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Current Affairs Pocket PDF – September 2020

Table of Contents
NATIONAL AFFAIRS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
CABINET APPROVALS .................................................................................................................................................................. 5
PARLIAMENT NEWS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS .................................................................................................................................................... 6
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION .................................................................................................................................................. 11
FESTIVALS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
GOVT SCHEMES ............................................................................................................................................................................... 19
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS............................................................................................................................................................. 21
VISITS ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
FOREIGN VISIT ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24
BANKING & FINANCE ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24
RBI IN NEWS ............................................................................................................................................................................... 24
BANKING TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................ 26
LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
OTHER BANKING NEWS............................................................................................................................................................. 28
FINANCE NEWS........................................................................................................................................................................... 30
ECONOMY & BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................................................... 32
GDP & GROWTH RATE ............................................................................................................................................................... 32
ECONOMY NEWS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 34
BUSINESS NEWS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 35
MoU’s & AGREEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 37
MoU’s BETWEEN COUNTRY ...................................................................................................................................................... 37
MoU’s WITH STATES .................................................................................................................................................................. 38
MoU’s BETWEEN ORGANIZATION ............................................................................................................................................ 39
OTHER MoU’S IN CONTENT FORMAT ....................................................................................................................................... 40
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 41
APPOINTMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 41
NATIONAL ................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
INTERNATIONAL ........................................................................................................................................................................ 44
BRAND & CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS ...................................................................................................................................... 45
RESIGNATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 47
OTHER APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 47
AWARDS........................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF NOBEL PRIZE ................................................................................................................................ 50
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE & ACADEMICS ....................................................................................................... 50

AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF ARTS & CULTURE FILMS ............................................................................................................. 51
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SERVICE, SCIENCE & BRAVERY ..................................................................................... 51
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS .......................................................................................................................................... 51
OTHER IMPORTANT AWARDS .................................................................................................................................................. 52
RECOGNITIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 53
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS IN CONTENT FORMAT ................................................................................................................ 53
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE.............................................................................................................................................. 54
SUMMITS ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 54
EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 56
CONFERENCE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 56
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS ........................................................................................................................................................... 56
COMMITTEES .............................................................................................................................................................................. 56
MEETINGS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS IN CONTENT FORMAT ................................................................................................................ 61
INDEX ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
RANKING ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
REPORTS ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 63
ACQUISITION & MERGERS ............................................................................................................................................................. 65
DEFENCE .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 67
EXERCISE ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 67
TESTING....................................................................................................................................................................................... 67
ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS ............................................................................................................................................. 68
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................................. 69
SATELLITES LAUNCHES ............................................................................................................................................................. 69
NATIONAL ................................................................................................................................................................................... 69
INTERNATIONAL ........................................................................................................................................................................ 71
ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................................................................... 72
SPORTS............................................................................................................................................................................................. 73
CRICKET....................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
OTHER SPORTS NEWS ............................................................................................................................................................... 73
BOOKS & AUTHORS......................................................................................................................................................................... 74
OBITUARY ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 77
NATIONAL ................................................................................................................................................................................... 77
INTERNATIONAL ........................................................................................................................................................................ 81
IMPORTANT DAYS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 83
APPS & WEB PORTAL ..................................................................................................................................................................... 92
AC GAZE ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 94

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
CABINET APPROVALS
Cabinet Approvals on 2nd September 2020
On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the
following proposals:
 Cabinet approved “Mission Karmayogi”- National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building;
Rs.510.86 cr outlay for 5 years
 Cabinet approves the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill
Read More Details Here: Cabinet Approvals on 2nd September 2020
Cabinet Approval with Foreign countries on September 02 2020

On September 2, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the
following proposals with foreign countries:
 Cabinet approves MoU between India and Japan for cooperation in the field of good quality textiles
 Cabinet approves MoU between India and Finland for cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral
Resources
Read More Details Here: Cabinet Approval with Foreign countries on September 02 2020
Union Cabinet gives approval to increase FDI limit from 49% to 74%, National Security Clause
added
Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
policy in Defence Sector, thereby allowing FDI through automatic approval to be increased from 49% to
74%.
Cabinet approval on September 15 2020

On September 15, 2020, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval
to the following:
 Cabinet approves establishment of new All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Darbhanga, Bihar
 Cabinet approves Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project from Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna-Manesar-
Kharkhaud
Read More Details Here: Cabinet approval on September 15 2020
Cabinet Approved hike in MSP for RMS 2021-22; Sets Foodgrain Output Target at Record 301MT
for 2020-21
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all mandated Rabi crops for marketing
season 2021-22. Also, During the National Conference for Rabi Campaign 2020 held on September 21,
2020, a target for the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) or foodgrain production target was set at a record
301 million tonnes (MT), up nearly 1.5% from the previous year’s output.
Read More Details Here: Cabinet Approved hike in MSP for RMS 2021-22; Sets Foodgrain Output Target
at Record 301MT for 2020-21
PARLIAMENT NEWS
President Ram Nath Kovind gives Assent to 3 Farm Bills passed by Parliament
On September 27, 2020 President Ram Nath Kovind gave Assent to Three Bills:
 The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
 The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance

 Farm Service Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Read More Details Here: President Ram Nath Kovind gives Assent to 3 Farm Bills passed by Parliament
Union Cabinet Approves 3 Labour Law Codes, to be Moved in Monsoon Session of Parliament
The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved amendments to the Labour Code on
Social Security, Code on Industrial Relations (IR), and Code on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The
codes will now be moved in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which starts from September 14, 2020.
Read More Details Here: Union Cabinet Approves 3 Labour Law Codes, to be Moved in Monsoon Session
of Parliament
Centre Amended Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 to Promote
Make in India
In order to promote the “Make in India” initiative, the Central Government has amended the Public
Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 on September 16, 2020. This amendment will
enable nodal Ministries/ Departments to notify higher minimum local content requirements for Class-I
& Class-II local suppliers which was earlier fixed at 50% and 20% respectively. The notification in this
regard was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Minister of
Commerce and Industry.
Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 come into
force from Sept 21, 2020; 35% value addition proof mandated
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 156 read with section 28DA of the Customs Act, 1962 (52
of 1962), the Central Government notifies the Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade
Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR, 2020) on August 21, 2020 to protect the domestic industry from
misuse of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), will come into force on September 21, 2020. A period of 30
days is provided to importers and other stakeholders to familiarize them with new provisions.
Read More Details Here: Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules,
2020 come into force from Sept 21, 2020; 35% value addition proof mandated
NMC Officially Replaced MCI as Top Medical Education Regulator w.e.f. Sept 25, 2020; IMC Act,
1956 Repealed
The Central government is trying hard to detach corruption from all sections of our society including
health sector, the statutory body of which i.e. Medical Council of India (MCI) had faced corruption charges
and was dissolved by the Government of India in 2018 with the Board of Governors (BoG)-MCI chaired
by Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog. This Board of Governors was appointed under
section 3A of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act, 1956 (102 of 1956) in supersession of the MCI
constituted under sub-section (1) of section 3 of IMC ACT. BoG-MCI dissolved by Centre and was replaced
by National Medical Commission (NMC) as India’s top regulator of medical education.
Read More Details Here: NMC Officially Replaced MCI as Top Medical Education Regulator w.e.f. Sept 25,
2020; IMC Act, 1956 Repealed
STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS

Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Government Receives Nod to form Crop Insurance Firm from IRDA
Government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) received the nod from Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority (IRDA) to form its Crop Insurance Firm Andhra Pradesh General Insurance Company (APGIC).
The APGIC will run the state’s own YSR Free Crop Insurance Scheme. The Farmers need to enrol for the
scheme by September 5, by paying a premium of Rupees 1.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Launched 2 Nutrition Schemes to Provide Nutrition Food to Women &
Children
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched two nutrition schemes “YSR Sampoorna
Poshana” and “YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus” to provide nutritious food to the pregnant women, new
mothers and children at the Tadepalli camp office. The state government issued an order to rename the
scheme – Agriculture Electricity Cash Transfer Scheme as YSR Free Agriculture Power.
UiPath Partners with APSSDC to Train Student in Robotic Process Automation

As a part of an Academic Alliance Programme in Andhra Pradesh, UiPath, a Robotic Process Automation
(RPA) software company partnered with Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC)
to provide students with training in robotic process automation. This is designed to bridge the skill
requirements and build RPA resiliency of more than 50000 students in one year.
Andhra Pradesh CM Launches YSR Jala Kala Scheme to benefit Small & Marginal Farmers
Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched YSR Jala Kala Scheme for small and
marginal Farmers. Under the scheme, the State Government will drill borewells in arid, and uplands in
the state with an expenditure of Rs. 2, 340 Crore over a period of four-years.
Assam
Assam Relaunched SVAYEM Scheme Worth Rs.1000 Crore to Provide Self Employment to Youths
of the State
The Government of Assam relaunched its old scheme Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment
(SVAYEM) worth Rs.1000 crore. The scheme is aimed to provide self-employment opportunities to more
than 2 lakh youths of the state. The Redesigned SVAYEM will provide around Rs.50000 as a seed money
to start a business venture to the qualified beneficiaries.
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Launched “Mukhyamantri Grammya Paribahan Achoni” &

Distributed Vehicles to its Beneficiaries
Sarbanda Sonowal, Chief Minister (CM) of Assam launched the “Mukhyamantri Grammya Paribahan
Achoni” – Chief Minister’s Rural Transport Scheme and distributed light motor vehicles to the
beneficiaries under this scheme. Sonowal announced this scheme during his 2019 Independence Day
speech and following the announcement the Transport department of Assam launched the scheme.
Assam govt to Provide Loan to Entrepreneurs under ‘Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme

On the occasion of World Tourism Day (WTD) 2020 i.e. on September 27, 2020, the Chief Minister (CM)
of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal during a Tourism Conclave organised by government of Assam in
association with Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) Limited, launched “Paryatan
Sanjeevani Scheme” under which loan between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakh with interest subsidy would be
provided to entrepreneurs to revive the tourism industry amid the COVID-19. He also launched another
scheme ‘Paryatan Sarathi’, which will provide information about Assam tourism, facilities for bookings,
tour packages, hotels along with online payment gateway options.
Haryana
Haryana CM Launches 1st of its Kind Educational Chatbot “Apka Mitra” & Online Admission
Platform for UG courses
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar virtually launched the first of its Kind Educational Chatbot
“Apka Mitra” & Online Admission Platform for Under Graduate (UG) courses in government-aided and
self-financed colleges for the new academic session 2020-21.

Jammu & Kashmir
MHA notifies ‘Rules of Transaction of Business’ for the UT of Jammu & Kashmir
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the ‘Rules of Transaction of Business’ for the Government of
Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The rules have been issued under the exercise of powers
conferred by section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, read with the Proclamation,
dated 31st October, 2019 issued under section 73 of the said Act. If the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and
Council of Ministers differ on any issue, the LG is required to refer the matter to the President and the LG
will act according to the decision taken by the President.
J&K Lt Governor launches ‘SPARROW’ – A Online Performance Appraisal System for JKAS officers
Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched the online portal, Smart Performance
Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service
Officers (JKAS). The SPARROW system will benefit around 1289 officers and is aimed at bringing more
transparency. The project will be implemented by J&K e-Governance Agency, Information Technology
Department in collaboration with National Informatics Centre and General Administration Department.
1st ever Cannabis Medicine Project to be Set up with Collaboration of Canada at Jammu: Jitendra
Singh
Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State-MoS (I/C), Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS
PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space informed that 1st ever cannabis
medicine project will be shortly set up with the collaboration of Canada at Council of Scientific &
Industrial Research (CSIR)-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in Jammu. The progress of the
construction of North India’s 1st biotech industrial park in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir was also reviewed
by Jitendra Singh.
‘Operation Green’s TOP to TOTAL’ scheme to cover all Fruits & vegetables in J&K
Government of India extended Price Stabilisation interventions under ‘Operation Greens’ scheme for
majority of fruits and vegetables grown in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to extend support to farmers in J&K.
JK LG Manoj Sinha Laid e-Foundation Stone of Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex, Hiranagar
Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Manoj Sinha, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State
(Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) laid the e-foundation stone of the
Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex in Hiranagar, Kathua. This first of its kind multipurpose sports
complex in the Northern Region is a tribute to the former union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley.
Government of India increases Scholarship amount under “Pragati and Saksham” Scheme for
J&K Students
The Government of India announced an increase in Scholarship amount for the students of Jammu &
Kashmir (J&K) under the ‘Pragati’ and ‘Saksham’ Scholarship Schemes. The amount has been raised from
Rs. 5, 000 Per Annum to Rs. 50, 000 Per Annum from the Current Academic Year (2020-21). The Ministry
of Education launched these schemes is being implemented and offered by All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE).
J&K Horticulture Department Launches “Backyard Horticulture” Programme in Jammu district

The Horticulture Department of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) launched “Backyard Horticulture” Programme
under CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) scheme at Panchyat Jaswan in Marh Block of Jammu district. The
main aim of the programme is to promote organic fruit production for home consumption and for
fulfilling individual requirements.

Karnataka
Karnataka Cabinet Cleared Rs 600 cr watershed project with WB Assistance; Pre-Primary
Courses initiated in public schools
In order to increase the groundwater table in parched land of 20 taluks, the state cabinet of Karnataka
approved Rs 600 cr project titled Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agriculture Resilience through Innovative
Development (REWARD) with World Bank (WB) assistance.
Read More Details Here: Karnataka Cabinet Cleared Rs 600 cr watershed project with WB Assistance;
Pre-Primary Courses initiated in public schools
Kerala
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Kerala CM Inaugurate Thykoodam-Petta, Final stretch
of Kochi Metro-Phase-I
The Thykoodam-Petta stretch of Kochi Metro was inaugurated by Minister Housing and Urban Affairs,
Hardeep Singh Puri and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through video conference. The final
stretch of Kerala metro phase 1 has been completed with the commissioning of Thykoodam-Petta stretch.
It has been completed at a cost of Rs 6218 Crores. Kochi will become the first city in the country to
integrate water transport as feeder service to the metro.
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh Govt Launched Cleanliness Campaign, ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo Madhya
Pradesh’
Madhya Pradesh (MP) government has launched a 15-day campaign (August 16-30, 2020) ‘Gandagi
Bharat Chhodo Madhya Pradesh’ (Free India and Madhya Pradesh from garbage) from Sagar, MP.
Read More Details Here: Madhya Pradesh Govt Launched Cleanliness Campaign, ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo
Madhya Pradesh’
Madhya Pradesh Govt Reintroduces Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi Scheme

Madhya Pradesh Government during its 5th virtual cabinet meeting decided to reintroduce Deendayal
Antyodaya Rasoi Scheme to provide nutritious and quality food to underprivileged people at a subsidised
rate. The scheme will be implemented by the Departments of Food and Civil Supplies and Urban
Development.
Maharashtra
SIDBI, Maharashtra Govt Inked Pact to Develop MSME Ecosystem
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has inked a MoU with Government of Maharashtra
to develop the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem in the state. This decision has
been taken on the lines of the recommendations of the Upendra Kumar (UK) Sinha Committee on MSMEs
set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) envisaged more focused engagement of SIDBI with State
Governments for MSME promotion and development. As a part of MoU, Project Management Unit (PMU)
will be deployed by SIDBI in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra CM to launch ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ Campaign to Tackle COVID-19

In a bid to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic among further relaxation of lockdown curbs, Maharashtra Chief
Minister(CM) Uddhav Thackeray announced the launch of ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ Campaign. The
campaign aims to motivate the maximum number of people to adopt a new lifestyle for effective COVID-
19 control and also aims to reach people before the virus reaches them.

Maharashtra Cabinet Approved Balasaheb Thackeray Road Accident Insurance Scheme for
Accident Victims
Maharashtra Cabinet approved the implementation of Balasaheb Thackeray Road Accident Insurance
Scheme with an annual outlay of Rs 125 crore to provide timely medical and financial aid to the road
accident victims during the golden hour i.e. initial 72 hours. In this regard, an expenditure of up to Rs
30,000 will be borne by the State for 74 enlisted medical procedures. The announcement regarding this
was made by the state Health Minister Rajeshbhaiyya Tope.
Nagaland
Nagaland Govt Launched its 1st ‘Naga Telehealth’, a TeleMedicine Platform
In order to provide quality healthcare services at the Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres in
Nagaland, S Pangnyu Phom, Nagaland Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the state’s 1st tele-
medicine platform, ‘Naga Telehealth’ in Kohima, Nagaland. It was developed by the state govt in
partnership with NISHTHA, a US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s health systems
strengthening project, implemented by Jhpiego.
Nagaland Launches Portal for Livelihood Generation Programme for Returned Migrant
Workers
Department of Industries & Commerce, Nagaland Government launched the Scheme “Livelihood
Generation Programme for Returned Migrant workers due to COVID-19 Pandemic” to provide skill
development training for migrant workers who returned from other parts of the country due to
Pandemic. It is funded by North East Council (NEC), Shillong and will be monitored by the Department of
Industries and Commerce.
New Delhi
Delhi Government Relaunched “10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 minute” 10-week Anti Dengue Campaign
Government of Delhi relaunched the 10-week anti dengue campaign “10 Hafte 10 Baje 10minute” to
create awareness on the prevention of the vector borne diseases – dengue and chikungunya among the
common people.
Odisha
Odisha CM launched two Citizen-Centric Mobile app – Ama Sahar and Swachha Sahar Odisha on
Local Self Government Day
Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, launched two citizen-centric mobile applications Ama Sahar
and Swachha Sahar Odisha on the occasion of Local Self Government Day (August 31, 2020) which was
observed at the Lok Seva Bhawan over a virtual platform.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan Government approves ‘Moksha Kalash Yojana 2020’
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot gave approval for the scheme ‘Moksha Kalash Yojana-2020’, which
allows free bus travel to two members of a family to immerse ashes of their loved ones in River Ganga in
Haridwar. Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation will run the scheme and the expenses will be
borne by the Devasthan Department, Rajasthan Government.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu becomes 1st state with Policies on Ethical AI, Blockchain and Cybersecurity
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) Edappadi K Palaniswami released Tamil Nadu Cyber Security Policy
2020, Tamil Nadu Blockchain Policy 2020 and Tamil Nadu Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence Policy
2020 (Nicknamed as ABC Policies) while participating in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

‘Connect 2020’ event through video conference. It became the first state in the country to release policies
on Ethical AI, Blockchain and Cybersecurity.
Uttarakhand
ITBP Partnered with Uttarakhand Govt for Promoting Adventure Tourism at Tehri Lake
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) collaborated with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board
(UTDB) to promote adventure sports activities at Tehri Lake in Uttarakhand.
West Bengal
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Virtually Inaugurates 2 Green Projects to be built in
Collaboration with EU countries
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal virtually inaugurated 2 major green projects worth
around Rs 1226 crore to be set up in collaboration with European Union countries. Of the 2 green
projects, one is a management and sustainable development project to be built in Kolkata Leather
Complex at Bantala in the eastern outskirts of the city. Meanwhile the solar power project will be built in
Purba Midnapore (East Medinipur) district.
West Bengal, UKIBC sign MoU to strengthen State’s Industrial Development

West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and UK (United Kingdom) India Business
Council (UKIBC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate industrial development in
West Bengal. The MoU will boost business and industrial development by developing the business
environment and strengthening collaboration with British Business Enterprises in West Bengal.
Alapan Bandopadhyay Named as New Chief Secretary of West Bengal

Alapan Bandopadhyay, present Additional Chief Secretary of West Bengal was named as the Chief
Secretary of the state. He will take charge on October 1, 2020. He will succeed Rajiva Sinha who retires
on September 30, 2020. Rajiva Sinha has been appointed the chairman of the West Bengal Industrial
Development Corporation (WBIDC) for a period of 3 years with effect from October 1, 2020.
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION

PM Modi Inaugurates College, Administration Buildings of RLB Central Agricultural University
in Jhansi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the College, Administration Buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai
Central Agricultural University in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh through video conference. The RLB Central
Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute in the Bundelkhand region. During
the address of the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned 500 water projects worth Rs
10,000 crores to improve the water availability in the drought prone Bundelkhand region.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched Life Insurance Scheme for More than 10000
Cantonment Employees
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched “Chhavni COVID: Yodha Sanrakshan Yojana” a group life
insurance scheme through the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), for more than 10000 employees working
in the 62 military cantonment areas across India. The scheme will benefit the employees of all the 62
cantonment boards and will provide a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs each in the event of any fatal misfortune.
Union Power Minister RK Singh Launches Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM)
Minister of State (MoS) (I/C) for Power and New & Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh launched the Pan-
India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in New Delhi virtually, for electricity. GTAM is the World’s First

Exclusive Product Market for the renewable energy sector. It will help in achieving the Government of
India’s target of 175 Giga Watt (GW) renewable energy Capacity by 2022.
Union Minister Arjun Munda Inaugurates Two-days Virtual National Tribal Research Conclave
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda virtually inaugurated the two-day National Tribal
Research Conclave to be held from September 3-4, 2020. The conclave will be chaired by Union Minister
Arjun Munda. The Conclave has been organized by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Affairs,
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). During the
Conclave, a MoU was signed between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Indian Institute of Public
Administration (IIPA) to set up the National Institute of Tribal Research at New Delhi.
Prime Minister Modi E-Inaugurates Patrika Gate in Jaipur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Patrika Gate in Jaipur, Rajasthan over a virtual platform.
The Patrika Gate was built by the Patrika group of Newspapers on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg in Jaipur.
Karnataka CM Launches Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa launched the Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance
Services at Jakkur Aerodrome, Bengaluru. It is the first air ambulance operating from South India to
provide services for medical emergencies. Air ambulance firm International Critical Air Transfer Team
(ICATT) will run the services in collaboration with aviation technology firm Kyathi from the HAL airport
in Bengaluru.
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharam Inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs & Declared
EASE 2.0 2019-20 Awards Virtually
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman virtually inaugurated Doorstep
Banking Services by Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and participated in the online awards ceremony to
felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index for FY19-20. The EASE 2.0 awards for
FY19-20 were presented in 3 categories viz. Category 1: Theme-Wise Winners, Category 2: Top
Improvers, and Category 3: Top Performing Banks.
Read More Details Here: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharam Inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by
PSBs & Declared EASE 2.0 2019-20 Awards Virtually
Atal Innovation Mission Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched Aatmanirbhar Bharat ANIC-ARISE Challenges (Atal
New India Challenges in Applied Research and Innovation for medium and Small Enterprises) to
stimulate applied research and innovation in Indian Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and
start-ups. It will be driven by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and four ministries namely
Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.
Prime Minister launches PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala App & several initiatives in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), e-Gopala
App for farmers in Bihar through virtual mode. He launched several initiatives in fisheries and animal
husbandry sectors in Bihar.
Read More Details Here: Prime Minister launches PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala App & several
initiatives in Bihar

India Post Launches Five Star Villages Scheme to ensure 100% rural coverage of postal schemes
Union Minister of State for Communications, Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre has launched a scheme namely “Five
Star Villages” along with Department of Post in order to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal
schemes in rural areas. The project is initially being launched in Maharashtra and based upon the
progress of the scheme, it will be implemented across the country.
Shipping Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya Launched ‘SAROD-Ports’, a Dispute

Resolution Mechanism
Mansukh Laxmanbhai (L.) Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) launched a dispute
resolution mechanism, ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports) through
virtual ceremony in New Delhi, India. It was established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It
consists of members from Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals
Association (IPTTA).
India’s ‘Largest Piggery Mission’ launched in Meghalaya

The state government of Meghalaya launched India’s Biggest Piggery Project with an outlay of Rs 209
Crores. It is being launched under the aegis of Meghalaya Livestock Enterprises Advancement Society
(MLEADS) and funded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The main
objective of the Piggery Mission is to reduce the annual import of Pork worth Rs 150 Crore and make
Meghalaya self-sufficient in Pork production over the next 3 years.
MoHUA Launched Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 & Streets for People
Challenge
Union Minister of State (MoS)- Independent Charge (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri for Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0, along
with the “Streets for People Challenge” in a virtual event organised by the Smart Cities Mission from New
Delhi. The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with support from MoHUA has established the
Climate Centre for Cities (C3).
Prime Minister Virtually Inaugurated 900 crore worth Petroleum Project in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated 3 key projects of the petroleum sector worth more than Rs
900 crore in Bihar through video conference and dedicated it to the Nation. The projects include the
Durgapur-Banka section (about 200 km) of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur Pipeline Augmentation Project
and 2 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Bottling Plants. These projects are a part of the Mission Purvodaya
which anticipate to expand the Barauni Refinery with Rs 14,000 crore and the work has already
commenced.
PM Modi Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone for seven projects in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated & Laid Foundation Stone for Seven Projects related to Urban
Infrastructure in the state of Bihar through video conference. The total cost of the projects is Rs 541
Crores. Out of the 7 projects, 4 are related to water supply, 2 for Sewerage treatment and 1 for Riverfront
Development. The projects will be implemented by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation
(BUIDCO), under Urban Development and Housing Department of Bihar.
Read More Details Here: PM Modi Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone for seven projects in Bihar
PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail Mega Bridge and 12 other Railway Projects in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu (mega bridge) in Bihar. Other
projects including a new railway bridge on the Kiul River, two new railway lines, 5 Electrification projects,
Bihar’s first Electric Locomotive Shed at Barauni and 3rd Line Project between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur in

Bihar was also inaugurated through video conference. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Phagu Chauhan,
Governor of Bihar, Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal were present during the inauguration.
Read More Details Here: PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail Mega Bridge and 12 other Railway Projects in
Bihar
Hardeep Singh Puri Inaugurated India’s first General Aviation Terminal at Delhi Airport
Minister of State (MoS) Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Civil Aviation inaugurated India’s first General
Aviation Terminal at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi to handle the flight operations and
movement and processing of passengers flying through of private jets or chartered flights. It was built at
a cost of Rs 150 crore over one-and-a-half years by Bird ExecuJet Airport Services Private Limited, a joint
venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet Aviation Group, an international business aviation company
based in Switzerland’s Zurich Airport.
National Jal Jeevan Mission, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) launch
ICT Grand Challenge
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) in partnership with National Jal Jeevan
Mission (NJJM), Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched ICT
(Information & Communication Technology) Grand Challenge for Development of ‘Smart Water Supply
Measurement & Monitoring System’ to be deployed at the village level.
External Affairs Minister Launched FICCI-SAM Report “India-Japan: Time to Seize New
Opportunities”
Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs launched the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (FICCI-SAM)’s knowledge report
on “India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities” over a virtual platform.
India Launches First Ever Cargo Ferry Vessel “MCP Linz” to Maldives
Minister of State (MoS) (I/C) for shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of Transport and Civil
Aviation of Maldives, Aishath Nahula jointly launched the First Ever Direct Cargo Ferry Service between
India and Maldives. The Ceremony was attended by representatives from Tuticorin and Cochin ports and
Officials from Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) and Foreign Ministry of Maldives.
DBT Launched Programme for “Strengthening Clinical Trial Research Capacity in Neighbouring
Countries”
Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, initiated the first phase
of the “Training program to strengthen clinical trial research capacity for neighbouring countries” in
partnership with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to support researchers and investigator teams for
enhancing and strengthening their clinical trial capabilities in compliance with ICH-GCP (International
Conference on Harmonisation – Good clinical practice).
IEA and NITI Aayog Virtually Launched ‘Special Report on Sustainable Recovery’ Post COVID-19
A ‘Special Report on Sustainable Recovery’ was virtually launched by Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director
of International Energy Agency (IEA) and Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, in
the presence of Piyush Goyal Union Minister of Railways and, Commerce and Industry. The report is part
of IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook series. The report was prepared in cooperation with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). The highlights of the Sustainable Recovery Plan have been set out in
this report for actions to be taken over the next three years (2021-2023).

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Six Major Projects in Uttarakhand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Six Development Projects in Uttarakhand under the
Namami Gange Mission. He also inaugurated the first-of-its-kind “Ganga Avalokan” Museum on River
Ganga at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar. It has been established by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG),
which is the nodal body to implement the ‘Namami Gange’ Programme along with Wildlife Institute of
India (WII). PM Modi released a book ‘Rowing down the Ganges’, it is co-published by NMCG & WII.
FESTIVALS
Sikkim Celebrated Pang Lhabsol: A Festival of Cultural Heritage and Historical Importance
Pang Lhabsol, a festival of cultural heritage and historical importance is one of the most historically and
culturally significant festivals celebrated annually by Sikkim people. This festival is celebrated only in this
state. It commemorates the blessing of Mount Khangchendzonga as the guardian deity of Sikkim.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Inaugurates “Destination North East-2020” Festival
On Occasion of World Tourism Day (27th September, 2020) Union Home Minister Amit Shah (Home
Minister is also the Chairman of North-East Council) inaugurated the “Destination North East-2020”
through video conference. The theme for Destination North East 2020 is “The Emerging Delightful
Destinations”. The four-day festival (27th September – 30th September, 2020) will promote and
showcase the North East’s (NE) tourism, culture, heritage and business.
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays Foundation Stone for Road Projects worth Rs. 777 Crores
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated three important bridges, two
road improvement projects. He laid the foundation stone for four other major bridge projects across the
rivers Wainganga, Bandiya, Perikota and Perimili in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra with an outlay
of Rs. 777 Crores.
Read More Details Here: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays Foundation Stone for Road Projects worth Rs.
777 Crores
MoD inked Contracts Worth Rs 2580 Cr with Indian Companies for Supply of Pinaka Regiments
to Indian Army
Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed contracts with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.
(BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd. (TPCL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for supply of Six Pinaka Regiments
to the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army at an approximate cost of Rs. 2580 Crores. The 6 Pinaka
Regiments comprises of 114 Launchers with Automated Gun Aiming & Positioning System (AGAPS) and
45 Command Posts to be procured from TPCL and M/s L&T and 330 Vehicles to be procured from BEML
and their induction will be completed by 2024.
Coal Ministry organised Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction

Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction was organized by Ministry of Coal and Mines which was
addressed by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi along with Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Coal
and VK Saraswat, Member NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. The objective behind
this webinar was to discuss the road map for achieving the 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification
target by 2030 with investments worth over Rs 4 lakh crores. Notably, a Steering Committee has been
constituted under the chairmanship of VK Saraswat for green initiatives in the coal sector.
ICAI to Come Out with Forensic Accounting, Investigation Standards

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) plans to come out with a detailed set of forensic
accounting and Investigation standards by the end of December 2020. The move will make India the first

country in the world to release a set of standards for Forensic accounting and Investigation. The council
of ICAI has accepted the proposal of Digital Accounting and Assurance Board (DAAB) of ICAI to develop
and issue a set of Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards (FAIS) in India.
Ladakh & Lakshadweep Included in ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme; 26 States/UTs
Connected with the Scheme
The Union Territories (UTs) Ladakh & Lakshadweep have been included in the ‘One Nation-One Ration
Card’ scheme on ‘Integrated Management of Public Distribution System’ (IM-PDS). After the integration
of these two UTs, a total 26 States/UTs Connected with the Scheme and will benefit about 65 crore people.
Ministry of Electronics and Information & Technology Bans 118 Chinese Mobile Apps
Ministry of Electronics and Information & Technology banned 118 Chinese Mobile Applications. The
mobile applications have been banned as they were found to be harmful to the Sovereignty, Integrity,
Defence of India and Public Order. The Government has banned them amidst the border tensions with
China. The apps have been banned under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the
relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of
Information by Public) Rules 2009.
Tripura Receives First Inland Shipping Cargo from Bangladesh under PIWTT
The Daukandi (Bangladesh) – Sonamura (Tripura) Inland Waterway Protocol route has been
operationalized giving further boost to bilateral trade between India-Bangladesh relations under
Protocol for Inland Water Trade & Transit (PIWTT). This is the first ever export consignment from
Bangladesh to Tripura through the inland waterways.
60th Annual Convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers 2020 held Virtually;
Kenichi Ayukawa Appointed as President
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised and hosted its 60th SIAM Annual
Convention 2020 virtually, titled “Re-Building the Nation, Responsibly”. SIAM appointed Kenichi
Ayukawa, MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd appointed as its new President. He succeeds Rajan
Wadhera, Senior Advisor, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. During the event, Union minister Nitin Gadkari
stated that currently India has the 2nd largest road network in the world. Union Environment minister
Prakash Javadekar also addressed the event.
Atal Innovation Mission Partnered with Freshworks Inc., to Empower its Startup Innovators
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog, has partnered with
Freshworks Inc., a customer-engagement software company to provide robust support to innovators and
entrepreneurs in India. AIM has also collaborated with ScooNews, one of India’s largest education media
houses to share and spread inspiring stories of grassroots innovations.
STEPapp Partnered with MoTA to Implement Gamified Learning App in Tribal Schools
Eduisfun Technologies Private Limited’s STEPapp (Student Talent Enhancement Program Application)
received an order from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) to implement its gamified learning
application in the tribal schools across India and to benefit the tribal students and to empower them with
quality education.
PGCIL to become 1st PSU in power sector to undertake asset monetization through InvIT model
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved to monetize state-run Power Grid Corp. of India
Ltd’s (PGCIL) projects that were won through a bidding process. The monetisation of assets of
POWERGRID will be done through the Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model. This is the first

time any PSU in the Power Sector will undertake asset recycling by monetising its assets through the
InvITmodel.
Ministry of Home Affairs Approved to Rename Hubbali Railway Station as Shree Siddharoodha
Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali
The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the long pending demand to rename the Hubbali Railway Station
as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station, Hubbali in Karnataka after Sri Siddharoodha Swami.
Ministry of Education Organises Two-day Conclave on ‘School Education in 21st Century’

The Ministry of Education organised a two-day conclave on the topic ‘School Education in the 21st
Century’ under the Shikshak Parv Initiative on 10th & 11th September, 2020. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi addressed the conclave virtually on 11th September, 2020.
Read More Details Here: Ministry of Education Organises Two-day Conclave on ‘School Education in 21st
Century’
Agriculture Ministry: Targets to Cover 100 Lakh Ha Under Micro Irrigation

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced that the Ministry
has set target to cover 100 lakh Hectares (Ha) under micro irrigation in 5 years while addressing the
webinar on Enhancing Water Use Efficiency and Coverage of Micro Irrigation in Indian Agriculture
organised by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW).
PM Modi holds ‘Svanidhi Samvaad’ with Madhya Pradesh’s street vendors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed street vendors from Madhya Pradesh via video conferencing
through ‘SVANidhi Samvaad’. PM SVANidhi scheme was launched on June 1, 2020, to help poor street
vendors, impacted by coronavirus, to resume livelihood activities. More than 1 lakh street vendors in
Madhya Pradesh have registered under the Scheme in just 2 months. Over 90% of loans under the scheme
are sanctioned by Public Sector Banks. Under the scheme, street vendors of urban areas get collateral-
free loan of up to Rs 10,000 for a period of one year.
eSanjeevani and eSanjeevani OPD implemented by 23 states: Ministry of Health Department

The Central Government has shown its efforts in giving a digital push in the health sector by initiating
two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor
(eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations in 2019. Since then the tele-consultation by ‘eSanjeevani’ has been
implemented by 23 states and other states are in the process of rolling it out. Top five States operating
eSanjeevani are Tamil Nadu (56,346 consultations), Uttar Pradesh (33,325), Andhra Pradesh (29,400),
Himachal Pradesh (26,535) and Kerala (21,433).
Indian Army to get Indigenous Carbines, Anti Air Systems; MoD cancels Import
The Ministry of Defence cancelled two arms import contracts worth over $2.5 Billion (Approximately Rs.
21,500 Crores), which were in final stages of procurement. The decision was taken in a special meeting
chaired by the Defence Secretary, Raj Kumar, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat also attended
the meeting. The orders will now be placed under the Make in India initiative to give a boost to the
domestic industry. The request for Proposal (RfPs) Close Quarter Carbines (CQBs) from a UAE based
company ‘Caracal’ and the program to import Self Propelled Air Defence – Gun Missile Systems (SPAD-
GMS) from South Korean Company ‘Hanwa’ will now be withdrawn.
PM Modi lays Foundation Stone for 9 Highway Projects worth Rs 14, 528 crores in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the Foundation Stone for Nine Highway Projects worth Rs 14, 528
Crores in Bihar through video conference. The project includes making six-lane highways, and three
bridges on rivers. He also laid foundation of ‘Har Gaon Optical Fibre Cable’ for Internet Services to connect

all villages of Bihar. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar
Modi, Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad participated in the virtual meeting.
Read More Details Here: PM Modi lays Foundation Stone for 9 Highway Projects worth Rs 14, 528 crores
in Bihar
Nepal and India begin Joint Security Patrol along Border in Kapilvastu district
The Security forces of Nepal and India have started a joint security patrol at the Nepal-India Border in
Kapilvastu district, Nepal. The patrol has been started with a motive to control the spread of COVID-19
and keep in check the illegal cross-border activities at the Nepal-India Border. The Krishnanagar
Municipality of the Kapilvastu district is a major point of transit along the Nepal-India Border. Nepal
Police, Armed Police Force of Nepal and Seema Suraksha Bal of India began the patrol on borders on 19th
September 2020.
Govt Raised limit for Use of SDRF funds by states from 35% to 50% to tackle COVID situation
State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for COVID-19 specific infrastructure was increased from 35% to
50% to help States with more finances at their disposal to fight the COVID-19. This was announced during
the virtual meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of six states and one Union
Territory with high Covid-19 caseload viz. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
15th CII – EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held Virtually from New Delhi
15th CII-EXIM Bank Digital Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership was held virtually from New
Delhi which was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EXIM (Export-Import) Bank
with the support of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
Government of India. It was initiated in 2005.
One of the First Medical Devices Park to be Set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

In 2019, Central government approved the setting up of 4 medical device parks in Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the lines of the “Make in India” initiative and to provide world-class
products at affordable prices for treatment. In this regard, on September 24, 2020, Chief Minister (CM) of
Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for one of the first medical devices parks in the country,
“MedSpark” at Life Science Park, Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.
PM Narendra Modi addresses Fit India Dialogue on First Anniversary of Fit India Movement
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Fit India Dialogue on the First Anniversary of Fit India
Movement through virtual mode. As part of the event, the Prime Minister interacted with Virat Kohli,
Milind Soman, Rujuta Diwekar, Devendra Jhajharia, and Afshan Ashiq, who shared their life experiences
and fitness Mantras. The Fit India Movement was launched on 29th August, 2019 (National Sports Day).
KRITAGYA (Krishi-Taknik-Gyan) Hackathon of NAHEP under ICAR to Promote Farm

Mechanization
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) announced a hackathon named “KRITAGYA” (Krishi-
Taknik-Gyan) under its National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). The national level
AgTech Hackathon aims to develop and promote women friendly equipment through potential
innovative technological solutions and collaboration with stakeholders to improve the farm
mechanization, productivity and profitability in India.
India’s First RRTS train with Design Speed of 180 kmph Unveiled
The 1st look of India’s first RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) train unveiled by DurgaShanker
Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Chairman, National Capital

Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) during an event. The RRTS train that can attain a top speed of
180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. This first RRTS train will provide its
services to 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS in 2022 after trials. NCRTC is the nodal agency for
executing this first RRTS project of India while the train sets are being manufactured by Bombardier
Transportation India Private Limited.
‘Cable Stayed Bridge’ Constructed across Durgam Cheruvu Lake Inaugurated in Telangana
Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K Taraka Ramarao inaugurated
the cable stayed bridge on Durgam Cheruvu constructed across Durgam Cheruvu Lake along with a four-
lane elevated corridor connecting it with Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad (Telangana) during an event. Union
Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kishan Reddy was the chief guest of the event. Cost of both the
structures together is over Rs 334 crore. It is claimed as the “world’s longest pre-cast segmental span” of
233.85 metres in concrete for a cable stayed bridge.
Rajnath Singh Unveiled DAP 2020 Final Document; Approved Capital Acquisition for Arms &
Equipment worth Rs 2,290cr
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh in New Delhi during which Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)-2020 Document was
released and approval for procurement of various equipment required by the Indian Armed Forces at an
approximate cost of Rs 2,290 crore from Domestic Industry as well as Foreign vendors was also accorded.
Read More Details Here: Rajnath Singh Unveiled DAP 2020 Final Document; Approved Capital Acquisition
for Arms & Equipment worth Rs 2,290cr
Government constitutes Five Ministerial Task Forces to make Indian MSMEs future-ready
Government constituted Five Ministerial Task Forces to make India’s Micro, Small, and Medium
Enterprises better equipped for future and formulating strategies to make India a leading exporter. A K
Sharma, Secretary of Ministry of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises announced it during a virtual session
organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
GOVT SCHEMES
Odisha Government Launches “GARIMA” Social Security Scheme for Sanitary Workers
Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik launched a first-of-its-kind state-wide scheme called “GARIMA”
to ensure the safety and dignity of core sanitation workers of the state. He dedicated the scheme to
Mahatma Gandhi. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development department, Odisha has signed a
Ministry of Understanding (MoU) with not-for-profit organisation Urban Management Centre for
providing the technical support to implement the scheme.
J&K Governor Announces Universal Health Insurance Scheme for All Residents of UT
Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Governor, Manoj Sinha announced Universal Health Insurance Coverage Scheme
for all residents of the Union Territory at an annual expenditure of Rs 123 Crores. The scheme will have
the same benefits as the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Through the scheme which is the first of its kind in
the country, beneficiaries can avail cashless treatment at all hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat
Scheme across the country.
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy Launched ‘YSR Aasara’ scheme for Women
Empowerment
As a step to empower women economically and socially, YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh(AP), launched ‘YSR Aasara’ scheme. Under the scheme, AP government will reimburse

outstanding bank loans of women Self-Help Groups (SHG) as on April 11, 2019 into their accounts directly
in four phases. YSR Aasara is a part of the Navaratna welfare schemes.
PMGKP for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 Extended as 6 Months Insurance Scheme
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme for Health Workers who are
fighting against COVID-19 has been extended as 6 months’ scheme, i.e., 180 days. The central sector
scheme was announced on March 30, 2020 for a period of 90 days, it was extended for further 90 days
i.e. up to Sept, 2020. The Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme is a part of the Rs 1.70 lakh Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Package announced in March 2020.
Read More Details Here: PMGKP for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 Extended as 6 Months Insurance
Scheme
Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa Launched ‘Arthika Spandana’ Loan Disbursal Scheme

B.S. Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka has launched ‘Arthika Spandana’ programme to disburse
loans of Rs 39,300 crore through various cooperative institutions. Under this scheme, Rs 15,300 crore
will be disbursed to the agriculture sector and the remaining sum of Rs 24,000 will be earmarked for the
non-agricultural sector.
Gujarat Govt Announced Subsidy Schemes for E-Scooters, Rickshaws

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced subsidy schemes for electric two-wheelers and e-
rickshaws during a virtual programme on climate change to commemorate the founding day of the state
climate change department. This announcement was also a part of “Panchsheel gift” of five development
schemes in Gujarat to celebrate the 70th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under this scheme,
Students will get a subsidy of Rs 12,000 each to buy e-scooters.
Read More Details Here: Gujarat Govt Announced Subsidy Schemes for E-Scooters, Rickshaws
Gujarat CM Launched Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY) scheme to Provide

Interest-Free Loans to Women’s Groups
Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY), a scheme of providing interest-free loans of Rs 1 lakh to
women’s groups was launched in Gujarat by its Chief Minister (CM) Vijay Rupani. In this regard, the
government is planning to provide total lending up to Rs 1,000 crore to these groups to be registered as
joint liability and earning group (JLEG) consisting of 10 women members. The scheme will be
implemented in rural areas by the Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company, while in urban areas it will be
implemented by the Gujarat Urban Livelihood Mission.
MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launched Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojna on lines of PM-Kisan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP) launched the “Mukhyamantri Kisan
Kalyan Yojna” in line with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Scheme of the central
government. Under this scheme annually Rs.4000 will be transferred to the accounts of around 175000
farmers of MP in two equal installments in addition to the Rs.6000 annually transferred to the farmers
under the PM-Kisan Scheme. This will enable the farmers of MP to get samman nidhi of Rs.10000 per
year.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
6th International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2020 held in Russia; Indian Pavilion
Inaugurated
The 6th International Military - Technical Forum “Army-2020” was held between August 23-29, 2020 at
the Patriot Park near Moscow, Russia which was organized by Russian Defence Ministry and operated by
International Congresses and Exhibitions Ltd. During the forum, Indian Pavilion was inaugurated by
Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma.
Note: The first regiment of S-400 anti-air system by Russia will be delivered to India by the end of 2021.
BRICS Sports Ministers Approve MoU for Cooperation in the field of Physical Culture and Sport
The First Meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) Sports Ministers under the
Russian BRICS Chairmanship took place through video conference. The BRICS Sports Ministers signed a
MoU to strengthen and develop the cooperation in the field of physical culture and sport within the BRICS
members.
Japan extends Emergency Loan of JPY 50 Billion for India to Fight Covid-19 Pandemic
Japan extended an Emergency Support Loan of up to 50 Billion Japanese Yen (Approximately Rs 3, 500
Crore) to help India’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The financial support will support India’s
implementation of health, medical policies and development of hospitals equipped with ICUs. This is the
largest amount of financial assistance announced by any country to support India’s response to the Covid-
19 crisis.
India-Japan-Australia to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region

India, Japan and Australia agreed to launch a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in the
Indo-Pacific region. The initiative will help in building a resilient supply chain with focus on free,
transparent trade & investment environment in the region. The initiative was proposed by Japan and will
aim to reduce the dependency on China and counter its dominance on trade.
UNICEF to Lead Global Procurement, supply of COVID Vaccines

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be leading the procurement and supply of COVID-19
Vaccines to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses of Vaccines, when
they are available. The procurement and distribution will involve 170 Economies, and has the potential
to make it the Largest and Fastest ever kind of operation. UNICEF will collaborate with Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), to lead efforts for procuring and supplying doses of COVID-19 vaccines on
behalf of the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility for 92 low and lower middle-income countries.
India, France, Australia hold 1st Trilateral Dialogue on Economic, Strategic Challenges in Indo-
Pacific
The first trilateral dialogue between foreign secretaries from India, France and Australia was held
virtually to discuss geo-strategic challenges, enhancing cooperation and to build strong bilateral relations
between the trio to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The
meeting was co-chaired by India’s foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Secretary-General of the
Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Francois Delattre; Australian Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade Secretary, Frances Adamson.
73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region held Virtually

The 73rd session of WHO (World Health Organization) South East Asia Region (SEAR) was hosted
virtually by Thailand from Bangkok under the Chairmanship of Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of Health, Thailand where Indian side was represented by Union Minister Dr. Harsh
Vardhan, Minister for Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
Read More Details Here: 73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region held Virtually
74th Session of the UN General Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace held virtually
The 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace
which was convened by its President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and addressed by UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres on the theme “The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID-
19”. Apart from the above mentioned main event, a side event titled “Education, Covid-19 and the Culture
of Peace” was also organized by the renowned US Think Tank the International Peace Institute (IPI).
MoS for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, Participates in 27th ASEAN Regional Forum
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan participated in the online meeting of the
Foreign Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) under
the Chairmanship of Vietnam. During the 27th ARF meeting, the Ministers exchanged views on
International and regional issues. India will co-chair the ASEAN Regional forum on port securities and
United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).
India, Afghanistan become Members of UN’s Commission on Status of Women

India & Afghanistan were elected as Members of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Status of
Women, a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Commission on the Status of Women
is a UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. India will be a member of the
UN’s Commission on Status of Women for four years from 2021-2025. Also, The year 2020 marks the
25th Anniversary of the famous Beijing World Conference on Women (1995).
10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) held Virtually between India and U.S
The 10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) was held between India and US virtually
through a video conference. The aim of the DTTI group is to bring focus on bilateral defense trade
relationship and to create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defense equipment.
India Joined Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment as Observer

On the lines of the high level meeting of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA)
held virtually on 26 August 2020, India has joined the DCOC/JA Amendment, as Observer in order to
collaborate with DCOC/JA member states towards for enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean
Region (IOR). With this, India joins Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US)
as Observers to the DCOC/JA.
Mexico Became the First Country to Issue 7-year Sovereign SDG Bond worth $890m
Mexico became the first country in the world to inaugurate sustainable financing program for the
achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by issuing a seven-year Sovereign SDGs Bond
worth USD 890 million under its new “SDG Sovereign Bond Framework” developed with investment bank
Natixis, located in Paris, France. The Mexico government has invited the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) for partnership in the initiative.
India & Bangladesh to Resume Joint Coordinated Border Patrol to Prevent Criminal Activities
At the 50th Director General (DG) level conference between India and Bangladesh, both the countries
have agreed to share real time intelligence on the smuggling syndicates, both the countries agreed to
resume the joint coordinated border patrol and the list of smugglers to control and prevent criminal
activities and other problems and to ensure the peace and security in the Indo-Bangladesh borders. The

4-day conference was held from 16th September 2020 to 19th September 2020 which concluded in
Dhaka, Bangladesh The 6-member Border Security Force (BSF) delegation was led by DG Rakesh Asthana.
India extends USD 250 mn support to Maldives amid Covid-19; routed through Treasury bonds
subscription by SBI
India provided a financial assistance of USD 250 million (Indian Rupees of around 1837 crores) at
favourable terms to the Government of Maldives in the form of symbolic cheque which was handed over
by the High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid during
an event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives. This soft loan has 10 years’ tenure for
repayment and a very low interest rate.
India delivers Two Modern DMUC Trains to Nepal Railways

Konkan Railways handed over two modern Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DMUC) trains to Nepal Railways
for the Jaynagar-Kurtha Broad Gauge Line. The Rails will run between Jaynagar (Bihar) and Kurtha in
Dhanusa district from December, 2020.
Greenhouse Emissions to add 15 inches to global sea level rise by 2100: NASA-led study
According to the “Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6)” by NASA’s (National Aeronautics
and Space Administration) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland (United States) which
has been done on the lines of the projection in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC)
2019 Special Report on Oceans and the Cryosphere, there will be more than 38 centimetres (15 inches)
rise in global sea-level rise by 2100 due to the melting of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets driven by
continuous greenhouse emissions.
India-UK Water Partnership Forum held Virtually on Water Conservation

India-UK Water Partnership Forum was held virtually to discuss ways to collaborate on the issues
pertaining to infrastructure development and water conservation. During the meeting, delegations from
India and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ganga and the British water.
Airports Authority of India Commenced Work on Airport Expansion Project in Maldives

On the request of the Government of Maldives, the Government of India has decided to support the
Hanimaadhoo International Airport expansion project under the USD 800 million Line of Credit from
EXIM (Export-Import) Bank of India. on September 23, 2020, AAI commenced work on the Detailed
Project Report (DPR) for this project, which will be prepared in 2 months. It is one of the largest
infrastructure and connectivity projects in northern Maldives.
India Provided 1.54 billion NR as Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance in Nepal

On 22nd September, 2020, Ms. Namgya Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of India, handed
over cheques worth NPR (Nepalese Rupees) 1.54 billion (about INR 96 crore) to Mr. Sishir Kumar
Dhungana, Secretary, Ministry of Finance of Nepal towards housing & school sector assistance.
Read More Details Here: India Provided 1.54 billion NR as Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance in
Nepal
MUI Collaborates with UN to help Indian sailors struck on ships

Maritime Union of India (MUI) has collaborated with the United Nations to assist seafarers who are
stranded on ships due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Through the Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT), MUI
will provide round-the-clock advice, counselling and assistance to Indian seafarers and their family
members. The Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT) was established by the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) to help resolve individual cases of seafarers.

Data of COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker by UNDP & UN Women Released
In accordance with the data released from the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker, which is co-
created by the United Nations (UN) Women and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), only
1 in 8 countries have measures in place to shield women and girls from COVID-19 pandemic effects. The
Global Gender Response Tracker analyses more than 2,500 measures across 206 countries and territories
under the three categories of addressing gender-based violence, supporting unpaid care, and
strengthening women’s economic security.
VISITS
FOREIGN VISIT
Overview of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visit to Russia from September 3-5, 2020; SCO
Defence Ministers Meet Held
The Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) paid a 3 days’ visit to Moscow, Russia from
September 3-5, 2020 to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence
ministers and to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral
defence cooperation.
 Rajnath holds talks with Russian counterpart; AK-47 203 rifles deal finalized between both nations
 Rajnath visits Russian armed forces’ main cathedral in Moscow
 Rajnath Singh addressed Combined Meeting of Defence Ministers of SCO, CSTO & CIS Member States
in Moscow
Read More Details Here: Overview of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visit to Russia from September 3-5,
2020; SCO Defence Ministers Meet Held
Overview of S Jaishankar visit to Russia from Sept 8- 11, 2020 to Attends SCO Foreign Ministers
in Moscow
Union Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had a 4-day visit to Russia from September
8-11, 22 to attend the SCO-CFM (Council of Foreign Ministers) Meeting in Moscow.
Read More Details Here: Overview of S Jaishankar visit to Russia from Sept 8- 11, 2020 to Attends SCO
Foreign Ministers in Moscow
BANKING & FINANCE

RBI IN NEWS
RBI Announced Additional OMO of Rs 20,000 Cr to Ensure Orderly Market Conditions; HTM
raised to 22% from 19.5%
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced measures in order to ensure orderly market conditions and
congenial financial conditions. In this regard Reserve Bank will conduct additional special open market
operations (OMO) involving the simultaneous purchase and sale of Government securities for Rs 20,000
crore in two tranches of Rs 10,000 crore each on September 10 and September 17 in 2020. The RBI also
increased the held to maturity limit (HTM) or the amount that banks invest in G-secs from 19.5% to 22%.
Read More Details Here: RBI Announced Additional OMO of Rs 20,000 Cr to Ensure Orderly Market
Conditions; HTM raised to 22% from 19.5%
RBI Releases Revised Priority Sector Lending Guidelines: Sept. 2020

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reviewed the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Guidelines to align it with
emerging national priorities amid COVID-19 impact. In this regard, new categories are included under
priority sector for financing viz. start-ups (up to Rs 50 crore); loans to farmers for installation of solar

power plants for solarisation of grid connected agriculture pumps and loans for setting up Compressed
Bio Gas (CBG) plants. Notably, the credit limit for renewable energy, health infrastructure (including
those under ‘Ayushman Bharat’) has also been doubled.
FIDC Requested RBI to Review New Current Account Rules; Concerns on Routing All
Transactions through CC/OD
The umbrella body for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), Finance Industry Development Council
(FIDC) requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to review the current account circular dated August 6,
2020 which stated that no bank is allowed to open current accounts for the customer who availed credit
facilities in the form of cash and credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) from the banking system.
Read More Details Here: FIDC Requested RBI to Review New Current Account Rules; Concerns on
Routing All Transactions through CC/OD
RBI Accepted Kamath Panel Recommendations; Specifies Parameters for Loan Restructuring
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) specified five financial ratios and sector-specific thresholds for resolution of
COVID-19-related stressed assets in 26 sectors on the basis of the recommendations of an expert
committee under the chairmanship Kundapur Vaman Kamath, which was formulated by RBI in August
2020 to set a parameters and benchmarks for stressed assets that need rescuing. These five ratios are:
Total outside liabilities/adjusted tangible net worth (TOL/ATNW), total debt/EBITDA, current ratio, debt
service coverage ratio (DSCR), average debt service coverage ratio (ADSCR).
Read More Details Here: RBI Accepted Kamath Panel Recommendations; Specifies Parameters for Loan
Restructuring
RBI Lays Down Guidelines for Banks to Appoint Chief Compliance Officers: September 2020
In order to ensure uniformity and effective management of compliance risk in banking sector, on
September 11, 2020, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) laid down guidelines for “Compliance Functions in
Banks and Role of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)” stating appointment and tenure of chief compliance
officer (CCO), policy (which should be reviewed at least once a year), and reporting requirements and
duties of the compliance function, among others. CCO should be appointed for a minimum fixed period of
three years with age not more than 55 years.
RBI Mandate Banks to Fully Automate NPA Recognition Process by June 30, 2021
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued circular advising banks to switch to automatic identification of non-
performing assets (NPAs), using appropriate IT (information technology) systems, from manual
identification for regulatory reporting and bank’s own management information system (MIS)
requirements. Concerning this, on September 14, 2020, RBI issued a notification mandating banks to
complete the automation of bad-loan recognition and provisioning processes by June 30, 2021.
RBI Issued Draft Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions: September 2020
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued Draft Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions,
2020 under Section 45 W of the RBI Act, 1934 to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake
exchange-traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of Rs 5,000
crore. The RBI has sought comment on these directions by October 15, 2020.
RBI Released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative Banks – 2020-
2023”
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative
Banks (UCBs) – 2020-2023”. It aims to enhance the cyber security in the Urban Co-operative banking
sector against the growing Information Technology (IT) and cyber threat environment. Based on the
inputs from diverse stakeholders, the technology vision document was formalised.

RBI to Initiate Positive Pay system for Cheques above Rs 50,000 from Jan 1, 2021: September
2020
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a directive under Section 10 (2) read with Section 18 of Payment
and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007) stating an introduction of Positive Pay System for
Cheque Truncation System (CTS) for banks in order to check fraud. It will be implemented from January
01, 2021. This will be developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); this system will
require re-confirmation of key details for payments beyond Rs 50,000. It should be noted that the usage
of Positive Pay System is at the choice of account holder; however, banks may make it mandatory in case
of cheques for amounts of Rs 5 lakh and above.
BANKING TECHNOLOGY
Bank of India launched “Signature Visa Debit Card” for High Net Worth Individuals
The Mumbai based Bank of India (BoI) has launched an international contactless debit card, “Signature
Visa Debit Card” for high net worth individuals who are maintaining an average quarterly balance of Rs
10 lakhs and above.
ICICI Bank Launched “iStartup 2.0”, a Comprehensive Banking Programme for Startups
ICICI Bank launched its comprehensive banking programme for the Start-ups named “iStartup 2.0” which
will support the requirements of the start-ups like regulatory assistance, analytics, staffing, acquisition
and digital outreach of customers.
SBI to Launch ‘SAFAL’, a Loan product for Organic Cotton Growers

C.S. Setty, Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of India (SBI) informed that SBI will launch a loan
product called SAFAL (Safe and Fast Agriculture Loan) during a Fintech conference organised by
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). SAFAL is primarily focused on organic
cotton growers who do not have any credit history.
Titan and SBI launched Titan Pay, India’s 1st Contactless Payment Watches
Titan Company Limited, one of the world’s 5th largest watch manufacturers associated with TATA Group,
in collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) introduced Titan Pay, powered by YONO (You Only Need
One) SBI. Through this partnership, Titan and SBI are launching a range of stylish new watches with
contactless payment functionality for the 1st time in India.
DBS Bank India Unveiled Online Credit Solutions Platform, ‘DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs’
DBS Bank India Ltd launched an online credit solutions platform, ‘DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs’
to provide loans for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) businesses in a convenient manner with
credit facility up to Rs 20 crore. This segment-flagship platform facilitates access to business credit across
the entire spectrum of micro, small and medium enterprises. Note: Global Finance, the New York-based
financial publication, has named DBS as ‘Best Bank in the World’ for the 2nd time in 3 years in its World’s
Best Global Banks 2020 Awards.
IDFC First Bank to Launch 1st of its kind Digital Facility, “SafePay” for Contactless Debit Card-
Based Payment
IDFC First Bank announced that it will launch ‘SafePay’, a digital facility. It enables contactless debit card
payments by waving a smartphone against a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled Point of Sale
(POS) terminal. It is the 1st such facility which is made available in an integrated mobile banking app.

HDFC Launched India’s 1st Warehouse Commodity Finance App
HDFC Bank launched India’s first Warehouse Commodity Finance App. The app will help customers to
draw down and manage the loan against the pledge of commodities online without physical intervention
or multiple visits to a bank branch. This will bring improved efficiencies and time savings for the agri
value chain.
LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS

LOANS ISSUED BY RECEIVED BY AMOUNT KEY NOTES
State bank of India (SBI) Vedanta Rs.10000 crore Vedanta announced the tie up for a long-
term syndicated loan facility for Rs.10000
crore with State bank of India (SBI) as
facility agent and SBICAP Trustee
Company Limited (SBICTCL), a wholly
owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Market
Limited (SBICAP) as the security trustee
with door to door tenor of 7 years. As a
lender State Bank of India (SBI) has
committed Rs. 5000 crore. Note:
Syndicated loan is a loan offered by a
group of lenders to provide credit to a
large borrower.
KfW IPEX-Bank Srei Equipment € 10-million To facilitate German exports to India, KfW
Finance Limited (about Rs 87 IPEX-Bank has financed € 10-million
(SEFL) crore) (about Rs 87 crore) loan to Srei
Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL), a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Srei
Infrastructure Finance Limited (Srei). The
financing is backed by cover from Euler
Hermes.
World Bank Himachal Pradesh $82 million The State Government of Himachal
Pradesh and World Bank signed a $82
million (approximately Rs. 600 Crores)
loan deal to support Himachal Pradesh
strengthen its transport and road safety
institutions by improving the condition,
safety, resilience, and engineering
standards of the state’s road network.
The loan from the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD),
has a final maturity of 15 years including
a grace period of five years.
Asian Development Bank India $500 million Government of India (GoI) and Asian
(ADB) Development Bank (ADB) signed a $500
million loan agreement for the Delhi-
Meerut RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit
System) Investment Project. This modern,
high-speed 82-km Delhi-Meerut, Uttar
Pradesh RRTS corridor, a first of its kind
in India, will improve regional

connectivity and mobility in the national
capital region (NCR).
Asian Development ENGIE group $65.5 million As a part of Asian Development Bank’s
Bank’s (ADB) (ADB) ongoing support to India’s
renewable energy sector, a long term loan
agreement of Rs 4.66 billion (about $65.5
million) was inked between ADB and the
ENGIE group to construct and operate a
200MW alternating current solar
photovoltaic-based power plant at
Raghanesda Solar Park in Gujarat.
Asian Development Bank Suguna Foods $15 million In order to help sustain poultry farming
(ADB) Private Limited operations, rural livelihoods and food
security in India during the COVID-19
pandemic, Asian Development Bank
(ADB) has signed an agreement for USD
($) 15 million debt financing through the
subscription of nonconvertible
debentures for Suguna Foods Private
Limited (Suguna), one of India’s largest
poultry broiler enterprises, in equivalent
Indian rupees. It aligns with the National
Action Plan for Egg and Poultry and with
the $20 billion response package of ADB
to COVID-19.
Asian Development Bank Rajasthan and USD 570 Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
Madhya Pradesh million approved two loans worth USD 570
million (about Rs 4,200 crore) for urban
sector projects in Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh. (i) ADB has approved a USD 300
million loan to develop Rajasthan’s
secondary towns by financing inclusive
water supply and sanitation
infrastructure and services. (ii) ADB also
approved an additional financing of USD
270 million loan for construction of water
supply and integrated storm water and
sewage management infrastructure in
Madhya Pradesh.
OTHER BANKING NEWS

European Investment Bank to Invest € 650 Million in Kanpur’s 1st City Metro Line
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest 650 million Euro in the construction of Kanpur’s (Uttar
Pradesh) 1st city metro line. The 32.4 km urban rail line, with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations
is EIB’s 2nd biggest operation outside the European Union (EU) till date. Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail
Corporation Ltd (UPMRC) is the Promoter-Financial intermediary for this project.

RBL Bank in Partnership with Empays Payment Systems Launched Cardless Cash Withdrawal
Facility from ATMs through IMT System
RBL Bank has launched a card-less cash withdrawal facility from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs),
through the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) system in partnership with Empays Payment Systems India
Pvt Ltd. A Customer to avail the service must log into the RBL’s ‘MoBank (Mobile Banking) app’ in order
to locate an ATM that supports the IMT. The IMT Payment system is the world’s largest card-less ATM
system.
Federal Bank & Innoviti Partnered to provide Affordable Options of Federal Bank Debit Cards
by Innoviti POS terminals
To provide convenient and affordable options of Federal Bank Debit Cards through Innoviti Point of Sale
(POS)terminals, the Federal Bank and Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd(Innoviti) have entered into a
partnership, which will offer Equated Monthly Installments(EMIs) options to over 7.5 million Federal
Bank Debit Card holders at over 70,000 Innoviti POS terminals across 1000 cities.
ICICI Lombard inks bancassurance tie up with Yes Bank for selling insurance products
ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Lombard Insurance Company Ltd has
entered into a Bancassurance tie-up with Yes Bank to sell its insurance products. Through this agreement,
ICICI Lombard aims to offer innovative insurance solutions to Yes Bank’s Customers across 28 States and
8 Union Territories.
SBI General Insurance and YES Bank Signed Corporate Agency Agreement
SBI General Insurance Company Ltd and YES Bank signed a corporate agency agreement to distribute the
products of SBI General Insurance to the customers of YES bank across India (28 states and 8 Union
Territories).
Canara Bank Introduced i-Lead 2.0 to Enhance Customer Services

In order to provide its services regardless of where the customers reside, Canara Bank has launched a
Lead Management System (LMS) – i-Lead 2.0 (Inspiring Leads System version 2.0). It will help the bank
to build and sustain business relationships with new customers and existing customers of the bank.
KVGB Launched Vikas Laghu Suvarna, a Special Gold Loan Scheme

Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) launched Vikas Laghu Suvarna, a special gold loan scheme with
a reduced interest rate of 7.25%. The bank has slashed the interest rate to provide easy and affordable
credit at cheap cost to the customers in need, considering the pandemic situation in the country.
SBI Started Women Self-Reliance Programme in Assam

State Bank of India (SBI) initiated “Mahila Atmanirbharshil Aachani (Women Self-Reliance programme)”
in Assam on the lines of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to accelerate Self Help Group (SHG) finance in
a mission mode. In this regard, SBI branches of Assam sanctioned 856 SHGs sponsored by NRLM with
financial outlay of Rs. 38 crores.
SBI Life Insurance Signs Bancassurance Pact with YES Bank

State Bank of India (SBI) Life Insurance signed a bancassurance agreement with YES Bank to provide a
range of insurance solutions to the customers of YES Bank across the nation.
Bandhan Bank Initiated Emerging Entrepreneurs Business (EEB) Vertical to Help Entrepreneurs
The Kolkata headquartered Bandhan Bank has set up a new vertical called Emerging Entrepreneurs
Business (EEB) to assist this segment in becoming entrepreneurs to support the emerging needs of the

unbanked and underbanked segment of customers. In this regard, the bank has appointed Kumar Ashish
as the Executive President and Head to lead EEB.
HDFC Life, Yes Bank enter into Corporate Agency Arrangement

HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) Life and Yes Bank entered into a Corporate Agency
Arrangement (CA). As part of the arrangement, HDFC Life will provide a diverse range of insurance
products to customers of Yes Bank.
Fino Payments Bank with Fintech Partners Introduced NFC-based Contactless Payments
Solution for Mass Transport
Fino Payments Bank Limited in association with fintech partners has introduced Near Field
Communication (NFC)-based contactless payments solution for mass transit systems, particularly for
state bus transport services in India. It was developed by Fino Payments Bank in partnership with fintech
firms like City Cash.
Axis Bank Partners with Bayer’s Better Life Farming Initiative in India
Axis Bank Ltd, India’s third largest private sector bank, partnered with Bayer’s Better Life Farming (BLF)
initiative in India to provide enhanced and comprehensive financial solutions to smallholder farmers and
rural farming communities. Bayer’s Best Livelihood Agricultural Centers will provide the solution, which
are owned and operated by a Farmer Producer Organization(FPO), Federation, agri-graduate or a local
farmer / entrepreneur.
Vakrangee Ltd gets RBI nod to setup Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval for Vakrangee Ltd to set up Bharat Bill
Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) to handle payment services related to bills. It has received the
authorisation under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
IDBI Bank Became the first Bank to Enable Document Embedding Feature on SFMS Managed by
IFTAS
Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) become the first to implement the new feature of document
embedding facility with Letter of Credit (LC) / Bank Guarantee (BG) messages over SFMS (Structured
Financial Messaging System) platform of Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS)
through its middleware application i@Connect-SFMS (CSFMS) developed by IDBI Intech Limited. This
new feature of “document embedding” provides banks with the functionality of transmitting a “pdf”
document up to 1MB size along with the LC / BG messages.
SIDBI Partnered with CRIF High Mark to Launch Sector-Based Insight Reports, ‘Industry
Spotlight’
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) partnered with CRIF High Mark Credit Information
Services (CRIF High Mark), a leading Indian credit bureau owned by CRIF to launch ‘Industry Spotlight’,
a quarterly report based on Industry sectors/ clusters, with focus on MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises). It provides data and trends on key industry sectors in each edition.
FINANCE NEWS
LazyPay Launched 1st of its Kind Digital Credit Card, ‘LazyUPI’, a Combination of UPI & Buy-Now-
Pay-Later Concept
LazyPay, a part of PayU Finance has launched ‘LazyUPI’, a first of its kind digital credit card that combines
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the Buy-Now-Pay-Later concept. The offering allows the users to

access the real-time credit using UPI across omnichannel networks, which includes offline merchants and
e-commerce platforms.
Mahindra Finance Enters Online Insurance Broking; to Launch a portal, PayBima

Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd (Mahindra Insurance Brokers), a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra
Financial Services Limited (Mahindra Finance), which enter into an online insurance broking business to
provide digital services to the customers of its insurance brokerage through ‘PayBima’, a portal which
said to be launched soon.
PayU Finance Launches First-of-its-kind Digital Revolving Credit Line called ‘LazyPlus’
PayU Finance, India’s leading alternative lending platform, has launched the first-of-its-kind digital
revolving credit line called ‘LazyPlus’, which combines power of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and
Buy-Now-Pay-Later concept.
SBI Mutual Fund Launched SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund (Investment Plan)
SBI Mutual Fund launched SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund (Investment Plan), an open-ended fund
for parents to invest for their children. SBI Magnum Children’s Benefit Fund has already offering savings
plan, a predominantly debt-oriented offering. The New Fund Offer (NFO) is open for subscription from
September 8 and will close on September 22, 2020.
Mastercard Launches Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) Testing Platform

Mastercard launched Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), a Virtual Testing Environment for Central
Banks to Assess and Explore National Digital Currencies. The Mastercard has invited Central Banks,
Commercial Banks and tech and advisory firms to evaluate the suitability of CBDCs in a country or region.
The testing platform will allow central banks to evaluate use cases and test roll-out strategies for CBDCs
by simulating a CBDC ecosystem.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Partnered with NSDL Payments Bank to offer insurance products
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Prudential Life) has entered into a corporate
agency agreement with NSDL Payments Bank, a subsidiary of NSDL (National Securities Depository Ltd),
the 1st and largest depository in India.
SEBI Modified Multi-Cap Mutual Funds Category

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) publicized a partially modified portfolio structure for
multi-cap mutual funds category through a circular stating minimum investment in equity & equity
related instruments and definition of large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap. With regard to this, Asset
Management Company (AMC) will now have to invest at least 25% of their portfolios across large-cap,
mid cap and small cap companies each.
Read More Details Here: SEBI Modified Multi-Cap Mutual Funds Category
ICICI Home Finance Launched “Apna Ghar Dreamz” Home Loan Scheme for Skilled Labours in
Delhi
The ICICI Home Finance launched “Apna Ghar Dreamz”, its new home loan scheme for skilled labourers
like electricians, mechanics, painters, grocery store owners etc in the informal sector of Delhi. The credit
amount of this loan ranges from Rs 2. lakh to 50 lakhs.
Bajaj Finserv Launched “Bajaj Finserv Health Ltd (BFHL)”, Health Tech Solutions Business
The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Bajaj Finserv stepped into the healthcare sector by
launching health tech solutions business “Bajaj Finserv Health Ltd (BFHL)” as its fully-owned subsidiary.

This new venture will offer “Aarogya Care” an industry-first product, providing preventive, personalised,
prepaid health care packages.
SBI Card Launches New Brand Campaign ‘Contactless Connections’

SBI Card launched ‘Contactless Connections’, a new brand campaign. The campaign spreads the message
that sharing of love and care is possible even during this difficult period (COVID-19) where social
distancing is the norm. This campaign is in continuation of the SBI card’s brand campaign “Ghar Mein
Khushiyaan”.
LIC, GIC & New India Assurance Identified as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers for
2020-21: IRDAI
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has identified Life Insurance
Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and The New India Assurance
Co. Ltd. (NIACL) as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for 2020-21. IRDAI annually
identifies D-SIIs and publishes the names of these insurers for public information.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS

GDP & GROWTH RATE
ORGANIZATION YEAR RATE
National Statistical Office (NSO) April-June quarter of 2020 Contract by 23.9%
In accordance with the official data released
by the National Statistical Office (NSO),
Union ministry of statistics and programme
implementation (MoSPI) on August 31,
2020, India’s gross domestic product (GDP)
contract by 23.9% (ie. -23.9%) in April-June
period quarter of 2020 due to downfall in
businesses and livelihood amid COVID-19
pandemic induced nationwide lockdown
restrictions.
State Bank of India’s (SBI) FY21 Shrink around 10.9%
The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Ecowrap
report estimated that the real Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) for FY21 is
expected to shrink by around 10.9% (-
10.9%), a decline of full year growth, against
its earlier estimate of 6.8%.
Fitch Ratings FY21 Contraction of 10.5%
According to Fitch Ratings’ Global Economic
Outlook (GEO) India’s economy will see a
contraction of 10.5% in the FY21 from a
contraction of 5% estimated earlier due to
continued spread of the virus and imposition
of shutdowns across the country that has
disrupted economic activity. For FY21-22,
Indian economy will grow 11%, while for
2022-23 growth will 6%.

India Ratings and Research FY21 Contract by 11.8%
(Ind-Ra) India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra),
domestic rating agency projects India’s GDP
(Gross Domestic Product) growth to
contract by 11.8% (-11.8%), from earlier -
5.3%. The rating agency also expects India’s
GDP to rebound and grow at 9.9% year-on-
year in FY22 primarily due to the weak base
of FY21.
Goldman Sachs FY21 Contracted to 14.8%
In accordance with the American brokerage
Goldman Sachs, Indian economy is the
worst-hit among major economies as its
gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for
FY21 is contracted to 14.8% from 11.8%
estimated earlier. This forecast is the most
pessimistic (defeatist) one among all the
analysts till now. For FY22 the GDP is
estimated to clock a 15.7% growth.
CRISIL FY21 Contract by 9%
The latest report of the rating agency CRISIL
projects India’s real GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) growth to contract by 9% (-9%) in
FY21 (2020-2021) as COVID-19 infections
are yet to peak and theG20 government is
not providing adequate direct fiscal support.
CARE Ratings Limited FY 21 Contract by 8.0 – 8.2%
The latest report for revised GDP forecast FY
21 by CARE Ratings Limited-CARE (formerly
Credit Analysis and Research Limited)
projected India’s GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) to contract by 8.0 – 8.2% (-8.0% to
-8.2%) in FY 21. Earlier in July, 2020 the
rating agency had projected that India’s GDP
will contract by 6.4% (-6.4%) in FY21.
Moody’s FY 21 Contraction of 11.5%
Ratings agency Moody’s projected a
contraction of 11.5% in India’s economic
growth in FY20-21 amid COVID-19 in
comparison to (-) 4% estimated earlier. On
the other hand, the agency predicted a
rebound in India’s economic growth to
10.6% in the next fiscal year (FY22) on a
strong base in comparison to 8.7% earlier.
S&P Global Ratings FY21 Contraction of 9%
S&P (Standard & Poor’s) Global Ratings
projected a contraction of 9% in India’s
gross domestic product (GDP) in FY21 in
comparison to previous estimate of 5%
contraction.

Asian Development Bank FY2020-2021 Contract 9%
According to “Asian Development Outlook
(ADO) 2020 Update-September 2020” by
Asian Development Bank (ADB), India’s GDP
(gross domestic product) growth will
contract 9% in FY2020-2021 due to COVID-
19 induced slowed economic activity. On the
other hand, it forecasted a strong recovery
with GDP to grow by 8% in FY2021-22 as
mobility and business activities resume
more widely.
OECD FY20-21 Contract by 10.2%
As per the report ‘OECD (Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development)
Interim Economic Assessment Coronavirus:
Living with uncertainty’, September 2020
India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for
FY20-21 is projected to contract by 10.2% (-
10.2%). The report also projected a sharp
bounce back to 10.7% growth in the next
fiscal year for India with similar high figures
for other countries in 2021. China is the only
G20 economy with positive growth.
Finance Ministry FY22 Grow by 19%
Krishnamurthy Subramanian, chief
economic advisor in the finance ministry,
Government of India informed that as per
the estimate of finance ministry, India’s
nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
expected to grow by 19% in FY22 (2021-22)
on a low base.
ICRA FY21 Contraction of 11%
Domestic rating agency ICRA (formerly
Investment Information and Credit Rating
Agency) further downgraded India’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) estimate with a
contraction of 11% in FY21 (2020-21) in
comparison to the earlier contraction of
9.5%.
ECONOMY NEWS
NSDC, LinkedIn partner to impart free digital skills training
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and LinkedIn announced a partnership to provide access
to free learning resources for imparting digital skills to youth for enhancing employability. According to
LinkedIn, Indian professionals with digital skills are 20 percent more in demand than professionals
without digital skills in 2020.
WE HUB Partners with NutriHub to Promote Women Entrepreneurs in Agri Sector

WE HUB, India’s first State led incubator for women led start-ups, under the Government of Telangana
partnered with NutriHub, first of its kind incubator to provide the needs of the start-ups in the nutricereal

sector, to support women entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector in both urban and rural areas. NutriHub
is a Technology Business Incubator supported by the Department of Science & Technology(DST) and
hosted by ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad.
SBI Modernized its Payment Switching System using ACI’s Retail Payments Solution
ACI Worldwide (ACI), a global provider of real-time digital payment software and solutions has
modernized payments infrastructure of State Bank of India (SBI)’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and
Point-of-Sale (POS). Modernization was done using ACI’s enterprise-class Retail Payments solution.
Razorpay Launched Cash Advance, Collateral Free LOC to Increase MSME Cash Flow
Razorpay, leading financial solutions company launched its tech-enabled services “Cash Advance” – a
collateral free line of credit for businesses to support and recover the cash flow of the capital of Micro,
Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Adani Green Energy Ltd Ranked as World’s Largest Solar Power Generation Company by Mercom Capital
Mercom Capital ranked Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) as World’s Largest Solar Power Generation Asset
Owner in terms of operating, under-construction and awarded projects. GCL New Energy (7.1 GW), a
Hong Kong-listed independent solar power producer, ranked second, followed by Tokyo-based
renewable energy developer, SB Energy (7 GW).
NSE and SGX Signs Pact to Confirm Key Terms to Operationalise NSE IFSC-SGX Connect
Singapore Exchange Ltd and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. signed a formal agreement in order to
confirm the key terms to operationalise the NSE International Financial Service Centre (IFSC)-SGX
Connect. NSE IFSC-SGX Connect unites international and Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT)
participants to create a large liquidity pool for Nifty products in GIFT City.
India’s Economy to Contract by 5.9% and Global Economy to Contract by 4.3% in 2020: UNCTAD
Report
As per the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s Trade and Development
Report 2020– From global pandemic to prosperity for all: Avoiding another lost decade, global economy
is expected to contract by 4.3% (-4.3%) in 2020, with global output falling short by over USD 6 trillion of
the estimates by the economists before the spread of COVID-19. It also has projected India’s economy to
contract by 5.9% (-5.9%) in 2020 and expects the economy to rebound to 3.9% in 2021.
BUSINESS NEWS
Amul becomes 1st Indian Dairy Company to Enter Rabobank’s Global Top 20, 2020 List;
Switzerland’s Nestle topped
Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) became
the first Indian Dairy Company to enter Rabobank’s Annual listing of Global Dairy Top 20, 2020
Companies. Amul was ranked 16th with an annual turnover of USD 5.5 billion (approximately Rs 40,240
Crores). The Rabobank is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company.
WhatsApp Partnered with CyberPeace Foundation for Cyber Safety Among Students
In order to create awareness on cyber safety among students, WhatsApp Inc. and CyberPeace Foundation
have entered into a partnership. The partnership targets to reach about 15,000 students in 5 Indian states
namely, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra by the end of 2020 under the first
phase of a Pan-India programme. This initiative is built on a previous partnership under the ‘e-Raksha’
programme, which has reached many students.

TPT South Africa Partners with TCS for Logistics Supply Chain Transformation
Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) in South Africa, a part of Transnet SOC Ltd, a state owned freight transport
and handling company, partners with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop an integrated online
logistics marketplace platform “Cargo Connect”.
Vodafone Idea unveils new integrated brand identity ‘Vi’

Vodafone Idea virtually unveiled their new integrated brand identity ‘Vi’ (Pronounced as We) and a new
logo. It comes two years after the merger of Vodafone and Idea. The Brand Integration marks the
completion of the largest telecom merger in the world.
NASSCOM Future Skills and Microsoft Launched “AI classroom series” for Students in India
FutureSkills, an initiative of IT-ITES (Information technology – IT enabled services) Sector Skill Council
National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) partnered with Microsoft to launch
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skilling initiative “AI classroom series” to skill 10 lakh students in India by 2021
to make India a global hub for AI skilled talents and create jobs through upskilling and reskilling.
HCL Partnered with NVIDIA Partner Network to Pursue Opportunities in AI Space; HCL to launch
NEXT.ai, AI Lab
In order to pursue expanded opportunities in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space, HCL Technologies Ltd
(HCL), a leading global technology company, has partnered with NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN), the US-
based technology company’s partner program. HCL to launch NEXT.ai, HCL’s AI Lab, which focuses on
upskilling engineers and architects, using AI solutions across hardware and software technology stacks.
Liberty General Partnered with SpiceJet to Offer ‘Liberty Secure Travel’ an Insurance Policy;
Offers New Zero Cancellation Service
Liberty General Insurance Ltd. (Liberty) has partnered with SpiceJet to offer ‘Liberty Secure Travel’ an
Insurance Policy to consumers who book tickets through the airline’s website and mobile site. The new
Zero Cancellation service of Liberty offered under the policy enables the passengers to cancel the tickets
and claim 100% reimbursement of the cancellation charges if the customers are unable to fly due to any
unavoidable circumstances.
Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to hit $200 billion m-cap
Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to hit $200 billion market capitalization with an
approximate value of $200.8 billion Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a distant second with market cap
of Rs 8.75 trillion, or USD 119 billion. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) also becomes
World’s 40th Most Valuable Company.
SBM Bank India and Mastercard Partnered to Launch SBM World Debit Card for High Net Worth
Customers
SBM Bank (India) Limited and Mastercard have collaborated to launch SBM World Debit Card, a one-of-
a-kind debit card for the sophisticated needs of high net worth customers. It represents a combination of
niche banking solutions and thoroughly managed lifestyle privileges, including some of the finest
shopping and dining opportunities.
SBM Bank India and PayNearby launch Nivesh, a Goal Based Recurring Deposit Platform for the
masses
SBM Bank India and PayNearby announced the launch of ‘Nivesh’, a unique Goal Based Recurring Deposit
Platform powered by SBM Bank India. It will be available across all the PayNearby retail touch points
across the country.

WhatsApp Partnered with Common Services Centers for Digital Literacy Service Chatbot
WhatsApp has partnered with Common Services Centers (CSC) for a WhatsApp chatbot to empower rural
communities by providing digital skills at their doorstep, and to create livelihood through promotion of
rural entrepreneurship. WhatsApp chatbot is expected to be used by 10 million beneficiaries by August
2021.
SBI Card Collaborates with Google to Enable Customers use their Cards on Google Pay Platform
SBI Card (SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited) has collaborated with Google to enable customers to
use their SBI Credit Cards to make card payments using the Google Pay app on their Android
smartphones.
Google Pay in Collaboration with Visa and Banking Partners Rolled out Tokenisation
Google Pay has rolled out tokenisation across its platform in collaboration with Visa and banking
partners. It will enable users to safely transact with their cards and use Tap-to-pay feature on NFC-
enabled Point of Sale (POS) terminals and online merchants.
Visa & IFundWomen Launched a Grant Program in India to Support Women Entrepreneurs
Visa Inc. (Visa) along with its global partner IFundWomen, a funding marketplace for women-owned
businesses, launched a grant program in India to support women entrepreneurs. This program enables
India’s women entrepreneurs to receive funding from Visa to grow and expand their business.
Facebook Associated with Matrix Partners India to Scale Early-Stage SMBs

Facebook announced that it has associated with early-stage Venture Capital (VC) fund Matrix Partners
India to scale small businesses in India by providing them with digital skilling support. The partnership
with Matrix Partners is a part of Facebook’s VC Brand Incubator Programme, that associates with VC
funds to help early-stage Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) to increase their digital potential.
MoU’s & AGREEMENTS

MoU’s BETWEEN COUNTRY
COUNTRIES MoU’s WITH FIELD / PURPOSE
India Japan Signed an Agreement concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies
and Services or Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA)
between the Armed Forces of India and the Self-Defense Forces of
Japan. It establishes a framework for closer cooperation between the
Armed Forces of India and Japan in bilateral training activities,
United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Humanitarian
International Relief and other mutually agreed activities. The
agreement was signed by Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and
Ambassador of Japan Mr Suzuki Satoshi in New Delhi.
India Israel A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between
India’s International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology
(iCreate) and Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central to initiate a bilateral
program to boost innovation and technology cooperation by
collaborating Israeli and Indian entrepreneurs, start-ups and
corporates on innovative projects.
India Denmark To enhance cooperation in the area of Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRs) through exchange of best practices and collaborating in

training programmes. The MoU will also include ways to protect
traditional knowledge.
MoU’s WITH STATES

STATE MoU’s WITH FIELD / PURPOSE
Rajasthan ShriVallabh Pittie (SVP) Rajasthan government signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with ShriVallabh Pittie (SVP)
International Group to develop projects for textile, defence
and aerospace, which includes aircraft Maintenance, Repair
and Overhaul (MRO) facility, aviation academy. Through this
MoU, SVP will invest Rs 4000 crore for the projects, which
will create employment opportunities for about 4000 people.
Andhra Pradesh CSIR-IICT Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd
(APIIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian
Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) to set up a Bulk
Drug Park (BDP) in the state. The park will be set up in a
minimum of 2,000 acres at a cost of Rs. 6,940 Crores in East
Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.
Assam State Northeast Small Finance To bring the Self-Help Groups (SHGs), producer groups and
Rural Livelihood Bank (NEFSB) enterprises under banking network. This is the first among
Mission (ASRLM) all State Livelihood Missions to initiate signing of MoU with
new generation small finance banks.
Telangana UK India Business The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) renewed its
Council (UKIBC) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Industries
and Commerce Department, Government of Telangana. This
will bolster the industrial development of the state.
Uttar Pradesh United Nations World Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM) signed
State Rural Food Programme (WFP) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United
Livelihood Nations World Food Programme (WFP), through which
Mission (SRLM) Take-Home ration will now be manufactured and supplied
by Women self-help groups (SHGs).
Odisha National Cooperative Government of Odisha signed a Memorandum of
Development Understanding (MoU) with National Cooperative
Corporation (NCDC) Development Corporation (NCDC) to promote and manage
the farmer producer organisations with the central sector
scheme.
J&K Army Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) inked
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Army for the
development and operationalization of Airstrip in Kishtwar.
The Airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight
operations take place i.e. take-off and landing of aircraft.
Rajasthan Small Industries To develop its micro, small and medium enterprises
Development Bank of (MSMEs) ecosystem. Under this MoU the Department of
India (SIDBI) Industries of Rajasthan and SIDBI will work together to
provide financial, technical, marketing and export support to
the MSMEs in the state.

Gujarat Small Industries The Government of Gujarat signed a Memorandum of
Development Bank of Understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries
India (SIDBI) Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to provide capacity
building and market support around 35 lakh Micro Small
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of Gujarat and to increase
their self-reliance.
Goa Directorate of Skill Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Development and signed a MoU with Goa Institute of Management (GIM) for
Entrepreneurship giving vocational Training to increase the skill sets of ITI
(Industrial Training Institute) Trainers.
MoU’s BETWEEN ORGANIZATION

ORGANIZATION MoU’s WITH FIELD / PURPOSE
BSE Yes Bank BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) had signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yes Bank in order to
empower the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are
listed on the BSE through awareness and knowledge-sharing
programmes.
C-CAMP ISIC Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Sweden
Healthcare Innovation Centre (ISIC) to identify and find
innovations to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible
for all.
NIUA IIT-R Indian Institute of Technology - Roorkee (IIT-R) and National
Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) signed a MoU to collaborate in
the areas like universal design principles and inclusive
development of the Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian
Cities (BASIIC) programme of NIUA.
IFSCA IGPC – IIMA International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) and
India Gold Policy Center (IGPC) at Indian Institute of
Management – Ahmedabad (IIMA) (IFSCA-IIMA), sponsored by
World Gold Council, signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) at the IFSCA, GIFT City Gandhinagar to provide
consultation to facilitate the establishment of International
Bullion Exchange(IBE) in India.
MWCD Ministry of AYUSH Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) inked
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to control Malnutrition as a part of
POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic
Nutrition) Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission Abhiyaan of
MWCD to improve the nutritional outcomes for children,
pregnant women and lactating mothers. As a part of MoU there
will also be a launch of hashtag #Ayush4Anganwadi for
generating awareness about the activities on the digital media.
BHEL SwissRapide AG Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SwissRapide AG to
Maglev Train (Magnetic Levitation) Projects in India. The
agreement has been signed in the backdrop of Government of

India’s initiatives of ‘Make in India’ & ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The
MoU will enable the Indigenous manufacturing of the State-of-
the-art Maglev Trains.
Herbal Industry Ministry of AYUSH National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH
bodies signed MoU with Herbal Industry bodies with emphasis on
raising immunity to fight COVID-19. Apart from above MoU,
Ministry of AYUSH has joined hands with Rajagiri College of
Social Sciences and Rajagiri Business School, Kochi (Kerala) to
organise a novel e-marathon from 28th September 2020 to 10th
October 2020 (15 days), as a part of the Ministry’s three-month
campaign called “Ayush for Immunity” focuses on desirable
health-promotion and disease preventive steps. Theme of the e-
marathon is “Recharge Mental Health: During and beyond the
Covid-19 Pandemic”. Click here
IATA UNOCT The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed a
MoU with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism
(UNOCT) to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations
(UN) Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. IATA will join the
CT Travel Programme as the first non-government partner of the
initiative by providing advance passenger information (API) and
passenger name record (PNR) traveller data to governments to
curb terrorist mobility.
OTHER MoU’S IN CONTENT FORMAT

Andhra Pradesh Govt Signed 8 MoUs with Food Processing companies & Netherlands
The state government of Andhra Pradesh inked 8 pacts with 7 major domestic and global companies
and with the Government of Netherlands to boost the food processing sector of various agricultural
products, including bananas, tomatoes, mangoes, sugar, chillies, vegetables, and aqua products in the
state.
CSIR-CMERI and NISE Signed MoU Virtually to Strengthen Solar Energy Sector Across India
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute
(CMERI) and National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, for ‘Strategic Association’ has signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the solar energy sector across the nation.
NITI Aayog, ISPP sign Statement of Intent to Enhance Capacity Building

Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI (National Institution for Transforming
India) Aayog signed a Statement of Intent with Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) to provide training,
mentoring and other activities to strengthen the knowledge, ability, skills of Government Officials and
public policy scholars.
EDF Group, I2EN and VJTI Signed MoU to set up ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Civil Nuclear Space in
Maharashtra
The Electricite de France (EDF), International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN) and Veermata Jijabai
Technological Institute (VJTI) has signed MoU to set up a centre of excellence in the civil nuclear sector
in Maharashtra.

Indian Railways Extended its MoU with IIT Kanpur for Modernisation of its Infrastructure
Indian Railways extended the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Kanpur for modernisation of railway infrastructure. The MoU was extended to
encourage collaborative research for the effective use of the scientific assets through the Centre for
Railway Research (CRR) at IIT- Kanpur.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched JAGA Mission Stage-II; Signed MoU with CPR
Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched the stage II of JAGA Mission (Odisha Liveable
Habitat Mission) from Balasore (Odisha) through video conference, under which all slums in the State
will be converted into Adarsh (ideal) colonies within the next 3 years. The Centre for Policy Research
(CPR), New Delhi under its initiative ‘Scaling City Institutions for India: Land Planning and Housing (SCI-
FI: LPH)’ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Housing & Urban Development
Department, Government of Odisha as the knowledge partner of JAGA Mission in its second phase.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

APPOINTMENTS
NATIONAL
PERSON NAME APPOINTED ENTITY / PLACE KEY NOTES
AS
Usha Padhee Director Bureau of Civil Usha Padhee, Indian Administrative Service
General (DG) Aviation Security (IAS) officer of 1996 batch from Odisha
(BCAS) Cadre became the first Women and the
third IAS officer to be appointed as the
Director General (DG) of Bureau of Civil
Aviation Security (BCAS), a security
regulator of civil aviation industry in India
under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. She
succeeds Rakesh Asthana (IPS) who was
appointed as the Director General of Border
Security Force (BSF) on 17th August 2020.
Hemant Khatri Chairman and Hindustan Hemant Khatri has assumed charge as the
Managing Shipyard Limited Chairman and Managing director (CMD) of
Director (CMD) (HSL) Hindustan Shipyard limited (HSL),
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, is a Mini-
Ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) of
the Ministry of Defence.
Murali Ramakrishnan Managing The South Indian The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) approved
Director (MD) Bank the appointment of Murali Ramakrishnan
and Chief as the New Managing Director (MD) and
Executive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The South
Officer (CEO) Indian Bank, Kerala for a period of 3 years
with effect from 1st October 2020. He
succeeds V. G. Mathew whose tenure will be
completed on 30th September 2020.
S Krishnan Managing Punjab & Sind The Appointments Committee of the
Director (MD) Bank Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of
and Chief S Krishnan as the Managing Director (MD)

Executive and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Punjab
Officer (CEO) & Sind Bank. He will replace S Harishankar.
K Padmakar Chairman and BPCL K Padmakar, Director (HR) of Bharat
Managing Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has
Director (CMD) been given additional charge as Chairman
and Managing Director (CMD) of BPCL until
further orders by the Ministry of Petroleum
and Natural Gas. He succeeds D Rajkumar
who superannuated after attaining 60 years
on August 31, 2020.
Aveek Sarkar Chairman PTI The Board of Directors of Press Trust of
India (PTI) announced that Aveek Sarkar
(75), Editor Emeritus and Vice Chairman of
Ananda Bazar Group of Publication was
elected as the new Chairman of PTI, he will
succeed Vijay Kumar Chopra, Chief Editor
of the Punjab Kesari Group of Newspapers.
Anil Jain President All India Tennis Anil Jain, elected member of Rajya Sabha
Association (AITA) and national general secretary was elected
as the new President of All India Tennis
Association (AITA) succeeding Praveen
Mahajan.
Ayushmann Khurrana Celebrity UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Advocate has appointed Bollywood Actor Ayushmann
Khurrana as its celebrity advocate for
children’s rights campaign,” For Every
Child”. He will work towards this initiative
in India. He will support UNICEF to end
violence against children, especially in the
present situation- COVID-19 is increasing
the risk of violence and abuse against
children due to the extended lockdown and
the socio-economic impacts of the
pandemic.
Paresh Rawal Chairman National School of On the recommendation of the Ministry of
Drama (NSD) Culture, Ram Nath Kovind, President of
India appointed Paresh Rawal, actor and
former Member of Parliament as the
Chairman of National School of Drama
(NSD) for the next years, he succeeded
Ratan Thiyam, Playwright and theatre
Director who served as the chairman of
NSD from 2013 to 2017 after which the
post was vacant until now.
Rajesh Khullar World Bank The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi approved the appointment
of Rajesh Khullar as the Executive Director
of World Bank (WB) and Sameer Kumar
Khare as Executive Director of Asian

Sameer Kumar Khare Executive Asian Development Bank (ADB). Sameer Kumar
Director Development Bank Khare will have a tenure of 3 years until
further orders or whichever is earlier.
Rajesh Khullar will also have a tenure of 3
years or till the date of his superannuation
(31.08.2023) or until further orders or
whichever is earlier.
Takeo Konishi Country India Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
Director appointed Takeo Konishi as its new country
director for India. He succeeds Kenichi
Yokoyama who has taken over as director
general of the South Asia department of
ADB.
Anil Dhasmana Chief National Technical The Central government appointed Anil
Research Dhasmana, former chief of Research and
Organisation Analysis Wing (R&AW) as the new chief of
(NTRO) National Technical Research Organisation
(NTRO). He will serve till he attains the age
of 65, i.e., for 2 years. He succeeds Satish
Chandra Jha, former Intelligence Bureau
(IB) officer, who resigned from the office on
September 17, 2020.
Colonel Dr. Girija Member of the Asian Football Dato’ Windsor John, the General Secretary
Shankar Mungali 7 members task Confederation of the Asian Football Confederation(AFC)
force appointed retired Colonel Dr. Girija
Shankar Mungali as a member of the 7
members task force of AFC to regulate the
football clubs in Asia and Australia. He is
the only Indian appointed to this task force
and He will hold his position in the panel
till 2023.
AK Dixit Administrator Punjab and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed AK
Maharashtra Dixit, ex-General Manager of Union Bank of
Cooperative (PMC) India (UBI) as the new administrator of
Bank Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative
(PMC) Bank Limited with effect from
September 23, 2020. He succeeds J.B.
Bhoria, who stepped down from the post of
administrator on September 22, 2020.
Administrator was appointed in the
exercise of the powers conferred on RBI as
per Banking Regulation Act, 1949 under
subsections 1 and 2 of section 36AAA and
Section 56. In addition to that, Surinderpal
Singh Ram Singh has been appointed as the
Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of PMC bank
limited with effect from September 11,
2020.
Rajat Sud Managing EESL Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a
Director (MD) Joint Venture (JV) of Public Sector

Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of
Power, Government of India, appointed
Rajat Sud as its new Managing Director
(MD) with immediate effect.
P.D. Vaghela Chairman TRAI The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) appointed P.D. Vaghela,
currently the secretary of the department
of pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers as the
chairman of the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) for a period of
three years or until he attains the age of 65,
whichever is earlier. He will succeed Ram
Sewak (RS) Sharma, who will retire on
September 30, 2020, after a five-year
tenure.
INTERNATIONAL
PERSON NAME APPOINTED AS ENTITY / PLACE KEY NOTES
Mustapha Adib Prime Minister Presidency of The Presidency of Lebanon appointed the
Lebanon Lebanon ambassador to Germany Mustapha
Adib as the New Prime Minister. He
succeeds Hassan Diab, who resigned amid
the economic crisis due to the aftermath of
the blast in the Beirut port on 4th August
2020.
Yoshihide Suga Prime Minister Japan Yoshihide Suga was formally elected as
Japan’s New Prime Minister. He will succeed
Shinzo Abe, who was Japan’s Longest
serving Prime Minister and stepped down
due to health problems. Yoshihide’s party
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a
majority in the Japan Parliament. ‘DIET’ is
the National parliament of Japan.
Colonel Bah Interim President Republic of Mali Former Mali Defence Minister and retired
Ndaw Colonel Bah Ndaw was named as the Interim
President of the Republic of Mali. Colonel
Assimi Goita was appointed as Vice
President. They will be sworn in on 25th
September, 2020. The capital and currency
of Mali are Bamako & West African CFA
franc respectively.
Alexander President Belarus President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko,
Lukashenko sworn in for a new 5-year term (His 6th
term) in an inauguration conducted with no
prior announcement. He is an independent
or nonpartisan politician. He won this
election in alliance with Belaya Rus. The
capital and currency of Belarus are Minsk &
Belarusian Ruble respectively.

Ishmael Toroama President Bougainville Ishmael Toroama, former rebel military
commander and leader of Bougainville
People’s Alliance Party (BPAP) was elected
as the President of Bougainville, an
autonomous region of Papua New Guinea
(PNG), replacing the long serving President
John Momis He will take office on 25th
September 2020. The capital and currency of
Bougainville are Buka & Papua New Guinea
kina respectively.
Mohamed Prime Minister Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, President of
Hussein Roble Somalia appointed Mohamed Hussein Roble,
Swedish trained civil engineer and political
neophyte as the new Prime Minister (PM) of
Somalia following the removal of the former
PM Hassan Ali Khaire in July 2020.
Moctar Ouane Prime Minister Mali Former Foreign Affairs Minister Moctar
Ouane (64) was appointed as the New Prime
Minister of Mali by the decree signed by
Mali’s new interim President Bah N’Daw,
following the military coup on 18th August
2020.
BRAND & CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS

PERSON NAME BRAND / CAMPAIGN KEY NOTES
Ayushmann Khurrana Brand Ambassador Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited
appointed Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana
as its brand ambassador to promote its products
and digital services across offline and online
mediums. He will feature in the life insurer’s next
campaign, ‘Smart Living’, which includes its term
plan, Smart Protect Goal and the new digital service,
Smart Assist.
Dwayne Bravo Cricket Ambassador Dwayne Bravo, West Indies cricketer as the first
Cricket Ambassador of SBOTOP, the flagship
sportsbook brand of Celton Manx. SBOTOP is an
online betting platform that provides e-gaming
experiences with a range of products like sports, live
casino, slot games and others.
Smriti Mandhana and Brand Ambassador Playerzpot, India’s leading sports gaming platforms
Bhuvneshwar Kumar signed cricketers Smriti Mandhana and
Bhuvneshwar Kumar as their brand ambassadors.
The cricketers will feature in the future brand
campaigns of Playerzport and promote Playerzpot
through engagement activities.
Virat Kohli Brand Ambassador Great Learning, an ed-tech company for professional
and higher education, has appointed Virat Kohli,
Indian cricket team captain as its brand
ambassador. Virat Kohli will lead ‘Power Ahead’
campaign, the latest one of the brand. Great

Learning will launch a multi-film campaign with
Virat Kohli during the upcoming Dream 11 IPL,
where the brand is an associate sponsor on Disney +
Hotstar.
Sachin Tendulkar Brand Ambassador Paytm First Games (PFG), a subsidiary of digital
financial service platform Paytm, has roped in
legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar of India as its
brand Ambassador. Sachin Tendulkar will create
awareness about the genre of fantasy sports in India
and will also promote and generate excitement
around all sports including kabaddi, football, and
basketball. Paytm is the official umpire partner for
IPL till 2022 and has been the title sponsor for
Indian cricket.
Suresh Raina Brand Ambassador India’s fastest growing online poker platform
‘9stacks’ has roped in Suresh Raina, Indian cricketer
as its brand ambassador. A left-handed Batsman and
a spin bowler, Suresh Raina will be a part of the
upcoming campaigns and engagement activities of
9stacks. He will anchor the brand and help to create
a higher brand recall among the key target audience.
Khushi Chindaliya Regional Ambassador Khushi Chindaliya (17) based on Surat, Gujarat has
been appointed as Regional Ambassador (RA) for
India for the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) Tunza Eco-Generation (TEG),
which is scheduled to take place in September 2020.
Khushi’s essay was among the several essays chosen
by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization) to be published in the
book ‘Year 1 AC (After Coronavirus): Essays by 100
Young Indians’.
Sonu Sood Brand Ambassador Acer India, leading Personal Computer (PC) brand
appointed actor Sonu Sood as its brand ambassador.
As the brand ambassador of Acer India, Sonu Sood
will support the range of innovative products of
Acer over the social media and campaign on the
commitment of Acers in improving the lives of the
people through technology.
Yuvraj Singh Brand Ambassador Aakash Educational Services Limited(AESL)
appointed Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh as its brand
ambassador to promote its brands including Aakash
Institute, Aakash IIT-JEE, Akash Digital and
Meritnation. As the brand ambassador of AESL,
Yuvarj Singh will lead the “Success is Waiting”, a
multi-channel campaign of Aakash Digital.
Aamir Khan Brand Ambassador CEAT Limited, a tyre company of RPG Enterprises
(Rama Prasad Goenka Group), signed Indian Actor
Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador for 2 years. As
part of an integrated marketing campaign he will
feature in 2 commercials during the on-going Indian

Premier League (IPL) 2020 in Dubai to promote
CEAT’s SecuraDrive, a range of mass premium tyres.
Robin Uthappa Brand Ambassador Entri, a local language learning app for jobs, signed
up Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa (representing
Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020) as its brand
ambassador in its 1st major campaign across India.
It has also partnered with Hotstar to run ad
campaigns in 5 different languages throughout the
ongoing IPL season.
Aamir Khan Brand Ambassador Online live tutoring company, Vedantu has roped
Indian Actor Aamir Khan as its Brand Ambassador.
He will feature in the new ad-campaigns of the
company. The 6 ad film series are conceptualized by
The Script Room with the tagline “Samaj Aayega toh
Maza Ayega, Maza Ayega toh Samajh Ayega”.
RESIGNATIONS
PERSON NAME RESIGNED AS ENTITY / PLACE
Harsimrat Kaur Badal Union Minister of Food President of India, Ram Nath Kovind accepted the
Processing Industries resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union
Minister of Food Processing Industries with
immediate effect. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Lok
Sabha leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
tendered her resignation in protest against anti-
former ordinances and legislation which were
passed on 17th September 2020.The resignation
was accepted under the clause (2) of Article 75 of
the Indian Constitution. Cabinet Minister
Narendra Singh Tomar was assigned to the
additional charges of the Ministry of Food
Processing Industries (MoFPI).
Mustapha Adib Prime Minister Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s Prime Minister
designate, resigned after failing to form a
government in a month of negotiations. His
resignation comes amidst a political crisis over
government formation, after he was appointed to
the position on August 31, 2020.
OTHER APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Pramod Chandra Mody gets 6 Months Extension as Chairman of CBDT
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Government of India (GoI), has approved the
extension of the re-appointment of Pramod Chandra Mody as Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) for 6 months with effect from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 or until further orders,
whichever is earlier. His term was to end on August 31, 2020.

IRDAI Set Up 6 Member Working Group Headed by Dinesh Pant to Study Index Linked Products
for Life Insurance Companies
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) formed a 6-member working group
headed by Dinesh Pant, appointed actuary of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to scrutinize various
aspects for allowing the life insurance companies to offer index linked products.
LC Goyal gets 1-year extension in his tenure as CMD of ITPO

Appointment Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the 1-year
extension in the tenure of L C Goyal, as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of India Trade
Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the trade promotion agency of the ministry of Commerce and Industries.
Goyal will hold the position for the extended period of 1 year from 1st September 2020 till 1st September
2021.
ACC Approved Restructuring of the Indian Railways and appointed first ever CEO of IR
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the organizational restructuring of the
Indian Railways, which includes the merger of eight Group A services and also approved the appointment
of the current chairman of the Railway Board V K Yadav as the first ever Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
IR. Along with the CEO post he also holds the chairman post.
Read More Details Here: ACC Approved Restructuring of the Indian Railways and appointed first ever
CEO of IR
NITI Aayog constitutes Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC) to be

chaired by Ms Sanyukta Samaddar
NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog constituted a Multidimensional Poverty Index
Coordination Committee (MPICC) which will be chaired by Ms Sanyukta Samaddar, Adviser (Sustainable
Development Goals).
Ministry of Finance Formed Expert Panel Headed by Rajiv Mehrishi to Assess Impacts of Waiving
Loan Moratorium
The Ministry of Finance formed a three-member expert panel headed by Rajiv Mehrishi, former
comptroller and Auditor General of India to assess the impacts of the waiver of interest on the
moratorium loans offered to the COVID-19 affected borrowers which ended on 31st August 2020. The
committee will assess the impact of ‘waiving interest’ and ‘interest on interest’ on the COVID-19 related
moratorium on the national economy and financial stability.
Government constitutes EGoM to oversee Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board

Government of India constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) under the chairmanship of
Union Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh to oversee the Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board
(OFB). The Ministers in EGoM includes Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,
Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh
Kumar Gangwar and Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievance and Pension Jitendra Singh.
TPCI sets up Food Sectoral Committees to tap into New Markets and Investment
Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) constituted three committees with the aim of tapping new
markets and identifying new opportunities for trade and investment. The Three Committees will focus
on Food & Beverages, Food Processing Technology and Chemical and Allied Products. (i) Laxman Singh
Rathor - Chairman of committee on Food and Beverages (F&B) (ii) R. Senguttuvan – Chairman of Food
processing technology Committee (iii) Manish Shah - chairman of Chemical and Allied Products
Committee.

Government forms Expert Committee under NCSC Rajesh Pant to probe reports of snooping by
Chinese firm
Government of India formed an Expert Committee led by National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) Lt
General (retd) Rajesh Pant, India’s Chief Coordinator on Cyber Security to examine the reports of digital
surveillance on Prominent Indian Nationals including President, Army Chief by Chinese firm Shenzhen
Zhenhua Data Information Technology Company Ltd.
FSSAI constitutes task force to look into guidelines for Vegan Foods
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) formed a seven-member task force for framing
guidelines/provisions for vegan foods in the country.
11-member Company Law Committee Gets 1-year Extension; Headed by Rajesh Verma
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) extended the tenure of the Company Law Committee by one
year, i.e., this committee constituted in September 2019 has been extended up to two years (17.09.2021)
from the date of the order to constitute the committee (18.09.2019). It is now chaired by Rajesh Verma,
Secretary of MCA. The 11-member committee has a mandate to submit periodic recommendations to the
government in phases and subject-wise, as may be decided by the chairman.
PK Mishra Panel to Initiate Action in Advance for Managing Air Pollution in NCR
A high-level task force led by Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
reviewed the action taken by agencies and firm up plans for the coming harvesting and winter season. Its
objective was to initiate proper precautionary and preventive measures in advance for the management
of air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR).
SEBI constitutes Technical Group on Social Stock Exchange under Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) constituted the Technical Group under the Chairmanship
of Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, former Chairman of NABARD. The group will develop a framework for on-
boarding non-profit organisations and for-profit enterprises. It will also develop a framework for
prescribing disclosure requirements relating to performance and aspects related to social audit and
social impact.
Uday Kotak Gets 1 Year Extension as the Non-Executive Chairman of IL&FS

The Government of India has extended the term of Uday Kotak, the Managing Director and CEO of Kotak
Mahindra Bank as the Chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to one more
year till October 2021 as the Non-Executive Chairman of IL&FS.
India and Israel to Co-Develop Hi-Tech Weapon Systems

The strategic partnership of India-Israel is expanding in various sectors whether it’s innovation or
defence. A new sub working group (SWG) to promote joint projects, under the overarching joint working
group on defence cooperation headed by Indian defence secretary Ajay Kumar and his Israeli
counterpart, was set up. The SWG will be headed by Sanjay Jaju, joint secretary (defence industries
production) in the Indian defence ministry and Eyal Calif, director Asia & Pacific from the Israeli one.
RBI Ropes in Amitabh Bachchan for Customer Awareness Campaign

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) roped in Indian Film Actor Amitabh Bachchan for the customer
awareness campaign to prevent naive account holders from being deceived by fraudsters. As part of the
RBI’s public awareness campaign, the regulator continues to inform customers about do’s and don’ts for
safe and secure transactions. RBI has become the most popular central bank on twitter, with about 9.66
lakh followers while US Federal Reserve, world’s most powerful central bank has about 6.64 lakh
followers.

RBI Approved 3-Member Committee Headed by Meeta Makhan to Function as ad-interim MD &
CEO of LVB
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved that daily affairs of Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) will be run by a
Committee of Directors (CoD) composed of 3 independent directors namely, Meeta Makhan, Chairperson
of the CoD, Shakti Sinha, Member and Satish Kumar Kalra, Member. The CoD will exercise the
discretionary powers of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the ad-interim.
AWARDS
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF NOBEL PRIZE
AWARD NAME AWARD WINNER FIELD KEY NOTES
Medical Education Prize Narendra Modi Ig Nobel Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
of Ig Nobel Prize 2020 Prize won the Medical Education Prize of Ig
Nobel Prize 2020 at the 30th First Ig
Nobel Prize Ceremony over virtual
platform. He became the 2nd Prime
Minister from India to win the Ig Nobel
Prize after Atal Bihari Vajpayee who won
the 1998 Peace award for “Aggressively
peaceful explosion of atomic bombs”.
The Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical
Education is shared among Jair
Bolsonaro (Brazil), Boris Johnson (UK),
Narendra Modi (India), Andrés Manuel
López (Mexico), Alexander Lukashenko
(Belarus), Donald Trump (USA), Recep
Tayyip (Turkey), Vladimir Putin
(Russia), and Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow (Turkmenistan).
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE & ACADEMICS

AICTE Visvesvaraya 12 Faculty Member Education On 15th September 2020, on the
Best Teachers Award Awardees occasion of National Engineers Day,
2020 Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union
Minister of Education presented the
first ever “AICTE Visvesvaraya Best
Teachers Award 2020” to the 12
faculty members of All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE)
approved institutions over a virtual
ceremony.
National Award to Sudha Painuli Education For the first Time, Sudha Painuli, a
Teachers 2020 vice-principal of Eklavya Model
Residential Schools (EMRS) which is
established under the Ministry of
Tribal Affairs has been selected for

National Award to Teachers 2020.
Click here
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF ARTS & CULTURE FILMS

Best Screenplay Chaitanya Tamhane Marathi film Venice Film Festival 2020, the 77th Venice
Award and starring Aditya – The International Film Festival organised by La
Modak, Arun Dravid, Disciple Biennale di Venezia was held from 2nd
Sumitra Bhave and September to 12th September 2020. Marathi film
Kiran Yadnyopavit – The Disciple, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane
and starring Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra
Bhave and Kiran Yadnyopavit won the Best
Screenplay Award at the festival. Click here
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SERVICE, SCIENCE & BRAVERY

Lifetime Achievement Aditya Puri Skills in Euromoney, the global finance and
Award 2020 building a banking magazine’s Awards for
world class Excellence 2020 honoured Aditya Puri,
Indian bank Managing Director (MD) of HDFC Bank
with a Lifetime Achievement Award
2020. This is a first of its kind
recognition for a corporate leader
from India. The award is conferred
upon him to recognise his skills in
building a world class Indian bank and
his contribution in creating a
trustworthy brand.
Annual AZ Awards Krushi Bhavan Social Good Krushi Bhavan, a facility developed for
2020 the State’s Department of Agriculture
& Farmers’ Empowerment located in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha won 10th
annual AZ Awards 2020 as People’s
Choice Winner under the category
social good. The awards were revealed
at its first-ever virtual AZ Awards Gala.
The 12,077-square-metre Krushi
Bhavan is one among 20 winners and
the only winner from India. Naveen
Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha
dedicated this award to farmers and
artisans of the state. Click here
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS

Asia Game Changer Michelin Star Chef Feeding The Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna received the
Award Vikas Khanna millions 2020 Asia Game Changer Award from Asia
of people Society, a United States based non-profit
organisation for feeding millions of people across
India amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, by

coordinating a food distribution drive from
Manhattan. He is the only Indian among the six
awardees who were recognised by the Asia
Society.
OTHER IMPORTANT AWARDS

National Energy Rajiv Gandhi Excellence in The GMR led Rajiv Gandhi International
Leader and International Airport Energy Airport (Hyderabad International Airport)
Excellent Energy Management won the ‘National Energy Leader’ and
Efficient Unit ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ awards at
Awards the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in
Energy Management’. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam
Limited-Vizag Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) has
also been awarded ‘Excellent Energy
Efficient Unit’ award. It was organized by
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and
Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC). The
award was given to RINL also during the
19th edition of ‘Energy Efficiency Summit’,
held from August 6-28, 2020.
Indira Gandhi Sir David International Over a virtual event, Former Prime Minister
Peace Prize Attenborogh Peace and Manmohan Singh conferred the Indira
Development Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 upon
Sir David Attenborogh, a British broadcaster.
Sonia Gandhi, President of Congress was
also present during the event. The Indira
Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development was instituted by the Indira
Gandhi Memorial Trust in 1986. The award
consists of a citation along with a cash
award of Rs.25 lakhs.
WSIS Winner West Bengal Sabooj Sathi In the 8th Edition World Summit on the
Prize 2020 Government online 3.0 Information Society (WSIS) prize contents,
project Sabooj Sathi online 3.0 project of West
Bengal Government won the WSIS Winner
Prize 2020 under the E-government
category. The WSIS prizes is a global
platform to showcase the success stories in
the implementation of WSIS action lines and
United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
Golden Pen of Jineth Bedoya Lima Journalism Colombian Journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima
Freedom Award was honoured with the prestigious Golden
2020 Pen of Freedom Award 2020, an annual
press freedom award of the World
Association of News Publishers (WAN-
IFRA). The award was presented to
recognise her contribution towards
promoting and protecting women rights. She

was honoured with the 2020
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press
Freedom Award in April 2020.
UN Interagency Kerala Sustainable Kerala won the UN Interagency Task Force
Task Force Development (UNIATF) Award 2020 for its contribution
(UNIATF) Award Goals towards the Sustainable Development Goals
2020 (SDGs) related to the non-communicable
diseases. Tedros Adhanom, Director General
of World Health Organisation (WHO)
announced the annual UNIATF Award for
the year 2020 on prevention and control of
non-communicable diseases. This is the first
time for Kerala to be recognised by this
annual UN Award and along with Kerala 6
other health ministries across the globe have
won the 2020 UNIATF Award.
National Service 42 awardees 3 categories Ram Nath Kovind, President of India
Scheme (NSS) conferred the National Service Scheme (NSS)
Awards Awards also known as Rashtriya Seva
Yojana Award for the year 2018-2019 over a
virtual event from Rashtrapati Bhawan, New
Delhi. He presented the awards to 42
awardees under 3 categories. The annual
award is conferred by the Department of
Youth Affairs of the ministry of youth affairs
and Sports. The award recognises the
contribution of the Universities/Colleges, +2
Councils, Senior Secondary, NSS Units/
Programme Officers and NSS Volunteers
towards community service.
RECOGNITIONS
NAME RECOGNITION
Udit Singhal The founder of Glass2Sand, a zero waste ecosystem to control the
increasing menace of glass waste in Delhi, has been named to the 2020
Cohort of young leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by
the United Nations (UN).
Shivangi Singh Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh to become the first woman fighter pilot of
India to fly the Rafale combat aircraft that was formally inducted into the
Indian Air Force (IAF) September 10, 2020. She hails from Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh. She is one of the 10 Indian women fighter pilots in IAF.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS IN CONTENT FORMAT

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sanju Yadav Won the AIFF Player of the Year Award 2019-2020
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, (28) from Chandigarh, goalkeeper of Indian National Men’s Football team and
Sanju Yadav (22) from Haryana, Midfielder of India’s National Women’s Football team were declared as
the winners of the annual All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019-
2020 and AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award 2019-2020 respectively.

Award Winner
AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year Anirudh Thapa
AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer of the Year Ratanbala Devi
AIFF Award for the Best Assistant Referee P. Vaira Muthu (from Tamil Nadu).
AIFF Award for the Best Referee L. Ajit Kumar Meetei (from Manipur).
AIFF Award for the Best Grassroots Development West Bengal (based on E-licence courses and Golden
Programme Baby Leagues).
Kerala Tourism bags PATA Grand Award 2020

Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ campaign bagged the Prestigious Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing. Department of Tourism, Government of
Karnataka won the PATA Gold Award 2020 for its Marketing Campaign – ‘Script your Adventure 2019’.
It was one of the 21 Gold Award winners from across the globe.
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE

SUMMITS
SUMMITS VENUE KEY POINTS
Cycling Summit in 2021 Delhi, Mumbai and Cycling Federation of India (CFI) is set to host the first
Bengaluru ever Cycling Summit in 2021 in Delhi, Mumbai and
Bengaluru. The one-day summit is designed with an aim
to promote the culture of cycling and sharing of
knowledge between beginner and professional cyclists.
On 1st September 2020, CFI signed an MoU for the 2021
summit with Contarctica, a marketing exploration firm.
USISPF 3rd Annual The 5 days long US-India Strategic Partnership Forum
Leadership Summit - (USISPF) 3rd Annual Leadership Summit was held from
August 31-September 3, 2020 on the theme “US-India
Navigating New Challenges”. Click here
World Solar Technology The first World Solar Technology Summit was held
Summit virtually which was organized by the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) along with Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA
- Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, to focus on
new Technologies and Innovations in the field of Solar.
The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi. ISA inks pact to become global grid nodal
agency. Click here
US (United States)- US (United States)-India-Israel summit was held virtually
India-Israel summit to focus on trilateral partnerships in the strategic,
- technology and development arenas. There it was decided
that these trio nations will collaborate in 5G technology.
East Asia Summit (EAS) V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State(MoS) for External
Foreign Ministers’ Affairs attended the 10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign
Meeting - Ministers’ Meeting. The Meeting was held over a virtual
platform. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Pham Bin

Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Global Ayurveda The 4th edition of Global Ayurveda Summit was virtually
Summit inaugurated by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on the
theme “Emerging Opportunities for Ayurveda during
Pandemic”. The objective of the summit is to showcase the
Ayurveda immunity model to the global level as a solution
- named ‘Health as One’ and ‘Immunity through Ayurveda’.
It is being organized by the CII (Confederation of Indian
Industry)-Kerala in partnership with Ministry of AYUSH,
and with the support of Ayurveda Medical Association of
India (AMAI), Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers
Organisation in India (AMMOI) and Ayurveda Hospital
Management Association (AHMA).
Sustainable From September 21-24, 2020, the World Economic
Development Impact Forum’s 4th and 1st fully virtual Sustainable Development
Summit 2020 Impact Summit 2020 was held under the banner
“Realizing a Great Reset for Sustainable Development” to
- convene 2100 leaders from government, business,
international organizations and civil society along with
experts and innovators to initiate, accelerate and scale-up
entrepreneurial solutions to tackle climate change and
advance sustainable development. The summit was based
on the five themes of Shared Prosperity, Better business,
Harnessing technology, and Liveable planet. Click here
Bilateral Summit Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held a Virtual Bilateral
Summit. During the summit, the two leaders discussed
- bilateral relations, and mutual areas of concern in
Regional and International issues. PM Modi announced a
grant assistance of USD 15 million (approximately Rs.110
crores) for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the
two countries.
Virtual Bilateral Summit A Virtual Bilateral Summit was held between Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of
Denmark Mette Frederiksen which was hosted by India to
strengthen the bilateral relations between the two
countries. With this summit, Denmark became the first
European country with which India held a virtual summit.
- On the other hand, Denmark has proposed to host the
second ‘Knowledge Summit’ and if the situation
normalizes. A MOU in the field of intellectual property (IP)
cooperation between India and Denmark was signed by
the India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT) with Danish Patent and Trademark
Office.

EVENTS
EVENTS VENUE KEY POINTS
Aero India-21 Yelahanka Air Force The 13th Edition of Aero India-21 will be held at
Base, Bengaluru Yelahanka Air Force Base, Bengaluru, Karnataka between
February 3rd-7th, 2021. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
launched the Aero India 2021 website
https://aeroindia.gov.in at New Delhi, marking it open for
space-bookings.
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE VENUE KEY POINTS
Indo Russian Young Eurasian Foundation organised the Indo Russian Young
Scholars International Scholars International E-conference 2020 on “India-Russia
E-conference 2020 domestic and bilateral development” from 3rd to 5th
September 2020 over a virtual platform. The year 2020
marks the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of Strategic
-
Partnership between India and Russia. It also marks 75th
anniversary of victory day of Russia. The event was
organised in collaboration with Indian Centre, Institute of
Oriental studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow,
Russia and Russian Centre of Science and Culture, New Delhi.
Conference on Aerosol Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
Air Quality, Climate (ARIES), Nainital, Uttarakhand an autonomous research
Change and Impact on institute under Department of Science and Technology and
Water Resources and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, a central
Livelihoods in the university in Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand jointly
-
Greater Himalayas organized an International Conference on ‘Aerosol Air
Quality, Climate Change and Impact on Water Resources and
Livelihoods in the Greater Himalayas’ at ARIES, Nainital from
September 14-16, 2020.
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS

COMMITTEES
COMMITTEE NAME COMMITTEE HEAD KEY NOTES
High-level committee Ajay Tirkey The Centre has set up a high-level committee
headed by Ajay Tirkey, secretary of the department
of land resources under the ministry of rural
development to prepare a roadmap for
regularisation of land leasing in the agriculture
sector.
MEETINGS
MEETING NAME VENUE KEY POINTS
17th Association of South-East The 17th Association of South-East Asian Nations
Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India (ASEAN)-India Economic Ministers Consultations
Economic Ministers was held virtually which was co-chaired by Minister
Consultations - of Commerce and Industry & Railways Piyush Goyal

and Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Tran
Tuan Anh. The focus of the meet was to discuss the
reviewing of ASEAN India Trade in Goods
Agreement (AITIGA), which has been recommended
by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) Report.
12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation The key areas of cooperation tourism, culture,
(MGC) Senior Officials Meeting education, transport and communications were
discussed and reviewed during the meeting. The
- meeting was attended by Senior Officials from all 6
MGC Member States – India and 5 ASEAN countries
(India, Cambodia, Lao PDR (People’s Democratic
Republic), Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam).
G20 Foreign Ministers’ Saudi Arabia hosted the virtual G20 Foreign
Extraordinary Meeting Ministers’ Extraordinary Meeting from Riyadh
which was focused upon cross-border movement
and strengthening international cooperation across
borders amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The meet
- was chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan
Al-Saud where Indian side was represented by
Union Minister Dr. SJaishankar, Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA). India proposed the development of
voluntary “G-20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-
Border Movement of People” during the meet.
Asia and the Pacific (APRC 35) Video Conference The 35th Session of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia
and the Pacific (APRC 35) hosted by Bhutan at its
capital Thimphu, which was held from 1-4
September 2020 through Zoom video conferencing
platform amid COVID-19 pandemic. The conference
was chaired by Bhutan’s Secretary of the agriculture
ministry, Rinzin Dorji. From Indian side the meeting
was addressed by Minister of State (MoS) for
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam
Rupala.
5th BRICS Culture Ministers Video Conference Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (I/C) for
Meeting Culture and Tourism represented India and
addressed in 5th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa) Culture Ministers’ Meeting held
through video conference under the
Chairpersonship of Russian Federation.
BRICS Ministers of Foreign Video Conference Russia, the current chair of BRICS (Brazil, Russia,
Affairs/ International Relations India, China and South Africa) chaired the stand
alone meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/
International Relations over a virtual platform
through video conferencing. The Ministers
discussed the major regional and international
issues in politics, security, economic, trade, financial
and sustainable developments.

G20 Education Ministers Saudi Arabia hosted the virtual G20 Education
Meeting Ministers Meeting from Riyadh (Capital of Saudi
Arabia) to discuss and share experiences of member
countries in the three identified areas viz. Education
- Continuity in Times of Crises, Early Childhood
Education and Internationalization in Education.
The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia’s
Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh where
India was represented by Union Minister Ramesh
Pokhriyal Nishank, Ministry of Education.
India - Angola Joint Commission Video Conference India - Angola Joint Commission held its 1st meeting
Meeting through video-conferencing. During the meeting
India and Angola agreed to expand their trade
relations and also discussed cooperation in health,
pharmaceuticals, defence, agriculture, food
processing, digitization and telecom. The session
was co-chaired by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar,
External Affairs Minister of India, and Ambassador
Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the
Republic of Angola. There were 3 pacts signed
between India and Angola. The capital and currency
of Angola are Luanda and Angola Kwanza
respectively.
Shanghai Cooperation Union Minister of State (MoS) (I/C), Prahlad Singh
Organization (SCO) Culture Patel virtually participated in the 17th Shanghai
Ministers meeting Cooperation Organization (SCO) Culture Ministers
meeting. he Culture Minister highlighted that one of
the important aspects that unites and connects
members of SCO countries is the shared heritage of
- Buddhist philosophy and art. National Museum of
India is in the process of organizing the first SCO
Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage in 2020 to
promote mutual bonding. The Exhibition will mark
India’s Chairpersonship of Council of Heads of
Government in 2020.
G-20 Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (I/C) of
Ministers meeting Labour and Employment attended the G-20 Labour
and Employment Ministers meeting. The virtual
- meeting was held to discuss recent developments of
the economic and labour market globally.
Discussion was also made about COVID-19 and its
impact.
India-United States (US) 2+2 India-United States (US) 2+2 Inter-sessional
Inter-sessional Meeting Meeting was held virtually to discuss bilateral,
regional, and multilateral issues including
combating COVID-19, counter terrorism, India’s
- membership on the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC), efforts to counteract recent destabilizing
actions in South Asia, and the broader Indo-Pacific
region. Indian delegation was led by Joint

secretaries from Ministry of External Affairs and
Ministry of Defence.
ASEAN)-India Ministerial Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-
Meeting India Ministerial Meeting was held virtually which
was co-chaired by Union Minister Dr.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External
- Affairs (MEA) along with Don Pramudwinai, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Thailand. It was attended by Foreign Ministers of
the ten ASEAN Member States. During the meet
ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025) was
adopted.
Environment Ministerial Video Conference The Environment Ministerial Meeting (EMM) of the
Meeting (EMM) G20 Countries took place through video conference.
The G20 EMM took place as part of the Sherpa Track
for the G20 Leaders Summit; it was hosted through
a video conference under the Presidency of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A Global Initiative to
Reduce Land Degradation and Coral Program and
two other documents related to managing emissions
and climate change adaptations were launched
during the meeting.
BRICS Communication Ministers The 6th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and
Meeting South Africa) Communication Ministers Meeting
was hosted by Maxim Parshin, Deputy Minister of
Digital Development, Communications and Mass
Media of Russia in a virtual format where India was
represented by Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State
- (MoS) for Communications, Electronics &
Information Technology and Education. It should be
noted that this meet is held annually under the
rotating Chairmanship of member countries. India
will take over the Chairmanship of the next BRICS
Communications Ministers’ Meeting to be hosted in
2021 by India.
Meeting of BRICS National The 10th meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,
Security Advisors China and South Africa) National Security Advisors
(NSAs) was hosted by Russia, the current chair of
BRICS, where India was represented by Ajit Doval,
- Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) of India on
National Security. The focus of the meet was to
exchange views on combating terrorism and
extremism.
Annual Meeting of Board of The 53rd Annual Meeting of Board of Governor of
Governor of Asian Development Asian Development Bank (ADB) took place virtually
Bank on September 17-18, 2020. Ministers from ADB
members, ADB Management and Industry experts
- participated in the virtual meeting and they
discussed a wide range of issues facing Asia and
Pacific due to the Pandemic. Union Finance Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman represented India in the Annual
Meeting.
G-20 Trade and Investment Saudi Arabia The virtual G-20 Trade and Investment Ministers
Ministers meeting meeting under the presidency of Saudi Arabia was
held recently. India was represented by Union
Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister, Piyush
Goyal. The objective of the meet was the further
strengthening of G20 trade and investment
cooperation. During the meet, Piyush Goyal cleared
that India is not in a position to accept the concept
of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) as there is a
need for policy to finalize laws around digital trade
and data. The concept of “Data Free Flow with
Trust,” was first espoused by Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting
2019.
SAARC Council of Ministers External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar
Meeting participated in the Annual Informal Meeting of
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) Council of Ministers. The Annual Meeting
was chaired by Nepal and was held in virtual mode.
Special Virtual Ministerial External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar
Meeting of CICA participated in the Special Virtual Ministerial
Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Conference on
Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia
- (CICA). The Meeting saw the transfer of
Chairmanship of CICA from Tajikistan to
Kazakhstan, and the appointment of new executive
director and exchange of views on future
endeavours.
Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue Kunming, China Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate
on Biodiversity Beyond 2020 Change (MoEFCC), Prakash Javadekar represented
India at the virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue
on Biodiversity Beyond 2020. The meeting was held
to exchange views on Biodiversity Conservation and
Sustainable Development. The meeting was hosted
by China. The meeting is being hosted, ahead of the
upcoming United Nation Summit on Biodiversity
which is going to be held on 30 September 2020.
The 15th Conference of Parties (COPs) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is
scheduled to be held in 2021 at Kunming, China.
QUAD Framework Video Conference Senior Officials from Ministry of External Affairs of
India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of
Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and
Department of State of United States of America
held video conference for dialogue on regional and
global issues of common interest under the
Quadrilateral coalition or QUAD Framework. During
the meeting, members of QUAD confirmed their

commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and
inclusive Indo-Pacific Region, based on shared
values, principles and respect for International Law.
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS IN CONTENT FORMAT

Govt Formed 16-member Committee to Study Ancient Indian Culture: Prahlad Singh Patel
Prahlad Singh Patel Minister of State (I/C- Independent Charge) of Culture and Tourism has informed
that Government has formed a 16-member expert committee to conduct a study on the origin and
evolution of Indian culture dating back to about 12,000 years ago and its interface with other cultures of
the world.
INDEX
RANKING
INDEX / SURVEY RELEASED BY / KEY NOTES
NAME CONDUCTED BY
Global Innovation Index World Intellectual India => 48th Rank
(GII) 2020 Property Organization India joined the group of Top 50 Countries in the
(WIPO), Cornell 13th Edition of Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020,
University and INSEAD as it took the 48th rank with a score of 35.59 in the
Business School Annual report jointly released by World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University
and INSEAD Business School. The Theme of the 13th
edition of the GII 2020 is “Who Will Finance
Innovation?”.
Top 3 Country:
1. Switzerland
2. Sweden
3. United States Click here
World University Times Higher Education United Kingdom (UK) based Times Higher Education
Rankings 2021 (THE) (THE) released the World University Rankings 2021.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru
ranked under the 301-350 group ranking, tops
among the 63 Indian institutions which were
qualified for the THE rankings. The University of
Oxford of UK was spotted tops in the list.
Top 3 University:
1. University of Oxford , England ,UK
2. Stanford University , California,UK
3. Harvard University , Massachusetts,US Click here
Business Reform Action Department of Industrial Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs
Plan (BRAP) Ranking for Promotion and Internal Nirmala Sitharaman has virtually announced the 4th
2018-19 Trade (DPIIT) edition of State Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP)
Ranking for 2018-19 which was released by
Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of commerce and industry.
Top 3 State:
1. Andhra Pradesh (AP)

2. Uttar Pradesh (UP)
3. Telangana Click here
Household Social National Statistical Office In accordance with the report on “Household Social
Consumption: Education (NSO) Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th
in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey(NSS) – from July
round of National 2017 to June 2018″ conducted by National Statistical
Sample Survey(NSS) – Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme
from July 2017 to June Implementation (MoSPI), Kerala again emerged as
2018 the most literate state in the country with 96.2%
literacy.
Top 3 State:
1. Kerala with (96.2%)
2. Delhi with (88.7%)
3. Uttarakhand with (87.6%) Click here
States on Support to DPIIT Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Start-up Ecosystems Trade (DPIIT) released the 2nd Edition of ‘States on
2019 Support to Start-up Ecosystems 2019’. The Rankings
are based on providing a Strong Ecosystem for
promoting Start-ups. Gujarat emerged as the best
performer among Category X. Andaman and Nicobar
Islands emerged as best performer among Category
Y. Click here
Economic Freedom of Canada’s Fraser Institute India => 105th Rank
the World: 2020 In the 24th Edition of ‘Economic Freedom of the
World: 2020’ Annual Report by Canada’s Fraser
Institute, which has been released in India in
conjunction with Centre for Civil Society, New Delhi-
based think tank. The report is co-published by CATO
Institute (America) with more than 70 think tanks
around the world.
Top 3 Country:
1. Hong Kong with 8.94
2. Singapore with 8.65
3. New Zealand with 8.53 Click here
The Human Capital Index Human Development India => 116th Rank
2020 Update: Human Practice Group and the The 2020 Human Capital Index (HCI) is a
Capital in the Time of Development Economics collaboration between the Human Development
COVID-19 Group of the World Bank Practice Group and the Development Economics
Group of the World Bank released the report titled
“The Human Capital Index 2020 Update: Human
Capital in the Time of COVID-19” on September 16,
2020. India has been placed at the 116th position
among 174 countries in the Human Capital Index
2020 with score increase to 0.49 from 0.44 in 2018
in comparison to 115 out of 157 countries. The
country of Singapore topped the score with 0.88
followed by Hong Kong at 0.81 and Japan at 0.80.
Top 3 Country:
1. Singapore with score 0.88
2. Hongkong and China with score 0.81

3. Japan with score 0.8 Click here
Smart City Index (SCI) IMD, in collaboration with Institute for Management Development (IMD), in
2020 Singapore University for collaboration with Singapore University for
Technology and Design Technology and Design (SUTD), IMD World
(SUTD), IMD World Competitiveness Center, and Smart Cities
Competitiveness Center, Observatory (SCO) has released the 2nd edition of
and Smart Cities global listing of smart cities i.e. “Smart City Index
Observatory (SCO) (SCI) 2020” in which the ranking of four Indian
cities- New Delhi, Mumbai (Maharashtra),
Hyderabad (Telangana), and Bengaluru (Karnataka)
were declined as the technological advancement in
these cities is not up to date to cater the COVID19
Pandemic. The index was topped by Singapore
followed by Helsinki (Finland) and Zurich
(Switzerland) in the second and the third place
respectively. Click here
World Risk Index (WRI) World Risk Index India => 89th Rank
2020 According to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020, India
has been ranked at the 89th spot among 181
Countries. The World Risk Index is a statistical model
for the assessment of global risk of disasters such as
earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts and sea-level
rise. According to the Index, Qatar (0.31) had the
lowest risk, followed by Malta (0.66) and St. Vincent
and the Grenadines (0.81).
Top 2 Country:
1. Vanuatu
2. Tonga Click here
REPORTS
REPORT NAME SUBMITTED BY KEY NOTES
Accidental Deaths and Suicides in National Crime This is NCRB’s 53rd edition of the series which
India (ADSI) 2019 Records Bureau was started in 1967. The report is prepared
(NCRB), Ministry of with the data and information on deaths due
Home Affairs to accidents and suicides which were collected
by the State Crime Records Bureaux (SCRBx)
from the District Crime Records Bureaux
(DCRBx) and sent to the NCRB. Click here
The State of Young Child in India Venkaiah Naidu Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu
released the inaugural issue of the report ‘The
State of Young Child in India’ virtually. The
report provides an account of challenges
related to early child development (0-6 years)
in India. The report has been prepared by
Mobile Creches. Click here
Enhancing Nationally Determined Published by World Focus based on strengthening food systems in
Contributions (NDCs) for Food Wide Fund (WWF), the age of climate crisis. The report stated that
Systems United Nations Policymakers can improve the chances of
Environment achieving climate goals and limiting global

Programme (UNEP), warming to 1.5 degree Celsius by making
non-profit organization more specific commitments to transforming
EAT & think tank national food systems.
Climate
From Insights to Actions: Gender United Nations (UN) Which states that the COVID-19 pandemic will
Equality in the wake of COVID-19 Women and United have negative impacts on the women and will
Nations Development increase the poverty rate of women and widen
Programme (UNDP) the gap between men and women in poverty.
The summarised data is published as a report
titled “From Insights to Actions: Gender
Equality in the wake of COVID-19” by the UN
Women. According to the report, the pandemic
is expected to reverse the progress made to
eradicate poverty by the end of this decade
and push around 96 million people into
extreme poverty by 2021 of which around 47
million will be women and girls.
Fraud & Risk Management in The National The Report, “Fraud & Risk Management in
Digital Payments Association of Software Digital Payments” has been jointly developed
and Service Companies by The National Association of Software and
(NASSCOM)’s Data Service Companies (NASSCOM)’s Data Security
Security Council of Council of India (DSCI) and PayPal Payments
India (DSCI) and Pvt. Ltd. (PayPal). According to the report,
PayPal Payments Pvt. the E-commerce market is anticipated to grow
Ltd. (PayPal) from USD 50 Billion (in 2018) to USD 200
billion by 2026. It is expected that the internet
user base will grow to 835 million by 2023
from 560 million in 2018. Click here
Ernst & Young Report Ernst & Young According to a report by Ernst & Young,
India’s agriculture technology has the
potential to grow at $24.1 billion in 5 years.
The report also stated that with a turnover of
$204 million, India’s Agri-tech sector is at
under 1% of its market potential.
Levels & Trends in Child United Nations Inter- According to ‘Levels & Trends in Child
Mortality Report 2020 Agency Group for Child Mortality’ Report 2020, India’s child mortality
Mortality Estimation rate has declined from 3.4 million in 1990 to
(UN IGME) 824,000 in 2019. The report was prepared by
the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for
Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The
new mortality rates have been released by
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the
World Health Organization (WHO), Population
Division of the United Nations, Department of
Economic and Social Affairs and the World
Bank Group. Click here
Countdown to 2023: WHO report World Health In accordance with the report titled,
on global trans-fat elimination Organisation (WHO) “Countdown to 2023: WHO report on global
2020 trans-fat elimination 2020” released by World
Health Organisation (WHO), so far 58

countries have introduced laws that will
protect 3.2 billion people from the harmful
substance by the end of 2021. To achieve a
world free of industrially produced trans fats
by 2023, WHO recommended that countries
should set mandatory limits for industrially
produced trans fats to 2% of oils and fats in all
foods or to ban partially hydrogenated oils
(PHO).
World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) WWF In accordance with the World Wildlife Fund’s
Living Planet Report 2020 (WWF) Living Planet Report 2020, the global
vertebrate population declined to an average
of 68% between 1970 and 2016. The report
which analysed 21,000 populations of more
than 4,000 vertebrate species has stated that
urgent action is needed to protect and restore
nature and biodiversity. Click here
United in Science 2020 report UN As per the United in Science 2020 report, the
second in a series highlighted that the world is
nearing to pass the temperature limit set by
global leaders 5 years ago and may exceed it in
the next decade or so. In the next 5 years, the
world has about a 1-in-4 chance to experience
a year that is hot enough to keep the global
temperature at 2.7 degrees (1.5 °C-degrees
Celsius) above pre-industrial times. 1.5°C is
the harsher of 2 limits set in 2015 by world
leaders in the Paris climate change agreement.
A World in Disorder Global Preparedness In accordance with the 2nd Global
Monitoring Board Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB)
report titled “A World in Disorder” released on
September 14, 2020, the world will take 500
years to spend on preparing for pandemics
due to the loss driven by the COVID-19. The
GPMB is the joint arm of the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.
ACQUISITION & MERGERS

Reliance Industries acquired Future Group for Rs.24,713 crore
The Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), subsidiary of the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)
acquired the retail and wholesale, logistics and warehousing business of the Future Group Business as
going concerns on a slump sale basis for lump sum aggregate consideration of Rs 24,713 crore.
DoT & SEBI Approved Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Proposal to Acquire Reliance Telecom
Tower Assets
The Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) and The Securities and Exchange Board of India-SEBI
(with certain clauses) has given approval to Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio), to sell units worth Rs 25,215
crore in Tower Infrastructure Trust to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. It also approved a

downstream foreign investment of Rs 105.35 crore to acquire remaining 49% paid up equity share capital
in Reliance Jio Infratel Pvt Ltd (RJIPL) and increase the foreign capital in the firm to 100%.
Adani Group to Acquire 74% Stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited

Adani Airport Holdings Limited(AAHL), holding company of Adani Group for its airports business has
entered into an agreement to acquire 74% in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) or
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. AAHL will acquire 50.50% stake of GVK Airport
Developers Ltd (GVKADL) and 23.5% of minority partners ACSA and Bidvest in MIAL – for which it has
obtained Competition Commission of India approval. Remaining 26% stake of MIAL will be with acquired
by Airports Authority of India (AAI).
CCI Approved Incremental Acquisition of 6.51% shareholdings in ClariantAGunder by SABIC

International Holdings B.V.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved an incremental acquisition of 6.51%
shareholding in ClariantAGunder (ClariantAG) by SABIC International Holdings B.V. (SABIC BV), a
wholly owned affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation-SABIC under section 31(1) of the
Competition Act, 2002. CCI’s approval is without bias to the proceedings under Section 43A of the act.
Silver Lake Set to Invest Rs.7500 Crore for 1.75% Stake in Reliance Retails
Silver Lake, US based global technology investment firm, is set to invest Rs. 7500 crores in Reliance Retail
Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). This investment will provide
Silver lake a 1.75% stake in RRVL. This investment will enhance the retail presence of RIL in the domestic
market.
CCI Approved 20% acquisition of Piramal Pharma Limited by CA Clover Intermediate II

Investments
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition of 20% issued and
paid-up equity share capital (in short- stake) of Piramal Pharma Limited (in short- Piramal Pharma),
wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL) by CA Clover Intermediate II Investments
(Curie), an affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius Limited.
CCI Approved Acquisition of Bombardier Transportation’s & Nutrition & Biosciences Inc.
Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the following proposals under Section 31(1) of
the Competition Act, 2002:
 Acquisition of sole control over Bombardier Transportation’s (Bombardier Transport) by Alstom
S.A. (Alstom)
 Acquisition of Nutrition & Biosciences, Inc. by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
Read More Details Here: CCI Approved Acquisition of Bombardier Transportation’s & Nutrition &
Biosciences Inc.
KKR Picks up 1.28% Equity Stake of Reliance Retails for Rs.5550 Crore Investment
Reliance Industries limited (RIL) announced that KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), global investment firm,
will pick up 1.28% equity shares of RIL subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) by investing
Rs.5550 crores. The investment of KKR will translate into a 1.28% equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted
basis.
CCI Approved Acquisition of 100% Equity Shares of Medlife by API Holdings

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved an acquisition of 100% equity shares of Medlife
International Private Limited (Medlife) by API Holdings Private Limited (API Holdings), the parent of
PharmEasy and as consideration, the acquisition of up to 19.59% of the equity share capital of API

Holdings on a fully diluted basis, by the Medlife Promoter Shareholders and other shareholders of
Medlife. The Approval was given under the Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
DEFENCE
EXERCISE
EXERCISE NAME VENUE / PARTICIPATING KEY NOTES
COUNTRIES
INDRA NAVY – 20 Strait of Malacca, Indian Navy The 11th Edition of bi-annual, bilateral
and Russian Navy Maritime Exercise ‘INDRA NAVY – 20’ between
Indian Navy and Russian Navy was conducted
successfully from September 4 to 5. The
Exercise was conducted in Bay of Bengal, close
to the Strategic point of Strait of Malacca. The
INDRA military exercise has been conducted
by India and Russia since 2003.
Passage Exercise (PASSEX) East Indian Ocean Region, On September 23-24, 2020, Indian Navy
Indian & Australia conducted a 2-day long Passage Exercise
(PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in
the East Indian Ocean Region (IOR) where
Indian side was represented by INS (Indian
Naval Ship) Sahyadri and INS Karmuk & the
Australian side included HMAS Hobart along
with Indian Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA),
and helicopters from both the nations.
JIMEX-2020 North Arabian Sea, Japan- The Fourth Edition of the Biennial Japan-India
India Maritime Exercise ‘JIMEX-2020’ took place
between Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime
Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the North
Arabian Sea from 26th September-28th
September, 2020. Due to Pandemic, JIMEX-
2020 is conducted in a ‘non-contact at-sea-
only format’.
TESTING
MISSILES NAME TESTING LOCATION FEATURES
Hypersonic Dr Abdul Kalam Island Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Technology successfully tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator
Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the Indigenously developed Scramjet
Vehicle (HSTDV) Propulsion System in its second attempt. The Technology
will be very critical as it will play an important part in
developing hypersonic cruise missile systems being
developed by DRDO. The HSTDV is designed to cruise at
Mach 6 speed (or six times the speed of sound), and the test
was conducted from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha
Coast.
ABHYAS Balasore, Odisha Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
successfully conducted the flight test of ABHYAS — High
Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from the Interim

Test Range, Balasore, Odisha. ABHYAS is designed and
developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment
(ADE) of DRDO. This is the second time that the target
vehicle (ABHYAS) was successfully tested. The first
successful test was conducted in May 2019.
Anti-Tank Guided KK Ranges in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Missile (ATGM) Ahmednagar, successfully test fired the Indigenously developed Laser
Maharashtra Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) from Main Battle
Tank (MBT) Arjun at the Armoured Corps Centre and
School (ACC&S), KK Ranges in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
The missile had hit a target of up to 3Km in these tests.
Prithvi-II missile Chandipur, Odisha As a part of routine trail India successfully conducted the
night test fire of its indigenously developed nuclear capable
surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile which was carried out
from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the
Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. The
entire launch activity was carried out by Strategic Force
Command (SFC) of the Army and monitored by scientists of
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The missile was randomly chosen from the production
stock. The last night time testfire of Prithvi-II was
conducted successfully from the ITR on November 20, 2019.
Sea-To-Sea Missile Israel’s Navy and Defense Ministry’s Weapons Development
System and Technology Infrastructure Administration (MAFAT)
successfully test fired a new Sea-To-Sea Missile System. The
- Missile is yet to be named and has been designed to ensure
Israel’s continued Naval Superiority. The New Missile
system has been developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries
(IAI).
ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

Five Rafale Aircrafts inducted into ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron of Indian Air Force
The Five Rafale Aircrafts which arrived in India on July 29, 2020 were formally inducted into the Indian
Air Force at a function held at Air Force Station, Ambala (Haryana). They were inducted into the Indian
Air Force’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’.
Read More Details Here: Five Rafale Aircrafts inducted into ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron of Indian Air Force
India’s 1st Commercial Indigenously Developed Sonar Dome to be Mounted on P15 Alpha
Warship
Goa-based composites manufacturing company Kineco Limited became the first Indian company to
manufacture indigenous composites sonar dome after it was flagged off by the then Union Defence
Minister Late Manohar Parrikar to be delivered to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai.
The Kineco manufactured sonar dome flagged off to MDL, Mumbai by Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant
for its mounting on the Indian Navy’s Kolkata and Visakhapatnam-class stealth destroyers of Indian Navy,
P15 Alpha for the first time. It has been designed by Research and Development Establishment, a Pune
based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory. Note: India’s first maritime
cluster is coming up at Verna, Goa.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SATELLITES LAUNCHES
SATELLITE NAME COUNTRY PURPOSE
Falcon 9 SpaceX, USA The Falcon 9 of SpaceX, a two stage rocket launched the
12th batch of starlink mission with 60 starlink satellites
into orbit. Falcon 9 was launched from the Kennedy
Space Center of National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), Florida. This launch is the first
mission of SpaceX in September and 16th Mission in
2020.S
Reusable Experimental China China launched a reusable experimental spacecraft on a
Spacecraft Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite
Launch Centre in North-Western Chinese region Inner
Mongolia. The spacecraft is similar to the X-37B launched
by the US. This launch was the 14th mission of the Long
March-2F carrier rocket.
Solid-propellant carrier China China Successfully launched a solid-propellant carrier
rocket rocket from a ship in the Yellow Sea, China. It sent 9
satellites into the planned Orbit, and is the Second such
Sea-based Launch Mission. The 9 satellites belonged to
the Jilin-1 Gaofen 03-1 group, and were launched using
Long March 11-HY2 (China’s first sea-launched rocket).
It was the 346th Launch using the Long March Rocket
Series. The Satellites have been developed by Chang
Guang Satellite Technology Company Ltd.
OTHER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

NATIONAL
CSIR-CMERI Developed & Installed the World’s Largest Solar Tree in Durgapur
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR
– CMERI) developed the world largest Solar Tree with customisable features for application in different
locations and installed it in the residential colony of CMERI at Durgapur, West Bengal.
ICICI Prudential Life Launched AI-Powered Voice Chatbot, ‘LiGo’ on Google Assistant
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Prudential Life) has introduced an Artificial
intelligence (AI)-powered voice chat-bot, ‘LiGo’, on Google Assistant. LiGo is ICICI Prudential Life’s
customer service chat-bot. This will enable the company’s policyholders to address their queries by
simple voice commands. It provides an easy to use and convenient service touch-point for customers.
Indian Railways develops ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19 patients

Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food,
medicine to COVID-19 patients. At present, ‘MEDBOT’ is providing service in the Central Hospital of the
Diesel Rail Engine Factory, Varanasi of Indian Railways.

IIT Guwahati Collaborates with University of Pardubice, Czech Republic for Data Protection
Project
A Team of Researchers from IIT Guwahati have collaborated with University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
to work towards developing indigenous algorithms to protect the Country’s digital data from cyber-
attacks by advanced computers. The work has been published in the IEEE International Conference
Radioelektronika (RADIOELEKTRONIKA).
IIT Delhi Incubated Startup, Chakr Innovation Launched “Chakr DeCoV” to Decontaminate N95
Masks
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi incubated start-up Chakr Innovation launched an Ozone based
decontamination device named “Chakr DeCoV” to decontaminate the N95 masks and reuse up-to 10
times. The device was developed by the Chakr Innovation team led by Tushar Batham with the guidance
of researchers and professors of IIT Delhi.
LIGO and VIRGO Detected Mammoth Collision of ‘Impossible’ Black Holes for 1st time
For the 1st time, The Collision of ‘Impossible’ Black Holes was detected and directly observed by the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational Wave Laboratory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo
Collaboration also known as LVC (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration), which includes
scientists from the Australian National University (ANU).
Thaawarchand Gehlot launched ‘24×7 toll-free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline ‘KIRAN’
Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the 24×7 Toll-
Free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline “KIRAN” (1800-500-0019). The Helpline has been developed
by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment.
Moon is Rusting: Orbital Data Reveals Presence of Hematite at High Latitudes on the Moon
New research paper titled “Widespread hematite at high latitudes of the Moon” published on Science
Advances reviewed the data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper Instrument (M3) of Chandrayan-1
orbiter of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and found the Hematite (iron oxide or rust) at the
high latitudes of the moon. Shuai Li from the University of Hawaii was the lead author of the research
paper.
WIHG Developed a Neural-Based Practical Approach for Automatic Interpretation of 3D Seismic

Data, 1st of its kind Approach
A neural-based (machine learning-based) practical approach for automatic interpretation of 3D seismic
data, has been developed by the scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an
autonomous Institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST). This 1st of its kind approach
was developed by computing a new attribute called meta-attribute. The study has been published in the
research journal ‘Tectonophysics’.
MoRTH Conducted Orientation and Training Programme of iRAD App

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) conducted the 2-days Orientation and Training
programme on Integrated Road Accident Database Project (iRAD) App for the selected districts of
Karnataka and on 10th & 11th September 2020 for some districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The basic iRAD
app, for capturing the spot accident data, has been developed by IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology)
Madras (Tamil Nadu) and National Informatics Centre Services Inc (NICSI) of New Delhi.

IIT Guwahati develops self-check Kiosk: first-of-its-kind in India
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in collaboration with Workspace Metal Solutions Pvt. Ltd.,
Udaipur, has developed a self-check kiosk, it has first of its kind UV-C disinfection box capable of killing
viruses/bacteria present on the surfaces of luggage, bags, keys, mobiles, wallet etc.
Delhi Metro Launched India’s 1st Indigenous Signalling Technology ‘i-ATS’ under Make in India
On the occasion of Engineers Day i.e. September 15, 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
launched i-ATS (Automatic Train Supervision), the first Made-in-India signalling system. It is an
important sub-system of the signalling system for the development of CBTC (Communication Based Train
Control) based signalling technology for metro railway by automatically detecting all trains on a corridor.
IIIT Bhubaneswar Students Developed, ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind Helmet-like Ventilation Device
to Ease Breathing
A group of 7 engineering students from IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology),
Bhubaneswar have developed ‘Swasner’, a 1st of its kind helmet-like ventilation device to help patients
breathe more conveniently. The designed hyperbaric chamber is a low-cost device to help COVID-19
patients.
Tata Group to launch India’s 1st CRISPR COVID-19 test, ‘FELUDA’

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given regulatory approval for the commercial launch of
‘FELUDA’ (FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay), India’s 1st CRISPR (Clustered Regularly
Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) test. It is developed by the scientist of CSIR-IGIB (Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research -Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology). As per the agreement
was signed by Tata Sons Private Limited and CSIR-IGIB in May, 2020, Tata group will manufacture it.
Pixxel Enters into a Service Agreement with Momentus for Second Satellite Launch
Momentus Inc., which provides in-space satellite transportation and infrastructure services and Pixxel,
an Indian space-tech start-up has signed a service agreement to launch the 2nd satellite of Pixxel to SSO
orbit (Sun-synchronous orbit or heliosynchronous orbit) in December 2021 on top of a SpaceX Falcon-9
and also with option to fly again in 2022. The earth imaging satellite, which is the 1st satellite of Pixxel is
scheduled to be launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket in November, 2020.
IIT Madras Developed an Indigenous Microprocessor “MOUSHIK” For IoT Devices

Researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras developed the indigenously made
microprocessor “MOUSHIK”, a processor cum “system-on-chip” (SoC) for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
MOUSHIK will support the developing IoT devices which are the integral part of the Smart Cities of Digital
India. This project was funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
INTERNATIONAL
Northrop Grumman Named its NG-14 Cygnus Spacecraft as ‘SS Kalpana Chawla’ after Former
Astronaut Kalpana Chawla
An American Global Aerospace and Defense technology company, Northrop Grumman Corporation
(Northrop Grumman) has named its next Cygnus Spacecraft, NG-14 as ‘SS Kalpana Chawla’ after Dr
Kalpana Chawla, a former NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), United States of
America-USA Astronaut. She was selected in honour of her outstanding place in history as the 1st
woman of Indian descent to go to space. S.S. Kalpana Chawla is the 2nd Cygnus to be named for a
member of the STS-107 crew. Rick Husband, Columbia’s last commander, was similarly honored in
2016.

Florida University Research Team Discovered the Explosion of ‘Supernova LSQ14fmg’
A 37-member international research team led by Eric Hsiao, Assistant Professor of Physics in Florida
State University (FSU) discovered that an unusual supernova, called Supernova LSQ14fmg was exploding.
It was located one -hundred million light-years away from Earth. It is known as Type La supernova, and
more particularly, a member of the ‘super-Chandrasekhar’ group. The research was published in ‘The
Astrophysical Journal’.
Astronomers Discovered Possible Signs of Microbial Life on Venus Clouds

A team of scientists announced the discovery of Phosphine, a rare molecule which provides a possibility
of microbial life in the clouds of the Venus. Professor Jane Greaves, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
was the lead author of a report published in Nature Astronomy. The researchers team detected the
Phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii, USA.
Later the team was awarded time to follow their discovery with the 45 telescopes of the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.
Scientists Discovered 1st Ever Planet, ‘WD 1856 b’ Orbiting a White Dwarf, ‘WD 1856+534’
An international team of astronomers have discovered the 1st ever planet, ‘‘WD 1856 B’’ orbiting a white
dwarf (‘WD 1856+534’) or a dead star, located about 80 light years away in the northern constellation
Draco. The Jupiter sized planet has a very short orbital period, i.e., a year on this planet is only 1.4 days.
The findings are published in the Journal Nature. The discovery was made using NASA’s (The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration) Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and retired Spitzer
Space Telescope. WD 1856 b is about 7 times larger than ‘WD 1856+534’.
ENVIRONMENT
Researchers from Kerala and West Bengal have identified ‘Systomus Gracilus’, a New Species of
Freshwater Fish from Ganga
The researchers from Kerala and West Bengal have identified Systomus gracilus, a new cyprinid (family
of freshwater fish) fish from Ganges River at Naihati of West Bengal. The discovery was published as an
article in the ‘Journal of Experimental Zoology’. The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB),
statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has funded this project.
Researchers of ZSI Discovers Two New Species of Cockroach Wasps in Western Ghats
Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode discovered 2 new species of Cockroach
Wasps in Western Ghats. These new species were named Dolichurus sahyadriensis after Sahyadri or
Western Ghats mountain ranges and Dolichurus chareshi after C. Charesh, the laboratory assistant, ZSI
who contributed in the collection of the species. The findings will be published in the Zootaxa, an
internationally peer reviewed journal of animal taxonomy.
JNTBGRI Identified New & Rare Species of Climber “Pothos boyceanus” in Western Ghats
Scientists of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute(JNTBGRI) from Palode of
Kerala, have identified a new and extremely rare climber named “Pothos boyceanus” after Peter G. Boyce,
expert on ‘Araceae’ of Southeast Asia. The discovery of Pothos boyceanus was published in Taiwania,
international journal of biodiversity. The discovery was made during a floristic survey of the Western
Ghats in the evergreen forests of Valara, Iddukki at Kerala.

SPORTS
CRICKET
England Cricketer Ian Bell announces Retirement at the age of 38
England Cricketer Ian Ronald Bell (38) announced retirement from Professional Cricket. He was the
second player after Ian Botham to be involved in five Ashes series wins. Ian Bell has represented England
in 118 Test Matches, 161 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 8 Twenty 20 Internationals (T20I). He has
scored 7,727 runs in Test Cricket at an average of 42.69, while scoring 5,416 runs in the 50-over format.
OTHER SPORTS NEWS

Formula One Champion Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton Won the Belgian Grand Prix 2020; Won this
title for 4th time, Claimed his 89th GP
Formula One Champion Mercedes Lewis Hamilton (British) won the Belgian Grand Prix (GP) 2020 at
Belgium. This is his 4th Belgian GP win, the record equals with Jim Clark and Kimi Raikkonen in 3rd
position in all time most wins of Belgian GP, behind Michael Schumacher (6 times) and Ayrton Senna
(5times). With this victory, he claimed his 89th career title.
India, Russia declared joint winners of 2020 Online FIDE Chess Olympiad
India and Russia were declared joint winners of the 2020 Online FIDE (International Chess Federation)
Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection. This was the first time that FIDE
was holding the Olympiad in an online format due to the ongoing Pandemic. The Indian squad at the Chess
Olympiad 2020 included Vishwanathan Anand, Vidit Santosh Gujarati (captain), P. Harikrishna, Koneru
Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Bhakti Kulkarni, Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh, R. Praggnanandha, Vantika
Agrawal, R. Vaishali and Arvindh Chithambaram.
Olympic & Giant Slalom Ski Champion Viktoria Rebensburg retires at 30

Germany’s Olympic Ski Champion Viktoria Rebensburg (30) announced her retirement from Alpine
Skiing. Rebensburg was a German World Cup-winning Alpine Ski Racer. She was born on 4th October
1989 at Tegernsee, Bavaria, Germany. She won the Gold Medal in 2010 Winter Olympics held at
Vancouver (Canada) in Giant Slalom, a discipline in Alpine Skiing.
Indian GM Iniyan wins 48th Annual World Open Chess Virtual tournament (online)
Indian Grandmaster Panneerselvam Iniyan won the 48th Annual World Open Chess Tournament via
online with 7.5 points from nine games. The World Open Chess Tournament is organized by Continental
Chess Association. It was held from August 7-9, 2020 in online mode following classical time control.
French Driver Pierre Gasly wins 2020 Italian Grand Prix

French Driver Pierre Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix for his Racing Team Alpha Tauri. Pierre Gasly
became the first Frenchman to win a race since Olivier Panis won Monaco Grand Prix in 1996.
Wushu Stalwart Poonam Khatri’s Silver Medal at 2019 World Championship Upgraded to Gold
Medal
Poonam Khatri who won the Silver Medal at the 15th edition of World Wushu Championships (WWC)
2019 held at Minhang Gymnasium in Shanghai, China has now been upgraded to Gold Medal. She is now
the third Indian to win a Gold in Wushu World Championship after Pooja Kadiyan (2017) and Praveen
Kumar (2019). Her Gold Medal got upgraded after Iran’s Maryam Hashemi failed in her dope test.

US Open 2020 – Overview
The 140th Edition of American Open took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New
York, United States from August 31, 2020 – September 13, 2020.
2020 US Open Winners:
Category Winner Runners-up
Men’s Singles Dominic Thiem (Austria) Alexander Zverev(Germany)
Women’s
Singles Naomi Osaka (Japan) Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
Mate Pavic (Croatia) & Bruno Soares Wesley Koolhof (Netherlands)& Nikola
Men’s Doubles (Brazil) Mektic (Croatia)
Women’s Laura Siegemund (Germany) & Vera Nicole Melichar (United States) & Yifan
Doubles Zvonareva (Russia) Xu (China)
Lewis Hamilton wins Tuscan Grand Prix, Albon secures first career podium
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Won the Tuscan Grand Prix 2020, held at the Mugello Circuit, Italy.
This is Hamilton’s 90th Pole Position of his career, he is one win short of equalling Michael Schumacher’s
All-Time Record.
2020 Italian Open – Overview

The 77th Edition of Italian Open (also known as Rome Masters or the Internazionali BNL d’Italia) 2020
took place from September 14-21, 2020 at Foro Italico Court, Rome, Italy.
2020 Italian Open Winners:
Category Winner Runner-up
Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Diego Schwartzman (Argentina)
Women’s
Singles Simona Halep (Romania) Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic)
Marvel Granollers (Spain) and Horacio Jeremy Chardy (France) and Fabrice Martin
Men’s Doubles Zeballos (Argentina) (France)
Women’s Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) and Barbora Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany) and
Doubles Strycova (Czech Republic) Raluca Olaru (Romania)
Mercedes Driver Valtteri Bottas wins Russian Grand Prix 2020

Mercedes Driver Valtteri Bottas (Finland) won the Russian Grand Prix 2020 held at Sochi Autodrom,
Russia. This is Valtteri’s first win since the victory in season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK NAME AUTHOR KEY NOTES
The Big Thoughts of Karan Johar Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar authored a children’s
Little Luv picture book titled “The Big Thoughts of Little Luv”
inspired by his Twins Yash and Roohi. The book will be
published by Juggernaut Books. This is the first picture
book authored by Karan Johar. He released his
autobiography titled “An Unsuitable Boy” in 2017. He
received the Padma Shri Award in the field of Arts in
January 2020.

The Commonwealth of Ramachandra Guha Indian writer Ramachandra Guha has authored a new
Cricket: A Lifelong Love book, ‘The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love
Affair with the Subtlest Affair with the Subtlest and Sophisticated Game Known
and Sophisticated Game to Humankind ‘. The book portrays the entire arc of the
Known to Humankind game (cricket) in India, across all levels at which it is
played and gives a glimpse of local heroes, provincial
emblems and international stars. The book will be co-
published by HarperCollins India and William Collins.
The One and Only Channing Tatum Hollywood Actor Channing Tatum announced the
Sparkella release of his first book, a Children’s picture book titled
“The One and Only Sparkella” dedicated to his daughter
Everly. The book featuring the illustrations of Kim
Barnes is set to be published by Feiwel & Friends on 4th
May 2021. The book portrays a young girl Ella who likes
sparkly things and gets teased at school and Ella’s father
who teaches her to express and love herself.
Let Us Dream Pope Francis Pope Francis is set to release the book “Let Us Dream” in
December 2020. The book will be an outcome of
numerous exchanges between Pope Francis and his
Biographer Austen Ivereigh in the weeks following the
Coronavirus outbreak around the world. Austen
Ivereigh is a Roman Catholic Journalist, Commentator,
author based out of Britain.
The Little Book of Green Launched by United United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Nudges Nations Environment launched a new publication, “The Little Book of Green
Programme (UNEP) Nudges”, to inspire students around the globe to adopt
environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles.
The Book was drafted with The Behavioural Insights
Team and GRID-Arendal. Click here
Invertonomics: 8 ideas to Goonmeet Singh Goonmeet Singh Chauhan’s new book “Invertonomics: 8
transform India Chauhan’s ideas to transform India” presents practical ideas and
models to solve the 8 specific fundamental problems of
India like, Social inequality, Air pollution, Cleanliness,
Safer Cities, Women empowerment and rural economy
deteriorating etc. It was published by HarperCollins
India. In this book, Goonmeet coined a methodology
“Invertonomics”, a model that invert problems into
economic opportunities.
Nothing to Lose Manbeena Sandhu The 2 books on Sheela Birnstiel, namely ‘Nothing to
Lose’, an authorised biography by Manbeena Sandhu,
which portrays the woman behind the strong persona
and her Memoir, ‘My Story in My Own Words’ to be
published in October 2020 and November 2020
respectively.
Samvad Upanishad and Gulab Kothari Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 2 books
Akshar Yatra Samvad Upanishad and Akshar Yatra, authored by Gulab
Kothari, Editor in Chief of Rajasthan Patrika Group and
Chairman of Patrika Group of Newspaper.
Breaking the Cocoon @ Radha M Nair Radha M Nair announced her first book titled “Breaking
40 the Cocoon @ 40” portrays her life experiences in the

advertising world of Mumbai where she started her
career as a copywriter during her early forties. The
book will be published by Poorna Publications.
Previously, she co-authored the book titled “The God
Who Rules a Kingdom, the story of Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple” with Aswathi Thirunal
Gauri Lakshmi Bai.
End of an Era, India Exits Claude Arpi The book titled, ‘End of an Era, India Exits Tibet’
Tibet authored by Claude Arpi to be released soon. The book
portrays India Tibet relation during 1947-1962. The
core of the book is about India losing all its influence in
Tibet, helping China press aggressive claims along the
border with India. It is based on Nehru Memorial
Library papers, de-classified Indian and Chinese
documents and personal interviews.
Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Arundhati Roy’s Arundhati Roy’s new book titled “Azadi: Freedom.
Fiction Fascism. Fiction” is published by Penguin Books
Limited. The nonfiction book is a collection of essays
that shows the meaning of Freedom in the world of
increasing authoritarianism.
A Promised Land Barack Obama’s Penguin Random House announced that the first
memoir volume of the Former President of United States of
America (USA), Barack Obama’s memoir “A Promised
Land” is set to hit the stores on 17th November 2020,
two weeks after Election day. His other books include
“Of Thee I Sing” (children’s book), “Change We Can
Believe in”, etc.,
Voices of Dissent Historian Romila The New book titled “Voices of Dissent” authored by
Thapar Historian Romila Thapar will be jointly published by
Penguin Random House India and Seagull Books. The
book is set to publish in October 2020. The book is a
historical essay that explores dissent, including its
articulation and public response to its forms, with a
focus on the recent protest in India against the
citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens.
A Bouquet of Flowers Dr Krishna Saksena Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched the Book ‘A
Bouquet of Flowers’ written by Dr Krishna Saksena. She
is the first woman to get a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy).
This is her 9th book, and it gives a look into the inner
workings of society, from the perspective of changing
values and culture, where she subtly highlights the
strengths and weaknesses of Contemporary Society.

OBITUARY
NATIONAL
PERSON NAME FIELD BORN PLACE KEY NOTES
Pranab Kumar Former President Mirati, West Bengal Passed away after developing a lung
Mukherjee and One of the infection at the Army’s Research and
Country’s Senior Referral Hospital, New Delhi, where he
Most Politicians was admitted for a Brain Surgery.
Pranab Mukherjee served as the 13th
President of India from 2012-2017. He
was India’s only non-Prime Minister
who was the leader of the Lok Sabha.
Fondly called as ‘Pranabda’, he was
born in 1935. Click here
Dr S. Padmavati India’s 1st Female & Burma (now Died in National Heart Institute (NHI)
Sivaramakrishna Oldest Cardiologist Myanmar) due to COVID-19. She was the founder
of All India Heart Foundation (AIHF)
and NHI, New Delhi, and established
the 1st cardiac clinic and
catheterization laboratory at the Lady
Hardinge Medical College in India
(Delhi). She is popularly known as the
“GodMother of Cardiology”. She was
born on June 20, 1917. She received
Padma Bhushan in 1967 and Padma
Vibhushan in 1992.
Katyayani Shankar Former Indian Jaipur, Rajasthan Passed away. He co-founded the Delhi
Bajpai Ambassador to the Policy Group (DPG), an independent
United States (US), think tank in 1994 with other eminent
Pakistan, public intellectuals & remained its
Netherlands and chairman since then. He served as the
China Former Secretary, External Affairs
Ministry. He was born on March 30,
1928. He is the Son of Girija Shankar
Bajpai (1st Secretary-General of the
Ministry of External Affairs).
Kesavananda Petitioner of the Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji (80), a
Bharati Swamiji Historic Judgement petitioner of the historic judgement of
the Supreme court on the Fundamental
- Rights case passed away in the Edneer
Mutt, Kerala due to cardiac and
breathing problems. Kesavananda
Bharati has headed the Edneer Mutt
since 1961.
Govind Swarup Father of India’s United Provinces, Passed away due to age related
Radio Astronomy British India (Now in complications in Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune
Uttar Pradesh) Maharashtra. He was the founding
director of National Centre for Radio
Astrophysics of Tata Institute of

Fundamental Research. He is the
recipient of Padma Shri (1973). He was
born on March 23rd, 1929 in
Thakurdwara, United Provinces,
British India (Now in Uttar Pradesh).
Jaya Prakash Reddy Telugu Actor Kurnool, Andhra Popularly known as JP passed away at
Pradesh his residence in Guntur, Andhra
Pradesh due to cardiac arrest. He was
born on 8th May, 1946. He starred in
more than 100 films across Tamil,
Telugu and Kannada industries.
Swami Agnivesh Social Activist, Srikakulam, Andhra Renowned social activist, scholar,
Scholar, former MLA Pradesh former MLA (Member of the Legislative
Assembly) and Cabinet Minister for
Education of Haryana passed away due
to cardiac arrest at the Institute of
Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in
New Delhi, India. He served as the
president (2004–2014) of the World
Council of Arya Samaj, which is the
highest international body of the Arya
Samaj. He was born on 21st September,
1939 in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh.
He founded the Bonded Labour
Liberation Front-BLLF.
Raghuvansh Prasad Former Union Bihar Passed away at New Delhi due to post
Singh Minister for Rural COVID complications. He was born on
Development 6th June 1946 in Bihar. He became the
Lok sabha member in 1996 and served
as a Lok Sabha member for five terms
representing Vaishali, Bihar. He served
as the Union minister for Rural
development from 2004 to 2009 in the
cabinet led by Manmohan Singh.
Johnny Bakshi Eminent Producer- Pune Passed away at the age 82 due to
Director Cardiac arrest reported by Arogya
Nidhi hospital in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
Sadashiv Raoji Patil Former Indian Kolhapur, Who represented India in one test
Cricketer Maharashtra match passed away at his residence in
Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He was born
on 10th October 1933 in Kolhapur,
Maharashtra. Sadashiv Raoji Patil made
his first class debut for Maharashtra in
1952-53 season. He served as the
captain of Maharashtra in the Ranji
Trophy.
Kapila Vatsyayan A renowned scholar Passed away at New Delhi, India due to
of Indian classical age related ailments. She was about 91
dance, art, years old. She was a former Member of

architecture, and art Parliament(MP) and lifetime trustee of
history - India International Centre (IIC). She
was founder trustee, academic director
and chairperson of Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts. Kapila
Vatsyayan is the recipient of Padma
Vibhushan (2011) in the field of Arts.
Chanesh Ram Veteran Congress Passed away due to COVID-19 at a
Rathiya leader and former - hospital at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh. He
Chhattisgarh was a prominent leader from the tribal
minister society of north Chhattisgarh.
P R Krishnakumar Chancellor of Shoranur, Kerala Padma Shri P R Krishnakumar (69),
Avinashilingam Chancellor of Avinashilingam Institute
Institute for Home Science and Higher
Education for Women and Managing
Director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy
Limited, Coimbatore passed away at
Coimbatore due to COVID-19. He was
born on 23rd September 1951 at
Shoranur, Kerala. He started the first
ever clinical research in traditional
medicines under the partnership of the
World Health Organization (WHO) and
Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) in 1977.
Ashok Gasti Rajya Sabha MP Raichur, Karnataka Ashok Gasti, a Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) Rajya Sabha MP (Member of
Parliament) from Karnataka, passed
away of COVID-19 at a private hospital
in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was
around the age of 55. The BJP
Karnataka leader was born in 1965 and
belonged to Raichur district,
Karnataka. The first-time Rajya Sabha
member took oath as MP on July 22,
2020.
Balli Durga Prasad Lok Sabha MP Nellore, AP Balli Durga Prasad Rao, Tirupati
Rao (Andhra Pradesh) Lok Sabha MP
(Members of Parliament) passed away
of COVID-19 at Apollo Main Hospital in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was around
the age of 64. He belongs to Yuvajana
Sramika Rythu Congress Party
(YSRCP). He was born in Nellore
district, AP on June 15, 1956.
Amitabha Ghosh Former Governor Amitabha Ghosh (90), former governor
of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) passed
away recently. He is the shortest
serving governor of RBI (21 days-
- January 15, 1985 to February 4, 1985).

He served as the 16th governor, while
serving as a deputy governor of RBI
until R N Malhotra (17th Governor)
took over.
Ashalata Veteran Marathi Goa Passed away at Satara, Maharashtra
Wabgaonkar Actor after testing positive for COVID-19.
Ashalata Wabgaonkar was born on 2nd
July 1941 in Goa. She made her theatre
debut as Revathi in the play
“Sanshaykallol”. She made her debut in
the film industry with the Hindi movie
“Apne Paraye” directed by Basu
Chatterjee.
Suresh Union Minister of Belagavi, Karnataka Union Minister of State for Railways
Channabasappa State and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s
Angadi Member of Parliament (MP) from
Belagavi constituency of Karnataka
passed away at the age of 65 after
testing positive for COVID-19 at the
Covid Facility, New Delhi. He is the first
Central Minister to die of COVID-19. He
was born on 1st June 1955 at Belagavi,
Karnataka.
Sekhar Basu Veteran Atomic Muzaffarpur, Bihar Passed away at the age of 68 at a
Scientist and Former private hospital in Kolkata, West
Chairman of Atomic Bengal of COVID-19. He served as the
Energy Commission Secretary to the Government of India,
(AEC) Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
and as director of Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC). He was the
recipient of PadmaShri (2014). He was
born on September 20, 1952. He
developed the highly complex reactor
for INS Arihant, India’s 1st nuclear-
powered submarine.
SP Indian Singer Nellore, Andhra Renowned Indian Singer SP
Balasubrahmanyam Pradesh Balasubrahmanyam (Popularly known
as SPB) passed away in Chennai at the
age of 74 due to Cardio-Respiratory
arrest in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was
born on 4th June, 1946. SPB made his
singing debut in 1966 in the Telugu
Movie ‘Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna’.
He is a Six-time National Award
Winner for Best Male Playback Singer.
Click here
Dr. Isher Judge Indian economist Indian economist, public policy
Ahluwalia researcher and the former Chairperson
of an economic think tank, the Indian
Council for Research on International

Economic Relations (ICRIER), who
- served for 15 years from 2005-2020
passed away at New Delhi due to brain
cancer. She received the Padma
Bhushan in 2009. She was born on 1st
October 1945. She recently published
her memoir titled “Breaking Through”,
a proof of her career which broke the
barriers that huddled women’s careers.
Jaswant Singh Former Union Barmer, Rajasthan Major Jaswant Singh (Retd), former
Minister Union Minister in the cabinet of
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee and Founding member of
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed
away at the age of 82 at New Delhi due
to cardiac arrest. He was born in 1939.
His books include, “Jinnah: India,
Partition, Independence (2009)” and A
Call to Honour (2006).
Syeda Anwara Assam’s first and Assam, British India Passed away in Australia due to cardiac
Taimur only woman Chief arrest. She was around the age of 83.
Minister She is the 1st Muslim woman CM of any
state in India. She was born on
November 24, 1936. She is a 4 time
(1972, 1978, 1983 and 1991) Member
of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and
a 2 time Rajya Sabha MP- Member of
Parliament (nominated in 1988 and
elected in 2004).
INTERNATIONAL
PERSON NAME FIELD BORN PLACE KEY NOTES
Chadwick Hollywood star USA Well known for his role as T’Challa in the film
Boseman Black Panther (2018) passed away in his
residence at Los Angeles, United States of
America (USA) due to colon cancer. He was
born in Anderson, South Carolina. His movie
Black Panther was the first superhero film to
get an Oscar nomination for best picture.
David Capel Former England Northampton Passed away in Northamptonshire after a
all-rounder and prolonged illness due to brain tumour. He had
legendary played around 15 tests and 23 One Day
cricketer Internationals (ODIs) representing England
from 1987 to 1990.
Jiri Menzel Director (film & Prague, Jiri Menzel, director (film & theatre), writer and
theatre), Writer Czechoslovakia actor of Czech Republic passed away after
and Actor battling serious health issues. His 1st feature
film, ‘Closely Watched Trains’ won an Academy
Award (Oscars) for Best Foreign Language film

in 1968. He was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
on 23 February 1938.
Dame Diana Rigg British Actress Doncaster, British who was popularly known for her
Northern recent role as Olenna Tyrell in the Game of
England Thrones series passed away after being
diagnosed with cancer in March 2020. She was
born in Doncaster, Northern England. She won
the Primetime Emmy Awards for her role Mrs.
Danvers in Rebecca in 1997.
General Moussa Former President Kayes, Mali Former President of Republic of Mali (South
Traoré of Republic of Mali Africa) General Moussa Traoré (83), who
reigned over Mali for more than 22 years
passed away at his retirement villa in
Djicoroni-Para, Bamako, Mali. He was born in
1936.
Winston Groom American Novelist Washington, USA The author of Forrest Gump, passed away at
and Journalist Alabama, United States of America. Groom was
born on 23rd March 1944, in Washington, D.C,
USA. He finished his book Forrest Gump in
1985 and published it in 1986. His books also
include “Better Times Than These”, “The
Aviators”, “The Generals” etc.
John Turner Former Prime Richmond, Who served as the Prime Minister for just 79
Minister of Canada England days in 1984, the 2nd shortest term in the
office recorded in the history of Canada passed
away at the age of 91 at this residence in
Toronto, Canada. He was born on 7th June 1929
at Richmond, England.
Ruth Bader Supreme Court Brooklyn, New United States (US) Supreme Court Justice Ruth
Ginsburg Justice York Bader Ginsburg, feminist and a legal and liberal
icon passed away at the age of 87 at her
residence in Washington DC due to the
complications caused by metastatic pancreatic
cancer. She was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, New
York, United States of America(USA). She was
popularly known as the giant of the legal
profession.
Ang Rita Sherpa Nepalese Solukhumbu, Who scaled Mount Everest, the world highest
Mountaineer Nepal peak, 10 times without bottled oxygen passed
away at his residence in Kathmandu, Nepal due
to brain and liver ailments. He was born on
27th July 1948. Ang earned the nickname
“Snow Leopard” for his mountaineering skills
and adventures.
Dean Mervyn Former Australian Melbourne, Passed away at the age of 59 in Mumbai,
Jones and Victorian Australia Maharashtra due to cardiac arrest. He was born
cricketer and on 24th March 1961. Jones made his debut
Commentator representing Australia in 1984 and played
around 52 tests matches during which he
scored around 3631 runs which includes 11

centuries. He played around 164 One-Day
Internationals (ODIs) for Australia & his role is
vital in the Australian Team to win their first
World Cup in 1987.
IMPORTANT DAYS
OBSERVED DATE / WEEK DAYS KEY NOTES
August 30, 2020 International Day of the United Nations (UN)’s International Day of
Victims of Enforced the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is
Disappearances annually observed on 30th August to create
and raise awareness that enforced
disappearance is a crime and it should not be
used like a tool to deal with the situations of
conflicts. The first International Day of the
Victims of Enforced Disappearances was
observed on 30th August 2011. Click here
September 2020 “Poshan Maah” or Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to
“Nutrition Month” celebrate the September 2020 (3rd edition) as
“Poshan Maah” or “Nutrition Month”. The
month will be celebrated across India to
educate everyone on the importance of
optimum nutrition. The nutrition month was
celebrated earlier in September 2018 and
2019. A unique nutrition park has been
created at the Statue of Unity, where people
can witness the nutrition related education
along with other fun activities.
September 1-7, 2020 National Nutrition Week National Nutrition Week (NNW) is an annual
(NNW) nutrition event observed in India during the
First week of September from 1st September
to 7th September. The events of NNW are
organised by the Food and Nutrition Board of
the Ministry of Women and Child
Development (WCD), Government of India to
educate the importance and role of nutrition
in the human body. The Food and Nutrition
board of the Ministry of WCD launched the
National Nutrition Week in 1982.
August 29, 2020 Telugu Language Day Telugu Language Day (Telugu Bhasha
Dinotsavam) is celebrated on August 29
every year. The birth anniversary of Gidugu
Venkata Ramamurthy, a prominent Telugu
writer. Telugu is referred to as ‘The Italian of
the East’.
September 2, 2020 World Coconut Day World Coconut Day is observed annually on
September 2 to create awareness about the
importance, usage of coconut and its benefits
across the world. The day is celebrated in

Asian and Pacific regions to a large extent as
they contain the world’s most coconut
growing production centres. Theme of World
Coconut Day 2020– “Invest in Coconut to
save the world”.
August 30, 2020 National Small Industry Observed annually on August 30 in our
Day country. The day is observed to promote
small industries across the country and
recognizes the contribution made by small
scale industries. To acknowledge the
announcement of an extensive policy package
for the small-scale industry in August 30,
2000, the National Small Industry Day is
observed every year on the same date.
September 5, 2020 National Teachers day India celebrates 5th September of every year
as the National Teachers day to honour the
roles of teachers in shaping the future of the
nation. The day is marked on the birth
anniversary of India’s former President
Bharat Ratna Awardee, renowned teacher
and philosopher Dr. Sarvaepalli
Radhakrishnan who was born on 5th
September 1888. The first National Teacher’s
Day was celebrated in 1962. Note: Ram Nath
Kovind, President of India awarded the
National Award to Teachers 2020 to 47
teachers across the country.
September 5, 2020 International Day of The United Nations' (UN) International Day
Charity of Charity is observed annually on September
5, to raise awareness about the role of charity
to ease poverty and hunger. September 5 was
chosen to commemorate the death
anniversary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
(Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Mary Teresa
Bojaxhiu), who was the recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1979.
September 7, 2020 International Day of Clean The United Nations'(UN) 1st International
Air for Blue Skies Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed on
September 7, 2020 across the world to
emphasize the need for further efforts to
improve air quality, including reducing air
pollution, to protect human health. The day
also highlights that air pollution is now the
biggest environmental threat to health, but it
is preventable. Theme for 2020- “Clean Air
for All”.
September 8, 2020 International Literacy Day United Nations (UN)’s International Literacy
Day is annually celebrated on 8th September
to promote the importance of literacy as a
matter of dignity and human rights among

the general public and to work towards a
more literate and sustainable society. The
International Literacy Day was celebrated on
8th September since 1966. The theme of
International Literacy Day 2020 is “Literacy
teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis
and beyond” which particularly focuses on
the role of educators and the method of
teaching.
September 9, 2020 Himalaya Day Himalaya Diwas or Himalaya Day is annually
celebrated across India particularly in
Uttarakhand on 9th September to create and
spread awareness on the conservation of the
Himalayan Ecosystem. Theme of 2020: -
‘Himalayas and Nature’.
September 9, 2020 International Day to The United Nations'(UN) 1st International
Protect Education from Day to Protect Education from Attack is
Attack observed on September 9, 2020 to raise
awareness about the importance of
safeguarding schools as places of protection
and safety for educators and students. The
day indicates that education is under attack.
Theme for 2020– “Protect Education, Save a
Generation.”
September 10, 2020 World Suicide Prevention Annually observed across the world on 10th
Day(WSPD) of September to raise awareness that the
suicide can be prevented and to educate
people to reach out for those who need help.
The day is organised by International
Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in
collaboration with World Health Organisation
(WHO). The theme of 2018 World Suicide
Prevention Day – “Working Together to
Prevent Suicide” was retained as the theme
for both 2019 and 2020 World Suicide
Prevention Day.
September 11, 2020 National Forest Martyrs Observed annually on September 11 in India
Day to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed
their lives in order to protect the
environment, forests and wildlife across the
country. September 11 was chosen to
commemorate the Khejarli massacre, which
took place on September 11 in 1730.
September 11, 2020 marks the 15th National
Forest Martyr Day. In 2013, the Ministry of
Environment and Forest, Government of
India made a declaration to observe the day.
September 12, 2020 International Day of South- United Nations (UN) International Day of
South Cooperation Day South-South Cooperation Day or United
Nations Day of South-South Cooperation is

annually observed on 12th September since
2011 to create and spread awareness on the
social, economic and political developments
made by the regions and countries in the
south and to highlight the efforts of UN on the
technical cooperation among the south
countries (developing countries).
September 12, 2020 World First Aid Day Annually observed on the 2nd Saturday of
September (September 12 for the year 2020)
across the world to promote the importance
of first aid training in saving lives and
preventing injuries and to create awareness
among the general public that first aid saves
lives. The International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
established the World First Aid day in 2000.
September 14, 2020 Hindi Diwas Celebrated annually on 14th of September
across India to promote Hindi and to create
awareness about the language. This day is
celebrated to mark the anniversary of the
adoption of Hindi (the Devanagari Script) as
one of the official languages of the Republic of
India in 1949.It is one of the 22 scheduled
languages of India. The 14th September 2020
also marks the birth anniversary of Beohar
Rajendra Simha, the illustrator of the original
final manuscript of the Indian Constitution.
September 15, 2020 National Engineers Day Annually celebrated across India on 15th
September to pay tribute to India’s legendary
dam builder and eminent engineer, Bharat
Ratna Sir MV Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya,
who was born on 15th September 1861 in
Muddenahalli, Karnataka. The Engineer’s day
was first observed in 1967 and this year
marks the 53rd edition of the Day. He
founded the Mysore Soap Factory, Bangalore
Agricultural University and State Bank of
Mysore. He was known as the “Father of
Modern Mysore”.
September 15, 2020 International Day of Observed around the world annually on 15th
Democracy of September, since 2007. The day is
observed around the world to promote and
uphold democratic principles, to respect
human rights, inclusiveness, accountability,
and transparency. It was established through
a resolution passed by the United Nations
(UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging
governments to strengthen and consolidate
democracy.

September 16, 2020 World Ozone Day United Nations (UN’s) International Day for
the Preservation of the Ozone Layer also
called as World Ozone Day is annually
observed across the globe on 16th September
to create and spread awareness on the
importance of Ozone layer and the effective
ways to protect it. The first International Day
for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was
observed on 16th September 1995. The
theme for the 2020 is “Ozone for life: 35
years of ozone layer protection”.
September 17, 2020 World Patients Safety Day Annually celebrated on 17th September by
the World Health Organization (WHO),
international partners and all countries to
create a better understanding of the patient’s
safety and to increase the participation of the
public in the safety of healthcare. The First
World Patients Safety day was observed on
17th September 2019. The theme of World
Patient Safety Day 2020 is “Health Worker
Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”.
September 18, 2020 World Bamboo Day The 11th World Bamboo Day (WBD) was
observed on September 18, 2020 to increase
the awareness of Bamboos globally by the
World Bamboo Organization (WBO). The
Theme for this edition of World Bamboo Day
is “BAMBOO NOW”. The World Bamboo Day
is observed annually on September 18. It was
established by Mr. Kamesh Salam, Former
President of World Bamboo Organization,
during the 8th World Bamboo Congress
(WBC) at Prachan Buri, Bangkok, Thailand in
2009.
September 19, 2020 International Coastal The International Coastal Clean-Up Day has
Clean-Up Day been celebrated across 100 countries since
1986 on September 19. On this day,
volunteer’s clean beaches, waterways and
oceans to protect them from impacts of
plastic and trash. The movement was started
by Linda Maraniss & Kathy O’Hara of the
United States. The Blue Flag is given by
Copenhagen (Denmark) based Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE). FEE is the
World’s Largest Environmental Education
Organisation. Click here
September 18, 2020 International Equal Pay United Nations (UN)’s 1st International Equal
Day Pay Day is observed on 18 September 2020
as a step towards eliminating the gender pay
gap and to overcome the sexual
discrimination against women in the

employment sector. This day promotes equal
pay to everyone and the rights to receive
equal remuneration for equal work
regardless of the gender.
September 21, 2020 International Day of Peace The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”)
is observed annually on September 21. The
day will be devoted to strengthening the
ideals of peace through observing “24 hours”
of non-violence and cease-fire. The theme for
2020 International Day of Peace is “Shaping
Peace Together”. The Peace Day was
established by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1981.
September 19, 2020 International Red Panda Annually celebrated on the third Saturday of
Day September which aims to create and raise
awareness about the red panda among the
general public and to support the
conservation of red pandas. The International
Red Panda Day 2020 falls on 19th September
2020. The Red Panda Network (RPN) with
the support of Nicki Boyd, Associate curator
of Behavioural Husbandry for the San Diego
Zoo launched the International Red Panda
Day (IRPD) in 2010.
September 21, 2020 World Alzheimer’s Day Observed annually on September 21 across
the world to raise awareness and educate
people about Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Since 2012, the month of September has been
observed as World Alzheimer’s Month. This
year marks the 9th World Alzheimer’s Month.
Theme for World Alzheimer’s Month 2020–
‘Let’s talk about dementia’.
September 22, 2020 World Rhino Day Celebrated annually on September 22 by the
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and
other international organizations. Theme for
World Rhino Day is “Five Rhino Species
Forever”. The World Rhino Day was first
announced by WWF-South Africa in 2010.
September 22, 2020 Annual Car free day On September 22, 2020, an annual Car free
day or the World Car Free Day was observed
globally to encourage greener methods of
travel instead of driving alone in car. This
day brings awareness to the benefits of travel
options such as train, bus, bicycle, carpool,
vanpool, subway, or walk. This year its focus
was on “Commute with Confidence”.
September 22, 2020 World Rose day Annually celebrated on 22nd September to
spread hope and cheers to the cancer
patients. The World Rose day is dedicated to
spread awareness about the disease – cancer

and the sufferings and pain experienced by
the patients. The World Rose day was first
observed in the memory of a 12-year-old
Canadian girl Melinda Rose who was
diagnosed with “Askin’s Tumor” a rare form
of blood cancer.
September 18, 2020 World Water Monitoring Annually observed on 18th September, it is
Day an international outreach programme to
create awareness among the general public
on the importance of protecting water
resources across the globe. The America’s
Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) created and
coordinated the World Water Monitoring Day
as an annual worldwide event in 2003. The
EarthEcho International is the current
sponsor of the WWMD.
September 23, 2020 International Day of Sign United Nations’ (UN) celebrates the
Languages (IDSL) International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL)
annually on September 23. It is observed to
support and protect the linguistic identity
and cultural diversity of all deaf people and
other sign language users. The year 2020
marks the 3rd edition. The Theme for
International Day of Sign Language 2020 is –
“Sign Languages are for everyone!”. The day
corresponds with International Week of the
Deaf, which is taking place from 21st
September – 27th September, 2020.
September 24, 2020 World Maritime Day United Nations (UN) World Maritime Day is
annually observed by the International
Maritime Organisation (IMO) and its member
states on the last Thursday of September to
recognise the contribution of the
international maritime industries toward the
economy of the world. The World Maritime
Day 2020 falls on 24th September 2020. The
theme of World Maritime Day 2020 is
“Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable
Planet”.
September 25, 2020 World Pharmacists Day The 10th World Pharmacists Day was
observed on September 25, 2020. The Day is
observed to raise awareness of the role of
pharmacist in healthcare and to encourage
activities that promote and advocate the role
of pharmacist in improving health in every
corner of the world. The theme of the 10th
World Pharmacists Day is “Transforming
Global Health”. It was designated in 2009 by
FIP (International Pharmaceutical
Federation) at the World Congress of

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in
Istanbul, Turkey. It has been observed since
2010.
September 25, 2020 Antyodaya Diwas Annually observed across India on 25th
September to mark the birth anniversary of
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, an icon of
Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), philosopher of nationalist
movements of India and political activist. As a
part of the commemoration of Antyodaya
Diwas 2020, (Ministry of Rural Development)
MoRD is celebrating the foundation day of
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya
Yojana (DDU-GKY) with a program “Kaushal
Se Kal Badlenge”, along with the beneficiaries
and other stakeholders of the scheme across
India.
September 26, 2020 World Contraception Day Observed annually on 26th September. WCD
(WCD) is observed to improve awareness of
contraception and to enable young people to
make an informed decision on their sexual
and reproductive health. It was first observed
on 26th September, 2007 by ten International
family planning organizations to raise
awareness about contraception. Globally
around 211 million pregnancies occur each
year, out of which more than 40% are
unwanted pregnancies. Use of Contraception
is vital in Family Planning.
September 26, 2020 International Day for the United Nations (UN) International Day for the
Total Elimination of Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is
Nuclear Weapons annually observed across the globe on 26th
September to provide an opportunity for the
global communities to reaffirm and priorities
their commitment to the global nuclear
disarmament. The first International Day for
the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
was first celebrated on 26th September 2014.
September 26, 2020 World Environmental Annually observed on September 26 to raise
Health Day awareness about the environmental health
concerns and to highlight the important work
of environmental health around the world.
The Theme for 2020 is “Environmental
Health, a key public health intervention in
disease pandemic prevention”. The day was
launched by the International Federation of
Environmental Health (IFEH) council at its
meeting in Indonesia on September 26, 2011.
As per the World Health Organization
(WHO)-2020, 24% of global deaths are linked

to the environment, which is roughly 13.7
million deaths per year.
September 27, 2020 World Tourism Day (WTD) Annually on September 27 globally to raise
awareness on the importance of tourism in
the social, cultural, political and economic
aspects of any region. The United Nations
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has
designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and
Rural Development. The Theme for WTD
2020 is “Tourism and Rural Development”.
The Ministry of Tourism celebrated WTD
2020 through a virtual platform from New
Delhi. During the event SAATHI (System for
Assessment, Awareness & Training for
Hospitality Industry) Application was
launched by Dharmendra Pradhan. He also
launched a film ‘Pathik’.
September 27, 2020 World Deaf Day Celebrated every year on the last Sunday of
September, this year (2020) it falls on
September 27. The day aims to create
awareness about the achievements of the
deaf people and deaf people community, to
the general public, politician and
development authorities. Note– World Deaf
Day 2019 was observed on September 29,
2019. The World Federation of the Deaf
(WFD) initiated the celebration of the World
Day of the Deaf in 1958. The International
Week of the Deaf (IWD), an initiative of the
WFD was first launched in 1958 in Rome,
Italy. Theme of the 2020 International Week
of the Deaf– “Reaffirming Deaf People’s
Human Rights”.
September 28, 2020 World Rabies Day Observed annually on September 28 to raise
awareness about the impact of rabies and
how the disease can be prevented. The year
2020 marked the 14th World Rabies Day
with theme “End Rabies: Collaborate,
Vaccinate”. As per the Global Alliance for
Rabies Control (GARC), the theme focuses on
the current issues in rabies elimination such
as: The goal of Zero by 2030 The importance
of dog vaccination and post-exposure
prophylaxis; and The need for a united effort
towards achieving the elimination of this
transboundary disease.
September 28, 2020 International Day for The United Nations (UN)’s International Day
Universal Access to for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI)
Information (IDUAI) is annually observed on 28th September to
create awareness about the importance of

access to information and to enhance the
people’s rights to information. 28th
September 2020 marks the first celebration
of International Day for Universal Access to
Information since proclaimed by the United
Nations. The theme of IDUAI 2020 is “Access
to Information in Times of Crisis”.
September 29, 2020 International Day of The First Ever “International Day of
Awareness of Food Loss Awareness of Food Loss and Waste” was
and Waste observed. It was observed to promote and
implement global efforts to resolve the issue
of food wastage, and to take steps towards
Zero Hunger and address the problem of
climate change through Sustainable food
habits. The Theme for International Day of
Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2020 is
“Stop food loss and waste. For the People. For
the Planet”. It is observed by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations, and United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP).
September 29, 2020 World Heart Day Observed annually on September 29 to raise
awareness about Cardiovascular diseases
(CVDs) including heart disease & stroke and
highlights their prevention and global impact.
The World Health Day was established in
1999 by the World Heart Federation (WHF)
in collaboration with the World Health
Organisation (WHO). The 1st World Health
Day was celebrated in 2000. As per the new
brief released on September 29, 2020 by
WHO, WHF and the University of Newcastle
Australia, 1.9 million people die from
tobacco-induced heart disease annually. This
equates to one in five of all deaths from heart
disease.
APPS & WEB PORTAL

APP & WEB NAME LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
Agriota UAE United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched ‘Agriota’, a new
technology-driven Agri-commodity trading and sourcing
e-market platform during a launch ceremony, which was
also attended by Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to
the UAE. The market platform aims to bridge the gap
between millions of rural farmers in India and the Gulf
nation’s food industry. It has been launched by Dubai’s
free-zone Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and

the government of Dubai’s authority on commodities
trade and enterprise.
EnglishPro Ramesh Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Education
Pokhriyal launched a free mobile app “EnglishPro” to develop Indian
Nishank English Pronunciation in the unique “Indian” way in
Hyderabad over a virtual platform. It was developed by
the Central University, English and Foreign Languages
University (EFLU) under the University Social
Responsibility (USR) programme. This is the first
initiative by any university in India.
I Rakhwali Sadhu Singh Punjab State Minister for Department of Forest & WildLife
Dharmsot & Preservation Sadhu Singh Dharmsot launched ‘I
Rakhwali’ application. The app was launched to safeguard
the forest areas in the state by making common citizens as
stakeholders in the process. It will help citizens to become
‘Greenery Saviours’.
delhistatecommission.nic.in National Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the e-Filing
Informatics consumer complaint system. Using this online portal,
Centre (NIC) consumers can file consumer complaints from the comfort
of home. Delhi is the first state to have this system. Delhi
State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
(DSCDRC) launched the portal via
delhistatecommission.nic.in, it has been developed by
National Informatics Centre (NIC). State Bank of India
(SBI) is providing payment gateway for payment of fees
digitally.
Freight Seva Chennai Division The Chennai Division of Southern Railways launched an
of Southern in-house mobile application called “Freight Seva”, as part
Railways of its efforts to boost Freight traffic and add more
customers to its base. The app will serve as a platform for
information needs, and will provide necessary details for
the freight customers.
www.pacspothgal.com KT Rama Rao Telangana’s Minister of Information Technology and
Industries, KT Rama Rao launched the Primary
Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS), Pothgal web
portal – www.pacspothgal.com at Mustabad Mandal,
Rajanna Sircilla district. This is the first of its kind portal
which contains all the details of the loans, loan processes
and services offered by the co-operative society.
www.goicbrinepal.com India and Nepal India and Nepal unveiled a dedicated website
(www.goicbrinepal.com) for all information related to
education projects under GOI-assisted post-earthquake
reconstruction initiatives in Nepal. The website, available
in both English and Nepali versions. The website has been
conceptualized and developed by the Central Building
Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee under India’s Council
of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
Centralized Farm Machinery Narendra Singh Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,
Performance Testing Portal Tomar Narendra Singh Tomar launched “Centralized Farm
Machinery Performance Testing Portal”

(https://www.agrimachinery.nic.in/FMTTI/Management)
in public domain. The Portal has been developed by the
Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers
Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture.
ICMR’s Vaccine Web Portal Harsh Vardhan Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),
Harsh Vardhan launched Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR)’s Vaccine Web Portal and National
Clinical Registry for COVID-19. The portal will provide
information regarding COVID-19 vaccine development in
India and Abroad. The National COVID-19 Clinical
Registry will collect data concerning clinical and
laboratory investigations, treatments, management
protocols and outcomes of hospitalized COVID patients in
India.
U-Rise Yogi Adityanath Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh
(UP) launched Unified Re-imagined Innovation for
Student Empowerment (U-Rise) portal in Lucknow, UP. It
was developed by Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Technical
University, Lucknow. It is a joint initiative by the
Department of Technical Education, Department,
Training, Employment and the Skill Development Mission.
UP is the 1st state to launch a unified portal along with
implementation of National Education Policy (NEP)-2020.
Visitassam Himanta Biswa Minister for Health and Family Welfare of Assam, Himanta
Sarma Biswa Sarma announced that the Government of Assam
developed a mobile app named “Visitassam” for air
passengers from other states. Visitassam enables the air
passengers to download forms and fill it which can be
used at the airports to reduce the time spent on the
formalities for COVID-19 tests and ensures the proper
social distancing among the passengers.
AC GAZE
WHO Appoints Former Health Secretary Preeti Sudan as a member of its Panel for Pandemic
Preparedness
The World Health Organization’s independent panel for pandemic response has appointed India’s
former health secretary Preeti Sudan as one of its 11 panel member across the Globe and the decision
was made by the panel’s head, former New Zealand PM Helen Clarke and former Liberia President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf.
RBI ceased Banking operations of Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank

Reserve Bank of India has ceased the Banking operation by the Aditya Birla Idea Payments (ABIP) Bank
under Banking Regulations Act 1949, after the company could not able to work successfully and applied
for voluntary winding up by the Vodafone Idea Limited which holds 51% in ABIP bank and remaining
49% by Grasim Industries Limited.

India to be self-reliant in fertilizers production by 2023: Sadananda Gowda
The Union Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers, D.V. Sadananda Gowda announced that India will be self-
reliant in fertilizer production by 2023 while addressing a webinar on Self-Reliant India and Sustainable
Agriculture Organized by cooperative Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for farmers
of Karnataka. Currently, the fertilizer production of the country is 42-45 million tonnes, and imports are
at around 18 million tonnes.
NABARD launches Awareness & Sensitization programme for FPO in Co-ordination with District
Administration
An Awareness & Sensitization programme was launched by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) for the newly proposed Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) along with
district administration, the objectives of the awareness cum sensitization programme is to aid the
farmers to form FPO’s and sell their product on reasonable rates by avoiding brokers.
SCTIMST develops device to prevent deep vein thrombosis

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (SCTIMST), an
autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, has Indigenously developed a device
for the prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of
blood clots in deeply located veins, usually in the legs.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Launched a ‘Poshan Sarkar’ program

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launched a ‘Poshan Sarkar’ program with an
Objective of ensuring active participation of local Bodies-Gram Panchayats and Urban bodies in the
Nutrition Campaign. The month September is Observed as Nutrition month in India.
Plastic Park Scheme

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda announced a scheme for setting up 10
Plastics Parks throughout the country. The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has already
given final approval in the states of Assam, Madhya Pradesh (2 parks), Odisha, Tamil Nadu and
Jharkhand. The Central government will provide funds up-to 50% of the project cost and remaining will
be funded by State Government and beneficiary industries. The plastic parks will provide a common
facility to consolidate and increase the capacities of the domestic plastic processing industry.
1st ever India Happiness Report 2020 Released, Mizoram Tops

On September 20, 2020 The first-ever India Happiness Report 2020 was released by Professor Rajesh K
Pillania, which ranks all 36 States and Union Territories(UTs) on the basis of their happiness quotient.
Mizoram tops the ranking followed by Punjab and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Odisha, Uttarakhand
and Chhattisgarh were least happy states. The survey was conducted based on 6 components of
happiness, namely work; relationships; health; philanthropy; religious, spiritual orientation; impact of
COVID-19.
New Zealand to be first in the world to require climate risk report

New Zealand will be the First country in the world to introduce Climatic Financial Report for companies
to tackle the climate crisis, the new regime will be in the form of Compilation or Explanation based on the
framework of Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Other countries like Australia,
Canada, United Kingdom, France, Japan and the European Union are all working to form Climate risk
report.

PM Narendra Modi, Ayushmann Khurrana among 5 Indians Named in Time Magazine’s 100 Most
Influential People of 2020
The Time magazine released the annual list of 100 Most Influential People of 2020 of pioneers, leaders,
titans, artists, and icons who have made an impact on the contemporary world. 5 Indians have made into
the list, namely, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood actor; Bilkis,
‘dadi’ of Shaheen Bagh protest, Professor Ravindra Gupta (HIV/AIDS treatment) and Sundar Pichai, CEO
of Alphabet and Google.
Sub Lt. Kumudini Tyagi & Sub Lt. Riti Singh to Become the 1st Women Observers to Operate from
Warships
On 21st September 2020, Sub Lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi and Sub Lieutenant Riti Singh became the first
women to be posted in frontline warships as the Observers “Airborne Tacticians” of Helicopter Stream to
operate from warships of the Indian Navy. They were a part of a group of 17 officers of the Navy, who
were awarded ‘Wings’ on graduating as ‘Observers’ at a ceremony held at (Indian Navy Ship) INS Garuda,
Kochi, Kerala.
MIT Professor Won the Inaugural AI Award for Cancer Research & Discovery of New Drugs
Regina Barzilay, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Computer Science and
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory won the inaugural edition of the annual award instituted by the
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and funded by Chinese online education
company Squirrel AI. She was awarded the top award (1 million USD) for using computer science to
detect cancer and discover new drugs.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport gets ACI health Accreditation for Safe Travel
On September 20, 2020 The Airport Council International (ACI), a worldwide association for the air
transport industry, granted GMR Group-led Rajiv Gandhi International Airport located at Hyderabad,
Telangana, the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) for the safety measures being taken at the aerodrome.
The airport is among the 1st airports in the Asia Pacific region to have received this accreditation.
Fed Cup, Women’s World Cup of Tennis, Renamed as the Billie Jean King Cup: ITF
International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that Fed Cup, the women’s world cup of tennis, has
been renamed as the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas, a French international banking group. This is
the 1st time a major global team competition has been named after a woman. Billie Jean King is an
American Former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She is a global campaigner for equality who has
dedicated her life to combating all forms of discrimination.
AP CM launches “AP Police Seva App” to file complaint online

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched the mobile application “AP Police
Seva” to lodge complaints online and to monitor the status of the complaint. Police Seva app offers 87
types of services including detection of fake news connecting all police stations across the state.
Punjab Launched Smart Ration Card Scheme to Cover 1.141 Cr Beneficiaries of NFSA
Over a virtual platform Capt. Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab launched the Smart Ration Card
Scheme to cover 1.41 crore beneficiaries of National Food Security Act (NFSA) across Punjab. He also
announced a state funded scheme to provide ration to 9 lakh beneficiaries who are not covered under
NFSA. These schemes will end the exploitation of beneficiaries by ration depot holders and enable them
to get their ration from any depot across the state.

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Current Affairs Pocket PDF – September 2020

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Cabinet Approval with Foreign countries on September 02 2020

Cabinet approval on September 15 2020

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STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS

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UiPath Partners with APSSDC to Train Student in Robotic Process Automation

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Launched “Mukhyamantri Grammya Paribahan Achoni” &

Assam govt to Provide Loan to Entrepreneurs under ‘Paryatan Sanjeevani Scheme

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J&K Horticulture Department Launches “Backyard Horticulture” Programme in Jammu district

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Madhya Pradesh Govt Reintroduces Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi Scheme

Maharashtra CM to launch ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ Campaign to Tackle COVID-19

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West Bengal, UKIBC sign MoU to strengthen State’s Industrial Development

Alapan Bandopadhyay Named as New Chief Secretary of West Bengal

LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION

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Prime Minister Modi E-Inaugurates Patrika Gate in Jaipur

Karnataka CM Launches Country’s First Integrated Air Ambulance Services

Atal Innovation Mission Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative

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Shipping Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya Launched ‘SAROD-Ports’, a Dispute

India’s ‘Largest Piggery Mission’ launched in Meghalaya

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OTHER NATIONAL NEWS

Coal Ministry organised Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction

ICAI to Come Out with Forensic Accounting, Investigation Standards

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Ministry of Education Organises Two-day Conclave on ‘School Education in 21st Century’

Agriculture Ministry: Targets to Cover 100 Lakh Ha Under Micro Irrigation

PM Modi holds ‘Svanidhi Samvaad’ with Madhya Pradesh’s street vendors

eSanjeevani and eSanjeevani OPD implemented by 23 states: Ministry of Health Department

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One of the First Medical Devices Park to be Set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

KRITAGYA (Krishi-Taknik-Gyan) Hackathon of NAHEP under ICAR to Promote Farm

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Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa Launched ‘Arthika Spandana’ Loan Disbursal Scheme

Gujarat Govt Announced Subsidy Schemes for E-Scooters, Rickshaws

Gujarat CM Launched Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY) scheme to Provide

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India-Japan-Australia to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region

UNICEF to Lead Global Procurement, supply of COVID Vaccines

73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region held Virtually

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