World Lymphoma Awareness Day: 15 September
The World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) is observed globally on September 15 every year. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about lymphoma and the particular emotional and psychosocial challenges facing patients and caregivers suffering from different forms of lymphoma.
History of the day:
World Lymphoma Day was initiated in 2002 by the Lymphoma Coalition(link is external), a worldwide network of 83 lymphoma patient groups based in Ontario, Canada, whose mission is enabling global impact by fostering a lymphoma ecosystem that ensures local change and evidence-based action. One of their key activities is to provide a centralised hub of reliable current information and a platform for member organisations to share resources, best practices, policies and procedures.
Super 30 founder Anand Kumar conferred with Swami Brahmanand Award 2021
Mathematician Anand Kumar was conferred with the Swami Brahmanand Award 2021 for his contribution in the field of education through his ‘Super 30’ initiative, which prepares underprivileged students for the IIT entrance exam. He received the award from professor Roop Kishore Shastri, the vice-chancellor of Haridwar’s Gurukula Kangri deemed university, at a function in the Rath area of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The award carrying Rs 10,000 in cash, a bronze medal, a bronze statue of Swami Brahmanand and a certificate is given every year to people who have done special work in the education sector or for the welfare of the cow.
What is ‘Super 30’?
‘Super 30’ is a coaching programme of Kumar’s Patna-based Ramanujan School of Mathematics. It hunts for 30 meritorious students from among economically backward sections of the society and shapes them to clear the test to get into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).
About the award:
- It has been instituted in the name of Swami Brahmananda, a freedom fighter, former MP and a saint known for his sacrifices and his contribution in the field of education.
- Friederike Irina Bruening, a German national, who has devoted her life to sick and abandoned cows in Mathura, received the first Swami Brahmanand Award for cow protection in 2019.
- Bruening, who is also known as Sudevi Dasi, is also a recipient of Padma Shri. In 2020, the award went to academician Dr Arun Kumar Pandey, who worked to strengthen India’s cultural and educational bonding in South Korea.
National Engineer’s Day: 15 September
In India, Engineer’s Day is celebrated on September 15 every year. The day is celebrated to recognise the contribution of engineers in the development of the nation. The day marks the birth anniversary of the engineering pioneer of India, Sir Mokshagundam Vishweshvaraya, (popularly known as Sir MV). He was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’ for his exceptional contribution to the building of India in 1955. He has also conferred the British knighthood and served as Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918.
Engineers’ Day: History
In 1968, the Indian government declared Sir M Visvesvaraya’s birth anniversary as Engineers’ Day. Sir MV was regarded as the “Father of Modern Mysore”. Since then, this day is celebrated to honour and acknowledge all engineers who have contributed and still do so to build a modern and developed India.
Joe Root, Eimear Richardson named ICC Players of the Month for August
England Test skipper Joe Root and Ireland’s Eimear Richardson have been voted as the winners of the ICC Players of the Month for August 2021. Root was voted the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August for his consistent performances in the Test series against India that was part of the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
In women’s cricket, Ireland’s Eimear Richardson has had a sensational August as well and was adjudged the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August 2021. During the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe qualifier, Richardson won the Player of the Tournament award for her superb performance with the bat and the ball, starting off against Germany, she returned figures of 2/6, as the Irish cruised home to a comfortable 164-run victory.
International Day of Democracy: 15 September
International Day of Democracy is observed globally on 15th September every year. It was established through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, for promoting and upholding the principles of democracy and provide an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.
The theme for 2021 International Day of Democracy is “Strengthening democratic resilience in the face of future crises”.
History of the day:
The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly through a resolution in 2007 to strengthen national programmes devoted to the promotion and consolidation of democracy. The day was observed for the first time in 2008. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
DBS Bank tie-up with SWIFT to launch real-time cross-border payment tracking
DBS Bank has launched real-time online tracking for cross-border payments for its corporate clients, in partnership with SWIFT Global Payments Innovation (GPI). The service can be availed using the bank’s corporate online banking platform ‘DBS IDEAL’. DBS is the first bank in India and Asia-Pacific to offer this service to corporate clients, at no additional cost.
About the service:
- The new inbound tracking service by DBS Bank will allow corporates customers to see when a payment is on its way and when it is arriving at the beneficiary, which in turn will reduce operational costs and inefficiencies.
- The initiative is expected to benefit around 4,000 corporate and small business clients in India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Managing Director & CEO of DBS Bank India Ltd: Surojit Shome.
- DBS Bank India Limited Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- DBS Bank India Limited Established: 2014.
Paytm Payments Bank launches FASTag-based metro parking facility
Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has launched India’s first FASTag-based metro parking facility, at the Kashmere Gate metro station in partnership with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Paytm Payments Bank will be the acquiring bank to facilitate the processing of all FASTag-based transactions for cars having a valid FASTag sticker, thus eliminating the hassle of stopping and paying cash at the counter.
About the parking facility:
- The parking facility is the first to accept payment via the UPI (unified payments interface) mode, which has been launched for two-wheeler vehicles, entering the parking site.
- PPBL will digitise parking facilities across the country with Kashmere Gate metro station being the first one to be powered by the bank’s digital payment solution.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- MD and CEO of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Satish Kumar Gupta.
- Paytm Payments Bank Ltd Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
PM Narendra Modi to attend first in-person Quad Summit at White House
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the first-ever in-person QUAD ( Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Leaders’ Summit at the White House, in Washington D.C. on September 24, 2021. Quad nation comprises of India, Japan, the US and Australia. PM Modi will also address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 25, 2021.
About the summit:
- This will be the first visit of PM Modi to the United States since President Joe Biden assumed office and also the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Biden assumed office.
- The other two leaders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia and Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga will also be attending the Summit.
- Earlier, the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders was held in the virtual format in March 2021.
- The Quad Summit aims to deepen ties and increase cooperation in areas such as combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
RBI announces Opening of Third Cohort under the Regulatory Sandbox
The Reserve Bank of India has announced the theme for the Third Cohort under the Regulatory Sandbox (RS) as ‘MSME Lending’. The application for the Third Cohort will be kept open from October 01, 2021 to November 14, 2021. Regulatory Sandbox (RS) refers to live testing of new products or services in a controlled/test regulatory environment for which regulators may (or may not) permit certain regulatory relaxations for the limited purpose of the testing.
Before this, RBI has launched two cohort under the regulatory sandbox. These are:
- First Cohort: First Cohort under the Regulatory Sandbox was launched by RBI in December 2020, with the theme as ‘Retail Payments’. Six entities have completed the testing phase of the cohort.
- Second Cohort: Second Cohort under the Regulatory Sandbox was announced by RBI in December 2020 with the theme as ‘Cross Border Payments’. Eight entities have been selected for the ‘Test Phase’.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University at Aligarh, in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh government is establishing the university in memory and honour of noted Jat figure, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, the great freedom fighter, educationist and social reformer.
The University will be spread over an area of over 92 acres at Lodha village and Musepur Kareem Jarouli village of Kol tehsil in Aligarh and will provide affiliation to 395 colleges of the Aligarh division.
India–Africa Defence Dialogue to be held biennially at every DefExpo
The Government of India has proposed to institutionalise the India-Africa Defence Dialogue, as a regular event, to be held on the sidelines of the biennial DefExpo military exhibition. The first India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave (IADMC) was held at DefExpo in February 2020 in Lucknow.
Following this, second India – Africa Defence Dialogue will be held on the sidelines of the DefExpo, scheduled to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in March 2022. The theme of the 2nd India Africa Defence Dialogue will be ‘India – Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergizing and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation.
About the DefExpo military exhibition:
- The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi shall be the knowledge partner of the India Africa Defence Dialogue to assist in providing necessary support for enhanced defence cooperation between the two countries.
- Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will host the Defence Ministers of African Nations at the upcoming India – Africa Defence Dialogue.
- The regularization of India Africa Defence Dialogue will help to further strengthen the existing partnerships between African countries & India and explore new areas of convergence for mutual engagements including areas like capacity building, training, cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism.
Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor announces retirement from International Cricket
Former Zimbabwe skipper and wicket-keeper batsman, Brendan Taylor has announced his retirement from international cricket. He made the announcement while playing the third final ODI match on September 13, 2021, against Ireland. The 34-year batsman made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 against Sri Lanka. He has scored 6677 runs from 204 ODI matches in his 17-year ODI career.
Raja Randhir Singh appointed acting president of Olympic Council of Asia
India’s Raja Randhir Singh has taken over as acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia as Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah appeals a guilty verdict in a Swiss forgery trial. A five-time Olympic shooter and an Asian Games gold medallist in 1978, Singh was promoted to the role from his position as an honorary life vice president.
During the interim period, Raja Randhir Singh will carry out the duties and responsibilities of the OCA President, starting with the OCA Executive Board Meeting scheduled to be held on 13th September 2021.” Singh had been part of OCA as secretary-general for 24 years since 1991 and is the longest-serving executive board member. He is also an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Olympic Council of Asia Headquarters: Kuwait City, Kuwait;
- Olympic Council of Asia Founded: 16 November 1982.
UNESCO Literacy Prize awarded to NIOS for Innovation in Education
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), run by the education ministry, has bagged global recognition from UNESCO for its innovative approach towards education. The recognition is for educating differently-abled people through technology-enabled inclusive learning material. The NIOS move has a specific focus on Indian sign language-based content.
By awarding NIOS the King Sejong Literacy Prize, the jury has recognized the value of providing for the unique educational and language needs of PwD learners by developing teaching content in sign language through digital mode. The award-winning programme focuses on the use of digital tools and local language to help persons with disabilities the option to access Indian Sign Language (ISL)-based content.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
- UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.
- UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.
Bhanumati Gheewala to get National Florence Nightingale Award 2021
The Florence Nightingale Award will be given to a nurse, Bhanumati Gheewala, from Sir Sayajirao General Hospital, Gujarat. She has been in charge of COVID-19 positive pregnant women’s deliveries as well as infant care. She worked in the gynaecology department as well in the paediatric ward. In 2019, when the wards of the hospital were waterlogged due to flood. She carried her duty in the gynaecology department and the pediatric ward.
About the Florence Nightingale Award:
- The Florence Nightingale Award is given by the Indian Nursing Council. This is a statutory agency under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to recognise the contributions of healthcare workers.
- The delegates at the Eighth International Conference of Red Cross Societies created this commemorative International Nightingale Medal. It was established in London in 1907. This medal was meant to be awarded to those who have excelled in the profession of nursing.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross in 1912 created the award. It is presented to nurses or nursing workers. It is given for “exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick, or disabled, or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster” or “exemplary services or a creative and pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education”.
