Daily Current Affairs 2nd September, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 2 September 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Enrollments under Atal Pension Yojana crosses 3.30 crore mark
The government has said that the total enrolments under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has crossed the 3.30 crore mark till 25th of August, 2021. The Ministry of Finance said that more than 28 lakh subscribers were enrolled in APY in the first five months of current fiscal.

• The Ministry said that out of the total enrolments under APY, nearly 78 percent subscribers have opted for one thousand pension plan while around 14 per cent for five thousand rupees pension plan.
• Besides, around 44 per cent are female subscribers and also around 44 percent subscribers getting enrolled are very young and belong to the age-group of 18-25 years.

Telangana to Use Drones For Afforestation in All 33 Districts Under ‘Hara Bhara’ Project
The Telangana government has partnered with Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based drone technology startup, to launch a drone-based afforestation project, named ‘Hara Bhara’.

• This is a first-of-its-kind initiative where the state government will be planting 50 lakh trees across 12,000 hectares of land in forests in all the 33 districts of Telangana.
• Its core objective is to build strong communities for afforestation and bring awareness at a grassroots level on the effects of deforestation.

Indian Navy hands over two Mobile Oxygen Plants to Bangladesh
Indian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Savitri delivered two Mobile Oxygen Plants (MOP) to the government of Bangladesh to support its effort to fight the COVID 19 pandemic.

• Each of the MOPs has the capacity to generate 960 litres of Oxygen per minute. The MOPS have been developed and manufactured by DRDO in India.
• One MOP is to be set up at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and the other plant is for the Bangladesh Navy to be set up at the BNS Patenga.

India launches soft skills training programme for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh
The High Commission of India in association with the ICT Ministry of Bangladesh and Women & E-commerce and SilkOak global limited launched an year long soft skills training programme in Dhaka.

• The training programme will help the women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh to develop communication skills and presentation skills among other soft skills beneficial to facilitate their business efforts.
• The programme will be run in hybrid mode  with physical workshops and virtual learning elements.
• The soft skills training program is part of the ‘50 years of Bangladesh’ celebrations as well as the ‘75 years of Indian independence’ celebrations, ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

GST collections for August at Rs 1.12 lakh crore
The Goods and Services Tax collection for the month of August fell to Rs 1,12,020 crore from Rs 1.16 lakh crore in July, data released by the finance ministry showed.

• Of the total collection in August, Rs 20,522 crore came from Central GST, while Rs 26,605 crore came from the State GST component. Integrated GST collections amounted to Rs 56,247 crore (including Rs 26,884 crore collected on import of goods) and the Cess was Rs 8,646 crore.

India extends $ 100 million loan to Africa to spur post pandemic growth
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the leading infrastructure solutions provider on the continent, has received a US$100 million credit line from the Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) to develop critical infrastructure required for the revival of Africa’s economies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Proceeds from the 10-year loan will support AFC’s continued mission to bridge Africa’s infrastructure gap and drive the sustainable economic growth urgently required on the continent.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India hosts 8th meeting of agriculture experts of BIMSTEC nations
India hosted the 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries virtually. Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research chaired the daylong meeting.

• During the meeting, Dr Mohapatra highlighted the UN Food System Summit 2021 and the transformations that are happening in the agriculture and food systems globally.
• He exhorted to enhance the engagement and deepen the cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors amongst the BIMSTEC Member States.

Nigeria to partner with Bitt Inc to launch ‘eNaira’ digital currency
Nigeria will work with Bitt Inc as a technical partner in its bid to launch its own cryptocurrency, the “eNaira“, the Central Bank said. eNaira is expected to be unveiled before the end of 2021.

• The Central Bank announced plans to launch its own digital currency later this year after Nigeria barred banks and financial institutions from dealing in or facilitating transactions in cryptocurrencies in February.

BANKING & FINANCE

Clix Housing Finance partners with IMGC for mortgage guarantee-backed home loans
India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC), India’s leading mortgage guarantee company, has announced its partnership with Clix Housing Finance Limited (Clix HFL) to offer innovative Mortgage Guarantee backed home loan products for salaried and non-salaried customers in the affordable housing segment.

• Mortgage Guarantee backed home loans will broaden Clix HFL’s coverage of home loan products and customer segments enabling more business while also supporting the flagship mission of Government of India of “Housing for All by 2022. 

Axis Bank ties up with BharatPe to expand its merchant acquiring business
Private sector lender Axis Bank has tied up with BharatPe to expand its merchant acquiring business in the country.

• As a part of the partnership, Axis Bank will be the acquiring bank for BharatPe’s point of sale (PoS) business, BharatSwipe, and will provide acceptance of credit and debit cards for merchants associated with BharatPe.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Morgan Stanley maintains India GDP growth estimate of 10.5% for FY22
Morgan Stanley maintained its estimate of India GDP growth at 10.5 per cent for FY2022 versus the general consensus of 9.2 per cent.

• GDP growth is expected to move into positive territory on a two-year CAGR basis from QE September.
• GDP grew 20.1 per cent year-on-year in the quarter ending June. On a two-year CAGR basis, real GDP contracted 4.7 per cent in QE June versus plus 2.3 per cent in QE March.

APPOINTMENTS

Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu to be face of Adidas ‘Stay in Play’ campaign
German footwear and accessories major Adidas said it has roped in Tokyo Olympic Silver-medalist Mirabai Chanu as the face of its ”Stay in Play” campaign for its latest product innovation designed to keep more menstruating women in sports.

• The new TechFit Period Proof tights, featuring an absorbent layer to help protect against leaks when worn with a tampon or pad, Adidas said.

RBI approves appointment of Sanjeeb Chaudhuri as part-time chairman of IDFC First Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Sanjeeb Chaudhuri as the part-time chairman of the IDFC FIRST Bank Limited.

• He has over four decades of senior multinational business experience across global banks and consumer companies.
• He was listed among the Top 25 Media Visionaries in Asia Pacific in 2016 and is a featured speaker at premier global marketing and media events in Europe and Asia.

AWARDS

Odisha-born neurosurgeon first Indian to get prestigious AANS award
Odisha-born neurosurgeon Basant Kumar Misra has received the ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award in Neurosurgery’ conferred by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). He is the first Indian to get this honour.

• The award is actually a recognition of the high quality medical care in India in the field of neurosurgery.
• Misra, is currently the chief of surgery, head of the department of neurosurgery and Gamma knife radiosurgery, PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai.

Bangladeshi vaccine scientist, Pakistani microfinancier among Ramon Magsaysay awardees
A Bangladeshi vaccine scientist and a microfinance pioneer from Pakistan were among the five recipients of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award — regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize — announced.

• Apart from Dr Firdausi Qadri from Bangladesh and Muhammad Amjad Saqib from Pakistan, the other winners are Filipino fisher and community environmentalist Roberto Ballon, American Steven Muncy for humanitarian work and refugee assistance and Indonesian torchbearer for investigative journalism, Watchdoc.
• This year’s Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President, and a cash prize.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Ropar’s start-up develops plant-based smart air-purifier
A startup company of IIT Ropar, Urban Air Laboratory has claimed that it has developed the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh.

• The technology works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant. The room air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified.
•  The technology used in this product is the ‘Urban Munnar Effect’ along with patent-pending “Breathing Roots” to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants. Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.

Ayush Ministry prepares 5-minute yoga protocol for professionals, develops ‘Y-Break’ app
The Ayush Ministry has developed a yoga protocol that can integrate seamlessly with work routine and help professionals de-stress and refocus.

• The five-minute protocol encompassing asanas, Pranayama and Dhyana will be available through an app called ‘Y-Break’ , which will be launched by Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
• The yoga protocol can integrate with work routine seamlessly and effortlessly and help professionals refresh, de-stress and refocus.

OBITUARIES

Chandan Mitra, Editor And Former Rajya Sabha MP, passes away
Journalist and former Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra passed away. He was 65.

• Mitra was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to 2009. In June 2010, BJP got him elected to the upper house from Madhya Pradesh. His term ended in 2016. He was a close aide of party veteran L K Advani, but was sidelined by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah leadership.
• In July 2018, Mitra, Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer, resigned from the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani passes away
The patriarch of separatist politics in the Valley and hardline Hurriyat hawk, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, passed away at his residence in Srinagar. He was 92.

• Geelani had also been a part of the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference since the 1990s. He broke away to form his own faction, the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, in 2003.
• He quit as chairperson of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in June 2020, eight months after the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and downgraded the state into two Union territories.
• A three-time MLA from Sopore, he had fought the Assembly elections in the erstwhile state on a Jamaat-e-Islami ticket.

Actor Sidharth Shukla passes away 
Television actor and Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla has died of a heart attack. He was 40.

• The model-turned-actor, who made his acting debut with a lead role in the TV show ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’, is survived by his mother and two sisters.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Coconut Day
Every year on September 2, the World Coconut Day is celebrated.

•  The day is especially observed in Asian and Pacific nations, which are home to most of the world’s coconut producing areas and production centers.
• World Coconut Day is observed by increasing public awareness about the health and commercial benefits of coconut.

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