Daily Current Affairs 23rd September, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 23 September 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

2021 census to be conducted digitally, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the 2021 census will be conducted through a mobile phone application, moving away from traditional pen and paper, to promote Digital India.

• Census data will be collected through a mobile app. This is for the first time that the mobile app will be used for the census exercise. India will be moving from the pen and paper census to digital data, which will be a big revolution in the country’s census exercise.

Centre introduces scheme for fishermen in TN: Union Minister

The Centre has introduced a new scheme – Assistance for Deep Sea Fishing – for fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh announced.

• He said the Centre has released Rs 300 crore to the Tamil Nadu government to provide resource- specific deep sea fishing vessels to the traditional fishermen of the state.
• The scheme is introduced specifically for the benefit of four districts in Palk Bay area, including Ramanathapuram district.

National centre for I-T e-assessment to be based in Delhi: CBDT

A national e-assessment centre (NeAC) will be set up in the national capital as part of the government’s ambitious plan to launch faceless and nameless assessment for income tax payers from next month.

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), that frames policy for the Income-tax department, has issued an order for the creation of the Centre. The Centre will have 16 officials and will be headed by a Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax (PCCIT) as its chief.

IMPS rated world’s best in real-time payment service

India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) has been rated as the world’s best real-time payment service in an analysis of 54 countries that have similar facilities.

• India received the only 5+ rating, and remains the global leader in real-time payments usage,” according to the sixth annual Flavours of Fast report by FIS – ‘Faster Payments Innovation Index’.

Puri witnesses world’s biggest drive on the International Coastal Cleanup Day

Thousands of volunteers from across the country gathered here to participate in the massive beach cleanup drive on the occasion of International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD). The students also joined in large numbers to clean beaches near Konark and Astarang area along the coastline across the district.

• The clean-up is a part of ‘Mo Beach’ cleaning programme, introduced by the district administration after being ravaged by Cyclone Fani four months ago. ‘Mo’ in Oriya means ‘my’ and the campaign aims to make the shoreline clean and beautiful.
• Moreover, in order to make this campaign a success, the district administration roped in popular sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik as the brand ambassador of ‘Mo Beach’ cleaning campaign.

BANKING & FINANCE

Bank of Baroda launches agri digital platform – “Baroda Kisan”

Bank of Baroda has launched an agri digital platform named “Baroda Kisan”. It is a web-based portal that can also be accessed by farmers via mobile.

• The portal will cater to all the needs of farmers, including weather forecasts, crop conditions, the moisture levels of the soil, information on crop worms, market prices, special crop-related consultation.

Banks to organise loan melas for NBFCs and customers in 400 districts: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the banks will organise credit “Shamiana meetings” for customers and NBFCs across 400 districts in the next 25 days, in an attempt to boost liquidity in the system.

• Sitharaman said banks will organise these open house meetings in 200 districts in the country till September 29. She also announced that similar meetings will be organised in the next 200 districts from October 1 to October 15.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Max Bupa and Indian Bank ink bancassurance tie-up to offer health insurance solutions

Max Bupa, a standalone health insurance player, has announced a bancassurance corporate agency agreement with Indian Bank, a state-owned bank.

• Under the agreement, Max Bupa will provide comprehensive health insurance solutions and services to over 40 million customers of Indian Bank spread across 2800 branch network, through a slew of digital touch points.

Airtel, Bharti AXA Life tie up to offer pre-paid plan with term cover

Bharti Airtel has tied up with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer pre-paid plan with insurance protection cover for its customers, as part of its strategy to leverage the deep penetration of mobile services to build a financially secure India.

Paisalo Digital, Bank of Maharashtra ink co-origination loan agreement

Paisalo Digital has inked its co-origination loan agreement with the public lender Bank of Maharashtra. The co-origination arrangement will involve a joint involvement of credit by the bank and Paisalo. It shall also include allotment of risks and rewards between bank and Paisalo.

Skill India, IBM join hands for nationwide Train-the-Trainer programme in AI

The Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry, has signed an agreement with IT major IBM to carry out a nationwide Train-the-Trainer programme in basic artificial intelligence.

• As part of the programme, ITI trainers will be trained on basic artificial intelligence (AI) skills towards using the technology in their day-to-day training activities.

SPORTS

Sebastian Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix 2019

German racing driver Sebastian Vettel won the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2019 at Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore . The four-time Formula One world champion celebrated his 53rd career win with this.

APPOINTMENTS

Govinda to be Madhya Pradesh’s brand ambassador

Madhya Pradesh government will appoint filmstar Govinda as brand ambassador to promote state’s traditions and tourist places. The state government plans to promote Madhya Pradesh as a destination for film making.

RBI approves reappointment of Shyam Srinivasan as Federal Bank CEO

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Shyam Srinivasan as the Managing Director and CEO of Federal Bank for another year, giving him a full decade as the head of the private sector lender.

AWARDS

Ladakhi Shondol dance makes it to Guinness book of records

Shondol dance, which is known as the royal dance of Ladakh, has created history by entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Ladakhi dance. Shondol is a famous dance, which artistes used to perform for the king of Ladakh.

Sonu Nigam bags Magnificent Performing Arts Award at 21st Century Icon Award in UK

Popular Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam has been honoured with the Magnificent Performing Arts Award at the annual 21st Century Icon Awards in London. Nigam was among a host of winners across a range of categories at a gala awards ceremony, devised as a celebration of dynamic entrepreneurs and successful individuals chosen from hundreds of nominations from around the world.

First Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award given to senior TV journalist Ravish Kumar

NDTV’s Senior journalist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Ravish Kumar received the first Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award in Bengaluru.

• He was chosen for the award for sharp news analysis and uncompromising secular stance by the Gauri Lankesh Memorial Trust, founded in memory of the journalist.

BOOKS

Book titled Turbulence and Triumph The Modi Years jointly authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan

Book titled Turbulence and Triumph: The Modi Years authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan is set to release on October 2019. It is published by Om Books International.

• It depicts the journey of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from this young days to becoming 14th prime minister of India.

OBITUARIES

Veteran American Journalist, Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert S Boyd passes away

Noted American Journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Skinner Boyd has passed away. He shared a 1973 Pulitzer Prize with colleague Clark Hoyt for coverage of Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton’s exit from the campaign due to mental health issues.

Former Chittoor MP And TDP leader Naramalli Shivaprasad passes away

Former Chittoor Lok Sabha MP and TDP leader Naramalli Shivaprasad has passed away. 68-year-old Shivaprasad was suffering from a kidney ailment.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Sign Languages

International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September every year along with International Week of the Deaf.

• This International Day recognizes the importance of sign languages for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling its core promise of leaving no one behind. It also offers an opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all sign language users.
• The theme of International Day of Sign Languages 2019 is ‘Sign Language Rights for All!’

International Coastal Cleanup Day 2019

International Coastal Cleanup Day was observed this year on 21st September 2019. It is observed each year on the third Saturday of September month.

• The International Coastal Cleanup began more than 30 years ago, when communities rallied together with the common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering their coastline. The movement was catalyzed by the passion and spirit of two committed individuals.

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