Current Affairs 2 October 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 2 October 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 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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Top 25 Current Affairs of 2 October 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NITI Aayog and the Netherlands Signed SoI on Decarbonization and Energy Transition Agenda

i.India is committed to reduce carbon emissions’ intensity by 33%–35% by 2030 and for this nation is collaborating internationally to achieve the ambitious sustainable targets.
ii.In this regard, on September 28, 2020, a Statement of Intent (SoI) was inked between NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and Embassy of the Netherlands in New Delhi, to combine the expertise of both nations (Indo-Dutch) in supporting the decarbonization and energy transition agenda for accommodating cleaner and more energy.
iii.It was signed by NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant and Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Marten van den Berg.
iv.Decarbonization refers to the reduction or elimination of carbon dioxide from energy sources.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman–Prime Minister (Narendra Damodardas Modi) 
Headquarter– New Delhi
About The Netherland:
Capital– Amsterdam
Currency– Euro
Prime Minister– Mark Rutte
Ambassador of India to the Netherlands– Venu Rajamony
<<Read Full News>>

President Ram Nath Kovind Gives Assent to 3 labour codes along with Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 

i.The Central government aims to push India in among the top 10 countries in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings with the comprehensive labour reforms such as passing of Code on Wages, 2019 in August 2019. Read Parliament Passed Code on Wages Bill, 2019. As per the ‘Doing Business’ 2020 report, India had jumped 14 places to the 63rd position in the ease of doing business rankings.
ii.Now, in order to pacing the commitment further, on September 30, 2020, President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the three labour codes viz. Code on Social Security 2020, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Condition Code 2020, and the Industrial relation Code 2020.
iii.Now these three labour codes along with Code on Wages, 2019 will merge 29 central labour laws into four broader legislations including Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952, the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Act, 1948, the Minimum Wage act, 1948, and Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, among others.
iv.The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that also seeks to promote ease of doing business in the country has received assent of the President. This Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 replace the Companies Act, 2013. 
About Ministry of Labour & Employment:
Minister of State (MoS)-Independent Charge: Santosh Kumar Gangwar
<<Read Full News>>

Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot launches “Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission (ASIIM)”

On September 30, 2020 Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched “Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission (ASIIM)” under Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (SC)(VCF-SC). It has been launched to promote innovation, enterprise among SC students in Higher Education Institutions and to help them become Job Givers. 
Minister of State (MoS) for Social Justice & Empowerment, Rattan Lal Kataria, Deputy Managing Director (MD) of Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI), Sunil Kumar Bansal were present during the launch. 
About Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment:
Union Minister – Thaawarchand Gehlot
Minister of State (MoS) – Krishan Pal Gurjar, Rattan Lal Kataria, Ramdas Athawale
<<Read Full News>>

MEA brings Indo-Pacific, ASEAN Policies under One Unit

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is creating a new Oceania Territorial Division by integrating Indo-Pacific and ASEAN divisions within it. Through this move, India is seeking to align policies in the regions stretching from Western Pacific (Pacific Island) to Andaman Sea. 
India will focus administrative and diplomatic attention in the region which is seeing growing Military assertiveness of China.
i.The new Ocean Territorial Division will function with Australia as its centre.
ii.Reenat Sandhu, Additional Secretary will head the Territorial Division and will be assisted by Two Senior Directors, Geetika Srivastava and Paulomi Tripathi. 
List of Organizations under which India is a Member:
East Asia Summit – EAS (18 Members)
Asia Europe Meeting – ASEM (53 Members – 51 countries & 2 Regional Organizations)
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation – MGC (6 Members)
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UN General Assembly – 75th session 15-30 September 2020 held virtually for 1st time

i.The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 75) was held virtually for the first time amid COVID -19 from September 15 to September 30, 2020. It was hosted by the United States of America (USA) from New York and under the Presidency of Volkan Bozkir of Turkey.
ii.During the session, a special event was organized on September 21, 2020 marking the 75th anniversary of the UN. The event was held under the theme “The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism” while the theme of the session was “The future we want, the United Nations we need, reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism – confronting the COVID-19 through effective multilateral action”. The 
iii.From India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the high-level meeting to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN on September 22 and the General Debate on September 26 through the pre-recorded video statements. These statements were presented by Permanent Representative of India to the UN,TS Tirumurti.

• UNGA adopted forward-looking declaration to mark 75th anniversary of United Nations
• India endorsed US’ Joint Statement On Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
• G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting held virtually; Demanded urgency in UNSC reforms
• Prakash Javadekar addressed UN Summit on Biodiversity 
• Bihar CM Nitish Kumar attended UN climate roundtable virtually 
• Smriti Irani participated in High-level meeting on the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women – Beijing +25

About United Nations Security Council (UNSC):
Headquarters– New York, United States (US)
Members– 15 Nations 
<<Read Full News>>

India set to build Cancer Hospital, Cricket Stadium in Maldives

India will build a 100-bedded Cancer Hospital and 22, 000-seater Cricket Stadium, in Hulhumale (Maldives) under USD 800 Million Line of Credit (LoC) extended to Maldives in 2019. 
i.The Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of India extended the LOC for development of infrastructure projects in Maldives.
ii.The construction of the Hospital will strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the Health Sector.
About Republic of Maldives:
President – Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Capital – Male
Currency – Maldivian Rufiyaa
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

New Development Bank Approves Loan for Mumbai Metro, Delhi-Meerut RRTS Project

New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Nations approved USD 241 Million (approximately INR 1760 Crores) for Mumbai Metro Rail Project, and USD 500 Million (approximately INR 3670 Crores) for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project. 
The loans were approved by the Board of Directors of NDB in the 28th Meeting held in virtual format on September 29, 2020.
About New Development Bank (NDB):
Governor – Paulo Guedes (Brazil)
Headquarters – Shanghai, China
<<Read Full News>>

GOI’s WMA Limit for 2nd half of FY 2020-21 Fixed at Rs 1,25,000 Crore: RBI

i.On September 30, 2020  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in consultation with the Government of India (GoI) has fixed Rs 1,25,000 crore as the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limit for the 2nd half of the financial year(FY) 2020-21, i.e., October 2020 to March 2021.
ii.Interest Rate on WMA/Overdraft

• The interest rate on WMA is equal to the repo rate(current repo rate is 4%).
• In case of overdraft, the interest rate is 2% above the repo rate.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Governor– Shaktikanta Das.
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra.
<<Read Full News>>

RBI excludes 6 PSBs from Second Schedule of RBI Act

On October 1, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) excluded six public sector banks (PSBs) from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934 following their merger with other banks with effect from April 01, 2020. The six banks are Syndicate Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), United Bank of India, Andhra Bank, Corporation Bank, and Allahabad Bank.

• OBC and United Bank of India merged into Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank; Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India; and Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank.

Points to be noted:
-After the consolidation, there are 12 PSBs in the country, seven large PSBs, and five are smaller ones.
– The 2nd Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934 contains the list of Scheduled Commercial Banks. These banks carry out the normal business of banking.

NABARD to Undertake Sanitation Literacy Campaign to Promote Literacy on”WASH” 

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD) to undertake a Sanitation Literacy Campaign (SLC) to promote literacy on ”WASH” (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in 2,000 villages across the country covering 1 lakh rural population. SLC will start from October 2, 2020 to January 26, 2021.

• SLC focuses to inculcate significant behavioural changes to adapt good hygiene and sanitation practices.

Note– COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need to maintain good hygiene and health practices at the community and individual levels.
Key Info
NABARD under the Swachh Bharat Mission has supported the Government of India(GOI) to construct 3.29 crore household toilets by sanctioning and disbursing Rs 15,000 crore and Rs 12,298 crore.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD)
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– G.R. Chintala

SBI, HUL sign MoU for providing Digital Payment Solutions to retailers and distributors

On October 1, 2020 State Bank of India (SBI) and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide Digital Payment Solutions and Financing solutions to HUL’s retailers and distributors. 
The Partnership will accelerate the adoption of digital payments among small-scale entrepreneurs and retailers in all parts of the country. It will be available initially in Mumbai and Bengaluru. 
About State Bank of India (SBI):
Chairman – Rajnish Kumar
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Hindustan Unilever (HUL):
Chairman & Managing Director – Sanjiv Mehta
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

   APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Surjeet Singh Deswal DG of ITBP was Given Additional Charges as DG of National Security Guard

On 28th September 2020, By the order of the Union Home Ministry, Surjeet Singh Deswal (SS Deswal), Director General(DG) of Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) has been given the additional charges as the DG of the Counter Terror Force – National Security Guard(NSG) following the retirement of Anup Kumar Singh (AK Singh), incumbent chief of NSG, on September 30.
Deswal,a 1984-batch Indian Police Service(IPS) officer of the Haryana cadre, will hold the position of DG of NSG until the appointment of regular DG or any further orders.
About SS Deswal:
i.Deswal headed NSG in July 2019 prior to the appointment of AK Singh, 1985-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre in October 2019 following the retirement of Sudeep Lakhtakia.
ii.This is the second time for Deswal to have the position of DG of NSG in an additional capacity.
iii.He served as the Additional Director General(ADG) of Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB), the border guarding force from December 2015 to October 2017.
iv.He also served as the DG of SSB while he headed the Border Security Force(BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) in additional capacity.
v.He was appointed as the DG of ITBP on 31st October 2018.

Govt Sets up Panel to Screen all Chinese Foreign Investment Proposals Headed by Ajay Kumar Bhalla

i.On October 1, 2020 The Government of India has set up a screening panel to examine all Chinese foreign investment proposals. 
ii.The panel is headed by the home secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla and secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a member. 
iii.After the committee examines the proposals on the perspective of ownership and its implications for security, the proposal may be approved if they are not controversial.
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal(Constituency- Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)
Minister of State– Hardeep Singh Puri, Shri Som Parkash
<<Read Full News>>

Crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sworn in as Kuwait’s New emir; Succeeds Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 

i.On September 30, 2020 Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah(83 years old), Crown prince of Kuwait(State of Kuwait) sworn in as new emir( 16th Emir of Kuwait) during a session of the National Assembly in Kuwait.
ii.He succeeds Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (91 years old), who died on September 29, 2020 in the United States. 
About Kuwait:
Capital– Kuwait City
Currency–  Kuwaiti dinar
<<Read Full News>>

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ICG Ship Kanaklata Barua Commissioned at Kolkata

i.On September 30, 2020 Jiwesh Nandan, additional secretary, Ministry of Defence commissioned the Indian Coast Guard(ICG) Ship Kanaklata Barua, the last in the series of 5 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) through video conferencing at Kolkata, West Bengal.
ii.The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd designed and indigenously built the 49 metre(m) ship as per requirements specified by ICG.
About Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd
Chairman and Managing Director(CMD)– Vipin Kumar Saxena, IN (Retired)
Headquarters– Kolkata(formerly Calcutta), West Bengal
About Indian Coast Guard(ICG):
Director General– Krishnaswamy Natarajan
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
<<Read Full News>>

Dr. Harsh Vardhan Launched CSIR Technologies for Rural Development Under the Joint Initiative of IIT Delhi, UBA, VIBHA & CSIR

i.On 30th September 2020,Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare launched a set of  Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR) technologies for rural development under the joint initiative of CSIR, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA) over a virtual event organised on the occasion of the 40th Foundation Day of CSIR – National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (CSIR-NISTADS), a constituent laboratory of CSIR.
ii.The CSIR technologies were released under the tripartite MoU signed among CSIR, UBA and VIBHA in July 2020 at CSIR with an aim to cooperate in the post COVID fast track action plan to create opportunities in the rural region.
About Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR):
Director General– Dr. Shekhar C. Mande
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

MoHUA Launched NCRPB’s Project Management Information System (P-MIS) Portal 

i.On 29th September 2020, The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA) launched Project Management Information System (P-MIS) Portal developed by National Capital Region Planning Board(NCRPD) to monitor the progress of their projects and to monitor and manage the loans. 
ii.The P-MIS portal will be hosted on the NIC Server.
iii.Using digital or mobile technology the Project Management Information System (P-MIS) Portal will enhance the transparency and accountability of the project monitoring process and manage the loans.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA):
Minister of State (Independent Charge)– Hardeep Singh Puri
<<Read Full News>>

AgniKul Cosmos Signs MoU With Alaska Aerospace For Test-Launch Of Its ‘Agnibaan’ Rocket

On September 30, 2020, Indian Aerospace Startup AgniKul Cosmos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alaska Aerospace Corporation to test launch Indian made Agnibaan Rocket from Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska (PSCA) on Kodiak Island in the United States. 
About AgniKul Cosmos:
Co-Founders – Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM
Location – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
<<Read Full News>>

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Older Persons 2020 – October 1 

i.United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Older Persons is annually observed across the globe on 1st October to recognise the elderlys as an asset to the society who are capable of contributing to the development process.the 1st October 2020 marks the 30th Anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons.
ii.The first International Day of Older Persons was observed and celebrated on 1st October 1991.
iii.The theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 is “Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”. 
About United Nations:
Secretary General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
<<Read Full News>>

International Coffee Day 2020: October 1

i.International Coffee Day is observed annually on October 1 to celebrate coffee and recognize the efforts of people who are associated with the coffee industry namely,  farmers, roasters, baristas, coffee shop owners globally. The day also promotes fair trade coffee and to raise awareness for the coffee growers
ii.International Coffee Organisation(ICO) launched its first official International Coffee Day in Milan, Italy  in 2015 as part of Expo 2015, a World Expo hosted by Milan.
About International Coffee Organization (ICO):
Executive Director– José Dauster Sette 
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
<<Read Full News>>

World Vegetarian Day Observed on October 1, 2020

World Vegetarian Day is celebrated annually on October 1. It is observed to promote Joy, Compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of Vegetarianism. 
i.The World Vegetarian Day was founded in 1977 by North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS), and endorsed by International Vegetarian Union in 1978. 
ii.It is also the First Day of Vegetarian Awareness Month (October). 
About International Vegetarian Union (IVU):
Chair of International Vegetarian Union (IVU) – Marly Winckler
Established in Dresden, Germany
<<Read Full News>>

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2020 – 1st – 31st October 

i.The Breast Cancer Awareness Month is annually observed across the globe in the month of October from 1st October to 31st October to create awareness and focus the attention on the early detection and treatment of Breast Cancer as well as the palliative care of this disease.
ii.The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s National Cancer Control Programme(NCCP) is aimed to reduce the rate of cancer cases and death and to improve the quality of the life of cancer patients.
About WHO
Director General– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Vijai Vardhan, IAS Appointed as the New Chief Secretary of Haryana; Succeeds Keshni Anand Arora

On 30th September 2020, the Government of Haryana appointed Vijai Vardhan, currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary(ACS) of Revenue and Disaster Management and Financial Commissioner Revenue(FCR) as the new Chief Secretary of Haryana following the superannuation of Keshni Anand Arora. His tenure as the Chief Secretary is till his superannuation date 30th November 2021.
About Vijai Vardhan:
Vijai Vardhan, a 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service(IAS) officer of the Haryana cadre is the 2nd senior most officer in Haryana bureaucracy following Sunil Gulati, a 1984-batch IAS officer, currently posted as Chairman, Haryana Minerals 
Other appointments:
i.Sanjeev Kaushal,1986-batch IAS officer will replace Vijai Vardhas as the FCR and Rajeev Arora, ACS of Health will also hold the charge as the ACS of Home.
ii.Alok Nigam 1986-batch IAS officer, ACS of Forest and Wildlife and Medical Education and Research has been given additional changes of the Public Works Department.
iii.Devendra Singh, the ACS of Irrigation and Water Resources and Public Health Engineering will hold the charge of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
iv.Dharamvir Singh, a 2012 batch IAS officer was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Charkhi Dadri, Haryana.

AC GAZE

IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2020 Released, Mukesh Ambani Tops

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) topped the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2020 with the total wealth of 6,58,400 Cr. He retains this position for the 9th consecutive year. Hinduja brothers secured the second spot followed by Shiv Nadar & family. Smita V Crishna, who ranked 28th spot overall is the richest woman in the list followed by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon founder, who is also the richest self-made women in India. 

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