Daily Current Affairs 21st September, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 21 September 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana crosses one crore beneficiaries

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) has achieved a significant milestone by crossing one crore beneficiaries. The PMMVY is a direct benefit transfer scheme under which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss. Women and Child Development Ministry said, the total amount disbursed to the beneficiaries under the scheme has crossed four thousand crore rupees.

• The scheme, under which the beneficiaries receive a cash benefit of five thousand rupees in three installments, was launched on 1st of January in 2017. They eligible beneficiaries also receive cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana. On an average, a woman gets six thousand rupees.

Mumbai Rajdhani train: Railways install first plastic bottle crushing machine

The Western Railway for the first time has installed a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle crushing machine in Mumbai Rajdhani Express. This machine can crush up to 3,000 bottles per day. The PET bottle crusher machine was installed in the train as part of the Indian Railways’ Swachh Bharat and Go Green missions and ties in with an impending ban of single-use plastic by the Centre.

Sebi sets up committee to suggest structure, norms for social stock exchanges

Capital market regulator Sebi set up a high-level panel under the chairmanship of Ishaat Hussain (Director at SBI Foundation and former Finance Director at Tata Sons) to suggest possible structures and regulations for creating ‘social stock exchanges’ to facilitate listing and fund-raising by social enterprises as well as voluntary organisations.

Rajasthan govt declares 40 villages in 4 districts as “lacking”

The Rajasthan government has issued a notification declaring 40 villages in four districts of the state as “lacking” taking into account the amount of damage to crops owing to heavy rains. These villages were declared inadequate on the basis of Girdawari report of rabi crop 2019.

• The villages declared as lacking include 18 from Bundi district, 3 from Churu, one from Nagaur and 18 from Sawaimadhopur district.

Delhi CM launches ‘champions campaign’ against dengue

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “champions campaign” in the fight against dengue and urged people to encourage their friends to inspect their homes to clean stagnant water. Earlier, Kejriwal had launched a mega drive against dengue -#10Hafte10Baje10Minute campaign

Shraddhanjali Sthal inaugurated at Jaisalmer War Museum

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Lieutenant General SK Saini, inaugurated the ‘Shraddhanjali Sthal’ at the Jaisalmer War Museum in the memory of soldiers killed in action.

• The purpose of constructing the Jaisalmer Shraddhanjali Sthal is to pay homage to the martyrs and gallantry award winners of the Indian Army and also to promote in-depth awareness of the sacrifices of the soldiers.

Sardar Patel National Unity Award to be bestowed for national integration

Sardar Patel National Unity Award, a new honour for outstanding efforts to further national integration on the pattern of Padma awards will be bestowed annually to an individual or any institution or organisation, the Union Home Ministry said.

• It said that any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex shall be eligible for the award.

DRDO successfully flight tests Air-to-Air Missile Astra from Su-30 MKI

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) ‘Astra’ from Su-30 MKI platform off the coast of Chandipur in Odisha.

Bhumi Pednekar launches pan India campaign ‘Climate Warriors’

Using her star power in the right direction, actor Bhumi Pednekar voiced her concern towards the ongoing climate change and launched a pan India campaign – “Climate Warrior” – to raise awareness on the same.

• Climate Warrior is a concerted social media and online initiative that Bhumi will use to focus on awareness building and engage the people of our country to become more conscious towards climate and environment-friendly life choices.

Indian army conducts massive exercise near China border in Eastern Ladakh

The Indian Army conducted a massive rare exercise named ‘Chang Thang’ involving all its arms and services including tanks, artillery and helicopters, in Eastern Ladakh bordering China, for testing and improving its war-fighting capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IMD And London Business School Top Ranking Of The Best International MBA Programs: Forbes

According to Forbes “Best Business Schools 2019” rankings, Lausanne, Switzerland-based IMD (International Institute for Management Development) held on to its No.1 ranking for the second time in a row as the best one-year international business school.

• For the seventh consecutive time, London Business School earned the No. 1 spot among international two-year programs.
• ISB Hyderabad ranked 7th globally and 1st in Asia in Forbes Best International 1-Year Business Schools 2019.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Effective corporate tax rate after surcharge to be 25.17 pc: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a big reduction in income tax rate for corporates. The government has slashed basic corporate tax rate to 22% from 30% while for new manufacturing companies it has been cut down to 15% from 25%.

• Revenue foregone for the reduction in corporate tax rate and other relief measures announced today will cost the government ₹1.45 lakh crore per year.

No stressed asset of MSME to be declared NPA till Mar 31, 2020: Sitharaman

State-owned banks will not declare stressed assets of MSMEs as non-performing assets (NPAs) till March 31, 2020, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, listing more measures to lift up the economy by ensuring credit.

OECD slashes India’s economic growth forecast from 7.2% to 5.9%

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) appears to be the most pessimistic on India’s economy among think tanks, as it cut the GDP growth forecast by 1.3 percentage points to 5.9 per cent for 2019-20.

• For the next year, the OECD has projected the Indian economy to grow 6.3 per cent, bringing down its earlier forecast by 1.1 percentage points.

Ayushman Bharat, Ola sign MoU to extend healthcare benefits for driver-partners and families

World’s largest government healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), announced a partnership with mobility platform, Ola to facilitate comprehensive health insurance for Ola’s 2 million driver-partners.

• As a part of the partnership, the two organizations will work in tandem to identify driver-partners eligible for the scheme and provide them with access to benefits under the PM-JAY scheme.

DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’

Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) said that it has collaborated with the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’.

• The campaign will educate end-users on the benefits of making digital payments and urge them to adopt security and safety best practices.

SPORTS

Ministry of Sports to create 20 National Centres of Excellence

Ministry of Sports will create 20 National Centres of Excellence (NCE) in order to groom athletes for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. Every Centre of Excellence will designate funds for four to six specific sports.

• The 20 SAI facilities that have been identified as National Center of Excellence include, SAI centres in Patiala, Trivandrum, Chandigarh, Sonepat, Lucknow, Guwahati, Imphal, Kolkata, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gandhinagar, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi, Indira Gandhi Stadium, Delhi, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Delhi, Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Delhi, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee Swimming Pool Complex, Delhi, National Water Sports Academy (Khelo India), Alleppey, National Boxing Academy (Khelo India), Rohtak, National Wrestling Academy (Khelo India), Aurangabad.

Amit Panghal becomes 1st Indian to reach World Boxing Championships’ finals

Amit Panghal became the first Indian boxer to enter the finals of the Men’s World Boxing Championships. Panghal defeated Saken Bibossinov 3-2 in the semi-finals in the 52 kg weight category.

Meghalaya School wins U-17 Junior Boys Subroto Cup International Football Tournament

Hopewel Elias Higher Secondary School, Meghalaya defeated Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishtan (BKSP) by 1-0 in the final of U-17 Junior Boys Subroto Cup International Football Tournament at Dr Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.

BOOKS

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu releases the book ‘Rethinking Good Governance’

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book ‘Rethinking Good Governance’, authored by the former CAG, Shri Vinod Rai, in New Delhi.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu releases the book ‘Himalayan Odyssey’ 

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book ‘Himalayan Odyssey’, the English translation of the award-winning Malayalam original – ‘Haimavathabhuvil’, written by Shri M.P. Veerendra Kumar, Member of Parliament and Chief Managing Director of Mathrubhumi, in New Delhi

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Bamboo Day

Every year, September 18 is observed as the World Bamboo Day by the World Bamboo Organisation, in order to generate awareness about conserving and promoting the bamboo industry.

• Known as green gold, bamboo is ubiquitous as it dominates rural and urban landscapes. From artifacts to sustainable architecture, bamboo remains a favourite as it’s fast to grow, low on maintenance and has versatile potential.
• The theme of World Bamboo Day 2019 is “Bamboo for sustainable development goals.”

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