Daily Current Affairs 27 & 28 September 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
First RRTS train for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor unveiled, will touch 180 km/hour
The government unveiled the first look of India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train which can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour and whose design is inspired by Delhi’s iconic Lotus Temple.
- It will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and reduce travel time between the two cities to about an hour.
- The semi-high-speed aerodynamic trainsets will have a 2 + 2 transverse seating arrangement with comfortable seat pitches, standing spaces and automatic plug-in type sliding doors.
- The new trains will accommodate around 900 passengers in the three-car train configuration for the Meerut local transit services. When configured into six-car trainsets for RRTS, the trains will be able to accommodate as many as 1,790 passengers.
PM Modi Announces $15 Million Grant to Promote Buddhist Ties Between India and Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a grant assistance of USD 15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka to further enhance bilateral cultural links.
- The funds could be used for the construction and renovation of Buddhist monasteries and supporting the clergy.
Assam govt to provide loan to entrepreneurs to revive tourism sector
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced a new scheme under which loan up to ₹20 lakh with interest subsidy would be provided to entrepreneurs to revive the tourism industry, the worst- affected sector by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Under the ‘Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme’, loan between ₹1 lakh and ₹20 lakh will be extended to interested local youths to take up new initiatives so that the tourism sector gets a fresh lease of life amid the coronavirus crisis.
- As part of the scheme, the advances will be provided for five years, while the state government will give first year’s interest and will be a one-year moratorium on repayment.
QS Global MBA Rankings 2021: IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta top Indian B-schools
IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore, country’s top management institutions, have been ranked in the top 50 management institutes in the world for the MBA programme as per the QS Global MBA Rankings 2021.
- IIM Ahmedabad has been placed at the 31st rank and IIM Bangalore’s two-year MBA Programme stands at 35th. In comparison to last year’s QS Global MBA Rankings ,both the institutions have seen a significant drop. Along with these two institutes, IIM Calcutta is placed at the 51st position.
- This year, several other institutes including Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore, IIM Lucknow and IIM Udaipur have been ranked in the 101+ rank criteria in the Asia Pacific Region in QS Business Masters Ranking 2021.
- Overall, HES Paris School of Management and London Business School are leading the QS Global MBA Rankings 2021.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India ranked 89th in World Risk Report 2020
According to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020, India ranked 89th among 181 countries and it was fourth-most-at- risk in south Asia on the index, after Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.WRI has been developed in cooperation with the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNUEHS) and calculated by the International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV).
- Among continents, Oceania is at the highest risk, followed by Africa and the Americas.Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives performed better than India in their abilities to cope with extreme disasters.
- The report identified Africa as a hotspot of vulnerability. More than two-thirds of the most vulnerable countries in the world were located on the continent.
- Vanuatu was the country with the highest disaster risk worldwide. It was followed by Tonga and Dominica.
- The Central African Republic was the most vulnerable country, followed by Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Guinea-Bissau.
BANKING & FINANCE
SBI Card launches new brand campaign ‘Contactless Connections’
SBI Card announced the launch of its new brand campaign, Contactless Connections that spreads the message that love and care can be shared even during this difficult period where social distancing is the norm.
- The campaign endeavours to bring a fresh breath of positivity by demonstrating that people can connect emotionally and spread joy despite the social distancing practices by which we are bound.
Axis Bank partners Bayer’s Better Life Farming initiative to provide affordable loans
Life sciences firm Bayer said it has partnered with private sector lender Axis Bank for its better life farming (BLF) initiative in India to provide enhanced and holistic financial solutions to smallholder farmers and rural farming communities.
- Through the partnership, Axis Bank will offer end-to-end financial solutions and services such as affordably priced loans, deposits, withdrawals and payments.
- These solutions will be offered through Bayer”s BLF centres, owned and operated either by a farmer producer organisation (FPO), federation, agri-graduate or a local farmer or entrepreneur.
Vakrangee gets RBI nod to set up Bharat Bill Payment unit
Vakrangee Ltd said the Reserve Bank has granted in-principle approval to set up Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 to handle payment services related to bills.
- The company offers banking, insurance, money transfer services, e-commerce, e-governance and other digital services on behalf of its partner banks, insurers, government agencies, e-commerce players among others through its branches mostly located in rural and semi-urban areas.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Indian economy to contract 5.9% in 2020 due to Covid-19 disruptions, says UN report
The Trade and Development Report 2020 by UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says, India’s economy is forecast to contract by 5.9% in 2020 and recover to 3.9% next year. The report warning that while growth will rebound next year, the contraction is likely to translate into a permanent income loss.
- The global economy will contract by an estimated 4.3% this year, leaving global output by year’s end over $6 trillion short (in current U.S. Dollars) of what economists had expected it to be before the coronavirus began to spread.
West Bengal, UKIBC sign MoU to strengthen State’s Industrial Development Corporation
The UK India Business Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), the premier nodal agency of West Bengal’s Industry, Commerce and Enterprises Department focused on accelerating industrial development in the state.
- This collaborative partnership between the UKIBC and Government of West Bengal will help to boost business and industrial development in the state by proactively developing the business environment and strengthening collaboration with British businesses in West Bengal.
SPORTS
Australia’s Alyssa Healy breaks MS Dhoni’s T20I record
Australia wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy has broken MS Dhoni’s record for the most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20 internationals.
- She went past Dhoni’s tally of 91 during the 2nd T20I between Australia women and New Zealand women at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
Valtteri Bottas wins Russian Grand Prix 2020
Valtteri Bottas won his second Formula One race of the 2020 season, easing to victory at the Russian Grand Prix after teammate Lewis Hamilton was hampered by two separate five-second penalties.
- Max Verstappen came second followed by the 6-time world-champion Lewis Hamilton.
APPOINTMENTS
Aamir Khan becomes the brand ambassador of CEAT Tyres
CEAT Tyres has signed Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador for two years.
- As part of an integrated marketing campaign, Aamir Khan will feature in two commercials during the course of the IPL 2020 to promote CEAT’s SecuraDrive range of premium car tyres.
L Adimoolam Elected President of Indian Newspaper Society
L Adimoolam has been elected president of the Indian Newspaper Society, an apex body of the publishers of newspapers, magazines and periodicals in the country.
- Adimoolam, who succeeds Shailesh Gupta of Mid-Day as the president of INS, belongs to the family of Dinamalar, National Tamil Daily.
- D D Purkayastha (Ananda Bazar Patrika) is the deputy president, Mohit Jain (Economic Times) the Vice President and Rakesh Sharma (Aaj Samaj) the Honorary Treasurer of the Society for the year 2020-21.
RBI ropes in Amitabh Bachchan for customer awareness campaign
After sport stars, the Reserve Bank has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan for the customer awareness campaign to prevent gullible account holders from being duped by fraudsters.
- As part of the public awareness initiative of RBI, the regulator keeps informing about dos and don’ts that have to be followed by customers to transact safely and securely.
AWARDS
Sattra Basishta Deva Sarma Conferred Srimanta Sankaradeva Award
Assam’s Srimanta Sankaradeva Award 2017 was conferred on eminent Vaishnavite scholar, writer and ‘Satradhikar of Barpeta’ Sattra Basishta Deva Sarma.
- The award carries a citation, a ‘sarai’ (traditional Assamese bell metal item), ‘angabastra’ (scarf), a gold memento and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sanju Yadav win AIFF Player of the Year Awards for 2019-20 season
Indian men’s team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and women’s squad’s mid-fielder Sanju were declared the winners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Footballer of the Year awards for the 2019-20 season.
- This is the first time Gurpreet has received the award, and in the process, he became the second goalkeeper after Subrata Paul in 2009 to be named the AIFF Player of the Year.
- Meanwhile, national women’s team mid-fielder Sanju was selected the winner after an excellent season, while Ratanbala Devi won the 2019-20 Emerging Women’s Footballer of the Year Award.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Assam govt develops new mobile app for air passengers
The Assam government has developed a mobile app through which air passengers can download forms, fill it up, and show it at airports to avoid delay in completing formalities for COVID-19 tests.
- The app named ‘visitassam’ has been developed to ensure that proper social distancing is maintained and passengers are not delayed as filling up necessary forms at the airports is time consuming.
- The state government has also introduced a change of protocol for arriving passengers at the airports who can now take ‘Tatkal RT-PCR’ test on payment of Rs 2,200 and get the result within 24 hours.
OBITUARIES
Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh passes away
Jaswant Singh, former Union minister and one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed away after a prolonged illness.He was 82.
- Singh held several high-profile portfolios like external affairs, defence surface transport, over the years.
- Singh has authored six books including “Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence” and “Defending India”.
Padma Bhushan Economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia passes away
Eminent economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia, a recipient of India’s third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan, passed away. She was 74.
- She was the chairperson of Delhi-based think tank Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
- She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2009 for her services in the field of education and literature.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
‘The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales’ for Kids by Neelakantan
“Baahubali” series author Anand Neelakantan has written his debut book in the children’s space which tells some of the most hilarious stories about child asuras and their antics.
- The book titled ‘The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales’ has full-colour illustrations accompanying the narrative. It was put by Puffin.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Contraception Day
World Contraception Day takes place on September 26th every year.
- The day’s mission is to improve awareness of contraceptive methods and enable men and women to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day is observed every year on September 28 to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease.
- 14th World Rabies Day theme is ‘End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate’.
International Day for Universal Access to Information
The International Day for the Universal Access to Information (commonly known as Access to Information Day) is celebrated on 28th September every year.
- IDUAI 2020 will be focus on to the right to information in times of crisis and on the advantages of having constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information to save lives, build trust and help the formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
- The theme for International Day for the Universal Access to Information 2020 is “Access to Information – Saving lives, Building Trust, Bringing Hope!”
World Tourism Day
World Tourism Day (WTD) is commemorated each year on 27 September since 1980. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes in 1970.
- The theme of World Tourism Day this year is “Tourism and Rural Development”.