25 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

25 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Lionel Messi wins FIFA's best player of the year award 2019

• Argentine footballer Lionel Messi (32-years) won the FIFA's best male player of the year award 2019 at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
• Messi beats Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Best Men's Player award.
• Earlier, Lionel Messi has won this award for the record sixth time (earlier,2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2015).
• American footballer Megan Rapinoe has won the Best FIFA Football Women's Player award 2019.
• Rapinoe beat Alex Morgan and Lucy Bronze to win The Best Women's Player award.
• Jurgen Klopp (Germany) has won the best FIFA men's coach award.
• Daniel Zsori (Hungarian-Romanian) received FIFA’s Puskas award.

Note:

• The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 was held at the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

The Best FIFA Players Awards:

Awards	Men's	Women's
The Best FIFA Player	Lionel Messi (Argentina)	Megan Rapinoe (America)
The Best FIFA Coach	Jurgen Klopp (Germany)	Jill Ellis (British-born American)
The Best FIFA Goalkeeper	Alisson (Brazil)	Sari van Veenendaal (Dutch)
FIFA Puskas Award	Daniel Zsori (Hungarian-Romanian)

 2. First Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award given to senior TV journalist Ravish Kumar

• Senior journalist Ravish Kumar has received the first Gauri Lankesh National Award for Journalism in Bengaluru.
• Ravish Kumar was chosen for the award for sharp news analysis and uncompromising secular stance by the Gauri Lankesh Memorial Trust.
• The award was presented to him by freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy.
• Three books, Neera Nade (by Vinaya Okkunda), Dehali Nota(by D. Umapathy), and Maatige Enu Kadime (translation of Mr. Kumar’s The Free Voice by Harshakumar Kugwe) were released on the occasion.
• Ramon Magsaysay awardee Ravish Kumar is the Managing Editor of NDTV India.

Note:

• Indian journalist-turned-activist Gauri Lankesh was shot to death by assailants outside her home in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore.

Source: Indian Express

National Affairs

3. Home Minister Amit Shah announces Digital Census in 2021

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has proposed the idea of a single multipurpose identity card for citizens.
• Multipurpose identity card would have all utilities such as Aadhaar, driving license, passport and bank accounts merged into one.
• Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of Janganana Bhawan or Census Building in New Delhi.
• According to Home Minister Amit Shah, the 2021 census (8th since Indian independence) will be a “digital census” and the data will be collected through a mobile app.
• The National Population Register is being prepared for the first time in the 2021 census.
• India would be spending roughly Rs 12,000 crore on its first digital census. 
• Almost 33 lakh enumerators (conduct door-to-door counting) will be encouraged to use their phones to collect the data.
• The data collection will be done in 16 languages to enable people to fill their details properly.

Note:

• A census is a procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population.
• The population census not only helps keep a count on the population of India, but it also helps in providing the benefit of government schemes to people.
• India’s last census was carried out in 2011 when the total population of the country was estimated to be 121 crores.

Source: The Hindu

4. President Ramnath Kovind inaugurates the 6th India Water Week-2019

• President Ramnath Kovind inaugurates the 6th India Water Week-2019 (IWW-2019) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.(24 to 28th September 2019)
• The ‘IWW-2019’ is being organised by the Ministry of Jal-Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.
• The theme of Water Week-2019 is "Water Cooperation - Coping with 21st Century Challenges".
• The objective of IWW-2019’ is to bring new ideas for mutual-cooperation for sustainable water management in the context of changing basin dynamics across administrative boundaries.

Source: DD News

5. Family pension for Central govt employee dying within 7 years of service hiked from 30 to 50 %

• According to an official release, the family of a Government servant, who dies within seven years of joining service, will be eligible for family pension at the enhanced rate of 50% of last pay drawn for a period of 10 years.
• Earlier, the government servant who had rendered service of less than seven years before his death, the rate of family pension was 30% from the beginning and family pension at the enhanced rate of 50% was not payable to the family.
• The amendment will be effective from 1st of October 2019.
• The benefit of amended provisions would be available to the families of all government servants, including the personnel of Central Armed Police Forces.
• The family pension is payable at an enhanced rate of 50% of the pay last drawn for a period of 10 years.
• If the government servant had rendered continuous service of not less than seven years and thereafter that rate of family pension is 30% of the pay last drawn.

Note:

• The Union government has amended Rule 54 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 by a notification it felt that the need for family pension at enhanced rate is more in the case of a Government servant who dies early in his career.

Source: AIR News

6. Govt. launches ‘UMMID’ initiative to tackle inherited genetic diseases of new-born babies

• The Union Science and Technology & Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘UMMID’ initiative to tackle inherited genetic diseases of new-born babies in New Delhi.
• The new initiative aims at creating awareness about genetic disorders amongst clinicians and establish molecular diagnostics in hospitals so that the benefits of developments in medical genetics could reach patients.
• According to Mr. Vardhan, congenital and hereditary genetic diseases are becoming a significant health burden and there is a need for adequate and effective genetic testing and counselling services.
• Dr Vardhan further emphasized on the use of cutting-edge scientific technology and molecular medicine for extending Universal Health Coverage for all.

Source: AIR News

7. CBDT sets up National e-Assessment Centre for faceless scrutiny of IT returns

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has set up a National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) for assessing tax returns electronically without any personal contact between officials and taxpayers.
• The initiative is a part of government efforts to reduce human discretion in assessments and scrutiny, which in turn will eliminate possibilities of corruption, by leveraging new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, video conferencing, telecommunication application software and mobile applications.
• The CBDT has appointed Krishna Mohan Prasad (1984 batch- Indian Revenue Service officer) as the first Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (PrCCIT) of NeAC.

Source: Business-Standard

8. Pink tickets for women for free travel in DTC and cluster buses

• Pink tickets will be issued to women passengers under the Delhi government’s scheme for free travel in DTC and cluster buses.
• The scheme has been approved till March 2020 and it will be rolled out on Bhai Dooj on 29^th October 2019.
• Women travelling in DTC and cluster buses will be given pink tickets having a face value of Rs 10 each.
• The government will then reimburse the transporter based on the number of such tickets issued.
• As per estimates, the government will spend Rs 140 crore on the implementation of the scheme.

Source: Business Today

Art & Culture

9. Ladakhi Shondol dance makes it to Guinness book of records

• The royal dance of Ladakh ‘Shondol dance’ has created history by entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Ladakhi dance.
• 'Shondol' is a famous dance, which artistes used to perform for the king of Ladakh.
• As many as 408 women attired in traditional dresses and beautiful headgears performed the dance.
• It was held on the concluding day of the ongoing Buddhist carnival Naropa festival near the Hemis Monastery.
• The festival had begun on 16^th September and concluded on 20^th September 2019.

Source: The Tribune

Banking & Finance

10. Max Bupa and Indian Bank ink bancassurance tie-up to offer health insurance solutions

• ‘Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited’ has announced a bancassurance corporate agency agreement with a state-owned bank ‘Indian Bank’.
• Under the agreement, Max Bupa will provide comprehensive health insurance solutions and services to over 40 million customers of Indian Bank spread across 2800 branch network, through a slew of digital touchpoints.
• As part of the tie-up, Max Bupa’s offerings will include both retail and group health insurance products besides Indemnity and Fixed Benefit products.

Note:

• Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Max India Limited and Bupa Finance plc UK, established for the purpose of carrying on health insurance in business in India.

Appointment

11. Govinda will be Madhya Pradesh brand ambassador

• Bollywood Actor Govinda (55-years) will be the brand ambassador of Madhya Pradesh and will help promote the state's traditions and tourist places.
• Govinda is one of the most successful Bollywood stars in the 1990s, had a five-year stint as Congress Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai North constituency (in 2004).
• The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to set up a film city, as several production units are visiting places like Maheshwar, Mandu and Bhopal to shoot movies.

Note:

• A Brand Ambassador is a person who is hired by an organization to represent a brand in a positive light and by doing so help to increase brand awareness and sales.

12. Madhukar Kamath elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations

• Madhukar Kamath has been elected chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for 2019-20.
• Currently, Mr. Kamath is the chairman emeritus of DDB Mudra group and mentor of Interbrand India.
• He has more than four decades of experience in advertising and marketing services.

Audit Bureau of Circulations:

• The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) of India is a non-profit circulation-auditing organisation, founded in 1948.
• ABC of India is responsible for certifying and auditing the circulations of major publications, primarily of newspapers and magazines in India.

Sports

13. India’s Divij Sharan clinches St. Petersburg doubles title

• Russian tennis player ‘Daniil Medvedev’ defeated Croatian Borna Coric 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the St Petersburg Open in Russia.
• Daniil Medvedev won his third title of the year and sixth of his career.
• Indo-Slovakian Divij Sharan and Igor Zelenay got past Italian pair of Matteo Berrettini and Simone Bolelli 6-3 3-6 10-8 in a tiebreaker in the hard-fought summit clash.

Note:

• The St. Petersburg Open is a professional men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts, with a total prize money pool of 1,000,000 USD.
• It is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour.