Current Affairs 8 October 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 8 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.

Our Current Affairs October 2020 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2020 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert (English / Reasoning/ Aptitude) – Freelancer or Full Time 

Date-Wise Current Affairs October 2020 PDF for Paid Users – Click Here to Know More

Top 20 Current Affairs of 8 October 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

42nd GST Council meeting chaired by FM Nirmala Sitharaman ; Compensation Cess Extended beyond June, 2022

i.In the current fiscal (FY21), the states are facing Rs 2.35 lakh crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue shortfall, out of which, Rs 97,000 crore is on account of GST shortfall, while Rs 1.38 lakh crore is due to COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.In this regard, on October 5, 2020 the 42nd GST Council meeting was held video conferencing from New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman where it was decided that this year’s compensation cess collected amounting to Rs 20,000 crore will be disbursed to the states.
iii.Extension of compensation cess: The transition period of five years for levy of Compensation Cess will be extended i.e. beyond June, 2022.
iv.Integrated GST: An amount of about Rs 25,000 crore towards IGST of 2017-18 will be released by the end of next week to the states which had received less earlier.
About GST Council:
GST Council is an apex member committee to modify or to procure any law or regulation based on the context of GST in India. The council is headed by the union finance minister (Current- Nirmala Sitharaman) assisted by the finance minister of all the states of India.

• It was constituted on 15th September 2016 under Article 279A of the Constitution.

<<Read Full News>>

ISLRTC and NCERT Signed MoU to Make Educational Materials Accessible for Deaf Children

i.On 6th October 2020, Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) and The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) to convert the NCERT educational materials into Indian Sign Language(ISL).
ii.This ensures the accessibility of NCERT materials to the Indian students with hearing impairment in their preferred mode of communication(ISL).
iii.The MoU was signed by Dr Prabodh Seth, Joint Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) & Director, ISLRTC and Prof. Hrushikesh Senapathy, Director of NCERT.
iv.This MoU is based on the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF)‘s initiative “Accessible Digital Textbooks for All” and its decisions.
About Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC):
ISLRTC is an autonomous national institute under the DEPwD.
Chairperson & Director– Prabodh Seth
Headquarters– New Delhi
About National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT):
NCERT is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education(MoE) (formerly known as Ministry of Human Resource and Development(MHRD))
Director– Hrushikesh Senapathy
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

IFFCO & Prasar Bharati Signed MoU to Broadcast Agri technology for Growth of Agriculture

On October 6, 2020, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and Prasar Bharati inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to broadcast and promote new agriculture technology and innovations during a program organised in Prithvi Bhavan, New Delhi.

• IFFCO is the world’s biggest fertiliser cooperative and has prepared an Nanotechnology based alternative of Urea.

Key Points:
–As a part of MoU, DD(Doordarshan) Kisan will broadcast various innovative techniques adopted in the agriculture field in easy language through a 30 minutes program series of approximate 25 episodes.
–The objective of the MoU is to make farmers ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) through the use of new agriculture techniques which will aid in achieving the target of doubling the farmers income by 2022.
About Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO):
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Dr. Udai Shanker Awasthi
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Prasar Bharati:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Shashi Shekhar Vempati
Headquarter– New Delhi
Other Static Points:
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India- Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan
Doordarshan Director General (DG)- Mayank Agarwal

NITI Aayog, MNRE and Invest India organized the Global Symposium ‘India PV Edge 2020’

On October 6, 2020 NITI Aayog, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Invest India jointly organized a Global Symposium ‘India PV Edge 2020’ virtually. It was organized to inform global Photovoltaics (PV) about opportunities in India.
Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for New and Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, Managing Director (MD) & CEO of Invest India Deepak Bagla attended the session.  Around 60 prominent Indian and global CEOs also attended the event virtually.
Key Points:
i.The participating companies interacted with Indian policymakers for the development of manufacturing schemes.
ii.It also discussed ways to boost the ‘Make in India’ campaign.
iii.The symposium discussed the potential for making India as a global hub for solar PV manufacturing by providing an ecosystem for setting up giga-scale factories by local and global firms.
Target of Renewable Capacity:
i.India is the third largest solar capacity country in the world.
ii.It has set an ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, which includes 300 GW of solar capacity.
iii.India’s renewable capacity installation has increased by 2.5 times and solar capacity has increased by 13 times in the last six years.

MoSPI Launched India’s first Pan India Time Use Survey 2019

On October 6, 2020, India’s first Pan India time use survey (TUS) titled “NSS Report- Time Use in India 2019” where NSS is National Sample Survey, was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in the form of 2,140-page report. It was a sample survey conducted between January and December 2019 in which 1.39 lakh households across the country and 4.47 lakh persons over the age of 6 were enumerated in measuring the participation of men and women in paid and unpaid activities.

• As per the findings, the large chunk of paid work is done by men, and unpaid work is largely done by women.

Key Findings:
–The participation rate of men in paid employment including jobs, farming, fishing, mining amongst other economic activities is at 57.3%, compared to women participation rate of 18.4%.
–Indian men also spend more time at paid work, spending on average 7 hours 39 minutes compared to the 5 hours 33 minutes spent by women.
–81.2%women participate in unpaid domestic services spending an average 4 hours 59 minutes each day while for men it is low at 26.1% with average spending of around 1 hour 37 minutes.
–Indians do not like to participate in unpaid volunteer work.
About Time Use Survey (TUS):
It is an important source of information on the time spent in unpaid caregiving activities, volunteer work, and unpaid domestic service producing activities of the household members. The findings of these surveys are helpful in drafting policies on poverty, gender equity and human development.
About Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
Minister of State (Independent Charge)– Rao Inderjit Singh

Durga Shanker Mishra launched API Integration between PM SVANidhi Portal and SBI’s eMudra Portal

i.On October 7, 2020 Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs(MoHUA) launched the API(Application Programming Interface) integration between the PM SVANidhi Portal and the SBI(State Bank of India)’s eMudra portal. This launch is a part of Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.
ii.This integration will ease uninterrupted data flow between the 2 portals in a secure ambience and accelerate the loan sanctioning and disbursement process that benefits the street vendors who seek working loan capital under the scheme.
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

Nirmala Sitharaman Launched Indian Bank’s Business Mentoring Programme ‘MSME Prerana’

i.On October 6, 2020, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, launched “MSME Prerana” an online business mentoring programme for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by Indian Bank in collaboration with Poornatha & Co, at the bank’s headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
ii.It is the first-of-its-kind initiative by a bank in India for the MSME sector.
iii.Poornatha & Co designs entrepreneurial development programs in vernacular languages using online web-based interactive sessions and case studies.
iv.On successful completion, all participants will get a certificate, issued jointly by Indian Bank, Poornatha & Co and MADE (Michigan Academy for Developing Entrepreneurs), United States (US).
About Indian Bank:
On April 1, 2020, Allahabad Bank amalgamated with Indian Bank.
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Padmaja Chunduru
Tagline– Your Own Bank
<<Read Full News>>

Chqbook Launched India’s 1st ‘Financial Control Center’ on Mobile to Empower Small Business Owners

i.On September 30, 2020 In view of the pandemic, Chqbook(Chqbook.com), India’s first Neobank for small business owners like kiranas, merchants, chemists, and others running proprietorships has launched India’s 1st ‘Financial Control Center’, a new mobile platform to empower 60 million small business owners of India.
ii.The mobile application of Chqbook will give small businesses the power to manage everyday financial needs and to access other financial products, which helps them to save time, effort and money.
About Chqbook(Chqbook.com):
Founder & CEO– Vipul Sharma
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Axis Bank in Partnership with Vistara, Launched Industry 1st Co-Branded Forex Card, ‘Axis Bank Club Vistara Forex Card’

i.On October 6, 2020 Axis Bank Ltd in partnership with Vistara, India’s full service carrier launched a Co-Branded Forex Card, ‘Axis Bank Club Vistara Forex Card’ to cater the needs of international travellers.
ii.This is the 1st-ever collaboration by a bank and an Indian airline for a co-branded forex card. The multi currency forex card enables customers to travel to international destinations in a cashless and hassle free manner.
About Vistara:
HeadQuarters– Gurgaon, Haryana
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Mr. Leslie Thng
About Axis Bank Ltd:
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) – Amitabh Chaudhry
<<Read Full News>>

FLO and NSDC Signed MoU to Empower Women Through Skill Training

On 2nd October 2020, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women’s wing of FICCI and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the 3C initiative of FLO to empower women with employability through skill training and to promote women entrepreneurship.
The primary focus of this MoU is to generate a sustainable livelihood for women.
Features of MoU:
i.The collaboration between FLO and NSDC will support the empowerment of women to develop sustainable economic possibilities at various levels like grassroot, medium and senior.
ii.FLO and NSDC will support the short term training of women in different sectors like healthcare, tourism, hospitality and others and will also support them with their domestic and overseas placement.
iii.This association will create better employability opportunities for women through market relevant skill training for various roles.
3C Initiative:
i.The 3C Initiative of FLO aims to build the Competency, Capacity and Confidence of women through transformational life skills and Technical Education Adopt ITI Programme(AITIP) which will empower women with tools and knowledge to become economically independent.
ii.This 3C initiative enhances the NSDC work on increasing the participation of the female labour force.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Union Minister Piyush Goyal releases results of 1st Edition of National Startup Awards 2020

On 6th October, 2020, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal released the results of the First Edition of National Startup Awards 2020 in a virtual ceremony.
The First Ever National Startup Awards has been conceived by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
i.The award rewards startups & ecosystems which are building innovative products, solutions and scalable enterprises with high potential of employment generation & wealth creation.
ii.The full list of Awards can be accessed here – National Startup Awards 2020
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is a department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal
Minister of State (MoS) – Hardeep Singh Puri, Som Parkash
<<Read Full News>>

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna Won 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Development of a Method for Genome Editing

i.On October 7, 2020 Goran K. Hansson, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer A. Doudna of the United States for the development of a method for genome editing, namely ‘CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors’. The method is one of gene technology’s sharpest tools.
ii.This is the 1st time 2 women have jointly won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Kuwaiti Govt, Headed by Prime Minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah Resigns

i.On October 6, 2020 The Kuwaiti government, headed by Prime Minister(PM) Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah submitted its resignation to Emir Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah in anticipation of the upcoming general elections that are due to be held in November, 2020. He took charge as the PM in 2019.
ii.The emir named Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, currently the deputy head of the National Guard, as crown prince of Kuwait.
About Kuwait(Officially- State of Kuwait):
Capital– Kuwait City
Currency–  Kuwaiti dinar
<<Read Full News>>

Government of India Appoints Dinesh Kumar Khara as the Chairman of SBI

The Government of India appointed Dinesh Kumar Khara, the current Managing Director of State Bank of India as the new Chairman of SBI for a period of three years effective from 7th October 2020. Dinesh Kumar Khara succeeds Rajnish Kumar as the new Chairman, whose 3-year term ended on 7th October 2020.
The appointment of Dinesh Kumar was recommended by the Bank Board Bureau.
About Dinesh Kumar Khara:
i.Dinesh Kumar Khara is a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers(CAIIB) and he joined SBI as a probation officer in 1984.
ii.He played a major role in merging the 5 associate banks and Bharatiya Bank with SBI in April 2017.
iii.He was appointed as the MD of SBI in August 2016 for a term of 3 years.
iv.He headed the global banking division of SBI and also served as the MD and CEO of SBI Funds Management Private Limited(SBIMF).
About State Bank of India(SBI):
Chairman– Dinesh Kumar Khara
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline– Pure banking nothing else, With you all the way, The Nation banks on us, A Bank to the common man, The Banker to Every Indian”.

Government Appoints J Venkatramu as MD, CEO of India Post Payments Bank

On October 7, 2020 The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of J Venkatramu as Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) for a period of three years.
i.J Venkatramu will succeed Suresh Sethi, who served the post till March, 2020.
ii.Venkatramu is currently serving as Chief Digital Officer at Equitas Small Finance Bank.
iii.He has 22 years of work experience across various banking services such as payments, mobile banking, retail banking products and has managed digital financial service projects also.
About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):
i.IPPB was incorporated as Payments Banking Company under Section 22 (1) of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
ii.Headquarters – New Delhi

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

ADIA to Invest Rs.5512.50 Crore in RRVL

On 6th October 2020, The Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) announced that the wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority(ADIA) is set to invest Rs.5512.50 crore in the Reliance Retail Ventures Limited(RRVL) for 1.20% stake. The investment value of RRVL at pre money equity value of Rs.4.285 lakh crore.
Note:
With this investment RRVL has raised a total fund around Rs.37710 crore for 8.51% stake.
About the Investment:
i.The Rs.5512.50 crore investment of ADIA will translate into 1.20% equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis.
ii.This investment of ADIA marks the 7th investment in RRVL following the investments of Silver Lake, KKR, General Atlantic, Mubadala, GIC and TGP.
iii.The ADIA’s investment in RRVL follows its Rs.5683.50 crore investment in Jio Platform for 1.16% stake.
iv.This fund will support the performance and potential of RRVL and its new commerce business model.
v.This investment is in line with the ADIA’s strategy of investing in markets leading business in Asia connected with the region’s consumption related growth and technological advancement.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ICG Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Vigraha’ launched to enhance Coastal Security

On October 6, 2020, The Seventh Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ‘Vigraha’ of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was launched at Kattupalli Port, Chennai. The vessel has been built by Larsen & Toubro (L & T).
i.This is the first time that a private sector shipyard has designed & constructed an offshore patrol vessel class ship.
ii.‘Vigraha’ is the last in the series of Seven OPVs contracted to Larsen & Toubro by the Defence Ministry in 2015.
iii.It will be inducted into ICG after the completion of trials and testing by March 2021.
About Indian Coast Guard (ICG):
Director General of ICG (DG ICG) – Krishnaswamy Natarajan
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Russia Successfully Test-Fires Tsirkon Hypersonic Cruise Missile

On October 07, 2020 Russia successfully test-fired the Tsirkon (Zircon) Hypersonic Cruise Missile. The missile successfully hit a target in the Barents Sea.
i.The test was carried out from Frigate Admiral Gorshkov Vessel located in White Sea, Northern Russia.
ii.The Missile successfully hit its target at a range of 450 Kilometres in Four and Half Minutes, and reached hypersonic speeds of more than Mach 8.
About Russia:
President – Vladimir Putin
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
<<Read Full News>>

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Cotton Day Observed on October 7 2020

The world Cotton Day is held annually on October 7 since 2019 to recognize the importance of cotton as a global commodity grown in over 75 countries across five continents and to highlight its central role in job creation and maintaining economic stability in several least-developed countries.  The year 2020 marks its first anniversary
Background:
The Cotton-4 group (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali) initiated the cotton sectoral initiative at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to improve the global trade rules related to cotton. It was there in 2019 that WTO organized the World Cotton Day event in collaboration with the secretariats of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
About World Trade Organization (WTO):
Director General– To Be Appointed (Roberto Azevêdo stepped down as WTO Director-General on 31 August 2020)
Secretariat– Geneva, Switzerland

STATE NEWS

Telangana Govt Signs Tripartite Agreement between DET, GIZ and Siemens India to Implement New Initiative IGnITE

i.On October 6, 2020  In order to implement a new initiative, Indo-German Initiative for Technical Education(IGnITE), Telangana government has signed a tripartite agreement between Department of Employment and Training(DET), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), India and Siemens Limited, India in presence of Ch Malla Reddy, Minister of labour and Employment.
ii.The initiative focuses on industry’s need and practices and training the trainees.
About Siemens Limited, India:
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Sunil Mathur
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Telangana:
Wildlife Sanctuary– Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary,        Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary , Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary , Pocharam Forest & Wildlife Sanctuary
Tiger Reserve– Kawal Tiger Reserve, Amrabad Tiger Reserve
<<Read Full News>>

NDDB, Ladakh UT sign MoU to Conduct Survey for Promotion of Dairying

i.On October 6, 2020, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Union Territory (UT) Administration of Ladakh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a survey for promotion of dairying and rural livelihood in the region.
ii.The survey will collect required details to prepare a roadmap for development & promotion of dairying in Ladakh.
About National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
Chairman – Dilip Rath
Headquarters – Anand, Gujarat
About Union Territory of Ladakh:
Lieutenant Governor – Radha Krishna Mathur
Capital – Leh
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

Department of Fertilizers Ranked 3rd Among 65 Ministries/Department: DMEO 

The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office(DMEO), Niti Aayog conducted a Data Governance Quality Index Survey to assess the performance of the ministries/departments based on the implementation of Central Sector Schemes(CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes(CSS). The Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers ranked 3rd among the 65 ministries/departments with 4.11 on a scale of 5. The Department of fertilizers also secured 2nd rank among the 16 Economic Ministries/Departments.

Indian Navy Helicopters Undertakes Aerial Seeding Initiative at Visakhapatnam for GVMC

On 2nd October 2020, The Indian Navy partnered with Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for the Aerial Seeding Initiative at Visakhapatnam. This initiative aims to enhance the green cover in and around Visakhapatnam. Two UH3H helicopters with 2 tons of seed balls undertook the aerial seeding. Around 6.25 tonnes of seed balls were dropped in the region around Pedagantyada, Aganampudi, Naidu Thota, Chinamushidiwada, and Pavuralakonda in Bheemili.

Indian Private Firm Alpha Design Technology Limited to upgrade Pechora surface to Air Systems

Indian Private Firm Alpha Design Technology Limited (ADTL) bagged INR 591 crore contract for upgrading and digitising 16 Soviet Era Pechora missile and radar systems. ADTL has partnered with Russian entities for the project which will be executed in four years. It will be a major boost to indigenous defence manufacturing.

*******

Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2020

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)