Former Arunachal Governor YS Dadwal passes away
Former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and Commissioner of Delhi Police, Yudhvir Singh Dadwal, has passed away. Dadwal, a 1974-batch IPS officer, was the 16th police commissioner of Delhi from July 2007 to November 2010. After retirement, he was appointed as the Director-General of the Central Paramilitary Force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in November 2010. In 2016, Dadwal was appointed as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka bags Global Goalkeeper Award 2021
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced its annual Goalkeepers ‘Global Goals Awards’ 2021, as part of its annual Goalkeepers campaign. Goalkeepers is the foundation’s campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through an annual report, we hope to inspire a new generation of leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.
The award were given in following categories:
The 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award:
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former United Nations under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women. She has been honoured for fighting for gender equality and her continued advocacy to address the Covid-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and girls. This award recognises a leader who has driven progress on a global scale toward achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The 2021 Progress Award :
Jenifer Colpas from Colombia, for her work which centres around improving access to clean water and sanitation. Colpas is the co-founder and executive director of Tierra Grata, a social enterprise that develops low-cost, easy-to-install solutions providing access to clean energy, safe water, and sanitation services to rural communities in Colombia. This award celebrates an individual who supports progress using science, technology, or business.
The 2021 Campaign Award :
Satta Sheriff of Liberia, for her work promoting gender equality. Sheriff is the founder and executive director of Action for Justice and Human Rights (AJHR), a youth-led NGO which ensure access to justice and respect for human rights in Liberia, with a focus on women and girls. This award celebrates a campaign that has raised awareness or built a community by inspiring action and creating change.
PFRDA to observe NPS Diwas on October 01, 2021
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will observe October 01, 2021 as the National Pension System Diwas (NPS Diwas). This campaign has been started by PFRDA under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to promote pension and retirement planning for a carefree ‘azad’ retirement. PFRDA is promoting this campaign on its social media platforms with #npsdiwas.
The pension regulator aims to encourage every citizen (working professionals and self-employed professionals) to plan towards creating a financial cushion to ensure for onself a financially sound future after retirement. NPS subscribers will enjoy the benefits, power of compounding now and reap many of the benefits after retirement.
About PFRDA
- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority is the regulatory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India for overall supervision and regulation of pension in India.
- The Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Act was passed on 19 September 2013 and the same was notified on 1 February 2014.
- PFRDA is regulating NPS, subscribed by employees of Govt. of India, State Governments and by employees of private institutions/organizations & unorganized sectors. The PFRDA is ensuring the orderly growth and development of the pension market.
Government sets up India Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL)
The government has set up an asset management company (AMC) named India Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL) with a paid-up capital of Rs. 80.5 lakh on an authorized capital of Rs 50 crore. IDRCL will work in tandem with the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) to clean up bad loans.
Bank of Baroda (BoB), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of India (BoI), Bank of Maharashtra, SBI, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Indian Bank and IDBI Bank are the shareholders of IDRCL.
About the IDRCL:
IDRCL is a service company/operational entity which will manage the asset and engage market professionals and turnaround experts. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Public FIs will hold a maximum of 49% stake while the remaining stake will be with private sector lenders. It must be noted that last week, the government had cleared a guarantee of Rs. 30,600 crore for security receipts issued by NARCL.
Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan to head education ministry’s panel
The Union education ministry has formed a 12-member committee to develop new curriculums for school, early childhood, teacher and adult education. The panel tasked with developing four national curriculum frameworks (NCFs) will be headed by National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) drafting committee chairperson K Kasturirangan.
The function of the committee:
The committee will discuss “position papers” finalised by national focus groups on different aspects of the four areas drawing inputs from state curriculum frameworks. The NCFs serve as a guideline for syllabus, textbook and teaching practices for schools in India.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Minister of Education: Dharmendra Pradhan.
Air India chief Rajiv Bansal appointed Civil Aviation Secretary
Rajiv Bansal appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Bansal is currently Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Air India. He is a 1988-batch IAS Nagaland cadre, Bansal was serving as additional secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas before Air India. He will replace the current Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola, who retires on 30 September.
Last year in February, Bansal was appointed as the chairman and managing director of Air India for a second time. His appointment came just days after the government announced 100% stake sale of the debt-ridden Air India.
Govt accepts RN Ravi’s resignation as interlocutor for Naga peace talks
The government of India accepts RN Ravi’s resignation as interlocutor for Naga peace talks. Ravi has negotiated for several years with key insurgent groups for the signing of the Naga Peace Accord. Recently, R N Ravi has been appointed as governor of Tamil Nadu. Akshay Mishra is likely to be appointed as the new peace talks interlocutor. He is serving in the Intelligence Bureau.
Agreement with NSCN-IM:
- In recent years, the Naga peace process has derailed due to the deteriorating relationship between the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-(Isak Muivah) with the Centre, and Ravi.
- The Nagaland Peace Accord framework was signed on 3 August 2015 by the Government of India, and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN).
- Greater Nagaland covering the area of its neighbouring states and Myanmar is the main demand of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN).
GoI hosted first India-UK Consular Dialogue
The government of India has hosted the first India-United Kingdom Consular Dialogue in the virtual medium. Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Devesh Uttam led the Indian delegation while the UK delegation was led by Jennifer Anderson. Both sides discussed the ways to strengthen people-to-people contacts as part of the India-UK 2030 roadmap.
Significance of the Dialogue:
- At this inaugural Consular Dialogue, the two sides discussed ways to further strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two countries as part of the India-UK 2030 roadmap.
- They also discussed ways to facilitate consular access and early resolution of consular grievances including through systematic information sharing, and cooperation on visas, extradition cases and mutual legal assistance.
- Both sides agreed to hold the next round of this Dialogue in 2022, in London, at a mutually convenient date.
- Earlier, India and the UK held the first meeting of the India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue on 8th July.
Lunar Crater named after Arctic explorer Matthew Henson
The International Astronomical Union has named a crater at the Moon’s south pole after the Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, a Black man who in 1909 was one of the first people to stand at the very top of the world. The proposal to name the crater after Henson was put forward by Jordan Bretzfelder who is an Exploration Science summer intern with Lunar & Planetary Institute, in Houston.
About the Artemis Programme:
Artemis Programme was launched by NASA which aims to land the next slate of lunar explorers on the Henson Crater. They will be selected from NASA’s increasingly diverse astronaut pool. Henson Crater is located between Sverdrup and de Gerlache craters at the south pole of the Moon. This program provides a cornerstone to study planetary processes as well as to create the infrastructure to advance human exploration at the Moon and on Mars.
Who was Matthew Henson?
Henson was an experienced explorer and skilled carpenter & craftsman. He stood at the front lines of almost a dozen Arctic expeditions that were organized by Robert Peary over the period of 18 years, including the one that reached the North Pole. The final push of that expedition was made by Henson. He was born in Maryland in 1866.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- International Astronomical Union Headquarters: Paris, France;
- International Astronomical Union Founded: 28 July 1919;
- International Astronomical Union President: Ewine van Dishoeck.
Statue of Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto unveiled in Hungary
Hungary has unveiled the statue of Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto. The imposing bronze statue was unveiled in Hungary’s capital, Budapest. This is the first such statue across the world to pay homage to the creator of Bitcoin digital currency. It has been constructed in a business park near the Danube River in Budapest. The bust sits atop a stone plinth and is also engraved with the name of Satoshi Nakamoto, who is the pseudonym of the mysterious developer of Bitcoin whose true identity is still unknown.
Creators of the statue:
Statue has been created by Reka Gergely and Tamas Gilly. They have portrayed a human form and have stayed true to the anonymity of Nakamoto, the person nobody knows how do they look like.
About the Bitcoin:
Bitcoin was created in 2008 in the backdrop of global financial crisis. Its aim was to circumvent traditional financial institutions by means of developing secure technology for peer-to-peer online transactions. It does not involve intermediaries like banks. The founding white paper published in 2008 and was authored by Nakamoto.
PM Modi to roll out National Digital Health Mission
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce the nationwide roll-out of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), which has been renamed as Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission (PM-DHM), on September 27. Under this, a unique digital health ID will be provided to the people, which will contain all the health records of the person. The id will be created using details such as Aadhaar and the user’s mobile number.
About the initiative:
- The initiative will be rolled out on the final day of Arogya Manthan, which was kicked off to mark the third anniversary of the government’s flagship health insurance scheme — Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
- The project is currently in its pilot phase in the Union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
- The mission essentially consists of four main building blocks — unique digital health id, health care professionals registry, health facility registry and electronic health records.
- To begin with, three components, unique health id, doctor’s registry and the health facility registry, have been made operational, the officials cited above said.
- The initiative supports Universal Health Coverage in an efficient, accessible, inclusive, affordable and safe manner through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services.
A audiobook title ‘Jungle Nama’ released by Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh’s “Jungle Nama” has now been released as an audiobook with music and voice of US-based Ali Sethi. Jungle Nama evokes the wonder of the Sundarban through its poetry, accompanied by stunning artwork by the renowned artist Salman Toor. This is an illuminated edition of a fabulous folk tale that every book lover will want to possess.
About the book:
Jungle Nama is Amitav Ghosh’s verse adaptation of an episode from the legend of Bon Bibi, a tale popular in the villages of the Sundarban, which also lies at the heart of the novel The Hungry Tide. It is the story of the avaricious rich merchant Dhona, the poor lad Dukhey, and his mother; it is also the story of Dokkhin Rai, a mighty spirit who appears to humans as a tiger, of Bon Bibi, the benign goddess of the forest, and her warrior brother Shah Jongoli.
Odisha to host Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup
Odisha will host the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here from November 24 to December 5. Hockey India had recently approached the Odisha government to support them for the Men’s Junior World Cup to be held in two months time. Patnaik also unveiled the logo and the trophy for the event. Lucknow had hosted the tournament’s last edition in 2016 where India claimed the honours.
At the upcoming event, 16 nations will vie for the title. The participating teams are India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, USA, Canada, Chile and Argentina.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik and Governor is Ganeshi Lal.
BPCL, SBI Card launch co-branded RuPay contactless credit card
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and SBI Card have joined hands to launch the ‘BPCL SBI Card co-branded RuPay Contactless Credit Card, offering fuel and other benefits. The card will provide rewarding fuel savings and other benefits to the customers. Cardholders will also get accelerated savings on other categories of spends, which include groceries, departmental stores, dining, and movies.
The facility of the card:
- As per the details revealed, users of BPCL SBI Card RuPay will get 13X reward points on every ₹100 spent on fuel purchases at BPCL petrol pumps and 1% fuel surcharge waiver on every transaction up to ₹4,000.
- This will translate to a 4.25% value back. Customers using this card will earn 2,000 activation bonus reward points worth ₹500 on payment of the joining fee.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- CMD Of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd: Arun Kumar Singh;
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai;
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd Founded: 1952.
- SBI Card MD and CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara;
- SBI Card Founded: October 1998;
- SBI Card Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.
