Daily Current Affairs 18th September, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 18 September 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail mega bridge in Bihar through video conferencing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the historical Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation and also inaugurated 12 rail projects related to passenger facilities to benefit the people of Bihar in Bihar via video-conferencing.

• The bridge has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border, which connects the Mitihila and Kosi region. The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore.
• With the construction of the bridge the rail distance between Nirmali and Saraigarh would come down from the present 298 kilometres to 22 kilometres.

PMGKP Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting COVID-19 extended for another six months

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 has been extended for another six months.

• It was announced on 30th March this year for a period of 90 days and it was extended for a further period of 90 days up to 25th September.
• The scheme has now been extended for another 180 days.

DPIIT extends date of implementation of Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 to 1st January 2021

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade issued notification extending the date of implementation of Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 as 1st January 2021 in place of 1st September 2020.

• This decision allows domestic manufacturers four months of extra time to make necessary arrangements for compliance of standards in view of difficulties arising out of COVID-19 pandemic.

Maharashtra Govt launches road accident insurance scheme named after Balasaheb Thackeray

Maharashtra government launched a scheme ‘Late Balasaheb Thackeray Road Accident Insurance Scheme’ to provide financial and medical help, at the government cost, to road accident victims.

• The free treatment scheme ha a provision of providing immediate medical and financial help to any person injured in an accident in Maharashtra, irrespective of his or her domicile or nationality.
• The victim will be treated at the nearest hospital for the first 72 hours. Treatment of up to Rs 35,000 will be free of cost. That includes treatment in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), as well as the victim’s stay and food in the respective hospital.

Himachal Pradesh CM inaugurates “Swachhata Cafe” in Solan district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur virtually inaugurated the “Swachhata Cafe” at Nalagarh in Solan district on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Shimla.

• The Cafe is being operated by Laxmi and Durga women self help groups. The main attraction of this Cafe is that it would serve traditional food such as maize bread and Sarson ka saag, butter, lassi etc
• ‘Swachhata Park’ is also being opened at Kufri in district Shimla.

Telangana minister launches farm cooperative society website

Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) launched the Primary Agricultural Co-Operative Society (PACS), Pothgal web portal www.pacspothgal.com. The website is available in Telugu and English.

• PACS Pothgal is the first PACS in India to come up with a web portal that has all the details of loans, loan processes, and services offered by the society.
• Information related to the finished and upcoming projects such as petrol bunks, godowns, food processing industries, ATMs, office buildings, are mentioned on the website.

Amazon India Sets Up All-women Delivery Station in Gujarat’s Kadi

E-commerce major Amazon India said it has set up an all-women delivery station in Kadi, Gujarat – its second such facility in the country.

• The new all-women delivery station, operated by a delivery service partner, is part of the company’s efforts towards increasing participation of women in the workforce.
• In 2016, the company had launched its first all-women delivery station in India, with its partner in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Fourth Global Ayurveda Summit organised virtually

The fourth edition of the Global Ayurveda Summit, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held virtually with the theme ‘Ayurveda For Immunity’. The summit was inaugurated by the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

• The objective of the summit is to showcase Ayurveda and herbal medicine to the world as a solution named ‘Health as One’ and ‘Immunity through Ayurveda’.
• The Global Ayurveda Summit 2020 will have 8-day International Conference, 30-day International Exhibition and Focused Business to Business Meetings.

New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Bengaluru Drop in Global Smart City Index; Singapore on Top

Four Indian cities – New Delhi(86), Mumbai(93), Hyderabad(85), and Bengaluru(95) – witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities.

• The Institute for Management Development (IMD), in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), has released the 2020 Smart City Index, with key findings on how technology is playing a role in the COVID-19 era.
• The 2020 Smart City Index (SCI) was topped by Singapore, followed by Helsinki and Zurich in the second and the third place respectively. Others in the top 10 list include Auckland (4th), Oslo (5th), Copenhagen (6th), Geneva (7th), Taipei City (8th), Amsterdam (9th) and New York at the 10th place.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Scientists Develop World’s Smallest Ultrasound Detector

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed the world’s smallest ultrasound detector. It is based on miniaturized photonic circuits on top of a silicon chip.

• With a size 100 times smaller than an average human hair, the new detector can visualize features that are much smaller than previously possible, leading to what is known as super-resolution imaging.

India welcomes Abraham Accord between Israel, UAE, Bahrain & US

India welcomed the signing of the Abraham Accords by the US, Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reiterated its call for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a “two-state solution

• The aim of the Abe Accords at normalising relations between Israel and the Arab countries.
• They came almost 26 years after the signing of a declaration for a peace deal between Israel and Jordan.

BANKING & FINANCE

SBI plans 24×7 OTP-based cash withdrawal above Rs. 10,000

State Bank of India(SBI) has decided to extend OTP-based cash withdrawal of ₹10,000 and above throughout the day across all its ATMs.

• For withdrawing ₹10,000 and above, SBI debit card holders now have to enter the OTP sent on their registered mobile numbers, along with their debit card PIN each time.

LVB merger with Clix Group on track; completes substantial due diligence

Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) said the mutual due diligence relating to the proposed amalgamation of the Clix Group with the Bank is substantially complete, and the parties are in discussions on the next steps.

• Now shares of Lakshmi Vilas Bank zoomed 10 per cent to hit an intra-day high of Rs 22.35 per share
• After the merger, the entire shareholders’ fund of Clix Capital of around Rs 1,900 crore and assets of around Rs 4,600 crore, will get amalgamated into the bank.

World Bank agrees to finance 50 Million US$ for strengthening of Healthcare Institutions in JK

The Administrative Council which met under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha gave its nod to implementation of the World Bank-assisted project for strengthening of health care institutions.

• The project aims to provide equipment for intensive care units/operation theatres, laboratories and power back up systems at the district level, manifold system and gas pipelines at Sub District Hospital (SDH)/ Community Health Center (CHC) level, and critical care ambulances.

ADB, JICA to fund ORR-Airport Metro rail connectivity

Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to invest $500 million to Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation’s (BMRCL) line linking Central Silk Board Junction to Kempegowda International Airport – ORR-Airport Metro – Phase-2A and 2B.

• The total cost for airport linkage is estimated at ₹14,844 crore. The ADB funding is part-finance of the project cost. In addition to ADB, BMRCL is getting around $500 million funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA),

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

India ranks 116 in World Bank’s Human Capital Index

In the latest ranking of the World Bank’s annual Human Capital Index, India has been ranked 116 in the list of 174 countries. Last year, India was ranked 115 in the list of 157 countries.

• According to the Human Capital Index report released the World Bank, India’s score has increased from 0.44 in 2018 to 0.49 in 2020.
• The index was topped by Singapore followed by Hong Kong and Japan.
• The 2020 Human Capital Index update includes health and education data for 174 countries covering 98 per cent of the world’s population up to March 2020, providing a pre-pandemic baseline on the health and education of children, with the biggest strides made in low-income countries.

UBS Securities sees GDP contracting 8.6 per cent this fiscal

Swiss brokerage UBS Securities, sees India’s real GDP contracting 8.6 per cent this fiscal, down from the previously estimated contraction level of 5.8 per cent, citing factors including the “modest” government response to the crisis for its estimate.

• The country’s potential rate of growth has also come down to 5.75-6.25 per cent as per its estimate as against 7.1 per cent, driven by factors including the weak government response to arrest the growth slide.

APPOINTMENTS

President accepts Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s resignation, Narendra Singh Tomar given additional charge

President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation of Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who had resigned in protest against three farm sector bills.

• The president has directed that Cabinet Minister Narendra Singh Tomar be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios.

Online poker platform 9stacks signs Suresh Raina as brand ambassador

Online poker platform 9stacks has signed Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador.

• A left-handed batsman and a spin bowler, Raina will anchor the brand and help in creating a higher brand recall amongst the key target audience.

AWARDS

Chef Vikas Khanna honoured for feeding millions in India amid pandemic

Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna will be honoured with the prestigious 2020 Asia Game Changer Award for feeding millions across India amid the COVID-19 pandemic through a massive food distribution drive that he coordinated, thousands of miles away from his Manhattan home.

• Khanna, 48, is the only Indian among the six honourees named by the leading organisation.
• Preeminent cellist Yo-Yo Ma, tennis champion Naomi Osaka, Korean boy band BTS, producer of Oscar-winning film ‘Parasite’ Miky Lee and business leaders and philanthropists Joe and Clara Tsai are the honourees of the Asia Game Changer Awards “for their responses to the year’s twin traumas of COVID-19 and racially motivated violence.

Rome’s Fiumicino Airport awarded world’s first five-star anti-Covid award

Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy has become the first airport in the world to earn “the COVID-19 5-Star Airport Rating” from Skytrax, an international airport industry ratings body.

• Though Skytrax is best known for its annual rankings of the world’s best airports, the global Covid-19 crisis prompted the organization to come up with a designation for airport hygiene.
• In addition to FCO’s five-star ranking, three other airports have been awarded three stars for their Covid response — Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) in Spain, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) in France and London’s Heathrow (LHR).

BOOKS

The End of an Era; India Exits Tibet by Claude Arpi

French-born author, journalist, historian Claude Arpi has written fourth and final volume of his book titled End of an Era, India Exits Tibet.

• The book highlights India Tibet relation between 1947 and 1962. it also focuses on India losing all its influence in Tibet.
• It shows Nehru Memorial Library papers, de-classified Indian and Chinese documents and personal interviews.

OBITUARIES

Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka Ashok Gasti passes away

The Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Karnataka, Ashok Gasti has passed away in a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 55.

• Gasti, a lawyer by profession and former General Secretary of BJP, he had also served as Chairperson of the Backward Class Development Corporation in Karnataka.

Former Reserve Bank Guv Amitabha Ghosh passes away

Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Governor for 21 days, Amitabha Ghosh, passed away at the age of 90.

• Ghosh had the shortest stint as RBI governor, from January 15, 1985 to February 4, 1985, which was a stop-gap arrangement while Ghosh was serving as a deputy governor and waiting to hand over charge to the 17th RBI Governor R N Malhotra.
• Ghosh was the deputy governor between January 21, 1982 to January 20, 1987, and again got an extension till January 20, 1992. Prior to joining the RBI, Ghosh was the chairman chairman of Allahabad Bank.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Patient Safety Day

The World Patient Safety Day was celebrated annually on 17 September. The objectives of World Patient Safety Day are to enhance global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in the safety of health care and promote global actions to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm.

• The World Patient Safety Day 2020 theme is “Health Worker Safety: A priority for patient safety” and the slogan is “Safe health workers, safe patients”.

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