Current Affairs 2 September 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 2 September 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 20 Current Affairs of 2 September 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoD inked Contracts Worth Rs 2580 Cr with Indian Companies for Supply of Pinaka Regiments to Indian Army

i.On August 31, 2020, the Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed contracts with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd. (TPCL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for supply of Six Pinaka Regiments to the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army at an approximate cost of Rs. 2580 Crores. 
ii.This decision has been taken to further boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Government of India in the Defence Sector.
iii.The Six Pinaka Regiments comprises of 114 Launchers with Automated Gun Aiming & Positioning System (AGAPS) and 45 Command Posts to be procured from TPCL and M/s L&T and 330 Vehicles to be procured from BEML and their induction will be completed by 2024.
About Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister- Rajnath Singh (Constituency– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Shripad Yesso Naik
<<Read Full News>>

Coal Ministry organised Webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction

i.On August 31, 2020, webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction was organized by Ministry of Coal and Mines which was addressed by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi along with Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Coal and Dr Vijay Kumar (VK) Saraswat, Member NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. 
ii.The objective behind this webinar was to discuss the road map for achieving the 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification target by 2030 with investments worth over Rs4 lakh crores.
iii.Notably, a Steering Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. VK Saraswat for green initiatives in the coal sector.
iv.The webinar was attended by around 700 delegates from Government of India, Coal India Limited (CIL) and the coal sector.
<<Read Full News>>

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launched Life Insurance Scheme for More than 10000 Cantonment Employees

i.On 1st September 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched “Chhavni COVID: Yodha Sanrakshan Yojana” a group life insurance scheme through the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), for more than 10000 employees working in the 62 military cantonment areas across India.
ii.The scheme will benefit the employees of all the 62 cantonment boards and will provide a cover of Rs.5 lakhs each in the event of any fatal misfortune.
iii.The insurance scheme was launched during the two-day webinar organised by the Ministry of Defence and Directorate General of Defence Estates(DGDE) to improve the implementation of Central Sponsored Schemes(CSS) in the 62 cantonments around India at Delhi.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister– Rajnath Singh
Minister of State– Shripad Yesso Naik
About LIC:
Chairman– M R Kumar
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Japan extends Emergency Loan of JPY 50 Billion for India to Fight Covid-19 Pandemic

i.On August 31, 2020 Japan extended an Emergency Support Loan of up to 50 Billion Japanese Yen (Approximately Rs 3, 500 Crore) to help India’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The financial support will support India’s implementation of health, medical policies and development of hospitals equipped with ICUs.
ii.This is the largest amount of financial assistance announced by any country to support India’s response to the Covid-19 crisis.
About Japan:
Capital – Tokyo
Prime Minister – Shinzo Abe (He announced his retirement on August 28 but will remain in the post until a successor is chosen)
<<Read Full News>>

India-Japan-Australia to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region

On September 1, 2020 India, Japan and Australia agreed to launch a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative will help in building a resilient supply chain with focus on free, transparent trade & investment environment in the region.
The initiative was decided at a virtual meeting comprising Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Simon Birmingham, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kajiyama Hiroshi.
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

European Investment Bank to Invest € 650 Million in Kanpur’s 1st City Metro Line

i.The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest 650 million euro(€) in the construction of Kanpur’s(Uttar Pradesh) 1st city metro line. 
ii.The 32.4 km urban rail line, with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations is EIB’s 2nd biggest operation outside the European Union(EU) till date. 
iii.It is the 2nd metro rail project supported by the EIB in Uttar Pradesh(UP).
iv.Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (UPMRC) is the promoter-Financial intermediary for this project.
About EIB:
President– Werner HOYER
Headquarters– Luxembourg
<<Read Full News>>

“Fraud & Risk Management in Digital Payments” Report Released: PayPal & DSCI

i.The Report, “Fraud & Risk Management in Digital Payments” has been jointly developed by The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM)’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and PayPal Payments Pvt. Ltd. (PayPal).  
ii.It is to be noted that Online banking and digital transactions has massively grown in India due to Lockdown(COVID-19 pandemic), however, the threat landscape has also grown dynamically. 
iii.The report attempts to address the emerging concerns and underlying causes. 
About DSCI:
Headquarters–  Noida, Uttar Pradesh
CEO– Rama Vedashree
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

India’s GDP growth contract by 23.9% in April-June quarter: MOSPI

i.In accordance with the official data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation (Mospi) on August 31, 2020, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) contract by 23.9% (-23.9%) in April-June period quarter of 2020 due to downfall in businesses and livelihood amid COVID-19 pandemic induced nationwide lockdown restrictions.
ii.This data states slowing of consumer spending, private investments and contraction in exports in the March quarter. The growth of Indian economy in Q4 FY20 (January-March) quarter was also at the slowest pace in eight years at 3.1%.
iii.India’s real GDP fell to 26.9 lakh crore in constant terms, 23.9% lower than a year ago.
iv.Nominal GDP fell to Rs 38.08 lakh crore, 22.6% lower than the same period last year. 
About MoSPI:
Minister of State (Independent Charge)– Rao Inderjit Singh
Secretary– Pravin Srivastava
<<Read Full News>>

India’s Real GDP likely to Contract by 10.9% in FY21, All 4 quarters to Witness Negative Real Growth: SBI Ecowrap Report

i.The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Ecowrap report estimated that the real Gross domestic Product(GDP) for FY21 is expected to shrink by around 10.9%(-10.9%), a decline of full year growth, against its earlier estimate of 6.8%. 
ii.The report comes after India’s economy contracted by a record 23.9% in 1st (April-June) quarter of FY21. 
iii.The report added that all the quarters of FY21 will exhibit negative real GDP growth. 
About SBI:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– Rajnish Kumar
Tagline– The banker to every Indian; With you all the way; Purely banking nothing else; The nation banks on us.
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Pramod Chandra Mody gets 6 Months Extension as Chairman of CBDT

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Government of India (GoI), has approved the extension of the re-appointment  of Pramod Chandra Mody as Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) for 6 months with effect from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. His term was to end on August 31, 2020. 
Key Info
i.The 1982 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre) officer was appointed as chairman of CBDT in February 2019 and succeeded Sushil Chandra who was appointed as an Election Commissioner.
ii.On August 2019, was re-appointed to the post for a year till August 31, 2020, beyond the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2019.
iii.Earlier to his post as chairman he served  as a member-administration of CBDT, the apex policy making body of the income-tax department
About Central Board of Direct Taxes
It is a statutory authority which functions under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. It frames policy for the Income-Tax Department. It functions under the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance.
It consists of a Chairman and 6 Members, namely:
i.Member (Income Tax & Revenue)- Satish Kumar(S.K.) Gupta (Addl. Charge)
ii.Member (Legislation)- Ms. Seema Khorana Patra
iii.Member (Administration)- Prabhash Shankar
iv.Member (investigation)- Pramod Chandra Mody (Addl. Charge)
v.Member (Tax Payers Service-TPS & system)-  Satish Kumar(S.K.) Gupta
vi.Member (Audit & Judicial)- Krishan Mohan(K.M.) Prasad

Hemant Khatri assumed charge as CMD of Hindustan Shipyard Limited; Succeeds Rear Admiral L V Sarat Babu

On 1st September 2020, Retired Commodore Hemant Khatri succeeds Rear Admiral L V Sarat Babu (Retd) and assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing director(CMD) of Hindustan Shipyard limited(HSL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, is a Miniratna public sector undertaking (PSU) of the Ministry of Defence. Previously he was serving as the Director of Strategic Projects HSL.
Background:
He was appointed as the CMD of HSL was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) on 27th May 2020 with effective from 1st September 2020 till 31st July 2025 the date of his superannuation or until further orders.
About Hemant Khatri:
i.The former Indian Navy Officer, Hemant Khatri who has an immense experience on ship construction and repair joined HSL in April 2017.
ii.He served in the naval dockyard and the headquarters at various capacities.
iii.He worked in the Euro Shipyard in Italy for three years and oversaw the construction and delivery of INS Deepak and INS Shakti (Navy Fleet Tankers).
iv.He was the project director of fleet solid support (FSS) Programme and finalised foregin yard collaboration contracts.
v.He was in charge of the normal refit of INS Sindhuvir (EKM class submarine) and also forefronted the refit of INS Astradharani.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CSIR-CMERI Developed & Installed the World’s Largest Solar Tree in Durgapur

i.Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR – CMERI) developed the world largest Solar Tree with customisable features for application in different locations and installed it in the residential colony of CMERI at Durgapur, West Bengal.
ii.The annual capacity of the tree to generate clean and green power is around 12000 to 14000 units.
iii.These solar trees are capable of saving around 10-12 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission compared to the energy generated using other fossil fuels.
About CSIR-CMERI:
Director– Prof.(Dr.) Harish Hirani 
Location– Durgapur, West Bengal
<<Read Full News>>

ICICI Prudential Life Launched AI-Powered Voice Chatbot, ‘LiGo’ on Google Assistant 

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Prudential Life) has introduced an Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice chatbot, ‘LiGo’, on Google Assistant. LiGo is ICICI Prudential Life’s customer service chatbot. This will enable the company’s policyholders to address their queries by simple voice commands. It provides an easy to use and convenient service touch-point for customers.
About LiGo on Google Assistant
i.Expanding the functionalities of LiGo to Google Assistant is part of the company’s strategy to be on platforms that customers prefer and to offer them an immersive experience
ii.The customers by activating ‘Google Assistant’ on their Android smartphones and speaking out their policy number or registered phone number, they can instantly access the information about their policies.
iii.The assistance is available in ‘Indian English’ and supports 9 Indian Languages.
iv.The introduction provides an additional layer of convenience for customers, i.e., further strengthens digital platform
Additional Info
i.About 3.5 lakh voice chats per month are conducted on Chatbot LiGo 
ii.Simple voice commands to address the queries include, “Ok Google, I want to speak to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo” or “May I talk to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo”.
Note:
ICICI prudential Life has introduced a  bouquet of digital enablers  to address all the needs of a customer during the policy lifecycle
It is 1st private life insurance company to cross the Rs 1 trillion mark for Assets under Management (AUM).
About ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited
It is promoted by ICICI Bank Limited and Prudential Corporation Holdings Limited, headquartered in the United Kingdom. 
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer–  N. S. Kannan
HeadOffice– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Indian Railways develops ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19 patients

Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to deliver food, medicine to COVID-19 patients. 
i.At present, ‘MEDBOT’ is providing service in the Central Hospital of the Diesel Rail Engine Factory, Varanasi of Indian Railways.
ii.Using this robot trolley, food and medicines are being provided without any physical contact with the patients.
iii.Apart from providing transport facilities and essential items including foodgrains to people during the corona crisis, Indian Railways is providing facilities for COVID-19 patients.

OBITUARY

Former President & Bharat Ratna Awardee Pranab Mukherjee passes away

On 31 August, 2020 Former President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee passed away after developing a lung infection at the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi, he was admitted for a Brain Surgery. He had also tested Positive for Coronavirus. 
i.He served as the 13th President of India From 2012-2017. He was India’s only non-Prime Minister who was the leader of the Lok Sabha
ii.He was conferred with ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 2019 and Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
<<Read Full News>>

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar Authored a Children’s Book “The Big Thoughts of Little Luv”

Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar authored a children’s picture book titled “The Big Thoughts of Little Luv” inspired by his Twins Yash and Roohi. The book will be published by Juggernaut Books.
The book narrates the story of the twins Luv and Kusha and features the challenges faced by the parents and the difference imposed between the boys and girls by the parents while raising them.
Note:
This is the first picture book authored by Karan Johar.
About Karan Johar:
i.He made his debut as director with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998.
ii.He is the owner of the Dharma Production which produced the commercial films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, My Name Is Khan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and critically acclaimed films like Wake Up Sid, Agneepath and Raazi.
Honours:
i.He received the special invite for the 2012 London Olympics, he was the only other Indian apart from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be invited for the opening ceremony.
ii.Karan Johar was chosen as one of 250 Global Young Leaders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum 2006, in 2007.
Books:
Johar Karan released his autobiography titled “An Unsuitable Boy” in 2017.
Awards:
He received the Padma Shri Award (the fourth Highest Civilian Award) in the field of Arts in January 2020.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Nutrition Week 2020- 1st September to 7th September

National Nutrition Week (NNW) is an annual nutrition event observed in India during the First week of September from 1st September to 7th September. The events of NNW are organised by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Ministry of Women and Child Development(WCD), Government of India to educate the importance and role of nutrition in the human body.
i.The Food and Nutrition board of the Ministry of WCD launched the National Nutrition Week in 1982. 
ii.The objective of the National Nutrition Week is to create awareness on the importance of nutrition which is the focal point of health and well-being which is directly linked to human resource development, productivity and national growth.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development:
Cabinet Minister– Smriti Zubin Irani
Minister of State– Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri
<<Read Full News>>

Telugu Language Day: August 29

i.Telugu Language Day (Telugu Bhasha Dinotsavam) is celebrated on August 29 every year. Telugu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.Predominantly, Telugu Language Day is celebrated in these states.
ii.The birth anniversary of Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, a prominent Telugu writer, is celebrated as the day whose contributions, Vyavaharika Bhasha or Vaaduka Bhasha (Colloquial language) is immense. 
iii.Telugu is referred to as ‘The Italian of the East’, as Niccolò de’ Conti, the 16th century Italian explorer found that the Telugu language ends with vowels just like the Italian language.
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Odisha CM launched two Citizen-Centric Mobile app – Ama Sahar And Swachha Sahar Odisha on Local Self Government Day

i.On 31st August 2020, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, launched two citizen-centric mobile applications Ama Sahar and Swachha Sahar Odisha on the occasion of Local Self Government Day which was observed at the Lok Seva Bhawan over a virtual platform.
ii.These apps enable the Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) to submit the utilisation certificates over online for the betterment of fiscal management.
iii.He also dedicated 100 functional micro-hybrid centers and 50 functional material recovery facilities for various ULBs of the state.
iv.He laid the foundation stone to set up 51 Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants, to ensure large coverage of these facilities across the state.
About Odisha:
Dams- Deuli Dam over Jambhira river (recently in news), Hirakud Dam across the Mahanadi river (recently in news)
UNESCO Sites– Sun Temple, Konark, Chilika Lake (recently in news), Ekamra Kshetra-The Temple City, Bhubaneswar
<<Read Full News>>

MHA notifies ‘Rules of Transaction of Business’ for the UT of Jammu & Kashmir

On 28 August, 2020 the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the ‘Rules of Transaction of Business’ for the Government of Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The rules have been issued under the exercise of powers conferred by section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, read with the Proclamation, dated 31st October, 2019 issued under section 73 of the said Act.
Key Points:
i.The new notification delineates roles and responsibilities between the Centre-appointed functionary and Legislators (to be elected in future).
ii.Police, Civil Services and anti-corruption bureau of Jammu and Kashmir will be under the Lieutenant Governor. 
iii.If the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and Council of Ministers differ on any issue, the LG is required to refer the matter to the President and the LG will act according to the decision taken by the President.
iv.There will be 39 departments in the Union Territory including agriculture, school education, higher education, horticulture and floriculture.
v.The LG will be the final authority in transfer-posting of officers All India Services, Police and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
About J&K:
Lakes – Dal Lake (Recently in news), Wular Lake
Dances – Kud dance, Dumhal dance, Rouf dance, Bhand Pather, Hafiza dance, Bhand Jashan, Bacha Nagma, Wuegi-Nachun. 

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