Daily Current Affairs 30th October, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 30 October 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

5 states to get conservation centres to protect vultures
Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will get a vulture conservation and breeding centre each, according to the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025.

• The plan has also suggested that new veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) be tested on vultures before their commercial release.
• The new plan has laid out strategies and actions to stem the decline in vulture population, especially of the three Gyps species:Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus).

NITI Aayog, QCI launch ‘National Program and Project Management Policy Framework’ for infrastructure sector
NITI Aayog and Quality Council of India (QCI) launched the ‘National Program and Project Management Policy Framework’ (NPMPF), with the aim of bringing radical reforms in the way infrastructure projects are executeded in India. It was launched by Union Minister for Street Transport & Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari

• NPMPF will help in developing good quality infrastructure, robust governance and reducing costs and waste material, without compromising on the environment and ecology.
• Gadkari also unveiled the Indian Infrastructure Body of Knowledge (InBoK), a book on the practice of program and project management in India, and launched the framework.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India extends $1 bn credit line to Central Asian countries for priority projects
India extended a $1-billion line of credit to Central Asian countries for priority projects in connectivity, energy, IT and health care, with the move being perceived as part of New Delhi’s efforts to boost its role as a transparent development partner. It was announced at the meeting of India-Central Asia Dialogue held virtually with participation of Afghanistan.

• Besides the $1-billion line of credit, India offered grant assistance for high impact community development projects to boost socio-economic development in Central Asia.

India hosts 19th Meeting of SCO Ministers of Foreign Economy & Foreign Trade
India hosted the 19th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Ministers of Foreign Economy and Foreign Trade. It was chaired by Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal 

• In the meeting four documents were adopted.They include statement on the response to Covid-19 which reinforces the need for greater cooperation for access to medicines and facilitation of trade and statement on the Multilateral Trading System of Ministers of SCO Countries who are WTO Members.
• Besides, statement on SCO Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) was also adopted which relates to cooperation of intellectual property and include sharing information and experience on legislation and enforcement, cooperation in international organisations and other areas.
• During the meeting, the First-ever SCO Startup Forum was also launched. Startups from all the SCO countries participated with great enthusiasm in the forum which is a flagship initiative under India’s chairmanship.

BANKING & FINANCE

JBIC signs loan agreements totaling Rs 11,000 crore to support Indian Industry
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed loan agreements totaling about Rs 11,000 crore with the State Bank of India (SBI) and NTPC in support of India’s manufacturing and renewable energy sectors.

• The JBIC agreed to provide $1 billion (approx Rs 7,400 crore) to SBI for funding the manufacturing and sales business of suppliers and dealers of Japanese automobile manufacturers as well as for the provision of auto loans for the purchase of Japanese automobiles in India.
• The Japanese lender also signed an agreement for financing worth JPY 50 billion (approx Rs 3,500 crore) to state-owned power generation company, NTPC for solar power generation projects and installation of environmental equipment in India.

Punjab National Bank Launches TMSAC portal and 2020 Vigilance Manual
As a part of the Vigilance Awareness Week (VAW), the nation’s leading public sector bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), launched the PNB Tracking & Monitoring Staff Accountability Cases (TMSAC) portal and PNB’s 2020 Vigilance Manual.

• The user-friendly TMSAC portal tracks and monitor the complaints/NPA reference at various stages on a real-time basis. The portal will help the Bank identify the internal fraud in advance, take instant action, and improve the internal processes.
• The Vigilance Manual helps to have a better understanding of the vigilance functions and the guidelines.

ICICI Lombard and FreePaycard partner to Offer Bite-sized, convenient health insurance solutions
ICICI Lombard in partnership with Freepaycard, an online pre-paid card trading platform, has launched Group Safeguard Insurance to receive an assured amount in case of any injury or hospitalization for treatment.

• The plan will be offered a customized hospitalization product that comes in three variants – Hospital Daily Cash Benefit, Death Benefit, and Special Vector-borne Disease-related Hospitalization Benefit.
• The Hospital Daily Cash Benefit will let customers avail sum insured up to Rs 60,000 for a maximum period of 30 days. This option can be availed at Rs 699 for a 1-year tenure.
• The second cover, Death Benefit or the Personal Accident Cover for 1-year at Rs 699 for a sum insured of Rs 10 lakhs in case of accidental death of the insured or permanent total disablement, and Rs 90,000 for parental care in case of the insured’s accidental death or permanent total disablement.
• The Special Vector-borne Disease-related Hospitalization cover comes at Rs 379 for a year for a sum insured of Rs 75,000, which is paid on hospitalization due to any of the covered vector-borne disease or malaria. These include dengue, chikungunya, kala-azar, Japanese encephalitis, and filariasis. However, a minimum of 48 hours of hospitalization is required for the insured to be eligible for the claim.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Tech giant IBM, Indian Oil Corporation collaborate for digital services
Tech giant IBM said it has collaborated with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) to transform the latter’s customer experience using digital tools.

• Around 12,400 IOCL distributors covering about 130 million consumers can now use the IndianOil One mobile app and portal, developed by IBM Services.
• The IndianOil One mobile app and portal are part of Indian Oil’s Project ePIC, an integrated platform for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and and Distribution Management System (DMS).

Govt revises base year for Consumer Price Index-IW from 2001 to 2016
The Union government revised the base year for computing Consumer Price Index (Industrial Workers) CPI-IW from the present 2001 to 2016 after a gap of 15 years.

• Unveiling the report on base revision of Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) to 2016=100 from existing 2001=100, Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said the base revision will be done every five years in future.He also released the maiden index with base year 2016 for the month of September 2020.
• The All India index for the month of September 2020 stands at the level of 118 and linking factor for the conversion of new series index to previous series on base 2001=100 is 2.88.
• The Labour Bureau has initiated three big surveys on employment generated by professionals and non-formal transport sector, migrant workers and domestic workers.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

RBI allows Maple Group to acquire up to 9.99% in RBL Bank
Private sector lender RBL Bank said the Reserve Bank of India has granted its approval to Maple Group to acquire up to a 9.99 percent stake in the bank.

• Maple Group was one of the investors that participated in the bank’s preferential issue.
• The group had acquired rights to buy the stake and was waiting for permission from the banking regulator.

APPOINTMENTS

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha to be next Chief Information Commissioner
Former diplomat and Central Information Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha is tipped to be appointed as the country’s next Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), two months after the position at the top transparency watchdog fell vacant.

• Mr. Sinha is a retired officer of the Indian Foreign Service and has previously served as India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and to Sri Lanka. He was appointed as a member of the Central Information Commission in January 2019.

AWARDS

DBS named Asia’s Safest Bank for 12th consecutive year
DBS Bank announced that it has been named the ‘Safest Bank in Asia’ for the 12th consecutive year by New York-based trade publication Global Finance.

• DBS’ rankings as the fourth-safest commercial bank in the world and 14th safest bank globally remain unchanged from 2019 and 2018.
• Global Finance’s annual ranking of the World’s 50 Safest Banks has been the recognised and trusted standard of financial counterparty safety for a quarter-century. Winners were selected through an evaluation of long-term foreign currency ratings – from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch – of the 500 largest banks worldwide.

Om Puri honoured at 3rd India International Film Festival of Boston
Late actor Om Puri was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the third India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB 2020).

• The Best Feature Film Award went to the Malayalam film “Kaanthi”. The Best Actor (male) in a feature film award went to Victor Bannerjee for his portrayal of a priest in “Josef: Born In Grace”. The Best Actor (female) award was given to Shylaja Ambu who played the part of the tribal mother in “Kaanthi”.
• The Best Short Film award went to the Iranian film “Better Than Neil Armstrong”, while “Baitullah” was adjudged Best Film With A Social Cause.
• Another highlight of the festival was a conversation with chef Vikas Khanna, recipient of the “Pride of India Award”.

CSIR-CDRI Scientist, Dr Satish Mishra bags “DrTulsi Das Chugh Award-2020” 
The Orations & Awards Committee of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), has selected Dr Satish Mishra, Principal Scientist, Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow for “Dr.Tulsi Das Chugh Award” for the year 2020 in recognition of his research work on Malaria parasite’s life cycle which is a complex process involving two hosts and three invasive stages.

• Dr.Tulsi Das Chugh Award carries a Scroll, a Commemorative Medal and Cash Incentive. The Award will be given to him at the time of Annual Conference of the Academy.

Young Bangladeshi boy wins special prize in Global Art Competition conducted by ICCR 
A six year old Bangladeshi boy Anzar Mustaeen Ali won a special prize of USD 1000 for his artwork in the global art competition organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).

• The ICCR had launched a global painting competition named ‘United Against CORONA- Express through Art’ which attracted 8000 artwork entries from around the world.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Telangana CM launches ‘Dharani’ Portal for land & property registrations
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao launched ‘Dharani’ Portal for land and property registrations at Mudu Chinatalapalli.

• The website has been launched with all the details of properties of the citizens. The property details which are not uploaded on the portal will be treated as illegal and will not be allowed for further registrations or mutation.
• The one-in-all, Dharani portal has been designed to reduce loopholes in the registration process. One can register their property, succession and also the partition of agriculture lands and once the registration is done, the owner will be provided with e-pattadar passbook.

Delhi CM launches ‘Green Delhi’ App to increase citizen participation in fight against pollution
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the ‘Green Delhi’ App to increase citizen participation in Delhi’s fight against pollution and ensure timely action against pollution sources in the city.

• ‘Green Delhi’ App is available on the android version. Through this app, people can register their complaints regarding the pollution.
• The complaint will automatically reach to the concerned department and it will take time bound action on the complaint.

NASA’s SOFIA discovers water on Sunlit Surface of Moon
The NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. 

• This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold,shadowed places.

OBITUARIES

Trinamool Congress MLA from Jhargram Sukumar Hansda passes away
Trinamool Congress MLA from Jhargram, Sukumar Hansda, passed away at a Kolkata hospital. He was 65.

• The two-time Trinamool Congress MLA from Jhargram, Hansda was a minister in the first-term of the Mamata Banerjee government in which he held the portfolio of Paschimanchal Unnayan Minister.
• Hansda was also the Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel passes away
Former Gujarat Chief Minister and a stalwart who played a key role in building the BJP in Gujarat, Keshubhai Patel, died of cardiac arrest. He was 92.

• The BJP veteran was Gujarat’s chief minister in 1995 when the party came to power for the first time and again during 1998-2001. Prime Minister Narendra Modi succeeded him as Gujarat chief minister in October 2001.
• He was also deputy chief minister of Gujarat in 1990.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Internet Day
International Internet Day is celebrated worldwide, every year on 29th of October since the year 2005.

• The International Internet Day has been famously celebrated to commemorate a momentous day in the history of telecommunications and technology.

World Stroke Day
World Stroke Day is celebrated on October 29th, seeks to emphasize the serious nature and high rates of stroke.

• The day is also observed to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of strokes

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