Current Affair of September 2020

National

1. The CSIR-CMERI operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology has developed world largest solar tree. The tree has an annual capacity of generating 12,000 to 14,000 units of Clean and Green power. The Solar Tree has been designed in such a way that maximum exposure of each Solar Photo Voltaic Panel is achieved. There are a total of 35 Solar PV panels in each tree. Each panel has a capacity of 330 watt-power.

2. The Indian Railways has solarised more than 960 railway stations. This is being done to achieve the objective of becoming 100% self sustainable for all its power needs. Currently, the Indian Railways have orders to place 198 MW of solar roof top in 550 stations. Some of the major stations solarised so far are Varanasi, Delhi (both old and new), Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Guwahati, Howrah and Jaipur.

3. The World Health Organization recently reported that at least half of 25 kinds of health services experienced disruptions due to COVID-19. The findings were based on the survey conducted by the international organization in its five of six regions regions. The survey is called the "Global Pulse Survey".

4. The scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology operating under the Department of Science and Technology carried out a study covering 84 square kilometres in the Lesser Himalayas. According to the study, 15% of the region is highly susceptible to landslides.

5. Every year World Coconut Day is celebrated on September 2. The day is celebrated mostly in the Asia-Pacific region including India. In India, Coconut grows in Kerala, Karnataka, Sundarbans, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. This year, the day is celebrated under the following theme:- Invest in Coconut to save the world.

6. On September 1, 2020, the National Crime Records Bureau released the data on farmer suicides. This is a part of the report Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India published by NCRB. The National Crime Record Bureau released "Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India" report in October 2019. However, it did not include the data on farmer suicides. This created huge controversies in the country. The data about farm suicides were available only till 2015. The data of farm suicides of 2016 was submitted by NCRB to the Government in early 2018. However, it was not published.

7. On September 2, 2020, the Assam Assembly passed bill to protect Tangible Heritage that are not currently covered by the state and national law. According the Assam Government the passage of the Assam Heritage (Tangible) Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Maintenance Bill, 2020 is a historic step towards implementing Clause 6 of Assam Accord.

8. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued an order to set up Biodiversity Council in Jammu and Kashmir. The council is to be headed by the Chief Conservator of Forests. The council is to include 10-members. Out of these, five will be non-official members. The council will look after the conservation of biological diversity in the Union Territory and also will focus on sustainable use of the components of the UT.

9. On September 2, 2020, India attended BIMSTEC meet and discussed ways to expand cooperation among its member countries. It further discussed ways to expand cooperation to deal with the current COVID-19 challenges. The grouping accounts to 22% of global population. It has a combined Gross Domestic Product of 2.8 trillion USD. India has been pushing to make BIMSTEC a vibrant forum. This is mainly because initiatives under SAARC are not moving forward due to non-cooperation from Pakistan.

10. On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet headed by PM Modi approved the Jammu and Kashmir Language Bill, 2020 to make five languages namely Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English and Kashmiri as the official language of the Union Territory. Earlier, that is, before the abrogation of Article 370, Urdu and English were the official language of the state. Now Hindi, Dogri and Kashmiri have been added. Till the approval, Dogri and Kashmiri were not official language in any of the states in India though they were included in eighth schedule. Apart from these two, Sindhi is still not an official language in state though it has been included in eighth schedule.

11. On September 2, 2020, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index. For the first time, India has ranked among top 50 countries. It has moved up to 48th rank from 52nd position in 2019. India was at the top position among central and southern Asian countries.

12. On September 3, 2020, Karnataka cabinet approved a new Information Technology Policy, 2020. The policy will help the state to increase its contribution in achieving its goal of 1 trillion USD. Also, the policy will help the state to create six million jobs. The policy is to be executed between 2020 and 2025.

13. The United Nations Environment Programme recently released a report, "Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions for Food Systems". According to the report, adding diet and food loss to climate change shall improve mitigation and adaptation contributions towards food systems by 25%.

14. On September 3, 2020, the Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the centre is working rejuvenation of 13 rivers. The minister announced this on the occasion of celebration of "Cauvery Calling" movement. The 13 rivers that are under rejuvenation are Beas, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Yamuna, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Cauvery, Krishna, Mahanadi, and Brahmaputra. Apart from these, a special programme is being implemented to rejuvenate River Ganga under National Mission for Clean Ganga.

15. On September 3, 2020, the Supreme Court refused to stay Andhra Pradesh High court Order to strike down the decision of making English the medium of education in Government Schools. The court quoted Section 29 of the Right to Education Act, 2009. According to the section, the medium of instruction should be in the child’s mother tongue.

16. The government of India recently announced that there will be no Question Hour, Zero Hour and introduction of private member bill during the monsoon session. This is being done in the view of COVID-19 pandemic. The first hour of every parliamentary sitting was slotted for Question Hour. This was shifted to 11 AM to 12 noon in Rajya Sabha in 2014. During this time period, the Members of the Parliament ask questions to the ministers. The questions can also be asked by the private members as well.

17. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has increased the average body weight for Indians by 5kg in its recent report. Thus, the average weight for Indian men has been increased from the 60kg in 2010 to 65kg now. While for Indian women average weight has been increased from 50kg in 2010 to 55kg now.

18. On September 4, 2020, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counter part in Moscow. The Defence Minister is on a three day visit to Russia to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He had earlier met the Russian Defence Minster and signed a deal to acquire AK-203 rifles.

19. On September 4, 2020, the Narcotics Control Bureau took Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushant Singh Rajput house manager Samuel Miranda to question in connection with a "bud" supply racket. Sushant Singh Rajput is a Bollywood actor who committed suicide in his home recently.

20. The Assam Government recently added 3,053 hectares (884 sq km) to Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga is home to Asiatic one-horned rhinos. The additions will connect the park with Karbi Anglong hills and Nameri National Park. The areas are being added after 35 years. The Kaziranga National Park hosts two-thirds of world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses. It is a world heritage site. It was declared a national park in 1974. It was declared a tiger reserve in 2007.

21. On September 4, 2020, 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. 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.

22. On September 4, 2020, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel attended the 5th BRICS Culture Ministers Meet. It was held under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation. Lately, BRICS countries are holding cultural exchange programmes. This is to develop tourism and increase people-to-people contact.

23. On September 6, 2020, Kesavananda Bharti, the head seer of Edneer Mutt in Kerala since 1961 passed away. He was famous for initiating the historic judgement of Supreme Court that "Basic Structure of Constitution" cannot be amended by the Parliament. The Kerala Government had passed a land law with an objective to distribute land to the landless farmers. Kesavananda Bharti challenged the Kerala Government in 1970 on this Kerala land reforms legislation. He contended that the land reforms passed by the Kerala Government will impose restrictions on management of the mutt property that was the only source of income.

24. The very first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is to be held on September 7, 2020. The programme has set a target to achieve 20%-30% reduction of Particulate Matter 2.5 and Particulate Matter 10 concentration between 2017 and 2024. The programme was launched with a budget of Rs 300 crores in first two years. This includes 102 non-attainment cities in 23 states and Union Territories that have been identified by the Central Pollution Control Board.

25. The first ever Cannabis Medicine project that is to be set up in Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with Canada is to be the first foreign investment in the union territory. The project is to be set up at the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine in Jammu and Kashmir. The project was recently reviewed by the Union Minister Jitendra Singh. Along with this, the minister also reviewed progress of the construction of new biotech industrial park in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir.

26. On September 6, 2020, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs issued draft guidelines on advertisements. The guidelines have been prepared by the Central Consumer Protection Authority under Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The Consumer Protection act, 2019 was enacted in July 2020. It replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The GoI notified Consumer Protection Rules, 2020 under the act.

27. Every year International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 by the UNESCO and other world organizations. The day was first celebrated in 1967. The main aim of celebrating the day is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals. This year, in 2020, the day is celebrated under following theme:- Literacy teaching and learning in COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

28. Pinarayi Vijayan Chief Minister of Kerala recently inaugurated the phase – I construction of the Kochi Metro through video conferencing. The newly constructed three-kilometer stretch will increase the total length of Kochi Metro Network to 28.61 Km.

29. During the lock down due to the global pandemic the whole world’s economy has fallen steeply and the one who are affected the most are the street vendors, the unorganized sectors and the unskilled labor. Keeping in view their conditions Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address the street vendors in Madhya Pradesh through Svanidhi Samvaad programme.

30. On September 7, 2020, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy launched YSR Sampoorna Poshana scheme and YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus scheme. The schemes aim to provide nutritious food to lactating mothers and pregnant women. The scheme will bring down malnutrition in vulnerable section. Around 30.16 lakh children and mothers are to be benefitted through the schemes. It will mainly focus on malnutrition and anaemia in pregnant and lactating mothers. The scheme will provide supplementary nutrition through Anganwadi centres.

31. In a nation-wide probe the Railway Protection Force (RPF) obstructed the use of Real Mango software. While conducting the probe Railway Protection force also made around 50 arrests in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and Gujarat. Real Mango software is an illegal notorious software developed for booking Tatkal ticket over the IRCTC website. This illegal and commonly banned software makes the complete process of Indian Rail ticket booking at a fly speed.

32. On September 7, 2020, the five member committee under the leadership of the former chief of New Development Bank K V Kamath submitted its report to the Reserve Bank of India. The panel was formed to make recommendations on financial parameters to be considered for one-time restructuring of loans that were affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

33. On September 7, 2020, the National Statistical Office released its report on "Household Social Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey". The survey provides state wise details of literacy between the period July 2017 and June 2018.

34. On September 9, 2020, the United Nations released "Levels and Trends in Child Mortality" report. The report says that child mortality rate of India has declined between 1990 and 2019. It was 126 in 1990 and has now declined to 34 in 2019. Though, there is reduction in child mortality, India along with Nigeria accounts to almost one-third of under five deaths in 2019. India registered 4.5% annual rate of reduction between 1990 and 2019. The number of annual under-five deaths in India was 3.4 million in 1990 and it has now dropped to 824,000 in 2019.

35. On September 8, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved amendments to Labour Codes. These three labour codes were proposed in Industrial Relations Code, 2019. The three codes include Occupational safety and health, social security and industrial relations.

36. Every Year, September 10 is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day. The objective of this day is to create awareness about the mental health and prevent suicides. Suicide is 10^th leading cause of death worldwide and more than 1 million people die by suicide every year globally. This amounts to a death in every 40 seconds and about 3000 every day. This is almost 1.5% of total deaths. Suicide is more common in people above age 70, but in certain countries people in age group of 15-30 is also highly vulnerable. Despite of the high mortality, there are very limited numbers of organizations engaged in suicide prevention.

37. In a recent move, UNICEF (United Nations International Children Education Fund) appointed Ayushmann Khurrana as its celebrity advocate for promoting and supporting its work around ending violence against children. The actor will work towards ending violence against children especially in the current scenario when COVID-19 risk has blanketed the whole world.

38. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) in association with the Government of Punjab, is soon coming up with an alternative for paddy stubble utilisation. Stubble burning is one of the biggest problems in north India to curb this, the Punjab government’s own agency; PEDA is playing a stellar role in weeding out the problem indigenously.

39. Rights group Amnesty International has halted its operations in India after alleging a "witch-hunt" by the government. The group said, It is being targeted over its adverse reports on alleged rights violations during the February Delhi riots and in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. The group also had to cut off its staff since its accounts were frozen as per the direction government.

40. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the "Health in India" report. The main objective of the report was to gather quantitative data on India’s health sector. The report have highlighted on the health of religious communities across country.

41. Hindi Diwas or Hindi Day is being celebrated on September 14, 2020 across India in order to mark the adoption of Hindi as one of the official languages of India and to make people aware of the language. Hindi, an Indo-Aryan language written in the Devanagari script, was adopted under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution. It is to be noted that in addition to Hindi Day, World Hindi Day is also celebrated on 10th January every year.

42. On September 14, 2020, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and Janata Dal (United) MP (Member of Parliament) Harivansh Narayan Singh (64) has been once again elected as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha (RS) by Voice vote. The Opposition put RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) MP Manoj Jha in front of Harivansh, whose name was proposed by BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) president Jagat Prakash Nadda and his proposition was supported by Leader of the House, Thawarchand Gehlot.

43. The apex telecom regulatory body TRAI intended to set up an industry body and recommended a "light-touch regulatory framework" for cloud service providers. The Department of Telecom has been given the green light to initiate the process in this regard and asked the service providers to become its member.

44. The central government introduced the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha, seeking the control to regulate assisted reproductive technology services across the country to ensure ethical practices. Assisted reproductive technology is the procedure to address infertility as a prime focus. It could also be called as fertility treatment. The egg of a female and the sperm of a male are mixed to create embryos and it is then planted to the woman’s body. In vitro fertilization is a type of ART.

45. Recently Government of India released a notification outlawing the export of all kinds of onions. The ban is imposed three months after the central government made changes in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. There seem to be two major reasons why the government imposed the ban on export. One in recent times there has been a steady increase in the wholesale prices of onions. This price surge has made onion a popular kitchen staple, costlier item in the Indian household. Secondly, the high CFPI value released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI).

46. The prediction of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank says due to pandemic hit the Asian economy is going to shrink for the first time since the early 1960s. It also stated that the period will continue until next year with a downfall in the level of growth as projected before the pandemic.

47. The data released by the government showed a slight downfall of CPI-based Retail inflation in India from 6.73% of July to 6.69% in August. Food inflation in August also degraded marginally to 9.05% from the previous 9.62%. Retail inflation is the increase in the price of goods which is sold at the retail market. The increase in inelastic goods, whose price change does not significantly impact the demand for that product causes retail inflation. In India, it is measured by the consumer price index. RBI uses the retail inflation data to take the policy decisions.

48. The government introduced the new Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, that intended to give the powers to restructure cooperative banks to the Reserve Bank of India. The power of RBI’s banking regulations will be extended to the cooperative banks after the ratification of the bill.

49. Union Minister of Culture and Minister of Tourism of India, Prahlad Patel announced the formation of an expert committee to conduct a study on the origin and evolution of Indian culture. The committee consists of 16 members that include K.N. Dikshit, Chairman, Indian Archaeological Society.

50. The World Ozone Day is also called the International Day for the preservation of the ozone layer. The day is being celebrated since 1994. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 16 as World Ozone Day to commemorate the signing of Montreal protocol in 1987. The Protocol aims to reduce usage of substances that deplete ozone layer.

51. On September 15, 2020, Lok Sabha passed the bill to amend Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The bill seeks to deregulate food items, pulses, cereals and onion. The amendment is already being implemented as ordinance. The GoI, in June 2020, promulgated the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.

52. The Lok Sabha recently passed Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020. According to the amendment, the salaries of the parliamentarians are to be reduced by 30% for one year to mitigate fallout of disruptions that were created by COVID-19.

53. On September 16, 2020, Parliament passed the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020 with approval from Rajya Sabha. The lower house, Lok Sabha had already passed the bill. The bill aims to establish an institute of teaching and research in Ayurveda. The institute is to be declared as an Institute of National Importance. Also, the bill has provisions to merge three Ayurveda institutes that are situated in Jamnagar in Gujarat into one single institute. They are Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Institute of Post-Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda and Indian Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences. The institutes are to be situated inside the campus of Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar.

54. On September 16, 2020, Lok Sabha passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) bill, 2020. The bill aims to bring cooperative banks under the supervision of Reserve Bank of India. The bill replaced the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The ordinance was promulgated in June 2020. It amends the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. It will regulate functioning of banks on aspects such as management, licensing, and operation of banks. It will help safeguard the interests of cooperative banks. The act is being amended to prevent PMC bank like scenarios in the future.

55. Every year, on Prime Minister Modi’s birthday that falls on September 17, Seva Diwas is celebrated. This year Seva Saptah has been organized to mark the PM’s 70th birthday. The Seva Saptah is observed between September 14, 2020 and September 20, 2020. Seva Saptah is also called a week of Seva.

56. On September 16, 2020, the G20 Environment Ministers Meet was held virtually. India was represented by the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar at the meet. The meeting was held as a part of Sherpa Track for the G20 Leaders Summit, 2020. The Global Initiative on reducing land degradation was launched at the meet.

57. On September 17, 2020, the US President Donald Trump identified India along with other 20 Nations as a major drug transit or illicit drug producing countries in the world. The president designated Bolivia, India, Afghanistan, Bahamas, Burma, Costa Rica, Columbia and some of the other countries as the major drug transit nations in the world.

58. On September 17, 2020, the World Bank released the annual Human Capital Index. India has ranked 169th position in the annual Human Capital Index. The Index benchmarks the key components of human capital all over the world. In 2018, India’s score was 0.44. It has now increased to 0.49 in 2020.

59. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced a scheme for e-Vehicles. This would encourage the use of battery-operated two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the state. The announcement was made to curb the air pollution in Gujarat. These announcements were made to combat the climate change and air pollution. On the same occasion, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with 10 organisations in order to increase the use of renewable energy by using the geoinformatics and space Technology.

60. The Union government have initiated in the Supreme Court (SC) that SC should first frame the guidelines to regulate the digital media. The government said that there is a need to draw the line between "freedom of journalism" and "responsible journalism" for digital media first instead of the electronic and print media.

61. On 14^th September 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on September 17, 2020. The bill is aimed at transforming agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income. It replaces the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on 5^th June 2020.

62. The Union Food Processing Industries Minister Shrimati Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned on September 17, 2020. Her resignation was to showcase her protest against the three farm sector bills that was introduced to reform the agriculture sector. The President of India Ramnath Govind has accepted her resignation on the advice of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

63. The Institute for Management Development (IMD) along with Singapore University have released the Smart City index for the year 2020 on September 17. The report highlights that the Indian cities have declined in their technological updates.

64. The TATA Group of Companies recently won the bid to construct a new Parliament building for Rs. 861.90 crores. The project is expected to be completed in 21 months from the start of construction. The Central Public Works Department is the principal agency to maintain all the government assets in India. According to the agency the new building is to come up at plot number 118 of the Parliament House estate.

65. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha has launched the National Generic Document Registration System for the region on September 18, 2020. This is an online registration system for transactions in purchase or sale of land.

66. The United Nations has named a 18-year-old Indian teenager Udit Singhal in the list of 2020 Class of Young leaders for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) along with 17 others. The young leaders for sustainable development goal initiative is the highest profile recognition opportunity for the young people who raise their voices and make efforts to combat the most challenging issues in the world. The initiative is organized biennially by the United Nations.

67. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on September 19, 2020 that eight beaches of the country have been recommended for the ‘Blue Flag’ international eco-label. The minister said this on the eve of 'International Coastal Clean-Up Day' that is being celebrated across 100 countries since 1986.

68. The Supreme Court (SC) recently asked the Chief Justices of High Courts (HC) to form Special Benches and hear the long-pending criminal cases against all those sitting and former legislators immediately. The SC gave this direction in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that was seeking a ban on the convicted politicians from fighting elections.

69. Rajya Sabha has passed the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 on September 19, 2020. It amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. Now it will include protections for healthcare service personnel who are combating the epidemic diseases. The bill also expands the powers of the central government to prevent the spread of such diseases.

70. World Alzheimer's Day is observed on September 21 across the world. The day is observed to raise awareness about the neurological condition, underlying causes, symptoms and its management. Dementia has become one of the biggest challenges globally. Nearly 50 million people are living with dementia all across the world. So to tackle the challenge, the Alzheimer month bring together the people to work together, collaborate and share best practice with each another. So, the Alzheimer’s Society is working with partners on global research and campaigning, sharing their learning, best practice and experiences.

71. Each year, the International Day of Peace is observed on September 21. It is also known as the World Peace day. This year is significant because the United Nations is focusing on to encourages people in order to celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which has emerged as a common enemy of the world.

72. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched nine highway projects and Ghar tak Fiber scheme in Bihar on September 21, 2020. Under the Ghar tak fibre Scheme, optical fibre services will be provided to households. The Prime Minister had announced special package for the state of Bihar in 2015. Ithe package included 75 projects of worth Rs 54,700 crores. Out of these 75 projects, 13 projects have been completed while 38 are at the implementation stage.

73. Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020 introduced in Lok Sabha to amend the FCRA act, 2010. The annual inflow of foreign funds has doubled between 2010 and 2019. But, the contributions received in this route were not being utilised by the recipient registered under FCRA. Thus, to regulate these foreign contributions under the act amendments has been proposed.

74. The Government of India has planned to set a target to generate 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022. However, hydrogen has not been included in the renewable energy future plan. The targets include to attain 100 Watts of solar power energy, 60 gigawatts of wind energy, 10 GW biofuels energy and 5 gigawatts of energy from projects based on hydrogen.

75. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has recently said that the current COVID-19 crisis should be used as an opportunity to make the transition to smoother, faster, more resilient and affordable clean energy. He made his statement at the launch of a report on 'Sustainable Recovery Post COVID-19' by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Niti Aayog on September 18.

76. The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsha Vardhan recently said in the Rajya Sabha that the Indian tsunami early warning Centre is currently serving 25 Indian ocean countries under the O-SMART scheme of Ministry of earth sciences.

77. The Union Minister of state of North Eastern region Dr. Jitendra Singh said on September 21, 2020 that around 21 neutrino observatory will be set up in the country.

78. The aviation company Airbus launched three concepts for the first zero emission commercial aircraft or the Hydrogen Aircraft on September 21, 2020. The aircrafts would be operational by 2035. The shift towards clean aircraft fuels such as hydrogen is significant in the light of increasing air pollution and climate change in which aviation emissions contributes around 5%.

79. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on the occasion of World Rhino Day that India is home to the largest number of One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world. The population ranges around 3000 in Assam, West Bengal and UP. On this occasion Environment Ministry has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino.

80. Cyanobacteria (cyanobacterial neurotoxins) produces toxins in water. The toxins killed more than 300 elephants in Botswana in the year 2020. It a landlocked country in Southern Africa with its capital Gaborone. Its landscape is defined by Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta. The area becomes a lush animal habitat at the time of seasonal floods. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is home to animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.

81. The Parliament on September 22, 2020 has passed the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020 after the Rajya Sabha approved the bill. The bill seeks to give five IIITs in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode –IIIT Bhopal, IIIT Agartala, IIIT Surat, IIIT Bhagalpur and IIIT Raichur, a tag of Institutions of National importance.

82. International Day of Sign Languages is observed on September 23, 2020 by the United Nations. Theme for the year 2020 is Sign Languages are for Everyone. Goal 10 of SDG deals with the prevalence of disability in the world. It aims to reduce inequality between the countries by empowering and promoting social, political and economic inclusion for all including the persons with disabilities. Apart from that, Goal 11 of the SDG is aimed at making human settlements and cities inclusive of all, safe and sustainable.

83. Recently, North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash announced that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has rolled out a property tax amnesty scheme so as to provide relief to the residents of unauthorised regularised colonies. It is a limited-time opportunity for some taxpayers in order to pay a defined amount, in exchange for forgiveness of a tax liability including interest and penalties related the previous tax period without fear of criminal prosecution. The scheme expires when some authority begins a tax investigation of the past-due tax. It is a voluntary compliance strategies in order to increase tax base and tax revenue. The main purpose of the scheme is to replicate the economy and encouraging individuals and corporations to declare their wealth.

84. Madhya Pradesh government is going to launch the 'Mukhya Mantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana' by following the path of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which is an initiative of the central government. Sabko Sakh-Sabka Vikas Program was organised under the Garib Kalyan Week in Bhopal on September 22, 2020. The Chief Minister of the state addressed the programme and deposited Rs. 800 crores in the accounts of the cooperative banks and societies. He also disbursed the credit cards and loans to the farmers. Kisan Credit Cards were also provided by the chief minister to 63,000 beneficiaries. Further, a loan of Rs. 122 crores were given to 35,532 farmers by cooperative societies.

85. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) issued new guidelines that focuses on safety, immunogenicity and efficacy parameters for pharma companies who are developing COVID-19 vaccines. World Health Organization (WHO) states that a vaccine should have three things- safety, efficacy and immunogenicity. It also says that, vaccines with more than 50% efficacy is a accepted vaccine.

86. The Lok Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 on September 23, 2020. Under the bill Dogri, Kashmiri, and Hindi will be the official languages in the Union territory of J&K besides Urdu and English. The bill was passed by the voice vote despite opposition.

87. Around 380 whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia on September 23, 2020. The entire pod of 460 long whales got stuck in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania Island, Australia. It is the largest mass stranding recorded in Australia and in the world. The whales have been found stranded over an area of 10 kilometres. The causes of mass stranding is unknown even to scientists. However, Such Mass Stranding of whales is a natural in Australia and New Zealand. Mass stranding is also common in North Sea.

88. The Supreme Court had appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on the problem of stubble burning. The authority have said to the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana that early burning of crop residue is taking place in the region. It has also urged them to look after the issue urgently. Recent SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research under the Central government) estimate based on the INSAT-3, 3D and NASA satellite data, there were 42 fires on September 21, 2020.

89. The government organised a webinar to commemorate 46th foundation day of Central Pollution Control Board on September 23, 2020. The Central Pollution Control Board collects real time data on pollution which thus acts as a key policy input for the concerned agencies to improve air quality. Data provided by the board is crucial to tackle the problem of environmental degradation because of rapid industrialization and population growth. The board is continuously working towards re-defining the pollution control technologies and management strategies.

90. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has approved to set up ten plastic parks in the country under the Plastic Park scheme. The Scheme was launched in 2019. The plastic Park scheme has been launched with an aim to increase the competitiveness and value addition in the plastic processing industry. This will be achieved through research and development in the field.

91. The World Maritime Day is observed on September 24 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other international organizations. The day is celebrated on the last Thursday of the September every year. Theme for this year is Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet.

92. The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 was passed in Lok Sabha on September 23, 2020. The bill replaces the Major Ports Act, 1963. It aims to regulate, operate and plan major ports in India. The bill will provide a greater autonomy to ports in the country.

93. PM Modi in the recent meet with chief ministers have eased the norms for State Disaster relief Fund. The meeting was with the chief ministers of seven states including Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, that have been severely affected from the covid-19 virus. More than 63% of active cases of covid-19 are concentrated in these seven States.

94. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report titled "Construction of Toilets in Schools by CPSEs" was presented in the Parliament on Wednesday. The report has pointed out that toilet construction in schools by central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) has several gaps that were constructed under the Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan. The report highlighted that the objectives of the scheme has not been achieved because of poor maintenance of toilets, lack of dedicated funds and poor water availability inside toilets.

95. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India submitted its report titled "Assessment and Utilisation of Locomotives and Production and Maintenance of LHB coaches in Indian Railways" on Indian Railways in the Parliament on September 23, 2020.

96. The Comptroller and Auditor General submitted its report on Defense Ministry to both the houses of the Parliament on September 23, 2020. Report says, delay in procurement of the purchases is shortening the deployment period. For instance, delivery of the upgraded ninety Mi-17 helicopters from Israel was supposed to start from July 2018 and has to be completed by 2024. But the auditing says, 56 of these helicopters will be left with less than two years of life before phasing out in 2024.

97. The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change represented India at the Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity that was hosted by China on September 24, 2020 virtually. The dialogue was conducted on the topic of Biodiversity Beyond 2020: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth.

98. The Government of India recently sanctioned 670 Electric buses and 241 charging stations under phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme. The scheme was launched to enhance the electric mobility in the country.

99. The Central Government has notified the standards for safety evaluation for hydrogen fuel-cell based vehicles on September 24, 2020. Notification was issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and notified that the Standards for safety evaluation of vehicles being propelled by the Hydrogen Fuel Cells. This has been done by bringing an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

100. The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a unified portal called 'U-Rise'- Unified Re-imagined Innovation For Student Empowerment. The portal will guide students in learning, career counselling, and getting employment in the state. The portal has been developed by Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Technical University.

101. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has come into existence from September 25, 2020. It has replaced the Medical Council of India (MCI), as the country’s apex regulator of medical education and profession.

102. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 300 million dollar (about Rs. 2,200 crore) loan to develop the inclusive water supply, sanitation infrastructure and services in secondary towns of Rajasthan. The Rajasthan government has implemented two multi-sector urban investment projects supported by ADB since 2000. The projects has benefited more than 70 lakh people in 21 cities. The current project is the third project under the "Rajasthan Urban Sector Development Programme" to implement the water supply and sanitation drives in six major cities.

103. World Environmental Health Day is being observed globally on 26^th September. The day is celebrated to throw the light on important works being done on the environmental health around the world. Theme for the 2020 edition of the day is : Environmental health, a key public health intervention in disease pandemic prevention. It has been targeted towards preventing the disease and creating health-supportive environments.

104. Nation is paying homage to the revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on his 113^th birth anniversary today on September 28, 2020. Bhagat Singh was born on this day in 1907, in Banga village of Lyallpur district of undivided Punjab province. Bhagat Singh was a member of HSRA which was founded by Chandrasekhar Azad. HSRA was created in the light of political vacuum that was created after the Chauri-Chaura incident. HSRA had created two bomb factories, one at Firozpur. The bomb factory at the Firozpur has been declared as national monument by Government of Punjab.

105. The 74^th United Nations General Assembly proclaimed on 15th October 2019 that 28^th September 2020 would observe the International Day for Universal Access to Information. 2020 edition of the day is focusing on the right to information in the times of crisis. It is celebrated to showcase the advantages of statutory and constitutional policies in order to provide public access to information.

106. The World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27 as an annual event. The day is celebrated to raise awareness on the role played by tourism sector in integrating the international community. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has designated year 2020 as the "Year of Tourism and Rural Development". The day was celebrated under the theme- Tourism and Rural Development, this year. It encourages the celebration of the role played by tourism in job creation.

107. World Rabies Day is observed on 28^th September every year, globally. It is celebrated to raise awareness regarding the impact of rabies on humans and animals, to provide information and to advice preventive measures that is needed to cure the disease. The day also encourage people to take efforts in order to control rabies. This year, the day is being celebrated under the theme- 'End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate'.

108. It is an virtual platform that has been launched by three corporates Sanjay Kaul who happens to be ex country head of Apple, India, Ajay Kaul who happens to be ex CEO of Jubilant Food Works and Mukesh Kachroo who happens to be ex CTO, Gain Capital, USA. It is an app to preserve and promote Kashmiri Pandit culture.

109. India’s sandalwood trees are facing a serious threat from the destructive disease called Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD). The infection has remerged in the natural habitats of sandalwood in Kerala and Karnataka and Kerala. The pathogen, sandal spike phytoplasma, was first detected in 1969 by electron microscopy. These are the pleomorphic and fragile organisms that occupy small areas within the sieve tubes (phloem) of the host plants. The organism of the phytoplasma disease has not been isolated and cultivated in vitro. This is the biggest obstacle that limit the research on the disease.

110. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the vaccine portal for Covid-19 on September 28, 2020 in order to create awareness among masses. National Clinical Registry for COVID-19 was launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi . The registry is aimed at collecting good quality real time clinical data in order to inform evidence-based clinical practice, research, formulating guidelines and policy.

111. September 29 is observed as World Heart Day. It is an initiative by the World Heart Federation. It is observed in order to spread awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart disease and stroke. The World Health Organization estimates that over 17.9 million people die of CVDs every year. This accounts for over 31% of global deaths. One-third of these deaths are premature that is below 70 years of age. About 80% of the CVDs turns into heart attacks or strokes. WHO also estimate that 75% cases come from low and middle-income countries.

112. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 29, 2020 will inaugurate six 'Namami Gange' projects mostly relating to the sewage treatment in Uttarakhand. The Prime Minister will also dedicate a museum on Ganga named- "Ganga Avlokan" located at the Chandi Ghat to the Nation.

113. Serum Institute of India (SII) has announced today on September 29, 2020 that it will produce an additional 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other low and middle-income countries in 2021. The announcement is taking forward the collaboration that was made between the Serum Institute of India, GAVI Vaccine Alliance and the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation.

114. Second sero-survey findings were released on September 29, 2020 by the Indian Council for Medical research (ICMR). Sero-survey tests the blood serum of a group of individuals to determine the presence of antibodies against that infection in them. People from different zones in a district are randomly tested for COVID-19 to check if they have developed antibodies against the infection even though they are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms. The survey involves collection of venous blood samples from random individuals in each selected district, divided into low risk and high-risk groups.

115. Harijan Sevak Sangh was founded today, on September 30, in 1932, when Gandhi Ji was on fast in the Yervada Jail, Pune. It is a non-profit organisation which was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 in order to eradicate untouchability in India, working for Harijan or Dalit people and their upliftment. It is headquartered at Kingsway Camp in Delhi having its branches in 26 states across India. Ghanshyam Das Birla was its founding president and Amritlal Takkar was its Secretary.

116. 30^th September is observed by the United Nations as International Translation Day, every year. The primary aim of the day is to celebrate and appreciate the work of language translation professionals. These language translator professionals facilitates dialogue, understanding and cooperation. They also contribute to the development and strengthening the world peace and security. This year the day is being observed under the theme- "Finding the words for a world in crisis".

International

1. On August 31, 2020, the Japanese Government announced that it will provide loan assistance of Rs. 3,500 crores to India as a response to COVID-19 crisis. This will also include implementation of health and medical policy. The loan is being received by India as an emergency fund.

2. On September 1, 2020, Australia, India and Japan held a ministerial video conference. The meeting reaffirmed free, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory and stable trade to keep their markets open. India believes that Australia, India and Japan are the crucial players in the Indian Ocean Region. In 2019, their cumulative GDP was 9.3 billion USD and the goods and services trade was 2.7 trillion USD. According to India, this should be enhanced.

3. On September 1, 2020, India and Nigeria agreed to deepen their cooperation to counter terrorism, piracy and insurgency to boost trade exchanges. The countries agreed to their cooperation in defence equipment, maintenance services and medical. They also agreed on regular exchange of information to counter terrorism, insurgency and piracy. During the meet, Nigeria appreciated donation of essential medicines to India. In July 2020, India donated 50 million USD worth essential medicines to Nigeria to fight COVID-19.

4. On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding between India and Finland for the cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources. The agreement was signed between Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines and Geological Survey of Finland and Ministry of Employment and Economy, Finland.

5. The United States recently published an annual report on Chinese Military power. According to the report, the Chinese Navy is now the largest in the world. The report says that the overall battle force of China is approximately 350 ships and submarines. This includes 130 major surface combatants. On the hand the US Navy has approximately 293 ships as of early 2020.

6. India is to host a summit of council of heads of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) on November 30, 2020. India is in the plan of expanding its cooperation with the grouping. India was an observer of SCO till 2005. It became a member in 2017 along with Pakistan. Since then, India has been pushing for connectivity projects such as International North-South Transport Corridor to gain more access to the resource rich Central Asian countries. Also, SCO will act as a good platform for India to strengthen its ties with the extended neighbourhood.

7. The United Nations Security Council recently rejected Pakistan request to list four Indians as terrorists. Pakistan wanted to add four Indian nationals under ISIS and Al-Qaeda operations. The request was backed by France, USA, UK, Germany and Belgium. The UNSC rejected mainly due to lack of evidence.

8. Saudi Arabia recently hosted the G-20 foreign ministers meet focusing on cross border movement amidst the pandemic. During the meet, India proposed development of G-20 Principles on Coordinated Cross border movement of people.

9. The World Health Organization recently recommended the use of steroid drugs to treat COVID-19. The WHO trials say that the Corticosteroid drugs reduce the risk of death in critical COVID-19 patients by 20%. An analysis of seven international trials found that the Corticosteroid drugs reduced the risk of death in critical COVID-19 patients. The trials also found that low dose hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone and dexamethasone improved the survival rates of critically ill COVID-19 patients.

10. The current European Union President and the largest economy of Europe, Germany launched Indo-Pacific strategy. It was launched with India. The strategy has several indirect references to Chinese behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. Germany has also suggested to play a key role in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and Indian Ocean Rim Association. It will work on maritime safety and disaster risk management.

11. In an attempt to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine UNICEF has announced that it will be leading the procurement and supply of Corona Virus vaccines. The mission is said to be the world’s largest and fastest ever operation of its kind.

12. On September 8, 2020, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that five Public Sector Undertakings will join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Coalition for Sustainable Climate Action. The five PSUs to join the ISA are Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited. These five PSUs are to focus on clean energy transition. The companies will deploy solar panels. Currently, the installed solar capacity is 270 MW. An additional 60 MW is to be added in the coming years. The GoI has also set targets to solarize 50% of fuel stations that are owned by PSUs in the next five years. In 2019 alone, alone 5,000 fuel stations owned by Indian Oil were solarized.

13. On September 8, 2020, India and Angola held their first joint commission meeting during which the countries decided to expand their trade and discuss cooperation in health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and defence. The countries during the joint commission meet held discussions on food processing, agriculture, defence, pharmaceuticals, health, digitization and telecom. Angola is not a member of India Africa Forum Summit. It is held once in three years.

14. Sri Lanka; a Buddhists majority country where nearly 99% people are meat eaters but most of the Hindus and Buddhists do no eat Beef. The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which won a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary elections last month under the leadership of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has decided to ban slaughtering of cows across the island nation. However, there is no restriction on import of Beef in the country yet.

15. In order to keep a check on rumors and fake news information which spreads like fire in jungle on social media platform, the government of Bangladesh has launched a special campaign called, "Asol Chini" when translated in English it is called "Real Sugar".

16. Amid global lock down due to COVID-19 and economic tensions between US and China, The US is working towards blocking exports of core products from the China’s Xinjiang region. Amid growing tensions between the world's two largest economy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials while preparing order to block presented the list mentioning the products banned. The major products which are being blocked by the US export authorities includes, cotton yarn, textiles and apparel, as well as tomatoes, tomato paste and other products. Apart from these the ban also includes five important commodities.

17. On September 9, 2020, the first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually with a focus on enhancing the cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region. The dialogue held discussions on economic and geo-strategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in context with Covid-19 particularly.

18. The Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan represented India at the 10^th East Asia Summit held virtually on international and regional developments including COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting discussed ways and means to strengthen the East Asia Summit platform. It aims to make it more responsive to the emerging challenges in its 15^th anniversary. The ministers during the meet exchanged their views on speedy and sustainable recovery from COVID-19.

19. On September 11, 2020, India and China agreed on five-point action plan for quick disengagement of troops and avoid actions that will escalate tensions. The External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar is on a visit to Russia to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow. He met his Chinese counter part Wang Yi on the sidelines of the meet.

20. On September 10, 2020, India and Japan signed Logistics agreement on "Reciprocal Provision Supplies and Services" to allow the armed forces of India and Japan to coordinate closely in supplies and services. Japan is the third largest source of Foreign Direct Investment into India after Mauritius and Singapore. Also, it is the most important partner in the Indo-Pacific region. India and Japan conduct SHINYUU Maitri-18 and Dharma Guardian exercises. SHINYUU Maitri-18 is an Indian Air Force exercise and Dharma Guardian is a joint army exercise. Japan, just like India has several rivalries with China. The countries are thus countering Chinese actions in the Indo-Pacific and have formed QUAD grouping.

21. U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out an extension of the deadline for TikTok to either change its ownership to an American company or shut it down completely. A popular video-sharing app TikTok which became famous globally due to its ability to create viral sensational videos was developed and is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The app became so popular that it helped several artists to make debut in the cinema industry. Amid growing tension between the US and China, the Trump administration took strict action against the app. Giving reasons to data privacy and threat to national security the trump administration signed an executive order banning the app in the US. Trump cited that, the app may potentially allow China to track the locations of the federal employees and also collect their personal data which can be used to manipulate or blackmail them and conduct corporeal espionage.

22. This year, the relation between the US and China have witnessed major drops from. Amid all this recently US revoked the visa of more than a thousand Chinese students who were coming to the US from China on a student visa. The move was issued by President Trump in May end this year and got implemented form June 1^th. It says that China is involved in wide-ranging and heavily resourced campaign to acquire sensitive United States technologies and intellectual property to boost and modernize its own military capabilities. US Secretary of States Mike Pompeo flagged moves on a Student visa.

23. A huge fire at the port of Beirut triggered big chaos among the people residing at the port area. The fire erupted a month after the massive explosion. Already traumatized residents couldn’t figure out how to deal with it in real-time. Last Thursday residents staying around the port area saw huge sky-reaching flames erupting from the port after enquiring the port officials told them that the duty-free area of the warehouse where the oil and tires are kept is on fire. The officials were also found saying, the blaze fighting work is in process and there is nothing to worry. The resident already traumatized from the last month explosion opened their window and called on each other for help. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

24. Amid all the global chaos it is for the first time in the history that the Afghan Government and Taliban which does not recognise the Afghan government will sit across the table and discuss the future of the country. The talk comes soon after the release of the last batch of six Taliban prisoners both the party announced that they would begin direct intra-Afghan talks on 12^th September in Doha which is the capital of Qatar. The talk comes as the second step after the US-Taliban agreement which leads to the withdrawal of US troops from the country. The group also made an assassination attempt on Afghan Vice-President Amrullah Saleh. The targeted his convoy and killed ten innocent people in the act.

25. The COVID-19 global pandemic has blanketed the whole world. Recently, United Nations warned about the major consequences of COVID-19 if not dealt properly. The UN officials were found stating, that the world may witness more conflict, poverty and starvation and how deeply it may impact the fragile nations of the world.

26. For the first time since the end of the cold war in 1990, the whole of Germany resonated with the sound of the emergency siren as an emergency test. 10th September will now be observed as National Warning Day or Warn tag across the country.

27. Standing Committee of Nepal's Communist Party finally concluded the prolonged meeting which convened in July and was long due. It is the longest meeting conducted by the party in recent times. Recently when the country launched its new political map, the move put the country in a diplomatic row with India. The move severely affected the country's relationship with its neighbouring country India. This whole incident divided the party into two groups and created big chaos in Nepal's political system. However, the recently unveiled map was passed unanimously by the ruling party, it failed to reduce differences between the sections of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and party co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. To lessen this difference among the party members the meeting was called.

28. The permanent representative of India to the United Nations, Sh. TS Tirumurti confirmed India's entry as a member of the United Nation's Commission on Status of Women (CSW). It is a body of the prestigious Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Apart from India, the elections to become a member of the Commission on Status of Women had been participated by Afghanistan and China. India and Afghanistan managed to win the ballot among the 54 members but China failed to cross the halfway.

29. The prediction of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank says due to pandemic hit the Asian economy is going to shrink for the first time since the early 1960s. It also stated that the period will continue until next year with a downfall in the level of growth as projected before the pandemic.

30. Byte Dance a Chinese Company which owns a popular video-sharing app called TikTok in its recent merger deals choose Oracle a US-based firm. Byte Dance was instructed by Trump's administration to either close its operation in the US or sell the company to a US-based company.

31. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the undersecretary-General of United Nations for Peace Operations announced eight challenges for the future operations and asked for necessary efforts to ensure peace operations remain in a positive state. United Nations peacekeeping is the responsibility look after by the Department of Peace Operations which is a department of the United Nations, assigned with the role of planning, preparation, management, and the direction of UN peacekeeping operations.

32. On September 16, 2020, Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new prime minister of Japan after Shinzo Abe resigned. The longest serving Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe resigned in August 2020 due to health reasons. He was first elected to the Diet of Japan in 1996.

33. On September 15, 2020, US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign ministers of Bahrain and UAE signed the historic peace agreement Abraham Accord. It is the first peace deal between Israel and Arabs in 26 years.

34. On September 16, 2020, India joined Djibouti Code of Conduct as an observer. The Djibouti Code of Conduct is also called the Jeddah Amendment. It is a regional maritime security cooperation agreement. It was established by International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2008.

35. On September 16, 2020, the External Affairs Minister of India Shri S Jaishankar chaired the IBSA Foreign Ministers meet. IBSA is India-Brazil-South Africa. The ministers during the meet agreed on issues such as peace, security, climate change, countering terrorism, multilateral trading system, non-proliferation issues, disarmament and South-South Cooperation. They also agreed to renew their commitment towards United Nations Security Council.

36. The Bangladesh Government recently granted permission for traders to export Hilsa fish to India in the view of forthcoming Durga Pooja. The Government of Bangladesh imposed a ban on export of Hilsa fish to India in 2012. However, the ban is usually lineated during festivals. In 2019, around 500 tonnes were imported from Bangladesh during Durga Pooja.

37. On September 17, 2020, the BRICS high representatives on national security met virtually. The meet was chaired by Russia. The national security advisors of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa discussed issues related to security and cooperation among BRICS countries. During the meet, the countries exchanged their views on biosafety, cyber security, International Security, Counter Terrorism.

38. Brucellosis, also known as Malta fever has recently affected thousands of people in Northwest of China. The infection spread in the country after a leak from a Bio pharmaceutical company in 2019. The disease is generally caused buy direct contact with livestock carrying the bacteria called brucella. So far, China has not reported any fatalities due to the disease. However, around 1401 have tested positive to the disease.

39. External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India and Pakistan Foreign Minister (PFM) are expected to meet at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting via videoconference on September 24. The announcement has been made days after India-Pakistan tensions that had spilled into a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

40. The United Nations has named a 18-year-old Indian teenager Udit Singhal in the list of 2020 Class of Young leaders for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) along with 17 others. The young leaders for sustainable development goal initiative is the highest profile recognition opportunity for the young people who raise their voices and make efforts to combat the most challenging issues in the world. The initiative is organized biennially by the United Nations.

41. The Minister of State for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya launched the first direct Cargo Ferry service to Maldives. This cargo service will help in boosting the business and trade relations between the countries. This service has been launched in the wake of strengthening the Neighbourhood First Policy.

42. Indian Navy and the Australia navy will be conducting a two-days mega naval exercise in the Indian Ocean commencing from September 23, 2020. This will include various anti-aircraft drills, complex naval maneuvers, and helicopter operations.

43. Vodafone Group has won the tax case against India at the international arbitration Tribunal over retrospective tax demand of 20,000 crore including the capital gains tax and withholding tax. The Permanent Court of Arbitration has ruled that conduct of Income Tax Department is breach of fair and equitable treatment.

44. Senior officials from the Foreign Ministries of the Quad group of countries met virtually on September 26, 2020. This meeting was held during the United Nations high level week. This was a part of their periodic consultations on the Indo-Pacific region.

45. The World Bank (WB) has approved a 200 million dollar loan for Bangladesh in order to improve access to safe water and sanitation services in the rural areas of the country. The Bangladesh Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project will help 6 lakh people to get access to clean water through piped water schemes in rural areas.

46. The India-Sri Lanka virtual Bilateral Summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today on September 26, 2020. Pm Narendra Modi thanked PM Mahinda Rajapaksa for accepting invitation for the virtual summit and also congratulated the Sri Lankan PM for the victory of his party in the Sri Lankan elections. This is the first time that PM Modi hold a bilateral meeting with the neighborhood amid the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders discussed various bilateral and regional issues.

47. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held a virtual bilateral summit on September 28, 2020. In his opening remarks PM Narendra Modi said that this virtual summit will prove useful for India-Denmark relations and will also help in creating a common approach towards global challenges while the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen in her opening remark said that the Summit is a milestone on our bilateral relations and our forward-looking agreement on green strategic partnership.

48. The World Health Organization announced on September 29, 2020 that it will roll out 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 joining hands with its partners. This would allow the lower- and middle-income countries to fill in the testing gap with richer countries.

49. The Ministry of External Affairs recently announced that it will create a new Oceania Territorial Division having its centre at Australia. The division will integrate ASEAN divisions and the Indo-Pacific under it. India created the Indo-Pacific division in 2019 which include Indian Ocean Rim Association, QUAD countries and ASEAN Nations.

50. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that they have come across reports regarding elections in the "Gilgit-Baltistan" Assembly that will be held on November 15, 2020 . The ministry took a strong objection to it. Gilgit-Baltistan also called as the North Area is a disputed territory. But Pakistan is likely to change it after an assembly election on November 15. This will provide fuller political rights to the roughly 1.2 million residents of the region. The region will become the fifth State of Pakistan after Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the amendment that Pakistan has moved to grant full statehood to the region.

51. India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up a 'High Level Monitoring Committee' to regularly review the progress of implementation of projects which are being run with Line of Credit (Loc) provided by India. The committee would be headed by the Secretary, Economic Relations Division of Bangladesh and High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh.

52. NITI Aayog and Embassy of the Netherlands, New Delhi have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on 28 September 2020 in order to support the decarbonization and energy transition agenda to accommodate cleaner and more energy.

Defence

1. On September 1, 2020, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth Rs. 2,580 crores to boost Make in India. The contracts were signed for supply of six Pinaka Regiments to the Indian Army. The contracts were signed with Tata Power Company, Bharat Earth Movers Limited and Larsen and Toubro. The Pinaka Regiments comprised of 114 launchers with Automated Gun Aiming and Positioning System. The six Pinaka regiments are to be operationalised along the Northern and Eastern borders of the country. It will enhance the operation preparedness of Indian Army.

2. Amidst border tensions between India and China, China has reportedly built a missile launch site in Kailash-Mansarovar. The Kailash-Mansarovar is revered by four religions and is linked to high spiritual scriptures in India. The Hindus in India call the Mountain as the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. The Tibetan Buddhists call the mountain the abode of Demchong and his consort, Dorje Phagmo. According to the Jains, the mountain is the dwelling place of their first 24 spiritual masters. The Bons call the mountain as the dwelling place of the sky goddess.

3. The Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh is to visit Russia from September 3, 2020 to September 5, 2020. He will attend the Defence Ministers meet of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Collective Security Treaty Organization and Commonwealth Security Treaty Organization.

4. India and Russia are to hold bilateral naval exercise INDRA 2020 in Andaman Sea, close to strategic Strait of Malacca. The exercise is being conducted while the Indian Navy is on high operational alert due to the standoff with China in Ladakh. Three Russian Naval ships are to take part in the exercise on September 4 and 5.

5. The Defence Minister is at Russia's capital Moscow attending SCO meet. He arrived on September 2, 2020 and is on a three-day visit. The Defence Minister on the side lines of the SCO meet held talks with his Russian counter part Shoigu. During the meet, the leaders signed the AK-203 rifles deal. According to the deal, the rifles are to be produced in India under the Make in India initiative with Russia support.

6. The Special Frontier Force is also called Establishment 22. The commandos in the force are drawn from Tibetan refugees who took shelter in India after the Tibetan uprising. The SFF was founded in 1962 while Indo-China war was drawing close. The troopers in the force were initially trained by IB, RAW and even CIA. They are based at Chakrata, Uttarakhand. The SFF are skilled in mountain warfare and are paratroopers. They were deployed in covert operations behind the enemy lines that include tracking of Chinese plans to deploy nuclear war heads.

7. India joined the elite group Russia, China, US, after successfully conducting first test flight of the indigenously developed HSTDV (Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle) from Odisha coast. This giant leap will lead to the development of hypersonic cruise missiles in future.

8. India, Israel and the Unites States recently held a summit virtually. During the summit, the countries decided to work together in 5G technology. The trilateral summit was initiated by PM Modi during his visit to Israel in 2017. The outcomes of the summit were not disclosed due to security concerns.

9. On September 16, 2020, the tenth Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group meeting was held virtually. The meeting is usually held twice a year alternating between India and US. For the first time, the group meeting has been held virtually. The initiative signed statement of intent to strengthen dialogue on defence technology cooperation. Also, the grouping reported several on-going activities and collaborative opportunities targeted for completion on priority.

10. On September 17, 2020, the Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed Rajya Sabha. He gave a complete statement on India China issue and answered several questions raised on the current border situation. The Defence Minister noted that the Chinese actions expressed disrespect to all the previous bilateral agreements. The amassing of troops by China along the line of actual control violates agreements signed in 1993 and 1996.

11. The union Government of India have approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of 74%. This FDI has been allowed under the automatic route in defence sector. This will attract more overseas investors in the defence industry. This announcement was made by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)

12. Two women officers have been selected to join as "Observers" (Airborne Tacticians) in the helicopter stream of the Indian Navy for the first time in history of Indian naval aviation. The selected women officers would be the first set of women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships.

13. Defence Research and Development Organization conducted a successful flight test of ABHYAS- High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) vehicle at the Balasore test range in Odisha on September 22, 2020. While testing, the vehicle achieved 5 km of flying altitude, 2g turn capability of test vehicle and vehicle speed of 0.5 mach. The project costs Rs 150 million.

14. Indian Navy and the Australia navy will be conducting a two-days mega naval exercise in the Indian Ocean commencing from September 23, 2020. This will include various anti-aircraft drills, complex naval maneuvers, and helicopter operations.

15. DRDO has successfully test fired an indigenously developed laser-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) at the firing range in Maharashtra. ATMs are the guided missiles designed to destroy the heavily armored vehicles and tanks. These missiles uses various guiding programmes including the laser-guided missiles, wire-guided missiles, etc.

16. The Comptroller and Auditor General submitted its report on Defense Ministry to both the houses of the Parliament on September 23, 2020. CAG highlights that, In March 2010, the Israel Aerospace Industries contracted to supply five 914F certified UAV Rotax Engine worth Rs. 87.45 lakhs per engine. But the same engine was procured by DRDO at Rs. 23.30 lakh per engine in 2012. Also, the average price for engine in the international market is Rs 21 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs. The audit accused that the vendor has gained Rs. 3.16 crores in supplying five UAV engines. CAG has recommended an investigation in to the matter.

17. India successfully test fired the Prithvi II missile which was developed indigenously. The test was conducted at the Chandipur Integrated Test Range, Odisha. It is a short-range surface to surface ballistic missile that has been indigenously developed by the DRDO. Prithvi missile was the first missile to be developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

18. Fourth edition of India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise (JIMEX) began in North Arabian Sea from September 26, 2020. It will be conducted for three days. In the light of COVID-19 restrictions, the exercise is being conducted in a 'non-contact at-sea-only format' this year.

19. The Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) has began the mass production of Pinaka rockets on September 26, 2020. The Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP), which is responsible for collecting and analyzing defense items, has handed over the Pinaka weapon system production project to Directorate-General of Quality Assurance.

20. The Defence minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) -2020 today on September 28, 2020. The minister said that the new DAP 2020 will empower the Indian domestic industry through Make in India initiative.

21. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the proposals for the capital acquisition of equipment that the Armed Forces of India requires at an cost of Rs. 2,900 crores. The approval was given on September 28, 2020 by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

22. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC 4) during the iDEX event on September 29, 2020. The challenge features the initiatives which are aimed at expanding the horizons of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) ecosystem. iDEX4Fauji initiative and Product Management Approach (PMA) guidelines were also launched during the event.

23. India successfully test fired the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos having an indigenous booster and airframe section at Balasore, Odisha on September 30, 2020. The G7 is an international intergovernmental economic organization. It consists of seven major developed countries including Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries are the largest IMF-advanced economies in the world. The grouping was founded in 1975.

Business, Economy & Banking

1. On September 1, 2020, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri Prahlad Joshi announced at a webinar that India aims for 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030. This is to be achieved through investments worth Rs 4 lakh crores. The Government of India has provided concession of 20% on revenue share of coal that is used for gasification. The GoI is promoting Coal Gasification in order to reduce energy imports of the country.

2. On September 1, 2020, the Supreme Court pronounced its judgement on the AGR dues issues. The judgement was announced by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra through video conferencing. The court said that the telecom companies shall pay their AGR dues with in a time frame of 10 years to the central government.

3. The Coal India Limited is to invest Rs. 1.22 lakh crores to develop 500 projects related to coal evacuation, infrastructure, project development, exploration and clean coal technologies. The investment aims to make India self-reliant in coal. It will also help to achieve production target of 1 billion tonnes by 2023-34. The National miner Coal India Limited is to invest Rs. 14, 200 crores in the next three to four years. The first mile connectivity is the transportation of coal from pitheads to dispatch points. The investments is to be done in two phases for its 49 first mile connectivity projects.

4. On September 3, 2020, the energy Efficiency Services Limited announced that it will procure 250 electric Vehicles from Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor India. The Tata Motors is to supply 150 Nexon electric compact SUVs and the Hyundai Motor India Limited will supply 100 Kona Electric SUVs for government use. EESL is to procure Tata Nexon at Rs. 14.86 lakhs each. This is Rs. 13,000 cheaper than its show room price. The Hyundai Kona is to be procured at Rs. 21.36 lakhs which is 11% lower.

5. On September 3, 2020, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council inaugurated its first virtual Buyer and Seller meet to facilitate loose diamonds. Until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in 1726, India was the only place where diamonds were mined. In 2013, India mined 37,515 carats of diamond. This is less than 1% of world diamond production. However, India is the largest diamond cutting and polishing centre in the world. This is mainly because of India’s heritage of using diamonds, gems and jewellery to large extent. Thus, the work force and artisans with knowledge of diamond cutting are many in numbers in India. India had well established trade of jewellery since ancient times. The methods of diamond processing has been updated in the country and new techniques have been adopted. This is the main reason for India to be at the top of cutting and polishing.

6. On September 5, 2020, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs launched the fourth edition of Business Reforms Action Plan ranking of states. The rankings are being launched since 2015. The Business Reform Action Plan 2018-19 includes 180 reform points that covers business regulatory areas such as Single Window System, Access to Information, Labour, Environment, etc.

7. The third annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum is to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam capital between October 28, 2020 and October 29, 2020. The forum is to be sponsored by US-ASEAN Business Council, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, US Chamber of Commerce and Government of Vietnam.

8. On September 7, 2020, the International Solar Alliance released the agenda of the first World Solar Technology Summit. The summit is to be held on September 8, 2020. Around 8 initiatives are to be launched at the summit. The World Solar Technology Summit is to be held between 4 PM and 9:30 PM. The summit will have five sessions focusing on the following- Global CEO Session, Vision 2030 and beyond, Towards a decarbonsied Grid, Disruptive Solar Technologies, Solar Beyond power sector. The Summit is to be addressed by PM Modi.

9. On September 8, 2020, the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched 22 bamboo clusters in nine states. They are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Tripura and Karnataka. Six of the 22 clusters are located in Maharashtra, five in Tripura, two each in Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland, three in Odisha and one each in Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand. It is to be noted that in 2017, the Central Government amended Indian Forest Act, 1927 to remove bamboo from the category of trees. This made it possible to do business in bamboo products. Also, this now made anyone undertake cultivation in bamboo products.

10. On September 10, 2020, the Union Minister of Shipping Manusukh Mandaviya launched a dispute redressal mechanism called SAROD Ports. SAROD is Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes. Earlier the SAROD Saroj Port was in place where the dispute between port and the concessionaire working with the port was arbitrated. However, decisions were not made in timely manner and thereby affecting the ongoing projects. Thus, this is being replaced by SAROD ports.

11. Recently, Global Economic Freedom Index 2020 report India witnessed a sharp fall of 26 spots and landed to the 105^th position. As per the last year ranking the country was at the 79^th spot. It is an annual index created in 1995 first by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal to gauge the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. The ranking scores countries on an economic freedom scale between 0 to 100 where zero meaning no economic freedom and 100 meaning total economic freedom. There are twelve aspects divided into a total of four categories. This year Singapore with a score of 89.4 ranked as first in the world's freest economy among 42 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Hongkong stood second at the report. The interesting thing about the index is that China ranked lower than India.

12. Securities and Exchange Board of India which is responsible for regulating the Indian market in order to revamp its IT infrastructure network and communication system shortlisted top companies which includes, Bharti Airtel and Wipro and others.

13. On September 16, 2020, Russia's sovereign wealth fund agreed to supply 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik-V to an Indian drug company Dr Reddy's Laboratories. The deal has been finalized after the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) reached agreements with the Indian manufacturer to produce 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to India.

14. On Sep 18, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to dedicate the Kosi Rail mahasetu to the nation. He will also inaugurate 12 other rail projects that are related to passenger facilities for the benefit of the state of Bihar. Maha Setu Bridge is 1.8 km long and provides a short route to the Eastern parts of India. It enhances the accessibility to transport army and military related equipment from Northern part of India to North Eastern parts of India.

15. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) recently extended the price cap on Knee implants by one year till September 2021. The price regulator has made the extension after the order validity ended in August 2020. The regulator capped the prices of knee implants by 70% in 2017 under the Drug Price Control Order, 2013. In 2017, the prices where capped at Rs. 54720. However, in 2019, the NPPA allowed firms to take 10% hike for the year in their implant products.

16. The railway board has announced that it will soon start charging a token user fee. The user fee will be charged from the passengers who will take trains from the busy stations. The decision by the Railways will slightly increase the total fare of the tickets.

17. The Government of India has amended the public procurement (Preference to make in India ) order 2017. These amendments would curb the Chinese investment in India. It is a process by which the government and state-owned enterprises purchases goods from the private sector. It uses money from the collected tax to procure the goods.

18. The Rajya Sabha has passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy code (second Amendment) Bill 2020. Under the new provisions, fresh insolvency proceedings will not be started for the next six months taking the Covid-19 pandemic into account. The companies are under crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. These restrictions have also affected their ability to pay back the interest and loan. The micro small and medium enterprises have also been affected in the situation. Under the relief measures, Government of India had increased the threshold for initiating the insolvency process. Also, The Reserve Bank of India allowed Moratorium on all loans till August 2020. Despite these steps, number of non-performing assets were increasing. Thus, the insolvency proceedings has been suspended in order to provide some relief to the companies to payback the loans.

19. The Government of India increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of rabi crops on September 21, 2020. The MSP on Wheat has been increased by Rs. 50 per quintal. The other crops for which MSP has been increased includes Chana, Mustard, Safflower and Masoor.

20. Recently, North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash announced that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has rolled out a property tax amnesty scheme so as to provide relief to the residents of unauthorised regularised colonies. It is a limited-time opportunity for some taxpayers in order to pay a defined amount, in exchange for forgiveness of a tax liability including interest and penalties related the previous tax period without fear of criminal prosecution. The scheme expires when some authority begins a tax investigation of the past-due tax. It is a voluntary compliance strategies in order to increase tax base and tax revenue. The main purpose of the scheme is to replicate the economy and encouraging individuals and corporations to declare their wealth.

21. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Atomic Energy and Space Shri Jitendra Singh said that the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor will be commissioned by October 2022. This was initiated by Homi Bhabha by using the thorium and uranium reserves found in Monazite sands of coastal regions of India. The programme runs with an objective to use Thorium reserves in India to meet the energy requirements.

22. Parliament passed the Taxation and other laws (Relaxation and Amendment of certain provisions) bill, 2020 on September 23, 2020. It replaces the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 that was promulgated on March 31, 2020. The new bill will make few changes to direct and indirect tax laws including the Income Tax Act, 1961 (IT Act), Finance Acts, the Customs Act, 1962, and the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988. It was passed in Rajya Sabha through voice vote.

23. Kritagya (Krishi-Raknik-Gyan) Hackathon was launched by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICMR) on September 23, 2020 under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project. It was launched with an objective to promote Farm Mechanisation specially women friendly equipments.

24. The Supreme Court had appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on the problem of stubble burning. The authority have said to the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana that early burning of crop residue is taking place in the region. It has also urged them to look after the issue urgently. Recent SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research under the Central government) estimate based on the INSAT-3, 3D and NASA satellite data, there were 42 fires on September 21, 2020.

25. Union Finance Ministry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has granted permission to raise additional financial resources of Rs. 9,913 crore to five states through Open Market Borrowings (OMBs). The five states Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, and Tripura.

26. The Reserve Bank of India released Cyber Security Vision Framework under the title 'Technology Vision for Cyber Security' for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) – 2020-2023 on September 25, 2020. The central bank referred to four guiding principles in order to formulate the framework because of the heterogeneity of UCBs in India in terms of regions, size, digital depth and financial health.

27. The Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) has launched the faceless income tax appeals today on September 25, 2020. The Announcement was made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay. He made his statement during the launch of Faceless Assessment and Taxpayers’ Charter under the "Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest" platform. Under the new mechanism all appeals will be finalized in a faceless manner. However, it will be barring the cases of major tax evasion, black money act, serious frauds and international tax to follow the same mechanism.

28. The Reserve Bank of India has introduce a "Positive Pay System" that will come into effect from January 2021. The system has been launched to make the cheque payment more secure. The system will make mandatory to re-confirm key details of cheques for the payments beyond Rs. 50,000.

29. India's sandalwood trees are facing a serious threat from the destructive disease called Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD). The infection has remerged in the natural habitats of sandalwood in Kerala and Karnataka.

30. The Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) in the Kolar Gold Field (KGF) again hopeful for its revival in last 16 years after the Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi directed the Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) to start exploring the gold fields.

Science & Technology

1. 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. 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.

2. When the whole world is eyeing the successful launch of COVID-19 vaccine, there is bad news for folks out there. Oxford which is one of the biggest contenders for the production of vaccine has gotten into a serious problem. The vaccine trial has been put onto hold giving reasons to safety concerns.

3. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) which is country's apex drug regulator has directed Serum Institute of India SII to suspend the new recruitments which were about to happen for recent phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine till further orders.

4. The clinical trials of AstraZeneca vaccine were halted recently due to some safety reasons in the United Kingdom when one of the volunteers reported unexplained illness in his body after taking the vaccine. After the safety review, the Oxford and his partner drug company said in a separate statement that the clinical trial will resume.

5. The virtual Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit would be inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 2nd October 2020. The summit would be followed by a month-long deliberation sessions virtually that will start from 3^rd October to 25^th October 2020. It will be organized among the researchers through a webinar. The session would conclude on 2nd November 2020.

6. India's first CRISPR test for COVID-19 has been launched by the TATA group. It has been named 'Feluda', the TATA CRISPER (Clustered Regulatory Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) COVID-19 test. The test recently received regulatory approvals for the commercial roll out from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

7. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Atomic Energy and Space Shri Jitendra Singh said that the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor will be commissioned by October 2022. The reactor is being constructed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) and the Indira Gandhi centre for Atomic Research (ICGAR)

8. The Central Government has notified the standards for safety evaluation for hydrogen fuel-cell based vehicles on September 24, 2020. Notification was issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and notified that the Standards for safety evaluation of vehicles being propelled by the Hydrogen Fuel Cells. This has been done by bringing an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

9. It is an virtual platform that has been launched by three corporates Sanjay Kaul who happens to be ex country head of Apple, India, Ajay Kaul who happens to be ex CEO of Jubilant Food Works and Mukesh Kachroo who happens to be ex CTO, Gain Capital, USA. It is an app to preserve and promote Kashmiri Pandit culture.

10. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has warned of the danger that is being posed by another virus that have been found in China named 'Cat Que Virus' (CQV). ICMR warns that the virus has potential to spread diseases all across India.

Government Schemes

1. On September 1, 2020, Ladakh and Lakshadweep were integrated in the One Nation One Ration card scheme. With this a total of 26 states and union territories are now connected with each other under the scheme. The 26 states and UTS that are connected under One Nation One card scheme are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Telangana, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Punjab, Odisha, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Kerala, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

2. On September 1, 2020, the Government of India approved 27 projects under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana. Under the project, integrated cold chains are to be developed. The new projects will generate direct and indirect employment for 16,000 people. It will benefit 2,57,000 farmers. These projects will help to boost farmer income and will help make India self-reliant in fruits and vegetable sector. The projects will leverage investment of Rs. 743 crores to create modern innovative infrastructure and cold chain facilities for food processing sector.

3. On September 2, 2020, the Government of India announced that it is to extend flagship jobs programme in villages to cities in order to help the workers left unemployed due to the pandemic. The programme when approved will initially be rolled out in smaller cities. This step is expected to cost 4.8 billion USD initially. However, it will benefit 121 million Indian who lost their jobs in April due to the pandemic.

4. On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved National Programme Services Capacity Building called "Mission Karmayogi". The programme was designed to lay foundations for capacity building of civil servants. The programme will enhance the Indian culture values and sensibilities among the civil servants.

5. The Government of India banned printing materials such as diaries, calendars and festival greeting cards. The order was passed by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry has asked the government organs to adopt digital means to publish such materials.

6. The Water Heroes contest was launched by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. The main aim of the contest is to reach out to people with messages of water conservation and management. The main aim of the Ministry of Jal Shakti is to make water conservation a people’s movement and also to strengthen water consciousness in the country.

7. On September 6, 2020, the Delhi Government launched a mass campaign against Dengue and other vector borne diseases. The campaign seeks the residents of Delhi to pick up their phone and call 10 of their relatives and friends and advise them on practices to prevent Dengue. The campaign also urges the citizens to spend 10 minutes to inspect their own residence for clean stagnant water in order to avoid breeding of mosquitos and prevent the spread of malaria, dengue and Chinkungunya.

8. On September 6, 2020, the Ministry of MSME approved the Khadi Agarbatti Aatma Nirbhar Mission. The scheme aims to create employment for migrant workers in different parts of the country, support the local Agarbatti industry and handholding artisans. The current Agarbatti consumption in India is 1,490 metric tonnes per day. However, the production of Agarbatti per day is 760 metric tonnes. The deficit in the country is sufficed through imports from Vietnam and China. The mission will thus help reduce imports in the country.

9. On September 7, 2020, Tamil Nadu Government released Electronics and Hardware Manufacturing Policy. The main aim of the policy is to increase the electronics industry output to 100 billion USD by 2025. The Tamil Nadu State will contribute 25% of India’s total electronic exports of the country after implementation of the policy. The policy will undertake skill training of more than one lakh people by 2024. It targets to increase the level of value addition that is already being implemented in the state. This includes chip designs, PCB designs, mobile handsets, solar photo voltaic cells, mobile handsets. Medical electronics, etc.

10. On September 10, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to launch Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. Along with the scheme, the PM will also launch e-Gopala application. The scheme focuses on sustainable development of fisheries in India. It is to be implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25. The funds allocated to fisheries under the scheme is Rs. 20,050 crores. This is the highest ever allocated to that of the fisheries sector.

11. On September 10, 2020, the Department of Posts launched a scheme called the "Five Star Villages". The scheme ensures universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of India. It seeks to bridge the gap in public awareness and reach postal services and products in the interior of villages.

12. Recently in a major announcement, the Jammu & Kashmir government announced the health scheme in which the government will provide universal health insurance. The scheme announced by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha will cover all the residents of the Union Territory. The scheme which is implemented by Lt Governor in convergence with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will provide universal health insurance coverage to all the residents of Jammu & Kashmir.

13. Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in a programme called "Grih Pravesh" the programme was organized under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana. The programme fulfils the Modi Government agenda of housing for all by 2022. The program was live telecasted in 16,440 Gram panchayats and 26,548 villages. About 1 crore 25 people in total registered to listen to this program.

14. Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir recently launched a new grievance redressal portal. The newly launched portal will be linked to the Union government's grievance mechanism. An effective grievance redressal mechanism is the lifeblood of any good governance system and the aforesaid mechanism must be the top priority for any Government. A common citizen wants a sympathetic, courteous, responsive, and helpful administrative setup who listens to their problems and tackle it.

15. Department of Agriculture in a recent probe identified as many as 90,000 ineligible beneficiaries under the PM-KISAN Nidhi Scheme in Villupuram districts in Tamil Nadu. So far 7.5 crore amount has been recovered from the ineligible beneficiaries.

16. On September 15, 2020, PM Modi inaugurated seven projects under Namami Gange and AMRUT Schemes in Bihar. Four of these projects were related to water supply, one to river front development and two of the projects were related to sewerage treatment. The projects are to be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 541 crores. They are to be implemented by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

17. The Government of India recently extended Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme to provide an insurance cover of Rs. 50 lakhs to COVID-19 health care providers. The scheme was announced in March 2020 for a period of 90 days. It has now been extended for another 180 days. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana was launched in March 2020 to help ease life of citizens during COVID-19 lock down. This insurance scheme is a part of this package.

18. The Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to control malnutrition in the country, On September 20, 2020 . The MoU was signed under the Poshan Abhiyaan. Women and Child Development Ministry would initiate scientifically proven and user based solutions to control malnutrition in the country. Medicinal and nutri Gardens would be established at the Anganwadi centres.

19. The minister of state for Social justice and Empowerment Shri Ratan Lal Kataria said In Lok Sabha on September 20, 2020 that the Ministry has launched Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan in more than 272 districts so far. He also said that the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction has been formulated and is being implemented by the Ministry Of Social justice and empowerment. The scheme was launched in 2018 and would sunset in 2025.

20. The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR) has reported on September 21, 2020 that Fish sperm cryobanking technology is undergoing field level validation. It has shown a potential to improve fish seed quality. The Fish sperm cryobanking technology is in experimental stage currently. The establishment of the fish cryobanks for fish seed production will be finalised only after experimental attempts has been completed.

21. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched nine highway projects and Ghar tak Fiber scheme in Bihar on September 21, 2020. Under the Ghar tak fibre Scheme, optical fibre services will be provided to households. About Highway Projects The Highway projects will construct 350 km of road. The roads will be built at a cost of Rs 14,250 crores.

22. Dr Harsh Vardhan, while addressing Ministers of Member Nations of WHO, Heads and Representatives of UN Agencies on September 23, 2020 said that India has accorded high priority for ending tuberculosis by 2025. India would achieve this target five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals.

23. Kritagya (Krishi-Raknik-Gyan) Hackathon was launched by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICMR) on September 23, 2020 under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project. It was launched with an objective to promote Farm Mechanisation specially women friendly equipment's.

24. The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana -"Saubhagya" has completed three years since its inception on September 25, 2020. The Scheme was launched on September 25, 2020 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme ensures electrification of all willing households in rural and urban areas of the country.

25. The Government of India recently sanctioned 670 Electric buses and 241 charging stations under phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme. The scheme was launched to enhance the electric mobility in the country.

26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 29, 2020 will inaugurate six 'Namami Gange' projects mostly relating to the sewage treatment in Uttarakhand. The Prime Minister will also dedicate a museum on Ganga named- "Ganga Avlokan" located at the Chandi Ghat to the Nation.

Awards & Honours

1. On September 7, 2020, sir David Attenborough was conferred with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019. He is an English broadcaster and a historian. He is popular for writing and presenting BBC Natural History unit. He worked to make aware to preserve and protect biodiversity of the planet.

2. A week after his mediation between Israel and UAE (United Arab Emirates) US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize 2021. The nomination was submitted by a right-wing Norwegian politician and parliamentarian Christian Tybring Gjedde.

3. Emmy Awards 2020 were hosted live by Jimmy Kimmel from an empty Los Angeles Staples Center on September 21, 2020. The nominees tuned in from their homes in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The winners collected their trophies from home this year The Emmys has become the first big awards show to take place amid the pandemic.

4. Kerala Tourism’s internationally-acclaimed 'Human by Nature' campaign won the prestigious PATA (Pacific- Asia Travel Association) Grand Award 2020 for Marketing. This gives a huge stimulus to tourism industry in the state which has been severely affected due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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References:
jagranjosh.com
gktoday.in
business-standard.com