Current Affairs 23 September 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 23 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

MoE forms National Steering Committee to develop National Curriculum Frameworks; Headed by K Kasturirangani.The Ministry of Education (MoE) has formulated a 12-member National Steering Committee (SC) for the development of National Curriculum Frameworks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
ii.It will be chaired by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, an scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1994 to 2003.
iii.The tenure of the SC will be of 3 years w.e.f .September 21, 2021.
iv.The SC will be assisted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Director Prof. Sridhar Srivastava (Current).
Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Constituency- Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State (MoS)– Annpurna Devi (Constituency- Kodarma, Jharkhand); Dr Subhas Sarkar (Constituency- Bankura, West Bengal); and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Constituency- Inner Manipur, Manipur)
>>Read Full News

Kovalam, Eden beaches get Blue Flag tagTwo more new Indian beaches– Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry received Blue Flag Certification from Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark (FEE) in 2021.With this ,India received a Blue tag for 10 beaches.

• It also issued re-certification for 8 nominated beaches Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag certificate in 2020.

About Blue Flag Certificate
i.The Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.
ii.It is issued by Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark (FEE) and international jury comprising of members from IUCN, UNWTO, UNEP and UNESCO etc.
iii.It started in 1987 and in 2001 European Blue Flag became International Blue Flag .
>>Read Full News

Tata Steel commissions India’s 1^st CO2 Capture and Utilisation plant in Jamshedpur, JharkhandThe Indian Multinational Company, Tata Steel Limited becomes India’s first steel company to commission a 5 tonnes per day (TPD) Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) plant at its Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) Works with the technological support from Carbon Clean.

• It was inaugurated by Thachat Viswanath (TV) Narendran, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) & MD (Managing Director) of Tata Steel, in the presence of Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, and other dignitaries.
• Carbon Clean is a global leader in low-cost Carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology.

How does CCU Technology work?
This facility extracts the CO₂ directly from the Blast Furnace gas through amine-based technology. Then the depleted CO₂ is sent back to the gas network with increased calorific value.

• This development is an effort to tackle climate change and global warming.

Steps taken by Tata Steel for Sustainable steel production:
i.Its first Steel Recycling plant at Rohtak in Haryana enables lower CO₂ emissions, resource consumption and energy utilisation.
ii.In September 2020, Tata Steel partnered with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to work in the field of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS).
iii.Tata Steel India and Tata Steel Europe are acknowledged by the World Steel Association (worldsteel) as Steel Sustainability Champions for four years consecutively.

PM Modi Inaugurated 2 New Defence Office Complexes in New Delhi

Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated two state-of-the-art and energy-efficient Defence Offices Complexes at Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue in New Delhi.
The new complexes were constructed using new and sustainable construction technology known as LGSF (Light gauge steel frame).
The complexes were constructed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with resources allocated by the Defence Ministry and have an office space of 9.60 Lakh square feet.

• The new complexes will accommodate around 7,000 officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces, including the Army, Navy and Air.
• The buildings will also provide modern, secure and functional working spaces.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UNESCO’s MAB-ICC added 20 new Biosphere Reserves during its 33^rd session in Abuja, Nigeriai.The 33rd session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Programme (MAB-ICC) was held in a hybrid format on September 13-17, 2021 in Abuja, Nigeria.
ii.This was the first time that it was held in the African continent.
iii.During the programme, 20 new sites in 21 countries were added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (BRs).
iv.The sites from Lesotho (Matseng BR), Libya (Ashaafean BR) and Saudi Arabia (Juzur Farasan BR) are designated for the first time.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Establishment– 1945
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
>>Read Full News

Iran became the 9th Full Member of the Shanghai Cooperation OrganizationIn September 2021, Iran was appointed as the 9th permanent member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the 21st Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

• Prior to getting the permanent membership of SCO, Iran was one of the Observer member states of SCO. Iran received observer status in 2005.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):

i.It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation formed on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China). It is the successor of Shanghai Five, a mutual security agreement formed in 1996 between China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

ii.SCO strengthens mutual trust among the member states, promotes their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, education, transport, etc.

ii.Members of SCO:

• Permanent Member States: India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. (Currently added – Iran)
• Observer Member States: Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia.
• Dialogue Partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.

About Iran:
Capital – Tehran
President – EbrahimRaisi
Currency – Iranian rial

Countries to invest on Small & Medium scale farmers to address Nutrition disparity – IFAD ReportTo resolve the global issue of Nutrition disparity, Countries should invest more on nature-based farming and providing incentives to small & medium scale farmers will play critical role in reducing rural poverty & increasing nutrition security, as per the ‘Rural Development Report 2021’ released by United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), named “Transforming Food Systems for Rural Prosperity”.
i.Small-scale agriculture is directly linked with the livelihood of the majority of rural population across the globe, with over 31% of the World’s food being produced in farms sized up to 2-hectares.
About International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD):
President – Gilbert F. Houngbo
Established – 1977
Headquarter – Rome, Italy
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

BLS International becomes National Business Correspondent of SBIBLS International Services Ltd was selected as the National Business Correspondent (BC) for the State Bank of India (SBI) to deliver banking services in urban, semi-urban and rural areas across India.

• Objective: To support the financial inclusion mission of the government by providing banking services to the underserved and unserved people of India.

Key Points:
i.Under the partnership, BLS will provide banking services on behalf of SBI like savings bank deposits, fixed deposit, recurring deposit, remittances, micro pension, micro insurance, open account with e-KYC (Know Your Customer), Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) mini statement, passbook printing, etc for SBI account holders across India.
ii.Starfin India Pvt. Ltd., the subsidiary of BLS International has also become the National BC for the Bank of Baroda to support the financial inclusion mission. It will deliver banking services in rural and urban areas.
iv.Starfin will start performing basic banking services like enrolment of customers, debit cards, balance enquiry, statement of accounts, passbook printing, money deposit, and bills/utility payment services.
About BLS International Services Ltd: 
Headquarters – NewDelhi
Managing Director – Nikhil Gupta
About State Bank of India (SBI):
Establishment – 1st July 1955
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

OECD cut India’s FY22 GDP Growth Forecast to 9.7%In its Economic Outlook, Interim Report September 2021, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reduced India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast in FY22 to 20 basis points to 9.7 percent and for FY23 the GDP growth forecast was reduced by 30 bps to 7.9 percent.

• Inflation: OECD has increased the inflation forecast of India by 50 bps to 5.9 percent for FY22 and by 70 bps to 5.5 percent for FY23.
• OECD has projected the Global GDP to grow by 5.7 percent in 2021 and 4.5 percent in 2022.
• The consumer price inflation in India was 6.2 percent in FY21.
• The output shortfall in the G20 emerging-market economy at the end of 2022 is projected to be twice that in the median G20 advanced economy, particularly high in India and Indonesia.

About Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):
It is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives
Headquarters – Paris, France
Secretary-General –  Mathias Cormann
Members Countries – 38
>>Read Full News

ADB cut India’s FY2021-22 GDP Growth Forecast to 10%; Inflation Rate Increased to 5.5%As per the latest economic outlook of Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled ‘the Asian Development Outlook 2021 Update Transforming Agriculture in Asia’, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY2021-22 was reduced to 10 percent from its earlier projection of 11 percent (April 2021) due to the impact of COVID-19.

• The GDP growth forecast for FY2022-23 was increased from 7 percent to 7.5 percent.
• Inflation: The inflation forecast for FY2021-22 was increased to 5.5 percent from its earlier projection of 5.2 percent.
• The GDP growth forecast of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was unchanged at 8.1 percent in 2021 and 5.5 per cent in 2022.
• As per the report, India’s government spending and exports are expected to contribute more to FY21’s growth.
• ADB Trims Developing Asia Growth Outlook to 7.1% from 7.3% for FY2021-22 and increased the growth to 5.4% from 5.3% for FY 2022-23

Note – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected India’s GDP growth for FY2021-22 at 9.5 percent.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Headquarters – Manila, Philippines
President – Masatsugu Asakawa
Members Countries – 68

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina bags SDG Progress AwardBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been conferred with ‘SDG Progress Award’, for Bangladesh’s steady progress in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), by the UN sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) at the 9^th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development held in New York in September 2021.
Sustainable Development Goals
To end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all.
About UN SDSN
Launched in 2012
President – Jeffrey Sachs
Headquarters: New York, United States
Objective: To mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable development and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
About Bangladesh
President: Abdul Hamid
Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Bangladeshi taka

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Justin Trudeau Won a 3rd Term as Prime Minister of CanadaCanadian Prime Minister(PM) Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal party since 2013, won 3rd term as the PM of Canada by winning the 2021 Canadian federal election but failed to secure the absolute majority.

• The Liberal party won the election with 158 seats of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons.
• The Conservative Party, the main opposition party in Canada has won 119 of the 338 seats.

Note:
17 Indian origin Canadians including New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan have won the election.
About Justin Trudeau:
i.Justin Trudeau has been serving as the Prime minister of Canada since November 2015, he became the 2nd youngest PM in Canadian history after Joe Clark.
ii.As the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau became the first to be the child or other relative of a previous PM to hold the post.
iii.He was re-elected as the PM of Canada in 2019 and again in 2021.
Parliament of Canada:
i.The parliament of Canada, the federal legislature of Canada, located at Parliament Hill in Ottawa consists of 3 parts, the Monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons.
ii.The parliament consists of 443 seats which include 338 Members of Parliament(MP) elected by the people and 105 senators, appointed by the Governor-General to represent regions of the country.
About Canada:
Prime Minister– Justin Trudeau
Capital– Ottawa
Currency– Canadian Dollar

V R Chaudhari appointed as the next Chief of Air StaffThe Air Marshal, Vivek Ram (VR) Chaudhari has been appointed as the Chief  of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He will  succeed  the current Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (RKS Bhadauria), who will retire on September 30, 2021.
About  Vivek Ram (VR) Chaudhari
i.Currently, he is serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff after the retirement of  Air Marshal H S Arora. He has also served as Chief of the Western Air Command (WAC).

• The WAC is the largest air command of the IAF responsible for parts of both the borders with Pakistan and China. Now protecting Ladakh as well.

ii.He is an expert in major MiG-29 fighter aircraft and has experience of flying for more than 3800 hours on fighter and trainer aircraft, including missions flown during Operation Meghdoot, the Air Force’s support to capture the Siachen glacier in the 1980s, and Operation Safed Sagar (the support provided by the IAF during the Kargil conflict in 1999).

• He has served in several positions like Deputy Commandant, Air Force Academy, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Air Defence) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers).

iv.Awards: V R Chaudhari is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and the Vayu Sena Medals.
About Indian Air force (IAF)
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

Govt extends Kotak’s tenure as board member of IL&FSUnion government has extended the term of Uday Kotak as the non-executive chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) by another six months. His tenure was supposed to expire on October 2, 2021.

• He will continue being the non-executive director on the board of IL&FS until April 2, 2022.
• He is a managing director and chief executive officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
• His tenure has seen several extensions since he was appointed by the government to head the shadow lender.

Banking Regulation Act, 1949
i.The Act prohibits a banking company to be managed by an individual who is a director of any other company. However, the provision does not apply for a temporary period not exceeding three months or such further period not exceeding nine months if allowed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
ii.RBI allowed Kotak to be on the board of IL&FS for three months, and for another nine months subsequently. He was further given two extensions of one year each.

Howzat Fantasy Sports Platform Signed Cricketer Suresh Raina as Brand AmbassadorHowzat Fantasy Sports Platform, a product of Junglee Games has signed former Indian international cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador to promote its brand among sports lovers across India.

• With this partnership with Suresh Raina, Howzat aims to attract cricket fans to the platform and become the most rewarding fantasy sports app in India.
• The brand is already endorsed by former Indian international cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan.

Howzat fantasy sports platform launched in 2019 is owned and operated by Howzat Private Limited.
About Suresh Raina:
i.Suresh Kumar Raina from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh is known as the first Indian cricketer to score a hundred in all three formats of the game.
ii.He is the 3rd Indian batsman in the world and the first Indian to hit a century in T20.
iii.He has represented Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions(captain) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

CA Rover Holding Sold a 3.4% Stake in SBI Cards for Rs 3267 croreCA Rover Holdings, a United States(US)-based private equity fund, has sold 3.2 crore shares amounting to a 3.4% stake in SBI Cards, for 443 million USD (around Rs 3267 crore).
CA Rover Holdings is a part of the Carlyle Group and an affiliate of Carlyle Asia Partners.

• This transaction was put through stock exchanges under the Bulk deal window.
• The sale price has been fixed at Rs 1021 to Rs 1072.30 apiece.
• Prior to this transaction, CA Rover had around 61.2 million shares amounting to a 6.5% stake in the SBI Card.

Background:
i.In 2017, Carlyle acquired a 26% stake in SBI Cards from GE Group for Rs 2000 crore.
ii.In March 2020, SBI Cards launched its maiden initial public offer (IPO), in which Carlyle sold 10% for Rs 7000 crore.
iii.In March 2021, CA Rover Holdings, a Carlyle entity sold more than a 4% stake in SBI Cards for around Rs 3800 crore and in June 2021, it sold a 5.1% stake for Rs 4,811 crore in a bulk deal.
About Carlyle group:
CEO– Kewsong Lee
Headquarters–  Washington, DC., United States
Founded in 1987
About SBI Card:
SBI Card was launched in October 1998 by the State Bank of India and GE Capital.
MD & CEO– Rama Mohan Rao Amara
Headquarters– Gurgaon, Haryana

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO to Develop Reusable GSLV Mk-III Launch Vehicle

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on the development of a technology which will enable ISRO to land the GSLV Mk III launch vehicles vertically. This will allow ISRO to reuse the GSLV Mk III launch vehicles and save money.

• With this technology ISRO plans to recover the first and second stages.
• The launch vehicle will be reworked in its 3 stages. The 2nd liquid state will be replaced with a semi-cryo stage and the terminal cryo stage C-25 will be converted into C-32.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh releases book on Sikh youth of India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released a book titled ‘Shining Sikh Youth of India’, in New Delhi, authored by Dr Prabhleen Singh, as part of the commemoration of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of Sikhs.

• The book covers 100 inspirational and motivational success stories of Sikh youth in India of their exemplary work in their respective fields.

About Dr Prabhleen Singh
i.He is an administrative officer at the Punjab University, Patiala
ii. Earlier, he has written two books, namely

• ‘Prominent Sikhs of India’ which was released by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and was published by Panjab University, Chandigarh, and
• ‘Prominent Sikhs of USA’ which was released at the Capitol Hill jointly by 15 Congressmen, three senators and the Lieutenant Governor of California.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Car Free Day 2021 – September 22World Car Free Day is annually observed across the globe on September 22 to encourage motorists across the globe to give up on their vehicles for a day and experience streets free of motor traffic.
The day also highlights the benefits of going car-free and adopting Alternative transportation such as walking, biking, public transportation, hybrid vehicle travel, and carpooling.
Background:
i.The Carfree days were observed in several European cities during the early 1990s.
ii.In Europe, International Car-free Day, a pilot project for the European Union’s “In Town Without My Car” was organised in 1999.
iii.The Carbusters (now World Carfree Network) and Adbusters Media Foundation launched and promoted the first Global Car-free day in 2000.
>>Read Full News

World Rose Day 2021 – September 22World Rose Day is annually observed across the globe on September 22 to honour and provide hope for the people who are suffering from cancer. The day also aims to create awareness about early identification and prevention of cancer, which can save much Malignancy.
Background:
World Rose Day was first observed to honour the memory of Melinda Rose, a 12-year-old cancer patient who died in 1996 due to Askin’s Tumour, a rare form of blood cancer.
Significance of Rose Day:
i.Rose Day is celebrated as a ray of hope for cancer patients who are suffering from the physiological implications along with stress, psychological impact, and anguish caused by cancer.
ii.On this day people across the globe exhibit their love and support for the patients suffering from cancer and the caregivers.

World Rhino Day 2021 – September 22World Rhino Day is annually observed across the globe on September 22 to create awareness about all five species of rhino and recognise the efforts taken towards the conservation of rhinos.
The 5 species are Sumatran rhino; Black Rhino; Greater one-horned rhino; Javan rhino and White rhino.

• 22nd September 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of World Rhino day.

The theme of World Rhino Day 2021 is “Keep the Five Alive”.
Background:
i.In 2010, World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF)-South Africa announced to celebrate world rhino day on 22nd September.ii.Since 2011 the world rhino day has been observed globally.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Odisha Tie-up with UNICEF, CPR to Provide Sanitation Facilities; Signed MoU with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Agriculture Development
The department of Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) and the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW), under the government of Odisha, signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) and Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for urban-rural convergence on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) and Plastic Waste Management (PWM) to provide sanitation facilities in villages around urban areas of the state.

• In the first part, 7 districts of Odisha viz, Angul, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Khurda, Mayrbhanj, and Sambalpur will get facilities on a pilot basis and the state plans to extend it to all 30 districts within a year.
• The state has already operationalised 58 FSTPs and it plans to cover 114 ULBs with 118 functional plants by March 2022. So far, 167 MRFs have been made functional in the State through Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Odisha Govt signed MoU with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Agricultural Development
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development under the government of Odisha signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support sustainable and inclusive agriculture transformation.
About Odisha
Airport- Rourkela airport
Heritage site– Sun temple (1984), Bhitarkanika Mangroves (2002), Chilika Lake (1981)
Festival-  Utkala Divas, Durga Pooja, Kalinga Mahotsav
>>Read Full News

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