September 4th Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test English

India has been ranked at 105th position in the Economic Freedom Index 2020. “The Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 Annual Report” has been released by Fraser Institute of Canada in collaboration with New Delhi based think tank “Centre For Civil Society”. As per the report, Hong Kong and Singapore have topped the index.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines regarding Compliance Functions in Banks and Role of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The guidelines direct that all banks should have a board approved Compliance Policy and Appointment of CCO. The CCO shall be a senior executive of the bank, preferably in the rank of a General Manager.

A strategic Defence and Security agreement has been recently signed between the Maldives and the United States. The “Framework for U.S. Department of Defense–Maldives Ministry of Defence and Security Relationship” seeks to promote cooperation maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean. India had previously opposed a proposed Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries in 2013.

The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) was established by the Ministry of Textiles in 1982, to promote export of Carpets and other allied Products from India. Recently, CEPC was in news as the organization has announced a three–day virtual Buyer–Seller Meet.

The Baghjan Oil Well of Oil India Limited (OIL) is located in Eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district has been put off. A massive fire occurred in the Oil well due to equipment failure and it turned out into a blowout, which means uncontrolled escape of gas at great speed. Oil India Limited (OIL) and foreign experts managed to tame the fire after 110 days.

Marathi language movie ‘The Disciple’ has won the Best Screenplay award at Venice Film Festival. The film is directed by Chaitanya Tamhane. The movie describes the personal and professional experiences of a Hindustani classical singer. It also bagged the prestigious FIPRESCI award. “Nomadland”, directed by Chloe Zhao won the “Golden Lion” award in the file festival.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has recently dedicated three petroleum projects at Bihar to the nation. Indian Oil’s Durgapur–Banka section of the Paradip–Haldia–Durgapur LPG pipeline, Indian Oil’s Cooking gas bottling plant at Banka and HPCL’s LPG bottling plant at Harsidh are the three projects at Bihar which have been inaugurated by the Prime Minister.

The Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India and co–chaired the ASEAN–India Ministerial Meeting. The meeting was held in a virtual mode. The meeting was participated by Foreign Ministers of the 10 ASEAN Member countries and India. During the meeting, a new ASEAN–India Plan of Action (2021–2025) was adopted.________________________________________

Foundation stone was laid for construction of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Sabroom of Tripura. It is the first SEZ of the state. The SEZ is being built at a cost of Rs 635 crore and would focus on rubber, bamboo, textile and food processing. Sabroom is located at a distance of 130 km from Agartala, the capital of Tripura.

The Governor of the coastal State of Louisiana, United States has declared a state of emergency on account of the tropical Storm Sally. The storm is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and will weaken back to a tropical storm while moving inland over Louisiana.

According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia’s economy will contract for the first time since the early 1960s. The bank had earlier projected that the GDP would grow by 0.1 per cent. Now, it is estimated that Asia’s GDP would decline by 0.7 per cent in 2020 and would increase to 7.7 per cent in 2021. It also highlighted that the GDP in India would contract by 9% this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated various projects under the ‘Namami Gange’ Yojana and the ‘AMRUT’ Yojana in Bihar. The four schemes inaugurated include sewerage treatment plants in Patna and water–related projects under the ‘AMRUT’ scheme. The Prime Minister also laid foundation stones were also laid for water supply projects and River Front Development Scheme under Namami Gange.

China has successfully launched a solid–propellant carrier rocket from a ship in the Yellow Sea and successfully sent nine satellites into orbit. This is the country’s second such sea–based launch mission. The tenth rocket of the Long March 11 family, the Long March 11–HY2 was launched carrying nine remote–sensing satellites belonging to the Jilin–1 Gaofen 03–1 group.

The Horticulture Department of the Jammu and Kashmir has launched the Flagship programme ‘Backyard Horticulture’ under CAPEX scheme. The programme aims to promote organic fruit production for home consumption. Under the programme, three fruit plants will be distributed among the farmers at 90% subsidy. It increases self–sustenance and also preserves environment.

India has been elected as a Member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The 54–member Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Elections were held for 2 seats in Asia Pacific states, where India, Afghanistan and China contested. India won the election to secure a seat in the CSW.

Two important bills pertaining to Ministry of AYUSH has been passed in Lok Sabha, namely the “National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill 2020” and “National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill 2020”. The said bills have been already passed in the Rajya Sabha in March 2020. The bills seek to replace the existing “Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970” and “Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973”.________________________________________

The state government of Gujarat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries Development Bank (SIDBI). Under this deal, the state aims to increase self–reliance and provide capacity building and market support to the 35 lakh Micro–small–medium enterprises (MSMEs) of the state. Earlier, Rajasthan had partnered with SIDBI to develop MSME ecosystem.

The Rajya Sabha has recently passed the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020, which was tabled by Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The bill has already been cleared by the Lok Sabha in March this year. It seeks to convert aviation agencies like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil aviation security (BCAS) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into statutory bodies. It also proposes heavy punishment for violations.

The 10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting between India and the United States. This meeting was held as a part of the Indo–US Bilateral Defence Cooperation. DTTI Group Meetings are held twice a year, hosted alternatively by India and the United States.
During the virtual meet held this year, a Statement of Intent on Defence technology cooperation was also signed.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered her first annual State of the European Union address. During the address, she urged the EU members to build a stronger European health union. She also announced the creation of a new agency for biomedical advanced research & development (BARDA). She also proposed to convene a global health summit next year.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank presented the first ever AICTE–Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards 2020. The award has been conferred to 12 faculty members of AICTE approved institutes on the occasion of Engineers Day. The award has been introduced to identify extraordinary teachers and recognize their best practice in the field of higher technical education.

The Lok Sabha has passed the Salary, Allowances and Pension of MPs (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Bill would reduce the salaries of Members of Parliament by 30% for a period of 1 year to meet the exigencies arising out of the COVID–19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the government had brought an ordinance in this regard.

Kerala State Electronic Development Corporation (Keltron), owned by the Government of Kerala, is set to manufacture commercially available Ventilators. The corporation has signed a pact with Society for Bio Medical Technology (SBMT) under the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for technical expertise in ventilator production.

The Prime Minister of India is to inaugurate Kosi Rail Mahasetu (Mega bridge) located in Bihar. The Kosi Rail Mahasethu project was sanctioned by Government of India in 2003–04. It is 1.9 km long bridge and has been constructed at a cost of Rs.516 Crore. This bridge is of strategic importance along the India Nepal border.

The Environment Ministerial Meeting of the G20 countries was conducted under the Presidency of Saudi Arabia. The meeting was held in a virtual mode. India was represented by Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar. The meeting focused on various social and economic issues such as anti–corruption, climate, agriculture, digital economy, education etc.________________________________________

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has exited from Sudan after the country has refused to pay for oil it lifted from the fields. The overseas investment arm of the state–owned oil company, ONGC Videsh (OVL) along with its Chinese partner CNPC and Malaysia’s Petronas have withdrawn from the oil fields. The African country had not paid USD 430.69 million for the Oil it bought from the block since 2011.

As per the recent statement of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, the government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJKs to 10,500 by March 2025.
The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) were launched with an aim to provide quality medicines at affordable rates to common citizens. At present, there were just over 6000 Kendras across the country.

The Uttar Pradesh government has recently announced that it will give cows to the families of malnourished children in the state. This programme has been launched as a part of ‘Poshan Maah’ (Nutrition Month) launched for the month of September across the country. The UP government would be carrying out this exercise under the ‘Chief Minister Destitute Cow Participation Scheme’.

The Government of India has created a new “Special Window for Completion of Affordable and Mid–Income Housing” Investment Fund (SWAMIH investment fund). This is created to fund stalled housing projects that are net worth positive.

The Government of Bangladesh has decided to export Hilsa fish to India on a limited scale. This is in view of the forthcoming Durga Pooja. The country’s commerce ministry has permitted nine exporters to export 1500 tonnes of Hilsa to India. Bangladesh imposed a ban on the export of Hilsa in 2012.

In the latest edition of the World Bank’s annual Human Capital Index, India has been ranked at the 116th position. The index ranks countries on the basis of key components of human capital. India’s score increased to 0.49 from its earlier score of 0.44 in 2018.

The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani has recently announced subsidy schemes for electric two–wheelers and e–rickshaws. The schemes aim to encourage the use of electric vehicles to prevent air pollution.
The Chief Minister announced the subsidy as a “Panchsheel gift” of five development schemes in Gujarat. Under the scheme, Students will get a subsidy of Rs 12,000 to buy e–scooters.

Indian Railways has decided to levy ‘User fee’ in addition to train fares in some major stations. This has been stated by the Railway board CEO VK Yadav. The additional fee would be used to revamp railway stations and modernize their infrastructure in order to attract investments. It has been decided that only 10 to 15 % of the total stations would be charged with this additional fee.

The meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held on 24th September 2020. The meeting was held in a virtual mode via video–conferencing. The meeting was chaired by Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali. The Foreign Ministers of all the member states attended the meeting. Ministers of India and Pakistan also met.

In order to improve the prescription practices among India’s medical graduates, a free online course has been launched by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The course named ‘Prescribing Skills for Indian Medical Graduates’ will be offered by National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai. Medical Council of India (MCI) has made the course compulsory for post–graduates.

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been recently passed in the Rajya Sabha, to bring a law, that punishes those who attack Health workers or Doctors who are fighting the coronavirus outbreak or a similar situation. It provides for up to five years in jail for the act.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on September 19, 2020 that eight beaches of the country have been recommended for the ‘Blue Flag’ international eco–label. The minister said this on the eve of ‘International Coastal Clean–Up Day’ that is being celebrated across 100 countries since 1986. The eight beaches that have been recommended includes – Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman and Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden in Odisha and Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

September 18 is observed as the International Equal Pay Day by the United Nations. It has been celebrated for the first time this year. The day is observed by the United Nations to throw light and end discrimination against women and girls. As per the UN, women are paid less than men in all parts of the world, with the gender pay gap estimated at 23 %.

The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has launched “National Generic Document Registration System” (NGDRS). This system marks a shift from the existing manual registration system to online registration for sale or purchase of land. The new system would add extra strength to the UT’s
e–governance by establishing a transparent and accountable land registration mechanism.________________________________________

China has introduced a system of penalizing companies that appears on its “Unreliable entity list”. As per an official statement, the country will impose penalties including restricting trade, investment and visas to any company that pose a threat to China’s sovereignty, national security, development and business interests. The list also contains list of firms that discriminate against or harm Chinese businesses.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease which leads to memory loss. The condition worsens with time and makes it difficult to perform day to day functions. Since 1994, each year 21st September is observed as the World Alzheimer’s Day. September is the month which is observed each year as the World Alzheimer’s Month in order to enable national and local Alzheimer associations worldwide to extend their reach of awareness programmes over a longer period of time.

On September 18, ‘Krushi Bhavan’, a facility developed for the State’s Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha won 10th annual AZ Awards 2020 as People’s Choice Winner under the category ‘social good’. The awards were revealed at its first–ever virtual AZ Awards Gala. The 12,077 sq.m ‘Krushi Bhavan’ is one among 20 winners and the only winner from India.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has advised the States and Union Territory administrations to stamp “International Convention of Road Traffic of 19th September 1949” on the first page of International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by them. It has been brought to the notice of the Ministry through various public grievances that many countries are not accepting the International Driving Permit issued to Indian citizens, and that officials there ask for the validation of IDP in accordance of International Convention of Road Traffic of 19th September 1949.

The Bt–brinjal varieties approved for field testing by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recently are “Janak” and “BSS–793”. They contain an insect–killer gene Cry1Fa1 (event 142), derived from the soil–dwelling bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

The Project Shield is launched in five districts of Tamil Nadu – Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Karur, Perambalur and Ariyalur in order to combat crimes against women and children and to create a sage and violence free communities for them in these five districts along in collaboration with the International Justice Mission and stakeholders working for the welfare of women and children in Tiruchi range.________________________________________

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2020 was passed in Lok Sabha on 21st September, which proposes a number of drastic changes to the law governing the receipt of foreign contributions in India. It amended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 which regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution by individuals, associations and companies.
The Amendment act make ‘Aadhaar’ a mandatory identification document for registration of all the office bearers of an NGO or an association seeking foreign donations. Further the act prohibits any sub granting which implies that an institution registered or having prior permission under FCRA cannot make sub–grant/s to any other intuition from foreign contributions received in its designated FCRA Bank account even if the second recipient or sub–grantee has registration or prior permission under FCRA.

To mark the 75th anniversary of UN in 2020, a meeting of the UN General Assembly was organized virtually on 21st September 2020. It released a declaration titled “The Future We want; the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism”. Year 2020 marks 75th anniversary of UN which was established on October 24, 1945.

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed in Lok Sabha on 22nd September, 2020. The Bill replaces an ordinance which was issued by the Government of India on 22 April for amending the the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 in order to make the incidents of violence on health workers treating the COVID–19 patients a non–bailable offence, with provision of a penalty and a jail up to 7 years.

After the Parliament passed two agricultural sector reforms bills, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2021–22 to encourage farmers ahead of sowing the operations of winter crops. The biggest crop of Rabi season, Wheat has been hiked by Rs. 50 to Rs. 1975 per quintal along with other five Rabi crops (Lentil (masoor), gram, barley, safflower and mustard/rapeseed.

Kerala will soon house one of the first medical device parks in the country, focusing on the high–risk medical device sector to provide full range of services for the medical devices industry like R&D support, testing, and evaluation.

The 2020 World Heart Day is observed every year on September 29 to raise awareness about the four main factors that affect the human heart — use of tobacco, improper diet, lack of physical exercise and excess consumption of alcohol. The 2020 theme is “Use Heart To Beat Cardiovascular Disease”.

Donimalai, which is known for Iron Ore mining is located in Bellari district of Karnataka. The rich Irone Ore mine was under state–owned NMDC for 50 years. The lease of NDMC ended in 2018 and since then the production has stopped here. Recently, the Karnataka government has decided to resume mining at Donimalai.

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB–PMJAY) is an initiative by the Government of India for providing health care service to protect poor families against health issues. The government setup an autonomous entity, ‘National Health Agency’ under the Society Registration Act, 1860 for the formulation of policies, implementation mechanisms, coordination with state governments for the effective implementation of AB–PMJAY.

The Companies Act, 2013 is amended by the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which was introduced by the Minister for Corporate Affairs. The Bill decriminalizes company law offences and allows direct foreign listing of companies.
The Bill seeks to establish benches of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal. These shall ordinarily sit in New Delhi or such other place as may be notified.

The Banking Regulation Act was passed in 1949 and was recently amended by the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. This amendment will allow RBI to initiate a scheme for amalgamation or reconstruction of a bank. It also puts cooperative banks under RBI ambit.

The Second National Commission on Labour was set up in 2002 and recommended a separate law for small scale units with less stringent provisions for conditions such as payment of wages, welfare facilities, social security, etc

Karnataka has the highest number nursing colleges in India. It has 314 total number of colleges among which 13 are government colleges and 301 are private colleges.
Health is a subject of State list, therefore opening of new nursing colleges falls under the purview of the respective state government.

The Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs approved the second phase of the centrally sponsored Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for a period of three years i.e. 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2020. The scheme was launched in 2013.

The Parliament of India passes the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 which take into account the inclusion of Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi in the list of official languages in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the existing Urdu and English.________________________________________