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Current Affairs 19 & 20 September 2021

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We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 19 & 20 September 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

Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under PMKVY Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw launches Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojanai.On September 17, 2021, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) from Rail Bhavan, New Delhi.
ii.The program envisages empowering youth viz. 50000 candidates with industry relevant skills over a period of three years under the Apprentice Act 1961 through 75 Railway training institutes. It will be free of cost.
iii.The program curriculum has been developed by Banaras Locomotive Works, Uttar Pradesh.
About Ministry of Railways:
Union Minister – Ashwini Vaishnaw (Constituency- Odisha)
Ministers of State (MoS)– Danve Raosaheb Dadarao (Jalna, Maharashtra), Darshana Vikram Jardosh (Surat, Gujarat)
Railway Board Chairman– Suneet Sharma
>>Read Full News

Manipur’s Sirarakhong Chilli & Tamenglong Orange get GI tagFamous Sirarakhong Chilli & Tamenglong Orange of Manipur receive GI tagManipur’s Sirarakhong Chilli (Hathei Chilly) and Tamenglong Orange have received the Geographical Index (GI) tag.

  • The Chief Minister of Manipur, Nongthombam Biren Singh, announced it during the inaugural ceremony of the Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) Mela, 2021, organised by the State Forest Department.
  • Sirarakhong Chilli (Hathei Chilly) found in Manipur’s Ukrul district and Tamenglong orange, widely grown across the Zeliangrong Naga – dominated district.

About Manipur
Governor:
La Ganesan
Festivals
i.
Heikru Hitongba – a boat race festival celebrated in September
ii.Ningol Chak-kouba – It is a social festival celebrated on the second day of the new moon in the month of Hiyangei (November)
iii.Chumpha- festival of the Rangkhul Nagas celebrated after harvest in December
>>Read Full News

BYJU’S Partners with NITI Aayog To Provide Learning Material to School Students; BYJU’S acquires K-12 coding company TynkerNITI Aayog, BYJU’S to provide learning material to school studentsNITI(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant launched an initiative in collaboration with edutech company BYJU’S to provide free access to the company’s “Premium Learning’’ resources to students of class 6-12 in government schools across 112 ‘Aspirational Districts’  .
Highlights
i.It comprises two components, which include BYJU’S Career Plus Programme, under which Aakash Institute and BYJU’S are offering free classes to over 3000 meritorious students of class 11 and  12, for engineering and medical entrance examinations.
ii.Another component is a voluntary initiative i.e Free coaching classes will be provided to children of Classes 6-12 via Byju’s Learning App for three years.
BYJU’s acquires K-12 coding company Tynker
BYJU’S has acquired 100 percent share in US(United States) based K-12 coding company Tynker.The objective is to provide every child a  strong foundation in computer science, programming and critical thinking skills.
Aspirational District Programme (ADP)

  • The 115 districts were identified from 28 states, at least one from each state.
  • The objective of the program is to monitor the real-time progress of aspirational districts.
  • ADP is based on 49 indicators from the 5 identified thematic areas, which focuses closely on improving people’s Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.

About NITI Aayog
Established- 2015
Chairperson– Prime Minister of India ( Currently- Narendra Modi)
Headquarters– New Delhi
About BYJU’s
Founder and Chief – Byju Raveendran

CII’s 3rd Life Sciences Conclave 2021 held virtually; India to Grow $150 Billion Bioeconomy by 2025On September 17, 2021, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) virtually organized the 3rd Life Sciences Conclave 2021 on the theme ‘Taking Indian Lifes Sciences to the Global Stage’. The event was attended by Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology & Department of Science and Technology.

  • During this CII released a report ‘Taking India’s Life Sciences to the Global Stage – “Make in India” to fuel 4x growth in Biosimilars and Vaccines by 2026’.

Key Points from Report:
i.The report provided measures to grow the biosimilars market from $550 million to $5-6 billion, and accelerate vaccines from $2 billion to $4–5 billion.
ii.It recommended three points of actions viz. need for an innovative Mindset to Action; transform from cost competitiveness to cost leadership; and reinstating the image of Indian made pharmaceuticals
iii.India will become a $150 billion market by 2025.

BHEL launches India’s 1st High Ash Coal to Methanol conversion plant in HyderabadBHEL launches India’s 1st High Ash Coal to Methanol conversion plantBharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has developed India’s 1st High ash Indian Coal to Methanol conversion plant in Hyderabad, Telangana under plot basis.The plant is developed using indigenous technology, to promote the adoption of clean technology. Methanol produced through the plant will be blended with crude oil to reduce emission through transportation fuel.
Key points
i.The project has been initiated by NITI Aayog and funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under Clean Energy Research Initiative.
ii.Generally, low ash coals are used for methanol conversion due to challenges faced in the amount of heat required for high ash coals.
iii.BHEL has developed the fluidized bed gasification technology for converting high ash Indian coals to methanol with between 98 and 99.5 percent.
iv.Hyderabad’s plant is a pilot project that has a methanol generation capacity of 0.25 metric tons/day.It will create 0.25 TPD Methanol from high ash Indian coal using a 1.2 TPD Fluidized bed gasifier.
About Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL):
Chairman & Managing Director – Nalin Shinghal
Established – 1964
Headquarter – New Delhi

Govt to cover 36000 Villages under PM Adarsh Gram Yojna Govt to start PM Adarsh Gram Yojna covering 36 thousand villages across countryThe Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda announced to start Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAGY) covering 36 thousands villages across the country.priority will be provided to villages which consists of 50 percent tribal population.
Highlights

  • 1,700 tribal villages in Assam will be covered under PMAGY and converted into modern villages. It would benefit around 60,000 people.
  • 184 Van Dhan Kendra will be set in Assam.

About Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)
Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) has been implemented since 2009-10 to enable an area based development approach for Scheduled Caste persons.
Objective-
i.It aims to provide ‘Housing for All’ by 2022, by providing financial assistance to beneficiaries.
ii.Integrated development of villages having population of Scheduled Castes (SC) people is more than 50%.
iii.Taking up identified activities that are not covered under the existing Central and State Government Schemes, through ‘Gap-filling’ funds from the centre.

  • In October, 2018, the Scheme was revised to bring focus on important and critical monitorable socio-economic indicators under 10 domains namely, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Education, Health & Nutrition, Social Security, Rural Road and housing, Electricity and clean fuel, Agricultural practices etc., Financial inclusion, Digitization, Livelihood and Skill Development.

Funding Pattern- Under the scheme, a total of Rs 21 lakh is allocated for every new village selected, out of which Rs 20 lakh is the gap-filling component and Rs 1 lakh is for administrative expenses that are to be utilised at the centre/ state/ district and village level in a ratio of 1:1:1:2.

Agnikul Cosmos Signs Framework MoU with DOS under ISRO to Develop Space Launch VehicleAgnikul Cosmos Signs MOU to Use ISRO Facilities to Develop Launch Vehicle

The Scientific Secretary of ISRO (Indian Space Research Institute) and Chairman,interim IN-Space(Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) committee, R Umamaheswaran signed a Framework of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of Department of Space, under ISRO with aerospace start-up Agnikul Cosmos CEO(Chief Executive Officer) Srinath Ravichandran.

  • The agreement would provide Agnikul Cosmos to access to expertise and advanced facilities of ISRO for the development and testing of space launch vehicles.

Highlights
i.It enables Agnikul, to get the access of advanced technology and various testing facilities at ISRO centres such as testing and qualification of its single-piece 3D printed Semi Cryo engine and other systems.
iii.The technical expertise of the National Centre for Combustion R&D (Research and Development) of IIT(Indian Institute of Technology) Madras, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) would be provided to Agnikul.
DoS also signed a  similar MoU with Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace for access to ISRO facilities and expertise towards the development and testing of subsystems/systems of space launch vehicles.
Additional Info :
i.ISRO Chairman, K Sivan inaugurated the spacecraft research privately funded propulsion lab at Bellatrix Aerospace located at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru campus, Karnataka.
About ISRO (Indian Space Research Institute)
Founder– Vikram Sarabhai
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chairman– Kailasavadivoo Sivan

India to Have World’s longest Expressway by March 2023

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways announced that India is set to have the world’s longest expressway – Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway by March 2023.The 1,380 km long Expressway, developed at a cost of Rs.98000 Crore will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai to 12 to 13 hours.

  • The first phase from Delhi-Jaipur (Dausa)-Lalsot and Vadodara-Ankleshwar is expected to be open to traffic by March 2022. The expressway is expected to be completed by March 2023.
  • This will be India’s first expressway to have helipads and fully equipped trauma centres at every 100 km.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Highlights of MoS MEA Meenakshi Lekhi visit to Portugal and SpainMeenakshi Lekhi visited two countries Portugal and SpainFrom September 12-17, 2021 the Minister of State (MoS) Meenakshi Lekhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) visited Portugal and Spain to enhance bilateral ties with the two countries.
Visit to Portugal: Agreement on Indian Citizens Recruitment Signed
On September 12-14, 2021 she visited Portugal where a bilateral agreement on the recruitment of Indian citizens was signed after the review meeting of bilateral relations with her counterpart, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco Andre.

  • With this pact, Portugal becomes the first European country with which India has signed a dedicated agreement on labour mobility. This is also the first agreement signed by Portugal outside the EU.
  • The agreement will strengthen the socio-economic aspect between both nations as it sets out the procedures for recruitment of Indian workers and professionals in Portugal.

Other meetings:
i.She met with Minister of Culture of Portugal Dr. Graca Fonseca and exchanged ideas for cooperation in the field of culture such as exchange of youth and literary delegations, and establishment of Maritime Heritage Gallery at Lothal, Gujarat.
ii.She also met Augusto Santos Silva, the Portuguese Foreign Minister; and Eurico Brilhante Dias, the Secretary of State for Internationalization, to address issues of common concern.
iii.She participated in the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations organised by the Embassy of India in Lisbon.
Visit to Spain:
From September 14-17, 2021, she visited Spain where she met Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Angeles Moreno Bau. She inaugurated The Beatles and India exhibition at Casa de la India, Valladolid which is a PPP (Public-private partnership) model supported by ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations).
Other Meetings:
i.She called on the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares; and had consultations with the Secretary of State for International Affairs, Ms. Pilar Cancela Rodriguezii.Cooperation with the Cervantes Institute of Spain along with cooperation in Film making, Sports and Science and Technology was also discussed.
About Portugal:
Capital– Lisbon
Currency– Euro
About Spain:
Capital– Madrid
Currency– Euro

‘Dushanbe Declaration’ adopted during 21st Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State 21st Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of StateOn 17th September 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually participated in the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that was held for the first time through hybrid format from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. During the meeting, SCO member countries adopted the ‘Dushanbe Declaration’ to promote counter terrorism & stability in Afghanistan.

  • External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar represented India in the meeting at Tajikistan, which was chaired by Tajikistan President – H.E. Emomali Rahmon.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
Secretary-General – Vladimir Norov
Headquarters – Beijing, China
Chairship of 2021 – Tajikistan
Members – 8 (India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
>>Read Full News

Piyush Goyal Addresses the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting; Hosted By Indonesia
Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal addresses the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial MeetingMinister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal addressed the G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting .The informal Ministerial Meeting was organized by Indonesia & chaired by Muhammad Lutfi, Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia.
Objective – To discuss the ‘Agricultural Priority Issues of G-33’ and the Way Forward for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC-12) scheduled to be held from 30th November to 3rd December 2021.
Focus areas
i.Find a permanent solution to Public Stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes.
ii.Finalization of Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) with World Trade Organization (WTO).
iii.Reforms in the Agriculture sector at global level. As WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture ( AoA) mainly benefits developed economies, there is a need to ensure a rule based, fair and equitable order.
Highlights

  • The G-33 Joint Ministerial Statement adopted in the meeting to resolve trade related issues with WTO.
  • The meeting conferred the Special and Differential Treatment by WTO as an integral part in trade negotiation globally.

About Agreement on Agriculture (AoA)
The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is a WTO treaty that was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and formally ratified in 1994 at Marrakesh, Morocco.
About G-33
The grouping is called Friends of Special Products in agriculture. It is a coalition of developing countries. It was established in the  Cancun ministerial conference, Doha Round of WTO. The G33 has proposed special rules for developing countries at WTO negotiations, like allowing them to continue to restrict access to their agricultural markets.
Member Countries – 47

BANKING & FINANCE

LIC launches ‘PRAGATI’ mobile app for Development OfficersLIC launches mobile app 'PRAGATI'On 17th September 2021, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launched its new mobile app – ‘PRAGATI’ (Performance Review Application, Growth And Trend Indicator) for exclusive performance analysis of the company by development officers.
i.PRAGATI has provisions for real-time performance analysis by analysing various information related to Premium collection, Policy activation, NACH validation among others.
LIC launches AI based app – “Jeevan Saakshaya”
“Jeevan Saakshaya”, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology based application, was launched by LIC  that offers retired employees for online submission of life certificates.
About Life Insurance Corporation (LIC):
Chairman – M R Kumar
Established – 1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

RBI Imposed Rs 5 lakh Fine on Kuppam Co-operative Town Bank over Regulatory Violation
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Kuppam Cooperative Town Bank, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, over the violation of provisions of the directions issued by RBI in the Master Circular on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning and Master Circular on Board of Directors for urban co-operative banks.

  • The penalty was imposed in the exercise of power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

The RBI imposed a Rs 2.44 lakh fine on Spice Money Limited for non-compliance of provisions of the RBI’s master direction on issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) in India.

  • The penalty was imposed in the exercise of the power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 30 of the Payment & Settlement Systems Act 2007.

TMB Launched Initiatives on its 100th Anniversary
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank(TMB) Limited launched various initiatives to mark its 100th anniversary. The bank launched the “TMB Mobile DigiLobby” to support its customers with banking services and a Mobile Vaccination Drive to create awareness on Covid-19 vaccination

  • Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance launched the postal stamp and a specialised ‘postal card’ to mark the TMB’s centennial celebration in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.

About Tamilnad Mercantile Bank(TMB) Limited:
TMB Limited was established in 1921 as Nadar Bank Limited.
MD & CEO– K V Rama Moorthy
Tagline– Be a Step ahead of life
Headquarters– Tuticorin, Tamilnadu

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Yoshihide Suga to step down as Japan’s Prime MinisterJapan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is set to step down from the Prime Minister(PM) of Japan.He was succeeded Shinzo Abe who had resigned in September 2020.Yoshihide Suga is the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
Note:
The winner of the LDP leadership election will become the prime minister due to the party’s majority in the lower house of the parliament.
About Yoshihide Suga:
i.He has served as a cabinet minister under former Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi. and Shinzo Abe.
ii.He served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary under Shinzo Abe for eight years, becoming the longest-serving chief cabinet secretary.
iii.He was elected to Japan’s parliament, The Diet, in 1996.
Parliament of Japan:
The Parliament of Japan, called ‘The National Diet of Japan’, is a bicameral legislature consisting of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (465 members) and an upper house, the House of Councillors (245 members).
About Japan:
Emperor– Naruhito (126th Emperor of Japan)
Capital– Tokyo
Currency– Japanese Yen

Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi appointed as one of 17 SDG Advocates by UNUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates, ahead of the 76th General Assembly.

  • Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, STEM activist Valentina Munoz Rabanal, Microsoft President Brad Smith and K-pop superstars Blackpink were named in the list.

Objective
i.SDG Advocates will work on the key issues like climate action, bridging the digital divide, gender equality and the promotion of the rights of children
ii.They will use their influence to reach new constituencies to act and keep the promise of SDGs for the people and the planet.
About Kailash Satyarthi
i.
He is a child rights activist.
ii.Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
iii.Founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
iv.His role as SDG advocate is to focus on protecting and promoting the rights of children around the world.
About United Nations
Headquarters:
New York, United States
Secretary General:
Antonio Guterres

Alka Nangia Arora Takes Additional Charge as CMD of NSICAlka Nangia Arora, JS, Ministry of MSME Assumes Charge as CMD, NSICAlka Nangia Arora, an Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer of the 1991 batch has assumed the additional charge as the Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) of the National Small Industries Corporation Limited(NSIC) with effect from 14th September 2021.

  • She is currently serving as Joint Secretary(JS) in the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises(MoMSME).
  • She succeeds Vijayendra, IAS who served as the CMD of NSIC from 2019 to 2021.

About Alka Nangia Arora:
i.Alka Nangia Arora has served at various major positions such as Additional Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Managing Director, Cottage Emporium, and Integrated Financial Advisor to the Western Air Command (Subroto Park) & FA Army Hospital (R & R).
ii.She has also served as Financial Advisor Naval Dockyard & Joint Controller Defence Accounts Mumbai & as FA to Eastern Command Army Kolkata.
About National Small Industries Corporation Limited(NSIC):
NSIC, a Mini Ratna government agency, was established by the MoMSME in 1995.
CMD– Alka Nangia Arora
Headquarters– New Delhi

   SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UNESCO declares MDD in ‘Amazon of Europe’ as World’s 1st 5-country Biosphere ReserveUNESCO declares world’s first 5-country biosphere reserve in ‘Amazon of Europe’i.On September 15, 2021, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared Europe’s Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD), the largest riverine protected area on the continent known as ‘Amazon of Europe’ as the world’s first five-country biosphere reserve.
Key Features of Amazon of Europe:
i.Countries covered– Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
ii.Rivers covered– Mura, Drava and Danube
iii.Total area of the reserve– Million Hectares
About UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization):
2021 is the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development
Establishment– 1945
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
>>Read Full News

OBITUARY

Padma Shri awardee, noted cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan passed awayPadma Shri awardee, a noted physicist and cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan, 64, passed away in Pune on September 17, due to cardiac arrest. He was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

  • He was professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, Maharashtra.

Achievements
i.In 2007, He received Padma Shri Award in Science and Engineering field.
ii.He was ranked 24th amongst top scientists in the world by the Stanford University for his research in Theoretical Physics.
iii.He was awarded ‘Kerala Sasthra Puraskaram’, a lifetime achievement award by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment recently
Works
i.Padmanabhan has authored over 300 research papers
ii.He also authored several books on gravitation, quantum gravity, and structure and formation of the universe.

Algeria’s former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Passed Away Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has passed away at the age of 84 in Zéralda, Algeria. He was born on 2nd March 1937 in Oujda, Morocco. Having served as the president for nearly 20 years, from 1999 until his resignation in 2019, he became Algeria’s longest-serving president.
About Abdelaziz Bouteflika:
i.After Algerian independence in 1962, Abdelaziz Bouteflika served as the Minister of youth and tourism.
ii.He has also served as the first foreign minister of Algeria.
iii.He served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and the 7th special session in 1975, becoming the youngest person to do so.
iv.He was first elected as the President of Algeria in 1999 and later re-elected in 2004.
v.He changed the constitution of Algeria to cancel the presidency’s two-term limit and was later re-elected for his 3rd and 4th terms in 2009 and 2013.
vi.He resigned from the post of President in 2019.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Bamboo Day 2021 – September 18 World Bamboo Day (WBD) is annually observed across the globe on September 18th to create awareness about Bamboo, a non-wood forest product, which is considered Green Gold and to promote the new cultivation of bamboo for new industries across the globe.
The day also aims to ensure the sustainable utilization of bamboo.

  • The Message of WBD 2021 is “#PlantBamboo: It is Time to Plant Bamboo”. 
  • World Bamboo Organisation(WBO) has launched a new hashtag #PlantBamboo to mark WBD 2021.

Background:
i.The World Bamboo day was initiated by Kamesh Salam from Assam, India, during his tenure as the President of the World Bamboo Organisation(WBO) from 2007 to 2009.
ii.On 18th September 2009, the last day of the VIII World Bamboo Congress, WBO along with the participants of the congress proclaimed the 18th September of every year starting from 2009 as World Bamboo Day.
iii.The first-ever World Bamboo Day was observed on 18th September 2009.
About World Bamboo Organization:
Founder & Executive Director– Susanne Lucas
Headquarters– Antwerp, Belgium.
>>Read Full News

World Water Monitoring Day 2021 – September 18World Water Monitoring Day(WWMD) is annually observed across the globe on September 18th to create awareness about the importance of water conservation across the globe.The WWMD is an international education program that aims to educate and involve people across the globe in protecting the world’s water resources.

  • The day is jointly coordinated by the Water Environment Federation(WEF) and International Water Association (IWA).
  • The events of the WWMD2021 are organised by EarthEcho International in partnership with Xylem Watermark and Western Digital.

Background:
i.World Water Monitoring day was established as National Water Monitoring Day (NWMD), a global water education outreach exercise on 18th October 2002 by America’s Clean Water Foundation (CWF) to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
ii.WWMD was adopted by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) in July 2006 as the International education programme.
EarthEcho Water Challenge:
‍The EarthEcho Water Challenge, formerly World Water Monitoring Challenge, is an international program that runs annually from March 22, United Nations’(UN)s World Water Day through December.
The challenge promotes public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources.

STATE NEWS

Meghalaya launches e-governance service‘MeghEA- Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture’Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Union Minister, Ministry of Information and Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw jointly launched ‘MeghEA- Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture’.

  • Meghalaya is the first state to implement IndEA as MeghEA and promote digital governance

Note
IndEA is an initiative of the Government of India, to promote digital governance in the country and expedite the delivery service system in the government process.
Objective
i.
To transform traditional service delivery process into a digital service system
ii.It integrates multiple digital platforms through modern technology to digitize the government system and provide quick and easy service.
About Meghalaya
Governor:
Satya Pal Malik
Capital: Shillong
Tribes: Garo, Khasi and Jaintia

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S.noCurrent Affairs 19 & 20 September 2021
1Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) under PMKVY from New Delhi
2Manipur’s Sirarakhong Chilli & Tamenglong Orange get GI tag
3BYJU’S Partners with NITI Aayog To Provide Learning Material to School Students; BYJU’S acquires K-12 coding company Tynker
4CII’s 3rd Life Sciences Conclave 2021held virtually; ‘Taking India’s Life Sciences to the Global Stage Report released
5BHEL launches India’s 1st High Ash Coal to Methanol conversion plant in Hyderabad
6Govt to cover 36 Thousand Villages under PM Adarsh Gram Yojna announced by the Union Tribal Minister
7Agnikul Cosmos Signs Framework MoU with DOS  to Use ISRO Facilities to Develop Launch Vehicle
8India to Have World’s longest Expressway by March 2022: Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway
9Highlights of MoS MEA Meenakshi Lekhi visit to Portugal and Spain
10‘Dushanbe Declaration’ adopted during 21st Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State
11Union Minister for Commerce & Industry  Piyush Goyal addresses the G-33 Virtual Meeting
12LIC launches ‘PRAGATI’ mobile app for Development Officers
13RBI Imposed Rs 5 lakh Fine on Kuppam Co-operative Town Bank over Regulatory Violation
14TMB Launched Initiatives on its 100th Anniversary
15Yoshihide Suga to step down as Japan’s Prime Minister
16Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi appointed as SDG Advocate by UN
17Alka Nangia Arora Takes Additional Charge as CMD of NSIC
18Amazon of Europe: UNESCO declares world’s first 5-country Biosphere Reserve
19Padma Shri awardee, noted cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan passed away
20Algeria’s former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Passed Away
21World Bamboo Day 2021 – September 18
22World Water Monitoring Day 2021 – September 18
23Meghalaya launches e-governance service