with brand new Tejas-type sleeper coaches.
- The new train will have special smart features for enhanced passenger safety and comfort.
Max Verstappen wins Belgian Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen has won the Belgian Grand Prix.
- The race was shortened to last one hour with only half points awarded to the winner, who needed to complete only two laps to earn points.
- Verstappen’s sixth win of the season was the 16th of his career and stopped Hamilton earning a record-extending 100th win, while also trimming his overall lead from eight points to three.
GST Council meeting to be held on September 17
- The meeting of the GST Council will be held on 17 September 2021.
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 45th meeting of the GST Council at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
- The previous meeting of the GST Council was held via video conferencing on 12th June 2021 during which tax rates on various Covid essentials were reduced till 30th September 2021.
ITPO CMD LC Goyal gets an extension till September 1, 2022
- L C Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has been granted a one-year extension till September 1, 2022.
- Goyal, who had briefly worked as the Union home secretary, was on August 31, 2015, appointed the ITPO chief.
- This is his fifth extension on the post.
- ITPO is the premier trade promotion agency of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
BBC’s first Hindi news reader Rajni Kaul dies
- Rajni Kaul, a distinguished broadcaster who became the first woman to read a news bulletin in Hindi on BBC nearly 60 years ago, passed away in Faridabad in September 2021.
- She was the first woman to join BBC Hindi as a staffer and became the first woman to read a news bulletin in Hindi on the network in 1961.
- She had also worked with All India Radio (AIR) in New Delhi.
Health Ministry partners with Google
- The Union Health Ministry has partnered with Google to enhance people’s access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
- The Ministry has taken the significant initiative to enhance access to #COVID19 vaccine: Search ‘covid vaccine near me’ on Google, Check availability of slots, and more, Use ‘Book Appointment’ feature to book a slot.
- In addition to English, users can also search in 8 Indian languages.
Himachal Pradesh CM launches State Food Commission’s website
- Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on 1 September 2021 launched the website of the state’s food commission.
- The website was launched on the occasion of the first foundation day of the Himachal Pradesh State Food Commission.
- The main objective of the website is to spread awareness about the right to food in the state.
Govt appoints J B Mohapatra as Chairman, CBDT
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of J B Mohapatra as Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer, is currently a member of the board that frames the policy for the Income Tax department.
- He has been holding the additional charge of CBDT Chairman since May 31, 2021.
UPI logged more than 3 bn transactions in August
- The National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI’s) flagship payment platform Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has logged more than 3 billion transactions for the second consecutive month in a row in August 2021.
- On a month-on-month basis (MoM), UPI’s volume of transactions was up 9.5 per cent in August 2021, and the value of transactions up 5.4 per cent.
ICICI Bank crosses ₹5-trillion m-cap
- The market value of private sector lender ICICI Bank on 1 September 2021 crossed the Rs 5-trillion mark.
- ICICI Bank is the second lender after HDFC Bank and the seventh Indian firm to achieve this milestone.
- HDFC Bank is the only lender valued higher, at Rs 8.74 trillion.
- Earlier, Reliance Industries, TCS, HDFC Bank, HDFC Ltd, Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Infosys Ltd have hit this level.
Maharashtra Govt to set up medical colleges under PPP
- Maharashtra government on 1 September 2021 decided to set up new medical colleges and super-speciality hospitals across the state on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
- A high-powered committee headed by the state chief secretary would examine the provisions of the scheme to be made applicable to the health sector and give approvals accordingly.
IMF raises India’s SDR allocation to $17.86 billion
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply increased its allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to India to $17,86 billion, in line with the country’s existing quota in the fund.
- SDR is an alternate reserve currency floated by the IMF, which the member countries can freely exchange between themselves instead of relying on the currency of any one particular country.
India’s m-cap to GDP ratio hits a 13-year high of 122%
- India’s current market capitalization (m-cap) to GDP ratio is 122 per cent of India’s latest annualized gross domestic product (GDP).
- It is the highest since December 2008, when it had hit an all-time high of around 150 per cent.
- The combined m-cap of nearly 3,500 companies listed and actively traded on the BSE reached a new high of Rs 250 trillion.
Punjab CM launches ‘Innovation Mission Punjab’
- Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on 1 September 2021 launched ‘Innovation Mission Punjab’ (IMPunjab).
- It is a public-private partnership that brings in global investors and experts to catalyze startups.
- The Mission would mobilize a global pool of ambassadors and partners for investment, mentorship, and market access.
Indo – Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise KAZIND-21
- The India – Kazakhstan joint military exercise “KAZIND-21” commenced on 1 September 2021 at Training Node Aisha Bibi, Kazakhstan.
- This is the 5th Edition of the Annual bilateral joint exercise of both Armies and would continue till 10th September 2021.
- Both the contingents would share their expertise and skills in the field of counter-terror operations.
First-ever nation-wide quiz on sports and fitness
- Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur on 1 September 2021 launched the Fit India Quiz, which is the first-ever quiz on fitness and sports, in New Delhi.
- The nation-wide quiz would give a chance to compete on a national platform and an opportunity to win a total cash prize of more than Rs 3 crores for their schools.
IB Minister inaugurates BRICS film technology symposium
- Union Information and Broadcasting (IB) Minister Anurag Thakur on 1 September 2021 inaugurated the first BRICS Film Technology Symposium.
- The focus of the BRICS symposium is to acknowledge the service sector and technicians working for the film industry.
- India is preparing to host the 13th BRICS summit in 2021.
- BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
NMCG signs MoU with SAIARD on integrated river basin management
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on 1 September 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Asian Institute for Advanced Research and Development (SAIARD).
- Both NMCG and SAIARD would work together to create and enhance capacity building on integrated river basin management, with a focus on geospatial technology in riverine ecosystems.
APY total enrolments cross more than 3 crore
- The enrolments under Atal Pension Yojana have crossed 3.30 crore as of 25th August 2021.
- APY is a guaranteed pension scheme of the Government of India and is administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
- Under the scheme, a subscriber would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs.1,000 to Rs. 5,000 per month, depending upon his contribution, from the age of 60 years.
Department of Rural development sign an MoU with DAHD
- The Department of Rural Development (DRD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) on 1 September 2021.
- The MoU is aimed at leveraging the SHG platform for rural economic growth through the convergence of the DAHD, DRD, and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).
Indian Army to participate in “Zapad 2021”
- Indian Army would participate in Exercise ZAPAD 2021, a Multi Nation exercises being held at Nizhniy, Russia from 03 to 16 September 2021.
- ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre-level exercise of the Russian Armed Forces and would focus primarily on operations against terrorists.
- Over a dozen countries from the Eurasian and South Asian Regions would participate in this event.
CIL starts pilot project to replace the use of diesel with LNG
- National miner Coal India Ltd (CIL), Ministry of Coal has initiated the process of retrofitting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) kits in its dumpers.
- This is significant as the world’s largest coal miner uses over 4 lakh kilolitres of diesel per annum with an annual expense of over Rs. 3,500 crores.
- The move would help CIL reduce its carbon footprint drastically and achieve sustainable goals.
Smriti Irani inaugurates NUTRI GARDEN at AIIA
- Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani on 1 September 2021 inaugurated NUTRI GARDEN to mark the beginning of Poshan Maah 2021 at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA).
- Plantation drive and distribution of plants having health and nutritional benefits were carried out for patients and health care workers like Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Musli, and Yashtimadhu.
Morgan Stanley maintains India GDP growth estimate of 10.5%
- Morgan Stanley has maintained its estimate of India’s GDP growth at 10.5 percent for FY2022 versus the general consensus of 9.2 percent.
- GDP grew 20.1 percent year-on-year in the quarter ending June 2021.
- On a two-year CAGR basis, real GDP contracted 4.7 percent in QE June versus plus 2.3 percent in QE March.
Star Health launches new cancer care policies
- Star Health and Allied Insurance has announced the launch of two new variants of its specialty products – Star Cancer Care Platinum Insurance Policy and Star Cardiac Care Platinum Insurance Policy.
- These products are designed to address the needs of people who are diagnosed with cancer and cardiac conditions.
- There are no premedical tests required to avail of these policies.
IIM Kozhikode to offer supernumerary seats to students
- The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) has announced supernumerary seats for international students to boost diversity in the campus.
- The move from IIM-K comes after two of its management programs made a debut in 101+ rank group in the sub-sectoral QS World University Rankings 2020.
- The supernumerary will be created in three flagship programs including its two years MBA.
Sri Lanka declares economic emergency
- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared an economic emergency to contain soaring inflation after a steep fall in the value of the country’s currency caused a spike in food prices.
- The military will oversee the action which gives power to officials to ensure that essential items, including rice and sugar, are sold at government-guaranteed prices or prices based on import costs.
Actor Siddharth Shukla passes away
- Actor and Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla passed away in September 2021.
- Sidharth Shukla began his career as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’.
- He also participated in reality shows, including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6, Fear Factor, and Bigg Boss 13.
- He was also a part of the film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.
J-K LG Sinha inaugurates ‘Saath’ initiative
- Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched Rural Enterprises Acceleration Programme titled ‘Saath’ for Self Help Group (SHG) women on 1 September 2021.
- There are 48000 SHGs in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Four lakh women are connected to these SHGs.
- This Saath initiative will stress mentoring and market linkages of products created by these women.
Cristiano Ronaldo breaks men’s scoring record
- Cristiano Ronaldo broke the men’s international scoring record before adding a second goal as Portugal be at visiting Ireland 2-1 in World Cup qualifying.
- Ronaldo grabbed his 110th goal in the 89th minute on 2 September 2021 to move ahead of former Iran striker Ali Daei.
- Six minutes into stoppage time, Ronaldo made it 111 in 180 games.
UN funds allocate $10 million for fuel crisis response
- The United Nation’s humanitarian funds have allocated USD 10 million to respond to the fuel crisis in Lebanon and help avert the deterioration of the country’s humanitarian situation.
- The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths allocated USD 4 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the fuel crisis.
Wipro appoints Mohammed Areff as Country Head and MD
- Wipro has announced the appointment of Mohammed Areff as the country head and Managing Director (MD) for the Middle East.
- Areff has over two decades of experience with various multinationals in the Middle East and has held lead roles in spearheading client transformations across various industries.
- In his most recent role, Areff was the Regional Director of Microsoft Gulf.
RBI imposes ₹25 lakh penalty on Axis Bank
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹25 lakh on Axis Bank Limited for violation of rules.
- The penalty was imposed for “contravention of/non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI contained in the Reserve Bank of India – (Know Your Customer (KYC)) Direction, 2016″.
- This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance.
BNP Paribas appoints Sanjay Singh as the new CEO
- French bank BNP Paribas has announced the appointment of Sanjay Singh as CEO of India.
- He will be succeeding Aymar de Liedekerke Beaufort, who has been nominated to become the Head of Territory, India.
- Sanjay Singh joined BNP Paribas Securities India as Head of Global Markets and Deputy CEO India eight years ago.
‘Rajiv Gandhi’ dropped from the name of Orang National Park
- The Assam government has announced that the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park will be known as the Orang National Park.
- It is located in Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam.
- The development comes weeks after the Centre dropped former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s name from the Khel Ratna award.
- The park is known for the one-horned rhino, tigers, elephants, etc.
Bangladeshi vaccine scientist wins Ramon Magsaysay award
- A Bangladeshi vaccine scientist and a microfinance pioneer from Pakistan are among the five recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2021.
- The award is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.
- Apart from Dr. Firdausi Qadri from Bangladesh and Muhammad Amjad Saqib from Pakistan, the other winners are Filipino fisher and community environmentalist Roberto Ballon, etc.
THE World University Rankings 2022 released
- The Times Higher Education (THE) has announced the results of the THE World University Rankings 2022.
- The UK’s University of Oxford – which led the way in the global search for a Covid-19 vaccine – retained top spot for sixth consecutive year.
- IISc Bangalore, is India’s best-ranked institution, maintaining its position in the 301-350 band for a third consecutive year.
India’s month-long Presidency of UNSC ends
- India’s month-long Presidency of the powerful United Nations Security Council (UNSC) ended on 31 August 2021 with substantive outcomes on key global issues.
- The event was the first time when there was a comprehensive debate on the holistic concept of maritime security.
- India is currently a non-permanent member (for a two-year term) of the 15-nation UNSC.
61st Foundation Day of NCERT: 1 September 2021
- Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the 61st Foundation Day of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on 1 September 2021.
- NCERT is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific, and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act.
- It has its headquarters in New Delhi.