Current Affairs 10 & 11 October 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 10 & 11 October 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

I-Sprint’21: IFSCA’s Global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘Sprint01: BankTech’ LaunchedOn October 7, 2021, the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City launched I-Sprint’21. It is a global FinTech Hackathon Series of IFSCA to be conducted virtually.

• The first Sprint of the series is ‘Sprint01: BankTech’ which is focused on FinTechs for the Banking sector. It will be co-hosted by IFSCA and GIFT city in collaboration with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog.
• This hackathon is first under the I-Sprint series focusing on the Banking Sector.

Partners:
The Partners to the Hackathon are ICICI (Formerly Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank, HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited) Bank, iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology), Zone Startups and Invest-India.
Key Points:
i.The aim of the Hackathon is to connect IFSCA and GIFT IFSC with FinTech Ecosystem to solve business problems and to promote retail business for the Banking Units at GIFT IFSC.
ii.The finalists of this Hackathon shall be allowed direct entry into IFSCA Regulatory/Innovation Sandbox.

• The Regulatory Sandbox was introduced by IFSCA in October 2020 on the lines of the Union Budget FY21 announcement on supporting a World Class FinTech Hub at GIFT IFSC.

iii.FinTechs of this hackathon will also get an opportunity to show-case during the Flagship FinTech Forum of IFSCA in December 2021.
iv.iCreate sponsored Price money of Rs 24 lakh for the same while Zone Startups India’s network will provide Business Support Solution Partner benefits of upto $25,000 per startup.
About International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA):
It is a unified authority vested with the powers of all four financial sector regulators in India viz. Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

• It encourages the promotion of financial technologies across banking, insurance, securities and fund management in Indian IFSC.

Chairperson– Injeti Srinivas
Headquarter– Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat

Govt Approved Air India Disinvestment; Tata Sons Won the Bid for Acquiring Air India for Rs 18,000 Crore

Tata Sons Private Ltd subsidiary Talace Pvt Ltd has won the final bid for acquiring the national carrier Air India by submitting Rs 18,000 crore bid. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs  (CCEA) – empowered Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) approved the highest price bid of Talace Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd.

• The bid involves sale of 100 percent stake AI (the shareholding of Government of India), 100 percent stake in AI’s subsidiary Air India Express (AIXL) and 50 percent in the joint venture Air India SATS (Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited ).
• The total permanent and contractual employee strength of Air India & AIXL is 13,500.
• The winning bid of Rs 18,000 crore as Enterprise Value (EV) does not include non-core assets including land and building, valued at Rs 14,718 crore, which are to be transferred to GoI’s Air India Asset Holding Limited (AIAHL).
• The AISAM comprises Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah; Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman; Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

About Tata Sons Private Ltd:
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Executive Chairman – N Chandrasekaran
>>Read Full News

India, Croatia collaborate to improve the traditional medicine systemIndia’s All India Institute of Ayurveda under Ministry of Ayush and Croatia’s Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for academic collaboration in traditional medicine systems, especially in the field of ayurveda.

• Ministry of Ayush signed the MoU on behalf of AIIA in the presence of Special Secretary of Ayush Pramod Kumar Pathak and India’s Ambassador to Croatia Raj Shrivastava
• According to the Ministry of Ayush, the collaboration with Croatia is a significant step towards bolstering India’s ties with other countries and promoting academic research, clinical and educational activities, medical education, training, and competency building.

Objectives
i.To undertake academic activities in the field of ayurveda in collaboration with the identified institutions.
ii.To cooperation and collaboration on research, study design, developing evidence-based guidelines for integrating ayurvedic principles and practices with modern medicine.
iii.To develop academic standards and courses in accordance with the needs of the institution, end-users and stakeholders
iv.To develop ayurvedic medical education guidelines for ayurveda education in Croatia.

First International Conference on Yoga and Ayurveda
1st International Conference on Yoga and Ayurveda was held between Oct 3 to 5, 2021 in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.The Embassy of India, Zagreb organised the conference with the support of the Ministry of AYUSH.A six-member delegation, led by Special Secretary Ayush Shri Pramod Kumar Pathak attended the conference.

• Theme of the Conference: Ayurveda for Health and Wellness.
• Objective – The goal of this conference is to present scientifically validated benefits and mechanisms of Yoga and Ayurveda practices, promote its application and propagation of AYUSH systems of health care.

About AIIA
i.It stands for All India Institute of Ayurveda.
ii.It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.
Director – Dr Tanuja Nesari
Headquarters – New Delhi, India
About Croatia
President –Zoran Milanovic
Capital – Zagreb
Currency – Croatian kuna

Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala unveils river ranching programme at in UPUnion Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying ParshottamRupala launched a nationwide, river ranching programme at Brijghat, Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh as part of the government’s efforts to boost fish production in the country.

• In a nationwide launch, four other states — Uttarakhand, Odisha, Tripura and Chhattisgarh also participated.
• The programme was introduced as a special activity under PMMSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana) for augmenting and enhancing the fish production.
• A total budget of Rs 2.81 crore was sanctioned by NFDB to ranch 97.16 lakh fingerlings as a part of action plan 2020-21 of PMMSY.
• A total of 8.85 lakh fingerlings were ranched nationwide.

Minister Sanjeev Balyan launches NDLM Blueprint
Union Minister of State Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr Sanjeev Balyan unveiled the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) Blueprint at NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) headquarters in Anand, Gujarat.
About Uttar Pradesh
Governor – Anandiben Patel
Airports – Chitrakoot Airport, Azamgarh Airport
About National Dairy Development Board
Chairman- Meenesh C Shah
Headquarters- Anand, Gujarat
Founded – 1965
>>Read Full News

CSIR-NGRI launches Heli-born Survey Technology for mapping Groundwater ResourcesIn October 2021, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, launched the state-of-art Heli-borne survey technology for groundwater management, which was developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), Hyderabad.
System Capability – The technology has the capability to provide High resolution 3D images of groundwater resources at a depth of 500 meters.
i.Jitendra Singh launched the technology at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, which will be implemented in the arid & semi-arid regions of 4 states – Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab & Haryana for tracking potential groundwater resources.
ii.This survey will be carried out in two phases, of which the first phase comprises an area spanning 1 lakh sq km.This includes 65,000 sq km across eight districts in Rajasthan, 32,000 sq km across five districts of Gujarat and 2,500 sq km in two districts of Haryana.

• The region accounts for 12% of India’s land with a population of over 8 crores.

iii.This mega project is implemented at a cost of Rs 150 crores, as a part of Ministry of Jal Shakti’s ‘National Aquifer Mapping Project’
iv.The Ministry of Jal Shakti signed a Memorandum of Agreement with CSIR-NGRI for implementing various projects under CSIR NGRI’s “High Resolution Aquifer Mapping & Management in Arid Regions of North Western India” initiative.
v.The project will act as a booster to India’s Jal Jeevan Mission, and in doubling farmer’s income.
About CSIR–National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI):
Director of CSIR-NGRI – Virendra. M.Tiwari
Established – 1961
Headquarter – Hyderabad, Telangana

3 products including ‘Karuppur Kalamkari paintings’ from Tamil Nadu receives GI TagsIn October 2021, 3 products from Tamil Nadu – Karuppur kalamkari paintings, Kallakurichi Wood carvings & Kanyakumari Clove were awarded with Geographical Indication (GI) tags.
Karuppur Kalamkari paintings – They are Traditional dyed paintings made on pure cotton cloth, mainly used in temples for umbrella covers, cylindrical hangings, chariot covers. These were patronised by Nayaka rulers back in the 17th century.
Kallakurichi Wood carvings – Traditional wood carvings that are indigenous art of Madurai, which are mainly used for designs & ornamentation.
Kanyakumari Clove – Known for its rich aromatic oil content, with volatile oil content of 21% (normal 18%) resulting in 86% of eugenol.
About Tamil Nadu:
Governor – R. N. Ravi
GI tagged products – Thanjavur Thalaiyatti Bommai, Thanjavur Veenai, Thanjavur Thattu, Tanjore paintings, Netti carvings.
Srirangam is a riverine island city located on river Kaveri.
>>Read Full News

Power Ministry Revised Policy to Use Biomass Pellets in Coal-Burning Thermal Power PlantsMinistry of Power, Government of India, has set a revised policy to use biomass pellets in coal-burning thermal power plants. This encourages the use of agricultural waste, which will be burnt by the farmers causes air pollution.
About the revised policy:
i.The revised policy has made it mandatory for 3 categories of thermal power plants to use a 5% blend of biomass pellets along with coal.
ii.The revised policy will come into force in October 2022, with a requirement to increase the proportion of biomass to 7% within 2 years of the power plant.
iii.The policy will be in force for 25 years or until the useful life of the thermal power plant.
Background:
The paddy stalks and straws burned by the farmers of North India to prepare for the lands for planting causes air pollution which results in the formation of smog over North India.
About Ministry of Power: Union Minister- Raj Kumar Singh(Constituency- Arrah, Bihar) Minister of State- Krishan Pal Gurjar (Constituency- Faridabad, Haryana)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2021 released by UNDP & OPHI; India has max multidimensional poori.On October 7, 2021, a new analysis on global multidimensional poverty namely ‘Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)’ 2021 was released which is produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). click here
ii.India has a maximum number of people, 381 millions, living in multidimensional poverty. 5 out of 6 multidimensional poor people are from lower tribes or castes.
iii.The Scheduled Tribe (ST) accounts for 9.4% of the population and is the poorest with 65 million of the 129 million people living in multidimensional poverty. They account for about one-sixth of all people living in multidimensional poverty in India.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Establishment– 1965
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, United States
>>Read Full News

Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal Addressed the ICRIER’s 13th Annual International G-20 Conference

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal addressed the Inaugural Session of the ICRIER’s (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations) 13th Annual International G-20 Conference.

• He called for pursuing a more inclusive and equitable agenda at the G20 and stated the COVID-19 pandemic has remodelled several G20 priorities.
• He called upon the G20 to play a leadership role for People, Planet & Collective Prosperity.
• G20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80 percent of world GDP, 75 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the population of the planet.
• India is the world’s second largest manufacturer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).

Note – In September 2019, the United Nations called for a Decade of Action, pledging to mobilize financing, enhance national implementation and strengthen institutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the target date of 2030.
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal (Constituency – Rajya Sabha , Maharashtra)
Minister of State – Anupriya Singh Patel (Constituency – Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh),  Som Parkash (Constituency – Hoshiarpur, Punjab)

BANKING & FINANCE

Federal Bank Authorised by RBI for Collection of Direct and Indirect Taxes; Upgraded its Mobile Banking App ‘FedMobile’The Federal Bank has been authorised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), based on the recommendation of Controller General of Accounts, Ministry of Finance, for collection of Direct and Indirect Taxes, on behalf of CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) and CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs).

• Through the authorisation would make it convenient for the customers to pay their Direct and Indirect taxes through the Bank’s various digital platforms such as FedMobile (Mobile Banking app), FedNet (Net Banking), Fedebiz (Corporate Digital Banking) and through a wide branch network.

Federal Bank Upgraded its Mobile Banking App ‘FedMobile’
Federal Bank has upgraded its mobile banking app ‘FedMobile‘ with an investment platform equipped with superior wealth management capability for the convenience of its users. The upgraded module was launched in association with Equirus Wealth.

• The app allows a user to open an investment account in less than 2 minutes and start executing transactions instantly.
• The module offers an entire range of MFs across different categories such as equity, debt, hybrid and solution-oriented funds from all the leading asset management firms in the country.
• It enables customers to set up a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), a tool to invest money at regular intervals and accumulate wealth over the long term.

About Federal Bank:
Establishment – April 23, 1931 (as Travancore Federal Bank Limited), changed to The Federal Bank Limited on December 2, 1949
Headquarters – Aluva, Kerala
Managing Director  & CEO – Shyam Srinivasan
Tagline – Your Perfect Banking Partner

Highlights of the Fourth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy of FY21-22The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 6-members Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) had met on 6th, 7th and 8th October 2021 and released its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy statement for FY22 (April 2021 – March 2022).

• Policy Rates: RBI kept the rates unchanged (maintains status quo) for the 8th consecutive time i.e it decided to continue with the accommodative stance to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the economy
• Growth: The MPC has retained India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth projection for FY22 at 9.5 percent with 7.9 percent in Q2; 6.8 percent in Q3; and 6.1 percent in Q4 of 2021-22. Real GDP growth for Q1 FY23 is projected at 17.2 per cent.
• Inflation: Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was projected at 5.3 percent in FY22, with 5.1 percent in Q2; 4.5 percent in Q3; and 5.8 percent in Q4. CPI inflation for Q1 FY23 was projected at 5.2 percent.

Key Points :
i.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to extend the on tap Special Long-Term Repo Operations (SLTRO) facility for small finance banks (SFBs) till December 31, 2021.
ii.RBI proposed to introduce a framework for carrying out retail digital payments using mobile phones, cards, wallets, etc. in offline mode across India, especially in remote areas.
iii.RBI proposed to increase the per-transaction limit in Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) from Rs 2 lakh (effective from January 2014) to Rs 5 lakh for channels other than SMS and Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS).
iv.RBI has announced the 4th sandbox cohort with the theme of ‘prevention and mitigation of financial frauds’ to provide a further boost to the fintech ecosystem.
v.RBI decided to introduce the Internal Ombudsman Scheme (IOS) for certain categories of NBFCs that have higher customer interface to strengthen the internal grievance redress mechanism of NBFCs (Non-Banking Finance Companies).
About the Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Establishment – April 1, 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor –  Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
>>Read Full News

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

CoinSwitch Kuber names Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassadorCrypto platform CoinSwitch Kuber has roped in Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its first-ever brand ambassador.

• With this collaboration, Ranveer Singh will be featured in three ad films for CoinSwitch Kuber’s ongoing ‘KuchToh Badlega’.
• The objective is to connect with millennials and Gen-Z users by featuring Ranveer through its ‘KuchToh Badlega’ campaign.

Note: Earlier, actor Amitabh Bachchan was appointed as the brand ambassador of Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX.
Additional information
i.The platform recently turned into a unicorn after raising $260 million from major private equity players like Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures Paradigm, Ribbit Capital, Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global at a valuation of $1.9 billion.
ii.With this investment, CoinSwitch became the 30^th unicorn startup in India, with a valuation of $1.9 billion.
About CoinSwitch Kuber
Founder & CEO- Ashish Singhal
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Founded– 2020

Aveek Sarkar re-elected as the Chairman of PTI
Aveek Sarkar, the Editor Emeritus and Vice Chairman of the Ananda Bazar Group of Publications, has been re-elected as the Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI) for a period of 2 years.
Aveek Sarkar was the founding Managing Director of Penguin India and the founding editor of Business Standard.

• KN Shanth Kumar, Director of The Printers(Mysore) Private Limited, has been elected as the Vice-Chairman of PTI.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS         

Adani Finserv buys 10% stake in CSC Grameen eStoreThe Adani Finserv, a financial services arm of Adani group has acquired 10% equity stake in the government’s rural ecommerce venture CSC Grameen eStore.

• CSC (Common Service Centre) Grameen eStore is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSC e-Governance Services, a joint venture between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) and industry.

Key Points:
i.This investment follows HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited) Bank, which owns a 1.5 % stake, and Tata Digital, which bought a 5% holding in CSC Grameen eStore.
ii.Launched in April 2020, CSC Grameen eStore envisages helping rural entrepreneurs access customers.

• It is run by the 400,000-odd CSCs and has a current valuation of around Rs. 220 crore, as per CSC estimates.
• It offers a huge range of products including local handicrafts, groceries and consumer durables in far-flung areas.
• Its Managing Director is Dinesh Tyagi.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Launched ‘MyPortApp’ a Port Mobile AppSarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, launched “MyPortApp”, a mobile app targeted towards port users to provide various port services in Kolkata.
Aim: 
To promote transparency and easy access to port related information.
About MyPortApp:
i.The app provides all port details digitally and monitors the port operations virtually.
ii.The app features various information such as vessel berthing, rake & indent, rake receipt, container status, tariff, bills, Port holidays, and others and can be accessed from anywhere 24×7 and reach out directly to the port.
Inaugurated solar plant in Haldia port:
i.Union Minister Sarbanada Sonowal also inaugurated a 1 MegaWatt solar plant in Haldia port to produce renewable energy for port operations.
ii.The project with a guaranteed power generation of 14 lakh KWH per year, will lead to self utilization and reduce its carbon footprint, in line with the commitment towards national solar missions.
iii.This will also reduce the unit rate of electricity generated and help cost saving of Rs 70 lakh per year.
Note:
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched, inaugurated and dedicated various projects worth Rs 352 crore during his 2 day visit to West Bengal.
Additional info:
i.Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port’s Haldia Dock complex has undertaken augmentation and development of GC Berth road over a length of 1.6 kms at a cost of Rs 29 crores to improve port operations.
ii.This aims to establish connectivity for traffic movement in the docks westside.
About Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways:
Union Minister– Sarbananda Sonowal
Minister of State– Shripad Naik (Constituency- North Goa, Goa)& Shantanu Thakur(Constituency- Bangaon, West Bengal)

Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft T80 Decommissioned in Mumbai, MaharashtraOn October 7, 2021, Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T 80 was decommissioned during a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai (Maharashtra).

• The chief guest of the occasion was Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM, Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command.

Key Points:
i.Commissioned in Indian Navy (IN) in June 1998 by then Vice Admiral Madhvendra Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, it was the first of the Super Dvora Mk II class, built by IAI Ramta at Be’er Sheva, Israel.
ii.It was specially designed for shallow water operations and can get the speeds of up to 45 knots.
iii.The ship had actively participated in several coastal security and mine-laying operations and patrolled waters extensively to provide security to Mumbai high and the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

SPORTS

India Won 3 Bronze Medals in 2021 Asian Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar

For the first time in the history, Indian table tennis contingent has won 3 Bronze medals in the 2021 Asian Table Tennis Championship organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) at Doha, Qatar between 28th September and 5th October 2021. Two of the Three medals came from Men’s Doubles event, while the 3rd medal was won by the Indian Men’s Team.
Medal Winning Teams:

• Indian Men’s Team – Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai
• Men’s Doubles Team – Sharath Kamal Achanta & Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
• Men’s Doubles Team – Manav Thakkar & Harmeet Desai

i.Indian Men’s Team composed of Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai lost to the top seeded South Korean team in the Semi-final.
ii.Two Men’s Doubles teams reached the semi-finals in the tournament for the 1st time.

• The Team of Sharath Kamal & Sathiyan Gnanasekaran was defeated in the semi-finals by Japan’s Yukiya Uda & Shunsuke Togami in a 3-0 game.
• While the other team of Manav Thakkar & Harmeet Desai lost to South Korea’s Woojin Jang & Jonghoon Lim in a close 3-2 match.

Terms related to Table Tennis – Twiddle or Twirl, Sidespin, Backhand, Racket or Paddle, Chop
About International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF):
CEO – Steve Dainton (Australia)
Founded – 1926
Headquarter – Lausanne, Switzerland
Top ranked Indians in ITTF World Ranking:

• Men’s Singles – Sharath Kamal Achanta (33rd)
• Women’s Singles – ManikaBatra (58th)

Magnus Carlsen won the first Melt water Champions Chess Tour 2021Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian chess grandmaster, won the inaugural Melt water Champions Chess Tour 2021, which started in November 2020 and concluded in October 2021. Magnus Carlsen secured the victory and clinched the world’s first (non-fungible token)NFT chess trophy.

• Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan finished the tour in 2nd place and Levon Aronian of Armenia finished in 3rd place.
• The first prize of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2021 title carries a cash prize of 100000 USD.

Melt water Champions Chess Tour
i.The Champions Chess Tour 2021, known for sponsorship reasons as the Melt water Champions is a 10-month long series of 10 online chess tournaments featuring the world’s top players, was the most viewed online chess event in history.
ii.The total prize money for the championship is 1.5 million USD.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Rajnish Kumar authors’ debut book “The Custodian of Trust”The debut book of Rajnish Kumar, former Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), named “The Custodian of Trust” is set to be released on 18th October 2021. The book published by Penguin Random House India, discusses various memories of Rajnish Kumar with India’s banking & financial sector.
i.Rajnish Kumar shares noteworthy experience, in his 40 years of service with SBI including 3-years as its Chairman, on the critical role played by banks in India’s fight to eliminate poverty.
ii.Some critical points discussed in the book include, the challenges faced during demonetization, Non-Performing Assets (NPA), crisis in Jet Airways & Yes Bank among others.
About Rajnish Kumar:
i.Rajnish Kumar joined SBI as a Probationary Officer in 1980, later in 2015 he became the Managing Director (National Banking Group) and the Managing Director (Compliance & Risk) of SBI.
ii.He served as SBI Chairman for a 3 years’ term between October 2017 to October 2020.
iii.Currently, he is the Director on the board of HSBC Asia Pacific, L&T Infotech Ltd & Lighthouse Communities Foundation.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Post Day 2021 – October 9The United Nations (UN)’s World Post Day is annually observed across the globe on October 9th to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874.

• The day aims to create awareness about the role of the postal sector in the everyday life of people across the globe and its contribution to the social and economic development of the countries.
• The theme of 2021 World Post Day is “Innovate to recover”.

Background:
i.The World Post Day was declared by the Universal Postal Union(UPU) Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.
ii.The Posts of various countries introduce and promote new postal products and services on World Post Day.
National Postal Week 2021 – 9th to 15th October 
i.The National postal week is annually celebrated across India from 9th to 15th October to create awareness about the roles and activities of the India Post among the public and media at the national level.
About Universal Postal Union(UPU):
UPU is a United Nations specialized agency and the postal sector’s primary forum for international cooperation
Director General– Bishar Hussein
Established in 1874
Headquarters- Berne, Switzerland
About India Post:
Director– Abhishek Kumar Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi
>>Read Full News

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2021  –  October 9 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) is annually observed across the globe on the 2nd Saturday of October to highlight the need for global palliative care and to highlight the vital role of palliative care.

• The day also aims to ensure that everyone has access to palliative care, regardless of where they live, age or background.
• This is a day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care across the globe.

The 2021 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) falls on 9th October 2021.

• The 2020 WHPCD was observed on 10th October 2020
• The 2022 WHPCD will be observed on 8th October 2022.

The theme of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2021 is “Leave no one behind – equity in access to palliative care”.
WHO – Over 56.8 million people need palliative care each year: 
Prior to the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released 2 resources which includes

• WHO Technical report on a globally applicable and robust set of palliative care indicators for countries across the globe.
• Technical brief on quality of health services and palliative care.

About Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA):
Executive Director– Stephen Connor
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

AP govt unveils Swechha to provide free sanitary napkins to girl studentsAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the Swechha programme to promote menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls studying in government schools and junior colleges.

• The programme will be implemented at the cost of Rs 32 crore.

Objective of the programme
i.To provide quality sanitary napkins free of cost to over 10 lakh girls studying class 7 to 12. 
ii.Each girl will be given 10 napkins per month or 120 napkins a year.
Implementation of the programme
i.Teachers will be appointed as nodal officers in schools.
ii.An awareness programmes will be conducted for girl students on menstrual hygiene and proper disposal of used sanitary pads.
iii.Under the Clean Andhra Pradesh Programme (CLAP), separate dustbins and 6,417 incinerators will be set up.
iv.As part of initiatives aimed at women’s empowerment, quality sanitary napkins will be sold at Cheyutha shops at affordable prices.
About Andhra Pradesh
Governor – Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
National Parks: Rajiv Gandhi National Park located in (Rameswaram) Kadapa, Papikonda National Park located in East & West Godavari and Sri Venkateswara National Park (biosphere reserve) located in Chittoor

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