14 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

14 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

14 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Railways signs MoU with CII on green initiatives

  • Indian Railways today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Confederation of Indian Industries in New Delhi for the facilitation of green initiatives.
  • The objectives of the MoU are greening of Railway properties and energy efficiency in manufacturing facilities and railway workshops.
  • According to Minister of State of Railways Suresh Angadi, concerted efforts are being made to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in trains and on station premises.
  • Railways have undertaken some major green initiatives as part of India’s contribution towards the mitigation of global warming and combating climate change.

2. Free rail travel insurance of Rs 25 lakh each for Delhi-Lucknow Tejas passengers

  • According to the drafted plan of Indian railways to run the IRCTC’s Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express, the passengers will get a free rail travel insurance of Rs 25 lakh each.
  • ITRCTC will also be offered luggage pick and drop service, exclusive lounges to relax and taxi and hotel bookings, etc. albeit at a cost, as part of its efforts to promote its first train next month.
  • This is for the first time that IRCTC will be fully in charge of train services. Bringing in private train operators to provide world-class passenger service was a proposal mooted by the railways in its 100-day agenda as part of its move to hand over certain trains to private operators.
  • No concessions, privileges or duty passes will be allowed on these trains. Also, children above the age of 5 will be charged full fare.
  • Unlike the 120-day advance booking allowed across the railway network, IRCTC's train will allow such booking 60 days prior to the day of the journey.
Source: ET

3. Home Minister inaugurates e-Saral Vakya Kosh app

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah lit the lamp and inaugurated the Hindi Diwas celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan of New Delhi.
  • On this occasion, he also inaugurated the e-Saral Vakya Kosh App and e-Saral Maha Shabda Kosh App.
  • Home Minister also inaugurated the Rajbhasha website.
  • Home Minister Amit Shah felicitated Raj Bhasha Keerti and Raj Bhasha Gaurav Awards to various organizations for their excellent performance in promoting Hindi language.
DD News

4. National Green Tribunal forms committee to stop illegal groundwater extraction

  • National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set up a committee to formulate steps required to prevent the illegal extraction of groundwater.
  • A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the committee to evolve a robust mechanism to ensure that groundwater is not illegally extracted.
  • He also directed to monitor the manning and functioning of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
  • The committee comprises joint secretaries of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Central Ground Water Board, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, National Remote Sensing Centre and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

About NGT

  • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a statutory body that was established in 2010 by the National Green Tribunal Act.
  • It was set up to handle cases and speed up the cases related to environmental issues.
  • The Tribunal has a mandate to dispose of applications and petitions within a period of six months.
  • India is the third country in the world – after Australia and New Zealand – to set up such a body to deal with environmental cases.
Source: RSTV

State News

5. Arunachal Pradesh CM dedicates Dikshi Hydroelectric Project to people of state

  • Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Dikshi Hydroelectric Project to the people of the state
  • The 24 Mega Watt Hydroelectric Project has been installed at Dikshi Village in West Kameng District.
  • It is a Run-of-the-River project constructed on the river Phudung by Devi Energies Private Limited.
  • It was completed in a record time of four years with an investment of about 430 crore rupees.
  • The government of Arunachal Pradesh is the sole beneficiary of the power generation from this project.
  • The State Govt will be getting 10% as free power from the 2nd year of its operation.
Source: AIR News

6. The State of Rajasthan Launches “Jan Soochana Portal-2019”

  • In furtherance to Right to Information (RTI), the Rajasthan government has launched the “Jan Soochna Portal-2019”.
  • It is a public information portal that will provide information about government authorities and departments to the public.
  • It is the first-ever public information portal promising to provide information about government authorities and departments suo motu to the public in the true spirit of the Right To Information Act.
  • The State government has collaborated with the civil society groups to develop the portal, initially giving information pertaining to 13 departments on a single platform.

Important Days

7. ‘Hindi Divas’ being celebrated across the country today

  • The National Hindi Divas is being observed on 14th September every year across the country.
  • In 1949, on this day the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the official language of the country.
  • On Hindi Divas 2019 Union Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Amit Shah will present Rajbhasha Awards to chiefs of various departments, Ministries, and offices for their outstanding performances in promoting the language.
  • On eve of Hindi Divas, International Hindi Conference was also organized by World Hindi Council in New Delhi.
  • Goa Governor Mridula Sinha was the chief guest for the ceremony. Hindi lovers from 6 countries including Mauritius, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka attended this two-day-long International Hindi Conference.
  • Rajbhasha Hindi, spoken by around 40 percent people across the country, is the single largest spoken language among the 22 languages in the sixth schedule of the constitution.

Banking & Finance

8. Payments banks may be allowed to convert into small finance banks

  • Reserve Bank of India comes out with draft norms for ‘on-tap’ licensing of Small Finance Banks.
  • The RBI may allow existing payments banks to convert into small finance banks (SFBs) if they meet the eligibility criteria, according to the RBI’s draft guidelines for ‘on-tap’ licensing for SFBs.
  • In the draft guidelines for SFBs, the RBI has proposed doubling the minimum paid-up equity capital to ₹200 crore and lowering the promoter’s stake to 15 percent in 15 years.
  • To encourage urban co-operative banks (UCBs) to convert into SFBs, the RBI has pegged the minimum net worth lower at ₹100 crore from the date of commencement of business.
  • However, they will have to increase their minimum net worth to ₹200 crore within five years.
  • The draft guidelines stipulate that the promoters should hold at least 40 percent of the paid-up voting equity capital of the bank, which will be locked in for five years from the date of commencement of business.
  • If the initial shareholding is over 40 percent, it should be brought down to 40 percent within five years.
  • Gradually, the promoter’s stake should be lowered to 30 percent in 10 years and 15 percent in 15 years.
  • Under the current guidelines for SFBs, the promoters have to reduce their stake to 26 percent within 12 years of the date of commencement of the business of the bank.

9. Retail inflation inches up marginally to 3.21 pc in August

  • According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data, Retail inflation inched up marginally to 3.21% in August this year (in July- 3.15%).
  • The rate of price rise in the food basket was 2.99% in August, up from 2.36% in the previous month.
  • As per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the CPI-based inflation was 3.69% in August 2018.
  • The inflation number still remains within the Reserve Bank's comfort level.

10. Karnataka Bank chief becomes Indian Banks’ Association committee member

  • Mahabaleshwara MS, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank, has been inducted to the managing committee of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
  • Mahabaleshwara MS has been elected unopposed from the private sector member banks’ category.
  • IBA is an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai. It was formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India.
  • Presently Punjab National Bank MD & CEO Mr. Sunil Mehta is Chairman of the Indian Bank Association.

11. World Bank to give Rs 3000 crore to FPI ministry for food processing units

  • According to the Minister of State for Food and Processing Industries Rameshwar Teli, the World Bank has agreed to sanction 3 thousand crore rupees for the Ministry of Food Processing to provide financial assistance to the Mega Food Park.
  • This fund will help in increasing the income of farmers, especially in the Northeast and similar geographical areas of the country.

Honour & Awards

12. Five Indian women police officers honoured by the United Nations

  • Five Indian women police officers received the United Nations medal for their commendable services in the UN Mission in Juba in South Sudan.
  • Reena Yadav (Inspector, Chandigarh Police), Gopika Jahagirdar (DSP, Maharashtra Police), Bharati Samantray (DSP in the Ministry of Home Affairs), Ragini Kumari (Inspector in the Ministry of Home Affairs) and Kamal Shekhawat(ASP, Rajasthan Police) were conferred the UN medal.
  • The women officers were honoured by the United Nation for upholding the UN mandate of protection of civilians in conflict-ridden South Sudan.
  • The women officers are engaged in community policing, administrative, operational duties and capacity the building of local authorities.

Defence and Expedition

13. White Water Rafting Expedition – 'Rudrashila' Flagged off at Jaisalmer 

  • The white water Rafting Expedition christened 'RUDRASHILA' being undertaken by Kalidhar Battalion under the aegis of Battle Axe Division was Flagged Off at Jaisalmer Military station.
  • The expedition 'Rudrashila' has been organized to commemorate the 75thRaising day of the Kalidhar Battalion. 'Rudrashila' takes its name from the famed Rudraprayag tributary of the Ganges River in the Mountains of Uttarakhand.
  • The expedition will be conducted from 01 October to 04 October 2019.

14. 'Netra' early warning system inducted into IAF

  • The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on 11th September handed over the second indigenously developed AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft) 'NETRA' to the Indian Air Force.
  • It is designed and developed by scientists of the DRDO, with assistance from the Bengaluru-based Centre for Airborne Systems, the Netra is fitted with indigenously developed electronics and hardware.

NETRA played a crucial role during the Balakot airstrikes

  • The Netra, an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft, had played a crucial role during the Balakot airstrikes that had been carried out by the IAF on February 26 this year.
  • It provided surveillance and radar coverage to the five Mirage jets that bombed terror launch pads in Balakot in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.

International News

15. India joins the Global Antimicrobial Resistance R&D Hub

  • According to the Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of Science & Technology, India has joined the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D) hub as a new member.
    This has expanded global partnerships to address challenges in AMRR&D and improve cooperation and coordination in 16 countries, the European Commission, 2 philanthropic establishments and 4 international organizations (as observers).

Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development (Global AMR R&D Hub)

  • The center was launched in May 2018, on the sidelines of the 71st session of the World Health Assembly due to a call made in 2017 by G-20 leaders.
    The Global AMRR&D Hub operates from the Secretariat in Berlin.
  • It is currently being funded through grants received from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

India and Global AMRRD Hub

  • India will be its member from this year.
  • With the participation of Global AMRRD Hub, India will be able to leverage the existing capabilities and resources of all the partner countries and collectively by focusing on research and development interventions and will be able to tackle drug-resistant infections.
  • AMR is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of the drug. This allows microbes to be successfully treated.

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